quick trivia

A man of firsts, who is he?

-- first batter to face Babe Ruth

-- first man to come to bat in the Major Leagues wearing a uniform number

-- first ex-ballplayer to become a radio broadcaster

I know. He has 2 cards in the ATG set.

I know. He has 2 cards in the ATG set.

He does indeed including one with some nice obp.

And like Captain Kirk, a Canadian

And like Captain Kirk, a Canadian

Eh yep...

That took some work to find ... LOL. Great question.

As always, a great read from the SABR....

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/9e908f7c

Though he played in an era when followers of the game exalted high batting average while mostly ignoring a player's ability to get on base through means other than a hit, Graney became an enthusiastic proponent of his style of play. Perhaps because of his own struggles with wildness on the mound, Graney recognized the damage that could be done to a pitcher's arm by working the count. "Not only does waiting a pitcher out impair his confidence and his control, but it also makes him work harder," Graney argued. "A safe hit may be made on the first ball pitched. A pass is much more wearing on the pitcher's arm."

and he hated Carl Mays

and he hated Carl Mays

Graney wasn't alone...

Perhaps the most disliked player of his era, Mays was once described by F.C. Lane as “a strange, cynical figure” who “aroused more ill will, more positive resentment than any other ballplayer on record.” A noted headhunter even before the Chapman beaning, Mays refused to apologize for how he pitched. “Any pitcher who permits a hitter to dig in on him is asking for trouble,” he once said. “I never deliberately tried to hit anyone in my life. I throw close just to keep the hitters loose up there.” One teammate said Mays had the disposition of a man with a permanent toothache. Throughout his professional career, Mays had trouble making friends — even on his own teams. “When I first broke into baseball, I discovered that there seemed to be a feeling against me, even from the players on own team,” Mays said after a few years in the big leagues. “I always have wondered why I have encountered this antipathy from so many people wherever I have been. And I have never been able to explain it, even to myself.”

I hadn't realized that Mays was dogged by rumors of throwing games in the '21 and '22 World Series, which some suggest have kept him out of the HOF.

and he hated Carl Mays

Graney wasn't alone...

Perhaps the most disliked player of his era, Mays was once described by F.C. Lane as “a strange, cynical figure” who “aroused more ill will, more positive resentment than any other ballplayer on record.” A noted headhunter even before the Chapman beaning, Mays refused to apologize for how he pitched. “Any pitcher who permits a hitter to dig in on him is asking for trouble,” he once said. “I never deliberately tried to hit anyone in my life. I throw close just to keep the hitters loose up there.” One teammate said Mays had the disposition of a man with a permanent toothache. Throughout his professional career, Mays had trouble making friends — even on his own teams. “When I first broke into baseball, I discovered that there seemed to be a feeling against me, even from the players on own team,” Mays said after a few years in the big leagues. “I always have wondered why I have encountered this antipathy from so many people wherever I have been. And I have never been able to explain it, even to myself.”

I hadn't realized that Mays was dogged by rumors of throwing games in the '21 and '22 World Series, which some suggest have kept him out of the HOF.

The guy who replaced Chapman is a HOFer with 3 ATG cards that resemble Gainey's