BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

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Baseball Birthdays January 4
1869 Tommy Corcoran shortstop (MLB shortstop game assist record 14), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1960)


1914 Herman Franks manager (SF Giants 1965–68, Chicago Cubs 1977–79) and coach (World Series 1954 NY Giants), born in Price, Utah (d. 2009)


1965 Kevin Wickander pitcher (Cincinnati Reds), born in Fort Dodge, Iowa


1971 Carlos Perez pitcher (Montreal Expos), born in Nigua, Dominican Republic


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This Day in Baseball History
January 4th
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1898 After the death of Charles H. Byrne, team secretary Charles Ebbets replaces the one-third owner as president of the Bridegrooms (Dodgers). The team's former office boy and future owner will also manage the Brooklyn nine for the last 110 games of the season, finishing tenth in the 12-team National League circuit.

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1902 Bill Dineen, who has averaged nearly 18 wins over the past two seasons for the National League's Beaneaters (Braves), signs with the year-old Boston Americans (Red Sox). The 24-year-old right-hander, known as 'Big Bill,' will win 20 or more contests for the next three years for the crosstown rivals in the upstart American League.

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1904 The Highlanders reveal plans to play Sunday home games at Long Island's Ridgewood Park. In March, the National Commission's chairman August Herrman will announce the club cannot play there due to the proximity of the ballpark to Brooklyn, the home of the National League's Superbas.
Ridgewood Park Grandstand, 1922

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1932 After leading the Toledo Mud Hens to their first-ever pennant, Casey Stengel returns to majors when the minor league team goes bankrupt, becoming a coach for the Dodgers. The 'Old Perfessor' will get his first big league managerial opportunity when Brooklyn names him to replace Max Carey, who the team dismissed before the 1934 season.

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1936 The Red Sox get center fielder Doc Cramer and utility infielder Eric McNair from the A's for right-hander Henry Johnson, middle infielder Al Niemiec, and $75,000. The deal completes the December 10th trade for Jimmie Foxx, who will hit .320 during his seven seasons with Boston.

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Foxx worked as a minor league manager and coach after his playing days ended, including managing the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for one season in 1952. Foxx served as head coach for the University of Miami baseball team for two seasons, going 9–8 in 1956 and 11–12 in 1957​

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1942 With 78% of the vote, Rogers Hornsby becomes the 14th player selected to the Hall of Fame. Former Cubs' first baseman Frank Chance (58%) and southpaw Rube Waddell (54%) are not elected this year, but both will be voted in by the Old Timers Committee in 1946.

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1943 Due to World War II, Commissioner Landis mandates teams to conduct spring training close to home. Except for the Cardinals and the Browns, who may stay in-state to train in Missouri, big-league camps must operate north of the Potomac and Ohio Rivers, staying east of the Mississippi River.

 

1955 The U.S. Patent Office issues a patent for a fiberglass and plastic batting helmet to the American Baseball Cap Inc., a company owned by Dodger president Branch Rickey and his friends and family. The improved headgear is one of many innovations brought to the game by the baseball pioneer known as “The Mahatma.”

1957 The Dodgers become the first team to purchase an aircraft, buying a 44-passenger Convair 440 two-engine for $700,000. From 1949 through 1957, the team had flown in a 20-seat DC-3, a gift from Bud Holman, who won the plane from Eastern Airlines in a crap game, according to legend, and gave the airplane to team owner Walter O'Malley.

 

2002 The Twins name Ron Gardenhire, a 44-year-old Twins coach, to replace long-time manager Tom Kelly, who piloted the team to world championships in 1987 and 1991 during his 16-year tenure in the dugout. Initially given a two-year pact, the former part-time Mets infielder will compile a 1,068–1,039 record as the team's skipper over 13 seasons.

2002 The Cardinals announce the team has agreed to a three-year, $27 million deal with their ace Matt Morris (22-8, 3.16 ERA). The 27-year-old right-hander, who missed the 1999 season due to elbow surgery, finished third in the Cy Young balloting last season.

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2002 The Indians sign 18-year-old Matthew Haynes, a participant in the major league's first-ever Australian Baseball Academy. The Tribe believes the 6'-3", 185-pound right-hander, considered one of the best sixty players from Down Under, will become a starting pitcher in the major leagues.

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2002 Tony Tavares, citing he is tired of losing, resigns as the president of the Angels. The 52-year-old executive, who until today also was the chairman of the NHL's Mighty Ducks, assumed the baseball post after Disney bought the team from Jackie Autry in 1996.

2004 Five-time batting champ Wade Boggs, who receives 92% of the record number of the 516 votes cast, becomes the 41st player elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. The Baseball Writers also give the nod to former Cubs' second baseman Ryne Sandberg, the 1984 National League MVP.

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2007 Jake Peavy is arrested at the Mobile Regional Airport on his way to begin a goodwill tour of the Dominican Republic with other big-league players. The 25-year-old Padres pitcher is charged with disorderly conduct and taken to the Mobile County Metro Jail after refusing to move his ticketed doubled-park car outside the terminal building.

2008 Hideo Nomo, who hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2005, signs a minor-league pact with the Royals. The 39-year-old Japanese right-hander, who tossed no-hitters for the Dodgers and the Red Sox, has been invited to spring training by the club.

2008 The city of Chicago approves the Cubs' proposal to add 70 'bullpen box seats' and additional signage at Wrigley Field. The 93-year-old ballpark, due to its landmark status, needed permission from the Department of Planning and Development to make the changes.

2010 "Just another Halo victory!" - RORY MARKAS, Angels announcer's signature line.
Rory Markas, named recently to be the Angels' lead play-by-play television announcer, dies unexpectedly at home. The popular 54-year-old broadcaster, who also spent parts of 11 seasons in the Brewers booth before starting his eight-year tenure with Los Angeles, was well-known for his signature line, "Just another Halo victory!".

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2011 The Oklahoma Sports Museum selects David Price as this season's recipient of the Warren Spahn Award, a recognition given annually to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. The Rays' 25-year-old All-Star southpaw compiled a 19-6 record along with an ERA of 2.72 for the AL East champs.

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2012 Joe Torre resigns as MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations, a position he has held since last February, to become part of a group interested in purchasing the Dodgers from Frank McCourt. The former LA skipper, who managed the team from 2008-2010, is partnering with real estate developer Rick Caruso, who is heading up the ownership bid.

2013 Brett Myers signs a one-year, $7 million contract to become part of the Indians' starting rotation behind Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez. The 32-year-old right-hander, who has started 249 major league contests during the first 11 years of his career, appeared in 70 games, all as a reliever, for the Astros and White Sox last season.

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Retired New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth happily signs a baseball
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Juan Pierre
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Babe Ruth
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Jackie Robinson being congratulated from his teammates

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At age 40 Ty Cobb hit .357
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Baseball Birthdays January 5

1864 Bob Caruthers pitcher/outfielder (American Association wins & ERA leader 1885, wins leader 1880; St. Louis Browns, Brooklyn Bridegrooms), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1911)


1888 George "Rube" Foster pitcher (World Series 1915, 16; no-hitter 1916; Boston Red Sox), born in Lehigh, Oklahoma (d. 1976)


1962 Danny Jackson pitcher (Reds/Royals/Phillies/Cardinals), born in San Antonio, Texas


1963 Jeff Fassero pitcher (Montreal Expos), born in Springfield, Illinois


1967 Chris Nabholz pitcher (Expos, Boston Red Sox), born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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This Day in Baseball History
January 5th​

1920 "I think the Yankees are taking a gamble. While Ruth is undoubtedly the greatest hitter the game has ever seen, he is likewise one of the most selfish and inconsiderate men ever to put on a baseball uniform." - HARRY FRAZEE, owner of the Red Sox defending his trade of Babe Ruth to New York.The Red Sox owner laments the popular player had become impossible to deal with, and the team could no longer contend with the Bambino's eccentricities.

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1925 The French Baseball Federation honors John McGraw, Charlie Comiskey, and Hugh Jennings for promoting America's national pastime in France. The trio is given their medals during a tour of Europe by the Giants and White Sox.

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1927 Commissioner Judge Landis begins a three-day public hearing to investigate the allegation that the Tigers threw a four-game series to the 1917 White Sox. After summoning and listening to the oral testimony from thirty-five players and ex-players from the two teams, the game's first commissioner, acting as the judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, and jury, will decide to clear all charges a week later.

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1934 An early afternoon five-hour blaze destroys much of Fenway Park's newly-constructed concrete and steel left-field grandstand and center-field bleachers built to replace the wooden structures in the 22-year-old ballpark. Tom Yawkey, the Red Sox's new owner, will have construction crews work overtime to rebuild the team's home in time for the season opener against Washington on April 17.

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1946 The Giants pay the most substantial amount ever spent for a single player when the team obtains the Cardinals' All-Star catcher Walker Cooper for $175,000 in a straight cash transaction. The 30-year-old six-foot-three, 195-pound Atherton (MO) native, who played a key role in the Redbirds' three consecutive pennants from 1942 to 1944, will hit .276 during his 3+ seasons with New York.

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1974 Due to heavy financial losses, Rheingold Beer reveals plans to close the Brooklyn-based plant. As a result, the brewery will end its 13-year relationship with the Mets as the team's primary radio-TV sponsor.

1982 The BBWAA selects Vin Scully as the sixth recipient of the Ford Frick Award, an honor for excellence in broadcasting the national pastime. The Dodger veteran announcer follows mentor Red Barber, Mel Allen, Bob Elson, Russ Hodges, and Ernie Harwell into the Hall of Fame.

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1993 Reggie Jackson appears 93.6% (396/423) of the writers' ballots, becoming the only player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame this year. Mr. October, a 14-time All-Star who played on five championship teams, hit 563 homers and batted .262 in 21 seasons, playing for the Angels, A's, Orioles, and Yankees.

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1994 The Mets trade Vince Coleman to the Royals to reacquire Kevin McReynolds, who played in New York for five seasons beginning in 1987, along with $500,000 to make up the difference between the salaries of the two outfielders. Co-owner Fred Wilpon indicated that Coleman would never wear his team's uniform again due to the 32-year-old's role in the firecracker incident at Dodger Stadium, reported to have injured three fans in the Chavez Ravine parking lot.

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1999 After receiving an apology from Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for his 1985 dismissal as the team's manager 16 games into the season, Yogi Berra ends his self-exile from Yankee Stadium and the organization. The Bronx Bomber legend will continue to participate in Opening Day and Old Timers' ceremonies once again.

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1999 The BBWAA elects the largest class of first-time Hall of Fame candidates since the writers chose five in the inaugural election of 1936. Nolan Ryan (98.8), George Brett (98.2), and Robin Yount (77.5) each receive more than the mandatory 75% of the votes needed for induction.

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2001 The Cardinals, needing help due to the departures of Shawon Dunston and Eric Davis, sign their first free agents of the off-season. The four new Redbirds include outfielders Bobby Bonilla and Bernard Gilkey and infielders John Mabry and Shane Andrews.

2001 The Mariners ink Ichiro Suzuki to a three-year deal worth $14,088,000. The signing rights to the Japanese outfielder, winner of seven batting titles in Japan, were awarded to Seattle for approximately $13 million.

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2001 The plan to name a new ballpark in downtown Montreal Labatt Park dims as the Canadian brewery announces ending their 15-year sponsorship of the Expos. The company cites the lack of a local television contract and stalled stadium plans as factors in the decision.

2007 Felipe Alou is named special assistant to Brian Sabean, general manager of the Giants. The team's 72-year-old former manager (2003-06), handling both major league and minor league scouting assignments, will provide insights on personnel for the GM.

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2009 Carl Pohlad, believed by many to be the savior of major league baseball in Minnesota after buying the club in 1984, dies at 93. Although the owner of the Twins' net worth was $3.6 billion, the franchise often had some of the lowest payrolls in baseball, including the World Champion teams of 1987 and 1991.

2009 Pat Burrell agrees to a two-year deal reportedly worth $16 million with the Rays, his World Series foes last season. The 32-year-old outfielder, who spent his first nine seasons in the majors with the Phillies, will be granted free agency by Tampa Bay during the 2010 season after hitting only .218 in 146 games for his new team.

2009 According to reports, a preliminary agreement has been reached between the Cubs and free-agent outfielder Milton Bradley on a $30 million, three-year deal. The switch-hitting All-Star, who batted .321 and led the American League with a .436 on-base percentage, will fill the team's need for a left-handed presence in the middle of the lineup.

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