Baseball Passings 2023

[Edgy MD]

Please note the word "seemingly" is in there.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I was curious about two things: Does Mr. Paint Can have a name, and what's with the letter Z on his chest?

I found an answer to the second question, but not the first:

In 1948 the team changed its name to the Zollner Pistons in honor of Fred Zollner who owned the franchise at that time.

That's rather egotistical! Imagine how we would have reacted if the Mets had had their name changed to the "Wilpon Mets"!

[MFS62]

That's rather egotistical! Imagine how we would have reacted if the Mets had had their name changed to the "Wilpon Mets"!

There would have been a fan reaction of Biblical proportions.


Later

[G-Fafif]

Cardinal legend Mike Shannon, 83. I enjoyed his announcing and his restaurant.

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/basebal ... 981c5.html

[bmfc1]

If you watched the XFL North Division Finals, you learned that DC Defenders Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams (that guy) is Mike Shannon's son-in-law.

[MFS62]

Cardinal legend Mike Shannon, 83. I enjoyed his announcing and his restaurant.

But I didn't enjoy watching him hit Mets pitching. I saw him on several games of the week against other teams and they got him out with low, inside fastballs. I wrote a letter to the Mets pitching coach at the time to tell him that. It was the only time I've done that in all my time watching baseball. That's how frustrated I was at their inability to get him out in key situations.

And it was also during the time when the Mets were on their seemingly endless search for a third baseman and the Cards put him, an outfielder who had never played the position, at third and he became a Star.

Later

[Cowtipper]

5 other major leaguers who have died this year:

Jesus Alou

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/12/spor ... -dead.html

Mike Baxes

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/sf ... d=51688870

Ron Campbell

https://ripbaseball.com/2023/02/15/obit ... 1940-2023/

Bill Davis

https://www.startribune.com/former-goph ... 600243557/

Brian DuBois

https://www.daily-journal.com/sports/du ... 2d419.html

[Cowtipper]

5 more:

Carl Duser

https://ripbaseball.com/2023/01/16/obit ... 1932-2023/

Dave Elder

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/le ... d=41955683

Dave Frost

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/04/ ... -away.html

Alex Herrera

https://detroitsportsnation.com/former- ... 23/395548/

Paul Hinrichs

https://ky-leadernews.com/paul-herky-hinrichs/

[G-Fafif]

5 other major leaguers who have died this year:

Jesus Alou

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/12/spor ... -dead.html

Thanks for the completism. Respects to departed Mets can be found in their own threads, like that for Alou.

[G-Fafif]

Vida Blue, the personification of baseball in the summer of 1971, age 73.

[Edgy MD]

Appeared on four Hall-of-Fame ballots, peaking at 8.9% of the vote.

Along with Bud Black, he was one half of the coolest double-header starting corps when the Royals came at you with Black and Blue.

[nymr83]

Blue is the answer to one of my favorite "trick" trivia questions - who was the last switch hitter to win the American League MVP?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Blue is the answer to one of my favorite "trick" trivia questions - who was the last switch hitter to win the American League MVP?

Mickey Mantle was the only other switch-hitter to win the AL MVP award. It's been done numerous times in the NL.

Here's a Mets related Vida Blue trivia question that stumped this forum a few years ago:

Name the Met that was both Blue's High School baseball teammate and also, quarterback Blue's preferred wide receiver target on their High School football team.

[Frayed Knot]

Don Denkinger -- 86

Is still trailing in liability polls in eastern Missouri.

[G-Fafif]

Legendary St. Louis baseball beat man Rick Hummel, 77. You may have seen him in SNY’s Keith Hernandez documentary.

The Cardinals and all of baseball were saddened to learn today of the passing of Hall of Fame writer and friend Rick Hummel at the age of 77.

Hummel, nicknamed the “Commish”, covered the Cardinals for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for 50 years before retiring after the 2022 season.

The Busch Stadium Press Box is named after both Rick and Hall of Fame writer Bob Broeg, who also covered the Cardinals for the Post-Dispatch.

Cards skipper Oli Marmol honored Hummel by dressing in a way few baseball managers do anymore, wearing his actual uniform for last night’s game.

https://uni-watch.com/2023/05/23/cards- ... rtswriter/

[MFS62]

I remember reading Bob Broeg's weekly Cards articles back when each team had their own writer for The Sporting News. Don't remember Hummel's writings, just his name.
RIP

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

"Broeg on Baseball". Back then, I learned the names of a lot of baseball beat writers from other cities by reading The Sporting News. (God rest its soul.) I still recall Joe Falls from Detroit and Furman Bisher from Atlanta.

[batmagadanleadoff]

"Broeg on Baseball". Back then, I learned the names of a lot of baseball beat writers from other cities by reading The Sporting News. (God rest its soul.) I still recall Joe Falls from Detroit and Furman Bisher from Atlanta.

Same here. Jerome Holtzman, Chicago.

[batmagadanleadoff]

"Broeg on Baseball". Back then, I learned the names of a lot of baseball beat writers from other cities by reading The Sporting News. (God rest its soul.) I still recall Joe Falls from Detroit and Furman Bisher from Atlanta.

Same here. Jerome Holtzman, Chicago.

Jim Murray, Los Angeles.

[MFS62]

"Broeg on Baseball". Back then, I learned the names of a lot of baseball beat writers from other cities by reading The Sporting News. (God rest its soul.) I still recall Joe Falls from Detroit and Furman Bisher from Atlanta.

Same here. Jerome Holtzman, Chicago.

Jim Murray, Los Angeles.

Shirley Povich - Washington Senators.

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

And Bill Conlin from Philadelphia. Later exposed as a child molester.

[Frayed Knot]

Shirley Povich from D.C.
Later exposed as a man.

[G-Fafif]

Stirring tribute to Rick Hummel from St. Louis colleague and friend Bernie Miklasz.

It was 1983, and the Orioles were playing the Cardinals in a normal evening of spring-training baseball. I was the emergency beat writer covering the Orioles, filling in for a Baltimore News American colleague who required knee surgery.

I just turned 24 years old, and wasn’t ready to handle the duty of reporting on a major-league baseball team. I was nervous, clumsy, lacked confidence, and was just hoping to survive an unnerving experience.

Future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray barked at me with intense anger because I sat in the wrong seat on the team bus. Orioles coach Frank Robinson – one of my idols as a kid in Baltimore – refused to give me an interview and was unusually cruel about it. Tim Stoddard, a 6–7 relief pitcher, literally shoved me out of the way when I approached his locker. I was the target of pranks, I missed my girlfriend, I missed peace, and I just wanted to get out of there.

Boy, could I use a friend.

Before the Friday-night exhibition game started at Miami’s Bobby Maduro Stadium, the door opened to the small booth I used as a workstation.

There was a knock on the door, I opened it, and in walked a striking figure. He had a wild head of hair that was more white than gray. He wore a satiny red jacket and slacks. He wore glasses and that warm smile and looked like a fantastically friendly person.

It went something like this:

Hi, I’m Bernie Miklasz. Just helping out the newspaper, covering the O’s.

Nice to meet you. I’m Rick Hummel from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. How’s it going?

I had never met Rick Hummel, but I knew of him.

Of course I knew of him.

If you loved baseball, and ball writing, and your heroes were sportswriters, then Rick Hummel was high on the list of people to admire, even from long-distance range. In 1983, Rick Hummel was well on the way to becoming a baseball-writing god.

I was surprised to see this man standing in the doorway, smiling at me, literally giving me a pat on the back. This doesn’t happen, especially in those days. The veteran baseball writers tended to look down on younger writers, and really didn’t care to shake hands and buddy up. They had this “get outta my way” attitude that could be quite intimidating to an aspiring baseball writer.

This was not Rick Hummel. This was the opposite of Rick Hummel. He was the sportswriting equivalent of The Humane Society, looking after shaky, overwhelmed “kid” sportswriters, metaphorically adopting them and feeding them in post-game meals, and protecting the youngsters from the mean old ball writers.

Hummel didn’t know me. But somehow he was aware of my rookie, emergency call-up status. Of course he would show up at a time when I just needed friendly advice from a highly respected journalist who understood the process of becoming a ball writer.

We talked for 10 minutes or so, and he generously shared ideas on how to deal with truculent players, contentious managers, crabby coaches. He schooled me on the best way to earn respect from those players and managers and coaches.

I couldn’t believe his instant, generous kindness. And it made a huge difference. It really did. After that, I managed to start settling into the job. All because of a short conversation with one of the greatest baseball writers of all time, who took interest in me when he had no reason to do so.

That was the first time I met him.

This was the first time he entered my life.

This was the first time Rick Hummel made a difference in my life, making it better personally and professionally and by teaching me about his craft. A profession that became much of who I am.

I never told him this, and I should have, but I thought I would have embarrassed him or made him uncomfortable.

But on that March of 1983 night when Hummel left that small writing booth in Miami, I put my head down and cried a little.

I know I sound overly dramatic here, but I was in a tough spot and felt alone. I was just so grateful that someone – and a prominent someone – understood what I was going through and wanted to help.

I didn’t ask him to. No one told him to go see the inexperienced, goofy Baltimore kid. Rick Hummel just knew.

I cried a little that night, and I cried again Monday morning – some 40 years later – when I learned of his death at age 77. I cried a little today, when I opened this laptop to start writing my tribute to The Commish.

His passing is a painful loss for everyone who knew him. His passing has left our little world colder. I just know that our world isn’t the same without him in it.

The man was a St. Louis institution. He educated baseball fans young and old on the nuances of baseball strategy for a fuller understanding of the sport. His game stories were exquisite. He could take a crazy, complicated, 10-9 game and explain everything that happened in a concise, tight, highly detailed manner. It was a forensic report – but more entertaining and fun.

I don’t know how he did this through the decades; it still takes me five paragraphs to say hello. Apologies to many wonderful baseball writers, but none were better than The Commish in the art of writing a sharp, insightful gamer. To read him was a delight, a necessity, and a master class.

More great stuff within.

https://www.scoopswithdannymac.com/bern ... fe-better/

[MFS62]

Nice story.
Thanks.
Later

[Cowtipper]

A few more:

Vern Holtgrave

https://www.nordikefuneralhome.com/obit ... !/Obituary

Deacon Jones

https://www.milb.com/sugar-land/news/de ... away-at-89

Fred Klages

https://www.pioneerleague.com/sports/bs ... 0403l672oc

Pete Koegel

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/da ... d=42047904

Don Leppert

https://www.wpxi.com/sports/mlb/pittsbu ... PIZ4TKPVI/