They Played the Game ©DiamondsintheDusk.com Bob Fitzke John Henry Bill Shipke Barney Slaughter Fred Stem

One of the original two-sport Reportedly a descendant The preverbal good field-no Barney “Doc” Slaughter, is 0-1 We know that Frederick Boothe pro athletes, Robert Paul of Founding Father Patrick hit infielder, William Ship- with a 5.50 ERA and one save Stem batted .224 with 14 RBIs Fitzke had a “Cup of Coffee” Henry, and the sixth of 14 Am- krethaver later changes his last in eight games for the Phila- in 93 career games with the with the Cleveland Indians in herst College players to make name to Shipke to fit the box delphia Phillies over a two- Boston Doves between 1908 1924 and then followed that it to the major leagues, John scores ... the St. Louis native month period at the end of and 1909, but there seems to by playing 16 games with Park Henry parlays excellent plays four seasons in the major the 1910 season ... a curveball be so much more just beyond the NFL’s Frankfort Yellow defensive skills and leader- leagues with the Cleveland of note, the “Ambler our reach about this highly-ed- Jackets a year later ... better ship into a nine-year major Naps (1906) and the Washing- Phenom” applies for a job in ucated man ... born in Oxford, known as “Bob” rather than league career with the Wash- ton Senators (1907-1909) ... February with Phillies’ man- North Carolina, but raised in “Paul,” he originally enrolls at ington Senators (1910-1917) in 186 career games, Shipke ager Red Dooin, but is told to Darlington, South Carolina, he the University of Wyoming in and Boston Braves (1918) hits .199 with 11 doubles, 10 report back when the team attends the University of North the fall of 1920 and stars on ... his best season comes in triples and one home ... his gets done with its spring train- Carolina where he plays base- the school’s football team at 1916, posting career-high lone is a three-run ing trip in April ... he eventu- ball and is the team captain as fullback, punter and drop- numbers in batting average inside the park round tripper ally debuts with a two-inning a junior in 1906 ... he is ruled kicker and on the (.248), RBIs (46), run scored against Boston’s Ralph Glaze relief appearance against the ineligible for his senior season team as a standout pitcher ... (28), games played (116) and in September 1907 ... in 1908, Cubs on August 9 ... in his when it’s discovered that he he earns unofficial all-confer- extra base hits (15) ... in his his only season as a regular, first and only major league played two games, without ence football honors both in nine major league seasons, he establishes career-highs start on the final day of the payment, with the Danville Red 1920 and 1921 ... in 1921 he Henry hits only .207 with 54 in batting average (.208), hits regular season against John Sox of the Virginia (C) League leads the nation in drop-kick doubles, 15 triples and two (71), doubles (7), triples (8), McGraw’s New York Giants, he the previous summer ... he field goals with six, including home runs while driving in RBIs (20) and stolen bases (15) yields seven runs on 11 hits stays in Chapel Hill, earning his a college-best 43-yarder ... 171 runs in 688 career games as the Senators finish next-to- and four walks in 4 1/3 innings master’s degree in chemistry when the season ends Fitzke ... fleet of foot, he manages last in the before giving way to another in 1908 ... after graduation he transfers to the University of to steal 55 bases, including with a 67-85 mark ... he makes Phillies’ rookie right-hander works in Cuba as a chemist with Idaho causing Utah football a career-high 12 in 1916 ... his pro debut with the Spring- Bill Culp in a 12-7 loss ... on a the Guantanamo Sugar Com- Tommie Fitzpatrick to active in player-management field Reds as a 19-year-old positive note, the 25-year-old pany ... returning to America he call Fitzke “a tramp athlete,” issues, Henry is selected as in 1902 ... a year later, he hits does collect his only major resumes his playing career and and states that Utah will not the players’ spokesman and a minor league career-high league hit, a third-inning hits .286 for the Trenton Tigers play Idaho the following year plays a major role in keeping .306 for the Fort Scott Giants off of future Hall of of the Tri-State (B) League ... if Fitzke is allowed to compete the players’ association from of the Missouri Valley League Famer Rube Marquard ... on in mid-July Baltimore Orioles ... Fitzke plays one game the leaving crucial talks with the ... drafted by Omaha in 1904 October 26, Slaughter is one manage/owner Jack Dunn next season, before sitting out national commission in Feb- and then drafted from Omaha of the first Phillies to sign his offers Trenton Jack per conference transfer rules, ruary of 1914 ... three years by Cleveland in 1905 ... after contract for the 1911 season ... Carney five players in exchange but Idaho still hands Utah its later, Henry faces ouster from the 1906 season, Cleveland two months later, three days for Stem ... on September 13, only defeat of the season 15-0 American League President releases him to Des Moines, after Christmas, Slaughter is the Boston Doves buy Stem and ... after leading the Vandel Ban Johnson for urging mem- where he plays a key role in sent to Scranton of the New two other players for a reported basketball team in scoring, bers of the Players Fraternity helping that club win the York State (B) League, where $2,000 ... with the Doves he hits Fitzke is playing baseball in to strike ... Henry is spared Western League pennant ... despite some contractual .278 in 20 games ... on August Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, when he when it is revealed that he Des Moines sells Shipke to the issues, he is the opening day 22, 1909, Boston sends Stem signs with the Cleveland In- did send a letter, but only to Senators when Joe Cantillon starter for the Miners in 1911 to the Lynn Shoemakers of the dians on July 23 ... joining the his Washington teammates assumes the team’s manage- and he finishes 9-18 before New England (B) League ... Stem Indians on August 3, its almost ... Henry’s career comes to ment in 1907 ... he later plays being sold to Louisville of the will play two more years with a month before he appears in an end on August 10, 1918, five seasons (1910-1914) with American Association ... after the Western League’s Sioux his lone major league game when he suffers a compound the Omaha Rourkes of the a 1-5 record with Erie in 1913, City Packers before calling it on September 1, 1924, against fracture of his right thumb ... Western (A) League ... follow- Slaughter leaves pro baseball quits after the 1911 season ... the St. Louis Browns where he later in life, Henry is an ing his playing days, Shipke and plays on various semipro a year later, he accepts a job allows two earned run on five in the Arizona-Texas League scouts for Cleveland and teams until 1935, and the age with British-American Tobacco hits and three walks in four in- for several seasons. Cincinnati. of 50. Company in Constantinople.