In 1916, a series of two to three paragraph items called “Daily Chats with Famous Ballplayers” (some papers called the feature different names) appeared in several smaller West Coast and Midwest newspapers.
Some highlights:
Oscar “Ossie” Vitt, third baseman for the Detroit Tigers, who survived a beaning from Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators on August 10, 1915:
“The world stopped moving when the ball nicked my bean. Johnson thought I was killed and I guess I thought so myself for awhile, so far as I was able to think at all.
Ossie Vitt
“My head proved to be the goods alright and wasn’t worse for wear. But it upset Johnson so much that he couldn’t locate the plate and we pounded him all over the lot (Vitt was hit leading off the first inning—Johnson gave up eight runs after that in six innings and lost 8 to 2 to Detroit).”
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Henry “Hi” Jasper on the superstition of teammate Harry “Slim” Sallee:
“Sal’s pet superstition is that it’s bad luck for him to warm up with any catcher but the one who is to work in the game with him.
“If the playing backstop has batted last and has to put on his shin guards and armour before warming up, Sal will never throw a ball to the plate to any man who may come out of the dugout with a mitt. He will throw either to the first or third baseman.”
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Al Mamaux on a lesson learned during a loss to the Chicago Cubs in September of 1914:
“Smart old timers can always make it tough for youngsters just breaking in. I remember one day when I was the goat for a trick pulled by Roger Bresnahan.”
Al Mamaux
Mamaux said Chicago had two runners on base and Bresnahan was coaching third.
“(He was) talking real friendly like to me (then) hailed me suddenly as the ball was returned to me. ‘Say Al, toss me that ball I want to look at it,’ said Roger. I didn’t give it a second thought…tossed it towards him and I’ll be darned if he didn’t step to one side and yell to the runners to beat it home. Each advanced a base and would have scored if Jimmy Viox hadn’t run his head off to recover the ball. Believe me that one cured me.”
George Stallings, on suspensions and how badly the Boston Braves needed George Stallings:
“You don’t have to call an umpire all the names in the calendar to draw a suspension. I got three days off for just remarking to (Charles “Cy”) Rigler that he ought to go to jail for umpiring a game like he did the other day.
George Stallings
“Nothing that I could say or do would make any difference. What I can say though right now is that the action of (National League) President (John) Tener, coming as it does, with the race so close, appears peculiar to say the least (Tener said the suspension was for a series of altercations that Stallings and his players had with umpires during the two months before the August suspension was announced).
“Without any braggadocio I can say that my suspension will cripple my club considerably. I know what my presence means to the club and so does President Tener.”
Boston won all three games during Stallings’ suspension and regained second place, but finished the season in third, five and half games behind the Brooklyn Robins.
Baseball History Daily 
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