starting catcher. He compiled a .243 batting average, .270 on-base percentage, .307 slugging percentage, 41 doubles, 22 triples, and 23 stolen bases. Reputation for toughness Schmidt's work in the coal mines as a young man helped him to develop a muscular and powerful physique. His hands particularly stood out for their grotesque-looking calluses and scar tissue. Even early in his baseball career, his knuckles and joints bore the signs of extreme disfigurement, a result of his work in the coal mines and his prizefighting. Schmidt put this to his advantage, though, regularly using his right fist to divert baserunners from reaching home plate and sometimes simply punching his opponents. Schmidt had two fights with Ty Cobb. Their first clash came in Augusta, Georgia, in March 1907, when Cobb was trying to chase a drunk groundskeeper into the Warren Park clubhouse. The groundskeeper's wife then began to yell at Cobb. Schmidt and several other players got involved in the fray, with Schmidt calling Cobb a "coward" for his treatment of the woman. Cobb and Schmidt then exchanged blows before being separated by their teammates. Both participants wanted a rematch, and they staged a second fight at a baseball field in Meridian, Mississippi, on a day off later in the season. Schmidt battered Cobb close to unconsciousness during the second fight, but admired Cobb's resiliency and stayed to revive the man as he lay motionless on the Tigers' dressing room floor. Cobb, in turn, respected Schmidt's conduct during the fight, and remarked: "He fought the fight clean and on the square." Despite their clashes, Schmidt and Cobb became close friends until Schmidt's death in 1932. Schmidt was a skilled boxer. In March 1910, Schmidt issued a public challenge to fight any player in the major leagues, saying, "I want a fight and I want it badly." He announced that he was training with former welterweight boxing champion Rube Ferns and offered to put up $2,000 of his own money on the outcome of the fight. In early 1911, Schmidt won a match against a boxer named McDonald, and rumors spread that Schmidt hoped to become the "great white hope" by taking on heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. Ferns, representing Schmidt, issued a public letter denying any interest on Schmidt's part in fighting Johnson or "any of the Ethiopian race." Aside from his prowess as a fighter, Schmidt was also known for other displays