- published: 22 Mar 2010
- views: 20749
- author: visionaryproject
Vimeo results:
Youtube results:
Open Collage in a new Window
Email the Collage
- Loading...
Loading suggestions ...
- 1909 in baseball
- 1910 Chalmers Award
- 1910 in baseball
- 1911 in baseball
- 1920 in baseball
- 1921 in baseball
- 1922 in baseball
- 1924 in baseball
- 1925 in baseball
- 1926 in baseball
- 1927 in baseball
- 1928 in baseball
- 1935 World Series
- 1936 in baseball
- 1945 World Series
- 1968 World Series
- 1984 World Series
- 3,000 hit club
- 3000 hit club
- 4000 hit club
- Acquittal
- Al Kaline
- Al Rosen
- Al Simmons
- Al Stump
- Alan Trammell
- Albert Belle
- Alex Johnson
- Alex Rodriguez
- Allan Travers
- American League
- Andre Dawson
- Anniston, Alabama
- Arbitrate
- At bat
- At bats
- Atherton, California
- Atlanta
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Augusta, Georgia
- Authority control
- Babe Ruth
- Bail
- Baltimore Orioles
- Ban Johnson
- Ban Johnson Park
- Base hit
- Base on balls
- Baserunning
- Batboy
- Batting average
- Batting Average
- Ben Oglivie
- Bend, Oregon
- Benny Bengough
- Bernie Williams
- Big League Chew
- Bill Armour
- Bill Melton
- Bill Mueller
- Bill Norman
- Bill Terry
- Billy Evans
- Billy Goodman
- Billy Hitchcock
- Billy Martin
- Black Sox Scandal
- Bob Gibson
- Bob Glenalvin
- Bob Meusel
- Bob Scheffing
- Bob Swift
- Bobby Grich
- Bobby Lowe
- Bobby Ávila
- Bond (finance)
- Bosse Field
- Boston Red Sox
- Bottling company
- Braggo Roth
- Brain tumor
- Branch Rickey
- Bright's disease
- Broadway theatre
- Brooks Robinson
- Buck Freeman
- Bucky Harris
- Buddy Bell
- Buddy Myer
- Buffalo, New York
- Cal Ripken, Jr.
- California
- Cap Anson
- Carl Yastrzemski
- Carlos Peña
- Carney Lansford
- CASEY Award
- Casey Stengel
- Caught stealing
- Cecil Fielder
- Center fielder
- Chalmers Automobile
- Charles M. Conlon
- Charlie Gehringer
- Chemical Corps
- Chemical warfare
- Chicago White Sox
- Chick Hafey
- Christy Mathewson
- Chuck Dressen
- Chuck Klein
- Cleveland Blues (NL)
- Cleveland Indians
- Clyde Milan
- Cobb (film)
- Coca-Cola
- Comerica Park
- Complete game
- Con Strouthers
- Connecticut Tigers
- Cool Papa Bell
- Cornelia, Georgia
- Craig Biggio
- Cristóbal Torriente
- Cy Perkins
- Cy Young
- Dale Alexander
- Dan Dickerson
- Dave Dombrowski
- Dave Rowe (baseball)
- Dave Winfield
- David Ortiz
- Dead-ball era
- Del Baker
- Derek Jeter
- Detroit Free Press
- Detroit Rock City
- Detroit Tigers
- Detroit, Michigan
- Diabetes mellitus
- Dick Allen
- Dick Tracewski
- Divorcee
- Doctor of Medicine
- Don Mattingly
- Double (baseball)
- Double steal
- Dublin, Georgia
- Dugout (baseball)
- Duke Snider
- Dwight Evans
- Earl Averill
- Earle Combs
- Ed Barrow
- Ed Delahanty
- Edd Roush
- Eddie Collins
- Eddie Murray
- Edgar Martínez
- Elmer Flick
- Elmer Myers
- Emory University
- Enos Slaughter
- Erie SeaWolves
- Ernie Banks
- Ernie Harwell
- Europe
- Ferris Fain
- Ford C. Frick Award
- Fox Sports Detroit
- Frank Baker
- Frank Dwyer
- Frank Navin
- Frank Robinson
- Frank Skaff
- Fred Clarke
- Fred Dunlap
- Fred Hutchinson
- Fred Lynn
- Fred McGriff
- Free agent
- Fritz Maisel
- Games played
- General Motors
- George Brett
- George Kell
- George Moriarty
- George Sisler
- George Stallings
- George Van Haltren
- Georgia (U.S. state)
- Goose Goslin
- Gorman Thomas
- Graig Nettles
- Grantland Rice
- Gus Zernial
- Gynecology
- Hack Wilson
- Hal Chase
- Hal Newhouser
- Hank Aaron
- Hank Greenberg
- Harmon Killebrew
- Harry Heilmann
- Harry Hooper
- Harry Wolverton
- Harvey Kuenn
- Heinie Manush
- Hit (baseball)
- Hit by pitch
- Hitting streak
- Home run
- Home Run Baker
- Honorable discharge
- Honus Wagner
- Hugh Duffy
- Hughie Jennings
- Hypertension
- Ichiro Suzuki
- Idaho
- Infielder
- Jack Chesbro
- Jack Tighe
- Jackie Robinson
- Jake Stahl
- Jesse Barfield
- Jesse Burkett
- Jim Delahanty
- Jim Leyland
- Jim Price (baseball)
- Jim Rice
- Jimmie Foxx
- Jimmy Dykes
- Joe DiMaggio
- Joe Gordon
- Joe Kelley
- Joe Mauer
- Joe Medwick
- Joe Schultz
- John McCallum
- John Olerud
- John Thorn
- Johnny Bench
- Jose Canseco
- Josh Hamilton
- José Bautista
- Julio Franco
- Ken Griffey, Jr.
- Kiki Cuyler
- King Kelly
- Kirby Puckett
- Larry Doby
- Larry Parrish
- Lefty Grove
- Les Moss
- Lew Fonseca
- Lloyd Waner
- Lou Boudreau
- Lou Brock
- Lou Gehrig
- Luis Pujols
- Luke Appling
- Magglio Ordóñez
- Manny Ramirez
- Mario Impemba
- Mark Fidrych
- Mark McGwire
- Mark Teixeira
- Masters Tournament
- Maury Wills
- Mausoleum
- Max Carey
- Mayo Smith
- Mel Ott
- Men's Fitness
- Mickey Cochrane
- Mickey Mantle
- Mickey Vernon
- Miguel Cabrera
- Mike Ilitch
- Mike Schmidt
- Minnesota Twins
- Monte Irvin
- Nap Lajoie
- Nap Rucker
- Narrows, Georgia
- Navin Field
- New York Yankees
- Newsweek
- Nick Etten
- Nolan Ryan
- Nomar Garciaparra
- Norm Cash
- Oakland Athletics
- Obstetrics
- Ogden Nash
- Old Timers Game
- Ollie Beard
- On base percentage
- On-base percentage
- Oregon
- Oscar Charleston
- Ossie Vitt
- Out (baseball)
- Outfielder
- Patsy Dougherty
- Paul Hines
- Paul Molitor
- Paul Waner
- Paws (mascot)
- Pete Browning
- Pete Hill
- Pete Rose
- Pete Runnels
- Phil Garner
- Phil Rizzuto
- Pinch hitter
- Pitcher
- Plant Field
- Player-manager
- Portal Baseball
- Portal Biography
- Princeton University
- Prostate cancer
- Rafael Palmeiro
- Ralph Houk
- Ralph Kiner
- Ray Schalk
- Recognizance
- Red Rolfe
- Reggie Jackson
- Richie Ashburn
- Rickey Henderson
- Roberto Clemente
- Robin Yount
- Rocky Colavito
- Rod Allen
- Rod Carew
- Roger Clemens
- Roger Maris
- Rogers Hornsby
- Ross Barnes
- Ross Youngs
- Roy Sievers
- Royston, Georgia
- Rube Waddell
- Rudy York
- Run (baseball)
- Run batted in
- Sacrifice hit
- Sam Crawford
- Sam Gibson
- Sam Rice
- Sam Thompson
- Sandy Koufax
- Scholarship
- Scotland
- Shoeless Joe Jackson
- Shortstop
- Slugging average
- Slugging Average
- Slugging percentage
- Smoky Joe Wood
- Snuffy Stirnweiss
- Socks Seybold
- Somewhere in Georgia
- Spain
- Sparky Anderson
- Sport magazine
- Sporting News
- Spring Training
- St. Louis Cardinals
- St. Petersburg Times
- Stan Musial
- Steve O'Neill
- Stolen base
- Strikeout
- Tahoe
- Ted Williams
- Template MLBACT
- Template talk MLBACT
- The Detroit News
- The Nation
- The New York Times
- The Sporting News
- Tiger Town
- Tilly Walker
- Time (magazine)
- Toledo Mud Hens
- Tom Seaver
- Tommy McCarthy
- Tony Armas
- Tony Conigliaro
- Tony Gwynn
- Tony Mullane
- Tony Oliva
- Total Baseball
- Total bases
- Triple (baseball)
- Tris Speaker
- Troy Glaus
- Tuck Turner
- Turkey Stearnes
- Twin Falls, Idaho
- Ty Cobb
- Ty Cobb (song)
- Ty Cobb Museum
- Umpire (baseball)
- United States
- United States Army
- United States Dollar
- Vern Stephens
- Veterans Committee
- Wade Boggs
- Wally Pipp
- Walter Johnson
- Ward Morehouse
- Warren Spahn
- Whip
- Wikimedia Commons
- Wikipedia Persondata
- Will (law)
- Willard Brown
- Willie Keeler
- Willie Mays
- Willie Stargell
- World Series
- WXYT (AM)
- WXYT-FM
- Yale University
- Yogi Berra
- Zack Wheat
-
Anniston, Alabama
Anniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 24,276. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 23,741. The city is the county seat of Calhoun County and one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Named The Model City by Atlanta newspaperman Henry W. Grady for its careful planning in the late 19th century, the city is situated on the slope of Blue Mountain.
Though the surrounding area was settled long before, the mineral resources in the area of Anniston weren't exploited until the Civil War. During that time, the Confederate States of America established and operated an iron furnace near present day downtown Anniston, until the furnace was destroyed by Union troops in 1865. Later, clay pipe for sewer systems became the focus of Anniston's industrial output. Clay pipe, also called soil pipe, was popular until the advent of plastic pipe in the 1960s.
wn.com/Anniston,_Alabama -
Atherton, California
Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 6,914 at the 2010 census. In September 2010, Forbes magazine placed Atherton's zip code of 94027 at #2 on its annual list of America's most expensive zip codes, with a median home price of $4,010,200. Atherton is one of the wealthiest cities in the United States.
In 1866, Fair Oaks (Atherton) was a flag stop on the California Coast Line of the Southern Pacific Railroad between San Francisco and San Jose for the convenience of the owners of the large estates who lived north of Menlo Park. The entire area was called Menlo Park. It had been part of the Rancho de las Pulgas that had covered most of the area, which is now southern San Mateo County. There were several attempts to incorporate Fair Oaks, one in 1874 and another in 1911.
In 1923, Menlo Park wished to incorporate its lands to include the Fair Oaks lands. During a meeting of the representatives of the two communities, it became clear to the Fair Oaks property owners that in order to maintain their community as a strictly residential area, they would have to incorporate separately. Both groups rushed to Sacramento but the Fair Oaks committee arrived first. It was at that time they realized that they could not keep the name Fair Oaks, as it was already the name of a town near Sacramento. It was decided to honor Faxon Dean Atherton who had been one of the first property owners in the south peninsula and name the Town for him. Atherton was incorporated on September 12, 1923.
wn.com/Atherton,_California -
Atlanta
Atlanta (
/ətˈlæntə/, stressed /ætˈlæntə/, locally /ætˈlænə/) is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia with a 2010 population of 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest in the U.S. It is a major component of a growing southeastern megalopolis known as the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion. Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County.
Atlanta began as a settlement located at the terminus of a railroad line, and it was incorporated in 1845. Today, the city is a major business city and the primary transportation hub of the Southeastern United States (via highway, railroad, and air), with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being the world's busiest airport since 1998. The World Cities Study Group at Loughborough University rated Atlanta as an "alpha(-) world city." With a gross domestic product of US$270 billion, Atlanta's economy ranks 15th among world cities and sixth in the nation. The city is a center for services, finance, information technology, government, and higher education. Metro Atlanta contains the country's third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies, and is the world headquarters of The Coca-Cola Company, Turner Broadcasting, The Home Depot, AT&T Mobility, UPS, and Delta Air Lines. As of 2010, Atlanta is the seventh most visited city in the United States, with over 35 million visitors per year.
wn.com/Atlanta -
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( /ətˈlæntə/, stressed /ætˈlæntə/, locally /ætˈlænə/) is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia with a 2010 population of 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest in the U.S. It is a major component of a growing southeastern megalopolis known as the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion. Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County.
Atlanta began as a settlement located at the terminus of a railroad line, and it was incorporated in 1845. Today, the city is a major business city and the primary transportation hub of the Southeastern United States (via highway, railroad, and air), with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being the world's busiest airport since 1998. The World Cities Study Group at Loughborough University rated Atlanta as an "alpha(-) world city." With a gross domestic product of US$270 billion, Atlanta's economy ranks 15th among world cities and sixth in the nation. The city is a center for services, finance, information technology, government, and higher education. Metro Atlanta contains the country's third largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies, and is the world headquarters of The Coca-Cola Company, Turner Broadcasting, The Home Depot, AT&T Mobility, UPS, and Delta Air Lines. As of 2010, Atlanta is the seventh most visited city in the United States, with over 35 million visitors per year.
wn.com/Atlanta,_Georgia -
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta (also known as Augusta–Richmond County) is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.
Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta – Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area, which as of 2010 had an estimated population of 556,877, making it both the second-largest city and the second-largest metro area in the state after Atlanta, as well as the 116th-largest city in the United States. Internationally, Augusta is best known for hosting The Masters Tournament each spring.
The area along the river was long inhabited by varying cultures of indigenous peoples, who relied on the river for fish, water and transportation. The site of Augusta was used by Native Americans as a place to cross the Savannah River, because of its location on the fall line.
In 1735, two years after James Oglethorpe founded Savannah, he sent a detachment of troops to explore up the Savannah River. He gave them an order to build at the head of the navigable part of the river. The expedition was led by Noble Jones, who created the settlement to provide a first line of defense against the Spanish and the French. Oglethorpe named the town Augusta, in honor of Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the Princess of Wales, daughter-in-law of King George II of Great Britain and mother of King George III of Great Britain. Augusta was the second state capital of Georgia from 1785 until 1795 (alternating for a period with Savannah, the first).
wn.com/Augusta,_Georgia -
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population density of that area. With a population of 76,693 at the time of the 2010 US Census., up from 52,029 in recorded during the 2000 census.
Bend's metro population was estimated at 170,705 as of July 1, 2009. The Bend MSA is the 5th largest metropolitan area in Oregon.
Bend is located on the eastern edge of the Cascade Range along the Deschutes River. Here the Ponderosa Pine forest transitions into the high desert, characterized by arid land, junipers, sagebrush, and bitter-brush. Originally a crossing point on the river, settlement began in the early 1900s. Bend was incorporated as a city in 1905. Economically, it started as a logging town but is now identified as a gateway for many outdoor sports, including mountain biking, fishing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, white-water rafting, skiing, and golf.
wn.com/Bend,_Oregon -
Bosse Field
Bosse Field, is a baseball stadium located in Evansville, Indiana. Built in 1915, it is the third oldest ballpark used for professional baseball on a regular basis in the country, surpassed only by Fenway Park (1912) in Boston and Wrigley Field (1914) in Chicago.
It is the current home of the Frontier League Evansville Otters, a minor league baseball team. The Otters franchise came to Evansville in 1995 and have attracted a record number of fans for the league. In 2006 the Otters won the Frontier League title.
In 1991 the historic stadium was used by Columbia Pictures for game scenes in the movie A League of Their Own.
Bosse Field opened on July 17, 1915. It was named in honor of Benjamin Bosse, mayor of Evansville from 1914 to 1922, who bought Garvin Park and helped to build the stadium. A holiday was declared in honor of the opening of the stadium. A band marched from Sunset Park to the new stadium.
Ten baseball teams other than the Otters have played at Bosse Field. Some of the most famous are the Evansville Triplets (1970–84), Evansville Braves (1946–57), Evas/Pocketeers/Hubs (1919–1931) and the Evansville River Rats (1914–15). The River Rats had played in Evansville previously from (1903–1910) and (1901–1902). The Triplets won the American Association titles in 1972, 1975, and 1979. The River Rats won the Central League title in 1908 and 1915. The Braves won the Three-I League title in 1946, 1948, 1956, and 1957.
wn.com/Bosse_Field -
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City. Along with London's West End theatre, Broadway theatre is widely considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world.
The Broadway theatre district is a popular tourist attraction in New York. According to The Broadway League, Broadway shows sold approximately $1.081 billion worth of tickets in calendar year 2011, compared with $1.037 billion for 2010. Attendance in 2011 was 12.13 million.
New York did not have a significant theatre presence until about 1750, when actor-managers Walter Murray and Thomas Kean established a resident theatre company at the Theatre on Nassau Street, which held about 280 people. They presented Shakespeare plays and ballad operas such as The Beggar's Opera. In 1752, William Hallam sent a company of twelve actors from Britain to the colonies with his brother Lewis as their manager. They established a theatre in Williamsburg, Virginia and opened with The Merchant of Venice and The Anatomist. The company moved to New York in the summer of 1753, performing ballad operas and ballad-farces like Damon and Phillida. The Revolutionary War suspended theatre in New York, but thereafter theatre resumed in 1798, the year the 2,000-seat Park Theatre was built on Chatham Street (now called Park Row). The Bowery Theatre opened in 1826, followed by others. Blackface minstrel shows, a distinctly American form of entertainment, became popular in the 1830s, and especially so with the arrival of the Virginia Minstrels in the 1840s.
wn.com/Broadway_theatre -
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo ( /ˈbʌfəloʊ/) is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area, the largest in Upstate New York. Buffalo itself has a population of 261,310 (2010 Census) and the Buffalo–Niagara–Cattaraugus Combined Statistical Area is home to 1,215,826 residents.
Originating around 1789 as a small trading community near the eponymous Buffalo Creek, Buffalo grew quickly after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, with the city as its western terminus. By 1900, Buffalo was the 8th largest city in the United States, and went on to become a major railroad hub, and the largest grain-milling center in the country. The latter part of the 20th century saw a reversal of fortunes: Great Lakes shipping was rerouted by the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, and steel mills and other heavy industry relocated to places such as China. With the start of Amtrak in the 1970s, Buffalo Central Terminal was also abandoned, and trains were rerouted to nearby Depew, New York (Buffalo-Depew) and Exchange Street Station. By 1990 the city had fallen back below its 1900 population levels.
wn.com/Buffalo,_New_York -
California
California (pronounced
i/kælɨˈfɔrnjə/) is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third most extensive (after Alaska and Texas). It is home to the nation's second- and sixth-largest census statistical areas (Los Angeles Metropolitan Area and San Francisco Bay Area), and eight of the nation's fifty most populated cities (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach and Oakland). The capital city is Sacramento.
California's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east – from the Redwood–Douglas-fir forests of the northwest, to the Mojave Desert areas in the southeast. The center of the state is dominated by Central Valley, a major agricultural area. California contains both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States (Mount Whitney and Death Valley), and has the third-longest coastline of all states (after Alaska and Florida). Earthquakes are a common occurrence due to the state's location along the Pacific Ring of Fire: about 37,000 are recorded annually.
wn.com/California -
Cornelia, Georgia
Cornelia is a city in Habersham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,834 at the 2010 census. It is home to one of the world's largest apple sculptures, which is displayed on top of an obelisk shaped monument. Notably, it was the retirement home of baseball legend Ty Cobb who was born nearby, and was a base of operation for production of the 1956 Disney film The Great Locomotive Chase that was filmed along the Tallulah Falls Railway that ran from Cornelia northward along the rim of Tallulah Gorge to Franklin, NC.
Cornelia is located at 34°30′49″N 83°31′51″W / 34.51361°N 83.53083°W / 34.51361; -83.53083 (34.513716, -83.530942).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2), all of it land.
(This section adapted from Cornelia, The First Hundred Years printed in 1987 by the Habersham Historical Society (uncopyrighted — public domain) in commemoration of the town’s centennial with minor chronological editorial updates)
wn.com/Cornelia,_Georgia -
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( /diˈtrɔɪt/) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan, and the seat of Wayne County. It is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people, and serves as a major port on the Detroit River connecting the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It was founded on July 24, 1701, by the French explorer, adventurer, and nobleman Antoine de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac.
In 2010, the city had a population of 713,777 and ranked as the 18th most populous city in the United States. The name Detroit sometimes refers to the Metro Detroit area with a population of 4,296,250 for the six-county Metropolitan Statistical Area, the United States' eleventh-largest, and a population of 5,218,852 for the nine-county Combined Statistical Area as of the 2010 Census. The Detroit–Windsor area, a critical commercial link straddling the Canada–U.S. border, has a total population of about 5,700,000.
Known as the world's traditional automotive center, "Detroit" is a metonym for the American automobile industry and an important source of popular music legacies celebrated by the city's two familiar nicknames, the Motor City and Motown. Other nicknames arose in the 20th century, including City of Champions beginning in the 1930s for its successes in individual and team sport,The D, D-Town, Hockeytown (a trademark owned by the city's NHL club, the Red Wings), Rock City (after the Kiss song "Detroit Rock City"), and The 313 (its telephone area code) Detroit became known as the "great arsenal of democracy" for its support of the U.S. role among the Allied powers during World War II.
wn.com/Detroit,_Michigan -
Dublin, Georgia
Dublin is a city in Laurens County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 16,201. The city is the county seat of Laurens County.
The original settlement was named after the city Dublin, Ireland. Because of Dublin's location as a midpoint between Savannah and Atlanta, the town in recent decades became home to a small assortment of industrial distribution centers, which complemented various industries—textiles, furniture, and paper, among others—that had already established themselves there in the second half of the 20th century. Historically, however, Dublin's economy was based on the local cotton, corn, and soybean trades, which blossomed as the town's central location enabled it to thrive with the growth of the railroad.
Originally, Dublin and the surrounding area was home to Native Americans of the Muskogee people. Most of the Muskogee fled westward with the arrival of European settlers, many of them organizing themselves into armed resistance units, which fought government forces and British militias to protect their native territory well into the early 19th century. Ultimately, most of the Muskogee diaspora settled in what is now Oklahoma.
wn.com/Dublin,_Georgia -
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia (i/ˈdʒɔrdʒⁱə/) is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. Named after King George II of Great Britain, Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788. It declared its secession from the Union on January 21, 1861, and was one of the original seven Confederate states. It was the last state to be restored to the Union, on July 15, 1870. Georgia is the 24th most extensive and the 9th most populous of the 50 United States. From 2007 to 2008, 14 of Georgia's counties ranked among the nation's 100 fastest-growing, second only to Texas. Georgia is known as the Peach State and the Empire State of the South.Atlanta is the state's capital and its most populous city.
Georgia is bordered on the south by Florida; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and South Carolina; on the west by Alabama; and on the north by Tennessee and North Carolina. The northern part of the state is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a mountain range in the Appalachian Mountains system. The central piedmont extends from the foothills to the fall line, where the rivers cascade down in elevation to the continental coastal plain of the southern part of the state. The highest point in Georgia is Brasstown Bald, 4,784 feet (1,458 m); the lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean.
wn.com/Georgia_(U.S._state) -
Idaho
Idaho (i/ˈaɪdəhoʊ/) is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. Idaho is the 14th most expansive, the 39th most populous, and the 7th least densely populated of the 50 United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state.
Idaho is a mountainous state with an area larger than that of all of New England. It is landlocked, surrounded by the states of Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and the Canadian province of British Columbia. However, the network of dams and locks on the Columbia River and Snake River make the city of Lewiston the farthest inland seaport on the Pacific coast of the contiguous United States.
Idaho's nickname is the Gem State, because nearly every known type of gemstone has been found there. In addition, Idaho is one of only two places in the world where star garnets can be found (the other is the Himalaya Mountains, in India)[citation needed], and is the only place six-pointed star garnets have been found[citation needed]. Additionally Idaho is sometimes called the Potato State owing to its popular crop. The state motto is Esto Perpetua (Latin for "Let it be forever").
wn.com/Idaho -
Oregon
Oregon (i/ˈɔrɨɡən/ ORR-ə-gən) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern boundaries, respectively. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers, and settlers who formed an autonomous government in Oregon Country in 1843. The Oregon Territory was created in 1848, and Oregon became the 33rd state on February 14, 1859.
Oregon is the 9th most extensive and the 27th most populous of the 50 United States. Salem is the state's capital and third-most-populous city; Portland is the most populous. Portland is the 29th-largest U.S. city, with a population of 583,776 (2010 US Census) and a metro population of 2,241,841 (2009 estimate), the 23rd-largest U.S. metro area. The valley of the Willamette River in western Oregon is the state's most densely populated area and is home to eight of the ten most populous cities.
wn.com/Oregon -
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States.
It is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution. Princeton provides undergraduate and graduate instruction in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. Princeton does not have schools of medicine, law, divinity, or business, but it does offer professional degrees through the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, the Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of Architecture.
Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, as the College of New Jersey, the university moved to Newark in 1747, then to Princeton in 1756 and was renamed Princeton University in 1896. The present-day College of New Jersey in nearby Ewing, New Jersey, is an unrelated institution. Princeton was the fourth chartered institution of higher education in the American colonies. Princeton had close ties to the Presbyterian Church, but has never been affiliated with any denomination and today imposes no religious requirements on its students.
wn.com/Princeton_University -
Royston, Georgia
Royston is a city in Franklin, Hart, and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 2,493 at the 2000 census.
Royston is located at 34°17′8″N 83°6′35″W / 34.28556°N 83.10972°W / 34.28556; -83.10972 (34.285592, -83.109841).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2), all land.
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,493 people, 1,016 households, and 610 families residing in the city. The population density was 728.4 people per square mile (281.4/km²). There were 1,135 housing units at an average density of 331.6 per square mile (128.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.25% White, 23.23% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24% of the population.
There were 1,016 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.97.
wn.com/Royston,_Georgia -
Scotland
Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba ([ˈalˠ̪apə] listen (help·info))) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland constitutes over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.
Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres. Edinburgh was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, which transformed Scotland into one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe. Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, was once one of the world's leading industrial cities and now lies at the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland, the title of Europe's oil capital.
wn.com/Scotland -
Spain
Spain (i/ˈspeɪn/ SPAYN; Spanish: España, pronounced: [esˈpaɲa] (
listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a sovereign state and a member of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north and north east by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.
Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 square kilometres (194,610 sq mi), it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France, and the fourth largest country in Europe after Russia, Ukraine and France.
wn.com/Spain -
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 44,125 as of the 2010 census.
Twin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region. As the largest city in a 100-mile (166-kilometer) radius, Twin Falls serves as a regional commercial center for both south-central Idaho and northeastern Nevada.
Twin Falls is the principal city of the Twin Falls, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which officially includes Jerome and Twin Falls Counties. The resort community of Jackpot, Nevada, in Elko County is unofficially considered part of the greater Twin Falls area.
Excavations at Wilson Butte Cave near Twin Falls in 1959 revealed evidence of human activity, including arrowheads, that rank among the oldest dated artifacts in North America. Later native American tribes predominant in the area included the Northern Shoshone and Bannock.
The first people of European ancestry to visit the Twin Falls area are believed to be members of a group led by Wilson Price Hunt, which attempted to blaze an all-water trail westward from St. Louis, Missouri, to Astoria, Oregon, in 1811 and 1812. Hunt's expedition met with disaster when much of his expedition was destroyed and one man was killed in rapids on the Snake River known as Caldron Linn near present-day Murtaugh. Hunt and the surviving members of his expedition completed the journey to Astoria by land.
wn.com/Twin_Falls,_Idaho -
Ty Cobb Museum
Coordinates: 34°17′01″N 83°07′00″W / 34.283722°N 83.11669°W / 34.283722; -83.11669
The Ty Cobb Museum is a museum located in Royston, Georgia, that honors Baseball Hall of Fame player Tyrus Raymond Cobb. The museum contains art and memorabilia, film, video, books and historical archives of Cobb as well as several other notable people from Franklin County, Georgia.
Items on display include Cobb's 1907 American League (A.L.) batting champion medal. The Cobb Theater features stadium-style seating accented by a beautiful mural. A video features the narration of Georgia Bulldogs broadcasting legend Larry Munson, interviews with Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones and ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons, along with rare footage and still photographs of Ty Cobb.
The museum also houses the Franklin County Sports Hall of Fame. Charter inductees are Cobb, 1943 American League (A.L.) MVP Spud Chandler, National Football League Pro Bowl lineman Tony Jones and College Football All-American quarterback Dee Dowis.
wn.com/Ty_Cobb_Museum -
United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
wn.com/United_States -
Yale University
Yale University is an American private Ivy League research university located in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
Incorporated as the "Collegiate School," the institution traces its roots to 17th-century clergymen who sought to establish a college to train clergy and political leaders for the colony. In 1718, the College was renamed "Yale College" to honor a gift from Elihu Yale, a governor of the British East India Company. In 1861, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences became the first U.S. school to award the PhD. Yale became a founding member of the Association of American Universities in 1900. Yale College was transformed, beginning in the 1930s, through the establishment of residential colleges: 12 now exist and two more are planned. Yale employs over 1,100 faculty to teach and advise about 5,300 undergraduate and 6,100 graduate and professional students. Almost all tenured professors teach undergraduate courses, more than 2,000 of which are offered annually.
wn.com/Yale_University
-
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline ( /ˈkeɪlaɪn/; born December 19, 1934 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Immediately after retiring from playing, he became the Tigers' TV color commentator, a position he held until 2002. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and longtime association with the Tigers organization, Kaline's nickname is "Mr. Tiger."
For most of his career, Kaline played in the outfield, mainly as a right fielder, where he was known for his strong throwing arm. Near the end of his career, he also played as first baseman and, in his last season, was the Tigers' designated hitter.
Kaline bypassed the minor league system and joined the team directly from Baltimore's Southern High School as an 18-year-old "bonus baby" signee, receiving $35,000 ($304,030 as of 2012), to sign with the Tigers. He made his major league debut on June 25, 1953 in Philadelphia as a late-inning replacement for outfielder Jim Delsing. Kaline wore No. 25 during his rookie campaign, but asked teammate Pat Mullin for his No. 6 after the 1953 season ended. Kaline, who was also known simply as "Six" in the Tiger clubhouse, wore the number for the rest of his major league playing career.
wn.com/Al_Kaline -
Al Rosen
Albert Leonard Rosen (born February 29, 1924), nicknamed "Al", "Flip", and the "Hebrew Hammer", is a former American professional baseball player who was a third baseman and right-handed slugger in the Major Leagues for ten seasons in the 1940s and 1950s.
He played his entire 10-year career (1947–1956) with the Cleveland Indians in the American League, where he drove in 100 or more runs 5 years in a row, was a 4-time All-Star, twice led the league in home runs and twice in RBIs, and was an MVP. Rosen was extremely muscular, and had tremendous power and excellent bat control.
Rosen was a .285 career hitter, with 192 home runs and 717 RBIs in 1,044 games. He was selected for the All-Star Game every year between 1952 and 1955. Rosen appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1955.
Rosen was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He and his family moved to Miami, Florida when he was three years old. He grew up in the southwest section of Miami, which is now the heart of Little Havana. Rosen grew up without a father, and was raised by three women: his grandmother, mother and aunt.
wn.com/Al_Rosen -
Al Simmons
Aloysius Harry Simmons (May 22, 1902 – May 26, 1956), born Aloisius Szymanski, was an American baseball player. He played for two decades in the major leagues as an outfielder, and had his best years as a member of Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics during the 1930s. Simmons was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.
A "bucketfoot" hitter (his nickname was "Bucketfoot Al") who strode toward third base when hitting, Simmons starred as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics during their heyday in the early 1930s, then went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Red Sox.
Simmons hit 307 career home runs, also compiling more hits than any right-handed batter in American League history until surpassed by Al Kaline. A deadly clutch hitter and a favorite of manager Connie Mack, Simmons won batting titles in 1930 and 1931 to help the A's to consecutive pennants. He recorded a .300 batting average and 100 or more runs batted in (RBI) in his first eleven major league seasons. Simmons' accumulated 2,000 hits in 1,390 games, which remains the shortest number of games needed to attain that mark in major league history.
wn.com/Al_Simmons -
Al Stump
Al Stump (October 20, 1916 – December 14, 1995), was an American author and Sports writer. Stump spent a great deal of time with Ty Cobb before Cobb's death. Stump wrote one book with Cobb, one book on Cobb and a handful of magazine articles about the time the two men spent together. The books are titled My Life in Baseball: The True Record and Cobb: A Biography.
My Life in Baseball was ghostwritten by Stump. Cobb: A Biography was a follow up piece written after Cobb died. It was a reflection by Stump on his time with Cobb.
The Stump autobiography came out a few months after Cobb's death. Thirty years later, Stump wrote his own biography of Cobb.
Stump said afterward that he found Cobb rather difficult to work with most of the time. Long after the publication of the book, he claimed that Cobb's editorial control over the autobiography resulted in the book not telling the truth about Cobb as Stump saw it.
During a visit to the Cobb family mausoleum in December 1960, Stump alleged that Cobb told him about the murder of his father, and pointed the finger at his mother.[citation needed] But at the time of the film, Stump claimed that another man was responsible.
wn.com/Al_Stump -
Alan Trammell
Alan Stuart Trammell (born February 21, 1958) is a retired American baseball shortstop of the Detroit Tigers from 1977 to 1996. Trammell, nicknamed "Tram", played his entire career with the Tigers, highlighted by a World Series championship in 1984 and an American League East division championship in 1987. Although his arm was not overpowering, he had a quick release and made accurate throws. Trammell's defense perfectly complemented his double-play partner, Lou Whitaker. The two formed the longest continuous double-play combination in major league history, playing 19 seasons together. At the plate, Trammell was one of the best-hitting shortstops of his era and won three Silver Slugger awards. Trammell later served as Detroit's manager from 2003 through 2005. He is currently the bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
While playing for the Tigers' farm team in Montgomery of the Southern League, Trammell played his first game with teammate Lou Whitaker before the two infielders were promoted, making their major league debut at Fenway Park together, during the second game of a double-header on September 9, 1977, the first of nineteen seasons together.
wn.com/Alan_Trammell -
Albert Belle
Albert Jojuan "Joey" Belle (born August 25, 1966) is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Baltimore Orioles. Standing at 6'2 and weighing in at 225 lbs, Albert was one of the leading sluggers of his time, and in 1995 he became the first player to hit 50 doubles and 50 home runs in a single season.
Belle was also considered a model of consistency, compiling a .295 career batting average, averaging 37 home runs and 120 RBIs a season over the ten prime years of his major league career from 1991 to 2000. Belle is also one of only six players in major league history to have nine consecutive 100-RBI seasons. However, his combative personality combined with occasional angry outbursts created a reputation for surliness that often overshadowed his on-field hitting performance.
Albert Belle, and his fraternal twin, Terry, were born on August 25, 1966, in Shreveport, Louisiana, the son of Albert Belle Sr., a high school baseball and football coach, and Carrie Belle, a former math teacher. A former Boy Scout, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Belle attended Huntington High School in Shreveport, where he was a star baseball and football player, a member of the National Honor Society and vice president of the local Future Business Leaders of America. He also played little league baseball with future PGA Tour player David Toms. He graduated sixth in his high school class and made the all-state baseball team twice. In 1984, he was selected to play for the USA in the Junior Olympics[disambiguation needed
], in which the U.S. won a silver medal. He played outfield and pitched, winning one game. After graduation, Belle was offered many football and baseball scholarships, including one to the University of Notre Dame; he was also offered an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. However, Belle decided to stay close to home, and accepted a baseball scholarship to Louisiana State University.
wn.com/Albert_Belle -
Alex Johnson
Alexander Johnson (born December 7, 1942, in Helena, Arkansas is a former professional baseball player. He was an outfielder and designated hitter over parts of 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. While playing for Cincinnati in 1968 and 1969, he batted over .300 both times, finishing 4th and 6th, respectively, in batting average in the National League. However, in both years, he led National League outfielders in errors. Following the 1969 season, Johnson was traded with Chico Ruiz to the California Angels for pitchers Pedro Borbon‚ Jim McGlothlin, and Vern Geishert. Johnson had his best season in 1970, winning the American League batting title by a fraction of a percentage point over Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox, although he led league outfielders in errors and was 2nd in grounding out into double plays. He played with 4 other teams before retiring, always with a potent bat but being a liability in the field.
wn.com/Alex_Johnson -
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975) is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.
Rodriguez is considered one of the best all-around baseball players of all time. He is the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs, breaking the record Jimmie Foxx set in 1939, and the youngest to hit 600, besting Babe Ruth's record by over a year. Rodriguez has fourteen 100-RBI seasons in his career, more than any other player in history. On September 24, 2010, Rodriguez hit two home runs, surpassing Sammy Sosa's mark of 609 HRs, and became the all-time leader in home runs by a player of Hispanic descent.
In December 2007, Rodriguez and the Yankees agreed to a 10-year, $275 million contract. This contract was the richest contract in baseball history (breaking his previous record of $252 million).
In February 2009, after previously denying use of performance-enhancing drugs, including during a 2007 interview with Katie Couric on 60 Minutes, Rodriguez admitted to using steroids, saying he used them from 2001 to 2003 when playing for the Texas Rangers due to what he called "an enormous amount of pressure" to perform.
wn.com/Alex_Rodriguez -
Allan Travers
Aloysius Joseph "Allan" Travers, aka Rev. Aloysius Stanislaus Travers (May 7, 1892 – April 19, 1968) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who made a one-game appearance during the 1912 strike of the Detroit Tigers.
Travers was only playing because the Detroit Tigers team had refused to play after their team mate Ty Cobb had been suspended for attacking a heckler who called him a "half-nigger" during a game against the New York Yankees at Hilltop Park three days earlier.
Travers does not, as is often reported, hold the major league record for most hits or runs allowed in a game, although he does hold the major league record for earned runs in a single major league game. The Cleveland Blues' Dave Rowe, who was primarily an outfielder, gave up 35 runs (12 earned) on 29 hits in a game played on July 24, 1882. Travers does hold the two negative records for American League play.
On May 15, Cobb had entered the stands at the end of the sixth inning after being taunted with racist abuse from a heckler. Claude Lueker, who due to an industrial accident had lost one complete hand and only had three fingers on the other, had repeatedly called Cobb 'a half nigger'. When Cobb began beating him, fans pleaded with him to stop hitting a man with no hands. But Cobb reportedly shouted back, "I don't care if he has no feet!".
wn.com/Allan_Travers -
Andre Dawson
Andre Nolan Dawson (born July 10, 1954 in Miami, Florida), nicknamed "The Hawk", is an American former center fielder and right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played for four different teams, spending most of his career with the Montreal Expos (1976–1986) and Chicago Cubs (1987–1992).
An 8-time National League (NL) All-Star, he was named the league's Rookie of the Year in 1977 after batting .282 with 19 home runs and 65 runs batted in (RBI), and won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1987 after leading the league with 49 homers and 137 RBI; he had been runner-up for the award in both 1981 and 1983. He batted .300 five times, drove in 100 runs four times and had 13 seasons of 20 home runs. A strong baserunner early in his career, he also stole 30 bases three times. He is one of six MLB players with at least 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases during his career.
Dawson was a center fielder until knee problems – worsened by the artificial surface at Olympic Stadium – forced his shift to right field, followed by his move to a team which played on grass. He led the NL in outfield putouts three consecutive years (1981–1983), and won eight Gold Glove Awards for fielding excellence. Upon his retirement, his NL totals of 409 home runs and 962 extra base hits both ranked tenth in league history; he also ranked seventh in NL history in games as an outfielder (2,303), and sixth in both outfield putouts (5,116) and total chances (5,366). He set Expos franchise records for career games, at bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, runs batted in, extra base hits, total bases and steals, all of which have since been broken variously by Tim Raines, Tim Wallach and Vladimir Guerrero. Dawson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25, 2010.
wn.com/Andre_Dawson -
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American baseball player who spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) playing for three teams (1914–1935). Known for his hitting brilliance, Ruth set career records for home runs (714), slugging percentage (.690), runs batted in (RBI) (2,217), and on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.164). Ruth originally entered the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox as a starting pitcher, but after he was sold to the New York Yankees in 1919, he converted to a full time right fielder. He subsequently became one of the league's most prolific hitters and with his home run hitting prowess, he helped the Yankees win seven pennants and four World Series titles. Ruth retired in 1935 after a short stint with the Boston Braves, and the following year, he became one of the first five players to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ruth was the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season (1927), a mark first eclipsed by Roger Maris in 1961 with 61. Ruth's lifetime record of 714 home runs stood until 1974 when it was surpassed by Hank Aaron. Unlike many power hitters, Ruth also hit for a high batting average: his .342 lifetime average is the tenth highest in baseball history, and in one season (1923) he batted .393, a Yankee record. Ruth dominated the era in which he played. He led the league in home runs during a season twelve times, slugging percentage and OPS thirteen times each, runs scored eight times, and RBIs six times. Each of those totals represents a modern record.
wn.com/Babe_Ruth -
Ban Johnson
Byron Bancroft "Ban" Johnson (January 5, 1865 – March 28, 1931), was an American executive in professional baseball who served as the founder and first president of the American League (AL).
Johnson developed the AL—a descendant of the minor league Western League—into a "clean" alternative to the National League, which had become notorious for its rough-and-tumble atmosphere. To encourage a more orderly environment, Johnson strongly supported the new league's umpires, which eventually included Hall of Famer Billy Evans.
With the help of league owners and managers such as Charles Comiskey, Charles Somers and Jimmy McAleer, Johnson lured top talent to the AL, which soon rivaled the more established National League. Johnson dominated the AL until the mid-1920s, when a public dispute with Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis culminated in his forced resignation as league president.
Born in Norwalk, Ohio, Johnson went on to study law at Marietta College, although he did not earn his degree. He subsequently became the sports editor of a newspaper in Cincinnati. During this time, Johnson befriended Charles Comiskey, who was then manager of the Cincinnati Reds. At the urging of Comiskey and Reds owner John T. Brush, Johnson was elected as president of the Western League, a faltering minor league, at a reorganization meeting held in 1893.
wn.com/Ban_Johnson -
Ben Oglivie
Benjamin Ambrosio Oglivie Palmer (born February 11, 1949 in Colón, Panama) is a former Major League Baseball left fielder for the Boston Red Sox (1971–1973), Detroit Tigers (1974–1977), and the Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1986). He also played two seasons in Japan for the Kintetsu Buffaloes (1987–1988). He batted and threw left-handed.
Oglivie debuted on September 4, 1971 for the Red Sox and played his final game on October 5, 1986 for the Brewers. Oglivie hit for power fairly well, breaking the 40-home run mark in 1980 with 41, which was good for a tie (with Reggie Jackson) for the league lead. Oglivie hit 3 home runs in a game, three times. In the process, Oglivie became the first non-U.S. born player to lead the American League in home runs.
In a 16-year career, he posted a .273 batting average with 235 home runs and 901 RBIs in 1754 games. He had 87 career stolen bases and 784 runs scored. Oglivie picked up 1615 hits in 5913 at bats.
Oglivie played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Japan after retiring from MLB and hit 46 home runs in two seasons. He then returned to attempt a comeback in the minors, but never made it back to the majors again.
wn.com/Ben_Oglivie -
Benny Bengough
Bernard Oliver "Benny" Bengough (July 27, 1898 – December 22, 1968) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the New York Yankees during the 1920s when the team garnered the nickname of Murderers' Row, due to their potent batting lineup. He played the final two seasons of his career with the St. Louis Browns. Bengough was a light-hitting, defensive specialist. After his playing career, he spent 18 seasons as a major league coach.
Born in Niagara Falls, New York, Bengough was a graduate of Niagara University. He began his professional baseball career at the age of 18 with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League in 1917. After having played for six seasons in Buffalo, he made his major league debut with the Yankees on May 18, 1923 at the age of 24. 1923 was also the first year the Yankees played their home games in Yankee Stadium. At the beginning of his playing career, Bengough served as a back up catcher to Wally Schang. On June 1, 1925, the same day that Lou Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp as the Yankees' first baseman, Bengough was given the Yankees' starting catcher's job. He ended the season with a .258 batting average along with a career-high 14 doubles and 23 runs batted in.
wn.com/Benny_Bengough -
Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. (born September 13, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.
Growing up, Williams played classical guitar as well as baseball. He was also active in track and field, winning medals at an international meet at the age of 15. He was one of the world's best 400-meter runners for his age.
On his 17th birthday, he signed a professional contract with the New York Yankees organization.
Playing for the Yankees' Double-A team in Albany, he continued to develop his athletic skills — particularly as a switch hitter. Although viewed as a great prospect by Yankee management, his rise to the Majors was delayed by the solid outfield that the team had developed in the early 1990s.
Williams managed to break into the majors in 1991 to replace the injured Roberto Kelly for the second half of that season. He batted .238 in 320 at bats. He was demoted to the minors until Danny Tartabull was injured, and Williams earned his stay at center by putting up solid numbers.
wn.com/Bernie_Williams -
Bill Armour
William Reginald Armour (September 3, 1869 Homestead, PA - December 2, 1922) was an American manager in Major League Baseball who led the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians in the early 1900s. Armour was Ty Cobb's first manager in 1905.
Bill Armour had an overall record of 382-347.
wn.com/Bill_Armour -
Bill Melton
William Edwin Melton (born July 7, 1945 in Gulfport, Mississippi), nicknamed "Beltin' Bill" or "Beltin' Melton", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1968 through 1977 for the Chicago White Sox, California Angels and Cleveland Indians. He is now a commentator for Comcast SportsNet White Sox broadcasts.
Melton was signed as a minor league free agent directly out of high school prior to the 1964 season and was assigned to the White Sox rookie league Sarasota White Sox. After spending 1965 back at Sarasota, this time with the A-league Sarasota Sun Sox, Melton would make steady progress through the White Sox system, playing for the A-league Fox Cities Foxes, AA Evansville White Sox, and AAA Hawaii Islanders and Syracuse Chiefs. At each level, he would display the two characteristics that he would be known for throughout his playing career - a powerful bat and questionable fielding.
wn.com/Bill_Melton -
Bill Mueller
William Richard Mueller ( /ˈmɪlər/; born March 17, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. Mueller's playing career was spent with the San Francisco Giants (1996–2000, 2002), Chicago Cubs (2001–2002), Boston Red Sox (2003–2005), and Los Angeles Dodgers (2006). He won the American League batting title in 2003, and helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series. He was a switch hitter and threw right-handed.
As of the 2009 season, Mueller is serving in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as a Special Assistant to General Manager Ned Colletti.
Mueller was born in Maryland Heights, Missouri and attended De Smet Jesuit High School and Southwest Missouri State University. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 15th round of the 1993 MLB Draft.
Mueller made his professional debut with the Giants low A team, the Everett Giants, in 1993 and quickly rose through the Giants farm system, with stops in San Jose, Shreveport, and Phoenix before making his major league debut with the Giants as a pinch hitter on April 18, 1996 against the Chicago Cubs. He got his first career hit the following day, also as a pinch hitter, against Terry Adams.
wn.com/Bill_Mueller -
Bill Norman
Henry Willis Patrick "Bill" Norman (July 16, 1910 – April 21, 1962) was an American outfielder, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball. A longtime minor league player and manager, he is best remembered for his brief term as pilot of the Detroit Tigers in 1958–59.
Norman was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and served as a bat boy for the St. Louis Browns as a 12-year-old. He attended St. Louis University and signed his first professional baseball contract in 1929. A right-handed hitting and throwing outfielder, he rose quickly to the major league level as player, when he was called up to the Chicago White Sox in 1931 after hitting .366 in the Class C Western Association. But he got into only 37 games with the 1931-32 White Sox, batted only .204 in 103 at bats, and would spend the rest of his playing career in the minors, where he batted .303 with 292 home runs in 2,092 games.
Norman led the A1 Texas League in runs batted in (1941), and the AA American Association in home runs (1942). In June 1946, he became manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League, then spent five seasons as a manager in the Cleveland Indians farm system, winning consecutive Eastern League pennants with the Wilkes-Barre Barons in 1950-51.
wn.com/Bill_Norman -
Bill Terry
William Harold Terry (October 30, 1898 – January 9, 1989) was a Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Terry was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954. In 1999, he ranked number 59 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. The Giants retired Terry's uniform no. 3 in 1984; it is posted on the facade of the upper deck in the left field corner of AT&T Park. Nicknamed "Memphis Bill", he is most remembered for being the last National League player to hit .400, a feat he accomplished by batting .401 in 1930.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Terry made his professional baseball debut in 1915 at the age of 16. He began his career as a pitcher, playing for two separate minor league teams, the Newnan Cowetas of the Georgia-Alabama League and the Dothan club of the FLAG League. With Newnan, he managed an impressive win-loss record of 7-1, with a microscopic 0.60 earned run average in eight games.
wn.com/Bill_Terry -
Billy Evans
William George Evans (February 10, 1884 – January 23, 1956), nicknamed "The Boy Umpire," was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1906 to 1927. He became, at age 22, the youngest umpire in major league history, and later became the youngest to officiate in the World Series at age 25.
Upon his retirement at age 43, his 3,319 career games ranked fifth in major league history; his 1,757 games as a home plate umpire ranked third in AL history, and remain the eighth most by a major league umpire. He later became a key front office executive for three teams and president of the minor league Southern Association.
In addition to his inside role in the sport, Evans authored countless articles, as well as two books, Umpiring from the Inside (1947) and Knotty Problems in Baseball (1950). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, the third umpire ever selected.
wn.com/Billy_Evans -
Billy Hitchcock
William Clyde Hitchcock (July 31, 1916 – April 9, 2006) was an American infielder, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball. He also served as president of the class AA Southern League from 1971-80. His older brother, Jimmy Hitchcock, played briefly for the 1938 Boston Braves.
Born in Inverness, Alabama and a graduate of Auburn University, Hitchcock played all four infield positions during a nine-year American League active career. He broke in with the 1942 Detroit Tigers, spent three years in the Army Air Force in the Pacific during World War II, and resumed his major league career from 1946-53. A right-handed batter and thrower, he batted .243 with five home runs in 703 games with the Tigers, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns and Philadelphia Athletics.
After AAA managing assignments in 1954 and 1961, sandwiched around a six-year (1955–60) term as a Detroit coach, Hitchcock was manager of the 1962-63 Baltimore Orioles, but the team barely broke the .500 mark (163-161); he was replaced by Hank Bauer, and moved into Baltimore's minor league department as field coordinator.
wn.com/Billy_Hitchcock -
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989) was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times. As Yankees manager, he led the team to consecutive American League pennants in 1976 and 1977; the Yankees were swept in the 1976 World Series by the Cincinnati Reds but triumphed over the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the 1977 World Series. He also had notable managerial tenures with several other AL squads, leading four of them to division championships.
As a manager, Martin was known for turning losing teams into winners, and for arguing animatedly with umpires, including a widely parodied routine in which he kicked dust on their feet. However, he was criticized for not getting along with veteran players and owners, burning out young pitchers, and for having an addiction to alcohol. During the 1969 through 1988 period as a manager, Martin totaled 1,253 victories with a .553 winning percentage.
wn.com/Billy_Martin -
Bob Gibson
Robert "Bob" Gibson (born November 9, 1935) is a retired American baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", Gibson tallied 251 wins, 3,117 strikeouts, and a 2.91 earned run average (ERA) during his career. A nine-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, he won two Cy Young Awards and the 1968 National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. In 1981, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Gibson overcame childhood illness to excel in youth sports, particularly basketball and baseball. After briefly playing under contract to both the basketball Harlem Globetrotters team and the St. Louis Cardinals organization, Gibson decided to only continue playing baseball professionally. Once becoming a full-time starting pitcher in July 1961, Gibson began experiencing an increasing level of success, earning his first All-Star appearance in 1962. Gibson won two of three games he pitched in the 1964 World Series, then won 20 games in season for the first time in 1965. Gibson also pitched three complete game victories in the 1967 World Series.
wn.com/Bob_Gibson -
Bob Glenalvin
Robert J. Glenalvin (born Edward A. Dowling on January 17, 1867 in Indianapolis, Indiana, died March 24, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan) was a second baseman for the Chicago Colts of the National League in 1890 and 1893.
He served as the first manager of the Detroit Tigers in 1894.
wn.com/Bob_Glenalvin -
Bob Meusel
Robert William "Bob" Meusel (July 19, 1896 – November 28, 1977) was an American baseball left and right fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eleven seasons from 1920 through 1930, all but the last for the New York Yankees. He was best known as a member of the Yankees' championship teams of the 1920s, nicknamed the "Murderers' Row", during which time the team won its first six American League (AL) pennants and first three World Series titles.
Meusel, noted for his strong outfield throwing arm, batted fifth behind Baseball Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. In 1925, he became the second Yankee, after Ruth, to lead the AL in the following offensive categories: home runs (33), runs batted in (138) and extra base hits (79). Nicknamed "Long Bob" because of his 6 foot, 3 inch (1.91 m) stature, Meusel batted .313 or better in seven of his first eight seasons, finishing with a .309 career average; his 1,005 RBI during the 1920s were the fourth most by any major leaguer, and trailed only Harry Heilmann's total of 1,131 among AL right-handed hitters. Meusel ended his career in 1930 with the Cincinnati Reds. He hit for the cycle three times, and was the second of three major leaguers to accomplish this feat as many as three times during a career.
wn.com/Bob_Meusel -
Bob Scheffing
Robert Boden Scheffing (August 11, 1913 – October 26, 1985) was an American baseball player, coach, manager and front-office executive. Nicknamed "Grumpy," the native of Overland, Missouri, is most often identified with the Chicago Cubs, for whom he played as a catcher (1941–42, 1946–50), coached (1954–55), and managed (1957–59).
Scheffing also spent 2½ years (1961 through June 1963) as manager of the Detroit Tigers, leading them to 101 victories and a second-place finish in the American League in 1961. Victimized by the Tigers' slow start in 1963, he was replaced as Detroit's skipper on June 19 by Chuck Dressen.
After serving as a Detroit scout and radio broadcaster, Scheffing joined the front office of the New York Mets and became general manager early in 1970 following the sudden passing of Johnny Murphy. The Mets won the 1973 National League pennant during his tenure, then fell in a seven-game World Series to the Oakland Athletics. But Scheffing is most remembered by many Met fans for his trade of young pitcher Nolan Ryan to the California Angels following the 1971 season. Ryan went on to set the all-time career strikeout record and earn a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame, while third baseman Jim Fregosi, the Angels' star whom the Mets received in the deal, struggled in New York. Scheffing was replaced by Joe McDonald as Mets' GM in 1975, although he continued in the organization as a scout.
wn.com/Bob_Scheffing -
Bob Swift
Robert Virgil Swift (March 6, 1915 – October 17, 1966) was an American catcher, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball.
Swift is pictured in one of the most famous photographs in American sporting history. He was the catcher for the Detroit Tigers on August 19, 1951, when St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck sent midget Eddie Gaedel to pinch hit during an actual MLB game. The stunt was inspired by the James Thurber short story You Could Look It Up and Gaedel was allowed to bat when the Browns showed the umpires a legitimate baseball contract. Swift knelt on the ground to receive pitcher Bob Cain's offerings — it is this kneeling stance that is captured in the photo — and Gaedel took a base on balls. He was immediately replaced at first base by a pinch runner and he never appeared in a big league game again; he had had no baseball experience in the first place.
While Gaedel was a novice, Swift, a native of Salina, Kansas, played 14 consecutive seasons (1940–53) in the big leagues. Primarily a second-string catcher, he toiled for the Browns (1940–42), Philadelphia Athletics (1942–43) and Tigers (1944–53), appearing in 1,001 games and hitting .231. A good defensive catcher, he batted and threw right-handed.
wn.com/Bob_Swift -
Bobby Grich
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Grich (born January 15, 1949 in Muskegon, Michigan) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles (1970–1976) and California Angels (1977–1986) of Major League Baseball. He currently works in the Angels' front office.
As a player, Grich won four consecutive Gold Glove Awards and made the American League All-Star squad six times.
In 1973, the Orioles traded Davey Johnson to the Braves in order to make room for Grich at second base. He was an excellent fielder, with good range, soft hands, and a good arm, and he was steady turning the double play. In 1973, he set an all-time major league fielding record with a .995 fielding percentage, and 12 seasons later in 1985, he broke the record again (.997).
With the bat, Grich hit 19 home runs with 82 RBI in 1974. Then, in 1979, he batted .294, adding 30 homers and 101 RBI, but he had his best offensive performance in the strike-shortened 1981 season. Grich tied the lead in home runs (22, along with Tony Armas, Dwight Evans, and Eddie Murray), led in slugging average (.543), and hit a career-high .304.
wn.com/Bobby_Grich -
Bobby Ávila
Roberto Francisco Ávila González (April 2, 1924 – October 26, 2004) to Maria Gonzalez and Jorge Avila, was a Major League Baseball second baseman and right-handed batter who played for the Cleveland Indians (1949–58), Baltimore Orioles (1959), Boston Red Sox (1959), Milwaukee Braves (1959) and Tigres del México (1960). Born in Veracruz, Veracruz, México, he had a medium frame at 5' 10" (1.77 m) and 175 lb. (80 kg). He was better known in his homeland and other Latin American countries as "Beto" and in the majors as "Bobby".
In 1954 Ávila won the American League Batting Championship, edging out Ted Williams and Minnie Miñoso with a .341 batting average, while playing almost the entire season with a broken thumb. He also registered career highs in home runs (15), runs (112) and runs batted in (67).
In that same season, the Indians faced the New York Giants in the 1954 World Series, which matched the two leagues' champion bats, Ávila and Willie Mays; it was the third time that top batters in the majors played each other in the Series. Other matchups were Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb in 1909; Al Simmons and Chick Hafey in 1931.
wn.com/Bobby_Ávila -
Braggo Roth
Robert Frank "Bobby" Roth (August 28, 1892 – September 11, 1936), nicknamed Braggo, was a professional baseball player. He was an outfielder over parts of 8 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, and New York Yankees.
Braggo began his minor league career in 1910 with Green Bay of the Class-D Wisconsin-Illinois League. After less than three months, Roth was released and he signed with the Red Wing Manufacturers of the Class-D Minnesota-Wisconsin League. In 1912, he played for the St. Joseph Drummers of the Western League. He played for the Kansas City Blues of the American Association in 1913 and 1914. Braggo played third base for the first four years of his career, but was converted into an outfielder in 1914. He also earned the nickname "Braggo" during the 1914 season, due to his boastful attitude.
Roth made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox of the American League, when they purchased him from the Blues in August 1914. He was switched back to third base, but his playing time decreased in 1915 due to his poor defensive play and the acquisition of Eddie Murphy, resulting in the White Sox trading Roth with a player to be named later (later decided to be Larry Chappell), Ed Klepfer and $31,500 to the Cleveland Indians for Shoeless Joe Jackson in August 1915. Roth hit three home runs in the final week of the 1915 season to increase his season total to seven, one more than Rube Oldring.
wn.com/Braggo_Roth -
Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967. He was known for breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing African American player Jackie Robinson, for drafting the first Hispanic superstar, Roberto Clemente, for creating the framework for the modern minor league farm system, for encouraging the Major Leagues to add new teams through his involvement in the proposed Continental League, and for introducing the batting helmet.
Rickey's many achievements and deep Christian faith earned him the nickname "the Mahātmā."
Rickey was born in Stockdale, Ohio, USA, the son of Jacob Frank Rickey and Emily Brown Rickey. He was a catcher on the baseball team at Ohio Wesleyan University and, in 1903, signed a contract with Terre Haute, Indiana of the Class B Central League, making his professional debut on June 20. Rickey was assigned to Le Mars, Iowa of the Class D Iowa-South Dakota League. Later, he spent two seasons in the major leagues, debuting as a St. Louis Brown in 1905. Sold to the New York Highlanders in 1907, Rickey could neither hit nor field while with the club, and his batting average dropped below .200. One opposing team stole 13 bases while Rickey was behind the plate, setting a record which still stands a century later. Rickey also injured his throwing arm and retired as a player after just one year. (During this period, Rickey also spent two seasons—1904 and 1905—coaching baseball and football and teaching at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania.)
wn.com/Branch_Rickey -
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. (born May 18, 1937) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles (1955–1977). Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history. He won 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards during his career, tied with pitcher Jim Kaat for the second most all-time for any player at any position. Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas to Brooks Calbert and Ethel Mae (née Donkey) Robinson. His father worked for a large bakery in Little Rock, Colonial Bakery, and then went to work for the Little Rock Fire Department (rising to the rank of captain ), while his mother at first worked for Sears Roebuck & Company, and then in the controller's office at the state capitol. His father played second base for a semi-pro team. Young Brooks Robinson, Jr., delivered the Arkansas Gazette on his bike, and also operated the beer and sold wine at Lamar Porter Field.
wn.com/Brooks_Robinson -
Buck Freeman
John Frank "Buck" Freeman (October 30, 1871 – June 25, 1949) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball at the turn of the 20th century. Freeman was one of the top sluggers of his era, his most famous feat being the 25 home runs he hit during the 1899 season.
A native of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, Freeman showed talent as a pitcher from a young age. He made his major league debut as a left-handed starter with the Washington Statesmen on June 27, 1891, registering the loss in a 4-5 defeat to the Philadelphia Athletics. Freeman played in a further four games during the season, finishing up with a 3-2 record and an earned run average of 3.89.
Following the 1891 season's conclusion he did not play in the majors again for seven years. He played in the Eastern League with Toronto from 1896 to 1898 and returned to the Washington roster midway through the 1898 season. During the intervening time Freeman had bulked out and had begun to show real skill with the bat (in his 18 at bats in 1891 he had recorded a batting average of .222). In light of this the Senators decided to retrain Freeman as a right fielder, believing that he would be even more useful with the bat than he was with the ball. Albeit with only 107 at bats, he recorded a .364 batting average and a .523 slugging percentage during the final months of the 1898 season. Following his strong showing with the bat, he was named as the Senators' first-choice right fielder for the following season.
wn.com/Buck_Freeman -
Buddy Bell
David Gus "Buddy" Bell (born August 27, 1951 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. After an 18-year career with four teams, most notably the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, he managed the Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals for three seasons each. He is the son of outfielder Gus Bell and the father of third basemen David and Mike. He is currently the Director of Operations for the Chicago White Sox Minor League system.
Bell was born while his father was playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was drafted in 1969 by the Indians and was regarded as a promising prospect from the beginning. He first appeared in the Major Leagues with the Indians in 1972, appearing mostly in the outfield as a rookie, but afterwards becoming a fixture at third base. Bell was a solid, but not overpowering, right-handed hitter on a mostly lackluster Indians team. He was named to the All-Star team in 1973.
After the 1978 season Bell was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Toby Harrah – another solid, veteran third baseman. Bell enjoyed his best season with the Rangers in 1979, collecting 200 hits, 101 RBI, and his first Gold Glove Award. From 1979 through 1984, Bell won the gold glove for third base in The American League. He also won the silver slugger award in 1984. He finished in the top 10 in Batting Average in 1980 and 1984.
wn.com/Buddy_Bell -
Buddy Myer
Charles Solomon "Buddy" Myer (March 16, 1904 – October 31, 1974) was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1941.
An excellent hitter, he batted .300 or better in eight full seasons, and retired with a career average of .303. He walked more than twice as many times as he struck out. Apart from a brief period with the Boston Red Sox in 1927–28, he spent his entire career with the Washington Senators.
Myer was born in Ellisville, Mississippi to a Jewish family.[citation needed]
Myer decided to go to college at Mississippi A&M (now Mississippi State University). In 1923, he attracted many baseball scouts to watch him play. That same year, the Washington Senators offered him a contract. Buddy accepted the contract with the one condition, that he finish his college education. Myer graduated from Mississippi A&M in 1925.
He was discovered by baseball promoter, Joe Engel, who managed the Chattanooga Lookouts at Engel Stadium.
He broke in with the Senators in 1925 at the age of 21. In 1926 he batted .304. In May 1927 he was traded by the Senators to the Red Sox for Topper Rigney.
wn.com/Buddy_Myer -
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. (born August 8, 1960), nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001).
Ripken is perhaps best known for breaking New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played, a record many deemed unbreakable. He surpassed the 56-year-old record when he played in his 2,131st consecutive game on September 6, 1995, against the California Angels in front of a sold-out crowd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. To make the feat even more memorable, Ripken hit a home run in the previous night's game that tied Gehrig's record and another home run in his 2,131st game. Fans later voted his 2,131st game as Major League Baseball's "Most Memorable Moment" in MLB history. Ripken played in an additional 501 straight games over the next three years, and his streak ended at 2,632 games when he voluntarily removed his name from the lineup for the final Orioles home game of the 1998 season. His record 2,632 straight games spanned over seventeen seasons, from May 30, 1982, to September 20, 1998.
wn.com/Cal_Ripken,_Jr. -
Cap Anson
Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was a National Association and Major League Baseball first baseman. He played a record 27 consecutive seasons, and was regarded as one of the greatest players of his era and one of the first superstars of the game.
Anson spent most of his career with the Chicago Cubs franchise (then known as the "White Stockings" and later the "Colts"), serving as the club's manager, first baseman and, later in his tenure, minority owner. He led the team to five National League pennants in the 1880s. Anson was one of baseball's first great hitters, and the first to tally over 3,000 career hits.
His contemporary influence and prestige are regarded by historians as playing a major role in establishing the racial segregation in professional baseball that persisted until the late 1940s.. However, a 2006 biography of Anson that exhaustively examined 19th-century newspaper reporting related to him on the subject of racism reached the following conclusion: "As far as the nineteenth century, he rightfully should endure as the big leaguer who, until the late 1940s, was involved in the greatest number of reported negative incidents, on the field, relating to blacks." On several occasions, Anson refused to take the field when the opposing roster included black players. "But at the same time, his argumentative nature could be readily discounted by those around him. So, the notion that he had 'coattails' in persuading players and officials on other teams to do as he did is rather spurious."
wn.com/Cap_Anson -
Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( /jəˈstrɛmski/; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox (1961–1983). He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career played at first base and as a designated hitter. Yastrzemski is an 18-time All-Star, the possessor of seven Gold Gloves, a member of the 3000 hit club, and the first American League player in that club to also accumulate over 400 home runs. He is second on the all-time list for games played, and third for total at-bats. He is the Red Sox' all-time leader in career RBIs, runs, hits, singles, doubles, total bases, and games played, and is second on the team's list for home runs behind another Red Sox great, Ted Williams, his predecessor in left field. In 1967, Yastrzemski achieved a peak in his career, leading the Red Sox to the American League pennant for the first time in over two decades, in that season being voted the American League MVP, and being the most recent winner of the triple crown for batters in the major leagues.
wn.com/Carl_Yastrzemski -
Carlos Peña
Carlos Felipe Peña (born May 17, 1978 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican professional baseball left-handed first baseman. He played previously with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.
Although he was born in Santo Domingo and his family is from San Francisco de Macorís, he spent a significant portion of his childhood in the United States, namely Haverhill, Massachusetts. He is portrayed in the film Moneyball by actor Adrian Bellani.
Peña is the eldest of four children born to Felipe and Juana Peña. The family moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic when Peña was 12, initially living with one of his uncles.
He graduated from Haverhill High School in Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1995. He initially went to Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, but returned home after one quarter and instead went to Northeastern University where he studied electrical engineering. As a collegiate player, he competed in the Cape Cod League, which showcases top amateur prospects every summer. He was a member of the Wareham Gatemen in 1997. During his time at Northeastern, Peña led the Huskies to one NCAA tournament. Peña's career batting average at Northeastern was .324 and finished with 24 home runs in two seasons.
wn.com/Carlos_Peña -
Carney Lansford
Carney Ray Lansford (born February 7, 1957 in San Jose, California) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball and the current hitting coach of the Colorado Rockies. Lansford, who played for the California Angels (1978–80), Boston Red Sox (1981–82) and Oakland Athletics (1983–92), batted and threw right-handed.
Originally drafted by the California Angels in the 3rd round of the 1975 Major League Baseball Draft, Lansford became the Angels' best rookie in 1978 and finished third in the overall AL Rookie of the Year vote. The Angels dealt Lansford to the Red Sox after the 1980 season. In 1981, he won the American League batting title in the strike-shortened season, becoming the league's first right-handed hitter to do so in 11 years. However, the emergence of Wade Boggs resulted in the Red Sox sending Lansford to Oakland[citation needed] in a trade involving Tony Armas during the 1982 off-season. Lansford became the A's third baseman for their 1988 through 1992 dynasty, typically hitting second behind Rickey Henderson. Lansford narrowly missed winning his second batting title in 1989 with a .336 average to Minnesota's Kirby Puckett, who finished with a .339 average. Although his power numbers dropped off during those years, and he missed almost all the 1991 season, Lansford's speed and solid hitting made him a significant contributor. He played in three World Series with the A's, losing in 1988, 1990 and winning in 1989.
wn.com/Carney_Lansford -
Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (/ˈstɛŋɡəl/; July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975), nicknamed "The Old Perfessor", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966.
Stengel was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and originally nicknamed "Dutch", a common nickname at that time for Americans of German ancestry. After his major league career began, he acquired the nickname "Casey", which originally came from the initials of his hometown ("K. C."), which evolved into "Casey", influenced by the wide popularity of the poem Casey at the Bat. In the 1950s, sportswriters dubbed him with yet another nickname, "The Old Professor" (or "Perfessor"), for his sharp wit and his ability to talk at length on anything baseball-related.
Although his baseball career spanned a number of teams and cities, he is primarily associated with clubs in New York City. Between playing and managing, he is the only man to have worn four of New York's major league clubs' uniforms. He was the first of four men (through the 2010 season) to manage both the New York Yankees and New York Mets; Yogi Berra, Dallas Green, and Joe Torre are the others. Like Torre, he also managed the Braves and the Dodgers. He ended his baseball career as the beloved manager for the then expansion New York Mets, which won over the hearts of New York partly due to the unique character of their veteran leader.
wn.com/Casey_Stengel -
Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed “The Mechanical Man,” was a German-American Major League Baseball second baseman who played 19 seasons (1924–42) for the Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest second basemen of all time, during his career Gehringer, who batted left-handed and threw with his right, compiled a .320 batting average and had seven seasons with more than 200 hits – a hit total never reached in a season by Ted Williams or Mickey Mantle and reached only once by Willie Mays. He was the American League batting champion in 1937 with a .371 average and was also named the American League’s Most Valuable Player. He was among the Top 10 vote recipients in the Most Valuable Player voting for seven straight years from 1932 to 1938. He was the starting second baseman and played every inning of the first six All Star Games.
Gehringer's career totals of 2,839 hits and 574 doubles both rank 19th in Major League history. Gehringer also led the Tigers to three American League pennants (1934, 1935, and 1940) and one World Series Championship (1935). Gehringer hit .379 in the 1934 World Series, and .375 in the 1935 Series.
wn.com/Charlie_Gehringer -
Chick Hafey
Charles James "Chick" Hafey (February 12, 1903, Berkeley, California – July 2, 1973, Calistoga, California) was an American player in Major League Baseball. Hafey was part of two World Series championship teams (in 1926 and 1931) as a St. Louis Cardinal, and was selected by the Veteran's Committee for the Hall of Fame in 1971.
Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals (1924-1931) and Cincinnati Reds (1932–1935, 1937), Hafey was a strong line-drive hitter who batted for a high average on a consistent basis. Hafey also had a power peak, averaging 27 home runs and 114 RBI from 1928 to 1930. In the field, he was known for having a "rifle arm." In 1931, Hafey won one of the closest races for a batting title in history, hitting .349 to beat New York's Bill Terry by just .0002, and teammate Jim Bottomley by .0007. The title was only secured by a hit in Hafey's final at-bat of the season. Hafey was fifth in the voting for the 1931 MVP award. When Hafey's Cardinals faced Al Simmons' Athletics in the 1931 World Series, it marked just the second time that two reigning batting champions had opposed one another in the Fall Classic.
wn.com/Chick_Hafey -
Christy Mathewson
Christopher "Christy" Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", or "Matty", was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire career in what is known as the dead-ball era. In 1936, Mathewson was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its "first five" inaugural members.
Mathewson was born in Factoryville, Pennsylvania and began playing semi-professional baseball when he was 14 years old. He began playing in the minor leagues in 1899 and had a pitching record of 20 wins and two losses. He began an unsuccessful tenure with the New York Giants the next season and was sent back to the minors. Mathewson would eventually return to the Giants and go on to win 373 games in his career, which is a National League record. In the 1905 World Series, Mathewson pitched three shutouts in the Giants victory. Throughout his career, Mathewson would not pitch on Sundays due to his Christian beliefs. The pitcher also played professional football for the Pittsburgh Stars for a short period of time before quitting. Mathewson served in World War I and died in Saranac Lake, New York in 1925.
wn.com/Christy_Mathewson -
Chuck Dressen
Charles Walter Dressen (September 20, 1898 – August 10, 1966), known as both "Chuck" and "Charlie," was an American third baseman, manager and coach in professional baseball during a career that lasted almost fifty years, and was best known as the manager of the powerful Brooklyn Dodgers of 1951–1953. Indeed, Dressen's "schooling" of a young baseball writer is one of the most colorful themes in Roger Kahn's classic memoir, The Boys of Summer.
Born in Decatur, Illinois, Dressen was a veteran baseball man when he took the reins in Brooklyn after the 1950 season. After a short football career playing quarterback for the Decatur Staleys (a forerunner of the Chicago Bears) in 1920 and in 1922–1923 with the Racine Legion, Dressen was a third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds (1925–1931) and a late-season utilityman for the 1933 New York Giants, batting .272 in 646 games.
Dressen began his managerial career in 1932 with the Nashville Vols of the Southern Association. He interrupted that assignment late in 1933 to fill in as an active player for the Giants during the pennant drive. Although he didn't play during the 1933 World Series, he helped the Giants win Game 4. With New York leading the game by a single run in the bottom of the 11th inning, the opposition Washington Senators loaded the bases with one out, and sent up pinch hitter Cliff Bolton. On his own initiative, Dressen called time, ran from the dugout, and advised Giants' first baseman and playing manager Bill Terry how to pitch and defend Bolton, whom Dressen knew from his Southern Association days. Bolton promptly bounced into a double play and the New Yorkers won the game to take a 3–1 lead in the Series, which they ultimately won in five games. The incident stamped Dressen as a potential Major League Baseball manager.
wn.com/Chuck_Dressen -
Chuck Klein
Charles Herbert "Chuck" Klein (October 7, 1904 – March 28, 1958) was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1928–33, 1936–39, 1940–44), Chicago Cubs (1934–36) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1939).
Klein was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was known as the "Hoosier Hammer." He was one of the most prodigious National League sluggers in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Klein worked in a steel mill in his youth, and played semipro baseball on his own time. The St. Louis Cardinals soon noticed his talent, and signed him to a minor-league contract. He eventually worked his way up to the Cardinals' farm team in Fort Wayne. After hitting 26 homers in 88 games in 1928, Klein was slated to be called up to St. Louis midway through the season. However, Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis discovered that the Cardinals owned a team in Dayton, Ohio that played in the same league as Fort Wayne. Landis ordered the Cardinals to sell off the Fort Wayne team and give up the rights to its players. The Phillies outbid the New York Yankees for Klein's services, and Klein joined the Phillies in July.
wn.com/Chuck_Klein -
Con Strouthers
Cornelius "Con" Strouthers was a baseball manager in the late 19th century and early 20th century. From 1895 to 1896, he was the third manager of the Detroit Tigers during their time in the Western League before they became a major league team in 1901. In 1904 he was the manager of the Augusta Tourists of the South Atlantic League or "Sally League" when he invited Ty Cobb, who would go on to a Hall of Fame career with the Tigers, to join the club.
wn.com/Con_Strouthers -
Cool Papa Bell
James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell (May 17, 1903 – March 7, 1991) was an American center fielder in Negro league baseball, considered by many baseball observers to have been one of the fastest men ever to play the game. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
James Thomas Nichols was born May 17, 1903, in or near Starkville, Mississippi. The 1910 U.S. Census shows him as the fourth of seven children living with his widowed mother, Mary Nichols, in Sessums Township, just outside of Starkville. When and why he changed his name to "Bell" is unknown. He joined the St. Louis Stars of the Negro National League as a pitcher in 1922. By 1924, he had become their starting center fielder, and was known as an adept batter and fielder, and the "fastest man in the league". After leading the Stars to league titles in 1928, 1930, and 1931, he moved to the Detroit Wolves of the East-West League when the Negro National League disbanded. Detroit soon folded, leaving Bell to bounce to the Kansas City Monarchs and the Mexican winter leagues until finding a home with the Pittsburgh Crawfords in the reorganized NNL. In Pittsburgh, he played alongside Ted Page and Jimmie Crutchfield to form what is considered by many to have been the best outfield in the Negro leagues. Bell left the Crawfords in 1938 to return to Mexico, coming back to baseball in the United States in 1942 to play for the Homestead Grays, who won Negro league titles in 1942, 1943, and 1944 with his help. He last played for the semi-pro Detroit Senators in 1946. He coached for the Monarchs in the late 1940s, managing their barnstorming "B" team, scouting for the club, signing prospects, and teaching the ins and outs of the game to future major-league baseball greats Ernie Banks, Jackie Robinson, and Elston Howard, among others.
wn.com/Cool_Papa_Bell -
Craig Biggio
Craig Alan Biggio (born December 14, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, catcher, and outfielder. He played his entire 20-year baseball career with the Houston Astros (1988–2007). He ranks 21st all-time with 3,060 career hits, and is the ninth player in the 3000 hit club to get all his hits with the same team. He is currently the head varsity baseball coach for St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas.
Craig Biggio graduated from Kings Park High School on Long Island, New York, where he excelled as a multi-sport varsity athlete. Most notably, after the 1983 season, Biggio was awarded the Hansen Award, which recognized him as being the best football player in Suffolk County. However, Biggio's passion lay with baseball, such that he turned down football scholarships for the opportunity to play baseball for Seton Hall University.
An infielder in school, Biggio switched to catcher at Seton Hall University because his team needed one. Biggio was an All-American baseball player at Seton Hall, where he played with other future Major League Baseball stars Mo Vaughn and John Valentin. Biggio, Vaughn and Valentin, along with Marteese Robinson, were featured in the book The Hit Men and the Kid Who Batted Ninth by David Siroty which chronicled their rise from college teammates to the major leagues. Biggio was drafted by the Houston Astros in the first round (22nd overall) in 1987.
wn.com/Craig_Biggio -
Cristóbal Torriente
Cristóbal Torriente (November 16, 1893 - April 11, 1938) was a Cuban outfielder in Negro league baseball with the Cuban Stars, All Nations, Chicago American Giants, Kansas City Monarchs and Detroit Stars over a career that lasted from 1912 to 1928, plus a single game in 1932.
Torriente played much of the summer of 1916 for the "Western" Cuban Stars team, but apparently got into an argument with the manager in St. Louis and found himself without a team. He quickly tracked down former teammate and friend José Méndez and was quickly hired by J.L. Wilkinson to play for his All Nations just before a big series with C.I. Taylor's Indianapolis ABCs and Rube Foster's Chicago American Giants. Torriente would go on to play several years for both teams.
Torriente was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba. He was a talented slugger on Rube Foster's great Chicago American Giants teams of 1918-1925. He was a terrific pull hitter, though he could hit with power to all fields. He was stocky and slightly bowlegged, but had deceptive power, along with a strong, accurate arm from center field. He was considered to be a complete player: Indianapolis ABC's manager C.I. Taylor stated, "If I see Torriente walking up the other side of the street, I would say, 'There walks a ballclub.'"
wn.com/Cristóbal_Torriente -
Cy Perkins
Ralph Foster "Cy" Perkins (February 27, 1896 – October 2, 1963) was an American catcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. Perkins batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Perkins served as a catcher with the Philadelphia Athletics (1915, 1917–30), New York Yankees (1931) and Detroit Tigers (1934). He was the starting catcher for Philadelphia until Mickey Cochrane joined the team in 1925. After that Perkins served as a backup, being hailed as the man who taught Cochrane to catch without injuring his hands. He also was a member of the Athletics' World Series champion teams in 1929 and 1930.
In a 17-season career, Perkins was a .259 hitter with 30 home runs and 409 runs batted in from 1171 games played.
Following his playing career, Perkins coached for 17 years in the major leagues, with the Yankees (1932–33), Tigers (1934–39) and Philadelphia Phillies (1946–54). He worked with two World Series champions, the Yankees of 1932 and the Tigers of 1935, and for the Phillies' National League champion team in 1950. He also managed Detroit in 1937 (along with Cochrane and Del Baker) and posted a 6-9 record.
wn.com/Cy_Perkins -
Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career (1890–1911), he pitched for five different teams. Young established numerous pitching records, some of which have stood for a century. Young compiled 511 wins, which is most in Major League history and 94 ahead of Walter Johnson who is second on the list. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. One year after Young's death, the Cy Young Award was created to honor the previous season's best pitcher.
In addition to wins, Young still holds the Major League records for most career innings pitched (7,355), most career games started (815), and most complete games (749). He also retired with 316 losses, the most in MLB history. Young's 76 career shutouts are fourth all-time. He also won at least 30 games in a season five times, with ten other seasons of 20 or more wins. In addition, Young pitched three no-hitters, including the third perfect game in baseball history, first in baseball's "modern era". In 1999, 88 years after his final Major League appearance and 44 years after his death, editors at The Sporting News ranked Cy Young 14th on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". That same year, baseball fans named him to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
wn.com/Cy_Young -
Dale Alexander
David Dale Alexander (April 26, 1903 – March 2, 1979), nicknamed "Moose," was a Major League Baseball player for the Detroit Tigers (1929–1932) and Boston Red Sox (1932–1933). Dale "Moose" Alexander was a big 6 foot, 3 inch, 210 first baseman. He won the American League batting crown in 1932 and was one of the best hitters in baseball between 1929 and 1932, but a leg injury shortened his Major League career.
Born in Greeneville, Tennessee, Alexander first played professional baseball with his hometown team. Alexander hit .300 or better in five straight minor league seasons. In 1928, playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Alexander won the International League triple crown with a .380 batting average, 31 home runs, and 144 runs batted in.
In 1929, Alexander won the first baseman job with the Detroit Tigers. In his rookie season Alexander hit .343, scored 110 runs, led the American League with 215 hits, and was among the league leaders with 83 extra base hits (second in AL), 363 total bases (second in AL), 137 RBIs (third in AL), 25 home runs (fifth in the AL), a .580 slugging percentage (fifth in the AL), 43 doubles (fifth in AL), and 15 triples (fourth in AL).
wn.com/Dale_Alexander -
Dan Dickerson
Dan Dickerson (born 1958) is an American sportscaster, best known for his current position as the lead radio play-by-play voice of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers on the Detroit Tigers Radio Network, joined by color commentator and former Tigers catcher Jim Price.
Dickerson grew up in Birmingham, Michigan and attended Cranbrook School, graduating in 1976. He then attended Ohio Wesleyan University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
He began his radio career at WMAX in Grand Rapids, Michigan as a news anchor and reporter. He also covered high-school football and basketball. He moved to competitor WCUZ in 1982, where he would cover sports for the next six years. Dickerson moved to Detroit in 1988 and WWJ, where he served as a general assignment news reporter and weekend news and sports anchor. He also hosted the post-game call-in show for the station's Detroit Lions broadcasts.
In 1995, Dickerson moved to crosstown competitor WJR, where he held a variety of positions. He was co-host of a weeknight sports call-in show; morning sports anchor; sideline reporter and fill-in play-by-play announcer for Michigan Wolverines football; and play-by-play announcer for Michigan basketball for two seasons. While visiting with legendary Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell in the WJR booth during the final game at Tiger Stadium in 1999, Dickerson was invited by Harwell to call an inning of play-by-play. The following season, he joined the Tigers' radio broadcast team full-time, calling the middle innings of each game while Harwell handled the rest. Along with former Tiger catcher and analyst Jim Price, this team remained intact for three full seasons, even as the team switched radio flagship stations (from WJR to WXYT) at the end of the 2000 season.
wn.com/Dan_Dickerson -
Dave Dombrowski
David Dombrowski (born July 27, 1956) is the current president, CEO, and general manager of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.
Dombrowski began his career with the Chicago White Sox in 1978, as an administrative assistant in their minor league organization. He moved up the ladder to assistant general manager to Hemond by his late 20s, but was purged during Ken Harrelson's one-year reign in 1986 as the White Sox front-office boss.
Dombrowski joined the Montreal Expos front office as director of player development for the 1987 season under Bill Stoneman, and on July 5, 1988, he became, at age 31, Montreal's general manager—the youngest in MLB at the time.
Dombrowski built up the Expos farm system during his term.[citation needed] The team enjoyed .500 or better seasons from 1988–90 but struggled on the field in 1991.[citation needed] Concurrently, the National League expanded to 14 teams, with two new franchises to begin play in 1993. One of those teams, the Florida Marlins, recruited Dombrowski to become its first general manager; he was appointed on September 19, 1991.
wn.com/Dave_Dombrowski -
Dave Winfield
David Mark Winfield (born October 3, 1951) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor of the San Diego Padres and an analyst for the ESPN program Baseball Tonight. Over his 22-year career, he played for six teams: the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians. In 2004, ESPN named him the third-best all-around athlete of all time in any sport. He is a member of both the Baseball Hall of Fame and the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Winfield was born the same day Bobby Thomson hit his pennant-winning home run for the New York Giants, known as "the shot heard 'round the world", and grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. His parents divorced when he was three years old, leaving him and his older brother Stephen to be raised by their mom, Arline, and a huge extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and mentors.
The Winfield brothers honed their athletic skills in St. Paul's Oxford playground, where coach Bill Peterson was one of the first to take the young Winfield under his wing. It wasn't until his senior year in high school that Winfield became a formidable 6'6" athlete.
wn.com/Dave_Winfield -
David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins from 1997 until 2002. Ortiz is a seven-time All-Star and holds the Red Sox single season record for home runs in a regular season with 54, set during the 2006 season. In 2005, Red Sox ownership presented him with a plaque proclaiming Ortiz "the greatest clutch-hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox".
Ortiz graduated from Estudia Espallat High School in the Dominican Republic and in 1992 he was signed by the Seattle Mariners who listed him as "David Arias". He played for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, a Mariners farm team, until 1996, when he was traded to the Minnesota Twins as the player to be named later in an earlier trade for Dave Hollins. When he arrived in Minnesota, he informed the team that he preferred to be listed as "David Ortiz."
He made his Twins debut in September 1997. For a few years, he was moved back and forth between the Twins and their minor league affiliate in Connecticut, the New Britain Rock Cats. The Twins advanced to the American League Championship Series that year, where they lost to the Anaheim Angels. Despite showing flashes of talent, Ortiz's time with the Twins will be remembered as a series of injuries and inconsistency both in the field and at the plate. Ortiz suffered wrist injuries in both 1998 and 2001. He continued to experience knee problems in early 2002 that plagued him throughout the season, despite hitting 32 doubles, 20 home runs and 75 RBIs in 125 games. He was released by the Twins after the season. In six seasons with the Twins, Ortiz hit 58 home runs and 238 RBI.
wn.com/David_Ortiz -
Del Baker
Delmer David Baker (May 3, 1892 – September 11, 1973) was an American catcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. As a manager, he led the 1940 Detroit Tigers to the American League pennant. As a coach, he was known as one of the premier "sign stealers" in baseball.
Born in Sherwood, Oregon, and raised in neighboring Wilsonville, Baker played extensively in the minor leagues. He did appear in 172 major-league games over three seasons (1914–16) with the Tigers, batting .209 with no home runs and 22 RBI. After managing Detroit's Texas League farm team, the Beaumont Exporters, to 100 victories and the 1932 championship, Baker was named a Tigers coach under Bucky Harris for 1933.
He remained in that role under new playing manager Mickey Cochrane when the Tigers won back-to-back AL pennants in 1934-35, and their first ever World Series title in 1935. Baker, as Detroit's "senior coach," took over as acting manager three times: in 1933, when Harris was fired at the end of the season, then temporarily in the midseasons of 1936 (when Cochrane took a leave of absence for a bout of depression) and 1937 (when Mickey was hit in the head by a pitched ball and suffered a fractured skull that ended his playing career).
wn.com/Del_Baker -
Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter ( /ˈdʒiːtər/; born June 26, 1974) is an American baseball shortstop who has played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. A five-time World Series champion, Jeter has been a central figure of the Yankees during their success of the 1990s and 2000s due to his clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning. He is the Yankees' all-time career leader in hits (3,155), games played (2,472), stolen bases (342), and at bats (10,066). His accolades include twelve All-Star selections, five Gold Glove Awards, four Silver Slugger Awards, two Hank Aaron Awards, and the Roberto Clemente Award. Jeter is the all-time MLB leader in hits by a shortstop, and the 28th player to reach 3,000 hits.
The Yankees drafted Jeter out of high school in 1992, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1995. The following year, he became the Yankees' starting shortstop, won the Rookie of the Year Award, and helped the team win the 1996 World Series. Jeter continued to contribute during the team's championship seasons of 1998–2000; he finished third in voting for the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1998, recorded multiple career-high numbers in 1999, and won both the All-Star Game MVP and World Series MVP Awards in 2000. He has consistently placed among the AL leaders in hits and runs scored for the past ten years, and since 2003 has served as the Yankees' team captain.
wn.com/Derek_Jeter -
Dick Allen
Richard Anthony Allen (born March 8, 1942 in Wampum, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League Baseball player and R&B singer. He played first and third base and outfield in Major League Baseball and ranked among his sport's top offensive producers of the 1960s and early 1970s. Most notably playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox, he led the American League in home runs twice, and led both leagues in slugging average (the AL twice) and on base percentage. His .534 career slugging average ranks among the highest in an era marked by low averages. He won the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year and 1972 AL MVP. He also spoke his mind, combatted racism, and bucked organizational hierarchy. Sabermetrician Bill James rated Dick Allen as the second-most controversial player in baseball history, behind Rogers Hornsby.
His older brother Hank was a reserve outfielder for three AL teams, and his younger brother Ron was briefly a first baseman with the 1972 St. Louis Cardinals.
Allen hit a baseball with an authority Philadelphia fans had not seen since Chuck Klein and Jimmie Foxx. The Phillies saw his potential immediately and signed him in 1960 for a large $70,000 bonus. His career got off to a turbulent start as he faced racial harassment while playing for the Phillies' minor league affiliate in Little Rock; residents staged protest parades against Allen, the local team's first black player. Nevertheless, he led the league in total bases.
wn.com/Dick_Allen -
Dick Tracewski
Richard Joseph Tracewski (born February 3, 1935 in Eynon, Pennsylvania) was a player and coach in Major League Baseball. In his career, he was an infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers.
He participated in three World Series: two with Los Angeles (1963, 1965) and one with Detroit (1968). He also served as first base coach for the Tigers in the 1984 World Series. Tracewski was the Dodgers' second baseman the evening of September 9, 1965 when Sandy Koufax tossed a perfect game against the San Francisco Giants.
In an 8-season playing career, he batted .213, often playing around 75–100 games a year, serving as a good fielding backup infielder. He had 8 career home runs and 91 RBIs. He had 262 hits in 1231 at bats. He is right-handed. He was traded to the Tigers for Phil Regan on December 15, 1965.
Following his playing career, Tracewski managed in the Detroit farm system for two seasons (1970–71). In 1972, he began a 24-year stint as a coach for Detroit, longer than any other coach in Tiger history. Tracewski, on occasion, filled in as the Tigers interim manager. He managed the club for two games in 1979 before Sparky Anderson arrived, and for several weeks in 1989 while Anderson recovered from exhaustion.
wn.com/Dick_Tracewski -
Don Mattingly
Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly (born April 20, 1961) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year major league baseball career for the New York Yankees (1982–1995).
Mattingly was named to the American League (AL) All-Star team six times. He won nine Gold Glove Awards, three Silver Slugger Awards, and was the 1985 AL Most Valuable Player. Mattingly served as captain of the Yankees from 1991 through 1995, and the Yankees retired his uniform number after his retirement. After his playing career, Mattingly served as a hitting coach for the Yankees and Dodgers prior to taking on his current position as manager of the Dodgers.
A graduate of Memorial High School in Evansville, Indiana in 1979, he led the Tigers to a state record 59 straight victories through the 1978-79 season. In 1978 the Tigers were crowned State Champions and were State Runners-up in 1979. Don was the L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude recipient in 1979. He was All-City, All-SIAC (Southern Indiana Athletic Conference), and All State in both 1978 and 1979. During the four years he played in high school the Tigers compiled a 94-9-1 won – loss record and Don hit .463. He still holds Memorial records for hits (152); doubles (29): triples (25 - also the state record); RBIs (140); and runs scored (99).
wn.com/Don_Mattingly -
Duke Snider
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider (September 19, 1926 – February 27, 2011), nicknamed "The Silver Fox" and "The Duke of Flatbush", was a Major League Baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (1947–62), New York Mets (1963), and San Francisco Giants (1964).
Snider was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980. He appears in Roger Kahn's acclaimed memoir, The Boys of Summer.
Born in Los Angeles, Snider was nicknamed "Duke" by his father at age five. Growing up in Southern California, Snider was a gifted all-around athlete, playing basketball, football, and baseball at Compton High School, class of 1944. He was a strong-armed quarterback, who reportedly could throw the football 70 yards. Spotted by one of Branch Rickey's scouts in the early 1940s, he was signed to a baseball contract out of high school in 1943. He played briefly for the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1944 (batting twice) and for Newport News in the Piedmont League in the same year. After serving in the military in 1945, he came back to play for the Fort Worth Cats in 1946 and for St. Paul in 1947. He played well and earned a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers later that year. He started the next season (1948) with Montreal, and after hitting well in that league with a .327 batting average, he was called up to Brooklyn for good during the middle of the season.
wn.com/Duke_Snider -
Dwight Evans
Dwight Michael Evans (born November 3, 1951), nicknamed "Dewey", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and right-handed batter who played with the Boston Red Sox (1972–90) and Baltimore Orioles (1991) in Major League Baseball.
Evans won eight Gold Glove Awards (1976, 1978–79 and 1981–85). In the 1970s and 1980s, Evans played in the outfield with Jim Rice as well as all-stars Fred Lynn and Tony Armas.
Evans was born in Santa Monica, California. He played Pony League and Colt League Baseball in Northridge, California with Doug De Cinces. Dwight attended Granada Hills High School in the tenth grade, but was not happy with the poor treatment he received from the baseball coaches. He then transferred to Chatsworth High School and played alongside Rick Rieger. Evans started his career by winning International League MVP honors, but in his early major league career, he was primarily a defensive standout with a modest bat. In the second half of his career, he became a powerful batter.
wn.com/Dwight_Evans -
Earl Averill
Howard Earl Averill (May 21, 1902 – August 16, 1983) was an American player in Major League Baseball who was a center fielder from 1929 to 1941. He was a six-time All-Star (1933–38) and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.
Born in Snohomish, Washington, Averill broke into the major leagues in 1929 (at the age of 27) with the Cleveland Indians. He played for Cleveland for over ten years, and remains the all-time Indian leader in total bases, runs batted in, runs, and triples. He also remains 3rd in all-time Indian hits and doubles, and 4th in all-time Indian home runs and walks. During his time in Cleveland, the team never finished higher than 3rd. He's famous for hitting the line drive that broke Dizzy Dean's toe in the 1937 All-Star Game. Averill was the first major league player to hit 4 home runs in a doubleheader (with home run in each game) on September 17, 1930; he was also one of the first players to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat (April 16, 1929, opening day). Averill batted .378 in 1936, leading the American League in hits with 232, but finishing 2nd to Luke Appling in the batting race (Appling batted .388 for the White Sox).
wn.com/Earl_Averill -
Ed Barrow
Edward Grant Barrow (May 10, 1868 – December 15, 1953) was an American manager and executive in Major League Baseball, primarily with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.
Barrow was born in Springfield, Illinois.
Barrow managed and co-owned the Toronto team in the Class-A Eastern League from 1900 to 1902 and got his first chance at managing in the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers in 1903, finishing fifth. Barrow returned to the Eastern League as its president.
He won the 1918 World Series in his first year with the Red Sox, but managed the team only two more years as owner Harry Frazee began selling the contracts of star players.
In 1920, he was hired by the New York Yankees as the business manager, and he took control of building the roster, typically the responsibility of the field manager, building the Yankees into baseball's premier franchise and greatest dynasty as their top executive from 1921 to 1945. Barrow would use trades, the development of talent through a farm system and the outright purchase of players to build a Yankee team that would win 14 pennants and 10 World Series between 1921 and 1945.
wn.com/Ed_Barrow -
Edd Roush
Edd J. Roush (May 8, 1893 – March 21, 1988) was a Major League Baseball player who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He played the majority of his career in center field.
Roush made his major league debut on August 20, 1913 for the Chicago White Sox. He switched to the fledgling Federal League in 1914 and spent two seasons with the Indianapolis Hoosiers, who became the Newark Pepper in 1915. In 1916, he split the season between the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Reds.
With the Reds from 1917 to 1926, the left-handed hitting Roush never batted below .321, and was an instrumental part of the team's World Series championship in 1919. He won the National League batting title in 1917 and 1919. His best career year in batting average was 1921, when he batted .352. He also led the leagues in Slugging average (.455) in 1918, in Doubles (41) in 1923, and in Triples (21) in 1924. He was renowned as having the best arm of any outfielder in his era. He held out most of the 1922 season over a salary dispute that continued into spring 1923.
wn.com/Edd_Roush -
Eddie Collins
Edward Trowbridge Collins, Sr. (May 2, 1887 – March 25, 1951), nicknamed "Cocky", was an American Major League Baseball second baseman, manager and executive. He played from 1906 to 1930 for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox.
At the end of his career, he ranked second in major league history in career games (2,826), walks (1,499) and stolen bases (744), third in runs scored (1,821), fourth in hits (3,315) and at bats (9,949), sixth in on base percentage (.424), and eighth in total bases (4,268); he was also fourth in AL history in triples (187). He still holds the major league record of 512 career sacrifice bunts, over 100 more than any other player. He was the first major leaguer in modern history to steal 80 bases in a season, and still shares the major league record of six steals in a game, which he accomplished twice in September 1912. He regularly batted over .320, retiring with a career average of .333. He also holds major league records for career games (2,650), assists (7,630) and total chances (14,591) at second base, and ranks second in putouts (6,526). Collins is one of only 29 players in baseball history to have appeared in Major League games in four decades.
wn.com/Eddie_Collins -
Eddie Murray
Eddie Clarence Murray (born February 24, 1956), nicknamed "Steady Eddie", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and designated hitter. He was known as one of the most reliable and productive hitters of his era. Murray is regarded as one of the best switch hitters ever to play the game. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Murray was the eighth child of twelve and still has 5 sisters and 4 brothers, and has often quipped that as a child, he did not have to go far for a pick-up baseball game. The games were quite fierce and his older brothers never let him win. He carried that competitive edge to each of his next levels of baseball. At his Hall of Fame induction, Murray thanked his little league coach, Clifford Prelow, for teaching him not just the game of baseball but also love for the game as well. Prelow, an ex-Dodger minor leaguer, also worked his boys hard; making them run out every ground ball and threatening them with 100 yard wind sprints if they did not work. Prelow remembers that young Murray never earned that punishment. Later, Murray attended Locke High School in Los Angeles, California, where he batted .500 as a senior and was a teammate of Ozzie Smith.
wn.com/Eddie_Murray -
Elmer Myers
Elmer Glenn Myers (March 2, 1894; York Springs, Pennsylvania – July 29, 1976; Collingswood, New Jersey) was a professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as a pitcher from 1915-1922.
wn.com/Elmer_Myers -
Enos Slaughter
Enos Bradsher Slaughter (April 27, 1916 – August 12, 2002), nicknamed "Country", was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 19-year baseball career, he played from 1938–1942 and 1946-1959 for four different teams, but is noted primarily for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Slaughter was born in Roxboro, North Carolina and joined the Cardinals in 1938 before being traded to the New York Yankees in 1954.
When Slaughter was a minor leaguer in Columbus, Ohio he came running towards the dugout from his post in the outfield. He slowed down near the infield and began walking the rest of the way. Manager Eddie Dyer told him, "Son, if you're tired, we'll try to get you some help." For the rest of his career, Slaughter ran everywhere he went on a baseball field.[citation needed] In 1937, he had 245 hits and 147 runs scored for Columbus.
Batting left-handed and throwing right, he was renowned for his smooth swing that made him a reliable "contact" hitter. Slaughter had 2,383 hits in his career, including 169 home runs, and 1,304 RBIs in 2,380 games.[citation needed] Slaughter played 19 seasons with the Cardinals, Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, and Milwaukee Braves. During that period, he was a 10-time All-Star and played in five World Series. His 1,820 games played ranks fourth in Cardinals' history behind Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, and Stan Musial. He presently ranks second in RBIs with 1,148; fifth in ABs with 6,775; and sixth in doubles with 366. His career accomplishments are especially impressive considering that he missed 3 seasons beginning in 1943 (when he was 27) to serve in the military during World War II.
wn.com/Enos_Slaughter -
Ernie Banks
Ernest "Ernie" Banks (born January 31, 1931 in Dallas, Texas), nicknamed "Mr. Cub", is a retired professional baseball player. He played as a shortstop and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 19 seasons on the National League's (NL) Chicago Cubs team, from 1953 through 1971. Banks was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, in 1999.
Banks was a letterman and standout in football, basketball and track at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas, Texas, from which he graduated in 1950.
Banks signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League in 1950 and broke into the Major Leagues in 1953 with the Chicago Cubs as their first black player. He played for the Cubs his entire career, starting at shortstop and moving to first base in 1962.
Initially Banks' double play partner was Gene Baker, the second black player on the Cubs, and Banks' roommate on road trips. Thus making Banks and Baker, the first all black double play combination in major league history. When Steve Bilko would play first base, Cubs' announcer and home-town rooter Bert Wilson would refer to the Banks-Baker-Bilko double play combination as "Bingo to Bango to Bilko". This combination would not last quite as long as "Tinker to Evers to Chance", but Banks would become a Cubs institution.
wn.com/Ernie_Banks -
Ernie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell (January 25, 1918 – May 4, 2010) was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television. In January 2009, the American Sportscasters Association ranked Harwell 16th on its list of Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time.
Ernie Harwell grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, working in his youth as a paperboy for the Atlanta Georgian; one of his customers was writer Margaret Mitchell. He was an avid baseball fan from an early age; he became visiting batboy for the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association at the age of five, and never had to buy a ticket to get into a baseball game again. At sixteen he began working as a regional correspondent for The Sporting News.
Harwell attended Emory University, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and helped edit The Emory Wheel. After graduating, Harwell worked as a copy editor and sportswriter for the Atlanta Constitution. In 1943, he began announcing games for the Crackers on WSB radio, after which he served four years in the United States Marine Corps.
wn.com/Ernie_Harwell -
Frank Baker
John Franklin "Home Run" Baker (March 13, 1886 – June 28, 1963) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. As a member of the famed $100,000 infield, Baker helped the Philadelphia Athletics win the 1910, 1911 and 1913 World Series. His legacy has grown over the years, and he is regarded by many as the best third baseman of the pre-war era.
He was born in Trappe, Maryland, was a butcher by trade, and broke into the major leagues in 1908 with the Athletics.
Baker, who led the American League in home runs in 1911, earned the nickname "Home Run" during the 1911 World Series in which he hit a go-ahead home run off Rube Marquard in Game 2, and a ninth-inning game-tying home run off Christy Mathewson in Game 3. His home run crown would be the first of four consecutive seasons leading the American League in home runs. He hit 11 home runs in 1911, 10 home runs in 1912, 12 home runs in 1913, and nine home runs in 1914. In two of those seasons he also led the American League in runs batted in.
wn.com/Frank_Baker -
Frank Dwyer
John Francis Dwyer (March 25, 1868 – February 4, 1943) born in Lee, Massachusetts, was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Stockings (1888–89), Chicago Pirates (1890), Cincinnati Kelly's Killers (1891), Milwaukee Brewers (1891), St. Louis Browns (1892) and Cincinnati Reds (1892–99).
He led the National League in saves (2) in 1893 and home runs allowed (27) in 1894.
He currently ranks 61st on the MLB career complete games List (270) and 85th on the MLB career hits allowed list (3,301).[citation needed]
In 12 seasons he had a 176–152 win-loss record, 365 games (318 started), 270 complete games, 12 shutouts, 6 saves, 2,810 innings pitched, 3,301 hits allowed, 1,782 runs allowed, 1,202 earned runs allowed, 109 home runs allowed, 764 walks allowed, 563 strikeouts, and a 3.85 ERA. On June 23, 1896, Dwyer gave up Roger Connor's 123rd homer, breaking Harry Stovey's previous record of 122. Connor's record of 138 would eventually be broken by Babe Ruth.
He later served as the second manager of the Detroit Tigers, managing for one season in 1902. Dwyer briefly umpired in the NL in 1899 and 1901, and in American League in 1904; during which he umpired Cy Young's perfect game.
wn.com/Frank_Dwyer -
Frank Navin
Francis Joseph Navin (April 18, 1871 – November 13, 1935) was the principal owner of the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball for 27 years, from 1909 to 1935. He also served as vice president and acting president of the American League.
Born in Adrian, Michigan, Navin was one of nine children of Irish immigrants. He attended the Detroit College of Law and worked as both a lawyer and accountant.
In 1902, Navin was a bookkeeper at the insurance offices of Samuel F. Angus when Angus led a syndicate that purchased the Detroit Tigers. Angus brought the 31-year-old Navin with him as the team's bookkeeper. He also served as "secretary, treasurer, business manager, farm director, chief ticket seller, advertising manager, and any other position that demanded immediate attention." (Van Dusen, Ewald & Hawkins, The Detroit Tigers Encyclopedia (Sports Publishing 2003), p. 203) In 1903, Navin bought $5000 in stock in the team, reportedly with money won in a card game. Navin had an eye for talent and built a team that won three straight pennants from 1907-1909. His signing of Ty Cobb and Hughie Jennings was instrumental in the development of the Tigers championship teams.
wn.com/Frank_Navin -
Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson (born August 31, 1935) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956 to 1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues. He won the Triple crown, was a member of two teams that won the World Series (the 1966 and 1970 Baltimore Orioles), and amassed the fourth-most career home runs at the time of his retirement (he is currently ninth). Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Robinson was the first African-American hired to serve as manager in Major League history. He managed the Cleveland Indians during the last two years of his playing career, compiling a 186–189 record. He went on to manage the San Francisco Giants, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals.
Robinson attended McClymonds High School in Oakland, California, where he was a basketball teammate of Bill Russell. During the off-season while playing for the Reds in the late 1950s, he attended Xavier University in Cincinnati.
wn.com/Frank_Robinson -
Frank Skaff
Francis Michael Skaff (September 30, 1910 – April 12, 1988) was an infielder, coach, manager and scout in American Major League Baseball. Skaff's half-season as acting manager of the 1966 Detroit Tigers is one of the most unusual, and tragic, happenstances in baseball annals.
Skaff began 1966 as a Detroit coach. After 26 games, skipper Chuck Dressen suffered his second heart attack in two seasons. As in 1965, third base coach Bob Swift took over the Tigers on an interim basis May 16 as Dressen recovered. But Swift was not a well man, either. After 57 games, he was hospitalized for what appeared to be a stomach ailment; however, his malady proved to be lung cancer and he was forced to give up the reins.
Skaff, who had begun the season as Detroit's bench coach, then moved to third base under Swift, became the team's second acting manager of the season on July 14 and finished the campaign. Unfortunately, both of Skaff's predecessors died later in the year. Dressen appeared to be making a recovery in early August when he was stricken by a kidney infection; he died August 10. Swift succumbed on October 17, 1966.
wn.com/Frank_Skaff -
Fred Clarke
Fred Clifford Clarke (October 3, 1872 – August 14, 1960) was a Major League Baseball player from 1894 to 1915 and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.
Of the nine pennants in Pittsburgh franchise history, Clarke was the player-manager for four of them. He and fellow Hall of Famers, Honus Wagner and Vic Willis, led Pittsburgh to a victory over Ty Cobb and the Detroit Tigers in the 1909 World Series. Clarke batted over .300 in 11 different seasons. His 35-game hitting streak in 1895 was the second-longest in major league history at the time and is still tied for 11th-longest. For six years, Clarke held the major league record for wins by a manager.
Fred Clarke was born on a farm near Winterset, Iowa. At age two, his family moved as part of a covered wagon caravan from Iowa to Kansas before relocating to Des Moines, Iowa, five years later. As a child in Des Moines, Clarke sold newspapers for the Iowa State Register where his boss was future Baseball Hall of Fame member, Ed Barrow. In 1892, a professional team in Hastings, Nebraska sent a railroad ticket to Des Moines semiprofessional player, Byron McKibbon, but McKibbon backed out and gave the ticket to Clarke instead. Clarke impressed the Hastings team and he signed his first professional contract. He was in the Southern League at age 21 and played for teams in Montgomery, Alabama, and Savannah, Georgia.
wn.com/Fred_Clarke -
Fred Dunlap
Frederick C. "Sure Shot" Dunlap (May 21, 1859 – December 1, 1902) was a second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball from 1880 to 1891. He was the highest paid player in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1889. He has also been rated by some contemporary and modern sources as the greatest overall second baseman of the 19th century. According to most accounts, he earned the nickname "Sure Shot" for the strength and accuracy of his throws to first base. He was also sometimes referred to in the 1880s as the "King of Second Basemen."
He played for the Cleveland Blues from 1880 to 1883, where he secured his reputation as one of the best players in the game. As a rookie in 1880, he led the National League in doubles and ranked second in extra base hits and times on base. While playing for Cleveland, he also compiled batting averages of .325 and .326 in 1881 and 1883 and led the league in assists by a second baseman and range factor.
When the Union Association was formed in 1884, Dunlap was lured to play for the St. Louis Maroons where he became the highest paid player in baseball. His .412 batting average in 1884 was the highest ever recorded to that time in Major League Baseball and 56 points higher than any other player in the major leagues in 1884. After three years in St. Louis, Dunlap was sold to the Detroit Wolverines and helped that team win the 1887 National League pennant with one of the best-hitting lineups of the 19th century.
wn.com/Fred_Dunlap -
Fred Lynn
Fredric Michael "Fred" Lynn (born February 3, 1952) is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox (1974–1980), California Angels (1981–1984), Baltimore Orioles (1985–1988), Detroit Tigers (1988–1989) and San Diego Padres (1990).
Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002 and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
After graduation from USC, Lynn started his career for the Red Sox with a phenomenal 1975 season in which he won the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards, the first player ever to win both in the same season. (The feat has since been duplicated by Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.) Lynn and fellow rookie outfielder Jim Rice were dubbed as the “Gold Dust Twins” because of their combined baseball talents. In 1975, Lynn led the American League in doubles, runs scored and slugging percentage, finished second in the batting race with a .331 average, and won a Gold Glove Award for his defensive play. On June 18 he bombed the Tigers with 3 HR, 10 RBI, and 16 total bases in one game.
wn.com/Fred_Lynn -
Fred McGriff
Frederick Stanley McGriff (born October 31, 1963 in Tampa, Florida) is a left-handed former Major League Baseball player who starred for several teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. A power-hitting first baseman with a tall, lanky build, the five-time All-Star became, in 1992, the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both leagues in home runs. Although he never hit more than 37 homers in a single season, he finished his career only seven homers away from joining the exclusive 500 home run club. He won a World Series title as a first baseman with the Atlanta Braves in 1995. He currently works in the Tampa Bay Rays' front office as an advisor. He also currently works for Bright House Sports Network as a co-host for "The Baysball Show".
McGriff's nickname, "Crime Dog", is a play on McGruff, a cartoon dog created for American police to raise children's awareness on crime prevention. At first, McGriff stated he would prefer "Fire Dog" (a reference to a fire in the press-box of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium the day the Braves acquired him from the Padres; symbolically, the then-slumping Braves "caught fire" and ended up winning their division), but since has stated that he actually is fond of the "Crime Dog" nickname.
wn.com/Fred_McGriff -
George Moriarty
George Joseph Moriarty (June 7, 1884 – April 8, 1964) was an American third baseman, umpire and manager in Major League Baseball from 1903 to 1940. He played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Highlanders, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox from 1903 to 1916.
Moriarty was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up near the Union Stock Yards. He made his major league debut on September 7, 1903 at the age of 19 with the Cubs. He was an average hitter but excelled at stealing bases, recording eight consecutive seasons of 20 or more steals and retiring with 248 career stolen bases, and is credited with having stolen home eleven times in his career [1]. His final game as a player was on May 4, 1916 with the White Sox.
Afterward, he became an American League umpire from 1917 to 1940, interrupted only by a 2-year stint as manager of the Tigers in 1927-28. He was one of the AL's most highly regarded umpires in his era, officiating in the World Series in 1921, 1925, 1930, 1933 and 1935, serving as crew chief in 1930 and 1935, as well as the All-Star game in 1934.
wn.com/George_Moriarty -
George Stallings
George Tweedy Stallings (November 17, 1867 – May 13, 1929) was an American manager and (briefly) player in Major League Baseball. His most famous achievement – leading the 1914 Boston Braves from last place in mid-July to the National League championship and a World Series sweep of the powerful Philadelphia Athletics – resulted in a nickname he would bear for the rest of his life: "The Miracle Man."
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Stallings graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1886. He entered medical school, but was instead offered a contract by Harry Wright, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. He was cut in spring training. Stallings was a mediocre player: he appeared in only seven major league games as a catcher, first baseman and outfielder with Brooklyn (1890) and the Phillies (1897–98) and had only two hits in 20 at-bats, hitting a weak .100. As a manager, he had a mixed major league resume prior to 1914: a poor record with the Phillies (1897–98), then mild successes in the American League with the Detroit Tigers (1901) and New York Highlanders (1909–10). In the minor leagues, he managed the 1895 Nashville Seraphs to win the Southern League pennant; he also played an infield position on the team. He also managed Detroit before it became a major league team in part of 1896 and from the end of 1898 through its becoming a charter member of the American League.
wn.com/George_Stallings -
Goose Goslin
Leon Allen "Goose" Goslin (October 16, 1900 – May 15, 1971) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball known for his powerful left-handed swing and dependable clutch hitting. He played 18 seasons with the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers, from 1921 until 1938. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968.
Born in Salem, New Jersey, Goslin was 16 when he left home to play on a touring semipro circuit of the Eastern seaboard, and by 19 had moved into the minors in South Carolina, where he was a pitcher. Goslin was discovered by famed scout, Joe Engel. After hearing from Engel, Senators owner Clark Griffith personally scouted Goslin and attended a Sally League game in which Goslin was playing for Columbia, South Carolina. A fly ball hit Goslin on the head, and another barely missed him. Goslin also hit three home runs in the game, and Griffith decided to take a chance on him.
Goslin’s difficulty in judging fly balls contributed to his nickname "Goose." Opposing players said Goslin resembled a bird flapping its wings when he ran after a ball with his arms waving. While not a great fielder, Goslin did have a good throwing arm, leading the American League in assists by an outfielder in 1924 and 1925. However, one year during spring training, Goslin wandered to an adjacent field where a track and field team was working out. Goslin tried the shot put, and his throwing arm was never the same afterward.
wn.com/Goose_Goslin -
Gorman Thomas
James Gorman Thomas III (born December 12, 1950 in Charleston, South Carolina) is a former Major League Baseball center fielder and right-handed hitter who played in the American League with the Milwaukee Brewers (1973–76, 1978–83, 1986), Cleveland Indians (1983) and Seattle Mariners (1984–86).
One of the most popular players in Brewers history, and affectionately known as "Stormin' Gorman", Thomas hit more home runs during the period 1978-1983 than any other player in the American League with 197. His frequent strikeouts and low batting average overshadowed some of his career accomplishments. Thomas was a premier center fielder, with a wide range and strong arm until undergoing rotator cuff surgery in 1984, which limited his duties and led to his being utilized primarily as a designated hitter for the remainder of his career.
Thomas was the first player selected by the Seattle Pilots in the June 1969 draft. In the minors he won two home run titles, and made his Major League debut with Milwaukee in 1973. He belted his first home run against Jim Palmer, but was optioned to the Triple-A Sacramento Solons in the Pacific Coast League. After hitting 51 homers with Sacramento in 1974, he returned to the big league team at the end of September.
wn.com/Gorman_Thomas -
Graig Nettles
Graig Nettles (born August 20, 1944), nicknamed "Puff", is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. During a 22-year baseball career, he played for the Minnesota Twins (1967–1969), Cleveland Indians (1970–1972), New York Yankees (1973–1983), San Diego Padres (1984–1986), Atlanta Braves (1987) and Montreal Expos (1988).
Nettles was one of the best defensive third basemen of all time, and despite his relatively low career batting average, he was an excellent offensive contributor, setting an American League record for career home runs by a third baseman. As a part of four pennant-winning Yankee teams, Nettles enjoyed his best season in 1977 when he won the Gold Glove Award and had career-highs in home runs (37) and runs batted in (107) in leading the Yankees to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nettles was born in San Diego, California. His unusual name derives from his mother's dislike of the names Greg and Craig - and her combining the two to produce "Graig". "My Dad was away at the war, so he didn't have any say". The name also led to confusion for baseball card companies; the error-prone inaugural 1981 Fleer baseball card set includes an error card where his name is spelled "Graig" on the front, and "Craig" on the back.
wn.com/Graig_Nettles -
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice (November 1, 1880 – July 13, 1954) was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.
Henry Grantland Rice was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the son of Bolling H. Rice, a cotton dealer, and his wife, Beulah Grantland Rice. His grandfather Major H. W. Rice was a Confederate veteran of the Civil War.
Rice attended Montgomery Bell Academy and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where he was a member of the football team for three years and graduated with a BA degree in 1901. After taking early jobs with the Atlanta Journal and the Cleveland News, he later became a sportswriter for the Nashville Tennessean. Afterwards he obtained a series of prestigious jobs with major newspapers in the Northeastern United States. He is best known for being the successor to Walter Camp in the selection of College Football All-America Teams beginning in 1925, and for being the writer who dubbed the great backfield of the 1924 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team the "Four Horsemen" of Notre Dame. A Biblical reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, this famous account was published in the New York Herald Tribune on October 18, describing the Notre Dame vs. Army game played at the Polo Grounds:
wn.com/Grantland_Rice -
Gus Zernial
Gus Edward Zernial (June 27, 1923 – January 20, 2011) was a Major League Baseball left-fielder and right-handed batter who played for the Chicago White Sox (1949–51), Philadelphia Athletics (1951–54), Kansas City Athletics (1955–57) and Detroit Tigers (1958–59). He was billed as the "New Joe DiMaggio."
Nicknamed "Ozark Ike" after the popular comic strip character, Zernial was one of the most feared sluggers in the 1950s, joining hall of famers Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Larry Doby in the American League, for most home runs in the decade.
After he hit 29 homers for the White Sox in 1950, Zernial was sent to the Athletics in a trade that brought Minnie Miñoso to Chicago in 1951. That year Zernial led the league in home runs (33), runs batted in (129), extra base hits (68), and 17 assists in the outfield. In 1952 he hit 29 homers with 100 RBI, 42 and 108 in 1953.
Zernial was the first Major Leaguer to hit four home runs in the month of October during the regular season, which he accomplished during a doubleheader on October 1, 1950. In 1985, Ron Kittle would become the second player to do this.
wn.com/Gus_Zernial -
Hal Chase
Harold Homer Chase (February 13, 1883 in Los Gatos, California – May 18, 1947 in Colusa, California), nicknamed "Prince Hal", was a first baseman in Major League Baseball, widely viewed as the best fielder at his position. During his career, he played for the New York Highlanders (1905–1913), Chicago White Sox (1913–1914), Buffalo Blues (1914–1915), Cincinnati Reds (1916–1918), and New York Giants (1919).
No lesser figures than Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson named him the best first baseman ever, and contemporary reports describe his glovework as outstanding. He is sometimes considered the first true star of the franchise that would eventually become the New York Yankees. In 1981, 62 years after his last major league game, baseball historians Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.
Despite being an excellent hitter and his reputation as a peerless defensive player, Chase's legacy was tainted by a litany of corruption. He allegedly gambled on baseball games, and also engaged in suspicious play in order to throw games in which he played.
wn.com/Hal_Chase -
Hank Aaron
Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron (born February 5, 1934), nicknamed "Hammer," or "Hammerin' Hank," is a retired American baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1954 through 1976. Aaron spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) before playing for the Milwaukee Brewers of the American League (AL) for the final two years of his career. Aaron is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on their "100 Greatest Baseball Players" list.
After playing with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League and in the minor leagues, Aaron started his major league career in 1954. In his final season, he was the last Negro League baseball player on a major league roster. His most notable achievement was breaking the career home run record set by Babe Ruth. During his career, Aaron performed at a consistently high level for an extended period of time. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, and is the only player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times.
wn.com/Hank_Aaron -
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg (January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation. He hit 58 home runs in 1938, equaling Jimmie Foxx's 1932 mark for the most home runs in one season by any player between 1927 (when Babe Ruth set a record of 60) and 1961 (when Roger Maris surpassed it).
Greenberg was a five-time All-Star, was twice named the American League's Most Valuable Player, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956. Greenberg became the first major league player to hit 25 or more home runs in a season in each league. Greenberg is still the American League record holder for most RBIs in a single season by a right-handed batter—183 RBI in 1937 (a 154-game schedule.) Only left-handed batter Lou Gehrig's 184 RBI in 1931 surpasses Greenberg in the American League record books. Greenberg was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947, became the very first baseball player to earn over $80,000/year in salary (he was paid $100,000, ($1,041,000 today) plus $25,000 that his contract with Detroit called for in the event they sold or traded him), and was one of the few opposing players publicly to welcome Jackie Robinson to the majors.[1]
wn.com/Hank_Greenberg -
Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Clayton Killebrew ( /ˈkɪlɨbruː/; June 29, 1936 – May 17, 2011), nicknamed "Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB), he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and the Kansas City Royals. When he retired, he was second only to Babe Ruth in American League (AL) home runs and was the AL career leader in home runs by a right-handed batter (since broken by Alex Rodriguez). He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.
Killebrew was a stocky 6-foot tall, 195-pound hitter with a compact swing that generated tremendous power. He became one of the AL's most feared power hitters of the 1960s, hitting 40 home runs in a season eight times. In 1965, he played in the World Series with the Minnesota Twins, who lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His finest season was 1969, when he hit 49 home runs, recorded 140 runs batted in (RBI), and won the AL Most Valuable Player Award. Killebrew led the league six times in home runs and three times in RBIs, and was named to eleven All-Star teams.
wn.com/Harmon_Killebrew -
Harry Heilmann
Harry Edwin Heilmann (August 3, 1894 – July 9, 1951), nicknamed “Slug,” was a Major League Baseball player who played 17 seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1914, 1916–1929) and Cincinnati Reds (1930, 1932). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.
Heilmann was a line drive hitter who won four American League batting crowns: in 1921, 1923, 1925 and 1927. He and Ted Williams are the last two American League players to hit .400, Heilmann having accomplished the feat in 1923 with a batting average of .403. Heilmann’s career batting average of .342 is the 12th-highest in major league history.
Heilmann was also an excellent slugger, ranking among the American League leaders in both slugging percentage and RBIs in 12 seasons. He is among the all-time Major League leaders in doubles with 542 (23rd all-time), triples with 151 (49th all-time) and RBIs with 1,539 (39th all-time). He played in 2,148 major league games, including 1,327 as a right fielder and 448 as a first baseman. Heilmann was also the first player to hit a home run in every major league ballpark in use during his career.
wn.com/Harry_Heilmann -
Harry Hooper
Harry Bartholomew Hooper (August 24, 1887 – December 18, 1974) was a Major League Baseball player in the early 20th century.
Hooper batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Hooper was born in Bell Station, California. A graduate in engineering at Saint Mary's College of California, he broke into the majors with the Red Sox in 1909, and still holds many of the team's records. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in the 1921 season and finished his career in 1925.
Hooper was known as a top-caliber defensive right fielder and a solid leadoff hitter. Between 1910 and 1915, he teamed with Tris Speaker (CF) and Duffy Lewis (LF) to form one of the finest outfield trios in baseball history. On May 30, 1913 Hooper became the first player to hit a home run to lead off both games of a doubleheader, a mark only matched by Rickey Henderson 80 years later. Beside this, Hooper is the only person to be a part of four Red Sox World Series championships: in 1912, 1915, 1916 and 1918. On October 13, 1915, he became the first player to hit two home runs in a single World Series game. Hooper was also the captain of the Red Sox in 1919.
wn.com/Harry_Hooper -
Harry Wolverton
Harry Sterling Wolverton (December 6, 1873 – February 4, 1937), nicknamed "Fighting Harry", was a third baseman who played for the Chicago Orphans, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Senators, Boston Beaneaters, and New York Highlanders.
He was born on December 6, 1873. He tied a major league record in 1900 by hitting three triples in one game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. At the end of the season, he was struck in the head by a pole beside the Philadelphia streetcar tracks, fracturing his skull. Amazingly, he recovered and his statistics didn't drop off. After a short stint with the Senators, he returned to third base for the Phillies, but in 1904, he was traded to the Boston Beaneaters, where he would play for one season before taking an extended hiatus from baseball.
In 1912, he was named manager of the New York Highlanders, where he would lead them to a last-place finish and a 50-102 record (.329 winning percentage). He inserted himself into games as a pinch-hitter, but despite his efforts to reverse the team's fortunes, he was let go by Frank J. Farrell after the 1912 season.
wn.com/Harry_Wolverton -
Harvey Kuenn
Harvey Edward Kuenn (December 4, 1930 – February 28, 1988) was an American player, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball. As a shortstop and outfielder, he played with the Detroit Tigers (1952–59), Cleveland Indians (1960), San Francisco Giants (1961–65), Chicago Cubs (1965–66), and Philadelphia Phillies (1966). He batted and threw right-handed. After retiring, Kuenn managed the Milwaukee Brewers (1975, 1982–83).
Kuenn ( /ˈkiːn/) was born in West Allis, Wisconsin, but raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attended Lutheran High School. He once kicked a 53-yard field goal for Lutheran in a football game, which is tied for the eighth-longest field goal in Wisconsin high school football history. He played collegiate baseball at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was a member of Delta Upsilon Fraternity. Signed by Detroit as an amateur free agent in 1952, Kuenn was named the starting shortstop after joining the team late in the season. In his first full season in 1953, he hit .308 with 94 runs and led the major leagues with 209 hits, setting a major league rookie record with 167 singles. He received the American League Rookie of the Year and TSN Rookie of the Year awards. Also in that season, he received the first of his ten consecutive selections to the All-Star Game.
wn.com/Harvey_Kuenn -
Heinie Manush
Henry Emmett Manush (July 20, 1901 – May 12, 1971), nicknamed "Heinie" due to his German heritage, was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.
Manush spent 17 seasons in the majors, playing for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Manush was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama to German immigrant parents. Manush began his pro career in 1920 playing 6 games for the Portland Beavers in the Pacific Coast League. Moving to the then-B League Edmonton Eskimos in the Western Canada League in 1921, Manush hit .321 in 83 games. In 1922, he had a big season for the Omaha Buffaloes in the Western League, batting .376 with 20 home runs. That performance got him called up to the majors.
He followed his older brother, Philadelphia Athletics third baseman Frank Manush, to the major leagues in 1923 and quickly became known as a skillful hitter.
During his rookie season with the Tigers, he batted .334 in 308 at-bats while sharing an outfield with Ty Cobb, Harry Heilmann, Bobby Veach, and Bob Fothergill. In 1926, he led the American League with a batting average of .378 and finished second behind Babe Ruth in the statistical categories of slugging percentage (.564) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.985).
wn.com/Heinie_Manush -
Home Run Baker
John Franklin "Home Run" Baker (March 13, 1886 – June 28, 1963) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. As a member of the famed $100,000 infield, Baker helped the Philadelphia Athletics win the 1910, 1911 and 1913 World Series. His legacy has grown over the years, and he is regarded by many as the best third baseman of the pre-war era.
He was born in Trappe, Maryland, was a butcher by trade, and broke into the major leagues in 1908 with the Athletics.
Baker, who led the American League in home runs in 1911, earned the nickname "Home Run" during the 1911 World Series in which he hit a go-ahead home run off Rube Marquard in Game 2, and a ninth-inning game-tying home run off Christy Mathewson in Game 3. His home run crown would be the first of four consecutive seasons leading the American League in home runs. He hit 11 home runs in 1911, 10 home runs in 1912, 12 home runs in 1913, and nine home runs in 1914. In two of those seasons he also led the American League in runs batted in.
wn.com/Home_Run_Baker -
Honus Wagner
Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner ( /ˈhɒnəs ˈwæɡnər/; February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955 ), nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman" due to his superb speed and German heritage ("Dutch" in this instance being an alteration of "Deutsch"), was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He played in the National League from 1897 to 1917, almost entirely for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wagner won eight batting titles, tied for the most in NL history with Tony Gwynn. He also led the league in slugging six times, and in stolen bases five times.
In 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Wagner as one of the first five members. He received the second-highest vote total, behind Ty Cobb and tied with Babe Ruth.
Although Cobb is frequently cited as the greatest player of the dead-ball era, some contemporaries regarded Wagner as the better all-around player, and most baseball historians consider Wagner to be the greatest shortstop ever. Cobb himself called Wagner "maybe the greatest star ever to take the diamond."
wn.com/Honus_Wagner -
Hughie Jennings
Hugh Ambrose Jennings (April 2, 1869 – February 1, 1928) was a Major League Baseball player and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won National League championships in 1894, 1895, and 1896. During the three championship seasons, Jennings had 355 RBIs and hit .335, .386, and .401. Jennings was a fiery, hard-nosed player who was not afraid to be hit by a pitch to get on base. In 1896, he was hit by a pitch 51 times – a major league record that has never been broken. Jennings also holds the career record for being hit by a pitch with 287, with Craig Biggio (who retired in 2007) holding the modern day career record of 285. Jennings also played on the Brooklyn Superbas teams that won National League pennants in 1899 and 1900. From 1907-1920, Jennings was the manager of the Detroit Tigers, where he was known for his colorful antics, hoots, whistles, and his famous shouts of “Ee-Yah” from the third base coaching box. Jennings suffered a nervous breakdown in 1925 that forced him to leave Major League Baseball. He died in 1928 and was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.
wn.com/Hughie_Jennings -
Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木 一朗, Suzuki Ichirō?), usually known simply as Ichiro (イチロー, Ichirō?) (born October 22, 1973) is a Japanese Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262. He had ten consecutive 200-hit seasons, the longest streak by any player, surpassing Wee Willie Keeler's streak of eight.
Ichiro moved to the United States in 2001 after playing nine years for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League. Posted by Orix after the 2000 season, Ichiro became Seattle's right fielder. The first Japanese-born everyday position player in the major leagues, Ichiro led the AL in batting average and stolen bases en route to being named Rookie of the Year and MVP.
Ichiro is the first MLB player to enter the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (The Golden Players Club). He has been voted onto ten All-Star teams by the fans, winning the 2007 All-Star MVP Award for a three-hit performance that included the event's first-ever inside-the-park home run. Ichiro won a Gold Glove award in each of his first ten years in the major leagues, and has had seven hitting streaks of 20 or more games, with a high of 27.
wn.com/Ichiro_Suzuki -
Jack Chesbro
John Dwight Chesbro (June 5, 1874 – November 6, 1931) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Nicknamed "Happy Jack", Chesbro played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1899–1902), the New York Highlanders (1903–1909), and the Boston Red Sox (1909). Chesbro finished his career with a win-loss record of 198-132, an earned run average of 2.68, and 1,265 strikeouts. His 41 wins during the 1904 season remains an MLB record for the modern era, and is viewed as unbreakable.
Chesbro was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946 by the Veterans Committee, though he had received little consideration from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). Some baseball historians consider the 1946 election a mistake, and believe that Chesbro was elected solely on the basis of his 1904 season.
He was born John Dwight Chesebrough on June 5, 1874 in Haughtonville, a village in North Adams, Massachusetts. He was the fourth of five children of Chad Brown Chesebrough, a shoemaker, and Martha Jane Fralensburgh.
wn.com/Jack_Chesbro -
Jack Tighe
John Thomas Tighe (August 9, 1913 — August 1, 2002), pronounced "tie", was an American coach, manager and scout for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.
Born in Kearney, New Jersey, Tighe joined the professional ranks in 1936 as a catcher with the Charleston Senators, a Detroit farm club in the Class C Middle Atlantic League. A right-handed batter, he rose no further as a player than Class A1, two levels below the major leagues, with the Beaumont Exporters of the Texas League in 1938-39.
The following season, Tighe became a manager in the minor leagues. He was a Detroit coach for the latter half of the 1942 American League season, then resumed his minor league managerial career from 1944-53.
He was again named to the Tigers' coaching staff in 1955-56, and replaced his boss, Bucky Harris, as Detroit's manager following the 1956 season. Tighe led the Tigers to a 78-76, fourth-place finish in 1957, but when Detroit faltered early during the 1958 campaign, he was released in favor of Bill Norman. Tighe's career managing record: 99 wins, 104 defeats (.488).
wn.com/Jack_Tighe -
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American baseball player who became the first black Major League Baseball (MLB) player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. As the first black man to play in the major leagues since the 1880s, he was instrumental in bringing an end to racial segregation in professional baseball, which had relegated black players to the Negro leagues for six decades. The example of his character and unquestionable talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation, which then marked many other aspects of American life, and contributed significantly to the Civil Rights Movement.
In addition to his cultural impact, Robinson had an exceptional baseball career. Over ten seasons, he played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Championship. He was selected for six consecutive All-Star Games from 1949 to 1954, was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first black player so honored. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1997, Major League Baseball retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams.
wn.com/Jackie_Robinson -
Jake Stahl
Garland "Jake" Stahl (April 13, 1879 – September 18, 1922) was an American first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, and New York Highlanders. A graduate of the University of Illinois, he was a member of the Kappa Kappa chapter of Sigma Chi. He started off as a catcher before being traded to the Senators, where he moved to first base full-time, with occasional stints in the outfield. He was regarded as a good fielder and an average hitter, although he did lead all hitters in the American League in home runs with 10 in 1910.
As a player-manager, he led the Senators to two seventh-place finishes, and in his second managerial stint led the Red Sox to the 1912 World Series title. His success was short-lived, as he had a falling-out with his teammates and resigned midway through the 1913 season. His successor, Bill Carrigan, would win two more World Series titles for the Sox. Stahl died in Monrovia, California at age 43.
Stahl was not related to Red Sox teammate Chick Stahl, despite contemporary accounts erroneously listing them as brothers.
wn.com/Jake_Stahl -
Jesse Barfield
Jesse Lee Barfield (born October 29, 1959 in Joliet, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder who played for the Toronto Blue Jays (1981–89) and New York Yankees (1989–92). He batted and threw right-handed. He lived in Tenafly, a suburb of New York City.
Barfield had by far the best outfield arm of the 1980s. He led American League outfielders in assists three times (1985–87). Along with George Bell (LF) and Lloyd Moseby (CF), Barfield starred in what many analysts considered the best all-around outfield of the 1980s.[weasel words]
Selected by the Blue Jays in the ninth round of the 1977 amateur draft, Barfield debuted in the majors in 1981 and was a regular the following season. In 1985, he helped Toronto to reach the playoffs for the first time. He also topped 20 home runs six times, became the first Blue Jay to hit a pinch grand slam (1982), and the first to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in the same season (1985).
Despite the Blue Jays' failure to defend their division title from the previous year, Barfield enjoyed his best personal season in 1986. He collected career-highs in batting average (.289), RBI (108), runs (107), hits (170) and doubles (35). He also hit a career-best 40 home runs, leading the major leagues and setting a team record. In addition, Barfield was awarded the Gold Glove Award and selected to the American League All-Star team.
wn.com/Jesse_Barfield -
Jesse Burkett
Jesse Cail Burkett (December 4, 1868 – May 27, 1953), nicknamed "The Crab", was a Major League Baseball player at the turn of the 20th century. He also was a coach in the Major Leagues under John McGraw for the New York Giants, owned and managed the minor league Worcester club, and coached at Holy Cross College.[disambiguation needed]
Burkett began his pro career as a pitcher, won 27 games at the age of 19 in 1888 in Scranton, Pa., and also compiled a 39–6 record for the Worcester Club of the New England League. He played in the Major Leagues from 1890 to 1905, primarily as an outfielder, and had an accomplished hitting career, smacking 200 hits in a season six times and batting over .400 twice (1895 and 1896), only the second hitter in Major League history to do so, the first being Ed Delahanty. On his Hall of Fame plaque, Burkett is credited for hitting over .400 three times; subsequent research and updated records have lowered his 1899 batting average to .396. In 1895 and 1896, Burkett's two best seasons, the Cleveland Spiders finished second twice and faced off against the Baltimore Orioles both seasons in the Temple Cup series, beating the Orioles in the 1895 series with Cy Young pitching three victories. Also, in game one of the series, Burkett scored the game winning run in the bottom of the ninth to set the tone for the series.. Burkett holds the record for the most inside-the-park home runs in Major League Baseball, with 55.
wn.com/Jesse_Burkett -
Jim Delahanty
James Christopher Delahanty (June 20, 1879 – October 17, 1953) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played thirteen seasons with eight clubs: the Chicago Orphans (1901), New York Giants (1902), Boston Beaneaters (1904–05), Cincinnati Reds (1906), St. Louis Browns (1907), Washington Senators (1907–09), Detroit Tigers (1909–12), and Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1914–15). Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he batted and threw right-handed.
Delahanty was one of five brothers to become Major League Baseball players, including older brother Ed Delahanty. He played his first full season in 1904, in which he batted .285 with the Beaneaters. He was traded mid-season by the Senators to the Tigers in 1909 for Germany Schaefer and played in his only World Series that season, batting .346 with 4 RBI in 7 games against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He finished his playing career in the Federal League. In 1,186 career games, Delahanty had 1,159 hits with 19 home runs and 151 stolen bases.
wn.com/Jim_Delahanty -
Jim Leyland
James Richard "Jim" Leyland (born December 15, 1944) is a Major League Baseball manager, currently with the Detroit Tigers.
He led the Florida Marlins to a World Series championship in 1997, and previously won three straight division titles (1990, 1991, and 1992) with the Pittsburgh Pirates. With the Tigers' victory in the 2006 American League Championship Series, Leyland became the seventh manager in history to win pennants in both the National and American Leagues. He is a three-time Manager of the Year Award winner, twice in the National League (1990 and 1992), and once in the American League in 2006.
Jim Leyland began his baseball career with the Tigers when they signed him as a catcher on September 21, 1963. He spent seven seasons as a minor leaguer in the Tigers organization (1964–1970), but mainly served as a coach with the Montgomery Rebels in 1970 while playing in just two games for the team. Leyland, a career .222 hitter in the minor leagues, recently quipped that he "could've been inside the Duquesne Light Company, and it wouldn't have made a difference" in regard to the impact that lighting quality between minor and major league stadiums can have on a batter.
wn.com/Jim_Leyland -
Jim Price (baseball)
Jimmie William Price (born October 13, 1941, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Detroit Tigers from 1967 to 1973. He is also the current color commentator for the Detroit Tigers on The Detroit Tigers Radio Network.
Price was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960, and was listed as a top prospect in the Pirates early 1960s yearbooks. Price's best minor league season was 1963, when he hit 19 home runs and batted .311 for the Kinston Eagles of the Single-A Carolina League. For his efforts he was named the Pirates Minor League Player of the Year. His Major League debut came with the Detroit Tigers in 1967 after his contract was purchased from the Pirates. 1967 was also his best major league season, when he hit .261 in 44 games. He also played on the 1968 Tigers, who won the World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. During his time with the Tigers, Price served as the backup catcher to starter Bill Freehan.
wn.com/Jim_Price_(baseball) -
Jim Rice
James Edward "Jim" Rice (born March 8, 1953), nicknamed "Jim Ed", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder.
Jim Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974 to 1989. An 8-time American League (AL) All-Star, he was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1978 after becoming the first major league player in 19 years to hit for 400 total bases, and went on to become the ninth player to lead the major leagues in total bases in consecutive seasons, and join Ty Cobb as one of two players to lead the AL in total bases three years in a row. He batted .300 seven times, collected 100 runs batted in (RBI) eight times and 200 hits four times, and had eleven seasons with 20 home runs, also leading the league in home runs three times, RBIs and slugging average twice each.
In the late 1970s he was part of one of the sport's great outfields along with Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans, who was his teammate for his entire career; Rice continued the tradition of his predecessors Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski as a power-hitting left fielder who played his entire career for the Red Sox. He ended his career with a .502 slugging average, and then ranked tenth in AL history with 382 home runs; his career marks in homers, hits (2,452), RBI (1,451) and total bases (4,129) remain Red Sox records for a right-handed hitter, with Evans eventually surpassing his Boston records for career runs scored, at bats and extra base hits by a right-handed hitter. When Rice retired, his 1,503 career games in left field ranked seventh in AL history. Rice was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2009, as the 103rd member voted in by the BBWAA.
wn.com/Jim_Rice -
Jimmy Dykes
James Joseph Dykes (November 10, 1896 – June 15, 1976) was an American third and second baseman, manager and coach in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox from 1918 to 1939. He batted over .300 five times and led the American League in assists once at second base and twice at third base, ending his career sixth in AL history in games at third base (1,253), and seventh in putouts (1,361), assists (2,403), total chances (3,952) and double plays (199). When he retired, he ranked eighth in AL history in games played (2,282), and ninth in at bats (8,046). He holds the Athletics franchise record for career doubles (365), and formerly held team marks for career games and at bats. He went on to become the winningest manager in White Sox history with 899 victories over 13 seasons, though his teams never finished above third place; he later became the first manager in history to win 1,000 games without capturing a league pennant.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dykes played for three local teams at age 16 in 1913. The first was "his father's Penn Street Boys Club"; the second one paid 50 cents a game plus carfare (to Ardmore on the Main Line); the third paid $1 a game. By 19 he played in the Delaware County League, which the major leagues declared an outlaw league a few years later, for infringing their control of the professional sport.
wn.com/Jimmy_Dykes -
Joe DiMaggio
Giuseppe Paulo "Joe" DiMaggio (/dɨˈmɑːʒioʊ/ or /dɨˈmædʒioʊ/; November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper", was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak (May 15 – July 16, 1941), a record that still stands. DiMaggio was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.
A three-time MVP winner and 13-time All-Star, DiMaggio is the only player to be selected for the All-Star Game in every season he played. During his thirteen years with the Yankees, the club won ten American League pennants and nine World Series championships.
At the time of his retirement, he ranked fifth in career home runs (361) and sixth in career slugging percentage (.579). He was voted the sport's greatest living player in a poll taken in the baseball centennial year of 1969.
His brothers Vince and Dom also became major league center fielders.
DiMaggio was born in Martinez, California, the eighth of nine children born to immigrants from Italy, Giuseppe (1872–1949) and Rosalia (Mercurio) DiMaggio (1878–1951). He was delivered by a midwife identified on his birth certificate as Mrs. J. Pico. He was named after his father; "Paolo" was in honor of Giuseppe's favorite saint, Saint Paul. The family moved to San Francisco, California, when Joe was a year old.
wn.com/Joe_DiMaggio -
Joe Kelley
Joseph James Kelley (December 9, 1871 – August 14, 1943) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who starred in the outfield of the Baltimore Orioles teams of the 1890s. Making up the nucleus of the Orioles along with John McGraw, Willie Keeler, and Hughie Jennings, Kelley received the nickname "Kingpin of the Orioles". He was elected a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1971.
In his MLB career, Kelley played in the National League (NL) for the Boston Beaneaters (1891), Pittsburgh Pirates (1892), Baltimore Orioles (1892–1898), and Brooklyn Superbas (1899–1901), before he jumped to the upstart American League to play for the Baltimore Orioles (1902). He returned to the NL with Cincinnati Reds (1902–1906) and Boston Doves (1908). He managed the Cincinnati Reds (1902–1905) and Boston Doves (1908), coached the Brooklyn Robins (1926), and scouted for the New York Yankees (1915–1916).
Kelley was born to Patrick Kelly and Ann Kelly (née Carney) in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 9, 1871. Kelley's parents emigrated to the United States from Ireland, and he had five siblings. According to the 1880 United States Census, Patrick worked as a marble cutter.
wn.com/Joe_Kelley -
Joe Mauer
Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American baseball catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins. He is the only catcher in MLB history to win three batting titles. He also won three consecutive Gold Glove awards (2008–2010), and the 2009 American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.
Joe Mauer played football, basketball, and baseball for Saint Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders, the high school of Paul Molitor, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In his senior year he became the only athlete ever to be selected as the USA Today High School Player of the Year in two sports (football in 2000 as a quarterback and baseball in 2001 as a catcher).
In December 2009, Sports Illustrated magazine included Mauer in its article on ten "signature" moments in U.S. high-school sports in the 2000–2009 decade, referring to his selection by the Minnesota Twins as the first pick in the 2001 amateur draft.
Mauer attended the same high school as Baseball Hall of Famer and former Milwaukee Brewer Paul Molitor. Molitor has said that Mauer "has the best swing he had ever seen". Jim O'Neill, Mauer's baseball coach at Cretin-Derham Hall, said his former student "has been groomed for this job since he was a little boy. Mauer's dad, Jake, created a contraption for Joe he later named the 'Quickswing'. The device dropped balls down a tube from eye level and released them at waist level." Mauer had been asked to leave his T-ball league at the age of four, because he was hitting the ball too hard for the other players. "Another guy that came from Cretin-Derham Hall, Paul Molitor, was very similar, [and] had a good short swing," O'Neill said. "And they're both able to wait on the ball so long because they don't have the big swing. Like anything, you keep simple and keep it small or short, there's not a lot of holes in it and not a lot of room for errors."
wn.com/Joe_Mauer -
Joe Schultz
Joseph Charles Schultz, Jr. (August 29, 1918 – January 10, 1996) was an American Major League Baseball catcher, coach and manager. Schultz was the first and only manager for the Seattle Pilots franchise during their lone season before they became the Milwaukee Brewers. Seattle had entered the American League as an expansion franchise in 1969, and moved to Milwaukee the following season.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, he was the son of a major league baseball player — Joe (Germany) Schultz, an outfielder who played for seven of the eight National League clubs (1912–1916; 1919–25) and who later became a manager in the St. Louis Cardinals' extensive farm system. In 1932, at age 13, Joe Jr. appeared in his first professional game, as a pinch hitter for the Houston Buffaloes of the Class A Texas League; the elder Schultz was managing Houston and Joe Jr. was serving as the Buffaloes' batboy that season.
Joe Jr. had a distinguished prep career at St. Louis University High School and signed his first contract with the Redbirds, but was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates where his father had become minor league director. After appearing in only 22 games for Pittsburgh between 1939–41, Schultz made his way back to St. Louis with the Browns of the American League, where he spent six seasons (1943–48) as a backup catcher and pinch hitter. In 328 major-league at bats over all or parts of nine MLB seasons, Schultz batted .259 with one home run.
wn.com/Joe_Schultz -
John McCallum
John McCallum, PC, MP (born April 9, 1950 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Liberal Canadian politician, economist and university professor. Following the 2006 Federal Election, he became the Liberal Finance Critic in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet. Before the election, he was the 37th Minister of National Revenue and was also the Minister responsible for Canada Post Corporation, the Royal Canadian Mint, from 2004 to 2006 and acting Minister of Natural Resources from 2005 to 2006.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, he has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens' College, Cambridge University, a diplôme d'études supérieures from Université de Paris and a Doctorate in economics from McGill University. He was a professor of economics at the University of Manitoba from 1976 until 1978, Simon Fraser University from 1978 until 1982, the Université du Québec à Montréal from 1982 until 1987, and McGill University from 1987 until 1994. He is an honorary member of the Royal Military College of Canada, student #S139. He was also Dean of the Faculty of Arts at McGill University. He then became Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist of the Royal Bank of Canada.
wn.com/John_McCallum -
John Olerud
John Garrett Olerud ( /ˈoʊləruːd/; nicknamed Big Rude, and Johnny O; born August 5, 1968), is a former American first baseman in Major League Baseball. Olerud played with the Toronto Blue Jays (1989–96), New York Mets (1997–99), Seattle Mariners (2000–2004), New York Yankees (2004) and Boston Red Sox (2005).
A patient, productive hitter throughout his career, Olerud won the American League batting title in 1993 and was runner-up for the National League batting title in 1998. Also a three-time Gold Glove winner, he was an excellent defensive first baseman and part of Sports Illustrated's "Greatest Infield Ever" with Edgardo Alfonzo, Rey Ordóñez, and Robin Ventura, when he played for the Mets.
In 1987, Olerud hit .414 with 5 HR and 20 RBIs. As a pitcher, he went 8-2 with a 3.00 ERA and was a freshman All-American.
In 1988, Olerud hit .464 with 23 HR, 81 RBIs, 108 hits, 204 total bases, and a .876 Slugging percentage. As a pitcher, he had an undefeated 15–0 season, and threw 113 Ks with a 2.49 ERA. He was a consensus All-American as both 1B and Pitcher and Baseball America College Player of the Year.
wn.com/John_Olerud -
John Thorn
John Thorn (born April 17, 1947) is a noted sports historian, and the Official Baseball Historian for Major League Baseball.
Thorn was born in Stuttgart, West Germany. His Polish Jewish parents had come there as refugees. He immigrated to the United States in 1949. He graduated from Beloit College in 1968.
Thorn is the author and editor of numerous books, including Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball,Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Football, Treasures of the Baseball Hall of Fame, The Hidden Game of Baseball,The Glory Days: New York Baseball 1947-1957, and The Armchair Book of Baseball. He founded Total Sports Publishing and served as its publisher from 1998–2002. Thorn served as the senior creative consultant for the Ken Burns documentary Baseball.
In 2004 Thorn discovered documentation that traced the origins of baseball in America to 1791 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In June 2006 SABR awarded Thorn its highest award, the Bob Davids Award. The award honors those whose contributions to SABR and baseball reflect the ingenuity, integrity, and self-sacrifice of the founder and past president of SABR, L. Robert "Bob" Davids.
wn.com/John_Thorn -
Johnny Bench
Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Bench, a 14-time All-Star selection and a two-time National League Most Valuable Player, was a key member of The Big Red Machine, which won six division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series championships. ESPN has called him the greatest catcher in baseball history.
Bench played baseball and basketball and was class valedictorian at Binger High School in Binger, Oklahoma. He is one-eighth Native American (Choctaw). His father told him that the fastest route to becoming a major leaguer was as a catcher. Bench was drafted 36th overall by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1965 amateur draft, playing for the minor-league Buffalo Bisons in the 1966 and 1967 seasons before being called up to the Reds in August 1967. He hit only .163, but impressed many with his defense and strong throwing arm. Among them: Hall of Famer Ted Williams. Williams signed a baseball for him which predicted that the young catcher would be "A Hall of Famer for sure!" Williams' prediction eventually became fact with Johnny Bench's election to the Hall of Fame in 1989.
wn.com/Johnny_Bench -
Josh Hamilton
Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American professional baseball player. An outfielder, Hamilton has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 2007. A member of the Texas Rangers (2008–present), he also played for the Cincinnati Reds (2007). He is a four-time MLB All Star and American League Most Valuable Player in 2010.
He was the first overall pick in the 1999 MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was considered a blue chip prospect until injuries and a drug addiction derailed his career, beginning in 2001. Prior to the 2007 season, Hamilton was selected by the Chicago Cubs (picking for the Cincinnati Reds) in the Rule 5 Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2007 with the Reds and had a successful rookie season. During the off-season he was traded to the Texas Rangers for Edinson Volquez and Daniel Ray Herrera.
After his torrid start to the 2008 season, Hamilton was named to the American League All Star team, and made the All-Star team the next three seasons as well. He also participated in the Home Run Derby, where he hit a record 28 home runs in the opening round and finished with 35 home runs, which was second-most all-time in derby history. Hamilton won the AL batting title in 2010. On October 22, 2010, Hamilton was selected as MVP of the 2010 ALCS. On November 23, 2010, Hamilton was named the 2010 AL MVP, earning 22 of 28 first-place votes. On May 8, 2012 Hamilton became the 16th player in Major League history to hit four home runs in a game, and set an AL record for total bases in a game with 18.
wn.com/Josh_Hamilton -
José Bautista
José Antonio Bautista (born October 19, 1980) is a professional baseball outfielder with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. Though now primarily a right fielder, having been a utility player in the past, he has major league experience at six different positions. He is from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
In the 2010 season, Bautista set a Toronto Blue Jays single-season franchise record by hitting a major league leading 54 home runs, making him only the 26th member of the 50 home run club in baseball history. In 2011, he once again led the major leagues with 43 home runs. He became the first player to earn two consecutive home run titles since Mark McGwire of the National League did so in the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
On July 3, 2011, Bautista set the all-time Major League record for the most All-Star votes received by a single player through fan balloting, with 7,454,753 votes. This number greatly surpassed the previous record of 6,069,688, set by Seattle's Ken Griffey, Jr. in 1994.
wn.com/José_Bautista -
Julio Franco
Julio César Robles Franco (born August 23, 1958) is a former Major League Baseball infielder and designated hitter. In 2007, Franco was the oldest active player in the major leagues at the age of 49.
While Franco was an All-Star and posted above-average hitting statistics throughout his career, he is best known for being the oldest regular position player in Major League history. Franco was the all-time hits leader among Dominican-born players until surpassed in 2011 by Vladimir Guerrero. He made his debut on April 23, 1982, as a shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies. During his long career, Franco saw significant time as a shortstop, second baseman, first baseman, and designated hitter.
As his career started, Franco was part of a 1982 five-for-one trade between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cleveland Indians. The Phillies received highly regarded prospect, Von Hayes, in exchange for Manny Trillo, George Vukovich, Jay Baller, Jerry Willard, and Franco.
Franco hit over .300 in every season from 1986 to 1989. He also averaged over 20 stolen bases per season from 1983 through 1991. When he switched from shortstop to second baseman in 1988, he won four straight Silver Slugger Awards. Franco batted with a long whip-like swing with the heaviest bat allowed. Because of his batting style, Franco twice led the American League in grounding into double plays and was in the top-ten in that category seven times in the 1980s alone. He is seventh on the all-time list in ground-ball double plays and has just over 300.
wn.com/Julio_Franco -
Ken Griffey, Jr.
George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "The Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. Griffey was both one of the most prolific home run hitters and best defensive players in baseball history, sixth on the list of most career home runs, and is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (8 games, tied with Don Mattingly and Dale Long). Griffey, playing for the Seattle Mariners in two separate tenures, Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox, won 10 Gold Glove awards and appeared in 13 All-Star games. Upon his retirement, the Associated Press noted: "In his prime, Ken Griffey Jr. was unanimously considered the best player in baseball."
Throughout his major league baseball career, Griffey was a popular player and a fan favorite around the league. Griffey attained widespread recognition by signing lucrative deals with companies of international prominence like Nike and Nintendo (owners of the Mariners); his popularity reflected well upon MLB and is credited by some with helping restore its image after the 1994 labor dispute. He currently works in the Mariners' front office as a special consultant. Griffey is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League games in four different calendar decades. He is the son of former MLB player Ken Griffey, Sr.
wn.com/Ken_Griffey,_Jr. -
King Kelly
Michael Joseph "King" Kelly (December 31, 1857 – November 8, 1894) was an American right fielder, catcher, and manager in various professional American baseball leagues including the National League, International Association, Players' League, and the American Association. He spent the majority of his 16-season playing career with the Chicago White Stockings and the Boston Beaneaters. Kelly was a player-manager three times in his career – in 1887 for the Beaneaters, in 1890 leading the Boston Reds to the pennant in the only season of the Players' League's existence, and in 1891 for the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers - before his retirement in 1893. He is also often credited with helping to popularize various strategies as a player such as the hit and run, the hook slide, and the catcher's practice of backing up first base.
In only the second vote since its creation in 1939 the Old Timers Committee elected Kelly to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.
In concluding where to truly give Kelly credit as an innovator, a 2004 book devoted to 19th-century rule bending in baseball—and which came close to exhaustively accounting for all contemporary reporting on various subjects—placed stress on the following: "Kelly's hook slide does sound special, and players probably tried to copy it. Also, he seems to have been the first big leaguer to successfully cut a base (when the usually lone umpire wasn't looking), at least according to the newspaper record." And, "Kelly could have been the first to foul off lots of pitches on purpose. Doing so was a top trick of some Baltimore players of the 1890s. At the turn of the century, that trick was defused when all foul balls began counting as strikes."
wn.com/King_Kelly -
Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins (1984–1995) and is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases. At the time of his retirement, his .318 career batting average was the highest by any right-handed American League batter since Joe DiMaggio.
Puckett was the fourth baseball player during the 20th century to record 1,000 hits in his first five full calendar years in Major League Baseball, and was the second to record 2,000 hits during his first ten full calendar years. After being forced to retire at age 35 due to loss of vision in one eye from a central retinal vein occlusion, Puckett was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001 in his first year of eligibility.
Puckett was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Robert Taylor Homes, a housing project on Chicago's South Side (the escape from which he frequently referred back to during his career). He attended and played baseball for Calumet High School. After receiving no scholarship offers following graduation, Puckett at first went to work on an assembly line for Ford Motor Company. However he was given a chance to attend Bradley University and was a star on the baseball team, despite his under-sized 5' 8" frame, before the Minnesota Twins selected him in the 1st round (3rd pick) of the 1982 MLB Draft.
wn.com/Kirby_Puckett -
Larry Doby
Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Doby (December 13, 1923 – June 18, 2003) was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball.
A native of Camden, South Carolina, he was the second black player to play in the modern major leagues and the first to do so in the American League. A center fielder, Doby appeared in seven All-Star games and finished second in the 1954 American League MVP voting. Appointed manager of the Chicago White Sox in 1978, Doby was the second African-American to lead a Major League club. He was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 by the Hall's Veterans Committee.
A local star athlete from Paterson, New Jersey, Doby joined the Newark Eagles in the Negro National League at the age of 17, in 1942, starring as a second baseman. Doby tried out for the Newark Eagles at historic Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey. A Negro league umpire by the name of Henry Moore advised Eagles owner Abe Manley to give Doby a try out. Doby worked out with the Eagles prior to a game between the Newark Eagles and the New York Black Yankees (Hinchliffe Stadium was the Black Yankees home ballpark). At his Hall of Fame induction press conference in 1998, Doby said his most memorable moment at Hinchliffe Stadium was trying out for the Eagles, this after having a stellar career as a football and baseball player at Eastside High School. At that time he played under the name Larry Walker to protect his amateur status. His career in Newark was interrupted for two years for service in the Navy. He then rejoined the Eagles in 1946. Along with his partner, fellow Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, Doby led the team to the Negro League Championship.
wn.com/Larry_Doby -
Larry Parrish
Larry Alton Parrish (born November 10, 1953 in Winter Haven, Florida) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and right-handed batter who played with the Montreal Expos (1974–81), Texas Rangers (1982–88) and Boston Red Sox (1988). He also played two seasons in Japan, for the Yakult Swallows (1989) and the Hanshin Tigers (1990).
Making his debut in 1974 at the age of 20, Parrish became a solid hitter as a third baseman in the 1970s and 1980s, hitting 20 or more home runs in a season five times during his major league career. He was a two-time All-Star, and in 1979 was named the Montreal Expos Player of the Year after batting .307 with 30 homers and 82 runs batted in. Parrish ranks seventh on the Texas Rangers all-time home run list (149) and eighth in RBIs at 522. He closed out his American Major League career by joining the Boston Red Sox during the stretch run of the 1988 season, in which the team won the American League Eastern Division championship.
After his Major League Baseball career ended, Parrish played for two different Japanese major league teams. Parrish had a career .263 batting average in Major League Baseball with 256 home runs and 992 runs batted in. In 13 career playoff games, he batted .182 with no home runs and three RBI.
wn.com/Larry_Parrish -
Les Moss
John Lester "Les" Moss (born May 14, 1925 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Browns for the most significant portion of his career, and was a backup catcher almost all his career.
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Moss began his professional baseball career in 1942 at the age of 17, playing for the Americus Pioneers of the Georgia-Florida League. In 1943 he moved up to the Class A Elmira Pioneers of the Eastern League where he posted a .308 batting average in 96 games. He missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons while serving in the Merchant Marines. He would play for the Toledo Mud Hens in 1946, hitting .297 in 121 games before, being called up late in the season to make his major league debut with the St. Louis Browns on September 10.
Moss platooned alongside left-handed-hitting catcher Jake Early, producing a .157 batting average in 96 games during the 1947 season. He caught the majority of the games for the Browns in 1948 while his hitting improved substantially, with a .257 average along with 14 home runs and 46 runs batted in. In 1949, the Browns acquired 24-year-old Sherm Lollar from the New York Yankees and, Moss became the second string catcher. Moss' hitting continued to improve with a .291 average and an impressive .399 on base percentage.
wn.com/Les_Moss -
Lew Fonseca
Lewis Albert Fonseca (January 21, 1899 – November 26, 1989) was an American first and second baseman in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox over a 12-year career. While not a power hitter, he hit for average and was a good contact hitter for most of his career. He topped the .300 mark six times, with his best season coming in 1929 with the Indians, when he hit .369 to win the American League batting title, after coming off a 1928 season in which he broke his leg. His success was short-lived, however, as he broke his arm in 1930, and a torn ligament in his leg prematurely ended his playing career.
Fonseca is perhaps best known as one of the first men to use film in analyzing baseball games and finding flaws in players. It is said that his interest with cameras began while shooting Slide, Kelly, Slide in 1927. As manager of the Chicago White Sox, he used film extensively. After retiring from playing the game, he was director of promotions for both leagues. Fonseca worked on World Series highlight films for almost 25 years, as an editor and director, and occasionally narrated them as well. Television sportscaster Bob Costas wrote of Fonseca's narration: "[his] vocal stylings were somewhat less than mellifluous, but still endlessly entertaining."
wn.com/Lew_Fonseca -
Lloyd Waner
Lloyd James Waner (March 16, 1906 – July 22, 1982), nicknamed "Little Poison", was a Major League Baseball center fielder. His small stature at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) and 132 lb (68 kg) made him one of the smallest players of his era. Along with his brother, Paul Waner, he anchored the Pittsburgh Pirates outfield throughout the 1920s and 1930s. He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967.
Lloyd Waner was born on March 16, 1906 in Harrah, Oklahoma, and grew up on a farm with his older brother, Paul. The two worked from dawn to dusk every day, and baseball was their only form of entertainment. Influenced by their father, who was a minor league player in Oklahoma City, Paul and Lloyd's love and natural talent for the game developed over the years. The Waners learned to hit against corncobs and cut down saplings in the woods to use as bats.
Lloyd graduated from McLoud High School and attended three semesters at East Central State University in Ada before going into professional baseball.
wn.com/Lloyd_Waner -
Lou Boudreau
Louis "Lou" Boudreau (July 17, 1917 – August 10, 2001) was an American Major League Baseball player and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970. He was also a radio announcer for the Chicago Cubs of the National League.
In 1948, he won the American League Most Valuable Player Award and managed the Cleveland Indians to the World Series title.
Boudreau was an eight-time All Star Game selection, starting three times. He won the 1944 AL batting title (.327), and led the league in doubles in 1941, 1944, and 1947. He led AL shortstops in fielding eight times. Boudreau still holds the record for hitting the most consecutive doubles in a game (four), set on July 14, 1946.
Boudreau was born in Harvey, Illinois, to a father of French ancestry and a Jewish mother. He was raised Catholic. Boudreau graduated from Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois. While at Thornton, Boudreau guided the "Flying Clouds" to three straight Illinois high school championship games, finishing first in 1933 and second in 1934 and 1935.
wn.com/Lou_Boudreau -
Lou Brock
Louis Clark "Lou" Brock (born June 18, 1939) is an American former professional baseball player. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Chicago Cubs but, spent the majority of his career as the left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock was best known for breaking Ty Cobb's all-time major league stolen base record. He is currently a special instructor coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Brock was born in El Dorado, Arkansas to a family of sharecroppers. His family moved to Collinston, Louisiana when he was two years old. While his family didn't have much money, he said that he never felt poor because,"If you don't have something, you don't miss it." Brock grew up as a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team that included Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella. Although he didn't play in organized baseball until he reached the 11th grade, he learned much about the sport from listening to Cardinals radio broadcaster Harry Caray describe the way major league hitters stood at the plate. After attending high school in Mer Rouge, Louisiana, he received academic assistance to attend Southern University in Baton Rouge but, when a low grade in his first semester meant the possibility of losing his scholarship, he decided to try out for the school's baseball team in order to secure an athletic scholarship.
wn.com/Lou_Brock -
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" or "Buster"Gehrig (June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941) was an American baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig set several major league records, including most career grand slams (23) and most consecutive games played (2,130). Gehrig is chiefly remembered for his prowess as a hitter and his durability, a trait which earned him his nickname "The Iron Horse", as well as the pathos of his farewell from baseball at age 36, when he was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Gehrig was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. In 1969 he was voted the greatest first baseman of all time by the Baseball Writers' Association, and was the leading vote-getter on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, chosen by fans in 1999.
A native of New York City, he played for the Yankees until his career was cut short by ALS, a disorder now commonly known in the United States and Canada as Lou Gehrig's disease. Over a 15-season span from 1925 through 1939, he played in 2,130 consecutive games. This streak ended only when Gehrig became disabled by the fatal neuromuscular disease that claimed his life two years later. His streak, long considered one of baseball's few unbreakable records, stood for 56 years, until finally broken by Cal Ripken, Jr., of the Baltimore Orioles on September 6, 1995.
wn.com/Lou_Gehrig -
Luis Pujols
Luis Bienvenido Pujols Toribio (born November 18, 1955 in Santiago, Dominican Republic) was a catcher and manager in Major League Baseball. He played nine seasons with the Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers. Luis Pujols and Los Angeles Angels player Albert Pujols are related as cousins.[citation needed]
After his playing career, he was an assistant coach with many teams, mainly working under major league manager Felipe Alou. He later was a coach with the Detroit Tigers and became the team's interim manager for most of the 2002 season after Phil Garner was fired. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski hired Felipe Alou to be Pujols' bench coach for the remainder of the season. An infamous incident in Pujols's year managing was when the Tigers somehow batted out of order. Pujols was released at the end of the 2002 season, during which the Tigers posted a 55–100 record, and ended up following Alou to San Francisco, where he served as first base coach until the end of the 2006 season.
On December 10, 2007, Luis Pujols was named manager of the Corpus Christi Hooks, Class AA farm team of the Houston Astros.
wn.com/Luis_Pujols -
Luke Appling
Lucius Benjamin Appling (April 2, 1907 – January 3, 1991) was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago White Sox (1930–1950). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.
Appling was born in High Point, North Carolina. He attended Oglethorpe College, but left during his sophomore year when he was signed by the Southern League Atlanta Crackers in 1930. He was a good hitter in his first year, but committed 42 errors in 104 games. The Chicago Cubs showed some interest at first, but decided not to sign him, and the White Sox ended up purchasing him from the Crackers for $20,000. He seemed a poor pickup initially, as his hitting fell off and his fielding failed to improve, but in 1933 he stopped trying to be a power hitter and had his first of nine straight .300 seasons. He interrupted his career to serve in World War II in 1944 and 1945.
Appling was a good leadoff hitter who topped the .400 mark in OBP eight times (1935–1937, 1939–1940, 1943, 1948–1949) and drew over 100 walks three times (1935, 1939, 1949), though he often batted third due to a lack of offensive talent on the White Sox. Indeed, this lack of talent insured that Appling never had a chance to play in a World Series. His best season was 1936, when he batted .388, knocked in 124 runs (his only 100-RBI season), scored 111 times, recorded 204 hits, and had a team-record 27-game hitting streak. His .388 average was good for the first batting title ever won by a shortstop (in the American League) and was the highest batting average recorded by a shortstop in the 20th century. Appling won another batting title in 1943 with a .328 average and also led the league in OBP that year (.419). Appling was selected to seven All-Star teams (1936, 1939–1941, 1943, 1946–47).
wn.com/Luke_Appling -
Manny Ramirez
Manuel Arístides "Manny" Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who is currently with the Oakland Athletics organization. He was recognized for great batting skill and power, a nine-time Silver Slugger and one of 25 players to hit 500 career home runs. Ramirez's 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 28 post-season home runs are the most by any player in MLB history. He was a fixture in the All-Star Game with 12 appearances including eleven consecutive beginning 1998. He appeared in the All-Star game in every season that he played with the Boston Red Sox.
Ramirez was allegedly among a group of 104 major league players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during 2003. In 2009 he was suspended 50 games for violating baseball's drug policy by taking human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a women's fertility drug. According to steroid dealer Victor Conte, hCG is often used to restart natural testosterone production after a steroid cycle.
wn.com/Manny_Ramirez -
Mario Impemba
Mario Impemba (born March 18, 1963 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American sportscaster, currently the TV voice of the Detroit Tigers and the radio and TV voice of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team.
Impemba is a 1981 graduate of Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Michigan and Michigan State University. In high school Mario showed the first flashes of his talent as a member to the school's forensic team.[citation needed] He won numerous invitational tournaments before finishing 3rd in the state final tournament.[citation needed]
At Michigan State University, Impemba volunteered to announce whatever games were being broadcast on the university sports network. As a professional, he started out announcing games for the Peoria Chiefs single-A baseball club in 1987. Impemba also served as the sports director at WXCL Radio and the play-by-play voice of the Peoria Rivermen of the now-defunct International Hockey League during the 1987-88 season. From 1989 to 1990, Mario served as the voice of the Quad City Angels single-A team in Davenport, Iowa. In 1991, Impemba began calling games for the Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League.
wn.com/Mario_Impemba -
Mark Fidrych
Mark Steven Fidrych ( /ˈfɪdrɨtʃ/; August 14, 1954 – April 13, 2009), nicknamed "The Bird", was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched his entire career for the Detroit Tigers (1976–1980).
In 1976, Fidrych led the major leagues with a 2.34 ERA, won the AL Rookie of the Year award, and finished with a 19-9 record.
The son of an assistant school principal, Fidrych played baseball at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough, Massachusetts, and at Worcester Academy, a day and boarding school in central Massachusetts. In the 1974 amateur draft he was selected in the 10th round by the Detriot Tigers & later joked that when he got a call saying he had been drafted he thought he was drafted into the military not thinking there was any teams looking at him. In the minor leagues one of his coaches with the Lakeland Tigers dubbed the lanky 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher "The Bird" because of his resemblance to the "Big Bird" character of the 1970s Sesame Street television program.
Fidrych made the Tigers as a non-roster invitee out of the 1976 spring training, not making his major-league debut until April 20, and not making his first start until mid-May. He only made that start because the scheduled starting pitcher had the flu. Fidrych responded by throwing six no-hit innings, ending the game with a 2-1 victory in which he gave up only two hits. He went on to win 19 games, led the league in ERA (2.34) and complete games (24), was the starting pitcher in that year's All-Star Game, won the American League Rookie of the Year Award, and finished second in voting for the Cy Young Award.
wn.com/Mark_Fidrych -
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.
For his career, McGwire averaged a home run once every 10.61 at bats, the lowest at bats per home run ratio in baseball history (Babe Ruth is second at 11.76). In 1987, he broke the single-season home run record for rookies, with 49. In 1998, McGwire and Sammy Sosa achieved national fame for their home run-hitting prowess in pursuit of Roger Maris' single season home run record; McGwire broke the record and hit 70 home runs that year.Barry Bonds now holds the record, after hitting 73 home runs during the 2001 season.
After three years at Southern California and a stint on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, McGwire was drafted 10th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft.
McGwire made the major leagues in August. As a rookie in 1987 he hit 33 homers before the All-Star break and was a unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year after finishing with 49 homers, 118 RBI and a .289 average. His 49 longballs smashed the old rookie record of 38, jointly held by Frank Robinson and Wally Berger. He sat out the season's final two games and gave up a chance at 50 home runs to be present at the birth of his first child.
wn.com/Mark_McGwire -
Maury Wills
Maurice Morning "Maury" Wills (born October 2, 1932) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and switch-hitting batter who played most prominently with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1959–66, 1969–72), and also with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1967–68) and Montreal Expos (1969). He was an essential component of the Dodgers' championship teams in the mid-1960s, and is credited for reviving the stolen base as part of baseball strategy.
In a career of 14 seasons, Wills batted .281 with 20 home runs, 458 runs batted in, 2,134 hits, 1,067 runs, 177 doubles, 71 triples, and 586 stolen bases in 1,942 games.
As of 2009, Wills is a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization serving as a representative of the Dodgers Legend Bureau.
Maurice, or Sonny as he was called at Cardozo Senior High School, first showed up as an All City Pitcher in the local Washington Daily News. He played on Sal Hall's '48 Cardozo football team that went unbeaten and unscored on. In the '49–'50 school year, 3 sport standout Sonny Wills, was named All City QB in football, basketball and Pitcher in baseball. On May 8, 1950 in a game against Phelps, P Wills threw a 1-hitter and struck out 17.
wn.com/Maury_Wills -
Max Carey
Max George Carey (January 11, 1890 – May 30, 1976) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who starred for the Pittsburgh Pirates and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1961. During his 20-year career, he led the league in stolen bases ten times and finished with 738 swipes, a National League record until 1974 and still the 9th-highest total in major league history.
Max Carey was born as Maximillian George Carnarius in Terre Haute, Indiana. He first adopted the name Max Carey when he played his first professional baseball game in order to retain his amateur status at Concordia College; the name would stick with him for his entire career.
Carey played for the Pirates from his arrival in the league in 1910 until 1926, winning a World Series championship in 1925. He was known as a skilled fielder and excellent base stealer. He regularly stole 40 or more bases and maintained a favorable steal percentage; in 1922 he stole 51 bases and was caught only twice. He also stole home 33 times in his career, second best only to Ty Cobb's 50 on the all-time list.
wn.com/Max_Carey -
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995) was an American baseball center fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
Mantle was noted for his hitting ability, both for average and for power.[citation needed] He won the Triple Crown in 1956, leading MLB in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI). He received three American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards and played in twenty All-Star games. Mantle appeared in 12 World Series, winning 7 of them. He holds the records for most World Series home runs (18), RBIs (40), runs (42), walks (43), extra-base hits (26), and total bases (123). He is also the career leader in walk-off home runs, with a combined thirteen, twelve in the regular season and one in the postseason.
wn.com/Mickey_Mantle -
Miguel Cabrera
José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983) commonly known as Miguel Cabrera, and nicknamed "Miggy", or "Cabby", is a Venezuelan professional baseball third baseman with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed.
He is a six-time All-Star, having been selected to the National League All-Star Team in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, and also the American League All-Star Team in 2010 and 2011. Cabrera has started at least 100 games at first base, third base, left field and right field. He progressed through the Florida Marlins minor-league system, before being called up from the Double-A Carolina Mudcats in June 2003. Cabrera went on to provide boost needed to help the Florida Marlins win the World Series that year as their clean-up hitter.
Cabrera is widely considered to be one of the best pure hitters in baseball, hitting at a high average with power to all fields. He has posted at least 30 home runs in seven of his previous eight seasons while batting .320 during that period. Cabrera has also driven in over 100 runs every season aside from his rookie campaign when he played in only 87 games. He has been an MVP caliber player since entering the majors at just 20 years old, having received MVP votes in each of his nine major league seasons, and placing in the top five in the previous three. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim starting pitcher Dan Haren is quoted saying, "You're going to make good pitches, and [Cabrera] is going to hit them."
wn.com/Miguel_Cabrera -
Mike Ilitch
Michael "Mike" Ilitch Sr. (July 20, 1929) is an American entrepreneur, founder and owner of the international fast food franchise Little Caesars Pizza. He owns both the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League, and Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.
Ilitch has been at the center of Detroit's downtown redevelopment efforts, purchasing and renovating the Fox Theatre and relocated his business headquarters there. A first generation American of Macedonian descent, he is married to Marian Bayoff Ilitch.
A graduate of Cooley High School in Detroit, Michigan, Mike Ilitch entered the U.S. Marine Corps for four years. After his return home to Detroit, the Detroit Tigers offered him $3000 if he would sign to play baseball, and Ilitch had a four-year minor league career from 1952-1955. Ilitch played mostly second base for the Tigers', New York Yankees', and Washington Senators' organizations in the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League, Cotton States League, and Florida International League. He was forced out of his playing career due to a knee injury. After leaving baseball, Ilitch started a pizza business in 1959. With the help of his wife, Marian, the Ilitches opened Little Caesars Pizza Treat in Garden City, Michigan, the first of what would become many thousands of restaurants through franchising.
wn.com/Mike_Ilitch -
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt (born September 27, 1949) is a Hall of Fame third baseman, widely considered as the greatest at the position in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Schmidt had an unusual batting stance, turning his back somewhat to the pitcher and shaking his derrière while waiting for the pitch. By standing far back in the batter's box, he made it impossible to jam him by pitching inside. Schmidt was one of the best athletes of his time; teammate Pete Rose once said, "To have his body, I'd trade him mine and my wife's, and I'd throw in some cash."
Upon graduation from Fairview High School in Dayton, Ohio in 1967, Schmidt attended Ohio University in Athens, where he joined Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. Schmidt led the Ohio Bobcats baseball team to the College World Series in 1970, and was drafted by the Phillies in the second round of the 1971 Major League Baseball Draft with the 30th overall pick.
On June 11, 1971, he was signed by scout Tony Lucadello, who had followed him since Little League Baseball. Six days later, Schmidt made his professional debut in an exhibition game between the Phillies and the Reading Phillies in Reading. Schmidt played the whole game at shortstop for the Phillies and hit a game-winning home run against Reading. Along with shortstop and third base, Schmidt also played some second base in the minors.
wn.com/Mike_Schmidt -
Nap Rucker
George Napoleon "Nap" Rucker (September 30, 1884 – December 19, 1970) was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers/Robins. He was born in Crabapple, Georgia.
Rucker threw a no-hitter against the Boston Doves on September 5, 1908 . He led the National League in complete games (27), innings pitched (320.1), and shutouts (6) in 1910. His best year was 1911, when he won 22 games for the Dodgers. He holds the Brooklyn Dodger record for the most shutouts in the National League (38); most strikeouts (16) in a regulation nine-innings game, and the most 1-0 shutouts (3) in a 154 games season. He became strictly a knuckleball pitcher when his speed declined. Sportswriter W.R. Hoefer described the result in poetic terms:
After his baseball career, Rucker went on to a successful business career and served as mayor of Roswell from 1935 to 1936 and as the city's water commissioner after his mayoral term. Rucker was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1967. Rucker died in Alpharetta, Georgia in 1970 and was interred in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Roswell, Georgia.
wn.com/Nap_Rucker -
Nick Etten
Nicholas Raymond Thomas (Nick) Etten (September 19, 1913 – October 18, 1990) was a first baseman in major league baseball, who played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1938–39), Philadelphia Phillies (1941–42, 1947) and New York Yankees (1943–46). Etten batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Spring Grove, Illinois. Etten attended St. Rita of Cascia High School on the south side of Chicago.
Etten attended Villanova University and was drafted by the Athletics from the Oakland Oaks minor league team. He made his major league debut with the Athletics late in 1938, also playing part-time for them in 1939. After playing two seasons with the Phillies, he was traded to the Yankees in January 1943, and he responded by leading the American League with 22 home runs, and drawing 97 walks in 1944, and with 111 RBIs the following season, also best in the league. During his four-year stint with the Yankees, Etten also ranked among league leaders in most offensive categories, was a member of the 1943 World Champion team, and was selected to the All-Star Game in 1945. In 1947, he appeared in fourteen games for the Phillies before retiring.
wn.com/Nick_Etten -
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. (born on January 31, 1947), nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers.
During a major league record 27-year baseball career, he pitched in 1966 and from 1968 to 1993 for four different teams: the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Ryan, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, threw pitches that were regularly recorded above 100 miles per hour (160.93 km/h). The high velocity remained throughout his career, even into his 40s. Ryan was also known to throw a devastating 12–6 curveball at exceptional velocity for a breaking ball.
While his lifetime winning percentage was a relatively pedestrian .526, Ryan was an eight-time MLB All-Star, and his 5,714 career strikeouts rank first in baseball history by a significant margin. He leads the runner-up, Randy Johnson, by 839 strikeouts. Similarly, Ryan's 2,795 bases on balls lead second-place Steve Carlton by 962—walking over 50% more hitters than any other pitcher in Major League history. Other than Jackie Robinson (whose number was retired by the entire MLB), Ryan is currently the only major league baseball player to have his number retired by at least 3 different teams: the Angels, Astros, and Rangers.
wn.com/Nolan_Ryan -
Nomar Garciaparra
Anthony Nomar Garciaparra ( /ˈnoʊmɑr ɡɑrˌsiːəˈpɑrə/; born July 23, 1973, in Whittier, California) is a former Major League Baseball player and current ESPN analyst. After playing parts of 9 seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played third base, first base, and designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics, first base and third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and shortstop and third base for the Chicago Cubs. He is one of 13 players in Major League history to hit two grand slams during a single game, and the only player to achieve the feat at his home stadium.
Garciaparra attended St. Mary's of the Assumption School in Whittier, California for elementary school; for high school he attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, where he excelled in football, soccer, and baseball, and had a 3.9 GPA. His teams won high school league championships in 1990–91, and he won the league MVP honors in 1991, his last year of high school. St. John Bosco High School retired Garciaparra's baseball jersey. St. John Bosco High School's Activities Office window is home to an area dedicated to Garciaparra's baseball career both at the school and with the Dodgers.
wn.com/Nomar_Garciaparra -
Norm Cash
Norman Dalton Cash (November 10, 1934 – October 11, 1986) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. An outstanding power hitter, his 377 career home runs were the fourth most by an American League left-handed hitter when he retired, behind Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig; his 373 home runs with the Tigers rank second in franchise history behind his teammate Al Kaline (399). He also led the AL in assists three times and fielding percentage twice; he ranked among the all-time leaders in assists (4th, 1317) and double plays (10th, 1347) upon his retirement, and was fifth in AL history in games at first base (1943). He was known to fans and teammates during his playing days as "Stormin' Norman."
Cash was born in Justiceburg, Garza County, Texas, and attended (what was then) Sul Ross State Teachers College, where he was All-Lone Star Conference in football as well as playing baseball; he was drafted by the Chicago Bears as a running back in 1955, but declined to play pro football. After signing with the Chicago White Sox in 1955, he spent 1957 in the military and made his debut with the team in 1958, seeing limited play as an outfielder and pinch hitter. He appeared in 58 games for the 1959 pennant-winners, but the midseason acquisition of Ted Kluszewski left him on the bench, and he was hitless in four pinch-hitting appearances in the World Series. In December of that year he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in an eight-player deal that brought Minnie Miñoso back to Chicago, but the Indians general manager Frank Lane traded Cash to Detroit for Steve Demeter, who would play only four more games; both Chicago and Cleveland were haunted by Cash for the next 15 years, as he won a batting title and a World Series ring in a Detroit uniform.
wn.com/Norm_Cash -
Ogden Nash
Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse. At the time of his death in 1971, the New York Times said his "droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry". Ogden Nash wrote over 500 pieces of comic verse. The best of his work was published in 14 volumes between 1931 and 1972.
Nash was born in Rye, New York. His father owned and operated an import-export company, and because of business obligations, the family relocated often. Nash was descended from the brother of General Francis Nash, who gave his name to Nashville, Tennessee.
His family lived briefly in Savannah, GA in a carriage house owned by Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA; he wrote a poem about Mrs. Low's House. After graduating from St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island, Nash entered Harvard University in 1920, only to drop out a year later. He returned to St. George's to teach for a year and left to work his way through a series of other jobs, eventually landing a position as an editor at Doubleday publishing house, where he first began to write verse.
wn.com/Ogden_Nash -
Oscar Charleston
Oscar McKinley Charleston (October 14, 1896 – October 5, 1954) was an American center fielder and manager in baseball's Negro leagues from 1915 to 1945.
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Charleston joined the Army at 15 and served in the Philippines. After returning to the United States, he immediately began his baseball career with the Indianapolis ABC's in 1915. He served as a player and/or manager for the ABCs, Chicago American Giants, Lincoln Stars, St. Louis Giants, Harrisburg Giants, Philadelphia Hilldales, Homestead Grays, and Pittsburgh Crawfords.
An intense, focused, and intelligent man, Charleston was among the most renowned players of his time, a tremendous power and contact hitter and one of the finest defensive center fielders of all-time. His career batting average was .348, and he regularly finished among league leaders in both home runs and stolen bases. He was also known for his combative nature, getting into many brawls, including at least one memorable fight with an array of Cuban soldiers.
wn.com/Oscar_Charleston -
Ossie Vitt
Oscar Joseph "Ossie" Vitt (January 4, 1890 – January 31, 1963), was a Major League Baseball third baseman in the American League for the Detroit Tigers (1912–1918) and Boston Red Sox (1919–1921). Vitt later became manager of the Cleveland Indians (1938–1940), where he sometimes clashed with his players.
Ossie Vitt was a product of the sandlots of San Francisco. He broke into the Pacific Coast League as third baseman for the San Francisco Seals in 1911. He later advanced to the majors as a utility infielder for the Detroit Tigers. Through his major league career, Vitt played 833 games at 3rd base and 161 games at 2nd base. As the Tigers' regular third baseman from 1915 through 1917, he never batted higher than .254. But he was described as a smart, scrappy baseball man.
Vitt had a career batting average of .238, and was a talented third baseman with range and a good throwing arm. His .960 fielding average in 10 years at 3rd base was 20 points higher than the Major League average for 3rd basemen of his era. He led all American League third basemen in consecutive years (1915 and 1916) in putouts, assists and fielding percentage. He had career highs at third base of 208 putouts, 385 assists, and 32 double plays in 1916. His range factor of 3.93 in 1916 was 70 points higher than the league average for third basemen.
wn.com/Ossie_Vitt -
Patsy Dougherty
Patrick Henry Dougherty (October 27, 1876 – April 30, 1940) was a Major League baseball outfielder. Dougherty was born in Andover, New York.
He was the first player to hit two home runs in a single World Series game, doing so with the Boston Americans in Game 2 of the first modern World Series. By doing so, he was also the first player for the Red Sox to hit a homer in the World Series.
Dougherty died in Bolivar, NY at the age of 63. He was laid to rest at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery in Bolivar, NY.
wn.com/Patsy_Dougherty -
Paul Hines
Paul Aloysius Hines (March 1, 1855 – July 10, 1935) was an American center fielder in professional baseball who played in the National Association and Major League Baseball from 1872 to 1891. Born in Virginia, he is credited with winning baseball's first triple crown in 1878; the accomplishment was not noted at the time, as runs batted in would not be counted until years later, home runs were rare and home run leadership obscure, and Abner Dalrymple was then erroneously recognized as the batting champion. There is some controversy over whether Hines was also the first player to turn an unassisted triple play.
Hines probably practiced with the original Washington Nationals or played on its junior team before joining the National Association with that club in 1872. When the original Chicago White Stockings resumed play in 1874, the teenage Hines played every game, usually in center field. He remained with the club four seasons, including the inaugural National League championship season of 1876, and then played eight seasons for the Providence Grays from 1878 to 1885, that club's entire major league association including two more pennants. He remained an every day major league center fielder through two seasons for a new Washington Nationals club and one for the Indianapolis Hoosiers, shifting to first base for a second Indianapolis season in 1889. He returned to center field with gradually declining playing time for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Boston Beaneaters and Washington Statesmen in 1890 and 1891. As of 2006 he is commonly listed as the oldest player in the major leagues during those seasons, ages 38 and 39, but recent research has shown that he was three years younger. He finished his professional career splitting 1896 between Burlington, Iowa and Mobile, Alabama at age 41.
wn.com/Paul_Hines -
Paul Molitor
Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, 1956), nicknamed "Molly" and "The Ignitor", is an American former Major League Baseball designated hitter and infielder. During his 21-year baseball career, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1992), Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1995), and Minnesota Twins (1996–1998). In 2004, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, becoming one of the first players who spent a significant portion of his career as a designated hitter to be enshrined. He was known for his exceptional hitting and speed.
Molitor was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After graduating from Cretin-Derham Hall High School, he was selected in the 28th round of the 1974 free agent draft as a pitcher by the St. Louis Cardinals, but opted instead to attend college at the University of Minnesota. He was a three year starter for the Golden Gophers, earning All American honors as a shortstop for his sophomore and junior years. After his junior year in college, he was selected third overall in the 1978 free agent draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career in Iowa, playing for the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League.
wn.com/Paul_Molitor -
Pete Browning
Louis Rogers "Pete" Browning (June 17, 1861 – September 10, 1905) was an American center and left fielder in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1894 who played primarily for the Louisville Eclipse/Colonels, becoming one of the sport's most accomplished batters of the 1880s. A three-time batting champion, he finished among the top three hitters in the league in each of his first seven years; only twice in his eleven full seasons did he finish lower than sixth. During the era before 1893, when the pitching distance was lengthened from 50 feet to 60 feet 6 inches, Browning ranked third among all major league players in career batting average, and fifth in slugging average. His .341 lifetime batting average remains one of the highest in major league history, and among the top five by a right-handed batter; his .345 average over eight American Association seasons was the highest mark by any player during that league's 10-year existence. Nicknamed the "Louisville Slugger," he was enormously attentive to the bats he used, and was the first player to have them custom-made, establishing a practice among hitters which continues to the present.
wn.com/Pete_Browning -
Pete Hill
John Preston "Pete" Hill (October 12, 1882 – December 19, 1951) was an American outfielder and manager in baseball's Negro Leagues from 1899 to 1925. (Although older histories and Hill's former Hall of Fame plaque listed his full name as Joseph Preston Hill, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 12, 1880, recent research has shown that his first name was "John," and that he was probably born in Culpeper County, Virginia on October 12, 1882, though some sources indicate a birth year of 1883 or 1884.) He played for the Philadelphia Giants, Leland Giants, Chicago American Giants, Detroit Stars, Milwaukee Bears, and Baltimore Black Sox. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Hill was born in Virginia and was living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the time of the 1900 Census. The 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), 215 pound Hill was considered the most important member of three of the most talented Negro League teams to ever play. From 1904 through 1907, he was the star left fielder for Sol White's great-hitting Philadelphia Giants. While with the Leland Giants, Rube Foster considered Hill his "field general" and it was his job to be almost a "second manager."
wn.com/Pete_Hill -
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose (born April 14, 1941), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989.
Rose, a switch hitter, is the all-time Major League leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053) and outs (10,328). He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award, and made 17 All-Star appearances at an unequaled five different positions (2B, LF, RF, 3B & 1B).
In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds, including claims that he bet on his own team. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction, after previously excluding such players by informal agreement among voters. In 2004, after years of public denial, Rose admitted to betting on baseball and on, but not against, the Reds. The issue of Rose's possible re-instatement, and election, to the Hall of Fame remains a contentious one throughout baseball.
wn.com/Pete_Rose -
Pete Runnels
James Edward "Pete" Runnels (January 28, 1928 – May 20, 1991) was a Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Washington Senators (1951–57), Boston Red Sox (1958–62) and Houston Colt .45s (1963–64). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Runnels was born in Lufkin, Texas. A master at handling the bat, he was a notorious singles hitter who had one of the best eyes in the game, compiling an outstanding 1.35 walk-to-strikeout ratio (844-to-627). Altogether, he batted over .300 six times, once with the Senators, five with the Red Sox. Despite winning the batting title in 1960, he drove in just 35 runs, a record low for a batting title winner.
Solid and versatile with the glove, Runnels started as a shortstop with the Senators, but ultimately played 644 games at first base, 642 at second, 463 at shortstop, and 49 at third. Twice he led the American League in fielding percentage, at second base in 1960 (.986), and at first base in 1961 (.995). He was not a good base stealer: in 1952 he set the record for most attempted steals with no successes, at 10. In his career he stole 37 bases and was caught 51 times.
wn.com/Pete_Runnels -
Phil Garner
Philip Mason Garner (born April 30, 1949, in Jefferson City, Tennessee) is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988. He was manager of the Astros from July 14, 2004 to August 27, 2007, leading Houston to a World Series appearance in 2005.
Nicknamed "Scrap-Iron" due to his gritty style of play, Garner's best year as a player was 1979, when he was a member of the World Series champion Pirates, batting .417 in the NL Championship Series and .500 (12 for 24) in the World Series. His icon at the time was the scrappy, similarly-mustachioed cartoon hero Yosemite Sam.
On August 31, 1981, Garner was traded from the Pirates to the Astros for 2B Johnny Ray and P Randy Niemann.
Garner later became a manager for the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros, leading the Astros to the franchise's first ever World Series in 2005.
In 1992, Garner replaced Tom Trebelhorn as manager of the Brewers. He quickly installed a running-focussed style of play as every starter that year stole at least 10 bases. Standing out were 1992 AL Rookie of the Year Pat Listach who stole 54 bases, veteran Paul Molitor stealing 31, and outfielder Darryl Hamilton stealing 41. This gave the 1992 Brewers a 2nd place finish in the competitive AL East but Garner's teams in later seasons in Milwaukee would not finish at .500.
wn.com/Phil_Garner -
Phil Rizzuto
Philip Francis Rizzuto (September 25, 1917 – August 13, 2007), nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees (1941–1956). Rizzuto was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.
A popular figure on a team dynasty which captured 10 AL titles and seven World Championships in his 13 seasons, Rizzuto holds numerous World Series records for shortstops. His best statistical season was 1950, when he was named the American League's Most Valuable Player. Despite this offensive peak, Rizzuto was a classic "small ball" player, noted for his strong defense in the infield. The slick-fielding Rizzuto is also regarded as one of the best bunters in baseball history. When he retired, his 1,217 career double plays ranked second in major league history, trailing only Luke Appling's total of 1,424, and his .968 career fielding average trailed only Lou Boudreau's mark of .973 among AL shortstops.
Ted Williams once claimed that his Red Sox would have won most of the Yankees' 1940s and 1950s pennants if they had had Rizzuto at shortstop, but Rizzuto himself was more modest: "My stats don't shout. They kind of whisper."
wn.com/Phil_Rizzuto -
Rafael Palmeiro
Rafael Palmeiro Corrales (born September 24, 1964 in Havana, Cuba) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and left fielder. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State University before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1985. He played for the Cubs (1986–1988), Texas Rangers (1989–1993, 1999–2003), and the Baltimore Orioles (1994–1998, 2004–2005). He was named to the MLB All-Star Team four times, and won the Gold Glove three times. He is a member of the exclusive 500 home run club and the 3,000 hit club and is only the fourth player in history to be a member of both.
Days after recording his 3,000th hit, Palmeiro was suspended for testing positive for an anabolic steroid.
Palmeiro was born in Havana, Cuba and graduated from Miami Jackson High School. He played college baseball at Mississippi State University. Although he was drafted by the New York Mets in the 8th round of the 1982 draft, he did not sign. On June 11, 1985, Palmeiro signed with the Chicago Cubs as the 22nd pick in the 1st round of the 1985 draft. Rafael Palmeiro played baseball during early years in Miami, together with Jose Canseco and many other players. The coach that they play under was Osvaldo Morales who used to coach Jose Canseco in Miami Coral Park Hight School at the Junior Varsity team.
wn.com/Rafael_Palmeiro -
Ralph Houk
Ralph George Houk (August 9, 1919 – July 21, 2010), nicknamed The Major, was an American catcher, coach, manager, and front office executive in Major League Baseball. He is best known as the successor of Casey Stengel as the manager of the New York Yankees from 1961–63, when he won three consecutive American League pennants and the 1961–62 World Series championships.
A native of Lawrence, Kansas, Houk was a catcher working his way through the Yankees' farm system when the U.S. entered World War II. He enlisted in the armed forces, became an Army Ranger, and rose to Major (the source of his Yankee nickname). He was a combat veteran of Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge, and was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Silver Star with oak leaf clusters.
Returning to baseball after the war, Houk eventually reached the major leagues, serving as the Yankees' second- and third-string catcher behind Yogi Berra. A right-handed hitter, Houk appeared in only 91 games over eight seasons (1947–54), finishing with a batting average of .272. Although the Yankees participated in six World Series during that period, Houk had only two Series at-bats (one in 1947, the other in 1952), batting .500.
wn.com/Ralph_Houk -
Ray Schalk
Raymond William Schalk (August 12, 1892 – May 19, 1970) was a professional baseball player, coach, manager and scout. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox for the majority of his career. Known for his fine handling of pitchers and outstanding defensive ability, Schalk was considered the greatest defensive catcher of his era. He revolutionized the way the catching position was played by using his speed and agility to expand the previously accepted defensive capabilities for his position. Schalk was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.
Born in Harvel, Illinois to German immigrant parents, Schalk dropped out of high school to enter the printer's trade, learning to operate a linotype machine. When career advancement proved difficult in that trade, he began to play professional baseball. By the age of 18 in 1911, he split time between the D-league Taylorville Christians in the Illinois-Missouri League, where he hit .387, and the Single-A Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association. In 1912, Schalk posted a .271 batting average in 80 games for Milwaukee and attracted the attention of the Chicago White Sox because of his aggressive approach to the catching position. The White Sox purchased him from the Brewers for $10,000 and two other players.
wn.com/Ray_Schalk -
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson (born May 18, 1946) is an American former baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four different teams (1967–1987). He was nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees. Jackson won five consecutive American League West divisional pennants, three consecutive American League pennants and two consecutive World Series titles as a member of the Oakland Athletics (he did not play in the 1972 World Series due to injury) from 1971 to 1975; four American League East divisional pennants, three American League pennants and two consecutive World Series titles with the Yankees from 1977 to 1981; and two American League West divisional pennants with the California Angels in 1982 and 1986. He is perhaps best remembered for hitting three consecutive home runs in the clinching game of the 1977 World Series.
Jackson played for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics (1967–1975, 1987), Baltimore Orioles (1976), New York Yankees (1977–1981), and California Angels (1982–1986). A 14-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jackson won two Silver Slugger Awards, the 1973 American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, two World Series MVP Awards, and the 1977 Babe Ruth Award.
wn.com/Reggie_Jackson -
Richie Ashburn
Don Richard "Richie" Ashburn (March 19, 1927 – September 9, 1997), also known by the nicknames, "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" due to his light-blond hair, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska (some sources give his full middle name as "Richie"). From his youth on a farm, he grew up to become a professional outfielder and veteran broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies and one of the most beloved sports figures in Philadelphia history. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995.
One of the famous "Whiz Kids" of the National League champion 1950 Phillies, Ashburn spent 12 of his 15 major-league seasons as the Phillies' center fielder (from 1948 through 1959). He sported a .308 lifetime batting average, leading the National League twice, and routinely led the league in fielding percentage. In 1950, in the last game of the regular season, he threw Dodgers' runner Cal Abrams out at home plate to preserve a 1–1 tie and set the stage for Dick Sisler's pennant-clinching home run.
wn.com/Richie_Ashburn -
Rickey Henderson
Richard Nelson Henley "Rickey" Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed The Man of Steal, he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner. He holds the major league records for career stolen bases, runs scored, unintentional walks and leadoff home runs. At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League (AL) All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in bases on balls. In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot appearance.
In addition to the career steals record, Henderson also holds the single-season record for stolen bases (130 in 1982) and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times. His 1,406 career steals is 50% higher than the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock. Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland A's and previously held the New York Yankees' franchise record from 1988-2011. He was among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons.
wn.com/Rickey_Henderson -
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker (August 18, 1934 – December 31, 1972) was a Puerto Rican baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 through 1972. Clemente was awarded the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1966. He was on the NL All-Star team 15 times, received 12 Gold Glove Awards, and led the NL in batting average four times. In 1972, Clemente got his 3,000th major league hit.
Off the field, Clemente was involved in charity work in Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries, often delivering baseball equipment and food to those in need. He died in an aviation accident on December 31, 1972, while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Clemente was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1973, becoming the first Latin American to be selected and the only current Hall of Fame member for whom the mandatory five-year waiting period had been waived. Clemente is also the first Hispanic player to win a World Series as a starter (1960), receive an MVP Award (1966), and receive a World Series MVP Award (1971).
wn.com/Roberto_Clemente -
Robin Yount
Robin R. Yount ( /ˈjɒnt/; nicknamed,"The Kid", and "Rockin' Robin", born September 16, 1955) is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop and center fielder. He spent his entire 20-year baseball career with the Milwaukee Brewers (1974–1993). In 1999, Yount was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Yount was born in Danville, Illinois. During his youth, his family moved to southern California, where he attended William Howard Taft High School in Woodland Hills.
wn.com/Robin_Yount -
Rod Allen
Roderick Bernet "Rod" Allen (born October 5, 1959 in Los Angeles, California) is a baseball analyst, currently for the Detroit Tigers on Fox Sports Detroit. He also analyzes for other games on Fox Saturday Baseball when the Tigers don't play on Fox Sports Detroit. His former positions include analyst for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and before that a baseball player, and later a coach.
Allen was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the sixth round of the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft. He enjoyed a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners in 1983. He was 23 years old when he made his major league debut on April 7, 1983. He hit .296 in 27 at bats during a 15 game stint as an outfielder and designated hitter with the World Champion Detroit Tigers in 1984. He enjoyed another brief stint in the majors with the Cleveland Indians in 1988. Allen spent the last three years of his playing career with the Hiroshima Carp in Japan's Central League. He hit a pair of home runs against Seibu Lions in the 1991 Japan Series and set a Japanese regular season record with four home runs in four consecutive at bats during his time in the league. He is infamous for charging the mound after Kazuhiko Daimon from the Yokohama Taiyo Whales hit him in the back with a pitch, and subsequently chasing the pitcher across the entire field with both teams' benches in tow.
wn.com/Rod_Allen -
Rod Carew
Rodney Cline "Rod" Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman, second baseman and coach. He played from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels and was elected to the All-Star game every season except his last. In 1991, Carew was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While Carew was never a home run threat (hitting fewer than 100 career home runs), he made a career out of being a consistent contact hitter. He threw right-handed and batted left-handed.
Carew is a Zonian and was born to a Panamanian mother on a train in the town of Gatún, which, at that time, was in the Panama Canal Zone. The train was racially segregated; white passengers were given the better forward cars, while non-whites, like Carew's mother, were forced to ride in the rearward cars. When she went into labor, a physician traveling on the train, Dr. Rodney Cline, delivered the baby. In appreciation for this, Mrs. Carew named the boy Rodney Cline Carew.
wn.com/Rod_Carew -
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "The Rocket", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams. Clemens was one of the most dominant pitchers in major league history, tallying 354 wins, a 3.12 earned run average (ERA), and 4,672 strikeouts, the third-most all time. An 11-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, he won seven Cy Young Awards during his career, the most of any pitcher. Clemens was known for his fierce competitive nature and for his hard-throwing pitching style that he used to intimidate batters.
Clemens debuted in the major leagues in 1984 with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he anchored for 12 years. In 1986, he won the American League (AL) Cy Young Award, the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, and the All-Star Game MVP Award, and he struck out an MLB-record 20 batters in a single game. After the 1996 season, Clemens left Boston via free agency and joined the Toronto Blue Jays. In each of his two seasons with Toronto, Clemens won a Cy Young Award, as well as the pitching triple crown by leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Prior to the 1999 season, Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees where he won his only two World Series titles. In 2003, he reached his 300th win and 4,000th strikeout in the same game. Clemens left for the Houston Astros in 2004, where he spent three seasons and won his seventh Cy Young Award. He rejoined the Yankees in 2007 for one last season.
wn.com/Roger_Clemens -
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris (September 10, 1934 – December 14, 1985) was an American baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) on four teams, from 1957 through 1968. Maris hit a record 61 home runs during the 1961 season for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs in 1927. Maris' record stood for the next 37 years.
Maris appeared in seven World Series games. He was a two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) (1960–1961), seven-time All-Star (1959–62), and an AL Gold Glove winner in 1960. His accomplishment of 61 home runs in a season, which was greatly debated in its own time, came back to the forefront in 1998, when the record was broken by both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. On September 24, 2011, the 50th anniversary of Maris' home run record was celebrated in Yankee Stadium.
Roger Maris was the son of Croatian immigrants. He was born Roger Eugene Maras(he later changed his last name to Maris) in Hibbing, Minnesota. He grew up in Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota, where he attended Shanley High School. Maris, a gifted athlete, participated in many sports while in Fargo, and excelled at football and still holds the official high school record for most kickoff return touchdowns in a game, with four.
wn.com/Roger_Maris -
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, Sr. (April 27, 1896 – January 5, 1963), nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915–1926, 1933), New York Giants (1927), Boston Braves (1928), Chicago Cubs (1929–1932), and St. Louis Browns (1933–1937). Hornsby had 2,930 hits, 301 home runs, and a .358 batting average during his career; he was named the National League (NL)'s Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, and was a member of one World Series championship team.
Born and raised in Texas, Hornsby played for several semi-professional and minor league teams. In 1915, he began his major league career with the St. Louis Cardinals and remained with the team for 12 seasons; during this period, Hornsby won his first MVP Award and the Cardinals won the 1926 World Series. After that season, he spent one season at the New York Giants and another with the Boston Braves before being traded to the Chicago Cubs. He played with the Cubs for four years and won his second MVP Award before the team released him in 1932. Hornsby re-signed with the Cardinals in 1933, but was released partway through the season and was picked up by the St. Louis Browns. He remained there until his final season in 1937. From 1925 to 1937, Hornsby was intermittently his own manager. After retiring as a player, he managed the Browns in 1952 and the Cincinnati Reds from 1952 to 1953.
wn.com/Rogers_Hornsby -
Ross Youngs
Ross Middlebrook Youngs (April 10, 1897 – October 22, 1927) was a Major League Baseball outfielder best known for his superb defense and consistent hitting.
Born in Shiner, Texas and educated at Texas Military Institute, Youngs made his major league debut in 1917 with the New York Giants and played his first full season in 1918, placing 6th in the league with a .302 batting average. Youngs batted .300 or higher in every season until 1925, and higher than .350 twice, scored 100 or more runs three times, and posted a career high 102 RBI in 1921 and 10 home runs in 1924. The Giants went to the World Series four consecutive years (1921–1924) and won twice (1921, 1922).
Youngs's career was abruptly cut short in 1926 when he was diagnosed with the kidney disorder which at the time was called Bright's disease. He played in 95 games that season and died the following year, on October 22, 1927, at the age of 30. Nevertheless, Youngs posted impressive numbers over his abbreviated ten-year career, including 812 runs, 42 home runs, 592 RBI, 153 stolen bases and a .322 career batting average and .399 career on base percentage.
wn.com/Ross_Youngs -
Roy Sievers
Roy Edward Sievers (born November 18, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a former first baseman/left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1949 through 1965, Sievers played for the St. Louis Browns (1949–53), the original Washington Senators (1954–59), Chicago White Sox (1960–61), Philadelphia Phillies (1962–64), and finally the new Senators (1964–65). He batted and threw right-handed.
Signed by the St. Louis Browns as a free agent in 1947, Sievers debuted in the major leagues on April 21, 1949.
Sievers won the American League Rookie of the Year and TSN Rookie of the Year awards in 1949, batting .306 with 16 home runs and 75 RBI. He struggled to .238 in 1950, and for the next three years he suffered shoulder and arm injuries that limited his playing time to 134 games. He was traded to the Washington Senators for Gil Coan before the 1954 season.
In Washington, Sievers collected 95 or more RBI and played at least 144 games during five consecutive years (1954–58) and made the AL All-Star team three times (1956–57, 1959). His most productive season came in 1957, when he led the league in home runs (42), RBI (114), extra base hits (70) and total bases (331), batting .301. He finished third in the MVP ballot with four first-place votes and 205 points –Mickey Mantle got six and 233, Ted Williams five and 209.
wn.com/Roy_Sievers -
Rudy York
Preston Rudolph York (August 17, 1913 – February 5, 1970) was a Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Detroit Tigers (1934, 1937–45), Boston Red Sox (1946–47), Chicago White Sox (1947) and Philadelphia Athletics (1948). York was born in Ragland, Alabama. He batted and threw right-handed.
With one-eighth Cherokee ancestry and less-than-perfect fielding abilities, York prompted one sportswriter to declare: "He is part Indian and part first baseman".
York's family moved from Ragland, Alabama, to Aragon, Georgia, when Rudy was a small boy. Rudy's mother moved the family to the Cartersville, Georgia, area sometime in the late 1920s. They lived in the American Textile Company (ATCO) mill town on the outskirts of Cartersville, where Rudy began working in his early teens.
In his mid-teens, Rudy was playing baseball with older men on the ATCO mill team and receiving local attention for his prowess at the plate. Rudy would become the team's star player from 1930 to 1933.
York received a tryout and was signed by the Knoxville club of the Southern League in April 1933 but was released after appearing in just three games. Rudy returned to the Atco community and briefly resumed play with the mill team. He spent most of June of that year playing for a semi-pro team in Albany, Georgia, before returning to Atco for another brief stint with the mill team. In early July, Detroit scout Eddie Goosetree signed him for the Tigers. Assigned briefly to Shreveport of the Dixie League, he finished the 1933 season with Beaumont of the Texas League.
wn.com/Rudy_York -
Sam Crawford
Samuel Earl Crawford (April 18, 1880 – June 15, 1968), nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957.
Crawford batted and threw left-handed, stood 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall and weighed 190 pounds. He was one of the greatest sluggers of the dead-ball era and still holds the Major League's records for triples in a career (309) and inside-the-park home runs in a season (12). He has the second best all-time record for most inside-the-park home runs in a career (51). He finished his career with 2,961 hits and a .309 batting average, and became first player to lead both American League and the National League in home runs (1901 and 1908).
Baseball legend, Ed Barrow, who managed Crawford in his first two years with Detroit, and went on to convert Babe Ruth to an outfielder as general manager of the Yankees, once said that “there never was a better hitter” than Crawford.” One of his contemporaries, Fielder Jones, said of Crawford: “None of them can hit quite as hard as Crawford. He stands up at the plate like a brick house and he hits all the pitchers, without playing favorites.”
wn.com/Sam_Crawford -
Sam Gibson
Samuel Braxton Gibson (August 5, 1899 – January 31, 1983) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played five seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1926–28), New York Yankees (1930) and New York Giants (1932).
Born in King, North Carolina, Gibson attended Catawba College before making his major league debut on April 19, 1926. He was a starting pitcher on manager Ty Cobb's Tigers, winning 12 games and throwing nearly 200 innings in his rookie season. In a game against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1928, he allowed the 4,000th hit of Cobb's career, who was playing in his final season for the A's.
After playing smaller roles on the Yankees and Giants, Gibson played fourteen seasons in the minor-league Pacific Coast League for the San Francisco Seals, Portland Beavers and Oakland Oaks in 1931 and from 1933 to 1945. His best season was 1935, in which he went 22–4. and holds the Seals' highest single-season winning percentage at .846. He was a teammate of Joe DiMaggio, and the two were inducted into the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame in 2003.
wn.com/Sam_Gibson -
Sam Rice
Edgar Charles "Sam" Rice (February 20, 1890 – October 13, 1974) was an American pitcher and right fielder in Major League Baseball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963.
Although Rice made his debut as a relief pitcher, he is best known as an outfielder. Playing for the Washington Senators from 1915 until 1933, he was regularly among the American League leaders in runs scored, hits, stolen bases and batting average. He led the Senators to three postseasons and a World Series championship in 1924. He batted left-handed, but threw right-handed.
Rice stood erect at the plate and used quick wrists to slash pitches to all fields. He never swung at the first pitch and seldom fanned, once completing a 616-at-bat season with nine strikeouts. As the ultimate contact man with the picture-perfect swing, Rice was never a home run threat, but blazing speed often turned singles into doubles, and his 1920 stolen base total of 63 earned him the timely nickname "Man o' War".
With 2,987 hits, Rice has the most of any player not to reach 3,000. He was 44 years old at the time of his last game. Rice later said, "The truth of the matter is I did not even know how many hits I had. A couple of years after I quit, [Senators owner] Clark Griffith told me about it, and asked me if I'd care to have a comeback with the Senators and pick up those 13 hits. But I was out of shape, and didn't want to go through all that would have been necessary to make the effort. Nowadays, with radio and television announcers spouting records every time a player comes to bat, I would have known about my hits and probably would have stayed to make 3,000 of them."
wn.com/Sam_Rice -
Sam Thompson
Samuel Luther Thompson (March 5, 1860 – November 7, 1922) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball player. "Big Sam" (6 feet 2 inches, and 200 pounds) was known for his offensive production and was second on the career home runs list at the time of his retirement. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Thompson's 1887 total of 166 RBIs stood as a Major League record for 34 years until Babe Ruth broke the record in 1921. He was the only 19th-century player to drive in 150 or more runs and he did it twice. His .923 RBIs/Game is still a major league record, and he has the still-standing record of 61 RBIs in 1 month, which he accomplished for the Philadelphia Phillies in August 1895.
Born in Danville, Indiana, Thompson entered the National League in 1885 with the Detroit Wolverines and played his first full season in 1886. An outfielder, Thompson had his breakout season in 1887 when he batted .372 with 118 runs, 203 hits, 11 home runs and 166 RBIs en route to leading the Wolverines to the National League pennant as well as a World Series victory over the St. Louis Browns of the American Association - the other major league at the time. The Wolverines finished the 1888 season in fifth place, losing so much money that the team folded and the players were sold off. Thompson was purchased by the Philadelphia Quakers (known as the Philadelphia Phillies beginning in 1890), for $5,000 cash (equal to $129,333 today). He would play for them until 1898.
wn.com/Sam_Thompson -
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax ( /ˈkoʊfæks/; born Sanford Braun, December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1955–1966). Retiring at the peak of his career, in 1972 he became, at age 36 and 20 days, the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame .
Koufax's career peaked with a run of six outstanding seasons from 1961 to 1966, before arthritis in his left elbow ended his career prematurely at age 30. He was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1963. He also won the 1963, 1965, and 1966 Cy Young Awards by unanimous votes, making him the first 3-time Cy Young winner in baseball history and the only one to win 3 times when the award was for all of baseball, not just one league. In each of his Cy Young seasons, Koufax won the pitcher's triple crown by leading the NL in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average. Koufax's totals would also have led the American League in those seasons.
wn.com/Sandy_Koufax -
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Joseph Jefferson Jackson (July 16, 1887 – December 5, 1951), nicknamed "Shoeless Joe", was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball in the early part of the 20th century. He is remembered for his performance on the field and for his association with the Black Sox Scandal, in which members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series. As a result of Jackson's association with the scandal, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Major League Baseball's first commissioner, banned Jackson from playing after the 1920 season.
Jackson played for three different Major League teams during his 12-year career. He spent 1908–1909 as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics and 1910 with the minor league New Orleans Pelicans before joining the Cleveland Naps at the end of the 1910 season. He remained in Cleveland through the first part of the 1915; he played the remainder of the 1915 season through 1920 with the Chicago White Sox.
Jackson, who played left field for most of his career, currently has the third- highest career batting average in major league history. In 1911, Jackson hit for a .408 average. It is still the sixth-highest single-season total since 1901, which marked the beginning of the modern era for the sport. His average that year also set the record for batting average in a single season by a rookie.Babe Ruth later claimed that he modeled his hitting technique after Jackson's.
wn.com/Shoeless_Joe_Jackson -
Smoky Joe Wood
Howard Ellsworth "Smoky Joe" Wood (October 25, 1889 – July 27, 1985) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians during the early part of the 20th century. He is one of only 13 pitchers who won 30 or more games in one season (going 34–5 in 1912) since 1900.
"Smoky Joe" played his first amateur baseball for the local miners teams in Ouray, Colorado though a native of Ness County, Kansas,[citation needed] Wood made his playing debut with the mostly-female "Bloomer Girls." There were many such teams across the country, which barnstormed in exhibition games against teams of men. Bloomer Girl rosters featured at least one male player.
After joining the Red Sox in 1908 at the age of 18, Wood had his breakthrough season in 1911 in which he won 23 games, compiled an earned run average of 2.02, threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Browns and struck out 15 batters in a single game. Wood once struck out 23 batters in an exhibition game. He earned the nickname "Smoky Joe" because of his blazing fastball. Wood once said, "I threw so hard I thought my arm would fly right off my body."
wn.com/Smoky_Joe_Wood -
Snuffy Stirnweiss
George Henry "Snuffy" Stirnweiss (October 26, 1918 – September 15, 1958) was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1943 through 1952, Stirnweiss played for the New York Yankees (1943–50), St. Louis Browns (1950) and Cleveland Indians (1951–52). He batted and threw right-handed.
In a 10-season career, Stirnweiss was a .268 hitter with 29 home runs and 281 RBI in 1028 games played.
A native of New York City, Stirnweiss was an All-American halfback at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduating in 1940, he was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League. Nevertheless, he cast his lot with baseball and signed with the New York Yankees organization, starting his major league career with the Yankees in 1943.
Stirnweiss was in three World Series and appeared in the All-Star Game in 1945 and 1946. He won the American League batting title in 1945 with a .309 average. On the final day of the season, he trailed Tony Cuccinello, whose final game had been rained out. After Stirnweiss singled in his first two at-bats, word came from the press box that he was ahead of Cuccinello and should sit out the rest of the game. He refused to do so, but then went out his next two times up. In the final inning, he singled. Without the additional 1-for-3, he would not have beaten Cuccinello. However, this fact was never discussed in the press.
wn.com/Snuffy_Stirnweiss -
Socks Seybold
Ralph Orlando "Socks" Seybold (November 23, 1870 – December 22, 1921) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played over parts of nine seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Athletics. Known as a power hitter, Seybold set the American League record for home runs in 1902, which would not be broken until 1919. He stood at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) and weighed 200 lbs.
Seybold was born in Washingtonville, Ohio. He started his professional baseball career in 1892, and over the next few years he played in the Pennsylvania State League and Atlantic League. In 1896, he had a breakout season, hitting .352 at Lancaster, and in 1897, he led the team to the pennant by slugging a league-leading 14 home runs. Seybold led the Atlantic League in homers again in 1898 and was leading in 1899 when he was purchased by the Cincinnati Reds.
Seybold made his major league debut on August 20. He did not hit well in Cincinnati, and returned to the minors in 1900. He led the American League in home runs, with 9. Seybold then got his second shot in the majors in 1901, with the Philadelphia Athletics, and this time, he stuck. That season, he hit .334 and had a 27-game hitting streak in July and August.
wn.com/Socks_Seybold -
Sparky Anderson
George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (February 22, 1934 – November 4, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third title in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers of the American League. He was the first manager to win the World Series in both leagues. His 2,194 career wins are the sixth most for a manager in Major League history. He was named American League Manager of the Year in 1984 and 1987. Anderson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Anderson was born in Bridgewater, South Dakota, on February 22, 1934. He moved to Los Angeles when he was eight. He was a batboy for the USC Trojans. He attended Susan Miller Dorsey High School in Los Angeles, California. Upon graduating, he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1953. Sparky's American Legion Team won the 1951 National Championship, which was played in Briggs Stadium (Tiger Stadium) in Detroit.
Anderson began his playing career with the Santa Barbara Dodgers of the class-C California League, where he was primarily used as a shortstop. In 1954, he was moved up to the class-A Pueblo Dodgers of the Western League and was moved to second base, where he played the rest of his career.
wn.com/Sparky_Anderson -
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial ( /ˈmjuːziəl/ or /ˈmjuːʒəl/; born November 21, 1920) is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1941–1963). Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection (tied with Willie Mays), and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. He compiled 3,630 hits (ranking fourth all-time and most in a career spent with only one team). With 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 on the road, he is also considered to be the most consistent hitter of his era. He also compiled 475 home runs during his career, was named the National League's (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, and won three World Series championship titles. Musial was a first-ballot inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 and is currently the longest tenured living Hall of Famer.
Musial was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, where he frequently played baseball in both informal and organized settings, eventually playing on the baseball team at Donora High School. Signed to a professional contract by the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher in 1938, Musial was converted into an outfielder prior to his major league debut in 1941. Noted for his unique batting stance, he quickly established himself as a consistent and productive hitter. In his first full season, 1942, the Cardinals won the World Series. The following year, he led the National League in six different offensive categories and earned his first MVP award. He was also named an All-Star for the first time; he would be selected to every All-Star Game in every subsequent season he played. Musial won his second World Series ring in 1944, then missed the entire 1945 season while serving with the United States Navy.
wn.com/Stan_Musial -
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox (1939–1942 and 1946–1960). Williams was a two-time American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner, led the league in batting six times, and won the Triple Crown twice. A nineteen-time All-Star, he had a career batting average of .344, with 521 home runs, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. Williams recorded a hit 34 percent of the time; he reached base an astounding 48 percent of the time.
Williams was the last player in Major League Baseball to bat over .400 in a single season (.406 in 1941). Williams holds the highest career batting average of anyone with 500 or more home runs. His career year was 1941, when he hit .406 with 37 HR, 120 RBI, and 135 runs scored. His .551 on base percentage set a record that stood for 61 years. Nicknamed "The Kid", "The Splendid Splinter", "Teddy Ballgame", "The Thumper" and, because of his hitting prowess, "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived", Williams's career was twice interrupted by service as a U.S. Marine Corps fighter-bomber pilot. An avid sport fisherman, he hosted a television program about fishing, and he was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.
wn.com/Ted_Williams -
Tilly Walker
Clarence William "Tilly" Walker (September 4, 1887 – September 20, 1959) was an American left and center fielder in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1923. Born in Telford, Tennessee, Walker hit .281, and he was one of the first power hitters, slugging 17 home runs in 1920, 23 in 1921, and 37 (with a .549 slugging percentage and a .283 batting average) in 1922. For a time he was among the top ten lifetime home run leaders. He died at age 72 in Unicoi, Tennessee.
wn.com/Tilly_Walker -
Tom Seaver
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver (born November 17, 1944), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched from 1967-1986 for four different teams in his career, but is noted primarily for his time with the New York Mets. During a 20-year career, Seaver compiled 311 wins, 3,640 strikeouts, 61 shutouts and a 2.86 earned run average. In 1992, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the highest percentage ever recorded (98.84%), and has the only plaque at Cooperstown wearing a New York Mets hat. As of 2010, Tom Seaver and Gil Hodges (played for the Mets in 1962-63) are the only Met players to have their jersey numbers retired by the team (Gil Hodges' number was retired as a manager even though he also played for the Mets).
He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1967, and three NL Cy Young Awards as the league's best pitcher. Seaver is the Mets' all-time leader in wins, and is considered by many baseball experts as one of the best starting pitchers in the history of baseball.
wn.com/Tom_Seaver -
Tommy McCarthy
Thomas Francis Michael "Tommy" McCarthy (July 24, 1863 – August 5, 1922) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.
McCarthy was born on July 24, 1863 in Boston, Massachusetts, the eldest son of Daniel and Sarah McCarthy. McCarthy joined the Boston Reds in the Union Association in 1884 as a starting pitcher and outfielder. In limited innings and at-bats, he played poorly, batting at a paltry .215 average, and lost all seven of his pitching appearances. McCarthy moved to the National League and played with the Boston Beaneaters the following season and the Philadelphia Quakers the following two years but failed to bat higher than .200 in any season, although in limited at-bats.
Setting aside aspirations of being a star pitcher, McCarthy finally settled into an everyday position in a lineup in 1888 with the St. Louis Browns in the American Association. With the Browns until 1891, McCarthy scored over 100 runs each season and grew increasingly productive at the plate. He batted .350 in 1890 and drove in 95 runs in 1891. Although the shoddy record-keeping of the time prevents an accurate tally, he also asserted himself as a daring presence on the base-paths, by some accounts stealing over 100 bases in 1888 and approaching the mark in 1890.
wn.com/Tommy_McCarthy -
Tony Conigliaro
Anthony Richard Conigliaro (January 7, 1945 – February 24, 1990), nicknamed "Tony C" and "Conig", was a Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Boston Red Sox (1964–67, 1969–1970, 1975) and California Angels (1971). He was born in Revere, Massachusetts, and was a 1962 graduate of St. Mary's High School (Lynn, Massachusetts). During the Red Sox "Impossible Dream" season of 1967, he was hit in the face by a pitch, causing a severe eye injury and derailing his career. Though he would make a dramatic comeback from the injury, his career was not the same afterwards.
Conigliaro was signed by the Red Sox in 1962, at the age of 17. In 1963, he batted .363 with 24 home runs in the New York - Penn League and was subsequently called up to the majors.
During his 1964 rookie season, Conigliaro batted .290 with 24 home runs and 52 RBI in 111 games, but broke his arm and his toes in August.
In his sophomore season in 1965, Conigliaro led the league in home runs (32), becoming the youngest home run champion in American League history. He was selected for the All-Star Game in 1967. In that season, at age 22, he reached a career total of 100 home runs.
wn.com/Tony_Conigliaro -
Tony Gwynn
Anthony Keith "Tony" Gwynn, Sr. (born May 9, 1960), nicknamed Mr. Padre and Captain Video, is a retired American Major League Baseball right fielder. He is statistically one of the best and most consistent hitters in baseball history. He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the San Diego Padres (1982–2001). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 9, 2007 and was inducted on July 29. He is the first National League player born during the 1960s to earn the honor (Kirby Puckett was the first American Leaguer). He batted and threw left-handed.
Despite playing much of his career at a "power position" (right field is known for producing sluggers) during a time when home runs were at an all-time high, he was not a home run threat, never hitting more than 17 in any one season during his major league career. Instead, Gwynn made a name for himself by being one of the most consistent contact hitters in the game's history. Gwynn hit .338 for his career and won eight National League batting titles. He struck out only 434 times in 9,288 career at-bats, and never batted below .309 in any full season.
wn.com/Tony_Gwynn -
Tony Mullane
Anthony John "Tony" Mullane (January 20, 1859 – April 25, 1944), nickamed "Count" and "The Apollo of the Box", was an Irish Major League Baseball player who pitched for seven teams during his 13-season career. He is best known as a pitcher that could throw left-handed and right-handed, and for having one of the highest career win totals of pitchers not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Born in County Cork, Ireland, Mullane emigrated to the United States in 1864. He made his Major League debut with the Detroit Wolverines on August 27, 1881, picking up his first career win in a 9–1 victory over the Chicago White Stockings.
Like the present-day pitcher Billy Wagner, Mullane suffered an injury to his right arm and managed to teach himself to throw left-handed. Unlike Wagner, however, Mullane resumed throwing right-handed once the injury healed, and he would even alternate throwing right-handed and left-handed in the same game, which was easy for him since he did not wear a glove. Mullane would face the batter with both hands on the ball, and then use either one to throw a pitch. (Another ambidextrous pitcher of recent years, Greg A. Harris, even used a specially made ambidextrous glove, but he was prohibited by the Red Sox from pitching left-handed; Harris did get to switch-pitch in one game shortly before he retired with the Montreal Expos, becoming the only such pitcher in the 20th Century).
wn.com/Tony_Mullane -
Tony Oliva
Tony Pedro Oliva (born Antonio Oliva Lopez Hernandes Javique on July 20, 1938 in Pinar del Río, Cuba) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played his entire 15-year baseball career for the Minnesota Twins (1962–1976). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. His career was hampered by knee injuries, forcing him to become a designated hitter during his final four years of baseball.
Oliva was born in Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. He played baseball weekly with his father, brothers, and neighbors in a vacant lot near the Olivas' farm. Oliva's father, who worked in a tobacco factory and was famous for rolling the leaves to make the best cigars, was also a former semi-professional player who instructed Oliva and helped him become "the best hitter in Pinar del Río". A scout for the Minnesota Twins noticed him and brought him to the United States to play professionally. He was reluctant to leave his mother, father, and nine siblings, but his father encouraged him to become "rich and famous" in America.
wn.com/Tony_Oliva -
Tris Speaker
Tristram E. Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "Spoke" and "The Grey Eagle", was an American baseball player. Considered one of the best offensive and defensive center fielders in the history of Major League Baseball, he compiled a career batting average of .345 (sixth all-time), and still holds the record of 792 career doubles. Defensively, his career records for assists, double plays, and unassisted double plays by an outfielder still stand. His fielding glove was known as the place "where triples go to die."
Speaker led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series championships, and then carried the Cleveland Indians, as player-manager, to that team's first-ever World Series title. His innovations, most notably the platoon system and the infield rotation play, revolutionized the game. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in its second year of voting, 1937.
Tris Speaker was born on April 4, 1888 in Hubbard, Texas, to Archie and Nancy Poer Speaker. As a youth, he suffered a fractured right arm in a fall from a horse, forcing him to throw left-handed, which he continued to do throughout his baseball career. In 1905, Speaker played his only year of college baseball, for Fort Worth Polytechnic Institute. His left arm was severely injured in a football accident, to the extent that surgeons advised amputation. Tris refused, and fully recovered.
wn.com/Tris_Speaker -
Troy Glaus
Troy Edward Glaus ( /ˈɡlɔːs/; born August 3, 1976 in Tarzana, California) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and third baseman. Previously, Glaus played with the Anaheim Angels (1998-2004), Arizona Diamondbacks (2005), Toronto Blue Jays (2006-2007), St. Louis Cardinals (2008-2009), and the Atlanta Braves (2010). Glaus lettered in baseball while attending UCLA. He bats and throws right-handed.
Through 10-plus seasons, Glaus has hit .256 with 304 home runs and 877 RBI in 1395 games. In 19 postseason games, he hit .347 with nine home runs and 16 RBI. Glaus has been selected to four All-Star Games.
Glaus began his career with the Angels in 1998 and was installed as the team's starting third baseman in 1999.
Glaus had a breakout season in 2000, becoming the all time single season home run leader for third basemen in Angels history with 47 while leading third baseman in adjusted range factor (2.95) in 2000.
Glaus started in the 2001 MLB All-Star Game and posted his second consecutive 40 home run season with 41 on the year.
wn.com/Troy_Glaus -
Tuck Turner
George A. "Tuck" Turner (February 13, 1866 – July 16, 1945) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Browns. Born in West New Brighton, New York, "Tuck" broke into the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1893 at the age of 20. In reality he was 26, being born in 1866, but as was a common practice in baseball at the time, Tuck told everyone he was younger than he really was. In 1894, Tuck was part of one of the great hitting outfields in baseball history with Billy Hamilton, Sam Thompson, Ed Delahanty, and Turner all hitting over .400 for the year. Tuck finished second that season with a .418 batting average to Hugh Duffy, who also happened to set the single-season batting average record of .440. For those Phillies teams though, a pennant wasn't to be as the late 1890s were the peak of the powerful Original Baltimore Orioles and Boston Beaneaters.
Turner's best seasons were 1894 and 1895, with Tuck leading the league in hitting with a .411 batting average through August 1895. By the tail end of 1895 and the beginning of 1896, Turner had lost his batting touch and so was traded to St. Louis for Duff Cooley. According to accounts in the defunct sports journal, The Sporting Life Turner contracted malaria with recurrent attacks in 1897 and 1898. This is in response to what happened to cause this promising major leaguer to suddenly lose his touch with the bat.
wn.com/Tuck_Turner -
Turkey Stearnes
Norman Thomas "Turkey" Stearnes (May 8, 1901 – September 4, 1979) was an African American center fielder in the Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Stearnes acquired his nickname at an early age from his unusual running style. He began his career in professional baseball in 1921 with the Montgomery Grey Sox, then played for the Detroit Stars, beginning in 1923. In 1931, the Stars failed to pay Stearnes his salary because of the Great Depression, so he moved from team to team for the remainder of his career, retiring in 1942 as a member of the Kansas City Monarchs.
Stearnes is considered by some as one of the great all-around players in the history of baseball, but because of his race and his quiet personality, he never received the recognition that many believe he deserved. He batted over .400 three times and led the Negro leagues in home runs seven times. He is credited with 183 home runs in his Negro league career, the all-time Negro league record, and fifty more than second-place Mule Suttles. Since Negro league seasons were very short, sometimes lasting fewer than thirty games, it is unclear how many home runs Stearnes might have hit in a 154-game major league season. The 165-pound Stearnes was a fast baserunner despite his awkward-looking running form, and was one of the best outfielders of his generation.
wn.com/Turkey_Stearnes -
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team's player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1936, Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes.
Cobb is widely credited with setting 90 Major League Baseball records during his career. He still holds several records as of 2012, including the highest career batting average (.366 or .367, depending on source) and most career batting titles with 11 (or 12, depending on source). He retained many other records for almost a half century or more, including most career hits until 1985 (4,189 or 4,191, depending on source), most career runs (2,245 or 2,246 depending on source) until 2001, most career games played (3,035) and at bats (11,429 or 11,434 depending on source) until 1974, and the modern record for most career stolen bases (892) until 1977. He committed 271 errors in his career, the most by any American League outfielder.
wn.com/Ty_Cobb -
Vern Stephens
Vernon Decatur Stephens (October 23, 1920 – November 3, 1968) was an American shortstop in professional baseball who played 15 seasons in the American League for four different teams. A native of McAlister, New Mexico, Stephens batted and threw right-handed. He was also nicknamed "Pop-up Stephens", "Junior", and "Buster".
One of the strongest-hitting shortstops in major league history, Stephens compiled a .286 batting average with 247 home runs and 1174 RBI in 1720 games. Breaking with American Major League baseball, Stephens signed a five-year contract with the Mexican League in 1946. He had been in Mexico only a few days when his father, a minor league umpire, and the Browns scout Jack Fournier drove down and brought him back to the United States.
Vern Stephens died of a heart attack in Long Beach, California at 48 years of age.
In August 2008, he was named as one of the ten former players who began their careers before 1943 to be considered by the Veterans Committee for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.
wn.com/Vern_Stephens -
Wade Boggs
Wade Anthony Boggs (born June 15, 1958) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees, with whom he won his only World Series, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, with whom he recorded his 3,000th hit. His hitting in the 1980s and 1990s made him a perennial contender for American League batting titles. Boggs was elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
With 12 straight All-Star appearances, Boggs is third only to Brooks Robinson and George Brett in number of consecutive appearances as a third baseman. In 1999, he ranked number 95 on the Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Boggs, a 1976 graduate of Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, currently resides in the Tampa Palms neighborhood of Tampa.
Boggs played in the longest game in professional baseball history as a member of the Pawtucket Red Sox in 1981 against Cal Ripken, Jr. and the Rochester Red Wings.
wn.com/Wade_Boggs -
Wally Pipp
Walter Clement Pipp (February 17, 1893 – January 11, 1965) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball, now best remembered as the man who lost his starting role to Lou Gehrig at the beginning of Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games.
After playing 12 games with the Detroit Tigers in 1913, Pipp graduated from The Catholic University of America in 1914. The Chicago-born Pipp then joined the New York Yankees for the 1915 season, and would play 136 or more games for them every season until 1925 (except 1918, when his playing was curtailed by injury), hitting .282 with a little power, even after the end of the "dead ball" era. Pipp did lead the American League with 12 home runs in 1916, and again with 9 in 1917. Pipp was the first Yankee to win a home run title. Pipp scouted and asked Miller Huggins to sign young Lou Gehrig from Columbia University, whom Pipp personally helped develop as a young first baseman.
On June 2, 1925, Pipp was removed from the Yankees' starting lineup and replaced with Gehrig. While many stories over the years have said Pipp sat out the game due to a headache, others suggest Yankee manager Miller Huggins may have actually benched Pipp and other veterans in order to "shake up" the slumping lineup. A month later, Pipp received a skull fracture when he was hit by a practice pitch from Charlie Caldwell, an event that had also been mistakenly linked to his initial benching. Pipp was later traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1926 season.
wn.com/Wally_Pipp -
Walter Johnson
Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Washington Senators (1907–1927). He would later serve as manager of the Senators from 1929 through 1932 and for the Cleveland Indians from 1933 through 1935.
One of the most celebrated and dominating players in baseball history, Johnson established several pitching records, some of which remain unbroken. He remains by far the all-time career leader in shutouts with 110, second in wins with 417, and fourth in complete games with 531. He once held the career record in strikeouts with 3,509 and was the only player in the 3,000 strikeout club for over 50 years until Bob Gibson recorded his 3,000th strikeout in 1974. Johnson led the league in strikeouts a Major League record 12 times – one more than current strikeout leader Nolan Ryan – including a record eight consecutive seasons.
Walter Johnson was the second of six children born to Frank and Minnie (Perry) Johnson on a rural farm four miles west of Humboldt, Kansas. Although he was sometimes said to be of Swedish ancestry and referred to by sportwriters as the "The Big Swede", Johnson's ancestors came from the British Isles.
wn.com/Walter_Johnson -
Ward Morehouse
Ward Morehouse (November 24, 1899 – March 1, 1967) was an American theater critic, newspaper columnist, playwright, and author.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, Ward Morehouse first worked as a reporter for The Savannah Press and The Atlanta Journal. He arrived in New York City in 1919 and wrote for The New York Tribune, and The Herald Tribune. In 1926, he began writing the Broadway After Dark column for the New York Sun. He remained at the Sun for 25 years where he was also a drama critic and roving correspondent. When the Sun stopped publishing in 1950, Morehouse continued writing "Broadway After Dark" until his death, first at the New York World-Telegram and Sun, then for other papers and the General Features Syndicate.
Morehouse, who was best known for his dynamic interviews with theater celebrities, organized his own theater company when he was just a teen-ager. As an adult he wrote three plays of his own: "Miss Quis", which ran for 37 performances at the Henry Miller Theatre in 1937; "Gentlemen of the Press" (1928) which ran for 128 performances and was made into a film in 1929; and "U.S. 90", from 1941.
wn.com/Ward_Morehouse -
Warren Spahn
Warren Edward Spahn (April 23, 1921 – November 24, 2003) was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in the National League. He won 20 games each in 13 seasons, including a 23-7 record when he was age 42. Spahn was the 1957 Cy Young Award winner, and was the runner-up three times, all during the period when just one award was given. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, with 83% of the total vote. (His eligibility was delayed, under the rules of the time, by 2 years of token minor league play.)
Spahn won 363 games, more than any other left-handed pitcher in history, and more than any other pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 live-ball era. He is acknowledged as one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball history. The Warren Spahn Award, given to the major leagues' best left-handed pitcher, is named after him.
Regarded as a "thinking man's" pitcher who liked to outwit batters, Spahn once described his approach on the mound: "Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing."
wn.com/Warren_Spahn -
Willard Brown
Willard Jessie Brown (26 June 1915 – 4 August 1996), nicknamed "Home Run" Brown, was an American baseball player who played outfielder in the Negro Leagues, and Major League Baseball, and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, he began his professional baseball career in 1934 with the Monroe Monarchs, a minor Negro League team. In 1936, he signed with the Kansas City Monarchs, for which he played continuously until seeing action in World War II in 1944-45. During his pre-war baseball years, he established himself as having the most raw power in Negro League history, and possibly in the history of baseball. He hit home runs more often than the better known Josh Gibson, causing Gibson to give Brown his nickname. He also hit for a batting average of .374 in 1948 and regularly hitting over .350. Brown was one of the fastest players in baseball in the late 1930s and 1940s, as well as a solid outfielder. From 1937 to 1946 Brown helped lead the Monarchs to six pennants in ten seasons.
wn.com/Willard_Brown -
Willie Keeler
William Henry Keeler (March 3, 1872 – January 1, 1923) in Brooklyn, New York, nicknamed "Wee Willie", was a right fielder in professional baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League.
Keeler's advice to hitters was "Keep your eye clear, and hit 'em where they ain't"—"they" being the opposing fielders. His .385 career batting average after the 1898 season is the highest average in history at season's end for a player with more than 1,000 hits (1,147 hits). He compiled a .341 batting average over his career, currently 14th all time behind Pete Browning. He hit over .300 16 times in 19 seasons, and hit over .400 once. He twice led his league in batting average and three times in hits. Keeler had an amazing 206 singles during the 1898 season, a record that stood for more than 100 years until broken by Ichiro Suzuki. Additionally, Keeler had an on-base percentage of greater than .400 for seven straight seasons. When Keeler retired in 1910, he was second all-time in hits with 2,932, behind only Cap Anson.
wn.com/Willie_Keeler -
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. (born May 6, 1931) is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility. Most baseball fans and historians agree that Mays was the greatest all-around baseball player to have played in the Major Leagues.
Mays won two MVP awards and tied Stan Musial's record with 24 appearances in the All-Star Game. Mays ended his career with 660 home runs, third at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-time. An outstanding center fielder, he won a record-tying twelve Gold Gloves starting the year the award was introduced six seasons into his career.
In 1999, Mays placed second on The Sporting News' List of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, making him the highest-ranking living player. Later that year, he was also elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Mays is one of five NL players to have eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons, along with Mel Ott, Sammy Sosa, Chipper Jones and Albert Pujols. Mays hit 50 or more home runs in both 1955 and 1965. This time span represents the longest stretch between 50 plus home run seasons for any player in Major League Baseball history.
wn.com/Willie_Mays -
Willie Stargell
Wilver Dornell "Willie" Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" in the later years of his career, was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder and first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1962-1982). Over his 21-year career with the Pirates, he batted .282, with 2,232 hits, 423 doubles, 475 home runs and 1540 runs batted in, helping his team capture six National League East division titles, two National League pennants and two World Series (1971, 1979). Stargell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
Stargell was born in Earlsboro, Oklahoma, but later moved to Alameda, California where he attended Encinal High School. He was signed by the Pirates at age 22, and made his Major League debut at the end of the 1962 season. He soon became a standout player, making his first of 7 trips to the All-Star Game in 1964.
Beloved in Pittsburgh for his style of play and affable manner, Stargell was known for hitting monstrous home runs, including 7 of the 16 balls ever hit completely out of Forbes Field and several of the upper-tier home runs at its successor, Three Rivers Stadium. At one time, Stargell held the record for the longest homer in nearly half of the National League parks. Standing 6 feet 2 inches, Stargell seemed larger, with his long arms and unique bat-handling practice of holding only the knob of the bat with his lower hand combining to provide extra bat extension, Stargell's swings seemed designed to hit home runs of the Ruthian variety. When most batters would use a simple lead-weighted bat in the on-deck circle, Stargell took to warming up with a sledgehammer, adding another layer of intimidation. While standing in the batter's box, he would windmill his bat until the pitcher started his windup.
wn.com/Willie_Stargell -
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born May 12, 1925) is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career (1946–1965) for the New York Yankees. Berra was one of only four players to be named the Most Valuable Player of the American League three times and is one of only six managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series. As a player, coach, or manager, Berra appeared in 21 World Series. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
Berra is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. According to the win shares formula developed by sabermetrician Bill James, Berra is the greatest catcher of all time and the 52nd greatest non-pitching player in major-league history.
Berra, who quit school after the eighth grade, has a tendency toward malapropism and fracturing the English language. "It ain't over till it's over" is arguably his most famous example, often quoted. Simultaneously denying and confirming his reputation, Berra once stated, "I really didn't say everything I said."
wn.com/Yogi_Berra -
Zack Wheat
Zachariah Davis "Zack" Wheat (May 23, 1888 – March 11, 1972), nicknamed "Buck", was a Major League Baseball left fielder for Brooklyn in the National League. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1959.
A consistent hitter throughout his 19-year career, he still holds many Dodger franchise records. His brother McKinley "Mack" Wheat also played in the major leagues, and the two were teammates in Brooklyn for five seasons.
Born in Hamilton, Missouri, the son of Basil and Julia Wheat. His father was of English descent and his mother was full-blooded Cherokee. Wheat began his professional baseball career in 1906 for Enterprise in the Kansas League, followed by Wichita in 1907, Shreveport Pirates of the Texas League in 1908, and finally, to round out his minor league career, he played for the Mobile Seas Gulls of the Southern Association in 1909. It was during that 1909 season that the Brooklyn Superbas of the National League purchased Wheat for $1200, and he made his Major League debut in September. He batted with a corkscrew type of swing, and held his hands down near the end of the bat, unlike most hitters during his time, a time noted as the "Dead Ball Era". Even with his consistent high levels of hitting, he was also noted for his graceful and stylish defense.
wn.com/Zack_Wheat
Cobb, Ty Filmography
- A Hall for Heroes: The Inaugural Hall of Fame Induction of 1939 (2010)
- DHL Presents Major League Baseball Hometown Heroes (2006)
- When It Was a Game (1991)
- Babe Ruth: The Man, the Myth, the Legend (1990)
- 1951 MLB All-Star Game (1951)
- Angels in the Outfield (1951)
- Swing with Bing (1940)
- Touching All Bases (1939)
- Ty Cobb and Grantland Rice Talk Things Over (1930)
- Cradle of Champions (1921)
- The Baseball Revue of 1917 (1917)
- Somewhere in Georgia (1917)
karaoke
I'm sittin' in a magic hat
With smoke and mirrors
And tire rubber fires
Watch me disappear
What made it slow you down
Sucking on a ball and chain
Another motherfucker goes down the drain
Hard headed fuck you all
Just add it up to the hot rod death toll
Sick in the head sick in the mouth
And I can't hear a word you say
Not a bit, and I don't give a shit
I got the glass, I got the steel
I got the love to hate
All I need is your head on a stake
Hard headed fuck you all
Famous quotes by Ty Cobb:
"The base paths belonged to me, the runner. The rules gave me the right. I always went into a bag full speed, feet first. I had sharp spikes on my shoes. If the baseman stood where he had no business to be and got hurt, that was his fault."
"I had to fight all my life to survive. They were all against me... but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch."
"Baseball is a red-blooded sport for red-blooded men. It's no pink tea, and mollycoddles had better stay out. It's a struggle for supremacy, a survival of the fittest."
"The great trouble with baseball today is that most of the players are in the game for the money and that's it, not for the love of it, the excitement of it, the thrill of it."
"I have observed that baseball is not unlike a war, and when you come right down to it, we batters are the heavy artillery."
"The crowd makes the ballgame."
"When I began playing the game, baseball was about as gentlemanly as a kick in the crotch."
"Speed is a great asset; but it's greater when it's combined with quickness - and there's a big difference."
"Baseball was one-hundred percent of my life."
"Every great batter works on the theory that the pitcher is more afraid of him than he is of the pitcher."
Send this Playlist by SMS
Email this Page
John "Buck" O'Neil: Ty Cobb and Prejudice
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:54
- Updated: 10 Nov 2012
http://wn.com/John_Buck_O'Neil_Ty_Cobb_and_Prejudice
TY COBB - American Legend
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:48
- Updated: 14 Nov 2012
Ty Cobb - An American Legend is a video about the great Ty Cobb and never seen before video footage and baseball's greatest player!
http://wn.com/TY_COBB_American_Legend
soundgarden - ty cobb
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:09
- Updated: 22 Nov 2012
ty cobb
http://wn.com/soundgarden_ty_cobb
Ty Cobb Footage
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:34
- Updated: 24 Oct 2012
Various footage from Ty Cobb's career (No Sound). This video can also be viewed at www.thedeadballera.com.
http://wn.com/Ty_Cobb_Footage
Opie and Anthony - Ty Cobb
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:57
- Updated: 09 Nov 2012
The boys discuss Ty Cobb and his wacky antics. ps Trolls will be blocked. State your opinion and move on.
http://wn.com/Opie_and_Anthony_Ty_Cobb
In Praise of Ty Cobb, Joltin' Joe, and the Babe
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:26
- Updated: 09 Oct 2012
The greatest baseball player ever was Babe Ruth. Not only because every home run hit after him "has his DNA in it," but also for his prowess as a pitcher. "This man was a hell of a player."
http://wn.com/In_Praise_of_Ty_Cobb,_Joltin'_Joe,_and_the_Babe
Ty Cobb "I'm the greatest baseball player of all time"
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:28
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Why isn't this movie more popular?
http://wn.com/Ty_Cobb_I'm_the_greatest_baseball_player_of_all_time
Mean Ty Cobb
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:34
- Updated: 22 Nov 2012
Profile of Ty Cobb as Pete Rose approaches his hit record
http://wn.com/Mean_Ty_Cobb
Ty Cobb Ruled Baseball
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:33
- Updated: 03 Nov 2012
Tyrus Raymond Cobb is kicking butt in the ghost leagues. Through a sequence of events he comes back to terrorize baseball one last time.
http://wn.com/Ty_Cobb_Ruled_Baseball
Ty Cobb. Burial site.America's greatest baseball player.
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:18
- Updated: 16 Jul 2012
Created on June 30, 2011 by Jimmy Gilstrap.
http://wn.com/Ty_Cobb_Burial_siteAmerica's_greatest_baseball_player
Ty Cobb, Chattanooga Baseball Card Find. Also Honus Wagner,
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:46
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
www.gfg.com General Baking, Mino, Kotton, and plenty more! Find out about our most recent finding and the rare samples that were revealed amongst the 'Chattanooga Tennessee Baseball Card Find'.
http://wn.com/Ty_Cobb,_Chattanooga_Baseball_Card_Find_Also_Honus_Wagner,
Pete Rose, 4192
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:41
- Updated: 21 Nov 2012
Pete Rose chases hit 4192 to break the all-time record
http://wn.com/Pete_Rose,_4192
SOUNDGARDEN 96 LIVE - Ty Cobb - Lollapalooza
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:01
- Updated: 06 Nov 2012
SOUNDGARDEN 96 LIVE - Ty Cobb - Lollapalooza - Randall's Island
http://wn.com/SOUNDGARDEN_96_LIVE_Ty_Cobb_Lollapalooza
Three men attack Ty Cobb
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:08
- Updated: 17 Oct 2012
Read More on This Day in Baseball - www.thebaseballpage.com August 12, 1912 three men attack Ty Cobb on his way to the Detroit rail station. Cobb sustains a cut on his shoulder but catches one of his attackers and pistol-whips him. To no one's surprise, Cobb then travels to Syracuse and gets two hits in an exhibition game. There was no joy in Mudville on August 12th, 1940 as Ernest Lawrence Thayer, author of "Casey at the Bat", dies in Santa Barbara, CA at age 77. Cleveland and Detroit square off to decide ownership of the division lead. In a duel between the two aces‚ Bob Feller tops Hal Newhouser 8-5 and becomes the majors' first 20-game winner on August 12th, 1940. 1964 - Mickey Mantle sets a major league record hitting home runs from both sides of the plate for the 10th time in his career. Mantle hits a left-handed homer off Ray Herbert clear over the 461 ft. marker in centerfield that lands 15 rows into the bleachers, 502 ft. from the plate. On August 12th, 1995 the Dodgers defeat the Pirates‚ 11-10 in 11 innings on the oddest play of the year. With the potential winning run at third‚ Mitch Webster of the Dodgers swings at a pitch in the dirt. Pittsburgh's rookie catcher Angelo Encarnacion casually picked up the ball with his mask‚ leading Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda to appeal‚ citing the rule which awards a runner two bases if a fielder uses his mask to touch a thrown ball. The umpires agree and allow the winning run to score. Encarnacion is given an error. In 1996 ...
http://wn.com/Three_men_attack_Ty_Cobb
Ty Cobb - Wiki Article
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 56:27
- Updated: 11 Nov 2012
For the Soundgarden song, see Ty Cobb (song). Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb (December 18, 1886 -- July 17, 1961), nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was bor... Ty Cobb - Wiki Article - wikiplays.org Original @ http All Information Derived from Wikipedia using Creative Commons License: en.wikipedia.org Author: Bain News Service Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:This image is ineligible for copyright and therefore is in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship., This work is in the Public Domain., This work is in the public domain in the United States. Author: Cobb archive Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:This image is ineligible for copyright and therefore is in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship., This work is in the Public Domain., This work is in the public domain in the United States. Author: Phil Sandifer Image URL: en.wikipedia.org Licensed under:This image is ineligible for copyright and therefore is in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship...
http://wn.com/Ty_Cobb_Wiki_Article
Ty Cobb
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:06
- Updated: 07 Oct 2012
Photos of the great Ty Cobb....
http://wn.com/Ty_Cobb
Ty Cobb GOLD COIN 2012 Topps Ryan Roberts SSP 2012 Topps Baseball
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:32
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
www.baseballcardcollectors.net http @cheapfunbreaks pm me to learn about joining future breaks www.packwars.org or pm houdini at blowoutcards.com forum. Click here to join the club www.baseballcardcollectors.net Click here to join Pack Wars: www.packwars.org - Captured Live on Ustream at www.ustream.tv
http://wn.com/Ty_Cobb_GOLD_COIN_2012_Topps_Ryan_Roberts_SSP_2012_Topps_Baseball
Baseball Hall of Fame - Biographies: Ty Cobb
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:47
- Updated: 06 Nov 2012
Ty Cobb's Hall of Fame Video Bio
http://wn.com/Baseball_Hall_of_Fame_Biographies_Ty_Cobb
Rare Ty Cobb video- hitting, running, stealing, and swing
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:04
- Updated: 07 Oct 2012
www.coolsportinggoods.com Old video of the Hall of Fame baseball player Ty Cobb. Watch Ty Cobb hitting, running, and stealing bases.
http://wn.com/Rare_Ty_Cobb_video_hitting,_running,_stealing,_and_swing
Interview with Ty Cobb part 1
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:38
- Updated: 22 Nov 2012
Famous Interviews with famous People does a very special interview with Ty Cobb in part 1 hear him talk about how he got into baseball and his records.
http://wn.com/Interview_with_Ty_Cobb_part_1
Soundgarden- Ty Cobb with lyrics
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:06
- Updated: 08 Nov 2012
Ty cobb with lyrics, who could forget this amazing baseball player and this amazing song
http://wn.com/Soundgarden_Ty_Cobb_with_lyrics
Ty Cobb shoves base runner George Burns
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:08
- Updated: 30 Jun 2012
August 19th, 1917 While coaching at third base for Detroit in a 1-1 tie against The Senators, Ty Cobb shoves base runner George Burns as he pulled up at third on a long hit. Burns headed home scoring the winning run. Senators Manager and future Hall of Famer Clark Griffith protested and American League President Ban Johnson upheld the protest, as the rule bans coaches from touching a runner. The game is replayed and Washington wins 2-0. On August 19th, 1921 Ty Cobb becomes the youngest player to collect 3000 hits singling off Red Sox hurler Elmer Myers at the age of 34. August 19th, 1982 - Scheduled to pitch against the Expos at home, Braves rookie Pascual Perez misses his scheduled start when he can't find his way to the ballpark. Perez circled the stadium on the interstate several times but was lost. He will be given a Braves jacket with the new number I-85 on it. Phil Niekro steps in and wins, 5-4, running his record to 11and 3. August 19th, 1987, Paul Molitor leads the Brewers, collecting four hits in a 13--4 drubbing of Cleveland. Molitor extends his hitting streak to 34 games tying Dom DiMaggio for 11th on the all-time list. August 19th, 1998 Starting Pitcher Dustin Hermanson of the Montreal Expos allows three hits in seven innings in an 8--2 victory. This was Felipe Alou's 521st career win as manager of the Montreal Expos, most in franchise history. Hermanson was clearly Alou's good luck charm as he was also the starting and winning pitcher in Alou's 400th, 450th ...
http://wn.com/Ty_Cobb_shoves_base_runner_George_Burns
photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
20 Nov 2012
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling President Barack Obama's whirlwind tour of southeast Asia and meetings with dignitaries will have to walk a tightrope between either appearing to endorse military juntas or truly being committed to ongoing pro-democracy movements. Specifically at issue is Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi, a democratic advocate...(size: 5.0Kb)
photo: AP / Melanie Gouby
21 Nov 2012
Hundreds of government soldiers and police in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surrendered to rebels at a stadium in Goma, Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri has reported from the scene. The M23 rebel group, believed to be backed by Rwanda seized the strategic, provincial capital of Goma in eastern Congo on Tuesday, home to more than 1 million...(size: 18.7Kb)
photo: AP / Sebastian D'souza
21 Nov 2012
MUMBAI, India - India executed the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 terror attack on Mumbai early Wednesday, India's home ministry said. Ajmal Kasab, a Pakistani citizen, was one of 10 gunmen who rampaged through the streets of India's financial capital in November 2008, killing 166 people. Kasab was hung at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at a jail in...(size: 4.5Kb)
photo: AP / Hatem Moussa
19 Nov 2012
Gaza/Jerusalem - Israel bombed dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip on Monday and said that while it was prepared to step up its offensive by sending in troops, it preferred a diplomatic solution that would end Palestinian rocket fire. Mediator Egypt said a deal for a truce to end the fighting could be close. The leader of Hamas said it was up to...(size: 4.1Kb)
photo: AP / Emilio Morenatti
22 Nov 2012
A new battle is underway in Pakistan with its powerful military front-and-centre, but the fight is not against armed insurgents or ideological extremists - this opponent is a muscle-flexing Supreme Court. For the first time in decades, the military's iron grip over the South Asian country has been challenged, and it remains to be seen if it will...(size: 23.7Kb)
MSNBC
21 Nov 2012
Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time hit king best known from the Cincinnati Reds’ “Big Red Machine” days and banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling on baseball including the Reds when he managed them, was scheduled to sign autographs for $70 a pop for a sports memorabilia shop at the Paradise Valley mall on Saturday. So, when Valley memorabilia...(size: 9.9Kb)
CBS News
21 Nov 2012
By Scott Miller | Senior Baseball Columnist Follow Scott Nov. 20, 2012 5:25 PM ET Fans will hardly recognize their Marlins next season after trades. (Getty Images) Yep, this letter should be going out any day now to Marlins Nation, a quaint little place where anger-management counselors now out-number the citizens 5-1....(size: 11.3Kb)
Seeking Alpha
19 Nov 2012
By Yolander Prinzel There was a time when commodities trading was only for the most sophisticated of investors. Whether it's gold, oil, agricultural products or just a commodity index-based ETF, the world of raw materials trading has expanded tremendously in the past 10 years and is now accessible to the everyday trader. In fact, in September 2012,...(size: 8.2Kb)
The Florida Times Union
17 Nov 2012
James Spence III knows what it feels like to hold a baseball signed by a sports legend like, say, Mickey Mantle, in your hand. He also recognizes the disappointment that comes when you learn what you thought was a personal memento from your hero is a fake. Spence spends most of his time trying to separate the real from the fake. It’s his job....(size: 7.8Kb)
MLB
16 Nov 2012
DETROIT – Miguel Cabrera was named the American League Most Valuable Player this evening in voting conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The award marks his first career Most Valuable Player honor and Cabrera is the first Tigers position player to win the award since Hank Greenberg did so in 1940. Cabrera is the fourth...(size: 5.6Kb)
Canada Dot Com
16 Nov 2012
The debate was far more heated than the end results. Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera took 22 of 28 first-place votes and easily claimed the American League Most Valuable Player Award Thursday in voting conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Baseball's first triple crown winner in 45 years, Cabrera led the American...(size: 3.3Kb)
MLB
16 Nov 2012
ANAHEIM -- Mike Trout turned heads, set records, catapulted a team and put together one of the best campaigns in baseball history during his age-20 season in 2012. But he couldn't top a Triple Crown. On Thursday, Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera, on the heels of the first Triple Crown in 45 years, was named the American League's Most Valuable...(size: 27.1Kb)
Yahoo Daily News
16 Nov 2012
A 1939 Babe Ruth signed baseball, an official American League ball and an exciting collection of 305 tobacco/cigarette baseball cards including T206 , Sweet Corpora, Tolstoi, El Principe De Gales, Piedmont, Caramels and Ranely T204’s is on offer at Kaminski Auctions November 25th,Thanksgiving Auction, 10:00ET at their auction gallery 117...(size: 8.3Kb)
MLB
16 Nov 2012
SAN ANTONIO – The Alamodome has a fantastic track record of hosting major events. Think about it. Fans from San Antonio and South Texas have enjoyed some of entertainment’s great spectacles. Dramatic college football and high school playoff games. The NFL. The Final Four. An NBA All-Star Game and several...(size: 11.9Kb)
Detroit Free Press
16 Nov 2012
The streak has ended. Emphatically. Until Thursday, it had been 72 years since a Tigers hitter had won the American League's Most Valuable Player Award. No one wearing the Old English D had done it since Hank Greenberg in 1940. The streak has been ended by a 29-year-old right-handed hitter who combines power and RBI ability with batting precision...(size: 12.1Kb)
Detroit Free Press
15 Nov 2012
It may look the same from the outside, but inside, it's Detroit history as you've never experienced it. The Detroit Historical Museum, closed since May, will reopen the day after Thanksgiving with a $12-million makeover that reaches into nearly every corner. Nearly 70% of the exhibitions greeting the public are new, from a sweeping journey through...(size: 6.7Kb)
Detroit Free Press
15 Nov 2012
It may look the same from the outside, but inside, it's Detroit history as you've never experienced it. The Detroit Historical Museum, closed since May, will reopen the day after Thanksgiving with a $12-million makeover that reaches into nearly every corner. Nearly 70% of the exhibitions greeting the public are new, from a sweeping journey through...(size: 6.8Kb)
Philadelphia Daily News
15 Nov 2012
STAR TRIBUNE Posted: Thursday, November 15, 2012, 3:01 AM THAT GROWLY, BARKY delivery, those foot-draggy Southwestern vowels, the world-weary sighs. The voice on the phone could belong only to Tommy Lee Jones, calling to talk about "Lincoln" as he drove across south Texas toward Houston....(size: 22.1Kb)
For the Soundgarden song, see Ty Cobb (song).
| Ty Cobb | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1886-12-18)December 18, 1886 Narrows, Georgia, U.S. |
|
| Died: July 17, 1961(1961-07-17) (aged 74) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
|
| Batted: Left | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| August 30, 1905 for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 11, 1928 for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting Average | .366 |
| On-base Percentage | .433 |
| Slugging Average | .512 |
| Hits | 4,191 |
| Home runs | 117 |
| RBIs | 1,938 |
| Teams | |
|
As player As manager |
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
|
| Induction | 1936 |
| Vote | 98.2% |
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia.[1][2] Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team's player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics.[3] In 1936, Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot,[4] receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes.
Cobb is widely credited with setting 90 Major League Baseball records during his career.[5][6][7][8] He still holds several records as of 2012, including the highest career batting average (.366 or .367, depending on source) and most career batting titles with 11 (or 12, depending on source).[9] He retained many other records for almost a half century or more, including most career hits until 1985 (4,189 or 4,191, depending on source),[10][11] most career runs (2,245 or 2,246 depending on source) until 2001,[12] most career games played (3,035) and at bats (11,429 or 11,434 depending on source) until 1974,[13][14] and the modern record for most career stolen bases (892) until 1977.[15] He committed 271 errors in his career, the most by any American League outfielder.[16]
Cobb's legacy as an athlete has sometimes been overshadowed by his surly temperament, racism, and aggressive playing style,[17] which was described by the Detroit Free Press as "daring to the point of dementia."[18]
Contents |
Early life and baseball career[link]
Ty Cobb was born in Narrows, Georgia, in 1886, the first of three children to Amanda Chitwood Cobb and William Herschel Cobb.
Cobb spent his first years in baseball as a member of the Royston Rompers, the semi-pro Royston Reds, and the Augusta Tourists of the South Atlantic League. However, the Tourists released Cobb two days into the season.[19] He then tried out for the Anniston Steelers of the semi-pro Tennessee-Alabama League, with his father's stern admonition ringing in his ears: "Don't come home a failure."[20][21] After joining the Steelers for a monthly salary of $50,[22] Cobb promoted himself by sending several postcards written about his talents under different aliases to Grantland Rice, the sports editor of the Atlanta Journal. Eventually, Rice wrote a small note in the Journal that a "young fellow named Cobb seems to be showing an unusual lot of talent."[23] After about three months, Ty returned to the Tourists. He finished the season hitting .237 in 35 games.[24] In August 1905, the management of the Tourists sold Cobb to the American League's Detroit Tigers for $750.[25][26][27][28][29]
On August 8, 1905, Ty's mother fatally shot his father. William Cobb suspected his wife of infidelity,[30] and was sneaking past his own bedroom window to catch her in the act; she saw the silhouette of what she presumed to be an intruder, and, acting in self-defense, shot and killed her husband.[31] Mrs. Cobb was charged with murder and then released on a $7,000 recognizance bond.[32] She was acquitted on March 31, 1906.[33] Cobb later attributed his ferocious play to the death of his father, saying, "I did it for my father. He never got to see me play ... but I knew he was watching me, and I never let him down."[34]
Major League career[link]
The early years[link]
Three weeks after his mother killed his father, Cobb debuted in center field for the Detroit Tigers. On August 30, 1905, in his first major league at-bat, Cobb doubled off the New York Highlanders's Jack Chesbro who had won a record 41 games the previous season. That season Cobb was 18 years old, the youngest player in the league by almost a year,[35] and he batted .240 in 41 games, enough to win a lucrative $1,500 contract from the Tigers for 1906.
Although rookie hazing was customary, Cobb could not endure it in good humor, and he soon became alienated from his teammates. He later attributed his hostile temperament to this experience: "These old-timers turned me into a snarling wildcat."[18] Tigers manager Hughie Jennings later acknowledged that Cobb was targeted for abuse by veteran players, some of whom sought to force him off the team. "I let this go for awhile because I wanted to satisfy myself that Cobb has as much guts as I thought in the very beginning", Jennings recalled. "Well, he proved it to me, and I told the other players to let him alone. He is going to be a great baseball player and I won't allow him to be driven off this club."[36]
The following year, 1906, Cobb became the Tigers' fulltime center fielder and hit .316 in 98 games, the second highest batting average ever for a 19-year-old.[37] He would never hit below that mark again. Cobb, following a move to right field, led the Tigers to three consecutive American League pennants from 1907–1909. Detroit would lose each World Series, however, with Cobb's post-season numbers being much below his career standard.
Five times in his career, the first in 1907, Cobb reached first, stole second, stole third, and then stole home.[38][39] He finished the 1907 season with a league high .350 batting average, 212 hits, 49 steals and 119 runs batted in (RBI).[29] At age 20, Cobb became the youngest player to win a batting championship and held this record until 1955 when fellow Detroit Tiger Al Kaline won the batting title when he was twelve days younger than Cobb had been.[38][40] Reflecting on his career in 1930, Cobb told Grantland Rice, "The biggest thrill I ever got came in a game against the Athletics in 1907 [on September 30]... The Athletics had us beaten, with Rube Waddell pitching. They were two runs ahead in the 9th inning, when I happened to hit a home run that tied the score. This game went 17 innings to a tie, and a few days later, we clinched our first pennant. You can understand what it meant for a 20-year-old country boy to hit a home run off the great Rube, in a pennant-winning game with two outs in the ninth."[41]
Despite great success on the field, Cobb was no stranger to controversy off it. Cobb fought a groundskeeper over the condition of the Tigers' field in Augusta, Georgia at Spring Training in 1907. Cobb also ended up choking the man's wife when she intervened.[8]
"I always find that a drink of Coca-Cola between the games refreshes me to such an extent that I can start the second game feeling as if I had not been exercising at all, in spite of my exertions in the first."
In September 1907, Cobb began a relationship with The Coca-Cola Company that would last the remainder of his life. By the time he died, he owned over 20,000 shares of stock and three bottling plants: one in Santa Maria, California; one in Twin Falls, Idaho; and one in Bend, Oregon. He was also a celebrity spokesman for the product.[42]
In the off-season between 1907 and 1908, Cobb negotiated with Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, offering to coach baseball there "for $250 a month, provided that he did not sign with Detroit that season." This did not come to pass, however.[43]
The following season, the Tigers defeated the Chicago White Sox for the pennant. Cobb again won the batting title with a .324 batting average. Despite another loss in the Series, Cobb had something to celebrate. In August 1908, he married Charlotte "Charlie" Marion Lombard, the daughter of prominent Augustan Roswell Lombard.[44] In the offseason, Cobb and his wife lived in his father-in-law's Augusta estate, The Oaks. In November 1913, the couple moved into their own house on Williams Street.[45]
The Tigers won the American League pennant again in 1909. During the Series, Cobb stole home in the second game, igniting a three-run rally, but that was the high point for Cobb. He ended batting a lowly .231 in his last World Series, as the Tigers lost in seven games. Although he performed poorly in the post-season, Cobb won the Triple Crown by hitting .377 with 107 RBI and nine home runs – all inside-the-park. Cobb thus became the only player of the modern era to lead his league in home runs in a season without hitting a ball over the fence.[46]
It was also in 1909 that Charles M. Conlon snapped the famous photograph of a grimacing Cobb sliding into third base amid a cloud of dirt, which visually captured the grit and ferocity of his playing style.[47]
1910: Chalmers Award controversy[link]
Main article: 1910 Chalmers Award
Going into the final days of the 1910 season, Cobb had an .004 lead on Nap Lajoie for the American League batting title. The prize for the winner of the title was a Chalmers Automobile. Cobb sat out the final games to preserve his average. Nap Lajoie hit safely eight times in his teams' doubleheader. However, six of those hits were bunt singles, and later came under scrutiny as it was rumored the opposing manager had instructed his third baseman to play extra deep in order to intentionally allow Lajoie to win the batting race over the generally-disliked Cobb. Regardless, Cobb was credited with a higher batting average. However it was later found out that one game was counted twice and so Cobb technically lost to Nap Lajoie.
As a result of the incident, Ban Johnson was forced to arbitrate the situation. He declared Cobb the rightful owner of the title. However, the Chalmers company elected to award a car to each of the players.
1911 season and onward[link]
Cobb regarded baseball as "something like a war," Charlie Gehringer said. "Every time at bat for him was a crusade."[48] Baseball historian John Thorn has said, "He is testament to how far you can get simply through will... Cobb was pursued by demons."
Cobb was having a tremendous year in 1911, which included a 40-game hitting streak. Still, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson had a .009 point lead on him in batting average. What happened next is discussed in Cobb's autobiography. Near the end of the season, Cobb’s Tigers had a long series against Jackson and the Cleveland Naps. Fellow Southerners, Cobb and Jackson were personally friendly both on and off the field. Cobb used that friendship for his advantage. Whenever Jackson said anything to him, he ignored him. When Jackson persisted, Cobb snapped angrily at Jackson, making him wonder what he could have done to enrage Cobb. Cobb felt that it was these mind games that caused Jackson to "fall off" to a final average of .408, while Cobb himself finished with a .420 average.[7]
"I often tried plays that looked recklessly daring, maybe even silly. But I never tried anything foolish when a game was at stake, only when we were far ahead or far behind. I did it to study how the other team reacted, filing away in my mind any observations for future use."
—Ty Cobb in The New York Times[49]
Cobb led the AL that year in numerous categories besides batting average, including 248 hits, 147 runs scored, 127 RBI, 83 stolen bases, 47 doubles, 24 triples, and a .621 slugging percentage. The only major offensive category in which Cobb did not finish first was home runs, where Frank Baker surpassed him 11–8. He was awarded another Chalmers, this time for being voted the AL MVP by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
A game that illustrates Cobb's unique combination of skills and attributes occurred on May 12, 1911. Playing against the New York Highlanders, Cobb scored a run from first base on a single to right field, then scored another run from second base on a wild pitch. In the 7th inning, he tied the game with a two-run double. The Highlanders catcher vehemently argued the call with the umpire, going on at such length that the other Highlanders infielders gathered nearby to watch. Realizing that no one on the Highlanders had called time, Cobb strolled unobserved to third base, and then casually walked towards home plate as if to get a better view of the argument. He then suddenly slid into home plate for the game's winning run.[7] It was performances like this that led Branch Rickey to say later that "[Cobb] had brains in his feet."[50]
While taking advantage of the moment, Cobb also had an eye on the long view. Describing his strategy in 1930, Cobb said, "My system was all offense. I believed in putting up a mental hazard for the other fellow. If we were five or six runs ahead, I'd try some wild play, such as going from first to home on a single. This helped to make the other side hurry the play in a close game later on. I worked out all the angles I could think of, to keep them guessing and hurrying."[41] In the same interview, Cobb talked about having noticed a throwing tendency of first baseman Hal Chase, but having to wait two full years until the opportunity came to exploit it. By unexpectedly altering his own baserunning tendencies, Cobb was able to surprise Chase and score the game's winning run.
On May 15, 1912, Cobb assaulted a heckler, Claude Lueker, in the stands in New York. Lueker and Cobb had traded insults with each other through the first three innings, and the situation climaxed when Lueker called Cobb a "half-nigger."[51] Cobb, in his discussion of the incident,[52] avoided such explicit words, but alluded to it by saying the man was "reflecting on my mother's color and morals." Cobb stated in the book that he warned Highlanders manager Harry Wolverton that if something wasn't done about the man, there would be trouble. No action was taken. At the end of the sixth inning, after being challenged by teammates Sam Crawford and Jim Delahanty to do something about it, Cobb climbed into the stands and attacked Lueker, who it turns out was handicapped (he had lost all of one hand and three fingers on his other hand in an industrial accident). When onlookers shouted at Cobb to stop because the man had no hands, Cobb reportedly replied, "I don't care if he got no feet!"[53]
The league suspended him, and his teammates, though not fond of Cobb, went on strike to protest the suspension, and the lack of protection of players from abusive fans, prior to the May 18 game in Philadelphia.[54] For that one game, Detroit fielded a replacement team made up of college and sandlot ballplayers, plus two Detroit coaches, and lost, 24–2. Some of Major League Baseball's modern era (post-1901) negative records were established in this game, notably the 26 hits in a nine-inning game allowed by Allan Travers, who pitched one of the sport's most unlikely complete games.[55]
The strike ended when Cobb urged his teammates to return to the field. According to Cobb, this incident led to the formation of a players' union, the "Ballplayers' Fraternity" (formally the Fraternity of Professional Baseball Players of America), an early version of what is now called the Major League Baseball Players Association, and garnered some concessions from the owners.[56][57] During Cobb's career, he was involved in numerous fights, both on and off the field, and several profanity-laced shouting matches. For example, Cobb and umpire Billy Evans arranged to settle their in-game differences through fisticuffs, to be conducted under the grandstand after the game. Members of both teams were spectators, and broke up the scuffle after Cobb had knocked Evans down, pinned him, and began choking him. Cobb once slapped a black elevator operator for being "uppity." When a black night watchman intervened, Cobb pulled out a knife and stabbed him. The matter was later settled out of court.[18]
"Sure, I fought," said an unrepentant Cobb in a revealing quote. "I had to fight all my life just to survive. They were all against me. Tried every dirty trick to cut me down, but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch."
1915–1921[link]
In 1915, Cobb set the single-season record for stolen bases, with 96. This record stood until Maury Wills broke it in 1962.[58] Cobb’s streak of five batting titles (believed at the time to be nine straight[59]) ended the following year when he finished second with .371 to Tris Speaker’s .386.[29][60]
In 1917, Cobb hit in 35 consecutive games; he remains the only player with two 35-game hitting streaks to his credit (Cobb had a 40-game hitting streak in 1911).[61] Over his career, Cobb had six hitting streaks of at least 20 games, second only to Pete Rose's seven.[62]
Also in 1917, Cobb starred in the motion picture Somewhere in Georgia for a sum of $25,000 plus expenses.[63] Based on a story by sports columnist Grantland Rice, the film casts Cobb as "himself", a small-town Georgian bank clerk with a talent for baseball.[64] Broadway critic Ward Morehouse called the movie "absolutely the worst flicker I ever saw, pure hokum."[63]
In October 1918, Cobb enlisted in the Chemical Corps branch of the United States Army and was sent to the Allied Expeditionary Forces headquarters in Chaumont, France.[65] He served approximately 67 days overseas before receiving an honorable discharge and returning to the United States.[65] Cobb served as a captain underneath the command of Major Branch Rickey, the president of the St. Louis Cardinals. Other baseball players serving in this unit included Captain Christy Mathewson and Lieutenant George Sisler.[65] All of these men were assigned to the Gas and Flame Division where they trained soldiers in preparation for chemical attacks by exposing them to gas chambers in a controlled environment.[65]
On August 19, 1921, in the second game of a double header against Elmer Myers of the Boston Red Sox, Cobb collected his 3,000th hit. Aged 34 at the time, Cobb is the youngest ballplayer to reach the milestone, and in the fewest at-bats (8,093).[66][67]
By 1920, Babe Ruth had established himself as a power hitter, something Cobb was not considered to be. When Cobb and the Tigers showed up in New York to play the Yankees for the first time that season, writers billed it as a showdown between two stars of competing styles of play. Ruth hit two homers and a triple during the series, compared to Cobb's one single.
As Ruth's popularity grew, Cobb became increasingly hostile toward him. Cobb saw Ruth not only as a threat to his style of play, but also to his style of life. While Cobb preached ascetic self-denial, Ruth gorged on hot dogs, beer, and women.[68][69][70] Perhaps what angered him the most about Ruth was that despite Ruth's total disregard for his physical condition and traditional baseball, he was still an overwhelming success and brought fans to the ballparks in record numbers to see him challenge his own records.
After enduring several years of seeing his fame and notoriety usurped by Ruth, Cobb decided that he was going to show that swinging for the fences was no challenge for a top hitter. On May 5, 1925, Cobb began a two-game hitting spree better than any even Ruth had unleashed. He was sitting in the dugout talking to a reporter and told him that, for the first time in his career, he was going to swing for the fences. That day, Cobb went 6 for 6, with two singles, a double, and three home runs.[71] His 16 total bases set a new AL record, which stood until May 8th, 2012 when Josh Hamilton hit four home runs and a double for a total of 18 bases[72] . The next day he had three more hits, two of which were home runs. Cobb's single his first time up gave him 9 consecutive hits over three games. His five homers in two games tied the record set by Cap Anson of the old Chicago NL team in 1884.[71] Cobb wanted to show that he could hit home runs when he wanted, but simply chose not to do so. At the end of the series, 38-year-old Cobb had gone 12 for 19 with 29 total bases, and then went happily back to bunting and hitting-and-running. For his part, Ruth's attitude was that "I could have had a lifetime .600 average, but I would have had to hit them singles. The people were paying to see me hit home runs."[73]
However, when asked in 1930 by Grantland Rice to name the best hitter he'd seen, Cobb answered "You can't beat the Babe. Ruth is one of the few who can take a terrific swing and still meet the ball solidly. His timing is perfect. [No one has] the combined power and eye of Ruth."[41]
Cobb as player/manager[link]
Frank Navin, the Detroit Tigers owner, signed Cobb to take over for Hughie Jennings as manager for the 1921 season. Cobb signed the deal on his 34th birthday for $32,500 (or $398,000 in 2008 dollars). The signing surprised the baseball world. Although Cobb was a legendary player, he was disliked throughout the baseball community, even by his own teammates; and he expected as much from his players, as he gave a standard most players couldn't meet.[74]
The closest Cobb came to winning the pennant race was in 1924, when the Tigers finished in third place, six games behind the pennant-winning Washington Senators. The Tigers had also finished third in 1922, but were 16 games behind the Yankees. Cobb blamed his lackluster managerial record (479 wins-444 losses) on Navin, who was arguably an even more frugal man than Cobb. Navin passed up a number of quality players that Cobb wanted to add to the team. In fact, Navin had saved money by hiring Cobb to manage the team.
Also in 1922, Cobb tied a batting record set by Wee Willie Keeler, with four five-hit games in a season. This has since been matched by Stan Musial, Tony Gwynn, and Ichiro Suzuki.
At the end of 1925 Cobb was once again embroiled in a batting title race, this time with one of his teammates and players, Harry Heilmann. In a doubleheader against the St. Louis Browns on October 4, 1925, Heilmann got six hits to lead the Tigers to a sweep of the doubleheader and beat Cobb for the batting crown, .393 to .389. Cobb and Browns manager George Sisler each pitched in the final game. Cobb pitched a perfect inning. Also that season on May 5 through 6, Cobb tied a Major League record of hitting five home runs over two games, a feat also done by Cap Anson in 1884, which not even Babe Ruth could accomplish.
Move to Philadelphia[link]
Cobb finally called it quits from a 22-year career as a Tiger in November 1926. He announced his retirement and headed home to Augusta, Georgia.[7] Shortly thereafter, Tris Speaker also retired as player-manager of the Cleveland team. The retirement of two great players at the same time sparked some interest, and it turned out that the two were coerced into retirement because of allegations of game-fixing brought about by Dutch Leonard, a former pitcher of Cobb's.[7]
Leonard accused former pitcher and outfielder Smoky Joe Wood and Cobb of betting on a Tiger-Cleveland game played in Detroit on September 25, 1919, in which they allegedly orchestrated a Detroit victory to win the bet. Leonard claimed proof existed in letters written to him by Cobb and Wood.[7] Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis held a secret hearing with Cobb, Speaker, and Wood.[7] A second secret meeting amongst the AL directors led to Cobb and Speaker resigning with no publicity; however, rumors of the scandal led Judge Landis to hold additional hearings.[7] Leonard subsequently refused to appear at the hearings. Cobb and Wood admitted to writing the letters, but they claimed it was a horse racing bet, and that Leonard's accusations were in retaliation for Cobb's having released Leonard from the Tigers to the minor leagues.[7] Speaker denied any wrongdoing.[7]
On January 27, 1927, Judge Landis cleared Cobb and Speaker of any wrongdoing because of Leonard's refusal to appear at the hearings.[7] Landis allowed both Cobb and Speaker to return to their original teams, but each team let them know that they were free agents and could sign with any club they wanted.[7] Speaker signed with the Washington Senators for 1927; Cobb signed with the Philadelphia Athletics. Speaker then joined Cobb in Philadelphia for the 1928 season. Cobb said he came back only to seek vindication, and so that he could say he left baseball on his own terms.
Cobb played regularly in 1927 for a young and talented team that finished second to one of the greatest teams of all time, the 1927 Yankees, which won 110 games. He returned to Detroit to a tumultuous welcome on May 11, 1927. Cobb doubled in his first at bat, to the cheers of Tiger fans. On July 18, 1927, Cobb became the first player to enter the 4000 hit club when he doubled off former teammate Sam Gibson of the Detroit Tigers at Navin Field.[7]
1927 was also the final season of Washington Senators pitcher Walter Johnson's career.[75] With their careers largely overlapping, Ty Cobb faced Johnson more times than any other batter-pitcher matchup in baseball history. Cobb also got the first hit allowed in Johnson's career. After Johnson hit Detroit's Ossie Vitt with a pitch in August 1915, seriously injuring him, Cobb realized that Johnson was fearful of hitting opponents. He used this knowledge to his advantage, by standing closer to the plate.[76]
Cobb returned for the 1928 season. He played less frequently due to his age and the blossoming abilities of the young A's, who were again in a pennant race with the Yankees. On September 3, 1928, Ty Cobb pinch hit in the 9th inning of the first game of a double-header against the Senators and doubled off Bump Hadley for his last career hit. Against the Yankees on September 11, 1928, Cobb had his last at bat popping out against pitcher Hank Johnson, grounding out to shortstop Mark Koenig as a 9th-inning pinch hitter.[7] He then announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season.[7] Cobb ended his career with 23 consecutive seasons batting .300 or better (the only season under .300 being his rookie season), a major league record not likely to be broken.[29] He also ended his career with a rather dubious record, one that could be attributed to his long career. When Cobb retired, he was the all-time leader for most errors by an outfielder, 271, a record he still holds today.[77]
Post professional career[link]
Cobb retired a very rich and successful man.[78] He toured Europe with his family, went to Scotland for some time then returned to his farm in Georgia.[78] He spent his retirement pursuing his off-season activities of hunting, golfing, polo and fishing.[78] His other pastime was trading stocks and bonds, increasing his immense personal wealth.[79] Among his other holdings, Cobb was a major stockholder in the Coca-Cola Corporation, which by itself would have made him a wealthy man.
In the winter of 1930, Cobb moved into a Spanish ranch estate on Spencer Lane in the millionaire's community of Atherton outside San Francisco, California. At that same time, his wife Charlie filed the first of several divorce suits;[80] however, she withdrew that suit shortly thereafter.[81] Charlie finally divorced Cobb in 1947,[82] after 39 years of marriage, the last few of which she lived in nearby Menlo Park. The couple had three sons and two daughters: Tyrus Raymond Jr., Shirley Marion, Herschel Roswell, James Howell, and Beverly.[28][45][83]
Cobb never had an easy time being a father and husband. His children found him to be demanding, yet also capable of kindness and extreme warmth. Cobb expected his boys to be exceptional athletes, especially baseball players. Cobb Jr. flunked out of Princeton [84] (where he had played on the varsity tennis team), much to the dismay of Cobb, Sr.[85][86] The elder Cobb subsequently traveled to the Princeton campus and beat his son with a whip to ensure against future academic failure.[85] Cobb Jr. then entered Yale University and became captain of the tennis team while improving his academics; however, he was arrested twice in 1930 for drunkenness and left Yale without graduating.[85] Cobb Sr. helped his son address the pending legal problems and then permanently broke off ties with the younger Cobb.[85] Though Cobb Jr. eventually earned an M.D. from the Medical College of South Carolina and practiced obstetrics and gynecology in Dublin, Georgia, until his death at the age of 42 on September 9, 1952, from a brain tumor, his father remained distant.[87][88]
A personal achievement came in February 1936, when the first Hall of Fame election results were announced. Cobb had been named on 222 of 226 ballots, outdistancing Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson, the only others to earn the necessary 75% of votes to be elected in that first year. His 98.2 percentage stood as the record until Tom Seaver received 98.8% of the vote in 1992 (Nolan Ryan and Cal Ripken have also surpassed Cobb, with 98.79% and 98.53% of the votes, respectively). Those incredible results show that although many people disliked him personally, they respected the way he played and what he accomplished. In 1998, The Sporting News ranked him as third on the list of 100 Greatest Baseball Players. [89]
By the time he was elected into the Hall of Fame, Cobb drank and smoked heavily, and spent a great deal of time complaining about modern-day players' lack of fundamental skills.[18] Cobb had positive things to say about Stan Musial, Phil Rizzuto, and Jackie Robinson, but few others.[90] However, Cobb was known to help out young players. He was instrumental in helping Joe DiMaggio negotiate his rookie contract with the New York Yankees, but ended his friendship with Ted Williams when the latter suggested to him that Rogers Hornsby was a greater hitter than Cobb.
Cobb's competitive fires continued to burn after retirement. In 1941, Cobb faced Babe Ruth in a series of charity golf matches at courses outside New York, Boston and Detroit. Cobb won. At the 1947 Old Timers Game in Yankee Stadium, Cobb warned catcher Benny Bengough to move back, claiming he was rusty and hadn't swung a bat in almost 20 years. Bengough stepped back, to avoid being struck by Cobb's backswing. Having repositioned the catcher, Cobb cannily laid down a perfect bunt in front of the plate, and easily beat the throw from a surprised Bengough.[7]
Another bittersweet moment in Cobb's life reportedly came in the late 1940s when he and sportswriter Grantland Rice were returning from the Masters golf tournament. Stopping at a Greenville, South Carolina liquor store, Cobb noticed that the man behind the counter was "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, who had been banned from baseball almost 30 years earlier following the Black Sox Scandal. But Jackson did not appear to recognize him, and finally Cobb asked, "Don't you know me, Joe?" "Sure I know you, Ty," replied Jackson, "but I wasn't sure you wanted to know me. A lot of them don't."[91]
Cobb was mentioned in the poem "Line-Up for Yesterday" by Ogden Nash:
Line-Up for Yesterday
C is for Cobb,
Who grew spikes and not corn,
And made all the basemen
Wish they weren't born.
Later life[link]
At 62, Cobb married a second time in 1949. His new wife was 40-year-old Frances Fairbairn Cass, a divorcee from Buffalo, New York.[93][94] This childless marriage also failed, and they divorced in 1956.[95]
When two of his three sons died young, Cobb was alone, with few friends left. He began to be generous with his wealth, donating $100,000 in his parents' name for his hometown to build a modern 24-bed hospital, Cobb Memorial Hospital, which is now part of the Ty Cobb Healthcare System. He also established the Cobb Educational Fund, which awarded scholarships to needy Georgia students bound for college, by endowing it with a $100,000 donation in 1953 (or $820,000 in 2008 dollars).[79]
Cobb knew that another way he could share his wealth was by having biographies written that would set the record straight and teach young players how to play. John McCallum spent some time with Cobb to write a combination how-to and biography titled The Tiger Wore Spikes: An Informal Biography of Ty Cobb that was published in 1956.[96][97]
After McCallum completed his research for the book, Cobb was again alone and had a longing to return to Georgia. In December 1959, Cobb was diagnosed with prostate cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and Bright's disease, a degenerative kidney disorder.[18][98] He did not trust his initial diagnosis, however, so he went to Georgia to seek advice from doctors he knew, and they found his prostate to be cancerous. They removed it at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, but that did little to help Cobb. From this point until the end of his life, Cobb criss-crossed the country, going from his lodge in Tahoe to the hospital in Georgia.
It was also during his final years that Cobb began work on his autobiography, My Life in Baseball: The True Record, with writer Al Stump. Their collaboration was contentious, and after Cobb's death, Al Stump's side of the story was described in some of his other works, including the film Cobb. In 2010, an article by William R. "Ron" Cobb (no relation to Ty) in The National Pastime, official publication of the Society for American Baseball Research, accused Stump of extensive forgeries of Cobb-related documents and diaries. The article further accused Stump of numerous false statements about Cobb in his last years, most of which were sensationalistic in nature and intended to cast Cobb in an unflattering light.[99]
Cobb is regarded by some historians and journalists as the best player of the dead-ball era, and is generally seen as one of the greatest players of all time.[100][101]
Death[link]
In his last days, Cobb spent some time with the old movie comedian Joe E. Brown, talking about the choices Cobb had made in his life. He told Brown that he felt that he had made mistakes, and that he would do things differently if he could. He had played hard and lived hard all his life, and had no friends to show for it at the end, and he regretted it. Publicly, however, Cobb claimed not to have any regrets: "I've been lucky. I have no right to be regretful of what I did."[102]
He checked into Emory Hospital for the last time in June 1961, bringing with him a paper bag with over $1 million in negotiable bonds.[6][103] His first wife, Charlie, his son Jimmy and other family members came to be with him for his final days. He died a month later, on July 17, 1961, at Emory University Hospital.[18]
"...the most sensational player of all the players I have seen in all my life..."
Approximately 150 friends and relatives attended a brief service in Cornelia, Georgia, and drove to the Cobb family mausoleum in Royston for the burial. Baseball's only representatives at his funeral were three old players, Ray Schalk, Mickey Cochrane, and Nap Rucker, along with Sid Keener, the director of the Baseball Hall of Fame; however, messages of condolences numbered in the hundreds.[105][106] Family in attendance included Cobb's former wife, Charlie, his two daughters, his surviving son, Jimmy, his two sons-in-law, his daughter-in-law, Mary Dunn Cobb, and her two children.
At the time of his death, Cobb's estate was reported to be worth at least US$11,780,000, including $10 million worth of General Motors stock and $1.78 million in The Coca-Cola Company stock.[107] Altogether, the estate was equivalent to $86,320,000 in 2008 dollars. Cobb's will left a quarter of his estate to the Cobb Educational Fund, and distributed the rest among his children and grandchildren. Cobb is interred in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Royston, Georgia. As of 2005 the Ty Cobb Educational Foundation has distributed nearly $11 million in scholarships to needy Georgians.[108]
Legacy[link]
"The greatness of Ty Cobb was something that had to be seen, and to see him was to remember him forever."
Efforts to create a Ty Cobb Memorial in Royston initially failed, primarily because most of the artifacts from his life were sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and the Georgia town was viewed as too remote to make a memorial worthwhile. However, on July 17, 1998, the 37th anniversary of Cobb's death, the Ty Cobb Museum and the Franklin County Sports Hall of Fame opened its doors in Royston. On that day, Cobb was one of the first members to be inducted into the Franklin County Sports Hall of Fame. On August 30, 2005, his hometown hosted a 1905 baseball game to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Cobb's first major league game. Players in the game included many of Cobb's descendants as well as many citizens from his hometown of Royston. Another early-20th century baseball game was played in his hometown at Cobb Field on September 30, 2006, with Cobb's descendants and Roystonians again playing. Cobb's personal batboy from his major league years was also in attendance and threw out the first pitch. A third Ty Cobb Vintage Baseball Game was played on October 6, 2007. Many of Cobb's family and other relatives were in attendance for a "family reunion" theme. Appearing at the game again was Cobb's personal batboy who, with his son and grandson, made a large donation and a plaque to the Ty Cobb Museum in honor of their family's relationship with the Cobb family.
"Teach a boy to throw a baseball, and he won't throw a rock."
—Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb's legacy also includes legions of collectors of his early tobacco card issues as well as game used memorabilia and autographs. Perhaps the most curious item remains the 1909 Ty Cobb with Ty Cobb Cigarettes pack, leaving some to believe Cobb either had or attempted to have his own brand of cigarettes. Very little about the card is known other than its similarity to the 1909 T206 Red Portrait card published by the American Tobacco Company, and until 2005 only a handful were known to exist. That year, a sizable cache of the cards was brought to auction by the family of a Royston, Georgia man who had stored them in a book for almost 100 years.[110][unreliable source?]. The new baseball stadium at Hampden-Sydney College is named Ty Cobb Ballpark.
Crawford-Cobb rivalry[link]
Sam Crawford and Ty Cobb were teammates for parts of thirteen seasons. They played beside each other in right and center field, and Crawford followed Cobb in the batting order year after year. Despite the physical closeness, the two had a complicated relationship.[111]
Initially, they had a student-teacher relationship. Crawford was an established star when Cobb arrived, and Cobb eagerly sought his advice. In interviews with Al Stump, Cobb told of studying Crawford's base stealing technique and of how Crawford would teach him about pursuing fly balls and throwing out base runners. Cobb told Stump he would always remember Crawford's kindness.[112]
File:SamCrawford4.jpg
Sam Crawford and Ty Cobb clown around with a camera, c. 1908
The student-teacher relationship gradually changed to one of jealous rivals.[113] Cobb was not popular with his teammates, and as Cobb became the biggest star in baseball, Crawford was unhappy with the preferential treatment given to Cobb. Cobb was allowed to show up late for spring training and was given private quarters on the road – perks not offered to Crawford. The competition between the two was intense. Crawford recalled that, if he went three for four on a day when Cobb went hitless, Cobb would turn red and sometimes walk out of the park with the game still on. When it was initially (and erroneously) reported that Nap Lajoie had won the batting title, Crawford was alleged to have been one of several Tigers who sent a telegram to Lajoie congratulating him on beating Cobb.[114][115][unreliable source?]
In retirement, Cobb wrote a letter to a writer for The Sporting News accusing Crawford of not helping in the outfield and of intentionally fouling off balls when Cobb was stealing a base. Crawford learned about the letter in 1946 and accused Cobb of being a "cheapskate" who never helped his teammates. He said that Cobb had not been a very good fielder, "so he blamed me." Crawford denied intentionally trying to deprive Cobb of stolen bases, insisting that Cobb had "dreamed that up."[116]
When asked about the feud, Cobb attributed it to jealousy. He felt that Crawford was "a hell of a good player," but he was "second best" on the Tigers and "hated to be an also ran." Cobb biographer Richard Bak noted that the two "only barely tolerated each other" and agreed with Cobb that Crawford’s attitude was driven by Cobb’s having stolen Crawford's thunder.[117]
Although they may not have spoken to each other, Cobb and Crawford developed an uncanny ability to communicate nonverbally with looks and nods on the base paths. They became one of the most successful double steal pairings in baseball history.[118]
After Cobb died, a reporter found hundreds of letters in Cobb's home that Cobb had written to influential people lobbying for Crawford's induction into the Hall of Fame. Crawford was reportedly unaware of Cobb's efforts until after Cobb had died.[119] Crawford was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1957, four years before Cobb's death.
Regular season statistics[link]
Both official sources, such as Total Baseball, and a number of independent researchers, including John Thorn, have raised questions about Cobb's exact career totals. Hits have been re-estimated at between 4,189 and 4,191, due to a possible double-counted game in 1910. At-bats estimates have ranged as high as 11,437. The numbers shown below are the figures officially recognized on MLB.com.[120]
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | TB | SH | HBP |
| 3,035 | 11,429 | 2,246 | 4,191 | 723 | 297 | 117 | 1,938 | 892 | --- | 1,249 | 357 | .367 | .433 | .513 | 5,859 | 295 | 94 |
The figures on Baseball-Reference.com are as follows.[29] Other private research sites may have different figures. Caught Stealing is not shown comprehensively for Cobb's MLB.com totals, because the stat was not regularly captured until 1920.
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | TB | SH | HBP |
| 3,035 | 11,434 | 2,246 | 4,189 | 724 | 295 | 117 | 1,938 | 897 | 212 | 1,249 | 680 | .366 | .433 | .512 | 5,854 | 291 | 94 |
See also[link]
.jpg){kind=small}
- Allan Travers
- Cobb (film)
- Al Stump
- 3000 hit club
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base records
- List of Major League Baseball hit records
- List of Major League Baseball player–managers
- List of MLB individual streaks
- Ty Cobb Museum
- Baseball record holders
- Triple Crown
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
Notes[link]
- ^ "Ty Cobb". baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cobbty01.shtml. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
- ^ The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York: Simon and Schuster. 2003. p. 358. ISBN 978-0-7432-2722-3. http://books.google.com/books?id=3uSbqUm8hSAC&pg=PA35.
- ^ "100 Greatest Baseball Players by The Sporting News : A Legendary List". Baseball Almanac. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/lisn100.shtml. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Voting: Baseball Writers Elections 1936". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. Archived from the original on 2007-08-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20070829205105/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/voting_year.jsp?year=1936. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
- ^ Peach, James (June 2004). "Thorstein Veblen, Ty Cobb, and the evolution of an institution". Journal of Economic Issues. http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-514151_ITM. Retrieved 2007-01-30. "(Abstract Only)"
- ^ a b Zacharias, Patricia. Ty Cobb, the greatest Tiger of them all. The Detroit News. http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=92&category=sports. Retrieved 2007-02-26. "(Abstract Only)"
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Wolpin, Stewart. "The Ballplayers – Ty Cobb". BaseballLibrary.com. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=ty_cobb_1886. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- ^ a b Schwartz, Larry. "He was a pain ... but a great pain". ESPN Internet Ventures. http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014142.html. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
- ^ "Most Times Leading League". Sports Reference, Inc. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/leaders_most_times.shtml. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
- ^ "Career Leaders for Hits (Progressive)". Sports Reference, Inc. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/H_progress.shtml. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
- ^ Holmes, Dan (2004). Ty Cobb: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 136. ISBN 0-313-32869-2. http://books.google.com/?id=8Dm3hqzbyYkC&pg=PA136&lpg=PA136&dq=ty+cobb+4,189. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
- ^ "Career Leaders for Runs (Progressive)". Sports Reference, Inc. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/R_progress.shtml. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
- ^ "Career Leaders for Games (Progressive)". Sports Reference, Inc. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/G_progress.shtml. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
- ^ "Career Leaders for At Bats (Progressive)". Sports Reference, Inc. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/AB_progress.shtml. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
- ^ "Career Leaders for Stolen Bases". Sports Reference, Inc. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SB_career.shtml. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
- ^ "Outfielder Error Records by Baseball Almanac". Baseball Almanac. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_ofer.shtml. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ "Page 2 mailbag – Readers: Dirtiest pro players". ESPN Internet Ventures. http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/readers/dirtiest/players.html. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
- ^ a b c d e f Hill, John Paul (November 18, 2002). "Ty Cobb (1886–1961)". New Georgia Encyclopedia. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-733. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
- ^ Stump (1994), page 57
- ^ Kanfer, Stefan (April 18, 2005). "Failures Can't Come Home". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1050490-1,00.html. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- ^ Stump (1994), p. 63
- ^ Stump (1994), p. 64
- ^ Cobb & Stump, page 48
- ^ Stump (1994), p. 69
- ^ Ty Cobb entry, New Georgia Encyclopedia, accessed June 3, 2011
- ^ Newspaper article, Cobb still revered, reviled 100 years after first game, by Associated Press, published on ESPN.com web site, August 29, 2005
- ^ "Ty Cobb, Baseball Great, Dies; Still Held 16 Big League Marks". New York Times. July 18, 1961. pp. 1, 21.
- ^ a b Woolf, S. J. (September 19, 1948). "Tyrus Cobb – Then and Now; Once the scrappiest, wiliest figure in baseball, 'The Georgia Peach' views the game as played today with mellow disdain". New York Times. p. SM17 (Magazine section).
- ^ a b c d e "Ty Cobb Career Statistics". Sports Reference, Inc. http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/cobbty01.shtml. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
- ^ "Ty Cobb: Death In The Dark". Blue Ridge Country. http://www.blueridgecountry.com/archive/ty-cobb-father-murder-mystery.html. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
- ^ Holmes, Dan (2004). Ty Cobb: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 13. ISBN 0-313-32869-2. http://books.google.com/?id=8Dm3hqzbyYkC&pg=PA136&lpg=PA136&dq=ty+cobb+4,189. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
- ^ State of Georgia vs. Amanda Cobb (bond hearing), vol2 1281p.478 9 (Franklin County, Georgia, Superior Court September 29, 1905).
- ^ State of Georgia vs. Amanda Cobb (murder trial verdict), vol2 1282p040 1 (Franklin County, Georgia, Superior Court March 31, 1906).
- ^ Stump (1994), p. 27
- ^ "1905 American League Awards, All-Stars, & More Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1905-other-leaders.shtml. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ Kashatus (2002), pp. 72–73.
- ^ "Batting Leaders Before, During and After Age 19". Baseball-Reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/leaders_19_bat.shtml. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ a b "Ty Cobb". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-733. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ "Ty Cobb – Baseball Legend". BBC. July 22, 2003. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A1118648. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ "Facts and Figures – Baseball batting champions". Baseball Digest. November 2000. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCI/is_11_59/ai_66010628. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ a b c http://www.baseballspast.com/film/cobb.html
- ^ a b Holmes, Dan. "Ty Cobb Sold Me a Soda Pop: Hall of Fame Outfielder Ty Cobb and Coca-Cola". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. Archived from the original on 2006-12-06. http://web.archive.org/web/20061206111050/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/history/2002/021218_cobb_ty.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
- ^ Bryan, Wright, "Clemson: An Informal History of the University 1889–1979", The R. L. Bryan Company, Columbia, South Carolina, 1979, Library of Congress card number 79-56231, ISBN 0-934870-01-2, page 214.
- ^ Stump (1994), pp. 158-160
- ^ a b Price, Ed (June 21, 1996). "Aggressive play defined Ty Cobb". The Augusta Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2007-02-09. http://web.archive.org/web/20070209235657/http://chronicle.augusta.com/history/cobb.html. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
- ^ "Year in Review: 1909 American League". Baseball Almanac. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/yearly/yr1909a.shtml. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
- ^ "Ty Cobb". Times Mirror Co.. 1998. http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/conlon/cobb/photo2.html. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
- ^ Honig, Donald (1975). Baseball When the Grass Was Real. University of Nebraska Press. p. 42. ISBN 0-8032-7267-7.
- ^ Daley, Arthur (August 15, 1961). "Sports of The Times: In Belated Tribute". The New York Times. p. 32 (food fashions family furnishings section).
- ^ Holmes, Dan. "First Five: The Original Members of the Hall of Fame". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on 2007-06-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20070608145751/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/history/first5/default.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
- ^ Holmes, Dan (2004). Ty Cobb: a biography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-313-32869-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=8Dm3hqzbyYkC.
- ^ Cobb & Stump, pp.131-135
- ^ "ESPN.com's 10 infamous moments". http://espn.go.com/endofcentury/s/other/infamous.html. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
- ^ Stump (1994), pp. 208-209
- ^ Charlton, James. "Al Travers from the Chronology". BaseballLibrary.com. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Al_Travers_1892&page=chronology. Retrieved 2007-06-15. Travers does not, as often erroneously reported, hold the all-time record for most hits or runs given up in a game. Those records are held by the Cleveland Blues' Dave Rowe. Primarily an outfielder, Rowe pitched a complete game on July 24, 1882, giving up 35 runs on 29 hits.
- ^ "Baseball Players’ Fraternity". Encyclopaedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/54781/Baseball-Players-Fraternity. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ Stump (1994), pp. 209-210
- ^ "Single-Season Leaders for Stolen Bases". Sports Reference, Inc. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SB_season.shtml. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
- ^ Vass, George (June 2005). "Baseball records: fact or fiction: some of the game's historic marks may be inaccurate, but they continue to be a driving force in the popularity of statistics among fans". Baseball Digest. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCI/is_4_64/ai_n13684071. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
- ^ "Year-by-Year League Leaders for Batting Average". Sports Reference, Inc. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/BA_leagues.shtml. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
- ^ "Consecutive Games Hitting Streaks". Baseball Almanac. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats-streak.shtml. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- ^ "Player Pages: Pete Rose". http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/rosepe01.php. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
- ^ a b Stump (1994), pp 254-255
- ^ "Somewhere in Georgia". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158971/. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
- ^ a b c d Gurtowski, Richard (July 2005). "Remembering baseball hall of famers who served in the Chemical Corps". CML Army Chemical Review. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IUN/is_2005_July/ai_n15730920. Retrieved 2007-03-10.
- ^ "The 3000 Hit Club: Ty Cobb". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. Archived from the original on 2007-02-09. http://web.archive.org/web/20070209031106/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/exhibits/online_exhibits/3000_hit_club/cobb_ty.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ "Inside the numbers: 3,000 hits". Sporting News. August 6, 1999. http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/numbers/172730.html. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ Zirin, Dave (May 8, 2006). "Bonding With the Babe". The Nation. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060522/zirin. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
- ^ Kalish, Jacob (October 2004). "Fat phenoms: are hot dogs and beer part of your training regimen? Maybe they should be". Men's Fitness. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1608/is_9_20/ai_n6244977. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
- ^ Klinkenberg, Jeff (March 24, 2004). "Thanks, Babe". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.sptimes.com/2004/03/21/Floridian/Thanks__Babe.shtml. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
- ^ a b "May 1925". Baseballlibrary.com. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/chronology/1925MAY.stm. Retrieved 2007-02-08.
- ^ "Total Bases Records". Baseball Almanac. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/total_bases_records.shtml. Retrieved 5-9-2012.
- ^ Frommer, Harvey (July 13, 2004). "The 90th Anniversary of Babe Ruth's Major-League Debut". Harvey Frommer on Sports. http://www.travel-watch.com/bbhalloffame61.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ "Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb: a North Georgia Notable". About North Georgia. http://ngeorgia.com/people/cobbt.html. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
- ^ "Walter Johnson". BaseballLibrary.com. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/J/Johnson_Walter.stm. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
- ^ "Ossie Vitt". BaseballLibrary.com. http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/V/Vitt_Ossie.stm. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
- ^ Lyons, Jeffrey; Lyons, Douglas (2001). Curveballs and Screwballs. Random House Puzzles & Games. ISBN 978-0812933154.
- ^ a b c "Champion". Time. May 10 1937. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,757792,00.html. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
- ^ a b "Cobb's philanthropy". The Ty Cobb Museum. http://www.tycobbmuseum.org/philanthropy.shtml.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ "Milestones". Time. April 27 1931. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,741506-1,00.html. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
- ^ "Milestones". Time. May 11 1931. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,741673-1,00.html. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
- ^ "Milestones". Time. June 30 1947. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,854767,00.html. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
- ^ "Biography for Ty Cobb". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167821/bio. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (December 2, 1994). "FILM REVIEW; A Hero Who Was a Heel, Or, What Price Glory?". New York Times. http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?title1=COBB%20(MOVIE)&title2=&reviewer=Janet%20Maslin&pdate=19941202&v_id=. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
- ^ a b c d Stump (1994), p. 405
- ^ Kossuth, James. "Cobb Hangs 'em Up ...eventually". http://wso.williams.edu/~jkossuth/cobb/race.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
- ^ Stump (1994), pp 405-406, 412
- ^ "Ty Cobb's Son Dies at 42". New York Times. September 10, 1952. p. 29.
- ^ "100 Greatest Baseball Players". Baseball Almanac. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/lisn100.shtml. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
- ^ Kossuth, James. "Cobb Hangs 'em Up". http://wso.williams.edu/~jkossuth/cobb/retirement.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
- ^ Frommer, Harvey (PDF). Joe Jackson and Ragtime Baseball. http://www.pde.state.pa.us/a_and_t/lib/a_and_t/JoeJacksonOregon.pdf. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
- ^ Nash, Odgen. "Line-Up For Yesterday". Baseball Almanac. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_line.shtml. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ "The Old Gang". Time. September 26, 1949. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,800761-1,00.html. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ Stump (1994), p. 412
- ^ "Milestones". Time. May 21, 1956. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,808526,00.html. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
- ^ McCallum, John (1956). The Tiger Wore Spikes: An Informal Biography of Ty Cobb. New York: A. S. Barnes. pp. 240 pages.
- ^ Daley, Arthur (June 17, 1956). "Baseball with Brains". New York Times Book Review. p. 231.
- ^ "Did You Know?". The Ty Cobb Museum. http://www.tycobbmuseum.org/didyouknow.shtml.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- ^ "The Georgia Peach: Stumped by the Storyteller". http://haulsofshame.com/Final%20SABR%20Article%20-%20as%20published_6744.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
- ^ Zacharias, Patricia. "Ty Cobb, the greatest Tiger of them all". http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=92&category=sports. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ Povich, Shirley (1998-07-24). "Best Player-Not Best Man". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/general/povich/launch/cobb.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
- ^ Newsweek: 54. July 31 1961.
- ^ Stump (1994), p. 28
- ^ "Cobb, Hailed as Greatest Player in History, Mourned by Baseball World: Passing of Area is Noted by Frick". The New York Times. July 18, 1961. p. 21 (Food Fashions Family Furnishings section).
- ^ Alexander, C. (1985). Ty Cobb. Oxford University Press. p. 235. ISBN 0-19-503598-4. http://books.google.com/?id=t47E6tEKCKIC&pg=PA235&lpg=PA235&dq=ty+cobb+funeral+cochrane+schalk.
- ^ "Funeral Service Held for Ty Cobb". New York Times. July 20, 1961. p. 20.
- ^ "Cobb Said to Have Left At Least $11,780,000". New York Times. September 3, 1951. p. S3 (Sports section).
- ^ "Ty Cobb Educational Foundation". http://www.tycobbfoundation.com. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
- ^ "Ty Cobb". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc.. Archived from the original on 2006-12-05. http://web.archive.org/web/20061205022126/http://baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/cobb_ty.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
- ^ Kossuth, James. "Ty Cobb. The Georgia Peach". http://wso.williams.edu/~jkossuth/cobb/index.html. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
- ^ Blaisdell, L.D. (1992). "Legends as an Expression of Baseball Memory" (PDF). Journal of Sport History 19 (3). http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH1992/JSH1903/jsh1903c.pdf. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
- ^ Stump (1994), pp. 58–60
- ^ Bak, Richard (2005). Peach: Ty Cobb In His Time And Ours. Sports Media Group. ISBN 1-58726-257-6.
- ^ "The Strangest Batting Race Ever". http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/history/story1.jsp. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
- ^ Burgess, Bill. "Did all of Ty Cobb's teammates hate him?". http://baseballguru.com/bburgess/analysisbburgess04.html. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
- ^ Stump (1994), pp. 190–191
- ^ Bak (2005), p. 38
- ^ Bak (2005), p. 177
- ^ Bak (2005), p. 176
- ^ "Historical Player Stats: Ty Cobb". MLB Advanced Media, L.P.. http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/historical/individual_stats_player.jsp?c_id=mlb&playerID=112431&HS=True. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
References[link]
- Alexander, Charles (1984). Ty Cobb. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-8032-6359-7.
- Bak, Richard (2005). Peach: Ty Cobb In His Time And Ours. Sports Media Group. ISBN 1-58726-257-6.
- Bak, Richard (1994). Ty Cobb: His Tumultuous Life and Times. Dallas, Texas: Taylor. ISBN 0-87833-848-9.
- Cobb, Ty; with Al Stump (1993 (reprint)). My Life in Baseball: The True Record (Bison Book ed.). Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-6359-7.
- Kashatus, William (2002). Diamonds in the Coalfields: 21 Remarkable Baseball Players, Managers, and Umpires from Northeast Pennsylvania. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-1176-4.
- Pietrusza, David; Matthew Silverman & Michael Gershman (2000). Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia. Total/Sports Illustrated. Taylor. ISBN 1-892129-34-5.
- Stanton, Tom (2007). Ty and The Babe.. New York: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 0-312-36159-9. (Nominee for the 2007 CASEY Award. See The Casey Award; Roy Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf.)
- Stump, Al (1994). Cobb: A Biography. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. ISBN 0-945575-64-5.
External links[link]
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ty Cobb |
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Ty Cobb managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
- Ty Cobb at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Cobb at the Internet Movie Database
- Official site
- Ty Cobb Museum
- "Fast Running Got Ty Cobb to his Wedding on Time," Atlanta Georgian, August 7, 1908, Atlanta Historic Newspapers Archive, Digital Library of Georgia.
| Accomplishments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|||||
|
||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cobb, Ty |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | American baseball player |
| Date of birth | 1886-12-18 |
| Place of birth | Narrows, Georgia |
| Date of death | 1961-07-17 |
| Place of death | Atlanta, Georgia |
http://wn.com/Ty_Cobb
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/Ty Cobb
http://de.wn.com/Ty Cobb
http://it.wn.com/Ty Cobb
http://pl.wn.com/Ty Cobb
http://es.wn.com/Ty Cobb
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ty_Cobb
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2010) |
 Jim Norton, Anthony Cumia, and Gregg "Opie" Hughes |
|
| Genre | Talk, Comedy |
|---|---|
| Running time | 6am to 10am, Monday through Friday |
| Country |  United States |
| Starring | Gregg "Opie" Hughes Anthony Cumia Jim Norton |
| Creators | Gregg Hughes Anthony Cumia |
| Air dates | since March 28, 1995 |
| Opening theme | "The Ecstasy of Gold" by Ennio Morricone "Street Fighting Man" by Rage Against the Machine |
| Website | SiriusXM.com |
Gregg "Opie" Hughes (born May 23, 1963) and Anthony Cumia (born April 26, 1961) are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM. It is co-hosted by stand up comedian Jim Norton. Based in New York City, the show was previously on WXRK-FM and WNEW-FM in New York, and prior to that, on WAAF-FM in Boston, Massachusetts.
On April 26, 2006, Opie and Anthony returned to the terrestrial airwaves after a four year absence, replacing CBS Radio's short-lived David Lee Roth Show, which aired mainly on the eastern coast of the United States. The terrestrial portion of the show ran until March 9, 2009. The team was terminated by WXRK-FM when it flipped formats from rock to Top 40.
The Opie & Anthony Show airs weekdays live from 6am through 10am ET exclusively on XM Radio Channel 105 and Sirius Radio Channel 206 "The Opie & Anthony Channel". Replays are available throughout the day on their XM and Sirius channels and on audible.com.
Contents |
Background and history[link]
Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia were raised on Long Island, New York, in Centerport and Elwood respectively. Hughes graduated from SUNY Geneseo and for the next seven years, interned and worked at several western New York radio stations such as 96.5 WCMF in Rochester (where he first worked for Brother Wease) and WUFX in Buffalo. Opie eventually found his way back home to rock station WBAB on his native Long Island. Although not initially doing a talk-show, Hughes did experiment with certain talk elements, including a recurring character named "Spuds Buckley". While earning a living as an HVAC duct worker, Cumia began recording comedy songs with his brother Joe. In August 1994, Hughes, seeking innovative ideas, received an entry during an O.J. Simpson parody song contest. The song was titled "Gonna Electric Shock OJ" (sung to the tune of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay") by a local band known as Rotgut, of which Cumia was the lead singer. The song was a hit on Hughes' show, and he invited the Cumia brothers to the studio to play live in September 1994. In December 1994, Cumia also appeared on The Howard Stern Show during an impression contest in which he imitated Jackie the Jokeman, Beavis and Butt-head, and Sam Kinison. Soon afterward, Hughes and Cumia became a radio team. Hughes' show was called "The Nighttime Attitude" and aired from 8 pm-midnight on WBAB.[1] Shortly after Cumia's arrival, he and Hughes requested that the show be moved to morning or afternoon drive, the two most listened to timeslots in radio. When the station refused, Hughes and Cumia moved the show to afternoon drive on WAAF in Boston, Massachusetts, where they premiered on March 27, 1995 as Opie & Anthony (O&A).
WAAF-FM[link]
One of Opie and Anthony's most notable Boston stunts was their staged giveaway of "100 Grand", which was hyped for weeks. When they finally gave away the prize, the "winning" caller laid into the duo with biting invective after he realized the repairs he needed to make to his truck would be un-affordable with a 100 Grand candy bar instead of $100,000.[2]
The duo was fired in April 1998 from WAAF for an April Fool's Day prank involving Mayor Thomas Menino. Opie and Anthony told their listeners that the Mayor had been killed in a car accident while transporting a young female Haitian prostitute. Many believed the story, leading Menino to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission, as the FCC prohibits the broadcast of knowingly false information if it causes public harm.[3] WAAF suggested that the duo have pies thrown at them while being held in town square stocks. The idea was summarily dismissed by the mayor's office. Facing a possible license challenge, WAAF fired them, but Opie and Anthony promised that they would return to Boston and get revenge. During the early days of XM Anthony stated that the intent of the April Fool's prank was to allow the duo to be released from their contract with WAAF. He also stated that the duo had been having illegal meetings with WNEW prior to the April Fool's prank. He preceded these comments with "The statutes of limitations must be up on this."[4]
WNEW-FM[link]
In June 1998, O&A were back on New York station WNEW-FM, where they became a top 10 afternoon drive show in New York by 2000.[5]
In November 2000, sixteen people associated with the show (including comedian Lewis Black and future show member Jim Norton) were arrested during a promotion for "The Voyeur Bus," a mostly glass-sided bus carting naked women through Manhattan with a police escort.[6] The stunt was harshly condemned by Mayor Rudy Giuliani. O&A hosted the short-lived "XFL Gameday" – the pregame show for Vince McMahon's startup football league – for four weeks in February 2001. The half-hour show aired nationally on Saturday nights on select NBC affiliates prior to the evening's games. The show was taped on Wednesdays at the WWF's theme restaurant in Times Square, and was open to the public. It featured analysis by WNBC sportscaster Bruce Beck and New York/New Jersey Hitmen head coach Rusty Tillman, but also featured plenty of raunch. One particular segment featured O&A as chefs, inserting a cucumber in between two melons. O&A were almost banned from Giants Stadium for life during the filming of one episode when they imitated a proposed XFL rule where first possession was determined by placing the ball at midfield and having two opposing team-members attempt to get it. O&A did this as God Bless America began to play before a game.[7] They said that the $100,000 cost of making each new show was the cause of its demise, though no official reason was given for its cancellation.
In 2001, O&A signed a syndication deal with Infinity to syndicate their show on 22 stations nationwide, including WBCN in Boston, longtime rival of WAAF. By this time, show friend Andrew Dice Clay had introduced O&A to Jim Norton, a comedian who toured with and opened for Clay. Norton was a hit on O&A and soon became a regular on the show, appearing three or four days per week.
Sex for Sam[link]
One of O&A's stunts was "Sex for Sam", an annual contest where the goal was to have sex in notable public places in New York City. Couples from various states would be selected to be trailed by a comedian or member of the show, who would call the program to report the location. The contest was sponsored by Boston Beer Company, maker of Samuel Adams beer, and prizes included trips to Boston concerts sponsored by the beer company. The contest was approved by the station and had no major problems for the first two years.
However, in "Sex for Sam 3", comedian Paul Mecurio encouraged Brian Florence and Loretta Harper, a Virginia couple visiting Manhattan, to have simulated sex in a vestibule at St. Patrick's Cathedral on August 15, 2002. When a security guard ordered Mecurio and the couple to leave the church immediately, Mecurio began to argue with the guard, who then contacted police. The couple was arrested and charged with public lewdness. Intense media scrutiny led to the Catholic League demanding that Opie and Anthony be fired. The Catholic League also threatened to get WNEW's license revoked.
O&A broadcast the next day, but were ordered not to directly address the incident for legal reasons. The show went into reruns the following week. On August 22, Infinity suspended Opie and Anthony for the duration of their contract, and canceled the show. However, the company continued to pay the duo to stay off the air for the balance of their contract. The Catholic League immediately dropped its bid to have WNEW's license revoked.
The repercussions of the incident were widespread:
- Infinity was fined a total of $357,500 by the FCC, the maximum amount allowed by law, and the second-largest indecency fine in American radio history. It refused to pay the fine.[8]
- WNEW's ratings had been dreadful overall aside from Opie and Anthony. With the forced cancellation of its only strong performer, its ratings dropped even lower than those of noncommercial stations and never recovered. The station began playing music again in January 2003, starting with a Top 40 format, then going to an adult contemporary format, and later switching to a classic dance music format before returning to the AC format, at which point the station's call letters were changed to WWFS. Under WWFS, the ratings rebounded to a 3.1 rating, then cooled down to an average of a 2.5 rating.[citation needed] In a bit of irony, Opie and Anthony would make fun of an incident at WNEW in late 2004, in which the program director got drunk, went on air, and confused the call letters with those of WNEW's arch-rival WKTU.
- Harper pleaded guilty a month later to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to seven days of community service.[9] Her partner, Brian Florence, died of a heart attack on September 25, 2003.
XM Satellite Radio[link]
Opie and Anthony returned to the air on October 4, 2004 exclusively for XM Satellite Radio after two years off the air. Initially, the show was offered to XM subscribers at a premium cost of $1.99 a month, to which they encountered some resistance. In April 2005, "High Voltage" became part of the basic XM subscription. There are no numbers available with respect to the number of premium subscribers. Hughes gave some indication, however, when he told the Long Island press in 2006, "We went from having a show that was syndicated in 17 major markets to having a few thousand," which did not help to remove the discrepancy.[10]
On April 17, 2006, DirecTV ceased airing the High Voltage channel on their satellite TV service, citing subscriber requests for more music channels and fewer talk and sports channels. However, less than a week elapsed before inside sources announced that, due to overwhelming audience demands that O&A return to DirecTV, the channel would be restored on April 26, 2006.[11]
Opie & Anthony frequently mentioned on the air that they always hated the title "High Voltage", which was selected by one of the company lawyers. They had been trying to change the name but were unsuccessful for the first 2 years, until Eric Logan announced on their October 4, 2006 broadcast that High Voltage would be renamed "The Virus" on November 20, 2006, pursuant to the demands of hardcore O&A fans known as "The Pests".
A major part of the XM show was the "Assault on the Media", led by "The Pests" to give the show additional exposure. On May 19, 2005, show intern Nathaniel showed up behind Arthur Chi'en of WCBS-TV. The disruption caused Chi'en to shout "What the fuck is your problem, man?" while the cameras were still rolling. Chi'en was fired a few hours later. (The situation brought the show nationwide press.)[12]
On May 15, 2007, XM suspended Opie & Anthony for 30 days, in response to a broadcast featuring a homeless man who wandered into the studio. Opie and Anthony dubbed the man "Homeless Charlie", who mentioned the possibility of raping Condoleezza Rice and Laura Bush.[13] Charlie spoke wildly for nearly twenty minutes, commenting on a wide variety of news topics. A blogger posted a ten second excerpt of the discussion, which was later posted to The Drudge Report with no context given to the audio. Commentary on the incident was especially incendiary from Bill O'Reilly, who called the situation "the worst I have ever seen." (O'Reilly once had the radio duo on his show.)[citation needed] CBS (terrestrial) radio continued to air the show from 6:00 am–9:00 am Eastern time, and had a decidedly more subdued sound, due to greater scrutiny.
Fans reacted to the news of the suspension by canceling their XM Radio subscriptions, with some fans even going as far as smashing their XM units. XM did offer a free month of service to subscribers who called in complaints of the suspension.[14] Moreover, some sponsors pulled their advertising off XM in protest of the suspension.[15]
The radio duo's month-long suspension from XM ended on June 15, 2007, when they returned to XM's airwaves. Shortly after the suspension, Opie closed on a $3.35 million 2,088-square-foot (194.0 m2) apartment in Trump Place owned by Donald Trump.[citation needed]
Return to broadcast radio 2006–2011[link]
File:Opie and Anthony.jpg
Opie and Anthony walking to their XM studio from CBS Radio in New York City on July 25, 2006.
On April 24, 2006, Opie and Anthony announced that they signed a deal with CBS Radio in which the first three hours of the show would be broadcast on nine of CBS's rock stations, the first official show airing April 26.[16]
After an 18-month run on XM, The Opie & Anthony Show began simulcasting on XM Radio and various terrestrial radio stations from 6 am to 9 am EST. From 9 am to 11 am (and on some days until noon), the show was broadcast exclusively on XM Radio. XM listeners were able to hear the show uncensored for the entire show (except when the main feed is "self-censored" by the hosts). During the 6–9 slot, the FM-only listeners would hear a Federal Communications Commission-compliant version of the show. In Philadelphia, O&A achieved a threefold increase in the month of May over David Lee Roth's April ratings in the age 18–34 demographic. In Boston, O&A doubled the number of all age demographics and achieved an even greater increase in younger listeners.[17] According to the Winter 2007 arbitron ratings, O&A doubled Roth's ratings with their target demographic of 18 to 34-year-olds. But the improvement merely amounted to an increase of 2% to about 4% of the audience—a third of Stern's old numbers in New York City.[18] Following the Summer 07 Arbitron ratings, O&A's 18- to 34-year-olds ratings slipped, while their morning drive rating in NYC of 2.1 left them only ahead of sports based WFAN network in the morning.[19] In the spring 2008 under the new Portable people meter ratings system, Opie and Anthony again failed to crack the top ten in morning drive, and their flagship station WXRK ranked 20th out of 24 stations in overall ratings and out of the top ten in the coveted 25–54 demographic.[20]
Rockstar Games gave the cast and crew of the show voice roles in the PlayStation Portable game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, including Club Soda Kenny as the voice of Derek the Dodo. The only exception was Jim Norton, since he had a voice role in previous Rockstar game Bully.
On October 23, 2007, WYSP in Philadelphia cut Opie and Anthony from their lineup in favor of the rock music format, to which the station had changed in September.[21]
During the summer of 2008, the show delved into the romance between Anthony Cumia and Jill Nicolini, a model and actress who also serves as traffic reporter for WPIX. Nicolini and Cumia were often photographed together at public events. A running feature on the show focused on the authenticity of this May–December romance. While many initially doubted the beautiful Nicolini would actually date Cumia, the relationship appeared to blossom over time, although it ended disastrously in August 2008.
In 2008, as part of Rockstar Games' newest addition to the Grand Theft Auto series, Cumia performed the viral "Pißwasser" (or "Piss Water") commercial for Grand Theft Auto IV, as a parody to Budweiser's "King of Beers" campaign. It was later performed by Cumia on the Opie and Anthony Show. Other members of the show's cast appear as characters in GTA IV.
During their tenure at K-Rock, almost all of O&A's affiliates (many of which were in major markets) systematically dropped the show, primarily due to declining ratings.[22] By November 30, 2008, Opie and Anthony remained in only three major cities – New York, Boston and Cleveland. The following day, however, WBCN in Boston dropped them in favor of their local Toucher & Rich show, while WKRK switched to a jockless alternative rock format.
On March 9, 2009, Opie & Anthony were heard on WXRK for the last time, and spent much of the time discussing the impending format change, and how their services were "no longer needed" at the station. Their executive producer for the FM portion, Michael "Stuntbrain" Opelka, was fired the following day.
As of October 1, 2010, the Opie and Anthony show renewed their contract with Sirius/XM satellite radio for 2 years. The two often mention that they will not renew their contract after the current contract expires, citing their disgust with the poor way they are often treated by Sirius management as the primary reason.
On October 13, 2011, the Opie and Anthony show's station was changed from the ViRUS to The Opie and Anthony Channel.
Run-ins with the FCC[link]
The Federal Communications Commission has twice fined O&A for broadcasting material deemed in violation of decency standards. The first fine involved several November 2000 – January 2001 airings of a jingle produced by Dru Boogie, a DJ/producer who regularly produces content for the show. The $21,000 fine also involved a segment of "Guess What's in My Pants", as well as a song titled, "I'm Horny for Little Girls".[23] O&A's second FCC violation – the "Sex for Sam" broadcast – set a precedent for being the first time that a fine was issued to each individual station airing the alleged indecent material.[24] The total was $357,500; $27,500 against each of the thirteen CBS Radio/Infinity-owned stations that broadcast the show.[25] Infinity appealed both fines, after which its parent company Viacom made a $3.5 million settlement which canceled all pending indecency violations.[26]
Program content[link]
|
|
This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (May 2008) |
Opie and Anthony often comment on American sociopolitical and popular culture. Their "cringe" style of entertainment sometimes leads people to categorize them as "shock jocks". Hughes, Cumia and Norton broadcast for approximately four hours per day. Generally speaking, Opie sets the daily flow of the show and introduces topics, while Cumia and Norton provide color commentary. The show has few limits, and covers a wide array of topics interactively, with a great deal of time devoted to callers, and sound bites sent in by listeners. Some of the more hardcore O&A fans, nicknamed "Pests", have been known to go to extreme grassroots efforts to promote the show.
Friends and regular guests on the show include Adam Ferrara, Jim Jeffries, Joe DeRosa, Louis C.K., (who famously asked Donald Rumsfeld if he was a Mexican baby eating space lizard)[27] Bill Burr, Brian Regan, Robert Kelly, Otto & George, Bob Saget, Rich Vos,[28] Colin Quinn, Nick DiPaolo[29] and Patrice O'Neal,[30] all of whom have substituted for Norton when he has left New York to pursue his stand-up comedy and acting.
Frequent guests include Doug Stanhope, Stephen Lynch, Joe Rogan, Lazlow Jones, Jay Mohr, Kevin Smith and Mike Birbiglia. Host Anthony Cumia does impressions of various personalities such as Charlton Heston, Don West, Sylvester Stallone, Fred Flintstone, Bill Cosby, Ben Stein, Richard Nixon, Sam Kinison, Andrew Dice Clay, Tom Brokaw, Ronald Reagan, Mike Tyson, Tony Boselli, Tony Danza, Christopher Reeve, Ted Knight, Robert Reed, Regis Philbin, Vince McMahon (dubbed "Angry Vince" for the consistently violent tone of Anthony's voice in channeling McMahon's wrestling persona), Neil Diamond, Robin Williams, Winnie the Pooh, Popeye the Sailor, Don Imus, Marty McFly and The Greaseman. O&A's style and jokes typically target males in the 18–49 demographic.
The songs played at the beginning the O&A show are Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold" from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly followed by Rage Against the Machine's song "Street Fighting Man", a cover of the Rolling Stones' song of the same name.
Film references[link]
O&A's show features many inside jokes that a new listener may not immediately understand.[31] There are many references to films,[32] Boogie Nights being the most prominent. Other referenced films include Fargo, The Silence of the Lambs, Creepshow, The Accused, Predator, The Shining, American Psycho, Blazing Saddles, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Smokey and the Bandit, Apocalypse Now, Bad Lieutenant, Ed Wood, Jaws, Platoon, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, Death Wish, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Schindler's List, Caddyshack, The Godfather, My Baby is Black, Mondo Topless, The Shawshank Redemption, Back to The Future, Sling Blade, Office Space, Caligula and anything starring Robert De Niro (most notably The King of Comedy).
Staff[link]
- Travis Tefft, Executive Producer – (aka T-Storm, Dr. Gay) – Former intern who became a regular staff member. Travis typically acts as the phone screener as well as providing minute-to-minute research. He is the acting 'Executive Producer'.
- Erik Nagel, Senior Producer – (aka Erock, Sex Bagel, Sex Man, Sexy, Sex) – Been with the show since the show's beginning at XM Radio. Co-Hosts 'Worst Of The Week Countdown' and the 'Worst-Of' shows. Erik is often a target of ridicule on the show, and does a character called 'The Virus' which stemmed from the annual Jocktober bit.
- Danny Ross, Senior Producer - Former intern who became a regular staff member. Danny originally started as a writer for former executive producer Steve Carlisi's web site, foundrymusic.com. Carlesi brought him on board as an intern. He is responsible for the show's daily content and has been the in-studio producer since 2008.
- Sam Roberts, Associate Producer – (aka Two Races, Prime Time Sam Roberts) – Former intern who became a regular staff member. Co-Hosts 'Worst Of The Week Countdown' and the 'Worst-Of' shows with Erock on weekends. He hosts 'After O&A Live', which airs from 10am to 11am on The Virus following the live show. Sam is involved in screening radio shows for Jocktober, and contributes regularly on-air when the subjects of professional wrestling and Scorch's PFG TV (a public access TV show, hosted by a former radio colleague of O&A's) come up. He now hosts 'After Opie & Anthony Live'
- John Feder, Security – (aka Club Soda Kenny) – A 22-year retiree of the West Orange, New Jersey Police Department, Kenny met O&A while working for Andrew Dice Clay. He was a part-time member of O&A's security staff since the summer of 2004, and joined O&A full-time in 2006 following his fully reinstated retirement. He is often ridiculed for his OCD and "oafish" demeanor.
- Troy Quan, Producer – Former intern known for his hipster lifestyle and for coming off as though he is in love with himself as well as various other side projects. Troy frequently DJ's in the Meat Packing district and in Pennsylvania. Troy gained notoriety as an intern for stealing a fellow intern's girlfriend. Following his internship, he became a phone screener and bit writer for O&A. Opie dislikes Troy because of his sense of fashion and hipster lifestyle.
Callers who became frequent guests[link]
 |
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2010) |
- Pat from Moonachie (Patrick Philbin) – A 44-year-old, 340-pound self-employed courier with 9 toes (due to diabetes), who became a friend after winning O&A's first annual Eggnog Drinking Contest. Philbin consumed 71 double shots of eggnog and subsequently vomited. He is a competitive eater, ranked 19th in the world by the I.F.O.C.E[33] and placed 10th in Nathan's Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. The "Baby Bird" video which came about from the 2006 Eggnog Drinking Challenge earned him infamy and caused him to be barred from the I.F.O.C.E for his "effluvic interchange." Philbin's banishment was rescinded and he was eventually re-instated on December 6, 2006.[34]
- Big A (Andrew Gold) - A Bronx cab driver with a speech impediment. (He has a severe stutter, especially when pronouncing words that begin with the "st" sound). Co-host of the 'Big A & Twitchels News Cast' segment. He has co-hosted the segment with show regular Bobo.
- Tom – Tom was discovered after they took a call from "an elvish sounding man". He is now the focus of "Is Tom alive? Friday", as Tom has a fatal lung disease, was kicked out of his apartment, and has had a broken back and lesioned spinal column; he was told by his doctor that he is now likely in his last year of life, however Tom has repeatedly claimed he will commit suicide to avoid the pain accompanying his passing. On June 12 of 2008 Tom called into the show to thank Opie and Anthony for the show and planned to kill himself. After talking with Tom, Opie, Anthony and Jim convinced him to unload his weapons and come on the show the following day. As of February 23, 2012, Tom is still alive and in better health.[35]
Characters[link]
- Paul Harghhis/Hahrrgis – (AKA Uncle Paul) A character voiced by Jim Norton. Uncle Paul is a child molester with a creepy voice. Norton need only utter "huh?" or "yay!" in the voice to bring the character into a conversation, particularly one involving young children. Paul does not seem embarrassed by or even understand that his antics are inappropriate. He has demonstrated a hostile streak, as he yells at call-in guests or about "those goddamn meddling parents." Hahrrgis, along with Ted Scheckler were referenced in "The Substitute", the fourth episode of the sixth season of Lost. In the episode, a series of surnames associated with certain numbers were featured. Hargghis's number was 202, the XM channel number where the show can be heard.[36]
- Steve from Yellowstone – (AKA Ben from Boston, Danny from W-Town, Jimmy from New Jersey, Erik from Breathtown, Po from Jersey, etc.) Fake characters that are voiced by Norton, occasionally used to mock bad guests on the phone or in-studio.
- Ted Sheckler – A character voiced by Jim Norton. Ted is an entrepreneur, said to own many odd boutique emporiums. He often recommends callers to purchase specific items at his emporiums. He also enjoys a variety of activities such as ghost hunting, light bulb manufacturing, race car driving, and serial killing by blowing second-hand smoke into crowds. The Sheckler character, along with Paul Hargghis were referenced in "The Substitute", the fourth episode of the sixth season of Lost. A series of surnames associated with certain numbers were featured in the episode. Sheckler's number was 197, the Sirius channel number where the show can be heard.[37]
- Lyle Delmar "Chip" Chipperson – A character voiced by Jim Norton known for his horrendous jokes and frequent lies. He changed his name to Peppy Sinclair.
- Helen Bergeron – A character voiced by Jim Norton. Helen is an older Jewish woman who enjoys gossiping about celebrities and popular culture. She would be characterized as a "yenta". She usually says, "Helen Bergeron, signing off" when finished speaking.
- Edgar Mellencamp - Another character voiced by Norton, created primarily to annoy Norton's girlfriend. Edgar is known for his perpetually dry teeth, which he likes to have licked.
- The Virus – A character reluctantly voiced by "E-Rock". The character was "born" when Sam told a clueless but compliant E-rock to perform the character on the air. Virus is asked for comedic takes on daily events, but cannot come up with a punchline or any relevant material. When asked to say something amusing, there is merely a pregnant pause followed by a lame excuse, such as "You know I'm not good at this" or "The Virus is totally unprepared." Whenever he makes an appearance, the song "Baby Elephant Walk" is played.
- Bill Tetley – A fictional variety show host created by Jim Norton. (Jim uses the character to harass Anthony at home). Known for his horribly catchy theme song.
Other enterprises[link]
Demented World[link]
A CD released in November 1997 which includes a compilation of bits done on WAAF.
The Opie & Anthony Traveling Virus[link]
Main article: Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour (2006)
Main article: Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour (2007)
The Traveling Virus is a comedy tour headlined by Opie and Anthony, as well as friends of the show, that began in 2006. In its first year, it spanned several locations in the eastern United States during the summer. In 2007, it visited 10 cities through the spring and summer. It was an event they had discussed for many years, but were never able to bring it to fruition until they made their latest deal with CBS radio.
The 2008 Traveling Virus Tour was canceled in favor of one show, held at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey on August 2, 2008. On the morning of Monday, August 4, 2008, Opie stated that the August 2nd show in New Jersey would be "the last Traveling Virus show ever", due to the crowd consistently booing new comedians off the stage, causing established comedians to refuse to appear at the venue [38]
Search and Destroy[link]
On the morning of March 26, 2008, Opie & Anthony revealed they had taped a pilot for Comedy Central. The show is titled Search & Destroy and features teams of comedians performing various tasks throughout New York City.[39] Opie and Anthony believe that it may have been too graphic even for cable television.[39] Although Opie and Anthony considered the pilot a success, Comedy Central did not pick the show up.
Controversies[link]
- April Fool's Day: On April 1, 1998, while still on WAAF in Worcester, O&A announced that the mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, had been killed in a car accident in Florida. Things became heated after Menino's daughter called the station believing the story to be true, and the duo was terminated the following week. During the early days of XM, Anthony stated that the intent of the April Fool's prank was to allow the duo to be released from their contract with WAAF. He also stated that the duo had illegal meetings with WNEW before the April Fool's prank. He prefaced these comments with "the statutes of limitations must be up on this." Despite the controversy that was started by the April Fool's Day prank, the duo was hired by WNEW-FM in New York City less than five months later.[40]
- W.O.W.: During their WAAF years, O&A established "Whip 'em Out Wednesdays," which encouraged women to flash their breasts to anyone with a "W.O.W." sign. Consequently, it was common around Massachusetts to see cars with W.O.W. stickers, signs and even painted lettering. The campaign came to an end on WAAF in the summer of 1997, when the station forced the duo to discontinue the stunt and suspended the show for three weeks. W.O.W. has since been reintroduced to the show; W.O.W. stickers and signs are more common in O&A's biggest markets: New York and Boston. The campaign gained notoriety when a woman flashed the famous crowd fly-by camera during a broadcast of The Today Show.[41] They are less visible in other markets, such as San Francisco, as they are more reluctant to back the W.O.W. promotion.
- Voyeur Bus: Fifteen participants in the show's "Voyeur Bus", including the driver, six dancers, and eight associates of the show, were arrested for disorderly conduct. The dancers had performed topless, fully visible through the vehicle's large transparent windows, which was driven along busy Manhattan streets. Charges against the eight associates were later dropped. New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani described the publicity stunt as "stupid." [42]
- Homeless Shopping Spree: In late 1999, shortly before Christmas, O&A held the first "Homeless Shopping Spree", which has since become an annual event. The bit involves a dozen of New York's homeless, who are each given several hundred dollars by the show and much more by the fans, and are taken to a posh shopping mall, most notably the Mall at Short Hills in Short Hills, New Jersey. They are allowed to buy whatever they want, including warm clothes and other items they could not normally afford, while being cheered on by the thousands of listeners who show up. In the 1999 Spree, the mall reacted by closing several of the nicer stores and eventually have the twelve homeless men removed from the mall by security. Boston mayor Thomas Menino expressed outrage at the event, declaring that the Homeless Shopping Spree degraded and humiliated the contestants, and that it was immoral to hold such an event on the same day the city was to do a census count of the homeless townspeople. The event was repeated at the same mall on December 16, 2006.[43]
- "100 Grand": Early in the team's radio career, O&A announced a contest at WAAF in which the 107th caller would receive "100 Grand". They continued this bit throughout the show, careful not to say "$100,000", only "100 Grand". The 107th caller was ecstatic, believing that he had actually won $100,000, and exclaimed that he was planning to buy a new truck with his good fortune. He became furious when Opie informed him that the prize was merely a 100 Grand candy bar, and proceeded to curse loudly on the air, famously calling the duo "a bunch of douche bags."[2]
- T&A with O&A: Opie and Anthony held a station-promoted beach party on the shores of Angola, NY (a suburb of the city of Buffalo) on Saturday July 13, 2002; they claimed 5,000 persons were in attendance. Several female attendees appeared nude or topless, and at least one inserted vegetables into various orifices. Buffalo officials quickly dispersed the crowd, warning O&A and crew not to return, lest they endure legal action. Additionally, FCC complaints were filed despite the event not being broadcast on any medium. Furthermore, reminiscing about the event on their July 25, 2011 show, Opie claimed that shortly after the event took place, management at WNEW informed the duo off-air that police in Erie County (who received over 250 complaints from area residents) had begun the process of securing warrants for their arrest over the incident. The aftermath went unrealized, as it was overshadowed by the more serious "Sex For Sam 3" incident roughly a month later.
- The Eggnog Drinking Challenge: An annual challenge where contestants have to drink as many shots of eggnog as possible before vomiting. On December 1, 2006, during the Challenge, Pat from Moonachie drank 75 double-shots of eggnog and subsequently vomited all over prospective intern Pat Duffy's mouth. This was dubbed the "Baby Bird" by Joe Rogan and became a hit on both the O&A website as well as Break.com due to YouTube's initial refusal to carry the video.[44]
- Condoleezza Rice, Laura Bush & Queen Elizabeth II: A homeless man (Homeless Charlie) making a guest appearance on the XM version of the show described how he would like to have sex with the United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, First Lady Laura Bush, also calling Queen Elizabeth II "horse-faced", an act which the hosts joked could only happen through force.[45] In the wake of the Don Imus firing, there was speculation that O&A might be fired following that segment that aired on their program May 9, 2007. On their Friday show, Opie and Anthony apologized for the bit by begrudgingly saying, "We apologize to the public officials for comments that were made on our XM show on May 9. We take very seriously the responsibility that comes with our creative freedom and regret any offense that this segment has caused."[46] On May 15, 2007, XM suspended Opie and Anthony for 30 days.[13]
- Donald Trump made a handful of calls to the show to promote his television series The Apprentice, and it appeared that relations between the radio show and Donald Trump were positive. However, Trump was later interviewed and called Opie and Anthony "two slobs" and swore never to appear on the show again, seemingly over a press release made by O&A that stated that Trump called them. Trump interpreted that statement as implying that he was desperate for media attention.[47][48] Trump was supposed to call the show on January 10, 2008, but did not.
- Jesse Ventura: The Opie and Anthony Show hosted former Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura on December 2, 2009. During the show, a disagreement between co-host Jim Norton and Ventura erupted into an argument regarding the September 11 attacks, which Ventura has questioned the official account of, as well as the use of the military overseas. Ventura also suggested that Norton did not believe in the Constitution, which the latter strongly denied. Twenty minutes into the debate, Ventura walked off the air and the two exchanged explicit comments towards one another. As Ventura left the room where the show was being held, Norton said, "Fucking baby. Big fucking guy who doesn't like the little guy yelling."[49]
- Weinergate Photo Release During his June 8, 2011 appearance, Andrew Breitbart showed Opie and Anthony a picture of Anthony Weiner's erect penis. A listener forwarded them a screenshot captured from their live Paltalk video feed, and Opie posted it on Twitter. Andrew Breitbart claimed to be very upset at what transpired.[50] Opie had also taken a picture of the photo during the showing without the knowledge of Breitbart.
- Chris Kyle vs Jesse Ventura Former Navy Seal Chris Kyle appeared on the January 4, 2012 show promoting his book American Sniper. A listener called in to ask about Chris allegedly getting into a bar fight with former Governor and Navy Seal Jesse Ventura in 2006. Opie decided to ask Kyle about the rumor. Kyle was surprised by the question, and then confirmed that he did indeed punch Ventura at a bar in Coronado, California during a wake for Michael A. Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who had died in Iraq in 2006. Kyle claimed that Ventura was "letting it known that he didn't agree with the war." Kyle stated he went to Ventura and told him that most of the family members of Navy SEAL personnel who died were present, and it was not the time or the place to start talking about the war. To which Ventura replied that the SEALs "deserve to lose a few guys." This is when Kyle allegedly punched Ventura. After telling the story, radio personality Alex Jones, who is a friend of Ventura, claimed that Kyle was a "war monger" and that the whole interview was staged. This prompted a phone call by Kyle to the January 10, 2012 show by claiming he knew people who were present that will back him up on the story. Alex Jones then called the show and there was an argument to whose story was right.[51] Ventura himself denied Kyle's accusations, saying that despite his opposition to the Iraq War, which ended weeks before the accusations against him emerged, he never had "spoken or wished any ill will towards the soldiers" who served in Iraq.[52] Ventura also stated he would sue Kyle for defamation in court.[53]
Stations[link]
The Opie & Anthony Show is heard on Sirius XM Radio, on XM channel 105, The Opie & Anthony Channel and on Sirius channel 206.
See also[link]
References[link]
- ^ FoundryMusic.Com Media: The Very First O&A Show EVER – 1
- ^ a b Deitz, Corey. "Radio Bloopers, Screwups, Outtakes and Embarrassments – Series 2". Your Guide to Radio (About.com). http://radio.about.com/od/radiobloopersandouttakes/ss/blbloopers2_4.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ "FCC hoax policy". 2005. http://www.fcc.gov/eb/broadcast/hoaxes.html. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ Andrea Adelson (1998-08-13). "On-Air Prank Earns Pair A Shot at Radio Big Time". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E05E4DA1231F930A25754C0A96E958260. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ "Opie & Anthony Return To CBS Radio Beginning Wednesday, April 26". CBS Radio. 2006-04-24. http://www.cbsradio.com/press_center/releases/pressrelease150639-04-24-2006.html. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ RASHBAUM, WILLIAM (2000-02-12). "Escort of Voyeur Bus Suspended by Police". New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F0081FFC34590C718CDDAB0994D8404482. Retrieved 2007-07-05.
- ^ Media: Scrambling Fr The Ball At Xfl. Foundrymusic.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-11.
- ^ McConnell, Bill (2003-11-24). "Infinity to FCC: We Won't Pay Fine". Broadcasting Cable. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA337613.html?display=Washington. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
- ^ "Woman sentenced in cathedral sex case". CNN. 2003-11-07. Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070510002736/http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/11/07/cathedral.sex.ap/index.html. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ "Raging Bulls". Long Island Press. 2006. http://www.longislandpress.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=7427&SectionID=23&SubSectionID=72&S=1. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ "Opie & Anthony Return To DirecTV". FMQB. 2006. http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=206500. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ "OCBS Reporter Arthur Chi'en Fired Dropping F-Bomb". FMQB. 2005. http://gawker.com/104365/cbs-reporter-arthur-chien-fired-dropping-f+bomb. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
- ^ a b "XM Radio Suspends Opie & Anthony". XM Satellite Radio. 2007-05-15. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071013213442/http://xmradio.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=1452. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ Listeners shocked by XM hosts' suspension. Latimes.com (2007-05-17). Retrieved on 2011-11-11.
- ^ "Sponsors pull advertising over O&A suspension". Orbitcast. 2007-05-17. http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/sponsors-pull-advertising-over-oa-suspension.html. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ Opie & Anthony are in. NY Daily News. April 22, 2006
- ^ Simon, Clea (2006-06-24). "Opie and Anthony give 'BCN a boost". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2006/06/24/opie_and_anthony_give_bcn_a_boost/. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
- ^ Hinckley, David (2007-05-01). "With Stern gone, Elvis leads a market that's all shook up". NY Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/05/01/2007-05-01_with_stern_gone_elvis_leads_a_market_tha-2.html. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
- ^ Hinckley, David (2007-10-26). "Ratings bring morning glory again to WINS". NY Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/10/16/2007-10-16_ratings_bring_morning_glory_again_to_win.html. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
- ^ Hinckley, David. (2008-08-17) On the Radio: Listen up, WLTW's still leader of pack. Nydailynews.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-11.
- ^ Klein, Michael (2007-10-23). "‘Opie & Anthony’ dumped by WYSP". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071025004129/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20071023_Opie___Anthony_dumped_by_WYSP.html. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (2009-03-09). "CBS’s K-Rock Is Switching to Top 40". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/nyregion/10radio.html. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- ^ DA-02-1336A1. fcc.gov order. June 7, 2002
- ^ "FCC Issues Fine in Opie & Anthony St. Patrick’s Cathedral Case". Concerned Women for America. http://www.cwfa.org/articles/4685/CWA/pornography/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-01. [dead link]
- ^ FCC-03-234A1.html. fcc.gov order. October 2, 2003
- ^ FCC-04-268A1. fcc.gov order. November 23, 2004
- ^ McGlynn, Katla (February 25, 2011). "Louis C.K. Asks Donald Rumsfeld: Are You A 'Lizard From Outer Space'?". Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/25/louis-ck-donald-rumsfeld_n_828284.html.
- ^ Lohnes, Kate (March 28, 2008). "'Last Comic Standing' comedian Rich Vos in area". www.limaohio.com. http://www.limaohio.com/entertainment/comedy_1600___article.html/comic_writing.html. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
- ^ Serico, Chris (November 27, 2008). "Nick Di Paolo: Home for the holiday". www.LoHud.com. http://lohud.com/article/20081127/ENTERTAINMENT/811270314/-1/SPORTS. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
- ^ Yursik, Patrice (March 13, 2008). "What’s in a Name?". www.MiamiNewTimes.com. http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2008-03-13/calendar/what-s-in-a-name/. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
- ^ C, Steve (2004-11-30). "REQUIRED VIEWING: ESSENTIAL FILMS FOR THE OPIE AND ANTHONY SHOW". http://www.foundrymusic.com/bands/displayheadline.cfm/id/6657. Retrieved 2007-04-14.
- ^ "Movie Quotes and References". OAPedia.com. http://www.oapedia.com/oa/Movie_Quotes_and_References. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ "Patrick Philbin Eater Profile". Archived from the original on October 18, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061018111812/http://www.ifoce.com/eaters.php?action=detail&sn=112. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
- ^ "Eater Review Panel Recommends Philbin Reinstatement". http://www.competitiveeatingnews.com/newsarchive.php?action=detail&sn=67. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
- ^ Radio show host Opie talks listener out of suicide attempt. NY Daily News. June 12, 2008
- ^ "Harggus". Lostpedia. http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Harggus.
- ^ "Sheckler". Lostpedia. http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Sheckler.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ a b Lafayette, Jon. (2008-03-12) Opie & Anthony, 'Krod Mandoon' on Burgeoning Comedy Central Slate – TVWeek – News. TVWeek. Retrieved on 2011-11-11.
- ^ Hinckley, David (September 2, 1998). "BRAVE NEW WORLD TWO UPSTARTS FROM THE OFFBEAT GENERATION BRING TOP ROCK STATION INTO THE SHOCK MARKET". New York: Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1998/09/02/1998-09-02_brave__new_world_two_upstart.html. Retrieved 2008-11-28.
- ^ Today Show flasher • VideoSift: Online Video *Quality Control. Videosift.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-11.
- ^ "'VoyeurBus' performers to sue NYC over arrest". http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=3136. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ A 2008 version of the shopping spree was planned, but the event was quickly dumped as the crew was informed by the overly cautious lawyers that the spree could be conducted only if the mall in question gave permission. No holiday humor in radio pair’s jollies over degrading homeless Boston Herald
- ^ "2006 EGGNOG CHALLENGE: Photos and Videos". FoundryMusic. http://www.foundrymusic.com/opieanthony/displayheadline.cfm/id/10805/div/opieanthony/headline/2006_EGG_NOG_CHALLENGE__Photos_and_Videos.html. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- ^ Hinckley, David (May 11, 2007). "Outrage as guest on 'Opie' show sez he'd rape Condi & Laura". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2007/05/11/2007-05-11_you_cant_say_that.html. Retrieved May 11, 2007.
- ^ Shock Jocks "Opie And Anthony" Still To Air On Monday After Broadcasting Homeless Man's Remarks About Raping Public Figures, AHN, May 14, 2007
- ^ Abelson, Max (2007-07-10). "Opie lands Trump Place condo for $3.35M". New York Observer. http://www.nyobserver.com/2007/opie-spawn-imus-scores-trump-place-condo-3-35-m. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ "WHO CALLS WHOM". New York Post. 2007-01-24. http://www.nypost.com/seven/01242007/gossip/pagesix/who_calls_whom_pagesix_.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ Huff, Richard. "Jesse Ventura walks off 'Opie & Anthony' show after verbal mud fest with Jim Norton". December 3, 2009 (New York: NY Daily News). http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/12/03/2009-12-03_jesse_ventura_walks_off.html. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ "Anthony Weiner Penis Photo Released By Opie And Anthony". Huffington Post. 2011-06-08. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/08/anthony-weiner-penis-photo_n_873182.html. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
- ^ "RADIO HOST CONFRONTS SEAL SNIPER OVER VENTURA BAR BRAWL STORY…AND REVEALS ‘PSY-OPS’ THEORY". Theblaze.com. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/radio-host-confronts-seal-sniper-over-ventura-bar-brawl-story-and-reveals-psy-ops-theory/. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
- ^ Opelka, Mike. "NAVY SEAL SMACKDOWN? JESSE VENTURA DENIES SNIPER’S STORY". http://www.theblaze.com. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/navy-seal-smackdown-jesse-ventura-denies-snipers-story/. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ^ Browning, Dan. "Jesse Ventura aims to get even with Navy SEAL in court". http://www.startribune.com. http://www.startribune.com/local/140362163.html. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
External links[link]
- Official Sites
- SiriusXM (XM105/Sirius206 "The Opie & Anthony Channel" – The Opie & Anthony Channel Homepage.)
- Opie and Anthony on Myspace
- OA Pedia A fan made Opie and Anthony Encyclopedia.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Anthony, Opie And |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Opie_and_Anthony
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opie_and_Anthony
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Honus Wagner | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Wagner with the Pirates in 1903 |
|
| Shortstop | |
| Born: (1874-02-24)February 24, 1874 Chartiers, Pennsylvania (now part of Carnegie, Pennsylvania) |
|
| Died: December 6, 1955(1955-12-06) (aged 81) Carnegie, Pennsylvania |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 19, 1897 for the Louisville Colonels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 17, 1917 for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .327 |
| Hits | 3,415 |
| Runs batted in | 1,732 |
| Home Runs | 101 |
| Doubles | 640 |
| Triples | 252 |
| Teams | |
|
As Player As Coach As Manager |
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Member of the National | |
| Baseball Hall of Fame |
|
| Induction | 1936 |
| Vote | 95.13% (first ballot) |
Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner ( /ˈhɒnəs ˈwæɡnər/; February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955[1] ), nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman" due to his superb speed and German heritage ("Dutch" in this instance being an alteration of "Deutsch"), was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He played in the National League from 1897 to 1917, almost entirely for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wagner won eight batting titles, tied for the most in NL history with Tony Gwynn. He also led the league in slugging six times, and in stolen bases five times.
In 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Wagner as one of the first five members. He received the second-highest vote total, behind Ty Cobb and tied with Babe Ruth.
Although Cobb is frequently cited as the greatest player of the dead-ball era, some contemporaries regarded Wagner as the better all-around player, and most baseball historians consider Wagner to be the greatest shortstop ever. Cobb himself called Wagner "maybe the greatest star ever to take the diamond."[2]
Contents |
Early life[link]
Wagner was born to German immigrants Peter and Katheryn Wagner in the Chartiers neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which is now a part of the borough of Carnegie, Pennsylvania.[3]
Wagner was one of nine children. As a child, he was called Hans by his mother, which later evolved into Honus. "Hans" was also an alternate nickname during his major league career. Wagner dropped out of school at age twelve to help his father and brothers in the coal mines. In their free time, he and his brothers played sandlot baseball and developed their skills to such an extent that three of his brothers went on to become professionals as well.[citation needed]
Wagner's older brother, Albert "Butts" Wagner, who had a brief major-league career himself, is often credited for getting Honus his first tryout. Butts persuaded his manager to take a look at his younger brother. Following his brother, Wagner trained to be a barber before becoming successful in baseball.[citation needed]
In 1894, Wagner married Bessie Baine Smith, and the couple went on to have three daughters, Elva Katrina (born 1918), Betty Baine (born 1919), and Virginia Mae (born 1922).[citation needed]
Professional career[link]
Career before Major League Baseball[link]
Honus' brother Albert "Butts" Wagner was considered the ballplayer of the family. Albert suggested Honus in 1895 when his Inter-State League team was in need of help. In his first year, Honus played for five teams. Ed Barrow of the Atlantic League liked what he saw in Wagner, and, in 1896, he signed him. In 1896, Wagner hit .313. The next year, Honus hit .375 in 74 games played. Edward Barrow became Honus' bridge to the major leagues.
"At shortstop there is only one candidate, the immortal Honus Wagner. He was just head and shoulders above anyone else in that position. Fellows like Marion, Bancroft, Peck and Billy Jurges were all great fielders. But Honus could more than out-field all of them. He was perhaps the greatest right-handed hitter of all time. He had remarkably long arms, hams for hands, and just drew the ball to him. Ed Barrow once told me he could have been as good in any position but he made his greatest name as shortstop. He led the National League seven times at bat and he was always up with the leaders when he was in his forties."
—Babe Ruth[4]
Louisville Colonels[link]
Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games.
By his second season, Wagner was already one of the best hitters in the National League although he came up short a percentage point from finishing the season at .300. Following the 1899 season, the NL contracted from twelve to eight teams, with the Colonels one of four teams eliminated. Along with Wagner, owner Barney Dreyfuss, who had purchased half ownership in the Pirates, took many of his other top players with him to Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Pirates[link]
The move to the Pittsburgh Pirates signified Wagner's emergence as a premier hitter. In 1900, Wagner won his first batting championship with a .381 mark and also led the league in doubles (45), triples (22), and slugging percentage (.573), all of which were career highs. For the next couple of seasons, Wagner's average did not fall below .330.
In 1901, the American League began to sign National League players, creating a bidding war, which depleted the league of many talented players. Wagner was offered a $20,000 contract by the Chicago White Sox, but turned it down and continued to play with the Pirates.
Prior to 1904, Wagner had played several positions, but settled into the shortstop role full-time that season, where he became a skilled fielder. His biography on BaseballLibrary.com describes his gritty style:
- "Bowlegged, barrel-chested, long-limbed... he was often likened to an octopus. When he fielded grounders, his huge hands also collected large scoops of infield dirt, which accompanied his throws to first like the tail of a comet."[5]
In 1898, Wagner won a distance contest in Louisville by throwing a baseball more than 403 feet.[6] In August 1899, he became the first player credited with stealing second base, third, and home in succession under the new rule differentiating between advanced bases and stolen bases. He repeated the feat in 1902, 1907, and 1909. Wagner retired with the National League record for most steals of home (27), which was broken by Greasy Neale in 1922.
In September 1905, Wagner signed a contract to produce the first bat with a player's signature; the Honus Wagner was to become a best-seller for years. One month later, with one point separating him from Reds center fielder Cy Seymour for the batting title, Wagner fell short in a head-to-head matchup on the final day of the season, with Seymour collecting four hits to Wagner's two, as contemporary press reports stated that the fans were far more interested in the Seymour-Wagner battle than in the outcome of the games.
Shortly before the 1908 season, Wagner retired. Starting to panic, owner Barney Dreyfuss offered him $10,000, making him the highest paid player for many years. He returned to the Pirates early in the 1908 season, and finished two home runs short of the league's Triple Crown, leading the league in hitting (for the sixth time)‚ hits‚ total bases‚ doubles‚ triples‚ RBI‚ and stolen bases. Wagner took over the batting lead from the New York Giants' flamboyant outfielder Mike Donlin during a July 25 game against the Giants and their star pitcher Christy Mathewson. Wagner was 5-for-5 in the game; after each hit, he reportedly held up another finger to Donlin, who went hitless, and who had just beaten runner-up Wagner by a wide margin in a "most popular player" poll.
Bill James cites Wagner's 1908 season as the greatest single season for any player in baseball history. He notes that the league ERA of 2.35 was the lowest of the dead ball era and about half of the ERAs of modern baseball. Since Wagner hit .354 with 109 RBI in an environment when half as many runs were scored as today, he asks, "if you had a Gold Glove shortstop, like Wagner, who drove in 218 runs, what would he be worth?"[7]
1903 and 1909 World Series[link]
In 1903, the Pirates played the Boston Americans in Major League Baseball's inaugural World Series. Wagner, by this point, was an established star and much was expected of him, especially since the Pirates' starting rotation was decimated by injury. Wagner himself was not at full strength and hit only .222 for the series. The Americans, meanwhile, had some fans, called the "Royal Rooters" who, whenever Wagner came to bat, sang "Honus, Honus, why do you hit so badly?" to the tune of "Tessie", a popular song of the day. The Rooters, led by Boston bartender Michael "Nuf Ced" McGreevy, even travelled to Pittsburgh to continue their heckling. Pittsburgh lost in the best-of-nine series, five games to three, to a team led by pitchers Cy Young and Bill Dinneen and third baseman-manager Jimmy Collins. Christy Mathewson, in his book "Pitching in a Pinch" wrote: "For some time after "Hans" Wagner's poor showing in the world's series of 1903... it was reported that he was "yellow" (poor in the clutch). This grieved the Dutchman deeply, for I don't know a ball player in either league who would assay less quit to the ton than Wagner... This was the real tragedy in Wagner's career. Notwithstanding his stolid appearance, he is a sensitive player, and this has hurt him more than anything else in his life ever has."[8]
Wagner was distraught by his performance. The following spring, he refused to send his portrait to a "Hall of Fame" for batting champions, citing his play in the World Series. "I was too bum last year," he wrote. "I was a joke in that Boston-Pittsburgh Series. What does it profit a man to hammer along and make a few hits when they are not needed only to fall down when it comes to a pinch? I would be ashamed to have my picture up now."[9]
Wagner and the Pirates were given a chance to prove that they were not "yellow" in 1909. The Pirates faced Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers. The series was the only meeting of the two superior batsmen of the day, and the first time that the batting champions of each league faced one another (this later occurred twice more, in the 1931 and 1954 World Series). Wagner was by this time 35 years old, Cobb just 22.
This time, Wagner could not be stifled as he outhit Cobb, .333 to .231, and stole six bases, establishing the new Series record. The speed demon Cobb only managed two steals, one of which Cobb himself admitted was a botched call. Wagner recounted: "We had him out at second. We put up a squawk, but Silk O'Loughlin, the umpire, overruled it. We kept the squawk going for a minute or so, making no headway of course, and then Cobb spoke up. He turned to O'Loughlin, an American League umpire, by the way, and said, 'Of course I was out. They had me by a foot. You just booted the play, so come on, let's play ball.' ."[10]
There was also a story that was widely circulated over the years and famously recounted in Lawrence Ritter's The Glory of Their Times, that at one point Cobb was on first; he bragged to Wagner that he was going to steal second; Wagner placed an especially rough tag to Cobb's mouth; and the two exchanged choice words. Cobb denied it in his autobiography, and the play-by-play of the 1909 World Series confirms that the event could not have happened as stated: Cobb was never tagged out by Wagner in a caught-stealing. The Pirates won the series four games to three behind the pitching of Babe Adams.
"When I was a boy growing up in Kansas, a friend of mine and I went fishing and as we sat there on the warmth of a summer afternoon we talked about what we wanted to do when we grew up. I told him I wanted to be a major league baseball player, a genuine professional like Honus Wagner. My friend said that he'd like to be president of the United States. Neither of us got our wish."
—Dwight D. Eisenhower[11]
Later career[link]
In 1910, Wagner's average fell to .320, his lowest average since 1898. Nevertheless, he aged exceptionally well; the three highest OPS+ seasons by any shortstop aged 35 or older belong to Wagner, and even his age-41 season ranks 8th on the list.
Wagner won the 1911 batting title by the narrowest of margins. He went hitless in a 1-0 win against the Cubs on May 30, but a successful league protest by the Cubs wiped out the result (and Wagner's at-bats). Wagner ended up edging the Boston Rustlers' Doc Miller, .334 to .333. The Pirates were in contention into August, but an ankle injury sidelined Wagner for 25 games and the team slid from the race.
By 1912, Wagner was the oldest player in the National League. On June 9, 1914, at age 40, Wagner recorded his 3,000th hit, a double off Philadelphia's Erskine Mayer, the second player in baseball history to reach the figure, after Cap Anson, and Nap Lajoie joined them three months later. This accomplishment, however, came during a down period for Wagner and Pirates. Wagner hit only .252 in 1914, the lowest average of his career. In July 1915, he became the oldest player to hit a grand slam, a record which stood for 70 years until topped by 43-year-old Tony Perez. In 1916, Wagner became the oldest player to hit an inside-the-park home run.
In 1917, following another retirement, Wagner returned for his final, abbreviated season. Returning in June, he was spiked in July and played only sparingly for the remainder of the year, batting .265. He briefly held the role of interim manager, but after going 1–4, Wagner told owner Dreyfuss the job was not for him. He retired as the NL's all-time hit leader, with 3,430. (Subsequent research has since revised this total to 3,418.) It took 45 years for St. Louis' Stan Musial to surpass Wagner's hit total.
Wagner has been considered one of the very best all-around players to ever play baseball since the day he retired in 1917. Baseball historian and statistician Bill James named Honus Wagner as the second best player of all time after Babe Ruth, rating him as the best major league player in 1900 and each year from 1902 to 1908.[12][13] Statisticians John Thorn and Pete Palmer rate Wagner as ninth all-time in their "Total Player Ranking".[14] Many of the greats who played or managed against Wagner, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, and Walter Johnson, list him at shortstop on their All-Time teams.[15]
Life after baseball[link]
He was not done playing baseball after his retirement from the MLB. He managed and played for a semi-pro team.
After retirement, Wagner served the Pirates as a coach for 39 years, most notably as a hitting instructor from 1933 to 1952. Arky Vaughan, Ralph Kiner, Pie Traynor (player-manager from 1934–1939), and Hank Greenberg (although, Greenberg was in his final major league season, his only season with Pirates in 1947 and very well established) all future Hall of Famers, were notable "pupils" of Wagner. During this time, he wore uniform number 14, but later changed it to his more famous 33, which was later retired for him. His entire playing career was in the days before uniform numbers were worn. His appearances at National League stadiums during his coaching years were always well received and Wagner remained a beloved ambassador of baseball. Wagner also coached baseball and basketball at what is now Carnegie Mellon University.
In 1928, Wagner ran for sheriff of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania but lost. He was made deputy county sheriff in 1942. He also ran a well-known sporting goods company. A sporting goods store bearing the name "Honus Wagner" operated in downtown Pittsburgh for 93 years before closing permanently in 2011.[16]
The Pirates hosted the 1944 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Forbes Field. Wagner was invited to be an honorary coach for the National League squad, the first time this honor was bestowed in Major League Baseball's All-Star Game.[17]
Wagner lived the remainder of his life in Pittsburgh, where he was well known as a friendly figure around town. He died on December 6, 1955 at the age of 81, and he is buried at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh.
Film legacy[link]
Wagner, along with his famous baseball card, was one of the earliest athletes to make the crossover into pop culture film. He starred as the sports hero in both 1919's Spring Fever and 1922's In the Name of the Law. More recently, he has been depicted as the subject of The Winning Season, as well as in a brief scene in the movie Cobb.
Baseball legacy[link]
 |
|
| Honus Wagner's number 33 was retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1956. |
When the Baseball Hall of Fame held its first election in 1936, Wagner tied for second in the voting with Babe Ruth, trailing Cobb. A 1942 Sporting News poll of 100 former players and managers confirmed this opinion, with Wagner finishing 43 votes behind Cobb and six ahead of Ruth. In 1969, on the 100th anniversary of professional baseball, a vote was taken to honor the greatest players ever, and Wagner was selected as the all-time shortstop. In 1999, 82 years after his last game and 44 years since his death, Wagner was voted Number 13 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Players, where he was again the highest-ranking shortstop. That same year, he was selected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team by the oversight committee, after losing out in the popular vote to Cal Ripken, Jr. and Ernie Banks.[18]
Christy Mathewson asserted that Wagner was the only player he faced that did not have a weakness. Mathewson felt the only way to keep Wagner from hitting was to not pitch to him.[19]
"A stirring march and two step," titled "Husky Hans", and "respectfully dedicated to Hans Wagner, Three time Champion Batsman of The National League" was written by William J. Hartz in 1904.
Bill James says that Wagner is easily the greatest shortstop of all time, noting that the difference between Wagner and the second greatest shortstop, in James's estimation Arky Vaughan, is roughly the same as the gulf between Vaughan and the 20th greatest shortstop.
Wagner is mentioned in the poem "Line-Up for Yesterday" by Ogden Nash.
Line-Up for Yesterday
W is for Wagner,
The bowlegged beauty;
Short was closed to all traffic
With Honus on duty.
A life-size statue of Wagner swinging a bat, atop a marble pedestal featuring admiring children, was forged by a local sculptor named Frank Vittor, and placed outside the left field corner gate at Forbes Field. It was dedicated on April 30, 1955, and the then-frail Wagner was well enough to attend and wave to his many fans. The Pirates have relocated twice since then, and the statue has come along with them. It now stands outside the main gate of PNC Park. The statue roughly faces the site of the Pirates' original home, Exposition Park, so in a sense Wagner has come full circle.
Wagner is honored in the form of a small stadium residing behind Carnegie Elementary School on Washington Avenue in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. The stadium serves as the home field for Carlynton High School varsity sports.
In 2000, Wagner was honored with a U.S. postage stamp. The stamp was issued as part of a "Legends of Baseball" series that honored twenty all-time greats in conjunction with MLB's All Century team.
T206 Baseball card[link]
Main article: T206 Honus Wagner
The T206 Honus Wagner baseball card is one of the rarest and most expensive baseball cards in the world, as only 57 copies are known to exist.[21] The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) from 1909 to 1911 as part of its T206 series. Wagner refused to allow production of his baseball card to continue. The ATC ended production of the Wagner card and a total of only 57 to 200 cards were ever distributed to the public. In 1933, the card was first listed at a price value of US $50 in Jefferson Burdick's The American Card Catalog, making it the most expensive baseball card in the world at the time.
The American Tobacco Company was formed as a result of an 1889 merger of five major cigarette manufacturers—W. Duke & Sons & Company, Allen & Ginter, Goodwin & Company, F. S. Kinney Company and William S. Kimball & Company. Because the company came to monopolize the tobacco industry, ATC did not have to conduct advertising or promotions for its products. Since baseball cards were used primarily as a sales promotion, ATC removed them from its tobacco packs, almost driving the cards into obsolescence.[22] During the presidency of trust-buster Theodore Roosevelt, the ATC was subjected to legal action from the government, in hopes of shutting down the monopoly in the industry.[22]
The typical card in the T206 series had a width of 1 7/16 inches (3.65 cm) and a height of 2 5/8 inches (6.67 cm). Some cards were awkwardly shaped or irregularly sized, which prompted a belief that many of the cards in the series had been altered at one point or another. In his work Inside T206: A Collector Guide to the Classic Baseball Card Set, Scot A. Reader wrote that "[i]t is not at all uncommon to find T206 examples that have been altered at some point during their near-century of existence."[23] These discrepancies were taken advantage of by "card doctors" who trimmed corners and dirty edges to improve the appearance of the card. The front of all T206 series cards, including the Wagner card, displayed a lithograph of the player[24] created by a multi-stage printing process in which a number of colors were printed on top of each other to create a lithograph with the appropriate design. The backs of the cards featured the monochromatic colors of the 16 tobacco brands for which the cards were printed.[25] The Wagner cards in particular advertised the Piedmont and Sweet Caporal brands of cigarettes and were produced at Factory 25 in Virginia, as indicated by the factory stamp imprinted on the back of the cards.[26]
Starting from January 1909, the ATC sought authorization from baseball players for inclusion in the T206 series, which featured 524 major league players, 76 of whom were later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.[27][28] Wagner had been at the top of his game throughout the decade, and was even considered the game's greatest player at the time.[29] He had appeared on advertisements for a number of other products such as chewing gum, gunpowder and soft drinks. Unsurprisingly, the ATC asked for Wagner's permission to have his picture on a baseball card. According to an October 12, 1912 issue of The Sporting News, Wagner did not give his consent to appear on the baseball card. In response to the authorization request letter sent by John Gruber, a Pittsburgh sportswriter hired by the ATC to seek Wagner's permission, Wagner wrote that he "did not care to have his picture in a package of cigarettes." He threatened to seek legal action against ATC if they went ahead and created his baseball card.[30]
A near-mint-condition T206 Wagner card sold in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card. In 2010, a previously unknown copy of the card was donated to the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Baltimore. The card, which is in poor condition, sold in November 2010 to a collector for $262,000, well over the $150,000 that was expected at auction. The card came with Sister Virginia Muller brother's handwritten note. "Although damaged, the value of this baseball card should increase exponentially throughout the 21st century!" [31]
On April 20, 2012, a New Jersey resident purchased a VG-3 graded T206 Wagner card for more than $1.2 million. [32]
Statistics[link]
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS+ | TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,792 | 10,430 | 1,736 | 3,415 | 640 | 252 | 101 | 1,732 | 722 | 15 | 963 | 327 | .327 | .391 | .466 | 150 | 4,862 |
The figures on Baseball-Reference.com are as follows.[33] Other private research sites may have different figures. Caught Stealing is not shown comprehensively for Wagner's MLB.com totals, because the stat was not regularly captured until 1920.
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS+ | TB | SH | HBP |
| 2,794 | 10,439 | 1,739 | 3,420 | 643 | 252 | 101 | 1,733 | 723 | 26 | 963 | 737 | .328 | .391 | .467 | 151 | 4,870 | 221 | 125 |
See also[link]
- 3,000 hit club
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- List of Major League Baseball doubles records
- List of Major League Baseball triples records
- Hitting for the cycle
- List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
- List of Major League Baseball player–managers
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
References[link]
- ^ "Honus Wagner". infoplease.com. http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0109730.html. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ^ Cobb, Ty (1993). My Life in Baseball. U of Nebraska Press. pp. 283 pgs. ISBN 0-8032-6359-7.
- ^ "Hall of Fame profile". baseballhalloffame.org. Archived from the original on 2008-04-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20080408143813/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=123784. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
- ^ The Babe Ruth Story. Scholastic. 1948. pp. 224.
- ^ http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=honus_wagner_1874
- ^ http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=honus_wagner_1874&page=chronology
- ^ The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, by Bill James, The Free Press, 2001, pp. 548-549.
- ^ Mathewson, Christy (2008). Pitching In A Pinch. Read Books. pp. 324 pgs. ISBN 1-4086-9102-7.
- ^ Valeria, Dennis and Jeanne Burke (1995). Honus Wagner: A Biography. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 85–86. ISBN 0-8229-5665-9.
- ^ Williams, Joe (1989). The Joe Williams Baseball Reader. Algonquin Books. pp. 205 pgs. ISBN 0-945575-07-6.
- ^ Baseball: An Illustrated History. Alfred A. Knopf. 1994. pp. 49.
- ^ The New Bill James Historical Baseball Almanac, by Bill James, The Free Press, 2001
- ^ Bill James (1988). The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Villard. pp. 448.
- ^ Thorn, John (1997). Total Baseball. Penguin USA. pp. 2464 pgs. ISBN 0-670-87511-2.
- ^ Bill James (1988). The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Villard. pp. 157.
- ^ Mark Belko (January 5, 2011). "Downtown Honus Wagner store has finally struck out". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11005/1115586-28.stm. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^ Louis Effrat (1944-07-04). "National League Managers Pick 6 Cardinals for All-Star Squad; Munger and Lanier Lead Hurlers, With Walters of Reds -- Musial, Walker of Brooks and Nicholson Top Hitters". New York Times: p. 23. http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F70E1FF73B55157B93C6A9178CD85F408485F9.
- ^ "All Century Team". baseball-almanac.com. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/limc100.shtml. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
- ^ Mathewson, Christy. "Pitching in a Pinch." Brunauer Press, 2008.
- ^ "Line-Up For Yesterday by Ogden Nash". Ogden Nash. Sport Magazine. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_line.shtml. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ^ James, Bill (2001). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 358. ISBN 0-684-80697-5. James, one of baseball's premier historians and statisticians, ranked Wagner as the second-best player of all time, behind Babe Ruth. Wagner was selected the shortstop on the Major League Baseball All-Time Team in 1997, and was one of three shortstops named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
- ^ a b O'Keeffe, Michael; Teri Thompson (2007). The Card: Collectors, Con Men, and the True Story of History's Most Desired Baseball Card. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 32. ISBN 0-06-112392-7.
- ^ Reader, Scot A. (2006) (PDF). Inside T206: A Collector's Guide to the Classic Baseball Card Set (3rd edition ed.). pp. 13. http://www.oldcardboard.com/t/t206/InsideT206-3-edition.pdf.
- ^ Reader, p11.
- ^ Reader, p12.
- ^ Reader, p45.
- ^ Reader, p9.
- ^ Wong, Stephen (2005). Smithsonian Baseball: Inside the World's Finest Private Collections. New York, New York: HarperCollins. pp. 66. ISBN 0-06-083851-5.
- ^ James, p132.
- ^ Davis, Ralph S. (1912-10-12). "Wagner A Wonder: One Player In Game Who Is Not Money Mad" (PDF). The Sporting News. http://www.explorepahistory.com/~expa/cms/pbfiles/Project1/Scheme40/ExplorePAHistory-a0b9s7-a_514.pdf. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
- ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Nuns-cash-in-big-on-sale-of-Honus-Wagner-T-206-c?urn=mlb-282866
- ^ Holleman, Joe (April 20, 2012). "Rare baseball card tops $1 million in auction". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/columns/joe-holleman/rare-baseball-card-tops-million-in-auction/article_ce495b48-8996-11e1-98ed-0019bb30f31a.html. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
- ^ Honus Wagner - Baseball-reference.com
Bibliography[link]
- Hall of Fame Network: "Honus Wagner as Mona Lisa" http://www.hofmag.com/content/view/1038/30/
- Honus Wagner: A Biography, by Dennis DeValeria and Jeanne Burke DeValeria, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1995.
- Hittner, Arthur D. Honus Wagner: The Life of Baseball's "Flying Dutchman." Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1996 and 2003 (softcover). Winner of the 1996 Seymour Medal, awarded by the Society for American Baseball Research.
- Honus and Me by Dan Gutman
Honus and me by Dan Gutman fact and fiction section
External links[link]
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Honus Wagner |
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Honus Wagner at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- The T206 Collection - The Players & Their Stories
- Honus Wagner's Obit - The New York Times, Tuesday, December 6, 1955
- Honus-Wagner.org
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Wagner, Honus |
| Alternative names | Wagner, John Peter; The Flying Dutchman |
| Short description | Major League Baseball player |
| Date of birth | February 24, 1874 |
| Place of birth | Chartiers, Pennsylvania |
| Date of death | December 6, 1955 |
| Place of death | Carnegie, Pennsylvania |
http://wn.com/Honus_Wagner
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/Honus Wagner
http://de.wn.com/Honus Wagner
http://es.wn.com/Honus Wagner
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honus_Wagner
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
For other people named Pete Rose, see Pete Rose (disambiguation).
| Pete Rose | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Outfielder / Infielder / Manager | |
| Born: (1941-04-14) April 14, 1941 (age 71) Cincinnati, Ohio |
|
| Batted: Switch | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 8, 1963 for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 17, 1986 for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .303 |
| Hits | 4,256 |
| Home runs | 160 |
| Runs batted in | 1,314 |
| Teams | |
|
As player
As manager |
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
MLB Records
|
|
Peter Edward Rose (born April 14, 1941), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989.
Rose, a switch hitter, is the all-time Major League leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053) and outs (10,328).[1] He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award, and made 17 All-Star appearances at an unequaled five different positions (2B, LF, RF, 3B & 1B).
In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds, including claims that he bet on his own team. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction, after previously excluding such players by informal agreement among voters. In 2004, after years of public denial, Rose admitted to betting on baseball and on, but not against, the Reds.[2] The issue of Rose's possible re-instatement, and election, to the Hall of Fame remains a contentious one throughout baseball.
Contents |
Early life[link]
Peter Edward Rose was born April 14, 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio, one of four children born to Harry Francis "Pete" and LaVerne Rose. He was a member of the Order of DeMolay as a young boy, and was encouraged by his parents to participate in sports.
Rose played both baseball and football at Western Hills High School. He was small for his age but earned the starting running back position on his freshman football team. When he was not promoted to the varsity football team in his sophomore year, Rose was dejected and lost interest in his studies. At the end of the school year, Rose's teachers decreed that he would have to attend summer school or be held back. Harry Rose decided that it would be better for Pete to repeat a year of school than miss a summer playing baseball. Plus, it would give Pete an extra year to mature physically. When Pete reached his senior year, he had already used up his four years of sports eligibility, so in the Spring of 1960, he joined the Class AA team sponsored by Frisch's Big Boy of Lebanon, Ohio in the Dayton Amateur League. He played catcher, second base and shortstop and compiled a .626 batting average. This would have been the pinnacle of Rose's baseball career if not for the help of his uncle Buddy Bloebaum. Bloebaum was a bird dog scout for the Reds and he pleaded the case for his nephew. The Reds, who had recently traded away a number of prospects who turned out to be very good, decided to take a chance on Pete. Upon his graduation from high school, Rose signed a professional contract.
Cincinnati Reds[link]
Rookie of the Year[link]
During a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox in 1963, the Reds' regular second baseman, Don Blasingame, pulled a groin muscle; Rose got his chance and made the most of it. During another spring training game against the New York Yankees, Whitey Ford gave him the derisive nickname "Charlie Hustle" after Rose sprinted to first base after drawing a walk. Despite (or perhaps because of) the manner in which Ford intended it, Rose adopted that nickname as a badge of honor. In Ken Burns' documentary Baseball, Mickey Mantle claimed that Ford gave Rose the nickname after Rose, playing in left field, made an effort to climb the fence to try to catch a Mantle home run that everyone could see was headed over everything.
Rose made the club, and made his major league debut on April 8, 1963 (Opening Day) against the Pittsburgh Pirates and drew a walk. After going 0-for-11, Rose got his first Major League hit on April 13, a triple off Pittsburgh's Bob Friend. He hit .273 for the year and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, collecting 17 of 20 votes.
Rose entered the US Army Reserves after the 1963 baseball season. He was assigned to Fort Knox for six months of active duty, which was followed by six years of regular attendance with a 478th Engineering Battalion USAR at Fort Thomas, Kentucky. At Fort Knox, he was a platoon guide and graduated from United States Army Basic Training January 18, 1964, one week before his marriage to Karolyn. Rose then remained at Fort Knox to assist the sergeant in training the next platoon and to help another sergeant train the Fort's baseball team. Later in his Fort Thomas service, Rose served as company cook which entailed coming in early for the one weekend/month meeting so that he could get out early enough to participate in local Reds games. Other Reds players in the unit included Johnny Bench, Bobby Tolan, and Darrel Chaney.
Early years[link]
On April 23, 1964, in the top of the ninth inning of a scoreless game in Colt Stadium, Rose reached first base on an error and scored on another error to make Houston Astros Ken Johnson the first pitcher to lose a complete game no-hitter. However, he slumped late in the season, was benched, and finished with just a .269 average. He continued to play winter ball in Venezuela with Leones del Caracas team during 1964–1965 season to improve his batting. Rose came back in 1965, leading the league in hits (209) and at-bats (670), and finishing sixth in NL MVP balloting. It was the first of his ten seasons with 200-plus hits, and his .312 batting average was the first of nine consecutive .300 seasons. He hit a career-High 16 home runs in 1966, then switched positions from second base to right field the following year.
In 1968, Rose started the season with a 22-game hit streak, missed three weeks (including the All-Star Game) with a broken thumb, then had a 19-game hit streak late in the season. He had to finish the season 6-for-9 to beat out Matty Alou and win the first of two close NL batting-title races with a .335 average. He finished second to St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson for the NL MVP award, earning six first place votes.
Rose had his best offensive season in 1969, setting a career high in batting (.348) and tying his career-best 16 homers. As the Reds' leadoff man, he was the team's catalyst, rapping 218 hits, walking 88 times and pacing the league in runs with 120. He hit 33 doubles, 11 triples, drove in 82 runs, slugged .512 (by far the highest mark of his long career), and had a .432 OBP (also a career best). Rose and Roberto Clemente were tied for the batting title going into the final game; Rose bunted for a base hit in his last at-bat of the season to beat out Clemente (.345).
1970 All-Star game[link]
On July 14, 1970, in brand-new Riverfront Stadium (opened just two weeks earlier), Rose was involved in one of the most famous plays in All-Star Game history. Leading off against the California Angels' Clyde Wright in the 12th inning, Rose hit a single and advanced to second on another single by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Billy Grabarkewitz. The Chicago Cubs’ Jim Hickman then singled sharply to center. Amos Otis' throw went past Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse, as Rose barreled over Fosse to score the winning run. It has been written that Fosse suffered a separated shoulder in the collision, but it went undiagnosed initially. Fosse continued to hit for average (he finished the season at .307), but with diminished power—he had 16 home runs before the break but only two after. He played through the 1979 season, but never approached his first-year numbers.[3] The collision also caused Rose to miss three games with a bruised knee. As can be seen in a replay of the event, Rose initially intended to slide headfirst as he usually did, but when Fosse blocked the plate prior to the throw reaching home, an off-balance Rose came back up and ran through Fosse as the throw went by. Immediately after the play, Rose can be seen trying to check on the injured Fosse as Rose's National League teammates ran onto the field to celebrate his winning run.
1973 season[link]
In 1973, Rose led the league with 230 hits and a .338 batting average en route to winning the NL MVP award, and leading "the Big Red Machine" to the 1973 National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.
During the fifth inning of game three of the series, Joe Morgan hit a double play ball to Mets first baseman John Milner with Rose on first. Rose's slide into second attempting to break up the double play incited a fight with Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson, resulting in a bench-clearing brawl. The game was nearly called off when, after the Reds took the field, the Shea Stadium crowd threw objects from the stands at Rose, causing Reds manager Sparky Anderson to pull his team off the field until order was restored. Mets Manager Yogi Berra and players Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Cleon Jones, and Rusty Staub were actually summoned by NL President Chub Feeney out to left field to calm the fans. The Reds ended up losing the game, 7–2, and the NLCS, 3–2, despite Rose’s .381 batting average in the series, and his eighth-inning home run to tie Game One and his 12th-inning home run to win Game Four.
The Big Red Machine[link]
Main article: The Big Red Machine
The Cincinnati Reds of the 1970s earned the nickname "the Big Red Machine," and is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest teams ever. On a team with many great players, Rose, along with Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez, was viewed as one of the club's leaders.
In 1975, Rose earned the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. The following year, he was a major force in helping the Reds repeat as World Series champions. The 1976 Reds swept the Phillies 3–0 in the 1976 National League Championship Series, then swept the Yankees 4–0 in the World Series. The 1976 Cincinnati Reds remain the only team since the expansion of the playoffs in 1969 to go undefeated in the postseason. The Reds have not lost a World Series game since Carlton Fisk's extra inning home run in 1975, a span of 9 straight wins. What tends to get overlooked was that in 1975 and 1976, it was the successful changing of Rose's primary position from the outfield to fill the void at third base (3B) that seemed to solidify the Reds team for these 2 championship seasons as this move enabled the Reds to use power hitting outfielder George Foster more.
44-game hitting streak[link]
On May 5, 1978, Rose became the 13th player in major league history to collect his 3,000th career hit, with a single off Montreal Expos pitcher Steve Rogers. On June 14 in Cincinnati, Rose singled in the first inning off Cubs pitcher Dave Roberts; Rose would proceed to get a hit in every game he played until August 1, making a run at Joe DiMaggio’s record 56-game hitting streak, which had stood virtually unchallenged for 37 years. The streak started quietly, but by the time it had reached 30 games, the media took notice and a pool of reporters accompanied Rose and the Reds to every game. On July 19 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Rose was hitless going into the ninth with his team trailing. He ended up walking in the eighth inning and the streak appeared over. But the Reds managed to bat through their entire lineup, giving Rose another chance to bat in the ninth inning. Facing Ron Reed, Rose laid down a perfect bunt single to extend the streak to 32 games.
He would eventually tie Willie Keeler's 1897 single season National League record at 44 games, but on August 1, the streak came to an end as Gene Garber of the Atlanta Braves struck out Rose in the ninth inning. The competitive Rose was sour after the game, blasting Garber and the Braves for treating the situation "like it was the ninth inning of the 7th game of the World Series" [4] Instead of being insulted, Garber took the comment as a compliment: "I said to myself, 'Well, thanks Pete. That's how I try to pitch every time I'm in a game'."
Philadelphia Phillies[link]
The Philadelphia Phillies had won the National League East three years running (1976–1978) two of which were won with 101 win seasons, but were unable to make it to the World Series. In 1979, believing that he was the player who could bring them over the top, the Phillies temporarily made Rose the highest-paid athlete in team sports when they signed him to a four-year, $3.2-million contract as a free agent. With perennial All-Star Mike Schmidt firmly entrenched at third, Rose made the final position change of his career to first base.
Although they missed the postseason in his first year with the team, they earned three division titles (one in the first half of the strike shortened 1981 season), two World Series appearances and their first ever World Series title (1980) in the following four years.
The worst season of Rose's career was also the season that the Phillies played in their second World Series in four years, 1983. Rose batted only .245 with 121 hits, and found himself benched during the latter part of the '83 season, appearing periodically to play and pinch hit. Rose did blossom as a pinch-hitter, with 8 hits in 21 at bats, a .381 average.
Rose bounced back in a big way during the postseason, batting .375 (6-for-16) during the N.L. Playoffs against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and .312 in the World Series (5-for-16). Rose collected only one hit in his first eight at-bats in the first two games in Baltimore against the 1983 A.L. Champions. Rose found himself benched for game three back in Philadelphia, and would ground out in a pinch-hitting appearance. Worse yet, Rose showed some unsportsmanlike attitude toward his own manager, Paul Owens, complaining about his benching in a pre-game interview with ABC's Howard Cosell. Rose bounced back with four hits in his last seven at-bats in the remaining two games. Still, the Phillies lost decisively to the Baltimore Orioles in the 1983 World Series, 4 games to 1.
Montreal Expos[link]
Rose was granted an unconditional release from the Phillies in late October 1983. Phillies management wanted to retain Rose for the 1984 season, but he refused to accept a more limited playing role. Months later, he signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Expos. On April 13, 1984, the 21st anniversary of his first career hit, Rose doubled off of the Phillies’ Jerry Koosman for his 4,000th career hit, becoming only the second player in the 4000 hit club (joining Ty Cobb).
Back to Cincinnati[link]
Rose was traded to the Reds for infielder Tom Lawless on August 15, 1984 and was immediately named player-manager, replacing Reds' manager Vern Rapp. Though he only batted .259 for the Expos, his average jumped to .365 with the Reds, as he managed them to a 19–22 record for the remainder of the season.
On September 11, 1985, Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record with his 4,192nd hit, a single to left-center field off San Diego Padres pitcher Eric Show. According to its Web site, MLB.com, Major League Baseball continues to recognize Cobb's final hit total as 4,191, though independent research has revealed that two of Cobb's hits were counted twice.[5][6] Because of this, it has been suggested that Rose actually broke Cobb's record against the Cubs' Reggie Patterson with a single in the first inning of a Reds' 5–5 called game against Chicago on September 8. Because Rose broke Cobb's record, ABC's Wide World of Sports named Rose as its Athlete of the Year that year. Rose accumulated a total of 4,256 hits before his final career at-bat, a strikeout against San Diego’s Rich Gossage on August 17, 1986.
Retirement from playing[link]
On November 11, Rose was dropped from the Reds’ 40-man roster to make room for pitcher Pat Pacillo, and he unofficially retired as a player, however, he continued as manager. "Charlie Hustle" finished with an incredible number of Major League and National League records that have lasted for many years. Rose, always proud of his ability to hit .300 or better in 15 of his 24 playing seasons, has a lifetime .303 batting average.
Rose managed the Reds from August 15, 1984, to August 24, 1989, with a 426–388 record. During his four full seasons at the helm (1985–1988), the Reds posted four second-place finishes in the NL West division. His 426 managerial wins rank fifth in Reds history.
30 days suspension[link]
On April 30, 1988 during a home game against the New York Mets, following a call by umpire Dave Pallone, which allowed the Mets' eventual winning run to score in the 6–5 game, Rose argued and made physical contact with the umpire, pushing him. Rose claimed that Pallone had scratched him in the face during the argument, which provoked the push. National League president A. Bartlett Giamatti suspended Rose for 30 days, which was the longest suspension ever levied for an on-field incident involving a manager. Cincinnati fans, upset with what they viewed as Pallone initiating contact with the player, showered the field with paper cups, programs and other harmless debris. The umpiring crew then walked off the field for several minutes. When the umpires returned, fans assumed the crew coming back onto the field would not include Pallone. When they realized he was returning to the field, a near-riot ensued at Riverfront Stadium. Fans then showered the field with heavier objects, such as transistor radios and batteries. The length of the suspension did allow Rose to undergo and fully recuperate from knee surgery.[7]
Permanent ineligibility[link]
Amid reports that he had bet on baseball, Rose was questioned in February 1989 by outgoing commissioner Peter Ueberroth and his replacement, Bart Giamatti. Rose denied the allegations and Ueberroth dropped the investigation. However, three days after Giamatti became Commissioner, lawyer John M. Dowd was retained to investigate these charges against Rose. Sports Illustrated, who first reported the story of Rose's gambling on March 21, 1989,[8] gave the public their first detailed report of the allegations that Rose had placed bets on baseball games. Sports Illustrated ran the cover story in issue for the week of April 3, 1989.[9]
Dowd interviewed many of Rose's associates, including alleged bookies and bet runners. He delivered a summary of his findings to the Commissioner in May. In it, Dowd documented Rose's alleged gambling activities in 1985 and 1986 and compiled a day-by-day account of Rose's alleged betting on baseball games in 1987. The Dowd Report documented his alleged bets on 52 Reds games in 1987, where Rose wagered a minimum of $10,000 a day. Others involved in the allegations claim that number was actually $2,000 a day.
According to the Dowd Report itself, "no evidence was discovered that Rose bet against the Reds."[2] This is in contrast to the case of the players in the Black Sox Scandal, who were accused of intentionally losing the 1919 World Series. Those critical of Rose's behavior, including Ohio's own Hall of Fame baseball reporter Hal McCoy, have observed that "the major problem with Rose betting on baseball, particularly the Reds, is that as manager he could control games, make decisions that could enhance his chances of winning his bets, thus jeopardizing the integrity of the game."[10]
Rose continued to deny all of the accusations against him and refused to appear at a hearing with Giamatti on the matter. He filed a lawsuit alleging that the Commissioner had prejudged the case and could not provide a fair hearing. A Cincinnati judge issued a temporary restraining order to delay the hearing, but Giamatti fought to have the case moved to Federal Court. The Commissioner prevailed in that effort, after which he and Rose entered settlement negotiations.
On August 24, 1989, Rose voluntarily accepted a permanent place on baseball’s ineligible list.[11] Rose accepted that there was a factual reason for the ban; in return, Major League Baseball agreed to make no formal finding with regard to the gambling allegations. According to baseball's rules, Rose could apply for reinstatement in one year. Rose, with a 412–373 record, was replaced as Reds manager by Tommy Helms. Rose began therapy with a psychiatrist for treatment of a gambling addiction.
In a December 2002 interview, investigator Dowd stated that he believed that Rose may have bet against the Reds while managing them.[12]
Rose's ban has prevented the Reds from formally retiring his No. 14 jersey. However, aside from his son Pete Jr.'s brief stint with the team in 1997, the Reds have not issued that number since Rose's ban. Even though the number has not been retired, it is highly unlikely that any Red will ever wear that number again. Uniform number 14 was retired in Rose's honor by the Cincinnati Cyclones of the East Coast Hockey League.[citation needed]
Tax evasion[link]
On April 20, 1990, Rose pleaded guilty to two charges of filing false income tax returns not showing income he received from selling autographs and memorabilia, and from horse racing winnings. On July 19, Rose was sentenced to five months in the medium security Prison Camp at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois and fined $50,000.[13] He was released on January 7, 1991 after having paid $366,041 in back taxes and interest, and was required to perform 1000 hours of community service.[14][15]
Hall of Fame eligibility[link]
On February 4, 1991, the Hall of Fame voted formally to exclude individuals on the permanently ineligible list from being inducted into the Hall of Fame by way of the Baseball Writers Association of America vote (though it was already an "unwritten" rule prior). Rose is the only living member of the ineligible list. Players who were not selected by the BWAA could be considered by the Veterans Committee in the first year after they would have lost their place on the Baseball Writers' ballot. Under the Hall's rules, players may appear on the ballot for only fifteen years, beginning five years after they retire. Had he not been banned from baseball, Rose's name could have been on the writers' ballot beginning in 1992 and ending in 2006.[16] He would have been eligible for consideration by the Veterans Committee in 2007, but did not appear on the ballot.[17] In 2008 the Veterans Committee barred players and managers on the ineligible list from consideration.[18]
MLB All-Century team[link]
In 1999, Rose was selected as an outfielder on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. To select the team, a panel of experts first compiled a list of the 100 greatest players from the past century. Fans then voted on the players using paper and online ballots.
An exception was made to his ban to allow him to participate in the pre-game introduction of the All-Century team before Game 2 of the 1999 World Series between the Braves and Yankees. Despite never having been a member of the Braves, Rose received the loudest ovation of the All-Century team members from the crowd at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia.
After the ceremony on live television, NBC's Jim Gray repeatedly asked Rose if he was ready to admit to betting on baseball and apologize.[19][20][21] Many people were outraged over Gray's aggressive questioning, feeling that it detracted from the ceremony. In protest, Yankees outfielder Chad Curtis, at the behest of his team, refused to speak with Gray after his game-winning home run in Game 3. Earlier that season, Rose had been ranked at number 25 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
While allowing him to participate in the All-Century Team, MLB has refused to allow him to participate in local events in Cincinnati, such as the 25th anniversary reunion of the Big Red Machine, the closing of Cinergy Field, and the opening of the Great American Ballpark, as well as the closing of Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia and 1980 Phillies anniversary celebrations.
Reinstatement efforts[link]
In September 1997, Rose applied for reinstatement. Bud Selig, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, never acted on that application. He had previously applied for reinstatement in 1992, but then-commissioner Fay Vincent also never acted on it.
In public comments, Selig said he saw no reason to reconsider Rose's punishment; however, in March 2003, Selig acknowledged that he was considering Rose's application, leading to speculation that Rose's return might be imminent.[22] Ultimately, however, Selig took no action. Even supporters of Rose's reinstatement concede that it is not likely that reinstatement will occur under Selig's tenure as commissioner.
On July 27, 2009, the New York Daily News reported that Commissioner Selig has seriously considered lifting Rose's lifetime suspension from baseball.[23] The next day, Selig shot down these rumors and Rose will in fact remain suspended, indefinitely.
Coming clean[link]
In his autobiography My Prison Without Bars, published by Rodale Press on January 8, 2004, Rose finally admitted publicly to betting on baseball games and other sports while playing for and managing the Reds. He also admitted to betting on Reds games, but said that he never bet against the Reds. He repeated his admissions in an interview on the ABC news program Primetime Thursday. He also said in the book that he hoped his admissions would help end his ban from baseball so that he could reapply for reinstatement.
In March 2007 during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio, Rose said, "I bet on my team every night. I didn't bet on my team four nights a week. I bet on my team to win every night because I loved my team, I believed in my team," he said. "I did everything in my power every night to win that game."[24] Whether Rose bet every night is significant to whether he had an incentive to influence the team's performance depending on whether he had a bet down on a particular game. John Dowd disputed Rose's contention that he bet on the Reds every night, asserting that Rose did not bet on his team when Mario Soto or Bill Gullickson pitched.[25] Both Gullickson[26] and Soto had ERA's substantially poorer than others in the National League during 1987.
The criticism of Rose did not diminish after this admission—even some Rose supporters were outraged that Rose would suddenly reverse fifteen years of denials as part of a book publicity tour. In addition, the timing was called into question—by making his admission just two days after the Baseball Hall of Fame announced its class of 2004 inductees, Rose appeared to be linking himself publicly to the Hall. Further adding to the debate was the 2004 ESPN made-for-TV movie Hustle, starring Tom Sizemore as Rose, which documents Rose's gambling problem and his subsequent ban from baseball.
WWE[link]
Between the years 1998 and 2000, Rose appeared at World Wrestling Entertainment's annual WrestleMania pay-per-view event. At WrestleMania XIV he served as "guest ring announcer" during a match between Kane and the Undertaker, before which he took a Tombstone Piledriver from Kane (nicknamed "The Big Red Machine" for his red ring attire).[27] For the next year's WrestleMania XV, Rose was portrayed as seeking revenge. To do so he dressed as the San Diego Chicken and "attacked" Kane before his scheduled match, only to take another Tombstone.[28] He returned for a third time the following year, at WrestleMania 2000, but again was thwarted by Kane, as well as his tag team partner that night, Rikishi.
In addition to these three appearances, he appeared in a Halloween-themed commercial for WWE's No Mercy event in 2002 and was chokeslammed by Kane. In 2004, Rose was inducted into the "Celebrity Wing" of the WWE Hall of Fame.[29] He was the first celebrity to go into the Hall, and was inducted at a ceremony prior to WrestleMania XX by Kane himself.[30]
On March 22, 2010, he appeared as the guest host on WWE Raw, which was the last episode of Raw before WrestleMania XXVI. As his first order of business, he setup a match between Shawn Michaels and Kane, which Michaels won. Later on in the night, Kane attacked Rose offscreen.
Personal life[link]
Pete Rose married Karolyn Englehardt on January 25, 1964, and the couple had two children, daughter Fawn (born on December 29, 1964) and son Pete Rose Jr. (born on November 16, 1969). The couple divorced in 1980.
Rose married his second wife, Carol J. Woliung, in 1984. They have two children, son Tyler (born on October 1, 1984) and daughter Cara (born on August 22, 1989). Rose filed for divorce from Carol in March 2011. The 69-year-old Rose cited irreconcilable differences for the split, but his petition did not offer any additional details. Rose didn’t include a date for their separation. Further documents in the filing say that Rose is looking to acquire all memorabilia and other possessions before the marriage.[31]
Rose began openly having an affair with glamor model Kiana Kim while still married to his wife Carol. During a 2009 interview, Rose discussed his relationship with Kim while omitting her name, stating, "My girl has finally decided to try to shoot for Playboy, and they were kind enough to give her an opportunity to come to Houston for an interview, and we’re excited about that."
Two of Rose's children have lived public lives. Cara has worked as a television actress, appearing as a regular in the first season of the soap opera Passions and playing a recurring role on Melrose Place. She uses the stage name "Chea Courtney".[32]
His oldest son, Pete Rose Jr., spent sixteen years as a minor league baseball player, advancing to the majors once for an 11-game stint with the Cincinnati Reds in 1997. In his first Major League at-bat, Pete Jr. paid tribute to his father by imitating Pete Sr.'s famous batting stance.[citation needed]
Records and achievements[link]
- Major League records:
- Most career hits – 4,256
- Most career outs – 10,328
- Most career games played – 3,562
- Most career at bats – 14,053
- Most career singles – 3,215
- Most career runs by a switch hitter – 2,165
- Most career doubles by a switch hitter – 746
- Most career walks by a switch hitter – 1,566
- Most career total bases by a switch hitter – 5,752
- Most seasons of 200 or more hits – 10 (shared)
- Most consecutive seasons of 100 or more hits – 23
- Most consecutive seasons with 600 or more at bats – 13 (1968–1980)
- Most seasons with 600 at bats – 17
- Most seasons with 150 or more games played – 17
- Most seasons with 100 or more games played – 23
- Record for playing in the most winning games – 1,972
- Only player in major league history to play more than 500 games at five different positions – 1B (939), LF (671), 3B (634), 2B (628), RF (595)
- National League records:
- Most years played – 24
- Most consecutive years played – 24
- Most career runs – 2,165
- Most career doubles – 746
- Most career games with 5 or more hits – 10
- Modern (post-1900) NL record for longest consecutive game hitting streak NL – 44
- Modern record for most consecutive hitting streaks of 20 or more games – 7
See also[link]
- 3000 hit club
- List of Major League Baseball hit records
- List of Major League Baseball doubles records
- Major League Baseball scandals
- DHL Hometown Heroes
- Major League Baseball All-Century Team
- Major League Baseball record holders
- List of Major League Baseball players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
- List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
- List of Major League Baseball player–managers
- Major League Baseball consecutive games played streaks
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
References[link]
- ^ Guinness World Records. London; New York City: HiT Entertainment. 2007. p. 233. ISBN 978-0-9735514-4-0.
- ^ a b "The Baseball Archive presents The Dowd Report". baseball1.com. May 9, 1989. http://www.baseball1.com/bb-data/rose/dowd/dowd_cover.html.
- ^ The Daily Star July 12, 2003
- ^ Joe O'Loughlin (February 2004). "Former reliever Gene Garber recalls 19-year career and his role in baseball history". Baseball Digest (Century Publishing Co.). http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCI/is_2_63/ai_112167128. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
- ^ "The 2005 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia – book review". curledup.com. http://www.curledup.com/2005espn.htm. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ^ Schwarz, Alan (July 31, 2005). "Numbers Are Cast in Bronze, but Are Not Set in Stone". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/31/sports/baseball/31records.html. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ Chass, Murray (May 3, 1988). "Pete Rose Is Suspended 30 Days". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/03/sports/pete-rose-is-suspended-30-days.html. Retrieved May 3, 1988.
- ^ "SI.com". Pete Rose Chronology. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/01/05/rose.chronology/.
- ^ "April 3rd, 1989". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/edb/reader.html?magID=SI&issueDate=19890403&mode=reader_vault.
- ^ http://encarta.msn.com/sidebar_461577611/should_pete_rose_be_in_the_hall_of_fame_.html[dead link]
- ^ "Rose/Giamatti Agreement". baseball1.com. http://baseball1.com/bb-data/rose/agreement.html. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ^ "ESPN.com: Dowd: Rose 'probably' bet against Reds while manager". ESPN. http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/news/2002/1212/1475769.html. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "Pete Rose timeline". reds.enquirer.com. http://reds.enquirer.com/2004/01/06/red1timeline.html. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ Schwartz, Larry. "ESPN Classic – Rose released from Marion Federal Prison". ESPN. http://assets.espn.go.com/classic/s/moment0107rosereleased.html. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ Peter Edward Rose, inmate # 01832-061, Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S Dep't of Justice, at [1].
- ^ "Sources: Pete Rose's status the same, despite report". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4358260. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ O'Connell, Jack. "Sources: Pete Rose's status the same, despite report ". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4358260. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "Vet Committee – Players". baseballhall.org. http://baseballhall.org/hall-famers/rules-election/vet-committee-players. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "Top 10 Most Embarrassing TV/Radio Interview Moments". SI.com. August 6, 2004. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/scorecard/08/05/interviews/. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ "No Gray Area Here". armchairqb.com. http://www.armchairqb.com/nbc_rose.html.
- ^ Brad Schultz (2005). Sports media: planning, production, and reporting. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-240-80731-7. http://books.google.ca/books?id=Q1excEhov4YC&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=pete+rose+transcript+jim+gray&source=bl&ots=1bev23_8t9&sig=N-Gn7iQZTtvYO5uCQpwkO_KYOHc&hl=en&ei=bK0TSo2kMsSfmAeb0fzeAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10.
- ^ "ESPN.com: MLB – Selig seriously considers Rose's reinstatement". ESPN. http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/news/2003/0313/1523010.html. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ^ Madden, Bill (July 27, 2009). "MLB commissioner Bud Selig mulling pardon for hit king Pete Rose". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2009/07/27/2009-07-27_pete_rose.html?page=0. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ^ Pete Rose: 'I Bet on My Team Every Night'. Newsmax.com (2007-03-15). Retrieved on 2012-05-14.
- ^ "Mario Soto Statistics and History". Baseball-reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sotoma01.shtml. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "Bill Gullickson Statistics and History". Baseball-reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gullibi01.shtml. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "WrestleMania XIV Celebrities". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/14/celebrities. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ "WrestleMania XV Celebrities". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/15/celebrities. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ "WWE Hall of Fame Bio". WWE. Archived from the original on July 16, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070716005225/http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/peterose/bio/. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
- ^ "WrestleMania XX Celebrities". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/20/celebrities. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "Chea Courtney". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0183895/. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
External links[link]
|
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Pete Rose |
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pete Rose |
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- PeteRose.com – Official website
- WWE Hall of Fame Profile of Pete Rose
- baseball1.com – the Dowd Report on Rose's gambling
- baseball1.com agreement between Rose & MLB
- Will a new All- Time Hit King be Crowned?
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rose, Pete |
| Alternative names | Rose, Peter Edward; Rose, Peter E. |
| Short description | American baseball player, coach, manager |
| Date of birth | April 14, 1941 |
| Place of birth | Cincinnati, Ohio, United States |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Pete_Rose
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/Pete Rose
http://pl.wn.com/Pete Rose
http://es.wn.com/Pete Rose
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Rose
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Ryan Roberts | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 14 | |
| Third baseman/Second baseman | |
| Born: (1980-09-19) September 19, 1980 (age 31) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 30, 2006 for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Career statistics (through 2011) |
|
| Batting average | .250 |
| Home runs | 29 |
| Runs batted in | 100 |
| Teams | |
|
|
Ryan Alan Roberts (born September 19, 1980, in Fort Worth, Texas), nicknamed "Tatman"[1], is a Major League Baseball infielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks. A right-handed batter, Roberts is 5' 11" tall and weighs 190 pounds. He is married to actress Kim Camille. Roberts has over 30 tattoos.[2]
Contents |
College career[link]
After graduating from L. D. Bell High School, Roberts' team won an NJCAA Division III World Series his sophomore year at Eastfield Junior College in Mesquite, Texas. Roberts was an All-American with a .475 batting average, 17 home runs, and 73 RBIs, and was named a MAC All-Conference and All-American Selection at shortstop. Roberts transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington. After his senior year in 2003, he was named Southland Conference Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year.[3] He was among the conference leaders in eight different offensive categories, was first-team all-SLC as a third baseman, and was also named to several All-America teams. In 2003, Baseball America analyst John Manuel described Roberts as the best player on UTA's squad which also included Hunter Pence now with the Philadelphia Phillies.[4]
Professional career[link]
Toronto Blue Jays[link]
The Toronto Blue Jays selected Roberts with the 530th overall pick of the 2003 draft, in the 18th round. Roberts signed with the Blue Jays and made his professional debut in the New York-Penn League. In 2003, after Roberts had been drafted, Manuel described him in an online chat as an "interesting sleeper", and said that "his best tool is his bat".[5]
He was named to the 2005 Eastern League All-Star team.[6] The Blue Jays allocated Roberts to the Arizona Fall League that off-season,[7] and on November 18 of that year, they purchased his contract from the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and added him to their 40-man roster.[8]
Roberts began the 2006 season in Triple-A Syracuse before being called up to the 25-man Toronto Blue Jays roster. On August 3, 2006, Roberts hit a solo home run in Yankee Stadium, his first hit in a Major League Baseball game.
In 2007 Roberts batted .249 in AAA, and then went 1–13 in the major leagues. After the 2007 season, Roberts' was released by the Blue Jays.
Texas Rangers[link]
Roberts signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers on November 21, 2007, with an invitation to spring training.
Arizona Diamondbacks[link]
In November 2008, Roberts signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He made the opening day roster for the first time in his career. He has played mostly as a utility player during the 2009 season with the Diamondbacks.
Through June 13, 2009, Roberts had a .274 batting average in the minor leagues, and a .243 batting average in the major leagues in 111 at bats.
When the Diamondbacks traded second baseman Felipe López on July 20, 2009, Ryan Roberts was named the Diamondbacks everyday second baseman.In the 2009 season, Roberts hit .279 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI, while playing at second base for 57 games, third base for 19 games, and left field for 16 games.[9]
In game 4 of the NLDS against the Brewers, Roberts hit a two-out grand slam in the first inning to help keep the Diamondbacks alive in the postseason. This home run came only a week after Roberts' first career grand slam, a game-winning "ultimate grand slam" capping a dramatic 10th inning rally to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-6, as well as a day after teammate Paul Goldschmidt hit a grand slam in game 3 of the NLDS.
See also[link]
References[link]
- ^ "‘Tatman’: Roberts covers D-backs on field, himself with tattoos", by David Brown, Big League Stew: A Yahoo! Sports Blog, October 6, 2011, accessed April 6, 2012
- ^ "Scouting Jays Prospect #10: Ryan Roberts", scout.com, posted March 3, accessed July 30, 2006.
- ^ "UTA's Roberts Named SLC Player, Hitter of the Year", University of Texas at Arlington: Official Athletic Site, posted May 19, accessed April 12, 2006.
- ^ "Wolfpack faces Tar Heels at remodeled Doak", by John Manuel, Baseball America online, April 25, 2003, accessed April 12, 2005.
- ^ "Baseball America – Chat", by John Manuel, Baseball America online, posted 2003, accessed April 12, 2005.
- ^ "2005 Eastern League All-Star Team", the official site of Minor League Baseball, accessed April 12, 2006.
- ^ "2005 Arizona Fall League", Baseball America online, posted 2005, accessed April 12, 2006.
- ^ "Blue Jays Add Pair to the 40-Man Roster", New Hampshire Fisher Cats, posted November 18, 2005, accessed April 12, 2006.
- ^ [1]
External links[link]
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
|
||||||||||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Roberts, Ryan |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | American baseball player |
| Date of birth | September 19, 1980 |
| Place of birth | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Ryan_Roberts
Related pages:
http://fr.wn.com/Ryan Roberts
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Roberts
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
