BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

Bob Feller
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In 2024, we lost these two hall of famers - Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda

2024, we lost Mets legend, Ed Kranepool
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1/8/25
Baseball BIRTHDAYS
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1915 Walker Cooper catcher (MLB All-Star 1942–44, 46–50; World Series 1942, 44; St. Louis Cardinals)


1953 Bruce Sutter HOF relief pitcher (NL Cy Young Award 1979; 6 x MLB All-Star; 5 x NL saves leader; Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals; Atlanta Braves)


1968 Brian Johnson catcher (San Diego Padres),


1969 Brian Boehringer pitcher (NY Yankees),


1971 Jason Giamb infielder, 1995-2014, 5X All-Star (Oakland A's, New York Yankees, and 2 other teams


1976 Carl Pavano


1984 Jeff Francoeur

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This Day in Baseball History
December 8th​

1914 Afraid of losing his unsigned second baseman to the upstart Federal League, Connie Mack sells Eddie Collins to the White Sox for $50,000, a hefty sum at the time. The A's have already lost Eddie Plank and Chief Bender to the new league.
Collins Plank Bender

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1941 Yesterday's bombing of Pearl Harbor and America's sudden involvement in the war change the tentative plans of the American League owners, who were considering shifting a franchise. The group would have considered moving the Browns from St. Louis to Los Angeles at their meeting.

1941 Following yesterday's attack on Pearl Harbor, Cubs' owner Phillip K. Wrigley donates 165 tons of steel, slotted to be used for the proposed light standards at Wrigley Field, to the war effort. After President Franklin Roosevelt requested more major league night baseball games, the team looked into the possibility of using wooden poles and second-hand equipment to illuminate the Northside ballpark, with the War Production Board rejecting the plan on three occasions.

1947 Brooklyn acquires sure-handed infielder Billy Cox and southpaw Preacher Roe from the Pirates, and both will play vital roles in the Dodgers' successes during the next decade. The deal, which includes utility player Gene Mauch, sends hurlers Vic Lombardi, Al Gregg, and Dixie Walker, a former batting champ who asked to be traded in the spring because he didn't want to play with Jackie Robinson, to Pittsburgh.

Billy Cox Preacher Roe

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1961 The Mets purchase outfielder Richie Ashburn from the Cubs. The veteran outfielder, the club's first-ever representative on the National League's All-Star team, will be given a boat after being named the Most Valuable Player of the last-place team, which unfortunately will sink before he uses it.

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1966 The Yankees trade two-time MVP Roger Maris to the Cardinals for third baseman Charley Smith, who will hit only .224 during his two-year tenure in New York. The former Bronx Bomber outfielder will play a vital role in the Redbirds' World Championship next season, helping the club win another pennant the following year.

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1980 The first significant trade ever made at the annual winter meeting occurs in Dallas when Padres' reliever Rollie Fingers and Cardinals' catcher Terry Kennedy are the key players involved in an eleven-player swap.

1983 The Dodgers trade southpaw Sid Fernandez and utility infielder Ross Jones to the Mets in exchange for infielder/outfielder Bob Bailor and left-hander Carlos Diaz. 'El Sid' will compile a 98-78 record, posting a respectable ERA of 3.14 during his ten-year tenure with New York.


1984 Replacing Lee MacPhail, the owners elect Dr. Bobby Brown as the American League president. The former Yankee infielder, now a heart specialist, will serve until 1994, with very few controversies during his ten-year tenure in the post.
(Ed. Note: The owners considered Brown to replace Bowie Kuhn as commissioner, but wanting a businessman the top job, offered him Brown the position of president of the American League. - LP)

1988 Free-agent southpaw Bruce Hurst agrees to a three-year, $5.25 million deal to pitch for the Padres. The left-hander leaves the Red Sox, the only major league team he has known, after compiling an 88-73 record during nine seasons with Boston.

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1992 Former Pirates outfielder Barry Bonds signs the richest contract in major league history when he agrees to a $43-million, six-year deal to play for the Giants. The free agent will not disappoint the San Francisco fans, winning the National League Most Valuable Player award, his third in four years, when he hits a career-high .336 batting average to go along with 46 homers and 123 RBIs.

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2005 After signing the two-time Gold Glove shortstop to a four-year, $40 million deal, the Red Sox trade Edgar Renteria to the Braves for third base prospect Andy Marte. The 30-year-old Colombian infielder, who led the majors with 30 errors last season, will fill the void created when Atlanta's free agent Rafael Furcal signed with thEDodgers earlier this week

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2005 The Pirates send southpaw Dave Williams (10-11, 4.41) to the Reds for Pittsburgh area native Sean Casey. The popular first baseman, dubbed 'The Mayor' because of his outgoing personality, becomes expendable as Cincinnati seeks to bolster its pitching to complement the team's heavy-hitting lineup.

2005 Julio Franco, the oldest player in the major leagues, signs a two-year deal with the Mets. The 47-year-old is the last active player who was born in the 1950s.

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2007 In U.S. District Court, Barry Bonds pleads not guilty to five felony charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. Four years ago, the federal government challenged the sworn testimony given by the new home run king to a grand jury, in which he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

 

2008 The four-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux announces his retirement after compiling a 355-227 record with a 3.16 ERA and setting an all-time mark with 18 seasons of 15+ wins. The eventual Hall of Fame right-hander's name will become a description of a pitching performance when a pitcher throws a complete game shutout in fewer than 100 pitches, which is now known as a 'Maddux.'

2008 Casting ten possible 12 votes (83.3%), the Veterans Committee elects Joe Gordon to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The 1942 Most Valuable Player, who played second base for the Yankees and Indians, was a nine-time All-Star and played on five World Series champion teams.

2009 In a three-team, seven-player transaction, Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson leave the Tigers to play for the Yankees and Diamondbacks, and respectively, New York deals right-hander Ian Kennedy to Arizona. The Bronx Bombers also send Phil Coke and Austin Jackson to Detroit, and the D-Backs trade Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to the Motor City.

2009 Peter Gammons, who won the 2004 J.G. Taylor Spink Award for his outstanding work as a baseball journalist, announces he will leave ESPN to join the fledgling MLB Network as an analyst. The 64-year-old reporter says he will miss his former employer of the past twenty years but is excited about working in a venue that is "devoted to baseball, and baseball only.”

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2009 Avoiding arbitration, Mark Teahen and the White Sox agree to a $14 million, three-year deal. The 28-year-old third baseman, acquired in a trade with the Royals last month for infielders Chris Getz and Josh Fields, would have been eligible for free agency after the 2011 season.

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2009 Chone Figgins (.298, 5, 54) and the Mariners finalized the $36 million, four-year deal to bring the former L.A. Angel to Seattle. The 31-year-old infielder, who primarily played third, will switch to a new position if free-agent Adrian Beltre, the team's current third baseman, returns to the team after an injury-plagued season.

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2011 In the first of their two major free-agent acquisitions today, the Angels sign former Texas ace C. J. Wilson to a five-year, $77.5 million deal. Later in the day, the 31-year-old southpaw will be delighted to hear one of his new teammates will be Albert Pujols, who will sign a 10-year deal with the Halos for a reported $254 million. The three-time NL MVP, who has spent his entire career with the Cardinals, has compiled a .328 batting average and hit 445 career home runs during his 11-year tenure in the major leagues.

2012 The International Olympic Committee votes to allow host cities to propose including one or more events for their games. The decision clears a path for considering baseball and softball as part of the 2020 Tokyo Games because of their popularity in Japan after the IOC dropped both for the Beijing Games twelve years ago.

2015 Amanda Hopkins is hired by the A's as a full-time major league scout, becoming the first female to hold that position in over seventy years. The 22-year-old former Central Washington University softball captain, whose dad is also a scout, joins Edith Houghton and Bessie Largent, pioneers who held similar positions with the Phillies and White Sox, respectively, in the 1930s and 1940s.

2017 Shohei Ohtani, a prized Japanese pitcher and a power hitter, comes to terms with the Angels with a very reasonable signing agreement. Los Angeles will place the 23-year-old Oshe native, one of the most widely-sought prospects in baseball history, atop their starting rotation and in the middle of their lineup.

2019 The Modern Era Committee elects union leader Marvin Miller to the Baseball Hall along with Ted Simmons, an eight-time All-Star switch-hitting catcher who compiled a .285 lifetime batting average during his 21-year playing career with the Cardinals, Brewers, and Braves. Miller, who failed seven times to be selected by the Veterans Committee, led the Major League Baseball Players Association from 1966 to 1982, an era that revolutionized the game with the advent of free agency.
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The Hall of Fame remembers Orioles and Cubs pitcher Brian Matusz, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 37.
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Christy Mathewson showing how he grips his famous Fadeway pitch


On this date in 2003, Gary Carter was voted into the
@baseballhall​

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1/9/25
Baseball BIRTHDAYS

1935 Richard "Dick" Enberg sportscaster (NBC, CBS, ESPN


1936 Ralph Terry pitcher (MLB All Star 1962, 62²; World Series 1961, 62 [MVP]; NY Yankees, KC Athletics, Cleveland Indians, NY Mets)


1964 Stan Javier outfielder (Oak A's, SF Giants)


1969 Domingo Jean pitcher (Yanks, Houston Astros),


1972 Jay Powell pitcher (Florida Marlins)


1973 Aaron Holbert infielder (St Louis Cardinals)

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This Day in Baseball History
December 9th​

1913 On the same day, the Dodgers offer the Reds $35,000 for Joe Tinker, the team owner Charles Ebbets joins the National League Board of Directors. The 33-year-old shortstop will jump to the Federal League as player-manager of the Chicago Whales for $12,000 when Brooklyn delays meeting his salary demands of being paid a 'commission' of $10,000 of his final sale price of $25,000.

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1931 At the Winter Meetings, the owners agree to reduce active rosters from 25 to 23 players for the upcoming season by June 15 as part of broader cost-cutting measures due to decreased attendance and economic pressures created by the Great Depression. Also, the National League voted to continue their ban on uniform numbers but will change their position after the Braves unilaterally decided to wear digits just days before their season opener against the Dodgers.

1941 Although having a 3-C draft deferment due to being the sole support of his family, Bob Feller, last year's American League-leading pitcher with 27 wins for the Indians, becomes the first major leaguer to enlist after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At a Chicago courthouse, former heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney swears in the 23-year-old navy recruit, who has already recorded 107 victories.

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1941 The Yankees trade prospect Tommy Holmes to the Braves for Gene Moore and Buddy Hassett, the two players to be named later. Boston's new 24-year-old outfielder, who hit over .300 during his 11-year career, will establish the National League record consecutive game-hitting streak with 37, a mark that Pete Rose will surpass in 1978.

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1954 For the second of three times (1951, 54-55), Yogi Berra is named the American League Most Valuable Player. The 29-year-old Yankee catcher, who hit .307 while playing 151 of 154 games for the Bronx Bombers, narrowly outpoints runner-up outfielder Larry Doby of the AL Champion Indians.

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1959 The White Sox deal right fielder Johnny Callison to the Phillies in exchange for infielder Gene Freese, who played in Chicago for one year after the trade before returning to the Southside team in 1965. Philadelphia's new outfielder will become the mainstay in the City of Brotherly Love, compiling a .271 average and hitting 185 home runs (at the time, the fifth-best in franchise history) while providing rock-solid defense during his decade with the team.

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1965 The Reds deal Frank Robinson to the Orioles for Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun, and Dick Simpson. The trade, now considered among the worst in baseball history, was defended by Cincinnati's general manager Bill DeWitt, who claimed the outfield slugger was "an old 30" before the future Hall of Famer won the American League triple crown in his first year in Baltimore.

PAPPAS
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1965 Eleven days before his 84th birthday, Branch Rickey dies of heart failure while in intensive care at Boone County Memorial Hospital in Columbia (MO). The former executive of the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Pirates, named by ESPN as the most influential sports figure of the twentieth century, broke the color barrier in 1947 with the signing of Jackie Robinson and implemented the concept of farm systems for the major leagues.

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1976 The Rangers trade Jeff Burroughs to the Braves for Adrian Devine, Ken Henderson, Dave May, Roger Moret, Carl Morton, and an estimated $250,000. The former American League MVP (1974) will hit 41 home runs in his first season with Atlanta.

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1977 The Mariners trade outfielder Dave Collins to the Reds for rookie left-hander Shane Rawley. The southpaw will post a 20-31 record during his four seasons in Seattle, and Cincinnati's new fly chaser will hit .284 in his seven years in the Queen City.

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1977 The A's announce a deal, which will send pitcher Vida Blue to Cincinnati for outfielder Dave Revering and $1.75 million in cash. Baseball commissioner Kuhn will cancel the proposed trade, stating the transaction would be bad for baseball because it would benefit a strong team without losing significant talent.


1980 The Cubs trade reliever 27-year-old Bruce Sutter to the Cardinals for outfielder Leon Durham and infielder Ken Reitz. The future Hall of Fame closer will lead the league in saves in three of the four years during his four-year tenure with the Redbirds, averaging nearly 32 per season.

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1984 At the Montreal Forum, the Los Angeles Kings draft Tom Glavine in the fourth round (69th overall) ahead of future NHL Hall of Famers Brett Hull and Luc Jean-Marie Robitaille. The Cooperstown-bound southpaw, who will record 305 major league victories, also declined a scholarship offer to play hockey for the University of Lowell, opting to sign with the Braves.

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1988 In a deal given credit for starting a trend for more games broadcast by a regional sports network than on over-the-air stations, the Yankees sign a twelve-year television contract with the Madison Square Garden Network. In 2002, the Yankees left MSG to form a regional cable television channel, the Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network.

 

1992 Free agent Greg Maddux signs the richest guaranteed contract ever given to a pitcher, a five-year, $28 million contract with the Braves. The current Cy Young Award winner leaves the Cubs, his team for the previous seven seasons, after contract talks become contentious.

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1992 The Braves trade southpaws Charlie Leibrandt and Pat Gomez to the Rangers for infielder Jose Oliva. Leibrandt, a 15-game winner for Atlanta during the previous two seasons, becomes expendable with today's acquisition of Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux.

1993 Randy Johnson (19-8, 3.24, 308) re-signs with the Mariners for $20.25 million over three years. The 29-year-old southpaw will post a 36-8 record during the term of the deal, with half of the victories coming in the Unit's 18-2 campaign in 1995.

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1994 The Rangers trade Jose Canseco (.282, 31, 90) to the Red Sox for outfielder Otis Nixon and infielder Luis Ortiz. During his two seasons with Boston, the 29-year-old slugger will compile a .298 batting average, hitting 52 of his 462 career home runs.

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1997 The Giants signed former Dodgers nemesis Orel Hershiser. The 39-year-old right-hander, who will post an 11-10 record with a 4.41 ERA in 202 innings, will spend only one season with San Francisco before moving on to the Mets the following season.

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1997 Before their inaugural season, the Devil Rays sign free agent third baseman Wade Boggs. The 40-year-old future Hall of Fame infielder will play his final two seasons with Tampa Bay, collecting the franchise's first home run in the sixth inning of the team's first game of existence.

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