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Cap Anson was one of the most fiery, foul-mouthed, competitive baseball players and managers ever. He was also one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Adrian Constantine “Cap” Anson was born in 1852. He began his career in 1871 with Rockford of the National Association in 1871 before signing with the Philadelphia Athletics through 1875. In 1876, he and many of his Athletic teammates joined the Chicago White Sox of the newly formed National League.
Cap became the first player in major league history to record 3000 hits (he ended his career with exactly 3000). He batted over .300 24 of his 27 years, good for a career average of .329. Of course, with all those hits came a lot of RBI - he led the National League in that category nine times. He was also a two-time batting champion and three-time slugging champion.
As a manager, he led the White Sox to five pennants, but not without a lot of controversy. His foul-mouth was the target of many fines from umpires, and he earned the nickname “Crybaby” for his constant complaining. He was also a firm believer that the major leagues were for white men only, which was a major reason why blacks were not permitted onto a big league field until 1947.
Anson lost his job in 1897 when the players refused to play for him. James Hart, Chicago’s president, had demanded Anson resign, but he refused. Hart immediately fired him.
Anson, who is also credited with providing the first “spring training” for players, was one of the first five members elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939.
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