The Hitless Wonders - White Sox 1906

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Posted By: Joe D.

If anybody has any additional info about these items, or any opinion, all posts are appreciated.


I just picked up two very cool team photo postcards. And as I read more about the history of the 1906 World Series I became more excited about this pickup.

A 1906 Chicago White Sox team postcard and
a 1906 Chicago Cubs team postcard.


The White Sox postcard was postally used and has a post office stamp dated October 9, 1906 (first game of the world series).

Both postcards look to have been produced by "V.O. Hammon Pub. Co, Chicago" and the photos themselves appear to have a copyright 1906 by Geo. R. Lawrence Co. For a T200 Fatima collector like myself, these postcards fit right in with my collection.









About the 1906 series:

.... from wikipedia -
The 1906 World Series featured a crosstown matchup between the Chicago Cubs, who had posted the highest regular-season win total (116) and winning percentage in major league history, and the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox, known as the "Hitless Wonders" after finishing with the worst team batting average (.230) in the American League, beat the Cubs in six games for one of the greatest upsets in Series history.

....from MLB.com -
The '06 Series looked like the mother of all mismatches. The Cubs set a Major League Baseball record, still unbroken through 2000, with 116 regular-season wins. Meanwhile, the White Sox won "only" 93 games, and were known as "the Hitless Wonders" by virtue of their .230 team batting average.

... from baseball-reference.com -
The "Hitless Wonder" Chicago White Sox lived up to their name in the 1906 World Series, hitting only .198 but defeating the Chicago Cubs four games to two in the only crosstown World Series in Chicago history.

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Posted By: joe brennan

People said it was a million dollar wound. But the government must keep that money, cause I ain't never seen a penny of it.

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Posted By: joe brennan

BTW Joe, Those are some fantastic postcards.

People said it was a million dollar wound. But the government must keep that money, cause I ain't never seen a penny of it.

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Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)

Run Forrest run

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Posted By: Joe D.

thanks joe - your postcard is pretty cool as well (thanks for posting).


Its pretty remarkable that a team that couldn't hit the ball (White Sox) won the pennant and went on to beat the winningest team in the league (Cubs) for the World Series Championship.

And the hitless wonders faced a team that had Mordecai Brown, Tinker, Evers, Chance.

I don't recognize anyone in the White Sox postcard except for Comisky. It must have been a David and Goliath match up... and the city of Chicago must have been going nuts for it.

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Posted By: joe brennan

I agree. What an upset. Someone smater than me once said, "That's why they play the game" The meaning behind it is no matter what the odds, anything can happen. Prolly as big an upset as the Jets over the Colts in the Super Bowl.

People said it was a million dollar wound. But the government must keep that money, cause I ain't never seen a penny of it.

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Posted By: Joe D.

just found this info about the photographer of my two postcards...

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/panoramic_photo/pnphtgs.html


Biography: George R. Lawrence (1869-1938)

After working briefly at a Chicago wagon factory in 1889, George Lawrence opened a studio for the production of crayon enlargements — large photographs, usually portraits, that have been enhanced by pastels or charcoal. Crayon enlargements were popular wall decorations in the late 1800s.

In 1893, Lawrence's studio partner left Chicago permanently. Lawrence inherited the equipment and learned to develop negatives from a local photographer's apprentice. He formed the Geo. R. Lawrence Company and quickly became an innovator in the field, using the slogan "The Hitherto Impossible in Photography is Our Specialty."

Lawrence designed his own large-format cameras and specialized in aerial views. He began by using ladders or high towers to photograph from above. In 1901 he shot aerial photographs from a flimsy cage attached to a captive balloon. Once, while flying more than 200 feet above Chicago, the cage tore from the balloon, hurling Lawrence and his camera to the ground. Fortunately his fall was broken by telephone and telegraph wires; he landed unharmed. Lawrence continued to use balloons until he developed a method of taking aerial views with cameras suspended from unmanned kites.

In the 1910s, Lawrence left the field of photography and pursued a career in aviation design. The Geo. R. Lawrence Company was succeeded by Kaufmann & Fabry, whose work can also be found in this collection.

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

It was way more than just Mordecai Brown. Their entire starting rotation had an ERA under 2.00 that year. Ed Reulbach, Jack Pfister and Orvall Overall.

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Posted By: Brian H (misunderestimated)

There is a book that recently came out about the only Cubs-Sox series that's on my current books to read list the title is something like "When Chicago Ruled the Baseballl World"

The '06 Cubs were not merely the best team int he NL but by several statistical measures the greatest (regular season) team ever (116 wins a shorter season than today).

The SOx are one of those rare championship teams that had almost no HOFers...
George Davis was their (only) best offensive threat even though it wasn't one of his best years and Ed Walsh had yet to come into his own.

The Cubs had the three infield HOFERS and 3 Finger Brown. Their top hitter that season was the "other" infielder Harry Steinfledt. Jimmy Sheckard and Ed Ruelbach were also on the team and are both arguably HOF level players. Chance was also a HOF calliber manager although he is apparently a HOFer based on his playing which was among the best in the league at 1st Base (when he wasn't hurt).

Sorry to ramble --> Chicago sports fans (especially the Cubs) have survived on history alone until last years Chisox.

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Posted By: Max Weder

Here's a mirror for the 1906 White Sox



Max

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Posted By: Rich Mueller

Max,

Very cool piece. What's the origin & where did you get it if I may ask?

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Posted By: Max Weder

Hi Rich

It was an ebay purchase awhile back.

I've heard that it was a fairly limited production mirror, probably made for those close to the team. The mirror is fairly large, about 20 x 20". A dealer at The National had another one for sale, and he said that he had more information on the piece.

Max