Tag Archives: Hall of Famers

Happy Birthday–September 22

Doc Powers (1870)
Hooks Dauss (1889)
Urban Shocker (1890)
Ira Flagstead (1893)
Harry Walker (1918)
Bob Lemon (1920)
Tommy Lasorda (1927)
Ken Aspromonte (1931)
Jim Fairey (1944)
Larry Dierker (1946)
Jeffrey Leonard (1955)
Wally Backman (1959)
Vince Coleman (1961)
Bob Geren (1961)
Mark Guthrie (1965)
Mike Matheny (1970)

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to Spookymilk’s oldest daughter.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 22

Happy Birthday–September 19

Yank Robinson (1859)
Stuffy McInnis (1890)
Roger Angell (1920)
Epitacio Torres (1921)
Bob Murphy (1924)
Duke Snider (1926)
Bob Turley (1930)
Bill Williams (1930)
Chris Short (1937)
Joe Morgan (1943)
Joe Ferguson (1946)
Masaji Hiramatsu (1947)
Joe Maddon (1954)
Charlie Reliford (1955)
Randy Myers (1962)
Jim Abbott (1967)
Pedro Munoz (1968)
Javier Valentin (1975)
Mike Smith (1977)
Nick Johnson (1978)
Scott Baker (1981)
Danny Valencia (1984)
George Springer (1989)

Roger Angell has written several books and essays on baseball.  He is the stepson of author and essayist E. B. White, who was the co-author of "The Elements of Style".

Outfielder Epitacio Torres was a star in the Negro Leagues and the Mexican League in the 1940s and 1950s.  He is a member of the Mexican League Hall of Fame.  Whitey Ford once described him as "the best player I've seen in my career."  He is also the father of major leaguer Hector Torres.

Bob Murphy was a baseball broadcaster from 1954-2003, spending most of that time broadcasting for the New York Mets.

Bill Williams was a National League umpire from 1963-1987.

Masaji Hiramatsu won over two hundred games in Japan, pitching for the Taiyo Whales.

Joe Maddon was interim manger of the Angels in 1996 and 1999, and managed Tampa Bay from 2006-14, and is currently the manager of the Chicago Cubs.

Charlie Reliford has been a major league umpire since 1989.

George Springer was drafted by Minnesota in the 48th round in 2008, but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 19

Happy Birthday–September 18

Heinie Groh (1889)
George Uhle (1898)
Harvey Haddix (1925)
Lorn Brown (1938)
Dick Dietz (1941)
Ken Brett (1948)
Tony Scott (1951)
Ray Smith (1955)
Ryne Sandberg (1959)
Jeff Bronkey (1965)
Kevin Thompson (1979)
Joe Bisenius (1982)

Lorn Brown was a baseball broadcaster from 1966-1988, calling games for the Chicago White Sox, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the New York Mets.

Kevin Thompson was drafted by Minnesota in the eighteenth round in 1998, but did not sign.

Joe Bisenius is from Sioux City and was somewhat of a local hero when I lived in that area.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to nibbish and a happy anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Corn.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 18

Happy Birthday–September 17

Ezra Sutton (1850)
Willie Sudhoff (1874)
Frank Schulte (1882)
Sheriff Blake (1899)
Hughie Critz (1900)
Chase Riddle (1925)
Orlando Cepeda (1937)
Bobby Wine (1938)
Thad Bosley (1956)
John Franco (1960)
Dan Haren (1980)

Chase Riddle played in the minors from 1943-1962, managed in the minors from 1951-1962, was a scout from 1963-1978, and was the baseball coach at Troy State University from 1979-1990.

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

Happy Birthday–September 16

Due to personal time constraints, this is essentially a reprint from last year.  I added Robbie Grossman's name, but did not have time to write a biography for him.  Maybe next year.  Sorry about that, Robbie.

Heinie Mueller (1899)
Hillbilly Bildilli (1912)
Gary Ross (1947)
Robin Yount (1955)
Orel Hershiser (1958)
Tim Raines (1959)
Mickey Tettleton (1960)
Mel Hall (1960)
Chris Pittaro (1961)
Mark Parent (1961)
Paul Shuey (1970)
Desi Relaford (1973)
Bobby Korecky (1979)
Brandon Moss (1983)
Robbie Grossman (1989)

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 16

Happy Birthday–September 15

Due to personal time constraints, this is a reprint from last year.  If you know of any updates on any of the highlighted players, please include them in an LTE.

Doc Bushong (1856)
Nick Altrock (1876)
Hugh McQuillan (1895)
Harry McCurdy (1899)
Fritz Ostermueller (1907)
Charley Smith (1937)
Gaylord Perry (1938)
Frank Linzy (1940)
Don Carrithers (1949)
John Pacella (1956)
John Christensen (1960)
Doug Simons (1966)
Paul Abbott (1967)
Rich Robertson (1968)
Matt Thornton (1976)

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 15

Happy Birthday–September 10

Barney Pelty (1880)
High Pockets Kelly (1895)
Sammy Hale (1896)
Ted Kluszewski (1924)
Roger Maris (1934)
Len Whitehouse (1957)
Randy Johnson (1963)
Riccardo Ingram (1966)
Danys Baez (1977)
Joey Votto (1983)
Anthony Swarzak (1985)
Paul Goldschmidt (1987)

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to the Philosofer's eldest child.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 10

Happy Birthday–September 9

Abner Dalrymple (1857)
Frank Chance (1876)
Dots Miller (1886)
Doc Johnston (1887)
Frankie Frisch (1898)
Waite Hoyt (1899)
Hugh Mulcahy (1913)
Jay Ward (1938)
Paul Roof (1942)
Jerry Mumphrey (1952)
Tom Foley (1959)
Alvin Davis (1960)
Jim Corsi (1961)
Todd Zeile (1965)
Joey Hamilton (1970)
Dan Miceli (1970)
Mike Hampton (1972)
Edwin Jackson (1983)
Alex Romero (1983)
Kyle Davies (1983)
Michael Bowden (1986)

Dots Miller’s given name was John.  He got the nickname “Dots” because when he first came up, a sportswriter asked teammate Honus Wagner who the new guy was.  Wagner, in his thick German accent, said, “Dot’s Miller.”

Hugh Mulcahy has one of the worst nicknames in the history of baseball.  In four seasons as a starting pitcher for the Phillies, he twice led the league in losses.  He went 45-89 for his career, leading to the nickname “Losing Pitcher Mulcahy”.

The brother of Phil Roof, Paul Roof was a pitcher for four seasons in the Braves’ system, never going higher than Class A.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 9

Happy Birthday–September 8

Val Picinich (1896)
Buck Leonard (1907)
Jim Bagby (1916)
Steve Hargan (1942)
Ken Forsch (1946)
Don Aase (1954)
Mike Dyer (1966)
Gil Meche (1978)
Rob Delaney (1984)
Logan Schafer (1986)

First baseman Buck Leonard was a star in the Negro Leagues.  He was a teammate of Josh Gibson on the Homestead Grays, and was considered the Lou Gehrig to Gibson's Babe Ruth.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to Rhubarb_Runner’s father.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–September 8