Is there a more fascinating baseball character than...

[Big Six]

Hal Chase? Talk about a guy who had his hand in just about everything (including the Black Sox scandal), was among the most talented players in the game (yet won't ever be in the Hall of Fame), was so popular he had FOUR T206 cards when many Hall of Famers only had three or less and was considered the "Prince" of the game yet died a pauper.... I wonder what his career would look like today versus the turn of the 20th century.

Show your Chase's or tell me who is more interesting than Prince Hal...



I would love to see some pictures of Chase, too!!!

[atx840]

One of my favourites.

[Mikehealer]

He had 5 t206 cards.

[mordecaibrown]

I dont know much about Chase, but he actually had 5 T206 cards:

blue portrait, pink portrait, white cap, black cap, and holding the trophy.

[ullmandds]

Agreed...Hal was as interesting as they come. Also interesting to raise this thread while also discussing whether Bonds, Clemens will ever make the hall.

It seems a lot of players participated in corruption in the early days...yet only a few were made an example of...like Hal! I wonder if this will also be the case regarding players in the steroid era...many will eventually get in...but a few will be made examples of?!

[tedzan]

Babe Ruth once commented that there isn't a finer 1st baseman in BB than Hal Chase. Ruth also said that he styled his batting swing after Joe Jackson's swing.
But, even with those endorsements....Hal Chase and Joe Jackson still are not in the Hall of Fame....tis a shame.


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[CW]

While I can't claim that they are more interesting characters from the game, a few that come to mind who might be on par Chase would be the obvious choices of Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, or maybe the slightly more obscure Rube Waddell (he would be my pick for most fascinating character in baseball).

I enjoy checking out all the Chase cards/items, so keep 'em comin'!!

[Davy_Kangaroo_Jones]

Didn't Jerry Downs rob a bank?

[Abravefan11]

[Ladder7]

Chick Stahl may have off'd himself when one of his many mistresses threatened to spill all the beans.

[dstraate]

How about a vote for Big Ed Dehlanty? Only player I've heard of to go over Niagara Falls sans barrel.

[Davy_Kangaroo_Jones]

Originally Posted by dstraate

How about a vote for Big Ed Dehlanty? Only player I've heard of to go over Niagara Falls sans barrel.

I never heard that. What happened?

[familytoad]

Hal Chase and Roger Clemens threads on top of the board...separated by nearly a century but still the same thing to me...nothing interesting at all in guys who aren't honest and who refuse to uphold any value or integrity for baseball.

There are a LOT more interesting characters to me...like Dummy Hoy or Pete Gray, all of the WW2 heroes including Warren Spahn, Bob Feller and Ted Williams, color barrier guys like Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby, eccentric but honest baseball guys like Nick Altrock, Bob Uecker, Mark Fidyrich. Victims of fate like Eddie Waitkus, Addie Joss, Lyman Bostock or Thurman Munson.
Old timers with fascinating stories like Old Hoss Radbourne ,Ed Delehanty or Bugs Raymond.

Clemens and Chase...not for this baseball fan!

[tjlives]

Originally Posted by Davy_Kangaroo_Jones

I never heard that. What happened?

Delahanty was kicked off a train near Niagara Falls in 1903 for being drunk and disorderly. He then attempted to cross the falls by walking across the rail bridge, and was never seen again alive; his body washed up later. Theories have ranged from suicide to murder to drunken accident.

[FrankWakefield]

July 2, 1903: The Mysterious Death of Hall-Of-Famer Big Ed Delahanty by Mike Sowell.

THAT is the book to read to learn about Delahanty, and more importantly about the formation of a second league in major league baseball, how initially they didn't honor one another's contracts... Lajoie jumped contracts, and to avoid contempt proceedings after he joined Cleveland, he'd not go on any roadtrips that required him to play in or go through Pennsylvania, because he had jumped his Philadelphia A's contract. I consider this one of the top 10 baseball books for someone to read who wants to understand the history of the game.

[dstraate]

Well, I won't cite anything but Wikipedia, so take it with a grain of salt. He was drunk, and got thrown from a train. Decided to go over Niagara with his evening open. Also got stuck in a doghouse retrieving a home run, hit by cap anson. Then beat up Chuck Norris' great grandfather.

[matthew]

Originally Posted by dstraate

Then beat up Chuck Norris' great grandfather.

Chuck found out about the incident, went back in time & finished Big Ed with a vicious roundhouse kick to the temple.

[calvindog]

[FrankWakefield]

I think Calvin used to just be called Calvin, until one day someone asked him if he had a card of some old ballplayer. Calvin probably said he thought he might, then he proceeded to dig out a handful of seldom seen beauties, along the lines of what he just posted. The fellow looking at them, knowing what they were, looked at Calvin and said, "You DOG!!!" That was the birth of that Calvindog moniker. If it isn't true, it should be. You dog... nice cards, great signature.

[calvindog]

[Griffins]

[3-2-count]

[Jaybird]

that CJ is phenomenal!

[Bosox Blair]

Another Chase...

[tedzan]

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[tedzan]

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[deadballera]

here's one...

[Steve D]

I've always found Moe Berg's life pretty interesting.

Steve

[ullmandds]

Yes...of course...the catcher was a spy...super interesting story!!!!

[calvindog]

[Davy_Kangaroo_Jones]

Originally Posted by tjlives

Delahanty was kicked off a train near Niagara Falls in 1903 for being drunk and disorderly. He then attempted to cross the falls by walking across the rail bridge, and was never seen again alive; his body washed up later. Theories have ranged from suicide to murder to drunken accident.

wow

[MW1]

Chase photo

[tjb1952tjb]

Pretty Blue..........

[tedzan]

American Lithographic thought enough of Hal Chase, that they printed his 5 cards more than any other T206 subjects......70+ front/back combinations.







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[tedzan]

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