Don Larsen
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28407056/don-larsen-pitched-only-perfect-world-series-game-dies-90
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 2 January 2020 12:09 (four years ago) link
dang, i just saw this. here's jaffe's piece: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/imperfect-but-for-one-afternoon-don-larsen-1929-2020/
― But guess what? Nobody gives a toot!š (Karl Malone), Friday, 3 January 2020 15:51 (four years ago) link
ed sprague sr, 74
pretty bad pitcher, apart from a solid 1974 campaign with milwaukee
was the orioles scout who signed mike mussina
― mookieproof, Friday, 10 January 2020 17:04 (four years ago) link
Jr. hit a very memorable WS home run.
― clemenza, Friday, 10 January 2020 18:26 (four years ago) link
George Nicolau
https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2020-01-10/george-nicolau-mlb-collusion-drugs-dodgers-dead
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Monday, 20 January 2020 16:01 (four years ago) link
Royals owner/Walmart boss David Glass
(yeah, meh)
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 22 January 2020 15:20 (four years ago) link
Just spoke with Mets star Jeff McNeil, who played for John Altobelli, one of the victims of the Calabasas helicopter crash, who managed Brewster in the Cape Cod League in 2012.Said McNeil: "He's one of the main reasons Iām still playing professional baseball.ā— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 26, 2020
― mookieproof, Monday, 27 January 2020 01:11 (four years ago) link
roger kahn, author of 'the boys of summer', 92
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/obituaries/roger-kahn-who-lifted-sportswriting-with-boys-of-summer-dies-at-92.html
― mookieproof, Friday, 7 February 2020 17:12 (four years ago) link
RIP Rog, even tho ten was probably a little young for me to read the book
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 8 February 2020 04:45 (four years ago) link
I really need to read "The Boys of Summer" again after 30 years.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Monday, 10 February 2020 09:12 (four years ago) link
japanese legend katsuya nomura, 84
catcher who played 26 seasons, hitting .277/.357/.508 with 657 homers (second to oh). also managed for 24 years
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 12 February 2020 03:18 (four years ago) link
tony fernandez, 57
― mookieproof, Sunday, 16 February 2020 07:35 (four years ago) link
He was so good his first couple of seasons; looked like he was going to be right up there with Ripken and Yount before long. (Probably less impressive analytically, but that was barely around then.) He never stayed at that level, but he had a long, solid career, and his return to the Jays for the '93 WS team was great. So young.
― clemenza, Sunday, 16 February 2020 13:04 (four years ago) link
Forgot he was the fourth player in the Carter/Alomar for McGriff/Fernandez trade in 1990. Has there been a bigger-name trade since? I know Alomar hadn't flourished yet, but James had already identified him as a future superstar--I still remember his Alomar entry in The Baseball Book a year or two earlier, where he wrote "GET ROBERTO ALOMAR" whether you were a fantasy player or card collector or whatever. So you had Alomar, one of the 10 best hitters in the game in McGriff, the wildly-overrated-in-retrospect but big-name and big-RBI-guy Carter, and Fernandez, who was still thought of as a possible/probable Hall of Famer. Don't recall a bigger one since, or at least not between two teams--there've been some multi-team transactions along those lines.
― clemenza, Sunday, 16 February 2020 16:52 (four years ago) link
Yeah three guys who at their peaks were HOF type talents (one already in, one who will be, and a third in Fernandez who despite maybe never reaching his potential finished with an impressive career WAR due to those early seasons and late career renaissance) and a fourth who was not great but a solid bat in his best years.
― omar little, Sunday, 16 February 2020 18:21 (four years ago) link
So young, I didn't know he was sick. I always think of him as the 22 year old phenom and potential best SS in the game from the '85 division winners. Many people probably remember him as the guy whose error might have given away the '97 WS. Each of his stints with the Jays was memorable in some way. He's one of my favourite players ever and I'm really sorry to hear of his passing.
And yes, that 1990 trade was perhaps the last of its kind. It wasn't about big market vs small market teams, or trying to get value for players before they test free agency, or tanking/rebuilding to prepare for the future. It was a straight up challenge trade of four star players. There may never be another one like it again.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Sunday, 16 February 2020 18:46 (four years ago) link
And there was a perfect symmetry to the trade in that the Jays got the best and the least of the four, and the Padres got the middle two guys--things could have gone either way, and if Alomar hadn't developed (which in turn got the Jays over the hump, which brought in Winfield and Molitor, all of which made Carter look better than he was), it could have been a terrible trade for Toronto.
― clemenza, Sunday, 16 February 2020 18:54 (four years ago) link
Olerud being able to replace McGriff was a big part of that deal too. iirc he went straight from collage ball to the majors. that aspect was definitely a risk aswell.
― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Sunday, 16 February 2020 21:21 (four years ago) link
orrin freeman, who had been a scout/farm director/special assistant to the gm for the marlins since their inception in 1991
― mookieproof, Friday, 21 February 2020 21:56 (four years ago) link
NY/SF Giants ace Johnny Antonelli
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/2020/02/28/johnny-antonelli-dies-new-york-giants-pitcher-world-series-hero-1954-rochester-ny-businessman/4902150002/
― brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 29 February 2020 07:26 (four years ago) link
yankees' kelly rodman, one of very few female scouts in the game
not sure of the cause, but she was only ~40
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 4 March 2020 19:29 (four years ago) link
Jimmy Wynn was posted in the ILX thread, but he should get one here too.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/legendary-astros-outfielder-jimmy-wynn-dies-at-age-78/
I was a full-fledged Reds fan by '74, so I remember the phenomenal start the Dodgers had that year.
end of April: 17-6end of May: 36-14end of June: 52-24
Still, the Reds almost caught them, only finishing 4.0 out (they were within a game-and-a-half on Sept. 14). I thought Wynn had the same kind of start, but not quite: phenomenal May, surrounded by three good but not spectacular months (and a slow August/September). Really good year overall, though (it was a pitcher's year, I think), and he was 5th in MVP voting, finishing well ahead of winner Garvey and runner-up Brock in WAR (and basically tied with Bench, who finished 4th). Weird: spending the bulk of his career in the Astrodome and Chez Ravine, I just assumed he got killed by his home parks, but for his career he was .256/.376/.443 at home, .245/.355/.429 on the road. One of the great nicknames ever, and one of those guys who was a walking machine before anybody cared.
― clemenza, Friday, 27 March 2020 14:04 (four years ago) link
RIP Toy Cannon
― brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Friday, 27 March 2020 22:32 (four years ago) link
We mourn the death of Ed Farmer who passed away Wednesday night.Farmer worked as a radio broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox for nearly 30 years, played 11 seasons in the major leagues, including three with his hometown White Sox, and was a strong advocate for organ donation. pic.twitter.com/wx7itjfEYk— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 2, 2020
― mookieproof, Thursday, 2 April 2020 14:27 (four years ago) link
al kaline, 85
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2020/04/06/al-kaline-dies-detroit-tigers/505371001
― mookieproof, Monday, 6 April 2020 19:44 (four years ago) link
That's a big one. As I just posted on Facebook, though, of all the famous HOF'ers who played most of their careers in the '60s, I have less of a sense of Kaline than any of them.
― clemenza, Monday, 6 April 2020 20:58 (four years ago) link
I remember seeing him on TV at the end of his career.
per Ben Lindbergh on EW, Kaline had the most career HR (399) w/out ever hitting 30 in a year.
― brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 7 April 2020 14:19 (four years ago) link
There is a lot of love coming out in the articles about Al Kaline, that guy seems to have been well liked by seemingly everyone. I knew him from baseball cards as a kid, but that he was supposed to be the real deal as a player good all the way around.
― earlnash, Tuesday, 7 April 2020 16:40 (four years ago) link
the most career HR (399) w/out ever hitting 30 in a year
I'd say that pinpoints his relative anonymity outside of Detroit better than anything.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 7 April 2020 17:45 (four years ago) link
(By which I mean next to Mays, Aaron, Clemente, Yaz, etc.)
― clemenza, Tuesday, 7 April 2020 17:46 (four years ago) link
Yaz is a pretty good comparison in a lot of ways -- Kaline didn't have nearly the same peak, but both spent most of their career operating not at that superstar peak but at a slightly lower tier of stardom in terms of production. Similar to Cal Ripken and Brett, I guess -- a couple other members of the 20+ seasons with one team club. Kaline also didn't have the same level of fame as any of those guys, probably just a matter of him not having a single season with truly eye-popping counting stats.
disappointing that he never played catcher even for just an inning, would have been cool for Al Kaline to be part of a battery.
― omar little, Tuesday, 7 April 2020 18:30 (four years ago) link
o_O
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 7 April 2020 18:33 (four years ago) link
No dad jokes on the obit thread?
I was going to say he was one of the few players of his caliber where it could be argued his best season was his first full one, but his age 20 season (didnāt turn 21 til December of that year) was actually his second full one.
― omar little, Wednesday, 8 April 2020 00:53 (four years ago) link
no, it was solid
tbf, he made 18 all-star games, so *someone* recognized he was good
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 8 April 2020 01:45 (four years ago) link
I quoted the battery line on Facebook!
― clemenza, Wednesday, 8 April 2020 02:22 (four years ago) link
Kaline was definitely highly thought of by other players. All-Star voting wasn't handed over to fans until 1970; I assume all those AS appearances were voted on by players?
― clemenza, Wednesday, 8 April 2020 02:26 (four years ago) link
Brooks Robinson said he was the best he played against
― brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 8 April 2020 11:18 (four years ago) link
gen believed he forsook some power for average and walks
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/remembering-al-kaline-mr-tiger-1934-2020/
― brooklyn suicide cult (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 8 April 2020 11:57 (four years ago) link
Al Kalineās family put a āregularā obit in the Sunday @freep. By blending in, itās an example of how one-of-a-kind he really was. pic.twitter.com/CR7ej9aZAT— Matt Friedman (@mattfrieds) April 12, 2020
― Andy K, Sunday, 12 April 2020 16:06 (four years ago) link
Glenn Beckert:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/former-chicago-cubs-star-glenn-beckert-dies/
One of those random stats that will stick in my mind forever: he hit .340 one year, when Rod Carew was the only second baseman who did that. (Okay, I checked--.342.)
― clemenza, Monday, 13 April 2020 00:49 (four years ago) link
hank steinbrenner, 63, non-covid-related
https://nypost.com/2020/04/14/hank-steinbrenner-yankees-co-owner-dead-at-63/
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 14 April 2020 14:59 (four years ago) link
jim frey, 88
https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2020/04/14/former-royals-cubs-manager-jim-frey-dies-at-88
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 14 April 2020 18:50 (four years ago) link
Within a few months of Tony Fernandez, DĆ”maso GarcĆa.
http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2020/04/15/long-time-blue-jays-infielder-damaso-garcia-dies/
― clemenza, Wednesday, 15 April 2020 18:30 (four years ago) link
RIP I remember being super bummed as a 9 or 10-yr old when he was included in that Chambliss trade
And being down on Rick Cerone
― Yanni Xenakis (Hadrian VIII), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 21:40 (four years ago) link
Steve Dalkowski, a wild left-hander who was said to have been dubbed "the fastest pitcher in baseball history" by Ted Williams, died this week in New Britain, Connecticut. He was 80.Dalkowski, who once struck out 24 batters in a minor league game -- and walked 18 -- never made it to the big leagues.Writer-director Ron Shelton, who spent five years in the Orioles farm system, heard about Dalkowski's exploits and based the character Nuke Laloosh in 'Bull Durham' on the pitcher.
Dalkowski, who once struck out 24 batters in a minor league game -- and walked 18 -- never made it to the big leagues.
Writer-director Ron Shelton, who spent five years in the Orioles farm system, heard about Dalkowski's exploits and based the character Nuke Laloosh in 'Bull Durham' on the pitcher.
― mookieproof, Friday, 24 April 2020 18:31 (four years ago) link
The A's are mourning the loss of former Athletic minor leaguer Miguel Marte, who passed away earlier this week due to complications from COVID-19. Marte played in the A's system from 2008-2012. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.https://t.co/PV7UEuAuvL pic.twitter.com/mVeLdOUciU— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 1, 2020
― mookieproof, Friday, 1 May 2020 19:41 (four years ago) link
journeyman Matt Keough, AL All-Star as a rookie in 1978 & was selected AL Comeback Player of the Year in 1980, both for the A's.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Sunday, 3 May 2020 23:39 (four years ago) link
Tonight my dad and hero Bob Watson has passed away after a long fight with kidney disease.. #Astros #Yankees #RedSox #Braves #Athletics #USABAseball #MLB #1stBlackGM pic.twitter.com/obKe1mwJYc— K Dubb (@TheReal_KDubb) May 15, 2020
― Andy K, Friday, 15 May 2020 12:45 (four years ago) link
Understand that I realize why, but Watson was the very definition of what James called "the RBI guy with mystique," something you can't have in the era of analytics.
― clemenza, Friday, 15 May 2020 15:10 (four years ago) link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Hannan
― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Saturday, 10 February 2024 23:17 (six months ago) link
That'd be him, thanks. Never heard of him. Definite claim to fame: part of the massive Denny McLain trade in 1970.
― clemenza, Saturday, 10 February 2024 23:20 (six months ago) link
Geez, missed this:
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/don-gullett-world-series-champion-with-reds-and-yankees-dies-at-73/
Easily the best pitcher on my first favourite team. From Posnanski's post today: best winning percentage for pitchers who won 100 games before turning 27 (44 of them in the 20th century).
1. Roger Clemens, 116-51, .6952. Don Gullett, 109-60, .6863. Dwight Gooden, 142-66, .6834. Jim Palmer, 122-57, .6825. Pedro Martinez, 107-50, .682
Retired after that--never pitched in another game.
― clemenza, Monday, 19 February 2024 22:18 (six months ago) link
ed ott, 72
u l washington, 71
― mookieproof, Monday, 4 March 2024 14:38 (five months ago) link
also tim wakefieldās widow stacy, 57
― mookieproof, Monday, 4 March 2024 14:41 (five months ago) link
I remember Ed Ott, who then led me back to Duffy Dyer; Manny's backups.
― clemenza, Monday, 4 March 2024 15:08 (five months ago) link
having grown up with ed ott (and steve nicosia!) i have to stop and think whenever the the crossword is asking for MEL
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 5 March 2024 03:17 (five months ago) link
Ed Ott did Felix Millan dirty. RIP but you will pay for it in the afterlife.
― buzza, Tuesday, 5 March 2024 07:10 (five months ago) link
missed this but former pirates/cardinals/white sox/etc pitcher jose deleon died a few weeks ago at 63
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 13 March 2024 12:00 (five months ago) link
Such a strange pitcher, the disconnect between his peripheral stats and his W-L record--he got some attention for it at a time when few pitchers did. Both years he lost 19 (2-19 in '85!), he gave up fewer hits than IP. He walked too many, but he also struck out over 7 batters per 9 when, again, that wasn't common. For his career, a league-average ERA, a FIP of 3.61, and a W-L record 30 games under .500.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 13 March 2024 13:08 (five months ago) link
kind of amazing that deleon still put up 1.8 fWAR while going 2-19
he was unlucky, but the '85 pirates were a deeply awful team (apart from rick reuschel). their leading home run hitter had 12!
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 13 March 2024 20:13 (five months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PqXNWS4aRU
― mookieproof, Thursday, 21 March 2024 16:48 (five months ago) link
Three or four famous Mets on there...Did we mention Bill Plummer on this thread? Remember him well as Bench's backup.
― clemenza, Thursday, 21 March 2024 18:17 (five months ago) link
Peter Angelos
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/03/23/peter-angelos-orioles-owner-dies/
― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Saturday, 23 March 2024 18:50 (five months ago) link
Pat Zachry, 1976's NL ROY (tied with Butch Metzger):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/mlb/2024/04/06/pat-zachry-obituary/a4456638-f465-11ee-a4c9-88e569a98b58_story.html
Also beat Dock Ellis in G3 of that year's WS sweep of the Yankees.
― clemenza, Sunday, 7 April 2024 15:11 (four months ago) link
I missed the biggest part of his story: he was one of the four players sent to the Mets for Seaver in '77 (along with Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, and Dan Norman).
― clemenza, Sunday, 7 April 2024 15:15 (four months ago) link
catcher, most notably with the mets, jerry grote, 81
― mookieproof, Monday, 8 April 2024 23:10 (four months ago) link
the notorious fritz peterson, 82
― mookieproof, Saturday, 13 April 2024 18:39 (four months ago) link
Wow. Also a close friend of Bouton's (or at least was described that way in Ball Four). If you don't know about the notorious part, look him up!
― clemenza, Saturday, 13 April 2024 19:11 (four months ago) link
"I always did my best work when I was scared stiff. In fact, if I'm not scared for a game I'll create some critical situations in my mind. Like, I'll pretend it's a World Series game and that it really counts big. I told Fritz Peterson about how I felt about being scared and one day before I was going to start a game he came over and whispered in my ear: 'If you want to see your baby again you'll win today.'"
-- Ball Four
― clemenza, Sunday, 14 April 2024 00:51 (four months ago) link
despite petersonās notoriety, i was not expecting to receive a new york times push notification about his death
― mookieproof, Sunday, 14 April 2024 05:46 (four months ago) link
if we're going by ny baseball fan importance jerry grote (rip) way more notable than sex freakazoid peterson, his nice run with the non-competitive yankee clubs not withstanding
― buzza, Sunday, 14 April 2024 08:44 (four months ago) link
When Kenny Holtzman was a rookie in 1966, his start against Sandy Koufax was a big event for many of us ā two Jewish left-handers going head-to-head a day after observing Yom Kippur. Holtzman pitched eight no-hit innings and the Cubs beat the Dodgers 2-1 at Wrigley Field. RIP. https://t.co/ahs4DJbn5V pic.twitter.com/IwDT6LI1uK— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) April 15, 2024
― j.q higgins, Monday, 15 April 2024 23:34 (four months ago) link
Just heard about this from a friend. Kind of overshadowed on the A's dynasty by Hunter, Blue, and Fingers.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 16 April 2024 01:35 (four months ago) link
When I was growing up, they would always show those retrospective programs covering the World series and they always showed ones from the Athletics dynasty. Holtzman was one of the singular guys I remembered, and growing up he loomed larger in legend for me than almost anyone from those teams outside of Reggie. When you look at his statistics, it's kind of unbelievable he never received a single Cy Young vote.
― omar little, Tuesday, 16 April 2024 01:47 (four months ago) link
https://i.postimg.cc/gJNYQhwk/kevin.jpg
Don't remember him at all.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 16 April 2024 03:51 (four months ago) link
Holtzman won game 7 of the 73 series versus the Mets, hit a double and scored a run. I'll never not miss pitchers batting, yes I'm old. Also, very good Grid choice because of brief and mostly forgotten Orioles and Yankees years.
― buzza, Tuesday, 16 April 2024 04:32 (four months ago) link
I didn't know that Holtzman played for the '77 and '78 Yankees, he won five WS rings! And yeah, it's surprising that he never got a CY vote with those pitching lines, but then again it's not surprising considering his competition on those WS winning teams.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Tuesday, 16 April 2024 05:15 (four months ago) link
Happy trails Whitey Herzog
― Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Tuesday, 16 April 2024 15:58 (four months ago) link
My first thought was that he was one of the very last autocratic old-school managers, but he retired in 1990, so I guess there were a number of them still around.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 16 April 2024 16:15 (four months ago) link
ESPN: "A crew-cut, pot-bellied tobacco chewer who had no patience for the 'buddy-buddy' school of management..."
― clemenza, Tuesday, 16 April 2024 16:19 (four months ago) link
The Dodgers mourn the passing of one of the teamās all-time greats, Carl Erskine, at the age of 97. Carl was an All-Star, a World Series Champion, a true ally to Jackie Robinson and more in the pursuit of equality, and a pioneering advocate for those with special needs, inspiredā¦ pic.twitter.com/1MPNDnz9HR— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 16, 2024
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 16 April 2024 21:53 (four months ago) link
Seems apropos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RUIeX6UCT8
― clemenza, Tuesday, 16 April 2024 22:00 (four months ago) link
Don't think I knew this (from Posnanski's obit):
In a nine-day span in June of 1949, the New York Yankees signed two 17-year-old prospects from the Midwest; one a shortstop out of a town called Commerce and the other an outfielder from a place called Belleville. The Yankees gave each of them a $1,500 signing bonus and something to dream about.
The shortstop was a kid named Mickey Mantle.
The outfielder was Rellie Herzog. Well, Rellie was a nickname. His full name was Dorrel Norman Elvert Herzog. A few months later, while playing in an Oklahoma town called McAlester, a local sportscaster noticed his light hair and gave him a new nickname.
And thatās how he became Whitey Herzog.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 17 April 2024 17:07 (four months ago) link
Whitey was one of the first non-Cubs managers I remember making an impression (along w/Earl Weaver and Billy Martin.) i'm pretty sure i thought he was about 70 in the '80s, he just looked like one of those old-time lifers. which he was, he just wasn't as old-time as i thought. i feel like the tobacco chaw no BS guys are few and far between these days, the guys who look like they've been through some shit already. Clint Hurdle was a recent-ish one i guess.
― omar little, Wednesday, 17 April 2024 17:12 (four months ago) link
They're extinct--just doesn't work with guys making this much money. Which is good; having played for such coaches when I was younger, it's a way of behaving that should be extinct.
Having said that, when I see something like this, some irrational nostalgia for the Herzog/Weaver/Martin style of managing lingers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywuT2PMNQ54
― clemenza, Wednesday, 17 April 2024 17:22 (four months ago) link
journeyman dave mccarty, 54
― mookieproof, Sunday, 21 April 2024 00:14 (four months ago) link
https://theathletic.com/5484950/2024/05/10/sean-burroughs-death-mlb/
― Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Friday, 10 May 2024 22:45 (three months ago) link
Didn't immediately clue in as to who he was--Jeff Burroughs' son, I assumed, but I'd forgotten about his Little League fame.
― clemenza, Saturday, 11 May 2024 13:33 (three months ago) link
I don't mean to be a downer--don't read this if anything concerning suicide is traumatic for you.
I mentioned Doug Ault on the Immaculate Grid thread a couple of days ago. I didn't know he committed suicide in 2004:
He married his second wife, Lynn Marie, an obstetrician, in 2000. In 2002, she lost her medical license for violating Florida statutes regarding patient safety; a year later, she filed bankruptcy. In January 2004, their home in Tarpon Springs, Florida was sold though a bankruptcy proceeding, and they were separated for "a while". A few months later, Ault's first wife Julie died, after which he left his job at a Clearwater car dealership. According to some of his former teammates, at the time of his death "things were not going great" for Ault.
Ault died at his home in Tarpon Springs on December 22 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It was ruled a suicide by the coroner's office on December 28.
The friend who told me this also pointed out--and I have to believe I knew this at one time; maybe there's something about it in an earlier RIP thread--that Mike Flanagan did too, in 2011:
When Flanagan's wife Alex did not hear from her husband on August 24, 2011, she phoned a neighbor for help. The neighbor went to the home and called 9-1-1 after failing to find him. Police discovered a body on the property but could not immediately determine the identity because the wounds were so severe. The body was later identified as Flanagan, with the cause of death determined to be a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.
Police said that Flanagan was distressed about financial issues. WBAL-TV reported that Flanagan was still despondent about his perceived failures during his tenure in the Orioles' front office. About one year after her husband's death, Alex Flanagan told Dan Rodricks of the Baltimore Sun that her husband had struggled with depression, seeing a therapist for over 20 years. She also said that he had an alcohol problem.
Many factors, but financial pressure common to both.
― clemenza, Monday, 17 June 2024 14:32 (two months ago) link
Orlando Cepeda
― omar little, Saturday, 29 June 2024 09:49 (two months ago) link
Aaaw
― Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Saturday, 29 June 2024 11:58 (two months ago) link
Was looking at his career box. Fast start--222 HR through his age-26 season, would certainly have had 500 if not for injuries and an early retirement. Could have easily won a second MVP in '61. His TC numbers (crucial then) were actually better than Frank Robinson's: .311/46/142 for Cepeda, .323/37/124 for Robinson. WAR says Robinson was definitely the deserving winner--surprise, Aaron and Mays were better than both--but I'm sure the real reason he won was the Reds' surprise pennant.
― clemenza, Saturday, 29 June 2024 14:27 (two months ago) link
If you look at the Giants team page for '61, Cepeda is listed as utility! 78 games at first (McCovey had 83), 63 in left, 17 in right--couldn't seem to move the CF out of the lineup. Is that the greatest utility season ever?
Imagine having to choose between McCovey and Cepeda. Comparable to that Jays window when they were sorting out McGriff/Fielder/Olerud/Delgado.
― clemenza, Saturday, 29 June 2024 14:35 (two months ago) link
I'll quote about half of this Posnanski post:
But Orlando wanted to play in the United States. He wanted to play in the major leagues. It is true that in 1955, four of the biggest teams in baseball--the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers and Phillies--had not yet signed a Black player. And it is also true that in 1955, there had not yet been a big-league star from Puerto Rico. But there was hope, there was Jackie Robinson and there was Willie Mays and there was Minnie MiƱoso and there was the dream.
Orlando Cepeda joined a group of players making their trip to Florida for the tryout. As it would turn out, that would become perhaps the most famous and bountiful baseball tryout in history...Cepeda was there, of course. So was another 17-year-old slugger named Willie McCovey. The lives of those two slugging first basemen would cross and intersect all the way to Cooperstown.
But hereās the big finish to the story: Cepeda was so young--and the players who came with him, such as JosĆ© PagĆ”n, were so young--that Zorilla felt like he needed to send an older player with them, someone with a little bit more maturity, somebody who could help guide them on their first trip to America.
So Zorilla picked a 20-year-old rookie outfielder to take the group to America.
That 20-year-old outfielder who escorted Orlando Cepeda to the baseball tryout that would change his life? Roberto Clemente.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 2 July 2024 17:05 (one month ago) link
The horrors of racism are myriad but also imagine just picking orlando cepeda, willie mccovey & roberto clemente up off the curb
― Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Tuesday, 2 July 2024 18:11 (one month ago) link
(From the half I cut: Pete Zorilla was a friend of Cepeda's father, a name guy within Puerto Rican baseball.)
― clemenza, Tuesday, 2 July 2024 18:23 (one month ago) link
as a followup
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40539797/sean-burroughs-died-fentanyl-intoxication-per-examiner
― omar little, Thursday, 11 July 2024 17:28 (one month ago) link
I looked him up and found a really fun Letterman appearance from when he (& I) were 12
― francisF, Saturday, 13 July 2024 11:43 (one month ago) link
https://torontosun.com/sports/baseball/toronto-blue-jays/former-relief-pitcher-dies-at-55
Don't remember him.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 30 July 2024 00:56 (one month ago) link