Posted By:
Frank WakefieldOssie Vitt was with the SF Seals in 1911...
In the major leagues he was a great fielding, fair hitting third baseman. He was with Detroit 1912-1918, then the Red Sox 1919-1921. In 1915 he was beaned by Walter Johnson. He was unconscious about 5 minutes.
Vitt managed Hollywood from 1926 through 1934. He managed Oakland in 1935. He managed Newark in 1936, that was back east, and a Yankees farm club. 1938-1940 he managed Cleveland, 1940 was the 'crybabies' year, many players complained about Vitt, they finished 2nd that year, a game behind Detroit, after having started the season strong and in 1st place.
Good cards!!!
There are several good books about the Pacific Coast League. 2 I like are The Pacific Coast League; A Statistical History 1903-1957 by Dennis Snelling; and the other is The Pacific Coast League, 1903-1988. The latter is also on audio books, and while there are a few mispronunciations, it listens well. It is a straightforward history, and will mention lots of guys. The Snelling book has most of the players listed yearly, by their team. And then has some brief biography and statistical information for some of the more noteworthy players. I recommend both if you're going to start picking up ZeeNuts.
Frank.