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***Official RIP Dead Ballplayers Thread -- Yer Out! (1 Viewer)

Eephus

Footballguy
Matty Alou 1938-2011

The Giants were deeply saddened to learn about the passing of former Giants outfielder Matty Alou. Matty, who was a formidable player during his career, was a lifetime .307 hitter who collected 1,777 hits over 15 seasons, six with the Giants from 1960-65. He was a two-time All-Star and won the 1966 National League batting title with a .342 average while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although... he played for six different teams, Matty remained a part of the Giants family as a long time employee and will be forever linked with his brothers – Felipe and Jesus – as the first all-brother Major League outfield.
Alou batted over .330 for four consecutive years beginning in 1966, which was probably the toughest era in baseball history for hitters. He hit 90 points above the NL average in 1968. He had a unique batting stance but I can't find any pictures of it.

 
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Bob Forsch: 1950 - 2011

Bob Forsch, one of a handful of pitchers to have two no-hit games and the third winningest pitcher in Cardinals history, collapsed at his home near Tampa Fla., and died suddenly Thursday night.Early reports from his wife, Jan, were that Forsch, 61, had suffered an aneurysm in his upper chest.
He had just thrown out the first pitch in game 7 of this year's world series.
 
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Bob Forsch: 1950 - 2011

Bob Forsch, one of a handful of pitchers to have two no-hit games and the third winningest pitcher in Cardinals history, collapsed at his home near Tampa Fla., and died suddenly Thursday night.Early reports from his wife, Jan, were that Forsch, 61, had suffered an aneurysm in his upper chest.
He had just thrown out the first pitch in game 7 of this year's world series.
Forsch could swing the bat. He had 12 career HRs.
 
Bob Forsch: 1950 - 2011

Bob Forsch, one of a handful of pitchers to have two no-hit games and the third winningest pitcher in Cardinals history, collapsed at his home near Tampa Fla., and died suddenly Thursday night.Early reports from his wife, Jan, were that Forsch, 61, had suffered an aneurysm in his upper chest.
He had just thrown out the first pitch in game 7 of this year's world series.
Forsch could swing the bat. He had 12 career HRs.
He was one of my favorite Cardinal pitchers, and yes he could swing the lumber.
 
Charlie Lea 1956-2011

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Charlie Lea, who was the first French-born pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the major leagues, has died. He was 54.Collierville Police Lt. Doug Marshall confirmed Friday night that Lea was found dead at his home by his wife at about 4:30 p.m. The cause of death was not immediately known.Born in Orleans, France, Lea pitched from 1980 until 1988. He spent six seasons with the Montreal Expos and one season with the Minnesota Twins.On May 9, 1981, Lea threw a no-hitter as the Expos beat the San Francisco Giants 4-0 in the second game of a doubleheader. The right-hander was an All-Star in 1984. His career record was 62-48, with an ERA of 3.54.Lea had worked as a radio commentator for the minor league Memphis Redbirds since 2002.
 
Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman was stabbed to death early Monday and his brother was arrested as a suspect, Dutch police said. Rotterdam Police spokeswoman Patricia Wessels said police were called to a home in the port city in the early hours of the morning and found the 24-year-old Dutch player fatally wounded.Wessels said the officers arrested Halman's 22-year-old brother. She declined to give his name, in line with Dutch privacy rules. "He is under arrest and right now he is being questioned," Wessels told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "It will take some time to figure out what exactly happened."Halman hit .230 in 35 games and made starts at all three outfield positions for the Mariners in 2011 before being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.Because he played professionally in the United States, Halman was not part of the Netherlands team that won the Baseball World Cup in Panama last month. The Dutch beat Cuba 2-1 in the final to become the first European team to win the title.Born in the city of Haarlem, Halman played in the Dutch Pro League and was part of the gold medal winning Dutch squad at the 2007 European Championship.
 
NICK STRINCEVICH 1915-2011

Nick Strincevich, age 96, of Valparaiso, passed away Friday, November 11, 2011 at Life Care Center. He was born March 1, 1915 in Gary to Luis and Karolina (Chlapcic) Strycovic. On November 14, 1936 in Valparaiso he married Mary Ciesielski, who preceded him in death in 1999. Nick began a pitching career in major league baseball in 1940 after being recruited to the New York Yankees from Gary's "Twilight League." Following a stint in the Yankee farm system, he was drafted by the Boston Bees and was managed by Casey Stengel.In 1941 Nick was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was selected to represent the National League in the 1945 All-Star game, but due to war-time travel restrictions the game was cancelled. After retiring from the Philadelphia Phillies in 1948, Nick went to work at the Budd Plant in Gary, retiring in 1980 as Safety Supervisor.
He went 14-7 and 16-10 during WWII. At 96, he was the third oldest living ex-big league player.
 
Joe Lonnett 1927-2011

As the third base coach for the Pirates' 1979 World Series champions, Lonnett was an embodiment of their "We Are Family" slogan, a Beaver Falls native whose wife and five daughters often baby-sat the players' children. A Brighton Township resident for 45 years, Lonnett died Monday. He was 84."We grew up with it. We have a lot of memories with him, with the ballplayers," said daughter Barbara Lonnett, of Leetsdale. "It was kind of a dream for us for him to come to Pittsburgh. It was icing on the cake."He still left early and came home late, but he was here and we could see him. That '79 season, as cliche as it sounds, they truly were an amazing, close-knit group of guys, as humble as can be."Lonnett spent 24 years in baseball as a player and coach, signing with the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1948. He missed two seasons while serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II and the Korean War. Lonnett spent four seasons as a catcher with the Phillies, from 1956-59, batting .166 with six home runs and 27 RBI. His roommate was Robin Roberts, the Hall of Fame pitcher who died in May 2010.After playing and coaching in the Phillies' minor-league system, Lonnett coached with Tanner, a New Castle native, with the Chicago White Sox from 1971-75 and the A's in '76. His wife, Alvida, and daughters Maria, Judy, Joyce, Barb and Nancy would visit Lonnett when the White Sox returned East and made three-game road swings.When Tanner was traded to the Pirates for Sanguillen - only the second trade in MLB history to involve a manager - Lonnett returned home. He wore Sanguillen's No. 35 jersey until the Pirates traded for Sanguillen a year later, then switched to No. 32. Lonnett's family saw the Pirates as an extended family of big brothers or father figures."I didn't see him as a celebrity," Barb said. "My dad loved all of the players, literally, like sons. They were all so close. When we were around Chuck Tanner, Willie Stargell, Dave Parker, Bill Madlock — all of them — we didn't see them as professional athletes. That's just how we grew up."In recent years, Lonnett battled Alzheimer's disease and was cared for by Alvida, his wife of 56 years. He attended the 25th anniversary celebration of the World Series champions in 2004, where Barb recalled a tearful reunion with former Pirates players and coaches."The admiration and love they had for my father, you see it," Barb said. "I have never heard anyone say anything derogatory about my father. It's always, 'He's the kindest man I ever met.' It's a testament to who he was. He touched so many people's lives - and I don't think he realized that. It was never about him. He was a man of immeasurable kindness, someone who was selfless always and loved his wife and kids."
 
Don Mueller (April 14, 1927 – December 28, 2011)

St. Louisan Don Mueller, who led the majors in hits in 1954 and roamed the outfield with Willie Mays of the New York Giants, died on Wednesday. He was 84. Mueller, a native St. Louisan who played at CBC, was signed by the Giants in 1944 and made his big-league debut four years later. At age 23, he became a starter for the Giants in right field and hit .291 in his first full season.In the 1951 playoff game between the Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, which ended with Bobby Thomson's famous homer, Mueller played a key role. After Alvin Dark led off the ninth with a single, Mueller singled to right, advancing Dark to third. Whitey Lockman then doubled to score Dark and cut the Dodgers' lead to 4-2, but Mueller slid badly and injured an ankle. He was taken from the field by stretcher. It was during that delay that the Dodgers called for Ralph Branca to pitch to Thomson, who homered in what became known as the "shot heard 'round the world."Mueller's best year came in 1954 when he led the majors with 212 hits and batted .342 as he was named an All-Star. He was also 12th in voting for the MVP award (won by Mays). He hit .394 in the World Series as the Giants swept Cleveland. Mueller was an All-Star selection again in 1955 when he hit .306.A career .296 hitter, Mueller became known as "Mandrake the Magician." He finished his career with two seasons with the White Sox in 1958 and 59.
 
Ted Beard (1921-2011)

While digging through baseball’s history books, one would be surprised to find Ted Beard’s name in the same company with Babe Ruth. The 5’8” 165 lb. outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates was only the second player, the first being Ruth, to ever hit a home run over the 86 foot high right field fence in Forbes Field. He was only one of ten different players to accomplish that feat until the last game was played there in 1970.

The veteran of seven major league seasons between 1948-1952 with the Cleveland Indians and Pirates and 1956-57 with the Chicago White Sox died Friday, December 30, 2011 in Fishers, Ind. He was 90.

Beard signed with the Pirates in 1942 out of a baseball school in Frederick, Md. Like many of his era, he was quickly whisked away by Uncle Sam to serve in World War II. He spent three years in the Pacific with the Army, reaching the rank of corporal. Discharged at the age of 24, he showed little signs of rust after being out of organized baseball for three years, batting .328 with the Class B York club in 1946.

Starting in 1948, Beard would shuttle between the major leagues and AAA Indianapolis where he became one of the most popular players in franchise history. In 1979, he was selected by the Indianapolis News at the starting right fielder on their all-time team, ahead of Roger Maris and Rocky Colavito.

It was during the 1950 season, his longest in the majors, that he pounded his way in to the record books. On July 16, 1950, facing Bob Hall of the Boston Braves, Beard sent the ball skyrocketing over the towering grandstand. In an April 2010 interview that I conducted with Beard, he provided a recap of his at-bats leading up to the home run.

“My first time at-bat, I hit a line drive at the second baseman and he caught it. The next time, I hit a line drive at third, and he caught it,” said Beard. Finally, after squaring up the ball the previous two times at-bat, Beard surprised everyone in the park with his circuit blast. “The next time, I hit it over the roof. I don't remember hitting one that far before that.”

Beard would gain another moment in the spotlight, this time for his participation in one of the greatest “donnybrooks” ever as a member of the Hollywood Stars. On August 2, 1953, the Stars were playing their cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Angels. Teammate Frank Kelleher was hit by a pitch and Beard was sent in to run for him. When the next batter singled, Beard, who was beaten at third base by a mile, went in to third baseman Murray Franklin with his spikes high and set off a brawl that had to be broken up by mass of police officers. The fight was immortalized in Life magazine with a multi-page spread of photos depicting the wild melee. During his April 2010 interview, Beard had little to add other than proximity adding fuel to the fire. “We were side by side in the towns. One team wanted to beat the other one. There's nothing more to say about that.”

Beard played until 1963 with Indianapolis at the age of 42, some 21 years when he signed with the Pirates. He coached in the White Sox minor league system until 1972. After baseball he worked for the highway crew as an electrician for the State of Indiana until his retirement.
 
Rosman Garcia (1979-2011)

Rosman Garcia, who pitched for the Texas Rangers in 2003 and 2004, died in an automobile accident in his native Venezuela on Thursday. He was 32. Garcia was pitching for the Aragua Tigers in the Venezuelan winter league. Club spokesman Manuel Rodriguez said Garcia was killed when his car skidded off the road and struck a tree. Rosman was driving home after a game. Rosman Garcia was killed in an automobile accident. He was 32. (AP Photo)Aragua postponed a scheduled doubleheader Thursday after receiving news of Garcia's death. Garcia appeared in 46 games for the Rangers in '03 and four games for them the next year, all in relief. He was 1-2 with a 5.94 ERA in 53 career innings. He never returned to the majors after being sent to Class AAA in '04. After pitching for the Baltimore Orioles' Class AA affiliate in 2007, he moved to the Mexican League. He pitched for four teams there from 2008-11, primarily as a starter. "He was a good kid, he really was," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said, according to MLB.com. Showalter managed Garcia with the Rangers. "He really cared. He was a good teammate, always had a smile on his face. He really tried hard and loved playing. He was pleasant, full of energy and always loved helping his team win." Garcia signed with the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1996. New York traded him to Texas in October 2001 as a player to be named in an Aug. 31 deal that sent infielder Randy Velarde to the Yankees.
 
Andy Carey (1931-2011)

Andy Carey, a former Yankees third baseman who helped preserve Don Larsen's 1956 perfect game, passed away on Dec. 15 in Costa Mesa, Calif., his family announced. He was 80.

A career .260 hitter, Carey played in 11 Major League seasons from 1952-62, beginning with the Yankees at age 20 in '52 and spending nine seasons wearing pinstripes.

Born on Oct. 18, 1931, in Oakland, Calif., Carey signed with the Yankees after spending a summer playing semi-pro ball in Weiser, Idaho. As New York's everyday third baseman in '55, Carey led the league with 11 triples and was known as a solid defender and clutch hitter. In July 1955 he helped turn four double plays in a game, tying a ML record for third basemen.

Carey played on four Yankees World Series teams, winning rings with the 1956 and '58 squads. He is remembered as playing a key role in Larsen's Oct. 8, 1956, perfecto against the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. Opening the second inning, Carey made contact with Jackie Robinson's hard smash to the third baseman's left, deflecting the ball from going to the outfield and allowing shortstop Gil McDougald to field it with barely enough time to throw Robinson out at first base. "I was in the right place at the right time," Carey is quoted as saying in Lew Paper's 2009 account of Larsen's game, "Perfect." "We would have never gotten Robinson out if the game would have been played two or three years earlier when he still had his speed." Carey again helped save the perfect game with one out in the eighth, when Gil Hodges hit a low line drive to Carey's left. Carey snagged the ball about an inch from the ground, and just in case the ball was ruled a trap, Carey threw on to first baseman Joe Collins to be sure the out was recorded. "It was a fantastic thing to be part of," Carey once told the Los Angeles Times. "I don't think we realized what a great game it was until many years later.

Carey's Yankees career ended with a May 19, 1960, trade to Kansas City for outfielder Bob Cerv. Slowed by back injuries, Carey completed his pro service with the A's (1960-61), White Sox ('61) and Dodgers ('62).
Carey married Hollywood starlet Lucy Marlow (Va-va-voom) while he was a member of the Yankees. They remained together for nearly 20 years until they divorced in 1974
 
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Marty Springstead 1937-2012

Marty Springstead, who at the age of 36 in 1973 became the youngest umpire crew chief in World Series history, has died. He was 74. Major League Baseball said Wednesday that Springstead was found dead at his home in Florida on Tuesday night.A native of Nyack, N.Y., Springstead was an American League umpire from 1966-85. Among his three World Series were 1978 and 1983, and he also was an umpire at the All-Star game in 1969, 1975 and 1982 and at five AL championship series.After retiring from the field, he became the AL’s executive director of umpires, then worked as an umpire supervisor for MLB after umpire staffs from the leagues merged
 
Danny Clyburn 1974-2012

Former major league outfielder Danny Clyburn was shot and killed in Lancaster, S.C., early Tuesday morning, The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.) reports.Clyburn, 37, was a second-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992 and played parts of three seasons in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the late 1990s. In 41 games (109 at-bats), he hit .211 with four homers and eight RBIs.Danny Clyburn played in 41 major league games from 1997 to 1999. Following the 1999 season, Clyburn bounced played for Newark in the Independent League from 2002-04.According to The Herald, Derrick Lamont Mcilwain, 36, of Lancaster, has been arrested and charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. A witness told police that Clyburn was arguing with a man just before a shot was fired. Clyburn’s body was found in the front yard of the home where that argument allegedly took place.
 
Aurelio Lopez (Señor Smoke) September 21, 1948 – September 22, 1992

Aurelio Lopez, a relief pitcher who helped the Detroit Tigers win the World Series in 1984, was killed in an automobile accident on Tuesday. He was 44 years old.The police said Mr. Lopez was driving when his car flipped over on a highway about 300 miles north of Mexico City. He was thrown from the car and crushed beneath it. Mr. Lopez's wife, Celia, and another passenger survived the accident.The pitcher broke into the major leagues briefly with Kansas City in 1974 and returned in 1978 with St. Louis. He went to the Tigers in 1979 and stayed there through 1985. The right-hander finished his career with Houston, in 1986 and 1987, ending with a career won-lost record of 62-36, 93 saves and a 3.56 earned run average.He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
Coincidentally, there have been three players in Major League Baseball history named Aurelio, and all three were killed in car accidents between the ages of 44 and 53 (Aurelio Rodríguez and Aurelio Monteagudo were the others).
My lasting memory of Aurelio Lopez is from the 1983 season, when I saw my first major league game at old Tiger Stadium vs. the Twins. We were 10 rows back from the Tiger bullpen. Every time Aurelio would start to warm up, some insane chick about 5 seats down from me would start screaming "Aureeeeeeeliiiiooooooooooooo!!!" in an obnoxious, high pitched voice. It was non-stop until he sat down. I don't think he ever actually got into the game. I wanted to kill that woman.ETA: I know I'm doing this wrong, but I was thinking about Aurelio earlier this week and then this thread popped up. Miss you, Aurelio.
 
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Don Mincher 1938-2012

Don Mincher, who played 13 seasons in the majors and made a pair of All-Star teams as a slugging first baseman, passed away last night at age 73 in Alabama.

Mincher served as president of the Double-A Southern League until retiring last year due to health problems and was previously general manager of the league’s Huntsville team.

Signed by the White Sox in 1956, he was traded to the Senators (who later became the Twins) along with Earl Battey for Roy Sievers in 1960. Six years later the Twins traded Mincher to the Angels in a deal for Dean Chance and a couple years after that the Seattle Pilots snagged him in the expansion draft.

Mincher’s raw numbers (200 homers, .798 OPS) don’t look spectacular by today’s standards because he spent most of his career in the extremely low-scoring 1960s, but he produced an adjusted OPS+ of 127 in 4,725 plate appearances. To put that in some context, Don Mattingly had a 127 OPS+ in 7,722 plate appearances.
 
Ray Narleski 1928-2012

Ray Narleski, a two-time all-star with the Indians and a key to their brilliant bullpen during the historic 1954 season, died on March 29 at age 83. Narleski died of natural causes, his wife of 63 years, Ruth, said through the funeral home near the Narleski home in Gloucester Township, New Jersey. Narleski was a right-handed rookie relief pitcher for the Indians when they set the American League record for wins, finishing 111-43, before being swept in the World Series by the New York Giants. The wins record has been broken since the schedule was expanded to 162 games. Sharing the bulk of the bullpen duties with two left-handers, Don Mossi and future Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser, Narleski was 3-2 with 13 saves and a 1.95 ERA in 40 relief appearances spanning 78 1/3 innings, holding hitters to a .171 batting average. He pitched in two World Series games, not getting a decision while allowing one run in four innings. With his blazing fastball and a good assortment of off-speed pitches, Narleski finished sixth in the American League MVP voting in 1955. He led AL pitchers with 60 appearances and with 19 saves, during an era when there were fewer save opportunities as starters pitched more complete games. Narleski was 9-1 with a 3.71 ERA in 111 2/3 innings. Narleski made the AL all-star team in 1956 and 1958, pitching 3 1/3 scoreless relief innings during the AL’s 4-3 win over the National League in 1958. In his five seasons with the Indians, Narleski was 39-21 with 53 saves and a 3.22 ERA in 224 games, including 42 starts. Narleski was named among the Top 100 Greatest Indians during the team’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2001. The Indians traded Narleski, Mossi and infielder Ossie Alvarez to the Tigers for pitcher Al Cicotte and infielder Billy Martin — who went on to managing fame — on Nov. 20, 1958. Narleski was 4-12 with five saves for Detroit in 1959. He was hampered by a sore pitching shoulder, but retired after the season, at age 30, also due to a ruptured disc in his back.
 
RIP Jerry Lynch

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_789431.html



For years, former Pirates Jerry Lynch and **** Groat were business partners. On Sunday, Groat mourned the loss of his "dear friend."

"He was the best. We were partners in business for over 60 years," Groat said of Lynch, who died early yesterday at an Atlanta hospital. He was 81.



No cause of death was revealed. Groat said Lynch, an outfielder who spent two stints with the Pirates and once held the major league record for career pinch-hit home runs, had been ailing since October.



"My first thought was there's no finer person that walked on the face of the earth than Jerry Lynch," Groat said. "No questions asked, he went straight to heaven. He was a great father and a great competitor."



Born July 17, 1930, in Bay City, Mich., Lynch played for the Pirates from 1954-56 and 1963-66. At the time of his retirement from Major League Baseball in 1966, Lynch's 18 career pinch-hit home runs were a record. He currently ranks third all-time.



After his playing days, Lynch was an ownership partner with Groat at Champion Lakes Golf Course in Bolivar in Westmoreland County. He had been in and out of the hospital lately with various ailments, Groat said. He previously had undergone heart bypass surgery.



"In 1955, we just became great friends when we were playing together with the Pirates," said Groat, the 1960 National League MVP as a shortstop who also managed an apartment complex with Lynch and former Pirates pitcher Ron Kline in Wilkinsburg before Groat and Lynch began their golf course venture.



In between his Pirates stints, Lynch played for the Cincinnati Reds after former Pirates general manager Joe Brown placed him on the unrestricted list in 1956 and the Reds drafted him. Lynch remained with Cincinnati until he was traded back to the Pirates in 1963 for outfielder Bob Skinner.



"Jerry was a good player and a good person. He was a great friend of mine," Groat said. "I'm just sorry to hear of this. My heart goes out to his family."



Lynch, whose 116 career pinch hits are 10th-most in MLB history, was a member of the Reds' 1961 National League pennant-winning team. He also was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1988.



Lynch played 13 seasons and batted .277 with 115 home runs and 470 RBI



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Bill "Moose" Skowron (December 18,1930 - April 26, 2012)

The New York Daily News reports Skowron died last night in Chicago from congestive heart failure after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 81.Besides having one of the game's great nicknames, Skowron was a power-hitting first baseman and six-time All-Star.The 1956 World Series is best known for Don Larsen's perfect game, but it was Skowron who broke open the Yankees' Game 7 victory over Brooklyn with a grand slam.He also had the decisive hit of the 1958 World Series, a three-run homer in another Game 7.In his career total of eight World Series, Skowron hit .293 and had 8 home runs and 29 RBI in 39 games. He was with the Yankees from 1955-62 and ended his career with 211 homers and 888 RBI. He played on four World Series championship teams with the Yankees, and on a fifth with the Dodgers.Skowron went to Purdue on a football scholarship as a fullback and punter but left after his freshman year and signed with the Yankees.
 
Bill "Moose" Skowron (December 18,1930 - April 26, 2012)
I've read that Skowron was the only Yankee who dared to confront Mickey Mantle face-to-face about Mantle's excessive off the field lifestyle and how it was detrimental to the team. Everyone else was afraid to say anything.
 
Lillian Musial (1920-2012)

Lillian "Lil" Musial, the wife of St. Louis Cardinals legend and baseball great Stan Musial for nearly 72 years, died Thursday at home surrounded by family members. She was 91. Grandson Brian Schwarze confirmed the death. Lil Musial died at 6 p.m. at the couple's home in Ladue. "She passed on her favorite number," he said. Stan Musial's uniform number was 6.Lillian Susan Labash was born in 1920, one of eight children of Sam and Anna Labash. Her parents owned a family grocery store in McKean, Pa. Lil first met Stan after her father took her to see the Donora (Pa.) Zincs play in 1934. The 15-year old Musial was pitching for the semi-pro baseball team. "It was inevitable that we were going to see each other and be together," Stan Musial once said. Lil was later said to be smitten after seeing him in a basketball uniform, according to previous Post-Dispatch reports. She also loved his curly brown hair. Stan and Lil became high school sweethearts and married in May of 1940. Stan was playing Class D minor league baseball at the time.In the book "Stan the Man" by Wayne Stewart, teammates of Musial said Lil Musial stayed in the background but was always supportive of her superstar husband. Former Cardinals player Charlie James said in the book published in 2010 that Lil "was very family oriented, she took good care of their kids. She was easygoing."In addition to her husband, Lil Musial is survived by four children, 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
 
Dave Boswell (January 20, 1945 – June 11, 2012)

Dave Boswell won 20 games to help take the Minnesota Twins to an American League division championship in 1969. He pitched in a World Series when he was only 20. But for many he is most remembered as a combatant on the list of Billy Martin’s greatest fights.Boswell, who died on Monday at 67 in Joppa, Md., was flourishing in the summer of ’69, having won 12 games under Martin, who was the Twins’ manager. Then came a fight on Aug. 6 at a Detroit bar after a Twins game against the Tigers. Accounts differed. Martin said he had confronted Boswell at the bar after the Twins’ pitching coach, Art Fowler, reported to him that Boswell had refused to run his customary laps before the game that evening. Boswell then got into a fight outside the bar with Bob Allison, a Twins outfielder, who, as Martin told it, was trying to calm him. Martin said that when he got outside, Boswell hit him as well, at which point Martin’s peacemaking efforts collapsed, as did Boswell. Martin retaliated by landing “about five or six punches to the stomach, a couple to the head, and when he came off the wall, I hit him again,” he told The Associated Press, adding, “He was out before he hit the ground.”Boswell told The Minneapolis Tribune that he had indeed hit Allison, but denied going after Martin. He complained that Martin “really mauled me.” He received numerous stitches in his face, and Martin had his right hand stitched up. Boswell was fined for the incident, but no action was taken against Martin.Boswell returned to the mound nearly two weeks later. In his second outing back, the Yankee pitcher Bill Burbach hit him on his helmet with a pitch in the eighth inning. (The designated hitter rule, relieving pitchers of batting duty, had not yet been established in the American League.) Boswell was taken out, but he shrugged off the blow, saying, “Heck, I was hit harder in Detroit.”A hard-throwing right-hander, Boswell finished the 1969 season with a 20-12 record and 190 strikeouts as the Twins captured the A.L. West title. But he hurt his shoulder pitching in the 11th inning of a scoreless duel against the Baltimore Orioles’ Dave McNally in the American League Championship Series. The Twins were swept in three games, and Boswell’s career was ruined. He won only four more games.
 
Outfielder and first baseman Champ Summers, who hit 40 home runs in parts of three seasons for the Tigers from 1979-81, has died at age 66. Summers' wife, Joy, said he passed away Thursday after a 2.5-year battle with kidney cancer.Starting in 1974, Summers played 10 seasons in the majors for six different teams. His wife said Thursday his favorite team was the Tigers. "He stayed there the longest, and he loved the fans," Joy Summers said. Summers also played for the Athletics, Cubs, Reds, Giants and Padres. He later spent time as a hitting coach for the Yankees.Summers finished his MLB career with a .255 batting average, 54 home runs and 218 RBIs. A native of Bremerton, Wash., he played in the majors from 1974-84.
He didn't reach the majors until age 28 and couldn't hit lefties at all. But Summers put together a couple of really nice seasons back to back in 1979 (.291/.401/.556) and 1980 (.297/.393/.504).
 
Not to step on Eephus' toes, but I found the story of recently departed Eddie Yost quite interesting.

Interesting in the sense of how talent was evaluated in Yost's era compared to today. Yost was considered on the lower end of starting 3B in the game because he did not hit for power nor a particularly high BA.

His fielding was commended, but his ability to simply get on base was totally ignored. He was called the "Walking Man" which was meant more as a derision than as a compliment.

Today, he would be rightfully thought of as one of the better players in the league,

Former major league third basemanEddie Yost, who led the AL in walks six times in an 18-year big-league career,died at age 86 on Tuesday.Long before walks were cool, Yost was the champion of the category, racking up huge totals despite the fact that he wasn’t an overpowering hitter. Yost never batted .300 and topped 15 homers just once in his career, but he twice led the AL in on-base percentage and finished in the top six five more times.

Along with leading the AL in walks six times, he finished second to Ted Williams twice. He topped 100 runs five times, leading the AL once. He also led the AL in doubles one year.

Still, for all of his success, Yost made just one All-Star team, and it actually happened in one of his weaker seasons in 1952. He was at his best in 1959, when he hit .278/.435/.436 with 21 homers in his first year with the Tigers. He spent his first 14 seasons with the Senators before finishing up with two years in Detroit and two more in Los Angeles with the Angels.
 
Not to step on Eephus' toes, but I found the story of recently departed Eddie Yost quite interesting.

Interesting in the sense of how talent was evaluated in Yost's era compared to today. Yost was considered on the lower end of starting 3B in the game because he did not hit for power nor a particularly high BA.

His fielding was commended, but his ability to simply get on base was totally ignored. He was called the "Walking Man" which was meant more as a derision than as a compliment.

Today, he would be rightfully thought of as one of the better players in the league,

Former major league third basemanEddie Yost, who led the AL in walks six times in an 18-year big-league career,died at age 86 on Tuesday.Long before walks were cool, Yost was the champion of the category, racking up huge totals despite the fact that he wasn’t an overpowering hitter. Yost never batted .300 and topped 15 homers just once in his career, but he twice led the AL in on-base percentage and finished in the top six five more times.

Along with leading the AL in walks six times, he finished second to Ted Williams twice. He topped 100 runs five times, leading the AL once. He also led the AL in doubles one year.

Still, for all of his success, Yost made just one All-Star team, and it actually happened in one of his weaker seasons in 1952. He was at his best in 1959, when he hit .278/.435/.436 with 21 homers in his first year with the Tigers. He spent his first 14 seasons with the Senators before finishing up with two years in Detroit and two more in Los Angeles with the Angels.
A WIS favorite
 
Do we put Alex Rodriguez, Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano here? Granted, not completely dead, but they've been in a collective coma for awhile now. Someone has to pull the plug soon.

 
Dave May (1943-2012)

New Castle native and William Penn High graduate Dave May, who played 12 seasons of Major League Baseball, died Saturday. May, who was living in Bear, was 68 and had diabetes and cancer.Funeral arrangements have not been finalized, son Derrick said. “The last week he got so many phone calls,” said Derrick, who played 10 major league seasons and is now the St. Louis Cardinals minor league hitting coordinator. “I never realized how many people he’s impacted, not only around here but people in baseball. Dusty Baker called and Cito Gaston, Willie Horton, Ralph Garr and all these people called just to help him out. He and Johnny Briggs were best friends for 40 years.”The Delaware Sports Hall of Famer broke in with the Baltimore Orioles as a 23-year-old in 1967. An outfielder, May spent four seasons with the Orioles, before moving to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he was an American League all-star in 1973. That season, May batted .303 with 25 homers and 93 RBIs. After five seasons in Milwaukee, he played two years with the Atlanta Braves, one with the Texas Rangers and split his final season (1978) between the Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates.He was on the Orioles team that won the 1969 AL title but fell in the World Series to the New York Mets.In 1,252 career games, May batted .251 and hit 96 home runs.Notably, on Nov. 2, 1974, the Brewers traded him and a minor-leaguer to the Atlanta Braves for Hank Aaron.
 
Flamboyant and sometimes infuriating former All-Star pitcher Pascual Perez was killed in a home invasion robbery Thursday in his native Dominican Republic, according to reports.TRAGIC SPORTS DEATHSRemembering the many athletes sports lost way too soon.Dominican Today and several Spanish-language newspapers reported Perez, 44, suffered a fatal stab wound to the neck during the apparent robbery at his home in Haina, about 10 miles west of the capital Santo Domingo. Perez received his Major League Baseball pension payment the previous day, Dominican Today reported.Perez pitched for the Pirates, Braves, Expos and Yankees in an 11-year major league career. He was 67-68 with a 3.44 ERA in his career. He was an All-Star in 1983, when he went 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA for the Braves.Perez was noted for his exaggerated celebrations on the mound, which often drew the ire of opposing batters. He infamously once missed a start with the Braves because he got lost on the freeways while driving to his home stadium. He was a central figure in a wild 1984 game between the Padres and Braves that featured multiple brawls and players going after fans. Perez hit leadoff batter Alan Wiggins to start the game, and the Padres threw at Perez several times in the game before ultimately getting their retribution.In addition to his time in the major leagues, Perez pitched 12 seasons in the Dominican winter league.His brothers, Carlos and Melido, also pitched in the majors.
 
Another non-ballplayer, but Marvin Miller passed away today. I think he's the greatest omission from the Hall of Fame.

 
Another non-ballplayer, but Marvin Miller passed away today. I think he's the greatest omission from the Hall of Fame.
A Titan. He's up there with Rickey and Landis among the most significant off-the-field contributors to the sport.To some extent, Miller benefited from good timing. If he hadn't come along, someone else eventually would have. But the facts remain that he was the first and the MLBPA remains the best organization of its type.
 
Frank Pastore, who pitched nearly 1,000 innings in the major leagues, mostly for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1980s, died Monday at age 55. Pastore had been in a coma for four weeks after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident. KKLA-FM radio, a Christian station in Southern California where Pastore as a host, reported his death. The KKLA page includes a link to a prophetic soundbite by Pastore that describes what might happen to him if another driver were to cut him off as he rode his motorcycle home. Kind of spooky. That's how he died. But Pastore seemed to live a full life, even if it was cut short in time.If you collected baseball cards in the early 1980s like I did, you knew who Frank Pastore was. A second-round pick in 1975, Pastore was a 22-year-old rookie four years later when he started Game 2 of the NLCS against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Standing 6-foot-2 and 188 pounds, Pastore limited Pittsburgh to two runs over seven innings. The Bucs won in extras — Pastore didn't get a decision — and Cincy fell in a three-game sweep. It would be the final postseason hurrah for the remaining members of the Big Red Machine — players such as Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, George Foster and Dave Concepcion.Pastore continued to pitch well in 1980, finishing with a 3.27 ERA in 184 innings. He was mediocre in 1981 and '82, and the rest of his career with the Reds was one of diminishing returns. Steve Sax of the Dodgers hit a line drive off Pastore's right elbow in June 1984, and, Pastore says, his abilities were never the same thereafter. He was released in April 1986 and finished the season with the Minnesota Twins. He pitched four games with the Texas Rangers organization at Triple-A in 1987, but that's where his career ended.By the time his baseball career had ended, he already had started to develop mental and spiritual interests. He earned degrees in business, religion, ethics, political science and theology at several universities. He wrote a book, and was a radio host with KKLA since 2004.In 1987, he downed a 72 ounce steak dinner at the world-famous Big Texan in a reported 9 1/2 minutes! It was a record until 2008.
 
Feel terrible for the family

First Coast News sports director Dan Hicken has learned that Ryan Freel, a Jacksonville native and former Major League Baseball has died at the age of 36. The cause of death is suicide.Freel played baseball at Sandalwood and Englewood High School. He played for five different MLB teams from 2001-2009. He is most known for his six-year tenure with the Cincinnati Reds.His career batting average was .268 and he stole 143 bases in his career.Since his retirement from professional baseball in 2009, Freel was a part of an organization on the First Coast called BLD Baseball. BLD stands for Big League Development. Through this organization, Freel coached local youth baseball players.
 
Feel terrible for the family

First Coast News sports director Dan Hicken has learned that Ryan Freel, a Jacksonville native and former Major League Baseball has died at the age of 36. The cause of death is suicide.Freel played baseball at Sandalwood and Englewood High School. He played for five different MLB teams from 2001-2009. He is most known for his six-year tenure with the Cincinnati Reds.His career batting average was .268 and he stole 143 bases in his career.Since his retirement from professional baseball in 2009, Freel was a part of an organization on the First Coast called BLD Baseball. BLD stands for Big League Development. Through this organization, Freel coached local youth baseball players.
Very sad. Freel had concussion problems when he was a player.
 
Frank Pastore, who pitched nearly 1,000 innings in the major leagues, mostly for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1980s, died Monday at age 55. Pastore had been in a coma for four weeks after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident. KKLA-FM radio, a Christian station in Southern California where Pastore as a host, reported his death. The KKLA page includes a link to a prophetic soundbite by Pastore that describes what might happen to him if another driver were to cut him off as he rode his motorcycle home. Kind of spooky. That's how he died. But Pastore seemed to live a full life, even if it was cut short in time.If you collected baseball cards in the early 1980s like I did, you knew who Frank Pastore was. A second-round pick in 1975, Pastore was a 22-year-old rookie four years later when he started Game 2 of the NLCS against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Standing 6-foot-2 and 188 pounds, Pastore limited Pittsburgh to two runs over seven innings. The Bucs won in extras — Pastore didn't get a decision — and Cincy fell in a three-game sweep. It would be the final postseason hurrah for the remaining members of the Big Red Machine — players such as Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, George Foster and Dave Concepcion.Pastore continued to pitch well in 1980, finishing with a 3.27 ERA in 184 innings. He was mediocre in 1981 and '82, and the rest of his career with the Reds was one of diminishing returns. Steve Sax of the Dodgers hit a line drive off Pastore's right elbow in June 1984, and, Pastore says, his abilities were never the same thereafter. He was released in April 1986 and finished the season with the Minnesota Twins. He pitched four games with the Texas Rangers organization at Triple-A in 1987, but that's where his career ended.By the time his baseball career had ended, he already had started to develop mental and spiritual interests. He earned degrees in business, religion, ethics, political science and theology at several universities. He wrote a book, and was a radio host with KKLA since 2004.In 1987, he downed a 72 ounce steak dinner at the world-famous Big Texan in a reported 9 1/2 minutes! It was a record until 2008.
When I read the name, I closed my eyes and remembered my stacks of baseballs cards, 1976-1984. Then I read the next sentence and found you were there too. The players never knew who we were, but we knew where they were born, when and what their stats were for the past five years.I miss that era. I miss players like Frank. I miss sitting around and arguing at lunch whether it was pronounced PastorA or Pastor.Frank, rest well, you and others made those long hot summer days of radio and only three tv channels pass far too quickly when today I would love those times again.Peace
 
Enzo Hernandez 12 February, 1949 – 13 January, 2013Apologies for auto-translation weirdness

CARACAS, Venezuela - The former Venezuelan baseball's major leagues Enzo Hernandez died Sunday in an apparent suicide, the Venezuelan press reported. He was 62 years old.Hernandez, who played shortstop for the San Diego Padres from 1971 to 1977, was found dead in his home located in the town of El Tigre, about 340 kilometers (211,3 miles) southeast of Caracas.The leading sports newspaper outlined Sunday on its website that the "Creole number 20 to play in the largest, committed suicide early this morning at his residence in the Tiger".Citing a journalist Juan Guatache twit, the newspaper added that the former baseball player "in recent months he had received treatment for a depressive box and in last December went to health", without giving further details.Spokespersons of the municipal police of El Tigre confirmed his death but declined to give details about the cause of his death.José Grasso Vecchio, President of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, indicated through his account on the social network Twitter that it was a "sad news"."Enzo Hernández along with David Concepcion were the heirs of Luis Aparicio 1st 2... both shone with his glove", added Grasso Vecchio in another message.Hernandez, born in the village East of the Valle de Guanape on February 12, 1949, along with Concepcion - former star of the Cincinnati Reds - was a notable heir in the 1970s of a lineage of great defenders of the shortstop Alfonso "chico" Carrasquel began in 1950 and continued Luis Aparicio, the only Venezuelan exalted to the American Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956.In his eight seasons in the major, where he excelled his solid defensive, left a lifetime average of. 224, product of 522 hits in 2.327 turns at bat. He scored a total of 241 runs and pushed other 113. He defrauded 129 bases.Overwhelmed by injuries he played his last season in the major with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1978, where he just took part in four games. You have not connected hit in three official shifts.
12 RBI in 618 PAs in his 1971 rookie season
 

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