<— NOV 15 NOV 17 —>

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1850 Mike McGeary
1852 Joe Quest
1858 Ben Guiney
1858 Joe Strauss
1859 Doug Crothers
1874 William Joseph (Dummy) Deegan
1880 Con Starkel
1881 Reeve McKay
1883 Rollie Zeider
1886 Carl Manda
1890 Jake Munch
1890 Ralph Bell
1890 Tuffy Stewart
1893 Cristobal Torriente
1896 Ivy Griffin
1904 Elwood Hope (Mike) Smith
1906 Ab Wright
1906 Joe Scott
1906 Bobby Scott
1909 Henry Spearman
1909 Bill McGee
1910 Morrie Arnovich
1911 Clay Bryant
1915 Garth Mann
1915 Blas Monaco
1917 Ed Busch
1930 Paul Foytack
1931 Frank Bolling
1932 Harry Chiti
1940 Buster Narum
1943 Greg Bollo
1948 Leon Brown
1948 Don Hahn
1951 Herb Washington
1952 Glenn Burke
1958 Paul Serna
1960 Curt Wardle
1962 Mike Raczka
1964 Dwight Gooden
1964 Rob Mallicoat
1965 Drew Denson
1966 Tim Scott
1968 Chris Haney
1969 Pete Rose, Jr.
1970 Hector Fajardo
1974 Mark Corey
1975 Julio Lugo
1981 Fernando Cabrera
1982 Tim Wood
1987 Jordan Walden
1988 Brandon Cumpton
1989 Juan Centeno
1991 Phillips Valdez
1992 Cheslor Cuthbert
1992 Reggie McClain
1994 Will Craig
1995 Victor Gonzalez
1998 Sebastian Rivero
1999 Grayson Rodriguez
2003 Bradgley Rodriguez

OBITUARIES:

1895 Jim McLaughlin

A left-handed pitcher, McLaughlin made three appearances (two starts) for Baltimore in 1884. He returned to the minors and continued playing for several years afterward. When not playing ball, he was a printer.

James Thomas McLaughlin was riding a passenger trolley when the conductor and motorman on that train made a horrible mistake, missing signals and other visible evidence that warned them the bridge over Cleveland’s central viaduct was open and allowing a boat to go through. While some jumped off the back of the trolley and were able to save their lives, McLaughlin was one of many who died when the trolley plunged into the viaduct. The unmarried McLaughlin was two days shy of his 35th birthday and had recently signed to play with New Castle in the Iron and Oil League for 1896.

He was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Cleveland.

“Through the Draw to Death,” Cleveland Leader, November 17, 1895: 1.
“Near His Birthday,” Cleveland Leader, November 18, 1895: 2.
“Jimmie McLaughlin,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 18, 1895: 8.

1912 John T. Brush

Brush was an owner – held the Reds and Giants. He was in poor health for a while and died aboard a train.

1922 John Cunningham

John C. (Red) Cunningham was a multi-position star in the Negro Leagues, mostly spent in the south, and peaking in 1920 with a stint with the Dayton Marcos of the Negro National League where he played 24 games at shortstop and batted a rather light .215 against top flight competition.

On November 12, 1922, Cunningham was in the Boguehomme section of Montgomery (then likely still a suburb of the Alabama capitol) early that Sunday evening when he was involved in an incident with Tom Farmer, a local merchant. Farmer pulled out a gun and shot Cunningham in the back. Cunningham, who was locally famous as a member of the Montgomery Grey Sox, was taken to a local infirmary where he given a 50/50 chance of survival. A few days later it was revealed he lost the coin flip and died.

Farmer, for the second time in 1922, was initially charged with attempted murder, but the charge soon became a murder charge. (Earlier that year, he had hit another black man in the back of the head with an axe handle, but it caused little injury.) Farmer’s case was brought before the Court of Common Pleas where he claimed to have acted in self-defense. The court sided with Farmer and the white man was acquitted of the charges of killing a black man.

The incident in 1922 wasn’t the only time Farmer was involved in an incident that resulted in the death of a black man. In 1917, a police officer shot Willis Harris, who was in a fight with Farmer (and allegedly on top of Farmer and beating him). If you go back to 1906, Tillman Russell shot Harvey Toles on Christmas Day – Russell’s father and his neighbor, Tom Farmer, were involved in that incident.

Farmer died in 1945 at the age of 60. Those with whom he grappled were not as fortunate.

“White Men in Jail,” Montgomery Advertiser, January 3, 1907: 8.
“R H Vaughan and Tom Farmer Charged With Assault to Murder,” Montgomery Times, November 19, 1917: 3.
“Many Cases Are Made by Police on Sunday,” Montgomery Advertiser, March 27, 1922: 8.
“Red Cunningham is Shot in Back Sunday,” Montgomery Advertiser, November 13, 1922: 3.
“Injured Negro Dies,” Montgomery Advertiser, November 17, 1922: 2.
“Local Briefs,” Montgomery Advertiser, November 18, 1922: 7.
“Farmer Acquitted,” Montgomery Advertiser, November 22, 1922: 7.
“Farmer Freed,” Montgomery Times, February 28, 1923: 8.
Tom Farmer Obit, Alabama Journal, June 20, 1945: 2.

1923 Fred House

House was the last man on the Tigers pitching staff in 1913, appearing in 19 contests, starting two, and losing two of three decisions. Just flipping through some papers from 1913, House was with the Tigers all year but he would pitch with local teams to stay sharp. That said, my favorite article about House noted that he was afraid of cats, thinking that they were a jinx, and would go out of his way to avoid cats he encountered along his way. Imagine thinking cats were jinxes and playing for the Tigers!

Willard Edwin House was working as a fireman for the Ford Motor Company when, according to his MO Death Certificate, he had a bout of appendicitis. Despite surgery to remove it, it killed him as the resulting infection enlarged his heart. He was 33.

According to his WWI registration card, he was mostly blind in his left eye.

“Any Kind of Cat is Willard House’s Jinx,” Detroit Times, May 12, 1913: 6.

1937 Dick Burns
1943 Frank McPartlin
1945 Jake Northrop
1950 Frank Hemphill
1960 Weldon Henley
1962 Hugh High
1964 Yam Yaryan
1965 Ed Sherling
1969 Vin Campbell
1974 Pep Rambert
1977 Jose Acosta
1978 Harry Matuzak
1979 Cliff Carter
1983 George Holcomb
1987 Jim Brewer
1988 Johnny Hayes
1992 Gene Schott
1994 Russ Meers
1996 Joe Gonzales
1997 Russ Meyer
1999 Allen Benson
2001 Red Steiner
2001 Tal Abernathy
2004 Floyd Baker
2005 Sandy Consuegra
2009 Bucky Williams
2010 Elder White
2014 Whammy Douglas
2017 Tommy Moore
2019 Nick Testa

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!

1962 Lou Perini sells the Braves to the Lasalle Corporation for $6.2 million. Soon after, the team announces it is leaving Milwaukee…

TRANSACTION WIRE:

1893 The Giants purchased George Van Haltren from Pittsburgh for $2500, then assigned King Kelly to Boston.

1901 Cleveland sends Candy LaChance to Boston for catcher Ossee Schrecongost.

1950 Rule 5 Draft Day – among the takers were Pittsburgh (Dale Long, from the Yankees), and the White Sox (Joe DeMaestri from Boston).

Free Agent Signings:

1976 Don Baylor (California)
1977 Tony Perez (Boston)
1992 Andres Galarraga (Colorado)

1980 The Mets signed amateur free agent infielder/outfielder Kevin Mitchell.

1999 Colorado sends Darryl Kile, Luther Hackman, and Dave Veres to St. Louis for Brent Butler, Jose Jimenez, Rich Croushore, and Manny Aybar.

2002 Florida acquires Juan Pierre and Mike Hampton from Colorado for Preston Wilson, Charles Johnson, Pablo Ozuna, and Vic Darensbourg.

2010 Florida sends my kid’s favorite player, Dan Uggla, to the Braves for Mike Dunn and Omar Infante.