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THE BASEBALL HISTORY COMES ALIVE BLOG

Please note: As we compose new blog entries, we will now send each one out to all our subscribers as we post them. Here’s a link to see the entire Blog Archives -GL

May 1, 2021

New Blog Topic: My All-Time Favorite Dead Ball Era Players!

Since many of you know of my love for the Dead Ball Era, I’ve decided to start a new series highlighting the careers of some of my favorite players from that long-ago era. It was a time when baseball saw some of its greatest characters and the game was played in its purest form.

I’ll start out by featuring my all-time favorite Dead Ball Era player, the one and only:

“Candy” LaChance!

I sometimes think I may be one of the very few people on earth who not only has heard of Candy LaChance, but also thinks he’s worth calling to your attention. And so you might ask, “What’s so special about Candy LaChance?” Was he a great ballplayer? Does he hold some unbreakable records? Well, no…not at all. He was a decent ballplayer with a lifetime average of .280. But that’s not it…

A Great Nickname!

The reason I like him so much, for one, is because of his nickname. In a game known for clever nicknames, “Candy” has to be one of the best. He apparently picked up the moniker because he liked to chew on peppermints during games rather than chew tobacco, highly unusual for the times.

You Gotta’ Love the ‘Stache!

And secondly, I also like him because of the way he looked. He could have stepped right out of central casting, as the quintessential ballplayer from the 1890s, just before the turn of the century. In an era where most ballplayers were “cleaning up” the facial hair around this time—you don’t see too many beards or mustaches after 1900—Candy stubbornly held on to his great ‘stache.

At 6’1”, 183 lbs, he was a big man for the times, and the mustache actually made him look like a “throw-back” to 19th Century baseball. Or, as Bill Gutman recently mentioned when I showed him a pic of Candy, “He looks like a guy who could act in the old Keystone Kops movies, as the villain.” 

Are You Ready for the Quizzes?

And now that you know who Candy is, you’ll always be able to pick him out of old photos. Just to show you what I mean, here’s two quizzes:

1. Within ten seconds, find Candy LaChance in this great pic from the very first World Series in 1903. Ready…Go!

Easy! I told you. You can’t miss him. There’s our man Candy seated smack-dab in the middle of the photo. (By the way, I did the complete player identifications for this pic a while back and if anyone wants to see the names, just let me know).

2. Within ten seconds, find Candy LaChance in this photo of the 1904 Boston Americans, winners of the 1904 pennant: 

Another easy one! There he is at the top right, next to the little kid. I guarantee you’ll never miss Candy LaChance again. (Actually, I’m not sure if there ARE any more pics of Candy!)

Candy’s Career

Anyway…here’s a few words about “Candy” LaChance, the Dead Ball Era ballplayer with the great baseball name and one of the most recognizable faces in the entire history of the game:

Switch-hitting George “Candy” LaChance played 12 seasons (1893-1905) in the Big Show. Over his career, he hit .280 with 39 home runs, 690 RBIs, 678 runs, and 192 stolen bases. Candy played for the old Brooklyn Bridegrooms, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Blues, and Boston Americans. He hit .300 or more five times, and averaged 26 stolen bases from 1894 to 1899. His best season was 1895 while with Brooklyn when he hit .314, scored 102 runs, drove in 111 runs, and stole 37 bases. While with Boston in 1903, he was the starting first baseman in the first-ever World Series.

After his major league career ended, Candy played with Montreal and Providence in the International League and for Waterbury and New Haven in the Connecticut League. Candy LaChance died in Waterville, Connecticut at the age of 62.

I love shinning our baseball spotlight on forgotten ballplayers from the past. If we didn’t do it once in a while, they would be totally lost over the passage of time. Next up will be my second favorite Dead Ball Era player: George “Hooks” Wiltse!

By the way, if you have a favorite Dead Ball Era player you’d like to see featured in this series, just let me know. 

Gary Livacari

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