MARCH 12 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS ************************************** 1942 Jimmy Wynn outfielder (MLB All Star 1967, 74, 75; Houston Astros, LA Dodgers) 1956 Dale Murphy 1956 baseball slugger (NL MVP 1982–83; Silver Slugger Award 1982–85; Gold Glove Award 1982–86; 7 x MLB All-Star; NL HR leader 1984, 85; NL; Atlanta Braves) 1962 Darryl Strawberry right fielder (8-time All Star), born in Los Angeles, California 1965 Shawn Gilbert (New York Mets 1965 Steve Finley outfielder (San Diego Padres), 1971 Greg Hansell, pitcher (Minnesota Twins) 1971 Raul Mondesi, MLB outfielder (LA Dodgers) 1979 David Williams pitcher, 2001-07 (Pittsburgh Pirates, and 2 other teams 1982 Zach Miner ***************************************
This Day in Baseball History March 12th 1903 After the club ceases operations in the Charm City, Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchase the original American League team in Baltimore, receiving approval from 15 of 16 major league owners to move the team to New York to play as the Highlanders. Giants' owner John T. Brush cast the dissenting vote, believing the new club, known as the Yankees starting in 1913, will compete for fans in the Big Apple. 1971 The Cubs catcher Randy Hundley suffers a badly sprained knee and will play only nine games this season. In 1968, the venerable backstop caught 160 games for Chicago, starting 156 of those contests and playing every inning in 146 of those games. 1980 The BBWAA elects National League outfielder Chuck Klein, who compiled a .320 batting average during his 17-year career, and former Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey to the Hall of Fame. Yawkey becomes the first person selected who was not a player, manager, or general manager. 1982 Ballantine Books publishes the first of seven annual Bill James Abstracts, bringing the author into the national spotlight for his statistical insight into the game. The sabermetrician's initial self-published efforts, written on the night shift as a security guard at the Stokely-Van Camp's pork and beans cannery, introduce baseball fans to new ways of measuring a player's ability with stats such as Runs Created.
1991 At the age of 45, Jim Palmer's attempted comeback ends when the newly elected Hall of Famer tears his hamstring warming up before an exhibition appearance against Boston. The Orioles right-hander, who hadn't thrown a major league pitch in seven seasons, keeps his 268-152 and 2.86 ERA intact, which he accomplished during a 19-year career on the mound. 2001 Richard Hidalgo signs the third-richest contract in Astro history with a four-year $32-million deal with the club. The outfielder's pact is less than teammates Jeff Bagwell's $85 million (5 years) and Craig Biggio's $33 million (4 years). 2003 This week's second exhibition season bench-clearing brawl occurs when a raging Mike Piazza charges the mound after being hit by a pitch thrown by Guillermo Mota, who makes it to the dugout without being caught. The incident may be a follow-up to a similar event last spring when a shoving match between the two players resulted when the Mets' All-Star catcher waited for Mota and grabbed the Dodger reliever's jersey coming off the field in the eighth inning of the game. 2006 Over 15,000 Twins fans attend a memorial service at the Metrodome to pay their final respects to Kirby Puckett, who died unexpectedly, at 45, after suffering a stroke last week. During the emotional ceremony, former teammates and fellow Hall of Famer Cal Ripken lighten the mood by sharing humorous anecdotes about the beloved Minnesota outfielder with the crowd.
2008 The benches clear in a rare spring training brawl when Shelley Duncan slides into second base, with his spikes aimed at Rays infielder Akinori Iwamura after being thrown out by a wide margin. Tampa Bay's aggressive play four days ago, which resulted in a home-plate collision that injured Yankee catcher Francisco Cervelli, may have precipitated the incident. 2010 In the opener of a scheduled three-game exhibition series in Taiwan, the Dodgers are defeated by an All-Star squad from the Chinese Professional League (CPBL) at Taipei's Tienmu Baseball Stadium, 5-3. The road trip is the team's second journey to the Chinese island, having finished with one win and two losses during a trio of spring training games in 1993.
2015 Will Ferrell, hoping to raise awareness of organizations trying to cure cancer, plays nine positions while appearing for ten teams in five Cactus League exhibition games. The comedian's effort in Arizona, detailed in an upcoming HBO documentary, is severely criticized by former NFL coach and broadcasting legend John Madden, who calls the stunt disrespectful and insulting to the game of baseball. ************************************************ 175,913
Today In 1951: Brooklyn #Dodgers star catcher Roy Campanella strikes a pose with his sons David and Roy Jr. during spring training camp in Florida!
MARCH 13 BASEBALL BIRTHDAYS **************************************1886 John 'Home Run' Baker HOF third baseman (World Series 1910, 11, 13; AL HR leader 1911–14; AL RBI leader 1912, 13; Philadelphia A's) 1925 Bertha Tickey softball pitcher (Hall of Fame 1973) 1930 Doug Harvey HOF umpire (NL 1962-92; 5 x World Series; 7 x MLB All-Star games; career total 4,673 games) 1957 Steve Lake 1963 Mariano Duncan, infielder (NY Yankees) 1964 Will Clark first baseman (San Francisco Giants) 1979 Johan Santana pitcher (4 × MLB All-Star; AL Cy Young 2004, 06; Triple Crown 2006; Gold Glove 2007; no-hitter 2012; Minnesota Twins, NY Mets) ***************************************
This Day in Baseball History March 13th 1915 "Help me, Lads, I'm covered with my own blood!" - WILBERT ROBINSON, reacting to the fluid dripping down from his chest before quickly realizing it's only grapefruit juice. Dodger manager Wilbert Robinson, thinking he will catch a baseball dropped from a plane, is surprised and splattered when the sphere turns out to be a grapefruit. Although legend has it that Casey Stengel is behind the prank, the pilot, Ruth Law, a pioneer in American aviation, substituted part of her lunch when she realized she forgot to bring a baseball. 1944 It's True, Cy Young's middle name is not Tecumseh, as sometimes listed, but the initial T stands for True. The Hall of Fame right-hander's middle name mixup may result from his teammates calling him 'The Chief,' the English word for Tecumseh. 1953 On the day that will become known as 'Black Friday' in Boston, Lou Perini announces he will seek permission from the National League to move his franchise to Milwaukee, home of the team's top minor-league affiliate. The Braves owner cites low attendance as the reason for relocating the club after being in the New England city for 82 years. 1954 During an exhibition game against the Yankees, recently acquired Brave Bobby Thomson breaks his ankle in three places, sidelining him until July 14. The '51 National League playoff hero is replaced in the Braves' lineup by a promising prospect named Hank Aaron. On March 13, 1954, newly acquired Milwaukee Braves outfielder Bobby Thomson broke his ankle in three places while sliding into second base during an exhibition game against the New York Yankees. It was a huge blow to the team, many thought the minute the injury happened their season went right down the tube. Thomson, who was best known for his famous "Shot heard round the World" in 1951 was replaced by a 20 year old kid named Henry Aaron. Hammerin Hank spent the next 21 years roaming the outfield for the Braves and he became one of the most prolific hitters of all time. Thomson was brought over to the Braves in a 7 player deal and they had high expectations for the outfielder, despite the fact that people thought they couldn't make a run without him the Braves stayed in the race all season, on September 15th they were just four games out of first place, then stumbled a bit before finishing in 8th. Aaron impressed the fans and coaches by hitting .280 with 13 homers and 69 ribbies in 122 games, it was just the tip of the iceberg. 1960 Much to the chagrin of other owners and most of his players, Bill Veeck's White Sox becomes the first team to put the players' names on the back of the jersey, unveiling the new look on their road uniforms in an exhibition game against Cincinnati in Tampa. After the rest of the league's clubs protest the Chicago owner's innovation, the commissioner's office will rule that in addition to displaying traditional numbers, each team will have the option to use monikered uniforms.
1979 The Tigers and Mets swap relievers, with Detroit sending Ed Glynn to the Big Apple in exchange for Mardie Cornejo, who, after posting a 4-2 record as a rookie last season, will never play in another major league game. The latest addition to the New York bullpen will make 84 appearances, compiling an ERA of 3.53 during the two years with his new club. 1986 Designated hitter Hal McRae, 39, and Brian, his 18-year-old second baseman son, play in a Royals preseason game against the Phillies at Terry Field to become the first father and son combination to appear as major league teammates. Kansas City manager Dick Howser refers to the pair as a 'Big Mac Attack.' 1987 The Phillies sign Tiger free-agent catcher Lance Parrish to a one-year deal worth $800,000, plus another $200,000 if the 31-year-year-old does not have any problems with his chronic back. The former six-time All-Star backstop, a winner of five Silver Slugger Awards and three Gold Glove Awards playing for the Tigers, proves to be a bust in Philadelphia, batting .230 in his two seasons in the City of Brotherly Love. 1997 In their first-ever minor league spring training game, the Rays defeated Philadelphia, 6-0. John Kaufman, Tom Bergan, Matt Williams, and Jamie Ybarra combine to throw a no-hitter in the exhibition contest against the major league team.
2001 Rick Ankiel makes his first appearance since last year's playoffs, throwing 22 strikes out of 29 pitches while tossing two innings of shutout ball in his surprise start against the Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. The 21-year-old southpaw starter lost his control at the end of last season, throwing nine wild pitches in three postseason appearances last year. 2006 Three pitches into the top of the seventh inning, the stadium lights at Tradition Field partially fail. With fifty percent of the lighting not functioning, the exhibition game ends, after a 15-minute delay, with the Mets leading the Nationals, 10-4. 2008 Joining the ranks of Garth Brooks and Tom Selleck as celebrities who have appeared in a spring exhibition game, Billy Crystal strikes out in the first inning as the Yankees' leadoff batter. The comedian, who signed a one-day contract with the Bronx Bombers, wears the number sixty in honor of his 60th birthday tomorrow. 2008 The pitching-poor Cardinals bolster their rotation by agreeing to a preliminary one-year deal with Kyle Lohse (9-12, 4.62). The 29-year-old right-hander, who pitched for the Reds and Phillies last season, will make $4.25 million hurling for the Redbirds. 2009 "Through good times and bad, I never doubted the support that all of you had for my teammates and me...I hope to see you in October." - PAT BURRELL, former Phillies outfielder thanking the Philadelphia fans. Pat Burrell takes out ads in two of Philadelphia's largest newspapers, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, to thank Phillies fans for their support during his nine years with the team. The 32-year-old slugging 'Pat the Bat' signed a free-agent deal in the off-season with the Rays, the club the Phils beat in last season's World Series. ***************************************************************
Today In 1934: Babe Ruth gives first base a try at New York #Yankees spring training camp in Florida!
Super70sSports 20h “We need a sponsor for the girls’ softball team.” “Well, don’t just stand there. Start calling liquor stores.”
