Creepy Crespi

Frank "Creepy" Crespi
St. Louis Cardinals
Second baseman
Born: February 16, 1918(1918-02-16) St. Louis, Missouri
Died: March 1, 1990(1990-03-01) (aged 72) Florissant, Missouri
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 14, 1938 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 1942 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics (through 1942)
RBI	88
Games Played	264
Teams
St. Louis Cardinals (1938-1942)

Frank Angelo Joseph "Creepy" Crespi (February 16, 1918 in St. Louis, Missouri - March 1, 1990 in Florissant, Missouri), was a Major League Baseball player who played infielder from 1938-1942 for the St. Louis Cardinals. He made his major league debut on 14 September 1938 playing second base for the Cardinals.

In 1951, longtime Cardinals star shortstop Marty Marion praised Crespi as the best defensive second baseman he'd ever played with. "For one year—1941—Crespi was the best second baseman I ever saw. He did everything, and sensationally." ^[1] Marion added, however, that Crespi's play dropped off in 1942, and after that he was drafted.

World War II

Crespi was drafted into the army in early 1943. Though he qualified for a deferment as the sole supporter of his elderly mother, he refused, claiming, "I don't think I'm too good to fight for the things I've always enjoyed." ^[2]

During an Army baseball game in Kansas, he suffered a compound fracture of his left leg while turning a double play.^[2] Soon afterwards, he broke the same leg during a training accident, and later he broke it a third time during an impromptu wheelchair race while in the hospital.^[3]

While he was recuperating at the hospital, a nurse accidentally applied 100 times the appropriate quantity of boric acid to his bandages, causing severe burns on Crespi's leg and leaving him with a permanent limp.^[2][4]

According to Marty Marion, a total of 23 operations were performed on Crespi's leg.^[1]

After the war

In an attempt to qualify for the major league pension plan, Crespi applied various times as coach. Unable to obtain the position, he became a budget analyst for McDonnell Douglas, where he worked for 20 years.^[2]

After his retirement from McDonnell Douglas, Crespi discovered that he had not been retired from baseball, but rather had been on the disabled list, when the major league had first implemented its pension plan during the 1940s. This discovery entitled Crespi to his major league pension.^[2]

Crespi died of a heart attack on 1 March 1990 in Florissant, Missouri.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Martin, Whitney (April 5, 1951). "After 11 Seasons With Cardinals, Marion Finds Mates Have Faults". The Milwaukee Journal. UPI: p. 46. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19510405&id=LwgkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jyMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6741,3131068. Retrieved October 24, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Robbins, Mike (2004). Ninety Feet from Fame. Da Capo Press. pp. 187–188. ISBN 978-0786713356. http://books.google.com/books?id=dgE6gFL-FjMC&pg=PA187&lpg=PA187&dq=creepy+crespi+biography&source=bl&ots=LggBWFGwRB&sig=b3UyeaKQ82GpOPF25jZljvZLvH4&hl=en&ei=CPymSa3KI5CMngeH46TaDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPA187,M1. 
3. ^ Walton, Ed. "The Ballplayers - Creepy Crespi". BaseballLibrary.com. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Creepy_Crespi_1918. Retrieved 2009-02-26. 
4. ^ Berry, Henry (1996). Semper Fi, Mac. Harper Paperbacks. p. 181. ISBN 978-0688149567. http://books.google.com/books?id=3KW35jiuI8MC&pg=PA181&lpg=PA181&dq=creepy+crespi+biography+-wikipedia&source=bl&ots=f54Nb-vCmd&sig=zPHEa5OZWNHsmQLLhTLGM-DsMs0&hl=en&ei=NvymSbnRHIzanQex1KzaDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result. 

Persondata
Name	Crespi, Creepy
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1918-02-16
Place of birth	St. Louis, Missouri
Date of death	1990-03-01
Place of death	Florissant, Missouri