A catcher in demand

Catcher Jack “Chief” Meyers, left, is waived by the New York Giants 109 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, who plays on Harrisburg’s City Island in 1906, 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 this photo is another former Harrisburg player, an Olympian-turned-outfielder named Jim Thorpe.