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Wietelmann, former big leaguer and coach,
dies at 83
AP-NY-03-28-02 1717EST
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Whitey Wietelmann, who was nicknamed by Casey Stengel and played for the Braves and Pirates during more than five decades in baseball, died at the age of 83. Wietelmann was found dead in his
home on Tuesday. He had lived in San Diego since 1949, when he first
played for the Padres of the Pacific Coast League.
An infielder, he played nine
seasons with the Boston Braves and Pittsburgh, hitting .232 for his major
league career.
William Frederick Wietelmann was
born on March 15, 1919, in Zanesville, Ohio, and got his nickname from
Stengel, his first manager. He made his major league debut with the Braves
in 1939.
Wietelmann played for the minor
league Padres from 1949-52. He was a coach with the team from 1960-65 and
again in 1968, sandwiched around two seasons as a coach with the
Cincinnati Reds.
He was a coach with the National
League Padres from their expansion season of 1969 through 1979. He then
served the team in a variety of jobs for 14 more seasons.
No services have been scheduled
for Wietelmann. His wife, Millie, died in 1997.
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