Here’s another blatant attempt at capitalizing at our new access to some great baseball photos from yesteryear - but this one’s sure a good one. I mean, how many fans have ever seen Detroit Tigers’ legend Ty Cobb wearing the uniform of Cleveland?! Sure enough, take a look below, there’s Cobb, third from the bottom right, minus his customary Old English D.

1911 team shot of what is considered first All-Star Game

Now, as Paul Harvey would say, you’re about to hear . . . the r-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-st of the story: After the untimely death of Cleveland’s popular and respected pitcher Addie Joss at only 31 due to spinal meningitis, an “All-Star” game was assembled on July 24, 1911 at Cleveland’s League Park II to benefit Joss’ widow. A team of stars then took on Joss’ former squad — and featured a veritable “Field of Dreams” of players. First, let’s identify those in the shot of the assembled All-Stars: From left, top row: Bobby Wallace, Home Run Baker, Smoky Joe Wood, Walter “Big Train” Johnson, Hal Chase, Clyde Milan, Russ Ford, Eddie Collins. (Seated): Germany Schaefer, Tris Speaker, Sam Crawford, Jim McAleer, Ty Cobb (in Cleveland uniform, donned after his uniform was lost in transit en route to the game), Gabby Street and Paddy Livingston. And just who were the Tribe (or rather, during that era, “The Naps,” so nicknamed after popular player Nap Lajoie - also a participant in the game. The team would not become the Indians until 1914) able to field against this fearsome collection? Only a team featuring two of the most famous names ever to cross between the lines: Shoeless Joe Jackson (in his first full MLB season) and pitcher named Cy Young, competing in what would be his final tour of duty. Click here for a beautiful panorama shot of the entire roster of players from both teams - let the image load and then click on it — it’s huge!: Young is the tenth from the left; Jackson is next to Young; Lajoie is eighteenth.

And fans think tomorrow’s game will have some star power? Hah! It’s tough to match this one, that’s for sure. Here’s hoping Magglio Ordonez’s uniform makes the trip.

- The Heckler

Photo used with permission of Early Era Baseball Photos.com

This entry was posted on Monday, July 9th, 2007 at 5:00 pm and is filed under Baseball History, MLB photos, Waxing Nostalgic, Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.