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John Titus was an outfielder for the Phillies from 1903-1912. Titus was likely best remembered for his durability and quirky mannerisms. An older rookie at 27 years old, Titus didn't miss a start for nearly 8 years, once he joined the Phillies' lineup. A nickname given to Titus by his teammates was "Silent John", for his quiet demeanor. Teammate Kid Gleason once joked about Titus, "He doesn't even make any noise when he spits." On a Phillies roster full of loud personalities, Titus let his game efforts speak for themselves. Another nickname Titus acquired was "Toothpick Titus" for his habit of taking the field with a toothpick dangling from his mouth. Titus claimed he needed the toothpick to dislodge the chewing tobacco that would become stuck in his teeth throughout a game. Opposing pitchers, at times, tried to separate Titus and his toothpick, by pitching inside and knocking him to the dirt. No one ever succeeded. The best offensive season of...

Another Sunday, another lesson. This week, we'll talk about a premiere slugger from the Deadball Era, Gavvy Cravath. Clifford "Gavvy" Cravath joined the Phillies in 1912, when he was 31 years old. The "Deadball Era" was a stretch in the early 1900's, when pitchers were known to throw many trick pitches and games were regularly played with a single mis-shapened ball. These factors made hitting for distance quite a challenge. Gavvy was a rightfielder. He batted right and threw right. Born on March 23, 1881, Gavvy became the first major leaguer from the San Diego area. While playing ball in his younger days in California, Cravath picked up his nickname by hitting a seagull (which is gaviota in Spanish) with a batted ball. Gavvy's pro career began with the Angels of the Pacific Coast League. He made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox in 1908. Prior to that season, Cravath's contract had been sold to Boston, where he bacame a 27-year-old rooki...