Ray Schalk: A Baseball Biography

Who used to be Ray Schalk?

"`I imagine he used to be a ballplayer. From someplace round here,'" stated one softball participant to a customer at Ray Schalk box in Harvel, Illinois, in may perhaps 2007, as chronicled via baseball historian Brian E. Cooper in Ray Schalk: A Baseball Biography (August 2009; McFarland & corporation, Inc. , Publishers).

Schalk, a Harvel local, redefined the position of a catcher via stronger shielding abilities in a profession that spanned the lifeless Ball and energetic Ball eras. His trip at the base paths in significant League Baseball begun at some point sooner than his twentieth birthday and ended after 18 seasons with files in video games stuck, putouts and double performs, whereas prime the yankee League 8 instances in fielding percent and 9 instances in putouts. He was once the 1st to trap 4 no-hit contests and set a checklist for stolen bases in a season through a catcher (30) in 1916 that used to be now not damaged until eventually 1982.

In the 1st book-length biography of Schalk, Cooper weaves throughout the beautiful occupation as a participant, supervisor and trainer, with historic antidotes and a wealth of pictures to offer a whole photograph of his existence and occasions. Schalk may have simply carried "The typical" as a nickname; his first great holiday happened on the age of 15 in 1908, whilst he used to be a final minute substitute at catcher for a semi-pro membership in Litchfield, Illinois. He had no mistakes and tallied a number of assists, whereas scoring a couple of runs and notching hits in 3 at-bats.

A highschool standout in basketball, Schalk remained a semi-pro baseball big name who can be signed for round $2 a video game. He entered the professional online game at age 18 on may well nine, 1911, with the category D Taylorville Christians within the Illinois-Missouri League. Schalk used to be batting . 398 and had swiped thirteen bases through mid-July, however the league was once in monetary turmoil and Taylorville - to chop bills - published Schalk for $1,500 to the Milwaukee Brewers of the yank Association.

His play with the Brewers drew curiosity from MLB groups and on August nine, 1912, he used to be dealt to the Chicago White Sox for $10,000 and gamers. Schalk used to be within the beginning lineup days later. "Until he entered Cooperstown, Schalk categorized the afternoon of his first major-league online game as his maximum thrill in baseball," Cooper writes.

Schalk then actually grew up in public. Diminutive in stature for a catcher at 5-foot-9 and a hundred sixty five kilos, he was once usually unsuitable for a bat-boy in his early years with the ChiSox. He married Lavinia Graham in October 1916, with a daughter - Pauline - born in 1918 and a son - Ray Jr. - born in 1921.

As international conflict One gripped the country, Schalk used to be a key participant - batting . 286 - in Chicago's American League pennant and international sequence victory in 1917. brilliant skies have been at the horizon for a potential dynasty within the making, yet a tsunami of deceit wiped issues out in 1919.

"Then there has been the Black Sox scandal. Schalk had a special standpoint at the international sequence of 1919, whilst teammates conspired with gamblers and deliberately misplaced to the Cincinnati Reds," Cooper writes. "Schalk used to be the 1st of the sincere gamers - the so-called fresh Sox - to grasp whatever used to be up; in any case, he may well inform instantly whilst his pitchers overlooked his indications and after they grooved the ball to Reds hitters. "

Any lingering anger and frustration stayed contained in the middle of the sincere megastar. Cooper cites membership proprietor Charles A. Comiskey attempting to hinder the membership from being dismantled, whereas protecting his iconic popularity within the online game, and what occurred to dollar Weaver - receiving a life-time suspension simply because he didn't document the conferences he attended along with his Black Sox teammates - as significant the explanation why Schalk maintained his personal code of silence.

"Even after the cover-up failed and Shoeless Joe Jackson and 7 others bought lifetime suspensions, Schalk maintained his silence," Cooper writes. "That to his loss of life day (Schalk) refused to inform what he knew concerning the scandal not just pissed off enthusiasts and researchers, it diluted his prominence in baseball background. "

By 1924, lingering accidents made Schalk a battered veteran at age 32. A 1927 photo of his gnarled correct hand actually tells the tale of a participant who dons the armor of a catcher. A player-manager for Chicago in 1927 and 1928, he used to be a trainer and participant (five video games) in 1929 for the hot York Giants. Schalk merely seemed in 23 video games from 1927-1929 and retired with 1,727 typical season protective appearances out of 1,762 video games played.

He stayed within the video game as a trainer for the Chicago Cubs and supervisor for the Buffalo Bisons of the foreign League, Indianapolis Indians of the yank organization and - going full-circle at the diamond - for the Brewers for the final 1/2 the 1940 season earlier than calling it a occupation on the age of forty eight. In 1955, Schalk won enshrinement within the nationwide Baseball corridor of status & Museum via a vote through the Veteran's Committee. His . 253 profession batting general is the bottom for an inductee who was once a place player.

Schalk's healthiness was once declining precipitously by means of 1969 and the relations suffered a sad loss whilst Ray Jr. dedicated suicide in February 1970. On could 19 of that 12 months, Schalk, seventy seven, died of problems as a result of melanoma of the esophagus.

"He was once often the shortest guy at the box, yet Schalk was once the yardstick opposed to whom different catchers have been measured," Cooper writes.

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