- Five Pitchers for Cardinals Are Injured in Auto Accident
- Meadows’ Machine Overturns Injuring Him, Ames, Doak, Horstman and Sherdel
- Doak Unconscious for Half an Hour
April 16, 1919 Age 28
The St Louis Star and Times
Five pitchers of the Cardinal baseball team, three of them veterans, were injured at 9 a. m. today when the automobile in which they were riding crashed into a Union Avenue street car at Union and Ashland avenues.
Those in the accident were William (“Bill”) Doak, who was unconscious from the shock for a half hour, but has recovered; Leon Ames, badly cut over one eye and suffering from injuries to his back; Oscar Horstman cut on the head; William Sherdel, who suffered cuts on one leg and Lee Meadows, cut and bruised. It was Sherdel who pitched the winning game for the Cardinals yesterday.
The men, riding in Meadows’ machine, attempted to turn north on Union from Ashland when the auto skidded on the wet pavement and after turning over, struck a south-bound Union avenue car. All were thrown out. They were taken to the Hamilton Hotel, where they were cared for by a special physician of the Cardinals.
Doak and Ames have been with the Cardinals for five or six years. Meadows also has been with the team for several seasons. Horstman and Sherdel recently joined the club.
Accident to Card Pitchers May Be Fatal to Chances (April 16, 1919, The St Louis Star and Times)
The accident to the five Cardinal pitchers, reported in the news columns of The Star today, might, if their injuries prove other than superficial, put the Rickeyites out of the running for the Spring Series and seriously handicap them at the start of what promised to be a splendid season.
While none of the men – Doak, Ames, Sherdel, Meadows and Horstman appear to be badly hurt, a pitcher’s arm is a delicate member, and what might be a slight injury to the ordinary man would be much more serious for a big league twirler. It is hoped, however, that all will be ready for the start at Cincinnati on April 23. The men were riding In Lee Meadows’ new Chevrolet when the car skidded and crashed into a street car.
The mishap recalls the railroad accident to the Cardinal team of 1911 near Bridgeport, Conn. Roger Bresnahan was manager at that time and several players were sufferers from shock. The Cards finished fifth that year.
Among the Debris (April 17, 1919 – The St Louis Star and Times)
Outside of the serious part of the accident to the Cardinal pitchers yesterday, there were several humorous incidents. Lee Meadows had recently purchased a Chevrolet and was much impressed with its workmanship and design. Immediately after the crash Lee was found standing on the sidewalk with all that was left of his machine in his hand – a piece of the steering wheel. Meadows dived through the windshield when struck – and a strange thing – no trace could be found of his famous eyeglasses.
Bill Doak says he intends to lead a better life. The righthander was in a somewhat similar crash last year, and, though he escaped without injury, declares that too much is a genteel sufficiency.
Entirely disregarding the fact that he was bleeding from several severe cuts and that one eye was completely closed, Oscar Horstman, calmly smoking a cigar, took the time to tell residents at the Hamilton Hotel just “how the other men were hurt.” He panned over his own hurts as superficial.
Leon Ames, his face puffed up with contusions, continually told of something that had struck him as funny. He declared yesterday that the biggest laugh he got was when he saw the usually immaculate Doak lying down in the mud. Ames, when he realized that Doak was unconscious, leaped to his friend’s side and helped him up.
April 25, 1919 – The St Louis Star and Times
When Branch Rickey sent out appeals to National League clubs for pitching talent, after the auto accident, he received many replies. One of the latest was from Brooklyn. Kind-hearted Ebbets offered an alleged hurler named Plitt, pedigree and previous condition of servitude unknown, for Doak and Snyder. Yes, Rollo, the offer was refused. But no one can now doubt Ebbets’ generosity.
April 1919 – The boys are going to need a cigarette.
