John Wesley "Snake" Deal (January 21, 1879 – May 9, 1944) was a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

first baseman and professional basketball player. He played half of one season for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

in . He also played professional basketball as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

from 1899 to 1919 for various Pennsylvania teams in different leagues, such as the National Basketball League. He is the earliest recorded player to make use of the jump shot.

References

Major League Baseball first basemen Cincinnati Reds players Minor league baseball managers Chester (minor league baseball) players Reading (minor league baseball) players Holyoke Paperweights players Lancaster Red Roses players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Montreal Royals players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players Wilkes-Barre Barons (baseball) players Ridgway (minor league baseball) players Baseball players from Lancaster, Pennsylvania 1879 births 1944 deaths Gettysburg Patriots players Guards (basketball) Basketball players from Pennsylvania {{1870s-US-basketball-bio-stub