Cieradkowski: Jack Bentley, the second coming of Babe Ruth

From Gary Cieradkowski at The Infinite Baseball Card Set on July 6, 2016:

Finding a ball player like Babe Ruth would seem like a once in a lifetime chance, but for Jack Dunn, it happened twice.

Back in 1914, Jack Dunn, Baltimore Orioles owner and manager, had discovered a 19 year-old man-boy by the name of George Ruth. By the time spring training had ended the kid, nicknamed “Dunn’s Baby” which was then shortened to just “Babe”, became the core of what Dunn hoped would be a baseball dynasty. But it was not to be.

That year the Federal League came to Baltimore and set up a team right across the street from the Orioles ballpark. Since the Federal League was billed as the “Third Major League” Baltimore fans abandoned the minor league Orioles. Jack Dunn had to sell off all his stars just to stay afloat. Even after jettisoning Ruth, Ernie Shore and Ben Egan, the Orioles still had to leave town. After a season in Richmond, the Federal League collapsed and Dunn moved his team back to Baltimore and began rebuilding. One of his many trades yielded a mediocre pitcher named Jack Bentley.

Read the full article here: http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2016/07/219-jack-bentley-second-coming-of-babe.html



Originally published: July 7, 2016. Last Updated: July 7, 2016.