Grover Cleveland Alexander played against the likes of Rogers Hornsby, Frankie Frisch and Babe Ruth in the era before the All-Star Game was launched. Born in Elba, Nebraska, Alexander was known for his drunkenness, but it's a little-known fact that he also was an epileptic, and that he drank partly in a misguided attempt to control his epilepsy. He had his greatest years pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies as a righthander in the tiny Baker Bowl, where he protected a right-field wall only 272 feet from home plate, closer than Fenway's Green Monster or old Yankee Stadium's short porch in right. Alexander also pitched in Wrigley Field for the Cubs, but was sold to the Cardinals in the middle of the 1926 season and had his crowning achievement that fall in the Series, winning Game 2 and Game 6 as a starter. Then, in Game 7, he came in as a reliever, and leading 3-2 with two outs in the seventh inning, struck out the Yankees' Tony Lazzerri with the bases loaded, and went on to save the game – all against a New York team that was one year away from possibly the greatest season in Major League history. Alexander also won 30 games in three consecutive seasons, was a four-time National League earned-run average champion and led the league in wins six times while pitching 219 complete games
It isn't much... <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/A7oZKNvxg4s&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/A7oZKNvxg4s&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Watch as GCA receives back-pats for getting out of an inninng (note the runner on third). It's a small thing, but I love the timelessness of it.