Tenney went from Brown University to the Boston Beaneaters (later renamed the Braves) when there were few collegians in the hard-bitten world of 19th-century baseball. Dad Clarke, a rough-and-tumble opposing pitcher, taunted the young Tenney about the courage of players from colleges. Tenney responded by spitting tobacco juice on Clarke’s feet. He broke in as a lefthanded catcher, already a vanishing breed, and starting in 1897 was Boston’s first baseman for over a decade. He topped the .300 mark seven times in his first ten seasons, and never again. In four years as Boston’s player-manager, he twice finished seventh, and twice last. In 1908, his first of two seasons with the Giants, he led the NL with 101 runs scored. He became a regular correspondent for The New York Times, offering annual preseason assessments and covering the World Series.
