It just so happened that I found myself on BaseballReference.com at 4:30 in the morning today. What were you doing at this time? Sleeping? Pathetic. I will not apologize for my nocturnal activities. If more people got on Baseball Reference at 4:30 AM, I'd have more friends. But anyway, in my quest to learn more things baseball related, I accidentally stumbled across something very interesting that sent me into research mode.
I just so happened to be glancing at the list of "acceptable searches", which I presume to be a reference point for some of the more mentally challenged baseball fans out there, and on the list was a simple string of words that read "Death To Flying Things". I frowned, my curiosity piqued, and decided to try that exact search in the Baseball Reference engine, not really believing it was possible that something would actually come up. Amazingly enough, it did. Even more amazing is the fact that the results consisted of not just one player, but two, whose respective careers overlapped from 1874-1876. This was rapidly becoming a very interesting mystery. Hooked now, I proceeded to click away feverishly in hopes of coming to the bottom of this.
The two results were Jack Chapman (1874-1876) and Bob Ferguson (1871-1884). Both players are credited with the nickname of "Death To Flying Things". This immediately drew me in for multiple reasons. One, how the hell does a baseball player earn a nickname like that? Two, how did more than one player from the same era go by that nickname? Three, what did anyone do at all in 1875? The latter of these reasons is not really pertinent to our ongoing discussion, but it's still something to think about. Just be thankful it's not 1875 is all I'm trying to say. Or 1975 for that matter. It's actually almost 2008, in fact. Holy shit, the future is here!
My first idea was to click on both players and see if any information could be derived about the nickname based on sponsorships. Considering how long ago these two played, and how irrelevant they are to the history of baseball in terms of stats, I was surprised to find that both pages are sponsored. Ferguson's page simply links to some marine/ocean product page with the byline of "Greatest Nickname in the History of Sports", while Chapman's page has no link and merely states that "Ferguson gets the credit, but Chapman really was 'Death To Flying Things'". The plot thickens. Is there a historical debate here? Did these players vie to be more dangerous to objects that mobilized through the air during their time in baseball? What the hell is going on with this nickname? I decided to hit up Google and type in the nickname yet again. Here, I found more interesting results, and more contradictions.
The first two links Google supplied were the two Baseball Reference pages we've already discussed. The third is a blog given the title "Death To Flying Things", which can be accessed by visiting http://www.deathtoflyingthings.blogspot.com/. I'm always looking for good baseball blogs regardless of team interest, and it appears this one holds its own. I took the time to read the last few posts on the page, and there are certainly some correct viewpoints to be found, such as the fact that Dontrelle Willis blows. At any rate, it's a unique idea to dig into baseball history and name a blog after an obscure nickname, and they even paid homage to it by giving a brief background on it:
This site is named in honor of Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson, who played baseball from 1871-84 and also was a manager. The origin of his unusual nickname remains a mystery, although most people believe it was because of his defensive prowess as an infielder. A more colorful explanation alleged that Ferguson liked to throw balls at birds prior to games.
Good stuff. So I went back to the original Google search page and kept looking. Next was a strange site entitled Find a Grave, which featured a picture of Ferguson's grave and a short bio of him that reads:
Major League Baseball Player, Manager. An outstanding 19th century ballplayer, he was captain of the Brooklyn Atlantics that handed the Cincinnati Red Stockings their first loss in two years. He was also a Manager as well, managing every team he played for from 1871 through 1884. Considered to be baseball's first switch-hitter, he was a so-so hitter and an outstanding fielder, given the nickname "Death to Flying Things" because of his ability to catch fly balls in an era when players did not wear gloves. Noted for his character, honesty and judgment, he was a shining example of good sportsmanship during a very unruly period of baseball history. He was elected president of the National Association from 1872-1875. Noted for a bad temper, he later became a NL umpire, where his temper once again got the best of him. He got into an argument one day with a player and decided to end the argument by breaking his arm with a bat. Over his NL career, he accrued a .271 lifetime average and a 299-373 won loss record as a manager.
I can't exactly vouch that any of this information is true, but all the same, very interesting. I might point out that it's kind of ironic a person noted to display good sportsmanship who was respected for his character broke someone's arm with a blunt wooden object over a petty argument. Aside from the fact that I had still only found evidence to support that Ferguson was the rightful "Death To Flying Things", there was now the debate over where the nickname came from. Apparently Ferguson was an outstanding defensive player who didn't use a glove, but Find a Grave mentioned his ability to catch fly balls while the previous site mentioned him as being an infielder. I made one last stop on the web, and that, of course, happened to be Wikipedia:
Robert Vavasour Ferguson, nicknamed "Death to Flying Things," was an infielder, league official, manager and umpire in the early days of baseball, playing both before and after baseball became professional.
That didn't clear up much. So ultimately, I turned to my trusty Baseball Encyclopedia on the bookshelf to settle this. Here, all my questions were answered:
When Bob Ferguson is mentioned today it's usually in reference to his odd nickname, "Death To Flying Things." Ironically, the descriptive phrase was originally and most commonly applied to his one-time teammate, Jack Chapman. Ferguson himself was better known as "Old Fergy."
So there. Jack Chapman was indeed the real Death To Flying Things! Additionally, Ferguson was in fact an infielder (listed as a second and third baseman), not an outfielder, thus clearing up any doubts I had based off the description on Find a Grave. Further thoughts on that particular web site include that idea being a pretty creepy concept.
Lastly, I thought it was only fair to point out that Bob Ferguson sucked horribly, as did most baseball players (all) of that time period. He may have been an outstanding fielder and the first well known switch hitter, but he did finish with a line of .271/.305/.323 in 562 games. Basically, he has the same skill set as Cesar Izturis, who I now demand be referred to as the modern day "Death To Flying Things". Happy Holidays.
I just so happened to be glancing at the list of "acceptable searches", which I presume to be a reference point for some of the more mentally challenged baseball fans out there, and on the list was a simple string of words that read "Death To Flying Things". I frowned, my curiosity piqued, and decided to try that exact search in the Baseball Reference engine, not really believing it was possible that something would actually come up. Amazingly enough, it did. Even more amazing is the fact that the results consisted of not just one player, but two, whose respective careers overlapped from 1874-1876. This was rapidly becoming a very interesting mystery. Hooked now, I proceeded to click away feverishly in hopes of coming to the bottom of this.
The two results were Jack Chapman (1874-1876) and Bob Ferguson (1871-1884). Both players are credited with the nickname of "Death To Flying Things". This immediately drew me in for multiple reasons. One, how the hell does a baseball player earn a nickname like that? Two, how did more than one player from the same era go by that nickname? Three, what did anyone do at all in 1875? The latter of these reasons is not really pertinent to our ongoing discussion, but it's still something to think about. Just be thankful it's not 1875 is all I'm trying to say. Or 1975 for that matter. It's actually almost 2008, in fact. Holy shit, the future is here!
My first idea was to click on both players and see if any information could be derived about the nickname based on sponsorships. Considering how long ago these two played, and how irrelevant they are to the history of baseball in terms of stats, I was surprised to find that both pages are sponsored. Ferguson's page simply links to some marine/ocean product page with the byline of "Greatest Nickname in the History of Sports", while Chapman's page has no link and merely states that "Ferguson gets the credit, but Chapman really was 'Death To Flying Things'". The plot thickens. Is there a historical debate here? Did these players vie to be more dangerous to objects that mobilized through the air during their time in baseball? What the hell is going on with this nickname? I decided to hit up Google and type in the nickname yet again. Here, I found more interesting results, and more contradictions.
The first two links Google supplied were the two Baseball Reference pages we've already discussed. The third is a blog given the title "Death To Flying Things", which can be accessed by visiting http://www.deathtoflyingthings.blogspot.com/. I'm always looking for good baseball blogs regardless of team interest, and it appears this one holds its own. I took the time to read the last few posts on the page, and there are certainly some correct viewpoints to be found, such as the fact that Dontrelle Willis blows. At any rate, it's a unique idea to dig into baseball history and name a blog after an obscure nickname, and they even paid homage to it by giving a brief background on it:
This site is named in honor of Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson, who played baseball from 1871-84 and also was a manager. The origin of his unusual nickname remains a mystery, although most people believe it was because of his defensive prowess as an infielder. A more colorful explanation alleged that Ferguson liked to throw balls at birds prior to games.
Good stuff. So I went back to the original Google search page and kept looking. Next was a strange site entitled Find a Grave, which featured a picture of Ferguson's grave and a short bio of him that reads:
Major League Baseball Player, Manager. An outstanding 19th century ballplayer, he was captain of the Brooklyn Atlantics that handed the Cincinnati Red Stockings their first loss in two years. He was also a Manager as well, managing every team he played for from 1871 through 1884. Considered to be baseball's first switch-hitter, he was a so-so hitter and an outstanding fielder, given the nickname "Death to Flying Things" because of his ability to catch fly balls in an era when players did not wear gloves. Noted for his character, honesty and judgment, he was a shining example of good sportsmanship during a very unruly period of baseball history. He was elected president of the National Association from 1872-1875. Noted for a bad temper, he later became a NL umpire, where his temper once again got the best of him. He got into an argument one day with a player and decided to end the argument by breaking his arm with a bat. Over his NL career, he accrued a .271 lifetime average and a 299-373 won loss record as a manager.
I can't exactly vouch that any of this information is true, but all the same, very interesting. I might point out that it's kind of ironic a person noted to display good sportsmanship who was respected for his character broke someone's arm with a blunt wooden object over a petty argument. Aside from the fact that I had still only found evidence to support that Ferguson was the rightful "Death To Flying Things", there was now the debate over where the nickname came from. Apparently Ferguson was an outstanding defensive player who didn't use a glove, but Find a Grave mentioned his ability to catch fly balls while the previous site mentioned him as being an infielder. I made one last stop on the web, and that, of course, happened to be Wikipedia:
Robert Vavasour Ferguson, nicknamed "Death to Flying Things," was an infielder, league official, manager and umpire in the early days of baseball, playing both before and after baseball became professional.
That didn't clear up much. So ultimately, I turned to my trusty Baseball Encyclopedia on the bookshelf to settle this. Here, all my questions were answered:
When Bob Ferguson is mentioned today it's usually in reference to his odd nickname, "Death To Flying Things." Ironically, the descriptive phrase was originally and most commonly applied to his one-time teammate, Jack Chapman. Ferguson himself was better known as "Old Fergy."
So there. Jack Chapman was indeed the real Death To Flying Things! Additionally, Ferguson was in fact an infielder (listed as a second and third baseman), not an outfielder, thus clearing up any doubts I had based off the description on Find a Grave. Further thoughts on that particular web site include that idea being a pretty creepy concept.
Lastly, I thought it was only fair to point out that Bob Ferguson sucked horribly, as did most baseball players (all) of that time period. He may have been an outstanding fielder and the first well known switch hitter, but he did finish with a line of .271/.305/.323 in 562 games. Basically, he has the same skill set as Cesar Izturis, who I now demand be referred to as the modern day "Death To Flying Things". Happy Holidays.
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