Sid Mercer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1880-08-04)August 4, 1880 |
| Died | June 19, 1945(1945-06-19) (aged 64) |
| Occupation | Sportswriter |
| Known for | Baseball and boxing coverage |
| Children | Frances Mercer |
| Awards | Honor Rolls of Baseball (1946) J. G. Taylor Spink Award (1969) |
James Sidney Mercer (August 4, 1880 – June 19, 1945) was an Americansports writer who covered mostlyboxing andbaseball inSt. Louis and inNew York City.
Mercer was born to James H. and Laura Ann Search Mercer on August 4, 1880, inKerr Township, Champaign County, Illinois, where his father farmed and attended school in nearbyPaxton, Illinois.[1]
Mercer began his career as a printer's apprentice with theSt. Louis Republic. He later wrote for theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch, before theSt. Louis Browns hired him as their road secretary in 1906. The following year, Mercer was hired at theNew York Evening Globe. He later wrote for theNew York Evening Journal andWilliam Randolph Hearst'sAmerican (later known as theNew York Journal American). He was a charter member of theBaseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).[2]
Mercer died on June 19, 1945, in New York City.[3] In 1946, Mercer was named to theHonor Rolls of Baseball by theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.[4] In 1969, he was voted theJ. G. Taylor Spink Award, the highest award bestowed by the BBWAA.[2]
Mercer was the father of actressFrances Mercer.[5]