This day in baseball...

[PopTop]

A thread of this subject was inevitable. Might was well start one today, I figure Some of the stuff comes Gene Elston's book A Stitch In Time, some of it from Baseball Reference, some from Baseball Library, and the rest from all sorts of places including the lump that sits on top of my shoulders.


FEBRUARY 26
1935: Babe Ruth signs a 3-year contract with the Boston Braves. Ruth was released three weeks earlier by the Yankees (a day before his 40th birthday ). Ruth would only play 28 games for the Braves that year before retiring after 22 MLB seasons. Ruth connected for the last 6 of his 714 home runs with Boston that season, but managed to hit just .181.

Today's birthdays:
Grover Cleveland "Pete" Alexander, 1887 in Elba, Nebraska
Harry Warren "Rip" Collins, 1896 in Weatherford, Texas (Texas Aggie )
Elwin Charles "Preacher" Roe, 1915 in Ash Flat, Arkansas
Kelly Wayne Gruber, 1962 in Houston, Texas
Jack Thomas "JT" Snow, Long Beach, California
Gary Wayne Majewski, 1980 in Houston, Texas

[PopTop]

FEBRUARY 27

1909: One of my favorite all-time players, and an absolute pitching stud from the Dead Ball Era, is cut and sees his MLB days come to an end on this date close to 100 years ago now. Joseph Jerome "Iron Man" McGinnity was given his walking papers on Feb 27, 1909, by the New York Giants, thus ending McGinnity's short, 10-year major league career. He was 37 at the time, not breaking into the big leagues until he was 28 in 1899. It's likely that had McGinnity been part of a major league team before that, his name would be uttered alongside the very great ones such as Young, Johnson and Mathewson. Though McGinnity was a pitching stalwart, hurling both games of a doubleheader several times (at least five times according to the records I've found) in his career, the nickname "Iron Man" came from his offseason job when he would work in his paw-in-law's iron foundry. McGinnity played for both of the Baltimore Orioles teams, beginning his career with the NL club in 1899 and eventually passing through the AL version of the Orioles for a couple of seasons after that. He also spent a season with Brooklyn, and played the last 6½ years he was in the majors for the Giants. His lifetime numbers include a 246-142 record, 465 games on the mound, 381 as a starter with 314 complete games, over 3400 IP and a 2.66 ERA. When the Giants cut McGinnity on this day in 1909, it only ended his MLB playing days, not his playing days. Records indicate McGinnity played 16-17 more seasons in the minors, finally leaving that action when he was nearing his mid-50s and having won another 200 games on that circuit. He would pass away not long after he hung up his spikes for the last time. He led his league in wins five times in his 10 seasons, and played for the 1905 Giants that won it all, going 1-1 in his 2 starts that World Series despite posting a 0.00 ERA. Elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1946, McGinnity was born in Rock Island, Illinois, on March 19, 1871, passing away in Brooklyn, New York, on November 14, 1929.

1912: The New York Highlanders, soon to be known as the Yankees, unveil their new uniforms and show off pinstripes for the first time. The team will wear the stripes on their home uniforms, and are actually the fourth major league team to sport the fashion after Boston (NL), Brooklyn and Pittsburgh. New York would wear the pinstripes for just a year (Click Here), then take them off for a couple of seasons before reapplying them for good in 1915.


Today's Birthdays:
Hilton Lee Smith, 1907 in Giddings, Texas (Hall of Fame in 2001)
Matthew Wade Stairs, 1968 in St. John, New Brunswick
Craig Keystone Monroe, 1977 in Texarkana, Texas

[PopTop]

What a strange coincidence about this date and eventual Mets' World Series titles, at least I thought it so. I'll be watching and listening for news on the game today and see if it somehow doesn't eventually work for the Metropolitans.


February 28
1966: Dodgers pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale begin what will be a 32-day holdout over their contracts. The pair reportedly want a 3-year, $1 million deal to be split between them, a contract that was unique both for the amount of money and the multiparty nature. The holdout would come to an end on March 30 with Koufax being paid $130,000 and Drysdale $105,000. Koufax retires at the end of the season after a 27-9 record, 1.73 ERA and his third Cy Young Award.

1969: Rather than report to the Houston Astros to whom he had been traded for Rusty Staub, Donn Clendenon announces his retirement from baseball. The Astros try to void the trade but commissioner Bowie Kuhn orders Houston and Montreal to work out other compensation. The Expos eventually trade Clendenon to the Mets that June, and Clendenon helps lead the Mets to their first World Series title.

1986: Commissioner Peter Ueberroth hands down punishment for more than 20 players involved in a big illegal drug scandal. The seven to receive the stiffest fines and punishment are Keith Hernandez, Dave Parker, Joaquin Andujar, Enos Cabel, Jeffrey Leonard, Lonnie Smith and Dale Berra. Hernandez goes on to help lead the Mets to the ’86 World Series Championship.

Today’s Birthdays:
Terrence Lamont “Cotton Top” Turner, 1881 in Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania
Frank James Malzone, 1930 in Bronx, New York
James Eugene Wohlford, 1951 in Visalia, California
Ricky L. Stone, 1975 in Hamilton, Ohio
Robert A. “Bobby” Madritsch, 1976 in Oak Lawn, Illinois

[PopTop]

March 01

1954: After playing just parts of the previous two seasons due to his military service in Korea, Boston great Ted Williams breaks his collarbone diving for a catch at his first Red Sox practice of the spring and will miss the first 30 games of the ’54 season.

1969: Mickey Mantle makes it official and announces his retirement in Fort. Lauderdale. Rumors persisted from the end of the ’68 season that Mantle would hang ‘em up and, after reporting to the Yankees’ spring training camp, the Mick decided his legs couldn’t take it any longer. Mantle clubbed 536 lifetime homers, batted .298 and won three AL MVP awards to go with 12 AL pennants and 7 World Series titles in his 18 seasons.

2002: Giants 2B Jeff Kent breaks his thumb, alleging first that the accident happened while washing his pickup truck. It’s later revealed he broke the thumb in a motorcycle mishap.


Today’s Birthdays:
Henry Washington “Hank” Wyse, 1918 in Lunsford, Arkansas
Larry Leslie Brown, 1940 in Shinnston, West Virginia
John Cornelius “Johnny” Ray, 1957 in Chouteau, Oklahoma
Mark Allan Gardner, 1962 in Los Angeles, California
Omar Jesus Daal, 1972 in Maracaibo, Venezuela

[PopTop]

March 02
1893: The New York Giants deal star Buck Ewing to the Cleveland Spiders in exchange for George Davis. Ewing started with the Giants franchise in their first season (1883) when they were called the Gothams and played in Troy, NY. Over the course of his 18-year playing career, Ewing, who was known more as a catcher, played all nine positions on the diamond, batted over .300 and probably stole close to 500 bases en route to his Hall of Fame selection in 1939. Davis, known for his strong defense at short and third, was just entering his fourth season as a pro at the time of the trade and would go on to play 16 more seasons with the Giants and White Sox. He would hit .295 over his career with more than 600 steals, 2,660 hits, triggered the White Sox’ 4-2 win over the Cubs in the 1906 World Series with 6 RBI, and earned a spot in the Hall of Fame in the 1998 voting by the Veteran’s Committee.

1992: Ryne Sandberg signs a new contract worth over $28 million over four years to become baseball’s highest-paid player.

1999: The Veteran’s Committee elects four to the Hall of Fame, including 1960’s slugger Orlando Cepeda and Texas negro league star pitcher Smoky Joe Williams.


Today’s Birthdays:
Morris “Moe” Berg, 1902 in New York, New York
Melvin Thomas “Mel” Ott, 1909 in Gretna, Louisiana
Morton Cecil “Mort” Cooper, 1913 in Atherton, Missouri
Casimir James “Jim” Konstanty, 1917 in Strykersville, New York
Terry Lee Steinbach, 1962 in New Ulm, Minnesota
Ronald Edmin Gant, 1965 in Voctoria, Texas
Jay Jonathan Gibbons, 1977 in Rochester, Michigan

[PopTop]

The 1999 bit below on Alou is word-for-word from Baseball Library. I have it on good authority that the story is total BS. Would love to reveal my source for this, but can't. Got into a conversation with an Astros employee one day and remarked how I didn't really care for Moises. This person started to tell me stories about the guy, including the fact that the 1999 knee injury was actually suffered in an incident with his wife after Moises was caught cheating on her. This person looked me straight in the eye and said, "She caught him with the nanny and beat him with a 3-iron."



March 03
1959: Officials in San Francisco select the name Candlestick Park for the new stadium being built for the relocated Giants. The team used the park through the 1999 season before moving into a new stadium named Pac Bell Park.

1984: Baseball's sixth commissioner receives a 5-year contract as Peter Ueberroth replaces Bowie Kuhn in the position. Ueberroth will officially take over later that year after his duties as president of the 1984 Summer Olympics end.

1999: Houston OF Moises Alou undergoes surgery to repair ligaments in his left knee. He will be out for 5-6 months. Alou was injured when he fell while trying to adjust the speed of his treadmill while in the Dominican Republic.

Today's Birthdays:
John Montgomery Ward, 1860 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
William Henry "Wee Willie" Keeler, 1872 in Brooklyn, New York
Scott David Radinsky, 1968 in Glendale, California
Jorge Dandys Julio, 1979 in Caracas, Venezuela

[RiverRats]

1999: Houston OF Moises Alou undergoes surgery to repair ligaments in his left knee. He will be out for 5-6 months. Alou was injured when he fell while trying to adjust the speed of his treadmill while in the Dominican Republic.

[Obri]

Originally Posted by PopTop

"She caught him with the nanny and beat him with a 3-iron."

Serves him right.

[PopTop]

March 04
1871: The National Association is officially formed to become the first major league in baseball. At the same the, the National Association of Baseball Players is founded to become the first players' union. With players having so much power in this league, owners eventually set out to gain control and bring the players association down in 1876.

1941: Grace Comiskey finally wins a court battle to take control of the Chicago White Sox, the first female to sit at the top of an American League club. Her husband, J. Louis Comiskey, died a couple of years earlier and left the team in the hands of the 1st National Bank of Chicago who believed the team to be a risky business venture and opted to sell the franchise. Mrs. Comiskey fought the sale and finally won.

1984: Shortstop Pee Wee Reese and catcher Rick Ferrell are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee.


Today's Birthdays:
Charles Taylor "Piano Legs" Hickman, 1876 in Taylortown, Pennsylvania
John Joseph "Red" Murray. 1884 in Arnot, Pennsylvania
Edward Joseph "Jack" Pfeffer, 1888 in Seymour, Illinois
Clarence Arthur "Dazzy" Vance, 1891 in Orient, Iowa
Francis Joseph "Lefty" O'Doul, 1897 in San Francisco, California
Thomas Alan Grieve, 1948 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Hiram (Colon) Bocachica, 1976 in Ponce, Puerto Rico

[PopTop]

March 05
1936: Luis Tiant Sr. pitches the Cuban team past the visting St. Louis Cardinals in an exhibition contest in Havana. The Cards are minus Dizzy and Daffy Dean as the brothers holdout for more money.

1966: Marvin Miller, an official with the United Steelworkers Union, is selected to head the Major League Players Association.

1996: The Veterans Committee adds four to the Hall of Fame with the selections of Ned Hanlon, who managed the old NL Baltimore Orioles, Earl Weaver, who managed the AL Baltimore Orioles, Negro League pitcher Bill Foster, and pitcher Jim Bunning who won 100+ games in both the AL and NL and went on to become a US Senator from his home state of Kentucky. Former White Sox and Colt 45s/Astros 2B Nellie Fox also has enough votes for selection but has to wait another year before his name is called because of a rule that limits the committee to electing just one "modern day" player max per season.

Today's Birthdays:
Samuel Luther "Big Sam" Thompson, 1860 in Danville, Indiana
Luzerne Atwell "Lu" Blue, 1897 in Washington DC
Elmer William Valo, 1921 in Ribnik, Czechoslovakia
Delmar Wesley "Del" Crandall, 1930 in Ontario, California
Kenton Charles "Kent" Tekulve, 1947 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Paul Henry Konerko, 1976 in Providence, Rhode Island




March 06
1906: The Cubs acquire third baseman Harry Steinfeldt from the Reds for Hans Lobert and Jake Weimer. Steinfeldt is the forgotten fourth member of the famous Chicago infield which includes Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers and Frank Chance.

1957: Los Angeles begins a serious effort to get their own MLB team after Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley meets with LA mayor Norris Poulson. The city has seen two previous efforts to bring major league baseball to the West Coast fail after attempts to lure the Washington Senators in the 1930s and the St. Louis Cardinals shortly after WWII never panned out.

1985: The Veterans Committee adds Enos Slaughter and Arky Vaughan to the Hall of Fame.

Today's Birthdays:
Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove, 1900 in Lonaconing, Maryland
Peter J. Gray, 1915 in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania
Octavio Victor "Cookie" Rojas, 1939 in Havana, Cuba
Wilver Dornel "Willie" Stargell, 1940 in Earlsboro, Oklahoma
Clint Harold Barmes, 1979 in Vincennes, Indiana

[PopTop]

March 07
1893: An important date in baseball history, and one that is generally considered to be the birth of the modern game. It is on this date that the National League, during meetings held in New York City, adopt the 60'-6" distance from the pitcher's box to home plate along with the 90' distance between bases. The distance from the rubber to the plate had been around the 50' mark for a little more than 10 years, and the pitchers were generally having a field day. The 60'-6" and 90' distances agreed upon on this date were a compromise to a plan submitted by Philadelphia sportswriter W.R. Lester. According to Gene Elston's book A Stitch In Time, the NL clubs would meet again two years later to consider going back to the old pitching distance due to an "explosion of offense which resulted in long drawn-out and uninteresting contests."

1903: The first official interleague trade between the NL and AL is made as the New York Giants ship Heinie Smith to the Detroit Tigers for Kid Gleason.

1999: Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos announces his team will travel to Cuba to play an exhibition game in late March, ending a 40-year drought of MLB team playing exhibition contests in Cuba.


Today's Birthdays:
Robert Edgar "Ed" Willett, 1884 in Norfolk, Virginia
Alva Lee "Bobo" Holloman, 1925 in Thomaston, Georgia
Galen Bernard Cisco, 1936 in St. Marys, Ohio
James Rodney "JR" Richard, 1950 in Vienna, Louisiana
Jeffrey Alan Burroughs, 1951 in Long Beach, California
Joseph Chris Carter, 1960 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Jeffrey Franklin Kent, 1968 in Bellflower, California

[PopTop]

March 08
1900: The National League decides to contract from 12 teams down to eight, dropping Baltimore, Cleveland, Louisville and Washington. Those four teams will receive a small portion of gate receipts from the remaining eight clubs over the next two seasons as part of the agreement. The top players from the contracted clubs are auctioned off, with the biggest name, Honus Wagner, moving from Louisville to Pittsburgh. The remaining eight clubs --- Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St. Louis --- remain the same until 1953 when the Braves relocate from Beantown to Milwaukee.

1930: Babe Ruth ends his holdout by signing a 2-year contract worth $80,000 per season. Yanks GM Ed Barrow remarks, "No one will ever be paid more than Ruth."

1969: Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, with a little help from NL president Warren Giles, stick it to the Houston Astros by declining to make null & void an earlier trade between Houston and Montreal. The earlier deal sent Rusty Staub from Houston to Montreal for Donn Clendenon and Jesus Alou. However, Clendenon refuses to report to Houston and announces his "retirement." Rather than returning Staub to Houston and Alou to Montreal, Kuhn and Giles force the Astros and Expos to come up with different compensation for the loss of Clendenon in the deal. A deal is finally struck in early April when the Expos ship Jack Billingham, Skip Guinn and cash to the Astros. It's a total bullsh!t day in Houston baseball history.


Today's Birthdays:
Albert Francis Gionfriddo, 1922 in Dysart, Pennsylvania
Carl Anthony Furillo, 1922 in Stony Creek Mills, Pensylvania
James Alan Bouton, 1939 in Newark, New Jersey
Richard Anthony "Richie/Dick" Allen, 1942 in Wampum, Pennsylvania
James Edward Rice, 1953 in Anderson, South Carolina
Ryan Paul Freel, 1976 in Jacksonville, Florida

[PopTop]

March 09
1897: The first Cleveland "Indian" is signed as the old Cleveland Forest City's (aka Spiders) of the NL ink Holy Cross star athlete Louis "Chief" Sockalexis to a contract. Sockalexis plays just three seasons and 94 games in the majors, dying at the young age of 41 due to "chronic alcoholism." When the AL's Cleveland franchise, known as the Naps until 1914, hold a contest to rename the team, one of the suggestion is Indians in honor of Sockalexis. I'm also finding evidence that Sockaleixs attended Notre Dame in addition to Holy Cross.

1979: Commissioner Bowie Kuhn issues a very controversial ruling when he allows female sportswriters into clubhouses and locker rooms.

1995: Despite the stupid strike going on 200 days old, the owners nonetheless think it's a great time for MLB to expand, awarding franchises to Arizona and Tampa. The official cost for the new clubs is $130 million, but the real cost winds up to be over $150 million since the new clubs are excluded from receiving revenues from national broadcasts, All-Star and postseason contests for five seasons.


Today's Birthdays:
Claude Preston "Lefty" Williams, 1893 in Aurora, Missouri
William Harrison "Billy" Southworth, 1893 in Harvard, Nebraska
Joseph Floyd "Arky" Vaughan, 1912 in Clifty, Arkansas
Jack Eugene "Jackie" Jensen, 1927 in San Francisco, California
Dagoberto Blanco "Bert" Campaneris, 1942 in Pueblo Nuevo, Cuba
Terence John "Terry" Mulholland, 1963 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Benito Rivera Santiago, 1965 in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Aaron John Boone, 1973 in La Mesa, California

[PopTop]

March 10
1941: The Brooklyn Dodgers announce their batters will adorn batting helmets in the upcoming season, the first team to wholly take on the concept of protecting the old coconut. The idea of wearing protective gear has been slow to work its way into the majors due to the players thinking that wearing one makes them look like a sissy Wearing helmets will become mandatory in NL in 1954 and in the AL four years later. In 1983, a new rule is put into place requiring MLB batters to wear at least a single ear-flap protective helmet. Players already in the majors at that time can get an exemption from the ear-flap helmets, but must file an official written objection with the league office (I believe Keith Hernandez was one player who did just that).

1951: The St. Louis Browns announce they will move the team to Milwaukee due to poor attendance in St. Louie. The move never comes, however, and the club shifts east to Baltimore before the 1954 season instead.

1982: The fourth and final member of the 1927 NY Giants infield is elected to the Hall of Fame when the Veteran's committee selects shortstop Travis Jackson to be enshrined. The other infielders from that team already in the Hall are Bill Terry (1B), Rogers Hornsby (2B) and Freddie Lindstrom (3B).


Today's Birthdays:
Steven Roy Howe, 1958 in Pontiac, Michigan
John Anthony Cangelosi, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York
Julian Jawann "Tike" Redman, 1977 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

[PopTop]

March 11
1901: Baltimore manager John McGraw says he has signed a Cherokee Indian to play ball, with the Cincinnati Inquirer reporting the player’s name as Tokohoma. The contract is eventually rejected when it is revealed the player is actually named Charlie Grant, a minor league second baseman who is black.

1991: Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, attempting a comeback, is shelled in his first outing for the Orioles during spring training. He will retire a second and final time the following day.

2002: Grady Little is hired to manage the Boston Red Sox.

2004: Sambito the Cat is born at the Canyon Lake Animal Shelter Society in Canyon Lake, Texas. About six weeks later she will be adopted by yours truly, given the name of the former Astros lefthander and spoiled rotten.

Today’s Birthdays:
Dock Phillip Ellis, 1945 in Los Angeles, California
Cesar Francisco Geronimo, 1948 in Santa Cruz del Seibo, Dominican Republic
Bob Kelly Abreu, 1974 in Aragua, Venezuela
Christopher Allen Burke, 1980 in Louisville, Kentucky

(Interesting: Two former Astros, one new Astro, and one guy who used to beat the crud outta’ the Astros)

[PopTop]

March 12
1892: The New York state assembly considers legislation that will bar women from playing professional baseball.

1942: Joe DiMaggio accepts an offer of $42,000 to play baseball for the Yankees, ending his holdout and receiving the 2nd-highest salary of a Yankees player ever (Ruth's $80,000 was #1 then). Coming off a season in which he batted safely in a record 56-straight games and hit .357 with 30HR and 125 RBI, the Yankees originally offered DiMaggio the same $37,500 he was earning in 1941. The $42,000 DiMaggio eventually received was the highest salary in baseball for the 1942 season.

1951: Commissioner A.B. "Happy" Chandler, a former Kentucky governor and US Senator, is voted out of office by a 9-7 margin among the 16 team owners. Chandler, who succeeded Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as the game's second commissioner in April 1945, was a gregarious and outspoken man, often much to the chagrin of the owners who had already stripped the commissioner's office of some of the autocratic powers Landis employed during his reign. Chandler, in my opinion, is the "forgotten man" in the breaking of baseball's color barrier in 1947, and his support for the game being desgregated no doubt played a part in his being fired by the owners who voted 15-1 against allowing blacks into baseball. Chandler ignored that vote and ok'ed Brooklyn's signing of Jackie Robinson.

Today's Birthdays:
Vernon Sanders "Deacon" Law, 1930 in Meridian, Idaho
John Wesley Callison, 1939 in Qualls, Oklahoma
James Sherman "Toy Cannon" Wynn, 1942 in Hamilton, Ohio
Dale Bryan Murphy, 1956 in Portland, Oregon
Darryl Eugene Strawberry, 1962 in Los Angeles, California
Steven Allen Finley, 1965 in Paducah, Kentucky
Raul Ramon Mondesi, 1971 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic




March 13
1915: Brooklyn manager Wilbert "Uncle Robbie" Robinson puts on an exhibition to prove his claim he can catch a baseball dropped from an airplane at an altitude of 500 feet. But instead of a baseball, the pilot drops a grapefruit that splits and splashes all over Uncle Robbie. Baseball Library reports that then-player "Casey Stengel is the assumed culprit of the switch."

1943: Baseball approves a different baseball made from recycled cork and balata in the center, a change from the rubber center since rubber is among the items being rationed for the war effort. Balata comes from the Caribbean bully tree and is already in use as a rubber substitute for belts and golf balls.

1953: Baseball approves the move of the Boston Braves to Milwaukee.

1960: Bill Veeck announces his White Sox will have their names on the back of road jerseys.

1969: In addition to lowering the mound and shrinking the strike zone in an attempt to increase offense, baseball introduces a new ball with an all-rubber center and raised seems.

Today's Birthdays:
John Franklin "Home Run" Baker, 1886 in Trappe, Maryland
Mariano (Nalasco) Duncan, 1963 in San Pedro de Marcoris, Dominican Republic
William Nuschler "Will the Thrill" Clark, 1964 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Johan Alexander Santana, 1979 in Tovar Merida, Venezuela

[PopTop]

March 14
1961: The new formed New York Mets hire former Yankees GM George Weiss to become president of the NL expansion club. Weiss had been let go by the Yankees after the 1960 season due to their age 65 retirement policy. During Weiss' 29 year association with the Yanks, they won 19 pennants.

1993: Cincinnati bans owner Marge Schott's dog, a St. Bernard named Scottzie 02, from the playing field at Riverfront Stadium.

1997: More than four years after the old labor contract was reopened, labor peace finally comes to MLB with the players and owners agreeing on a new pact. Though players returned to action early in 1995, no official agreement was reached for almost two full years.


Today's Birthdays:
Martin Joseph "Marty" McManus, 1900 in Chicago, Illinois
Harold Delano "Butch" Wynegar, Jr., 1956 in York, Pennsylvania
Kirby Puckett, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois
James Kevin Brown, 1965 in Milledgeville, Georgia

[PopTop]

March 15
1869: Professional baseball is born on this date with the founding of the Cincinnati Red Stockings. In the previous 10 years or so, individual players had been paid to play for teams, some of these "pros" coming from the ranks of cricket. Being a professional baseball player was something of a social taboo at this time, and the Cincy team had been playing since 1866 as an amateur group. But Harry Wright, A.B. Champion and Carl Ellard now organized the team as a pure professional outfit, with each player in the team receiving pay. The total payroll for the club that first season is reported to have been $9,300, or about what Alex Rodriguez makes these days to take a few swings in the on-deck circle The Red Stockings were the first team to play in knickerbockers instead of regular long trousers, and they would not lose their first game until June 1870, a string of 85-95 straight wins depending on the reference source one might be reading on the feat.

1944: With WWII going on two ocean fronts and players in short supply, the Washington Senators go to spring camp with four knuckleball pitchers as their starting rotation. Figuring this to eventually be a trivia question posed by our own Toy Cannon or Yellow Dog, the four knucklers were Dutch Leonard, Mickey Haefner, Roger Wolff and Johnny Niggling. Haefner was a southpaw with the others right-handers. The Senators finish in last (8th) in the AL in 1944, but turn it around with the same knuckling quartet in 1945 to finish second in the Junior Circuit. Eventual Hall-of-Famer Rick Ferrell was the catcher on those Senator squads, leading the league in passed balls in both 1944 and 1945. Washington also had another knuckleballer down in their bullpen those two seasons, lefty Bill Lefebvre.

1971: From Baseball Library - Bernice Gera, a 39-year-old New York housewife, files suit against baseball, claiming violation of her civil rights. Mrs. Gera had completed an umpire school and signed a contract to work in the New York-Pennsylvania League, but her contract had been voided 6 days later with no explanation.

1988: From Bob Husley at Astro Daily - It hits the fan when newspapers publish pitcher Bob Knepper's reaction to the performance of minor league umpire Pam Postema, attempting to become the first woman ump in the majors. Knepper states his religious beliefs that women should not "have authority" over men. Astros public relations say calls in reaction to the comments are running 70% opposed. Postema's career eventually falls short of the big leagues.

Today's Birthdays
Walter Arlington "Arlie" Latham, 1860 in West Lebanon, New Hampshire
Bobby Lee Bonds, 1946 in Riverside, California
Michael Vaughn "Mickey" Hatcher, 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio
Harold Douglas Baines, 1959 in Easton, Maryland
Michael Timothy Pagliarulo, 1960 in Medford, Massachusetts
Kevin Edmund Youkilis, 1979 in Cincinnati, Ohio

[PopTop]

March 16
1953: Bill Veeck's attempt to move his St. Louis Browns to Baltimore is rejected by the other owners who want Veeck out of their little club. The move works, Veeck eventually sells off his interest in the team, and the MLB owners then approve the move of the club to Baltimore in September 1953.

1985: The verdict is in and former AL Cy Young winner Denny McLain, the last pitcher to win 30 games in a season, is found guilty of drug possession, extortion and racketeering by a Tampa, Florida, jury,

Today's Birthdays:
Patrick Joseph "Patsy" Donovan, 1865 in Cork County, Ireland
Lloyd James "Little Poison" Waner, 1906 in Harrah, Oklahoma
Hee Seop Choi, 1979 in Chun-Nam, South Korea




March 17
1886: The Sporting News is born as the first issue rolls off the presses in St. Louis, Mo. It is the brainchild of Alfred Spinks and forever and a day was the primary source of baseball news for fans across the country.

1976: Training camps are opened finally after a labor lockout is ended by commissioner Bowie Kuhn. The regular seasons starts on time.

1984: The Chicago Cubs release veteran right-hander Ferguson Jenkins. Fergie will be selected to the Hall of Fame not quite seven years later.

1998: One of the darkest days in baseball history as the MLB owners approve the sale of the LA Dodgers to Rupert Murdoch's FOX Media Group. The transaction, reportedly worth $325 million (plus or minus a few mil), ends the O'Malley Family's control of the club that dates back to 1950.

Today's Birthdays:
Oscar Harland Stanage, 1883 in Tulare, California
Charles Henry Root, 1899 in Middletown, Ohio
Henry John "Hank" Sauer, 1917 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Harold Patrick "Pete" Reiser, 1919 in St. Louis, Missouri
Clarence Edwin "Cito" Gaston, 1944 in San Antonio, Texas
Daniel Ray Ainge, 1959 in Eugene, Oregon
John Patrick Smiley, 1965 in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
William Richard "Bill" Mueller, 1971 in Maryland Heights, Missouri




March 18
1985: Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle are reinstated in baseball by commissioner Peter Ueberroth. The two had been banned from baseball by former commissioner Bowie Kuhn due to their association and employment with an Atlantic City casino.

1990: Another labor lockout is finally settled and teams report to camp. Most teams only get in 10-12 spring games before opening the season. The end of the 32-day lockout brought on several changes that still drive team payrolls today such as the 2-3 year eligibility for arbitration and teams only receving draft choice compensation for losing a free agent if they offer salary arbitration to that player. The minimum salary is increased by nerly 50%, rising from $68,000 to $100,000 per year.

Today's Birthdays:
James Joseph "Nixey" Callahan, 1874 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Scott Eric Podsednik, 1976 in West, Texas
Tomokazu Ohka, 1976 in Kyoto, Japan




March 19
1962: From Bob Hulsey at AstrosDaily.com --- Mickey Herskowitz of the Houston Post has his first column published as a mythical Houston pitcher named "Lefty" who tells about life with the Colt .45s. He continues the columns for five years and they sell as a book entitled "Letters From Lefty". A few more letters show up through 1971. They remain some of the best stories about the early years of the franchise.

1966: From Bob Hulsey at AstrosDaily.com --- Players with the Astros and Dodgers are flown from Florida to Houston to test the new artificial surface. Balls bounce too high in the infield and engineers add more sand under the rug to make it behave more like natural grass. (This marks the first time a game, exhibition or otherwise, is played on artificial surface.)

Today's Birthdays:
Joseph Jerome "Iron Man" McGinnity, 1871 in Rock Island, Illinois
William Adolph "Bill" Wambsganss, 1894 in Cleveland, Ohio
Gerald Holmes "Gee" Walker, 1908 in Gulfport, Mississippi
Don Richard "Richie" Ashburn, 1927 in Tilden, Nebraska
Michael Jason LaRue, 1974 in Houston, Texas



March 20
1934: Mildred "Babe" Didrickson of Beaumont, Texas, takes the mound for the Philadelphia A's aaginst the Brooklyn Dodgers. Didrickson tosses the 1st inning of the exhibition contest, walking one and allowing no hits.

1963: Former Browns and Indians 2B-SS Johnny Berardino joins the cast of the daytime soap General Hospital as Dr. Steve Hardy. Berardino will eventually be nominated for three Emmy's, and his roots in acting go back to the 1930s when he had minor roles in the old Our Gang comedies. Berardino played 11 seasons in the big leagues, his career interrupted by WWII, appearing in more than 900 games and coming away with 755 MLB hits.

1973: Roberto Clemente is selected to the Hall of Fame in a special election that waved the normal 5-year waiting period for players to be considered. Clemente receives all but 31 of the 422 ballots cast in the process.

Today's Birthdays:
lloyd Vernon "Vern" Kennedy, 1907 in Kansas City, Missouri
Patrick Corrales, 1941 in Los Angeles, California
Christopher Allen Hoiles, 1965 in Bowling Green, Ohio

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March 21
1978: San Diego skipper Alvin Dark becomes just the 2nd manager to ever be fired during Spring Training when the Padres can him and hire Roger Craig in his place. Phil Cavaretta was fired during ST in 1954 by the Chicago Cubs for the only other time it happened.

1995: The Maryland state government passes legislation to ban non-union players from playing at Camden Yards.

Today's Birthdays:
Frederick Mitchell "Mysterious" Walker, 1884 in Utica, Nebraska
William Aloysius "Bill" McGowan, 1896 in Wilmington, Delaware UMPIRE
Herman Thomas "Tommy" Davis, 1939 in Brooklyn, New York
Manuel de Jesus "Manny" Sanguillen, 1944 in Colon, Panama
Shawon Donnell Dunston, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York
Cristian Guzman, 1978 in Santo Domingo, Domincan Republic



March 22
1962: From BaseballLibrary.com >>> A former Giant—requesting anonymity—reveals that Bobby Thomson's home run in the 1951 playoffs against the Dodgers was helped by a sign-stealing clubhouse spy. The spying is claimed to have gone on for the last three months of the season. Thomson, along with former manager Leo Durocher, vehemently deny that he received help, but a source close to the team confirms the spy operation.

1993: A trio of Cleveland pitchers are involved in a tragic boating accident near Claremont, Florida, resulting in the deaths of Steve Olin and Tim Crews. Bobby Ojeda eventually recovers from critical injuries and will pitch later that season for the Indians. He retires the following season and this still remains one of the most somber reports I've ever seen on ESPN to this day.

Today's Birthdays:
William Dale "Billy" Goodman, 1926 in Concord, North Carolina
Richard Clark "Dick" Ellsworth, 1940 in Lusk, Wyoming
Sean Robert Berry, 1966 in Santa Monica, California
Ramon Jaime Martinez, 1968 in Santo Domingo, Domincan Republic
Cory Fulton Lidle, 1972 in Hollywood, California



March 23
1959: The St. Louis Cardinals send all-star pitcher Sam "Sad Sam/Toothpick Sam" Jones to the San Francisco Giants for Bill White and Ray Jablonski.

1996: The Indians and Phillies meet for the very first time ever in a Spring Training game in Clearwater, Florida. Cleveland wins 8-2.

Today's Birthdays:
Homer Vernon "Doc" Smoot, 1878 in Galestown, Maryland
Clifford Carlton "Gavvy" Cravath, 1881 in Excondido, California
Remy Peter "Ray" Kremer, 1893 in Oakland, California
John "Yatcha" Logan, Jr., 1927 in Endicott, New York
Lee Andrew May, 1943 in Birmingham, Alabama
George Charles Scott, Jr., 1944 in Greenville, Mississippi
Mark Anthony Buehrle, 1979 in St. Charles, Missouri
Joshua Brown "Mojo" Morejon, 1978 in Houston, Texas



March 24:
1911: Helene Hathaway Britton becomes the first female owner in the majors when her uncle, Matthew Stanley Robison, dies and names his niece his sole heir, including his controlling interest in the St. Louis Cardinals.

1961: Financing for the $55 million Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadow, Queens, New York, is approved.

Today's Birthdays:
Albert Karl "Kip" Selbach, 1872 in Columbus, Ohio
George Harold Sisler, 1893 in Manchester, Ohio
Jesus Maria Rojas Alou, 1942 in Haina, Dominican Republic
Garry Lewis Templeton, 1956 in Lockney, Texas
Bruce Vee Hurst, 1958 in St. George, Utah
Wilson Eduardo Alvarez, 1970 in Maracaibo, Venezuela




March 25
1914: Babe Ruth makes the first start of his career for Baltimore in the International League and beats the Phildelphia Athletics 6-2 in an exhbition game. Future Hall of Famer and A's standout Eddie Collins makes the understatement of a lifetime when he remarks, "Ruth is a sure comer."

2001: During a 10-6 win for the Diamondbacks over the Giants in an exhibition contest, a dove makes the mistake of flying into the path of a Randy Johnson fastball.

Today's Birthdays:
Jeese Clyde "Deerfoot" Milan, 1887 in Linden, Tennessee
Emil John "Dutch" Leonard, 1909 in Auburn, Illinois
Lee Louis Mazzilli, 1955 in New York, New York
Thomas Michael Glavine, 1966 in Concord, Massachusetts
David Travis Fryman, 1969 in Lexington, Kentucky
Adrian "El Duquecito" Hernandez, 1975 in Havana, Cuba



March 26
1974: The Boston Red Sox release two future Hall of Famers, Luis Aparicio and Orlando Cepeda. Aparicio retires and Cepeda catches on with the Kansas City Royals.

1976: A pair of banks and LaBatt's Brewery are awarded an AL franchise in Toronto for a mere $7 million (USD).

1988: Gene Mauch ends a 27-year managerial career when he retires from the California Angels during Spring Training.

Today's Birthdays:
Melvin Douglas "Mel" Queen, 1942 in Johnson City, New York
Kevin Lee Seitzer, 1962 in Springfield, Illinois
Jose Luis Vizcaino, 1968 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic
Richard Shane Reynolds, 1968 in Bastrop, Louisiana




March 27
1973: Denny McLain's career officially comes to an end when he is released by the Atlanta Braves. Still short of his 29th birthday at the time, McLain remains the last pitcher to win 30 or more games in a season (1968).

1984: Houston releases big right-hander JR Richard nearly four years after his near-fatal stroke, and the career of one of the game's most intimidating pitchers comes to an end.

Today's Birthdays:
Miller James "Mighty Mite" Huggins, 1879 in Cincinnati, Ohio MGR
John Wesley "Wes" Covington, 1932 in Laurinburg, North Carolina
Richard David "Dick" Ruthven, 1951 in Sacramento, California
Dermal Bram "Dee" Brown, 1978 in Bronx, New York