Smoky Joe & Tris & the anti-catholic myth

SmokyJoe

New Member
Feb 21, 2007
88
Juneau, Alaska
Someone who was listening to the Red Sox on the radio today told me that the announcers brought up the 1912 anti-catholic story. Smoky Joe Wood and Tris Speaker were not anti-catholic. This myth is discussed in the book "Smoky Joe Wood: The Biography of a Baseball Legend." Smoky Joe Wood and Tris Speaker both married catholic girls. I know this because one was my grandmother.
 

I am an Idiot

"Duke"
SoSH Member
Nov 16, 2007
5,116
BannedbyNYYFans.com said:
My grandmother was Catholic too. And she banged the Tin Man, Malden's own Jack Haley. But nobody put it in a book so I'm compelled to post it here on SOSH.
So what you are saying is you may very well be part man, part machine?
 

riboflav

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 20, 2006
9,580
NOVA
SmokyJoe said:
Someone who was listening to the Red Sox on the radio today told me that the announcers brought up the 1912 anti-catholic story. Smoky Joe Wood and Tris Speaker were not anti-catholic. This myth is discussed in the book "Smoky Joe Wood: The Biography of a Baseball Legend." Smoky Joe Wood and Tris Speaker both married catholic girls. I know this because one was my grandmother.
 
Judging by your username, I'm assuming your grandmother married Tris Speaker, no?
 

Vandalman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
2,374
SE Mass
BannedbyNYYFans.com said:
My grandmother was Catholic too. And she banged the Tin Man, Malden's own Jack Haley. But nobody put it in a book so I'm compelled to post it here on SOSH.
 
But somebody put it in a song: 
 
Oz never did give nothin' to the Tin Man that he didn't already have...
 
 

SmokyJoe

New Member
Feb 21, 2007
88
Juneau, Alaska
Many writers have exaggerated a perceived rift between the protestant and catholic players on the 1912 Red Sox. It gave them something to write about. Smoky Joe & Tris Speaker were supposed to have disliked catholics, which was not true. They both married catholic girls and Smoky Joe was not the slightest bit interested in religion. It's unfortunate that this myth lives on.
 

Dummy Hoy

Angry Pissbum
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2006
8,232
Falmouth
Speaker was involved with an iteration of the KKK, no? While I understand it to be that he was in with a less aggressively discriminatory version, it was still the Klan. Was that not where some of the rumors of anti-Catholicism could have originated? 
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
SoSH Member
Nov 4, 2007
62,312
Your grandfather's anti-Catholic blood runs deep in your veins.  Catholic is capitalized.
 

Sprowl

mikey lowell of the sandbox
Dope
SoSH Member
Jun 27, 2006
34,441
Haiku
Marciano490 said:
Your grandfather's anti-Catholic blood runs deep in your veins.  Catholic is capitalized
 
by Catholics. For non-catholics, it's just another odd pretension, and not one to be catered to. :p
 

SumnerH

Malt Liquor Picker
Dope
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
31,893
Alexandria, VA
Lowercase catholic is an English word that's not directly related to the religion (as much as they'd like to claim that Catholicism is the only truly catholic religion).