Editing Addie Joss (section)

==Early life==
Addie Joss was born on April 12, 1880, in [[Woodland, Dodge County, Wisconsin]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS9197|title=Joss, Addie 1880 – 1911|work=Wisconsin Historical Society|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408072350/https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS9197|archive-date=April 8, 2020|access-date=November 5, 2012}}</ref><!-- 27 Men Out gives birthplace as Juneau, Wisconsin --><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/vitalrecords/index.asp?id=2739620&record_type=b|title=Birth Record Details|work=Wisconsin Historical Society|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611135251/http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/vitalrecords/index.asp?id=2739620&record_type=b|archive-date=June 11, 2011|access-date=July 23, 2009}}</ref> His parents Jacob and Theresa (née Staudenmeyer) were farmers; his father, a [[cheesemaker]] who was involved in local politics, had emigrated from Switzerland.<ref name="Porter">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aChCBw-PmHQC&pg=PA775 |access-date=November 5, 2012|title=Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: G–P|last=Porter|first=David L.|page=775|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=2000|location=Westport, Connecticut|isbn=0-313-31175-7}}</ref> A heavy drinker of alcohol, he died from liver complications in 1890, when Joss was 10 years old; Joss remained sober throughout his life as a result of his father's death.<ref name="Coffey">{{cite book|last=Coffey|first=Michael|title=27 Men Out: Baseball's Perfect Games|publisher=Atria Books|location=New York|year=2004|isbn=0-7434-4606-2|url=https://archive.org/details/27menoutbaseball00coff}}</ref>{{rp|p.21}} Joss attended elementary school in [[Juneau, Wisconsin|Juneau]] and [[Portage, Wisconsin|Portage]] and high school at [[Wayland Academy, Wisconsin|Wayland Academy]] in [[Beaver Dam, Wisconsin]].<ref name="Complete">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jossad01.shtml|access-date=November 5, 2012|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|title=Addie Joss Statistics and History}}</ref> By age 16 he finished high school and began teaching himself. He was offered a scholarship to attend St. Mary's College (also known as Sacred Heart College) in [[Watertown, Wisconsin|Watertown]], where he played on the school's baseball team.<ref name="Coffey" />{{rp|p.21}} He also attended the University of Wisconsin (now [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]]), where he studied engineering.<ref name="Complete" /><ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite book|title=The Cleveland Indians Encyclopedia|access-date=November 7, 2012|year=2004|last=Schneider|first=Russell|publisher=Sports Publishing|isbn=1-58261-840-2|location=Champaign, Illinois|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zjLiv-NNsiQC&pg=PA15}}</ref>{{rp|p.200}} Officials in Watertown were impressed with the quality of play of St. Mary's and put the team on a semipro circuit.<ref name="Coffey" />{{rp|p.21}} During his time on the semipro circuit, Joss employed his unique pitching windup, which involved hiding the ball until the very last moment in his delivery.<ref name="Coffey" />{{rp|p.21}}

[[Connie Mack]] also sent a scout to watch Joss and later offered the young pitcher a job playing on his Albany club in the Western League, which Joss declined.<ref name="Coffey" />{{rp|p.22}} In 1899, Joss played for a team in [[Oshkosh, Wisconsin|Oshkosh]], earning $10 per week (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|10|1899}}}} in today's dollars). After player salaries were frozen by team owners, Joss joined the junior team in [[Manitowoc, Wisconsin|Manitowoc]], which had been split into two teams, as a second baseman and was soon promoted to the senior squad, where he was developed into a pitcher.<ref name="SABR" /> He was seen by a scout for the [[Toledo Mud Hens]] and in 1900 accepted a position with the team for $75 per month (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|75|1900}}}}).<ref name="Coffey" />{{rp|p.22}} While in [[Ohio]] he was considered "the best amateur pitcher in the state."<ref name="Buckley">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MGesyrKBrqgC&q=addie+joss&pg=PT70|access-date=November 5, 2012|last=Buckley|first=James Jr.|title=Perfect: The Inside Story of Baseball's Twenty Perfect Games|year=2012|publisher=Triumph Books|location=Chicago|isbn=978-1-60078-676-1}}</ref> He started the Mud Hens' season opener on April 28 and earned the win in the team's 16–8 victory.<ref name="SABR" /> He won 19 games for the club in 1900.

===Contract dispute===
Midway through the 1901 season, the [[Boston Americans]] of the upstart American League offered $1,500 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|1500|1901}}}}) to Toledo to buy out Joss's contract. The St. Louis Cardinals of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) matched Boston's offer; Toledo rejected both offers. Joss continued to pitch for the Mud Hens and by the end of the 1901 season he had won 27 games and had 216 strikeouts (some sources say 25 games).<ref name="Coffey" />{{rp|p.22}}<ref name="Pajot">{{cite book|first=Dennis|last=Pajot|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0x1WZ4iMkooC&q=addie+joss&pg=PA48|access-date=November 7, 2012|title=Baseball's Heartland War, 1902–1903: The Western League and American Association Vie for Turf, Players and Profits|isbn=978-0-7864-6337-4|year=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company|location=Jefferson, North Carolina}}</ref>{{rp|p.47}} He became known as "the god of the Western League."<ref name="Pajot" />{{rp|p.47}}

After the season ended, Joss returned to Wisconsin where he led [[Racine, Wisconsin|Racine]] to the 1901 Wisconsin baseball state championship against [[Rube Waddell]]'s [[Kenosha, Wisconsin|Kenosha]] squad. He also enrolled at [[Beloit College]] and played [[American football]].<ref name="Pajot" />{{rp|p.47}} It was reported that Joss had signed with the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] of the National League as early as August 18 and received a $400 advance (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|400|1901}}}}), but Joss denied receiving any money.<ref name="Pajot" />{{rp|p.47}} Mud Hens owner Charles Stroebel stated that he had signed Joss and other Mud Hens players for the 1902 season on August 12 and that the Western League was under the protection of the National League through September 1901. Before 1901 ended, the [[Cleveland Bronchos]] offered $500 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|500|1901}}}}) to Toledo in exchange for Joss and manager Bob Gilks, who would be a scout for Cleveland. Toledo and Joss agreed and Joss was now a member of the American League, which was paying a premium on baseball talent to rival the National League.<ref name="Coffey" />{{rp|p.22}} Dodgers owner [[Charles Ebbets]] invited Joss for a meeting, which Joss declined, and Joss let it be known that he had told Stroebel he would play for the Mud Hens for the 1902 season, and received a $150 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|150|1902}}}}) advance in February 1902.

In March 1902, Joss signed with Cleveland. Toledo sportswriters took exception to Joss, one writing that "he voluntarily signed a contract [with Toledo] for this season but when [[Bill Armour]] of Cleveland showed him the $500 bill he forgot his pledge and sneaked off like a whipped cur."<ref name="Pajot" />{{rp|p.48}} Stroebel later argued that Joss had returned only $100 of the $150 advance.  For not returning the entire advance, Joss was charged with a felony and Stroebel pursued legal action. Joss made his major league debut with the Bronchos on April 26, and two days later he arrived in Toledo to turn himself in, accompanied by Bronchos majority owner [[Charles Somers]], who was also American League vice president. The court set bond at $500 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|500|1902}}}}). Stroebel also filed a civil suit against the Bronchos, stating that his business had been interfered with, but Stroebel agreed to withdraw his charges in July when he accepted Bronchos pitcher [[Jack Lundbom]].<ref name="Pajot" />{{rp|p.48}}