<— APRIL 04     APRIL 06 —>

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1859  Ed Andrews

Outfielder with Philadelphia in the 1880s – college educated, his baseball career was reasonably successful, but his post-baseball career was more so.  He would become a real estate developer in Palm Beach, FL, and wrote local articles about the yachting business.

1861  Ed Kennedy

Weak hitting outfielder for New York in the 1880s.

1864  Ted Scheffler
1875  Charlie Emig

Only pitched in one game for Louisville in 1896 (an ugly loss to Washington), but he lived to be 100 years old – the last living man who played in the 19th century.

1876  Big Bill Dinneen

Turn of the century pitcher, and a four-time 20 game winner for Boston.  Later, moved to St. Louis where he helped the Browns in their 1908 pennant run.  He aged quickly after that, though…  Finished with 180 career wins.

1877  Wid Conroy
1889  Tom Phillips
1894  Jim Sullivan
1899  Tony Welzer
1907  Sugar Cain
1907  John “Lefty” Goodell
1921  Bobby Hogue
1922  Gene Crumling
1931  Fred Besana
1936  Jimmie Schaffer
1937  Roger “Noonie” Marquis
1938  Ron Hansen

Good glove, power hitting shortstop with the Orioles and White Sox in the 1960s…  Hanson hit 20 homers twice, but his batting average – assembled during a period where pitchers ruled the relationship – rarely cleared .250.  Hanson once turned an unassisted triple play.

One half of the answer to a rare trivia question – he was once traded from Chicago to Washington and then back in the same season for infielder Tim Cullen in 1968.  The Baltimore Orioles sent Hanson to the White Sox in 1962 for Luis Aparicio.  A bad back led to his eventual release.

1938  Don Prince
1940  Ron Campbell
1951  Rennie Stennett

Pirates second baseman of the 1970s, once had seven hits in a game against the Cubs in 1975.  Didn’t last long after that though – he broke his leg sliding in to second base in 1977.  After the 1979 pennant win, the Giants signed him as a free agent, getting $3 million over five years, but the Giants cut him after two seasons.  Just 31, his career ended quietly…

1953  Kim Allen

A prospect in the Seattle chain, once set a PCL record for stolen bases.  Very short MLB career.

1960  Jim Scranton
1965  Cris Carpenter

The other Cris Carpenter – had a fair career as a pitcher for a few teams in the 1990s and 2000s.

1967  Greg Smith
1970  Ryan Karp
1971  Andres Berumen
1975  Domingo Guzman
1976  Ross Gload

A fine utility hitter and pinch hitter of the last decade.

1976  Ryan Drese
1977  Winston Abreu
1978  Brandon Backe
1981  Jorge de la Rosa

Fine pitcher withe Colorado Rockies.

1985  Lastings Millege

One assumes that Millege is no longer a prospect at this stage, but for a few years he was at or near the top of many prospect lists.  He could hit some, he could run, but he didn’t take many pitches, and he didn’t seem to play the outfield as well as his physical tools might have suggested.

1985  Ian Stewart

Had a couple of years with Colorado as a power hitting third baseman, but it was a mirage.  Heading to the Cubs, he struggled to find the Mendoza line.

1986  Steve Clevenger

OBITUARIES:

1902  Dave Eggler

Played in the National Association and National League – left baseball to work for American Express.  His death was an accident – he was crushed between train cars at Central Rail Road Station in Buffalo.

1911  Frank Hankinson
1917  Frank McLaughlin
1929  Tom Crooke
1930  Jack McGeachey
1930  Frederick Fass
1932  Harry Koons
1939  Fred Curtis
1946  Wally Rehg
1951  Roy Moore
1952  Ray Jacobs
1953  Connie Walsh
1953  Tex Erwin
1953  Herb Gorman

Gorman was an outfielder and first baseman with the Cardinals in 1952 – for maybe a week.  A year later, he had a heart attack during the sixth inning during a game between San Diego and Hollywood in the Pacific Coast League and died on the way to the hospital.

You can read a more complete biography here.

1056  Tommy Taylor
1957  Art Bader
1959  Frank Bruggy
1962  Vince Shupe
1964  Bob Clemens
1965  Mike Pasquella
1966  Sam Dodge
1973  Tex Jeanes
1974  Fred Snodgrass

Catcher, first baseman, and center fielder (I know – odd combination) for the Giants in the early years of the last century.  Snodgrass is best remembered for dropping a flyball in the tenth inning of the last game of the 1912 World Series that allowed the tying run to reach base – few remember that after dropping the ball, Snodgrass made a fantastic running catch to rob the second batter of a hit and nearly doubled off the runner.  Tris Speaker batted with two on and hit a pop foul that neither Merkle, Matty, or the catcher wanted to catch giving Speaker another chance to bat,  Sure enough, he lined a single to score the tying run.  One batter later, the Red Sox were champions.

Snodgrass was interviewed in The Glory of Their Times, which provides some of the details listed here…

1984  Chet Kehn
1988  Tom Earley
1993  Joe Coscarart
1994  Bobby Hofman
1997  Bill Holland
2002  Paul Erickson
2008  Walt Masterson
2011  Larry Shepard

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!

1993  The Florida Marlins top Los Angeles, 6 – 3, with former Dodger Charlie Hough getting the win – the first game in Marlins history.

The Colorado Rockies were not so lucky, losing 3 – 0 to Doc Gooden and the New York Mets.

2005  The Washington Nationals begin life as a ML franchise – but lose to the Phillies, 8 – 4.

2012  The Blue Jays score three in the ninth off of Cleveland’s Chris Perez to throw an opening day game into extra innings – 16 innings in total, an opening day record.  J.P. Arencibia homered in the 16th for the winning score.

TRANSACTION WIRE:

1966  Baltimore releases Don Larsen.

1972  Rusty Staub heads to the New York Mets, as the Mets send Ken Singleton, Tim Foli, and Mike Jorgensen to the Expos.

1975  The Pittsburgh Pirates get Bill Robinson from the Philles for pitcher Wayne Simpson.

1976  The Cubs trade shortstop Don Kessinger to St. Louis for pitcher Mike Garman and a player to be named later (Bobby Hrapmann).

1977  The Chicago White Sox trade Bucky Dent to the New York Yankees for outfielder Oscar Gamble, pitcher LaMarr Hoyt, and Bob Polisky and cash…