BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

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BIRTHDAYS
1900 Willie Kamm, MLB third baseman White Sox (d. 1988)


1908 Wes Ferrell Pitcher (MLB All-Star 1933, 37; no-hitter 1931; record 37 career HRs hit by a pitcher), born in Greensboro, North Carolina (d. 1976)


1923 Red Schoendienst HOF second baseman, manager, coach (10 x MLB All Star; 5 x World Series St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Braves), born in Germantown, Illinois (d. 2018)


1937 Don Buford MLB and NPB outfielder/infielder, 1963-76, All-Star (Baltimore Orioles, and 3 other teams), born in Linden, Texas


1968 Scott Erickson, pitcher (Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles), born in Long Beach, California

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1876 The National League forms with charter teams located in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. The Hartford Dark Blues will play its second season in Brooklyn as the Hartfords before disbanding in 1877.

1936 Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson are the first five men elected into baseball's new Hall Fame, scheduled to be open in 1939 as part of the game's celebration of its centennial. A claim made by the former 1905 Mills Commission, which proves to be erroneous, suggests that the national pastime was invented by Civil War hero Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, making the small village in upstate New York the perfect place for the induction of the legendary ballplayers.

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1950 At a Boston sportswriters dinner, infielder Bobby Doerr receives the Fred Hoey Award, given by the scribes in memory of the first full-time broadcaster for both the Red Sox and the Braves. The scrappy second baseman's friend and Boston teammate, Ted Williams, surprises the gathering by attending the event wearing a tie.

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1972 Lefty Gomez, a southpaw best known for his four 20-win seasons with the Yankees, and Ross Youngs, a popular outfielder for the Giants who compiled a lifetime .322 batting average before succumbing to kidney disease at the age of 30, are selected by the Special Veterans Committee to be enshrined in Cooperstown. The group also gives the nod to former American League president William Harridge, initially hired to fill a three-year term as an interim but will hold the position for the next 27 years.

Youngs and Gomez
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1976 The Veteran's Committee elect veteran umpire Cal Hubbard, third baseman/outfielder Freddie Lindstrom, one-time career home run champion Roger Connor to the Hall of Fame. The Waterbury Republican-American, Connor's hometown newspaper, had heavily lobbied for their native son after Hank Aaron passed Babe Ruth's record in 1986

HOF Class of '76
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1986 After returning from a three-year absence due to a knee injury, right-hander Dennis Leonard announces his retirement. The 35-year-old, a twenty-game winner in 1977, 1978, and 1980, compiled an 8-13record and a 4.44 ERA in his comeback attempt with the Royals.

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1987 The Braves trade right-handed Craig McMurtry to the Blue Jays for second baseman Damaso Garcia and pitcher Luis Leal. The right-handers will never pitch for the new team, and Garcia will hit .117 in 21 games before being released by Atlanta.

1999 Padres' outfielder Greg Vaughn becomes the first player traded in major league history after hitting 50 home runs the previous season. San Diego deals the slugger and Mark Sweeney to the Reds for Reggie Sanders, Damian Jackson, and Josh Harris.

2001 A fly ball will take approximately seven more feet to clear Camden Yards' fences this season due to the Orioles moving home plate. The field's new alignment will also cut down the amount of foul territory available, with the fair poles being almost flush against the left- and right-field corners.

2003 Red Sox manager Grady Little, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, and first-base coach Dallas Williams appear at the Atrium Mall in Newton, modeling the team's new look, including solid red socks. The Red Sox socks have had very little red in recent years and haven't been entirely red for over fifty years.

 

2005 The Blue Jays announce the three-year corporate contract to rename the SkyDome to the Rogers Centre. The controversial change, revealed by Ted Rogers, President and CEO of Rogers Communications, proves unpopular with many fans, most of whom continue to refer to the Toronto ballpark by its original moniker.

2005 The much-heralded Sammy Sosa trade to the Orioles becomes final when Commissioner Bud Selig approves the deal, and the 36-year-old slugger passes a physical. The Cubs exchange 'Slammin' Sammy' for second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. and two minor-leaguers and agree to pay Baltimore $16.15 million of the remaining $25 million left on a four-year, $72 million contract signed in 2003.

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2008 Filling a tall order, the Nationals avoid arbitration with Jon Rauch, signing the 6' 11" pitcher to a $3.2 million, two-year deal. The right-handed reliever, who led the big leagues with 88 appearances, compiled an 8-4 record with four saves while posting a 3.61 ERA in 87 1-3 innings of work.

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2009 According to a report in The Sports Business Journal, MLB tax documents for the fiscal year ending October 31st, 2007, show Bud Selig receiving an $18.35 million salary. The compensation package, if correct, would make the commissioner better paid than most of the superstars in the game at the time, except for Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Roger Clemens, all employed by the Yankees.

2011 Alexei Ramirez and the White Sox agree to a four-year, $32.5 million contract extension and a $10 million team option for an additional year. Earlier in the off-season, the Pale Hose picked up his option for 2011, coming to terms with the 29-year-old good-hitting shortstop with a base salary of $2.75 million

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2013 In front of a home crowd of 87 fans, the California Institute of Technology baseball team snaps a 228-game losing streak, beating Pacifica in a non-conference game, 9-7. The CalTech Beavers, whose last victory occurred on February 15th, 2003, haven't won a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest since 1988, a span of 463 games.

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2017 The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame elects Roy Halladay, who posted a 148-76 (.661) record during his dozen seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, and Vladimir Guerrero, a four-time all-star while playing for the Montreal Expos. Other inductees include past Baseball Canada president Ray Carter, the 2015 Canadian men's team that won gold at the Pan-Am Games, and the late Little League umpire Doug Hudlin.

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2020 The NFL names Patrick Mahomes the MVP of Super Bowl LIV, after the 24-year-old quarterback leads a fourth-quarter rally in the Chiefs' 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The Kansas City QB's dad, Pat, compiled a 42-39 (.519) record pitching for five major league teams in 11 seasons, including posting an 8-0 record for 1999 Mets.

2021 After failing to sign a slugger in the offseason, the Braves opt to retain Marcell Ozuna, who will return with a four-year, $64 million deal with a $16 million club option for a fifth season along with a $1 million buyout. The 30-year old outfielder plays in only 48 games, going on the injured list with two dislocated fingers on his left hand at the end of May and receiving a retroactive 20-game suspension in November for violating MLB's domestic violence policy.

2021 In a baffling trade, the Rockies deal five-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals for pitchers Austin Gomber, Tony Locey, Jake Sommers, and infielders Mateo Gil and Elehuris Montero. Colorado's GM Jeff Bridich's relationship with his eight-time Gold Glover, who vocally criticized the front office over the team's direction, deteriorated so quickly that the infielder waived a no-trade clause to go to St. Louis.

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Today in Baseball History
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Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On February 1 in Baseball History...

• • 1919 - The Dodgers trade first baseman Jake Daubert to the Reds for outfielder Tommy Griffith. Daubert, a former M.V.P. with Brooklyn, is shipped out shortly after receiving an out-of-court settlement from the Dodgers for the balance of his salary ($2,150) because the 1918 season ended a month early.
    
  • 1959 - Zack Wheat, a Brooklyn favorite of the teens and twenties, is unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. Wheat, a .317 hitter over his 19-year career, batted .300 or better 14 times.
    
  • 1962 - The N.L. releases its first 162-game schedule.
    
  • 1965 - The N.L. clubs adopt an emergency team replacement plan to restock any club struck by disaster.
    
  • 1970 - The Veterans Committee selects former commissioner Ford Frick and former players Earle Combs and Jesse Haines to the Hall of Fame. Haines won 210 games for the Cardinals and pitched in four World Series. Although he played 100 games in a season just nine times, Combs accumulated 1,866 hits and batted .325. Ford Frick was commissioner from 1951 to 1965, but he is best remembered for suggesting that an asterisk be placed next to the name of anyone who broke Babe Ruth's home run record during the eight additional games on the schedule in 1961.
    
  • 1973 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces the selection of Monte Irvin for the Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues. Irvin spent a decade with the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues before he joined the New York Giants in 1949. He led the N.L. with 121 RBI in 1951, and he batted .293 in 764 major league games.
    
  • 1976 - East Lansing police arrest Dodgers reliever Mike Marshall for disobeying the orders set by the Michigan State University police prohibiting him from taking batting practice. MSU feared he would hit balls too far and injure students on an adjacent tennis court. Marshall protests that it is against his rights as an MSU instructor and files a lawsuit against the school.
    
  • 1985 - In an effort to add some much-needed power to their lineup, St. Louis trades outfielder-first baseman David Green, shortstop Jose Uribe, pitcher Dave LaPoint, and outfielder-first baseman Gary Rajsich to the Giants for slugging first baseman Jack Clark.

Baseball Birthdays on February 1...

• • 1857 - Wood, Pete
  • 1858 - Brown, Lew
  • 1874 - Bemis, Harry
  • 1875 - Sullivan, Billy
  • 1882 - Harris, Joe
  • 1884 - Kelly, Jim
  • 1890 - Mack, Earle
  • 1892 - McArthur, Dixie
  • 1892 - McGuire, Tom
  • 1894 - Parnham, Rube
  • 1894 - Golvin, Walt
  • 1898 - Messenger, Bud
  • 1903 - Reynolds, Carl
  • 1908 - Barton, Vince
  • 1910 - Lieber, Dutch
  • 1915 - Abernathy, Woody
  • 1917 - Burkart, Elmer
  • 1919 - Brown, Norm
  • 1921 - Madison, Dave
  • 1930 - Churn, Chuck
  • 1931 - Smith, Bob
  • 1934 - Conley, Bob "He (Bob Conley) is definitely a big league prospect. A lot of good points, the kind a scout looks for in a young player." - Philadelphia Phillies Scout Wes Livengood (Daily Press, 05/13/1953)
  • 1943 - Woods, Ron
  • 1944 - King, Hal
  • 1944 - Blair, Paul "He (Paul Blair) played very shallow. People talked about how Willie Mays played shallow, and Paul did the same thing. He played with assuredness. When you talk about the greatest defensive center fielders, he was right in the mix. With me in left and Frank Robinson in right, we played toward the lines and gave him a lot of room. He could really go get it."
  • 1947 - Thompson, Danny
  • 1947 - McKee, Jim
  • 1950 - Castle, Don
  • 1955 - Souza, Mark
  • 1955 - Camacho, Ernie "Ernie (Camacho) needs to do one thing - let me do the thinking for him. Here is a guy who throws harder than Al Holland and all he wants to do is throw forkballs. Thinking is the reason he has been with six different organizations." - Manager Pat Corrales in A Baseball Winter (Terry Pluto / Jeff Neuman, 1986
  • 1956 - Combe, Geoff
  • 1957 - Wieghaus, Tom
  • 1960 - Guante, CeciIio
  • 1966 - Chapin, Darrin
  • 1966 - Zambrano, Eduardo
  • 1967 - Guerrero, Juan
  • 1967 - Naehring, Tim
  • 1968 - Mercker, Kent
  • 1970 - Hurtado, Edwin
  • 1970 - Vitko, Joe
  • 1972 - Becker, Rich
  • 1976 - Norton, Phil
  • 1978 - Almonte, Erick

Copyright � 2001-2007. All Rights Reserved.
Part of the Baseball Almanac family: 755 Home Runs | Around the Horn | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Today in Baseball History.​

 

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BIRTHDAYS
1872 Lou Criger
Cy Young’s favorite catcher who caught two of his no-hitters, was born 144 years ago today. Criger caught Young’s 1897 no-no for the Cleveland Spiders during the opening game of a September 18 doubleheader at Cleveland’s League Park. (d. 1934)


1890 Larry MacPhail Hall of Fame executive (Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees), born in Cass City, Michigan (d. 1975)

1947 Joe Coleman pitcher (Washington, Detroit)


1949 (Arnold} "Bake" McBride outfielder, 1973-83, Rookie of the Year; All-Star (St. Louis Cardinals; Philadelphia Phillies, and 1 other team), born in Fulton, Missouri


1952 Fred Lynn outfielder (Boston, California, Baltimore), born in Chicago, Illinois


1962 Joe Handle pitcher (Florida Marlins)

1969 Terry Bradshaw outfielder, 1995-96 (St Louis Cardinals), and hitting coach (Kansas City Royals 2018-present), born in Franklin, Virginia


1971 Eric Owens, Danville VA, outfielder (Cincinnati Reds)

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1886 Former professional baseball player Albert Spalding begins a sporting goods company with $800. The future Hall of Famer will become the manufacturer of the first official baseball as well as the tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, and football.

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1938 The University of Illinois suspends Lou Boudreau for taking illegal payments from the Indians. The 19-year-old hoopster goes on to have a 15-year Hall of Fame baseball career in the big leagues as a player-manager for Cleveland and the Red Sox, and, as a broadcaster, he will be traded to the Cubs by radio station WGN to become the team's skipper.

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1942 At a meeting to determine new guidelines necessitated by the US involvement in WWII, the major league owners vote to allow each club to play 14 night games, allocating the Senators 21 contests due to many government workers located in Washington, DC Metro area. The regulation includes a provision that no inning will start after 12:50 A.M.during the evening tilts.

1957 At a New York BBWAA meeting, Walter O'Malley passes a note to Cubs owner Phil Wrigley, who controls LA's territorial rights, offering Brooklyn's Texas League team in Fort Worth in return for the Cubs' Los Angeles PCL minor league franchise. The swap of farm teams will be announced on February 21st, clearing the Dodgers' path to move to the West Coast.

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1961 Charlie Finley douses an old school bus bearing the sign "the Kansas City-to-New York shuttle" with gasoline and sets it on fire in the left field parking lot of Municipal Stadium. As the vehicle becomes engulfed in flames, the new owner of the A's tells reporters the stunt symbolizes the team's end sending talented young players to the Yankees in exchange for major leaguers well past their prime, a practice deeply resented by the Kansas City fans.

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1975 The special Veterans Committee selects second baseman Billy Herman (Cubs, Dodgers, Braves, and Pirates), skipper Bucky Harris (Senators, Tigers, Red Sox, Phillies, and Yankees) and outfielder Earl Averill (Indians, Tigers, and Braves) to the Hall of Fame. An outspoken Averill had informed his family about declining the honor if he was an inductee posthumously; fortunately, he was enshrined in Cooperstown eight years before his passing.

HOF Class of '75

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1977 The Hall of Fame's Special Committee on the Negro Leagues selects Cuban natives John Henry Lloyd and Martin Dihigo, also acknowledged in Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic for his outstanding accomplishments that included playing all nine positions. Pop Lloyd ended his 27-year career with a batting average of .343 while building a reputation as the greatest shortstop in the history of the Negro Leagues

Pop LLoyd Dihigo

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1978 Under the financial reorganization of the club, FJ 'Steve' O'Neill, a lifelong resident of Cleveland, becomes the principal owner of the Indians. The trucking magnate was once a limited partner of the Tribe but sold his Indians' interest in the team in 1973 to become part of George Steinbrenner's syndicate that bought the Yankees.

1979 The Twins trade perennial All-Star and batting champ Rod Carew to the Angels for outfielders Ken Landreaux and Dave Engle and pitchers Paul Hartzell and Brad Havens. The future Hall of Famer will hit .314 during his seven seasons with the Halos.

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1982 The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues suspends minor league catcher Angel Rodriguez for a year. The Alexandria backstop, who maintains his innocence, is penalized for tipping off opposing Latin American batters in Spanish of the upcoming pitch about to be thrown in Carolina League contests.

1987 The Expos trade top reliever Jeff Reardon and backstop Tom Nieto to the Twins for pitcher Neal Heaton, catcher Jeff Reed, and two minor leaguers. Minnesota's new closer will average nearly 35 saves each season during his three years with the club, including 42 during his All-Star campaign in 1988.

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1989 The National League chooses Bill White to be the circuit's president, replacing Bart Giamatti, leaving the post to become the commissioner of baseball. The appointment makes the former major league first baseman and Yankee broadcaster the highest-ranking black executive in professional sports.

1993 Marge Schott is suspended for one year and fined $25,000 by a committee of her major-league peers for bringing "disrepute and embarrassment" to the national pastime. The 64-year-old will also be required to attend and complete multi-cultural sensitivity training programs due to the numerous racial and ethnic remarks she allegedly made as the Reds' owner.

1994 Jody Reed agrees to a minor-league contract for undisclosed terms with the Brewers after rejecting a three-year, $7.8 million offer to stay with the Dodgers. In November, LA pulled their proposal to the 31-year-old infielder, who will now go to spring training with Milwaukee as a non-roster player.

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1998 The Yankees announce Brian Cashman will replace Bob Watson, who recently resigned as the team's general manager. During Watson's brief 2+ year tenure, the Bronx Bombers won their first World Series since 1978.

1999 The Mets tell a surprised Tim McCarver that he will not be returning to the team's broadcast booth. The franchise's pitching legend Tom Seaver, who was in the television booth for the Yankees from 1989 to 1993, will replace the highly regarded but outspoken 57-year-old broadcaster, who spent 16 years with the team doing local telecasts.

McCarver Seaver
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2002 Yankee catcher Jorge Posada (.277, 22, 95) signs a five-year, $51 million contract with a club option for a sixth season. The 30-year-old Bronx Bomber backstop, with an average annual value of more than $10 million, is the second-highest among major league catchers, trailing only the receiver Mike Piazza, who signed a seven-year, $91 million deal with the Mets in 1998 that averages $13 million annually.

2008 Eli Manning leads the Giants to an upset victory over the previously undefeated Patriots, making it the second consecutive year a Manning has been the quarterback for the victorious NFL Super Bowl team. Eli and Peyton, who QBs for the Indianapolis Colts, join a select group of brothers who have won world championship games in back-to-back years that include Livan (Marlins, 1997) and Orlando Hernandez (1998, Yankees), Irish (Giants, 1922), and Bob Meusel (Yankees, 1923), and Bubba (Colts, 1970) and Tody Smith (Cowboys, 1971).

2009 Oliver Perez agrees to a $36 million, three-year deal to stay with the Mets. The 29-year-old inconsistent southpaw, who has posted a 26-20 record with New York since being obtained from Pittsburgh during the 2006 season, will be part of the team's starting rotation.

2009 Garrett Atkins (.286, 21, 99) avoids arbitration, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Rockies. The 29-year-old third baseman's $7.05 million contract makes him the second-highest-paid player on the team, trailing only Todd Helton.

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2009 Justin Verlander (11-17, 4.84) agrees to a one-year deal worth $3,675,000 to stay with the Tigers, a dramatic increase from last season. The 2006 AL Rookie of the Year's original five-year contract, which slated the right-hander for a $600,000 salary in 2009, could be terminated if he had enough service time to become eligible for arbitration.

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2009 Rickie Weeks (.234, 14, 89) avoids arbitration with the Brewers, agreeing to a $2.45 million, one-year deal. The 26-year-old second baseman, who has been injury-prone over his first five seasons with the Brew Crew, can earn more with performance bonuses based on plate appearances.

2010 Casey Kotchman and the Mariners, who recently acquired the first baseman in a trade with Boston for Bill Hall, come to terms on a one-year deal worth $3,517,500. The 26-year-old slick-fielding infielder has not made an error in his last 1,584 chances, covering a span of 185 games.

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2011 A lawsuit brought by Bernie Madoff's victims names Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, contending the Mets owners enriched themselves with many years of profitable investing in the Ponzi Scheme while ignoring many warnings that the payoffs might have been fraudulent. Speculation concerning the team's sale to meet the financial obligations caused by a possible $1 billion settlement has circulated in the sports and banking industries.

2012 The Cubs and Matt Garza avoid arbitration when they agree to a one-year, $9.5 million deal. The 28-year-old right-hander posted a 10-10 record and a 3.32 earned run average last year, his first season with the team.


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