Lou Criger (1872)
Slim Sallee (1885) Larry MacPhail (1890) Joe Stripp (1903)
Buck Ross (1915)
Dick Tracewski (1935)
Joe Coleman (1947)
Bake McBride (1949)
Fred Lynn (1952)
Ronald Williamson (1953) Fred Toliver (1961) Joe Klink (1962) Scott Klingenbeck (1971) B. J. Garbe (1981)
Ronald Williamson was a catcher in the Oakland organization from 1971-1973. In 1988, he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. He was cleared in 1999 through DNA testing and became the subject of John Grisham’s first non-fiction book, “The Innocent Man.” Williamson passed away from cirrhosis in 2004.
Outfielder B. J. Garbe was chosen by the Twins with the fifth pick of the 1999 draft. He was with the Twins through 2004, ended his career in 2006, and never got higher than AA.
Baltimore names Matt Merullo manager of Aberdeen in the New York-Pennsylvania League.
Cleveland signs Matt Capps to a minor league contract.
Mets sign LaTroy Hawkins to a minor league contract.
Pittsburgh agrees to terms with Kyle Waldrop on a minor league contract and assigns him to AAA Indianapolis.
Tampa Bay names Danny Shaeffer manager of Princeton in the Appalachian League.
Orval Overall (1881)
George Halas (1895)
Willie Kamm (1900)
Wes Ferrell (1908) Red Schoendienst (1923) Don Buford (1937)
Max Alvis (1938)
Dale Murray (1950)
John Tudor (1954)
Pat Tabler (1958)
Buddy Biancalana (1960) Scott Erickson (1968) Melvin Mora (1972) Adam Everett (1977)
Better known as a professional football coach, George Halas was an outfielder and played in 12 games for the Yankees in 1919.
Billy Sullivan (1875)
Rosey Rowswell (1884)
Candy Jim Taylor (1884)
Frank Lane (1896)
Carl Reynolds (1903)
Paul Blair (1944) Danny Thompson (1947) Mark Souza (1954) Ernie Camacho (1955)
Cecilio Guante (1960)
Tim Naehring (1967)
Kent Mercker (1968) Rich Becker (1972)
Rosey Rowswell was a broadcaster for Pittsburgh from 1936-1954. Bob Prince considered Rowswell his mentor.
Candy Jim Taylor was a star player and manager in the Negro Leagues for many years.
Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson (1845)
Zane Grey (1872)
George Burns (1893)
Pinky Hargrave (1896)
Pedro Cepeda (1906)
Don Hutson (1913) Jackie Robinson (1919) Ernie Banks (1931) Hank Aguirre (1931) Nolan Ryan (1947) Fred Kendall (1949)
Ted Power (1955)
Ed Wade (1956) Francisco Oliveras (1963) Yuniesky Betancourt (1982)
Better known as an author of western novels, Zane Grey played outfield for two years in the low minors, batting .323 in 86 games. He also wrote several books about baseball.
Pedro Cepeda is the father of Orlando Cepeda and is considered by some to have been a better player; he was known as the Babe Ruth of Puerto Rico.
Don Hutson, a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, played in the low minors from 1936-1937, hitting .301 in 194 games.
Ray Hayworth (1904)
Pancho Coimbre (1909) Bill Rigney (1918) Hank Edwards (1919)
Frank Gravino (1923)
Bobby Bolin (1939) Sergio Ferrer (1951) Steve Sax (1960)
Mike Aldrete (1961)
John Habyan (1964)
Jason Schmidt (1973)
Pancho Coimbre was a star in the Caribbean Leagues and the Negro leagues in the 1940s. Roberto Clemente said that Coimbre was a better player than Clemente was. Coimbre played two full seasons in the Puerto Rican League in which he did not strike out.
George Wright (1847) Ducky Holmes (1869)
Bill Doak (1891)
Lyn Lary (1906)
Bob Muncrief (1916)
Pete Runnels (1928)
Harry Dunlop (1933)
Bill White (1934)
Fredi Gonzalez (1964) Kevin Tolar (1971)
Jermaine Dye (1974)
Magglio Ordonez (1974)
Lyle Overbay (1977)
Harry Dunlop caught in the minors for fourteen years and was a coach for seventeen years. He caught the minor league no-hitter in which Ron Necciai struck out twenty-seven batters and the back-to-back minor league no-hitters of Bill Bell.
Boston agrees to terms with Craig Breslow on a two-year contract.
Philadelphia agrees to terms with Delmon Young on a one-year contract.
Pittsburgh agrees to terms with Garrett Jones on a one-year contract.
San Francisco agrees to terms with Jose Mijares on a one-year contract.
Not ex-Twins, but the Dodgers named Sandy Koufax a special adviser to the chairman and Boston named Pedro Martinez a special assistant to the general manager.
Francis Richter (1854)
Kaiser Wilhelm (1874)
Tubby Spencer (1884)
George Blaeholder (1904)
Charlie Gelbert (1906)
Bob Nieman (1927)
Ray Knoblauch (1928) Bob Uecker (1935) Mike Pazik (1950) Rick Schu (1962)
Jeff Branson (1967)
Esteban German (1978) Andres Torres (1978) Ryan Rowland-Smith (1983)
Francis Richter was the editor of two influential early baseball publications, the Sporting Life and the Reach Guide.
The father of Chuck Knoblauch, Ray Knoblauch pitched in the minors from 1948-1957, going 54-51.
We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to Daneeka's Ghost.
Danny Richardson (1863)
Les Nunamaker (1889)
Kenichi Zenimura (1900) Ernie Harwell (1918) Bill Lucas (1936)
Jake O’Donnell (1939)
Wally Bunker (1945)
Vern Ruhle (1951) Kerry Taylor (1971) Dan Serafini (1974)
Better known as an NBA referee, Jake O’Donnell was an American League umpire from 1969-1972. He is the only person to have officiated both an NBA all-star game and a major league baseball all-star game.
Kenichi Zenimura was a long-time player and manager in Japan as well as an ambassador of the game of baseball. He helped organize Babe Ruth's tour of Japan in 1934 and is known as the Father of Japanese Baseball.
