ONEMOREINNING

FORGOTTEN:PART ONE

 

   HIS NICKNAME WAS "OLD HOSS" AND HIS CAREER LASTED FROM 1921 WITH THE CLEVELAND INDIANS AND ENDED AS A CHICAGO CUB IN 1934.

   HIS LIFETIME BATTING AVERAGE WAS .336 (WHICH RANKS HIM IN THE 22nd SPOT ALL TIME IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES.

   HIS NAME IS JACKSON RIGGS STEPHENSON AND NOBODY TALKS ABOUT HIM ANYMORE.

   HOWEVER IF YOU'RE RANKED 22nd ON THE ALL TIME LIST YOU SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN.

    RIGGS STEPHENSON IN 1927 LED THE NATIONAL LEAGUE IN DOUBLES, HAD A CAREER ON BASE PERCENTAGE AT 406, AND IS THE ALL TIME CARER LEADER IN BATTING AVERAGE WITH THE CHICAGO CUBS WITH .336. HE FINISHED WITH 1,515 HITS AND A TOTAL OF 773 RUN BATTED IN

   HE WAS A LEFTFIELDER FOR MOST OF HIS CAREER.

   ONE CAN ONLY WONDER WHAT HIS CAREER WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE HAD HE NOT SUSTAINED A DEBILITATING SHOULDER INJURY WHILE PLAYING FOOTBALL AT THE UNIVERSITYOF ALABAMA. THIS ENDED HIS CAREER AS A QUARTERBACK AND HE TURNED TO BASEBALL AS AN ALTERNATIVE OPTION. HE SIGNED WITH THE CLEVELAND INDIANS RIGHT OUT OF COLLEGE AT THE AGE OF 23 AND NEVER PLAYED MINOR LEAGUE BALL.

   BECAUSE OF HIS INJURY HE HAD TROUBLE THROWING AND WAS CONSIDERED A POOR DEFENSIVE FIELDER. iT WAS HIS HITTING THAT KEPT HIM IN THE MAJORS. DURING HIS CAREER HE WAS CONSIDERED TO HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE BETTER HITTERS IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES.

   IN 1929 HE TEAMED UP WITH KIKI CYLER AND HACK WILSON TO BECOME THE ONLY OUTFIELD TO HAVE OVER 100 RUNS BATTED IN FOR A SEASON. 

   AFTER HIS CAREER WAS OVER HE PLAYED AND ALSO MANAGED IN THE MINORS. HIS LAST FEW YEARS HE OWNED A SUCCESSFUL CAR DEALERSHIP AND A LUMBER YARD. HE DIED IN 1985 AT THE AGE OF 85 AFTER SUFFERING FROM TUBERCULOSIS FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

   A FORGOTTEN PLAYER AND ONE OF SEVERAL THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN SUCCEEDING MONTHS