1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #45 "Jo Jo" White

Sunday, January 10, 2021

#45 "Jo Jo" White - Detroit Tigers

Joyner Clifford White

Detroit Tigers

Outfield

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 5'11" Weight: 162

Born: June 1, 1909, Red Oak, GA

Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1932-1938; Philadelphia Athletics 1943-1944; Cincinnati Reds 1944

World Series Appearances: Detroit Tigers 1934-1935

As a Manager: Cleveland Indians 1960

Died: October 9, 1986, Tacoma, WA (77)

Jo-Jo White, given that nickname because of the way he pronounced his home state of Georgia, was the starting center fielder for the Tigers team that went to the World Series in 1934 and 1935 and won the championship in 1935. He finished in the top 10 for American League stolen bases in three different seasons, and White's SABR biography comments on the legend that Tigers great Ty Cobb himself tutored White in the art of running the bases. His best season came in 1934 when he hit .313 with 97 runs scored, 28 stolen bases and a career-high 43 RBIs. After a four-season stint with the Seattle Rainiers in the Pacific Coast League, White returned to the majors and appeared in parts of two seasons with the Athletics and Reds in 1943 and 1944. He finished up his playing career with five more seasons in the Pacific Coast League, leading the league in batting with a .355 average as a member of the Sacramento Solons in 1945.

White later served as a long-time minor and major league coach, with a one-game stint as the Indians interim manager in 1960. His coaching journey included jobs with the Indians (1959-1960), Tigers (1960), Athletics (1961-1962), Braves (1963-1966) and Royals (1969). Jo-Jo's son Mike played in parts of three seasons with the Colt .45s/Astros between 1963 and 1965. I wrote about Mike over on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set

December 15, 2020 from Longmont, CO (BBC Emporium) - Card #4

Bitten by the bug of collecting a new set, I decided I could justify an early Christmas present to myself and while on a particularly long and unproductive work video meeting, I found four more cards for my set. Along with this White card, I added the cards of Roy Mahaffey (#10), Red Rolfe (#29) and Fred M. Frankhouse (#62). Rolfe and White were the priciest two of the four-card lot from BBC Emporium located in Longmont, Colorado.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

The Card / Tigers Team Set

The reference photo used for White's card is from 1933 at the latest, as that's the last season the Tigers wore pinstriped jerseys. I won't spend too much time on the backgrounds for these cards on every post, but the background here could only appear on a Diamond Stars card. The four monochromatic colors - light blue, yellow, red, dark blue - the angles and lines in the background design and the lone yellow pennant are all often-used traits for this pre-war set. The back of the card explains the art of White's "kicking slide," which very well may have been taught to him by Cobb.

1935 Season

Guided by manager/catcher Mickey Cochrane (#9), the Tigers won the 1935 World Series in six games over the Cubs. White was the club's regular center fielder, sharing the outfield with Goose Goslin (#112) in left and Pete Fox (#110) in right. In 114 games, White batted only .240 and had the lowest average of any of the regulars, but he still scored 82 runs. He drove in the winning run in the 11th inning of Game 3 of the World Series, singling home Marv Owen (#67).