<— APRIL 17     APRIL 19 —>

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1864 Fred Doe

Nobody can tell you much about his brother, John.

(Just kidding, you know. He had a sister, Martha, both born to George and Elizabeth Gilman Doe. George sold liquor; Elizabeth had her hands full with two kids in the home. )

Alfred George Doe’s major league career covers just two games in 1890. He made a start for Buffalo in the Players League and came on in relief for Pittsburgh of the same league – with little success.

That said, he was a well-regarded roller polo player beginning in his teens and a competent baseball player in lower level minor leagues (Doe was a deer in the outfield). His main claim to fame, however, rests in his statewide campaign to change the laws in Massachusetts to allow Sunday baseball, laws which were finally changed in 1927. He remained a sportsman even as his business efforts became more successful – and most of his business efforts were baseball related. For example, he was a part owner of the Providence franchise… He spent years involved in various minor league teams throughout New England.

The Gloucester-born Massachusetts man left this world for the next league from the home of his friend in Quincy on October 4, 1938 and was buried near his parents in Gloucester. (He had lived with this friend for some 35 years, the last year or so he was sick. His marriage to Mary Gifford Bryant, a teen on her second marriage when they tied the knot, dissolved.)

“Fred Doe Dead at Quincy at 74,” Boston Globe, October 4, 1938: 9.
Massachusetts Marriage Records
1910 US Census

1869 George Borchers
1872 Jack Rothfuss
1873 Hughie Hearne
1873 Danny Friend
1880 Sam Crawford
1887 Bill Rodgers
1888 Duffy Lewis
1888 Tommy McMillan
1892 Jack Scott
1895 Hans Rasmussen
1896 Rip Conway
1898 Perry Hall
1899 Bill Bayne
1899 Harry Hulihan
1902 Bob Linton
1905 Mal Moss
1908 Ed Boland
1915 Herman Bell
1917 Ty LaForest
1917 Vince Ventura
1917 Nick Polly
1919 Bob Ferguson
1922 Moe Burtschy
1924 Jim Zapp
1927 Glen Richardson
1929 Steve Kraly
1934 Deacon Jones
1936 Larry Foss
1938 Rogelio Alvarez
1939 Von McDaniel
1942 Steve Blass
1942 Chuck Taylor
1945 Mike Paul
1946 Gerry Janeski
1951 Doug Flynn
1955 Bobby Castillo
1959 Rich Bordi
1959 Jim Eisenreich
1959 Dennis Rasmussen
1963 Alex Madrid
1963 Pete Stanicek
1967 Brian Dubois
1969 Angelo Encarnacion
1970 Rico Brogna
1970 Steve Dunn
1973 Brady Clark
1981 Brian Buscher
1983 Miguel Cabrera
1983 Alberto Gonzalez
1983 Mike Parisi
1984 Marcos Mateo
1986 Billy Butler
1990 Anthony DeSclafani
1990 Evan Marshall
1990 Henderson Alvarez
1995 Jake Rogers
1996 Jhonny Pereda
1997 Stephen Kolek
1997 Peter Lambert
2000 Prelander Berroa

OBITUARIES:

1892 Ned Bligh

Bligh was a catcher, according to some just coming into his own in 1890.  Like all catchers, he dealt with injuries, but at the time of his death he was listed as having suffered from peritonitis, and his death certificate notes he suffered from weakness and fatigue as well as urine retention.  A website says he had typhoid fever.  Anyway – Bligh was 29 when he died suddenly at his home.

Notes:

NY Death Certificates
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50480312/edwin-forrest-bligh
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/blighne01.shtml

“Died,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 18, 1892: 5
“Sparks From the Diamond,” Elmira Daily Gazette and Free Press, April 21, 1892: 8.
“Ward Gossip,” Brooklyn Citizen, April 24, 1892: 14.

1893 Fred Siefke

His claim to MLB service was a 16 game tryout with Brooklyn Gladiators in 1890. Jim Mutried signed him to a two-year deal at the time – having the Players’ League around was good for players, I guess. The third baseman had just 8 hits, however, and that tryout came to a swift end (30 days).

Frederick Edwin Siefke died a few weeks after his 23rd birthday.  His obit in the New York Herald on April 20, 1893 says he died of pneumonia.

1895 Henry Myers
1902 George Grossart
1904 Charlie Ziegler
1912 Hank Gehring
1913 Roscoe Miller
1920 George McMillan
1925 Charlie Ebbets

Heart attack at his apartment…

1926 George Haddock
1927 Pop Smith
1930 Jack Stivetts
1932 Ike Benners
1937 Hick Carpenter
1953 Harry Niles
1953 Cotton Tierney
1956 Claude Davidson
1956 Patsy O’Rourke
1957 Bill Sweeney
1957 Zearlee Maxwell
1957 Wally Reinecker
1970 Tony York
1972 Dutch Hinrichs
1975 Jack Burns
1979 Lindsay Deal
1980 Lewis Smallwood
1983 Woody Rich
1986 George Durning
1990 John Antonelli
1991 Sheldon Jones
1996 Chesley Gray
1998 Walter Sessi
1999 Sam Barber
2003 Lefty Sloat
2012 John O’Neil
2017 Vic Albury
2018 John Hope

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!

1923 Babe Ruth homers in the first game at the House That Ruth Built…  (Howard Ehmke tossed that pitch.) The Yankees got the win in the newly opened Yankee Stadium.

1950 Making his first start behind the mic, Vin Scully calls a Brooklyn Dodger loss to the Phillies.

1958 The Dodgers play their first game in LA, a 6 – 5 win over the Giants in the LA Coliseum.

1981 Rochester and Pawtucket’s game is suspended after 32 innings just after 4AM.  The game is finished later in the season, the PawSox 3 – 2 winner scored in the 33rd.

1981 Tom Seaver fans his 3000th batter – just the fifth pitcher to hit the mark – by putting away Keith Hernandez.

1987 Mike Schmidt connects for his 500th homer – I can picture his giddy run toward first base.

2007 Mark Buehrle tosses a no hitter – the lone base runner, Sammy Sosa, was picked off.

TRANSACTION WIRE:

1946 Cincinnati sends Jim Konstanty and cash to the Braves for Max West.

Prior to World War II, West was a pretty good outfielder – some power, got on base, played all three fields.  He batted .213 for the Reds, though, and was through after that.  Konstanty was an unpolished prospect who eventually found his ways to the Phillies where he was a reliever for the Whiz Kids, winning 16 games and winning an MVP.  He had a nice career, but not a great one…