I came across the above 1911 M116 Sporting Life Baseball card at an Sterling Sports Auction and scratched my head, a bit. I though to myself, who is this poorly colored former Brooklyn Dodger/Robin ballplayer? So I went digging, and came to find out that he was a fast rising catching prospect for the franchise before an unfortunate play at the plate stalled his career.
Ross Emil "Tex" Erwin was originally from Forney, Texas (no surprise given his nickname) who began as a 19-year old in the Texas League in 1905. He had slashed .293/.293/.359/.652 that rookie campaign, and caught the eye of the scouts.