1890s Baltimore Orioles

The following was 'borrowed' from The 10 Spot. It is found at SI.com and has daily entries. We check it out every day, so if you want to be like the Surrey Indians you know what you gotta do.. A while ago The 10 Spot had a top ten list of all-time dirtiest plays, or something to that effect. Sixth on the list was an entire team, the Baltimore Orioles of the 1890s. Perhaps it was a list of top ten dirtiest teams. Whatever.

Here, now, is the 'borrowed' material:

The NL pennant winners (there was no AL yet) from 1894-96 were dirtier than Pig Pen. Star players such as future manager John McGraw and "Dirty Jack" Doyle would shave their bats flat on one side for easier bunting. They would hide extra balls in the outfield and sneak them into play if a ball got by them. Orioles baserunners would routinely dash from first to third -- right across the diamond -- when the lone umpire's head was turned. McGraw, playing third base, would grab opposing players by the belt loop to prevent them from tagging up. Catcher Wilbert Robinson would slip pebbles into the shoes of opposing players to slow them down. The mound was dusted with soap flakes, so opposing pitchers looking to dry their hands with a little dirt would instead be covered in goop. But hey, they were winners!