Eddie Kolb
Encyclopedia
Edward William "Eddie" Kolb (July 20, 1880 – October 1, 1949) was an American
Major League Baseball
pitcher
from Cincinnati, Ohio
, who pitched one game for the Cleveland Spiders
. The Spiders that season were a horrible team, compiling a historically low win/loss record of 20-134. To finish off the season, the team ended with a 35 game road trip, losing 40 of their last 41 games. It was on the last game of the schedule, on October 15 (the second game of a doubleheader
), that the team allowed a clerk at a local tobacco shop to pitch a game in exchange for a box of cigars. In that game, he pitched a complete game
, giving up 18 hits
, and 19 runs
, 9 of which were earned
. He did, however, did get one hit in four at bat
s.
After the Cleveland Spiders folded after the season, and Eddie's short career came to end, he continued his enthusiastic involvement in baseball, playing and managing
in several semi-professional
leagues, spending his winters in Florida
. At one point, he attempted to purchase the Montreal
team of the New England League
in , which turned out to be unsuccessful. Having spent more than 15 years in baseball, he settled in Calgary
, Alberta
, Canada
, and ran a successful restaurant
. He ran his restaurant for 22 years until he became heavily involved in the development of an oil field
in Turner Valley
. It was this involvement that eventually saw him named as the first secretary of the Alberta Petroleum Association, which became the Western Canada Petroleum Association. Eddie died at the age of 69 in Calgary, and was cremated
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
from Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, who pitched one game for the Cleveland Spiders
Cleveland Spiders
The Cleveland Spiders were a Major League Baseball team which played between 1887 and 1899 in Cleveland, Ohio. The team played at National League Park from 1889 to 1890 and at League Park from 1891 to 1899.- 1887-1891 :...
. The Spiders that season were a horrible team, compiling a historically low win/loss record of 20-134. To finish off the season, the team ended with a 35 game road trip, losing 40 of their last 41 games. It was on the last game of the schedule, on October 15 (the second game of a doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
), that the team allowed a clerk at a local tobacco shop to pitch a game in exchange for a box of cigars. In that game, he pitched a complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
, giving up 18 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, and 19 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
, 9 of which were earned
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...
. He did, however, did get one hit in four at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s.
After the Cleveland Spiders folded after the season, and Eddie's short career came to end, he continued his enthusiastic involvement in baseball, playing and managing
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in several semi-professional
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
leagues, spending his winters in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. At one point, he attempted to purchase the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
team of the New England League
New England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification...
in , which turned out to be unsuccessful. Having spent more than 15 years in baseball, he settled in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and ran a successful restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
. He ran his restaurant for 22 years until he became heavily involved in the development of an oil field
Oil field
An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
in Turner Valley
Turner Valley, Alberta
Turner Valley is a town in Alberta, Canada. It is located southwest of Calgary.Situated on Highway 22 , the town was once the centre of an oil and natural gas boom. For 30 years, the Turner Valley Oilfields was a major supplier of oil and gas and the largest producer in the British Empire, but is...
. It was this involvement that eventually saw him named as the first secretary of the Alberta Petroleum Association, which became the Western Canada Petroleum Association. Eddie died at the age of 69 in Calgary, and was cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
.