first edition
1926 · Various Places
by [Sports - Baseball - Minor Leagues - Georgia] Stewart, John Franklin "Stuffy
Various Places, 1926. Fine. John Franklin "Stuffy" Stewart, Jr (1894-1980), had his Major League Baseball debut in 1916 for the St. Louis Cardinals, and would play in the MLB on and off through 1929, ending his career with the Washington Senators. Before this, though, Stewart had to rise through the ranks. He played college ball at Southwestern Presbyterian University in Clarksville, Tennessee, and then with the class-D Florida-Alabama-Georgia (FLAG) and class-C South Atlantic (SALLY) leagues. Typically, Stewart's letters refer to these only as "the League" and "the Club," though several of his letters are written on Valdosta Base Ball Association letterhead and some are return-addressed to the Florida B.B.C. Within the FLAG League-during the time most of the letters were written-Stewart probably played mostly for the Valdosta Millionaires, though he never himself specifies.
These letters, to his girlfriend and then wife, Agnes Eulalie Edwards (1893-1973), document the ups and downs of Stewart's pre-MLB career. For one, Stewart seems to frequently run into disciplinary trouble. While at Southwestern Presbyterian, he writes:
"Had my first Call to the Presidents office this am, for fighting (as usual) had a scrap with one of the Preachers he came in and woke me up this morning about 530 and it sure did make me some sore, I used some real 'harsh' language and he objected, and we had to settle it by force." (March 21, 1914)
And a few days later that "I am in bad again, 'Mr President' here has given me just two weeks on my good behavior" (March 23, 1914).
While playing for the FLAG league, he spars with umpires:
"Had a little fuss with the ump's yesterday and got fined $5 but I sure did take a bust at him. Called me out at the plate on a play that would have won the game I was safe but he saw different." (May 23, 1915)
And with his manager, Otto "Dutch" Jordan:
"I sure am disgusted with this Club. They wont get [...] players and expect four of us to win. Otto spoke to me today for the first time since the first of last week we sure did have a 'feud' for he asked me today if I knew where he could get a good first base man or pitcher I told him I dident know, if I did I wouldint tell him. (May 1915)
In fact, Stewart wasn't the only one, as "Otto has had a fuss with about half of the bunch and they are not playing for him" (June 10, 1915).
Stewart is also frequently injured - first, a weak ankle, which "dont make any difference with the Mgr." (May 31, 1914), and then his wrist and side, which he first injures on July 2, 1915. The side continues to bother him:
"My 'side' gets bigger + bigger and I can't get anything to do it any good. The Dr say's nothing but rest, but I can't take it now, it's impossible for we sure are battling for first place, or rather trying to stay there." (July 10, 1915)
"Baby I sure am in a bad fix tonight can't hardly stand straight my 'side' is swelled so. I don't know what is the matter with me. I don't expect I'll be able to play ball tomorrow. I sure feel bad to." (July 12, 1915)
And on July 16, he is hit in the face with a ball, breaking his nose and landing in the hospital. His injuries prevent him from moving up to a better league despite an offer to play for what's likely the Atlanta Crackers:
";;I had a chance to go to Atlanta and finish the season today, but couldent except it for I am not in condition to play that kind of ball, it's too fast for a cripple man. I sure would have loved to have gone to for that sure was some jump from a class 'D' league to a class A.A. league was'ent it. Hard luck can't be helped can it." (July 17, 1915)
Stewart's playing, though, still seems to outclass his peers': he complains to Eulalie of playing for a "'Bum' Ball Club" (May 16, 1915) and tells her that "I sure would love for this Club to win a game to see how it feels" (May 24, 1915). He often "gets his daily" - at least one good hit per game. In 1915, he tells Eulalie:
"I want to set a record in this league for stolen bases, and I will if I can keep well. I have 27 already and the nearest one to me has 22 so you see I have a good start to beat them all, and I do it too." (July 3, 1915)
And he succeeds, with 38 steals across 71 games.
A small set of letters in this collection was written from Colorado in 1917 - after his debut with the Cardinals, Stewart was briefly demoted back to the minors, playing for the Denver Bears in the Western League. In his letters from Colorado, Stewart is exhausted:
"I did not worry about loosing the game. I worry about myself. I did not write you last night for felt too bad. I went to bed right after the game, and just got up 1 Oclock. I guess I'll look good out at the park today. I sure wish the league would close so I could come home [...] to get some rest. I need to stay in bed for two weeks and not do a thing, but I can't so will have to try and stick it out." (August 2, 1917)
And fed up:
"Well I am out again just as bad off as I was at first cant play, dont know what they will do with me and dont care. Wish I were with you so you could love me well again. I have had a Hell of a time this season and about ready to quit." (August 7, 1917)
He then spends part of 1917 and 1918 stationed in Camp Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina - where, as a letter from Eulalie mentions, he is visited by no less than Otto "Dutch" Jordan (October 28, 1918). He writes to Eulalie from Company K of the 2nd Provisional Regiment and from Battery F of the 8th Field Artillery Regiment, and describes serving as a non-commissioned officer as "one sweet job" (October 30, 1918). His job involved overseeing shipments of horses for cavalry:
"I had to noumber and ma[k]e out a discription card of each one and it sure was not any play, I had to personely noumber over two thousand horses and I look like a horse my self." (November 23, 1918)
While serving, he has little interest in playing baseball:
"They sent for me to go out to play ball this afternoon, but I could not go for I sure was a farmer, I was planting Rye in my flower beds." (November 3, 1918)
which, one assumes, is a euphemism for drinking whiskey.
The last few letters in the group are written during Stewart's postwar MLB tenure, and are highly personal - one deals with the death of his father; another reads, "I had rather not read any more letters from you if they are like the one I had in L.R." but has a love poem written onto the envelope:
"I think of you often and I write you every day but there's so very little that it seems worthwhile to say it either rains or it doesn't rain it's either hot or cold the news is all uninteresting or else it's all been bad the only thing that matters is the fact that you are there and I am here without you and it's lonesome everywhere I think about the way you smile and I recall your touch and distance lends enchantments and I miss you very much." (April 17, 1926).
Overall, an unblinking look into the reality of life as a ball player for a class-D team who struggled through injury, exhaustion, and burnout to make it to the Major Leagues.
Sources:
Baseball Reference Bullpen, s.v. "Stuffy Stewart," accessed May 27, 2024, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Stuffy_Stewart. (Inventory #: List2537)
These letters, to his girlfriend and then wife, Agnes Eulalie Edwards (1893-1973), document the ups and downs of Stewart's pre-MLB career. For one, Stewart seems to frequently run into disciplinary trouble. While at Southwestern Presbyterian, he writes:
"Had my first Call to the Presidents office this am, for fighting (as usual) had a scrap with one of the Preachers he came in and woke me up this morning about 530 and it sure did make me some sore, I used some real 'harsh' language and he objected, and we had to settle it by force." (March 21, 1914)
And a few days later that "I am in bad again, 'Mr President' here has given me just two weeks on my good behavior" (March 23, 1914).
While playing for the FLAG league, he spars with umpires:
"Had a little fuss with the ump's yesterday and got fined $5 but I sure did take a bust at him. Called me out at the plate on a play that would have won the game I was safe but he saw different." (May 23, 1915)
And with his manager, Otto "Dutch" Jordan:
"I sure am disgusted with this Club. They wont get [...] players and expect four of us to win. Otto spoke to me today for the first time since the first of last week we sure did have a 'feud' for he asked me today if I knew where he could get a good first base man or pitcher I told him I dident know, if I did I wouldint tell him. (May 1915)
In fact, Stewart wasn't the only one, as "Otto has had a fuss with about half of the bunch and they are not playing for him" (June 10, 1915).
Stewart is also frequently injured - first, a weak ankle, which "dont make any difference with the Mgr." (May 31, 1914), and then his wrist and side, which he first injures on July 2, 1915. The side continues to bother him:
"My 'side' gets bigger + bigger and I can't get anything to do it any good. The Dr say's nothing but rest, but I can't take it now, it's impossible for we sure are battling for first place, or rather trying to stay there." (July 10, 1915)
"Baby I sure am in a bad fix tonight can't hardly stand straight my 'side' is swelled so. I don't know what is the matter with me. I don't expect I'll be able to play ball tomorrow. I sure feel bad to." (July 12, 1915)
And on July 16, he is hit in the face with a ball, breaking his nose and landing in the hospital. His injuries prevent him from moving up to a better league despite an offer to play for what's likely the Atlanta Crackers:
";;I had a chance to go to Atlanta and finish the season today, but couldent except it for I am not in condition to play that kind of ball, it's too fast for a cripple man. I sure would have loved to have gone to for that sure was some jump from a class 'D' league to a class A.A. league was'ent it. Hard luck can't be helped can it." (July 17, 1915)
Stewart's playing, though, still seems to outclass his peers': he complains to Eulalie of playing for a "'Bum' Ball Club" (May 16, 1915) and tells her that "I sure would love for this Club to win a game to see how it feels" (May 24, 1915). He often "gets his daily" - at least one good hit per game. In 1915, he tells Eulalie:
"I want to set a record in this league for stolen bases, and I will if I can keep well. I have 27 already and the nearest one to me has 22 so you see I have a good start to beat them all, and I do it too." (July 3, 1915)
And he succeeds, with 38 steals across 71 games.
A small set of letters in this collection was written from Colorado in 1917 - after his debut with the Cardinals, Stewart was briefly demoted back to the minors, playing for the Denver Bears in the Western League. In his letters from Colorado, Stewart is exhausted:
"I did not worry about loosing the game. I worry about myself. I did not write you last night for felt too bad. I went to bed right after the game, and just got up 1 Oclock. I guess I'll look good out at the park today. I sure wish the league would close so I could come home [...] to get some rest. I need to stay in bed for two weeks and not do a thing, but I can't so will have to try and stick it out." (August 2, 1917)
And fed up:
"Well I am out again just as bad off as I was at first cant play, dont know what they will do with me and dont care. Wish I were with you so you could love me well again. I have had a Hell of a time this season and about ready to quit." (August 7, 1917)
He then spends part of 1917 and 1918 stationed in Camp Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina - where, as a letter from Eulalie mentions, he is visited by no less than Otto "Dutch" Jordan (October 28, 1918). He writes to Eulalie from Company K of the 2nd Provisional Regiment and from Battery F of the 8th Field Artillery Regiment, and describes serving as a non-commissioned officer as "one sweet job" (October 30, 1918). His job involved overseeing shipments of horses for cavalry:
"I had to noumber and ma[k]e out a discription card of each one and it sure was not any play, I had to personely noumber over two thousand horses and I look like a horse my self." (November 23, 1918)
While serving, he has little interest in playing baseball:
"They sent for me to go out to play ball this afternoon, but I could not go for I sure was a farmer, I was planting Rye in my flower beds." (November 3, 1918)
which, one assumes, is a euphemism for drinking whiskey.
The last few letters in the group are written during Stewart's postwar MLB tenure, and are highly personal - one deals with the death of his father; another reads, "I had rather not read any more letters from you if they are like the one I had in L.R." but has a love poem written onto the envelope:
"I think of you often and I write you every day but there's so very little that it seems worthwhile to say it either rains or it doesn't rain it's either hot or cold the news is all uninteresting or else it's all been bad the only thing that matters is the fact that you are there and I am here without you and it's lonesome everywhere I think about the way you smile and I recall your touch and distance lends enchantments and I miss you very much." (April 17, 1926).
Overall, an unblinking look into the reality of life as a ball player for a class-D team who struggled through injury, exhaustion, and burnout to make it to the Major Leagues.
Sources:
Baseball Reference Bullpen, s.v. "Stuffy Stewart," accessed May 27, 2024, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Stuffy_Stewart. (Inventory #: List2537)