Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview
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Damn Yankees
Page 110
manager Kid Elberfeld, Stengel batted .290 and led the league in outfield assists. He also developed a reputation as an eccentric player. Scout Mike Kahoe referred to Stengel as a "dandy ballplayer, but it's all from the neck down." After reporting to Brooklyn in September and getting a taste of the big leagues, he spent a third off-season at dental school in 1912–1913. He did not graduate, though whenever his baseball career hit a bad patch in the years to follow, his wife Edna would urge him to get his degree.
“They brought me up to the Brooklyn Dodgers, which at that time
was in Brooklyn.” - Casey Stengel.
In later years, Casey Stengel told stories of his coming to Brooklyn to play for the Dodgers; most focused on his naïveté.
Mentor Zack Wheat was also from the Kansas City area and watched over Stengel, getting the young player a locker next to his and working with him on outfield technique. Stengel made his debut at Brooklyn's Washington Park on September 17, 1912, as the starting center fielder, and went 4–4 with a walk, two stolen bases and two tie breaking runs batted in, leading seventh place Brooklyn to a 7–3 win over the Pirates. Stengel continued to play well, finishing the season with a .316 batting average.