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17 Responses to “100 Greatest Phillies: 36 – Nap Lajoie”

1. Jim Says:
   February 19th, 2009 at 4:19 pm

   Great post and review. His 1901 year was also a Triple Crown.

   So popular was he in Cleveland that the team changed its name from the Bronchos to the Naps a year after his arrival. The team name stuck until they changed it to the current Indians. I know that has nothing to do wiht his philly career or philadelphia in general, its just cool. Maybe we should change the phils name to the Cole Trains or something

2. Mark Says:
   February 19th, 2009 at 4:25 pm

   What a player. Man I remember going to the games and watching this guy play. He played with passion. I even got his autograph. Class act.

3. Georgie Says:
   February 19th, 2009 at 4:32 pm

   Mark, are you time-traveling with Dutch? Let me know if you find the “Lost” island.

4. Mark Says:
   February 19th, 2009 at 4:46 pm

   Yes, I have. Jack is going back.

5. Rick Says:
   February 19th, 2009 at 4:49 pm

   Great post Tim! Very interesting! We’re really getting into “GREATS” territory now.

6. Tim Malcolm Says:
   February 19th, 2009 at 4:55 pm

   Yeah. From like 40 on out it’s a veritable who’s who of greats.

7. eric Says:
   February 19th, 2009 at 5:20 pm

   I got to cover some of the old ballfields in the Brewerytown section for a piece I did as a senior at Temple last year. While there isn’t much left of the fields, there were a few old timers who had parents that were Phils fans in Nap’s time. It was very cool talking to them, hearing how players lived close to the fields, rode horse and buggy to the games and really advanced the game so early.

8. Brian Michael Says:
   February 19th, 2009 at 5:46 pm

   Since the injunction was only valid in PA, Nap was not allowed to even play in the state. When his teams traveled there, he stayed at home or went fishing in Florida.

9. Sean P. Says:
   February 19th, 2009 at 6:18 pm

   Found this story on wikipedia… so not sure if its totally true, but still very interesting.

   The Lajoie-Cobb rivalry reached a peak in 1910, when the Chalmers Auto Company promised a car to the batting leader (and MVP) that year. Cobb took the final two games of the 1910 season off, confident that his average was high enough to win the AL batting title unless Lajoie had a near-perfect final day.

   Lajoie, a far more popular player than Cobb, was allowed by the opposing St. Louis Browns to go 8-for-8 in a season-ending doubleheader. After a “sun-hindered” fly went for a triple and another batted ball landed for a cleanly hit single, Lajoie had six subsequent “hits” – bunt singles dropped in front of third baseman Red Corriden, who was playing closer to shallow right field on orders of manager Jack O’Connor. Lajoie also laid down a seventh bunt that was muffed for an error–officially giving him a hitless at-bat and dropping his average. O’Connor and coach Harry Howell then offered a new wardrobe to the official scorer, a woman, if she changed it to a hit. She refused, and the resulting uproar resulted in O’Connor and Howell being kicked out of baseball for life.

   Nap Lajoie on a 1911 American Tobacco Company baseball card.As it turns out, Lajoie’s average is not the only one tainted by controversy; Cobb’s average might have been inflated by counting a single game twice in his statistics, as researchers discovered 70 years later. In the end, the Chalmers Auto Company avoided taking sides in the dispute by awarding cars to both Cobb and Lajoie.

10. mets09 Says:
    February 19th, 2009 at 6:37 pm

    I think you guys may have the future greatest second basemen ever playing now.

11. Griffin Says:
    February 19th, 2009 at 9:00 pm

    Sean P, thanks for the story. Good stuff.

    mets09, you may be right, we’ll have to wait and see how many years Utley plays at 2B.

12. Tom G Says:
    February 19th, 2009 at 9:26 pm

    Problem with the story…a third basemen playing closer to right field…does the story mean to say, Left?

13. Kevin Millwood Says:
    February 19th, 2009 at 10:02 pm

    Where am I on this list?

14. Joel Says:
    February 19th, 2009 at 10:23 pm

    One of the all-time greats. Even was in the first class elected to the hall fo fame.

15. Joe O'Phillie Says:
    February 19th, 2009 at 10:31 pm

    Lajoie just missed out on being a member of the first group in the Hall of fame. He came 6th on votes behing the initial 5 of Cobb, Ruth, Wagner, Mathewson and Johnson. Pretty good company, huh?

16. Bruce Says:
    February 20th, 2009 at 11:44 am

    It will be most interesting to see the remaining list (35) of “greatest Phillies” who made greater contributions for the team than HOF Lajoie.

17. Chuck P Says:
    February 20th, 2009 at 12:44 pm

    Lajoie only played 5 seasons as a Phillie and he deserves to be on the list but not higher than this. Certainly one of the greatest in Indians’ history. I have a tough time ranking Lajoie higher than other lifers… but that’s my years’ of service bias showing (Puddin’ Head). I think that guys who were loyal to the franchise are more deserving than guys that left for a payday. Lajoie fits that bill…

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