Monthly Archives: March 2024

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–March 23

Elmer Smith (1868)
Gavvy Cravath (1881)
Cy Slapnicka (1886)
Ray Kremer (1893)
Johnny Moore (1902)
Bill Harvey (1908)
Johnny Logan (1927)
Jim Lemon (1928)
Lee May (1943)
George Scott (1944)
Pat Bourque (1947)
Lanny Frattare (1948)
Bo Diaz (1953)
Mrs. A (1954)
Mike Remlinger (1966)
Chris Turner (1969)
Joel Peralta (1976)
Mark Buehrle (1979)
Dellin Betances (1988)
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (1995)

Gavvy Cravath's given name is Clifford Carlton Cravath.  He got the nickname "Gavvy" because he once hit a ball that killed a seagull, which in Spanish is "gaviota".

Cy Slapnicka was a long-time scout.  Players he is credited with signing include Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, and Herb Score.  Somehow, "Cy Slapnicka" just sounds like a name a baseball scout should have.

Lanny Frattare was a radio broadcaster for the Pirates from 1976-2008.

Happy birthday to my Hall of Fame wife.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–March 23 →

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–March 22

Jack Boyle (1866)
Ernie Quigley (1880)
Goldie Holt (1902)
Bob Elson (1904)
Dave Thomas (1905)
Marv Owen (1906)
George Crowe (1921)
Billy Goodman (1926)
Al Schroll (1932)
Gene Oliver (1935)
Frank Pulli (1935)
Dick Ellsworth (1940)
Ron Wojciak (1943)
Jake Brown (1948)
Eddie Bane (1952)
Bob Costas (1952)
Eric Rasmussen (1952)
Scott Bradley (1960)
Matt Sinatro (1960)
Rich Monteleone (1963)
Glenallen Hill (1965)
Sean Berry (1966)
Ramon Martinez (1968)
Cory Lidle (1972)
Juan Uribe (1979)
Mike Morse (1982)
Joe Smith (1984)
Dexter Fowler (1986)
Ike Davis (1987)

Ernie Quigley was a National League umpire for twenty-six years and then became the NL supervisor of umpires.

Goldie Holt is credited with teaching Charlie Hough to throw the knuckleball.

Bob Elson was a baseball broadcaster for over thirty years, mostly in Chicago.

Frank Pulli was a National League umpire from 1972-1999.

Ron Wojciak helped the Minnesota Golden Gophers win the College World Series in 1964 and played in the Twins’ farm system in 1965.  He passed away from lung cancer in 1966.

Jake Brown was drafted by Minnesota in the thirty-third round in 1967, but he did not sign.

Scott Bradley was drafted by Minnesota in the twelfth round in 1978, but he did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–March 22 →

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–March 21

Jack Herbert (1877)
Mysterious Walker (1894)
Bill McGowan (1896)
Shanty Hogan (1906)
Tommy Davis (1939)
Manny Sanguillen (1944)
Al Fitzmorris (1946)
Bill Plummer (1947)
Fernando Arroyo (1952)
Luis Leal (1957)
Shawon Dunston (1963)
Tim McIntosh (1965)
Cristian Guzman (1978)
Aaron Hill (1982)
Carlos Carrasco (1987)

Jack Herbert was a minor league manager in the early 1900s.  Among the teams he managed were the Pekin Celestials, the Cedar Rapids Rabbits, and the Cairo Egyptians.

Bill McGowan was an American League umpire from 1925-1954.  He worked the first all-star game and worked eight World Series.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–March 21 →

Miscellaneous, The Nation Has Problems

Road Bling #1 – What Am I?

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From biking in the area, and the Running-All-Hartford-Streets project I began on Jan 29th, I've collected numerous items I call "road bling" - shiny metal objects that I use to make race-medals for various events with friends.   Several of these are of unknown function.  This series is to let you engage in investigative forensics on these road/street enigmas.

What Am I?