| Ping Bodie | |
|---|---|
 Bodie in 1918 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1887-10-08)October 8, 1887 San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
| Died: December 17, 1961(1961-12-17) (aged 74) San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 22, 1911, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 24, 1921, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .275 |
| Home runs | 43 |
| Runs batted in | 514 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Frank Stephen "Ping" Bodie (October 8, 1887 – December 17, 1961), bornFrancesco Stephano Pezzolo,[1] was an Americancenter fielder inMajor League Baseball who played for theChicago White Sox (1911–1914),Philadelphia Athletics (1917) andNew York Yankees (1919–1921). Bodie batted and threw right-handed. He was born in San Francisco.
Bodie was nicknamed "Ping" for the sound made when his fifty-two-ounce bat crashed into the "dead" ball of his era. Another nickname given to him was "The WonderfulWop."[2] He took the surname Bodie from theCalifornia town he once lived in.
It said that Bodie provided much of the inspiration forRing Lardner's creation of the famous baseball fictional seriesYou Know Me Al. Appearing originally in theSaturday Evening Post, the piece was written in the form of letters written by a bush league baseball player to a friend back home.
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In 1910, playing for theSan Francisco Seals of thePacific Coast League, Bodie hit the then-fantastic total of 30home runs, and quickly broke into the big leagues with the Chicago White Sox in 1911. Ping became a regular for four years with Chicago hitting .289 with 97RBIs, .294, .265 and .229. After some clashes withmanagerJimmy Callahan in 1914, he was sold back to the San Francisco Seals.
In 1917, Bodie returned to the major leagues with thePhiladelphia Athletics. In that season he ranked among theAmerican League top 10 in eight offensive categories: seven home runs (3rd) with 74 RBIs (6th), 233total bases (5th), 46extra-base hits (5th), 11triples (8th), 28doubles (9th), a .418slugging percentage (6th), and a .774OPS (10th). He also led ALoutfielders with 32assists.
In 1918, theNew York Yankees purchasedfirst basemanGeorge Burns from theDetroit Tigers and immediately traded him to the Athletics for Bodie. With the Yankees he batted .256, .278 and .295 in three full seasons. It was during this time that Bodie becameBabe Ruth's first Yankee roommate. When asked about rooming with Ruth, Bodie said "Room with him. Why, I room with the big monkey's baggage!"[3]
Noted for a voraciousappetite, Bodie competed against aJacksonville Zooostrich named Percy in an eating contest on April 3, 1919 which had been arranged by Yankees co-ownerCap Huston as apublicity stunt. Percy had previously been touted as the "world's greatest eater." The contest was structured similar to aboxing match, with Bodie selecting his favorite dish ofspaghetti as the food to be devoured. He was declared the winner after finishing his 11th plate before Percy passed out while starting his.[1]
Bodie was traded to theBoston Red Sox in August 1921. New York went on to win the American League pennant that year. When Bodie asked for a half share of the1921 World Series money, the Yankees turned him down. After the season was over, he refused to go back to the Red Sox and returned home.
Bodie spent the next seven seasons in theminors playing with theVernon Tigers andSan Francisco Missions in the Pacific Coast League, theDes Moines club in theWestern League, and theWichita Falls andSan Antonio Missions in theTexas League.
In a nine-season major league career, Bodie was a .275 hitter with 43home runs and 514 RBIs in 1,050 games.
After his retirement from baseball, Bodie was an electrician for 32 years on Hollywood movie lots and a bit actor, mostly withUniversal Studios. He is given credit for inspiring otherWest Coast Italian American ballplayers who followed him –Tony Lazzeri,Frank Crosetti, and the brothersJoe,Dom andVince DiMaggio, between others.
Bodie died of cancer in San Francisco, California, at the age of 74.[4] He was buried atHoly Cross Cemetery inColma. He is a member of theItalian American Sports Hall of Fame.
· Baseball Almanac