Cronin was born in Excelsior District of San Francisco , California . The 1906 San Francisco earthquake had cost his Irish Catholic parents almost all of their possessions . Cronin attended Sacred Heart High School . He played several sports as a child and he won a city tennis championship for his age group when he was 14 . As he was not greatly interested in school , Cronin 's grades improved only when the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League began giving away tickets to students with good conduct and attendance . At the time , the nearest MLB team was nearly 2,000 miles from San Francisco
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Joe Cronin