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Chief Bender

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Baseball Player

The Resume

    (May 5, 1884-May 22, 1954)
    Born in Crow Wing County, Illinois
    Birth name was Charles Albert Bender
    Part German, part Chippewa
    Pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics(1903-14), Baltimore Terrapins (1915), Philadelphia Phillies (1916-17), and Chicago White Sox (1925)
    212 wins, 127 losses
    1,711 strikeouts
    2.46 ERA
    Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee (1953)

Why he might be annoying:

    There is uncertainty about his date of birth, with May 3 sometimes given as the day, and 1883 and 1885 also listed as the year.
    He was suspended during the 1912 season for abusing alcohol; his next contract included a clause requiring him to abstain from drinking to earn his full salary.
    He was shelled by the 'Miracle Braves' in Game One of the 1914 World Series -- giving up six earned runs before being replaced in the sixth inning -- and was never a dominant pitcher after.
    He died shortly before the ceremony for his induction into the Hall of Fame.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He won five of his seven starts in the three World Series that the A's won (1910-11,1913).
    He opened his own sporting goods store in Philadelphia (1914).
    He coached the US Naval Academy's baseball team (1924-28).
    He put up with racist taunts from opposing players and fans.
    Even sportscasters praising him would use racially-loaded language, such as describing him as having 'scalped' the other side during a victory.
    Connie Mack said, 'If I had all the men I've ever handled and they were in their prime and there was one game I wanted to win above all others, Bender would be my man.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 17 Votes: 64.71% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying