A catcher in demand

Catcher Jack “Chief” Meyers is waived by the New York Giants 108 years ago today, and immediately both the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves put in claims for him.

Rather than splitting Meyers in half, which would have been extraordinarily painful for him, the teams literally flip a coin to determine where Meyers would play in 1916.

The Dodgers win the toss and Meyers helps them reach the 1916 World Series, where Brooklyn loses to Boston – the Red Sox that is, not the Braves.

In case you are wondering, the player standing next to Meyers in above photo is New York Giants teammate and Olympian-turned-outfielder named Jim Thorpe.