Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance was an American baseball pitcher.
Background
Dazzy Vance was born on March 4, 1891, in Orient, Iowa. He was the son of A. T. Vance, a farmer, and of Sarah Ritchie. He was raised in rural Nebraska near the Little Creek Community.
Some people, including Vance's brother, insisted that his name was Clarence Arthur, but birth records in Adair County confirm the telegram that Vance sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955, in which he requested that the name on his plaque read Arthur Charles. His famous nickname did not derive from his pitching abilities, as often assumed; rather, it came from a childhood acquaintance who often said, "Ain't that a daisy, " pronouncing the last word "dazzy. " Vance emulated the older man, and soon neighborhood youngsters called him "Dazzy. "
Education
Dazzy Vance graduated from Hastings (Nebraska) High School.
Career
Vance played baseball with the teams that nearly every rural Nebraska community had. He began his professional career as a pitcher with Superior and Red Cloud in the Nebraska State League in 1912. For eleven years he played for minor-league teams, failing two trials with the New York Yankees and one with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Twice he injured his arm, once severely in 1916, while boxing during the off-season. His lack of control, caused by arm injuries, kept him in the minor leagues until 1922, when he was traded by New Orleans, along with catcher Hank De Berry, to the Brooklyn Robins. Brooklyn wanted only De Berry, but had to take Vance to complete the deal. Vance did not win his first major-league game until he was thirty-one, but before he hung up his spikes, he had been recognized as the premier pitcher in the National League. He was imposing on the mound.
Standing six feet, two inches, and weighing 200 pounds, he used an exaggerated high kick that increased his speed and, with his long, slim arms, gave him a deceptive delivery. His success came as he gained control of his fast- and curveballs. In his rookie season with Brooklyn, Vance won eighteen games. For seven consecutive seasons, he led the league in strikeouts, and ended his career with 2, 045. He pitched a no-hit game in 1925 and one-hit games in 1923 and 1925. In 1924, he won fifteen consecutive games. Although playing for a habitually second-division team, he won 197 games while losing 140. He retired in 1935 with a 3. 24 earned run average.
Vance had his best year in 1924, when he led the league with 28 victories, 262 strikeouts, and a 2. 16 earned run average. The National League inaugurated the Most Valuable Player Award that season, and Vance was the first winner. But controversy surrounded the choice, since the St. Louis Cardinals' second baseman, Rogers Hornsby, had set a major-league record by hitting . 424 for the season. Vance used the award and his outstanding season to negotiate a highly publicized three-year, $47, 500 contract with Brooklyn owner Charles Ebbet. Although he experienced one poor season during those three years, Ebbet signed him for $20, 000 when his contract expired in 1928.
On the basis of a 22-10 record in 1928, his salary was increased to $25, 000 in 1929, making him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball up to that time. Only twice when Vance was in his prime, in 1924 and 1930, were the Robins (Dodgers) pennant contenders. Otherwise they were a consistent sixth-place team. The team's reputation as a collection of offbeat characters prone to play erratic and remarkably bizarre baseball began with the manager Wilbert Robinson and was enhanced by fun-loving players, most notably Babe Herman and Vance. The most bizarre episode involved a Herman double with the bases loaded. The result was one run and a double play at third base, where Herman, Vance (who had been on second), and Chick Fenster (who had been on first) all ended up.
In 1933, Vance, whose effectiveness had declined, was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He made a brief relief appearance in the 1934 World Series, playing for the Cardinals. In 1935, Vance returned to Brooklyn, where he pitched one season before retiring. Prior to signing his 1924 contract, and as land prices fell from the heights of the Florida land boom, Vance began investing in land on Florida's west coast. Charles Ebbet advanced Vance funds in 1925, and agreed to serve as trustee for some of his investments. By the time Vance retired, he had extensive real estate holdings in and around Homosassa Springs, Florida.
In addition to that property, Vance owned a hotel, fishing camp, woodworking business, gift shop, baseball school, and several small businesses, often run by members of his family. Although he had sold many of his enterprises, he was still an active businessman in Homosassa Springs when he died.
Achievements
Views
Quotations:
"Something went wrong with my right arm. I no longer could throw hard, and it hurt like the dickens every time I threw. "
"My arm came back just as quickly as it went sore on me in 1915. I awoke one morning and learned I could throw without pain again. "