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Baseball Passings 2022

G-Fafif
Jan 02 2022 02:41 PM

Larry Biittner, whose every card in a lengthy big league career looked a little like a typo, 75.

MFS62
Jan 02 2022 03:08 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

I remember him as being a good hitter and bad fielder.

One writer described him as "two i's, two t's, no hands."



RIP



Later

G-Fafif
Jan 04 2022 08:49 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Jim Corsi, ten seasons a reliever (primarily for Oakland and Boston), 60, from liver cancer.

G-Fafif
Jan 14 2022 08:39 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Eddie Basinski, 1940s Dodger and musical icon for a couple of reasons. One, he played the violin. Two…


Basinski had another brush with the baseball world when he was among some three dozen old-time major leaguers whose names provided the lyrics for the jazz pianist and singer Dave Frishberg's 1969 song “Van Lingle Mungo” (Its title is the name of fastball pitcher with the Dodgers and the New York Giants in the 1930s and '40s). Basinski was the last survivor of that group.



The closing stanza goes:



John Antonelli, Ferris Fain

Frankie Crosetti, Johnny Sain

Harry Brecheen and Lou Boudreau

Frankie Gustine and Claude Passeau

Eddie Basinski, Ernie Lombardi, Hughie Mulcahy,

Van Lingle … Van Lingle Mungo.


https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/14/sports/baseball/eddie-basinski-dead.html

Frayed Knot
Jan 15 2022 03:11 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

=G-Fafif post_id=84614 time=1642217940 user_id=55] Basinski was the last survivor of that group.



Out-living song writer David Frishberg himself by two months.

'They're all gone', as Jim McKay might put it.

Johnny Lunchbucket
Jan 29 2022 06:06 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

David Green.



He was the Nicaraguan outfielder compared to Willie Mays with a better am, Andre Dawson with more speed, etc when he was on the way up. Key figure in the trade for not one but two Hall of Famers when he went from the Brewers system to the Cardinals' for Ted Simmons and Rollie Fingers.



There he played an important part in Mets history: the Cardinals needed to make room for him in the outfield, so they traded Keith Hernandez and put George Hendrick at 1st. All that and then he drank himself into obscurity.

stevejrogers
Jan 29 2022 09:57 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote:

David Green.



He was the Nicaraguan outfielder compared to Willie Mays with a better am, Andre Dawson with more speed, etc when he was on the way up. Key figure in the trade for not one but two Hall of Famers when he went from the Brewers system to the Cardinals' for Ted Simmons and Rollie Fingers.



There he played an important part in Mets history: the Cardinals needed to make room for him in the outfield, so they traded Keith Hernandez and put George Hendrick at 1st. All that and then he drank himself into obscurity.


Also was added to replace an injured Jack Clark for the Red Birds 1987 postseason run.

Edgy MD
Jan 29 2022 10:06 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

I like how Whitey Herzog put him and Andy Van Slyke in the lineup more often than not, but in a different position every day.



Worry about finding a way to make your bat work in the majors, and then we'll find a regular spot for you on defense. It's a pretty good principle.

G-Fafif
Feb 09 2022 05:14 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Jeremy Giambi, 47.



https://www.tmz.com/2022/02/09/ex-mlb-player-jeremy-giambi-dead-dies/

Edgy MD
Feb 09 2022 05:19 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Wow. Awful.



I always kind of thought he was safe, too.

Edgy MD
Feb 11 2022 03:30 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Jeez, now it's reported that Giambi's death was a suicide.

The Hot Corner
Feb 11 2022 06:51 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Edgy MD wrote:

Jeez, now it's reported that Giambi's death was a suicide.


In the home of his mother.

Edgy MD
Feb 11 2022 08:10 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

I hope deeply that his being portrayed as a buffoon in Moneyball didn't contribute to his spiral.

G-Fafif
Feb 21 2022 07:16 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Ron Mazzola, 61. Heckuva Mets fan I had the pleasure of meeting up with at Citi Field over the years. Well-loved in his community. Very sad to hear about this.


You need something, ask Ron.



That's all. Ron Mazzola was the man with the answers, with the connections, with the willingness to help any way he could. Always and unselfishly. That's Ron. Need someone to make a phone call, no problem. Texts and emails – they got answered within minutes.



He was an institution for decades, first in Old Bridge from Little League up to the high school teams. Then, he got involved on the region and state levels with NJSIAA wrestling and gymnastics, running tricky tournaments and seeding meetings to optimal clockwork.



Everybody knew Ron.



Now, there'll be a void in New Jersey high school sports.



Mazzola died Monday, according to a Facebook post from his sister. She noted that information about the services will be released. He was 61.


https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/02/21/old-bridge-nj-ron-mazzola-dies-61/6885795001/

G-Fafif
Feb 23 2022 06:58 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Julio Cruz, Mariners and White Sox infielder from 1977 to 1986, 67.


[tweet]https://twitter.com/morenojosea/status/1496325953471012870[/tweet]

Edgy MD
Feb 23 2022 08:55 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Went back to the 1977 debut year with the Mariners.



Did he have a 1977 card? I feel like his was the first Mariner face I ever saw.

seawolf17
Feb 23 2022 11:35 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Nope, rookie card was 1978 Topps.

Edgy MD
Feb 23 2022 12:02 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

We were shocked to find these players from brand new teams we'd never heard of in our packs. We'd never heard the term "Mariner," and read the word as "Ma-REEN-er."

Willets Point
Feb 23 2022 12:45 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Yes! I called them Mareeners based on my 78 Topps cards.

G-Fafif
Feb 23 2022 03:11 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

[tweet]https://twitter.com/cst_soxvan/status/1496560884021436419[/tweet]

The Hot Corner
Feb 23 2022 05:39 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Thanks for the nice story from Ron Kittle about Julio Cruz. I lived within "earshot" of the old Comiskey Park from 1981-1985. That story brings back some fond memories of my time in Chicago. We could see the fireworks from the "exploding scoreboard" and hear the crowd roar whenever the Sox hit a homerun. We saw quite a few fireworks with Kittle, Greg Luzinski, Harold Baines, and Pudge Fisk in the line up. In the days before PEAs, they hit a lot of home runs.



Just reminiscing about the White Sox of the early 80's and looking at their roster, I completely forgot that Jerry Koosman (at age 40) was the 5th starter for the 1983 pennant winning team. I attended 4-5 games that season and I don't believe I ever saw him pitch. I did however get to see Tom Seaver pitch in 1985, before I left Chicago.

batmagadanleadoff
Feb 23 2022 06:29 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Edgy MD wrote:

We were shocked to find these players from brand new teams we'd never heard of in our packs. We'd never heard the term "Mariner," and read the word as "Ma-REEN-er."


Me too. I guess I'd never heard of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner when the Mariners debuted.

G-Fafif
Mar 10 2022 07:17 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Odalis Perez, 44.



https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/03/odalis-perez-passes-away.html

Edgy MD
Mar 10 2022 08:20 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Man, I loved that guy. He had one really good year as a kid and hung on for what seemed like 15 meh years based on that. Always good enough to hang on in the back end of somebody's rotation, but capable of pitching one or two terrific games a year just when you're about to get sick and jettison him.



Broad across the chest, full of emotion, and often seemingly pitching on not much more than the adrenaline.

Johnny Lunchbucket
Mar 10 2022 09:17 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Conflate him with Omar Oliveras

Edgy MD
Mar 10 2022 09:41 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Yeah, he was pretty much a lefty Omar Oliveras.

Edgy MD
Mar 11 2022 03:11 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Wasn't Odalis Perez part of the Benson Bunch?

MFS62
Mar 28 2022 12:36 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

The "toughest pitcher" Ted Williams ever faced - Joan Joyce - 81

https://www.mlb.com/news/joan-joyce-softball-legend-dies-at-81



Later

G-Fafif
Apr 07 2022 05:41 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

John Ellis, caught and played first base for 3 AL clubs from 1969 to 1981, 73.


John Ellis, a New London High School graduate who had a Major League Baseball career and went on to found the Connecticut Cancer Foundation, has died at the age of 73.



Ellis, a cancer survivor himself, died Wednesday after a second bout of the disease, according to his wife, Jane, and Jim Smith, who wrote the book “Baseball's Greatest Players: The Story of John Ellis and the Fight Against Cancer.” He died at Yale New Haven Hospital, former Day Publisher Reid MacCluggage said.



Ellis was born in New London in 1948; his father, Louis Ellis, was a Coast Guardsman. John was a high school star athlete in football, basketball and baseball. He was drafted by the Yankees in 1966 and joined the team in 1969 after three years in the minor leagues, Smith wrote. He retired from the major league after the 1981 season with a lifetime batting average of .262 and went into real estate in New London, building his fortune.



John and Jane Ellis established the Connecticut Cancer Foundation after he was first diagnosed with cancer in 1986; his older siblings Richard and Molly both died of the disease, Smith wrote in an obituary. Besides his wife, Ellis is survived by his daughter, Erika; his son, John; and his brother, Dave.


https://www.theday.com/article/20220406/NWS01/220409652

G-Fafif
Apr 12 2022 06:31 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Joe Horlen, stalwart of the White Sox staff in the '60s (19 wins in 1967), 84.

G-Fafif
Apr 15 2022 01:00 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

The CitiVision in memoriam montage revealed, at least to me, that Joye Murphy, wife of Bob, passed this offseason. (1926-2022).

G-Fafif
May 03 2022 07:36 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Lazar LaPenna, Little Leaguer, only 10. “The Mets were everything to him.”


LONG BEACH, N.Y. -- There was a tragedy late last week on a Little League field on Long Island.



A 10-year-old boy collapsed and died while running to first base.



CBS2's Alice Gainer spoke with his heartbroken Long Beach family on Monday.



Lazar LaPenna had just gone on a cruise with his family and celebrated his birthday on Wednesday.



Friday was his first Little League game of the season.



"He got a really nice hit, barrel of the bat. He knew it. The crowd was going crazy," Greg LaPenna said.



Lazar's father was coaching.



"He was so excited. He looked over to me. A smile from ear to ear," Gregg LaPenna said.



He said he looked down for just a moment to mark down the hit in the scorebook.



"I hear Gerry yell that Lazar's having a seizure, and he fell to the ground at first base," Gregg LaPenna said.



Gerry is Lazar's 11-year-old brother, who was coaching first base at the time.



His father says Lazar had epilepsy. His seizures had gotten worse over the years when he had one, but was nearly a year seizure-free and was on medication.



"After a long period of CPR, he just didn't make it," Gregg LaPenna said.



People have been placing flowers, baseballs and baseball caps at the ballpark. The family says support from the community is what's getting them through this tragedy.



"From everybody, it's touching and everything is so surreal," Gregg LaPenna said.



Other teams in the area are also paying tribute, putting baseball bats on porches and using the hashtag #BatsOutForLazar.



His brothers are holding on to memories of playing together.



"He always play games with me," one said.



"Lazar was a really good kid. We'd always play Madden against each other," another said.



The family said Lazar lived for sports.



"The Mets were everything to him, the Jets everything, so excited about the draft," Greg LaPenna said.



And after years of changing up his uniform number, this season he finally picked one he wanted to stick with.



"'Can I be number 9? I always want to be number 9?'" his father said, breaking down.



Greg LaPenna said the rest of the team's season is dedicated to Lazar.



May they play with as much passion and joy as he did.


https://apple.news/Aflqi9eNTRMqLNCaocDdQSQ

Edgy MD
May 03 2022 08:49 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

I too always want to be number 9.



Forever.

G-Fafif
May 03 2022 09:28 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

The kid was not only from my hometown but was attending the same neighborhood elementary school where I was sitting in class at this very moment 50 years ago, likely thinking about the Mets.

G-Fafif
May 03 2022 10:04 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

“The Mets have lost their biggest fan,” Gregg LePenna wrote on Facebook, citing his son's love for the Queens team. “He was the true definition of what Little League stands for: Fun and excitement for the game of baseball.”


https://www.liherald.com/stories/little-leaguer-dies-playing-game-he-loved,140570?

G-Fafif
May 03 2022 11:06 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

The Mets take notice.


[tweet]https://twitter.com/mets/status/1521531378462072834[/tweet]

Edgy MD
May 03 2022 08:27 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Let's dedicate today's two wins to #9.

G-Fafif
May 14 2022 06:00 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

John Cumberland, Mets minor league pitching coach in the 1980s (Doc Gooden and David West were two of his many charges), died in April at 74. Cumberland pitched well for the 1971 NL West champion Giants and was one of the rare major leaguers from Maine — facts that raced back to my consciousness from my childhood when I learned of his passing.

MFS62
Jun 21 2022 02:17 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Dave Wickersham - 86

Played for the KC A's and the KC Royals

https://fox4kc.com/sports/royals/former-royals-pitcher-dave-wickersham-dies-at-86/



Later

batmagadanleadoff
Jun 21 2022 02:32 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022


John Cumberland, Mets minor league pitching coach in the 1980s (Doc Gooden and David West were two of his many charges), died in April at 74. Cumberland pitched well for the 1971 NL West champion Giants and was one of the rare major leaguers from Maine — facts that raced back to my consciousness from my childhood when I learned of his passing.


I missed this post when it first went up. You don't say about Cumberland and 1971. I played the '71 Strat-o-Matic set for many years. It was my first and main set. And in the '71 NL, I remember, there were two "under the radar" pitchers that were terrific assets to have in a draft league, but lacking the big name recognizability, even in those times. Bruce Kison was one and Cumberland was the other. Well, the Giants won their division in '71 and a team usually doesn't do that by getting good performances from just their stars. Cumberland was pretty good in '71. And then of course, they had two HOF pitchers in Marichal and Perry, too.

Edgy MD
Jul 06 2022 12:02 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Outfielder James "Cowboy" Atterbury played with the Philadelphia Stars during the waning years of the Negro League. When the Stars were no more, Cowboy was scouted by the legendary Buck O'Neil to the Cubs organization, where he played for through most of the 60's, finishing his career in the Angels organization.



Atterbury, recently departed for points yonder, is the one on the left here. Somebody said the other guy is also a South Carolina-born outfielder, but I can't find his name.



[fimg=650]https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/atterbury.jpg[/fimg]

Frayed Knot
Jul 06 2022 02:18 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

It appears that the guy who played in the '50s and '60s looks younger than the one who played in the '80s and '90s

G-Fafif
Jul 07 2022 08:35 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

[tweet]https://twitter.com/dodgers/status/1545227223560425472[/tweet]

Edgy MD
Jul 07 2022 09:12 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

A name inextricably linked with that of Fernando Valenzuela.



Pretty amazing that with his passing, the Dodgers again have, in Julio Urias, a phenomenal young lefthander coming off a 20-win season.



Also Mexican. Also scouted and signed by Brito.

Lefty Specialist
Jul 08 2022 05:45 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

You'd see him from the center field camera, behind home plate recording pitch speeds, always with the hat.

Edgy MD
Jul 13 2022 07:22 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Pause a moment and acknowledge the passing of longtime MLB shortstop and Metdaddy Dick "Ducky" Schofield.



Though a reserve most of his career, Ducky had his best season with the champion 1960 Pirates, and was the shortstop behind Harvey Haddix for his 12-inning perfect game.



Almost never had a bad baseball card.



[fimg=300]https://history.pittsburghbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Schofield.jpg[/fimg] https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pics/dick_schofield_autograph.jpg>

G-Fafif
Jul 21 2022 06:53 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

[tweet]https://twitter.com/news12li/status/1550281446472011777[/tweet]

G-Fafif
Jul 22 2022 06:18 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 22 2022 06:35 PM

Dwight Smith, Met-killer (.487/.512/.923 in a dozen games) as a rookie, 58.



https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/07/dwight-smith-passes-away.html

Frayed Knot
Jul 22 2022 06:34 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Cubs had #1 & #2 NL ROY that year, Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith (Gregg Jefferies was 3rd). Now normally you'd think that would set a club up for a run of success, but not only did neither turn into a star, neither had a full season after that.

G-Fafif
Jul 24 2022 05:52 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Ronnie Mergenthaler, Shea Stadium and Citi Field vendor. If you were any kind of game-going regular in the 1990s, 2000s or 2010s, chances are Ronnie and his beer tray were extremely familiar.



He died about a year ago. Just learned of his passing.



https://www.recordonline.com/obituaries/n0018757

batmagadanleadoff
Jul 24 2022 06:04 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

I don't recognize the name but that face is definitely familiar.

kcmets
Jul 24 2022 08:16 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

He was a fixture at Shea for sure. RIP, Beer Guy!

G-Fafif
Aug 21 2022 02:16 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Johnny Wockenfuss, 72.



https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2022/08/21/detroit-tigers-john-wockenfuss-dies-willie-hernandez/7860529001/

G-Fafif
Sep 02 2022 12:02 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Lee Thomas, baseball man, 86.


Lee Thomas, Phillies general manager from 1988-97, passed away at his home in St. Louis, Mo., today. He was 86 years old.



As the architect of the club, Thomas was credited with building the roster that captured the National League pennant in 1993, one year after they finished in last place. From 1989-93, he acquired John Kruk, Terry Mulholland, Curt Schilling, Lenny Dykstra, Milt Thompson, Danny Jackson and many others, setting the stage for the Phillies' improbable run. Ultimately, 80 percent of the Phillies postseason roster in 1993 had been acquired via free agency or trade by Thomas. That season, during which he also selected future stalwart third baseman Scott Rolen in the June amateur draft, he was named Sporting News Executive of the Year.



“Lee was a great man and will be missed incredibly,” said Phillies Chairman Emeritus Bill Giles. “I will never forget all the fun we had watching the 1993 Phillies National League championship team that he put together. Through his leadership, Lee has left an indelible mark on Phillies history. My love goes out to his wife Susie and his entire family."



Born James Leroy Thomas on Feb. 5, 1936, in Peoria, Ill., “Lee,” as he became known, excelled in basketball, football and baseball in his high school days. He would wind up with a career in the latter that spanned parts of six decades as a player, coach, manager, scout and executive.



A former All-Star who played both outfield and first base, Thomas spent eight major league seasons with the New York Yankees (1961), Los Angeles Angels (1961-64), Boston Red Sox (1964-65), Atlanta Braves (1966), Chicago Cubs (1966-67) and Houston Astros (1968). He hit 106 home runs in 1,027 career games, clubbing 20 or more four times. In 1962, he was named an American League All-Star, batting .290 with 26 home runs and 104 RBI. Thomas, who first took the field in 1954 in the Yankees' organization, wrapped up his playing career in 1970 with the St. Louis Cardinals' triple-A affiliate.



He remained with the Cardinals past his playing days, holding positions as a bullpen coach and manager in the minors, before moving to the front office. Thomas first worked in sales and promotions, then as traveling secretary before becoming the club's director of player development in 1980. During his tenure with the Cardinals, the team won three pennants and the World Series. He was hired by the Phillies on June 21, 1988, as vice president of player personnel. Thomas was later promoted to vice president, general manager and finally to senior vice president, general manager in 1992.



Following his nine-and-a-half-year stint at the helm of Philadelphia's baseball operations, the third-longest in club history, he spent six seasons with the Red Sox as a special assistant to the general manager. He then served as a scout for the Milwaukee Brewers until 2006, and from 2011-18 was with the Baltimore Orioles as a special assistant. Thomas was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.


https://www.mlb.com/phillies/press-release/press-release-lee-thomas-passes-away

MFS62
Sep 02 2022 12:23 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

RIP

Later

Edgy MD
Sep 02 2022 01:36 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

A quiet and golden rest to the GM guy, but man, I totally un-liked those Phillies teams.

G-Fafif
Sep 02 2022 05:12 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Bob Locker, whose card I had a lot and whose name I found memorable, 84.



https://ripbaseball.com/2022/09/02/obituary-bob-locker-1938-2022/

G-Fafif
Sep 02 2022 05:18 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Pete Burnside, who pitched for the New York Giants and was one of the original members of the San Francisco club, 92. Only 10 Polo Grounds Giants remain.

G-Fafif
Sep 07 2022 02:58 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Mark Littell, who gave up a pennant-losing homer to future Mets hitting coach Chris Chambliss, 69.

Edgy MD
Sep 07 2022 04:28 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Good, workhorse reliever. A Missouri product (by birth, high school, and college) who spent his whole career with the Missouri teams, playing for Whitey Herzog on both sides of the state.

Chad ochoseis
Sep 09 2022 04:17 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Also invented the Nutty Buddy. And was, at least as far as I was concerned, a Strat-O-Matic superstar. The man's card destroyed lefties. Unfortunately, it wasn't the card that pitched to Chambliss.



https://youtu.be/oCnfHghxz8Q

Edgy MD
Sep 09 2022 04:26 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

That's insane at three or four levels.

stevejrogers
Sep 11 2022 03:10 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Staten Island born ex-MLBer (2010-2015 Mariners, Braves, Red Sox) Anthony Vavaro became a Port Authority cop after his career.



Died this morning in a car accident, hit by a wrong way driver, on his way to 9-11 memorial services.

Willets Point
Sep 20 2022 12:18 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Maury Wills, 89.

Edgy MD
Sep 20 2022 12:24 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

A seven-time All-Star.



I wonder how far back we'd have to go to find a non-pitcher with a better ratio of career All-Star selections (7) to career homers (20).



Considering the first official All-Star Game (1933) came after the end of the Dead Ball Era, the answer may be that there is nobody.

cal sharpie
Sep 20 2022 02:42 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Nellie Fox had 12 All-Star selections and 35 career homers. Just about the same ratio.

Edgy MD
Sep 20 2022 02:54 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Good call. Just short by the slightest fraction (.35 to .343..), but it beats my next guess, which was Luke Appling.



Let's check Larry Bowa. Five selections and 15 homers .333... . Not quite.

Benjamin Grimm
Sep 20 2022 03:01 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Bud Harrelson. Two All-Star selections, seven home runs. .286

Benjamin Grimm
Sep 20 2022 03:03 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Or our own Eric Chavez: Zero All-Star selections, 260 home runs. .000

Benjamin Grimm
Sep 20 2022 03:04 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Oh, wait... we're looking for higher numbers, not lower numbers! NEVER MIND!

dinosaur jesus
Sep 20 2022 03:04 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Ozzie Smith: 15 All-Star selections, 28 home runs, .536.

Benjamin Grimm
Sep 20 2022 03:06 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

How about Ozzie Smith? 15 times an All-Star, 28 home runs. .592.

Benjamin Grimm
Sep 20 2022 03:06 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

dinosaur jesus wrote:

Ozzie Smith: 15 All-Star selections, 28 home runs, .536.


Missed it by that much!

Marshmallowmilkshake
Sep 20 2022 03:11 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

I started at the bottom and thought Ozzie Smith died. You scared me.

Edgy MD
Sep 20 2022 03:31 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Benjamin Grimm wrote:

dinosaur jesus wrote:

Ozzie Smith: 15 All-Star selections, 28 home runs, .536.


Missed it by that much!


He also got the math right. Your calculator must be set for Martian math.

MFS62
Sep 20 2022 03:49 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Can you please split this out to a different thread?

I think turning the death of a Hall of Famer into a trivia question is a lack of respect for the dead.

Let's keep this thread for remembering the players.

Thank you.

Later

Edgy MD
Sep 20 2022 04:14 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

I was praising his success, not disrespecting him.

metsmarathon
Sep 20 2022 04:56 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

larry brown, 7 all star games, 13 home runs.



wait... archie ware. 4 all star games, 3 home runs.



oh. lyman bostock. 1 all star game. zero home runs.



sigh... including negro league stats makes this tricky. i only got through the first basemen on bbref. i quit.



i should have quit. i kept going. artie wilson. 9 all star games, zero home runs. i think we have a winner.

metsmarathon
Sep 20 2022 05:00 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

i remember maury wills mostly for the 1987 topps turn back the clock card extolling his base-stealing abilities.



it's crazy that he went from 35 to 104 and back to 40 stolen bases over three years, with virtually the same on base percentage.



the 94 stolen bases in '65 is also damned impressive.



i'd loe to see more basestealing in today's game. stolen bases and triples (and bunt hits) are among the most exciting plays in the game. homers are cool and all, but those are exciting!

G-Fafif
Sep 20 2022 08:30 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Maury Wills coached Met baserunners in the Spring of '93.


The Mets, perhaps the slowest club in the majors in 1992, have turned to a 60-year-old man to become faster.



"I know I can make a difference in games," said Maury Wills. "Maybe 10 more wins a season."



Wills, of course, won't be stealing second or going from first to third on a dare, but he will be instructing the Mets on how to do so. Wills, the man with 586 career stolen bases and a resume as a teacher that includes 12 clubs, has been signed to serve as a spring training base-running instructor for the Mets.



"He's the best at the teaching as I've ever seen," Manager Jeff Torborg said of Wills.



There were seasons a generation ago when Wills was arguably the best on the base paths that anyone had ever seen. With the Dodgers, Wills led the National League in stolen bases for six straight seasons, from 1960 to 1965. His total of 104 in 1962 was unprecedented and helped him earn the league's most valuable player award.



"I've worked with all the great base stealers of late -- Willie Wilson, Davey Lopes, Lou Brock," said Wills. "Brock was calling me even when he was breaking all my records. I told him to ice his legs and quit. He, of course, didn't."



The Mets, of course, were dreadful on the bases last season. Vince Coleman wasn't a factor, so the Mets weren't much of a threat. Triples, indeed, were almost as rare as triumphs.



"Actually our greatest problem was that we didn't have base runners to begin with," said Torborg.



The Mets believe they took the first step toward addressing their lack of speed and instincts on the base paths when they committed to a younger lineup (Jeff Kent, Ryan Thompson). Wills, who could return during the season for what the organization is terming "refresher courses" and who will also tutor the club on bunting, will work for three weeks with the Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla.


https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/26/sports/baseball-mets-hire-wills-as-instructor-to-get-them-off-and-running.html

Edgy MD
Sep 20 2022 08:53 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

https://i.headtopics.com/images/2022/9/20/nbcla/dodgers-base-stealing-legend-and-nl-mvp-maury-will-dodgers-base-stealing-legend-and-nl-mvp-maury-will-1572278344888221696.webp>

Frayed Knot
Sep 20 2022 08:59 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

I didn't know Maury was also a drug smuggler.







Sudden thought, Maury Wills was from the DC area.

Do you suppose that long time DC sportswriting legend Shirley Povich named his obnoxious kid after Wills?

On second thought, the dates don't match up.

Edgy MD
Sep 20 2022 09:05 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Shirley Povich was plugged in enough that he would have known Wills as a schoolboy jock, but I'm guessing no.

G-Fafif
Oct 01 2022 11:15 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Hector Lopez, infielder uncomfortable with defense, 93.



https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/hector-lopez-two-time-world-series-champ-with-yankees-and-first-black-triple-a-manager-dies-at-93/

MFS62
Oct 01 2022 11:29 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022


Hector Lopez, infielder uncomfortable with defense, 93.


After the MFYs unsuccessfully tried to play him in the outfield, sportswriter Dick Young called him "Hector, what a pair of hands, Lopez".

But everything I've read about him said he was a good guy.

RIP.



Later

G-Fafif
Nov 28 2022 05:40 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 28 2022 09:53 AM

Comic and Friars Club macher Freddie Roman, 85, posted here in deference to his stellar job MC'ing a Hot Stove dinner I attended following the 1999 season, where he praised the Mets and their postseason run to the high heavens. I kept waiting for the punch line, but he was quite sincere in his Met-Lovin' Big Shottery.



https://apnews.com/article/freddie-roman-dies-friars-club-borscht-belt-catskills-5cef8baba9c4f10ddea7ad0c9f49ad00



I'm amazed to learn he was only 62 then. All Catskills comedians have always seemed 85 to me even in their prime.


[tweet]https://twitter.com/artshamsky/status/1596913337824350208[/tweet]

Benjamin Grimm
Nov 28 2022 06:44 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

If my math is correct, he would have been 62 in 1999.

G-Fafif
Nov 28 2022 09:53 AM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Benjamin Grimm wrote:

If my math is correct, he would have been 62 in 1999.


No wonder I'm surprised!

G-Fafif
Dec 02 2022 02:46 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Sal Durante, the kid who caught Roger Maris's 61st homer, 80.



https://nypost.com/2022/12/02/sal-durante-who-caught-roger-maris-61st-home-run-dead-at-80/

G-Fafif
Dec 13 2022 05:29 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Curt Simmons, the last surviving member of the Whiz Kids,93.



https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/13/sports/baseball/curt-simmons-dead.html

MFS62
Dec 19 2022 03:14 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Tom Browning - 62.

The only Reds pitcher to toss a perfect game.

Later

Edgy MD
Dec 19 2022 03:48 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Browning almost tossed a second one in 1989.



I also remember him for going up to the roof of one of the buildings across from Wrigley to watch an inning or so of the game with Cubs fans, still in his Reds uniform.

G-Fafif
Dec 21 2022 06:00 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Denny Doyle, second baseman for the Phillies, the Angels and the Red Sox during the '70s, 78.

Edgy MD
Dec 21 2022 08:15 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Was a minor star in the star-studded 1975 World Series, hitting in all seven games, but made his mark in Game Six by attempting to score the winning run on short fly to left in the ninth, getting thrown out by George Foster, inadvertantly setting up Carlton Fisk's later heroism.



Contributed to Mets history by getting the lone hit in a 1970 one-hitter by Nolan Ryan. If that hit doesn't drop in, clearly the Mets would have kept Ryan and won eight or ten championships with him.

Edgy MD
Dec 28 2022 01:55 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

[fimg=450]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91WOn8b7h6L.jpg[/fimg]



Fred Valentine was a classic AAA star who had trouble sticking in the bigs, but had a terrific 1966 with Gil Hodges' Senators. He played in Japan for a bit, and was always an active figure at MLB Player Alumni Association (of which he was a founding member) events.



He was claimed by the angels on Monday.

MFS62
Dec 28 2022 02:01 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Edgy MD wrote:

[fimg=450]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91WOn8b7h6L.jpg[/fimg]



Fred Valentine was a classic AAA star who had trouble sticking in the bigs, but had a terrific 1966 with Gil Hodges' Senators. He played in Japan for a bit, and was always an active figure at MLB Player Alumni Association (of which he was a founding member) events.



He was claimed by the angels on Monday.


I was stationed at Ft. Belvoir, Va. in 1966 and remember Valentine. He was the first African-American player I ever saw on a TV commercial. It was for Tasty-Cake (pre- packaged pastries - think Sara Lee or Entemans).

I remember his one line of dialogue: "This is Fred Valentine, and I'm making the T sign, for Tasty Cake cakes and pies".



RIP



Later

G-Fafif
Dec 30 2022 04:04 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

[tweet]https://twitter.com/MLBPAA/status/1608888769540915200[/tweet]

Edgy MD
Dec 30 2022 07:28 PM
Re: Baseball Passings 2022

Odd that they use a photo of Stearns from Old Timer's Day, but I guess the Alumni Association dispatches their photographer to alumni-type events, so that's the sort of thing they have the rights to.