Things are getting Creepy around here ...

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

Because Halloween is just around the corner, I’d like to pay tribute to the creepiest of all baseball players, Frank “Creepy” Crespi, who had a brief but seriously strange career in the early 1940s.

I just read everything that you wrote, and I don't get it, exactly what did he do that was creepy?? And what's the connection with Halloween?

[ALR-bishop]

Not sure about Halloween but he once told Jack Buck why he was Creepy

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

I just read everything that you wrote, and I don't get it, exactly what did he do that was creepy?? And what's the connection with Halloween?

Creepy was his nickname...below is from his Wikipedia entry:

Frank Crespi's nickname, 'Creepy', is widely considered one of the more colorful and unusual names in baseball history. In a 1977 radio interview with future Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck, Crespi told Buck people still called him by his nickname. Buck followed up with, "Why do they call you that?" Crespi replied, "Well, it's an involved thing...I used to hear a lot of different stories. But I think the best one is [from] some sportswriter. He said the way I creep up on a ball, because I run low to the ground after a ground ball."

And Halloween is associated with the word creepy, so there you have it.

Here is his 1941 Double Play card with Jim Brown...because of Crespi's nickname reputation, it appears that Brown broke ties with Crespi and is in the process of distancing himself from him as well. I might add if he had lived another 30 years or so, Krispy Kreme at this time of the year would likely have a limited edition orange and black baseball themed donut named in his honor, called the Krispy Kreme Creepy Crespi October Classic.


Brian

[Chris-Counts]

Thanks for the explanation Brian. I had no idea Creepy had a 1941 Double Play. It must have been hard for kids to keep those Double Plays together because every one I have in my collection is also cut in two — and taped back together again.

[doug.goodman]

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/frank-crespi/

In regard to the Medwick incident and Klem's comment :

Crespi returned to the lineup on June 18 versus the Dodgers at Ebbets Field and found himself at the center of a brouhaha. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Brooklyn’s Joe Medwick attempted to advance to second base on a wild pitch. St. Louis catcher Walker Cooper quickly recovered the ball and threw to Marion covering at second. Medwick was 10 feet from the bag when the ball arrived, but he nonetheless slid spikes high into Marion. As Marion and Medwick exchanged words, Crespi took Medwick down with a “flying tackle” as both benches emptied.24 After cooler heads prevailed, Medwick and Crespi were ejected, and each was subsequently fined $25 by National League President Ford Frick.25 Bill Klem, umpiring supervisor of the National League, asked Crespi about the incident the next day. After Crespi admitted he got a couple of good licks in on Medwick, Klem offered his hand and said, “Put ‘er there kid, you’re alright.”

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Creepy Crespi and Skeeter Skalzi...is it any wonder I get them confused?