Snipe Conley
James Patrick Michael Conley
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11½", Weight 179 lb.
- Debut May 20, 1914
- Final Game May 10, 1918
- Born April 25, 1892 in Cressona, PA USA
- Died January 5, 1978 in Robert Lee, TX USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Snipe Conley pitched three seasons in the majors. He is probably better known for his many years playing for and managing in Dallas.
Conley was a native of the Pennsylvania coal regions. He left home at 12 to work on the railroad in order to provide income for his family. He later worked in a shoe factory and played on the company semipro team. After being signed by the minor league Baltimore Orioles, another pitcher taught him to throw the spitball. In the majors, his best year was 1914 with the Baltimore Terrapins, his rookie season, when his ERA of 2.52 would have put him in the top 10 in the Federal League if he had pitched enough innings. He pitched for the Terrapins again in 1915, then saw his last fleeting big league action with the Cincinnati Reds in 1918.
Nicknamed "Snipe" as a result of undergoing the "snipe hunt" practical joke, Conley won over 200 games as a pitcher for Dallas, including 27 in 1917. That year, he had a consecutive win streak of 19. He managed the Dallas Steers for parts of three seasons from 1925 to 1927. In 1926, his only full season as the team's manager, the Steers won the Texas League title. He managed the Jackson Senators for the beginning part of the 1928 season and then retired from baseball to work in the Texas oil fields.
One source: Handbook of Texas Online - Snipe Conley.
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Playoffs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | Dallas Steers | Texas League | 57-33 | 3rd | replaced Larry Gardner (28-33) on June 19 | |
| 1926 | Dallas Steers | Texas League | 89-66 | 1st | ||
| 1927 | Dallas Steers | Texas League | 41-42 | -- | -- | replaced by Turkey Gross (33-28) on July 6 |
| 1928 | Jackson Senators | Cotton States League | 35-30 | -- | -- | replaced by Tommy Morris (0-1) on July 2 |
| Midland Colts | West Texas League | 4th | replaced Jimmy Maloney |
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