Evening star., 1948-07-27
Joe Tinker, 68, Last Of Famous
Double Play Combination, Dies
Ex-Cub Shortstop
Passes on Birthday
At Orlando, Fla.
BY the Associotsd Press

'N oi'0uNSf W.
BY the Associoisd Press
ORLANDO, Fla, July 27.-Joe
Tinker of the famous Tinker to-
Evers- to- Chance double-play COM
bination, died Unexpectedly in a
hospital today of respiratory trouble
Today was the 68th birthday of
the famous old Chicago Cub short
stop. Physicians only few hours
before had remarked how well he
stop. He died, at HIS am.
He was in hospital here for q
checkup on his diet and for treat
ment of respiratory ailment.
Tinker was the last surviving
member of the Cubs famous tri-
umvirate. Johnny Evers, who played
second base, died March %, 1947, in
Albany, N. Y, after cerebral
hemorrhage. Frank Chance. who
managed the Cubs and played first
base, died in 1924.
Harry Steinfeldt, the third base
man, died many years ago.
Entered Hospital 10 Days Ago.
Tinker entered Orange Memorial
Hospital 10 days ago. His condi-
ton had been considered not seri-
GUS and earlier today a hospital
bulletin said:
Mr.. Tinker's condition today is
better than it has been at any time
since he entered the hospital. He
ate a hearty breakfast and appears
in excellent spirits"
Tinker had been troubled with
diabetes for several years and last
year had part of his left leg ampu-
tated following a foot infection.
His birthday had been planned as
as a quiet one, but visitors were not
denied him. Many old time base
ball friends had planned to drop by
for a chat this afternoon.
Joseph Bert Tinker was born in
Muscotah, Kans.. July 27, 1880. He
broke into baseball with the Coffey-
vile, Kans.. team at the age of 10,
and reached the major leagues with
the Cubs three years later. in 1902.
Later Managed Cincinnati.
He stayed with Chicago until 1912,
during which time he participated
in tour World Series, and managed
the Cincinnati Reds in 1918. Then
he moved back to Chicago as man
ager of the old Federal League club
in 1914 and 1915. For four years he
was manager of the Columbus club
of the American Association, start
ing in 1917, and from 1921 to 1928
leo the Orlando club in the Florida
State League.
Although his love of the game
brought him back from time to time
in various capacities, the Florida job
virtually ended his baseball career
and he turned to business.
Like many others, he rode the
crest of the Florida land boom and,
like many others, he lost a fortune
when it collapsed.
He invested much of his baseball
earnings in Florida real estate and
at one time was said by friends to
have been worth a cool million. He
once admitted he had 100000 in
the bank Among his Orlando en-
terprises were the downtown Tinker
building, the modern Tinker base
ball park built so that every seat
m each row was equidistant from
home plate, and the Longwood
greyhound racing track where the
dogs continued to race each winter.
On Baseball School Staff.
When the land boom broke, he
turned to other enterprises. For a
time he operated Tinker's Tavern
and also ran bowling alley. Then
he joined the staff of Joe Strips
baseball school in Orlando to help
train promising young players.
When travel restrictions caused
the Washington Nationals to give up
Orlando as spring training site
and resulted in the closing of
Strips baseball school, Tinker took
job as a boiler inspector at the
nearby Army Air Forces tactical
center.
Twice in seven years, in 1887 and
again in the early part of 1914,
Tinker was stricken with influenza
and kidney and heart complications.
Although Tinker, Evers and
Chance performed with machine
like perfection to give baseball one
of the greatest double play combi-
nations of all time, he and Evers
fought constantly and for several
years didn't talk to each other.
I'VE had a fight" Tinker explained
later. 1T must have been in 1908
or 1909. We were in Bedford, Ind,
playing an exhibition game. We al
ways dressed in the hotel and then
went to the park in hacks. Evers
got in hack all by himself and
drove off, leaving me and several
others to wait until the hack came
back.
Il was mad, and when I got to
the park we got into a fight"
The pair agreed not to talk to
each other afterward and didn't for
two or three years, but eventually
made peace and became good
friends. Both were high strung, and
when either was slow on a throw the
other was quick to take him to task.
"Evers was great player and a
wonderful pivot man." Tinker re-
called in later years, but boy, how
he could ride you! Chance used to
say he wished Evers was an out
fielder so he couldn't hear him"
Tinker batted over 300 only once
in his major league career (.317 with
Cincinnati in 1917. but WAS one of