Category Archives: Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–June 28

Ken Williams (1890)
Haruyasu Nakajima (1910)
A. Ray Smith (1915)
Oscar Rodriguez (1931)
Fred Gladding (1936)
Ron Luciano (1937)
Fred Talbot (1941)
Al Downing (1941)
Don Baylor (1949)
Chris Speier (1950)
Joe Sambito (1952)
Clay Christiansen (1958)
John Elway (1960)
Jay Schroeder (1961)
Mark Grace (1964)
Ron Mahay (1971)
Corey Koskie (1973)
Richard Hidalgo (1975)
Brandon Phillips (1981)

Haruyasu Nakajima is in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.

A. Ray Smith owned minor league baseball teams from 1961-1986.

Oscar Rodriguez is in the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ron Luciano was an American League umpire from 1969-1979.

NFL quarterbacks John Elway and Jay Schroeder each played minor league baseball.  Elway hit .318 in 151 at-bats as an outfielder for Class A Oneonta in 1982.  Schroeder was primarily an outfielder for four years in the Toronto system, never getting higher than Class A.  He hit .213 with 36 homers in 1,304 minor league at-bats.

Mark Grace was drafted by Minnesota in the fifteenth round of the January draft in 1984, but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–June 28

Where They Stand

Rochester is 40-41, fourth in the International League North, 10.5 games behind Pawtucket.  The Red Wings won their most recent game and are 5-5 in their last ten games.

New Britain is 38-40, tied for fourth in the Eastern League Eastern, 10.5 games behind Binghamton.  The Rock Cats have won two consecutive games and are 6-4 in their last ten games.

Fort Myers is 3-4 in the second half, tied for fourth in the Florida State League South, one game behind Bradenton, Charlotte, and St. Lucie.  For the season, the Miracle is 48-26.  Fort Myers has lost three consecutive games and is 5-5 in its last ten games.

Cedar Rapids is 6-0 in the second half, first in the Midwest League Western, one game ahead of Beloit, Clinton, and Quad Cities.  For the season, the Kernels are 46-28.  Cedar Rapids has won six consecutive games and is 6-4 in its last ten games.

Elizabethton is 6-1, tied for first with Johnson City in the Appalachian League West.  The Twins have won five consecutive games.

The GCL Twins are 3-2, first in the Gulf Coast League South, a half game ahead of the Rays and the Red Sox.  The Twins have won two consecutive games.

The DSL Twins are 10-10, fifth in the Boca Chica Baseball City, three games behind the White Sox.  The Twins have lost two consecutive games.

Happy Birthday–June 27

Rube Benton (1890)
Fred Saigh (1905)
Dick Terwilliger (1906)
Wendell Smith (1914)
Lou Kretlow (1921)
Gus Zernial (1923)
Wayne Terwilliger (1925)
Charles Bronfman (1931)
Chuck Coles (1931)

Eddie Kasko (1932)
Rico Petrocelli (1943)
Takashi Nishimoto (1956)
Jeff Conine (1966)
Jim Edmonds (1970)
Daryle Ward (1975)
Chris Woodward (1976)
Luis Rodriguez (1980)

Fred Saigh was the owner of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1947-1953, selling Anheuser-Busch.

Wendell Smith was an African-American sportswriter who was influential in the choice of Jackie Robinson as the first African-American major league player.

Charles Bronfman was the owner of the Montreal Expos from 1969-1991.

Takashi Nishimoto was a star pitcher in Japan from 1977-1993.

Daryle Ward is the son of ex-Twin Gary Ward.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–June 27

Happy Birthday–June 26

Topsy Hartsel (1874)
Babe Herman (1903)
Debs Garms (1907)
Willard Brown (1915)
Howie Pollet (1921)
Bill Robinson (1943)
Dave Rosello (1950)
Mike Myers (1963)
Rodney Myers (1969)
Derek Jeter (1974)
Jason Kendall (1974)

Outfielder Willard Brown was a star for the Kansas City Monarchs from 1935-1948.  He played briefly for the St. Louis Browns in 1947.

There do not appear to be any players with connections to the Minnesota Twins born on this day.