Bring out your Zeenuts!

[Archive]

Posted By: David McDonald

Roger Nisly from the Non-Sports Forum was kind enough to send me a couple of dozen images of Seals players from the late twenties and I have been able to identify around 2/3rds of the players in my photo, some more definite than others. This is what I have come up with so far:

Top: Andy Vargas, Dutch Reuther, Ike Caveney, Walter Mails, Nick Williams (mgr.), Unk., Smead Jolley, Elmer Jacobs, Earl Averill, Unk.
Middle: Jerry Donovan, Joe Sprinz (?), Unk., Unk., Babe Pinelli, Unk., Unk., Buckshot May (?), Frank Welch (?)
Bottom: Roy Johnson, Hal Rhyne (?), Gus Suhr, Unk., Ping Bodie, Unk., Frank Crosetti, Unk.

Somewhere in this photo are Solly Mishkin and Dick Moudy and Ollie Mitchell. Maybe one of you guys can spot 'em. Don't be shy. If you have Zeenuts and, even mo' bettah, Exhibits of Sprinz, Rhyne, Welch, Moudy, Mitchell, Jones, Walters, Ferguson, please post them.

Progress has been slow but it has been interesting in that I've picked up little tidbits about the players. For instance, in 1939 catcher Joe Sprinz attempted to catch a baseball dropped from a blimp at 1200 feet altitude, caught a concussion and four lost teeth instead. Buckshot May's entire ML career consisted of one inning with the Pirates in 1924 in which he faced five batters, gave up no runs, two hits, struck out one and was back pumping gas the next day. Ike Caveney took over the helm of the Seals in 1931 and was Joe DiMaggio's first manager.

(Edit to update id'd players)