Eddie Stumpf
Encyclopedia
Edward Stumpf was an American
player, manager
and executive in Minor league baseball
.
Stumpf began his professional baseball career as a catcher
in the American Association
, playing from 1916 through 1919 for the Milwaukee Brewers
and Columbus Senators
. After that he coached
and scouted
for the Brewers for several years, before becoming a manager in 1939 with the Tarboro Serpents
in the Class-D Coastal Plain League. From 1941 to 1942, Stumpf managed and eventually caught for the Janesville Cubs
of the Wisconsin State League
, until he heard about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
, an innovative circuit conceived by Philip K. Wrigley
, a chewing-gum magnate who had inherited the Chicago Cubs
Major League Baseball franchise from his father. Stumpf took the opportunity to get news at first hand, because Wrigley was his employer at the time.
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League play officially began on May 30, 1943 with four teams, the Kenosha Comets
, Racine Belles
, Rockford Peaches
and South Bend Blue Sox
. Stumpf became one of the first four managers hired by Wrigley, being assigned to the Rockford club. The other managers selected were Johnny Gottselig
(Racine), an experimented ice hockey
left winger who played 17 seasons for the Chicago Black Hawks (NHL
), and former big leaguers Josh Billings (Kenosha) and Bert Niehoff
(South Bend).
Stumpf appeared in the league's first All-Star Game during the 1943 midseason, which was played under temporary lights at Wrigley Field
, between two teams composed of Blue Sox and Peaches players versus Comets and Belles players. It was also the first night game ever played in the historic ballpark (July 1, 1943).
After that, Stumpf was an active scout for the league during the rest of the decade and served a second stint as manager in 1945 (Kenosha). He also has been credited for switching Dorothy Kamenshek
from outfield to first base after just 12 games for the Peaches. A perennial All-Star and two-time champion bat, Kamenshek was considered by former New York Yankees
first baseman Wally Pipp
, as the fanciest-fielding first sacker he had ever seen among men or women.
Stumpf later moved into the front offices. He joined the Cleveland Indians
organization in 1950, first as business director of Cleveland minor league system and later was promoted as general manager
for Triple-A Indianapolis Indians
in 1953. While working for the Indians, he provided assistance in the development and monitoring of future big leaguers as Hank Aguirre
, Joe Altobelli
, Rocky Colavito
and Al Smith, among others.
Stumpf was a long resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, where he died at the age of 84. He is part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
opened in 1988, which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
player, manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
and executive in Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
.
Stumpf began his professional baseball career as a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
in the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
, playing from 1916 through 1919 for the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers (minor league baseball team)
The Milwaukee Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They played in the American Association from 1902 through 1952.-A Milwaukee Tradition:...
and Columbus Senators
Columbus Red Birds
The Columbus Red Birds was the name of a top-level minor league baseball team that played in Columbus, Ohio, in the American Association from 1931 through 1954. The Columbus club, a member of the Association continuously since 1902, was previously known as the Columbus Senators — a typical...
. After that he coached
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
and scouted
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
for the Brewers for several years, before becoming a manager in 1939 with the Tarboro Serpents
Coastal Plain League (Class D)
The Coastal Plain League was a minor league baseball affiliation which, except for the war years , operated in North Carolina from 1937 to 1952. It was classified as a "D" league. It grew out of a semi-pro league that operated from 1934 to 1936 under the same Coastal Plain League name.- Coastal...
in the Class-D Coastal Plain League. From 1941 to 1942, Stumpf managed and eventually caught for the Janesville Cubs
Janesville Cubs
The Janesville Cubs were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1941 to 1942 and from 1947 to 1953. They played in the Wisconsin State League and were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs. They were based in Janesville, Wisconsin. They played their home games at the Rock County 4H...
of the Wisconsin State League
Wisconsin State League
There was a class D league called the Wisconsin State League which began in 1905. In 1908 it changed its name to the Wisconsin-Illinois League. Another Wisconsin State League began in 1940, shut down for World War II from 1943 through 1945, then operated from 1946 through 1953...
, until he heard about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
, an innovative circuit conceived by Philip K. Wrigley
Philip K. Wrigley
Philip Knight Wrigley , sometimes also called P.K. or Phil. Born in Chicago, he was an American chewing gum manufacturer and executive in Major League Baseball, inheriting both those roles as the quiet son of his much more flamboyant father, William Wrigley Jr. After his father died in 1932, Philip...
, a chewing-gum magnate who had inherited the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
Major League Baseball franchise from his father. Stumpf took the opportunity to get news at first hand, because Wrigley was his employer at the time.
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League play officially began on May 30, 1943 with four teams, the Kenosha Comets
Kenosha Comets
Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Kenosha Comets were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team played their home games at Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium, but later moved to Simmons Field.The Kenosha Comets were one...
, Racine Belles
Racine Belles
The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The team played its home games at Horlick Field.-History:...
, Rockford Peaches
Rockford Peaches
The Rockford Peaches were a team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing out of Rockford, Illinois for the entire existence of the league from 1943 to 1954....
and South Bend Blue Sox
South Bend Blue Sox
The South Bend Blue Sox were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
. Stumpf became one of the first four managers hired by Wrigley, being assigned to the Rockford club. The other managers selected were Johnny Gottselig
Johnny Gottselig
John Gottselig was a professional ice hockey left winger who played 17 seasons for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League between 1928 and 1946. He was the second player born in the Russian Empire to play in the NHL, as well as the first European-born head coach in the league's...
(Racine), an experimented ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
left winger who played 17 seasons for the Chicago Black Hawks (NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
), and former big leaguers Josh Billings (Kenosha) and Bert Niehoff
Bert Niehoff
John Albert Niehoff was a second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for four different clubs between the and seasons...
(South Bend).
Stumpf appeared in the league's first All-Star Game during the 1943 midseason, which was played under temporary lights at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
, between two teams composed of Blue Sox and Peaches players versus Comets and Belles players. It was also the first night game ever played in the historic ballpark (July 1, 1943).
After that, Stumpf was an active scout for the league during the rest of the decade and served a second stint as manager in 1945 (Kenosha). He also has been credited for switching Dorothy Kamenshek
Dorothy Kamenshek
Dorothy "Dottie" Kamenshek was an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player. She batted and threw left-handed....
from outfield to first base after just 12 games for the Peaches. A perennial All-Star and two-time champion bat, Kamenshek was considered by former New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
first baseman Wally Pipp
Wally Pipp
Walter Clement Pipp was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball, now best remembered as the man who lost his starting role to Lou Gehrig at the beginning of Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games....
, as the fanciest-fielding first sacker he had ever seen among men or women.
Stumpf later moved into the front offices. He joined the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
organization in 1950, first as business director of Cleveland minor league system and later was promoted as general manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
for Triple-A Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
in 1953. While working for the Indians, he provided assistance in the development and monitoring of future big leaguers as Hank Aguirre
Hank Aguirre
Henry John "Hank" Aguirre was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played with the Cleveland Indians , Detroit Tigers , Los Angeles Dodgers , and Chicago Cubs...
, Joe Altobelli
Joe Altobelli
Joseph Salvatore Altobelli is an American former player, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. In , he succeeded Hall of Famer Earl Weaver as manager of the Baltimore Orioles and led the team to their sixth American League pennant and their third World Series championship.- Personal life...
, Rocky Colavito
Rocky Colavito
Rocco Domenico "Rocky" Colavito, Jr. is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the Cleveland Indians. He wore a #6, #7 or #21 jersey during his MLB career...
and Al Smith, among others.
Stumpf was a long resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, where he died at the age of 84. He is part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
opened in 1988, which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player.