James “Deacon” White, a Caton native who was one of professional
baseball’s star players back in the 19th century and is considered a
pioneer of the game, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame
this week.
White, who died in 1939, will be enshrined during the Hall’s annual induction weekend ceremonies in July in Cooperstown.
White was one of three baseball legends selected from among 10 finalists by the Hall’s Pre-Integration Era Committee, a group that includes former players, executives, media and historians. They are responsible for picking inductees from the era that spans from 1871 to 1946.
The committee met and voted this week at baseball’s winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn.
Along with White, the committee also elected Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and umpire Hank O’Day. Ruppert bought the Yankees in 1915, purchased Babe Ruth from the Red Sox and built Yankee Stadium, and his teams won seven World Series.
Many baseball observers have said White’s induction was overdue, as many other stars of his era had already been inducted.
White was a talented player and an interesting character who holds a number of distinctions, according to articles and biographical information provided by Tim Wiles, director of research for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
White was nicknamed “Deacon” because in a rough-and-tumble era of baseball when partying, womanizing and gambling were common, White didn’t drink, smoke, swear or gamble. He read the Bible and attended church regularly.
While he was straight-laced, he was outspoken on politics and other issues, and used to try to convince his teammates that the Earth was flat, according to historian Lee Allen.
Here’s the Deacon’s story, compiled from information provided by the Hall of Fame:
Born in 1847, he grew up on a farm in Caton and attended Caton’s Country Day School. As a teenager, he learned the game of baseball from a Union soldier returning home from the Civil War, where the soldiers often played.
White played for an amateur team called the Corning Monitors, then left the area in 1868 to join a semi-pro team called the Cleveland Forest Cities.
Three years later, that team joined America’s first professional baseball league, the National Association, and White played in the league’s first game, which pitted Cleveland against Fort Wayne.
White thus earned the distinction of having the first at-bat and first hit in the history of professional baseball, as well being the first to ground into a double play.
The following year, he signed with the Boston Red Stockings, playing on powerhouse teams for several years and catching for A.G. Spalding - the future Hall of Famer and sporting goods company founder - during the season Spalding won 47 games.
White, who died in 1939, will be enshrined during the Hall’s annual induction weekend ceremonies in July in Cooperstown.
White was one of three baseball legends selected from among 10 finalists by the Hall’s Pre-Integration Era Committee, a group that includes former players, executives, media and historians. They are responsible for picking inductees from the era that spans from 1871 to 1946.
The committee met and voted this week at baseball’s winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn.
Along with White, the committee also elected Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and umpire Hank O’Day. Ruppert bought the Yankees in 1915, purchased Babe Ruth from the Red Sox and built Yankee Stadium, and his teams won seven World Series.
Many baseball observers have said White’s induction was overdue, as many other stars of his era had already been inducted.
White was a talented player and an interesting character who holds a number of distinctions, according to articles and biographical information provided by Tim Wiles, director of research for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
White was nicknamed “Deacon” because in a rough-and-tumble era of baseball when partying, womanizing and gambling were common, White didn’t drink, smoke, swear or gamble. He read the Bible and attended church regularly.
While he was straight-laced, he was outspoken on politics and other issues, and used to try to convince his teammates that the Earth was flat, according to historian Lee Allen.
Here’s the Deacon’s story, compiled from information provided by the Hall of Fame:
Born in 1847, he grew up on a farm in Caton and attended Caton’s Country Day School. As a teenager, he learned the game of baseball from a Union soldier returning home from the Civil War, where the soldiers often played.
White played for an amateur team called the Corning Monitors, then left the area in 1868 to join a semi-pro team called the Cleveland Forest Cities.
Three years later, that team joined America’s first professional baseball league, the National Association, and White played in the league’s first game, which pitted Cleveland against Fort Wayne.
White thus earned the distinction of having the first at-bat and first hit in the history of professional baseball, as well being the first to ground into a double play.
The following year, he signed with the Boston Red Stockings, playing on powerhouse teams for several years and catching for A.G. Spalding - the future Hall of Famer and sporting goods company founder - during the season Spalding won 47 games.
In 1876, White joined the Chicago White Stockings (now the Cubs) and
helped them win the title in the inaugural season of the National
League.
While playing for the Cincinnati Reds in the late 1870s, he teamed with his brother Will - also from Caton - to form the first pitcher-catcher battery of brothers in baseball history.
Will “Whoop-La” White, by the way, set major league records for pitching 680 innings and starting and completing 75 games in 1879, with his brother catching for him. Those records still stand.
What was remarkable about Deacon was that he was an outstanding catcher during an era when players didn’t use baseball mitts, meaning he caught barehanded. He later helped develop a mask and chest protector for catchers.
White was also a feared lefty hitter who won several batting titles and RBI crowns.
During his long career, Deacon played every position, though he was mostly a third baseman in his later playing days. Although he pitched only briefly, he created an unusual windup and is credited as one of the innovators of the curveball, teaching it to his brother.
Toward the end of Deacon’s career, he got involved in the fight for players’ rights, and founded a Buffalo franchise in the short-lived Players League. After retiring, he managed several minor league teams, including the Elmira Gladiators of the NY-Penn League.
After his baseball days were over, White lived in Buffalo, where he worked at his brother’s eyeglass company and ran a livery stable. His final years were spent at his daughter’s home in Aurora, Ill.
The Deacon was baseball’s oldest living baseball player at the time of his death in 1939 at age 92. He was said to be deeply disappointed at not being elected to the Hall of Fame, which inducted its first class that year."
White narrowly missed being elected in 2008 by the Veterans Committee.
In July, when he is finally inducted, he will enter the Hall alongside any players picked by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Those picks will be announced in January, with Jack Morris and Craig Biggio among the favorites.
While playing for the Cincinnati Reds in the late 1870s, he teamed with his brother Will - also from Caton - to form the first pitcher-catcher battery of brothers in baseball history.
Will “Whoop-La” White, by the way, set major league records for pitching 680 innings and starting and completing 75 games in 1879, with his brother catching for him. Those records still stand.
What was remarkable about Deacon was that he was an outstanding catcher during an era when players didn’t use baseball mitts, meaning he caught barehanded. He later helped develop a mask and chest protector for catchers.
White was also a feared lefty hitter who won several batting titles and RBI crowns.
During his long career, Deacon played every position, though he was mostly a third baseman in his later playing days. Although he pitched only briefly, he created an unusual windup and is credited as one of the innovators of the curveball, teaching it to his brother.
Toward the end of Deacon’s career, he got involved in the fight for players’ rights, and founded a Buffalo franchise in the short-lived Players League. After retiring, he managed several minor league teams, including the Elmira Gladiators of the NY-Penn League.
After his baseball days were over, White lived in Buffalo, where he worked at his brother’s eyeglass company and ran a livery stable. His final years were spent at his daughter’s home in Aurora, Ill.
The Deacon was baseball’s oldest living baseball player at the time of his death in 1939 at age 92. He was said to be deeply disappointed at not being elected to the Hall of Fame, which inducted its first class that year."
White narrowly missed being elected in 2008 by the Veterans Committee.
In July, when he is finally inducted, he will enter the Hall alongside any players picked by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Those picks will be announced in January, with Jack Morris and Craig Biggio among the favorites.
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