pirates

Wilson is best known for hitting 36 triples for the Pirates in 1912. This was easily the highest figure in organized baseball history. A lefthanded line drive hitter, he hit 24 of the triples in spacious Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. He also hit 31 of his 59 career home runs inside the park. The tall and taciturn Texan was a good outfielder with a strong throwing arm. With the Cardinals in 1914 he led the NL in assists and fielding percentage. He was the only National Leaguer to play the full schedule of games in 1912 and 1913, and would have been in 1914 as well but sat out the last two games to prepare for the St. Louis city series. He batted only .154 in seven Series games against the Tigers in 1909. (LRD) from www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Owen_...

Two whiskey advertisments (Hunter Whiskey and Green River Whiskey) on the outfield wall. Baseball players and fans were a rough bunch. Green River Whiskey - motto used since 1896 was "The Whiskey Without a Headache".

While not the infamous comedian, this Wilson played Right Field for the Pittsburgh Pirates and batted .272 with 59 RBI's in the 1909 season. See www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/features/topteams...

There's at least one other whiskey ad in this picture - just to the left of the Hunter Whiskey sign it says "Bushmills Irish Whiskey".

It is really amazing how the players were able to catch the ball one handed with the old gloves that had no webbing or lacing between the fingers. This glove in the photo has longer fingers than most gloves of that time. The ball was not wound as tight as it is today, thus making it a bit softer, what they called the Dead Ball. Therefore, there were few home runs hit and many of the ones that were hit were inside the park. Batters tended to face the pitcher more so that they could see the ball better and then punch at the ball trying to place it between the fielders. The bats had thicker handles, also. Overall, the players were smaller and not as athletic as they are today. They didn't believe in muscle building and conditioning like today's players. In fact, weight training was discouraged because it was felt one would become "muscle bound" and not be able to throw well. This attitude was still popular into the 1960's. I can remember coaches also telling us to not go swimming because it would tire us out for baseball. At any rate, I find it interesting that the bases are still 90 feet apart and the batter is usually always thrown out on a ball hit to any infielder, just as in circa 1900. Today's players are faster, have better equipment, are more physical, but it is still a game of inches. Ruth came along and changed the game. Players started to swing for the fences like the Babe. The ball was wound tighter and other sluggers such as Jimmy Foxx and Hack Wilson emerged. Thanks for these great old photos.

Honus Wagner is considered by many to be baseball's greatest all-around player. The Pittsburgh Pirates' shortstop was a sensational hitter, a brilliant base-runner and a flawless fielder. He broke into the majors by hitting .344 in 1897 and put together 17 consecutive .300 seasons. He was the NL batting champion for seven of those 17 seasons with a lifetime average of .329. One of the first five players inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, he led the league in stolen bases on six occasions, finishing his career with a total of 722 steals. Wagner retired with more hits, runs, RBI, doubles, triples, games and steals than any other National League player. After his career as a player, Honus became a manager for his longtime team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Honus Wagner baseball card, one of the most valuable in existence today, was recalled in 1909. At the time, the cards were distributed along with tobacco; Wagner, a nonsmoker, objected to being included in the promotion because he did not want to set a bad example for children. from Honus Wagner Biography

Very cool....I've been told my entire life (53 years) that Marty O'Toole and I were related. His career was brief, but it's great to see him in a pic with the great Wagner.

thanks for uploading this! Marty was my great uncle. ;-) I am pretty young but my late father was a lot older than my mom ( lol) Marty was my grandmother Bridget's brother ( I am named after her). I would love to get more info on him.