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Baseball Passings 2021

G-Fafif Jan 01 2021 03:19 PM

George Vass, whose byline was a staple of Baseball Digest, 93. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/chicagotribune/name/george-vass-obituary?n=george-vass&pid=197385023&fhid=15392&fbclid=IwAR3pMpQGTWy00kiV09B_moCfEwbxx3rlPoyWNwtC79CNWsLI92NJhysGBzo

MFS62 Jan 28 2021 05:08 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Before we get all misty, the Dick Smith who passed away was not the Dick Smith who played for the early Mets. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smithdi01.shtml But, RIP. Later

G-Fafif Jan 28 2021 07:13 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Before we get all misty, the Dick Smith who passed away was not the Dick Smith who played for the early Mets. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smithdi01.shtml But, RIP. Later The Mets' Dick Smith died in 2012, though because no obituary appeared, the baseball community didn't learn of his passing until 2015.

G-Fafif Jan 28 2021 07:16 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Mike Sadek, 74, the Giants' version of Ron Hodges — their backup catcher for nearly a decade. Worked in the SF organization for a long time thereafter. https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2021/01/21/mike-sadek-former-giants-catcher-dies-at-74-after-illness/

G-Fafif Jan 28 2021 07:19 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Ron Samford, 90, infielder on the 1954 world champion Giants. With his passing, only 12 New York Giants remain among us..

Benjamin Grimm Jan 28 2021 07:21 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Huh! I wonder... How many Brooklyn Dodgers are left? Boston Braves? Philadelphia Athletics? St. Louis Browns?

G-Fafif Jan 28 2021 07:30 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Huh! I wonder... How many Brooklyn Dodgers are left? Boston Braves? Philadelphia Athletics? St. Louis Browns? 14 Brooklyn Dodgers 1 Boston Brave 5 Philadelphia Athletics 6 St. Louis Browns https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Category:Lists

Benjamin Grimm Jan 28 2021 07:38 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

That last Boston Brave is Del Crandall, whose 91st birthday will be in March. https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/26/26-162Fr.jpg> https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/8666/8666-497046Fr.jpg>

MFS62 Jan 28 2021 09:32 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I had a Del Crandall model catcher's mitt. Later

MFS62 Jan 28 2021 06:42 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Pitcher Paul Foytack - 90 He was on that 1961 Tiger team that won 101 games, but unfortunately came in second to the MFY powerhouse. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/foytapa01.shtml He passed away Jan 23rd. RIP Later

Frayed Knot Jan 28 2021 07:53 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

C&C (Cash & Colavito) (172) knocked in more runs than (M&M) Mantle & Maris (169) that year (1961) and when Al Kaline [324/393/525] is your third best offensive player, you've got yourself a pretty good team.

Edgy MD Jan 28 2021 08:11 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

This begs the question (it really doesn't) of who the Mets' top similarly initialed RBI pair was. My first guess off the top of my head is M&M 1978, with Mazzilli (61) and Montanez (96) for a total of 157. Any others guesses? Brogna and Bonilla? Hundley and Huskey?

batmagadanleadoff Jan 28 2021 08:29 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Frayed Knot wrote: C&C (Cash & Colavito) (172) knocked in more runs than (M&M) Mantle & Maris (169) that year (1961) and when Al Kaline [324/393/525] is your third best offensive player, you've got yourself a pretty good team. 269 for the M&M boys -- 141 (Maris) and 128. 272 for C&C.

Chad ochoseis Jan 28 2021 09:01 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Edgy MD wrote: This begs the question (it really doesn't) of who the Mets' top similarly initialed RBI pair was. My first guess off the top of my head is M&M 1978, with Mazzilli (61) and Montanez (96) for a total of 157. Any others guesses? Brogna and Bonilla? Hundley and Huskey? 2000 Piazza (113) and Payton (62) probably win. I'd forgotten about Payton and was going with Piazza and Perez. But Piazza + any random P is a good bet.

Edgy MD Jan 28 2021 09:23 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

That's 175. Killer. Hundley (112) and Huskey (60) 1996 give us 172. In the neighborhood but just one house short. Anybody else?

batmagadanleadoff Jan 28 2021 10:01 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Top of the pops! 1991 Johnson - 117; Jefferies - 62 (179) Kinda close, but no cigar: 1999 Olerud - 96; Ordonez - 60 (Ordonez!) (156) 1990 McReynolds - 82; Magadan - 72 (154)

MFS62 Feb 01 2021 03:55 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Mel Antonen -64 former MLB reporter: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2021/01/31/former-usa-today-mlb-reporter-mel-antonen-dies-64/4331940001/ I used to read his work in USA Today. Later

G-Fafif Feb 02 2021 06:56 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Longtime reliever and 1979 world champion Grant Jackson, 78, per his Pirate teammate Omar Moreno.

Edgy MD Feb 02 2021 08:00 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Who didn't love that 1979 veteran Bucs bullpen? Bibby doing the long work, Romo getting the righties, Jackson getting the lefties, and Teke closing the games.

G-Fafif Feb 03 2021 08:09 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Wayne Terwilliger, who had been the oldest surviving New York Giant, 95 (leaving the living NYG roster at 11). The man managed past the age of 80. https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/mlb/texas-rangers/article248910134.html

MFS62 Feb 03 2021 08:21 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

=G-Fafif post_id=55368 time=1612364997 user_id=55] Wayne Terwilliger, who had been the oldest surviving New York Giant, 95 (leaving the living NYG roster at 11). The man managed past the age of 80.

RIP, Twig



Later

MFS62 Feb 05 2021 06:35 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Hy Cohen, who went to Brooklyn College and then pitched seven games for the Cubs - 90 He passed away yesterday. (Saw his obit on Facebook, Baseball-reference hasn't been updated yet) Olavai Shalom. Later

G-Fafif Feb 07 2021 08:14 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Pedro Gomez, who covered baseball for ESPN, 58. https://www.espnfrontrow.com/2021/02/remembering-espn-sportscenter-reporter-pedro-gomez/

G-Fafif Feb 10 2021 04:59 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Billy C. https://twitter.com/redsox/status/1359547144139649024?s=21

Edgy MD Feb 10 2021 05:24 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Man, I feel like we've been documenting a whole lotta death these days. If I recall correctly, Billy became something of a big karate guy following his early retirement.

G-Fafif Feb 16 2021 04:45 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Angel Mangual, member of the A's dynasty of 1972-1974, 74.

Edgy MD Feb 16 2021 04:50 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Had the stache to prove it. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CtzV4uIVMAA0iS5.jpg>

MFS62 Feb 17 2021 04:42 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Lew Krausse 77 Pitched in majors for 12 years, known best for the A's. Later

G-Fafif Feb 18 2021 08:49 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Juan Pizarro, two-time All-Star, 18-season veteran and 131-game winner Juan Pizarro, 84.

Edgy MD Feb 18 2021 10:14 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Nine tours of duty with eight organizations, and his name appropriately sounded like that of a global explorer.

Edgy MD Feb 18 2021 10:16 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

And look at this WikiFact! [BLOCKQUOTE]Looking at his entire professional career, Pizarro won more than 400 ballgames. His regular-season count is 392: 197 in the US (131 in the majors and 66 in the minors), plus 38 more in Mexico in his late 30s and 157 while playing winter ball in his homeland. His final record in Puerto Rico was 157–110, with a superb 2.51 ERA. Only Rubén Gómez had more wins (174, and he needed 29 seasons to do it).[/BLOCKQUOTE]

batmagadanleadoff Feb 19 2021 05:29 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Pizarro pulled a Syndergaard at Shea Stadium before Syndergaard ever did when, in 1971 against peak Tom Seaver, Pizarro shut-out the Mets 1-0 and homered. I still remember this game. Different times back then. Pizarro homered in the eighth inning. What are the chances he'd be allowed to bat in the eighth inning of a tie game against a virtually unhittable Tom Seaver today? What are the chances that Pizarro would even get to the eighth inning for the manager (Durocher in '71) to have to consider that decision today? https://www.nytimes.com/1971/09/17/archives/pizarros-homer-downs-mets-10-cubs-lefthander-connects-in-8th-to.html

Johnny Lunchbucket Feb 19 2021 09:57 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I didn't know (or had forgotten) that Angel Mangual is the brother of one-time Met Pepe Mangual, and that they were cousins to Coco Laboy

G-Fafif Feb 23 2021 07:37 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Stan Williams, Dodgers pitcher who helped let the 1962 pennant slip away to the Giants (but did plenty to get L.A. to that three-game playoff), 84. Pitched from 1958 to 1972, coached thereafter.

Edgy MD Mar 02 2021 02:19 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Doff your cap in honor of Vi Ripken, Orioles matriarch who shared with Wilson Ramos the harrowing status of kidnapping survivor. https://cdn.s3-media.wbal.com/Media/2021/02/28/543fc146-cd7a-405a-81ed-91ed3b15a316/original.jpg>

G-Fafif Mar 03 2021 11:09 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Another Orioles icon: Joe Altobelli, their 1983 World Series-winning manager, 88. Also helmed the Giants in the ‘70s.

stevejrogers Mar 03 2021 11:22 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

=G-Fafif post_id=57292 time=1614794943 user_id=55] Another Orioles icon: Joe Altobelli, their 1983 World Series-winning manager, 88. Also helmed the Giants in the ‘70s.

Inspiration for the Skip character in Bull Durham.

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 03 2021 11:31 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

If you asked me who managed the 83 Orioles until 2 minutes ago I'd have totally said Earl Weaver. I do recall Joe as the manager on inset pictures on many a SF Giants team Topps card.

seawolf17 Mar 03 2021 11:42 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Altobelli *is* Rochester baseball. Terribly sad, although he'd been very sick for a while.

Edgy MD Mar 03 2021 11:50 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Yeah, a big part of the long wait for the Hall of Fame for Earl Weaver was that he never got the magic second championship that managers need to cement their candidacy. There were two championships in the Weaver era, but the second happened during the Altobelli Interregnum, while Earl was enjoying a time-out.

G-Fafif Mar 08 2021 01:57 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Rheal Cormier, 53, from cancer.

MFS62 Mar 08 2021 02:15 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Rheal Cormier, 53, from cancer. He was a Canadian baseball hall-of-famer. https://www.aol.com/longtime-major-league-baseball-pitcher-210146427.html In his 16 seasons, Cormier compiled a 71-64 overall record with a 4.03 ERA for the Cardinals, Phillies, Boston Red Sox, Montreal Expos and Cincinnati Reds. He pitched in the postseason twice with Boston, and surrendered no runs over six appearances in the 1999 American League Playoffs. RIP Later

G-Fafif Mar 18 2021 03:34 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Ed Armbrister, Big Red Machine cog, 72.

MFS62 Mar 18 2021 04:10 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

=G-Fafif post_id=58120 time=1616103240 user_id=55] Ed Armbrister, Big Red Machine cog, 72.

I always got Ed and Reds teammate Gene Locklear confused for the other.

RIP



Later

Edgy MD Mar 18 2021 05:06 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

It's funny how vividly a guy on a card can hit you when you're nine. I would have guessed he had a long career. It turned out he appeared in only 224 games and hit four homers (but two in one game!). Part of the small fraternity of Bahamian big leaguers. In my mind, that means he got to hang out with the Beatles.

Willets Point Mar 18 2021 07:42 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Only 7 Bahamians have appeared in MLB, not counting the Baha Men performing before the Mets 2000 postseason games.

G-Fafif Mar 25 2021 11:09 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Former AL president and MFY reserve Bobby Brown, 96.

Frayed Knot Mar 25 2021 11:40 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

A story about Brown, possibly true and if not it should be, was that he, later to be a cardiologist after his playing days, was reading a medical text on the team bus one day. Seated next to him was Yogi reading a comic book. As it happened they both closed their books at the same time prompting Yogi to ask, "So how did yours turn out?"

Edgy MD Mar 27 2021 08:25 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Mike Bell, Twins bench coach and member of the multi-generational Bell playing and coaching dynasty (grandson of an original Met), has succumbed to cancer at 46.

G-Fafif Apr 01 2021 01:23 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Ken Reitz, All-Star, Gold Glover and teammate of Keith Hernandez, 69. Brett Reitz released the following statement through the team: "On behalf of my dad and my family I'd like to thank the Cardinals organization for allowing my father to live out his dream. Also, Cardinals fans for the endless support over the years. The only thing my dad loved as much as his family was baseball. He ate, slept, and breathed baseball and truly loved the city of St. Louis and the Cardinals. The loss of “Grandpa Kenny”, as his six grandkids called him, is heartbreaking. He will be truly missed.” https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/former-cardinals-third-baseman-reitz-the-zamboni-dies-at-69/article_115d5ebe-a000-5cdd-90c3-fa0d9122dfa8.html

G-Fafif Apr 09 2021 06:32 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Phil Coyne, usher who seated Pirate fans for more than 80 years, 102. https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2021/04/09/pittsburgh-pirates-pnc-park-usher-phil-coyne-dies/

Willets Point Apr 09 2021 06:46 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Incredible that he worked at three ballparks!

G-Fafif Apr 22 2021 06:19 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Adrian Garrett, Wayne's brother who played for four MLB clubs, 78.

Edgy MD Apr 22 2021 09:37 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Gosh, I brought him up just two days ago. Shared Wayne's ginger locks, but a stockier type.

G-Fafif May 05 2021 02:33 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Ray Miller, well-regarded pitching coach (who also managed), 75.

Edgy MD May 05 2021 03:48 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

The Rube Walker of the O's.

G-Fafif May 05 2021 04:17 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

John Means with the (almost) perfect tribute to Miller.

G-Fafif May 06 2021 01:23 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Del Crandall, the last Boston Brave and a champion in Milwaukee in 1957, 91.

G-Fafif May 11 2021 05:15 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Hal Breeden, Cub, Expo, law enforcement officer and all-time Richmond Brave, 76. https://richmond.com/sports/professional/there-will-never-be-another-hal-breeden-and-his-37-hrs-116-rbi-for-1970/article_ae8619bf-eaa8-5b4a-9e2d-ce6e62dc3cf2.html

G-Fafif May 13 2021 09:17 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Richie Scheinblum, 1972 AL All-Star for the Royals and the first ballplayer I was aware was Jewish, 78.

G-Fafif May 18 2021 10:47 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 05 2021 10:54 AM

Rennie Stinnett, stalwart second sacker for those great Pirate teams of the 1970s and author of a 7-for-7 day at Wrigley Field, 72, from cancer. https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN197509160.shtml

Marshmallowmilkshake May 18 2021 11:43 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Rennie Stinnett, stalwart second sacker for those great Pirate teams of the 1970s and author of a 7-for-7 day at Wrigley Field, 72, from cancer. https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN197509160.shtml https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51nlna7e3JL._SR600%2C315_PIWhiteStrip%2CBottomLeft%2C0%2C35_SCLZZZZZZZ_FMpng_BG255%2C255%2C255.jpg> I was forever getting this card in my 1973 packs!

Johnny Lunchbucket May 18 2021 12:38 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

That guy could really prevent balls from rolling into dugouts. No, I'm reading the new Dave Parker bio. Parkway often mentions Stennett fighting through knee injuries. Pittsburgh had an embarrassment of talent in the 70s yet too few crowns to show for it.

Edgy MD May 18 2021 12:52 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Was part of the first all-African-American/Afro-Latin lineup, if I am not mistaken. Secondbaseman on your All-Time Panamanian Major Leaguer Team.

batmagadanleadoff May 18 2021 01:12 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: That guy could really prevent balls from rolling into dugouts..... Pittsburgh had an embarrassment of talent in the 70s yet too few crowns to show for it. The Pirates won as many WS as the Big Red Machine did. And (in the 70s), one more than the O's. How many do you think they were supposed to win? Only the A's won more WS than Pitt. in the 70s. I'm not even sure that the Pirates were better than the Phillies of the second half of the decade, although in the 70s, the Pirates were awesome for longer. I don't remember that Stennet card and I collected the 1973 set heavily. It's not a high card which I could see not getting, so maybe I didn't complete that series. Or forgot that I had it.

Johnny Lunchbucket May 18 2021 02:03 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I stand corrected on their title count. Seems like the 70s were a Dodger-Reds decade and less a Pirate decade, to me. Anyway, tremendous talent. And lots of John Milner Content in the book

batmagadanleadoff May 18 2021 02:16 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: I stand corrected on their title count. Seems like the 70s were a Dodger-Reds decade and less a Pirate decade, to me. Anyway, tremendous talent. And lots of John Milner Content in the book Maybe I'll get that Parker book. I was a huge fan of his and was sorry to see him decline so rapidly for a few years in the early 80s.

Johnny Lunchbucket May 18 2021 03:05 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

You feel like you get to know Parker, that's for sure. There's a little too much play-by-play that you kinda forget (having written a book with too much pbp I know).

batmagadanleadoff May 18 2021 04:29 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Seems like the 70s were a Dodger-Reds decade and less a Pirate decade, to me. Anyway, tremendous talent. Often, when I think of the powerhouse NL 70s teams, I try and imagine what Tom Seaver would have looked like in those We are Family Japanese mix 'n match Pirate uniforms of the late 70s. Seaver's '77 list of the teams he'd accept a trade to were comprised of the four perennial 70s NL contenders -- Pitt., Phila., Cin. and LA. And if Zvon were around, he'd have a pic of Seaver in those Mizunos within an hour of this post posting.

dinosaur jesus May 18 2021 05:08 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Seems like the 70s were a Dodger-Reds decade and less a Pirate decade, to me. Anyway, tremendous talent. Often, when I think of the powerhouse NL 70s teams, I try and imagine what Tom Seaver would have looked like in those We are Family Japanese mix 'n match Pirate uniforms of the late 70s. Seaver's '77 list of the teams he'd accept a trade to were comprised of the four perennial 70s NL contenders -- Pitt., Phila., Cin. and LA. And if Zvon were around, he'd have a pic of Seaver in those Mizunos within an hour of this post posting. He would have looked like a clown. And by 1982 he would have grown a Rick Rhoden mustache, as all the Pirates did in those days. At least we were spared that.

G-Fafif May 18 2021 05:10 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I read an early manuscript of Cobra. The Daves (Parker and Jordan) dug deep and delivered in detail.

batmagadanleadoff May 18 2021 05:29 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

dinosaur jesus wrote: Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Seems like the 70s were a Dodger-Reds decade and less a Pirate decade, to me. Anyway, tremendous talent. Often, when I think of the powerhouse NL 70s teams, I try and imagine what Tom Seaver would have looked like in those We are Family Japanese mix 'n match Pirate uniforms of the late 70s. Seaver's '77 list of the teams he'd accept a trade to were comprised of the four perennial 70s NL contenders -- Pitt., Phila., Cin. and LA. And if Zvon were around, he'd have a pic of Seaver in those Mizunos within an hour of this post posting. He would have looked like a clown. And by 1982 he would have grown a Rick Rhoden mustache, as all the Pirates did in those days. At least we were spared that. I wonder what that says about today's baseball aesthetics when every MLB team wears mismatched tops and bottoms?

Johnny Lunchbucket May 18 2021 06:23 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

You can't help but be impressed with all the hitters the Pirates developed and acquired in that era, and to hear Parker tell it, several guys you never heard of who were just as good. Somehow the Mets wind up with their dregs (Hebner and Taveras) while they reload with even better guys and fleece the Mets in deals for Foli and Milner

Edgy MD May 18 2021 08:39 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I didn't get Foli. His Pirate teammates swore that he was a steal and a key cog of that 1979 championship, but with a gun to my head, I'd say that Taveras brought more to the table.

batmagadanleadoff May 18 2021 09:16 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: You can't help but be impressed with all the hitters the Pirates developed and acquired in that era, and to hear Parker tell it, several guys you never heard of who were just as good. Somehow the Mets wind up with their dregs (Hebner and Taveras) while they reload with even better guys and fleece the Mets in deals for Foli and Milner Hebner gets this terrible, terrible rep that comes only from Mets fans viewing things parochially, through their Metscentric worldview. Hebner played for the 1979 Mets, maybe the saddest NL team that ever was throughout Hebner's entire MLB career, where he had an off year playing for a team that had hit rock-bottom in a city he didn't want to be in. But before the Mets, with the powerhouse Pirates, and then after the Mets, with the powerhouse Phillies, Hebner was a terrific player who more than pulled his own weight as an everyday player for pennant contending teams.

Edgy MD May 18 2021 09:27 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I agree with you, thougt the Phils came before the Mets in Hebner's timeline. He went to Detroit after. And hit there too. And even with the 1979 Mets, he co-led them in RBI despite playing in only 136 games. A big part of the problem with Hebner was what we've frequently seen since: (1) He wasn't a part-timer before he came to the Mets, but neither was he quite a full-timer, but he was coming over as the firstbaseman of a defending division champion with a stacked lineup, so he seemed to have high-end pedigree if you squinted. (2) He batted cleanup. (3) He was traded for the indifferently talented but popular Nino. (4) He was over-sold. A Met team that wasn't bringing in anybody brought in a cleanup hitter. (5) When he wasn't a superstar, he was booed. (6) Coming from a pennant winner to an under-resourced basement dweller, and getting rewarded with boos, he grumbled. (7) Those grumbles were interpreted as "Hebner hates us" and so he was booed some more. (8) The cycle fed off itself.

dinosaur jesus May 18 2021 10:11 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Edgy MD wrote: I didn't get Foli. His Pirate teammates swore that he was a steal and a key cog of that 1979 championship, but with a gun to my head, I'd say that Taveras brought more to the table. Foli chose that one year to be a decent major league player. It was kind of infuriating to see it happen. But they were generally pretty comparable in value—Taveras a slightly better hitter, Foli a better fielder. I think the perception that Taveras was better was an illusion based on his stealing all those bases, and from his mostly being on better teams. The Pirates might have seen through that, or they might simply have decided that on a team with plenty of hitting, they wanted the glove man. And then he went and hit .291 for them.

batmagadanleadoff May 18 2021 10:31 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

And very view baseball players have this in their pedigree: [FIMG=300]https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71oyBwJliKL._AC_SY606_.jpg[/FIMG]

G-Fafif Jun 12 2021 03:37 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Mudcat Grant, 85. https://www.mlb.com/news/mudcat-grant-dies-at-85

Frayed Knot Jun 12 2021 03:45 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

In my younger days I'd conflate him and Bluemoon Odom. I'll take black RH AL pitchers with cool/odd nicknames for $600 Alex

G-Fafif Jun 12 2021 06:11 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

[tweet]https://twitter.com/twinsalmanac/status/1403811826794741765[/tweet]

Edgy MD Jun 12 2021 08:34 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

That says something that the Twins themselves are trumpeting that story.

batmagadanleadoff Jun 12 2021 11:44 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Grant was "discovered" by scout Fred Merkle, who I assume, was that Fred Merkle. From SABR's Land of the Free, Home of the Brave: Mudcat Grant's Odyssey to Sing the National Anthem Excerpt: Even worse, segregation provided constant intimidation and danger. The family had a trapdoor in the floor, a refuge for when marauding white bands invaded, shooting into houses during what Grant described as “n*****-shooting time.”2 He was verbally and physically harassed by local authorities, and whites pelted him with rocks when he ventured outside “colored” areas. A childhood friend was killed for violating racial protocol.3 As Grant recalled, “As a black person, if you tried to think about the worst thing that could happen to you, it could happen that day. And something worse could happen to you the next day. . . . These became almost everyday things. . . . We were terrorized for 300 years. But we didn't call it terror.”4 [***] Eleven days later in Cleveland, opportunity took a darker turn. Egged on by bullpen teammates and frustrated by obstructed efforts to integrate Southern lunch counters, Grant's tolerance boiled over as he sang along with the anthem. As the song reached its ascending conclusion, Grant ad-libbed, “And this land is not so free, 'cause I can't even go to Mississipp-ee,” or words to that effect.8 Pitching coach and Texas resident Ted Wilks overheard. “If you don't like our country, why in the hell don't you get out,” he thundered. “Well, I can get out of the country,” Grant replied. “All I have to do is go to Texas. That's worse than Russia.” Wilks lit the match: “Well, if we catch your black n***** ass in Texas, we're going to hang you from the nearest tree.”9 Grant threw a punch that dropped Wilks to the ground. Pushing and shoving ensued until teammates separated them. Angered and unable to think clearly, Grant fled the park without alerting manager Jimmy Dykes, for which he was suspended for the rest of the season. Some accounts indicate Wilks apologized. “Are you kidding me?” Grant recently scoffed. “He was a racist. . . . There was no way he was going to apologize because [racism] was too strong back in those days.”10 To the team's credit, it quickly reassigned Wilks to the minor leagues and kept Grant on.11 But letters filled his mailbox, some complimentary, many not. He burned all but one he considered “funny” from a war veteran: “Dear black SOB, you got a lot of nerve,” it read. “After all we've done for you. . . . We ought to ship all you N****** and Jews back to Africa.”12 Grant expected other players to follow his protest, but no one did. https://sabr.org/journal/article/land-of-the-free-home-of-the-brave-mudcat-grants-odyssey-to-sing-the-national-anthem/

G-Fafif Jul 03 2021 10:03 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Superagent Tom Reich, 82. https://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2021/07/02/Tom-Reich-pioneering-agent-who-represented-Pirates-players-dies-at-82/stories/202107020148

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 15 2021 06:32 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Former Met Dick Tidrow, who also pitched for a lesser New York team. [url]https://nypost.com/2021/07/14/dick-tidrow-ex-yankees-pitcher-and-giants-exec-dead-at-74/

G-Fafif Aug 05 2021 10:54 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

J.R. Richard, 71.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 05 2021 10:55 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Gary talking about it now. I remember him well.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 05 2021 10:56 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/8670/8670-486803Fr.jpg>

G-Fafif Aug 05 2021 11:03 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

What a debut. Note who he struck out three times.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 05 2021 11:46 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I'm always surprised to see that Joe Morgan was a Houston Astro in 1971. That was the first year I was paying attention to baseball, but Joe Morgan must have escaped my notice. My earliest memory of him is as a Cincinnati Red.

Johnny Lunchbucket Aug 05 2021 12:34 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

James Rodney. Guys were just helpless against him.

Frayed Knot Aug 05 2021 12:49 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm always surprised to see that Joe Morgan was a Houston Astro in 1971. That was the first year I was paying attention to baseball, but Joe Morgan must have escaped my notice. My earliest memory of him is as a Cincinnati Red. Was with Houston since coming up in '63 and was one of the characters during the Houston stint in Jim Bouton's BALL FOUR Was traded to Cincy at the end of '71 though went back to the Astros for the 1980 season

Edgy MD Aug 05 2021 12:53 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Richard was terrific. I've mentioned this before, but he was one of only four players to be honored by Bob Murphy by seemingly always being referred to by three names. In one of those "athlete knows his body" stories, he'd remove himself from a game when he was pitching brilliantly. Like deGrom, nobody would be touching him, but he knew something was wrong. But being a big black dude back in the day, he didn't get a lot of compassion. A lot of egg ended up on a lot of his critics faces when he suffered a mid-career stroke. He tried to return in 1982 and 1983 but was never close to the same, and the Astros were terrified of using him in a game, not leastwise because his vision was so blurred that there was no confidence he could respond if a liner came back at him. He never fully recovered mentally, either, and went through a bout of homelessness, before former teammates tried to reach a hand out. He amazingly only made one All-Star Game, and that was in his final season. It's fair to wonder, had the stroke never happened, if the 1986 Mets get past an Astros team that had him on the roster, even in his mid-30s. He was that good. Nolan Ryan's arm on Dave Winfield's body.

batmagadanleadoff Aug 05 2021 02:20 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I loved Richard and I always associate him with Craig Swan because Richard's two best full seasons (1978 and 1979) were also Swan's peak. Might've won the '79 Cy Young Award if voters back then were as knowledgeable as they are today. Led the NL in K's in '79 with 313, 100 more K's than the runner-up.

Edgy MD Aug 05 2021 02:24 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Received 7 of 425 votes in his lone appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot.

seawolf17 Aug 05 2021 06:37 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

The two guys who amazed me in 1982 when I discovered baseball were JR Richard and Joe Charbonneau. In a time before the internet, I couldn't understand how a guy could go from striking out 300 guys in a year -- or hit 20 home runs, win Rookie of the Year -- and then just suddenly not be in baseball any more. I actually assumed as a kid that they must have died, because that's the only thing that could stop you from playing baseball. JR Richard was something of a legend to me.

Edgy MD Aug 05 2021 07:28 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

There was a movie about him starring That Guy from Arrow. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2e/Scaled_resurrection.jpg> He also played himself on this Sports Illustrated cover. http://images.thepostgame.com/assets/public/JR-Richard-SI-Cover.jpg> He was a joy to behold. It was amazing going into Houston back then knowing you were going to see the Dome, along with the likes of Niekro, Knepper, Ryan and Richard. If you were lucky, you'd get some hot, sexy bullpen action from a pre-Mets Joe Sambito and/or a pre-Cardinals Joaquin Andujar. The pre-series storyline would always be (a) how the Mets routinely get destroyed in the Dome, and (b) how rarely any Met has ever homered in the park. There usually would only be three guys on the roster who had pulled off the feat. The park not only featured the longest distances to the highest walls in the league, but until 1984 or so, all the air conditioning blew in from the outfield. Also, a really bouncy carpet. If a ball dropped in, Mookie Wilson (when he came up, which was shortly after Richard disappeared) could run forever. The Mets would routinely get trampled on western swings, but somehow you didn't mind as much when it was Houston as you did when it was Cincinnati, LA, or San Francisco. The two trips to Houston every year just had this air of the exotic about it. And you could count on Ralph to use his favorite pun, joking that the Mets had an edifice complex when it came to The Astrodome. Sometimes it seemed like they'd spend half the game talking about the building. Nineteen eighty was the only year that Ryan and Richard's careers intersected, but boy were they great. That was the year Joe Morgan returned to the Houston too.

smg58 Aug 05 2021 08:05 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Richard's story was a sad one. But for a couple of years he was great, and he seemed to e getting better. He was 10-4 with a 1.90 ERA less than halfway through the 1980 season when the wheels came off.

DocTee Aug 06 2021 10:28 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I remember being haunted by the grainy back-and-white photo on the backpage of the Daily News showing JRR collapsed on the turf and doctors attending to him. I couldnt be mis-remembering that, could I?

Benjamin Grimm Aug 06 2021 11:20 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

http://ultimatemets.com/clippings/Daily_News_Thu__Jul_31__1980_.jpg> http://ultimatemets.com/clippings/Daily_News_Fri__Aug_1__1980_.jpg> http://ultimatemets.com/clippings/Daily_News_Fri__Aug_1__1980_p53.jpg>

batmagadanleadoff Aug 06 2021 11:59 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

‘If He Doesn't Have That Stroke, He's in the Hall of Fame' For five seasons in the late 1970s, J.R. Richard of the Houston Astros was as intimidating as any pitcher before or since. His legacy is the reverence of the batters who faced him. Excerpt: J.R. Richard never faded. His next to last start was at the All-Star Game in 1980. He was 30 years old, at the apex of his powers, when it all went away. He was the Sandy Koufax of his generation. [***] “I kid you not: If they took the radar gun that they're using right now and they put it on J.R., when the ball left his hand like that, it was probably going 110,” the longtime outfielder Gary Matthews, who faced Richard more than any other hitter, said on Thursday. “If he doesn't have that stroke, he's in the Hall of Fame. He had Hall of Fame stuff and he would have had Hall of Fame stats. J.R. Richard doesn't have to take a back seat to any pitcher that's ever pitched in the major leagues.” https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/sports/baseball/jr-richard-astros.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage

batmagadanleadoff Aug 06 2021 12:23 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

‘If He Doesn't Have That Stroke, He's in the Hall of Fame' For five seasons in the late 1970s, J.R. Richard of the Houston Astros was as intimidating as any pitcher before or since. His legacy is the reverence of the batters who faced him. Excerpt: J.R. Richard never faded. His next to last start was at the All-Star Game in 1980. He was 30 years old, at the apex of his powers, when it all went away. He was the Sandy Koufax of his generation. [***] “I kid you not: If they took the radar gun that they're using right now and they put it on J.R., when the ball left his hand like that, it was probably going 110,” the longtime outfielder Gary Matthews, who faced Richard more than any other hitter, said on Thursday. “If he doesn't have that stroke, he's in the Hall of Fame. He had Hall of Fame stuff and he would have had Hall of Fame stats. J.R. Richard doesn't have to take a back seat to any pitcher that's ever pitched in the major leagues.” https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/sports/baseball/jr-richard-astros.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage They could've quoted Keith Hernandez for this article. Keith always says that Richard threw the best slider he ever saw.

G-Fafif Aug 07 2021 05:13 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Jim Morrison soulmate Patricia Kennelly-Morrison, 75. She gave her blessing to Robin Ventura's adoption of Mojo Risin' in 1999. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/04/arts/music/patricia-kennealy-morrison-rock-journalist-dies-at-75.html

G-Fafif Aug 13 2021 05:03 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Former Post sports columnist Jay Greenberg, 71, remembered here by colleague Mike Vaccaro. He came in with both feet kicking the door down, you bet he did. When you read the first column Jay Greenberg wrote for the Post, Feb. 22, 1994, it's not only 100-percent Jay's voice in the words, you can actually hear Jay's voice, too, the gravelly lilt of his Pennsylvania upbringing still evident, the joy ever-crackling behind an impish smile. “I woke up in the city that never sleeps,” he wrote, by way of introduction, “and I couldn't get back to sleep. On the street below, taxis blared like Dallas Green. In the hallway, doors were slamming, like Ray Handley applying for head-coaching jobs …” https://nypost.com/2021/08/13/rip-jay-greenberg-so-much-more-than-a-great-post-columnist/

G-Fafif Aug 13 2021 07:34 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

The death of Groth whittles the roster of living St. Louis Browns to four. [tweet]https://twitter.com/baseballhall/status/1426352885705715716[/tweet]

G-Fafif Aug 19 2021 08:38 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

[tweet]https://twitter.com/tigers/status/1428360006257111052[/tweet]

Johnny Lunchbucket Aug 19 2021 08:51 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Had an awesome shot on his '73 Topps card https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/hZwAAOSwFghgmefs/s-l300.jpg>

seawolf17 Aug 19 2021 09:03 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I'm almost complete on my post-75 Topps collection, and I'm starting with the 73s and 74s. Some of the photography in those two years in particular was fascinatingly awful.

Edgy MD Aug 19 2021 09:51 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

And awfully fascinating. They made a commitment to switch to action shots before securing much of a collection of sources for action shots. Is he tagging out a Yankee (Celerino Sanchez?) there in one of the final seasons of YS1?

G-Fafif Aug 19 2021 10:55 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

When I was coming to baseball awareness, Bill Freehan was the American League gold standard at catcher, the automatic choice to start All-Star Games even as the likes of Munson and Fisk rose to prominence. He was the cornerstone of a helluva team that stayed together almost forever.

Johnny Lunchbucket Aug 19 2021 11:20 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

=seawolf17 post_id=74961 time=1629385415 user_id=91] I'm almost complete on my post-75 Topps collection, and I'm starting with the 73s and 74s. Some of the photography in those two years in particular was fascinatingly awful.

Yeah, all true.



But there was nothing like the rush of unwrapping a new pack and revealing an action horizontal amid all the pitcher-winding-up-while-wearing-a-windbreaker-on-the-third-base-line and ear-hair-extreme-closeup-mug-shot verticals. The latter outnumbered the former like 20-1

whippoorwill Aug 19 2021 12:28 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Was Bill Freehan a red haired man? I seem to recall a very early crush on him, if he was a redhead.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 19 2021 01:01 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I don't know! I can't find a good photo of him without his cap on. I see that he wrote a book called "Behind the Mask". If only he had written one called "Beneath the Cap."

Frayed Knot Aug 19 2021 02:05 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

=G-Fafif post_id=74968 time=1629392147 user_id=55] When I was coming to baseball awareness, Bill Freehan was the American League gold standard at catcher, the automatic choice to start All-Star Games even as the likes of Munson and Fisk rose to prominence.

I was about to post the same thing.

Was Bill Freehan a red haired man? I seem to recall a very early crush on him, if he was a redhead.

I recall him as more blondish than redhead but you're probably thinking of the same guy.



When Jim Bounton was promoting his soon to be published BALL FOUR he hyped-up his response to a question about how salacious the stories in it might be by teasing that it would make Bill Freehan's diary seem

tame in comparison (or words to that effect). The implication being that it was apparently well known in baseball circles at the time that the blond/red-headed Freehan was rarely short of female company.

whippoorwill Aug 19 2021 05:00 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Now that I think about it, it might have been Bill Sedakis (sp)

MFS62 Aug 19 2021 05:08 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

When you're talking catchers of that era, my wife thought Steve Yeager was very good looking. Later

Frayed Knot Aug 25 2021 06:42 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Freehan & Mickey Lolich, btw, hold the record for most starts by a battery of teammates at 324 for their Detroit careers. Warren Spahn/Del Crandall (Braves) are 2nd - 316 R. Farber/Ray Schalk (ChiSox) 306 Wainwright & Molina at 298 -- can they notch 17 more between the end of this tear and next? Yadier has said that 2022 will be his last

Johnny Lunchbucket Aug 25 2021 07:17 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Strong unfouled hit for Zimmo there

G-Fafif Sep 13 2021 07:44 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Ruly Carpenter of the Phillie Carpenters, 81. https://www.delawareonline.com/story/sports/2021/09/13/ex-phillies-president-long-time-ud-supporter-ruly-carpenter-dies-suddenly/8324340002/

G-Fafif Sep 21 2021 08:32 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

[tweet]https://twitter.com/bnightengale/status/1440322757871357960[/tweet]

G-Fafif Sep 22 2021 07:49 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

[tweet]https://twitter.com/kevintmcevoy/status/1440792373181632513[/tweet]

G-Fafif Sep 23 2021 12:11 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

[tweet]https://twitter.com/mets/status/1441048101502914570[/tweet]

Edgy MD Sep 23 2021 03:19 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I like how the Piazzas are wearing access passes, and Mike's all, "I'm Mike Piazza. I go where I want."

G-Fafif Oct 05 2021 07:59 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Eddie Robinson, the last surviving world champion Cleveland Indian and the oldest living MLB alumnus, has died at 100. [tweet]https://twitter.com/indians/status/1445463849474289672[/tweet]

Edgy MD Oct 05 2021 08:14 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Robinson was also the general manager of the Braves in the seventies, jumping to the Rangers in 1977. I guess he got the honor of trading Lenny Randle to the Mets. He wasn't the last pre-integration player, was he?

G-Fafif Oct 05 2021 09:14 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Eddie Robinson was kind enough to trade us Ron Darling and Walt Terrell for Lee Mazzilli.

Edgy MD Oct 05 2021 09:26 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Also sent the Mets Jim Kern who they promptly flipped to the Reds in the Foster deal.

G-Fafif Oct 06 2021 01:20 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Eddie Robinson's less heartwarming legacy (from Joe Posnanski in 2016). There is a famous story -- two famous ones, actually -- that have been told about Eddie Robinson when he was a member of the 1947 Cleveland team. The first was told by Boudreau and confirmed by various others. On July 5, 1947, Larry Doby showed up in Chicago to join Cleveland and become just the second African-American to play in the Majors in the 20th Century and, more to the point, the first in the American League. Boudreau, as manager, met with Doby and then took him around the clubhouse to meet the guys. Two players, Boudreau said, refused to shake Larry Doby's hand. They were both Texans. One was Les Fleming. The other, alas, was Eddie Robinson. Of course, you could say, Robinson was just a man of his time. True, he was one of only two to refuse, but his opinion was hardly uncommon in America in 1947. To quote Boudreau: “Later, Robinson told me that he lived in Baltimore during the off-season and his neighbors would not appreciate him being on the same team as a Negro, but that he himself had nothing against Doby.” Of course, there is also the glove incident, again told by Boudreau and again confirmed by others. Boudreau was not there when it happened but he said that he heard the story from the team's traveling secretary, Spud Goldstein. Boudreau wanted Doby to get some work at first base -- not many people remember this but Doby was a natural second baseman. The Tribe already had Joe Gordon at second. So Boudreau was looking for a good spot for Doby and asked him to take some grounders as a first baseman. Doby did not have a first baseman's glove. He asked to borrow Robinson's. Robinson's response has been told in different ways through the years. According to the most exhaustive book, “Pride Against Prejudice: The Biography of Larry Doby,” the alleged response was: “No, I won't lend my glove to no n----.” Boudreau would only write that Robinson refused to lend his glove to Doby though, bizarrely, he did agree to lend it to Spud Goldstein who then lent it to Doby. Robinson, years later, would say it had nothing to do with race; he was just upset that Doby, a not-natural first baseman, was being set up to take his job. “I had no animosity toward Larry Doby,” he would say. But to complete the circle, we should mention one more story from 1946, when Eddie Robinson was playing for Baltimore in the minor leagues. That, of course, was the same year that Jackie Robinson was playing minor league baseball for Montreal. And Jackie would claim that during a game, Eddie Robinson kicked him in the back on a play at second base. “If I did,” Eddie Robinson would tell Joseph Moore, the author of Pride Against Prejudice, “it was an accident.” https://joeposnanski.substack.com/p/give-that-man-his-roses

G-Fafif Oct 08 2021 04:56 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Chuck Hartenstein, personification of the journeyman reliever, 79. After major league tenures with the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox from 1965 to 1970, Hartenstein spent six seasons in the minors, the last two with the Pacific Coast League champion Hawaii Islanders, managed by new Blue Jays skipper Roy Hartsfield. It was Hartsfield who brought Hartenstein into the Blue Jays' fold. “Roy called me on November 4, 1976 and he said, ‘Charlie, we just bought your contract from Hawaii. You're going to be a Toronto Blue Jay.' Well, you want to talk about one of the happiest days of my life. That was one of them,” shared Hartenstein in a 2015 phone interview. At the time, players needed four years of big league service to qualify for a major league pension and Hartenstein was a few days short. “Roy said to me, ‘You're going to get those days. You earned it,'” remembered Hartenstein. “Well, that was one of his favorite sayings and it really motivated people. He said, ‘You earned it.' I carried that over in all my time coaching. I learned a lot from that man. He was like a second father to me.” https://cooperstownersincanada.com/2021/10/06/original-blue-jay-chuck-hartenstein-passes-away-at-79/

Edgy MD Oct 08 2021 07:59 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

❤️sfield ❤️s ❤️enstein!

G-Fafif Oct 13 2021 07:51 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Broadcaster and catcher Ray Fosse, who didn't tag Bud Harrelson, 74, after a long battle with cancer.

G-Fafif Oct 26 2021 08:02 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Arnold Hano, accomplished sportswriter and writer of all things, but particularly cherished for his groundbreaking A Day in the Bleachers, the book he wrote about going to the first game of the 1954 World Series at the Polo Grounds, perhaps the first modern longform fan's eye view of baseball. He was 99. https://www.lagunabeachindy.com/arnold-hano-baseball-journalist-and-village-laguna-patriarch-dies-at-99/

G-Fafif Oct 31 2021 08:29 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Jerry Remy, infielder and NESN icon, a little short of his 69th birthday, from cancer. https://www.wcvb.com/article/jerry-remy-obituary-red-sox-hall-of-famer/37857224

Frayed Knot Oct 31 2021 09:55 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Played seven of his ten MLB seasons with the Red Sox then was with NESN virtually ever since. It helps becoming a Sox/NESN icon when you're from Falls River, Mass and sound every bit of it.

Edgy MD Oct 31 2021 11:12 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Author of seven career homers. Made the All-Star team in 1978 despite having zero homers at the break. I assume that's been pulled off since by Ozzie Smith (and maybe even Ichiro Suzuki) but I imagine it's been a while.

kcmets Oct 31 2021 02:12 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 01 2021 09:04 AM

Sad day in New England sports for sure. I won't embarrass myself trying to emulate Jerry's unmistakable voice and accent while typing. RIP

Johnny Lunchbucket Oct 31 2021 08:59 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Here comes the pizza. 😔

Fman99 Nov 01 2021 10:49 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Jerry Remy, infielder and NESN icon, a little short of his 69th birthday, from cancer. https://www.wcvb.com/article/jerry-remy-obituary-red-sox-hall-of-famer/37857224 Enjoyed his accented broadcast when I'd catch a snippet of it here or there. Don't smoke, kids! RIP Jerry

G-Fafif Nov 10 2021 06:44 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Ed Lucas, longtime sportswriter and true inspiration, 82. Whenever he was asked about his life as a blind man, Ed Lucas would reply simply, “I consider it an inconvenience, not a handicap.'' It was his indomitable spirit that enabled him to realize his dreams and become an inspiration to thousands of people. A sports journalism pioneer, Lucas, a Jersey Journal columnist who also wrote for numerous publications, including Yankee Magazine, died Wednesday at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston. He was 82. Born in Jersey City, Lucas, a Union resident, considered himself lucky he had full vision during his early childhood. “For one thing, how do you describe color to someone who's never seen?” he would ask. “It becomes a concept. The sky is blue. The grass is green.'' Lucas was 12 years old in the fall of 1951 when Bobby Thomson hit the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World'' in the bottom of the ninth inning to propel his beloved New York Giants to the National League pennant over the Brooklyn Dodgers. After the game, he and his friends went outside to play some ball. Lucas, a lefty pitcher, was struck between the eyes with a line drive. Four years later he was blind. His parents enrolled him at St. Joseph's School for the Blind in Jersey City, where he was taught to be self-sufficient. A grateful Lucas later worked for many years at the school, helping it to raise funds. One winter, his parents took him to a clothing store in Newark, where he met Yankee shortstop Phil Rizzuto, who was working there. In those days, most ballplayers didn't make a lot of money and supplemented their income with jobs during the winter. The two started a close friendship that lasted more than half a century until the Hall of Famer's death in 2007. It was while attending Seton Hall University in South Orange that Lucas began pursuing his dream of becoming a baseball writer. “People would ask how could a blind man cover a baseball game?” he recalled. “It was unheard of. I always say never, never, never give up.'' It was that perseverance that enabled him to achieve his goal. Friends who accompanied him to major league games as his guide and “eyes'' were amazed at how Lucas could tell where a ball was hit simply by listening to the crack of the bat. https://www.nj.com/hudson/2021/11/ed-lucas-blind-sports-journalist-and-inspiration-to-so-many-dies-at-82.html

G-Fafif Nov 15 2021 11:39 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

[tweet]https://twitter.com/enrique_rojas1/status/1460286562005049352[/tweet]

Edgy MD Nov 15 2021 11:49 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Man, a terrible year for 45-year-old MLB hearts. Lugo was a Dominican by birth, but he grew up in Brooklyn (where his brother Ruddy was born) and was an MLBS.

seawolf17 Nov 15 2021 02:38 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Ruddy is a phantom Met, right?

Edgy MD Nov 15 2021 03:08 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Spent a full season in 2008 with the AAA Mets in New Orleans. Don't know if he ever got tapped, though.

G-Fafif Nov 15 2021 08:06 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Edgy MD wrote: Spent a full season in 2008 with the AAA Mets in New Orleans. Don't know if he ever got tapped, though. Ruddy was called up, not deployed.

G-Fafif Nov 15 2021 08:08 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Jerry Johnson, whose ten MLB seasons were highlighted by 12 wins for the 1971 NL West champion Giants, 77 (per reliable sources).

Edgy MD Nov 15 2021 08:18 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Edgy MD wrote: Spent a full season in 2008 with the AAA Mets in New Orleans. Don't know if he ever got tapped, though. Ruddy was called up, not deployed. There you go. And thus, worthy of some Seawolf autography.

seawolf17 Nov 16 2021 07:30 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Edgy MD wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Spent a full season in 2008 with the AAA Mets in New Orleans. Don't know if he ever got tapped, though. Ruddy was called up, not deployed. There you go. And thus, worthy of some Seawolf autography. He is, in fact, already in the autographed card collection, next to Jim Bibby, Terrel Hansen, and Wilbur Huckle.

G-Fafif Nov 18 2021 07:48 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Dave Frishberg, inventive jazz composer who immortalized Van Lingle Mungo, 88. https://www.orartswatch.org/legendary-songwriter-dave-frishberg-dies-at-88/ [youtube]TOvvJTv_E_w[/youtube]

G-Fafif Nov 22 2021 04:00 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Doug Jones, top-notch reliever, 64. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/11/doug-jones-passes-away.html

Johnny Lunchbucket Nov 23 2021 07:24 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

I think it was Jones who got in pre-Twitter hot water for mouthing off about gays. Pretty good guy to have on your fantasy team in the 90s.

Edgy MD Nov 23 2021 07:37 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

At different times, Jones had an eephus, a knuckle curve, a big bushy pushbroom mustache, and a curly little mullet coming out of the back of his hat. He threw for seven teams over 16 seasons, usually after coming in on a minor league contract. He had an immaculate inning on his record and 303 saves, despite not being able to break a window with his fastball for most (all?) of his career. And he retired as the oldest guy in the league. If somebody besides him is the quintessential soft-tossing journeyman reliever, I'd like to know who.

seawolf17 Nov 23 2021 07:43 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Interesting. Jones was drafted in 1978, pitched in four games with the Brewers in 1982, but didn't hit the majors again until the end of the 1986 season with Cleveland at age 29 (!) -- so yeah, he was pretty much always the "old guy."

Edgy MD Nov 23 2021 09:25 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Story apparently broken by an announcement from Greg Swindell, who reported COVID complications as the cause.

MFS62 Nov 23 2021 11:18 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Bill Virdon 90 https://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Pirates-Bill-Virdon-Astros-manager-dead-obit-16645930.php I remember him as a great defensive centerfielder for the 1960 Pirates. Hadn't realized he was the winningest Houston manager. RIP, "Quail" Later

G-Fafif Nov 23 2021 11:44 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Virdon was Steinbrenner's backup when he couldn't have Dick Williams in 1974 and nearly managed MFYs to a division title. Was cast aside for Billy Martin 1.0 the next year. Only MFY manager to not manage at any of the MFYSes since 1923, but the privilege of calling Shea his home park no doubt was the real prize. Seems to halve a Buddy Harrelson type relationship to the Pirates: beloved player, let go as manager, back to being beloved alum before long. https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2021/11/23/Pirates-mourn-passing-Bill-Virdon-center-fielder-World-Series-1960-manager/stories/202111230104

whippoorwill Nov 23 2021 12:51 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Remember him as a Pirate member

Edgy MD Nov 23 2021 01:35 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Started his managerial career in the Mets system, including several future World Champions with Williamsport in 1966 and Jacksonville in 1967. Also gets a slot on the UMDB for putting himself in the game a few times in '66, reaching base one time in eight trips for Williamsport.

G-Fafif Nov 30 2021 06:14 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

LaMarr Hoyt, 1983 AL Cy Young winner and 1985 NL All-Star starting pitcher and victor, 66, from cancer. Dealt Doc Gooden one of his four 1985 losses, 2-0 on May 20. Hoyt not only threw a four-hit shutout, but drove the second of two second-inning runs to provide his own cushion. In 1984, Hoyt started Opening Day for the White Sox, which is not something many teammates of Tom Seaver could say (Don Cardwell, Frank Pastore and Mario Soto are the others — only Soto is still with us).

G-Fafif Dec 05 2021 10:11 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Bob Dole, who never gave up on Dem Bums, 98. Dole Cites ‘Brooklyn Dodgers' Pitcher Before Speech September 18, 1996 LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole took time out from his tough anti-drug speech Wednesday to recognize the no-hitter tossed the night before by Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo. But, in what the campaign insisted was just a joke, Dole mentioned that Nomo pitched the no-hitter for the Brooklyn Dodgers. “I'm going to be like Nomo. I'm going to pitch a no-hitter from now until Nov. 5. The Brooklyn Dodgers had a no-hitter last night. I'm going to follow what Nomo did and we're going to wipe them out between now and Nov. 5,″ Dole said. The Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1957, a few years before Dole won his first election to Congress. Nomo pitched the no-hitter Tuesday night at Colorado, his first. Dole spokesman Nelson Warfield said the candidate was simply trying to “add some mirth to the mix″ before his speech. https://apnews.com/article/de0eaa173cc4bde47aca43c5d85d9b35

G-Fafif Dec 05 2021 05:18 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Anyway, good night for those Brooklyn Dodgers (and one of Dole's fellow WWII vets).

G-Fafif Dec 10 2021 02:10 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Chuck Dobson, big part of the Oakland A's first division-winning staff in 1971, 77. I mostly thought of him as not Pat Dobson, but his SABR bio reveals a pretty intense life story. In 1968 Dobson broke a longstanding tradition by becoming one of the first white players in major-league history to room with an African American on the road. According to Dobson, it happened as a result of a different roommate and a bad outing. “Reggie [Jackson] would always come to me in spring training and ask if I wanted to be his roommate, but I was rooming with [Jim] Gosger at the time,” said Dobson, explaining that Jackson was the 25th man on the team and had a single room. “After a late, knuckleball flight to Baltimore, we didn't get to the hotel until about 3 or 4 a.m. And I am supposed to pitch the first game of a doubleheader later that day (August 26) at 1. Well, I was woken up at 7:30 by my roommate who had a woman in his bed. I couldn't sleep after that, got dressed, and went to the park. I got shelled that day, gave up seven runs in the first inning. I went to Reggie and asked if he was ready to room together and he said ‘sure.' I didn't say anything. I just got my suitcase and moved.” Dobson was a fiercely independent player, kept his own counsel, and never connected baseball talent to race and politics. Nor was he afraid of any backlash from teammates for a decision that was bound to have repercussions around the league. “The coaching staff didn't say much about us rooming together,” said Dobson, but he added without mentioning names, “A few players asked ‘Why do you want to room with that nigger?' That surprised me, but Reggie was becoming a star so there wasn't much anyone could say or do about the situation.” They roomed for more than two years and developed a mutual respect. In what seemed like an annual tradition, Dobson reported to spring training with questions about his health. Not only did he wear a brace on his right ankle that limited his flexibility, he had to get used to the new, lowered mound that Major League Baseball hoped would generate more offense. Dobson relied on his fastball (thrown from a three-quarters delivery), and a big overhand curve for his success. His concern about the effects of the mound seemed confirmed by his poor start (1-3 with a 6.41 ERA) to the season. “I go out there and I'm King Kong mentally,” he told The Sporting News. “I grimace so hard you can see my veins sticking out of my neck.4 Throughout his playing career, his managers implored him to relax on the mound and throw the ball instead of trying to pinpoint it, which led to occasional bouts of wildness and a tendency to give up the gopher ball. But Dobson adjusted to the new mound and reeled off the most commanding stretch of his career thus far. In a span of 11 starts in May and June, he won eight of ten decisions, averaged a shade over eight innings per start and sported a 2.21 ERA while the A's battled the Minnesota Twins for first place in the AL West. Though Oakland fell off the pace in the second half of the season to finish in second place, Dobson enjoyed a breakout season and his first winning campaign. He tied for the team-high in wins (15) and starts (35), and paced the team with 11 complete games. Dobson loved baseball, taking the mound, the competition with the batters, the suspense, and daily battles. And he had a reputation as a hard-working, committed, hustling player. But he revealed to the author another, more vulnerable side. “My problem in baseball was the lifestyle,” he said. “I wasn't ready for it. I drank too much and became an alcoholic.” Dobson suggested that baseball was a haven for alcoholics and drinking was tolerated if not encouraged. Players drank in the clubhouse, on the road, in the hotel, with teammates, and the list goes on. Alcohol abuse was an open secret that teams ignored as long as players performed. “A member of the coaching staff once told me to stop drinking so much,” said Dobson. “But he was always drunk so it was hard to take the advice of someone like that.” With brutal honesty, Dobson admitted that drinking affected his career, “It wasn't the alcohol; it was the alcoholism that kicked my ass.” Since the team's move to Oakland, Dobson had been bothered by pain in his right elbow. “My elbow hurt the entire year in 1970,” he said. “The problem was that my elbow kept growing out of my arm. The bone was getting bigger and bigger and more extended from calcium deposits. That started to put more pressure on my forearm. But the trainers got me ready for every game and during heat of summer I could still loosen up quickly.” Inconsistent through the first half of the season, he won seven games (all complete games), but lost ten with an ERA about 4.50. After the All-Star break, he commenced the most dominant streak in his career. In a span of 29 days (from July 16 to August 14), he won a career-high eight consecutive starts, tossed three, four-hit shutouts, and posted a minuscule 1.10 ERA. Batters hit just .162. Suffering from excruciating pain every time he threw the ball, Dobson pitched on three and four days' rest throughout the season, but managed only one more win after his streak. In spite of his elbow, he tied for the AL lead in games started (40) and shutouts (5), and established career highs in wins (16), complete games (13), and innings (267). In his first six seasons with the A's (1966-1971), Dobson played for five different Opening Day managers (Al Dark, Bob Kennedy, Hank Bauer, John McNamara, and Dick Williams) and experienced two midseason managerial exchanges. He became accustomed to Charley Finley's notoriously dictatorial ways, perpetual undermining, and cost-cutting approach. “Finley was the owner and general manager (after 1968),” said Dobson who compared him to the Dallas Cowboys' egomaniacal owner-general manager Jerry Jones. “We knew the managers didn't have much control. It was all Finley and he ruined things — until Dick Williams got there in 1971. We respected Williams because he gave the impression that he had some control.” In interviews with A's beat reporter Ron Bergman of the Oakland Tribune, Dobson regularly voiced his frustrations with Finley's meddling, claiming the players had to get numb to Finley in order to concentrate on baseball. Articulate, opinionated, and brutally honest, yet never one to seek the limelight, Dobson made national news during spring training in 1971 when he became the first active big leaguer to admit to occasionally using greenies (amphetamines) on game days. In light of Jim Bouton's revealing and controversial book Ball Four detailing the everyday lives of baseball players (including the use of greenies) and the increased focus on illicit drug use in America at the time, Dobson's remarks were shocking. Like alcohol, amphetamines were tolerated in baseball and their widespread use ignored. “The whole league was taking amphetamines,” Dobson told the author unequivocally. “Starting pitchers, at least. Not every game but at some time or another. They were common.” Dobson's admission to taking greenies spread like wildfire after the Oakland Tribune ran the headline “Dobson Defends Pills.” “I remember a game in California (May 28, 1970) when I was sicker than a dog,” he remembered. “I had a 102-degree fever and broke out in cold sweats. I took an amphetamine and pitched a shutout. I told the writers about that game and they flew with it. It caused all kinds of flak.” In attempt to preserve the last vestiges of a clean, all-American sport free from the evils of society, baseball executives acted quickly and forcefully. “Finley, (AL President) Joe Cronin, and (Commissioner Bowie) Kuhn called me up and told me that I gotta retract,” Dobson said. “They put the fear of God in me. And I did. I lied my ass off. I said to the press that that was the only time I did it. The whole situation quieted down after that.” More than anything, Dobson recognized the precarious relationship between illegal drugs, on-field performance, and the rising salaries of the early 1970s; and his comments foreshadowed the discussion about steroids and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) 40 years later. “I don't see how [Kuhn] can stop [amphetamines] with the money involved,” Dobson said in 1971.”One victory can mean thousands of dollars on your contract.” Lost in the brouhaha about greenies was Dobson's aching elbow. After he missed most of spring training and all of April on the disabled list, Dobson's season was in doubt. But pitching on sheer determination and guts, and given some extra time between starts, he unexpectedly began the season by winning a career-high nine consecutive decisions. Though not quite as overpowering as in years past, Dobson was given better run support, helping him shed a reputation as a hard-luck loser. He had also added a “slurve,” a slow breaking curveball, to his pitching repertoire. (He said he copied it from Catfish Hunter.) With the A's cruising to the first of five consecutive AL West crowns, Dobson improved his record to 15-3 by blanking the Angels on seven hits on September 1. Unbeknownst at the time, Dobson would not win another big-league game for three years and only two more in his career. “My arm crapped out on me and I really couldn't pitch the last month of the season,” he said. He finished with a 15-5 record and a 3.81 ERA. He did not pitch in the A's three-game sweep by the Baltimore Orioles in the AL Championship Series. During the offseason Dobson underwent elbow surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. A quarter-inch piece of bone was removed from his elbow, which required additional muscle repair. The operation was not career-threatening, but ample recovery time was generally prescribed. “Finley's doctor in Oakland — not my surgeon — told me that I could come back and pitch in seven weeks,” Dobson said with an air of disgust and disbelief more than 40 years later. “That was the beginning of the end for me. I ruined my arm. And Finley blamed me!” In constant pain during spring training, Dobson cleared waivers in April and was sent to the A's Birmingham farm club. After pitching just 19 innings, he left without permission and returned home. “I roomed with Denny McLain, the world's craziest person,” said Dobson, whose alcoholism, and excessive drinking with the former 30-game winner, took a toll on his physical recovery. The A's, still sure that Dobson's elbow only needed time to regain its strength, sent him to Tucson in the Pacific Coast League in 1973. Notwithstanding his 5.23 ERA in 203 innings with the Toros, he was recalled in September but was shelled in his only start. Following a stint with Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League, Dobson was released near the end of spring training in 1974. “I was depressed when I got released,” recalled Dobson. “I said screw baseball. But my arm was good enough and I could have stuck around playing somewhere. I figured I'd go into business.” He was unable to resist an offer of $3,000 per month, however, and signed a contract with the Mexico City Lions. “I hadn't pitched in about a month and was out on the field and noticed there's no pain.” Dobson said. “And then I thought, isn't this a hell of a situation. I'm down in Mexico and owned by them. All of a sudden I had my fastball back.” Dobson won ten of 12 decisions and had a simple explanation for his unexpected success. “I was pretty dry, didn't drink too much, and didn't take amphetamines.” Dobson got a second chance when the California Angels signed him. He was assigned to the Salt Lake City Angels, and was a September call-up. In his first start he tossed a complete game against the Texas Rangers and got his first win in the big leagues in three years. After three rough outings, he enjoyed sweet revenge: He limited his former Oakland teammates to five hits and struck out nine in a 3-2 complete-game win. “I just went into the dugout after the game and cried.” But he also noticed an undeniable change: “When I crossed the border to the US after I was signed by the Angels I lost my fastball again. I had my scotch again and access to amphetamines. My body just didn't respond.” He pitched briefly for Salt Lake City in 1976. “I didn't retire, I just quit,” said Dobson about the end of his playing career in 1976. In his nine-year big-league career he won 74 games, lost 69, logged 1,258⅓ innings, and posted a 3.78 ERA. He won 38 times in the minor leagues. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/chuck-dobson/

G-Fafif Dec 13 2021 12:26 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Roland Hemond, the White Sox GM who snatched an unprotected Tom Seaver from the Mets in the 1984 compensation pool, 92. The man had devilishly good taste.

Edgy MD Dec 13 2021 02:58 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

Hemond ran the Sox from 1970 to 1985, and the Orioles from 1988 to 1995. He was a man who liked an extra helping of Harold Baines.

G-Fafif Dec 24 2021 06:14 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2021

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