1998 After being given his last rites, Hall of Fame outfielder Joe DiMaggio appears to recover miraculously, defying his doctors' dire predictions. In mid-January, the 'Yankee Clipper' is allowed to go home after a 99-day hospital stay but will die at his home in Florida on March 8 after a long battle with lung cancer.
1998 Kevin Brown signs a seven-year deal with the Dodgers, becoming baseball's first 100+ million dollar man. The right-handed free agent, who posted an 18-7 record last season with the Padres, is the first major leaguer to earn an average salary of $15 million per season, much to the chagrin of the other owners. 2007 In a six-player deal, the Orioles trade former American League MVP Miguel Tejada to the Astros for three pitchers (Matt Albers, Troy Patton, Dennis Sarfate), outfielder Luke Scott, and third baseman Michael Costanzo. The acquisition of the four-time All-Star shortstop is the latest move in a busy offseason for Houston, which includes signing free-agent second baseman Kaz Matsui and trading reliever Brad Lidge to the Phillies for Michael Bourn. 2007 Free-agent Aaron Rowand (.309, 27, 89) and the Giants agree to a $60-million, five-year deal. The team plans to bat 30-year-old Gold Glove center fielder fifth, filling the void in the outfield created by the departure of Barry Bonds. 2007 Paul Lo Duca and the Nationals agree to a $5 million, one-year deal that puts the former Mets catcher behind Washington's home plate. The free-agent backstop became expendable and much-needed in the same instance when New York dealt Lastings Milledge to get the Nats' starting catcher, Brian Schneider. 2008 The Yankees sign their second ace this week as the club reaches an agreement with free-agent A.J. Burnett. The Bronx Bombers ink the former Blue Jays right-hander to a $82.5 million, five-year deal after giving CC Sabathia $161 million over seven years two days ago. 2008 The Pirates sign Ramon Vazquez, the only player with major league experience added to the club during the winter meetings, to a two-year deal worth $4 million. The versatile infielder played all four infield positions last season while compiling a career-high .290 batting average with the Rangers. 2008 The Mets, reeling from their second consecutive season-ending collapse, continue overhauling their much-maligned bullpen, which blew 29 saves in 72 chances (40%). Scott Schoeneweis joins Joe Smith and Aaron Heilman in becoming the latest New York reliever the team trades when the southpaw goes to the Diamondbacks for Connor Robertson, a right-hander acquired by Arizona in the Dan Haren deal. 2009 Brandon Lyon (6-5, 2.86) and the Astros finalize their $15 million, three-year deal. The Tigers' former right-handed reliever, who saved 26 games for Arizona in 2008, hopes to be the club's closer but may be used in Houston as the set-up man to get to Matt Lindstrom. 2010 The Metrodome's inflatable roof collapses after a storm drops 17 inches of snow on Minnesota. The domed stadium, home of the Twins and Vikings, forces the NFL team to shift their game against the New York Giants to Detroit's Ford Field. 2013 The Mariners land the most sought-after free agent when the team signs Robinson Cano to a 10-year, $240-million contract, a value that equals Albert Pujols' deal with the Angels, the third-largest in baseball history. The Yankees, the 32-year-old's former team, did not want to invest financially in the long term for their All-Star second baseman, recently inked outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury for $153 million (7 years) and catcher Brian McCann for $85 million (5 years). ************************************************
Game 6 of the ‘85 World Series w/ the score 0-0 top of the 8th. Cardinals are 1 win away from the title. Brian Harper gets what should’ve been a WS winning hit. Instead Don Denkinger blows the call in the 9th & the rest is Royals history. Harp’s career is a lesson in perseverance
Bo Jackson’s first career major league homer was a 475-foot shot that to this day remains the longest blast ever recorded in a regular season game at Kauffman Stadium
The Heart of the Lineup for the 1936 NY Yankees,Bill Dickey,Lou Gehrig,Joe DiMaggio and Tony Lazzeri
1/13 BIRTHDAYS ****************************** 1950 Bob Forsch Pitcher, 1974-1989 (St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros), born in Sacramento, California 1962 Kevin Mitchell outfielder (NL MVP 1989; MLB All Star 1989, 90; SF Giants), born in San Diego, California 1969 Orlando Miller,infielder (Houston Astros) 1971 Elmer Dessens pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates, Mets) 1981 Darrell Rasner ******************************
FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+1922 Buck Weaver applies unsuccessfully for reinstatement in professional baseball, one of six attempts to clear his name. The Black Sox infielder remained banned for life due to allegations of throwing the 1919 World Series to the Reds, although he batted .324 and played errorless ball in the Fall Classic. 1958 On the eve of conferences to discuss the impact of major league telecasts on minor league attendance, Senator Kenneth Keating urges baseball to proceed with caution. The Republican legislator representing New York believes broadcasting big-league games in out-of-town markets could doom the existence of the minor leagues, which have already formally appealed to Congress about their 'desperate plight.' 1959 State Senator Joe Cowgill introduces a bill to build an eight-million-dollar stadium in Delaware Township, dependent on the nearby Phillies' decision to move to southern New Jersey. The proposed legislation results from team owner Bob Carpenter threatening to leave Philadelphia if the City of Brotherly Love doesn't build a new ballpark.
1972 Bernice Gera, barred for five years due to gender discrimination, wins her landmark lawsuit against the National Association of Baseball Leagues (NABL). The Ernest (NY) housewife will become the first female umpire in a professional game when she makes her debut in June at Geneva, N.Y., arbitrating a New York-Penn League contest. 1978 At the age of 90, Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy dies of pneumonia in a Buffalo hospital. The former Cubs (1926-30), Yankees (1931-46), and Red Sox (1948-50) skipper compiled a 1460-867 (.627) record, winning nine pennants and seven World Championships during his 24-year tenure in the dugout. 1982 The BBWAA elects Hank Aaron (Braves, Brewers) and Frank Robinson (Reds, Orioles, Dodgers, Angels, Indians) to the Hall of Fame in the player's first year of eligibility. Hammerin' Hank, the all-time home run leader, falls just nine votes short of being the baseball writers' first player to be selected unanimously. 1988 After hitting a meager .211 last season and not being offered a new contract by San Diego, former National League Most Valuable Player Steve Garvey decides to retire. The perennial All-Star first baseman for the Dodgers and Padres ends his 19-year career with a lifetime .294 batting average
1996 Cuban defector Livan Hernandez agrees to a $4.5 million four-year deal, including a record $2.5 million bonus, to pitch for the Marlins. The 20-year-old right-hander, a Villa Clara native, will post a mediocre 24-24 record during his four years with the club but plays a pivotal role in the team's 1997 World Championship, posting wins in both of his World Series starts. 2005 The owners unanimously approve the $223-million sale of the Brewers to Mark Attanasio, a Los Angeles investor. The purchase of the team, formerly owned by the family of commissioner Bud Selig, ensures Milwaukee will keep their team due to a 30-year lease to play in newly built Miller Park. 2005 Marvin Miller, 88, the former executive director of the Major League Players Association who helped change the nature of the player-owner relationship forever, receives the Fuchs Award from the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The honor, named for Judge Emil E. Fuchs, who owned the hometown Braves from 1929 through 1935, is given for "long and meritorious service to baseball." 2005 At the owners' meeting in Scottsdale (AZ), major league baseball and the players association agree in principle on a stricter drug-testing policy in response to the scrutiny of national lawmakers. Addressing a problem ignored for years, the new program, which includes steroids but not amphetamines, will randomly conduct tests year-round, with first-time offenders suspended for ten days and a fourth violation resulting in a one-year ban for the offending player. 2005 Hoping to sway the veterans' committee, North Dakota's House of Representatives approves House Concurrent Resolution 3006, proclaiming native son Roger Maris (Indians, A's, Yankees, Cardinals) should gain election to the Hall of Fame. The lawmakers' action, which Rep. Andy Maragos sponsored, orders the Secretary of State to send a copy of the resolution to the 85 members of the baseball veterans' committee, including 60 living members enshrined in Cooperstown. 2006 Johnny Estrada, who filed for arbitration after being traded from the Braves for relievers Lance Cormier and Oscar Villarreal, agrees to a $2 million, one-year contract to catch for the Diamondbacks. The former All-Star backstop had limited playing time after a midseason home plate collision with Angels' center fielder Darin Erstad. 2006 Legal proceedings begin to determine if Arte Moreno violated a ten-year-old contract that Anaheim claims to have cost the city $100 million in tourism and merchandising revenue when the owner changed the team's name from the Anaheim Angels to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Some of the people in the crowded courtroom for the much-anticipated trial wear Angel-colored red T-shirts imprinted with the words, "We Are Not L.A." to show their displeasure with the Halos' new identity. 2009 Appearing on Larry King Live, President George W. Bush makes it very clear he doesn't have any interest in becoming baseball's commissioner when Bud Selig leaves the post. The former owner of the Rangers, who leaves office in seven days, tells the CNN talk show host he isn't looking to get back into the game in any capacity.
2009 After the all-time career saves leader passes a physical, the Brewers announce their $6 million, one-year deal with free-agent reliever Trevor Hoffman. The 41-year-old right-hander, a fixture in the Padres bullpen since 1993, has compiled 554 saves in 930 relief appearances during his 16-year tenure in the major leagues. 2010 Royals' general manager Dayton Moore hires former Milwaukee manager Ned Yost as a special advisor. The 54-year-old former major league catcher met the Kansas City GM when they worked in the Braves organization. 2010 Ryan Church and the Pirates agree on a $1.5 million, one-year deal. Pittsburgh plans to use a 31-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder, who batted .273 with the Mets and Braves in an injury-plagued season last year, to be the team's fourth outfielder, backing up Brandon Moss, Andrew McCutchen, and Lastings Milledge. 2020 Major League Baseball suspends Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and skipper AJ Hinch this season without pay for their role in Houston's sign-stealing scheme, with team owner Jim Crane firing both men an hour later. In addition to the suspensions, other MLB penalties include the club forfeiting their 2020 and 2021 first-and second-round draft picks and a $5 million fine, the most substantial amount allowed under the organization's constitution. *********** 51,658
