aving control over his repitoir of emery balls, shine balls and knuckle balls, pitcher Eddie Cicotte was considered by many to be one of the best pitchers in baseball during the deadball era. Had it not been for the Black Sox scandal, Ed Cicotte, with his 208 career victories, would today likely be a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Playing in Augusta, Georgia in 1905, Eddie was teammates with a young ballplayer by the name of Ty Cobb. Both players were purchased by the Detroit Tigers and on Sept. 3,1905, four days after Ty Cobb made his Major League debut, Eddie appeared in his first Major League game. Eddie ended the 1905 season with a 1-1 record, but more importantly, Eddie was credited for tipping the Tigers to the great Ty Cobb.

From 1908 through the middle of the 1912 season, Eddie was a member of the Boston Red Sox. In the early part of July 1912, after a series of clashes with team owner John Taylor, the Red Sox placed Eddie Cicotte on waivers. On July 22,1912 Eddie was purchased by the Chicago White

Sox where he remained until his career ended in 1920.

Eddie had his best years of his career as a member of the White Sox. He compiled 156 victories, tossed a no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns on April 14,1917 and helped defeat the New York Giants to win the Championship in 1917.

As the 1918 season was getting underway, Eddie and several of his teammates were returning from a golfing trip when they were involved in a traffic accident. Eddie suffered a whiplash and throughtout the season pitched inconsistantly. By the end of the season, Eddie's record was 12-19. The Sox finished in 6th place with a 57-67 record, 17 games behind the first place Boston Red Sox.

After his playing days, Eddie returned home to Detroit and worked for the Ford Motor Company. He later held several miscellanous jobs including a game warden, security guard and raising strawberries before his death on May 5,1969. When asked what the hilight of his career was, Eddie once stated "never allowing a homerun to Babe Ruth."