BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

Joe DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, Dom DiMaggio and Lefty O’Doul
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Baseball Birthdays January 30

1859 Tony Mullane born in Cork, Ireland (d. 1944)


1923 Walt Dropo, first baseman, 1949-61, AL Rookie of the Year (Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and 3 other teams), born in Moosup, Connecticut (d. 2010)


1930 Sandy Amorós born in Havana, Cuba (d. 1992)


1943 Davey Johnson second baseman (4 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1966, 70 Baltimore Orioles) and manager (World Series 1986 NY Mets), born in Orlando, Florida


1978 John Patterson born in Orange, Texas


1984 Jeremy Hermida born in Atlanta, Georgia

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This Day in Baseball History
January 30th​

1919 During World War I, unable to get in touch with their manager Christy Mathewson, who is serving as a captain in the newly-created chemical service along with Ty Cobb, the Reds hire Pat Moran. The former Phillies skipper pilots the club to a 96-44 record en route to leading Cincinnati to a World Championship when they defeat the White Sox in the scandal-ridden Fall Classic.

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1948 Attending the MLB Winter Meetings, 53-year-old Phillies GM Herb Pencock collapses in the New York hotel lobby, dying two hours later of a stroke after being rushed to a hospital. The former left-hander pitcher, who hurled 22 years in the majors with the A's, Red Sox, and Yankees, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame within weeks of his death.

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1952 The Little League headquarters relocates to Williamsport, PA, with Peter J. McGovern becoming the circuit's first full-time president. In November of 1955, Carl Stotz, who started the youth baseball program 28 years earlier, will have substantial differences with the increasing commercialization of the organization, causing the LLB Inc. Board to remove him from his position as commissioner.

1958 Commissioner Ford Frick announces the fans will no longer vote in selecting participants for the All-Star Game, with teams now chosen by major league players and coaches. The change prevents the stuffing of the ballot box, as happened when fans, spurred on by ballots published daily in the Cincinnati Times-Star, local broadcast media, and Burger Beer supplying ballots to taverns, elected eight Reds to start last season's Midsummer Classic. The commissioner replaced the Reds' fan selections of Wally Post and Gus Bell in the NL lineup with Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.

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1959 The Reds trade catcher Smoky Burgess, pitcher Harvey Haddix, and third baseman Don Hoak to the Pirates. In return, Cincinnati receives third baseman Frank Thomas, right-hander Whammy Douglas, outfielder Johnny Powers, utility man Jim Pendleton, and cash.

1987 The Cubs trade veteran third baseman Ron Cey to the A's for infielder Luis Quinones. After he plays 45 games, Oakland releases the 39-year-old 'Penguin,' who retires with a .261 lifetime batting average after spending 17 years in the major leagues.

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1996 The expansion Devil Rays name the first two skippers of their minor league system. Former major leaguer Tom Foley will manage at Butte in the Pioneer League, and veteran minor-league coach and manager Bill Evers will be at the helm for the St. Petersburg team in the Gulf Coast Rookie League.

2003 In his first year of eligibility, by a unanimous vote of the media covering the team, Cal Ripken Jr. joins his dad by becoming the 40th member of the Orioles Hall of Fame. The formal ceremony will take place on September 6, 2003, marking the eighth anniversary of the night the Baltimore infielder broke Lou Gehrig's record consecutive games streak of 2,130 games at Camden Yards.

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2006 The Cubs and Jerry Hairston Jr. (.261, 4, 30) avoid salary arbitration when the second baseman/outfielder agrees to a one-year, $2.3 million deal. Last February, the 29-year-old Illinois native was acquired from the Orioles for slugger Sammy Sosa.

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2007 The Yankees, who will send coaches, scouts, and player-development staff to the Far East, agree to help establish baseball academies in China. The team's president, Randy Levine, committed the Bronx Bombers to help the Chinese Baseball Association develop young talent while promoting the game in a culture where the sport remains virtually unknown.

2009 The Mets avoid salary arbitration with John Maine (10-8, 4.18) when both sides agree to a $2.6 million, one-year deal. The 25-year-old right-handed starter, who missed the last five weeks of the season due to an injury to his pitching shoulder, is expected to play a significant role this year in the team's pitching rotation.

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2009 Locking up their most effective starter through his remaining eligible years, the Pirates avoid arbitration by signing Paul Maholm to a $14.5 million, three-year contract, including a team option for 2012. In his 31 starts for the Bucs last season, the 26-year-old southpaw compiles a 9-9 record with a 3.71 ERA for a Pittsburgh team, a team finishing 28 games under .500.

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2009 Jason Varitek reaches a preliminary agreement with the Red Sox for a reported guaranteed $5 million, one-year contract, including options for the 2010 season. The team's catcher and captain, a 12-year veteran, accepts much less than he would have made had he taken the team's arbitration offer made in December.

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2009 Jon Garland agrees to a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks worth at least $7.25 million. The 29-year-old right-hander, who will fill Randy Johnson's spot as a starter, joins a strong Arizona rotation, including Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Max Scherzer, and Doug Davis.

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2009 Appearing on CNN's "Larry King Live," Joe Torre answers questions concerning his book's inflammatory excerpts, The Yankee Years, which caused a firestorm of reaction from former players and fans after they were released last week. The Dodgers skipper, who managed the Bronx Bombers for a dozen seasons, tells the host he believes the controversy will die down and people will cool down after they get a chance to read the actual book.

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2012 The Rangers sign Ron Washington to a two-year contract extension, which will keep the 59-year-old skipper in the Texas dugout through the 2014 season. Washington piloted the team to consecutive appearances in the World Series, losing to San Francisco and St. Louis in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

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2017 As a result of a ruling handed down by commissioner Rob Manfred, the Cardinals will relinquish their top two picks in this year's amateur draft and pay the Astros $2 million as punishment for hacking into Houston's email system and scouting database. After pleading guilty to five counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer in federal court, Chris Correa, the former Redbirds scouting director, is placed on baseball's permanently ineligible list after being sentenced to serve 46 months in prison.
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Mickey Mantle smashes a snowball!!!
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Ted Williams taking some BP
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Jim Gilliam, a star with the Negro League Baltimore Elite Giants, was the NL RoY with Dodgers
In 1953, leading lg w 17 3Bs. He played entire 14-yr #MLB career with the #Dodgers, helping them to 7 pennants & 4 WS titles.
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July 21, 1949, Cleveland Stadium: Satchel Paige pitches to Tommy Henrich in 9th, Ray Boone at short. #Yankees won it, 5-3, as 163,958 saw #Indians drop 2 of 3 that weekend to fall 5 1/2 back. Reigning WS Champs won 89 games, but would finish 3rd, 8 games back
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Baseball Birthdays January 31

1911 - Greenberg, Hank


1955 - Hoyt, La Marr


1974 Ariel Pestano, born in Cuba


1969 - Rivera, Roberto


1975 - Tatis, Fernando

1982 Brad Thompson pitcher, born in Las Vegas, Nevada

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This Day in Baseball History
January 31st​

1919 In Cario (GA), Mallie (McGriff) and Jerry Robinson give birth to Jack Roosevelt Robinson, the youngest of five children of the sharecroppers' family. On April 15, 1947, the former UCLA football and track standout will break baseball color line, starting at first base in the Brooklyn Dodgers' 5-3 victory over the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field.

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1950 After purchasing his contract from movie producer Frederick Stephani, the Pirates sign Narbonne High School (Harbor City, CA) southpaw Paul Pettit to a record $100,000 deal. In 1951 and 1953, the 'Wizard of Whiff,' who once struck out 27 batters in a 12-inning high school baseball game, makes only 12 mound appearances for the Bucs, posting a 1-2 record and a 7.34 ERA .

1959 Joe Cronin signs a seven-year deal to become the American League president. The former Red Sox infielder remains in the post until succeeded by Lee MacPhail in 1971.

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1961 Houston voters approve financing for a domed stadium, removing the last hurdle to gaining a major league franchise for the Texas city. The Astrodome, known as the world's eighth wonder, results from today's approval, serving as the Astros' home from 1965 to 1999.

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1977 One-time Indian infielder Joe Sewell, former Giants hurler Amos Rusie, and Al Lopez, as the White Sox manager, are elected to the Hall of Fame. The Veterans Committee is responsible for their selection to the Cooperstown shrine.

Sewell Rusie Lopez

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1980 Free-agent second baseman Joe Morgan signs with Astros, rejoining his first major league team. The two-time MVP, traded to Cincinnati in 1971, became a vital cog in the Big Red Machine.

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1983 Future Hall of Famer Tony Perez signs a one-year contract with the Phillies, joining his former Big Red Machine teammates Pete Rose and Joe Morgan. The veteran first baseman will hit .241, appearing in 91 games in his only season with Philadelphia, before returning to his first team, the Reds, for the final three years of his 23-year tenure in the major leagues.

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2000 "I would retire first. It's the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the [Number] 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you're [riding through] Beirut next to some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing." - JOHN ROCKER,commenting on his feelings about playing for a New York team in a Sports Illustrated article. Commissioner Bud Selig suspends John Rocker for 73 days due to the Braves closer's racial and ethnic insensitive remarks reported in a Sports Illustrated article written by Jeff Pearlman. The 25-year-old reliever from Georgia, who is also fined $20,000 and ordered to attend sensitivity training, becomes the first player to be disciplined for public comments.

 

2001 A Wall Street Journal article quotes former players Monte Irvin, Sal Yvars, and Al Gettel, admitting the team stole catchers' signs during the 1951 pennant race when the Giants overcame the Dodgers' 13½ game lead. According to the WSJ story written by Joshua Prager, Bobby Thomson, whose three-run, ninth-inning walk-off homer in Game 3 of the National League playoffs won the pennant for New York, did not steal a sign before hitting his historic home run.

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Monte Irvin Sal Yvars Al Gettel​

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2003 To secure funding for a significant re-design of the 12-year-old 'new' Comiskey Park, the White Sox announce the ballpark will now be known as U.S. Cellular Field. The 23-year deal with the wireless service provider, which will pay the White Sox $68 million, changes the name of the Southsiders' home used since 1910.

2007 At New York's Gracey Mansion, Major League Baseball announces Yankee Stadium as the venue for the 2008 All-Star Game, marking the fourth time in its history (1939, 1960, 1977) that the ballpark has served as the game's host. The annual Midsummer Classic will showcase the historic 'House that Ruth Built' in its final season as the Bronx Bombers' home.

2008 Pedro Feliz (.253, 20, 72) and the Phillies come to terms on a two-year, $8.5 million contract, which could be worth up to $15 million over three years with an option and various performance bonuses. The versatile free-agent third baseman helps the club shore up its weakness at the hot corner.

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2008 Brad Wilkerson (.234, 20, 62) signs a one-year, $3 million contract to roam the Mariners' outfield. The free-agent acquisition may indicate that the much-anticipated trade with the Orioles for southpaw Erik Bedard is close when Seattle includes outfielder Adam Jones to Baltimore as part of the deal.

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2011 Rafael Betancourt becomes the fifth non-free agent to sign a multi-year deal with the Rockies when he agrees to a new contract that calls for $4 million in 2012 and includes a $4.25 million mutual option the following season. The 35-year-old right-handed reliever joins shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, and hurlers Matt Lindstrom and Jason Hammel to be offered an extended deal from Colorado this offseason.

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2013 Martin Prado, acquired by the Diamondbacks in the Justin Upton trade with Atlanta, agrees to a $40 million, four-year contract with his new team. The team obtains the 29-year-old All-Star, who can be used both in the outfield and the infield, to play third base, helping to fill the void created by Chris Johnson's departure, also sent to the Braves in the deal.

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2018 Mookie Betts wins his arbitration case against the Red Sox, getting the highest one-year salary ever awarded to players in their first year of eligibility. The $10.5 million will be a bargain when the Boston Gold Glove right fielder easily cops the American League MVP award, leading the team to its fourth world championship since 2004.

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2019 "The impact he made, the adversity he faced, the success he had, and the roads he paved for so many people in this country, it's very inspiring." - STEVE KERR, NBA head coach, speaking of Jackie Robinson's legacy.
On Jackie Robinson's 100th birthday, NBA Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wears a tee-shirt honoring the baseball legend while addressing the media before Golden State's loss 113-104 to the 76er at Oracle Arena. The former point guard and avid fan of baseball history, known for his outspoken political views, believes the Dodgers legend probably represents Black History Month as well as any person possibly could.

Jackie & Bob Feller

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You can steal the statue but you can’t steal the spirit of what the statue represents! Disheartening end to the stolen Jackie Robinson statue has generated a Robinson-like resolve from the public for good to overcome evil!
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