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Irish baseball player and manager (1851?1929)
Baseball player
Timothy Paul "Ted" Sullivan
(March 17, 1851 – July 5, 1929) was an
Irish
born
manager
and player in
Major League Baseball
who was born in
County Clare
, Ireland.
Career
[
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]
After attending
St. Mary's College
(in
St. Mary's, Kansas
) and
Saint Louis University
,
[1]
he managed four teams during the 1880s, one of which was the
1884
St. Louis Maroons
of the
Union Association
, which finished with an astonishing 94?19 record. He began the year with a 28?3 record, but moved on in midseason to manage another UA team, the
Kansas City Cowboys
;
Fred Dunlap
took over in St. Louis, compiling a 66?16 record as the Maroons won the UA pennant in the league's only year of existence. Kansas City was a dismal 3-17 when Sullivan took over managerial duties, going 13-46 the rest of way. During his time in Kansas City, he also made his only three field appearances, playing two games in
right field
and one as a
shortstop
; he collected three
hits
in nine
at bats
. He did not manage again until the
1888
Washington Nationals
, then 10?29, hired him to finish out the season.
[2]
He led the team to a mark of 38?57, and ended his major league career with a record of 132-132. Sullivan later managed in the minors, including a stint with the
Nashville Tigers
of the
Southern League
in
1893
.
[3]
Sullivan is considered a pioneer of early baseball; he founded both the
Northwest League
and the
Texas League
, both minor leagues that still exist and thrive today. Credited with discovering
Charles Comiskey
, he is considered by some to be the first person to emphasize the importance of
scouting
.
[4]
Comiskey joined the
St. Louis Browns
in
1882
, and replaced Sullivan as the team's manager in mid-
1883
; it had been Sullivan's first managerial post, as he compiled a record of 53?26 to begin the year. Also, Sullivan was a great promoter of the game; he would tell stories of baseball's beginnings, and of its many star players. He authored books detailing these, including a barnstorming trip around the world in 1913?1914 by Comiskey's
Chicago White Sox
and the
New York Giants
. He also credited himself as the originator of the word "fan", as in baseball fan. Sullivan later became a team executive and owner.
Post-career
[
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]
Sullivan died in Washington, D.C. at the age of 78, and is interred at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
.
See also
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]
References
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]
External links
[
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]
