Thursday, May 11, 2006

Dazzy Vance

Did Steve Treder ever fact-check Arthur D. Hittner's Honus Wagner? Great book, regardless.

March, 1915:

Although he sparkled at bat (he hit nearly .400 at Hot Springs), Wagner endured a particularly embarassing moment on the basepaths. With his team behind, Wagner took a lead off first base in the ninth inning of an intrasquad game. A hard-throwing rookie pitcher fired to first five or six times to hold the veteran close. The hurled then snapped another throw to first, catching the old man flat-footed. Few could recall Wagner suffering such an indignity, much less at the hands of a mere rookie. The pitcher, as it turned out, was future Hall-of-Famer Dazzy Vance. (224)

Dazzy did that in an intrasquad game. Weeks later, the Pirates sold Vance to the Yankees. Not sure why, but I think there was something about ownership needing to make debt payments and a new GM unable or unwilling to shout down their orders.

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