BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

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BIRTHDAYS
HOF right fielder and manager Mel Ott (12 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1933; 6 × NL home run leader; NY Giants), born in Gretna, Louisiana


1913 Mort Cooper pitcher (MLB All-Star 1942, 43, 45, 46; World Series 1942, 44; NL MVP 1942), born in Atherton, Missouri (d. 1958)


1917 Jim Konstanty relief pitcher (MLB All Star 1950; NL MVP 1950; Philadelphia Phillies), born in Strykersville, New York (d. 1976)


1938 Donald Schwall pitcher (MLB All-Star 1961; AL Rookie of the Year 1961; Boston Red Sox), born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania


1962 Terry Steinbach catcher (MLB All-Star 1988, 89, 93; World Series 1989; Oakland A's), born in New Ulm, Minnesota


1965 Ron Gant outfielder (MLB All Star 1992, 95; Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds) and broadcaster (WAGA-TV, co-host 'Good Day Atlanta', born in Victoria, Texas


1983 Glen Perkins, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 2013-15; Minnesota Twins), born in St. Paul, Minnesota

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+
1927 Babe Ruth becomes the highest-paid player in major league history when the Yankees announce the Bambino will earn $70,000 per season for the next three years. The 'Sultan of Swat,' who had asked for $100,000, meets Colonel Jacob Ruppert at the owner's brewery in the Yorkville section of Manhattan to finalize the historic deal.

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1966 Commissioner William Eckert, citing a rule prohibiting clubs from signing players during their collegiate season, voids the Braves' contract with USC standout Tom Seaver, who had signed with Atlanta for a $50,000 bonus a week earlier. The Mets will be awarded the future Hall of Famer's signing rights in a lottery that includes the Phillies and Indians, who also were willing to match the Braves' terms.

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1989 "When he punched Keith Hernandez in spring training last season, it was the only time that Darryl Strawberry hit the cutoff man." - STEVE WULF, Sports Illustrated journalist. At a photo session, Mets' outfielder Darryl Strawberry throws a punch at Keith Hernandez, the team's no-nonsense All-Star first baseman. The spring training scuffle started over comments about salaries and results with the Straw walking out of camp.

1992 The highest-paid player tag now belongs to Ryne Sandberg, when the All-Star infielder signs a four-year contract extension worth 7.1 million dollars per season. The future Hall of Famer will unexpectedly retire during the season in 1994, walking away from nearly $15.8 million from the record deal he inked today.

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1995 "Cleveland got the better of the deals. They didn't get anybody." - DAVEY JOHNSON, Reds' manager. The Indians send Mike Curtis, Barbaro Garbey, Lee Granger, and Dave Gray to the Reds for "future considerations." The transaction, which helps Cincinnati add much-needed players to their roster, marks the first trade of replacement players during a baseball strike.

 

2001 Rusty Greer, now the Rangers' new leadoff hitter due to the A-Rod deal, signs a $21.8 million, three-year contract extension with Texas. The .307 career-hitting outfielder could make $36 million with incentives and options.

2005 Wearing their regular-season home uniforms instead of the traditional batting-practice spring training jerseys, the Nationals, in their first game ever, beat the Mets in the exhibition opener at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Florida, 5-3. The Expos' first and last games were also against the Mets before leaving Montreal for their new home in Washington, D.C.

2005 In a Capitol Rotunda ceremony, with legislators from both the House and Senate and baseball commissioner Bud Selig in attendance, President George W. Bush awards the nation's highest honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, posthumously to Jackie Robinson's widow. Rachel, the widow of the courageous ballplayer, accepts the award for her late husband, who died in 1972.

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2005 With hundreds of Red Sox Nation citizens in attendance on the south lawn, President George W. Bush praises the team spirit and winning style of the 2004 World Champions during a White House ceremony. Fall Classic hero and Bush supporter Curt Schilling gives the former owner of the Texas Rangers a white baseball jersey emblazoned with the forty-third Chief Executive's name and the number 43.

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Today in Baseball History
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On March 2 in Baseball History...

• • 1874 - At the fourth meeting of the Professional Association in Boston, the batter's box is officially adopted. It is also decided that expulsion will be the penalty for any player betting on his own team and any player betting on any other team will forfeit his pay.
    
  • 1901 - Jimmy Collins, Connie Mack's choice as the best all-time third baseman, switches leagues but not cities. Collins leaves Boston's N.L. club to manage the A.L.'s new Boston Somersets. The N.L. Beaneaters will also lose outfielder Hugh Duffy, who becomes manager of Milwaukee's new A.L. entry, and catcher Billy Sullivan, who signs with the Chicago White Stockings.
    
  • 1918 - The Yankees purchase first baseman George Burns from the Detroit Tigers and immediately trade him to the Philadelphia Athletics for outfielder Ping Bodie.
    

Baseball Birthdays on March 2...

• • 1855 - Ward, Jim
  • 1865 - Virtue, Jake
  • 1879 - Robitaille, Chick
  • 1880 - Hoffman, Danny
  • 1891 - Fischer, William
  • 1894 - Myers, Elmer
  • 1898 - Wheeler, Rip
  • 1899 - Stueland, George
  • 1901 - Weis, Butch
  • 1902 - Berg, Moe
  • 1903 - Mills, Art
  • 1906 - Powers, Mike
  • 1907 - English, Woody
  • 1907 - Knott, Jack
  • 1909 - Ott, Mel "Every time I sign a ball, and there have been thousands, I thank my luck that I wasn't born (Stan) Coveleski or (Bill) Wambsganss or (Roger) Peckinpaugh." - Ott, Mel. The Cultural Encyclopedia of Basebal
  • 1910 - Armbrust, Orville
  • 1912 - Adams, Ace
  • 1912 - Warren, Bennie
  • 1913 - Cooper, Mort "This great pitcher (Mort Cooper) used to chew aspirins on the mound to dull the pain caused by bone chips in his elbow. Mort had a very good fastball and good fork ball. He didn't walk anybody. It was a pleasure to play behind him because he knew where he was going to pitch the hitters and you could play them accordingly, confident of Cooper's control." - Stan Musial in Stan Musial: The Man's Own Story
  • 1915 - Barna, Babe
  • 1916 - Rocco, Mickey
  • 1917 - Konstanty, Jim "Jim (Konstanty) wins because he can control the ball and he knows what he's doing. He uses his head. When he throws a fast ball, he throws it where they can only look at it, not hit it. When they're swinging, they get a slider, screwball, palm ball or curve - some kind of breaking stuff. He really has those hitters buffaloed." - Columnist Ed Rumill in Baseball Magazine (November 1950)
  • 1918 - Colman, Frank
  • 1921 - Starr, Dick
  • 1924 - Abrams, Cal
  • 1926 - Taylor, Joe
  • 1932 - Fernandez, Chico
  • 1936 - Brady, Jim
  • 1936 - Schwall, Don
  • 1947 - Nettles, Jim
  • 1950 - Broberg, Pete
  • 1951 - Johnson, Mike
  • 1953 - Wolfe, Larry
  • 1953 - Tobik, Dave
  • 1958 - Stember, Jeff
  • 1960 - Woodard, Mike
  • 1962 - Steinbach, Terry
  • 1964 - Layana, Tim
  • 1965 - Gant, Ron "I'm a more mature player now. If that means I'm better, then, yeah, I'm better. I know mentally I approach the game differently. I just do better under pressure situations... The comeback hasn't surprised me, but I didn't think I could get off to this fast a start. I knew I couldn't afford a slow start, because I was under such a microscope." - By Dave Van Dyck in Baseball Digest (December 1995, 'Hard Work Paid Off for '95 'Comeback' Star Ron Gant',
  • 1966 - Gomez, Leo
  • 1974 - Sanders, Anthony
  • 1977 - Gibbons, Jay
  • 1978 - Sandberg, Jared

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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3/3
BIRTHDAYS
1860 John Montgomery Ward HOF pitcher (perfect game 1880; NL ERA leader 1878; NL strikeout leader & NL wins leader 1879; Providence Grays), born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania (d. 1925)


1872 Willie Keeler Hall of Fame outfielder (highest career AB-per-strikeout ratio in MLB history; NL batting champion 1897, 98 Baltimore Orioles), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1923)


1949 Jesse Jefferson player


1960 Neal Heaton baseball player


1965 A J Sager, pitcher (Detroit Tigers), born in Columbus, Ohio


1968 Scott Radinsky, Simi Valley CA, pitcher (LA Dodgers)


1978 Matt Diaz player

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FROM MLB's This Day in Baseball History+​

1953 Braves owner Lou Perini, citing territorial privilege due to their minor league club's location, blocks the Browns' attempt to move to Milwaukee from St. Louis. Fifteen days later, he will move his major league club from Boston to the Midwestern city.

1959 The winning entry in the Giants' Name-the-Park contest is Candlestick Park, reflecting the shape of the rocks found in the area known as Candlestick Point. Initially called Bay View Stadium, the ballpark will be the first stadium built entirely of reinforced concrete.

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1967 The American League permits the White Sox to use a partial designated hitter in spring training. With the home club's permission, each team will use a designated pinch-hitter twice in the same game.

1969 The Washington Post reports the Global League has failed to reach an agreement with any television network. The lack of a TV deal appears to have derailed the reality of the proposed third major league coming into existence.

 

1984 Peter Ueberroth is elected baseball's sixth commissioner, replacing Bowie Kuhn as the major league's top executive. The former L.A. Olympic president will take office on October 1 and will receive compensation of $450,000, an amount that is nearly double his predecessor's salary.

1987 Danny Kaye, the Mariners' original owner, along with his partner Lester Smith from 1977 to 1981, dies of heart failure. The 74-year-old entertainer was a life-long fan of the Dodgers, recording a hit tune entitled The D-O-D-G-E-R-S Song, which detailed a fictitious encounter with the rivals Giants during the actual 1962 pennant race.

1988 Upset by a practical joke played by teammate Jesse Orosco, Dodger slugger Kirk Gibson walks out of camp for a day. The southpaw reliever had put eyeblack on Gibson's cap.

1997 In a controversial deal, the Yankees sign a ten-year contract with Adidas. The licensing agreement with the popular sportswear company puts team owner George Steinbrenner at odds with the baseball establishment.

 

2006 Jae-Weong Seo and Chan Ho Park combine to blank Taiwan in the opening game of the inaugural World Baseball Classic, 2-0. The first game of the 16-nation tournament, featuring the duel between the two South Korean hurlers, is played before a disappointing crowd of only 5,193 fans at Tokyo Dome.
Seo and Park

2008 Noah Lowry throws 24 pitches before a batter takes a swing in the Giants' 6-4 Cactus League exhibition loss to Texas. The 28 year-old right-hander, who issues nine bases-on-balls to the first 12 Rangers he faces, goes through the entire once without recording an official at-bat, thanks to a combination of walks and sacrifice flies.

2012 The Padres sign Cameron Maybin to a five-year contract extension. The new undisclosed deal for the 24-year-old outfielder is reportedly worth $25 million for five years, with another $7 million possible during an option year in 2017.

2015 Major League Baseball introduces its new pace of play initiatives, designed to make the games shorter in duration, during five exhibition contests played in Arizona and Florida. The new rules, which include having batters keeping one foot in the batter's box after taking a pitch, and using a clock to make innings start more punctually, will be slowly introduced before penalties for the players are implemented.

2016 Experts announce they have verified the legitimacy of seven identical Ty Cobb cards from the printing period of 1909 to 1911, bringing the total number of the rare item known to exist to 22. The treasure, which features a picture of the 'Georgia Peach' on the front, with the words 'Ty Cobb – King of the Smoking Tobacco World' on the back, was found in a paper bag mixed in with trash by relatives, who were cleaning the dilapidated house that belonged to their great-grandfather.

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Today in Baseball History
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On March 3 in Baseball History...

• • 1953 - The Boston Braves, owners of the Milwaukee minor league franchise, block the Browns' attempt to shift their franchise to Milwaukee. Lou Perini, Braves owner, invokes his territorial privilege, stating he has not been offered enough for the rights.
    
  • 1956 - In an effort to keep the Giants in New York, Manhattan Borough President Hulan Jack makes plans for a new 110,000-seat stadium over the New York Central railroad tracks, on a 470,000-foot site stretching from 60th to 72nd streets on Manhattan's West Side. The estimated cost of $75M for the stadium eventually dooms the project and will be a major factor in Horace Stoneham's decision to move to San Francisco.
    
  • 1967 - The White Sox are given permission to use a semi-designated hitter in training camp. With home club permission, clubs will be allowed to use a designated pinch hitter twice in the same game.
    
  • 1984 - Peter Ueberroth, the highly successful chairman of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the upcoming Summer Games, is elected to a five-year term as Commissioner of Baseball. Ueberroth will take office on October 1, succeeding Bowie Kuhn.
    
  • 1987 - Ray Dandridge, a legendary third baseman from the Negro Leagues, is the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
    
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  • 1998 - Larry Doby, the A.L.'s first black player, is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame along with former A.L. President Lee MacPhail. Also chosen by the Veterans Committee are Negro League pitcher Bullet Joe Rogan and turn-of-the-century shortstop Gorgeous George Davis.
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Baseball Birthdays on March 3...

• • 1858 - Wheeler, Harry
  • 1858 - Cline, Monk
  • 1858 - Gross, Emil
  • 1859 - Kelly, John
  • 1860 - Ward, John
  • 1862 - Schoeneck, Jumbo
  • 1872 - Keeler, Willie
  • 1879 - Phelps, Ed
  • 1880 - Koukalik, Joe
  • 1884 - Knotts, Joe
  • 1886 - Channell, Les
  • 1888 - Bues, Art
  • 1895 - Jaeger, Joe
  • 1907 - Tennant, Jim
  • 1910 - Brenzel, Bill
  • 1912 - Epps, Aubrey
  • 1916 - Kalfass, Bill
  • 1918 - Hoffman, Bill
  • 1918 - Thompson, Forrest
  • 1919 - Souchock, Steve
  • 1920 - Adkins, Dick
  • 1921 - Nichols, Roy
  • 1923 - Martin, Barney
  • 1925 - Eyrich, George
  • 1934 - Locke, Bobby
  • 1942 - Dennis, Don
  • 1942 - Garibaldi, Bob
  • 1943 - Sukla, Ed
  • 1943 - Schaal, Paul
  • 1949 - Jefferson, Jesse
  • 1955 - Wright, Jim
  • 1956 - Sherrill, Dennis
  • 1957 - Barnes, Skeeter
  • 1960 - Cary, Chuck
  • 1960 - Heaton, Neal
  • 1961 - Wotus, Ron
  • 1965 - Heffernan, Bert
  • 1965 - Sager, A.J.
  • 1966 - de la Rosa, Francisco
  • 1968 - Radinsky, Scott
  • 1968 - Munoz, Bobby
  • 1970 - Morgan, Kevin
  • 1971 - Oliva, Jose
  • 1972 - Romano, Mike
  • 1979 - Julio, Jorge

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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