BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1933 Four days after turning thirty years old and acquiring a very generous inheritance from his step-father, Tom Yawkey purchases the Red Sox from Robert Quinn for $1.2 million. The acquisition of the Boston American League franchise, which lasts for 44 years, the longest by a sole owner in baseball history, is prompted by former school classmate and Hall of Fame infielder Eddie Collins, who serves as the team's general manager until 1947.

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1934 John McGraw dies at 60 at a New Rochelle Hospital two weeks after hearing optimistic reports about his recovery. The renowned Giants skipper, known as 'Little Napoleon' due to his style and stature, won ten pennants and three world championships during his 30 years as the team's manager.
McGraw & Honus Wagner

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1965 The MLB owners refuse to raise the minimum salary requested by the players to $7,000 from the current $6,000, a level that is only $500 more than the first minimum salary established 18 years ago. In 1968, thanks to the first-ever collective bargaining agreement in professional sport, the amount will be raised to $10,000, setting the tone for more rapid increases in the coming years.

1969 Baseball avoids the sport's first work stoppage when the owners agree to increase their contribution to the newly revised pension plan, changing the players' ability to qualify from five years to four and lowering the minimum age to receive benefits from fifty to forty-five. Other improvements include the players agreeing to collect $5.45 million per year, retroactive to 1959, and a percentage of the revenue generated by televised games.

 

1972 After multiple salary disputes with their 27-year-old southpaw, the Cardinals trade a stunned 20-game winner Steve Carlton (20-9) to the last-place Phillies for Rick Wise (17-14). This season, 'Lefty' will post a 27-10 record for Philadelphia, winning the first of four National League Cy Young Awards during his 15-year tenure with Philadelphia.

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1973 The spring training lockout ends when the players' union and the owners reach a three-year agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. The CBA establishes salary arbitration for players with two+ years of major league service, raises the minimum salary to $15,000, and includes the new '10 and 5' trade rule that allows a player with ten years of service, in which the last five are with his current team, to veto any trade.

1981 At the White House, Ronald Reagan receives a major league season pass from baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who expresses his hope the president will attend a few games during the upcoming year. Ironically, the Executive Board of the Major League Baseball Players Association will vote unanimously in Tampa today to strike on May 29, if necessary, surprising the owners who thought the well-paid players wouldn't risk a costly work stoppage.

1987 Commissioner Ueberroth bans former Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt from major league baseball for the 1987 season due to multiple drug-related incidents during the past year. An arbitrator orders the Padres to reinstate the right-hander after reducing the penalty to sixty days.

1993 Resembling a fish with arms and legs, 'Billy the Marlin' is introduced as the mascot of the new National League franchise in Miami. Owner Wayne Huizenga selects the name partly because a dolphin is from the fish species known as "billfish," and differs from typical baseball mascot names like Smasher.

 

1994 After a long campaign by Yankee fans, including owner George Steinbrenner, the Veterans Committee elects Phil Rizzuto to the Hall of Fame and the posthumous selection of Leo Durocher. The former infielder and current television broadcaster's enshrinement causes much debate, given the borderline career stats became especially important to his supporters when Pee Wee Reese, a similar-styled shortstop of te rival crosstown Brooklyn Dodgers, was inducted in 1984.
Scooter TheLip & Peewee

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2002 Diamondbacks' third baseman Matt Williams breaks a bone in his left leg during a spring training workout. Arizona will not issue a timetable for their injured infielder's return, but the 36-year-old veteran will resume his duties at the hot corner after the All-Star break on July 11.

2002 The 84-year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster, Ernie Harwell, announces this season will be his last as the Tigers' radio play-by-play announcer. During his 62-year career behind the mike, the winner of the 1981 Ford Frick Award for baseball broadcasting excellence had worked for the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and Baltimore Orioles before moving to Detroit.

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2003 The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame selects Blue Jays' World Series hero Joe Carter for a June induction. Pete Rose, who played 95 games for the Expos and collected his 4000th hit with Montreal, was one of the 46 nominees considered but was not chosen by 75 percent of the voters.

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2005 After winning an auction for the one-day naming rights for the Boston Fleet Center, Yankee fan Kerry Konrad initially plans to honor Derek Jeter but agrees to rename the arena the 'Jimmy Fund Center' after a friend offers to give an additional $6,275 to the charity. The donation brings the total to $8,600, reflecting the 86 years between Red Sox World Championships.

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2008 Terry Francona signs a three-year contract extension that runs through 2011, including team options for 2012 and 2013 to continue as the Red Sox manager. After an eighty-six-year drought, the Boston skipper has led the club to a pair of World Series titles in four seasons at the helm.

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2010 The Rangers void Khalil Greene's contract, announcing the reason for the action is a private matter done in the ballplayer's best interest. The 30-year-old utility infielder, who missed 49 games with the Cardinals last season because of social anxiety, did not report to spring training last week due to his unidentified problem.

2012 On their Twitter account, the Mets send out an image of the patch the team will wear this season in memory of Gary Carter, who died earlier in the month of brain cancer at 57. The black pentagon will feature the former New York catcher's nickname, Kid, and the number 8. Gary Carter's Memorial Uniform Patch

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2016 The players' union and MLB agree to a slide rule after Ruben Tejada suffers a broken leg covering second base during the NLDS. The new policy, the direct result of Chase Utley's attempt to break up a double play that injured the Mets infielder, will be reviewable and allow contact to be permissible with the fielder, but prohibiting the runner from changing his path to disrupt the play deliberately.​

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Today in Baseball History
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Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On February 25 in Baseball History...

• • 1934 - John McGraw, in ill health since his retirement as Giants manager early in the 1932 season, dies at his home in New Rochelle, New York, at age 60. His last public appearance was the 1933 All-Star Game as N.L. manager.
    
  • 1957 - The U.S. Supreme Court decides 6-3 that baseball is the only professional sport exempt from antitrust laws. The issue arises when pro football seeks similar protection from the laws.
    
  • 1969 - A pension plan for baseball is agreed on, with players to receive $5.45M per year. They also get a percentage of television revenues, a reduction in the years necessary to qualify for a pension from five to four (retroactive to 1959), and lowered minimum age for drawing a pension from 50 to 45.
    
  • 1972 - The Cardinals trade pitcher Steve Carlton to the Phillies for pitcher Rick Wise. Carlton will go on to win 241 games and four Cy Young Awards for the Phillies.
    
  • 1973 - A new three-year Basic Agreement is reached between players and owners. Among the provisions of the agreement are a $15,000 minimum salary, salary arbitration, and the '10 and five' trade rule, which permits a player with 10 years in the major leagues, the last five of which are with his current team, to veto any trade involving him.
    
  • 1981 - The Executive Board of the Players' Association votes unanimously to strike on May 29 if the issue of free-agent compensation remains unresolved. That deadline will be extended briefly, however, when the Players Association's unfair labor practices complaint is heard by the National Labor Relations Board.
    
  • 1987 - In the wake of three drug-related incidents over the past year, La Marr Hoyt is banished from baseball for the 1987 season by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth. On June 16 an arbitrator will reduce Hoyt's suspension to 60 days and order the Padres to reinstate him. But Hoyt would never pitch in another major league game.

Baseball Birthdays on February 25...

• • 1854 - Cogswell, Ed
  • 1856 - Britt, Jim
  • 1863 - Allen, Hezekiah
  • 1872 - McHale, Bob
  • 1875 - Kling, Johnny
  • 1883 - Hannifin, Jack
  • 1884 - Bescher, Bob
  • 1889 - Morey, Dave
  • 1889 - Rieger, Elmer
  • 1893 - Slattery, Phil
  • 1897 - Vines, Bob
  • 1899 - Rees, Stan
  • 1900 - Burns, Joe
  • 1900 - Gillespie, Duke
  • 1908 - Hollingsworth, Al
  • 1911 - Weir, Roy
  • 1912 - Hayes, Jim
  • 1915 - Weatherly, Roy
  • 1918 - Diehl, George
  • 1919 - Irvin, Monte "Look at the contrast in salaries between today and my day. I wish my mama had better timing." - Irvin, Monte. The Giants Fan's Little Book of Wisdom.
  • 1921 - Pafko, Andy "Look at the contrast in salaries between today and my day. I wish my mama had better timing." - Irvin, Monte. The Giants Fan's Little Book of Wisdom.
  • 1924 - Lohrke, Jack
  • 1931 - Dunn, Jim
  • 1934 - Schaive, Johnny
  • 1939 - Lemaster, Denny
  • 1940 - Cater, Danny "So many guys come and go here (in St. Louis) that if we won the pennant, our shares would be fifty dollars a piece." - Danny Cater in Baseball Digest
  • 1940 - Santo, Ron "Very few players are as closely connected with a franchise as Ron Santo is with the Chicago Cubs. His extraordinary playing career, his rabid following as a broadcaster and his many charitable endeavors for the Chicagoland area—where he has made his home for nearly 30 years—makes his contributions to this franchise special and unique." - MacPhail, Andy. Chicago Cubs President
  • 1941 - Vineyard, Dave
  • 1947 - Szotkiewicz, Ken
  • 1951 - Cedeno, Cesar
  • 1954 - Brenly, Bob
  • 1956 - Lynch, Ed
  • 1956 - Hickey, Kevin
  • 1959 - Dayley, Ken
  • 1961 - Kiecker, Dana
  • 1963 - Arndt, Larry
  • 1963 - O'Neill, Paul "Hitting is a lot more than just picking up a bat and swinging it. You've got to be observant, evaluate the situation, know the pitcher and his tendencies, and know yourself. If you want to be successful, you have to become a student." - Paul O'Neill
  • 1963 - McKeon, Joel
  • 1964 - Rowland, Rich
  • 1968 - Hulse, David
  • 1969 - Flener, Huck
  • 1969 - Norman, Les
  • 1974 - Stewart, Shannon

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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2/26 BIRTHDAYS
1887 Grover Cleveland Alexander HOF pitcher (World Series 1926 Chicago Cubs; Triple Crown 1915, 16, 20; 6 × NL wins & strikeout leader; Philadelphia Phillies), born in Elba, Nebraska (d. 1950)


1918 Edwin Charles "Preacher" Roe pitcher (Brooklyn Dodgers), born in Ash Flat, Arkansas (d. 2008)
with PeeWee and Jackie


1920 Danny Gardella player (d. 2005)


1962 Sheila Cornell softball infielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Los Angeles, California


1967 David Howard infielder (KC Royals), born in Sarasota, Florida


1967 Scott Service pitcher (Cincinnati Reds, Mariners), born in Cincinnati, Ohio


1968 J. T. Snow infielder (Giants, NY Yankees, California Angels), born in Long Beach, California


1969 Brandon Wilson infielder (Chicago White Sox), born in Gaborone, Botswana

1977 Josh Towers pitcher, born in Port Hueneme, California

1980 Gary Majewski, Major League Baseball player, born in Houston, Texas

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1911 General Taylor acquires the rights to a parcel of land known as the Dana Lands, a property once owned by a leader of the Sons of Liberty named Francis Dana, at a public auction for $120,000. The Red Sox minority owner's acquisition will become Fenway Park, the team's new home,

1935 Babe Ruth is granted his release by the Yankees, allowing the aging superstar to play for the Braves. The 39-year-old outfielder hit 659 home runs and batted .349 during his 15-year tenure with New York.

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1943 The Phillies hire future Hall of Famer Bucky Harris to manage the club. The veteran skipper, who compiles a 39-54 record, will be fired by the team's new owner Bill Cox at the end of July and replaced by Freddie Fitzsimmons.

Bucky & Babe Dahlgren​

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1952 Don Newcombe, who posted a 56-28 record his first three years with the Dodgers, will miss the next two seasons when he is sworn into the Army to serve in the Korean War. The 26-year-old right-hander struggles upon his return in 1954, but he returns to form the following season with a 20-5 record, helping the team capture their only world championship while playing in Brooklyn.

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1957 The Giants trade right-hander Hoyt Wilhelm to the Cardinals for their former All-Star first baseman/outfielder Whitey Lockman. The knuckleballer will win only one of five decisions for the Redbirds before being selected off waivers by Cleveland in September, with New York's newest infielder spending two seasons with his old club, hitting .246 in 225 games over that span.

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1989 A California court throws out the $12-million breach-of-contract suit brought against Wade Boggs by Margo Adams. The former Miss Anaheim claimed the Red Sox third baseman had promised her a salary and expenses during their four-year association.

1991 Bill Veeck considered the P.T. Barnum of baseball due to the imaginative innovations he put in place as the owner of the Indians (1946-50), Browns (1951-53), and White Sox (1959-61, 1975-80), is elected by the Veterans Committee into the Hall of Fame. 'Sport Shirt Bill' integrated the American League by signing Larry Doby to play for the Tribe and assembled the 1948 World Champion Indians, a team that drew more than 2.6 million fans, setting an attendance record that lasted for more than three decades.

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1992 Red Sox owner Jean Yawkey dies at 83 after suffering a stroke. The JRY Trust, headed by the club's CEO John Harrington, will inherit her interest in the team and sell the club to John Henry and an investor group in 2002.

2004 At Harry Caray's restaurant in Chicago with hundreds of onlookers, including a man covered in ivy, singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Michael Lantieri blows the foul ball made famous by Steve Bartman in the 2003 NLCS a. The Oscar Award-winner, a die-hard Cubs fan who has worked on similar special effects in Jurassic Park and Back to the Future, executes the infamous ball's demise.


2005 Atlanta Braves' hurler Mike Hampton and his wife offer a $25,000 reward for the safe return of Jessica Marie Lunsford. The nine-year-old, who disappeared from her Florida bedroom four days ago, is in the same grade with one of the Hamptons' two sons at Homosassa Elementary School.

 

2006 "He's an idiot. He's selfish. That's why we don't miss him. And we've held it in for far too long." - KENNY WILLIAMS, White Sox general manager, reacting to his former player's negative comments.
Frustrated with the latest comments from former employee Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams responds by calling his former superstar selfish as well as being an idiot. The former MVP, who signed with the A's in January, has been very vocal about feeling unappreciated and mistreated by Chicago after spending 16 years with the organization.

2009 Tim Lincecum (18-5, 2.62) signs a $650,000, one-year deal with the Giants. The 24-year-old right-hander, last season's National League's Cy Young Award recipient, fanned a big league-leading 265 batters while yielding 182 hits in 227 innings.

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2019 Nolan Arenado becomes baseball’s highest-paid position player annually, making $33.5 million per season after signing an eight-year, $260-million extension with the Rockies. Last month, the 27-year-old third baseman set an arbitration record, receiving a $26 million award in a one-year deal with Colorado.

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59,532

 

Today in Baseball History
Home | Contact | Baseball Almanac | Baseball Box Scores | Baseball Fever | Advertise | Support​

Search archives: Historical Events Baseball Birthdays Baseball Deaths
On February 26 in Baseball History...

• • 1935 - Babe Ruth is released by the Yankees to sign with the Boston Braves for $20,000 and a share in the team's profits. In April he draws the largest Opening Day crowd in the Braves' history.
    
  • 1989 - A California court throws out a major part of the $12 million breach-of-contract suit filed by Margo Adams against Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs. Adams claimed that Boggs had promised her a salary and expenses during a four-year affair.
    
  • 1991 - Bill Veeck, the colorful owner of the Browns, Indians and White Sox (twice) and Yankees great Tony Lazzeri are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

Baseball Birthdays on February 26...

• • 1856 - Decker, Frank
  • 1863 - Sixsmith, Ed
  • 1864 - LaRoque, Sam
  • 1874 - Banks, Bill
  • 1881 - Leary, Frank
  • 1887 - Alexander, Grover
  • 1891 - Hammond, Jack
  • 1892 - Weaver, Harry
  • 1896 - Collins, Rip
  • 1898 - Thompson, Lee
  • 1898 - Callaway, Frank
  • 1905 - Nelson, Emmett
  • 1906 - Graves, Joe
  • 1907 - Malis, Cy
  • 1911 - Starr, Bill
  • 1915 - Bowers, Stew
  • 1915 - Conroy, Bill
  • 1915 - Roe, Preacher "My three pitches are my change, my change off my change, and my change off my change off my change." - Preacher Roe
  • 1917 - Grodzicki, Johnny
  • 1920 - Gardella, Danny
  • 1922 - Biras, Steve
  • 1930 - Janowicz, Vic
  • 1930 - Negray, Ron
  • 1933 - Blanchard, Johnny "It was a team (1961 New York Yankees) that had a lot of pride and confidence. It didn't matter if we were ever behind in a ball game. The team always felt they could come back and win. We never went into a game thinking we could lose." - Johnny Blanchard in Where Are They Now? (Baseball Digest
  • 1934 - Lee, Don
  • 1941 - Kopacz, George
  • 1944 - Secrist, Don
  • 1945 - Hertz, Steve
  • 1950 - Brohamer, Jack
  • 1952 - Kinney, Dennis
  • 1954 - Yurak, Jeff
  • 1958 - Miller, Darrell
  • 1958 - Hegman, Bob
  • 1962 - Gruber, Kelly
  • 1967 - Howard, David
  • 1967 - Service, Scott
  • 1968 - Snow, J.T. "I've known J.T. for a long time," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He's about as good defensively as you're ever going to see in the game. That's how good he is." - by Staff Writer David Heuschkel in the Hartford Courant
  • 1971 - Perez, Danny
  • 1971 - Luke, Matt
  • 1977 - Towers, Josh

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.​