Major League Mascot/Bat Boy. He was the mascot/batboy for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1910 to 1914. Born about 1894 in Philadelphia, he was a normal boy until the age of 8, when he fell off a wagon and suffered a spinal injury. The results of the injury was a 1 month's paralysis, ater which his growth was stunted. He was normally referred to as a dwarf, and also developed a hunched back which had side effects where he suffered excruciating back pain and spasm's. This did not stop Louie from following sports and becoming a favorite at University of Pennsylvania football, baseball and track and field games. One day in 1909, he wandered over to Shibe Park and on seeing Connie Mack, Manager of the A's, asked if he could manage the bats. On a hunch, and being superstitious, Mack let him become a bat boy for the day. When the A's won the game, Mack decided to keep Louis on as a permanent batboy/mascot. In the early part of the century, hunchback were considered to be good luck, and players would rub the hump of a hunchback for good luck. Van Zelst was no stranger to this practice, as he even encouraged the Athletic players to rub him for luck. He became an immediate favorite with A's players, coming under the watch of Jack Coombs and Jack Barry. He did his job only at home games in the beginning, not taking his first trip with the team through the AL circuit until 1911, although he did go with the team when they appeared in the World Series of 1910. On the road Jack Barry would see to it that 'Little Louie' always got to bed on time and made sure he went to church on Sundays. He became a particular favorite of Nap Lajoie, Ty Cobb and Big Ed Walsh, who were his biggest admirers. He went to his first Spring Training Camp down in San Antonio, Texas in 1912 and was a huge hit with the fans. He was always of a happy-go-lucky sort, even doing imitations and mimicking opposing Managers like Hugie Jennings and John McGraw. He never complained and never showed the results of his affliction during his tenure with the Athletics, and was considered to be an "exceptionally bright chap, winsome and clever." He never drew a salary for his job with the A's, instead, the players antied up and gave Louie a gift of about 250 dollars at the end of each season. Eventually, the strain of his physical condition caused other problems for him. He was diagnosed with Brights Disease and died after a 2 days illness in March of 1915.