- Frank Selee
Frank Gibson Selee (
October 26 ,1859 -July 5 ,1909 ) was a successfulMajor League Baseball manager in theNational League . Selee was born in Amherst, NH. He was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in by|1999.Biography
The curious baseball story of Selee began when he left a
Waltham, Mass. , factory in 1884 to form a minor league team. He was reticent, publicity shy and melancholy in appearance because of dark eyes and a thick mustache that dominated his gaunt face. But he quickly showed an ability to assess talent and put yogether championship teams, which landed him theBoston job in 1890.Selee managed the Boston Beaneaters (1890-1901) and the
Chicago Cubs (1902-1905). His Beaneaters captured five NL pennants during his tenure (1891-93, 1897-98). His 1892 team, aided by the first 150-game schedule in history, became the first team to win 100 games in a season. With the Cubs, he created the famous Tinker to Evers to Chance infield combination, primarily by converting Chance from a catcher to a first baseman. Although he had to retire early due to illness, he had built the foundation of a baseball dynasty, and the Cubs won the pennant four times in the five seasons after he left.When his career ended too soon, he won 1,284 games and had a winning percentage of .598.
Selee died of consumption at the age of 49 in Denver, CO. [ [http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Selee.Frank.Obit.html DeadBallEra.com - Selee's Obituary] . Retrieved October 25, 2006.] He was laid to rest at
Wyoming Cemetery in Melrose, MA. [ [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4954 FindAGrave.com] . Retrieved October 25, 2006.]Trivia
An animated representation of Selee appeared, as a speaking role, by name, in the 1991 episode "Batter Up" in , which involved Marty and the Brown children traveling back to 1891 to help one of Marty's ancestors, a player for the Beaneaters, to improve his game.
References
External links
* [http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/selee_frank.htm Baseball Hall of Fame biography]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/seleefr99.shtml Baseball-Reference.com] - managerial statistics and analysis
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/S/Selee_Frank.stm BaseballLibrary.com]
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