Title: Born Today - February
osfan58202233 - February 1, 2008 05:07 AM (GMT)
as mentioned, i'm resurrecting what i can of the original threads from 2006 that were lost with the old board. some of them need perhaps more editing than i'm going to be able to have time for, but i still think they're worth reposting. hope you all think so as well.
February 1 - Paul “Motormouth” Blair, 1944
An intuitive centerfielder whose speed going back allowed him to play unusually shallow, the loquacious Blair won eight Gold Gloves. An Oriole from 1964 through 1976, he finished among Baltimore's all-time top five in a dozen offensive categories. His average was augmented by his bunting skills, and he had 171 career stolen bases. He had his best year in 1969 (.285, 26 HR, 76 RBI). In 1970, he suffered serious eye and facial injuries from a Ken Tatum beaning. Lingering fear at the plate caused him to seek help from a hypnotherapist. In 1971 he tried switch-hitting, but stopped after going 11-57.
February 1 - Paul “Motormouth” Blair, 1944
An intuitive centerfielder whose speed going back allowed him to play unusually shallow, the loquacious Blair won eight Gold Gloves. An Oriole from 1964 through 1976, he finished among Baltimore's all-time top five in a dozen offensive categories. His average was augmented by his bunting skills, and he had 171 career stolen bases. He had his best year in 1969 (.285, 26 HR, 76 RBI). In 1970, he suffered serious eye and facial injuries from a Ken Tatum beaning. Lingering fear at the plate caused him to seek help from a hypnotherapist. In 1971 he tried switch-hitting, but stopped after going 11-57.
| QUOTE (”John Eisenberg in ‘From 33rd Street to Camden Yards’”) |
| There was a sobering moment early in the runaway season when Blair was beaned one night in Anaheim, California. The Angels’ Ken Tatum threw a pitch that hit Blair in the face and dropped him as if he were a losing gunslinger in a western movie. Blair was on his way to a second straight strong season, having produced 26 home runs and 76 RBI in ’69 and given indications that he might surpass those totals in ’70. He missed three weeks after the beaning and came back to finish with 18 home runs and 65 RBI, but he seldom produced that well over the rest of his career, and some speculated he was never the same at the plate. Brooks Robinson: “He really looked like he was coming into his own, and then that terrible beaning was the worst I’ve ever seen. Oh, it was just unbelievable. Tatum threw sidearm and hit him flush and just crushed him. He was never the same after that as a hitter.” Paul Blair: “I was out twenty-one days, and they threw me back in there and I hit .304 the rest of the season. People say, ‘After you got hit you didn’t hit the same,’ but I did. Before I got hit I stood on top of the plate. After I got hit I stood on top of the plate. The biggest factor why I didn’t hit as high was Frank Robinson getting traded after the ’71 season. With him behind me, I knew at two and oh or three and one [counts] what they’d throw me. They’re not going to walk Paul Blair to get to Frank Robinson, so they’re going to throw me a fastball. After Frank was gone, they were throwing breaking balls, too. And the slider was a pitch I had problems with. I wasn’t disciplined enough to take those pitches and walk. And that was my biggest downfall right there.” Earl Weaver: “I don’t know, getting beaned affects you. I got whacked in New Orleans when I was playing in the Southern Association, and I never did stay in against a right-hander after that. If you talk to Blair, he’s going to say it didn’t have an effect on him, but if you look at the stats, him hitting left-handers as opposed to right-handers, there were certain right-handers I had to pull him out against. “He still got over 400 at-bats a year, so he was still in there hitting some right-handers. Was 26 homers [in ’69] a fluke? I didn’t think so. I think Blair could have continued to do that. I think the beaning had a little bit to do with the fact that he didn’t. It didn’t affect his defense. And it didn’t bother him against certain pitchers. But it has to have an effect long-term.” |
Blair appeared in 53 postseason games with Baltimore and the Yankees. His 430-foot home run in Game Three of the 1966 WS gave the Orioles a 1-0 victory over the Dodgers, and he tied the record for most hits in a five-game WS, going 9-19 (.474) in 1970. He made several sensational catches in the '66 and '70 WS and '70 LCS.
Awards and Honors
1967 AL Gold Glove
1969 AL Gold Glove
1970 AL Gold Glove
1971 AL Gold Glove
1972 AL Gold Glove
1973 AL Gold Glove
1974 AL Gold Glove
1975 AL Gold Glove
Batting Feats
* October 6, 1969: 5 Hits in ALCS Game
* April 29, 1970: 3 HR
Hitting Streaks
17 games (1969)
All-Star Selections
1969 AL
1973 AL
| QUOTE |
| Silver Anniversary Game Features a Shutout, 3-0, July 24, 1967 Paul Blair and Andy Etchebarren provided all the offense that Marcelino Lopez and Stu Miller needed, as the Baltimore Orioles blanked the Cincinnati Reds, 3-0, in the 25th Hall of Fame Game, (hall of fame game history - see 1939 game, top of page) called in the bottom of the ninth inning due to rain. Blair hit a solo home run in the top of the first to give the Orioles and early lead, and Etchebarren followed with a two-run blast in the top of the second inning. The two teams combined to collect just seven hits, as Billy McCool worked five innings for the Reds, taking the loss. Lopez pitched four shutout innings allowing just two hits. Miller worked four innings and was on the mound when the game was called in the bottom of the ninth with no outs. Future Hall of Famer Tony Perez played third base for Cincinnati, and fellow future Hall of Famers Luis Aparicio and Brooks Robinson appeared for the Orioles. |
and finally...
| QUOTE |
| Superior pitching (Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Jim Palmer) and defense (Paul Blair, Brooks Robinson) are what defined the Orioles from 1969-71, when the team won 109, 108 and 101 games. It was one of the great three-year runs in baseball history — each resulted in a World Series appearance — but Baltimore came away with only the 1970 crown. |
osfan58202233 - February 2, 2008 03:21 PM (GMT)
February 2 - Red Schoendeinst, 1923
Credited by his roommate Stan Musial as having "the greatest pair of hands I've ever seen," Albert Red Schoendienst forged a 19-year career as a sleek second baseman with the Cardinals, Giants and Braves, earning 10 All-Star selections. He led the National League in fielding percentage six times and also hit .300 or better on seven occasions. As a manager, he twice piloted the Redbirds to the World Series. As a rookie in 1945 he led the league in stolen bases. He has worn a major league uniform as a player, coach, or manager for seven decades.
Quote
"Red is quite a human being. He treats us like men, lets us play our game and gives our young players confidence."
— Orlanda Cepeda
With sure hands and quick reflexes, he handled 320 consecutive chances without an error in 1950. He set a NL record in 1956 with a .9934 fielding average at 2B, eclipsed 30 years later by Ryne Sandberg.
Schoendienst was one of the best switch-hitters of his day. He led the league in at-bats in 1947 and again in '50, when he also led in doubles.
Schoendienst was sent to the Giants as part of a multi-player deal on June 14, 1956. A year and a day later, he was traded to the Braves, and led the NL with 200 hits. A key component of Milwaukee's consecutive pennant-winners, he played 106 games in 1958 despite bruised ribs, a broken finger, and pleurisy. Tuberculosis cost him part of a lung in 1959, causing him to miss all but five games of the season. His struggle to come back drew national attention. He returned to the Cardinals in 1961, and in 1962 led the league with 22 pinch hits in 72 attempts.
He was a .303 career pinch hitter.
After retiring, Schoendienst in 1965 began the longest managerial tenure in Cardinals history, skippering the team from 1965 through 1976. Under his direction, St. Louis won National League pennants in 1967 and 1968, and defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games in the 1967 World Series.
* 10-time All-Star (1946, 1948-55, 1957)
* Third in the NL MVP voting (1957, behind Hank Aaron and Stan Musial).
* Led league in hits (200, 1957)
* Led league in stolen bases (26, 1945)
* Twice led league in at bats (659, 1947; 642, 1950)
* Still holds MLB record with eight doubles over a three-game span (1948)
Plaque:
On Hall of Fame Plaque:
“Roommate Stan Musial credited him with Greatest
pair of hands I've ever seen. . Sleek, far-ranging
second baseman for 18 seasons. Led N.L. in fielding
and hit .300 or better seven times. When elected
in 1989 had worn major league uniform 45 consecutive
seasons as player, coach and manager, piloting
Redbirds to world series in 1967 and 1968. 14th
inning homer won 1950 all-star game for N.L”
1950 – In the first extra-inning contest in All-Star Game history, the National League won a thriller, when the Cardinals second-baseman Red Schoendienst smacked a solo home run off Detroit's Ted Gray in the 14th inning. The American League had blown a one-run lead in the ninth inning when Art Houtteman surrendered a game-tying home run to Ralph Kiner.
sources -- hall of fame site, baseballlibrary.com
Credited by his roommate Stan Musial as having "the greatest pair of hands I've ever seen," Albert Red Schoendienst forged a 19-year career as a sleek second baseman with the Cardinals, Giants and Braves, earning 10 All-Star selections. He led the National League in fielding percentage six times and also hit .300 or better on seven occasions. As a manager, he twice piloted the Redbirds to the World Series. As a rookie in 1945 he led the league in stolen bases. He has worn a major league uniform as a player, coach, or manager for seven decades.
Quote
"Red is quite a human being. He treats us like men, lets us play our game and gives our young players confidence."
— Orlanda Cepeda
With sure hands and quick reflexes, he handled 320 consecutive chances without an error in 1950. He set a NL record in 1956 with a .9934 fielding average at 2B, eclipsed 30 years later by Ryne Sandberg.
Schoendienst was one of the best switch-hitters of his day. He led the league in at-bats in 1947 and again in '50, when he also led in doubles.
Schoendienst was sent to the Giants as part of a multi-player deal on June 14, 1956. A year and a day later, he was traded to the Braves, and led the NL with 200 hits. A key component of Milwaukee's consecutive pennant-winners, he played 106 games in 1958 despite bruised ribs, a broken finger, and pleurisy. Tuberculosis cost him part of a lung in 1959, causing him to miss all but five games of the season. His struggle to come back drew national attention. He returned to the Cardinals in 1961, and in 1962 led the league with 22 pinch hits in 72 attempts.
He was a .303 career pinch hitter.
After retiring, Schoendienst in 1965 began the longest managerial tenure in Cardinals history, skippering the team from 1965 through 1976. Under his direction, St. Louis won National League pennants in 1967 and 1968, and defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games in the 1967 World Series.
* 10-time All-Star (1946, 1948-55, 1957)
* Third in the NL MVP voting (1957, behind Hank Aaron and Stan Musial).
* Led league in hits (200, 1957)
* Led league in stolen bases (26, 1945)
* Twice led league in at bats (659, 1947; 642, 1950)
* Still holds MLB record with eight doubles over a three-game span (1948)
Plaque:
On Hall of Fame Plaque:
“Roommate Stan Musial credited him with Greatest
pair of hands I've ever seen. . Sleek, far-ranging
second baseman for 18 seasons. Led N.L. in fielding
and hit .300 or better seven times. When elected
in 1989 had worn major league uniform 45 consecutive
seasons as player, coach and manager, piloting
Redbirds to world series in 1967 and 1968. 14th
inning homer won 1950 all-star game for N.L”
1950 – In the first extra-inning contest in All-Star Game history, the National League won a thriller, when the Cardinals second-baseman Red Schoendienst smacked a solo home run off Detroit's Ted Gray in the 14th inning. The American League had blown a one-run lead in the ninth inning when Art Houtteman surrendered a game-tying home run to Ralph Kiner.
sources -- hall of fame site, baseballlibrary.com
osfan58202233 - February 4, 2008 01:25 AM (GMT)
February 3 -- Fred Lynn, 1952
[dohtml]<img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z46/nysporttalk/1976_fred_lynn_SI_poster.jpg" width=320>
<br><br>
<ul>
<li>1975 On June 18, 1975 night game in Detroit highlighted his magical season. Playing in hitter-friendly Tiger Stadium, Fred Lynn had what may be the single greatest game in baseball history. Lynn belted three home runs, a triple, and a single. He drove in a Sox record 10 runs and collected an American League record 16 total bases.
<br>
<li>1983 Fred Lynn hits a grand slam in the 13-4 American League rout. He is the only man in history to hit a grand slam in a All-Star game.
<li>1989 Records his 300th Home Run.
</ul>[/dohtml]
Despite ten 20-HR seasons, one batting title, and All-Star appearances in each of his first nine seasons, Fred Lynn always fell short of expectations--betrayed by a fragile body and burdened with one of the finest rookie seasons in ML history.
[dohtml]<img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z46/nysporttalk/1976_fred_lynn_SI_poster.jpg" width=320>
<br><br>
<ul>
<li>1975 On June 18, 1975 night game in Detroit highlighted his magical season. Playing in hitter-friendly Tiger Stadium, Fred Lynn had what may be the single greatest game in baseball history. Lynn belted three home runs, a triple, and a single. He drove in a Sox record 10 runs and collected an American League record 16 total bases.
<br>
<li>1983 Fred Lynn hits a grand slam in the 13-4 American League rout. He is the only man in history to hit a grand slam in a All-Star game.
<li>1989 Records his 300th Home Run.
</ul>[/dohtml]
Despite ten 20-HR seasons, one batting title, and All-Star appearances in each of his first nine seasons, Fred Lynn always fell short of expectations--betrayed by a fragile body and burdened with one of the finest rookie seasons in ML history.
| QUOTE |
| In 1975, Lynn captivated Boston with his effortless left-handed swing, ringing line drives, and almost daily sprawling catches in center field as he led a young Red Sox club to within one win of the World Championship. On June 18, he bombed the Tigers with 3 HR, 10 RBI, and 16 total bases in one game, and by season's end Lynn had hit .331, led the AL in runs and doubles, and became the only player ever to be named Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. In 1979, he was even better, leading the AL in batting (.333) with 39 HR and 122 RBI. Lynn, however, longed to play in his native California, and the Red Sox obliged by trading him to the Angels in January 1981. Away from Fenway Park, Lynn would never hit .300 again. He remained one of the AL's better-fielding outfielders when healthy, and had six consecutive 20 HR seasons (1982-88). His grand slam in the 1983 All-Star Game (the only grand slam in All-Star play) was his fourth All-Star Game home run, second only to Stan Musial in ML history. But he was never the Hall of Famer he had appeared destined to be in 1975, and the main culprit was injuries. While some were the result of reckless play (he broke a rib crashing into an outfield fence and twice tore up his knee breaking up double plays), more often it was nagging strains and sprains that kept him off the field. The only year in which he played 150 games was 1978. Following the 1984 season, Lynn signed a lucrative contract with the Orioles, who signed numerous free agents in the mid-1980s in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to win another World Series. At this time, one newspaper report criticized Lynn saying, "He could pull a hamstring while taking a shower." Lynn never once played more than 150 games in a season and only topped 140 games four times. |
source: baseballlibrary.com
osfan58202233 - February 4, 2008 05:00 AM (GMT)
February 4 - George Bostic “Possum” Whitted, 1890
After a late season call-up with the Cardinals in 1912, Possum Whitted emerged as a starter in 1913. Playing back and forth between the outfield and infield, he couldn’t adjust to Major League pitching, and was sent to the Boston Braves in 1914 after 20 games for the Cards (he was batting only .129).
That trade worked out well for Possum Whitted and the Braves, because he batted .261 the rest of the season, and contributed to the “Miracle Braves” team that went from Last Place in July to capturing the National League Pennant in September. In that year’s World Series, the “Miracle” Braves went against Connie Mack’s heavily favored Philadelphia Athletics and their famed “$100,000 Infield.” He helped the Braves stun the A’s and the baseball world when Boston defeated Philadelphia in 4 straight games. He batted .241 with a triple and 2 RBIs in the Series.
Before the beginning of the 1915 season the Braves traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies. For the second year in a row, Possum Whitted became an integral piece on a Pennant winning team, batting .281 and playing excellent center field for the Phillies as they captured the National League crown.
(Ironically, in 1914 he was a member of the NL Boston team against the AL Philadelphia team, then in 1915 he was a member of the Philadelphia NL team versus the Boston AL team.)
...
His career totals were 1,025 Games Played, 978 Hits, 440 Runs, 23 Home Runs, 451 RBIs and a career .269 Batting Average.
He managed the minor league Durham (NC) Bulls from 1928 to 1932, holding the team record for manager wins (317) until September 2001, when it was broken by Bill Evers.
According to one source, hit an inside the park grand slam on 10/05/1914, against the Brooklyn Robins.
source: Russ Dodge
After a late season call-up with the Cardinals in 1912, Possum Whitted emerged as a starter in 1913. Playing back and forth between the outfield and infield, he couldn’t adjust to Major League pitching, and was sent to the Boston Braves in 1914 after 20 games for the Cards (he was batting only .129).
That trade worked out well for Possum Whitted and the Braves, because he batted .261 the rest of the season, and contributed to the “Miracle Braves” team that went from Last Place in July to capturing the National League Pennant in September. In that year’s World Series, the “Miracle” Braves went against Connie Mack’s heavily favored Philadelphia Athletics and their famed “$100,000 Infield.” He helped the Braves stun the A’s and the baseball world when Boston defeated Philadelphia in 4 straight games. He batted .241 with a triple and 2 RBIs in the Series.
Before the beginning of the 1915 season the Braves traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies. For the second year in a row, Possum Whitted became an integral piece on a Pennant winning team, batting .281 and playing excellent center field for the Phillies as they captured the National League crown.
(Ironically, in 1914 he was a member of the NL Boston team against the AL Philadelphia team, then in 1915 he was a member of the Philadelphia NL team versus the Boston AL team.)
...
His career totals were 1,025 Games Played, 978 Hits, 440 Runs, 23 Home Runs, 451 RBIs and a career .269 Batting Average.
He managed the minor league Durham (NC) Bulls from 1928 to 1932, holding the team record for manager wins (317) until September 2001, when it was broken by Bill Evers.
According to one source, hit an inside the park grand slam on 10/05/1914, against the Brooklyn Robins.
source: Russ Dodge
osfan58202233 - February 5, 2008 02:02 AM (GMT)
February 5 - Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron, 1934 Hammerin Hank; The Hammer
Exhibiting an understated style that became his trademark, Hank Aaron became the all-time home run champion via one of the most consistent offensive careers in baseball history. In addition to his 755 home runs, he also holds the major league record for total bases, extra-base hits and RBI. Aaron was named the 1957 National League MVP, won three Gold Gloves for his play in right field and was named to a record 24 All-Star squads.
Trying to throw a fastball by Henry Aaron is like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster.
— Curt Simmons
Exhibiting an understated style that became his trademark, Hank Aaron became the all-time home run champion via one of the most consistent offensive careers in baseball history. In addition to his 755 home runs, he also holds the major league record for total bases, extra-base hits and RBI. Aaron was named the 1957 National League MVP, won three Gold Gloves for his play in right field and was named to a record 24 All-Star squads.
Trying to throw a fastball by Henry Aaron is like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster.
— Curt Simmons
| QUOTE |
| "When I was in a ballpark, I felt . . . like I was surrounded by angels and I had God's hand on my shoulder." |
* All-time home run leader: 755
* All-time games played: 3,298 (at time of retirement, currently 3rd behind Pete Rose and Carl Yastrzemski)
* All-time at-bats leader: 12,364 (at time of retirement, currently 2nd behind Pete Rose)
* All-time RBI leader: 2,297
* All-time total bases leader: 6,856
* All-time extra-base hits leader: 1,477
* NL MVP: 1957
* Gold Glove award: 1958 – 1960
* The Sporting News NL Player of the Year: 1956, 1963
* NL batting champion: 1956 (.328), 1959 (.355)
* NL home run champion: 1957 (44), 1963 (44), 1966 (44), 1967 (39)
* NL RBI leader: 1957 (132), 1960 (126), 1963 (130), 1966 (127)
* NL total bases leader: 1956 (340), 1957 (369), 1959 (400), 1960 (334), 1961 (358), 1963 (370), 1967 (344), 1969 (332)
* NL slugging percentage leader: 1959 (.636), 1963 (.586), 1971 (.669)
* NL runs scored leader: 1957 (118); 1963 (121); 1967(113)
* Lou Gehrig Memorial Award: 1970
* NL hits leader: 1956 (200), 1959 (223)
* NL doubles leader: 1955 (37), 1956 (34), 1961 (39), 1965 (40)
* Three home runs in one game: June 21, 1959
* Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame: 1982
* Third in career hits (3,771)
* Only player to hit at least 30 home runs in 15 seasons
* Only player to hit at least 20 home runs in 20 seasons
* Hit 40 home runs in a season 8 times
* First player to reach 3,000 hits and 500 home runs
* 24 All-Star appearances, 1955-1975 (2 games each in 1959, 60, 61), 23 for AL, 1 for NL
Aaron was normally not an excitable sort. One observer remarked that Aaron seemed to be looking for a place to sit down when he approached the batter's box. Robin Roberts once remarked that Aaron was the only batter he knew that could fall asleep between pitches and still wake up in time to hit the next one.
On a muggy April night in Atlanta in 1974, relief pitcher Tom House carried a baseball in from the left-field bullpen. When he handed the ball that had eclipsed the most important record in baseball to the unemotional record breaker, House reported that there were tears in Aaron's eyes. Perhaps the emotion was in response to his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth's career record, but more likely it was in thanks that the ordeal was finally over. It was an ordeal similar to the one undergone by Roger Maris 13 summers earlier, one difference being that Aaron's pursuit of Ruth had racial implications to many. Aaron received hate mail and death threats and, when he failed to get number 714 at the end of the 1973 season, he left an entire off-season for speculation and building expectations. The tears may have been the reaction to a giant weight being lifted off his shoulders.
Hank Aaron hit .355 in 1959 to win the second batting title of his career -- the first was in 1956 (.328). Aaron recalled he was seeing the ball so well that season "that I stopped going to movies for a while because I didn't want anything to affect my eyes." Aaron also led the league in slugging percentage (.636) and hits (223) that season. -- Photo property of TSN Archives.
Sometimes lost among the home run hullabaloo are Aaron's two batting titles and four Gold Gloves for his play in right field. He was consistent and dangerous, and he quickly gained the respect he was to enjoy through his entire career. Early in his career, the Braves played the Dodgers with Jackie Robinson at third. Aaron twice faked bunts, but Robinson didn't budge. After the game, Aaron asked him why he didn't move in. Robinson told him, "We'll give you first base anytime you want it."
| QUOTE |
| Hank Aaron says of all his 755 home runs, the one he will cherish the most is the one he hit in the 11th inning at Milwaukee County Stadium on September 23, 1957 to give the Braves their first NL pennant in Milwaukee. Aaron was carried off the field by his teammates and Aaron later said, "it was my shiningest hour." |
Aaron was able to become the all-time home run champ by sustaining a relatively unspectacular but remarkably consistent career. He was never hurt badly enough to be out of the lineup for an extended period of time. He was not a particularly aggressive baserunner, so his legs suffered little wear and tear. He controlled his weight throughout his career. His remarkable physical condition allowed him to average 33 HR a year, hitting between 24 and 45 HR for 19 straight years. He drove in more than 100 runs 15 times, including a record 13 seasons in a row.
Sporting News Q&A from 1999
interesting stuff in here about Sosa and McGwire...elsewhere, i found a site that offers “Aaron: 755 Steroid -Free Home Runs” stickers...
note from 2008 version: i wish i had knowledge of the sources for this one. there is a lot of good stuff here. i'll try to find matches later this week to update it if i can find the time
osfan58202233 - February 6, 2008 06:39 AM (GMT)
February 6 - Babe Ruth, 1895
Babe Ruth: from National Baseball Hall of Fame
Some 20 years ago, I stopped talking about the Babe for the simple reason that I realized that those who had never seen him didn't believe me.
— sportswriter Tommy Holmes
George Herman Ruth, Jr. was born on February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents were Kate Schamberger-Ruth and George Herman Ruth, Sr., who tended bar and eventually owned his own tavern near the Baltimore waterfront. The Ruths had a total of eight children, but only two survived past infancy: a daughter named Mamie and a son named George, Jr.--the boy who would grow up to be an American hero.
George’s talent was apparent at an early age. During his years at St. Mary’s, he continued to play a variety of positions on the school baseball teams. He played catcher most often during those years, until he started pitching around the age of 15. His pitching prowess was immediately noticeable, and he alternated at both catcher and pitcher on St. Mary’s varsity team.
When George was 19, Jack Dunn, owner and manager of the Baltimore Orioles (a Boston Red Sox minor league team at the time), recognized the young man’s talent and signed him to a contract. Jack was widely known as one of the best scouts in baseball. When the other players saw the strapping young Ruth, they referred to him as “Jack’s newest babe.” George Herman Ruth, Jr. was known as the “Babe” ever since.
He will always be remembered as one of the greatest hitters of all time, but he was an equally adept pitcher. In his first World Series game for Boston in 1916, Babe set a record that still stands today. Ruth took the mound in Game 4 against the National League Champion Brooklyn Robins. He got off to a rocky start in the first inning by giving up a quick run, but settled down to pitch 13 scoreless innings for the 2-1 win. The 14-inning gem stands as the longest complete game in World Series history.
...
The next season, ... new ownership took hold for the Boston ball club, and Ruth’s career was about to take an historic turn. In December 1919, new owner Harry Frazee sold the emerging superstar to the Yankees for $100,000 and a $350,000 loan to finance Frazee’s Broadway production interests. Many consider this the most lopsided deal in the history of professional sports.
Within a short time, Babe’s sensational home run hitting and undeniable candor became the biggest ticket in New York City. Soon, the Yankees drew so many fans that the team could afford to build Yankee Stadium, which opened in 1923. The famous stadium became known as “The House that Ruth Built.” Fittingly, he hit a home run on opening day.
Perhaps the most famous moment in baseball history, and certainly of Babe’s career, came during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. In 5th inning, after he had already hit one homer, Babe came up to bat. He ran the count to two balls and two strikes. Before Cubs pitcher Charlie Root hurled the next pitch, amid the heckling of Cubs fans, Babe pointed to the center field bleachers. Then he slammed what is believed to be the longest home run ever hit out of Wrigley Field, directly above the spot where he had pointed. This story has been as debated as often as it has been celebrated. Did he really call his shot, or was he simply pointing at the pitcher? The world may never know. However, to many fans this moment symbolizes the golden age of baseball. The Yankees went on to win the 1932 World Series, their third sweep in four years.
can’t lift the link to put here for direct video, but check out the very bottom of this page to see the highlight of this homer, 1932 World Series highlight clip. (it’s also the first highlight in the “classic clips” at the top, but that one is more annoying in that it just skips right over all the Orioles years except the ‘69 Mets of course...)
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/postseason/...p?feature=video
http://www.baberuth.com/flash/about/biograph.html
and here's a photo i just love looking at
again, not sure of the sources, but fairly certain this comes from the Hall of Fame site for Babe Ruth, in addition to some of his own sites, namely BabeRuth.com
Babe Ruth: from National Baseball Hall of Fame
Some 20 years ago, I stopped talking about the Babe for the simple reason that I realized that those who had never seen him didn't believe me.
— sportswriter Tommy Holmes
George Herman Ruth, Jr. was born on February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents were Kate Schamberger-Ruth and George Herman Ruth, Sr., who tended bar and eventually owned his own tavern near the Baltimore waterfront. The Ruths had a total of eight children, but only two survived past infancy: a daughter named Mamie and a son named George, Jr.--the boy who would grow up to be an American hero.
George’s talent was apparent at an early age. During his years at St. Mary’s, he continued to play a variety of positions on the school baseball teams. He played catcher most often during those years, until he started pitching around the age of 15. His pitching prowess was immediately noticeable, and he alternated at both catcher and pitcher on St. Mary’s varsity team.
When George was 19, Jack Dunn, owner and manager of the Baltimore Orioles (a Boston Red Sox minor league team at the time), recognized the young man’s talent and signed him to a contract. Jack was widely known as one of the best scouts in baseball. When the other players saw the strapping young Ruth, they referred to him as “Jack’s newest babe.” George Herman Ruth, Jr. was known as the “Babe” ever since.
He will always be remembered as one of the greatest hitters of all time, but he was an equally adept pitcher. In his first World Series game for Boston in 1916, Babe set a record that still stands today. Ruth took the mound in Game 4 against the National League Champion Brooklyn Robins. He got off to a rocky start in the first inning by giving up a quick run, but settled down to pitch 13 scoreless innings for the 2-1 win. The 14-inning gem stands as the longest complete game in World Series history.
...
The next season, ... new ownership took hold for the Boston ball club, and Ruth’s career was about to take an historic turn. In December 1919, new owner Harry Frazee sold the emerging superstar to the Yankees for $100,000 and a $350,000 loan to finance Frazee’s Broadway production interests. Many consider this the most lopsided deal in the history of professional sports.
Within a short time, Babe’s sensational home run hitting and undeniable candor became the biggest ticket in New York City. Soon, the Yankees drew so many fans that the team could afford to build Yankee Stadium, which opened in 1923. The famous stadium became known as “The House that Ruth Built.” Fittingly, he hit a home run on opening day.
Perhaps the most famous moment in baseball history, and certainly of Babe’s career, came during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. In 5th inning, after he had already hit one homer, Babe came up to bat. He ran the count to two balls and two strikes. Before Cubs pitcher Charlie Root hurled the next pitch, amid the heckling of Cubs fans, Babe pointed to the center field bleachers. Then he slammed what is believed to be the longest home run ever hit out of Wrigley Field, directly above the spot where he had pointed. This story has been as debated as often as it has been celebrated. Did he really call his shot, or was he simply pointing at the pitcher? The world may never know. However, to many fans this moment symbolizes the golden age of baseball. The Yankees went on to win the 1932 World Series, their third sweep in four years.
can’t lift the link to put here for direct video, but check out the very bottom of this page to see the highlight of this homer, 1932 World Series highlight clip. (it’s also the first highlight in the “classic clips” at the top, but that one is more annoying in that it just skips right over all the Orioles years except the ‘69 Mets of course...)
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/postseason/...p?feature=video
http://www.baberuth.com/flash/about/biograph.html
and here's a photo i just love looking at
again, not sure of the sources, but fairly certain this comes from the Hall of Fame site for Babe Ruth, in addition to some of his own sites, namely BabeRuth.com
osfan58202233 - February 7, 2008 05:02 AM (GMT)
February 7 -- Dan Quisenberry, 1953
Quisenberry signed with the Royals as an amateur free agent in 1975, and was considered a marginal prospect. He didn't make his major league debut until mid-1979 at the age of 26, appearing in 32 games and posting a 3-2 record with a 4.27 earned run average with 5 saves.
However, during spring training the following year, manager Jim Frey suggested that Quisenberry learn the comparatively rare submarine style delivery from Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Kent Tekulve to further confuse hitters, since he couldn't overpower them. It proved successful. From 1980 to 1985, Quisenberry was the American League's dominant closer, winning the Rolaids Relief Man Award in all but the strike-shortened 1981 season, and finishing in the top five in voting for the Cy Young Award — again in all but 1981.
Quisenberry was hardly the prototypical closing pitcher. Unlike many of his peers, he didn't possess a hard fastball, and thus had to rely on guile and deception, which his submarine delivery augmented. His primary pitch was a sinking fastball, which, thrown properly, causes hitters to hit the ball on the ground rather than pop them up, a plus in smaller, hitter-friendly parks. Although he rarely struck batters out, he seldom walked them or threw wild pitches. His 45 saves in 1983 was briefly a record (tied in 1984 by Bruce Sutter and broken in 1986 by Dave Righetti), and Quisenberry was the first pitcher in major league history to save more than 40 games in a season twice in his career.
Groomed from the beginning as a reliever, Quisenberry employed bulls-eye control and a submarine delivery to keep hitters off-stride. His bread-and-butter pitch was a sharp-breaking slider. Only three times in ten years did he issue more than 15 walks in a season despite pitching over 125 innings five times.
After his baseball career ended, Quisenberry embarked on a second career as a poet, publishing three poems in 1995 and a book of poetry titled "On Days Like This," posthumously, in 1999.
cool article about his life as a poet after baseball
a glimpse of his humor and word-smithery:
Quisenberry signed with the Royals as an amateur free agent in 1975, and was considered a marginal prospect. He didn't make his major league debut until mid-1979 at the age of 26, appearing in 32 games and posting a 3-2 record with a 4.27 earned run average with 5 saves.
However, during spring training the following year, manager Jim Frey suggested that Quisenberry learn the comparatively rare submarine style delivery from Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Kent Tekulve to further confuse hitters, since he couldn't overpower them. It proved successful. From 1980 to 1985, Quisenberry was the American League's dominant closer, winning the Rolaids Relief Man Award in all but the strike-shortened 1981 season, and finishing in the top five in voting for the Cy Young Award — again in all but 1981.
Quisenberry was hardly the prototypical closing pitcher. Unlike many of his peers, he didn't possess a hard fastball, and thus had to rely on guile and deception, which his submarine delivery augmented. His primary pitch was a sinking fastball, which, thrown properly, causes hitters to hit the ball on the ground rather than pop them up, a plus in smaller, hitter-friendly parks. Although he rarely struck batters out, he seldom walked them or threw wild pitches. His 45 saves in 1983 was briefly a record (tied in 1984 by Bruce Sutter and broken in 1986 by Dave Righetti), and Quisenberry was the first pitcher in major league history to save more than 40 games in a season twice in his career.
Groomed from the beginning as a reliever, Quisenberry employed bulls-eye control and a submarine delivery to keep hitters off-stride. His bread-and-butter pitch was a sharp-breaking slider. Only three times in ten years did he issue more than 15 walks in a season despite pitching over 125 innings five times.
After his baseball career ended, Quisenberry embarked on a second career as a poet, publishing three poems in 1995 and a book of poetry titled "On Days Like This," posthumously, in 1999.
cool article about his life as a poet after baseball
a glimpse of his humor and word-smithery:
| QUOTE (“Dan Quisenberry”) |
| A manager uses a relief pitcher like a six shooter, he fires until it's empty then takes the gun and throws it at the villain. His contract has options through the year 2020 or until the last Rocky movie is made. I found a delivery in my flaw. I have seen the future and it's like the present, only longer. I've seen the future and it's much like the present only longer. Natural grass is a wonderful thing for little bugs and sinkerball pitchers. Our fielders have to catch a lot of balls, or at least deflect them to someone who can. Reggie Jackson hit one off me that's still burrowing its way to Los Angeles. |
| QUOTE (Heather Rose-Ryan) |
| In a world where immature bravado is commonplace, he seemed to have a humble sense of himself, and downplayed his prowess. His friend and teammate Paul Splittorff says, "He didn't look like a professional athlete, and didn't carry himself like one. He was kind of wide-eyed every day about everything. He was always surprised, maybe even amused, by his success. He didn't think he was that good." Much of his understated wit was directed at himself. Other top relievers were intimidating fireballers who came in and "slammed the door." Quisenberry, as he put it, just closed the door quietly. |
sources: heatherroseryan.com, wikipedia, baseballlibrary.com
osfan58202233 - February 8, 2008 04:27 PM (GMT)
February 8 -- Joe Black, 1924
[dohtml]<img src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a61/dmhmt/joeblack.jpg" width=125>[/dohtml]
Joseph Black played for Baltimore in the Negro Leagues from 1943 to 1950, posting a 46-37 record in known statistics. He played for Montreal and St. Paul in 1951 before being promoted to the Major Leagues in 1952 at the age of 28.
His efforts that year earned him Rookie of the Year honors. Black pitched out of the bullpen, compiling a 15-4 record, 15 saves and a 2.15 ERA in 142 innings pitched.
The Dodgers were facing a pitching dilemma and manager Chuck Dressen brought Black of the bullpen and start him three times in seven days in the 1952 World Series against the New York Yankees. He pitched a 6-hitter to win the first game and became the first black pitcher to win a World Series game.
[dohtml]<img src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a61/dmhmt/joeblack.jpg" width=125>[/dohtml]
Joseph Black played for Baltimore in the Negro Leagues from 1943 to 1950, posting a 46-37 record in known statistics. He played for Montreal and St. Paul in 1951 before being promoted to the Major Leagues in 1952 at the age of 28.
His efforts that year earned him Rookie of the Year honors. Black pitched out of the bullpen, compiling a 15-4 record, 15 saves and a 2.15 ERA in 142 innings pitched.
The Dodgers were facing a pitching dilemma and manager Chuck Dressen brought Black of the bullpen and start him three times in seven days in the 1952 World Series against the New York Yankees. He pitched a 6-hitter to win the first game and became the first black pitcher to win a World Series game.
| QUOTE |
| "His legacy is the thought that unheralded players can rise to the heights, that someone who at the time was considered an ordinary athlete could wind up pitching Game 1 of the World Series," said Dodgers' play-by-play announcer Vin Scully. |
In 1947, pitching for the Baltimore Elite Giants, the big, strong, hard-throwing right hander split 18 decisions while leading the league in games pitched. After three more years as the Elites' workhorse, where he registered seasons of 10-5, 11-7, and 8-3, he was selected as the starting pitcher for the East in the 1950 All-Star game.
An all around athlete at Morgan State College, he had a natural slider that aided him when he made the transition to professional baseball. ...
While the numbers were not impressive, Black's velocity was, and in the spring of 1952 the big fireballer debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers, having a sensational rookie year, winning 15 games and saving a like number while losing only 4 games. His contributions to the Dodgers' pennant success earned him Rookie of the Year honors. In the World Series that year he started opening game, winning 4-2, the first victory by a black pitcher in a World Series. He continued his Herculean efforts as he started two other games and compiled a 2.53 ERA for the Series in a losing cause as the Dodgers dropped a hard-fought seven-game series to the Yankees.
source: The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, James Riley; www.historicbaseball.com
osfan58202233 - February 9, 2008 05:58 AM (GMT)
February 9 -- Bill Veeck, 1914 (William Louis Veeck Jr.)
As owner of the Indians, Browns and White Sox, Bill Veeck consistently broke attendance records with pennant-winning teams, outrageous door prizes, enthusiastic fan participation and ingenious promotional schemes. An inveterate hustler and energetic maverick, he introduced the concept of honoring fans, a midget player (Eddie Gaedel), Bat Day, fireworks, exploding scoreboards and player names on backs of uniforms. He signed the American League's first black player - Larry Doby in 1947 - and its oldest rookie - 43-year-old Satchel Paige in 1948.
contribution to Orioles history:
"In 1946 he put together a syndicate and bought the Cleveland Indians. In 1947 they doubled attendance to 1.5 million; a year later they drew an AL-record 2,620,627 while winning the pennant. He signed Larry Doby, the first black player in the league, and Satchel Paige. After selling the Indians for a large profit, he took over the moribund Browns, then in debt to the league for $300,000, a number about equal to a season's attendance. In 1952 attendance soared to 518,000; Veeck said he lost close to $200,000. Despite the opposition of his three partners, Veeck planned to move the team to Baltimore in 1953. August Busch had bought the Cardinals, who were paying $35,000-a-year rent to the Browns for the use of Sportsman's Park. The deal was to sell the park to the Cardinals and raise money by selling shares to the public in Baltimore. Believing he had seven votes lined up, he put it to the league on March 16, 1953. He lost 5 to 3; only former partner Hank Greenberg and Frank Lane of the White Sox supported him. Reasons given for the turndown were too many debts, not enough money, and too little time before the season was to open. He had failed to confer with the president of the International League over the Baltimore territory and had not contacted Washington and Philadelphia officials personally. Veeck said, "I am the victim of duplicity by a lot of lying so-and-sos. Every reason they give for voting me down is either silly or malicious, and I prefer to think they were malicious." Most of the press agreed with him. He was forced to sell out. A year later the club was moved to Baltimore."
As owner of the Indians, Browns and White Sox, Bill Veeck consistently broke attendance records with pennant-winning teams, outrageous door prizes, enthusiastic fan participation and ingenious promotional schemes. An inveterate hustler and energetic maverick, he introduced the concept of honoring fans, a midget player (Eddie Gaedel), Bat Day, fireworks, exploding scoreboards and player names on backs of uniforms. He signed the American League's first black player - Larry Doby in 1947 - and its oldest rookie - 43-year-old Satchel Paige in 1948.
contribution to Orioles history:
"In 1946 he put together a syndicate and bought the Cleveland Indians. In 1947 they doubled attendance to 1.5 million; a year later they drew an AL-record 2,620,627 while winning the pennant. He signed Larry Doby, the first black player in the league, and Satchel Paige. After selling the Indians for a large profit, he took over the moribund Browns, then in debt to the league for $300,000, a number about equal to a season's attendance. In 1952 attendance soared to 518,000; Veeck said he lost close to $200,000. Despite the opposition of his three partners, Veeck planned to move the team to Baltimore in 1953. August Busch had bought the Cardinals, who were paying $35,000-a-year rent to the Browns for the use of Sportsman's Park. The deal was to sell the park to the Cardinals and raise money by selling shares to the public in Baltimore. Believing he had seven votes lined up, he put it to the league on March 16, 1953. He lost 5 to 3; only former partner Hank Greenberg and Frank Lane of the White Sox supported him. Reasons given for the turndown were too many debts, not enough money, and too little time before the season was to open. He had failed to confer with the president of the International League over the Baltimore territory and had not contacted Washington and Philadelphia officials personally. Veeck said, "I am the victim of duplicity by a lot of lying so-and-sos. Every reason they give for voting me down is either silly or malicious, and I prefer to think they were malicious." Most of the press agreed with him. He was forced to sell out. A year later the club was moved to Baltimore."
| QUOTE (John Eisenberg in "From 33rd Street to Camden Yards") |
| The Browns were owned by Bill Veeck, a renowned promoter and baseball maverick who had turned around the Cleveland Indians in the late ‘40s and used the money from the sale of that franchise to buy the Browns, winners of one pennant in fifty-two years. Attempting to draw more fans, Veeck resorted to such stunts as giving away free beer and ladies’ stockings, signing Negro leagues’ pitching legend Satchel Paige, and sending a midget, Eddie Gaedel, up to bat. But the National League’s St. Louis Cardinals were far more successful and popular, and the Browns drew just 300,000 fans for 77 home games in ‘53. Not coincidentally, they performed almost as poorly on the field, losing 100 of 154 games to finish last. Veeck had thought he would be spending the ‘53 season in Baltimore after agreeing to the terms of a move with [Tommy] D’Alesandro on March 14, 1053, during a meeting at Baltimore’s Emerson Hotel. A front-page headline in the next day’s Baltimore Sun read, “Baltimore’s Return to Big Leagues Is All but Signed.” American League president Will Harridge said the move had been unanimously approved and that an owners’ vote two days later in Clearwater, Florida, was a “mere formality.” Veeck and D’Alesandro boarded a train to Florida wearing broad smiles, but the owners’ vote on March 16 was a stunner: 5-3 against the move. “Disappointed? That’s the understatement of the year,” Veeck said. It turned out the owners were opposed to moving a club so close to the start of the season, especially a club $300,000 in debt. The owners also were uncomfortable with Veeck’s plan to raise money by selling shares of the club to the public, and they were upset that Veeck had not conferred with officials from the International League, formerly the Eastern League, of which Baltimore had been a member for fifty years. “When the club owners began looking more closely into the situation, they found more complications than were apparent at first glance,” Harridge said. Veeck was furious. He was an iconoclast, preferring sports shirts to suits and ties, and bleacher seats to boardrooms. He unleashed a vicious verbal assault on the other owners. “I am the victim of duplicity of conduct by a lot of lying so-and-sos,” he said. “Every reason they gave for turning me down was either silly or malicious, and I prefer to think they were malicious.” What about the chances of moving he Browns to Baltimore in ‘54? “You’ll have to ask the other gentlemen of the league,” Veeck said, “and I use the term ‘gentlemen’ advisedly.” Two days later, the National League approved the shift of the Boston Braves to Milwaukee. Baltimore fans were bitter, but D’Alesandro was not about to give up....His reading of the vote was perceptive. Veeck’s poor finances probably killed the deal, he thought, so he set out to find Baltimore investors willing to buy some of Veeck’s stock and ease his burden while allowing him to remain the club’s majority owner..an arrangement [he figured] the AL owners probably would settle for....[after another losing vote, in Sept. ‘53 just before the World Series,] the mayor [D’Alesandro] realized the owners were not so much against Baltimore so much as against Veeck, the indefatigable individualist who had heaped scorn on them after the March vote. Quite simply, the owners wanted Veeck, his debt, and his wild ideas out of their coalition....When the owners reconvened, they closed the door...while D’Alesandro...paced in the hallway and tried to see through the keyhole in the door at one point. Shortly before six p.m., the door opened...five minutes later, the door opened again and the league secretary...began to read. The Baltimorians gathered outside the meeting room were quiet until they heard the word “approved,” at which point they began to shout. ...After fifty-one years, Baltimore finally was back in the major leagues....Miles and his group had agreed to buy out Veeck’s stock. The other owners were thrilled. Their nemesis was out. Looking pale as he emerged from the meeting wearing one of his sports shirts, Veeck said, “This is the best solution. The Browns obviously were in bad shape. Baltimore, on the other hand, is in fine financial state.” ...Asked if he would remain in the organization, Veeck said, “I’m out of it entirely. I am no longer in baseball. But like a bad penny, I keep turning up, and I am hopeful.” |
Quote
"Veeck was born into baseball and belongs there. He is an independent thinker, imaginative, uninhibited, innovative. He is a promoter at heart but a baseball may at bottom."
— Red Smith
from http://espn.go.com/classic/s/veeckquotes000816.html
| QUOTE (Bill Veeck said) |
| Quotes by Veeck # The athlete who catches the imagination is the individualist, the free soul who challenges not only the opposition but the generally accepted rules of behavior. Essentially, he should be uncivilized. Untamed. # Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off. # It is played by people, real people, not freaks. Basketball is played by giants. Football is played by corn-fed hulks. The normal-sized man plays baseball and the fellow in the stands can relate to that. --On baseball being the national pastime # It isn't the high price of stars that is expensive, it's the high price of mediocrity. # Baseball is like our society. It's becoming homogenized, computerized. People identify with swash-buckling individuals, not polite little men who field their position well. Sir Galahad had a big following-but I'll bet Lancelot had more. # To compare baseball with other team games is to say the Hope Diamond is a nice chunk of carbon. The endless variety of physical and mental skills demanded by baseball is both uncomparable and incomparable. # We can't always guarantee the ball game is going to be good; but we can guarantee the fan will have fun. # An island of surety in a changing world. --On baseball # Eddie, how would you like to be a big-league ballplayer? Eddie, you'll be the only midget in the history of the game. You'll be appearing before thousands of people. Your name will go into the record books for all time. You'll be famous, Eddie. You'll be immortal. --On Eddie Gaedel's August 19, 1951 appearance, from Veeck-as in Wreck # My epitaph is inescapable. It will read: 'He sent a midget up to bat.' # If there is any justice in this world, to be a White Sox fan frees a man from any other form of penance. --From Veeck-as in Wreck # I have discovered, in twenty years of moving around a ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats. # I guess I'm just not bright enough to stop. --explaining how he kept up his 24 hour schedule # Sooner or later, the lame, the halt, and the blind all seek refuge with us. --On the 1977 White Sox # That's the true harbinger of spring, not crocuses or swallows returning to Capustrano, but the sound of a bat on the ball. --As White Sox owner in 1976 # The Mets achieved total incompetence in a single year, while the Browns worked industriously for almost a decade to gain equal proficiency. --From Veeck-as in Wreck # The original idea of the bleachers was for the guy who couldn't afford season box seats, but could shell out cash for an outfield seat on a day-to-day basis? Maybe the time has come when they don't need that guy. You can buy all those seats the days they're not sold out, but the rest of the time you're not welcome. It does seem that way, doesn't it? I guess that's what happens when marketing experts come in and take over. --On the Cubs 1985 decision to sell bleacher seats in advance # When the Supreme Court says baseball isn't run like a business, everybody jumps up and down with joy. When I say the same thing, everybody throws pointy objects at me. --The Hustler's Handbook |
While employed in various capacities by the Chicago Cubs, Bill Veeck Jr. was responsible for the planting of ivy on Wrigley Field's outfield wall in September 1937.
sources: Eisenberg/From 33rd Street to Camden Yards; ESPN Classic; www.baseballhalloffame.org
osfan58202233 - February 10, 2008 06:40 PM (GMT)
February 10 -- Herb Pennock, 1894
Herbert Jefferis Pennock
The Knight Of Kennett Square
Philadelphia Athletics 1912-15
Boston Red Sox 1915-22 and 1934
New York Yankees 1923-33
#Earned 33 career saves
#Compiled a perfect 5-0 record in World Series Play
#Had a league-leading .760 winning percentage in 1923 (19-6)
#Led the league in innings pitched in 1925
#Logged 247 complete games in his career
#Elected to Hall of Fame in 1948
Called the greatest lefthander in the history of baseball by Yankees manager Miller Huggins, Herb Pennock utilized a smooth, effortless delivery to extend his career over 22 major league seasons, during which he won 241 games. "The Knight of Kennett Square" made the difficult jump directly from high school [no time in the minors! :nice:], joining the Philadelphia Athletics in 1912...and three years later, Connie Mack sold him to the Red Sox. Traded to the Yankees in 1923, Pennock went 5-0 in World Series competition for New York. In 1927 he pitched a jewel in which he retired the first 22 Pirates he faced and ended with a three-hitter.
Herbert Jefferis Pennock
The Knight Of Kennett Square
Philadelphia Athletics 1912-15
Boston Red Sox 1915-22 and 1934
New York Yankees 1923-33
#Earned 33 career saves
#Compiled a perfect 5-0 record in World Series Play
#Had a league-leading .760 winning percentage in 1923 (19-6)
#Led the league in innings pitched in 1925
#Logged 247 complete games in his career
#Elected to Hall of Fame in 1948
Called the greatest lefthander in the history of baseball by Yankees manager Miller Huggins, Herb Pennock utilized a smooth, effortless delivery to extend his career over 22 major league seasons, during which he won 241 games. "The Knight of Kennett Square" made the difficult jump directly from high school [no time in the minors! :nice:], joining the Philadelphia Athletics in 1912...and three years later, Connie Mack sold him to the Red Sox. Traded to the Yankees in 1923, Pennock went 5-0 in World Series competition for New York. In 1927 he pitched a jewel in which he retired the first 22 Pirates he faced and ended with a three-hitter.
| QUOTE |
| When the Yankees traded for Pennock in 1923, they figured to get a few solid starts out of the ten-year veteran. What they got was an ace that would perform brilliantly for ten more seasons and compile a perfect 5-0 World Series record. |
Pennock pitched with grace, economy, and style. Nothing he did was overpowering; everything he did was tantalizingly effective. A typical Pennock game had few strikeouts, but even fewer walks - 2.3 on average. He was hittable. Over 22 years, he allowed more than a hit an inning, yet those hits somehow produced only 3.61 earned runs a game. He seemed to give up many lazy flies to the outfield. Even-tempered, Pennock never got rattled under pressure. He threw with an effortless, unvarying motion, and it was said that a peek inside his head would reveal the weakness of every batter in the league. He pitched 35 shutouts.
Pennock came from historic Kennett Square, PA, amid comfortable country acres whose owners were horsemen and fox hunters. Pennock himself was an expert rider and a master of hounds. As a profitable hobby, he raised silver foxes for their pelts. Hence, the cumbersome but appropriate nickname: the Squire (or Knight) of Kennett Square.
Quote
"I am going to pitch Pennock in spots this season -- the tough ones."
— Joe McCarthy
i found the IP column interesting...
osfan58202233 - February 11, 2008 05:41 AM (GMT)
February 11 -- Ben Oglivie, 1949
Benjamin Ambrosio Oglivie Palmer
Batting Feats
* July 8, 1979: 3 HR
* June 20, 1982: 3 HR
* May 14, 1983: 3 HR
Tall and slender with a strong-wristed left-handed stroke, Oglivie spent 16 ML seasons in the AL's Eastern Division, but didn't blossom as a power hitter until the latter half of his career. He hit three home runs in a game for the Brewers three times, all after turning 30, and he lead the AL with 41 HR in 1980. The native Panamanian was a free-swinger who disdained bases on balls, yet he rarely flailed wildly, striking out 80 times in a season only twice.
Originally signed by the Red Sox, he could not crack Boston's starting lineup in 1971-73, and was traded to the Tigers for second baseman Dick McAuliffe. Oglivie played more regularly in Detroit, but was still on the bench enough to lead the AL in pinch hits in 1976, and after hitting .262 with 21 HR as the Tigers rightfielder in 1977, he was traded to the Brewers for pitchers Jim Slaton and Rich Folkers. He hit .303 in his first season in Milwaukee, then belted 29 HR in 1979 before recording career highs across the board in 1980, batting .304 with 41 HR and 118 RBI. His batting average plummeted into the .240s in 1981-82, but he still hit 34 HR in 1982 to help the Brewers to their only WS appearance, and in the WS he homered in a losing effort against the Cardinals in Game Seven.
Oglivie's HR production waned after the 1982 season, and after hitting only five in 103 games in 1986, he left the ML to play in Japan. He returned to the U.S. in 1989, and signed a minor league contract with the Brewers.
Addendum: He spent the 2007 season as a coach for the Vero Beach Devil Rays.
source: mybrewers/mlbblogs.com, baseballlibrary.com
Benjamin Ambrosio Oglivie Palmer
Batting Feats
* July 8, 1979: 3 HR
* June 20, 1982: 3 HR
* May 14, 1983: 3 HR
Tall and slender with a strong-wristed left-handed stroke, Oglivie spent 16 ML seasons in the AL's Eastern Division, but didn't blossom as a power hitter until the latter half of his career. He hit three home runs in a game for the Brewers three times, all after turning 30, and he lead the AL with 41 HR in 1980. The native Panamanian was a free-swinger who disdained bases on balls, yet he rarely flailed wildly, striking out 80 times in a season only twice.
Originally signed by the Red Sox, he could not crack Boston's starting lineup in 1971-73, and was traded to the Tigers for second baseman Dick McAuliffe. Oglivie played more regularly in Detroit, but was still on the bench enough to lead the AL in pinch hits in 1976, and after hitting .262 with 21 HR as the Tigers rightfielder in 1977, he was traded to the Brewers for pitchers Jim Slaton and Rich Folkers. He hit .303 in his first season in Milwaukee, then belted 29 HR in 1979 before recording career highs across the board in 1980, batting .304 with 41 HR and 118 RBI. His batting average plummeted into the .240s in 1981-82, but he still hit 34 HR in 1982 to help the Brewers to their only WS appearance, and in the WS he homered in a losing effort against the Cardinals in Game Seven.
Oglivie's HR production waned after the 1982 season, and after hitting only five in 103 games in 1986, he left the ML to play in Japan. He returned to the U.S. in 1989, and signed a minor league contract with the Brewers.
Addendum: He spent the 2007 season as a coach for the Vero Beach Devil Rays.
source: mybrewers/mlbblogs.com, baseballlibrary.com
osfan58202233 - February 12, 2008 06:17 AM (GMT)
February 12 - Dominic DiMaggio, 1917
The Little Professor
Unless you've been in a coma since 1935, you've heard of Joe DiMaggio - the 'Yankee Clipper,' the 56-game hitting streak, his marriage to Marilyn Monroe, etc., etc. But Joe's little brother, Dom, was a great player in his own right. The 'Little Professor' was a seven-time All Star, had a 34-game hitting streak, holds the AL record for putouts in a season (503), and is one of only three players to average more than 100 runs per season during their career.
You want to talk Dominic DiMaggio, you're talking steady. He's a lifetime .298 hitter. Except for three games in 1953, he was a regular all of his 11-season career. He never skied above .328, never dropped below .283. Steady. Seven All Star teams in those 10 full seasons. He scored runs, averaging 105 a year for his career. And "The Little Professor" had some power, averaging 31 doubles and 75 RBI per season.
He was the Red Sox lead-off hitter of the '40s and early '50s. During the prime of his career, his job was to get on, followed by the aptly named #2 man, Johnny Pesky. They got on, even one of them, and up came Ted Williams. Dom was a fine lead-off man, and one of the best centerfielders of his day; many sportswriters of the late '40s considered him as good or better than Joe, who is the standard for center fielding excellence in that period. In The Summer of '49, David Halberstam refers to Dom as the most under-rated player of the day.
done as a parody of/to the tune of Maryland, My Maryland (or "Oh Tanenbaum" in my head...):
The Little Professor
Unless you've been in a coma since 1935, you've heard of Joe DiMaggio - the 'Yankee Clipper,' the 56-game hitting streak, his marriage to Marilyn Monroe, etc., etc. But Joe's little brother, Dom, was a great player in his own right. The 'Little Professor' was a seven-time All Star, had a 34-game hitting streak, holds the AL record for putouts in a season (503), and is one of only three players to average more than 100 runs per season during their career.
You want to talk Dominic DiMaggio, you're talking steady. He's a lifetime .298 hitter. Except for three games in 1953, he was a regular all of his 11-season career. He never skied above .328, never dropped below .283. Steady. Seven All Star teams in those 10 full seasons. He scored runs, averaging 105 a year for his career. And "The Little Professor" had some power, averaging 31 doubles and 75 RBI per season.
He was the Red Sox lead-off hitter of the '40s and early '50s. During the prime of his career, his job was to get on, followed by the aptly named #2 man, Johnny Pesky. They got on, even one of them, and up came Ted Williams. Dom was a fine lead-off man, and one of the best centerfielders of his day; many sportswriters of the late '40s considered him as good or better than Joe, who is the standard for center fielding excellence in that period. In The Summer of '49, David Halberstam refers to Dom as the most under-rated player of the day.
done as a parody of/to the tune of Maryland, My Maryland (or "Oh Tanenbaum" in my head...):
| QUOTE |
| Who hits the ball and makes it go? Dominic DiMaggio. Who runs the bases fast, not slow? Dominic DiMaggio. Who's better than his brother Joe? Dominic DiMaggio. But when it comes to gettin' dough, They give it all to brother Joe. Who's better than his brother Joe? Dominic DiMaggio. |
What's with "The Little Professor" bit, anyway? Dom was the runt of the DiMaggio litter, the last male child. Whereas Joe was 6' 2", 193, Dominic was 5' 9", and weighed 168 pounds after a big meal. Yet when he and 143 other wannabes showed up at a tryout camp the S.F. Seals held in 1937, he was the top prospect and was signed. They felt they had to hide him in the outfield, though; given the non-shatterproof glasses of the day, the Seals were afraid a bad hop grounder off the dirt might cause serious damage. Not many major leaguers wore glasses in those days, and most who did were pitchers. He was a novelty. And he really was professorial. They talk about Joe being dignified, but how's this for reserve: When an ump made a bad call on him one day, he was so angry he said, "I have never witnessed such incompetence in my life!" That's the way he spoke.
After his playing days, he could have managed or been a terrific baseball executive. Instead he started a New England plastics factory and became a wealthy man.
» August 9, 1949: Dom DiMaggio's 34-game hitting streak is on the line against Vic Raschi and the Yankees. Hitless in his first four at bats, Dom hits a sinking line drive in the eighth that his brother Joe catches at his shoetops. The Red Sox win 6-3 to move 5-1/2 games behind the Yankees. Dom had started his streak after going hitless against Raschi.
» June 30, 1950: Joe and Dom DiMaggio both home run in the 10–2 Red Sox victory over New York in the nightcap of a doubleheader. It had been 15 years since two brothers homered in a game.
sources: www.thediamondangle.com/sitt; David Zingler, Simply Baseball Notebook - Forgotten in Time
did you click on the Maryland link? :)
Sluggo - February 12, 2008 12:33 PM (GMT)
Dom DiMaggio?!
Stanhouse is going to be pissed. :P
Stanhouse is going to be pissed. :P
Skipjack - February 12, 2008 01:32 PM (GMT)
The picture of Dom looks like a slender "Radar O'Reilly," Gary Burghoff.
Don Stanhouse's birthday too…Abe Lincoln would have been pleased to share the day with him and Dommie.
Don Stanhouse's birthday too…Abe Lincoln would have been pleased to share the day with him and Dommie.
osfan58202233 - February 12, 2008 05:06 PM (GMT)
oops :sad oops:
well, stanhouse actually has something pretty cool to share with us...perhaps he'll have the chance to do that in commemoration of his namesake's birthday today instead
well, stanhouse actually has something pretty cool to share with us...perhaps he'll have the chance to do that in commemoration of his namesake's birthday today instead
stanhouse - February 13, 2008 01:23 AM (GMT)
Happy birthday, Stan the Man Unusual!
I was talking with Boog and Earl at a signing in Sarasota on Friday. Boog had noticed me wearing #26 on the field earlier that day and politely mentioned it (as it was his number). I thanked him for mentioning it, but admitted that I actually wore it in remembrance of Don Stanhouse. At this point Weaver looks up and says, "Oh, STOP! ... Stanhouse... Now that was an unusual guy."
I was talking with Boog and Earl at a signing in Sarasota on Friday. Boog had noticed me wearing #26 on the field earlier that day and politely mentioned it (as it was his number). I thanked him for mentioning it, but admitted that I actually wore it in remembrance of Don Stanhouse. At this point Weaver looks up and says, "Oh, STOP! ... Stanhouse... Now that was an unusual guy."
osfan58202233 - February 13, 2008 05:51 PM (GMT)
that is a great story! i can't wait to hear more of what went on that weekend - photos or not!
osfan58202233 - February 13, 2008 06:05 PM (GMT)
February 13 -- Donnie Moore, 1954
[dohtml]<img src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a61/dmhmt/100donnie_moorehappy.jpg" width=150>[/dohtml]
Donnie Moore's up-and-down career was most notable for one pitch. One strike away from putting California in the World Series, he allowed a Dave Henderson home run in Game Five of the 1986 LCS. Henderson's game-winning sacrifice fly off Moore then turned the series in favor of victorious Boston. Moore's shocking suicide less than a year after the end of his major league career was partially a result of his brooding on this failure; he said he had become another Ralph Branca, doomed to be remembered for just one pitch and one failure. His career was ended by a string of injuries, and he was also dismayed by his inability to continue playing; shortly before his death he had been released by a minor league team.
After signing a $3 million contract with the Angels in 1985, Moore set a club record with 31 saves, surpassing his entire previous major league total, and was named club MVP. Trying to justify his big contract, Moore tried to pitch despite a sore shoulder in 1986 and succumbed to nerve irritation in his right rib cage in 1987.
[dohtml]<img src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a61/dmhmt/100donnie_moorehappy.jpg" width=150>[/dohtml]
Donnie Moore's up-and-down career was most notable for one pitch. One strike away from putting California in the World Series, he allowed a Dave Henderson home run in Game Five of the 1986 LCS. Henderson's game-winning sacrifice fly off Moore then turned the series in favor of victorious Boston. Moore's shocking suicide less than a year after the end of his major league career was partially a result of his brooding on this failure; he said he had become another Ralph Branca, doomed to be remembered for just one pitch and one failure. His career was ended by a string of injuries, and he was also dismayed by his inability to continue playing; shortly before his death he had been released by a minor league team.
After signing a $3 million contract with the Angels in 1985, Moore set a club record with 31 saves, surpassing his entire previous major league total, and was named club MVP. Trying to justify his big contract, Moore tried to pitch despite a sore shoulder in 1986 and succumbed to nerve irritation in his right rib cage in 1987.
| QUOTE |
| Behind every major failure in the sport stands a Chicago Cub. Ron Berler, The Ex-Cub Factor: Theory Will Decide World Series Winner Ron Berler's 1981 piece described a theory that's sprouted legs and wheels, namely, the idea that, for any two teams meeting in the World Series, the one with the most ex-Cubs will lose. Was something like that at work with Donnie Moore and the Angels in 1986? It's certainly possible, though it didn't look that way when he came to the Halos in 1985 as a free agent compensation pick. The year before, he had only allowed three home runs with the Braves in a season that saw him finish with a 2.94 ERA and a 4-5 record over 64.1 innings, a substantial improvement over his career numbers that Moore attributed to the tutelage of Braves pitching coach Bob Gibson, who taught him a split-fingered fastball. Any doubts about his abilities or having an unrepeatable career year in 1984 were immediately erased in 1985. Having signed a $3 million contract with the Angels in the offseason, he proceeded to drop a full run off his ERA while pitching 40 more innings than the year before at the age of 31. Moore's resilience and sustained excellence drew superlatives from manager Gene Mauch, who called his performances "just amazing," adding quality performances to the durability that characterized his earlier work with both the Cubs and the Braves, where he had led both clubs' relief corps in innings pitched. Moore had some great games in the regular season, including a May 31, 1985 outing at Detroit in which he struck out 5 over 2 and 2/3 innings, collecting a save and preserving a win for middle reliever Pat Clements. His most infamous moment, however, was the "one strike away" split-fingered pitch to Dave Henderson in Game 5 of the 1986 ALCS. That pitch went over the wall and made Henderson an overnight hero in New England, and a goat of Donnie Moore. Moore said later that "I was surprised" when Mauch pulled starter Mike Witt. "I thought it was Mike's game to win or lose. I thought I wasn't going to pitch again until the World Series." Moore had also been pitching with a sore shoulder, an ailment that had troubled him all season on and off, and now had catastrophic results for him and the club. "If my arm is right," Moore said, "the ball falls right off the table. He doesn't touch it. I threw the pitch and will take the blame, but it's history. If you can't take the bitter with the sweet, you're in the wrong game. However, I don't believe the pitch cost us the game. We still could have won it." His one mistake overshadowed the fact that the Angels had opportunities to win the game in the ninth after tying the score but the offense failed when Doug DeCinces and Bobby Grich both failed to get critical hits with the tying and go-ahead runs on base. ...Moore became increasingly injured and despondent, continuing to pitch with his sore shoulder, and adding to his misery, a nerve injury. Leaving the team after a terrible 1988 season in which he spent weeks at a time on the DL, he ironically became an immediate no-risk free agent as part of the collusion lawsuit... He never signed a major league contract. Instead, he bounced around the minors, refusing to quit baseball despite the heckling he received at the hands of Angels fans. Having been cut from Kansas City's Omaha minor league affiliate in 1989, he separated with his wife of 16 years, Tonya...An argument erupted about selling their house; he drew a gun, shot his wife three times, and finally shot himself in the head. "He felt he was the next Ralph Branca," Tonya, who recovered from her wounds, said later, "the guy who's always been remembered for giving up the home run to Bobby Thomson to lose the '51 pennant." |
source: Baseballlibrary.com, Halo's Heaven.com
between this and the RIP notices from sluggo's post, kinda a down day, eh? must be the last day before pitchers and catchers report! :D
osfan58202233 - February 14, 2008 05:50 AM (GMT)
February 14 -- Mel Allen
1978 Ford C. Frick Award Winner, National Baseball Hall of Fame
from The Extraordinary Life of Mel Allen:
If one were to ask a baseball fan who came of age in the late 1970s and the 1980s about Mel Allen that baseball fan would likely respond, This Week in Baseball. I would put myself into that category. This Week in Baseball aired on NBC on Saturday afternoon right before the NBC Game of the Week with Joe Garagiola and Tony Kubek (later Garagiola would be joined by legendary Dodgers’ broadcaster Vin Scully). Allen would narrate the highlights and lowlights of the week that was in Major League Baseball in his authoritative, yet friendly Southern voice exclaiming, “How About That!”
Of course, if one were to ask a baseball fan who came of age between the beginning of WWII through the early stages of the Vietnam War about Mel Allen, that baseball fan would likely respond, “Voice of the New York Yankees.” Allen covered the Yankees first on radio and later on television during the most successful period in franchise history, during which the Yankees won nearly half of their 26 World Series titles. In many ways, Allen would be as strongly identified with the success of the Yankees as Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle.
1978 Ford C. Frick Award Winner, National Baseball Hall of Fame
from The Extraordinary Life of Mel Allen:
If one were to ask a baseball fan who came of age in the late 1970s and the 1980s about Mel Allen that baseball fan would likely respond, This Week in Baseball. I would put myself into that category. This Week in Baseball aired on NBC on Saturday afternoon right before the NBC Game of the Week with Joe Garagiola and Tony Kubek (later Garagiola would be joined by legendary Dodgers’ broadcaster Vin Scully). Allen would narrate the highlights and lowlights of the week that was in Major League Baseball in his authoritative, yet friendly Southern voice exclaiming, “How About That!”
Of course, if one were to ask a baseball fan who came of age between the beginning of WWII through the early stages of the Vietnam War about Mel Allen, that baseball fan would likely respond, “Voice of the New York Yankees.” Allen covered the Yankees first on radio and later on television during the most successful period in franchise history, during which the Yankees won nearly half of their 26 World Series titles. In many ways, Allen would be as strongly identified with the success of the Yankees as Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle.
| QUOTE |
| Allen very nearly became the voice of the Washington Senators but at the last minute the Senators’ owner, Clark Griffith, brought in Senators’ pitching legend Walter Johnson to cover the games...Needless to say, this was not the first time that the second division Senators had erred in its judgment, and it would not be the last. |
click on the radio play button to listen
It must be remembered that Major League Baseball strongly resisted radio coverage of its games. The owners reasoned that if the games were covered on radio then nobody would come see them. Larry McPhail bucked this trend when he hired another Southerner (and Allen’s eventual arch rival) Red Barber to broadcast Cincinnati Reds games in 1934. When McPhail took over the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939, he brought along Barber to cover Dodgers games. Eventually other teams followed suit, if cautiously.
abbreviated because i've got other priorities today ;) sources will be provided later
Sluggo - February 14, 2008 10:49 PM (GMT)
No love for Hank Greenberg today? How about Fernando Tatis? :P
osfan58202233 - February 16, 2008 12:45 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE (sluggo) |
| No love for Hank Greenberg today? How about Fernando Tatis? |
feel free to add them, my friend :D (fernando tatis? lol)
February 15 - Ron Cey, 1948
Penguin
* All-Star in 1974-79
......................Games....Average.....HR............RBI
Career............2073........261.........316..........1139
League CS........22..........268...........4...............14
World Series.....23..........253...........3...............13
Cey filled a traditional trouble spot when he became the Dodgers' regular third baseman in 1973. He held the position for ten seasons and became the leading home run hitter in L.A. Dodger history. Six times an All-Star in the 1970s, Cey got his nickname from his stocky build, short legs, and choppy running style. In 1981 his string of eleven seasons with 20 or more homers was interrupted by the players' strike and a late-season broken arm. He returned in time to play in the World Series, where he was beaned by a Goose Gossage fastball. Nevertheless, he was co-MVP in the Series. In 1983 he was traded to the Cubs. His 25 homers and 97 RBI helped them win the 1984 Eastern Division title.
# October 2, 1977: Dusty Baker homers in his final AB of the season during a 6–3 loss to the Astros. It is Baker's 30th home run of the year, enabling him to join teammates Steve Garvey (33), Reggie Smith (32), and Ron Cey (30) in making the Dodgers the first team ever to boast four 30-HR hitters in one season. When he crosses the plate he is greeted by on-deck batter Glenn Burke, who raises his hands and Baker matches him, allegedly the first high five in history.
# October 12, 1977: Home runs by Ron Cey, Steve Yeager, Reggie Smith, and Steve Garvey lead the Dodgers to a 6–1 win in game two of the World Series. Burt Hooton goes the distance, allowing just five hits.
# October 5, 1980: Capping an improbable comeback, the Dodgers beat the Astros for the 3rd day in a row to force a one-game playoff for the NL West title. Ron Cey hits a 2-run home run in the 8th to win the game 4–3. Los Angeles trailed Houston by three games with three games left in the season, and won all three by a single run.
# October 28, 1981: Pedro Guerrero drives in five runs and the Bert Hooton and the Dodgers beat the Yankees 9–2 to win the World Series in six games. In a remarkable post season, the Dodgers came from behind to win three series (down 2–0 to Houston and 2–1 to Montreal in the best-of-5 series). Guerrero, Ron Cey, and Steve Yeager (2 home runs) are named co-MVPs, while OF Dave Winfield and relief pitcher George Frazier are the goats for New York.
# February 8, 1982: The Dodgers break up the longest-playing infield unit in ML history by trading veteran 2B Davey Lopes to the A's for minor-leaguer Lance Hudson. Lopes, 1B Steve Garvey, 3B Ron Cey, and SS Bill Russell had been the Dodgers' starting infield since 1974.
source: old version of baseballlibrary.com entry
osfan58202233 - February 16, 2008 05:17 AM (GMT)
February 16 -- Billy Hamilton, 1866
William Robert Hamilton
Sliding Billy
Kansas City Cowboys (1888-1889)
Philadelphia Phillies (1890-1895)
Boston Beaneaters (1896-1901)
Although best remembered as a base thief, "Sliding" Billy Hamilton also excelled at bat and in the outfield. His 937 career stolen bases and single-season total of 115 in 1891 stood as National League records for almost 80 years. Hamilton remains one of only three players whose runs scored (1,691) exceeded his games played (1,578). He hit better than .300 in 12 successive seasons en route to a career mark of .344 (sixth best all-time).
After 35 games with Kansas City in 1888, Hamilton won a starting spot the next year and hit .301 with a league-leading 117 stolen bases. He would not fall below .300 again until his final ML season. In 1890 Hamilton brought his head-first slides to the NL's Phillies, where he led the league with 102 steals in 1890 and 115 in 1891, the year he won his first batting title with a .340 mark. Following an off-year in 1892, he moved from left field to center in 1893 and hit .380 to edge teammate Sam Thompson for his second batting championship.
Sliding Billy continued his record-setting basepath feats in 1894 with the help of his fellow Phillies, who hit a ML-record .343 as a team that year. Playing in 131 of his club's 132 games, Hamilton scored 196 runs, by far the best ML season total ever. He accomplished this by leading the league in walks (126) and stolen bases (99), including 7 steals in one game on August 31. He also strung together a 36-game hitting streak, the sixth-longest in NL history, and had career highs of 87 RBI, 223 hits, 15 triples, 25 doubles, and a .399 batting average. After leading the league once again in runs, walks, and stolen bases in 1895, he was traded to the Braves for third baseman Billy Nash. In Boston, he continued to terrorize opposing infields, leading the NL in stolen bases twice more in 1896 and 1898. But knee and leg injuries in 1898 and 1899 finally began to slow him down, and he retired after hitting only .287 in 1901.
In addition to his lofty batting average, Hamilton finished his career with a .455 on-base percentage, 1,187 walks, 1,692 runs scored, and 937 stolen bases. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans' Committee in 1961.
"I never saw a runner get a lead off first base like Billy."
— Jack Carney, 1889
» August 31, 1894: Billy Hamilton set the major league record for most stolen bases in one game (seven).
» September 23, 1979: St. Louis legend Lou Brock steals the 938th—and final—base of his career in a 7–4 win against the New York Mets. He tops 19th century speedster Billy Hamilton by one.
the boston beaneaters!
source: baseballhalloffame.org
William Robert Hamilton
Sliding Billy
Kansas City Cowboys (1888-1889)
Philadelphia Phillies (1890-1895)
Boston Beaneaters (1896-1901)
Although best remembered as a base thief, "Sliding" Billy Hamilton also excelled at bat and in the outfield. His 937 career stolen bases and single-season total of 115 in 1891 stood as National League records for almost 80 years. Hamilton remains one of only three players whose runs scored (1,691) exceeded his games played (1,578). He hit better than .300 in 12 successive seasons en route to a career mark of .344 (sixth best all-time).
After 35 games with Kansas City in 1888, Hamilton won a starting spot the next year and hit .301 with a league-leading 117 stolen bases. He would not fall below .300 again until his final ML season. In 1890 Hamilton brought his head-first slides to the NL's Phillies, where he led the league with 102 steals in 1890 and 115 in 1891, the year he won his first batting title with a .340 mark. Following an off-year in 1892, he moved from left field to center in 1893 and hit .380 to edge teammate Sam Thompson for his second batting championship.
Sliding Billy continued his record-setting basepath feats in 1894 with the help of his fellow Phillies, who hit a ML-record .343 as a team that year. Playing in 131 of his club's 132 games, Hamilton scored 196 runs, by far the best ML season total ever. He accomplished this by leading the league in walks (126) and stolen bases (99), including 7 steals in one game on August 31. He also strung together a 36-game hitting streak, the sixth-longest in NL history, and had career highs of 87 RBI, 223 hits, 15 triples, 25 doubles, and a .399 batting average. After leading the league once again in runs, walks, and stolen bases in 1895, he was traded to the Braves for third baseman Billy Nash. In Boston, he continued to terrorize opposing infields, leading the NL in stolen bases twice more in 1896 and 1898. But knee and leg injuries in 1898 and 1899 finally began to slow him down, and he retired after hitting only .287 in 1901.
In addition to his lofty batting average, Hamilton finished his career with a .455 on-base percentage, 1,187 walks, 1,692 runs scored, and 937 stolen bases. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans' Committee in 1961.
"I never saw a runner get a lead off first base like Billy."
— Jack Carney, 1889
» August 31, 1894: Billy Hamilton set the major league record for most stolen bases in one game (seven).
» September 23, 1979: St. Louis legend Lou Brock steals the 938th—and final—base of his career in a 7–4 win against the New York Mets. He tops 19th century speedster Billy Hamilton by one.
the boston beaneaters!
source: baseballhalloffame.org
osfan58202233 - February 17, 2008 04:37 PM (GMT)
February 17th - Walter Lanier "Red" Barber, 1908
The Voice of the Dodgers
[dohtml]<img src="http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/prints/pr11614.jpg" width=350>[/dohtml]
Red Barber's career as a play-by-play baseball commentator spanned four decades, beginning in 1934 with the Cincinnati Reds, until his retirement in 1966 at age 58. Although he began his career calling plays for Cincinnati and capped it with a 13-year stint with the New York Yankees, Barber was best known as the "Voice of the Dodgers," for whom he worked from 1939 to 1953. Although a Mississippian by birth, Barber charmed his way into the hearts of his Brooklynite listeners by telling them, "I may not broadcast the games with a Brooklyn accent, but I do broadcast them with a Brooklyn heart."
With colorful phrases and an exquisite command of the English language, Barber made baseball games come alive for his listeners. Players were "sittin' in the catbird seat", "tearin' up the pea patch","walkin' in tall cotton" or "havin' a rhubarb." Close plays were "bang-bang" or "a squeaker." An outfielder didn't just run back for a fly ball - he went "back, back, back, back, back." Barber's vivid and evocative lexicon was even a key plot feature in James Thurber's short story The Catbird Seat.
Awards
* 1979 - Baseball Hall of Fame Ford C. Frick Award - first recipient along with Mel Allen
* 1984 - Inducted into American Sportscaster Association Hall of Fame
* 1991 - Peabody Award for radio commentary.
Red Barber Quotes and Phrases:
* Baseball is dull only to dull minds.
* Whenever you have a tight situation and there's a close pitch, the umpire gets a squawk no matter how he calls it.
* When I was in baseball and you went into the clubhouse, you didn't see ball players with curling irons.
* He's sitting in the catbird seat. (He has the lead.)
* Hold the phone. (Manager on the way to the mound.)
* Running like a bunny with his tail on fire. (The player can run really fast.)
* The bases are FOB's (Full of Brooklyn(s) Dodger players.)
source: www.chatteringmagpie.com
The Voice of the Dodgers
[dohtml]<img src="http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/prints/pr11614.jpg" width=350>[/dohtml]
Red Barber's career as a play-by-play baseball commentator spanned four decades, beginning in 1934 with the Cincinnati Reds, until his retirement in 1966 at age 58. Although he began his career calling plays for Cincinnati and capped it with a 13-year stint with the New York Yankees, Barber was best known as the "Voice of the Dodgers," for whom he worked from 1939 to 1953. Although a Mississippian by birth, Barber charmed his way into the hearts of his Brooklynite listeners by telling them, "I may not broadcast the games with a Brooklyn accent, but I do broadcast them with a Brooklyn heart."
With colorful phrases and an exquisite command of the English language, Barber made baseball games come alive for his listeners. Players were "sittin' in the catbird seat", "tearin' up the pea patch","walkin' in tall cotton" or "havin' a rhubarb." Close plays were "bang-bang" or "a squeaker." An outfielder didn't just run back for a fly ball - he went "back, back, back, back, back." Barber's vivid and evocative lexicon was even a key plot feature in James Thurber's short story The Catbird Seat.
Awards
* 1979 - Baseball Hall of Fame Ford C. Frick Award - first recipient along with Mel Allen
* 1984 - Inducted into American Sportscaster Association Hall of Fame
* 1991 - Peabody Award for radio commentary.
Red Barber Quotes and Phrases:
* Baseball is dull only to dull minds.
* Whenever you have a tight situation and there's a close pitch, the umpire gets a squawk no matter how he calls it.
* When I was in baseball and you went into the clubhouse, you didn't see ball players with curling irons.
* He's sitting in the catbird seat. (He has the lead.)
* Hold the phone. (Manager on the way to the mound.)
* Running like a bunny with his tail on fire. (The player can run really fast.)
* The bases are FOB's (Full of Brooklyn(s) Dodger players.)
source: www.chatteringmagpie.com
osfan58202233 - February 18, 2008 03:57 AM (GMT)
February 18 -- Manny Mota, 1938
Baseball's all-time pinch-hit leader [until 2001], with 150, it was said Mota could wake up on Christmas morning, step into the box, and rip a single to right. Pittsburgh's fourth outfielder from 1963 to 1968, the Dominican blossomed under manager Harry Walker's tutelage to hit .332 in 1966, his first of seven .300 seasons in eight years. Hindered by a lack of power and fielding ability, Mota's only season of more than 400 at-bats came with the 1970 Dodgers. Amid a 1974 youth movement, he emerged as a pinch hitter extraordinaire. He had ten or more pinch hits six straight seasons; 250 of his last 309 at-bats came off the bench. One of his greatest moments came in the ninth inning of Game Three of the 1977 LCS at Philadelphia. Down two strikes, he hit an RBI double, and the Dodgers rallied for three runs and a 6-5 victory. Near the end of his career, he often began the season as a coach, only to be activated each year for the stretch drive. He finally retired with a .297 pinch-hitting average. His .315 batting average is the best (1,800 or more at-bats) in Los Angeles Dodger history.
Baseball's all-time pinch-hit leader [until 2001], with 150, it was said Mota could wake up on Christmas morning, step into the box, and rip a single to right. Pittsburgh's fourth outfielder from 1963 to 1968, the Dominican blossomed under manager Harry Walker's tutelage to hit .332 in 1966, his first of seven .300 seasons in eight years. Hindered by a lack of power and fielding ability, Mota's only season of more than 400 at-bats came with the 1970 Dodgers. Amid a 1974 youth movement, he emerged as a pinch hitter extraordinaire. He had ten or more pinch hits six straight seasons; 250 of his last 309 at-bats came off the bench. One of his greatest moments came in the ninth inning of Game Three of the 1977 LCS at Philadelphia. Down two strikes, he hit an RBI double, and the Dodgers rallied for three runs and a 6-5 victory. Near the end of his career, he often began the season as a coach, only to be activated each year for the stretch drive. He finally retired with a .297 pinch-hitting average. His .315 batting average is the best (1,800 or more at-bats) in Los Angeles Dodger history.
| QUOTE |
| One of the keys to being a successful pinch-hitter is simply being available. That is, a player has to have demonstrated enough talent to be on the roster but not enough to be in the starting lineup and is, thus, available as a sub off the bench. However, the player also has to be good enough and poised enough to earn his manager's confidence to call on him regularly as a substitute. Indeed, it is this combination of a given player's availability for substitute duty and his manager's willingness to call on him that creates repeated pinch-hit opportunities. Of course, the space between those opportunities is heavily punctuated by inactivity. Bench players often must wait. And wait. And wait for that elusive nod from a manager to get into a game. The ability to conjure up the patience required for all of this waiting mixed with the ability to instantaneously concentrate when called upon is something that some players do better than others. The steely nerves necessary for such a balancing act, weighing tedium and intense focus in equal terms, are not shared by all. And a pinch-hitter's opportunity is distilled into a single at-bat per game, usually under some significant game situation pressure. At a moment's notice, he is expected to grab a helmet and bat, take a practice swing or two in the on-deck circle, and step into the batter's box ready to hit. It is baseball's equivalent of going from 0 to 60. And he must perform this task knowing that the spotlight will rarely if ever be his and that he will spend so much more time watching others play the game rather than be on the field himself taking part in the action. The previous record holder was Manny Mota, who had 150 career pinch-hits. Unlike Harris [Lenny Harris, about whom this article was written], Mota saw considerable playing time for much of his career as a fourth outfielder. He regularly accumulated between 300 and 400 at-bats a season and consistently batted over .300. His greatest season likely was 1966 when he hit .332 in 322 at-bats and finished with a .472 slugging percentage for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After Mota lost a step in the field, he became a pinch-hitter exclusively. From 1973 to 1979, Manny Mota became something of an icon for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A Clark Kent of sorts, if you will. This creaky, old man sitting at the end of the bench would grab a bat and helmet, walk to the plate and somehow turn into Superman. His timely line drive base hits would routinely break the hearts of countless numbers of teams. Manny Mota finished his career with over 1,100 hits and a .304 lifetime average. |
Manuel Rafael Mota was born in 1938 in the Dominican Republic. One of eight children, "Manny," as he was called by his friends and family, grew up in humble circumstances. It was in baseball that he found his true passion.
In 1973, Mr. Mota was selected to the National League All-Star team after leading the league in batting average. From 1947 through 1979, Mr. Mota was continuously called upon for late inning heroics where he averaged 10 pinch hits for 6 straight seasons. It was also this time that the Dodgers appeared in the 1974, 1977 and 1978 World Series. One year later, with an average of .357 and 15 pinch hits, Mr. Mota hit a milestone, and established his place in the record books as the greatest pinch hitter in history.
In 1981, Manny appeared in his fourth World Series, this time as a coach. Mr. Mota retired as a player from the Dodgers the following year. Mr. Mota left an illustrious career holding the all-time major league record for career pinch-hits with 150 and an overall lifetime batting average of .304. Mr. Mota once again coached the Dodgers to the World Series in 1988, making this a total of five appearances.
Thirty years after joining the Dodgers, Mr. Mota remains an active part of the coaching staff and his community. In the off-season, Mr. Mota and his wife Margarita reside in the Dominican Republic where they continue their tireless charitable work through the Manny Mota International Foundation. Established over 30 years ago, this humanitarian organization provides needed resources and other assistance to disadvantaged youth and their families in both the Dominican Republic and the United States.
sources: http://www.thediamondangle.com/nishihara/pinch.html, american immigration law foundation
osfan58202233 - February 19, 2008 05:45 AM (GMT)
February 19 - David Keith Stewart, 1957
Smoke
* All-Star (1989)
* World Series MVP Award (1989)
* American League Championship Series MVP (1990, 1993)
* Finished 3rd in AL Cy Young voting (1987)
* Finished 4th in AL Cy Young voting (1988)
* Finished 2nd in AL Cy Young voting (1989)
* Finished 3rd in AL Cy Young voting (1990)
* Career 168-129 record
* Two World Series championships (1989 - Oakland, 1993 - Toronto)
* Roberto Clemente Award (1990)
Stewart was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 16th round of the 1975 amateur draft and made his major league debut on September 22, 1978. He did not find his niche in the major leagues until some time later. After some time in the minor leagues, he resurfaced in the majors again in 1981. Teams were unsure how he would be best utilized, and Stewart split time starting and relieving for the Dodgers, Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies in the early to mid-1980s. His nickname at the time was Dave "Smoke" Stewart. In 1986, the Oakland Athletics signed him after he was released by the Phillies.
Encouraged that year by A's coach Dave Duncan to add a forkball to his fastball and slider, Stewart became a Cy Young Award candidate in 1987. He led the club in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, complete games, and starts, becoming the second Oakland A's pitcher (with Vida Blue) to notch a 200-strikeout season. Preferring to pitch in hot weather, Stewart keyed the A's successful pennant effort in 1988 with his second straight 20-win season and became a respected team leader in the Oakland community. On September 22, 1989 Stewart's 100th career victory made him the only pitcher of the 1980s with three consecutive 20-win seasons. He won two games in both the LCS and the World Series that year, the only man ever to do so, and was the World Series MVP.
YR---AGE-TEAM---W-L
1978 21---LAD----0-0
1981 24---LAD----4-3
1982 25---LAD----9-8
1983 26---TOT----10-4 (LAD 5-2, TEX 5-2)
1984 27---TEX----7-14
1985 28---TOT----0-6 (TEX 0-6, PHI 0-0)
1986 29---TOT----9-5 (PHI 0-0, OAK 9-5) then bring on the forkball and a return home, and...
1987 30---OAK---20-13
1988 31---OAK---21-12
1989 32---OAK---21-9
1990 33---OAK---22-11 (ERA 2.56)
1991 34---OAK---11-11
1992 35---OAK---12-10
1993 36---TOR---12-8
1994 37---TOR----7-8
1995 38---OAK----3-7
On June 29, 1990, while with Oakland, Stewart pitched a no-hitter against his future team, the Blue Jays, at SkyDome. Hours later, Dodger Fernando Valenzuela no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium — the first time in major league history that no-hitters had been thrown in both leagues on the same day.
sources: Baseballlibrary.com, www.speaking.com profile page
Smoke
* All-Star (1989)
* World Series MVP Award (1989)
* American League Championship Series MVP (1990, 1993)
* Finished 3rd in AL Cy Young voting (1987)
* Finished 4th in AL Cy Young voting (1988)
* Finished 2nd in AL Cy Young voting (1989)
* Finished 3rd in AL Cy Young voting (1990)
* Career 168-129 record
* Two World Series championships (1989 - Oakland, 1993 - Toronto)
* Roberto Clemente Award (1990)
Stewart was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 16th round of the 1975 amateur draft and made his major league debut on September 22, 1978. He did not find his niche in the major leagues until some time later. After some time in the minor leagues, he resurfaced in the majors again in 1981. Teams were unsure how he would be best utilized, and Stewart split time starting and relieving for the Dodgers, Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies in the early to mid-1980s. His nickname at the time was Dave "Smoke" Stewart. In 1986, the Oakland Athletics signed him after he was released by the Phillies.
Encouraged that year by A's coach Dave Duncan to add a forkball to his fastball and slider, Stewart became a Cy Young Award candidate in 1987. He led the club in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, complete games, and starts, becoming the second Oakland A's pitcher (with Vida Blue) to notch a 200-strikeout season. Preferring to pitch in hot weather, Stewart keyed the A's successful pennant effort in 1988 with his second straight 20-win season and became a respected team leader in the Oakland community. On September 22, 1989 Stewart's 100th career victory made him the only pitcher of the 1980s with three consecutive 20-win seasons. He won two games in both the LCS and the World Series that year, the only man ever to do so, and was the World Series MVP.
YR---AGE-TEAM---W-L
1978 21---LAD----0-0
1981 24---LAD----4-3
1982 25---LAD----9-8
1983 26---TOT----10-4 (LAD 5-2, TEX 5-2)
1984 27---TEX----7-14
1985 28---TOT----0-6 (TEX 0-6, PHI 0-0)
1986 29---TOT----9-5 (PHI 0-0, OAK 9-5) then bring on the forkball and a return home, and...
1987 30---OAK---20-13
1988 31---OAK---21-12
1989 32---OAK---21-9
1990 33---OAK---22-11 (ERA 2.56)
1991 34---OAK---11-11
1992 35---OAK---12-10
1993 36---TOR---12-8
1994 37---TOR----7-8
1995 38---OAK----3-7
On June 29, 1990, while with Oakland, Stewart pitched a no-hitter against his future team, the Blue Jays, at SkyDome. Hours later, Dodger Fernando Valenzuela no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium — the first time in major league history that no-hitters had been thrown in both leagues on the same day.
sources: Baseballlibrary.com, www.speaking.com profile page
osfan58202233 - February 20, 2008 07:00 AM (GMT)
February 20th - Sam Rice, 1890
Edgar Charles Rice
Man O' War
One of baseball's greatest singles hitters, Rice fell only 13 hits shy of 3,000. In 20 ML seasons, he never hit below .293 and averaged .322. Although he lacked power (21 of his 34 career home runs were hit inside the park), he met every other requirement for stardom. At bat, he usually made contact, averaging only one strikeout in every 34 at-bats. On the bases, he was fast and intelligent, leading the AL with 63 stolen bases in 1920. In the outfield, he was swift and had an excellent arm.
His most famous play was on defense. In Game Three of the 1925 WS, he raced full-tilt after Pirate Earl Smith's drive, leaped and backhanded it. He and the ball disappeared into the stands, but when Rice emerged with the ball in his glove, the umpire called Smith out. Had he really caught the ball? He refused to say but left a sealed letter at the Hall of Fame to be opened after his death. In it, he'd written: "At no time did I lose possession of the ball."
Rice joined the Senators as a pitcher in 1915 but by the next season was moved to right field. A left-handed hitter, he stood nearly erect in the batter's box, crowding the plate. Although his speed helped him to 497 career two-base hits and the AL lead in triples in 1923, his forte was the slap single. Of his 2,987 career hits, 2,272 went for one base. With a good batting eye he added 709 walks, and he scored 1,515 runs in his career. In 1924, when the Senators won the World Championship, Rice led the AL in hits with 216 and had a 31-game hitting streak. The next year, for Washington's second pennant winner, he amassed 227 hits and batted a career-high .350. He led the AL with 216 hits in 1926. All told, he topped 200 hits seven times.
At age 40 in 1930, he told Baseball Magazine, "I can still smack the ball," and proved it by hitting .349 with 207 hits, while scoring a personal-best 121 runs. He was able to contribute a .294 average to the Senators' third and final pennant win as a part-timer in 1933. In 1963, Rice was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Edgar Charles Rice
Man O' War
One of baseball's greatest singles hitters, Rice fell only 13 hits shy of 3,000. In 20 ML seasons, he never hit below .293 and averaged .322. Although he lacked power (21 of his 34 career home runs were hit inside the park), he met every other requirement for stardom. At bat, he usually made contact, averaging only one strikeout in every 34 at-bats. On the bases, he was fast and intelligent, leading the AL with 63 stolen bases in 1920. In the outfield, he was swift and had an excellent arm.
His most famous play was on defense. In Game Three of the 1925 WS, he raced full-tilt after Pirate Earl Smith's drive, leaped and backhanded it. He and the ball disappeared into the stands, but when Rice emerged with the ball in his glove, the umpire called Smith out. Had he really caught the ball? He refused to say but left a sealed letter at the Hall of Fame to be opened after his death. In it, he'd written: "At no time did I lose possession of the ball."
Rice joined the Senators as a pitcher in 1915 but by the next season was moved to right field. A left-handed hitter, he stood nearly erect in the batter's box, crowding the plate. Although his speed helped him to 497 career two-base hits and the AL lead in triples in 1923, his forte was the slap single. Of his 2,987 career hits, 2,272 went for one base. With a good batting eye he added 709 walks, and he scored 1,515 runs in his career. In 1924, when the Senators won the World Championship, Rice led the AL in hits with 216 and had a 31-game hitting streak. The next year, for Washington's second pennant winner, he amassed 227 hits and batted a career-high .350. He led the AL with 216 hits in 1926. All told, he topped 200 hits seven times.
At age 40 in 1930, he told Baseball Magazine, "I can still smack the ball," and proved it by hitting .349 with 207 hits, while scoring a personal-best 121 runs. He was able to contribute a .294 average to the Senators' third and final pennant win as a part-timer in 1933. In 1963, Rice was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
| QUOTE (Bill James) |
| In the history of baseball through 1999 there have been 161 players who earned 300 or more Win Shares. Of those 161, 35 were primarily pitchers, and of the pitchers, many didn't appear in the major leagues before the age of 25. But of the 126 non-pitchers, only one - Sam Rice - failed to establish himself as a major league regular before the age of 25. Let me do a count here... 2 of the 126 were major league regulars at age 18, 11 were established by age 19, 30 were established by age 20, 68 by age 21, 91 by age 22, 113 by age 23, and 124 by age 24. The only two players who had careers of that duration and magnitude starting at age 25 or after are Jim O'Rourke (who started in the "majors" at age 25 only because the National League wasn't organized until he was 25; he had been a top player for years before that) and Sam Rice. This is useful knowledge, because sometimes players aged 25 or 26 have big rookie seasons and are promoted as potential stars. You can pretty much write them off. A 21-year-old rookie who hits .250 is a better bet for stardom than a 25-year-old rookie who hits .300. |
Rice's entire family, his parents and several siblings, were killed by a tornado when he was a young player, in the minors. Rice never mentioned this to anyone, and this fact was completely unknown to the baseball public to the end of his life.
source: A.D. Suehsdorf for Baseballlibrary.com, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
osfan58202233 - February 22, 2008 05:15 AM (GMT)
February 22nd - Sparky Anderson, 1934
Elected to Hall of Fame by Veterans Committee in 2000
Known for his jovial disposition, George “Sparky” Anderson is the only manager in history to have won World Series championships in both the American and National leagues. His career totals include 2,194 victories, the third most in major league history, two Manager of the Year awards, five league pennants and three World Series crowns. His heavy use of the bullpen staff earned him the nickname “Captain Hook,” but this practice has now become the standard for Major League Baseball.
1970 NLCS
1970 World Series
1972 NLCS
1972 World Series
1973 NLCS
1975 NLCS
1975 World Series
1976 NLCS
1984 ALCS
1984 World Series
1987 ALCS
Elected to Hall of Fame by Veterans Committee in 2000
Known for his jovial disposition, George “Sparky” Anderson is the only manager in history to have won World Series championships in both the American and National leagues. His career totals include 2,194 victories, the third most in major league history, two Manager of the Year awards, five league pennants and three World Series crowns. His heavy use of the bullpen staff earned him the nickname “Captain Hook,” but this practice has now become the standard for Major League Baseball.
1970 NLCS
1970 World Series
1972 NLCS
1972 World Series
1973 NLCS
1975 NLCS
1975 World Series
1976 NLCS
1984 ALCS
1984 World Series
1987 ALCS
osfan58202233 - February 24, 2008 06:08 AM (GMT)
February 24th - Eddie Murray, 1956
All-Star (8): 1978, 1981-1986, 1991
Rookie of the Year 1977
Gold Glove (3): 1982-1984
Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 2003, 423 votes on 496 ballots
[dohtml]
<table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="10">
<tr>
<td width="50%" valign="top">
<p>Consistency, durability and dominance characterized the career of Eddie Murray. One of baseball's most productive hitters from the late 1970s through the 1990s, Murray is one of only three players to have totaled both 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, joining Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. The all-time career RBI leader among switch-hitters, the three-time Gold Glove Award winner at first base was an eight-time All-Star and had six consecutive top-10 finishes in voting for the Most Valuable Player Award. Murray was a stalwart at first base for 12 seasons for the Orioles, capturing a world championship with Baltimore in 1983.
<br><br>
<p><i>"He really just wanted to go about his business. I would put Eddie Murray in the same category as Andre Dawson. He would like to kid around with the press and (be surly), but he was a total professional. I see why he is a Hall of Famer. I am just glad I had the pleasure of playing with Eddie (Murray) for one year."
— Gary Carter </i>
</td>
<td width="50%" valign="top">
<div align=left>
<img src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a61/dmhmt/IMG_9361.jpg" width="270">
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
[/dohtml]
Eddie was elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2003. He played 12-1/2 of his 21 seasons with the Orioles and ranks 2nd, 3rd or 4th in virtually every club offensive category. He spent his first 12 years with the Orioles and rejoined the team in 1996, helping lead the club to the post-season and becoming the 15th player to reach the 500-home run plateau. Eddie, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays are the only players with 500 homers and 3,000 hits. A model of consistency, he drove in at least 75 runs in each of his first 20 major league seasons, a feat unmatched. He has more RBI than any switch-hitter in history and ranks 7th all-time in RBI. Eddie was named to 8 All-Star teams, 7 as an Oriole, and batted .300 or better 7 times, including 5 times as an Oriole. He won the Orioles' "triple crown" 5 times, leading the club in average, homers and RBI. He played at least 150 games in 16 seasons, tied with Cal Ripken for second most in history behind Pete Rose. Eddie broke in as the AL Rookie of the Year in 1977. He was named Most Valuable Oriole 7 times (twice sharing the award with Cal). A 3-time Gold Glove winner, he holds the major league record for games played and career assists by a first baseman. Like Frank Robinson before him, Eddie's Oriole number was retired when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
All-Star (8): 1978, 1981-1986, 1991
Rookie of the Year 1977
Gold Glove (3): 1982-1984
Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 2003, 423 votes on 496 ballots
[dohtml]
<table border="0" width="100%" cellpadding="10">
<tr>
<td width="50%" valign="top">
<p>Consistency, durability and dominance characterized the career of Eddie Murray. One of baseball's most productive hitters from the late 1970s through the 1990s, Murray is one of only three players to have totaled both 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, joining Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. The all-time career RBI leader among switch-hitters, the three-time Gold Glove Award winner at first base was an eight-time All-Star and had six consecutive top-10 finishes in voting for the Most Valuable Player Award. Murray was a stalwart at first base for 12 seasons for the Orioles, capturing a world championship with Baltimore in 1983.
<br><br>
<p><i>"He really just wanted to go about his business. I would put Eddie Murray in the same category as Andre Dawson. He would like to kid around with the press and (be surly), but he was a total professional. I see why he is a Hall of Famer. I am just glad I had the pleasure of playing with Eddie (Murray) for one year."
— Gary Carter </i>
</td>
<td width="50%" valign="top">
<div align=left>
<img src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a61/dmhmt/IMG_9361.jpg" width="270">
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
[/dohtml]
Eddie was elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2003. He played 12-1/2 of his 21 seasons with the Orioles and ranks 2nd, 3rd or 4th in virtually every club offensive category. He spent his first 12 years with the Orioles and rejoined the team in 1996, helping lead the club to the post-season and becoming the 15th player to reach the 500-home run plateau. Eddie, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays are the only players with 500 homers and 3,000 hits. A model of consistency, he drove in at least 75 runs in each of his first 20 major league seasons, a feat unmatched. He has more RBI than any switch-hitter in history and ranks 7th all-time in RBI. Eddie was named to 8 All-Star teams, 7 as an Oriole, and batted .300 or better 7 times, including 5 times as an Oriole. He won the Orioles' "triple crown" 5 times, leading the club in average, homers and RBI. He played at least 150 games in 16 seasons, tied with Cal Ripken for second most in history behind Pete Rose. Eddie broke in as the AL Rookie of the Year in 1977. He was named Most Valuable Oriole 7 times (twice sharing the award with Cal). A 3-time Gold Glove winner, he holds the major league record for games played and career assists by a first baseman. Like Frank Robinson before him, Eddie's Oriole number was retired when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
| QUOTE |
| "Eddie (Murray) just didn't like to talk about what he did. He didn't care to give up his little secrets. He was the best clutch-hitter that I saw during the decade that we played together. Not only on our team, but in all of baseball." - Teammate Mike Flanagan "Eddie (Murray) was a huge part of the success of the Orioles for a lot of years. He was a great player and a great teammate. He went out and did his job every day." - Cal Ripken, Jr. (June 1998) "Eddie Murray's bronze bust in Cooperstown will chatter only slightly less than the man himself. The first line of text on the monument should read: 'He spoke rarely and carried a mighty bat.'" - Associated Press Sportswriter David Ginsburg (January 7, 2003) "When I first came to the big leagues he really helped me out and showed me the way. His professionalism - and the way he was there for his team and ready to play - really had an impact on me as a young player." - Cal Ripken, Jr. "You've never seen a guy look so bad in BP. He (Eddie Murray) saved it for the games." - Hall of Famer & Teammate Jim Palmer |
sources: baseballhalloffame.org, baseball-almanac.com, official Orioles site: History: Orioles retired numbers, Michael Lewis Williams
osfan58202233 - February 25, 2008 05:51 AM (GMT)
February 25th -- Monte Irvin, 1919
One of the finest African-American players in the years preceding integration, Monte Irvin fashioned a career of dual excellence in both the Negro leagues and the Major Leagues. A high-average hitter with some power, he provided a potent bat in a Newark Eagles lineup that also included legends Willie Wells, Biz Mackey, and Mule Suttles. The well-spoken and dignified Irvin crossed the color line in 1949 and was a key contributor to two Giants pennant-winners, batting .458 in the 1951 World Series.
One of the finest African-American players in the years preceding integration, Monte Irvin fashioned a career of dual excellence in both the Negro leagues and the Major Leagues. A high-average hitter with some power, he provided a potent bat in a Newark Eagles lineup that also included legends Willie Wells, Biz Mackey, and Mule Suttles. The well-spoken and dignified Irvin crossed the color line in 1949 and was a key contributor to two Giants pennant-winners, batting .458 in the 1951 World Series.
| QUOTE |
| # He was a four-sport high school star in New Jersey before he turned pro when he was seventeen. # During the next ten years in the Negro Leagues, it was estimated that he had a batting average of .350. # One season in the Mexican League, he batted .397 and was named the MVP. # He had a career batting average in the National League of .293. # In the 1951 World Series for New York, he hit .458 when he went 11 for 24. # He had a World Series career batting average of .394. # His best year in the majors was 1951, when he hit .312, hit 24 home runs, drove in a league leading 121 runs, and scored 94 runs. # He served as a mentor to teammate Willie Mays. # He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973. |
"He was the best all-around player I ever saw."
-- Roy Campanella
sources: blackhistory.cmgwordwide.com, baseballhalloffame.org
osfan58202233 - February 26, 2008 03:12 AM (GMT)
February 26th - Grover Cleveland "Old Pete" Alexander, 1887
Perched among the much heralded names of Cy Young and Walter Johnson sits the name of Grover Cleveland Alexander. While overcoming the setbacks of epilepsy, hearing loss, and double vision, the man they called "Old Pete" compiled 373 victories, ranking third behind Young and Johnson. In 1911, Alexander broke into the majors in Philadelphia with style, going 28-13 with 31 complete games, 7 shutouts, and a 2.56 ERA. In 1915, he led the Phillies to the World Series with a 31-10 record and a 1.22 ERA, the ninth lowest single season ERA in history. In 1917, following three straight 30-plus winning seasons, Alexander was traded to the Chicago Cubs. He pitched for Chicago for seven years, winning over ten games in each one of them. After his release from the Cubs in 1926, the St. Louis Cardinals took a gamble and signed the 39-year-old right-hander. It turned out to be a bargain as he led the Cardinals to clinch the 1926 World Series against the Yankees. He also accomplished his major league high by his 7th inning strikeout against Yankees' Tony Lazzeri with bases loaded. In 1930, Alexander ended his career with the Phillies. Even though his career ended back where it began, "Old Pete" had traveled a long way in becoming one of the greatest pitchers ever. His accomplishments were rewarded with his election to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1938.
# In 1911, his first major league season with the Philadelphia Phillies, he won 28 games and lost only 13.
# Those 28 wins are a rookie record that still stands today.
# During his 20-year career (1911-1930), he compiled a record of 373 wins and 208 losses.
# He had a career ERA of 2.56
# In his career, he walked 953 batters and struck out 2,199.
# He led the National League in wins six times, including four straight years from 1914-1917.
# He led the National League in ERA five times.
# He had an ERA under 2.00 during six seasons.
# He led the League in complete games six times.
# He led the League in strikeouts six times.
# He led the League in shutouts six times.
Perched among the much heralded names of Cy Young and Walter Johnson sits the name of Grover Cleveland Alexander. While overcoming the setbacks of epilepsy, hearing loss, and double vision, the man they called "Old Pete" compiled 373 victories, ranking third behind Young and Johnson. In 1911, Alexander broke into the majors in Philadelphia with style, going 28-13 with 31 complete games, 7 shutouts, and a 2.56 ERA. In 1915, he led the Phillies to the World Series with a 31-10 record and a 1.22 ERA, the ninth lowest single season ERA in history. In 1917, following three straight 30-plus winning seasons, Alexander was traded to the Chicago Cubs. He pitched for Chicago for seven years, winning over ten games in each one of them. After his release from the Cubs in 1926, the St. Louis Cardinals took a gamble and signed the 39-year-old right-hander. It turned out to be a bargain as he led the Cardinals to clinch the 1926 World Series against the Yankees. He also accomplished his major league high by his 7th inning strikeout against Yankees' Tony Lazzeri with bases loaded. In 1930, Alexander ended his career with the Phillies. Even though his career ended back where it began, "Old Pete" had traveled a long way in becoming one of the greatest pitchers ever. His accomplishments were rewarded with his election to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1938.
# In 1911, his first major league season with the Philadelphia Phillies, he won 28 games and lost only 13.
# Those 28 wins are a rookie record that still stands today.
# During his 20-year career (1911-1930), he compiled a record of 373 wins and 208 losses.
# He had a career ERA of 2.56
# In his career, he walked 953 batters and struck out 2,199.
# He led the National League in wins six times, including four straight years from 1914-1917.
# He led the National League in ERA five times.
# He had an ERA under 2.00 during six seasons.
# He led the League in complete games six times.
# He led the League in strikeouts six times.
# He led the League in shutouts six times.
| QUOTE |
| Many of his minor league experiences were inauspicious. Playing for Galesburg, IL, of the Central Association in 1909, he tried to break up a double play and took the shortstop's relay directly in the head. Unconscious for two days, he awoke with double vision. Galesburg sent him to Indianapolis (American Association), but, still disoriented, he broke three of the manager's ribs with his first pitch. Indianapolis sent him home and sold his contract to the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League over the winter. By spring, his vision had cleared and he won 29 for the Chiefs, including 15 shutouts. |
Alexander's greatest years were in Philadelphia (1911-17), despite a right-field wall in the Baker Bowl that was only 272 feet from home plate. He won 190 games (one-third of the team's total for the period), won 30 or more three straight years, 1915-17, and led the NL in every important pitching statistic at least once. His 16 shutouts in 1916 is still the ML record.
Alexander has the unique distinction of being the namesake of one President of the United States who was portrayed on film by an actor who was later to become President of the United States.--per wikipedia
sources: baseballhalloffame.org, wikipedia, baseballlibrary.com
osfan58202233 - February 27, 2008 06:30 AM (GMT)
February 27-- Hilton Smith, 1912
A teammate of Satchel Paige's on the Kansas City Monarchs, Hilton Smith was best known for being Satchel's "relief." After Satchel pitched three innings, Hilton would come in and pitch the last six innings, with no appreciable difference in effectiveness. Yet, because Hilton's quietness contrasted with Satchel's flamboyance, he never received the publicity that Satchel did.
Undoubtedly possessing the best curve-ball in black baseball, many thought that Hilton was the best all-around pitcher in the game. In addition to his superlative curves, he had a sinking fastball, a slider and a change-of-pace, all of which he threw both side-armed and overhand, maintaining good control with both styles of delivery.
During his twelve years with the Monarchs, playing against all competition, the right-handed hurler won 20 or more games each year, with his best years coming in 1939-1942, when he finished with records of 25-2, 21-3, 25-1 and 22-5. Also pitching two winters in Cuba, the native Texan compiled a 10-5 record in the league. A good hitter, Hilton often pinch-hit or played outfield when not pitching.
The Monarch ace pitched in six consecutive All-Star games (1937-42), striking out 13 batters, tying with Satchel Paige for second place on the all-time all-star list, only one strike-out behind Leon Day. His All-Star years coincided with the years of Monarch domination in the Negro American League, a period during which they own five pennants in the first six years of the league's existence.
The last of these, 1942, was the year that the first Black World Series was played between the Negro American League and the more established Negro National League. Hilton pitched in this series and again in the 1946 World Series, starting once in 1942 and twice in 1946, and winning one game in each Series for a composite 2-0 World Series record with a 1.29 ERA.
In 1943 Hilton hurt his arm, but still managed ERAs of 2.74 and 2.31 in 1944 and 1945, respectively, and his arm "came back" in time to help pitch the Monarchs to the 1946 pennant.
He was the top pitcher (8-5) for the 1946-47 Venezuelan Winter League champion Vargas club. On March 1, 1947 in Caracas, Vargas defeated the New York Yankees 4-3; Smith started, allowing no runs and just one hit in five innings.
When the Negro Leagues broke up after the 1948 season, the records showed 161 wins against only 22 losses in league play. Then 36 years old, his age alone is all that kept Hilton from starring in the major leagues once the color barrier was removed.
Statistics are available only for the latter, and poorer, portion of his career; he had a sore arm in 1943, but published Negro American League figures give him a 23-13 mark for 1944 through 1948. He went 6-1 in exhibitions against white major leaguers and 10-5 over two Cuban Winter League stints.
A teammate of Satchel Paige's on the Kansas City Monarchs, Hilton Smith was best known for being Satchel's "relief." After Satchel pitched three innings, Hilton would come in and pitch the last six innings, with no appreciable difference in effectiveness. Yet, because Hilton's quietness contrasted with Satchel's flamboyance, he never received the publicity that Satchel did.
Undoubtedly possessing the best curve-ball in black baseball, many thought that Hilton was the best all-around pitcher in the game. In addition to his superlative curves, he had a sinking fastball, a slider and a change-of-pace, all of which he threw both side-armed and overhand, maintaining good control with both styles of delivery.
During his twelve years with the Monarchs, playing against all competition, the right-handed hurler won 20 or more games each year, with his best years coming in 1939-1942, when he finished with records of 25-2, 21-3, 25-1 and 22-5. Also pitching two winters in Cuba, the native Texan compiled a 10-5 record in the league. A good hitter, Hilton often pinch-hit or played outfield when not pitching.
The Monarch ace pitched in six consecutive All-Star games (1937-42), striking out 13 batters, tying with Satchel Paige for second place on the all-time all-star list, only one strike-out behind Leon Day. His All-Star years coincided with the years of Monarch domination in the Negro American League, a period during which they own five pennants in the first six years of the league's existence.
The last of these, 1942, was the year that the first Black World Series was played between the Negro American League and the more established Negro National League. Hilton pitched in this series and again in the 1946 World Series, starting once in 1942 and twice in 1946, and winning one game in each Series for a composite 2-0 World Series record with a 1.29 ERA.
In 1943 Hilton hurt his arm, but still managed ERAs of 2.74 and 2.31 in 1944 and 1945, respectively, and his arm "came back" in time to help pitch the Monarchs to the 1946 pennant.
He was the top pitcher (8-5) for the 1946-47 Venezuelan Winter League champion Vargas club. On March 1, 1947 in Caracas, Vargas defeated the New York Yankees 4-3; Smith started, allowing no runs and just one hit in five innings.
When the Negro Leagues broke up after the 1948 season, the records showed 161 wins against only 22 losses in league play. Then 36 years old, his age alone is all that kept Hilton from starring in the major leagues once the color barrier was removed.
Statistics are available only for the latter, and poorer, portion of his career; he had a sore arm in 1943, but published Negro American League figures give him a 23-13 mark for 1944 through 1948. He went 6-1 in exhibitions against white major leaguers and 10-5 over two Cuban Winter League stints.
| QUOTE |
| "Hilton never got the credit he deserved," teammate Allen "Lefty" Bryant once remarked. "We never told him, but Hilton was the best pitcher we had, including Satchel." |
sources: www.blackathlete.net, www.blackbaseball.com
osfan58202233 - February 28, 2008 05:59 AM (GMT)
February 28 -- February 28th - Frank Malzone, 1930
[dohtml]<img src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a61/dmhmt/malzone.jpg" width=400>[/dohtml]
Clason Point NY, 1947, "The Leland Cubs Athletic and Social Club":
Frank Malzone, Russ Farewell, Richie Kaucher, Floyd Cotrell
Dependable third baseman Frank Malzone averaged more than 152 games and 83 RBI a year for the Red Sox over 8 seasons, from 1957 through 1964. His best season came as a rookie in 1957 when he drove in a career-high 103 runs. That year he became the first player in modern baseball history to lead his position in games played, putouts, assists, errors, double plays, and fielding percentage and earned the first of three consecutive Gold Gloves.
Throughout his career, Malzone set numerous records. During his first full season with Boston in 1957, he tied an American League record with ten assists in one game.
going on back then as it still does today:
» December 7, 1957: The AP votes Tony Kubek of the Yanks as the Rookie of the Year. Frank Malzone of the Red Sox, who was declared ineligible, receives one vote. Malzone, with better offensive numbers, will later claim that he was robbed by New York writers, when the BBWA changes the minimum number of at-bats during the season, thus excluding him.
[dohtml]<img src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a61/dmhmt/malzone.jpg" width=400>[/dohtml]
Clason Point NY, 1947, "The Leland Cubs Athletic and Social Club":
Frank Malzone, Russ Farewell, Richie Kaucher, Floyd Cotrell
Dependable third baseman Frank Malzone averaged more than 152 games and 83 RBI a year for the Red Sox over 8 seasons, from 1957 through 1964. His best season came as a rookie in 1957 when he drove in a career-high 103 runs. That year he became the first player in modern baseball history to lead his position in games played, putouts, assists, errors, double plays, and fielding percentage and earned the first of three consecutive Gold Gloves.
Throughout his career, Malzone set numerous records. During his first full season with Boston in 1957, he tied an American League record with ten assists in one game.
going on back then as it still does today:
» December 7, 1957: The AP votes Tony Kubek of the Yanks as the Rookie of the Year. Frank Malzone of the Red Sox, who was declared ineligible, receives one vote. Malzone, with better offensive numbers, will later claim that he was robbed by New York writers, when the BBWA changes the minimum number of at-bats during the season, thus excluding him.
| QUOTE |
| A native of the Bronx, NY, Malzone signed with Boston as an amateur free agent prior to the 1948 season. He made his Red Sox debut during the 1955 season, playing in six games. "I was in the minor leagues for quite awhile before I got an opportunity to play in the big leagues," said Malzone. "I was in the army for two years in '52 and '53 and when I got back they put me in Triple-A and wanted to see if I could still play. "In '57 I got the chance to play third base and that was my first full year with the Red Sox. It was a big opportunity for me. I was at a stage in my career where I was either going to make it or be a career minor leaguer or go into baseball as a coach. Things turned out for me." |
sources: www.boston.com, baseballlibrary.com
osfan58202233 - March 1, 2008 12:55 AM (GMT)
February 29
hey, better late than never?
Dickey Pearce - 1836
Ed Appleton - 1892
Roy Parker - 1896
Ralph Miller - 1896
Pepper Martin - 1904
Al Rosen - 1924
Paul Giel - 1932
Steve Mingori - 1944
Al Autry - 1952
Jerry Fry - 1956
Bill Long - 1960
Terrence Long - 1976
All of em are leap year boys. As Buck Martinez said, "Hey, pretty nice team you got there!"
hey, better late than never?
Dickey Pearce - 1836
Ed Appleton - 1892
Roy Parker - 1896
Ralph Miller - 1896
Pepper Martin - 1904
Al Rosen - 1924
Paul Giel - 1932
Steve Mingori - 1944
Al Autry - 1952
Jerry Fry - 1956
Bill Long - 1960
Terrence Long - 1976
All of em are leap year boys. As Buck Martinez said, "Hey, pretty nice team you got there!"