BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2010 The Red Sox announce 19-year-old prospect Ryan Westmoreland has undergone a five-hour surgical procedure to remove a cavernous malformation in his brain. The highly touted minor league outfielder received the diagnosis at Mass General after leaving spring training earlier this month.
2010 Former L.A. outfielder Willie Davis, the team leader in hits, extra-base hits, and runs, is fondly remembered by his family and friends, including many teammates, at a memorial service in Dodger Stadium. The 69-year-old, known as 3 Dog, was found dead in his home last week.
2015 The Grapefruit League game between the Phillies and Twins marks the first time two current Hall of Fame players have managed against each other. Minnesota manager Paul Molitor, enshrined in 2004, opposes Philadelphia skipper Ryne Sandberg, an inductee a season later.

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Today in Baseball History
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On March 16 in Baseball History...

• • 1900 - At an A.L. meeting in Chicago, Ban Johnson announces that an A.L. team will be placed in the Windy City to ensure the stability of the league. Other franchises are in Kansas City, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. In an agreement with Chicago N.L. officials, the A.L. club will be situated on the south side of the city and will be permitted to use the nickname White Stockings, formerly used by the N.L. team. However, the White Stockings will not be able to use the word Chicago in their official name.
  • 1953 - The A.L. rejects Bill Veeck's request to move the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore. The rejection is designed to force Veeck out of the A.L.
  • 1985 - Denny McLain, winner of the A.L. Cy Young Award in 1968, is convicted of racketeering, extortion, and cocaine possession in Tampa, Florida. He will serve 29 months of a 23-year sentence before an appeals court overturns the decision.
  • 1994 - Eric Show, who won 100 games pitching for the Padres, dies of a drug overdose at age 37.
    Baseball Birthdays on March 16...

• • 1859 - Denny, Jerry
  • 1862 - Abbott, Dan
  • 1864 - Sage, Harry
  • 1865 - Briggs, Grant
  • 1865 - Donovan, Patsy
  • 1871 - Bernhard, Bill
  • 1874 - Duggleby, Bill
  • 1881 - Kruger, Art
  • 1888 - Works, Ralph
  • 1896 - Taylor, Arlas
  • 1899 - Keen, Vic
  • 1902 - Flowers, Jake
  • 1904 - Myer, Buddy
  • 1906 - Waner, Lloyd
  • 1910 - Poser, Bob
  • 1912 - Edelen, Ed
  • 1912 - Bates, Bud
  • 1913 - O'Dea, Ken
  • 1916 - Gorman, Tom
  • 1918 - Olsen, Vern
  • 1927 - Courtney, Clint
  • 1930 - Landrith, Hobie
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  • 1932 - Blasingame, Don
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  • 1938 - Browning, Cal
  • 1943 - Reichardt, Rick
  • 1944 - Renick, Rick
  • 1947 - Bradley, Tom
  • 1953 - Franklin, Jay
  • 1953 - Puig, Rich
  • 1954 - Duran, Dan
  • 1956 - Espino, Juan
  • 1959 - Hudson, Charles
  • 1965 - Mota, Jose
  • 1967 - Florence, Don
  • 1970 - McCracken, Quinton
  • 1970 - Schmidt, Curt
  • 1976 - Nunez, Abraham

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OTD
BIRTHDAYS
1919 Hank Sauer left fielder (NL MVP, HR leader, RBI leader 1952; MLB All Star 1950, 52; Chicago Cubs), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2001)

1944 Cito Gaston player and manager (Toronto Blue Jays), born in San Antonio, Texas

1965 John Smiley pitcher, 1986-97 (Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and two other teams), born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

1970 Shannan Mitchem infielder (Colo Silver Bullets), born in Decatur, Georgia

1971 Bill Mueller player, born in Maryland Heights, Missouri

1976 Scott Downs player

 

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1899 In Charlotte (NC), the Phillies take the field wearing new sweaters trimmed with green in commemorating St Patrick's Day. The new look is a preview of the team's new uniform colors this season which will feature white suits trimmed in green, a white cap with a green peak, and stockings of two-inch stripes of white and green. Philadelphia abandons the new style next season before bringing the color green back for the 1910 season
1907 After yesterday's alleged vicious attack on the groundskeeper's wife by his troubled outfielder, Tigers owner Frank Navin makes an all-out effort to trade Ty Cobb. Indian skipper Nap Lajoie turns down a straight swap for former league batting champ Elmer Flick, calling the 'Georgia Peach' a problem player, and Connie Mack of the A's, given his already strong outfield, shows only a passing interest.
1936 Twenty-one-yearold Joe DiMaggio makes his Yankee debut in a big way, collecting four hits, including a triple, in an 8-7 exhibition loss to the Cardinals at Miller Huggins Field in St. Petersburg (FL). The two-time American League MVP and future Hall of Fame outfielder will play 13 seasons with the Bronx Bombers, appearing in ten Fall Classics, in which the team wins nine World Championships.

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1940 At Plant Field in Tampa, a capacity crowd sees the National League beat the AL in an interleague exhibition all-star game. The charity contest, which is heard nationally on the Mutual Broadcasting System, raises over $20,000 to help feed, clothe, and house the non-combatant citizens of Finland, whose country was recently attacked in November by the Soviet Union.

 

1946 In Daytona Beach, the only city that allows him to play, Triple-A Montreal Royals' infielder Jackie Robinson makes his preseason debut at City Island Ball Park, which the municipality renamed after him in 1990. In the first-ever integrated spring training game, the former Negro League standout goes 0-for-3 against the Dodgers but is encouraged by the crowd's reception.

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1953 The Braves' spring training game against the Yankees in Bradenton (FL) will prove to be the team's last full one representing the city of Boston. During the sixth inning of tomorrow's exhibition contest, the club learns of the National League's approval of its shift to Milwaukee, unlike the Junior Circuit's decision two days ago denying Bill Veeck permission to move his Browns to Baltimore due to the short amount of time left before Opening Day.
1953 The Milwaukee County Board, which oversees County Stadium, tears up their three-year deal with its minor league team and offers the use of the ballpark to the Boston Braves at the reduced rate of $1,000 for the first two years. In exchange, the city would receive five percent of the gate receipts and the majority of the concession sales for the first three seasons.
1965 Jackie Robinson continues to break barriers, becoming the first black to be a member of a national network broadcasting team when he signs on to announce games with ABC. The Hall of Fame infielder will make his Game of the Week debut next month at Fenway Park, teaming with Merle Harmon, the radio voice of the Milwaukee Braves.

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1966 Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale play hardball when negotiating with the Dodgers. The duo signs movie contracts, showing they are serious about retiring from baseball if Los Angeles doesn't agree to their salary demands.

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1969 The Braves trade Joe Torre, a spring training holdout publicly feuding with team GM Paul Richards, to the Cardinals for 1967 National League Most Valuable Player Orlando Cepeda. The All-Star catcher/infielder will play six years in St. Louis, compiling a .308 batting average for the Redbirds that includes a major league-leading .363 in his 1971 MVP season.

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1976 All clubs will comply within forty-eight hours to Commissioner Kuhn's orders to open spring training camps as soon as possible, abruptly ending the 17-day work stoppage. The lockout, initiated by the owners over their concerns about free agency and the free-entry draft, will not impact the start of the regular season.
1977 In a decision seen as one of the most influential and precedent-setting cases in the history of American jurisprudence in regards to professional sports, a federal court rules in favor of Bowie Kuhn's decision to void the 1976 sale of A's players by Charlie Finley. The Oakland owner sued the commissioner for illegal restraint of trade when his deals to send Joe Rudi and Rollie Fingers to the Red Sox for $2 million and Vida Blue to the Yankees for $1.5 million were invalidated "in the best interests of baseball."
1978 On St. Patrick's Day, the Reds wear green uniforms, becoming the first team to start a tradition many other clubs will copy. After taking batting practice in their usual garb, Cincinnati, not promoting their green surprise, stun the Yankees and the spring training crowd taking the field sporting their iconic Irish look.

 

1986 During a Cactus League contest, Carney Lansford is credited with an unusual two-run inside-the-park homer in the fourth inning of the A's 5-3 victory over the Indians in Phoenix. The infielder circles the bases when Mel Hall's shirt gets stuck on the fence, preventing the outfielder from playing the ball, that is just barely out of reach, with shortstop Julio Franco, closest to the play, unable to help because he is so incapacitated with laughter.

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1999 In a rare dismissal of a manager in spring training, the Blue Jays, after deciding he has lost all his credibility, fire Tim Johnson, replacing him with Jim Fregosi. In the offseason, the former Toronto skipper, after claiming he had seen combat in Vietnam, reveals he lied about his military service, causing many players on his team to lose all respect for him as their field boss.

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2001 Joe Randa agrees to a two-year contract extension keeping him in Kansas City until the 2003 season. The Royals' third baseman batted .304 and knocked in 106 runs for the Royals in 155 games last season.

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2005 During 11+ hours of the Committee on Government Reform hearing concerning the use of steroids in major leagues, Mark McGwire refuses to talk about the past and does not deny taking performance-enhancing drugs. Other players testifying included Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and former big leaguer Jose Canseco, whose recent book prompted the congressional hearing.

 

2008 The Dodgers lose to the Astros, 12-10, in their last contest at Dodgertown, the team's spring training home since 1948. Eighty-one year old Carl Erskine, who pitched the first game that occurred at Holman Stadium 55 years ago, plays the national anthem on his harmonica before the contest.

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2010 In a rare spring training ruling, major league baseball suspends a player as a result of an incident that occurs in an exhibition game. Cliff Lee, the Mariners' much-hyped acquisition, is fined and suspended for the first five games of the regular season after throwing a pitch over the head of Chris Snyder in a Cactus League contest against Arizona.
2020 An Oakland fan named Justin, who tweeted a picture of himself wearing an A's hat while in a hospital bed after testing positive for the Coronavirus, receives an invitation from team president Dave Kaval to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day at the Coliseum. In his Twitter post, the 39-year-old COVID-19 patient issued a plea to take the pandemic seriously, saying, "don't be a moron, stay home!
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