Who was Bill O'Brien and what team is he associated with?

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Posted By: fkw

Hopefully someone can help me with this.

I was scanning some R314 "Wide Pen" cards and came across this one. I researched it a while back and came up clueless on what team Bill O'Brien was associated with and what he actually did for the team.

This card/set is very rare (R314D ... aka type 5), so Im sure many (besides Tim Newcomb) have never seen it.



Thanks for any info, Frank

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Posted By: LetsGoBucs

Well there was a William O'Brien that played in the 1880/90's, better known as Darby O'Brien. He played for only 6 years but did have a year with 146 runs and 91 stolen bases. However he died in 1893 so not your guy.

Billy O'Brien played for the Washington Nationals in the 1880's but he also died soon thereafter.

The online Baseball America executive's database only goes back to 1950 unfortunately. If I think of another way to search for scouts/executives while I'm cutting the grass today I'll come back.

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Posted By: Jeff Mohler

I think most of the 314D Wide Pens were associated with the Montreal and Toronto teams, so perhaps Bill O'Brien was a coach or executive with one of those teams. I seem to remember from Tim Newcomb's article in Old Cardboard that the R314A Detroit Tigers were also reissued in the R314D set.

Jeff

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Posted By: john/z28jd

He was the long time trainer for the Montreal Royals. Big Bill O'Brien

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Posted By: Tim Newcomb

John beat me to it-- he's right, O'Brien was the Montreal trainer. Not sure why he rated a card and all other trainers in the world don't, but looking at him, you can just see him pounding oldtime players with liniment, can't you?

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Posted By: fkw

Thanks everyone.

On internet I did see something about a Bill O'Brien as a trainer for a Montreal Hockey Team too, in the mid 1930s, so that makes sense. Thanks for all the info.