On this day in 1973, the great Roberto Clemente becomes the first Latin-born player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The late Pirates outfielder, who died tragically only a few months earlier in a airplane crash, was elected posthumously after the mandatory five-year waiting period was waived. Immensely proud of his…
Regardless of the results of the baseball games this weekend against the Braves, we all had a good time at the Phillies Annual Alumni weekend. On Friday night Curt Schilling was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame. He became the third member (not counting John Vukovich or Larry Bowa, both were coaches on that…
Happy 45th Birthday to former American League Batting Champ and fellow member of the “batting helmet on the field” fraternity, John Olerud.
July 30th, 1973… The late Jim Bibby becomes the 14th rookie ever and the first Texas Ranger pitcher to throw a no-hitter. Facing off against the great Vida Blue, the hard throwing right-hander held Oakland A’s hitless in a 3-0 Texas victory at the Oakland Coliseum. At 6’5″ tall and well over 220 pounds, Bibby…
On the day in 1980, Mike Schmidt hit the 260th and 261st home runs of his career… the most in Philadelphia Phillies history. Schmitty jumped ahead of former Phillies slugger Del Ennis with a first inning 2 run blast and added another in the third inning, both off Atlanta lefty Larry McWilliams. In the game…
Happy 73rd Birthday to my brother Hank We have seen it all. From the school playground, high school basketball courts, to the massive stadiums of major league baseball and the peaceful serenity of the race track — you have been my friend, teammate, advisor and most importantly… my brother. I am blessed to have you…
On this day in 2007, Colorado Rockies minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh died on the field after getting struck with a line drive while coaching first base for the Tulsa Drillers. A baseball lifer, Mike bounced around the minors for a decade before reaching the major leagues in 2001 with the Brewers. He played 39…
Yesterday I attended a reunion for my elementary school, Chewton Independent School (near Wampum). This was the first time since 8th grade I’ve been able to see several of my old classmates and teachers. So glad I went and it was great visiting with everyone and sharing memories.
Happy Birthday to 1970 Cardinals teammate and horse racing junkie… Joseph Paul Torre. Best remembered as the manager of the 1996-2007 New York Yankees. Joe guided the Bronx Bombers to the playoffs for 12 straight seasons, winning four World Series rings. He was also one heck of a ballplayer. During his 17-year playing career, he…
July 18th, 1970: San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays becomes to 10th player in baseball history to collect 3000 hits. Facing Montreal Expos right-hander Mike Wegener at Candlestick Park the ‘Say Hey Kid’ smacked a single to left to reach the milestone during the second inning of the Giants 10-1 rout over the Expos. Willie…