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Addie Joss

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Baseball Player

The Resume

    (April 12, 1880-April 14, 1911)
    Born in Woodland, Wisconsin
    Birth name was Adrian Joss
    Pitcher for the Cleveland Indians (1902-10)
    160 wins, 97 losses
    920 strikeouts
    1.89 ERA
    Died of tubercular meningitis at age 31
    Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee (1978)

Why he might be annoying:

    He signed a contract and accepted a $150 advance to play for the Toledo Mudhens of the Western League, then jumped to the Indians when they made a better offer (1902).
    Mudhens owner Charles Stroebel filed theft charges against him when he failed to return the complete advance. (The charges, along with a civil suit against the Indians, were dropped after Cleveland offered Toledo one of their pitchers as compensation.)
    He was nicknamed 'the Human Hatpin' for his height and slender frame.
    Because he played for fewer than ten seasons, the Baseball Hall of Fame’s board of directors had to waive the eligibility requirements before he could be inducted.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He led the American League twice in ERA (1904,1908) and once in wins (1907).
    He pitched a perfect game (October 2, 1908).
    The Indians added to their scoreboard a new electronic counter he designed that allowed fans to keep track of balls and strikes (1909).
    The first unofficial all-star game was played as a benefit for his family: the Indians took the field against representatives of the other seven AL teams (including future Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Tris Speaker, Eddie Collins, Home Run Baker, and Sam Crawford).
    Commenting on his eligibility for the Hall of Fame, sportswriter Red Smith asked, 'Could you write a history of baseball without mentioning Joss? Nobody ever has. That ought to be the measure of a man's fitness for the Hall of Fame, the only measure.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying