Gabby Street with T3 in lieu of T207, which reflects his defection to NY.
Charles E. "Gabby" Street. "The Old Sarge". Catcher for the Washington Senators in 1908-1911. 312 hits and 2 home runs in 8 MLB seasons. Debuted with the Cincinnati Reds in 1904.
Caught ball dropped from top of Washington Monument. Holds MLB record for longest gap between MLB games at 19 years -- 1912-1931. Managed the St. Louis Cardinals in 1929 and 1930-1933, including the 1931 World Series championship. Managed the St. Louis Browns in 1938.
Because Gabby was discarded by Washington (Griffith) after the 1911 season, his T207 card reflects his status in 1912 as a New York Highlander. That prevents me from being able to complete a Tobacco Triple Crown as Brian has defined it. But since nobody has rushed forward to cover Street, I offer a modified, but thoroughly collectable, Tobacco Triple Play with Street's T3 card replacing the T207. This also provides me another chance to present what I regard as one of the most beautiful (and thoughtful) tobacco cards ever created, the T3 depicting Gabby as a Washington Senator with our national capital and Washington monument looming in the cityscape.
From Street's SABR Biography: Persistence paid off for Street, and his contract was sold to the Washington Senators. Of the 504 games Street played in the major leagues, 429 were over the next four years (1908-11) with Washington. His calling card was his defense, as he led the league in putouts and double plays in both 1908 and 1909. In 1910 he was atop his peers with a fielding percentage of .978.
(I have to admit to not understanding what leading the league in double plays (on defense) means. Perhaps it refers to starting double plays, which could begin with poor sacrifice bunts or strikeouts on hit-and-run? Seems an odd record for a catcher. You would expect a shortstop.)
In today’s vernacular Street’s batting average would be characterized as worthy of the “Mendoza Line,” as his average with the Senators was a meek .210. Catchers of the day were never expected to hit that well, and in any event Washington was not fielding a championship team in those years, finishing no better than seventh place in the American League and no closer than 22˝ games back of the pennant winner.
Importantly, Walter Johnson favored Street, acknowledging him as a first-rate catcher. “He always kept the pitcher in good spirits with his continual chatter of sense and nonsense,” said the Big Train. “ ‘Ease up on this fellow, Walter, he has a wife and two kids,’ he would call jokingly when some batter was hugging the plate and getting a toehold for a crack at one of my fast ones. ‘This fellow hasn’t had a hit off you since you joined the league,’ might be his next remark and so on throughout the game.”
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