Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 17

21 Comments

Hal Carlson (1892)
Del Webb (1899)
Cool Papa Bell (1903)
Ace Parker (1912)
Billy Hoeft (1932)
Ozzie Virgil (1932)
Dan Monzon (1946)
Carlos May (1948)
Pascual Perez (1957)
Greg Mathews (1962)
Jose Guillen (1976)
Carlos Pena (1978)

Ace Parker is a member of both the College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame.  He was an infielder for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1937-1938.

Left-hander Greg Mathews was drafted by Minnesota in the ninth round of the January draft in 1982, but did not sign.

Daniel Francisco Monzon was an infielder for the Twins for parts of the 1972 and 1973 seasons.  He was born and raised in the Bronx, attended Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, and was drafted by Minnesota in the second round of the June Secondary draft in 1967.  He was in Class A for three seasons, hitting very well in his first one and poorly in his next two.  He never did hit for power, but his average came up when he went to AA in 1970, and he hit .305 in AAA Portland in 1971.  He had played some outfield as well as infield, and his versatility and improved batting got him a job as a utility player on the Twins.  He played two full seasons in Minnesota, 1972-1973, and was very much a reserve, playing in 93 games but batting only 131 times.  He hit .244/.342/.275.  He began 1974 in AAA with the Twins and was traded to Montreal for Earl Stephenson in late May.  Monzon toiled in the minors for four more seasons, but never made it back to the majors.  He was in AAA for the Expos through 1975, then moved on to the Houston organization, playing in AAA for them through 1977.  He did not hit much in any of those years, and after he hit .199 in 1977 his playing career came to an end.  He stayed in baseball, managing in the minors through 1982 and then going into scouting.  He was the Latin American scouting coordinator for the Boston Red Sox when he passed away from injuries resulting from an automobile accident on January 21, 1996 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

21 thoughts on “Happy Birthday–May 17”

    3. Don't worry, Philo. JeffA is insanely good about remembering birthdays and anniversaries once he knows about them. Once you're on the list, you're there for good. He even remembered my sister's birthday last weekend.

      1. I'll mention here that the Linds' birthday is January 30. I guarantee it gets mentioned next year. Jeff is crazy good about this stuff.

    5. Happy birthday, Philo! I wondered what had happened when I saw that many LTEs. I assumed someone had started a conversation about beer.

      1. Speaking of beer, someone tell me more about this Surly stuff, what exactly makes it so special, and where I can buy it...

            1. It's special because it's really good when it's cold. But the only way you can tell it's cold is by holding the can or glass.
              It's made in Brooklyn Center by guys who like good beer.
              It's a bit spendy but worth every penny.
              It comes in 4-packs...16 oz cans. Good value for the quality of the beer.
              You can find where it's sold here.
              Happy birthday counselor.

              Edit: This is their flagship beer. Personally, I love the stuff but some find it a bit over the top hops-wise.

              2. How do you keep it from glugging? Plus, I've never seen a Surly commercial with hot women wearing swimsuits. Are you sure it's worth drinking?

      2. I assumed someone had started a conversation about beer.

        It's the safest religious topic we can handle around here.

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