“Tell Mr. McGraw and Mr. Comiskey that I have enjoyed the game enormously.” -George V, King of England, after watching a ball game at Chelsea Stadium, London
One hundred eleven years ago today, February 1, 1914, world tour members of the White Sox and the Giants played to a 3-3 tie in the first-ever baseball game in the deserts of Egypt. The contest was part of a 56-game world “Tour to End All Tours!”. The 1913-1914 World Tour was organized by John McGraw and Charles Comiskey after the two had a few drinks at “Smiley” Mike Corbett’s bar on Chicago’s East Side.
A Little Background About the Trip
Sixty-seven people went on the overseas part of the tour, including 24 ballplayers, two umpires, assorted wives, children, in-laws, reporters, a priest, medical personnel, White Sox front office personnel, and various Comiskey cronies and drinking buddies.
(In the featured photo, we see members of the White Sox on the World Tour. Complete player identifications available upon request).
Players invited on the trip were future Hall-of-Famers Christy Mathewson, Tris Speaker, Red Faber, and “Wahoo” Sam Crawford. Joining them were Lee Magee, “Nixey” Callahan, Jim “Death Valley” Scott, Ivey Wingo, “Hooks” Wiltse, “Bunny” Hearne, Fred Merkle, Buck Weaver, Hans Lobert, “Laughing Larry” Doyle, “Turkey” Mike Donlin, Mike Doolan, Joe “Butcher Boy” Benz, Jack Bliss, Dick Egan, Tommy Daley, Andy Sleight, Steve Evans, and Walter Leverenz. Germany Schafer was invited along to provide comic relief. Star attraction was the world-famous athlete, Jim Thorpe.
The tour began as a barnstorming trek across the country a week after the 1913 World Series. Upon reaching the West Coast, the entourage boarded the luxury liner, R.M.S. Empress of Japan on November 19 to take them across the Pacific for the overseas portion of the tour. The tour’s first stop on foreign soil would be in Tokyo and, going from east to west, the last one would be in London. In between the travelers would stop in Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, Australia, Egypt, Ceylon, France, Italy, the Vatican, and other countries that could come up with at least a rudimentary ball field.
