<— NOV 08     NOV 10 —>

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1846 Andrew Thompson
1850 Harry Little
1857 Alonzo Breitenstein
1858 George Wood
1860 Tom Kearns

1865 Jack Crooks

Crooks spent about a decade in the bigs and was an early version of Luke Appling and Max Bishop – a low average walk machine who hit foul balls until he walked – combined with the goofy prankishness of, say, Jay Johnstone.

Converting from baseball player to salesman, his life changed when he developed elephantiasis. Two plus years later, he was gone. (Oh – and he didn’t join the Browns until 1892 no matter what the headline [below] said…)

Not long after Crooks passed, wire copy included a story that Crooks once recognized that he couldn’t make a play on a bunt, so he got down on his knees and blew the ball foul – much like the more recent Lenny Randle effort in 1981. The story held that it prevented a run from scoring. And, it’s likely that something like this happened as it was also told in 1896 by Billy Hoy. Too bad we didn’t have video back in the 1890s.

“Crooks, Veteran Player of 1890 Browns, is Dead,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 4, 1918: 14.
“Late John L. Was Clever Umpire,” New Castle News, April 19, 1918: 23. (Funny story about this – the article above this one had a note about Crooks’ sense of humor in the headline but a story about boxers like John L. Sullivan umpiring baseball games. Oops.)
“The Realm of Sport,” Buffalo Commercial, January 11, 1896: 9.

1867 William Kinsler
1868 Bill Phillips
1869 Harry Morelock
1876 Walter Henry (Judge) McCredie
1885 Gene Moore
1886 Nick Maddox
1888 Jim McGarr
1897 Johnny Gooch
1897 Harvey Hendrick
1897 George Abrams
1899 Dan Tye
1902 Mike Kelly
1906 Fred Brickell
1908 Roy Schalk
1909 Jerry Benjamin
1911 Ed Linke
1915 Benny McCoy
1916 Walt Lanfranconi
1917 Bob Neighbors
1919 Jerry Priddy
1920 Bill Mueller
1920 Dick Whitman
1920 Homer Spragins
1923 Ted Sepkowski
1925 Bill Bruton
1929 Don Plarski
1931 Red Witt
1931 Dorrell Norman Elbert (Whitey) Herzog
1932 Connie Grob
1935 Bob Gibson
1940 Don Loun
1944 Al Severinsen
1952 Jim Riggleman
1952 Rick Williams
1952 Dave Wehrmeister
1954 Al Greene
1955 Jeff Cox
1957 Teddy Higuera
1962 Dion James
1964 Kevin Mmahat
1968 Andy Carter
1969 Angel Miranda
1970 Chad Ogea
1971 Scott Sauerbeck
1971 Jon Nunnally
1974 Jeff D’Amico
1974 Jose Rosado
1974 Beiker Graterol
1977 Peter Bergeron
1978 Jason Standridge
1978 Todd Self
1979 Dave Bush
1979 Adam Dunn
1981 Chuck James
1983 Tony Barnette
1984 Joel Zumaya
1988 Curt Casali
1988 Zach Neal
1991 Andrew Knapp
1992 Daniel Camarena
1992 Rowan Wick
1992 Greg Bird
1994 Erick Mejia
1995 Jose Quijada
1997 Alex Kirilloff
1997 Michael Busch

OBITUARIES:

1887 Billy Riley

“William J. Riley, a young man well known about the city, died at his home on Richmond, near Cutter, yesterday of peritonitis. The deceased was a gauger in the office of Collector of Internal Revenue Bishop, and was noted for his cheerful disposition. He was once well known in base-ball circles and had scores of friends in that profession who will mourn his death. He had just completed his thirtieth year.

“Mr. Riley was taken ill only last Saturday (note: he died on a Wednesday), and his friends in the Government service, especialy, are greatly shocked at his sudden death…”

“William Riley Dead,” Cincinnati Enquirer, November 10, 1887: 8.

Riley played briefly with Keokuk in the National Association in 1875, and spent time with Cleveland’s 1979 National League team, but wasn’t enough of a hitter to keep a regular job in the outfield.

1890 Jim Lillie

Lillie died of typhoid fever. An article the next month suggested that Lillie’s last words were, “I’m afraid that it’s three strikes and out.”

“Jim Lillie Dead,” Cincinnati Enquirer, November 11, 1890: 2.
“Personal Brevities,” Grant City (KS) Star, December 4, 1890: 3.

1895 George Joyce

Oak Hill Cemetery’s burial record suggests that Joyce died of cancer.

1914 Heinie Reitz
1914 Danny Green
1915 Otis Johnson
1931 Chris Fulmer
1935 Rex DeVogt
1936 Carl Stimson
1936 Bill Stellberger
1940 George Bird
1941 Fred Worden
1956 Lem Hunter
1958 Walt Meinert
1960 Al Nixon
1970 Howard Maple
1971 Bill Dreesen
1976 Bud Culloton
1977 Fred Haney
1977 Jack Ogden
1977 Ted Gipson
1987 Ed Cihocki
1988 Bob Weiland
2006 Garton Del Savio
2006 Jimmie Armstead
2008 Preacher Roe
2011 Benny McCoy
2012 Harold Gould
2014 Kelvin Moore
2015 Tommy Hanson

Delayed complications of cocaine and alcohol toxicity (Stevens, Alexis. “Autopsy: Ex-Braves Pitcher Tommy Hanson Died From Cocaine, Alcohol”, Atlanta Journal Constitution, 11 December 2015.)

2016 Russ Nixon
2018 Ken Howell
2019 Bob Johnson
2020 Dan Pfister
2020 Foster Castelman
2021 Duane Wilson

Wilson, who pitched for the Red Sox, and according to his obit, left baseball and was a loan officer until his retirement, died at 87.

2021 Memo Luna

Luna was 91 when he passed away in his native Mexico.

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!

1953 Reaffirming Baseball’s status as a sport and not a business, baseball remains exempt from anti-trust laws. The Supreme Court was reviewing a case that stemmed from Yankee minor leaguer George Toolson, who didn’t want to accept a demotion from AAA to AA ball. The Yankees chose to place him on an ineligible list, so Toolson claimed he was being deprived of his rights to make a living. The Supreme Court sided with baseball, 7 – 2.

(Young, Dick. “Curt Flood, George Toolson: They’re From Different Baseball Eras, But Their Problem is the Same. Toolson Lost. Will Flood?”, Orlando Sentinel, 07 January 1970, Page 4C.)

TRANSACTION WIRE:

1912 The Reds pick up Frank Chance after the Cubs waive their player-manager.

1925 Brooklyn signs Rabbit Maranville after he had been waived by the Cubs.

1973 San Diego sends Clay Kirby to the Reds for Bobby Tolan and Dave Tomlin.

1977 Texas signs free agent slugger Richie Zisk.