Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 12-18-2012

Pittsburgh Gazette Times, December 18, 1912:

“Art” Shafer, utility infielder for the New York Nationals last year, said today he would not join McGraw’s squad for the training siege at Marlin Springs, next February. “I have quit baseball for good,” said Shafer. “For one thing I get too many perfumed notes.” He was one of the few unmarried men among the Giants last year.

Must’ve been rough.

Anyway, as Shafer’s SABR bio points out, Shafer was actually upset about the way his teammates treated Fred Snodgrass in the wake of the World Series loss, and had just inherited a fairly substantial amount of cash, real estate, and business holdings when his mother died.

Shafer changed his mind and was an everyday player for the ‘13 Giants and had a good age 24 season, putting up a 118 OPS+, playing five positions, and even picking up a few Chalmers Award votes. Then he walked away for good.