Today in sports history

I seem to be doing this a lot, but it's this time of year that the Baseball Hall of Famers are announced, and 30 years ago today, one of the tragic figures in Tribe history got in: Addie Joss, the only Hall member who's had the 10-year career minimum waived. There's a good reason for that. He died after his ninth major-league season.

Many fans may know that the Indians were the first team to have two pitchers throw perfect games. Joss' perfecto on October 2, 1908, was one of the great clutch performances of all time. He beat fellow Hall of Famer Ed Walsh and the White Sox 1-0 in the midst of a four-team pennant race, needing just 74 pitches (!) to send 27 men back to the dugout. Walsh tossed a four-hitter himself. The Naps, as they were then known, wound up losing the pennant by half a game to Ty Cobb's Tigers, but Joss certainly did his best. He finished 24-11 with a 1.16 ERA. This was the dead-ball era, of course, but 1.16 is still pretty damned impressive, and it was good enough to lead the league.

Joss died of tubercular meningitis on April 14, 1911, just as what would have been his 10th season was starting. He was 31 years old. Had he lived 100 years later, he'd have probably spent a few days in the hospital and been ready to pitch again by mid-May. But medical science wasn't there yet. He was a well-loved man by teammates and opponents alike, and the first "all-star game" was organized that year to raise money for his family. As the great Cy Young said of Addie, "He was a great man. I feel sure he never made an enemy."

I seem to be posting a lot of sad stories lately. Sorry about that. I'll try to find something more cheerful for my next post.