Bill Stumpf

In spring 1912, the assets that accompanied 20-year-old middle infielder Bill Stumpf onto the roster of the New York Highlanders included defensive versatility, a strong and accurate throwing arm, and the promise exhibited the previous year during his professional debut campaign with a mid-tier minor league club. One spring later, a powerless bat, an erratic glove, and an odd temperament contributed to his remand to the minors. The primary cause of Stump’s undoing, however, was something else: the inability to think and react instantaneously in the field, a fatal deficiency in the view of newly installed New York manager Frank Chance. Dispatched to Cleveland as part of a one-sided player trade, Stumpf spent the next 13 seasons playing minor league ball, mostly on the West Coast.

Although he turned in some decent numbers in the Pacific Coast League, Stumpf’s behavior became the source of his notoriety. Today, his antics (when not likely apocryphal) seem more inane than amusing.1 But for a generation of baseball humorists, tales of Bill Stumpf were a staple of their repertoire. Meanwhile, their foil spent his post-baseball life out of the limelight, working in the shipbuilding yards of his native Baltimore until his retirement in 1957. Thereafter, his mind failed. Stumpf was a patient of an overcrowded and dilapidated Maryland state mental hospital at the time of his death in February 1966. His story follows.

William Frederick Stumpf was born in Baltimore on March 21, 1892. He was the eighth of nine children2 born to grocer-saloonkeeper Frederick Stumpf (1848-1915) and his wife Sophia (née Orth, 1851-1910), both German Lutheran immigrants. Young Bill was educated in Baltimore public schools through the fifth or sixth grade,3 and then joined the local work force as a common laborer.

Stumpf got his start in baseball on the city’s thriving sandlots. Thereafter he attracted local press attention playing for an amateur nine in nearby Frederick, Maryland, and a Baltimore club called the Chesterfields in 1908.4 A right-handed batter and thrower, he moved from outfield to shortstop upon joining the Strickers, a premier Baltimore amateur club, the following April.5 Sterling performance  by “crack shortstop” Stumpf that season led to his entry into the professional ranks, signed by the Albany Senators of the Class B New York State League for the 1910 season.6 But Stumpf did not make the club, being released by Albany the following March.7 He spent the summer playing for Baltimore-area amateur teams.

Stumpf’s second foray in Organized Baseball was more successful. Signed for 1911 by the York (Pennsylvania) White Roses of the Class B Tri-State League,8 the play of the 19-year-old Stump (as he was misnamed in local reportage) impressed onlookers. “His lack of false moves and the ease with which he covers ground and drives the ball to first” may not have been eye-catching to casual observers but were appreciated by the baseball experts who watched his work. “His form and effectiveness at the bat have been showing marked improvement” as well, a York newspaper declared.9 But with the financially strapped York franchise in need of cash – the club struggled to meet player payroll – Stumpf’s contract was sold to the Oakland Oaks of the Class A Pacific Coast League in mid-August.10 The transaction was invalidated, however, when payment was not received from Oakland before a National Association transfer deadline expired.11 Shortly thereafter, Stumpf was taken in the minor league player draft by the New York Highlanders of the American League12 and the National League’s Chicago Cubs.13

Via a drawing by lot, Stumpf was awarded to the Highlanders. But the youngster declined an invitation to work out with the New York club after the Tri-State League season ended, going home to Baltimore instead, a decision publicly criticized by York manager Curtis Wiegand.14 That sour note aside, Stumpf had done well in his first professional campaign, registering Deadball Era-solid offensive numbers that included a  .278 batting average (110-for-395), with 22 extra base hits. And he had been durable, appearing in every one of the 111 games played by the White Roses that season. Seemingly overlooked, however, were Stumpf’s lousy defensive stats: 65 errors and an .898 fielding percentage, both the circuit’s worst for shortstops.15

There was no shortage of job candidates for new manager Harry Wolverton to evaluate in the 1912 Highlanders’ spring camp. The inexperienced Stumpf saw only sparing exhibition game action but performed well when given the chance. “Manager Wolverton tried out Stumpf at short and this young fellow showed the makings of an excellent shortstop,” New York sportswriter Bozeman Bulger informed readers. “He fields cleanly and has a great throwing arm.”16 Also working in the newcomer’s favor was his ability to play all four infield positions, albeit with varying degrees of proficiency, and Wolverton’s familiarity with Stumpf, having attempted to acquire the youngster the previous summer when he had managed the Oakland Oaks. Stumpf also had something ineffable about him. Tall (a shade over six feet), trim (a well-toned 175 pounds), and handsome, young Bill Stumpf just looked like a ballplayer. Against the odds, he made the Highlanders’ regular season roster.

Stumpf made his major league debut on May 11, 1912, deployed as a ninth-inning pinch-runner in a 9-5 loss to Detroit. He made his first start 15 games later, replacing fellow rookie Jack Martin at short for a contest against the Philadelphia A’s. A fourth-inning single to center off Jack Coombs placed Stumpf in the base hit column, and he encored with another single in the sixth. Stumpf also handled five fielding chances flawlessly in the Highlanders’ 7-4 defeat. That performance earned Stumpf another starting assignment the following day, and he again delivered a base hit while playing errorless shortstop in a 7-1 loss to the A’s.

Left in the lineup, Stumpf ran his hitting streak to a modest eight games before being collared by Cleveland Naps right-hander George Kahler on June 5. The following day, he singled in an 8-3 loss to the Naps. Briefly benched thereafter, the rookie returned to action when Martin suffered a spiking injury a week later. Again, Stumpf hit decently (8-for-30, .267) and played a capable shortstop until Martin was able to return to action. But an ensuing shift to second base exposed Stumpf’s defensive shortcomings. And a three-error misadventure in a 6-4 loss to Boston on June 28 soon prompted his relocation to third, where more fielding lapses followed. Stumpf’s defensive difficulties drew a caustic blast from Sporting Life correspondent Harry Dix Cole: “Frolicking around second base is our old friend Hal Chase. Stumpf made this shift imperative by his miserable showing in the Red Sox series when he offered about as much opposition to base hits as a sieve does to the passage of water.”17

Stumpf saw only intermittent playing time for the remainder of the season. In 42 games overall, he batted a tolerable .240 (31-for-129), but without power; all 31 Stumpf base hits were singles, leaving him with a slugging percentage no higher than his batting average. Despite his ample size, Stumpf was a slap hitter. He choked high up on the bat and punched at the ball, rather than taking a lusty cut – at least during this stage of his lengthy playing career. Bill’s fielding percentages at short (.892 in 26 games) and second (.909 in eight games) had been substandard, and even worse at third (.765 in five games). But he managed to play a game at first base and two in the outfield without adding to his 21 errors total for the campaign.

Notwithstanding his shaky defense, Stumpf was far from the worst player to don the uniform of a last-place Highlanders club that posted the poorest record (50-102, .329) in major league baseball in 1912. His versatility, youth, and potential earned him a New York contract for 1913. But during spring camp, Harry Dix Cole noted an aspect of the Stumpf persona that would later become a hallmark of the ballplayer’s career: a sometimes lackadaisical disposition.18 A more glaring shortcoming observed by incoming New York manager Frank Chance was Stumpf’s inability to think and react quickly in the field, an intolerable deficiency in the opinion of a field leader who had combined with the swift-witted Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers to form a legendary infield for the Chicago Cubs less than a decade earlier.19

Stumpf saw little action in the early going as the now New York Yankees started the 1913 season with left-handed Hal Chase at second, rookie Ralph Young at shortstop, and veteran Roy Hartzell at the hot corner. Thereafter, manager Chance shuffled his lineup, auditioning various players in the infield. Given a shot at second base in a May 5 contest against the Philadelphia A’s, Stumpf drilled a double off Eddie Plank, one of only two base hits surrendered by the future Hall of Famer in an 8-1 Philadelphia victory. The two-bagger was the first, and as it turned out, the only extra-base hit of Bill Stumpf’s major league career.

On May 21, Stumpf was struck out as a pinch-hitter by St. Louis right-hander Earl Hamilton in a 5-0 loss to the Browns. That reduced his batting average to .207 (6-for-29) in 12 games. And his infield defense (six errors at shortstop and two more at second base in 10 games, combined) remained faulty. Days later, Stumpf and outfielder Jack Lelivelt were traded to the Cleveland Naps in return for young shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh. The swap was entirely lopsided: Peckinpaugh went on to a standout 17-season major league career, while Lelivelt played only 57 more big league games and Stumpf none. In fact, Stumpf had not been secured to play for Cleveland. Rather, he was acquired for immediate delivery to a minor league club, the Toledo Mud Hens of the Class AA American Association.20

The demotion brought the major league time of Bill Stumpf to a close. Although he played another 13 seasons of high minor league ball and was brought to spring camp by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1918, Stumpf never appeared in another regular season contest at the top level. In 54 games for the 1912-1913 New York Highlanders/Yankees, our subject posted a .234 batting average (37-for-158), with a paltry .241 slugging percentage. He struck out 23 times but drew only nine walks in 175 plate appearances (.280 OBP), while scoring 13 runs and driving in 11 more. Stumpf had been a versatile defender, manning every position except pitcher and catcher, but an unreliable one at his primary positions (29 errors in 225 chances at second, short, and third yielded an overall .871 fielding percentage). In sum, he had not been good enough to remain employed at the game’s highest echelon.

Stumpf proved a bust with his new club, batting a meager .202 (59-for-292) in 88 games for Toledo. He did, however, show a little power, with 14 extra-base hits that included his second professional home run.21 Stumpf’s bat finally came to life in 1914 when he batted a Deadball Era-solid .287 with 23 extra-base knocks for another American Association team, the Cleveland Bearcats. He also played much improved defense, particularly at second base, posting a .959 fielding percentage (among the AA’s top four) in 52 games at the keystone.22 Cleveland reserved Stumpf for the following season23 but subsequently disbanded. Prior to club dissolution, however, Stumpf was sold to the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League.24

Often installed in the cleanup batting spot by Beavers club owner-manager Walter McCredie, Stumpf continued to blossom. In 189 games over the lengthy PCL schedule, he posted a .296 BA (221-for-748), second-highest on the club, with 52 extra-base hits. His fielding also continued to stabilize: percentages of .948 in 164 games at second base and .913 in 25 games at shortstop.25 In the final weeks, however, fate abbreviated Stumpf’s season.26 In mid-October, he received word that his terminally ill father was approaching death and calling for Bill, the only one of his nine offspring not at hand in Baltimore. Frederick Stumpf held on until a frantic cross-country train trip placed his youngest son at his bedside. Shortly thereafter, the family patriarch lapsed into unconsciousness and died.27

Meanwhile back in Portland, club boss McCredie was unsettled by reports that Stumpf would not return, intent upon jumping to his hometown club in the rebel Federal League, the Baltimore Terrapins.28 McCredie’s concern was thereafter reinforced by receipt of a letter from Stumpf suspiciously inquiring about the Beavers’ plans for him in the coming season.29 Doubtful about Stumpf’s loyalty, McCredie subsequently placed him on the market, offering “Stumpf to every club in the Coast circuit, either by trade or for sale.”30 The press also chimed in, publicizing previously withheld adverse opinion about Stumpf’s attitude. “Stumpf would make a wonderful ball player if he took an interest in playing, but he is indifferent,” a Portland daily advised local club rooters.31

Whatever Stumpf’s intentions, the collapse of the Federal League in early 1916 rendered moot any plan to join the now-deceased Baltimore Terrapins. Accordingly, he reconciled with McCredie and reported for duty with Portland in March. Over the first 75 PCL games, Stumpf’s offensive numbers were down a bit (.266 BA with 12 extra-base hits) when a severe case of rheumatism that settled in the knee sidelined him in mid-July.32 The condition did not respond to treatment and soon it was feared that Stumpf’s playing career was over.33 It was not – but Stumpf was finished for the season.

Stumpf returned to action with Portland in early 1917 but did not appear to be the same player as before. Mobility problems required his stationing at either first base or the outfield and he carried an anemic .143 (9-for-63) batting average into early June. He then took a step downward, traded to the Spokane Indians of the Class B Northwestern League.34 The demotion promptly reinvigorated Stumpf’s bat, as he feasted on NWL pitching to the tune of a .405 (66-for-163) batting average, with 25 extra-base blows. In mid-July, however, poor attendance and the manpower demands of the country’s recent entry into World War I took their toll on the Northwestern League. With National Association approval, the circuit ceased operations for the season on July 15.

With his prospects revived, Stumpf quickly hooked on with Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League (by then Class AA).35 The club covered his salary for the remainder of the season. In 97 games, Bill hit .282 for the Oaks.36 Shortly after the PCL campaign crossed the finish line, he re-signed with Oakland for the 1918 season.37 But over the winter, a dispute arose over the rights to Stumpf’s services. Although inactive on the field, the Spokane club remained in good standing in Organized Ball and retained a reserve list hold on Stumpf. In January 1918, Spokane sold Stumpf’s contract to the National League’s Pittsburgh Pirates.38

With increased wartime manpower demands pressing heavily on professional baseball, playing talent was at a premium and Oakland was not disposed to give up its claim on Stumpf without a fight.39 While the clubs aired their grievances before the National Commission, Stumpf signed a Pittsburgh contract40 and then reported to the Pirates’ spring camp. In late March 1918, the commission awarded Stumpf to Oakland but directed that the club dispose of his services via sale to Pittsburgh.41 But a March notice to Stumpf directed him to report to his draft board in Baltimore to take a pre-induction physical. That quickly doused the Pirates’ interest in Stumpf. Unmarried, physically fit, and just turned 26, he was a prime candidate for military duty, and it was deemed “not likely that Pittsburg will want to pay Oakland for Stumpf if they are not going to receive his services.”42 The Pirates therefore relinquished their claim upon Stumpf and released him to Oakland.43

Unlike Pittsburgh, Oakland club brass was willing to risk losing Stumpf to the military and wired him the funds needed to reach the West Coast.44 Oaks manager Del Howard was there to greet Stumpf when his train arrived in Oakland; Howard arranged for temporary accommodation in a local hotel. Expected at the ballpark the following morning, Stumpf boarded a train for Portland instead. Once there, he quickly secured employment at the Foundation Company shipbuilding yard and thereafter suited up on weekends for the plant’s entry in the Columbia-Willamette Shipbuilders’ Baseball League.45

Two life-altering events attended Stumpf’s return to the Rose City. He married sweetheart Clara Schiewe, a 19-year-old Portland bookkeeper-biller,46 and he entered the industry where he would spend his entire post-baseball working life. In the short term, however, playing baseball was Stumpf’s profession, and once hostilities ended in Europe, he sought a way back into the good graces of the Oakland Oaks. Happily for him, club management had gotten over its anger at Stumpf – club president J. Cal Ewing had threatened to criminally prosecute Stumpf for theft in taking transportation money from the club and skipping town without playing a game for the Oaks.47 Oakland reengaged the prodigal infielder for the 1919 season.

For the next four years, Stumpf bounced around the Pacific Coast League, going from Oakland to the Sacramento Senators during the 1919 season, then to the Seattle Rainiers midway in 1920, and on to Portland in 1923. But after he posted a .301 batting average (with a .404 slugging percentage) for Seattle in 1921, his numbers began to slip. As Stumpf’s performance declined, the press began seizing upon peculiar playing field incidents that highlighted the ballplayer’s offbeat personality. West Coast sports fans were regaled with tales of Stumpf interrupting tense game situations to inquire about the time or the city that the contest was being played in. Or Stumpf’s refusal to slide unless given a pay raise.  Or his ruining an off-day fishing trip by eating the bait.

“Bill Stumpf is a character,” exclaimed the Seattle Daily Times. “There are thousands dabbling in the national game, but there is only one Stumpf. His droll sense of humor has caused many of the athletes to tap their foreheads significantly and wonder what ails this dreamy player.”48 Citing his “humor on and off the field,” a California newspaper added that “it is safe to say that [Stumpf] has been one of the biggest cards in baseball.”49 Club management was often less amused. As he wore out his welcome in the PCL, it was observed that “Stumpf can play good enough baseball for any Coast league club, but he goes by temperament. If he felt like playing, there was nobody who could do better. And if he did not feel like playing, none could put up a poorer game. He has been the despair of more managers than any other player in the Coast circuit.”50

Stumpf’s tenure in the Pacific Coast League came to a close in December 1923 when Portland included him in a three-for-one player trade with the Galveston Sandcrabs of the Class A Texas League.51 He got off to an unfortunate start with his new club, making a game-losing fielding miscue in the Galveston season opener. Shortly thereafter, Stumpf was suspended.52 He then left the area and returned to his home in Portland. There, he spent the summer playing for various local semipro nines and competing in amateur golf tournaments.

In 1925, Stumpf returned to the Texas League and concluded his professional ballplaying days with the Waco Cubs. By then 33, he swatted a career-best nine home runs and batted .281 in 106 games. Despite sometimes eccentric behavior and attitude problems, Stumpf had been a competent high minor league player. Over the course of 14 seasons, he had posted a batting average in the neighborhood of .282,53 with some late-career power. He had also played a decent second base, albeit his performance at other defensive positions had been haphazard. But Stumpf had also been a headache for various of his managers.

With baseball behind him, Stumpf returned to the shipbuilding yards of Portland. Meanwhile, his childless marriage hit the rocks. He and wife Clara separated in 1928 and divorced the following July. Neither ever remarried. By the early 1930s, Bill had returned to Baltimore, where he found work with the shipbuilding division of the Bethlehem Steel Company. He lived quietly in his hometown, his memory preserved mainly by becoming fodder for baseball humorists.54 Stumpf retired from Bethlehem Steel at age 65 in 1957.

A few years into his retirement, Stumpf began exhibiting signs of dementia and was subsequently institutionalized. His final days were grim, confined at a notorious state mental hospital in Crownsville, Maryland.55 He died there on February 14, 1966. William Frederick “Bill” Stumpf was 73. His cause of death is revelatory: septicemia (bloodstream infection) caused by decubitus ulcers (chronic bedsores). The deceased also suffered from dehydration and inanition (exhaustion and malnourishment) at the time of his passing.56 This strongly suggests that Stumpf was kept under permanent physical restraint and left neglected during his time at Crownsville. Following funeral services, his remains were interred at Loudon Park Cemetery, Baltimore. Survivors were limited to sister Otillia Schwaab and ex-wife Clara.

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Gregory H. Wolf and Rory Costello and fact-checked by Jeff Findley.

Photo credit: Bill Stumpf, Trading Card Database.

Sources

Sources for the biographical information imparted herein include the Bill Stumpf file with completed questionnaires maintained at the Giamatti Research Center, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown, New York; US Census data and Baltimore and Portland, Oregon, city directories, accessed via Ancestry.com; and certain of the newspaper articles cited in the endnotes. Unless otherwise specified, statistics have been taken from Baseball-Reference.

Notes

1 Humor, of course, is something entirely subjective. See Jerry Lewis, reputedly considered a comedic genius by the French.

2 The other Strumpf children were Frederick, Jr. (born 1873), George (1875), Henry (1877), Catherine (1879), Charles (1881), Emma (1886), Otillia (1889), and Minna (1894).

3 According to a player questionnaire completed by Stumpf himself in 1961.

4 See e.g., “Chesterfields, 9; Nationals, 0,” Baltimore Sun, July 3, 1908: 10: “Strumpf, who has been playing with Frederick this year, was in right field for the Chesterfields and made a fine catch.”

5 Per “Among the Amateurs,” Baltimore Sun, April 21, 1909: 10: “The Strickers have a find in Stump (sic), the club’s new shortstop.”

6 See “Won Forty-Five Games on Diamond This Season,” Baltimore Sun, November 22, 1909: 10.

7 As noted on Stumpf’s TSN player contract card.

8 As reported in “Stump to Play for York,” York (Pennsylvania) Daily, April 7, 1911: 6, and York (Pennsylvania) Dispatch, April 7, 1911: 10.

9 “York Club Gaining in Home Series,” York Dispatch, July 3, 1911: 6.

10 See “Shortstop Stump Goes to Oakland,” York Daily, August 16, 1911: 6; “‘Bill’ Stump Sold,” York Dispatch, August 16, 1911: 6.

11 See “No Stump Money,” York Dispatch, August 17, 1911: 5. The National Association, the overseer of minor league baseball, required player sales to be completed by August 21.

12 Per “Stump Drafted by New York Americans,” York (Pennsylvania) Gazette, September 2, 1911: 8. Although the more newspaper headline-friendly Yanks or Yankees was in common use by 1911, the writer’s practice is to identify the club that played at Hilltop Park through the 1912 season as the Highlanders, and to reserve the Yankees nickname for subsequent New York AL teams that called the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium home.

13 Per “Haul of the Net,” Sporting Life, September 9, 1911: 3.

14 “York Players Leave for Their Homes,” York Gazette, September 9, 1911: 8. Manager Wiegand deemed Stumpf’s action a mistake because it deprived him of the opportunity to make an immediate impression on his new employers and thus enhance his prospects of making the Highlanders roster in spring 1912.  

15 Per the 1912 Reach Official American League Guide, 312. Baseball-Reference provides no defensive stats for Stumpf’s 1911 season.

16 Bozeman Bulger, “Giants Have Mastered Base-Running Art, While Highlanders Have Not,” New York Evening World, April 22, 1912: 13.

17 Harry Dix Cole, “New York News,” Sporting Life, July 6, 1912: 4. The unavailability of injured Highlander infielders Hack Simmons and Earle Gardner necessitated the positioning of left-handed first baseman Chase at second.

18 Harry Dix Cole, “New York News,” Sporting Life, February 1, 1913: 6. On a rare positive note, Dix further observed that “Stump’s chief asset is a first-class arm, and his quick, snappy throws have been the subject of boosts from both umpires and players.”

19 As subsequently revealed by syndicated New York Sun sports columnist Joe Vila. See e.g., “Robinson Confident of His 1918 Outfit,” Philadelphia Inquirer, February 20, 1918: 14.

20 According to “Peckinpaugh Traded to Yanks for Two Players,” Cleveland Leader, May 26, 1913: 8. See also, “Dope for the Fans,” Columbus Evening Dispatch, May 26, 1913: 9.

21 Stumpf had hit his first pro ball homer during his rookie season with the York White Roses in 1911.

22 Per American Association fielding stats published in the 1915 Reach Official American League Guide, 167. Baseball-Reference provides no fielding data for Stump’s time with Cleveland.

23 Per “Minors’ Reserve List,” Sporting Life, October 24, 1914: 17.

24 As reported in “Bill James Back; Bear Sleepeth,” Morning (Portland) Oregonian, February 20, 1915: 10.

25 Per PCL stats published in the 1916 Reach Official American League Guide, 204. Baseball-Reference provides no defensive numbers for Stumpf’s 1915-1917 minor league seasons.

26 “Bill Stumpf Quits Beavers to Go Home,” (Portland) Oregon Daily Journal, October 19, 1915: 13.

27 See “Dies Soon After Son Arrives,” Baltimore Sun, October 24, 1915: 6; “Frederick Stumpf Unconscious,” Baltimore Evening Sun, October 23, 1915: 5. The elder Stumpf was 67.

28 See again, “Bill Stumpf Quits Beavers,” above. See also, “‘Stove League’ Chatter’” Salt Lake Telegram, December 31, 1915: 7; “Sport Snap Shots,” Hutchinson (Kansas) News, December 18, 1915: 3.

29 As revealed in R.A. Cronin, “Predicts Ousting of Salt Lake City from Pacific Coast League,” Oregon Daily Journal, November 18, 1915: 13.

30 “Beavers After Ex-Feds,” Morning Oregonian, February 9, 1916: 14.  See also, “Bill Stumpf Will Be Released,” Oakland Tribune, February 6, 1916: 22.

31 “Chadbourne May Be in a Beaver Uniform the Coming Season,” Oregon Daily Journal, February 3, 1916: 8.

32 See “Big Beaver Badly Crippled with Rheumatism,” Morning Oregonian, July 17, 1916: 13; “Stumpf Is Out of Game,” Oregon Daily Journal, July 16, 1916: 19.

33 See “Evans to Play at Third This Week,” Sunday Oregonian, August 6, 1916: 18.

34 As reported in “Nick Gets Players,” Morning Oregonian, June 8, 1917: 14; “Geo. Helfrich and B. Stumpf Go to Spokane,” Oregon Daily Journal, June 5, 1917: 10. In return for Stumpf and pitcher George Helfrich, Portland received hot prospect Babe Pinelli from Spokane.

35 See “Stumpf to Play with Oakland,” Spokane (Washington) Chronicle, July 21, 1917: 12; “Grasshoppers Are Rapidly Being Replaced,” Oakland Enquirer, July 20, 1917: 14.

36 Per Oakland Oaks stats published in the Oakland Tribune, December 3, 1917: 7.

37 Per “Crockett Ready to Enter League If Opening Comes; Stumpf and Lane Signed,” Oakland Tribune, October 31, 1917: 10.

38 As reported in “Stumpf Sold to Pittsburgh Pirates,” Morning Oregonian, January 15, 1918: 6; “Bill Stumpf to Pittsburg,” Oregon Daily Journal, January 14, 1918: 10; and elsewhere.

39 See “Oaks Will Fight for Services of ‘Ole Bill’ Stumpf,” Oakland Enquirer, January 15, 1918: 9; “Spokane Fights Oakland Claim to Bill Stumpf,” Oakland Tribune, January 15, 1918: 10; “Oakland Is Peeved at Stumpf Deal,” San Diego Sun, January 15, 1918: 8.

40 Per “Bill Stumpf Signs Pirate Contract,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, February 6, 1918: 10; “Stump (sic) Signs with Pittsburg,” Ogden (Utah) Standard, February 6, 1918: 10. The National Commission was Organized Baseball’s three-member governing body.

41 “Bill Stumpf Is Oaks’ Property, If He’s Wanted,” Oakland Tribune, March 31, 1918: 42; “Bill Stumpf Is Awarded to Oaks,” Salt Lake Herald-Republican-Telegram, March 31, 1918: 14.

42 “Stumpf Drafted for Army Service,” Sunday Oregonian, March 31, 1918: 2.

43 Ed F. Balinger, “Stumpf Given Release by Buccaneers,” Pittsburgh Post, April 18, 1918: 10; “Bill Stumpf Released to Pacific Coast,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, April 18, 1918: 12.

44 See “Bill Stumpf Will Return to Oakland,” Oakland Enquirer, April 20, 1918: 13. See also, Bob Shand, “Wares and Stumpf Will Be on Deck,” Oakland Enquirer, April 22, 1918: 10.

45 “Stumpf Jumps the Oaks for Shipyard Job,” Oakland Enquirer, May 1, 1918: 12; Carl E. Brazier, “One More Oak Joins Ranks of Those Who Jump Club in Hurry,” Oakland Tribune, May 1, 1918: 10. Because shipbuilding was an exempted national defense industry, Stumpf thus avoided induction into the military.

46 See “Bill Stumpf Weds a Portland Girl,” Ogden Standard, May 3, 1918: 10; “Stumpf Is Now Hubby,” Morning Oregonian, May 2, 1918: 14.

47 As related in Bob Shand, “Ballplayers Are Killing Their Own Game: Deserters Will Not Be Forgotten,” Oakland Enquirer, May 2, 1918: 9. See also, Bob Shand, “Oakland Infielders Are Not Hitting Ball: More Retrenching in Coast League,” Oakland Enquirer, May 7, 1918: 9.

48 “Bill Stumpf Is Character; He Pulls Some Good Ones,” Seattle Daily Times, August 3, 1920: 15.

49 “Who’s Who on Seattle Team,” Pomona (California) Progress, March 3, 1921: 2.

50 “Texas Crowd to See Bill Stumpf,” Seattle Daily Times, December 12, 1922: 16.

51 As noted in Abe Kemp, “Sox May Want Jake May; Yankees Are First,” San Francisco Bulletin, December 5, 1923: 24; “Beavers Land New Shortstop,” Los Angeles Record, December 3, 1923: 13; “Portland Obtains Texas Shortstop,” Long Beach (California) Press, December 2, 1923: 10; and elsewhere.

52 See “Bill Stumpf Is Suspended,” Seattle Star, May 13, 1924: 13. The reason for Stumpf’s suspension was not publicly revealed. Later, it was alleged that he left Galveston because he feared the coastal city’s “tidal waves and those big sharks.” See “Not for Bill,” Pomona Progress, April 17, 1926: 8.

53 Baseball-Reference’s minor league stats for Stumpf are incomplete.

54 See e.g., “Stumpf in Class by Himself,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 9, 1937: 22; Rudy Hickey, “Hot Stove Stories,” Sacramento Bee, December 25, 1934: 16; Al Vermeer, “Brubaker Talks,” Oakland Post-Enquirer, February 10, 1932: 16; Abe Kemp, “Personalities of Baseball: Bill Stumpf,” San Francisco Examiner, December 24, 1930: 16; Al Demaree, “Stumpf Was Stumped to Know Time,” Riverside (California) Daily Press, January 25, 1928: 9.

55 Opened in 1910 as the Negro Hospital for the Insane of Maryland, Crownsville State Hospital was an infamous snake pit, its deplorable conditions periodically exposed in the press. It closed in 2004. Some 14 years later, the facility was the subject of a documentary film entitled Crownsville Hospital: From Lunacy to Legacy (Paramount, 2018).

56 Per the death certificate contained in the Bill Stumpf file at the Giamatti Research Center. Stumpf’s underlying medical condition was listed as chronic brain syndrome associated with cerebral and generalized arteriosclerosis.