Twenty-three-year-old Joe Corbett, brother of heavyweight champ “Gentleman Jim” Corbett announced his retirement before the 1899 season. Corbett had written a column for The San Francisco Call during his 1898 hold out, and announced he was quitting that job too:
“I have (also) quit writing baseball news now, and take little or no interest in the game. I wouldn’t cross the street to see one.”
Corbett ran the livery stable his father had started in San Francisco, helped operate the family bar on Ellis Street, and within weeks had apparently regained his interest in the game and was back writing for The Call. His responsibilities in the family businesses increased after his parent’s deaths in August of 1898 (Patrick Corbett shot and killed his wife then committed suicide).
Joe Corbett
There remained significant interest in Corbett’s services; unfortunately for Joe he remained under the control of Ned Hanlon. Hanlon had moved to the Brooklyn Superbas in 1899 as part of a stock swap between the Brooklyn and Baltimore franchises—he took several players with him, including “Wee Willie” Keeler, Hughie Jennings and Joe Kelley—he also kept Corbett’s rights.
Ned Hanlon
Hanlon offered Corbett $2400 to play for Brooklyn and turned down offers to trade his rights.
According to California newspapers Corbett occasionally pitched in semi-pro games in 1899, but in 1900 The Sporting Life reported that Corbett was “dangerously ill,” and would probably never pitch again as a result of sciatic rheumatism.
Less than a year later The Sporting Life said Corbett was pitching for a team in Oakland, and the next year he appeared in five games for the Minneapolis Millers in the American Association—the retirement appeared to be over.
A successful January 1903 appearance on the mound in an exhibition game featuring barnstorming Major Leaguers renewed interest in Corbett again. The Los Angeles Angels of The Pacific Coast League offered Joe a contract he couldn’t refuse, one that allowed him to tend to the family business interests in San Francisco during the season.
Newspaper reports said Corbett earned $5000 for the 1903 season, Angels manager Jim Morley said he wouldn’t say how much Joe earned but said that he had:
“Figured it out that Corbett will get 4.99 a curve.”
After going 23-16 for the Angels, the Major leagues again came calling. Early reports had Corbett signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who offered $5000, but Joe eventually signed with the Saint Louis Cardinals. While the Cardinals assured Joe that Ned Hanlon had relinquished Brooklyn’s claim, the Corbett family was not ready to end the feud with Hanlon.
Gentleman Jim, when asked if Joe would ever consider playing for his former manager again, told reporters:
“Hanlon couldn’t get Joe to twirl for him if he offers him a million dollars a year.”
Things didn’t go well in Saint Louis. Joe Corbett was 5-8 when the Cardinals released him August 1.
Jim was, as always, Joe’s biggest defender:
“My brother Joe was getting $7000 for the season from the St. Louis club, but his heart was not in his work, simply because he was separated from his wife and little ones who were out in California. Thinking of his family all the time impaired his effectiveness as a pitcher.”
Gentleman Jim
Joe returned to San Francisco where he added a hat store to growing stable of businesses; his rights returned to Hanlon and Brooklyn.
The final chapter of the Corbett story on Monday.
Baseball History Daily 