Cotton Tierney

James Arthur "Cotton" Tierney (February 10, 1894 – April 18, 1953) was an American professional baseball second baseman and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Braves, and Brooklyn Robins between 1920 and 1925. Tierney was born in Kansas City, Kansas.[1]

Cotton Tierney
Second baseman
Born: (1894-02-10)February 10, 1894
Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Died: April 18, 1953(1953-04-18) (aged 59)
Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 23, 1920, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1925, for the Brooklyn Robins
MLB statistics
Batting average.296
Home runs31
Runs batted in331
Teams

Career

Tierney began his professional career in minor league baseball in 1912.[2] The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Tierney after he played for the Tulsa Oilers of the Class A Western League.[3] Tierney and teammates Charley Grimm, Rabbit Maranville, and George Whitted, became known as the "Banjo Boys".[4][5] On October 2, 1920, he played every inning in all three games of modern baseball's only tripleheader; he is the only player to play three complete major league games in one day. (Morrie Rath is the only other player to have played in each of that day's 3 games, but Rath left the third game after two innings, before making a plate appearance.)

Tierney had a .345 batting average during the 1922 season, finishing fifth in the National League, and a .515 slugging percentage, good for fourth. He also finished fifth in triples with fourteen, tied with Rogers Hornsby.[6] His performance earned him a $5,000 contract for the next season.[7] However, the Pirates traded Tierney with Whitey Glazner and $50,000 to the Philadelphia Phillies for Lee Meadows and Johnny Rawlings in May 1923.[8][9] In 1923, Tierney tied George Grantham for second in the NL in doubles with 36, trailing only Edd Roush, and finished seventh in home runs with 13.[10]

On December 15, 1923, the Phillies traded Tierney to the Boston Braves for Hod Ford and Ray Powell.[11] On February 4, 1925, the Braves traded Tierney to the Brooklyn Robins for Bernie Neis.[12] Before the 1926 season, in what was considered "one of the most remarkable deals ever made between a major and a minor league club", the Robins traded Tierney to the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association with Ford, Dick Loftus, Bonnie Hollingsworth, and their choice of Del Bissonette, Babe Herman, and Chuck Corgan in order to acquire Johnny Butler.[13]

Tierney managed the Pueblo Steelworkers of the Western League in 1929.[14] He managed the Joplin Miners of the Class A Western Association in 1930.[15]

Legacy

Tierney returned to Kansas City, where he operated a bowling alley with Baseball Hall of Fame member Zack Wheat.[16] He died in his home at the age of 59.[2]

In 2005, Jeff Euston, Tierney's great-great-nephew, created a website tracking all salaries of MLB players, naming it "Cot's Baseball Contracts", after his baseball ancestor. Considered "the unofficial clearinghouse for MLB contracts", the website had 4 million page views by the end of 2008.[17] In 2010, Baseball Prospectus purchased Cot's Contracts, and began hosting the site.[18]

References
  1. "Cotton Tierney Statistics and History". "baseball-reference.com. Retrieved on 2017-05-14.
  2. "Cotton Tierney Dies; Was Major League Star". The News and Courier. Associated Press. April 19, 1953. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  3. "Pirates' Chances Appear Improved: With Rabbit Maranville at Short, Pittsburg Looks Like Real Contender". The Saskatoon Phoenix. April 13, 1921. p. 9. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  4. "Recommended Reading". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 11, 1948. p. 12. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  5. "A Fine State of Affairs". The Telegraph. The New York Times News Service. August 25, 1964. p. 10. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  6. "1922 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  7. O'Neill, Brian (August 21, 2007). "Sanchez not fluke like Tierney". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. D3. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  8. "Dribbles of Sport". The Daily Times. May 11, 1923. p. 10. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  9. "1923 Pittsburgh Pirates Trades and Transactions". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  10. "1923 National League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  11. "Looks Like Braves Got Best of Trade". The Morning Leader. April 11, 1924. p. 13. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  12. Sawyer, Ford (February 5, 1925). "Head of Harvard Football Forces Since War Forced to Give Up Position by Pressure of Business; Hitting of Bernie Neis May Be Useful To Tribe: Outfielder Obtained From Dodgers For Tierney Hit.303 Last Season--Has Been in Big Show Five Years". Boston Daily Globe. Retrieved June 27, 2012. (subscription required)
  13. "Uncle Wilbert Puts Over Big Baseball Deal: Gives Six Big Leaguers For One Minneapolis Man". United News. February 3, 1926. p. 7. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  14. "Cotton Tierney to Boss Pueblo Club". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. December 12, 1928. p. 12. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  15. "'Cotton' Tierney to Manage Joplin". The Southeast Missourian. Associated Press. February 7, 1930. p. 8. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  16. Grayson, Harry (July 5, 1943). "Black Lightning Zack Wheat Most Popular Player Brooklyn Ever Had". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 7. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  17. Donovan, John (November 28, 2008). "Cot's Contracts is one-stop shopping for baseball contract info". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  18. Brown, Maury (January 4, 2010). "Baseball Prospectus Announces Sweeping Changes". Bizofbaseball.com. Business of Sports Network. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
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