Joe Quest

From BR Bullpen

Joe Quest.jpg

Joseph L. Quest

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 6", Weight 150 lb.

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Biographical Information[edit]

Joe Quest appeared in 3 games in 1871 and then played nine more seasons from 1878-1886. He was a second baseman with a weak bat. His Chicago White Stockings won the pennant three times in a row from 1880 to 1882.

Given his batting averages, he must have been considered a strong fielder, but lifetime he made 424 errors in 598 games.

He managed the Eau Claire, WI entry in the Northwestern League in 1887. The team finished in 8th place with a record of 39-84.

After his playing career ended, he spent time as a National League umpire in 1886 and 1887 working a total of 69 games.

He is given credit for coining the term "Charley horse" [1], a term that means a sudden muscle cramp in the leg. Apparently the phrase was born when him and his teammates went to a horse race and Quest was the only one who didn't bet on a horse named Charley. Supposedly, Charley was doing well until the last lap when his leg cramped and he lost, leading to Quest saying something to the effect of "how's your Charley Horse now?" After this, he would yell "Charley horse!" when one of his teammates who bet on the horse had something similar happen on the basepaths.

Cap Anson's book recalls that Joe had played ball in the New Castle, PA area before 1878, and after his baseball days he worked at City Hall in Chicago.

He was reported to be "... down in Georgia, where he is slowly dying of consumption on the plantation of 'Em' Gross " in 1907. See [2]. Consumption was a term used to describe tuberculosis of the lungs in those days. In Sporting Life of September 16, 1916, Quest was reported to still be managing the plantation, and Gross was described as one of the old guard, so presumably it was Emil Gross.

"He was a fancy performer, ever eager to do some stunt to excite the admiration of the grandstanders. Catching a ball with his hands behind his back was a favorite." - Sporting Life, July 6, 1907

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