Sam Crane (cranesa01)

Samuel Newhall Crane

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.

• Debut May 1, 1880
• Final Game June 28, 1890
• Born January 2, 1854 in Springfield, MA USA
• Died June 26, 1925 in New York, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Sam Crane played seven years in the majors, but became much more famous afterwards as a sportswriter. He was perhaps the most-esteemed sportswriter of his time.

Crane broke into the majors at a rather advanced age. He had played for Fall River in 1876 and been team captain. When he came to the majors, he was player-manager, although since he suffered an injury early in the year, he did more managing than playing. He umpired a total of 8 National League games between 1879 and 1890. Not much with the bat, Sam hit .203 in 373 games. His playing career came to a bizarre end when he was arrested after stealing $1,500 from a fruit dealer whose wife Sam had been having an affair with. He overcame this inglorious ending to become a sportswriter, his last 25 years spent with the New York Evening Journal. In his day, he was known as the "dean of baseball writers".

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Playoffs	Notes
1880	Buffalo Bisons	National League	20-50	7th		Replaced Bill McGunnigle (4-8) on May 25
1884	Cincinnati Outlaw Reds	Union Association		3rd		replaced Dan O'Leary
1888	Scranton Miners	Central League	55-51	4th

Related Sites

• Baseball History Daily story on Sam Crane