BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1852 Frank Bliss
Bliss’s major league baseball life lasted two games in June, 1878 with the Milwaukee Grays of the National League. For more, you’ll have to give this a read.
1854 Dick Phelan
1862 Bob Black
1866 Frank Shugart
1866 John Sowders
1868 Neil Stynes
1879 Charlie Shields
1880 Robert Albert (Pat) Newnam
1882 Edmund Joseph (Cotton) Minahan
1883 Jim Stephens
1883 Art Griggs
1883 George Henry (Jerry) Upp
1887 Jim Baskette
1888 Ed Kelly
1888 Stan Gray
1889 Grover Baichley
1889 Jimmy Johnston
1889 Troy Puckett
1894 James Christopher (Ike) Caveney
1896 Herrick Smith (Spoke) Emery
1897 Arthur Joseph (Jocko) Conlon
1897 Tim Griesenbeck
1899 Verdo Elmore
1899 Herman Charles (Jake) Hehl
1900 Roy Carlyle
1906 Francis Joseph (Bots) Nekola
1908 Earl Cook
1909 Floyd Giebell
1910 John Pretzel Pezzullo
1917 Andy Tomasic
1922 Gordie Mueller
1926 Leo Cristante
1931 Rudy Hernandez
1931 Bob Roselli
1932 Ed Donnelly
1936 Jack Feller
1936 Howard Rodney (Doc) Edwards
1939 Bob Priddy
1940 Weldon Bowlin
1943 Dalton Jones
1944 Steve Renko
1946 Bobby Fenwick
1947 Ted Martinez
1956 Darrell Woodard
1960 Paul Assenmacher
1960 Jeff Bettendorf
1963 Rick Wrona
1963 Luis Polonia
1963 Doug Henry
1963 Gil Reyes
1966 Norberto Martin
1966 Mel Rojas
1969 Pat Ahearne
1969 Jon Zuber
1975 Joe Mays
1977 Dan Wheeler
1981 Victor Diaz
1983 Brandon Jones
1984 Gregorio Petit
1986 Pedro Florimon
1986 Matt Clark
1990 Wil Myers
1990 Austin Wynns
1992 Carlos Rodon
1993 Christin Stewart
1994 Nester Cortes, Jr.
1994 Sheldon Neuse
OBITUARIES:
1908 Wild Bill Widner
Diabetes took Widner, a Cincinnati area native, at just 41. From what I have read, Wild Bill packed a lot of life in those 41 years, though.
“Wild Bill Widner,” Cincinnati Enquirer, December 11, 1908: 4.
1918 Lester Dole
Dole had completed nearly 40 years as an athletic instructor at St. Paul’s School in Concord when he passed. Apparently, he had ties to Yale (he grew up and played baseball in New Haven); many of his students were outfitted with sporting goods from his father’s store and the best of these athletes – especially rowers – found their way to Yale.
“Lester C. Dole,” Norwich Bulletin, December 12, 1918: 1.
“Yale Oarsmen To Be Called Out Next Week,” Hartford Courant, December 30, 1918: 12.
1919 Tom Colcolough
Colcolough was working as a welder when felled by a massive heart attack.
1931 Tex Covington
1937 Joe Battin
1946 Walter Johnson
1946 Walter Moser
1953 Harry Armbruster
1957 Hal Kleine
1958 Cozy Dolan
1959 Joe Harris
1961 Bert Maxwell
1963 Carl Fischer
1969 Jack Tobin
1969 Mike Cunningham
1970 Marshall Renfroe
The Giants pitcher (briefly, in 1959) was in his stalled pickup truck in Pensacola on November 23, 1970 when a large fuel truck lost control and struck his vehicle just before ricocheting through a guard rail and falling into the bay. Eddie Brown saw what happened and tried to save Renfroe, who was on fire when he walked out of his truck. Brown got the fire out, but Renfroe would not survive, passing away on December 10.
Barker, Eddie. Pensacola News Journal, December 11, 1970: 1D.
1970 Johnny Mostil
1973 Joe Riggert
1976 Danny Thompson
Thompson fought leukemia for nearly four years before it got him… Near the end he had an operation on his spleen, but complications from that surgery contributed to the shortstop’s death.
Richman, Milton. “Thompson always gave best he could,” Kenosha News, December 13, 1976: 29.
1976 Vic Keen
1980 Rosy Ryan
1981 Bob Joyce
1981 Freddy Leach
1982 Charlie Wheatley
1987 Whitey Moore
1991 Ed Murphy
1992 Babe Phelps
2000 Willard Nixon
2002 Mike Kosman
2002 Earl Henry
2002 Homer Spragins
2003 Don Wheeler
2008 Sal Yvars
2013 Pete Naton
2013 Don Lund
The former Dodger and Tiger (and Michigan alum) was a former first round pick of the Chicago Bears, too – but chose baseball over football. He signed his Dodgers MLB contract on the same day as Jackie Robinson. Lund died of natural causes…
Allen, Jeremy. “Michigan, Detroit Tigers legend Don Lund dies in Ann Arbor home at age 90,” Mlive.com (https://www.mlive.com/business/ann-arbor/2013/12/michigan_detroit_tigers_legend.html), accessed December 10, 2020.
YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!
1918 John Heydler is named president of the National League, again. He had briefly served after Harry Pulliam died in 1909.
1919 The National League bans the spitball, though it allows for a grandfather clause. This would be adopted by the American League the next year.
1972 The American League votes to adopt the Designated Hitter on a three year trial.
TRANSACTION WIRE:
1897 Washington sends Gene DeMontreville, Dan McGann, and Doc McJames to the Orioles for Doc Amole, Jack Doyle, and Heinie Reitz.
1923 Philadelphia spends $20,000 wisely, purchasing Max Bishop from Baltimore.
1935 Detroit purchases Al Simmons from the White Sox for $75,000 – and Boston sends two players and $150,000 to the Athletics for Jimmie Foxx and Johnny Marcum.
1969 Minnesota sends Dean Chance, Bob Miller, Graig Nettles and Ted Uhlander to the Indians for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams.
1971 New York sends Nolan Ryan, Leroy Stanton, Frank Estrada and Don Rose to the Angels for Jim Fregosi.
1973 Baltimore signs amateur free agent pitcher Dennis Martinez.
1975 Philadelphia sends Dick Ruthven, Alan Bannister, and Roy Thomas to the White Sox for Jim Kaat and Mike Buskey.
1976 Pittsburgh sends Richie Zisk and Silvio Martinez to the White Sox for Terry Forster and Rich Gossage.
1980 California sends Carney Lansford, Mark Clear and Rick Miller to the Red Sox for Rick Burleson and Butch Hobson.
1981 San Diego sends Ozzie Smith and Steve Mura to the Cardinals for Sixto Lezcano and Garry Templeton (and each later swapped a player in February to complete the deal).
1984 Montreal sent Gary Carter to the Mets for Hubie Brooks, Mike Fitzgerald, Herm Winningham, and Floyd Youmans.
1985 St. Louis sends Joaquin Andujar to the Athletics for Tim Conroy and Mike Heath.
Also, the White Sox drafted Bobby Bonilla in the Rule 5 Draft.
Mighty Casey Baseball 