Bid McPhee played his entire career without a glove.
Does a baseball Hall of Famer deserve a street named in his honor in Keithsburg? The answer is yes for Westmer grad Chad Weeks. He’s leading a push to honor the late John “Bid” McPhee, who grew up in Keithsburg and attended Keithsburg schools in the 1860’s. He would go on to play for the Cincinnati Reds from 1882 through 1899 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2000. Weeks has started an on-line petition drive and will make a presentation to the Keithsburg City Council Monday night.
As of Sunday, 143 people had signed the on-line petition at change.org. In 2015, McPhee’s Mercer County roots were recognized and he was inducted into the Mercer County High School Hall of Fame posthumously.