Olson was the steady-fielding shortstop of the 1916 and 1920 pennant-winning Dodgers,
adept at the hidden-ball trick. The cunning leadoff hitter led the NL in at-bats
in 1919 and 1921 and in hits in 1919, when he batted a career-high .278. He later
managed in the minors and coached for the Dodgers and Giants. He and
Casey Stengel,
teammates in Brooklyn, went to grade school together in Kansas City. Stengel said
Olson, five years his senior, was the school bully. "They let him be the boss. He
was the strongest boy in school." He became a tough competitor in pro baseball. Recounted
Stengel, "If a man came in with his spikes high, Ivy would say, `The next time you
come in like that, I'll put this ball down your throat.'"
(JK)
Ivy Olson
teams 