Extend Bobby Veach’s Career Record by a Season

From The Sporting News, November 26, 1931:

I stumbled across this note in the “Caught on the Fly” column:

“One year of sandlot ball was enough for veteran Bobby Veach, who played the outfield in the majors for many years. Veach was a member of a Detroit independent team last season, but the other day he came forth with the announcement that he was through and would seek a managerial berth with a minor league club next season. ‘It’s as tough breaking into the sandlots after a career in the big leagues as it is breaking into the majors from the sandlots,” the old-timers declared.’

Note: Prior to the Second World War, many, many players continued their careers after finishing with Organized Baseball. Often they would make more in independent leagues, industrial leagues, and independent teams. The independent would pay these players much more than a minor league club could or would offer. Black Sox players did that, Buck Weaver played in the Chicago City League up into the 1930s, while Cicotte pitched in the Detroit City League and Hap Felsch in local Milwaukee leagues. Hal of Famer Harry Hooper played and managed in the independent Sacramento Valley and Caifornia State League until 1933. Jim “Hippo” Vaughn, whose major league career ended in 1919, extended his pitching career until 1937 in independent, industrial and the Chicago City League.

If there is anybody out there with access to Detroit papers, it would be great if you could put together his stats for 1931 and in 1918 (after the WWI work or fight order, and joined lunch pail crowd at American Car in Detroit for the rest of the year). Failing, that, it would be nice to at least know the team he played for, and if it was the Detroit

The above career record is from The Historical Register, published by Baseball Press Books. Used, obviously, with permission.

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