Lefty O'Doul

[janduscframe]

Could any of you enlighten me a bit on Lefty? He didn't become a regular till 31 and then bang two batting titles. Why the late start? Was he trying to make it as a pitcher and then got hurt? Or were there other factors?Just curious why the late start as it appears he could certainly hit(even though it was the 30's) Thanks.

Lefty O'Doul, Phillies' LF, 1929-30---BB Ref---------------------------------1929-30------------------------------------------------1929-30------------------------------------------1933-34 (http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/o'doule01.shtml)
http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv217/BillBurgess/Player%20Tributes/Image20-3.jpg

[DoubleX]

Could any of you enlighten me a bit on Lefty? He didn't become a regular till 31 and then bang two batting titles. Why the late start? Was he trying to make it as a pitcher and then got hurt? Or were there other factors?Just curious why the late start as it appears he could certainly hit(even though it was the 30's) Thanks.

My best guess is by looking at his statistics and taking into account the moniker "Lefty," O'Doul originally tried to make it as a pitcher. He has pitching statistics for ages 22-26, and then no statistics whatsoever until age 31 when from thereafter he only has batting statistics.

[bluezebra]

O'Doul spent many years in the old Pacific Coast League. He was/is a legend to San Francisco Seals' fans.

While he was a very good pitcher in the PCL, he was a bust in MLB. After being sent down, he began a comeback as a hitter, and was brought back to the Majors by the Giants. In 1928 he played in 114 games, BAVG .319, 354 AB, 113 H, 19 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 46 RBI. He was traded to the Phillies in 1929, where he exploded as a hitter; 154 games, 638 AB, .398 BAVG (led league), 254 H, 35 2B, 6 3B, 32 HR, 122 RBI. His 254 hits (tied by Bill Terry in 1930) are still a season record in the NL.

Bob

[torez77]

He retired with a .349 lifetime BA, but didn't have enough AB to make it on the all-time list. He had 3264 AB. How many AB are qualified to make the all-time list - 3,500? Not sure. Anyway, it looks as if he was very close to being 4th on the all-time BA list and a certain HOFer.

[JACKIE42]

http://oaklandoaks.tripod.com/53odoul.html

[DoubleX]

O'Doul certainly had an interesting career. Really only 5 or 6 seasons including 3 great ones and two good ones.

[janduscframe]

Thanks guys.
It just struck me as strange that a pitcher with such little success and obviously such a potentialy lethal bat wouldn't have made the change before age 31. I thought maybe there was a story behind the story or something.

[ElHalo]

That's pretty much the whole story with Lefty not making it, his starting out as a pitcher and not moving to the outfield full time until age 28. Interesting note: He continued as a manager, pitching and pinch hitting, in the PCL until the age of 60.

[westsidegrounds]

Started out as a pitcher, promising enough to get called up to the bigs & kept there until he hurt his arm. Went back to the minors, worked on his hitting, & back he goes to the bigs again. The arm never came around though, & without being able to throw - plus the age factor - he only lasted a few seasons more.

Always thought of him as a Giant, altho he did play for other teams. NY is where he picked up his monicker, "the man in the green suit." He was a major influence on the spread of baseball in Japan. His bar in SF was one of those legendary hangouts, like McSorley's. [IMG]

[Melottfan]

Lefty was a bay area legend during the heyday of the old PCL. A failed pitcher with the Yankees and Red Sox I believe, went back to the coast and found his batting eye where he tormented pitchers in the 20's and 30's in the NL. Too bad his ab's are not enough for consideration for the HOF. In looking over his stats, he does have better stats than alledge HOFamers already in. For years he wore as a trademark, a green suit, hence his nickname, "The Man in the Green Suit", mostly because of his irish heritage.

[Imapotato]

Lefty O'Doul was the exact opposite of an unknown but just as talented Reb Russell

Russell was the reason a young man named Dickie Kerr pitched in the 1919 Black Sox Series, he got hurt and was probably the #2 P on that staff, and is one reason many thought the Reds would have won that Series on the up and up w/o him

Russell came back on the pirates in 1922 and hit .368 with 12 Hrs in 1922, slipped a bit in 1923 and lost his job to Pooch Clyde Barnhart

[Brian McKenna]

o'doul is also one of the fathers of japanese professional baseball and resides in their hall of fame

[DoubleX]

Lefty O'Doul was the exact opposite of an unknown but just as talented Reb Russell

Russell was the reason a young man named Dickie Kerr pitched in the 1919 Black Sox Series, he got hurt and was probably the #2 P on that staff, and is one reason many thought the Reds would have won that Series on the up and up w/o him

I don't know if I'd ever say that Russell was a no. 2 starter. For most of his career he was behind at least Cicotte and Faber, and then Lefty Williams. Plus, the only year he started more than 30 games was his rookie season of 1913. For a pitcher to not start 30 games back then suggests that he was not a fixture in the rotation. The last time he started as many as 24 games was 1917, so by 1919, he was really two years removed from really contributing as a pitcher. In most seasons, there were already 4-starters on the Sox making more starts than Russell each year, which suggests that he was a reliever/spot-starter.

I think Kerr's promotion had more to do with Red Faber being injured in 1919.

[Bill Burgess]

Lefty is a San Francisco legend for another reason. He ran a drinking establishment, Lefty's Place, which I believe is still in business. Famous SF landmark.

Bill

[Imapotato]

I don't know if I'd ever say that Russell was a no. 2 starter. For most of his career he was behind at least Cicotte and Faber, and then Lefty Williams. Plus, the only year he started more than 30 games was his rookie season of 1913. For a pitcher to not start 30 games back then suggests that he was not a fixture in the rotation. The last time he started as many as 24 games was 1917, so by 1919, he was really two years removed from really contributing as a pitcher. In most seasons, there were already 4-starters on the Sox making more starts than Russell each year, which suggests that he was a reliever/spot-starter.

I think Kerr's promotion had more to do with Red Faber being injured in 1919.


You are probably right, I most likely got Faber and Russell confused

But Russell was not a spot starter, he was oft injured

[DoubleX]

You are probably right, I most likely got Faber and Russell confused

But Russell was not a spot starter, he was oft injured

That might could definitely be, and is probably true. I don't know anything about Russell other than what the stats tell me. I am pretty sure about Kerr stepping in for Faber, and that making a difference in the series (despite the cheating) - who knows, perhaps if Faber was healthy, the gamblers would have involved him as well. I know that Sox team was very polarized, and I'm not sure which side Faber was on, but something tells me he more associated with the Collins/Schalk group than the Gandil/Jackson group.

[Imapotato]

All I know about Faber it the incident with Johnny Mostil, who took over CF after Felsch was banned

Mostil was a very good Cfer with great range and also a wandering eye...too bad his eye fell on Red Faber's wife...Faber found out and Mostil committed suicide

[yanks0714]

All I know about Faber it the incident with Johnny Mostil, who took over CF after Felsch was banned

Mostil was a very good Cfer with great range and also a wandering eye...too bad his eye fell on Red Faber's wife...Faber found out and Mostil committed suicide

I had never heard about this. What's the story on it?

[Melottfan]

About Johnny Mostil, he tried to commit suicide by slashing his wrists and upper part of his body. He did survive a fate worse than death by finishing his career with the Sox as a player and a scout.He died 12-10-70. I do remember reading that in covering up the affair he had with Faber's wife,
reports had it that Mostil was suffering a nervous disorder or something. Maybe a reader coming across this might share something about this.

[johnny]

Lefty is a San Francisco legend for another reason. He ran a drinking establishment, Lefty's Place, which I believe is still in business. Famous SF landmark.

Bill

I was there last a few years ago -my home office use to be about 3 blocks from there- so would always hit it at least once in awhile for breakfast.
Great pictures on the wall and enjoyed the overall ambiance.
I think they even have a small bridge or something named after Lefty.

[Bill Burgess]

Brian McKenna found this most comprehensive write-up on Lefty O'Doul. Looks like a wikipedia job, or a reasonable facsimile.
--------------------------------
Lefty O’Doul
Frank O’Doul
Francis Joseph O’Doul
The Man in the Green Suit

Francis Joseph O’Doul was born on March 4, 1897 in San Francisco, the only child of Eugene and Cecelia O’Doul.

Eugene O’Doul was born in California in February 1871 to August and Catherine O’Doul. August was born in April 1850 to French parents in Louisiana. Catherine was born in Ireland in January 1850. Eugene supported his family as a butcher (the same profession as his father and father-in-law). He would later work as a “slaughterhouse salesman.” Eugene passed away between the 1910 and 1920 U.S. Censuses.

Cecelia O’Doul, nee Suhling, was born in California in February 1877. Her parents were born in Germany. Cecelia married James Fennell some time between 1920 and 1930.

O’Doul, known as Frank, grew up in the Butchertown (currently Bay View - Hunter’s Point) district of San Francisco, the center of the city’s meat-packing industry. He and his family would live out their lives in the area. It was a tough neighborhood which constantly pitted the kids of Irish parents against those of Italian descent in nearby North Beach.

O’Doul fought and identified with the Irish boys but he was more Irish in name than background. As noted, his father was of French descent and his mother was German. His grandfather, August, actually had an Italian mother. The only Irish blood came from his father’s mother.

BASEBALL

O’Doul’s road to baseball began in 1912 at the Bay View School. The school’s baseball coach, a woman named Rosie Stoltz, helped develop his fundamentals. As O’Doul, a lefthander, later noted, Stoltz “taught me the essential fundamentals of the game. She taught me to pitch, field and hit.” Their club won the city championship that first year.

The following year O’Doul quit school to join his father in the slaughterhouse. There, he worked six days a week, playing baseball on Sundays for amateur and semi-pro clubs. In 1913 O’Doul made a name for himself locally as a member of the undefeated Native Sons team. That year he pitched two semi-pro clubs to city championships, the Native Sons and the Mish-Taylors.

At the end of 1916 O’Doul was plucked off a semi-pro club by his hometown San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. The pitcher appeared in three games for SF in 1917, posting no record. He was the fasted player on the team. On the first day of camp the SF manager sent all the guys out to centerfield. He then placed a $5 gold piece on home plate and the race was off. O'Doul snatched the cash.

He was then sold to Des Moines of the Western League where he got into 19 games with an 8-6 record. With Des Moines he lost the tip of one of his fingers on a hard liner back to the mound. He returned home at the end of the season to play winter ball on the coast.

With SF again in 1918 O’Doul pitched in 185 innings over 49 games, posting a 12-8 record and a 2.63 ERA. He enlisted that year in the Navy. On September 21 he was drafted by the New York Yankees.

1919

O’Doul and George Halas were the only two Yankees to come to camp in shape and ready to play in 1919. O’Doul was fresh from playing winter ball in SF. Halas kept in shape with Great Lakes naval training teams playing football and basketball.

O’Doul impressed quite a few in camp when he posted a mark of 8 3/5 seconds sprinting 75 yards; however, he hurt his arm during a throwing contest which affected his entire season. He only appeared in 19 games for the Yankees in 1919 (pitching in only 3) but remained with the club all season pinch-hitting, tossing batting practice or whatever was needed.

Here’s a little story to demonstrate how much (actually how little) O’Doul was needed on a day-to-day basis with the Yankees. Prior to a doubleheader one day in 1919, rain was pouring down. Figuring the games would be cancelled, O’Doul and teammate Chick Fewster took off for Belmont Park race track. Returning home later, they saw a newspaper which posted the score of the first game with an update of the second game. Scared, the two quietly slipped into the clubhouse the following day. Manager Miller Huggins never said a word; he didn’t even notice their absence.

He played winter ball at the end of the season to get his arm in shape. Just a few days before Ruth was traded to O’Doul’s Yankees, the two met in an exhibition game in California. O’Doul struck Ruth out the first two times up but Ruth caught on and knocked it out of the park his third time up.

1920

O’Doul only appeared in thirteen games for the Yankees in 1920 but again he remained on the roster all year. He was there for the fatal beaning of Ray Chapman on August 16, pinch-hitting latter in the game.

1921

O’Doul was optioned to SF (by way of Vernon) in a three-way deal in January 1921. He produced his breakout season on the mound. In 47 games (312 innings pitched) he posted a 25-9 record and a 2.39 ERA. He also batted .338 in a total of 74 games. On December 6 the Yankees exercised there option on O’Doul, requesting his presence at spring training.

1922

Once again the Yankees gave O’Doul very little playing time. He only appeared in eight games in 1922; however, he was with the pennant-winning club the entire season.

On June 23 the Yankees traded Fewster, Elmer Miller, Johnny Mitchell, $50,000 and a player to-be-named to the Red Sox for Joe Dugan and Elmer Smith, one in a slew of tranasactions between the two clubs during the era. The player to be named was assumed to be either O’Doul or George Murray.

O’Doul found out on September 29 that he would be that player. Miller Huggins decided to leave him off the postseason roster despite the fact he was their only lefthanded pitcher. He remained with the club though pitching batting practice and sitting on the bench during the World Series. The Yankees formally released him to Boston on October 12.

1923

O’Doul remained with the Red Sox all season in 1923, pitching in 23 games including his only major league start on April 21, the fourth game of the season. Five days later, O’Doul notched his only major league victory, a 5-4 win over the Yankees.

1924

On February 2, 1924 the Red Sox sent O’Doul to Salt Lake City of the Pacific Coast League. He appeared in 140 games, showcasing a .392 batting average and a 7-9 win-loss record. It was his last year of any significance on the mound.

1925

In 198 games for Salt Lake in 1925 O’Doul hit .375 with 309 hits and 24 home runs. On September 12 he was purchased by the Chicago Cubs for $50,000; though, he would never appear for the club.

1926

With Hollywood of the PCL in 1926 O’Doul batted .338 with 223 hits and 20 home runs.

1927

Back with SF, O’Doul won the first-ever PCL most valuable player award in 1927 (over Lyn Lary). He batted .378 with 278 hits and 33 home runs. On October 4 he was drafted by the New York Giants. The MVP award included a $1,000 cash prize. It was presented to him while touring as a member of Ruth’s Bustin’ Babes (versus Lou Gehrig’s Larrupin’ Lous) in SF.

1928

O’Doul broke his ankle on April 21, the seventh game of the season, tripping over first base. He was out six weeks. He did manage to hit .319 in 94 games in left field. On October 29 he was traded to the Phillies with cash for Freddy Leach.

1929-30

O’Doul was among the elite in 1929, finishing second in the MVP voting to Rogers Hornsby (60 votes to 54). He played in every game, nearly hitting .400 - .398 with 122 RBI and 32 home runs. He led the league in batting average, hits (254) and on-base percentage (.465). The 254 hits were a new league record.

O’Doul had another stellar year in 1930, batting .383 with 97 RBI and 22 home runs. Nevertheless, he was traded to the Dodgers with Fresco Thompson for Clise Dudley, Jumbo Elliott, Hal Lee and cash on October 14.

1931-32

On June 27, 1931 O’Doul was fined $100 and suspended for five games for an altercation that day with umpire Bob Clarke. In the sixth inning Clark called O’Doul out on a close play at first as the potential go-ahead run was crossing the plate. O’Doul charged the umpire and had to be restrained by Frankie Frisch. Fans started throwing bottles onto the field, requiring police to restore order.

O’Doul hit .336 for the Dodgers in 1931 plus 75 RBI.

On January 21, 1932 O’Doul was happy to sign his new contract for $14,000 even though it called for a 5% pay reduction. He even enclosed a note with it thanking Brooklyn management for treating him nicely during 1931 when he was in a batting slump.

O’Doul hit .368 in 1932 (21 HR, 90 RBI). It was his second batting title.

1933-34

O’Doul was hitting .252 with the Dodgers after 43 games when he was traded to the Giants on June 16 with Watty Clark for Sam Leslie. He joined the Giants for the pennant drive, batting .306 in 78 games. That summer, O’Doul made his only All-Star appearance (1 AB, 0 hits).

The Giants won the pennant, meeting the Senators in the World Series. O’Doul only appeared for one at bat in the Fall Classic, but he made it count. In the sixth inning of Game 2 he pinch hit after Mel Ott was intentionally walked to fill the bases. O’Doul singled to knock in Hughie Critz and Bill Terry and later scored. The six-run inning lead to a 6-1 victory.

O’Doul traveled home after the series with fellow San Franciscan Joe Cronin, the Senators manager and shortstop. They were met at the airport by thousand of fans for a big parade and party. Surely, O’Doul felt much more comfortable than Cronin.

O’Doul’s major league career ended after 83 games with the Giants in 1934 (.316 BA). His major league career numbers:

AB, 3264
H, 1140
HR, 113
RBI, 542
BA, .349
OB%, .413
SLG, .532

1935-56

O’Doul was given the opportunity to manage his hometown Seals in 1935. He requested his release from Giants’ manager Bill Terry. The Giants originally wanted $4,000 from the Seals but O’Doul was a ten-year major leaguer which would require him to clear waivers in the majors first. Rather than jamming him up, the Giants granted his unconditional release on February 16, 1935.

Over the next twenty years as manager, O’Doul appeared in some games as an active player:
1935, 68 games
1936, 54, often at first base
1937, 44, often at first base
1938, 30, often at first base
1939, 25, outfield
1940, 14, pitcher
1944, 1
1945, 1
1956, 1

On September 16, 1959 at age 59 O’Doul went to bat for his Vancouver team versus Sacramento. The opposing manger pulled in his fielders. O’Doul knocked the ball over the centerfielder’s head for a triple and later scored.

MANAGER AND COACH

O’Doul currently ranks ninth on the all-time victory list for minor league managers. His teams posted a 2,094-1,970 record (.515). Teams (all in the Pacific Coast League):

San Francisco, 1935-51
San Diego, 1952-54
Oakland, 1955
Vancouver, 1956
Seattle, 1957

He won the championship in 1935, 1943-46. O’Doul was discussed many times as a potential major league manager, but it never happened. He was named Minor League Manager of the Year in 1945 by the Sporting News.

On November 3, 1937 San Francisco owner Charlie Graham gave O’Doul a contract to manage the club “for life.”

After the National League Giants relocated to San Francisco, O’Doul served as a part time hitting instructor from 1958-61.

O’Doul was a renowned baseball teacher and hitting instructor. Men like Babe Dahlgren would travel to SF prior to spring training to get some advice on the batting technique. Over the years, he tutored the best in the game: the DiMaggios, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and countless others.

GOLF

O’Doul was a scratch golfer, regularly shooting in the seventies. He played nearly every day for years. In fact, it was said that he ran into trouble with San Diego management over his insistence of a clause in his contract granting him a daily round of golf.

He played in the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am Tournament from 1948-54, winning the pro-am portion twice, 1949 with Bill Nary and 1954 (4-way tie) with Walter Burkemo.

In 1955 he opened a pitch and putt course in SF. O’Doul played golf with numerous baseball men who would stop by SF, such as, former teammate Babe Ruth and others.

He was a regular partner of Joe DiMaggio (O’Doul was his first manager). In January 1964 DiMaggio and O’Doul flew out of SF for a personal appearance. When they returned, O’Doul’s new sports car had been stolen from an airport lot. They car contained their golf clubs and DiMaggio was particularly upset that his expensive wardrobe was in the trunk. Luckily, the police found everything the following day.

O'Doul was also a flashy dresser. He had over 200 ties and it was said he had as many suits as well. Many of the suits were green though (Hence, his nickname 'The Man in the Green Suit').

JAPAN

O’Doul was elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 for his promotion of the game, particularly in helping to unite relations after World War I.

O’Doul first went to Japan, Philippines and China at the end of 1931 a part of an exhibition tour organized by former major leaguer Herb Hunter who had made numerous trips there. The trip included:
Frankie Frisch
Lou Gehrig
Lefty Grove
Al Simmons

In October 1932 O’Doul went back to Japan for nearly three months to help train ballplayers at the Big Six colleges, Hose, Imperial, Keio, Meji, Rikkio, Waseda. O’Doul went to train hitters and outfielders, Ted Lyons taught pitching and More Berg taught catching. Herb Hunter and Joseph Cohen, a SF sportswriter, also made the trip.

The men conducted about forty lessons at each school. Members of the royal family even attended including Prince Chichibu. The games the men participated in drew crowds of well over 60,000 fans.

One day, O’Doul and Lyons were walking along Tokyo’s waterfront with a video camera taking “moving pictures.” They were arrested for violating Japan’s strict espionage laws. At the precinct all went well when it was discovered who were arrested, American ballplayers. They were happily granted unlimited access with their camera; however, they were quickly arrested again by another officer in another precinct.

Lefty went back to Japan at the end of 1933. In 1934 O’Doul organized a tour to Japan. First, he tried to attract fellow National leaguers but the league decided to rebuff him. He was then forced to speak with American Leaguers. He found an impressive crew:
Averill
Berg
Cascarella
Foxx
Gehrig
Gehringer
Lefty Gomez
Connie Mack
Bing Miller
O’Doul
Ruth
Whitehill

The Japanese gave O’Doul an eight-foot bat in recognition of his prowess with the stick.

In 1935 and ’36 O’Doul helped organize a tour of the United States by professional Japanese players which kicked off in February of each year. He also help formed the Japanese professional baseball league. O’Doul is credited with naming the Tokyo Giants, a reference to his last major league club.

O’Doul spent a good deal of time in Japan at the end of 1936 and into 1937 helping to oversee the building of Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo.

O’Doul was deeply distressed as Japan slipped into militarism. He shied away from the country for a time and took the bombing of Pearl Harbor as a personal affront. In 1949 though O’Doul took his SF Seals club to Japan in October to foster relations between the countries once more. He even pitched at age 52. He was roundly and enthusiastically greeted by all including Emperor Hirohito and Prince Akihito. The club drew 500,000 to their ten games.

In October 1950 O’Doul flew to Japan with Joe DiMaggio for a personal appearance tour. In 1951 O’Doul led a group of all-stars to the country for a series of exhibition games. The group included:
Yogi Berra
Joe DiMaggio
Dom DiMaggio
Ferris Fain
Eddie Lopat
Al Lyons
Billy Martin
Mel Parnell
Bobby Schantz
Chuck Stevens
George Strickland
Lou Stringer
Bill Werle

On November 13, 1951 O’Doul’s All-Stars lost 3-1 to a Pacific League all-star squad. It was the first time an American professional team lost to a Japanese professional team.

At the end of 1952 O’Doul went to Japan on another training mission. In 1953 went with the entire New York Giants team. It was the first time an entire team traveled to Hawaii, Japan and Manila. Also on the trip:
Lorraine Day
Leo Durocher
Fred Fitzsimmons
Ford Frick
Horace Stoneman

O’Doul and family accompanied Joe DiMaggio and his new bride of two weeks Marilyn Monroe to Hawaii and Japan in January and February 1954 (The O'Douls were two of eight people at the wedding at SF's city hall). In November O’Doul went back to take a Japanese club on a tour of Australia.

In October of 1960 O’Doul went to Japan with the San Francisco Giants for a series of exhibition games and personal appearances. He started proposing that a trans-Pacific World Series be played every year between NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) and MLB champions. A meeting was held to discuss the possibility. The following attended:
O’Doul
Douglas MacArthur II (nephew of the general), U.S. Ambassador to Japan
Noboru Inouye, commissioner of NPB
Presidents of both Japan major leagues
A representative of MLB commissioner Ford Frick

In January 1961 O’Doul accompanied Honolulu owner Nick Morgan to Japan and Manila in an effort to recruit ballplayers for the new PCL club. Later that summer, O’Doul worked as a broadcaster in Japan.

RETIREMENT

O’Doul retired after the 1957 season at age 60. Shortly thereafter, he opened a restaurant on March 22, 1958. It is still a popular San Francisco hangout and is one of the oldest continuous sports bar in the country, if not the oldest.

O’Doul married twice, the first time in April 1924 to Abigail Lacey, a Californian born on January 27, 1900 in San Jose. They were later divorced (still married in 1938 per immigration records). His second marriage took place in 1953 to Jean Goodman. He had no children from either marriage but was known in San Francisco for catering to children. He was step-father to Jean's son Jimmy.

On November 12, 1969 O’Doul suffered a stroke and was taken to French Hospital in SF. He died on December 7 of a massive coronary blockage at age 72. He was buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, California (Section I, Lot 108).

[brett]

He retired with a .349 lifetime BA, but didn't have enough AB to make it on the all-time list. He had 3264 AB. How many AB are qualified to make the all-time list - 3,500? Not sure. Anyway, it looks as if he was very close to being 4th on the all-time BA list and a certain HOFer.


Usually 5000 I believe, though Joe Jackson is a little under.

[Chickazoola]

I've been to Lefty O'Doul's in San Francisco, and it's quite a cool place. There's tons of pictures on the walls, and the place looks like an old-time diner(mainly beacause it is). If you have the chance you should check it out.

I always wonder about why he was traded so frequently. He could obviously hit, and I haven't anything particularly good or bad about his defense. So why would he get traded after hitting .383 in 1930? And then get traded after hitting .368 in 1932?

[Brian McKenna]

Brian McKenna found this most comprehensive write-up on Lefty O'Doul. Looks like a wikipedia job, or a reasonable facsimile.
--------------------------------
.

Thanks for noticing Bill but my work is researched from many sources and written by myself.

[Brian McKenna]

I always wonder about why he was traded so frequently. He could obviously hit, and I haven't anything particularly good or bad about his defense. So why would he get traded after hitting .383 in 1930? And then get traded after hitting .368 in 1932?

I agree that this is perplexing. He was apparently easy to get along with so that's not the problem. I can only assume that the trades have something to do with his age. He would be 34 going into 1931 and 36 in 1933.

[Bill Burgess]

Thanks for noticing Bill but my work is researched from many sources and written by myself.
Then that post is even more amazing. Thank you for contributing it! When it comes to research, Brian - YOU DA MAN!

[EXCELSIOR]

Here’s a little story to demonstrate how much (actually how little) O’Doul was needed on a day-to-day basis with the Yankees. Prior to a doubleheader one day in 1919, rain was pouring down. Figuring the games would be cancelled, O’Doul and teammate Chick Fewster took off for Belmont Park race track. Returning home later, they saw a newspaper which posted the score of the first game with an update of the second game. Scared, the two quietly slipped into the clubhouse the following day. Manager Miller Huggins never said a word; he didn’t even notice their absence.



Ah, those were the good old days. (Rosie Stoltz would have noticed!)