Before the Curse: The Chicago Cubs' Glory Years, 1870-1945

9 EVERS ON THE GLORY YEARS

9. Evers on the Glory Years On Sept e mber 15, 1902, the o cial scorer for the Chicago–Cincinnati game penned the words “Double Plays: Tinker-Evers-Chance.” It was the first time the words were entered into a major league box score, although there was nothing unusual about double plays. But there was magic in the words, at least for the New York Mail columnist and baseball poet Franklin P. Adams. He was a New York Giants fan who dreaded the linking together of these three names, in that awful combination, because usually these names strung together meant the end of an inning that had shown possibilities, and as often as not another defeat at the hands of the Cubs. Adams ended up immortalizing these names in “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon,” writing: “Tinker to Evers to Chance.” Trio of Bear Cubs, and fleeter than birds. Tinker to Evers to Chance. Ruthlessly pricking out gonfalon bubble. Making a Giant hit into a double— Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble. “Tinker to Evers to Chance.” Poetry. During the Cubs’ greatest decade, shortstop Joe Tinker, second baseman Johnny “the Crab” Evers, and first baseman Frank Chance struck fear in opponent clubhouses and created disharmony in their own. As harmonious as they were on the field, they were thoroughly discordant off it. Tinker and Evers fell out over something or other during the 1907season and seldom spoke except in anger for decades after. (For what it’s worth, in 1937 Evers gave his version of events, claiming that Tinker had thrown a hard ball his way in ’07that broke a finger and when Evers called Tinker a “so and so” Tinker just laughed. After that, “We didn’t even say hello for at least two years. We went through two World Series without a single word,” he maintained.)1 In the clubhouse, after a tough loss or for almost any other reason, the two would have words (if they even took the time to) and begin fist-fighting. Sometimes a teammate would break up the fight, other times they would join in, but still they played brilliantly and on brilliant teams. In 1910 Evers wrote a book with famed baseball journalist Hugh S. Fullerton about Evers’ career and the game he loved. Well, he apparently mainly edited the book, whereas Fullerton wrote it. Nonetheless, Touching Second: The Science of Baseball is an interesting analysis of baseball’s development into an “exact mathematical sport” and yet a sport that also needed “more dash, less mechanical work.”2 Touching Second considers the history of the sport, key players and seasons, and offers insight into what it took to win at the big league level. This excerpt from it covers the authors’ analysis of the many years and the many steps that it took to build the juggernaut Cubs squads of the first decade of the twentieth century—the team that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1907 and 1908. According to Evers and Fullerton, a key part of the team’s development occurred because of Frank Chance’s superb leadership and eye for baseball talent, coupled with owner Charles Murphy’s willingness to give Chance thorough control—at least for the time being. Though Chance did earn a reputation as a taskmaster, in Touching Second Evers certainly does not seem bothered by the “Peerless” one’s style. Instead the authors stress Chance’s ability to land pitcher Ed Reulbach, a physical wonder, as well as the unconventional Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown. They also emphasize Chance’s skillful trades for Harry Steinfeldt and Orval Overall, as well as others. In addition, Evers and Joe Tinker and Frank Chance, two members of the famed “Tinker to Evers to Chance” trio. 100 f r om t h e c ol t s t o t h e dy na st y Fullerton promote the idea that it takes patience, brains, money, and luck to win a pennant, though not necessarily in equal measure: they ranked patience and luck as most important.3 Nowadays most Cubs fans would probably rearrange those rankings—how patient can you be? Excerpt from Touching Second: The Science of Baseball John J. Evers and Hugh S. Fullerton, 1910 The real beginning of the Chicago Cubs was in March, 1898, when a big, bow-legged, rather awkward young player came from the Pacific coast to be tried as...