Updated 4-23-24
Updated 4-23-24
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Raymond James Mickovsky was born on August 31, 1916, in Cleveland [he changed his name to "Mack" just prior to his playing professional baseball]. He played for the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in 1938 (.378, 24 HR, 96 RBI). He was the league's batting champion that year.
He would have started his baseball career sooner, but choose first to graduate from the Case School of Applied Science in 1938. Since there was no baseball team at Case, Mack played in a high caliber semi-pro league in Cleveland. Ray also was a fine fullback at Case where he won "All-Ohio" rankings in each of his three years at the school.
Ray got his first taste of the major leagues with Cleveland after the Northern League season in 1938 when he played in 2 games and was 2 for 6 at the plate as a second baseman. His 1939 season was mostly in AAA, but he did get into 39 Indians' games with a .152 average in 112 at bats.
The tough and brilliant Mack had his career year in 1940 as he played in the All Star Game and in 146 games for the Tribe. He hit .283 with a .346 OBP and 12 home runs as their starting second baseman. He saved Bob Feller's opening day no-hitter with a diving stop for the final out. Ray continued as their second sacker from 1941-1943 playing in 145, 143 and 153 games with averages of .228, .225 and .220 and fielding averages near .970.
His playing time declined in 1944 to 83 games as he hit .232. He was in the military in 1945 and after returning to the Indians in 1946, he became a second-stringer with a .205 average. On Feb. 20, 1946, he was traded to the Yankees with Sherm Lollar for Hal Peck, Gene Bearden and Al Gettel. He played for the Yankees in one game in 1947 as a pinch runner and then finished his career, later that year, with the Cubs for 21 games and a .218 average.
In 9 years and 791 MLB games, Ray batted .232 with a .301 OBP and .330 slugging %. He hit 34 home runs and drove in 278 runs. He compiled a .966 fielding average.
In the minors in 1938, 1939 and 1947, he played on 3 teams with 20
or more home runs for 2 seasons.
Mack became the sales manager
for the Ohio Locomotive Crane Company in Bucyrus, OH. His son, Tom,
played for the NFL Rams. Ray died from cancer on May 7, 1969, at the
University Hospital in Columbus, OH. Burial was at the Oakwood
Cemetery in Bucyrus.
Ed Madjeski
Edward William Madjeski was born on July, 20, 1908, in Rockaway, NY. He played for the Duluth Dukes in 1948 (.315, 0 HR, 13 RBI) and 1949 (.250, 1, 35). He was a player/manager for part of those years. Some references show his name as "Theodore" based on the fact that his nickname was apparently "Ted". Ed attended Seton Hall College.
Ed's major league trials came long before he was a Northern Leaguer. His first MLB experiences came in 1932 for the Philadelphia Athletics as he was used in 17 games (8 as a catcher) with 35 at bats and a .229 average. He was 2 for 8 as a pinch hitter.
In 1933, he was in 51 games as a back-up catcher hitting .282 in 142 at bats. After 8 games in 1934 (.375) he was sold to the Chicago White Sox [on May 15] who were desperate for catching. Madjeski had told the Sox that his arm was sound, however, in his first series with them he helped allow 11 Boston stolen bases and made a wild throw in three games. That year he was one of 5 catchers the Sox tried. He played in 85 games and batted .221. The right hander did not return to the majors until 1937 when he played 5 games for the New York Giants and batted .200 in 15 at bats. His MLB career ended at that point.
In his four-year career, he played in 165 games with 481 at bats, a .241 average, .274 OBP, .320 slugging % (5 home runs), he drove in 56 runs, was 9 for 31 as a PH and he had a .970 fielding average. In the minors from 1931, 1935-1941 and 1946-1949, he played on 16 teams with 4 years of batting over .300.
Ed was a minor league manager in 1946, 1948 and 1949. He became
the manager of the Duluth Dukes in July 1948 after four players and
manager Red Treadwell were killed in a bus accident and 14 others
were injured. It's doubtful any baseball manager has ever faced that
type of situation before or since. He died on November 11, 1994, in
Montgomery, OH, and was buried at the St. Gertrude Cemetery in
Boonton, NJ. 
Henry Majeski was born on December 13, 1916, on Staten Island, NY. He played for the Eau Claire Muskies/Bears in 1935 (.307, 5 HR, 52 RBI) and 1936 (.365, 26, 125).
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"In the late 1940s, Hank Majeski was perhaps the best defense third baseman in the American League, settling a major league record in 1948 with a .988 fielding percentage. On August 27, 1948, he recorded six doubles in a double-header, establishing a major league record.
"Majeski led the III League in batting in 1937 with a .345 mark and led the International League in hits (198), RBI (121) and average (.345) in 1942. World War II interrupted his career; he served as a Storekeeper First Class on the USS Ponchartrain <U.S. Coast Guard ship>. Majeski was a much-traveled player. Originally the property of the Braves he was sold to the Yankees in September 1942. In June 1946 New York sold him to the Athletics, who in turn traded him to the White Sox in December 1949 for pitcher Ed Klieman. The White Sox sent Majeski back to Philadelphia in June 1951 for shortstop Kermit Wahl. The A's sold him to Cleveland in June 1952. For the Indians he pinch-homered in the 1954 World Series.
"'I never could have met finer people anywhere,' said Majeski just before his death, regarding his experiences in baseball."
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Hank played for the Boston Braves from 1939-1941 in 106, 3 and 19 games with averages of .272, .000 and .145. After one year in AAA, three in WWII and being sold to the Yankees on Sept. 25, 1942,, he returned with the Yankees in 1946 for only 8 games (1 for 8) and was sold to the A's on June 14 and played in 78 games with a .250 average.
He continued with the A's from 1947-1949 in 141, 148 and 114 games batting .280, .310 and .277 as their starting third baseman. His slugging percentages during that period were .405, .454 and .417. On Dec. 14, 1949, he was traded to the White Sox for Eddie Klieman. With the Sox in 1950 he hit .309 in 122 games and, in 1951, he batted .257 in 12 games for them before they sent him to A's on June 4 for Kermit Wahl for whom he played in 89 games (.285 ave/.415 slg).
Hank stayed with the A's for 34 games in 1952 and then was sold to the Indians on June 10 and played for 36 more with them (.296) and played at second base for 3 games. Used as a second and third baseman in 1953 and 1954, he continued to hit well (.300 and .281) in 50 and 57 games. His Indians playing days were over in 1955 after 36 games (.188) as he was traded to Baltimore on June 27 for Bobby Young. That is where he finished the year and his career with16 games (.171).
Hank played 13 MLB seasons batting .279 with a .342 OBP, .398 slugging % in 1,069 games and 3,421 at bats. He was 32-for-149 as a pinch hitter and 1-for-6 in the 1954 World Series. His career fielding mark was .968. He played in the minors from 1937-1942 with 7 teams and hit over .300 for each one. Three years were spent in AAA.
Hank became a minor league manager, major league scout (Dodgers,
Astros and others), batting instructor for the Astros, and coached at
Wagner College on Staten Island. He died at his home on Staten Island
on August 9, 1991, from cancer and was cremated. 
Edward Russell Malone ("Eddie") was born in Chicago on June 16, 1920. He played for the Duluth Dukes in 1941 (.247, 3 HR, 42 RBI) and 1942 (.309, 5, 60). He also pitched briefly (1-0) in '42 and was the Dukes' manager.
Eddie played two partial years as a back-up catcher in the majors for the Chicago White Sox. In 1949 for 55 games he hit .271 with 170 at bats and in 1950, he batted .225 in 31 games and 71 at bats. In his career, his average was .257 with a .361 OBP and .324 slugging %. He had a fielding % of .993.
The right hander played in the minors from 1938-1944 and 1946-1954 for 18 teams including the Los Angeles Angels and the Hollywood Stars of the PCL. His minor league career was put on while he served in the Navy during World War II. He hit over .300 in three seasons and played in "AAA" for 11 years. Malone tried pitching again in 1946 (2-0, 2.57 ERA).
He was credited with helping to design Hillerich & Bradsby's Louisville Slugger M110 model baseball bat (has a medium-size handle and barrel, and a fairly large knob). The "M" in the model name stands for "Malone". The number indicates he was the 110th player whose last name begins with M to develop his own bat model. That model was used by Mickey Mantle and it remains one of the company's most popular.
Malone as a car salesman during the off-season and opened a car dealership in Fontana after he retired as a player. He lived in Laguna Hills, CA, for many years and died there at the Saddleback Memorial Medical Center on June 1, 2006. He had been suffering from a respiratory illness. Malone was cremated.
"He was a tough guy, an ironman kind of catcher and a good
guy," remembers Dick Beverage, president of the Pacific Coast
League Historical Society and SABR member. "He had a catcher's
grip, a handshake that was strong, and you remembered it."
Georges Henri Maranda was born on January 15, 1932, in Levis, Quebec, Canada. He played for the Eau Claire Bears in 1954 (18-6, 3.16 ERA) and 1955 (10-5, 2.97).
The right handed pitcher had two complete years in the majors. In 1960, after the Giants drafted him from the Braves, they used him sparingly in 17 games and 51 innings for a 4.62 ERA. [He was sent to the minors when they brought up Juan Marichal]. For the Minnesota Twins in 1962, he appeared in 32 games and 73 innings compiling a 4.46 ERA. On Aug. 20, he was traded to Cleveland with Jackie Collum for Ruben Gomez, but he never played for the Indians.
In his short career, Georges was in 49 games with 123 innings allowing 119 hits and 65 walks with 64 strike outs. His ERA was 4.52 and he had a .253 OAV.
In the minors from 1951-1959, 1961, and 1963, he pitched for 14 teams with ERAs under 3.33 in three years. He was in "AAA" for four seasons. Maranda went 18-6 in 1959 for Louisville and was one of three Quebecois pitchers on the team [others were Ron Piche and Claude Raymond].
In the 1980s, Georges was employed by a night club in Levis,
Quebec. He died on July 14, 2000, in Levis and burial was at
Mont-Marie Cemetery there.
Leo Marentette
Leo John Marentette was born in Detroit on February 18, 1941. He pitched for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1961 (10-7, 3.11).
Leo had two short stints in the majors. In September 1965, he appeared in 2 games for his home town Detroit Tigers as in 3 scoreless innings he gave up 1 hit and 1 walk with 3 strikeouts. He did not return to the majors until he pitched 3 games for Montreal in 1969 [obtained in trade on Apr. 3 from Houston with Howie Reed for cash]. In 5 innings he allowed 9 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4. His ERA was 6.75. His career ERA was 4.32 with a .313 OAV.
In the minor leagues, the right-hander played from 1961-1970 for 16 teams with 1 season of having an ERA under 3.00. He pitched in "AAA" for 8 years.
After his pro career, he played amateur baseball in Toledo and later played first base for a slow-pitch softball team. He and his wife went to the Tigers' opening day game every year, and he followed the team all season. His off-season job and later his full-time job was as a dockworker with Roadway Express in Toledo. He retired in 1999.
He lived in Westland, MI, and died from a heart attack in Lumbertville, MI, on May 8, 2014. Burial was at the East Stanton Cemetery in Stanton, OH.
Roger Eugene Maras (later changed to "Maris") was born in Hibbing, MN, on September 10, 1934. He played for the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in 1953 (.325, 9 HR, 80 RBI). Please see more on Roger's Northern League career on pages "Tales from the League's Dugouts" and "More Tales from the League's Dugouts".
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"No record ever hung around a player's neck more like an albatross than Roger Maris' 61 homers in 1961. As late as the 1980 All-Star Game he fumed, 'They acted as though I was doing something wrong, poisoning the record books or something. Do you know what I have to show for 61 home runs? Exactly nothing'. In surpassing Babe Ruth's supposedly unsurpassable record, Maris faced the hostility of the baseball public on several fronts. First, although he had been the 1960 American League Most Valuable Player, he was basically a .269 hitter, still an unknown quantity unworthy of dethroning America's greatest sports hero. That he played the game with a ferocious intensity and that he was a brilliant right fielder and an exceptional baserunner, well, that was irrelevant.
"Second, for most of the season, Maris wasn't the only batter chasing the ghost of the Babe. His teammate Mickey Mantle, the successor to Ruth, to Lou Gehrig and to Joe DaMaggio was the people's choice. It was Mantle who hit 500-foot home runs that thrilled fans. It was Mantle who garnered support as the season-long chase headed toward September. Maris? He was merely efficient, a lefthanded hitter who had just the swing to take advantage of that friendly porch in Yankee Stadium's right field. He rarely hit a homer more than 400 feet. His charisma was almost nonexistent.
"That 1961 season was the first year of expansion and the first year of the 162-game season. With the addition of two teams to the American League, many hitters had their greatest seasons, such as Norm Cash, who somehow hit .361. Expansion also meant an expanded schedule. Ruth had set his record in 1927 in a 1954-game season. So for many people, Maris' feat would be tainted if he needed more than 154 games to break Ruth's record. Commissioner Ford Frick even announced that if Maris took more than 154 games to break the record it would go into the record books as a separate accomplishment from Ruth's - with an asterisk, so to speak.
"'As a ballplayer, I would be delighted to do it again,' Maris once remarked. 'As an individual, I doubt if I could possibility go through it again. They even asked for my autograph at mass.' As always, Maris was being honest. He once said about playing baseball for a living, 'It's a business. If I could make more money down in the zinc mines, I'd be mining zinc.' Could anyone have been more un-Ruthian?
"...Maris made it to the big leagues in 1957 at age 22. For a while he led the American League in homers and RBIs. Then he broke three ribs in a headfirst slide and ended up hitting .235, with 14 homers and 51 RBIs. In June 1958 the Indians traded Maris and two others to Kansas City for Vic Power and Woodie Held. Maris, despite a .240 average, had 28 homers and 80 RBIs. The following year he was off to another good start when and appendix operation caused him to miss 45 games. Then came the trade that changed his life: in the off-season he was traded to the Yankees with Kent Hadley and Joe DeMaestri.
"Maris was unusually tractable on his arrival in the Bronx. 'I'd rather play right,' he announced, 'but I'm willing to play where the manager thinks I'll help the most.' In his first game in pinstripes, Maris singled, doubled and smacked two home runs. His MVP numbers included a league-leading 112 RBIs and 39 home runs, only one behind league-leader Mantle, although Maris missed 18 games with injuries. In 1961 he stayed healthy and played 161 games, a career high. As he and Mantle made their charge at Ruth's home run record, the Yankees even considered switching Maris, who batted third, and Mantle, who batted fourth, to give Mantle a better shot at the record. If the switch had been made, Maris most certainly would not have broken the record. Consider this: Maris did not receive one intentional walk in 1961. After all, who would walk Maris to get to Mantle?
"The pressure to beat Ruth became so intense for Maris that clumps of his hair fell out. 'I never wanted all this hoopla,' Maris said. 'All I wanted is to be a good ballplayer, hit 25 or 30 homers, drive in around a hundred runs, hit .280, and help my club win pennants. I just wanted to be one of the guys, an average player having a good season.' Mantle fell back in the middle of September when he suffered a hip injury. Maris kept it up and went into the season's 154th game in Baltimore with 58 homers. He gave it his best shot that night. He hit No. 59 and then hit a long foul on his second-to-last at bat. Alas, in his last at bat, against Hoyt Wilhelm, he hit a checked-swing grounder. 'Maybe I'm not a great man, but I damn well want to break the record,' he said. He finally did it on the last day of the season against the Boston's Tracy Stallard. Fittingly, it went about 340 feet into Yankee Stadium's right field porch.
"Maris made back-to-back MVP honors, driving in a league-leading 141 runs. But 1961 was his last great season. He fell to 33 homers and 100 RBIs in 1962 as the Yankee won their third straight pennant, and then he was hit by a string of injuries during the next four seasons as the Yankees dynasty crumbled. New York traded him to the Cardinals after he hit only .233 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs in 1966. He left an angry man. The Yankees had questioned his courage for complaining constantly about a sore hand. It was only after the trade that he found out he'd played most of the season with a broken bone in his hand, which the Yankee doctors hadn't been able to diagnose. Maris lasted two years with the Cards. Injuries had diminished his skills, but he was a useful member of two pennant-winning teams...
"Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs had lasted 34 years. Maris' record lasted 37 years - until both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa surpassed it in 1998."
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Roger's first season was with the Indians in 1957 for whom he played 116 games (112 in the outfield). After 51 games for them in 1958 (.225) he was traded to the A's [on June 15 with Dick Tomanek and Preston Ward for Woodie Held and Vic Power] where he appeared in 99 games with an improved .247 average. With Kansas City in 1959, he was in the All Star game and played 122 regular season games hitting .273 with 16 home runs. On Dec. 11, he was traded to New York in a 7-player deal.
His Yankee years lasted from 1960 through 1966 where he played in 136, 161, 157, 90, 141, 46 and 119 games batting .283, .269, .256, .269, .281, .239 and .233. He played in the 1960, 1961 and 1962 All Star games and in the 1960-1964 World Series batting 8 for 30, 2 for 19, 4 for 23, 0 for 5 and 6 for 30 with 5 total home runs. On Dec. 8, he was traded to St. Louis for Charley Smith.
For the Cardinals in 1967 and 1968, he played in 125 and 100 games hitting .261 and .255 with 55 and 45 RBIs. He also played in the World Series those years going 10 for 26 and 3 for 19. In his 12-year MLB career, Roger batted .260 in 1,463 games and 5,101 at bats with 851 RBI and 275 home runs. His OBP was .348 and he had a .476 slugging %. His career fielding average was .982.
In 1985, Maris said, "I always come across as being bitter. I'm not bitter. People were very reluctant to give me any credit. I thought hitting 60 home runs was something. But everyone shied off. Why, I don't know. Maybe I wasn't the chosen one, but I was the one who got the record." He played from 1953-1956 in the minor leagues for 5 teams. He had 2 seasons with over .300 batting averages.
After his retirement in 1968, he received a Budweiser beer distributorship in Gainesville, FL, from Cardinals' owner Gussie Busch. Maris died on December 14, 1985, at the M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston from lymphatic cancer. He was buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Fargo, ND.
Fred Martin
Fred Turner Martin ("Freddie") was born in Williams, OK, on June 27, 1915. He pitched for the 1936 (7-9, 5.63 ERA) and 1937 (12-5, 2.98) Duluth Dukes. His 1937 season was interrupted for eight weeks by an appendectomy. He also made a few appearances for the St. Cloud Rox in 1960 when he was their player/manager.
He started his pro career in the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 1935 at Siloam Springs, AK as a walk-on. In 1938-39 he was with Portsmouth (Mid-Atlantic) for decent 16-9 and 16-13 records and in 1940 was with Columbus where he compiled a 17-13 mark. His break-through year was in 1941 for Houston (Texas) where his record was 23-6 including a league record of 13 straight wins and a low 1.52 ERA. On November 5, 1941, he was one of the first ball players to enter the service as he became was a member of the Army's coast artillery. On March 28, 1942, Martin was shipped to the Pacific where he remained on some obscure coral reefs for 3 years, 6 months and 12 days. He was then assigned to a motor transportation unit on Luzon in the Phillippines. By then, it was nearly the end of the war and, throughout it all, Fred certainly had little chance to play baseball.
In the spring of 1946, "The Sporting News" reported that Martin had been offered a lengthy highly-paid contract with the Mexican League's Don Jorge Pasquel, but he had also waited 11 years to pitch in the major leagues. He had attracted the attention of both leagues by playing in Cuba during the winter of 1945-46 even though he pitched with a sore shoulder. The St. Louis Cardinals' offer did not include much money but they told him he had a good chance to reach his dream of playing in the majors. He had a good spring training and did reach his dream. The pitcher became known as a "three-quarter righthander" who worked with little apparent effort, had excellent control and used a full, flowing follow-through with a good sinker,.
For the 1946 Cardinals, he was in 6 games including 3 starts for 29 innings allowing 29 hits and 8 walks with 19 strikeouts and a 4.08 ERA. Martin then answered the call from Mexico and began playing in the Mexican League. That caused a lifetime suspension from professional baseball by Commissioner Happy Chandler. Fred also played for Mexico City in 1947 (12-6, 2.71) and 1948 (16-9, 3.05). At some point during those years, Martin sued for reinstatement. An earlier suit by "jumper" Danny Gardella was winding through the courts and the prospects for victory in a jury trial by major league baseball appeared iffy. In June 1949, Chandler, faced with the prospect of lengthy litigation which may cause the end of baseball's reserve clause, offered to rescind the suspensions of Martin, Max Lanier and Sal Maglie if the players ended their law suits. In August, Fred Martin dropped his suit and returned to the Cardinals.
He appeared in 21 games (5 starts) for the Cards the rest of 1949 finishing 70 innings and giving up 65 hits and 20 walks for a 2.94 ERA. His big league stay ended after the 1950 season when he pitched in 30 games for the Cardinals allowing 87 hits and 30 walks in 63 innings for a 5.12 ERA.
In his MLB career of three seasons, Fred made 57 appearances for 162 innings giving up 181 hits and 58 walks while striking out 68 for a 12-3 record, a 3.78 ERA and a .281 OAV.
In the minors, he pitched from 1935-1941, 1947-1948 and 1951-1960 for 24 teams. He had 7 seasons with ERAs under 3.00 and he played four seasons in "AAA".
Fred stayed in baseball as a scout, minor league manager in 1954
and 1958-1960, a pitching instructor in the Cubs and Tigers
organizations for 14 years and a major league coach for the Cubs
(1961-1965) and White Sox (1979). He died on June 11, 1979, at the
Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Evanston, IL, from lung cancer. 
Joseph Clifton Martin was born on December 13, 1936, in Axton, VA. He played for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1958 (.330, 10 HR, 86 RBI). Martin had two grandfathers who were also named Joseph, therefore, to avoid confusion his family called him "J.C."
He played 3 games for the Chicago White Sox in 1959 (1-for-4) and was in 7 games in 1960 (2-for-20) as a third and first baseman. The 1961 season was his first complete one with the Sox playing in 110 games with a .230 batting average. The left hander's 1962 season was mostly at AA where he apparently was trained to become a full-time catcher, but he did appear in 18 games for the White Sox batting 2-for-26 and played his first games behind the plate. In fact, Martin did become a fine fielding catcher who was even successful handling Hoyt Wilhelm's knuckleballs.
From 1963 through 1967, he was the Sox Number one or two catcher with occasional games at first or third. In those years, he played in 105, 122, 119, 67 and 101 games with batting averages of .205, .197, .261, .255 and .234. In 1966 he suffered a broken finger which limited his play. On July 22, 1967, he was traded with Bill Southworth to the Mets for Ken Boyer.
In 1968-1969 he played for the Mets in 78 and 66 games batting .225 and .209. He played in 2 games of the 1969 NLCS going 1 for 2 as a pinch hitter [delivered a key bases loaded single in game one] and in the '69 World Series, he was in one game with no official at bat. [He bunted in the 10th inning of game 4 and was hit by the catcher's throw toward first which allowed Jerry Grote to score the winning run for the Mets. Orioles manager, Earl Weaver, claimed Martin had ran inside the foul line, but umpire Shag Crawford disagreed.] On Mar. 29, 1970, he was traded to the Cubs for Randy Bobb.
J. C. finished his career with the Cubs from 1970-1972 as he played in 40, 47 and 25 games as their back-up catcher hitting .156, .264 and .240. In his 14-year career he played in 908 games with 2,189 at bats, an average of .222, OBP of .293 and slugging % of .315. He was 16 for 109 as a pinch hitter. In the minors, he played for 9 teams from 1956-1960, 1962, 1973 and 1977. He had 4 years in "AAA". Martin was known as a weak hitter
In 1975, he worked with Harry Caray and Bill Mercer in the White Sox TV broadcast booth and said later that it was no fun trying to work with Caray.
He was a major league coach with the Cubs in 1974 and a low
minor's manager for the White Sox in 1985. He later entered the
cleaning business in Chicago. Martin now lives in Advance, NC.
Morris Webster Martin ("Lefty") was born in Dixon, MO, on September 3, 1922. He pitched for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1941 (16-7, 2.05 ERA). Martin played in the minors for ten years with a 3.09 ERA and 85-58 record.
Morrie was taken away from spring training in 1949 for three weeks because of an illness and eventual death in his family. However, he did first pitch in the majors that season for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 10 games including 4 starts. He gave up 39 hits, including 5 home runs, and 15 walks for a 7.04 ERA. During the 1950 spring training, he sprained his ankle and played the year in AAA. Martin came back in 1951 with the Philadelphia A's [obtained by a draft] and pitched through the 1953 season with them. During those years, he made 35 (3 starts), 5 (all starts) and 58 (11 starts) appearances with the limited games, in 1952, due to a broken finger. His ERAs were 3.78, 6.39 and 4.43. He had his career year in '51 going 11-4 and beating every AL club at least once before he collided with Indians' catcher Mike Hegan which ended his season.
In 1954, after 12 games with the A's (5.47), they traded him to the White Sox where he played 35 games for 70 innings giving up 52 hits and 24 walks for a 2.06 ERA. Morrie stayed all of the 1955 season with the Sox pitching in 37 games and 52 innings for a 3.63 ERA. Then, after 10 games in 1956, they sent him to the Orioles with whom he appeared in 9 games for a 10.80 ERA.
He went back to the minors for most of 1957, but did make 4 appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals with a 2.53 ERA. Morrie started the 1958 year with the Cards (17 games - 4.74 ERA) and then was traded to the Cleveland Indians where he pitched in 14 games and 19 innings for a 2.41 ERA. He ended his MLB career with the Chicago Cubs in 1959, with 3 games and a 19.29 ERA.
In a well-traveled 10-year journey, Morrie pitched 250 MLB games for 605 innings allowing 607 hits and 249 walks while striking out 245 for a 4.29 ERA and .262 OAV. His record was 38-34.
In the minor leagues from 1941-1942, 1946-1950, 1957 and 1959-1960, he pitched for 12 clubs. He had 5 years with ERAs under 3.00 and had 8 years at the AAA level.
Morrie served from 1943-1945 in World War II as a combat engineer and was wounded twice with shrapnel while in action. Martin was in the first wave at Omaha Beach on D-Day and was awarded a Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster along with a EAME ribbon and five bronze stars. Some of the operations which he was involved in were Torch, Overlord, Cobra and Battle of the Bulge.
Those operations included the amphibious landings at North Africa, Sicily and France. He was buried alive in Germany when the house he was in was shelled. Left for dead, he and two other soldiers clawed their way out over the next two or three days and rejoined their battalion. At the Battle of the Bulge, he suffered a bullet wound to the thigh and nearly lost a leg after gangrene set in. It took more than 150 shots of penicillin to spare him from an amputation.
He coached briefly after retiring as a player and, thereafter, he was in sales for the meat backing business. He also organized and coached youth baseball. Martin resided in Washington, MO, where he died at home from lung cancer on May 25, 2010. Burial was at the St. Francis Borgia Cemetery in Washington.
"A wonderful man," recalled baseball historian Bill
Swank. "So modest and unassuming."
Jose Martinez
Jose (Azuiz) Martinez was born on July 26, 1942, in Cardenas, Cuba. He played with the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1961 (.280, 4 HR, 36 RBI) and led the league in stolen bases.
Jose was a utility player (infield and outfield) for the 1969 Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in 77 games with 168 at bats and a .268 batting average. His OBP was .309 and his fielding average was .973. He ended his stay in the majors with 19 games with the Bucs, in 1970, getting 1 hit in 20 at bats.
In his career, he was in 96 games with a .245 batting average, .286 OBP and .293 slugging %. His fielding average was .966. His only home run was a grand slam on September 8, 1969, in the 9th inning to win a game for the Pirates.
He played in the minor leagues from 1960-1966 and 1968-1974 for 14 teams. He had 2 years with averages over .300, but was best known for his fielding.
Jose became a Royals' minor league manager in 1977-79, major league coach/scout for the Royals from 1980-88, coach for the Cubs in 1988-94 and was in the Braves front office as a special assistant in 1995 and worked there (also a scout) until his death on October 1, 2014, in Orlando, FL. He had lived in Miramar, FL.
Martinez played with Clemente and Stargell, tried to restrain George Brett during the Pine Tar game and coached under Don Zimmer. His importance to the Braves franchise should not be underestimated.
“Martinez’s greatest value came via his ability to relate and communicate with the Minor League players as they adjusted to life in professional baseball.” Jose’s job was to help acclimate the team’s Latin prospects to Major League Baseball and life in the U.S., and he was perfectly suited for it. We attended a Winter League game and visited both clubhouses. Jose seemed to know every player in there, from Pedro Feliz to Edwin Encarnacion. It was obvious they all liked, and respected, Jose.” --Mark Bowman
Tony Martinez
Gabriel Antonio (Diaz) Martinez was born on March 18, 1940, in Perico, Cuba. He played for the Minot Mallards in 1960 (.260, 1 HR, 59 RBI) and led the league second basemen in fielding percentage.
The infielder bounced between the Cleveland Indians and their "AAA" affiliate for four seasons - 1963 through 1966. In those years, he played in 43, 9, 4 and 17 games batting .156, .214, .000 and .294 as an utility shortstop and second baseman. On April 1, 1967, he was traded by St. Louis to the Mets with Jerry Buchek and Art Mahaffey for Ed Bressoud, Danny Napoleon and cash, but he never played for them.
In his career, he played in 73 MLB games with 175 at bats, a .171 average, .199 OBP and .200 slugging %. He was 3 for 10 as a pinch hitter and had a lifetime .958 fielding mark.
At one time, Tony was so well regarded that the Indians turned down a trade for Rocky Colavito. In the minors, he played from 1960-1968 for 11 teams with 8 being at the "AAA" level. In 1962, he led the International League in fielding.
It was reported in 1966 that Tony, who lived in the U.S,. married
a woman in Cuba, who he had not seen in seven years. The event took
place by telephone proxy. Martinez died on August 24, 1991, in Miami
and was buried at the Vista Memorial Gardens in Hialeah, FL.
Phillip Samuel Masi was born on January 6, 1916, in Chicago. He played for the Wausau Lumberjacks and the Eau Claire Bears in 1936 (combined .334, 10 HR, 64 RBI) and for Wausau again in 1937 (.326, 31, 102). He led the league in home runs in 1937 while playing at catcher, outfield, first base and third base. That year, Masi was also named to the league's All Star team as an utility player.
He was nicknamed "Butcher Boy" because he was discovered while working behind a butcher counter in Chicago by Johnny Mostil who brought him to play in Eau Claire. His contract was purchased by Cleveland in late 1937, but due to an "assignment" foul up, he was declared a free agent and signed with the Boston Braves after receiving a bonus. During spring training in 1939, he so impressed Braves' manager Casey Stengel with his hustle that he stayed with the team as a back up catcher.
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"In Game 1 of the 1948 World Series, the Braves' Phil Masi pinch-ran for fellow catcher Bill Salkeld as Johnny Sain and Cleveland's Bob Feller took a scoreless tie into the eighth inning. Feller attempted to pick Masi off, throwing to Lou Boudreau. It appeared that Masi had been picked off, but umpire Bill Stewart called Masi safe. Subsequent photos confirmed Masi should have been out. 'Ten years later, Stewart told me he blew the call,' noted Feller. Later in the inning, right fielder Tommy Holmes proceeded to single beyond the reach of third baseman Kenny Keltner, scoring Masi with the game's only run. Feller, who threw only 85 pitches, became the first pitcher to lose a World Series nine-inning two-hitter."
[Masi's will included a section indicating that he had, indeed, been out.]
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Phil was a Braves' catcher from 1939-1948. From '39 through '44, he shared the job with others (like starters Al Lopez, Ray Mueller and Ernie Lombardi) playing in 46, 63, 87, 57, 80 and 89 games batting .254, .196, .222, .218, .273 and .275. In 1944, he also played some first and third bases. Starting in 1945 and extending through the 1948 season, he was their starting catcher for 114, 133, 126 and 113 games hitting .272, .267, .304 and .253.
He led league's catchers in fielding % in 1947 and was selected for the All Star games each of those four years and played in the 1946-1948 contests. Phil was 1 for 8 in the '48 World Series. Masi was one the NL's top defensive catchers and was uncommonly fast for men of his position. His bat wasn't the best, but he became a starter with the Braves because he handled their pitchers well.
After 39 games for the Braves in 1949 (.210), they traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 15 for Ed Sauer where he played 49 games and batted .274. On Feb. 2, 1950, he was sold to the White Sox where he finished his career from 1950-1952 playing in 122, 84 and 30 games with .279, .271 and .254 batting averages. He led all AL catchers in fielding in 1950.
In his 14-year MLB career, he played in 1,229 games and had 3,468 at bats with an average of .264, OBP of .344 and .370 slugging %. His life-time fielding record was .983.
In the minor leagues from 1936-1938 and 1953, he played on five teams with three years of averages over .300.
Masi died on March 29, 1990, in Mt. Prospect, IL, after a long battle with cancer. He had lived there for many years. Burial was at Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines, IL
Paul Masterson
Paul Nicholas Nastasowski (later changed to Masterson) was born in Chicago on October 16, 1915. He pitched for the Wausau Lumberjacks in 1937 (12-14, 4.01 ERA), 1938 (14-9) and 1939 (13-14, 4.17).
Paul played briefly in three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. From 1940-1942, he appeared in 2, 2 and 4 games for 5, 11 and 8 innings with ERAs of 7.20, 4.76 and 6.48. In his career, the left hander had a 5.84 ERA and .271 OAV for his 8 games allowing 26 hits and 13 walks in 25 innings while striking out 14.
As a minor leaguer from 1937-1942, he played with six teams.
After baseball, Paul lived and worked in Chicago. He died there on
November 27, 1997. Burial (under the name Nastasowski) was at the
Evergreen Cemetery in Chicago.
John Thomas Matchick was born on September 7, 1943, in Hazleton, PA. He played for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1962 (.227, 0 HR, 10 RBI). After the season, he was taken by the Tigers in the minor league rookie draft.
Tom was a utility infielder from 1967-1972 for five teams. His first MLB experience came in September 1967 for the Detroit Tigers with whom he played 8 games and was 1-for-6 at the plate (0 for 5 as a pinch hitter). He stayed with them during the 1968 and 1969 seasons playing in 80 and 94 games batting .203 and .242. On July 19, 1968, he hit a 2-run home run off Moe Drabowsky with 2 outs in the 9th inning to give the Tigers a 5-4 win. In the 1968 World Series, he was 0-for-3 as a pinch hitter. On Dec. 13, 1969, he was traded to Boston for Dalton Jones.
With the Red Sox in 1970 he played 10 games (1-for-14) for them and was traded on May 28 to the Kansas City Royals where he finished the season batting .196 in 55 games. [On May 29 he broke his his right thumb and did not play until June 21.] Tom was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on May 11, 1971 for whom he played 42 games (.219) and finished his MLB career in 1972 for the Orioles in 3 games (2 for 9). On Apr. 5, 1973, he was traded to the Yankees for Frank Baker but never played for them.
In those 6 years, he played in 292 games and had 826 at bats hitting .215 with a .255 OBP and .270 slugging %. He played all four infield positions with a .967 fielding % and was 13-for-46 as a pinch hitter. "I have the utmost respect for utility players because it is tough to adjust and play many positions," Matchick was quoted. "They are underappreciated."
As a minor league player from 1962-1967 and 1971-1976, he played on 19 teams hitting over .300 in three seasons. He spent 10 years in "AAA".
Matchick became a sporting goods employee/salesman/manager in Toledo. Thereafter, he entered the photography business. By 2007, he was a vice-president of Great Lakes Aerocam, which is an aerial photography company. He also enjoys hunting for deer and turkey and playing golf. Tom is a member of the Hazeltine, Pennsylvania, Hall of Fame and lives in Holland, OH.
Please see a complete bio at sabr.org. 
John Matias
John Roy Matias was born in Honolulu on August 15, 1944. He played for the Aberdeen Pheasants in 1963 (.167, 0 HR, 0 RBI). On Nov. 29, 1967, Baltimore traded him to the White Sox in the Luis Aparicio deal.
John had one partial year in the majors. For the 1970 Chicago White Sox he played in 58 games and batted .188 in 117 at bats. The left hander's OBP was .215 and he had a .256 slugging %. His fielding average was .941 with 22 games in the outfield and 15 at first base. On Oct. 13, 1970, he was traded to Kansas City with Gail Hopkins for Pat Kelly and Don O'Riley but never played for them.
As a minor leaguer from 1963-1980, he played on 22 teams. He was in "AAA" for six years and the Mexican League for five seasons where he was also used as a "full-time" pitcher for 4 years. He hit near or over .300 in 9 seasons (including twice at class "AAA"). In a career 2,055 minor league games, he batted .292 with 158 home runs and 993 RBI.
After retiring as a player, Matias was a high-school coach (which he also had done during his off seasons as a player along with being a basketball referee). In 13 years at Pearl City High, his squads went to the state tournament 11 times and won it all twice. In 1993, John moved on to a private Catholic school - Damien Memorial. He retired in Aiea, HI, and after many years of battling diabetes died at home on April 7, 2020.
who
had some difficulties getting around in his later years because of
diabetes Please see a complete bio
at sabr.org. 
Larry Maxie
Larry Hans Maxie was born in Upland, CA, on October 10, 1940. He pitched for the Eau Claire Braves in 1958 (1-5, 3.61) as a Braves' "bonus baby".
Larry pitched in two games for the Atlanta Braves in 1969. He finished 3 innings allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one. His ERA was 3.00 and he had a .111 OAV. He struggled with his control throughout his career.
In the minor leagues, he pitched from 1958-1972 for 17 teams. He had 4 years with ERAs at or under 3.00, was at "AAA" for 10 years and pitched no-hitters in 1961 and 1965.
After his playing career, Larry has had various scouting
assignments: Atlanta in 1974, Philadelphia 1977-78, Toronto
1979-1986, Chi (AL) 1987, Scouting Supervisor for the White Sox in
1988-90 and the Cubs in 1991, National Cross Checker for Chi (NL)
1992-94, Western Regional Scouting Supervisor for the Cubs 1995-2000
and pro scout for Chi (AL) in 2001-05. Maxie is credited with signing
Brent Knackert, Randy Knoor, Greg Myers, Matt Stark, Dave Walsh and
David Wells. He still lives in Upland.
Charles Dallan Maxvill was born in Granite City, IL, on February 18, 1939. He played for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1960 (.257, 9 HR, 48 RBI) and 1961 (..238, 3 HR, 22 RBI).
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"A smart middle infielder who went on to become a Cardinals general manager, Dal Maxvill was an anemic .217 hitter. ... 'Dal' Maxvill earned a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Washington University to St. Louis and started his baseball career with Winnipeg of the Northern League in 1960. He later played in Charleston, Tulsa, Jacksonville and Indianapolis before reaching the majors with the Cardinals in 1962. He hit .200 in the 1964 World Series against the Yankees, returned to the World Series in 1967 and hit .158 and, a year later set a Series record for ineptitude by going 0 for 22 in the 1968 Fall Classic.
"Fortunately, Maxvill starred in the field. He won the Gold Glove at shortstop in 1968 and led NL shortstops in fielding percentage in 1970. At the same time his hitting reached an all-time low. He set NL records for fewest at bats, hits, doubles, long hits, batting average and slugging average for players who appeared in 150 or more games. In 1971 he once again led National League shortstops in fielding and he was traded to Oakland in time to play in the 1972 World Series. He moved to Pittsburgh the next season but returned to the Athletics in 1974 in time to play in one more Series..."
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Dal played 4 years as a part-time Cards' infielder from 1962-1965 batting .222. .235, .231 and .135 in 79, 53, 37 and 68 games. His fielding marks improved from .962 to .993 during those years. From 1966-1971, he was the starting Cardinals shortstop appearing in 134, 152, 151, 132, 152 and 142 games with averages of .244, .227, .253, .175, .201 and .225. He played 105 games for St. Louis in 1972 before being traded to the A's on Aug. 30 for two minor leaguers where he hit .250 in 27 games.
St. Louis sportswriter, Bob Broeg, called him "The Thin Man" and "Silhouette Shadow" and he had great range and a rubber arm. In 1970 he set a record for fewest hits (80), doubles (5) and total bases (89) for a player in 150 or more games. However, on April 14, 1969, against the Expos, he hit a grand slam which was the first ever in Canadian major league play.
In 1973, he was in 29 games for Oakland (.211) before being sold on July 7 to the Pirates for 74 games and a .189 average. He was with the Pirates for 8 games in 1974 (.182) and then went back to the A's for 60 more (.192). He finished with the A's in 1975 for 20 games batting .200.
He finished in the all-time top-20 for fielding average by a shortstop. He played in 1,423 games batting .217 with a .295 OBP and .259 slugging %. He hit .111 in 6 ALCS games and .115 in 23 World Series games, but also fielded 1.000 in all of his post season games.
In the minors from 1960-1962 and 1964, he played on 6 clubs with one year of hitting over .300. He was at the "AAA" level for 3 years.
When a player, Dal was involved in the operation of Cardinal
Travel Inc. and was a major coach for the A's (1975), Mets (1978),
Cardinals (1979-1980) and Braves (1982-1984). From 1985-1994, he was
the general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1996-97, he was a
spring training scout for the Yankees and continued as owner of the
travel agency although his sister ran the business for some 25 years.
He is now retired and travels the world His home is in Chesterfield,
MO. He also owns a condo in St. Petersburg.
Rudolph May was born on July 18, 1944, in Coffeyville, KS. He pitched for the 1963 Bismarck-Mandan Pards (11-11, 4.29 ERA).
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"Rudy May threw an exceptional curveball that he delivered at different speeds, a rising fastball, a sinking fastball and a changeup. Despite a respectable 3.46 lifetime ERA, the left-hander had a mediocre 152-156 record during his 16-year career with a weak Angels club in the early 1970s. May suffered 36 shutout defeats, accounting for nearly 25 percent of his losses. After leaving the Angels, his record was a much healthier 101-80. A deliberate worker, May wore wire-rimmed glasses. He often paused on the mound, removed the glasses, took a handkerchief from his back pocket and deliberately wiped the perspiration off the lenses between pitches.
"The Twins signed Rudoph May in 1962 and he started his career with Bismarck-Mandan in the Northern League in 1963, leading the league with 25 wild pitches. Drafted by the White Sox in December 1963, he played with Tidewater and Indianapolis before being swapped to the Phillies in October 1964. Two months later he was traded to the Angels for zany pitcher Bo Belinsky. In his 1965 major league debut, May started and allowed only one hit - a seventh-inning single to pinch hitter Jake Wood - but was removed in the ninth inning. He walked 78 batters in 124 innings that year and on June 3 he showed everyone why he was a pitcher and not a position player by striking out twice in the same inning. Sent back to the minors, he returned to the Angels in 1969.
"May twice struck out 13 batters in 1971 and he fanned 16 Minnesota Twins on August 10, 1972. He was 12-11 with a 2.94 ERA in 1972 and appeared ready for a breakthrough season. But in 1973 he lost a career-high 17 games. During one September contest against Oakland he walked 11 batters. Midway through the next season May was sold to the Yankees. The mid-to-late 1970s were May's most productive years. He went 8-4 for New York in 1974 then followed with a 14-12 mark the next season. On June 15, 1976, he was involved in a 10-player deal with the Orioles. A 15-game winner in 1976, he went 18-14 in 1977, with 11 complete games and four shutouts.
"In December 1977 May was traded to Montreal. He struggled in 1978 but flourished when moved to the bullpen the following season. In 1979 May was 10-3 with a 2.31 ERA. He then became a free agent and returned to the Yankees. New York won the AL East in 1980 and May played a key role; he was 15-5 and led the league with a 2.46 ERA. He started Game 2 of the ALCS but lost 3-2 to the Royals. An injury-prone player, May was on the disabled list for parts of 1971, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983 and all of 1984."
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Before he reached the majors, May was traded twice.
On Oct. 15,1964, he went from the White Sox to the Phillies for Bill
Heath and Joel Gibson. Then on Dec. 3, in the same year, he was
traded to the Angels with Costen Shockley for Bo Belinsky. In Rudy's
rookie season in 1965, he started 19 Angels' games and relieved in 11
more for a 3.92 ERA. Then from 1969-1973, with the Angels, he was in
their starting rotation for 25, 34, 31, 30 and 28 games and appeared
as a reliever in 19, 4, 1, 5 and 6 games pitching 181, 209, 208, 205
and 185 innings for ERAs of 3.44, 4.01, 3.02, 2.94 and 4.38.
In 1974, he was in 18 Angels' games (incl. 3 starts) with a 7.00 ERA before being sold to the Yankees where he pitched in 17 games (15 starts) for a 2.28 ERA. He was a Yankee for the complete 1975 season starting 31 games and relieving in one for 212 innings and a 3.06 ERA.
After 11 starts for the Bronx Crew in 1976 (3.57), Rudy went to the Orioles on June 15 in a 10-player trade [including Tippy Martinez, Scott McGregor and Rick Dempsey] for whom he had 21 more starts and 3 games in relief. In 152 innings, his ERA was 3.78. He was an Oriole through the 1977 season getting 137 starts for 252 innings and a 3.61 ERA. On Dec. 7, 1977, he was traded to Montreal in a 6-player deal [with Bryn Smith for Don Stanhouse and others]. His Expos years were in 1978-1979 when he made 23 and 7 starts and relieved in 4 and 26 games for 144 and 94 innings with 3.88 and 2.31 ERAs.
On Nov. 8, 1979, he signed as a free agent with the Yankees and was with them for the rest of his career of 1980-1983. Used most often as a reliever, he still got 17, 22, 6 and 0 starts, during those years, for ERAs of 2.46 (led the league), 4.14, 2.89 and 6.87. In game 2 of the 1980 ALCS, May pitched a complete game against the Royals, but lost 3-2.
His MLB career spanned 16 years and 535 games for 2,622 innings as he gave up 2,314 hits and 958 walks with 1,760 strikeouts, an ERA of 3.46 and OAV of .238.
As a minor leaguer from 1963-1964, 1966-1968 and 1982-1983, he pitched for 9 teams. He had ERAs under 3.00 for three of those teams and played at "AAA" for 3 years.
Rudy lives in Fresno, CA.
Arthur Lee Maye was born on December 11, 1934, in Tuscaloosa, AL. He played for the Eau Claire Bears in 1955 (.211, 0 HR, 2 RBI).
Maye moved with his family a number of times before settling in
Los Angeles. As a baseball player there he made the All-City team as
a junior at Jefferson High [he was 19]; but wasn't eligible to play
as a senior. Beginning in 1949, Maye was also playing semi-pro ball.
During those years, he was singing with a group of friends [such as
Jesse Belvin, Richard Berry (author of "Louie, Louie"), and
Cornell Gunter of the Coasters] who would create what was called the
"Jeff High" They formed a singing group, Arthur Lee Maye
and the Crowns, with Berry and others, and begin a recording career
while in high school. However, when there was the choice, baseball
won. Lee said later he'd wanted to play ball "ever since I was
big enough to know myself... That was my dream."
After
graduating from high school in June 1954, Maye signed a contract with
the Milwaukee Braves organization represented by scout Johnny Moore.
He was assigned to Boise [Pioneer], where he played 78 games and hit
well, scoring 72 runs. In 1955, Lee played in four different leagues
and finished up the season in the Class "B" Three-I League,
where he also spent all of the 1956 season. For Evansville, he led
the league in hits, runs, and RBI and had a three-home run game on
June 21. He finished second in the league's MVP balloting.
Maye played winter ball in the Dominican Republic and earned a promotion to Class "A" South Atlantic League in 1957 where he continued to show power. An All-Star, he finished second with 23 home runs splitting time between outfield and third base. However, his batting average dropped from .330 to .264, but they did add him to their 40-man roster that winter.
Maye went to spring training in 1958 with the Braves, but was optioned to Wichita [Amer. Assoc.]. He didn't play much there and was dropped to Austin of the Texas League. The club's President said Maye was one of the best players they'd ever had, despite a mid-May injury suffered when he jammed a shoulder sliding back to first which forced Lee to throw underhand. He was then regarded as one of the fastest men in Organized Baseball, running 100 yards in under ten seconds. Again Lee made the All-Star team and finished third in batting average. In the winter, he played for Caguas in the Puerto Rico League.
In 1959, Maye spent the season in the American Association, where he demolished the league's pitching. By mid-July, he had a lead of 13 RBIs over his nearest rival, and had a slugging % of .640 when he was called up by Milwaukee. His role was to replace the slumping Wes Covington. He played in 51 games as a left handed outfielder batting .300 in 140 at bats.
Following the season, Maye was scheduled to be part of a National League Negro All-Star barnstorming team, but he decided to play in Puerto Rico instead. When he failed to show at their first game, Ford Frick ordered him to join the team or be fined. Maye made it back to the mainland in time for the second game. He was involved in another dispute that year as a paternity suit was brought by a young woman and Maye was found to be the father and ordered to support the child.
In 1960, he was in 41 games and hit .301 with 83 at bats (2 for 17 as a pinch hitter). Then from 1961 through 1964, he became a semi-regular playing in 110, 99, 124 and 153 games batting .271, .244, .271 and .304 hitting over 10 home runs each year. In 1963 he was 14 for 16 in stolen bases and in 1964 he led the league in doubles with 44. [He won the Braves' left field job in the spring of 1961, but re-injured his shoulder on opening day. He played sparingly the rest of April, but recovered in May, and started playing regularly against right-handed pitchers. Using a shorter stroke, he began showing some of the power he'd displayed in the minors. In 1962, his health again was a problem early in the season. A respiratory infection forced him into in a San Francisco hospital for nearly two weeks in mid-April and he didn't play for two months. That illness cost him 15 pounds and left him weak. He was back at the hospital briefly in June complaining of a rapid heartbeat and difficulty breathing. Although he didn't fully recover all season, he was well enough to play regularly in the second half of the season in center field.]
After 15 games with the Braves in 1965, he was traded to Houston on May 13 for Ken Johnson and Jim Beauchamp where he played in 108 games with an average of .251. He was back with the Astros in 1966 for 115 games and a .288 hitting average. On Jan. 4, 1967, he was traded with Ken Retzer to Cleveland for Jim Landis, Doc Edwards and Jim Weaver. In 1967-1968, for Indians, he batted .259 and .281 in 115 and 109 games.
The Indians sent him to the Senators on after 43 games in June 20, 1969 (.250). With Washington, he was in 71 more games for a .290 mark. He was a Senator for 96 games in 1970 (.263) and then was sold to the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 10 where he played in 6 games as a pinch hitter (1 for 6). The 1971 season was his last as he finished with the Sox with 32 games (.205). In May 1971 he pulled a muscle, and then suffered another shoulder injury, limiting him mainly to pinch-hitting duty. On July 7, the White Sox released him. Unable to interest another Major League club, Maye signed with the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League.
In 13 seasons, 1,268 games and 4,048 at bats, Lee batted .274 with a .324 OBP and .410 slugging %. He hit 94 home runs and had 419 RBIs. His fielding % was .970 and as a pinch hitter, he was 57 for 260.
In the minor leagues from 1954-1960 and 1971-1972, he played on 13 teams hitting over .300 for eight. He played at the "AAA" level for five years.
Before, during and after his baseball career, music filled his life. As "Arthur Lee Maye and the Crowns", he [a tenor and lead singer] recorded several singles for the RPM label and had local hits like "Truly"[which sold 90,000 records], but they never broke out as a national act. They were hurt, of course, by the fact that Maye could only work with the group during the off season. They moved to the Specialty label in 1955, but that didn't help, so in 1957, Maye joined a group organized by Johnny Otis known as the "Jayos". With them Jayos, Maye recorded his only album made up mainly of covers of other artist's hits. He was also still working with the Crowns, recording on small labels such as Flip, Cash, but due to lack of success and Maye's schedule, they broke up.
Maye continued recording singles as a solo act and occasionally for major labels such as Columbia and ABC-Paramount. He was sometimes billed on record as "Lee Maye of the Milwaukee Braves". During baseball seasons, he would sometimes perform in nightclubs and sang occasionally with "The Platters". After his playing career, he sang lead with a group called the "Country Boys and City Girls", and made a few more solo recordings. He continued working in music right to the end of his life, having booked a European tour.
For about 10 years, after his playing career, he attempted to find
a job in professional baseball. However, there were few non-playing
jobs for blacks and Maye had not always been the easiest person to
get along with [he had spoken out about racism and got into several
fights with teammates and coaches]. To make a "real"
living, he took a couple of jobs as a clothing salesman in L.A., and
then worked for Amtrak for 12 years in food service and baggage
handling before he retired.
After a brief illness, Maye died
on July 17, 2002, in Riverside, California, of pancreatic cancer.
Burial was at the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, CA.
You can read an interview with Lee, from 2001, at:
http://www.astrosdaily.com/players/interviews/Maye_Lee.html
Ernie McAnally
Ernest Lee McAnally ("Mac") was born in Pittsburg, TX, on August 15, 1946. He played for the Mankato Mets in 1967 as
an outfielder (.246, 2 HR, 27 RBI). In 1968, he switched to pitching because he felt he could not make it as a hitter. McAnally was taken by the Montreal Expos, from the Mets organization, in the expansion draft. Ernie attended Paris Community College.
After pitching for three years in the minors, Ernie came up to Expos in 1971 for 31 games (11-12) including 25 starts for 178 innings, a 3.90 ERA and .228 OBP. The right hander continued as a starter from 1972-1974 for 27, 24 and 21 games with occasional relief appearances. He pitched 170, 147 and 129 innings during those years for ERAs of 3.81, 4.04 and 4.48 and OBPs of .259, .274 and .256.
In his career, he appeared in 112 games and 623 innings giving up 599 hits and 268 walks while striking out 351. His ERA was 4.03 with a .253 OBP. He was known for a very good fastball and a good sinker.
As a minor leaguer from 1966-1971 and 1975, he pitched for five clubs and was an outfielder for two more.
McAnally lives in Mount Pleasant, TX. 
Von McDaniel
Max Von McDaniel was born on April 18, 1939, in Hollis, OK. He played for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1960 as a position player (.279, 10 HR, 70 RBI), but did make a few pitching appearances (0-0). He was the younger brother of 21-year major league pitcher Lindy McDaniel.
At age 18 and after signing a $50,000 contract, Von made his professional debut in the major leagues, with the Cardinals for 17 games (13 starts) and 87 innings allowing 71 hits and 45 walks while striking out 45 for a 3.22 ERA and .233 OAV. In his first start on June 26, he shut out the Dodgers 2-0 allowing only two infield hits and then he one-hit the Pirates on July 28. In 1958, he appeared in 2 games including one start for 2 innings giving up 5 hits and 5 walks for a 13.50 ERA. Von had developed tightness in his shoulder that caused a hitch in his delivery and a case of pitching ineffectiveness.
In 1959, he returned to the minors and became an infielder, but also pitched full-time that year. Thereafter, except for very sporadic mound appearances, he attempted to get back to the majors with only his bat. He never made it because he was not a major league prospect as a hitter.
He played in the minors in 1958 as a pitcher, 1959 as a hitter/pitcher and 1960-1966 as a hitter. All told, he played with 12 minor league clubs including 3 at AAA. The high point of his career as a position player was hitting .260 with occasional power as third baseman for San Antonio in 1964, in a lineup that won the Texas League pennant. All of the other regulars were promoted to Houston within a year or less or had already been in the big leagues including: catcher Dave Adlesh, first baseman Chuck Harrison, second baseman Joe Morgan, shortstop Sonny Jackson, outfielders Aaron Pointer, Brock Davis, and Leo Posada. Also pitchers Chris Zachary and Darrell Brandon were promoted.
Von served in the U.S. Army Reserves and became the head of
Business Development for a Houston bank living in Pinehurst, TX. Then
he moved to his home town of Hollis and became a farmer, preached at
the Vinson Church of Christ and was a finance accountant. He died on
August 20, 1995, at the Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton,
OK. His burial was at the Dobson Cemetery in Dobson, OK.
Jim McDonnell
James William McDonnell ("Mack") was born in Gagetown, MI, on August 15, 1922. He caught for the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in 1940 (.302, 0 HR, 6 RBI).
In September 1943, Mack made his MLB debut in 2 games for the Cleveland Indians (0-for-2). In 1944, he was in 20 games with 43 at bats with a .233 average and caught 13 games. In 1945 he appeared in 28 games and hit .196 with 23 games as a catcher. Life-time he was in 50 games with 95 at bats (0-for-12 as a pinch hitter), a OBP of .272, slugging % of .232 and fielding mark of .953..
As a minor leaguer, he played from 1940-1944, 1946 and 1948 for six teams with two being at the "AAA" level. He hit over .300 for two seasons.
McDonnell died on April 24, 1993, in Detroit.
William Henry McEnaney was born on February 14, 1952, in Springfield, OH. He pitched for the Sioux Falls Packers in 1970 (3-10, 5.17 ERA).
Will was promoted to the majors in July 1974 and spent 1974-1976 with the Cincinnati Reds. Used strictly as a reliever, he pitched in 24, 70 [2nd in the NL] and 55 games for 27, 91 and 72 innings with ERAs of 4.33, 2.47 and 4.85. His best season was in 1975 (15 saves, 5-2) when he was the number-two man out of the World Champion Reds' bullpen. In fact, he saved game 7 of the World Series getting Carl Yastrzemski to fly to center for the final out in the 4-3 win. In 1976, he tied a World Series mark with 2 saves [which came in games 3 and 4]. On Dec. 16, 1976, he was traded with Tony Perez to Montreal for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray.
In 1977, the left hander pitched in 69 games for the Expos finishing 87 innings with a 3.95 ERA. On Mar. 29, 1978, he was traded to Pittsburgh for Tim Jones. Most of his 1978 season was spent at AAA, but he did appear in 6 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 10.38 ERA. His last MLB year was 1979 as he was in 45 games for the St. Louis Cardinals compiling a 2.95 ERA.
In his six MLB years and 269 games, he completed 350 innings allowing 380 hits and 95 walks with 148 strikeouts, a 3.76 ERA and .279 OAV.
In the minor leagues, he pitched from 1970-1974, 1978-1980, 1982 and 1985 for 11 teams. He had ERAs under 3.00 in five years and was in "AAA" for five years.
For 12 years, McEnaney owned a successful bathtub refinishing
business that ended during the recession of 2008-11. In 2010, he was
a salesman at Dick's Sporting Goods in Wellington, FL, and during the
baseball season, he operates the scoreboard at Roger Dean Stadium in
Palm Beach, FL. McEnaney works spring training games and class "A"
games played there. Will lives in Boca Raton, FL.
Orlando Dejesus (Quesada) McFarlane was born on June 28, 1938, in Oriente, Cuba. He played for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1959 (.289, 7 HR, 23 RBI). Orlando was originally an infielder.
Orlando was a rookie in 1962 for the Pittsburgh Pirates catching in 8 games and going 2-for-23 at the plate. He stayed with the team the complete 1964 season appearing in 37 games and batting .244 with 78 at bats. He played his next MLB games with the Detroit Tigers in 1966 hitting .254 in 49 games with 5 home runs.
On April 10, 1967, he was sold to California where he finished with his career in 1967-1968 for 12 and 18 games with .227 and .290 batting averages.
His career totals, in 5 years: 124 games and 292 at bats with a .240 average, .291 OBP and .332 slugging %. His fielding average in 92 games playing defense, was .985.
As a minor leaguer from 1958-1963, 1965 and 1968-1971, he caught for 14 clubs. He hit over .300 in seven seasons and played at the "AAA" level for seven years.
Orlando was a Golden Gloves boxer in Cuba before playing pro
baseball. He lived in Royal Palm Beach, FL, the last years of his
life and died on July 18, 2007, in Ponce, PR, due to throat cancer.
Interment was at the Civil Cemetery in Ponce. 
Mickey McGuire
M. C. Adolphus McGuire was born in Dayton, OH, on January 18, 1941. He played for the Aberdeen Pheasants in 1960 (.225, 3 HR, 57 RBI).
Mickey made six game appearances in 1962 for the Orioles going 0-for-4 at the plate and played at shortstop in five games. He played his final MLB games in 1967 for the O's hitting .235 in 17 at bats and 10 games (played at second base in 4 games). He was perfect in the field, during his MLB games, handling 10 chances without an error and was 1-for-7 as a pinch hitter. His big league hits were all singles.
Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson once told Mickey "If I had not beaten you to the big leagues, you would have been playing 3rd for the Orioles." Mickey also played two years in Japan.
His minor league career lasted from 1960-1972 with 15 teams. He hit over .300 in three years and spent 10 seasons in "AAA".
McGuire became an agent for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in Dayton where he has lived for many years. Mickey is now an instructor for "Ted Mills Baseball Instruction" in downtown Dayton.
Dennis Dale McLain was born in Chicago on March 29, 1944. He pitched for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1963 (13-2, 2.55 ERA).
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"In 1968 Denny McLain became the only pitcher in the second half of the 20th Century to win 30 games in one season and he led Detroit to the American League pennant and world championship. Five years later, arm injuries and a gambling problem pushed him into bankruptcy and out of baseball. Dennis Dale McLain signed with the White Sox for $17,000 in 1962. In his first professional game, the hard-throwing righthander pitched a no-hitter for Harlan of the Appalachian League. McLain was one of three young bonus pitchers in the White Sox organization, but only two of them could be protected on the major league roster. In spring training of 1963, the White Sox matched McLain against fellow bonus baby Bruce Howard in an exhibition game. When Howard won, 2-1, McLain was left unprotected. The Detroit Tigers quickly drafted him.
"McLain spent most of the 1963 season with Knoxville in the Sally League and then was called up to Detroit at the end of the season, pitching three games and winning twice. A few days later, he eloped with Sharyn Boudreau, daughter of Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau. McLain opened the 1964 season with Syracuse but was soon called back up to Detroit. He appeared in 19 games, going 4-5, but struck out 70 batters in only 100 innings. In 1965 he developed a curveball and changeup and worked his way into the Tigers starting rotation. He made 29 starts, completing 13 of them and went 16-6, striking out 192 in 220, including 14 in 6 2/3 innings of relief against the Red Sox on June 15. During the game he tied what was then an AL record by striking out seven consecutive batters.
"McLain won 20 games in 1966, but his ERA skyrocketed to 3.92. Although his fastball was first-rate, his other pitches were substandard. In 1967 Tigers' pitching coach Johnny Sain taught him to threw a sidearm slider. Starting slowly the next year, McLain developed confidence in the slider, won his first game on April 21, and finished the season with 17 victories. McLain was ill-equipped to deal with the sudden onslaught of fame. He was both brash and immature, yet his instant success led him to believe that life was all too easy. In the go-go late 1960s, he lived a sort of twisted, mod lifestyle, reaping the benefits of early fame without a clue to its true meaning and significance.
"The city of Detroit fell in love with McLain in 1968. He made the sportswriters' lives easy with his off-the-cuff quips. He drank a case of Pepsi a day and bragged that his success was because of his off-season bowling. At the All-Star break he was 16-2. By late August he was famous. Between pitching starts, McLain appeared on the 'Today' show, 'The Ed Sullivan Show', the 'Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' and a host of other programs. He was featured in 'Life' and 'Time' as be briefly became baseball's poster boy for the younger generation.
"When he won on September 14, beating Oakland, he became the first pitcher in win 30 games since 1934, when Dizzy Dean won 30 for the Cardinals. Detroit won the AL pennant by 12 games. McLain finished 31-6, striking out 280 in 336 innings and pitching 28 complete games with an ERA of 1.96. He won both the Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player Award in the Year of the Pitcher. The Tigers met St. Louis in the World Series. Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson had put up numbers similar to McLain's that year. Although Gibson won only 22 games, he ERA was a gaudy 1.12. The two pitchers faced each other twice in the Series and Gibson won each time, 4-0 in Game 1 and 10-1 in Game 3. But the Tigers Mickey Lolich picked up the slack. Although McLain finally collected a victory in Game 6, Lolich won three times, beating Gibson in Game 7 to give Detroit the world championship.
"McLain followed up in 1969 with another fine season, winning 24 games with a 2.80 ERA and leading the AL in games started, with 41, and innings pitched, with 325. McLain shared the Cy Young Award with Baltimore's Mike Cuellar. Then the bottom fell out. He was pitching too much and living too fast. Before the 1970 season, a story appeared in 'Sports Illustrated' that linked McLain to gamblers and Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended him for half the season. McLain was forced into bankruptcy. Shortly after his return to play, the Tigers suspended him for a week after he dumped a bucket of water on a sportswriter. Kuhn subsequently suspended him again for carrying a gun. He finished the year at 3-5.
"He was traded to the Washington Senators in a deal that Washington Ted Williams didn't endorse. McLain and Williams detested each other. Although McLain managed to pitch 217 innings in 1971, the results were disastrous. He lost a league-high 22 games, his ERA was 4.27 and his arm was starting to fail him. Too many cortisone shots had taken their toll. Washington dumped him on Oakland, for whom he appeared in only five games in 1972 before being sent to the minor leagues. In late July he was traded to the Braves for Orlando Cepeda. McLain's career with the Braves didn't last long. He went 3-5 in 15 games and was released. He attempted a comeback in 1973, appearing for Des Moines in the American Association and Shreveport of the Texas League, but his arm had lost its magic. McLain was out of baseball by age 30.
"He went into television and radio work in Detroit, ran nightclubs and then worked for the class AAA Memphis Blues. When the team went under, McLain filed for bankruptcy again. His house burned to the ground in 1978, destroying all his baseball awards. They were replaced on Denny McLain Day at Tiger Stadium in 1982, but MecLain's personal nightmare was just beginning. In 1985 he was convicted of extortion, racketeering and drug possession. A decade later he went to prison again. Although many fans consider McLain a one-year wonder, his career numbers aren't that shabby. During his career he yielded an average of 10.47 baserunners per nine innings, a better ratio than Hall of Famers Dizzy Dean, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Carl Hubbell, Robin Roberts and Warren Spahn."
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Denny first came up to the Tigers in September 1963 for 3 starts and a 4.29 ERA. For the partial MLB season of 1964, he appeared in 19 games including 16 starts for a 4.05 ERA. Then his good years began. From 1965-1969, he started 29, 38, 37, 41 and 41 games with an amazing 220, 264, 235, 336 and 325 innings for ERAs of 2.61, 3.92, 3.79, 1.96 and 2.80.
Following his troubled 1970 season (14 g, 91 inn, 4.63 ERA), he was traded to Washington on Oct. 9 in an 8-player deal and became a heavily used starter for the Senators with 32 starts, 217 innings and a 4.28 ERA. On Mar. 4, 1972, he was traded to Oakland for Don Stanhouse and Jim Panther where his career ended that season (5 g, 22 inn, 6.04 ERA) and the Braves [optained on June 29 for Orlando Cepeda] (15g, 54 inn, 6.50 ERA).
Overused, his career was done after 10 years, 280 games and 1,889 innings. He gave up 1,646 hits and 548 walks while striking out 1,262. He life-time ERA was 3.39 with a .234 OAV and 131-91 record.
He was in the minors from 1962-1964 and 1972-1973 for 8 teams. He had ERAs under 3.00 for 2 seasons and had 2 years at AAA.
Was G.M. McLain the reason for the Memphis Blues bankruptcy in 1977? In other situations, he had many problems with the law that included: He was sentenced to 25 years in 1985 after being convicted of racketeering, extortion and drug possession. He served 29 months before his conviction was overturned on appeal. He was re-indicted, agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a 12-year sentence (which was suspended) and five years probation. In 1994 he and some partners bought a meat-packing company in Michigan. It went bankrupt two years later, with McLain and his partners looting not only the company assets but the employees' pension fund. He was convicted in December 1996 of conspiracy, theft, money laundering, and mail fraud. He was sentenced to eight years, but released in October of 2003. He lived in a half-way house for a time and his current mailing address is in Pinckney, MI.
In 2007, his autobiography "I Told You I Wasn't Perfect" was published and he writes a column and blogs for "In Play!" magazine, which is a Detroit sports publication.
On April 11, 2008, Oakland County deputies went to McLain's house to evict him and change the locks in a foreclosure action. He was then arrested without incident after deputies discovered an outstanding warrant against him for failing to appear for a January 16 court hearing in a civil case.
Wayne
McLeland
Wayne Gaffney McLeland ("Nubbin") was born on August 29, 1924, in Milton, IA. He pitched for the Duluth Dukes in 1942 (1-1).
Wayne had two brief stints with the Tigers. In 1951, he pitched in six games including one start for 11 innings allowing 20 hits and 4 walks for a 8.18 ERA. In 1952, he was used as a reliever in four games finishing 2 2/3 innings giving up 4 hits, 6 walks and a 10.13 ERA. He did not strike out anyone in his MLB career and his OAV was .407.
McLeland holds the record for most career appearances without recording a strikeout (10 games).
In the minors from 1942 and 1946-1955, he pitched for 16 teams. He had two years with ERAs under 3.00 and was at the "AAA" level for 7 seasons. He was the 1950 Texas League Pitcher of the Year. In the Fall of 1947, he was traveling back to Iowa from California and was in a bad automobile crash in New Mexico which left him with a severe brain concussion, a broken collarbone and deep facial and scalp cuts.
Wayne was in the U. S. Army from 1943-1945 and was assigned to the quartermasters corps of Merrill's Marauders in Burma. They were assigned to pick up supplies that were airlifted, load them on mules and take them to the front lines.
After baseball, he became a supervisor at Goodyear Corporation in
Houston having worked for the company for 35 years. He died on May 8,
2004, with cancer in Friendswood, TX. Burial was at the Forest Park
Lawndale Cemetery in Houston.
Gerald Edward McNertney was born in Boone, Iowa, on August 7, 1936. He played for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1959 (.230, 2 HR, 33 RBI). Jerry played baseball (hit .490 as a senior) and football in high school. At Iowa State U. he was named "most aggressive player" and hit .302 as a junior and .315 as a senior. In the minors, he began as a first baseman, but switched to catcher in 1961.
Jerry was the Chicago White Sox' back-up catcher from 1964-1968 [except 1965 when he injured the whole year] playing in 73, 44, 56 and 74 games and batting .215, .220, .228 and .219. In 1969, he became a starter with the expansion Seattle Pilots for 128 games and a .241 average. He stayed with the organization when it moved to Milwaukee for 1970 and appeared in 111 games with a decent .243 batting average that year. On Oct 20, he was traded to St. Louis with George Lauzerique and Jessie Higgins for Carl Taylor and Jim Ellis.
In 1971-1972, he was with the St. Louis Cardinals for 58 and 39 games batting .289 and .208. On May 4, 1973, he was sold to the Pirates and played 9 games for them (1-for-4).
In a career 590 games and 1,423 at bats, he hit .237 with a .301 OBP and .338 slugging %. He was 20-for-92 as a pinch hitter and had a career fielding average of .987. As a minor leaguer from 1958-1965 and 1973, he played with 9 clubs hitting over .300 for 3 of those teams. He played in "AAA" for three years. In 1963, he led all International League catchers in fielding.
Jerry stayed in baseball coaching in the Yankees organization at their "AAA" farm team in Syracuse for 10 years. He was a major league coach with the Yankees in '84 and Boston in '88. McNertney left professional baseball following the 1988 season and spent eight years (1989-96) as an assistant coach at Iowa State working primarily with the catchers. He lived in Ames, IA, and now resides in Nevada, IA
Minnie Mendoza
Cristobal Rigoberto
(Carreras) Mendoza was born on November 16, 1933, in Ceiba Del Agua,
Cuba. He played on the 1957 Wausau Lumberjacks (.230, 5 HR, 43 RBI).
Mendoza was a 36-year-old rookie in his only MLB season in 1970 for the Minnesota Twins. He played in 16 games with 16 at bats and got 3 hits (.188), was 2-for-9 as a pinch hitter and played 9 games at third and second. Some say he is the subject of the term "Mendoza Line", but others say that term was named after another Mendoza - Mario.
In the minor leagues from 1954-1973, the RHB played on 23 clubs. He had five seasons hitting over .300, spent four years at "AAA" and 10 years with Charlotte in class AA including 1967 when he won the league batting championship. He led the Pioneer League in hits in 1959 and also the 1969 American Association when he batted .333. Mendoza played in 2,282 minor league games batting .287 with 176 stolen bases.
Minnie managed in the Mexican League in 1974, the Florida State League in 1981, the PCL in 1991 and in the Appalachian League in 1992. He was a major league coach with Baltimore in 1988 After the 1988 season, he became a roving minor league instructor in the Orioles organization. Records also show him as a minor league coach in '87 and 1994-97.
Mendoza has been the Cleveland Indians' Latin American Field Coordinator since 2000. He formerly lived in Miami and now resides in Concord, NC.
George Meyer
George Francis Meyer was born on August 2, 1909, in Chicago. He played with the 1942 Grand Forks Chiefs (.228, 1 HR, 22 RBI).
Meyer played his only MLB season - albeit partial - with the Chicago White Sox in 1938. He played 24 games and batted .296 in 81 at bats. The right hander's OBP was .387 and his slugging % was .370. Defensively, he played 24 games at second base with a .967 fielding %.
He played in the minor leagues from 1933, 1937-1940 and 1942 with eight teams. George served in the U S Navy during World War II.
Meyer died on January 3, 1992, at Hoffman Estates, IL, and is
buried at the Memory Gardens Cemetery in Arlington Heights, Il.
Russell Charles Meyer ("The Mad Monk") was born in Peru, IL, on October 25, 1923. He played on the Superior Blues in 1942 (7-6, 4.21 ERA).
Meyer's first MLB games were in 1946 for the Chicago Cubs. In 4 games (1 start), he pitched 17 innings allowing 21 hits and 10 walks for a 3.18 ERA. He was a full-timer in 1947-1948 for the North Siders appearing in 23 and 29 games, with 2 and 26 starts for 45 and 165 innings with ERAs of 3.40 and 3.66. On Oct. 11, 1948, he was sold to the Phillies.
From 1949-1950 he was with Philadelphia pitching in 37, 32, 28 and 37 games, mostly as a starter, for 213, 160, 168 and 232 innings with 3.08, 5.30, 3.48 and 3.14 ERAs. He appeared in relief for 2 games of the 1950 World Series completing 1 2/3 innings and giving up 4 hits for a 5.40 ERA. Meyer was traded to Brooklyn on Feb. 16, 1953, in a four-player/three-team deal.
With the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1953-1955 (he broke his shoulder blade in a collision in 1955) he was in 34, 36 and 18 games for 191, 180 and 73 innings compiling ERAs of 4.56, 3.99 and 5.42. He also was in the World Series of 1953 (1g, 4 1/3 inn, 8 h, 4 w, 6.23 ERA) and 1955 (1g, 5 2/3 inn, 4 h, 2 w, 0.00 ERA).
In June 1953, he caused media excitement when, after being ejected from a game, he was caught on television giving an objectionable gesture toward an umpire from the dugout. Warren Giles, the president of the National League, fined him $100 and suspended him for three days. In addition, it was reported that the Dodgers also fined him. Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick partially blamed television: "The fact is, television shares the responsibility with baseball in maintaining a high level of reportage through the cameras. Television must monitor itself. It must be cognizant of the fact that, while the dugout is in view of many fans, many players assume that it is in their private domain. Television must be careful about focusing its cameras on our dugouts. If the wrong picture is piped into the home, TV is injured just as badly as is baseball."
On Dec. 9, 1955, he was traded in a five-player deal to the Chicago Cubs. For the Cubs in 20 games during the 1956 season (6.32 ERA) and pitched one game for the Reds that year after being claimed on Sept. 1 waivers. On Apr. 13, 1957, Boston claimed him and he appeared in 2 games (5 inn, 5.40 ERA). Meyer finished his MLB career in 1959 with the Kansas City A's for 18 games and a 4.50 ERA.
In his 13-year major league career, the RHP pitched in 319 games and finished 1,531 innings allowing 1,606 hits and 541 walks while striking out 672. His ERA was 3.99 and he had a .271 OAV. He was known for his hot temper as he once threw a resin bag in the air after being taken out of a game - it landed on his head. And, after being knocked out of a game, he once threw his spikes at the shower ceiling where they stuck. His nickname came from a football player in the 1930's by the name of Monk Meyer. Since Russ also played football in high school, the name stuck.
Meyer is one of only three pitchers in Major League history have gone at least 23-straight road starts without a loss. During the 1953-54 seasons, he went 24 consecutive road starts without a loss.
As a minor league player in 1942, 1944-1946, 1957 and 1959, he played on seven teams with an ERA under 3.00 for one team. He was in "AAA" for two seasons. Meyer was also a rabid bench jockey and could lose his cool on the mound after just a base hit or infielder's error. He was also known as honest and warm-hearted seeing life as something you live fully, but take the consequences for bad actions. Meyer was certainly crude at times, but not malevolent.
Meyer served with the U.S. Army at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. While pitching for the base team against the St Louis Browns in 1943, Meyer suffered a ruptured appendix. Peritonitis resulted and he spent 13 weeks in hospital and lost 35 pounds. Russ received a medical discharge in 1943 and was told by Army physicians not to play ball for at least two years.
Meyer retired from baseball in 1959 and became part-owner of a
bowling alley in Gary, Indiana. He later coached baseball at Illinois
Valley Community College in LaSalle-Peru, Illinois, and served 12
years as a pitching coach in the Yankees' organization mostly as a
minor league coach. He was a major league coach with the Yankees in
1992. His death came from congestive heart failure on November 16,
1998, in Oglesby, IL. Burial was at the Peru City Cemetery in Peru,
IL.
Eugene Richard Michael ("Slick") was born in Kent, OH, on June 2, 1938. He played on the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1959 (.227, 1 HR, 43 RBI) and 1960 (.206, 2, 41). He attended Kent State.
Gene experimented with pitching in the minors for two years, but arrived with the Pirates in 1966 as an infielder. In 30 games, he hit .152 with 33 at bats (3 for 10 as a pinch hitter) and was used in 11 games. On Dec. 1, he was traded to the Dodgers with Bob Bailey for Maury Wills. The switch-hitter played with L.A. in 1967, as a shortstop, for 98 games batting .202. On Nov. 30, he was sold to the Yankees.
From 1968-1974 he played on the Yankees and was their starting shortstop through '73 in 119, 134, 139, 126, 129 and 81 games with batting averages of .272, .214, .224, .233, .225 and .260. His fielding averages, during those years ranged from .957 to .973. Gene ended his MLB career in 1975 with the Tigers for 56 games and a .214 average. Over his 10-year career, he was in 973 games and was at the plate 2,806 times with a .229 average, .290 OBP and .284 slugging %. His career fielding average was .962. He also appeared in one game as a pitcher for the Yankees (3 inn, 5 h, 0 w, 3 so, 0.00 ERA).
Michael was known for his smooth glovework, heads-up play and was a noted for performing the hidden-ball trick. In the minors from 1959-1966 for 9 teams, he hit over .300 in 2 seasons and spent three years at "AAA".
Gene is a graduate of Kent State University [played basketball, too] where they have named their baseball park after him. He became a minor league manager (pennant with Columbus in 1979), major league coach with the Yankees (1976-1978, 1984-1986, 1988-1989), major league manager for the Yankees (1981: 48-34 [won first-half title] and 1982: 44-42) and the Cubs (1986: 46-56 and 1987: 68-68) where he did not get along with GM Dallas Green.
Michael has also been the general manager of the Yankees (1980-81
and 1991-95) and was their Director of Major League Scouting from
1996-2002. In 2003, he became a Yankees vice president and senor
adviser. He had lived in Upper Saddle River, NJ, and passed away on
September 7, 2017, in Oldmar, FL from a heart attack. Burial was at
Curlew Hills Memorial Gardens in Palm Harbor, FL.
Peter James Mikkelsen was born on Staten Island on October 25, 1939. He pitched for the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in 1960 (13-10, 4.43).
Mikkelsen arrived in the majors as a Yankee side-arm relief pitcher for the 1964-1965 seasons. He pitched 50 and 41 games with decent 3.56 and 3.28 ERAs and .247 and .249 OAVs. In the 1964 World Series, the right hander was in 4 games and 4 2/3 innings where he gave up 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4 for a 5.79 ERA [he allowed Tim MacCarver's game-winning 3-run homer in the 10th inning of game 5]. Also in 1964, he appeared in more games for the Yankees then any other pitcher. On Dec. 10, 1965, Mikkelsen was traded to Pittsburgh with cash for Bob Friend.
In 1966 and most of 1967, he was in the National League with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 71 and 32 games, he compiled ERAs of 3.07 [with 14 saves] and 4.31 in 126 and 56 innings. Pete finished the 1967 season with the Cubs, after they claimed him on waivers on Aug. 4, for 7 games and 9 innings with a 6.43 ERA. After 3 games with the Cubs (5 inn, 7.71 ERA) [Apr. 22 he was traded to St. Louis in a four-player deal], his 1968 year was spent mostly in "AAA", but he also was in and 5 games with the Cardinals (16 inn, 1.13 ERA). On Oct. 21 he was sold to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He made a comeback and finished his MLB career with the Dodgers from 1969-1972 as he pitched in 48, 33, 41 and 33 games for 81, 62, 74 and 58 innings for ERAs of 2.77, 2.76, 3.65 and 4.06. Pete missed the beginning of the 1970 season when he contracted. mononucleosis. According to Tim McCarver, Pete's best pitches were his palm ball and sinker ball. He was also known for his durability.
In nine MLB seasons, Pete pitched in 364 games and 653 innings allowing 576 hits and 250 walks with 436 strike outs. His career ERA was 3.38 and he had a .237 OAV with 49 saves.
In the minors from 1958-1963, 1965 and 1968, he pitched for 13 clubs. He had four seasons with ERAs under 3.00 and was in "AAA" for two years. In 1965, he pitched a no-hitter for Toledo.
Pete became a farmer of grapes and asparagus in Prosser, WA, where
he lived until his death, on November, 29, 2006, in Mabton,WA.
Cremation followed. 
Hank Miklos
John Joseph Miklos was born on November 27, 1910, in Chicago. He played for the 1936 (6-8, 5.34 ERA), 1937 (16-15, 3.87), 1938 (12-17, 4.30) and 1939 (13-10, 4.05) Winnipeg Goldeyes.
After his 4 years in the Northern League, the left hander's only other professional games were with the Chicago Cubs in 1944. He pitched in 2 games and completed 7 innings giving up 9 hits and 3 walks for a 7.71 ERA and .333 OAV.
Miklos' son, John, also played minor league baseball. Hank died on
March 29, 2000, in Adrian, MI.
Bruce Miller
Charles Bruce Miller was born on March 4, 1947, in Fort Wayne, IN. He played for the 1970 Duluth-Superior Dukes (.276, 3 HR, 37 RBI). Bruce attended Indiana University.
On Aug 17, 1972, he was traded to the Angels with Bruce Kimm for Eddie Fisher and on Apr. 13, 1973, he was sent to San Francisco for Alan Gallagher.
Bruce was a utility infielder with the Giants from 1973-1976 when he played in 12, 73, 99 and 12 games with batting averages of .143, .278, .239 and .160 and OBP of .217, .319, .277 and .222. His only complete MLB year was in 1975.
He was used at third base in 115 games, at second for 41 and at short for 20. His career average was .246 with a .287 OBP and .291 slugging %. His fielding average was .944 and he was 4-for-28 as a pinch hitter. Miller was known as a slap-hitter.
As a minor leaguer from 1970-1974 and 1976, he played for seven teams with two years with averages over .300 and he spent four years at the "AAA" level.
Bruce lives in Fort Wayne.
Dyar K. Miller was born on May 29, 1946, in Batesville, IN. He pitched for the Huron Phillies in 1968 (0-0, 27.00 ERA). He began the year as a catcher.
Miller first played in the majors in June 1975 for the Baltimore Orioles. In 30 relief appearances that year, he finished 46 innings for a good 2.72 ERA and 8 saves. He also played the 1976 season and part of 1977 for the O's pitching in 49 and 12 games for 89 and 22 innings with ERAs of 2.94 and 5.64. On June 13, 1977, he was traded to California for Dick Drago.
He finished the 1977 year with the Angels in 41 appearances and 92 innings with a 3.02 ERA. Dyar also pitched all of the 1978 season and the first portion of the 1979 campaign with California. He appeared in 41 and 14 games with 85 and 35 innings compiling 2.66 and 3.31 ERAs. On June 6, 1979, he was sold to the Toronto Blue Jays where he appeared for 10 games in 1979 completing 15 innings with a 10.57 ERA and, on July 30, he was sold to Montreal for whom he never played.. He finished his MLB career with the New York Mets in 1980-1981 with 31 and 23 games for 42 and 38 innings compiling 1.93 and 3.29 ERAs.
Miller pitched in 261 MLB games and 465 innings allowing 459 hits and 177 walks while striking out 235. His ERA was 3.23 and he had an OAV of .264. In the minors from 1968-1975, 1979-1980 and 1982-1984, he pitched for 13 teams. He had 6 years with ERAs under 3.00 and was in "AAA" for 8 years. In 1970, Miller pitched a 7-inning no-hitter in the Texas League.
Dyar has a B.S. degree from Utah State University. He stayed in
baseball as a minor league pitching instructor for the Cardinals in
1985-1986, Detroit in 1989-1990 and Cleveland in 1991-1994 and was a
major league coach (White Sox 1987-1988). His assignment from
1995-2007 was as a Cardinals' minor league pitching instructor
(generally at "AAA") and from 2008-11 he was their minor
league pitching coordinator. In December 2011, he was named the
Cardinals major league bullpen coach. He also owned a farm in Indiana
in the 1980s and was an educator in Indianapolis during baseball's
off-season. Miller still lives in Indianapolis. 
Donald Ray Mincher was born in Huntsville, AL, on June 24, 1938. He played for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1956 (.282, 2 HR, 49 RBI) and 1957 (.288, 13, 80).
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"First baseman Don Mincher homered in his first World Series at bat in the 1965 Fall Classic, hitting one deep to the right field bleachers off Don Drysdale. It was his only Series four-bagger in a 13-year career that yielded 200 regular-season circuit clouts. Donald Ray Mincher began his pro career by turning down a U. of Alabama football scholarship to sign with the White Sox, .... After playing at Davenport and Charleston, in April 1960 he was traded along with catcher Earl Battey and $150,000 to the Senators for Roy Sievers.
"The next season he was in Minnesota, beginning a six-year stint with the club. On June 9, 1966, the power-hitting Mincher was one of five Twins to homer in a single inning. In December that year the team sent him to California in a deal that brought pitcher Dean Chance to Minnesota. In April 1968 Mincher was beaned by Cleveland's Sam McDowell, and that October he was selected by the Seattle Pilots in the American League expansion draft. That year he was immortalized in Jim Bouton's "Ball Four". In January 1970 he was traded to Oakland, where he led AL first basemen in errors. The A's dealt him to Washington in May 1971, but he was returned to Oakland. As a pinch hitter in that fall's World Series he went 1 for 3..".
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He made his first MLB appearances for the original Washington Senators in 1960 playing in 27 games and batting .241 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs in 27 games. The next 3 years he was used as a part-time first baseman and pinch hitter (9 for 45 in 1962) for the Twins playing in 35, 86 and 82 games batting .188, .240 and .258 with 5, 9 and 17 home runs.
In 1964-1966, the left hander, appeared in 120, 128 and 139 games hitting .237, .251 and .251 with 23, 22 and 14 home runs. He was 7-for-41, 6-for-29 and 3-for-8 as a pinch hitter during those years. His 1965 World Series batting record was 3-for-23 (.130), but he tied a record for first basemen in game 2 with 4 assists . On June 6, 1966, he was one of five Twins to hit homers in one inning. On Dec. 2, 1966, he was traded to California with Jimmie Hall and Pete Cimino for Dean Chance and Jackie Hernandez.
With the Angels in 1967-1968, he was their regular first sacker playing in 147 and 120 games batting .273 and .236 with 25 [5th in league] and 13 home runs. He appeared in the 1967 All Star game. On April 11, 1968, he was beaned by Sam McDowell and suffered from dizziness the rest of the season. In his Seattle Pilots' year of 1969, he hit .246 with 25 home runs in 140 games. Don appeared in his second and last All Star game that year. On Jan. 15, 1970, he was traded to Oakland with Ron Clark for four players.
For the Oakland A's in 1970-1971, he was in 140 and 28 games batting .246 and .239 and hit 27 and 2 home runs. In 1970, he lead AL first basemen in errors. On May 8, 1971, Mincher was sent to Washington in a five-player deal. There he spent the remainder of the 1971 season where he played in 100 games and batted .291 with 10 home runs. When the Senators moved to Texas, he was with the team playing in 61 games for a .236 average and 6 home runs. On July 20, 1972, he was dispatched to Oakland in a five-player trade where he finished the rest of the 1971 season (and his career) in 47 games batting only .148. In game four of the World Series, with the A's trailing 2-1 in the 9th inning with one out and two on, Don's pinch hit single tied the score and Oakland went on to win the game and the series.
He hit a career .249 with a .351 OBP and .450 slugging % in 1,400 games and 4,026 at bats. His life-time fielding % was a good .990 and he was 42-for-221 as a pinch hitter. [Mincher was the only player to play for the original Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, expansion Washington Senators and the Texas Rangers]. In the minors from 1956-1961, he played on 6 teams with 2 years of hitting over .300. He had two seasons in "AAA".
Don later operated a sporting goods store and became the general manager of the Huntsville team in the AA Southern League from 1985-2000. From 2001-11, Mincher was been president of the Southern League. He died at home in Huntsville, AL, after a long illness on March 4, 2012. Burial was at the Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville.
George Eugene Mitterwald was born in Berkeley, CA, on June 7, 1945. He played for the St. Cloud Rox in 1965 (.325, 3 HR, 20 RBI) and 1966 (.133, 2, 0). George attended Chabot College.
In the same year that he had his last stint with the Rox, he made his debut in the majors as a catcher for the Twins. It was September 1966 and he was 1-for-5 in 3 games. He played 11 games for Minnesota in 1968 going 7 for 34 (.206). With the Twins from 1969-1973 he played in 69 [backed up Johnny Roseboro], 117 [became a regular], 125, 64 and 125 games batting .257, .222, .250, 184 and .259 with 16 homers in 1973, 15 in 1970 and 13 in 1971. He was in the 1969 and 1970 ALCS batting 1-for-7 and 4-for-8 in 2 and 3 games. On Dec. 6, 1973, he was traded to the Cubs for Randy Huntley.
He played his last 4 years with the Cubs from 1974-1977, backing up Steve Swisher the first four years, with 78, 84, 101 and 110 games batting .251, .220, .215 and .238. In his 11-year MLB career, he played in 887 games and had 2,645 at bats hitting .236 with a .298 OBP and .362 slugging %. His fielding % was .987 as he also played 36 games at first base. George was 11 for 66 as a pinch hitter.
In the minor leagues from 1965-1968 and 1978, he played on 8 clubs with 2 seasons hitting over .300.
George stayed in baseball as a minor league manager (1983-87) and major league coach with Oakland (1979-1982) and the Yankees (1988). From 1996-1998, he managed the Duluth Dukes in the independent Northern League. He lives in Orlando.
Blais Monaco
Blais Monaco was born in San Antonio on November 16, 1915. He played with the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in 1935 (295, 11 HR, 48 RBI), 1936 (.274, 8 40) and 1937 (.327, 9, 42).
Blais came up to the Cleveland Indians in August 1937 as a second baseman playing in 5 games and going 2-for-7 at the plate. His next (and last) MLB action was in 1946, for the Indians, when he went 0-for-6 as a pinch hitter.
As a long-time minor leaguer from 1935-1944 and 1946-1949, he played on 18 teams. He had three years with averages over .300 and played at the "AAA" level for six seasons.
He died on February 10, 2000, in San Antonio. He was interred at
Holy Cross Cemetery in San Antonio. 
Vern Morgan
Vernon Thomas Morgan was born on August 8, 1928, in Emporia, VA. He played a few games on the 1962, 1963 and 1964 Bismarck-Mandan Pards as their player/manager. Vern attended the University of Richmond.
The LHB played 24 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1954 as a third baseman/pinch hitter batting .234 with 64 at bats (1-for- 7 as pinch hitter). His last appearances were in 1955 for 7 games going 1-for-7.
As a minor leaguer from 1948-1951 and 1954-1964, he played on 20 clubs with seven seasons of hitting over .300. He played for five years at Chattanooga and had two years at "AAA".
Morgan was in the military service in 1952-1953 and stayed in
baseball as a lower minor league manager (1961-68) and major league
coach for the Twins (1969-1975) manning the third base coaching box
from 1970-75. He died on November 8, 1975, at the University of
Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis. He had received a transplanted
kidney, but his body rejected it. His burial was at the Emporia
Cemetery in Emporia. 
John Anthony Mostil ("Bananas") was born in Chicago on June 1, 1896. He was the player/manager on the 1933-1937 Eau Claire Bears/Cardinals/Muskies and the 1938-1939 Grand Forks Chiefs.
Fleet-footed Mostil was one of the premier AL outfielders in the 1920s. He played his first major league games in 1918 for the Chicago White Sox. He was in 10 games and was .273 at the plate as a second baseman. The RHB returned in 1921 and played the rest of the decade (through 1929) for the Sox as an outfielder in 100, 132, 153, 118, 153, 148, only 13 (see below), 133 and 12 (broken ankle) games with batting averages of .301, .303, .291, .325, .299, .328, .125, .270 and .229.
He led the 1925 AL in runs scored with 135, walks with 30, stolen bases with 43 and outfielder fielding average (.985). He also led the league with 35 stolen bases in 1926. In a 1925 spring training game, he caught a foul ball down the left-field line while playing center. On March 9, 1927, he attempted to kill himself in his Shreveport hotel room by inflicting 13 razor cuts to his wrist, neck and arms. The press reported that Mostil suffered from neuritis, but rumors suggested that he was having an affair with the wife of teammate Red Faber who found out about situation and threatened to kill him. He recovered and returned to the team late that year.
His MLB career totals include 972 games, 3,507 at bats, .301 ave, .386 OBP, .427 slugging % and .971 fielding %. His stolen base total was 176 with at least 105 times being caught stealing.
As a minor leaguer from 1919-1920 and 1930-1940 and 1942, he played on 14 teams while managing at least nine of them. He hit over .300 for all but three of the clubs.
Johnny was a minor league manager for 15 seasons (1933-42, 1946-48
and 1955-56). He was a lower minors manager ('4-'42,' 46-'48 and
'55-'56), instructor and scout for the White Sox until 1968 when he
retired due to circulatory problems and arthritis. He died on
December 10, 1970, at a nursing home in Midlothian, IL, and was
buried at the Mount Mercy Cemetery in Gary, IN.
Curtell Howard Motton (MOAT-in) was born on September 24, 1940, in Darnell, LA. He played for the 1962 St. Cloud Rox (.291, 13 HR, 69 RBI). Curt attended the University of California.
Motton arrived in the majors in July 1967 with the Baltimore Orioles and played in 27 games as an outfielder hitting .200 with 65 at bats. From 1968-1971 the RHB was used mostly in platoon and pinch hitting situations for 83, 56, 52 and 38 games batting .198, .303, .226 and .189. During those years, he was 5 for 27, 8 for 25, 4 for 26 and 3 for 15 as a pinch hitter. He was in the 1969 ALCS (won game 2 with an 11th inning single) and 1971 ALCS (delivered pinch hit double in 5th inning of game one to tie game). In the 1969 World Series he went 0 for 1 as a PH.
On Dec. 1, 1971, he was traded to Milwaukee for Bob Reynolds and cash. In 1972, he began the season with the Brewers (6 g, .167) and ended the year in California (42g, .154). His MLB career ended in 1973-1974 back with the Orioles for only a portion of the seasons as he appeared in only 5 and 7 games going 2 for 5 and 0 for 7 at the plate. In the 1974 ALCS, he was 0 for 1 as a PH.
In his eight MLB seasons, he was in 316 games and had 567 official plate appearances. He hit .213 with a .322 OBP and .384 slugging %. His fielding average in 144 outfield games was .991 and his pinch hitting record was 22-for-127. On May 15 & 17, 1968, he tied a then-major league mark by hitting home runs in two consecutive pinch hitting appearances.
By all accounts, Motton was one of baseball's nicest men. Nicknamed "Cuz" because of his friendly manner, Motton became especially popular with teammates and manager Earl Weaver. He was outgoing with a strong sense of humor and Jim Palmer once praised his teammate for his engaging personality and ability to "light up a room." Orioles fans, who after his playing career ended, came to know him through promotional appearances, universally regarded him as a caring and kind gentleman.
In the minors from 1962-1967 and 1972-1974, he played on 11 teams with five years of averages over .300. He was in "AAA" for six seasons. Motton was on minor league All Star teams from 1965-1967.
Curt was in the U.S. Army for about 18 months in 1963-64 at Fort Richardson. Later became an agent for the Prudential Insurance Company. He also continued in baseball as the Giants' outfield and base running instructor and from 1989-91, a major league coach for the Orioles. In addition, for the O's, he was a scout and minor league coach in the 1990s.
He had lived in Woodstock, NY, and then resided in Parkton, MD.
Motton died there on Jan. 21, 2010, from stomach cancer which he
battled for about one year. Burial was at Druid Ridge Cemetery in
Pikesville, MD. 
Joe Mowry
Joseph Aloysius Mowry was born
on April 6, 1908, in St. Louis. He played on the 1939 (.375, 20 HR,
118 RBI) and 1940 (.373, 18, 125) Winnipeg Goldeyes as their
player/manager. Joe attended Iowa State.
Mowry played one full and two partial seasons in the majors with the Boston Braves. He performed in 86 games during the 1933 season batting .221 with a .273 OBP as an outfielder (7-for-20 as a pinch hitter). In 1934, the switch hitter was in 25 games and hit .215. Then he had a full season in 1935 when he appeared in 81 games batting .265 with a .324 OBP. He led the league in pinch hitting that year going 10-for-30.
In his MLB career, he played in 192 games with 464 at bats for a .233 average, .284 OBP and .313 slugging %. His life-time pinch hitting total was 17-for-53 and he had a .985 fielding % in 130 games playing defense.
He played in the minor leagues from 1931-1934 and 1936-1941 for 13 teams. He hit over .300 in seven seasons and was at the "AAA" level for five years.
Joe managed in the minor leagues from 1939-41. He then worked for
the Mobil Oil Company in East St. Louis, IL, for 30 years and retired
in 1975 as their Safety Director. He died at his home in St. Louis,
after a long illness, on February 9, 1994, and was buried at Sunset
Memorial Park in Affton, MO. 
Ed Murphy
Edward Joseph Murphy was born in Joliet, IL, on August 23, 1918. He played for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1951 and 1952 as their player/manager.
Murphy's only major league experience came in 1942 for the Philadelphia Phillies. As a right-handed first baseman, he played in 13 games and had 28 at bats with a .250 batting average, .300 OBP and .321 slugging %.
In the minors from 1937-1942 and 1946-1953 he played on 17 teams hitting over .300 with nine of them. He never played at class "AAA".
Ed served in the U.S. Army during WWII and managed low minor
league teams for the Phillies from 1948-53, 1955 and coached baseball
at the College of St. Francis. He died on December 10, 1991, at St.
Joseph Medical Center in Joliet and was buried at the St. John's
Cemetery there. 
Dale Albert Murray was born on February 2, 1950, in Cuero, TX. He pitched for the 1970 Watertown Expos (4-6, 5.65 ERA). Dale attended Victoria College and Blinn college.
Murray came up to the Expos in July 1974 and pitched in 32 games during the remainder of the season. In 70 innings, his ERA was an excellent 1.03 and he had 10 saves. In 1975-1976, he was one of the team's top relievers appearing in 63 and 81 (led the league) games completing 111 and 113 innings for 3.96 and 3.26 ERAs. He missed one month in 1975 with hepatitis, but led NL relievers with 15 wins. In 1976, he led the league with 81 appearances. From August 18, 1974, to August 20, 1976, he did not allow a home run which was the longest such streak since WWII. On Dec. 16, 1976, he was traded to Cincinnati with Woodie Fryman for Tony Perez and Will McEnaney.
With the Reds in '77, he pitched in 61 games and 102 innings with a 4.94 ERA. After 15 games for the Reds in 1978, he was traded to the New York Mets on May 19 for Ken Henderson appearing in 53 games and 86 innings for them compiling a 3.65 ERA. He played most of the 1979 year with the Mets (58 g, 97 inn, 4.82 ERA), but finished the season back with the Expos [purchased on Aug. 30] for 9 games, 13 innings and a 2.70 ERA. On July 13, 1979, he was credited with saves in both games of a double header against the Giants. During those years, Murray was durable but inconsistent and his earlier overwork took a bite from his fastball.
He split the 1980 season between "AAA" and the Expos where he pitched 16 games and 29 innings for a 6.14 ERA. The 1981 season was much the same with 11 games and 15 innings (1.17) for the Blue Jays and the rest of the year at "AAA". Back in the majors full time in 1982, he pitched 56 games and 111 innings for the Jays completing a 3.16 ERA. On Dec. 9, 1982, he was sent to the Yankees in the Dave Collins deal. He spent a full season with the Yankees in 1983 where he was in 40 games finishing 94 innings with a 4.48 ERA.
Murray split the 1984 season with the Yankees (19 g, 24 inn, 4.94 ERA) and their "AAA" farm club. In his final MLB year of 1985, he made three appearances with the Yankees (4 inn, 13.50 ERA) and one with Texas (1 inn, 18.00 ERA) as he developed a sciatica condition. After 12 years, he had pitched in 518 big league games and completed 902 innings allowing 976 hits and 329 walks while striking out 400 for a 3.85 ERA and .282 OAV. He saved 60 games.
In his early years, Murray had an exploding fastball and diving forkball. In the minors from 1971-1974, 1980-1981 and 1984-1985, he pitched on 11 teams with four years of ERAs under 3.00. He spent 6 season in class "AAA".
Dale lives in rural Yorktown, TX.
Leslie Ferdinand Narum was born in Philadelphia on November 16, 1940. He played for the Aberdeen Pheasants in 1959 (14-9, 4.45).
Buster pitched in 7 games for the Baltimore Orioles in 1963 in his MLB debut. He completed 9 innings giving up 8 hits and 5 walks while striking out 5 for a 3.00 ERA and homered in his first at bat. On Mar. 31, 1964, he was traded to Washington for Lou Piniella where he had his career years in 1964-1965. Narum started 32 games and relived in 6 more during the 1964 season finishing 199 innings giving up 195 hits and 73 walks with 121 strikeouts and a 4.30 ERA. In 1965, he started 24 games with 12 more in relief for a total 174 innings and a 4.46 ERA.
He finished his MLB career in 1966 and 1967 with limited appearances of 3 and 2 games for 3 and 12 innings compiling 21.60 and 3.09 ERAs. Wildness and lack of support in his Senators' years helped cause his early exit from baseball. Buster had pitched in 96 games for 397 innings allowing 398 hits and 177 walks with 220 strikeouts, an ERA of 4.45 and OAV of .264. Narum was one of the ten worst batters [at least 100 at bats] ever in the majors finishing with a .057 average. Interestingly, 3 of his 7 MLB hits were homers.
As a minor leaguer, he played on 11 clubs from 1958-1963 and 1966-1969. He spent six years at class "AAA".
After baseball, Buster entered the insurance, real estate and
furniture business in Clearwater, FL. He died on May 17, 2004, at his
home in Clearwater. His remains were cremated. 
James Wilson Nettles was born on March 2, 1947, in San Diego. He played on the St. Cloud Rox in 1968 (.285, 4 HR, 35 RBI). He is the younger brother of long-time major leaguer Graig Nettles. Jim attended San Diego State.
Jim never had a complete major league season. He played in parts of three years with the Minnesota Twins in 1970-1972 for 13, 70 and 102 games batting .250, .250 and .204 with 20, 168 and 235 at bats. In '72, the LHB was 7-for-20 as a pinch hitter. He played outfield during those years.
In 1974 he played 43 games for the Detroit Tigers hitting .227. On September 14, he and his brother became only the fourth set of brothers to hit home runs in the same AL game. Then he did not return to the majors until 1979 when he played 11 games for the Kansas City Royals hitting 2-for-23 (.087) and he finished with one game for the Oakland A's in 1981 (no official at bats).
In his 240 MLB games, he hit .220 with 587 at bats and had a .305 OBP and .341 slugging %. He hit 16 home runs, had 57 RBI and his fielding % was .988. He played in the minor leagues from 1968-1982 for 14 teams including 9 seasons in "AAA". Nettles also played in Japan (1975) and Mexico (1976).
Jim managed in the Athletics organization (1981-89), Mariners organization (1990-91), Blue Jays organization (1992-95) and for Amarillo in the Independent League in 1996. He has an overall managerial record of 792-903 (.467). In 2005-2006, Nettles was a coach for the Rangers' short-season minor league team in Spokane, WA. Since 2006, he has been a personal hitting coach for players of all ages. He lives in Tacoma, WA.
Dan Neumeier
Daniel George Neumeier was born in Shawano, WI, on March 8, 1948. He played for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1968 (4-5, 2.30 ERA). Dan attended Wisconsin State at Oshkosh. Converted to a reliever in 1971, he had 17 saves in 1972 with a 2.67 ERA at Knoxville.
In September 1972, Dan pitched in his only 3 major league games. For the White Sox, he was used as a reliever in 3 innings allowing 2 hits and 3 walks for a 9.00 ERA and .200 OAV.
He played in the minor leagues from 1968-1974 for 9 clubs. Dan had 3 seasons with ERAs under 3.00 and spent 2 years at class "AAA".
Dan lives in Lodi, WI.
David Lawrence Nicholson was born in St. Louis on August 29, 1939. He played for the Aberdeen Pheasants in 1959 (.298, 35 HR, 114 RBI). He tied for the league lead in home runs and made some pitching appearances (3-1, 2.91 ERA).
As a big, strong, young power hitter, Dave signed, in 1958, the largest bonus ($100,000) given by the Orioles to that time. In 1960, Dave had his first MLB trial for the Baltimore Orioles hitting 5 home runs in 113 at bats [struck out 55 times] and 54 games with a .186 average. In 1962, he played in 97 games with 173 at bats hitting 9 home runs and batting .173. In those stints with the O's he was used mostly as a defensive outfielder. On Jan. 14, 1963, he was traded to the White Sox with Hoyt Welhelm, Pete Ward and Ron Hansen for Luis Aparcio and Al Smith.
The RHB outfielder had his career year in 1964 homering 22 times in 449 at bats in 126 games. He hit .229, but also set a major league record with 175 strikeouts. Dave was considered so valuable that manager Al Lopez said he would not trade him for Roger Maris or $750,000. In 1964 and 1965 he appeared in 97 and 54 games with 13 and 2 home runs and averages of .204 and .153. He hit a 576-foot home run in 1964 that cleared the left-field roof at Comiskey Park. On Dec. 1, 1965, he was traded with Bill Heath to Houston for Jack Lamabe, Ray Cardeiro and cash.
He was with the Houston Astros for 100 games in 1966 where he was platooned and batted .246 with 10 home runs. One of them landed in the fourth deck of the Astrodome which may have been the longest ever hit there. On Dec. 31, he was sent to Atlanta with Bob Bruce for Sandy Alomar, Eddie Mathews and Arnie Umbach. His career ended with the Braves with 10 games in 1967 (.200). Nicholson's batting style was one of holding his bat almost over his head as he would look out at the pitcher from beneath his arms.
During his seven MLB seasons, he batted .212 with a .320 OBP and .381 slugging %. In 538 games and 1,419 at bats, he struck out 573 times, hit 61 home runs and drove in 179 runs. At the time of his retirement, he held the MLB record for highest frequency of strikeouts (one every 2.48 at bats). In the minors from 1958-1962 and 1967-1969, he played on 12 teams. He had five years at class "AAA" including 1968 when he hit 34 home runs.
Dave owned Nicholson's Sporting Goods in Bensonville, IL, for 12
years. Then he worked for another sports equipment retailer for three
years and, by 1990, was a sales representative for Triangle Dyes, a
corrugated box manufacturer. He formerly lived in Roselle, IL, and
later in Schaumburg. After battling health problems for many years,
he died in Carmi, IL, on February 25, 2023.
Please see more
information on Dave in the pages "Tales from the League's
Dugouts" and "More Tales from the League's Dugouts".
Gary Lynn Nolan was born on May 27, 1948, in Herlong, CA. He played on the Sioux Falls Packers in 1966 (7-3, 1.82 ERA).
The season after his one in the Northern League, 19-year-old fireballer was a full-time starter for the Cincinnati Reds. In 32 starts and one relief appearance, he pitched 227 innings allowing 193 hits and 62 walks with 206 strikeouts [4th in the Nl] and a 2.58 ERA [also 4th]. He had good stuff including a 95-mph fastball and, in that rookie year, struck out 15 men in a seven-inning outing. Nolan finished second to Tom Seaver in NL Rookie of the Year voting. In 1968, due to arm problems, he spent some time in the lower minors, but still made 22 starts for the Reds completing 150 innings only allowing 105 hits and 49 walks while striking out 111 for a 2.40 ERA.
All of that heavy work-load at a young age helped cause a sore arm that again plagued him in 1969 when he split time with the Reds' "AAA" team and their major league club. He made 15 MLB starts finishing 109 innings for a 3.56 ERA. In 1970, he was back in prime condition, with better control, pitching 251 innings with 37 starts for a 3.27 ERA. In the NLCS, he pitched a complete game shut-out in game one and in the World Series, he made 2 starts which lasted 9 innings with a 7.71 ERA.
Again, in 1971, he pitched many innings (245) with 9 complete games in 35 starts for a 3.16 ERA. Gary was used less in 1972 (25 starts), but still pitched 176 innings and 6 complete games with a 1.99 ERA. His winning % of .750 (15-5) led the league. However, neck and shoulder problems caused him to miss the All Star game for which he was chosen. In the '72 NLCS, he made one start for 6 innings for a 1.50 ERA. In the Series, that year, he made 2 starts for a 3.38 ERA in 11 innings.
A sore arm in 1973 only allowed 2 starts (3.48) and he did not pitch in the majors in 1974 due to his shoulder injury. He came back again in 1975 to pitch 211 innings with 32 starts, a 3.16 ERA and a 15-9 record. That year Nolan became the consummate control pitcher leading the league in fewest walks per nine innings (1.24). He had a start in the NLCS going 6 innings for a 3.50 ERA and in the Series, started 2 more games (6 inn, 6.00 ERA) and got his first Series win. .
Gary had another good season in 1976 starting 34 games (15-9) for 239 innings and a 3.46 ERA and he started one game in the NLCS (6 inn., 1.59 ERA) and another in the World Series (7 inn, 2.70 ERA). It was his last good year as, in 1977 after 8 starts with the Reds (39 inn, 4.81), he was traded to the Angels on Jun. 15 for a minor leaguer (5 starts, 18 inn, 8.84 ERA), but, his shoulder problems continued and he left to play baseball in Japan.
In his 10-year big league career, he made 247 starts, had 45 complete games and pitched 1,675 innings allowing 1,505 hits and 413 walks while striking out 1,039. His ERA was 3.08, his OAV was .239 and his record was 110-70. He also finished with a .990 fielding % which tied for the best ever in MLB history for a pitcher. Not bad for a pitcher whom Johnny Bench once said: "I don't think he ever threw a pitch that didn't hurt."
He had a short minor career of four years (1966, 1968-1969 and 1974) when he pitched for four teams. He had ERAs under 3.00 in two of those years.
After baseball, Gary was a blackjack dealer at the Las Vegas
Golden Nugget (1978), worked for the MGM Hotel and Casino in Las
Vegas and by 1989 was an executive casino host at the Mirage. Nolan
now lives in Oroville, CA, and operates the Gary Nolan Baseball
Complex where he coaches high school pitchers for college baseball.
Scott Northey
Scott Richard Northey was born in Philadelphia on October 15, 1946. He played for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1968 (.257, 2 HR, 28 RBI). He is the son of Ron Northey who played 12 years as an outfielder in the majors from 1942-1957.
Northey got his only taste of the major leagues in 20 games for the Kansas City Royals in 1969. As a right-hand hitting outfielder, he hit .262 in 61 at bats with a .338 OBP and .410 slugging %. His fielding % was .973 for his 18 games used on defense.
He played in the minor leagues from 1965, 1968-1972 for 10 teams with two years spent in "AAA" including 1969 when he hit .327 for Omaha.
Scott is living in Roswell, GA.
James Thomas Northrup was born in Breckenridge, MI, on November 24, 1939. He played for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1961 (.222, 1 HR, 8 RBI) and 1962 (.324, 11, 61). He lost the batting championship by one percentage point in 1962. Jim attended Alma College.
Northrup grew up in Breckenridge, located in the middle of Michigan, being taught to love team sports, hunting and fishing by his father. He was an excellent athlete at St. Louis High and became a five-sport star at nearby Alma College. In football, he started at quarterback as a junior and made the small college All-American squad. In basketball, he was a forward and in baseball a right handed pitcher who once hurled a no-hitter in addition to playing center field and first base. Jim also ran track and played golf. Most importunately, he was a good student, but his graduation was delayed 40 years because first he became a pro baseball player.
In the spring of 1961 he started his new career at Duluth-Superior which he called "over my head," and he was sent to Decatur (Midwest). He finished the season hitting .291 with 13 home runs and 73 RBI. In 1962 the Tigers sent him to Knoxville (South Atlantic), but he batted .244 and again found himself over his head. Jim finished the season back at Duluth-Superior where he lost out in the batting race to Aberdeen's Don Wallace.
In 1963, Jim spent the season with Knoxville (Sally) hitting .309 with 10 homers and 66 RBI and he won the league's Rookie of the Year award. At Syracuse (International) in 1964, Northrup again won Rookie of the Year honors with a .312 season that included 18 homers and a career-best 92 RBI. At that point, he had produced three straight .300-plus seasons, and the Tigers called him up near the end of the year.
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"A stalwart in the Tigers' outfield in the 1960s, Jim Northrup didn't really make news until he hit four grand slams in 1968. On June 24 that year, the left-handed batter hit two grand slams in the same game and he belted another five days later... The NFL's Chicago Bears and the AFL's New York Titans both offered him contracts, but he signed with the Tigers for a $20,000 bonus in 1960....
"Northrup became a regular for the Tigers in 1966, but he didn't hit the headlines until Detroit's pennant year in 1968. The World Series was a pitchers' duel in which the Cardinals featured the overpowering Bob Gibson. But Northrup led the Tigers with eight RBIs and two home runs, including one off Gibson. The most important one, however, was a decisive third inning grand slam in Game 6 that helped knot the Series at three games apiece. The next year Northrup had his best season, hitting .295 with 25 homers. The highlight came on August 29, when he went 6 for 6 against the A's, including a dramatic 13-inning homer over the right-field roof of Tiger Stadium..."
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Jim first played in the Tigers in 1964 for 5 games hitting .083 with 12 at bats. In 1965, he was a part-time outfielder appearing in 80 contests for a .205 average including 3 for 24 as a pinch hitter.
Then from 1966 through 1973, he was a Tigers' starting outfielder playing in 123, 144, 154, 148, 139, 136, 134 and 119 games with batting averages of .265, .271, .264, .295, .262, .270, .261 and .307. During those years, he hit 10 or more home runs seven times and had 20 or more in three seasons. In 1968, he broke up three no-hitters in April and May and hit four grand slams that year (two came in consecutive at bats on June 24) and he added a third on June 29 for three in one week. On August 28, 1969, against Oakland, he became the first Tiger since Ty Cobb to go 6-for-6. In the 1968 World Series, he was 7 for 28 playing in all 7 games and in the 1972 ALCS he went 5 for 14 in 5 games.
Northrup said he got more playing time in 1966 because he had played for Bob Swift in winter ball and at Duluth and for Frank Skaff in Knoxville: "Swifty knew I could play center field, so I got an opportunity there." His playing time decreased in 1973 due partly to differences he had with manager Billy Martin.
After 97 games for the Bengals in 1974 (.237), he was sold to the Expos on Aug 4 where he was in 21 games batting .241 and then to the Orioles (8 g, 4 for 7). On Sept. 16 was obtained by Baltimore for cash and finished his career in 1975 with them in 84 games for a .273 average (8 for 22 as a PH).
Northrup enjoyed playing the 1975 season for Baltimore's Earl Weaver and called him "the very best major league manager I ever played for." He retired after that season. "I'd had enough. I'd been away from home too much, and I wasn't with my kids enough. So that was the end of it. You have to quit sometime, and I did. I was making $76,000 with Detroit in 1973. But I was mainly going to pinch-hit in 1974, so they dropped me to $67,000. Baltimore paid me the same - $67,000. In 1975, the major league average was $35,000. I made $418,000 altogether in baseball, counting my bonus and winter ball. But we were owned and controlled by the team. That was a different era -- before free agents."
In 1,392 games and 4,692 at bats, Jim batted .267 with a .335 OBP and .429 slugging %. His fielding % was .981 and he had a pinching hitting record of 28 for 122. He was known as a classic streak hitter.
"I enjoyed the challenge of hitting," Northrup has said. "I wanted to see what the Hall of Famers were like. Who knows? If I got a hit or two off them, maybe I was as good as they were. I never accepted failure. You have to believe you can hit anyone, and I did. I can hit anybody out there at certain times, if you give me enough shots. And that's the way you have to believe. Guys like McLain and Lolich and Gibson feel the same about hitters: 'I can get anyone out.' They have the same positive attitude. It's a challenge. That's what makes the game so much fun. I enjoyed the challenge every day. I felt like I was born to play the game, and I did." He was known as a first-rate big leaguer, an exciting clutch hitter, a likable fellow and a quality athlete who made baseball look good in the 1960s and 1970s.
After retiring from baseball, Northrup played professional softball for two seasons (1977-1978) in the American Professional Slow Pitch Softball League (APSPL). Later, he was a manufacturer's rep based in Tracy, MI. In the mid-1980s, Northrup became a broadcaster for the Tigers and worked for nine years as an analyst with play-by-play man Larry Osterman on the Detroit area's regional sports cable channel PASS.
After leaving broadcasting, he was in the insurance business and living in Southfield, MI. He was the CEO of Jim Northrup and Associates, a manufacturer's representative firm. Jim was inducted in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and he continued to live in Southfield.for many years.
In his last years, Northrup had Alzheimer's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. He died on June 8, 2011, after suffering a seizure at an assisted-living facility in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Northrup had been in poor health for some time and had been at the home for about a month. Burial was at the Breckenridge Cemetery in Breckenridge, MI.
"He was big, tall and thin with a beautiful flowing swing,
and he had real major power," said former teammate Dick
Tracewski. "He was a hell of a ballplayer, and he was a hell of
a guy. I loved Jim Northrup."
[See SABR.org for a more
complete bio]
Tom Norton
Thomas John Norton was born in Elyia, OH, on April 26, 1950. He played for the St. Cloud Rox in 1969 (4-7, 5.19 ERA).
Norton had one year in the majors with the 1972 Minnesota Twins. The right-hander pitched relief in 21 games for 32 innings allowing 31 hits and 14 walks while striking out 22. His ERA was 2.78 and he had a .252 OAV. He suffered from an elbow injury that year.
As a minor league player from 1969-1971 and 1973-1976, he played on 11 teams with two years in class "AAA".
Tom lives in Sheffield Lakes, OH.
Jim Obradovich
James Thomas Obradovich was born on September 13, 1949, in Ft. Campbell, KY. He played for the 1968 St. Cloud Rox (.269 for 52 games) as he was originally drafted by the Twins. Jim was in the military during the 1971-72 seasons serving in Germany.
His only major league appearances were in September 1978 for the Houston Astros as he played in 10 games going 3 for 17 (.176/.222/.294). He handled 29 chances at first base without an error.
Obradovich played 11 seasons in the minors during the 1967-70 and 1973-82 years. He hit.263/.369/.441 with 1,227 at bats (not including his 1980-82 seasons in Mexico). Nine of those years were spent at the AAA level.
He died on March 2, 2012, in Lancaster, KY, and was buried at the
Camp Nelson Cemetery in Nicholasville, KY. 
Paul O'Dea ("Lefty") was born on July 3, 1920, in Cleveland. He played for the Duluth Dukes in 1936 (.357, 31 HR, 115 RBI). . Paul attended Case Western Reserve University.
In spring training 1940, a batted ball hit him in his right eye during batting practice when he leaned into the batting cage while another player was hitting. The force of the ball destroyed his vision in that eye. Even after that, Paul played two seasons in the majors for the Cleveland Indians in 1944-1945. In '44 he appeared in 76 games batting .318 in 173 games with an OBP of .401. The lefthander played in the outfield in 41 games, at first for 3 and was used as a pitcher in 3 games (4 inn, 5 h, 6 w, 2.08 ERA). He was 5 for 25 as a pinch hitter. In 1945, he played 87 games and had 221 plate appearances with an average of .235 and OBP of .299. He pitched in one game for the Indians that year (2 inn, 4 h, 2 w, 13.50 ERA) and went 7 for 30 as a PH.
O'Dea played in the minor leagues from 1938-1943 and 1946-1951 for 14 teams and hit over .300 for eight of them although they were in the lower minors. Paul played one year in class "AAA" and he pitched one year in the minors.
He was an Indians' employee for 40 years as a player, scout and
director of minor league operations. Paul died from a heart attack on
December 11, 1978, in Cleveland and is buried at the Myrtle Hill
Cemetery in Valley City, OH.
Dennis Joseph O'Toole was born on March 13, 1949, in Chicago. He pitched for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1968 (7-4, 2.56 ERA). He is a younger brother of Jim O'Toole who pitched for 10 years in the majors and was, through that connection, a bat boy for the Reds in the early 60s. Dennis attended Xavier University.
Dennis had a strange big league career bouncing between the Chicago White Sox and their minor league farm teams from 1969-1973 making only 15 game appearances in the majors. They were all in relief as he pitched in 2, 3, 1, 3 and 6 games, during those years, completing 4, 3, 2, 5 and 15 innings for a career ERA of 5.04. In 30 innings, he allowed 43 hits and 10 walks while striking out 22 for a 5.04 ERA and .333 OAV. On Oct. 26, 19373, he was traded to the Cardinals for Jim Kremmel, but never played for them.
In the minors from 1967-1975, the right hander pitched on 12 teams. He had ERAs under 3.00 in four seasons and spent five years at "AAA".
Dennis became the Assistant Director of Motor Carriers for the
Kentucky State Government Department of Transportation while living
in Erlanger, KY. He still lives there. 
Dave Odom
David Everett Odom ("Blimp") was born in Dinuba, CA, on June 5, 1918. He pitched for the Jamestown Jimmies in 1936 (2-2, 6.21 ERA).
Dave played one season in the majors for the Boston Braves in 1943. In 23 games including 3 starts, he finished 55 innings giving up 54 hits and 30 walks while striking out 17 for a 5.27 ERA and .269 OAV.
In the minors, he played for 17 teams from 1936-1941 and 1944-1946. He had two seasons at class "AAA".
Dave served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during WW II and
also played professional football (he was 6'1'', 220 lbs). He worked
for 30 years for A.T.& T. in Greensboro, NC, and, for 25 years,
was their plant manager. He retired to Myrtle Beach, SC, where he was
active in real estate. It was there, at this home, on November 19,
1987, that he died from a heart attack. 
Len Okrie
Leonard Joseph Okrie was born on July, 16, 1923, in Detroit. He caught for the Superior Blues in 1942 (.194, 0 HR, 8 RBI). He was the son of Frank Okrie who pitched 21 games for the 1920 Detroit Tigers.
Len played in the majors for four partial years. He first arrived with the Washington Senators in 1948 for 19 games batting .238 with 42 at bats. In 1950, as the Nats' third-string catcher, he was in 17 games for a .222 average and in 1951 he appeared in only 5 games for a .125 average. He ended his career with one game for the Red Sox (0 for 1) in 1952.
He played in 42 games and batted .218 with a .307 OBP and .256 slugging % in 78 at bats. He caught 40 games with a .965 fielding %. In the minors, he played from 1942, 1946-1949, 1951-1954 and 1957 for 16 clubs with five years spent in "AAA". During off season, he was employed at Howard Whitaker Mens store in the Eutaw Shopping Center in Fayetteville, NC.
Len served in the US Navy from 1942-45. He stated in an interview in 2008: “I went to radio school to learn the Japanese code. We broke the Japanese code where we were stationed. We had to go to college to learn it all. To learn that stuff, it sure was complicated. I enjoyed it. I would have stayed in [college] if I [weren’t] bought by the Senators to go into the big leagues. I was playing softball in the war because that's all they had.”
Okriewas a minor league manager from 1954-1960 and 1963 (Red Sox farm teams), 1967-1969 and 1972-1974 (Tigers' organization). His managerial record was 912-1,013. He was a major league bullpen coach for the Red Sox (1961-1962, 1965-1966) and the Tigers (1970). After retirement from the Tigers in 1973, his life took another turn, this time toward a career in law enforcement. Len was employed by the Cumberland County Sheriffs Department. He retired as a desk Sgt from the Sheriff’s Department in 1986.
He also lived in Leonardtown, MD. Len and his family enjoyed traveling and lived several years at the coast and continued to work part time as security guard. Moving back to Fayetteville, he was employed by Walmart as a greeter and became known as “Lennie” to employees and customers. He retired for the third time in his eighties. Okrie passed away on April 12, 2018, in Hope Mills, NC, and was buried at the Memorial Park in Fayetteville.
Ed Olivares
Edward (Balzac) Olivares was born on November 5, 1938, in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He played for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1959 (.319, 16 HR, 74 RBI). He is the father of Omar Olivares who pitched 11 years in the majors from 1990-2001.
Ed had two short trials with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960 and 1961. His debut came in September 1960 when he caught 3 games going 0 for 5 at the plate. In 1961, he was in 21 games with a 5 for 30 batting mark (.167) and he was 1 for 11 as a pinch hitter.
In the minor leagues from 1957-1961 and 1963-1966, he played on 11 teams. He had three years with batting averages over .300 including 1960 when he hit .317, with 35 home runs and 125 RBI in the Carolina League.
Ed became a professor at the Inter American University in San
German, PR. He died in Mayaguez, PR on October22, 2022. 
Jim Ollom
James Donald Ollom was born in Snohomish, WA, on July 8, 1945. He played for the 1964 Bismarck-Mandan Pards (9-12, 4.28 ERA). His best memory of 1964 was: "Lou Piniella played for Aberdeen and I pitched against him a lot, and what you heard about him back then was true. You'd strike him out and he'd throw his bat down and throw his helmet down and kick the ground. He was always a hothead."
Ollom first pitched a major league game on September 3, 1966. That month he was in three games for the Minnesota Twins completing 10 innings giving up 6 hits and one walk while striking out 11 for an ERA of 3.60. In 1967, he stayed the whole season with the Twins, but only made 21 appearances for 45 innings allowing 33 hits and 11 walks with 17 strike outs and a 5.40 ERA. He never returned to the majors.
As a minor leaguer from 1963-1966 and 1968-1969, he pitched on nine teams with four years in class "AAA". In 1966, for Denver, he was 20-8 with a 3.43 ERA with 137 strikeouts. It was the first time a pitcher had won 20 games in the Pacific Coast League since 1957 and at one time Ollom reeled off eight straight wins.
Ollom became a salesman for Wesco Bakery Products while living in
Everett, WA. In 2004, his primary residence was in the Phoenix area
and he had an apartment in Everett. At that time, he had worked in
the bakery industry for three decades, and was heading a sales force
selling products such as cake mixes, donut mixes and breakfast
cookies throughout the Western states. He also was a season ticket
holder for the Diamondbacks. His address is now listed as Kirkland,
WA. 
John Joseph Orsino ("Horse") was born in Teaneck, NY, on April 22, 1938. He played on the St. Cloud Rox in 1958 (.292, 20 HR, 88 RBI). Orsino received a BS in Business Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Orsino was a highly touted rookie with the Giants in 1961 catching 25 games and batting .277 while hitting 4 home runs in 83 at bats. In 1962, he was in 18 games with a .271 average in 48 games. He had one at bat in the 1962 World Series (0 for 1). On Dec. 15, 1962, he was traded to Baltimore with Mike McCormick and Stu Miller for Jack Fisher, Jim Coker and Billy Hoeft.
In 1963, he had his career year with the Orioles as their starting catcher. In 116 games and 379 at bats, he hit 19 home runs and batted .272 with a .990 fielding %. He stayed with the Orioles as a semi-regular in 1964 and 1965 playing in 81 and 77 games with batting averages of .222 and .233 and 8 and 9 home runs. A hand injury in 1964 caused his reduction in playing time. On Oct. 12, 1965, he was traded to Washington for Woodie Held.
In 1966, he split the year between the Senators and the minor leagues. For D.C. he made 14 appearances batting .174 (1 for 7 as a pinch hitter). He finished his MLB career with one pinch hitting attempt in 1967 (0 for 1). In his career, he was 13 for 45 as a pinch hitter and batted .249 in 332 games and 1,014 at bats. His OBP was .321, his slugging % was .420 and his fielding % was .982.
In the minors from 1957-1962 and 1966-1969, he played on 13 teams. He played five years at the class "AAA" level.
Orsino was a minor league manager in 1977-78 for the Indians in "AA". He was also an assistant golf pro until 1980 when he became the head golf pro at Emerson Country Club in Emerson, NJ. John later became the baseball coach and director of the intramural program at Fairleigh Dickinson University and the Deputy Director of the Bergen County Community Action program in Hackensack, NJ.
Returning to golf, Orsino was a consultant and head professional at the Indian Spring Country Club in Boynton Beach, FL. He previously worked at Indian Springs as the head golf professional, director of golf and director of golf and recreation from 1983-1999. He then became a consultant and later the Director of Golf at the Diplomat Resort and Country Club in Hollywood, FL, from 1998-2000. There he planned and coordinated the entire golf operation for the new resort, including input on the construction of the golf facility. Before returning to Indian Spring Country Club, Orsino worked as the General Manager and Director of Golf for Cobblestone Golf Club from 2001-2002 and was also the head professional at Silver Lake Country Club in 2001. Orsino was Florida Atlantic's head men's golf coach from 2004-06.
He also lived for a time in Stuart, FL, and Boynton Beach, FL.
Orsino died after a long illness on November 1, 2016, in Sunny Isles
Beach, FL. His remains were cremated and given to the family. 
Daniel Osinski was born in Chicago on November 17, 1933. He pitched for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1959 (8-9, 2.41 ERA).
During his freshman and junior high school years in Wauconda, IL, he played basketball, baseball, and one year of football. His family then moved to Barrington, IL, where he starred in the same three sports at Barrington High School in his junior and senior years of 1950-51. Later, Dan stated that baseball was number three on his list of favorite sports.
After graduating from high school, he was signed by Indians' scout Wally Laskowski, for $4,000, which was the most he could get without being considered a "bonus baby," [thereby not required to spend a year with the big-league team]. In three of his minor league years with Cleveland at Keokuk, Reading and Tulsa , he roomed with Roger Maris. In 1954 at Keokuk he spent the last half of the season inexplicably tired, weak, and ineffective and, although he stayed in the starting rotation, he struggled. Later he was diagnosed with infectious mononucleosis, which plagued him through the 1956 season. Osinski was drafted into the Army in 1957 and served through the 1958 season winding up at Fort Campbell, KT, where he mostly played baseball for the 187th Battle Group.
After discharge, he was a baseball free agent and got in touch with the White Sox who asked him to go on their minor league training camp at Hollywood, FL., where he made the Dukes for the '59 season. That year he made a conscious effort to become a reliever which he felt would be his best chance at the big leagues. "When I got there I decided, well, the best way for me to do it is to become a relief pitcher and forget about the starting." He made a league-leading 54 appearances, all in relief. "Duluth was just a stop to see if I could play again," he said in a recent interview with SABR member Ron Anderson. In the winter of 1961-62, Kansas City acquired him from the White Sox.
In April 1962, Dan pitched 4 games for the Kansas City A's (5 inn, 17.36 ERA) and was sent to "AAA" where he performed very well in the PCL All Star game which impressed the expansion L.A. Angels. Soon thereafter (July 23) he was traded to the Angels for Gordie Windhorn and Ted Bowsfield where he made 33 relief appearances for 54 innings and a good 2.82 ERA. Dan stayed with the Angels through the 1963 and 1964 seasons pitching in 47 games each year and completing 159 and 93 innings including 16 and 4 starts compiling 3.28 and 3.48 ERAs. Although he was generally used as a long reliever, in 1963 he threw a 2-hitter and a 3-hitter as a starter. On Oct. 14, 1964, he was traded to Milwaukee for Phil Roof and Ron Piche and, in 1965, he pitched 83 innings in 61 games for the Braves for a 2.82 ERA.
On Dec. 15, 1965, he went with Bob Sadowski to Boston for Lee Thomas, Arnold Early and Jay Ritchie. The right hander appeared in 44 and 34 games in 1966-1967 for the Red Sox finishing 67 and 64 innings with 3.61 and 2.54 ERAs. In 1967, he greatly helped the Red Sox stay in pennant race despite arm problems.
The Red Sox released him in April 1968 and he played for the White Sox's "AAA" team that year. He had his last complete big league year in 1969 for the Chicago White Sox making 51 appearances for 61 innings and a 3.56 ERA. His MLB career ended in 1970 with 3 games for the Astros (4 inn, 9.82 ERA) although he was drafted by the expansion San Diego Padres in November 1970. Instead of playing at their "AAA" affiliate, he returned to his off-season job with a bank.
Over his 8 major league seasons, he pitched in 324 games for 590 innings allowing 556 hits and 264 walks while striking out 400. His ERA was 3.34 and he had a .250 OAV.
Though the hard-throwing Osinski could often freeze batters with his icy blue eyes and blazing inside fastballs, his teammates claimed he was not nearly as mean as his reputation. In the minor leagues from 1952-1956, 1959-1962, 1968 and 1970, he pitched on 15 clubs He had seven seasons with ERAs under 3.00 and played at "AAA" for 3 years.
After leaving baseball as a player, he opened a restaurant “The Squire's Inn” and a steel fabrication business “DanO” in Oak Forest, IL. In 1990 he moved to Sun City, AZ, and became a salesman at a used car dealership there. In addition, he played golf and enjoyed his family before passing away on September 13. 2013, in the Phoenix area.
Johnny Ostrowski
John Thaddeus Ostrowski was born on October 17, 1917, in Chicago. He played on the Superior Blues in 1939 (.268, 14 HR, 52 RBI).
Ostrowski was up and down between the Chicago Cubs and the minor leagues from 1943-1945 playing outfield and third base in 10, 8 and 7 major league games batting .207, 154 and .300. In 1946, he got his shot at a complete season appearing in 64 games for the Cubs hitting .213 with 160 at bats. He returned to the majors for one game in 1948 (0 for1) for the Red Sox.
In 1949 and 1950, he made appearances with the Chicago White Sox in 49 and 21 games with averages of .266 and .222. On May 31, 1950, he was traded to Washington in the Eddie Robinson deal and spent the rest of the 1950 season with the Senators (55 games - hitting .227) and it was back to the Sox for one game (2 for 4). It was his last MLB game. In his seven-year career, he played in 216 games with 561 at bats hitting .234 with a .321 OBP and .376 slugging %. He was 3 for 40 as a right-hand hitting pinch hitter and his life-time fielding mark was at .950.
As a minor leaguer from 1939-1945, 1947-1949 and 1951-1953, he played on 15 teams His best years were with Los Angeles in the Pacific Coast League from 1947-1949 when he batted .292, .295 and .318 and hit 24, 15 and 32 home runs. He spent a total of 8 years in class "AAA". John led the SALLY League in triples (20) in 1941 and the 1943 PCL in home runs with 21. In 1,470 minor league games he compiled a .279 average with 218 home runs and 999 RBI.
After baseball, Johnny continued to live in Chicago and was a
truck driver for Material Service Corporation. He retired in 1980 and
died, at his home, on November 13, 1992. His burial was at the
Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, IL. 
Billy Ott
William Joseph Ott was born in New York City on November 23, 1940. He played for the 1961 St. Cloud Rox (.307, 7 HR, 75 RBI).
Billy had two partial years in the majors with the Cubs. In 1962, the switch hitting outfielder played in 12 games and was 4 for 28 (.143) with a .200 OBP. In 1964, he was in 20 games and had 39 at bats with 7 hits (.179) and a .238 OBP.
He also had a short minor league career of 1960-1965 when he played for six teams with three years at class "AAA".
Billy was a graduate of St. John's University and became a
policeman in New York City. Later he was an accomplished locksmith
and ran a hardware business with his two sons in New York state
retiring in 2011. His mailing address was "c/o County Lock, West
Nyack, NY" for many years. Ott died on February 18, 2015, in
Haverstraw, NY, and was buried in St. Peters cemetery there. 
Raymond Francis Oyler was born on August 4, 1937, in Indianapolis. He played for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1960 (.261, 6 HR, 54 RBI) and 1961 (.261, 4, 41).
Oyler was the epitome of a good fielding, poor hitting shortstop. He played from 1965-1968 with the Detroit Tigers in 82, 71, 148 and 111 games batting .186, .171, .207 and .135 with fielding averages of .955, .965, .964 and .977. He appeared in four games of the 1968 World Series as a defensive replacement at shortstop for Mickey Stanley.
In 1969 he was chosen in the expansion draft by the Seattle Pilots for their shortstop playing in 106 games with an average of .165. The Pilots fans had organized a "Ray Oyler Fan Club" to give the poor-hitter some support. It worked, at least at the home opener, when he homered to help his team win. On Oct. 7, 1969, he was traded to Oakland with Diego Segui for Ted Kubiak and George Lauzerique and on Apr. 17, 1970, he was sold to California. He left the majors after the 1970 season with the Angels (24 g, .083).
Dick McAuliffe called him "the best shortstop I ever played with." Oyler played in 542 games with a fielding average of .966 and a batting average of .175, OBP of .259 and slugging % of .251. In the minor leagues, he played from 1960-1964 and 1970-1972 with five years at class "AAA".
Ray served in the U.S. Marines. After his professional baseball
career, he was a baseball coach, a Seattle grocery company worker and
a Boeing Aircraft Company employee. He died, at home in Redmond, WA,
on January 26, 1981, due to a heart attack. He was buried at the
Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Bellevue, WA.
Andrew Pafko was born in Boyceville, WI, on February 25, 1921. He played for the Eau Claire Bears in 1940 (.209, 0 HR, 3 RBI).
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"An All-Star outfielder who played in four World Series, Andy Pafko would have played in two more except that he had the misfortune to be on the losing side of two pennant playoffs eight years apart. 'Handy Andy' reached the major leagues when he was 22. Called up to the Chicago Cubs from L. A. of the Pacific Coast League, he made his big league debut on September 24, 1943. He banged out a single and a double and drove in four runs as the Cubs beat the Phillies , 7-4, in a game called in the bottom of the fifth because of rain.
"He became a regular in 1944 and was selected for his first All-Star Game the following year. That year the Cubs also won the pennant, as Pafko hit .298, drove in 110 runs and led the league in fielding average. He scored three runs in Game 1 of the World Series against the Detroit Tigers, but hit .214 and drove in only two runs in the Chicago's seven-game loss. After an injury-plagued 1946 season, Pafko rebounded in 1947 with the first of four consecutive All-Star appearances. He also topped .300 for the first time, hitting .302. The next season he had perhaps his best overall season, hitting .312 with 26 home runs and 101 RBIs.
"He hit a career-high 38 homers in 1950, including three in one game on August 2. Pafko was acquired by the Brooklyn Dodgers in June 1951 to fortify left field. In 84 games for the Dodgers he hit.249 with 18 homers and 58 RBIs. He also made a spectacular catch in the final game of the season to help force a playoff. It was not quite enough. In the third contest of the playoff against the Giants, the forlorn Pafko, pressed against the left field wall in the Polo Grounds, watched as Bobby Thomson's famous homer sailed into the lower stands, winning the pennant for the Giants.
"The next year the Dodgers took the pennant, but Pafko was dealt to Milwaukee after the season for $50,000 cash and second baseman Roy Hartsfield. Pafko found himself on a rising club in Milwaukee. His first year he hit .297 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs, but his production dropped each successive year and he played less and less. He appeared in the World Series two more times; he gained his only championship ring in 1957 and batted .333 the next year in a seven-game defeat. In 1959 the Braves narrowly missed a third straight pennant and wound up tied with the Dodgers on the last weekend of the season. In the ensuing best-of-three playoff, the Dodgers took two games to advance to the World Series. That bitter end marked Pafko's final experience as a player..."
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For the Cubs from 1943-1951, he played in 13, 128, 144, 65, 129, 142, 144, 146 and 49 games with batting averages of .379, .269, .298, .282, .302, .312, .281, .304 and .264. The remainder of the 1951 season, for the Dodgers [obtained on June 15 in 8-player deal], he was in 84 games with a .249 average. Except for 1948-1949, when he played 139 and 49 games at third base, he was used exclusively in the outfield. Cubs manager Charlie Grimm called him "Handy Andy" for his ability to play more then one position.
With Brooklyn in 1952, he hit .287 in 150 games. On Jan. 17, 1953, he was traded to Milwaukee for Ray Hartsfield and $50,000. For the Braves from 1953-1959, Andy appeared in 140, 138, 86, 45, 83, 95 and 71 games batting .297, .288, .266, .258, .277, .238 and .218.
Pafko was known as an excellent outfielder with a strong arm and power. In his 17-year career, he was at the plate officially 6,292 times in 1,852 games with a batting average of .285, OBP of .351 and .449 slugging %. He hit 30 or more home runs and had 100 or more RBI twice each. His fielding % was .984 including the 213 games he played at third base. He was 20 for 110 as a pinch hitter.
Andy played from 1940-1943 in the minor leagues with four teams and hit over .300 for three of them.
He was a major league coach for the Braves from 1960-1962 and a minor
league manager (1964-68) in the Braves system then later a scout and
front office worker for the Expos. Pafko was an avid golfer and later
worked as a part-time starter at a local golf (Mt. Prospect, IL)
course for several years from which he retired in the late 1970s. In
1999 he was named to the Chicago Cubs All-Century team. Andy died at
a nursing home in Stevensvile, MI, on October 8, 2013, and was buried
in St. Luke Cemetery in Chicago.
James Alvin Palmer was born on October 15, 1945, in New York. He played for the Aberdeen Pheasants in 1964 (11-3, 2.51). He threw a no-hitter in July.
-----
The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"Of the 18 Pitchers who have won 20 or more games eight times, only three played in the American League and only Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles began his career after World War II. Palmer strung together those 20-win campaigns from 1970 through 1978, overcoming arm injuries to average 288 innings per season.
"The Orioles won seven titles during Palmer's 19-year tenure, five of them highlighted by the amusing Mutt-and-Jeff feud between the elegant , well-bred pitcher and his pugnacious manager, Earl Weaver. The youngest pitcher ever to throw a World Series shutout, Palmer also was the only pitcher to win World Series games in three decades. He won three Cy Young Awards and drew the third-highest plurality among pitchers elected to Cooperstown. 'Looking at films of myself', Palmer once admitted, 'I felt like maybe I ought to put more into this.' His delivery was the antithesis of Nolan Ryan's drop-and-drive style. Palmer stood tall and paused in his delivery before releasing the ball from a uniquely high arm angle. Weaver tried to maximize Palmer's advantage by pitching him at home in day games whenever possible because a white house behind the Memorial Stadium fence effectively obscured his release point.
"Through the 1970s Palmer mainly used a fastball, slider, and changeup, perfecting the curveball later in his career. He was fast but not overpowering and threw a light ball that longtime catcher and coach Ellie Hendricks said had a hop at the end, whether Palmer was throwing 95 or 85 miles per hour. He was a rare hurler who successfully pitched high in the strike zone but did not possess devastating stuff. Baltimore's old ballpark, with its spacious center field and short four lines, encourages outfielders to bunch towards center and Palmer probably led the league every year in flyouts down the middle.
"Adopted by a wealthy family two days after his birth, Palmer split his first nine years between a Park Avenue apartment in New York City and a Westchester County estate. After his father's death in 1954, his mother married character actor Max Palmer. Following a brief stay in Beverly Hills, the family moved to Scottsdale, AZ, where young Palmer became a star in baseball, football and basketball. He signed with the Orioles for reported $60,000 bonus in August 1963 and went 11-3 with a 2.51 ERA in his first professional season in Aberdeen, SD, of the Northern League. His rookie season included a no-hitter, but he also walked 130 batters in 129 innings. Despite his control problems, Palmer was promoted to Baltimore in 1965, part of the second tier of the so-called 'Baby Bird' pitchers which included Wally Bunker and Dave McNally.
"Brought to the majors as a long relief specialist, Palmer joined the starting rotation in 1966 and his team-high 15 victories that season included the first of four pennant clinchers. In that year's World Series Game 2, the 20-year old Palmer outdueled Sandy Koufax and shut out the Dodgers 6-0. The Orioles cruised to a four-game sweep but Palmer developed a sore arm. During the 1967 season Palmer went to the minors to try to recapture his form. At Rochester of the International League he had his first encounter with Weaver. In 1968 Palmer retreated all the way to Class A ball looking for answers. Surgery didn't seem to help. But that winter, pitching for Santurce in Puerto Rico, his arm 'miraculously' bounced back. Palmer's recovery is one of the few cases of a young pitcher making a total recovery from a serious arm injury early in his career.
"Returning in 1969 to the Orioles, now managed by Weaver, Palmer shut out the Washington Senators on the first Sunday of the season. After a month on the disabled list he beat Oakland on August 13 at Memorial Stadium with 'the ugliest no-hitter ever,' by Palmer's reckoning. He survived six walks and two errors to win, 8-0. He completed the season with a league-high .800 winning percentage at 16-4 for the AL champion Orioles. He lost Game 3 of the 1969 World Series against the Mets.
"Completely healthy in 1970, Palmer pitched a league-leading 305 innings, tied for most shutouts with five, was named to the first of six AL All-Star teams and began a run of four straight 20-win seasons. The Orioles again went to the World Series, this time winning in five game over Cincinnati. Palmer started and won Game 1.
"With Palmer,McNally, Mike Cuellar and new starter Pat Dobson, the Orioles featured a quartet of 20-game winners in 1971, a feat matched only by the 1920 Chicago White Sox. The Orioles had their third straight 100-win season and took the AL East title by a dozen games. For the third straight year the Orioles swept the AL Championship Series. this time over the A's. Palmer pitched the clincher for the third straight year. Palmer started Game 2 of the World Series allowing seven hits in eight innings as the Orioles ran away with an 11-3 win. In Game 6 he yielded two runs but held the Pirates in check as the Orioles tied the score. Palmer left for a pinch hitter after nine innings and Baltimore won an inning later. The Pirates, however, won Game 7 behind Steve Blass' four-hitter.
"Palmer registered 21 wins and a career-low 2.07 ERA in 1972 and upped the victory total to 22 in 1973, topping the American League with a 2.40 ERA and winning his first Cy Young Award. The Orioles took the AL East again and Weaver chose Palmer for the playoff opener against Oakland. Palmer dispatched the defending world champions with a five-hit shutout, fanning 12 and extending the Orioles' ALCS winning streak to 10 games. His four playoff wins were unsurpassed by any pitcher until Dave Stewart collected his fifth ALCS win in 1990. The A's won three of then next four games to take the pennant.
"The two teams met again in the following post-season. In Game 3 Vida Blue shut out the O's, 1-0., on just two hits and Palmer was tagged for his only playoff loss. The A's captured the pennant in four games and took their third-straight World Series title.
"Palmer had been hampered by elbow problems in 1974, but he came back to have his best season in 1975, setting career highs with 23 wins, 323 innings and 10 shutouts - only the third time since 1914 that an American League pitcher reached double figures in that category. He won his second Cy Young Award and also took the ERA crown for the second time in his career.
"In 1976 Palmer won 22 games and became the league's first pitcher to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards outright. (Denny McLain won the trophy in 1968 and tied with Mike Cuellar in 1969.) Palmer followed with a league-leading 20 wins in 1977 and 21 wins in 1978. In his sensational nine-year period, he was selected to the All-Star Game six times.
"Palmer's career began to slow down after that but his feuds with Weaver escalated. 'Palmer would get into trouble with Earl because Earl thought Jim was trying to be the manager on the mound,' recalled third baseman Brooks Robinson. 'Earl used to say he'd move the defense six steps to the left so that, after Jim move them three steps to the right, the outfielders would wind up were Earl wanted them. Palmer and Weaver were a pair of the two sharpest baseball minds I've ever been around, ' Robinson added, 'and each thought he understood the game better than the other'..."
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Palmer played in every Orioles' season from 1965-1984 except 1968. During those years he pitched in 27, 30, 9, 26, 39, 37, 36, 38, 26, 39, 40, 39, 38, 23, 34, 22, 36, 14 and 5 games for 92, 208, 49, 181, 305, 282, 274, 296, 178, 323, 315, 319, 296, 156, 224, 127, 227, 77 and 18 innings for ERAs of 3.72, 3.46, 2.94, 2.34, 2.71, 2.68, 2.07, 2.40, 3.27, 2.09, 2.51, 2.91, 2.46, 3.30, 3.98, 3.75, 3.13, 4.23 and 9.17.
In his 19-year career he pitched in 558 games including 521 starts
completing 3,948 innings allowing 3,349 hits, 1,311 walks with 2,212
strikeouts for a 2.86 ERA and .230 OAV. His life-time record was
268-152, his fielding average was .962 and he had 211 complete games.
On mid-1990s career pitching leader lists, Jim was 29th in
wins, 21st in winning %, 132nd in games
pitched, 36th in innings pitched, 37th in
strikeouts, 16th in shut outs (53), 25th in
hits per 9 innings (7.63) and 26th in walks.
Palmer
won four gold gloves from 1976-1979 with his picture-perfect delivery
and all-around athleticism. Ellie Hendricks once said of Palmer:
"Palmer was probably the toughest of all to catch because he
knew so much about the game. He knew himself, he knew every hitter,
he knew every pitch that he threw. He knew what got hit and what
didn't get hit. Basically he was going to throw 85%-90% fastballs,
you knew that as a catcher. But he would battle you the whole game,
so that's why he was tough to catch, because mentally you'd be
exhausted when the game was over. But the days that he had great
stuff, it was so easy."
As a minor leaguer, he played from 1964, 1967-1968 for six teams.
After baseball he became a nationally heard baseball announcer and was elected to the Hall-of-Fame in 1990. In the Spring of 1991, he made an ill-fated attempt at a comeback. Jim also has endorsed numerous products for advertising purposes and written three books which include one on pitching, one for healthy exercise ("Jim Palmer's Way to Fitness", pub:Harper & Row) and his extremely interesting book on his years in baseball called "Palmer and Weaver - Together We Were Eleven Foot Nine" (pub:Andrews and McMeel). He is currently on the Baltimore Orioles' TV/Cable announcing team and living in Baltimore and Palm Beach, FL.
John Papa
John Paul Papa was born on December 5, 1960, in Bridgeport, CT. He played on the Aberdeen Pheasants in 1959 (5-12, 4.32 ERA). John attended the University of Bridgeport and the University of New Haven.
The RHP had two short rides in the majors for the Orioles. In April 1961, he appeared in two games for one inning giving up two hits and three walks while striking out three. In 1962, he was in one game for one inning allowing three hits and one walk. His ERA for those three innings was 22.50.
Papa hurt his arm in his third pro season, trying to throw a slider in "B" ball. As a minor league player from 1958-1966, he played on 13 clubs. He had two years at class "AAA".
John became a chemical sales rep for Guard-All in Norwalk, CT. After getting a degree in business administration, Papa became a businessman ("Papa Properties LLC") and an elected city alderman in Shelton, CT, where he still resides.
.
Tom Parsons
Thomas Anthony Parsons was born in Lakeville, CT, on September 13, 1939. He played for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1958 (6-8, 5.12).
Tom had one complete season in the majors and two other short stints. In September 1963, he pitched one game for the Pirates completing 4 innings allowing 7 hits and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts and a 8.31 ERA. In 1964, for the Mets, he appeared in 4 games for 19 innings, including 2 starts, and gave up 20 hits and 6 walks for a 4.19 ERA.
The 6'7", 210 pound Parson had one complete season in 1965 for the Mets. In 35 games (11 starts) he finished 91 innings with a 4.67 ERA and 1-10 record. The right hander played in 40 games during his MLB career for 115 innings giving up 135 hits and 25 walks with 70 strikeouts, a 4.72 ERA, .291 OAV and 2-13 record. He played in the minor leagues from 1957-1964 and 1966-1969 for 13 teams with 9 years in "AAA".
Tom became a foreman for Green Hills Sausage Company in Salem, OR.
He has lived in Canton, OH, Dyersburg, TN, and now resides in North
Canton. 
Ken Penner
Kenneth William Penner was born on April 24, 1896, in Booneville, IN. He pitched for Crookston in 1936 and was their manager in 1936. He also managed Jamestown in 1937.
Ken pitched from 1913-1916 in the lower minors including Marshalltown where he compiled a 1.41 ERA in 287 innings. That same year he got his first MLB trial for the Cleveland Indians pitching in 4 games and 13 innings for a 4.26 ERA. From 1917-1925, he pitched in the Pacific Coast League with ERAs in the three's and five seasons with more then 280 innings.
During the 1926-1928 seasons, he was with Houston in the Texas League where he led the league with a 2.52 ERA in 1927. After 24 games in the American Association in 1929, he got his last chance in the majors for the Chicago Cubs. He pitched in 5 games and had a 2.84 ERA. That good year only kept him at the "AAA" level with Louisville from 1930-1935. He then played in the lower minors as a player-manager.
He had a 3.46 ERA in 9 games, 26 innings in the majors where he allowed 28 hits and 6 walks while striking out 8. In the minors he pitched in 869 games for 5,571 innings and a 3.67 ERA including 23 games for Crookston with a 2.54 ERA in 92 innings.
Ken managed in the minors for nine years including Crookston in 1936 (54-68, 7th) and a portion of the 1937 season forJamestown. He was also a "AAA" coach from 1941-1942 and then a scout. His scouting report, filed with Tony Kaufmann for the Cardinals, in 1946 was regarded as a major factor in the Cardinals' World Series win over Boston. Penner thought the "Boudreau Shift" was too extreme and chose the one used by Detroit, who placed their third baseman on the right side of the infield while leaving the shortstop on the left side.
Shortly after being named West Coast scouting supervisor of the
Cardinals in 1957, he was stricken with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
In October 1958, while Penner was bed-ridden and in need of
around-the-clock attention, his friends arranged a benefit game at
Edmonds Field in Sacramento from which more than $4,000 was raised to
help in his medical expenses. More than 30 major and minor leaguers,
residing in the area, took part in the contest. He died on May 28,
1959, at his home in Sacramento and was cremated. 
Joseph Anthony Pepitone was born on October 9, 1940, in Brooklyn. He played on the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in 1959 (.283, 14 HR, 87 RBI). The Yankees gave him a $20,000 signing bonus which he spent on a fancy car and motorboat.
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"Joe Pepitone was one of four promising rookies brought up by the Yankees in 1962 to help form the core of the next great Yankee dynasty. Right away he and rookie classmate Jim Bouton caught on to the Yankees' tradition of hard play off the field, and Pepitone added a zest and flamboyance to the team that had previously been exhibited only by proven team champions such as Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and Billy Martin. By the time he left the Yankees in 1970, he had become one of the most visible symbols of a failing organization that featured aging and injury-plagued stars and unmanageable new players.
"After Pepitone had played a year with limited action, the Yankees made room for him at first base in 1963 by trading popular power-hitting Moose Skowron. An instant crowd favorite because of his local roots and Italian descent, Pepitone responded to full-time play by hitting .271 with 27 home runs as the Yankees went to the 1963 World Series. In the Series, however, Pepitone hit a dismal .154 and made an error in Game 4 on a throw from Clete Boyer that allowed the winning Dodgers' run to score. The Yankees were swept.
"Pepitone hit 28 homers, drove in a career-high 100 RBIs, provided consistent fielding and was selected to his second consecutive All-Star Game in 1964 in helping the Yankees squeak past the White Sox and back to the World Series. He again hit only .154 in the Series, but he hit a crucial grand slam in Game 6. The Cardinals, however, won in seven games. By 1965 Pepitone's fielding had become reliable enough to earn him his first Gold Glove, but he was hitting only .247. In 1966 he won another Gold Glove and hit 31 homers, but as his attention shifted more and more to his celebrity status, his on-field performance leveled off. In his last six years with the Yankees, he did not hit above .255. He also failed to show up on game day a few times, allegedly because he was being pursued by various bookies. Before the 1970 season, the Yankees relocated him to Houston.
"Midway through that season, the Astros shipped Pepitone to the Cubs, who were looking for the right veteran players to round out a promising squad. Pepitone hit .268 and had 26 homers for the full season, but the Cubs finished five games behind the Pirates. In 1971 Pepitone played nearly full-time in Chicago and responded with the best average of his career at the pate, hitting .307. However, his power production dropped significantly. By 1972 the Cubs had demoted him to part-time status and in mid-1972, they traded him to Atlanta for the last days of his major league career.
"Pepitone signed a $140,000 contract with the Yakult Atoms in Japan. His flamboyant style soon clashed with Japanese life. He arrived with shoulder-length hair, complained about the food and high prices, missed games because of 'headaches' from bumping his head on low hotel room doors and hit .163 in 14 games while disco dancing into the wee hours. He finally flew home, leaving a large phone bill unpaid and the Japanese with a new noun, 'pepitone', meaning goof-off.
"Always concerned with his appearance, Pepitone is credited by Jim Bouton in 'Ball Four' as being the first player to style his hair with a blow dryer in a major-league clubhouse. Pepitone's own book, 'Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud', tells the story of his struggle to play baseball while avoiding the perils of growing up in Brooklyn."
-----
Pepitone played with the Yankees from 1962-1969 in
63, 157, 160, 143, 152, 133, 108 and 135 with batting averages of
.239, .271, .251, .247, .255, .251, .245 and .242 and hit 7, 27, 28,
18, 31, 13, 15 and 27 home runs with 17, 89, 100, 62, 83, 64, 56 and
70 RBIs. He appeared in the 1963, 1964 and 1965 All Star games. On
Dec. 4, 1969, he was traded to Houston for Curt Blefary.
With Houston for 75 games in 1970 he hit .251 with 14 homers and 35 RBI. On June 29, he was sold to the Cubs where he batted .268 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI. From 1971-1973, for the North-siders, he played in 115, 66 and 31 batting .307, .262 and .268. On May 19, 1973 he was traded to Atlanta for Andre Thornton and in the remainder of the 1973 season, the left hander played 3 games for the Braves going 4 for 11.
Pepitone had a powerful swing and excellent glove. In his 12-year career, Joe hit .258 in 1,397 games and 5,297 at bats with a .303 OBP and .432 slugging %. He drove in 721 runs, had 219 home runs, a fielding average of .993 and was 13 for 58 as a pinch hitter. In the minors from 1958-1962 and 1976, he played for six teams hitting over .300 for three.
In January 1975, Pepitone published his own tell-all baseball memoir, titled "Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud". In the late 70's, Pepitone played for the New Jersey Statesmen in the American Professional Slow Pitch League (APSPL). He also served in the front office of the North American Softball League (NASL) for their only season in 1980. In June 1982, Pepitone was hired as a batting coach with the Yankees, but was replaced later in the season. In the 1980s, Joe was doing public relations for "Adam and Eve" hair replacement centers and living in Scarsdale, NY.
Pepitone spent four months at Rikers Island jail in 1988 for two misdemeanor drug convictions after he and two other men were arrested on March 18, 1985, after being stopped by the police for running a red light in a car containing nine ounces of coke, hundreds of quaaludes, a free-basing kit, a gun and $6,300 cash. He was released from jail on a work-release program when Yankee owner Steinbrenner offered him a job in minor-league player development for the team.
In January 1992, Pepitone was charged with misdemeanor assault in a small town in New York state after a scuffle which police said was triggered when Pepitone was called a "has-been." He was arraigned in town court and released after he posted $75 bail. In October 1995, Joe was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after losing control of his car in New York's Queen-Midtown tunnel. Authorities charged Pepitone with drunken driving after he refused to take a sobriety test. Pepitone pled guilty.
In the late 1990s, Pepitone was given a job in the Yankees' front office. He later made a living signing autographs and baseball memorabilia at autograph shows and works in a public relations for the Yankees.
Late in life, he lived Farmingdale, Bellmore, Massapequa and
Amityville, NY. He died at home in Kansas City, MO, on March 13,
2023.
Len Perme
Leonard John Perme was born in Cleveland on November 25, 1917. He pitched for the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in 1938 (few appearances), 1939 (9-8, 3.93 ERA) and 1940 (10-11, 3.76). He also played for the Superior Blues in 1941 (15-11, 3.22).
The left hander pitched briefly in 1942 and 1946 for the Chicago Cubs. In September 1942, he pitched in 4 games (one start) for 13 innings giving up 5 hits and 4 walks with 4 strikeouts for a 1.38 ERA. In 1946, he again pitched in 4 games allowing 6 hits and 7 walks in 4 innings with a 8.31 ERA.
As a minor league pitcher from 1938-1942 and 1946-1951, he played for 13 teams with two years at class "AAA".
Len was in the U.S. Navy from 1943-1945 and then lived in Hayward,
CA, for many years. He died there at age 91 on Jan. 24, 2009.
Cremation followed. 
Gaylord Jackson Perry was born in Williamson, NC, on September 15, 1938. He pitched for the St. Cloud Rox in 1958 (9-5, 2.35 ERA). Perry signed for $90,000 and is the younger brother of former big league pitcher Jim Perry. Gaylord attended Campbell Junior College.
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"Rule 8.02 of the Official Baseball Rules specifically prohibits a pitcher from either defacing the baseball or applying any foreign substance to it. Section E states that 'the umpire shall be the sole judge on whether any portion of this rule has been violated.' Gaylord Perry openly flaunted this rule for most of his career and was seldom caught. Although the spitball was banned in 1920 and last thrown legally in 1934 by pitcher Burleigh Grimes, who was allowed to use the pitch until his retirement, Perry may have been baseball's most successful spitballer.
"Perry grew up on a small tenant farm in eastern North Carolina. His father was a successful semi-pro pitcher and taught both Gaylord and his older brother, Jim, the ins and outs of pitching. Both boys were excellent pitchers and basketball players at Williamston High School and both turned down scholarship offers to play college basketball in favor of professional baseball. Gaylord signed with the Giants for a team-record $73,000 in 1958... he depended on a good fastball, curve and changeup. He moved quickly through the minors and after leading the Pacific Coast League with 16 wins for Tacoma in 1961, he was called up to the Giants. He bounced back and forth between San Francisco and Tacoma for several seasons, pitching well in Triple A but getting roughed up at the major league level.
"That changed in 1964...It was the spitball...Although Perry took several seasons to learn to control the pitch effectively, it made an immediate difference and he pitched his way into the Giants' rotation in 1964... Perry put it all together in 1966. With both his spitball and slider under control, the became an overnight sensation. He won 21 games and was the winning pitcher in the All-Star Game. On July 22 he struck out 15 Phillies. He finished the season with 201 strikeouts and walked only 40. He was better in 1967, lowering his ERA from 2.99 to 2.61. During one stretch he hurled 40 consecutive scoreless innings. But he lost 10 one-runs decisions and finished the season with a 15-17 record. The spitball suddenly became a hot topic. As long as no one pitcher was too effective with it, few people complained: Perry's success was out of the ordinary. Before the 1968 season, Rule 8.02 was amended to forbid the pitcher to put his hand to his mouth.
"...Perry pitched a no-hitter against Bob Gibson and St. Louis on September 17, 1968. In 1970 Perry won 23 games, led the National League in shutouts and innings pitched and finished second in the Cy Young voting to Gibson... San Francisco traded Gaylord Perry to Cleveland in 1972 and he responded with the best season of his career, winning the Cy Young with a sparking 1.92 ERA and leading the AL with 24 wins. The trade set a pattern for the remainder of his career. After several successful seasons, he'd be traded to a team that believed his presence would either help them to a pennant or put fans in the park. The club usually failed to match Perry's performance and the pattern would repeated.
"The Perry brothers were united in Cleveland in 1974. Gaylord won 21 games, including 15 straight - one shy of the AL record - and Jim added 17 victories. But on May 20, 1975, Jim was traded to Oakland for Blue Moon Odom. Less than a month later, Gaylord was dealt to Texas for Jim Bibby, Jackie Brown, Rick Waits and $100,000. After winning 15 games for the Rangers in both 1976 and 1977, Perry was traded to San Diego in January 1978. He won 21 games that season and his second Cy Young Award. The 40-year-old hurler was the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues. Selected to his fifth and final All-Star Game in 1979, at the end of the season Perry signed with Texas again. But the Rangers traded him in midseason to the Yankees. He then played with Atlanta in 1981, Seattle in 1982 and Kansas City in 1983. Perry won his 300th game with Seattle in 1982 and retired after the 1983 season with 314 wins..."
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Perry was with the Giants from 1962-1971 pitching in 13 g/43 inn, 31/76, 44/206, 47/196, 36/256, 39/293, 39/291, 40/325, 41/329 and 37/280 with ERAs of 5.23, 4.03, 2.75, 4.19, 2.99, 2.61, 2.44, 2.49, 3.20 and 2.76. He appeared in the 1966 and 1970 All-Star games and led the league in innings pitched in 1969 and 1970. On Nov. 29, 1971, he was traded to Cleveland with Frank Duffy for Sam McDowell.
With the Indians from 1972-1975, he pitched in 41/343, 41/344, 37/322 and 15/122 for ERAs of 1.92, 3.38, 2.51 and 3.55. He pitched in the 1974 All Star game. On June 13, 1975, he went to Texas for Jim Bibby, Jackie Brown, Rick Waits and $100,000. He finished the season with the Rangers pitching 22/184 for a 3.03 ERA. He also was with them in 1976 and 1977 in 32/250 and 34/238 with 3.24 and 3.37 ERAs. On Jan. 25, 1978, he was sent to San Diego for Dave Tomlin and $125,000.
For the Padres in 1978 and 1979, Gaylord appeared in 37g/261 inn and 32/232 compiling ERAs of 2.73 and 3.06. On Feb. 15, 1980, he was sent back to Texas with Tucker Ashford and Joe Carroll for Will Martinez. With the Rangers in 1980 he was in 24/155, he had an ERA of 3.43 and was traded to the Yankees on Aug. 14 for Ken Clay and Marv Thompson. During the remainder of the season, for the Yankees, he pitched 10/51 for a 4.44 ERA.
On Jan. 12, 1981, he signed as a free agent with Atlanta. For the Braves in 1981, he performed in 23/151 with a 3.94 ERA and in 1982 for the Mariners, he was in 32/217 for a 4.40 ERA. In his last year of 1983, he pitched 16/102 with a 4.94 ERA for Seattle and in 14/84 with a 4.27 ERA with the Royals.
In a 22-year career, he pitched in 777 games for 5,350 innings allowing 4,938 hits and 1,379 walks with 3,534 strikeouts. His ERA was 3.11 with a .245 OAV and a 314-265 record. On mid-1990s life-time pitching leader lists, Gaylord was 15thin wins, 21st in games, 37th in complete games, 6th in innings pitched, 6th in strikeouts, 16th in shutouts, 18th in walks and 6thin losses.
He played in the minor leagues from 1958-1963 for seven clubs with ERAs under 3.00 for four of them.
Perry was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991 and wrote his biography, "Me and the Spitter". He settled in his native North Carolina, near Spruce Pine, and began farming peanuts and tobacco, but had to file for bankruptcy in 1986. Briefly he worked for Fiesta Foods as a sales manager. Shortly thereafter, he became the baseball coach at Limestone College (SC) where he worked until 1991 when he retired to Spruce Pine. Gaylord died on December 1, 2022, in Gaffney, SC, as is buried at the Oakland cemetery there. Perry contracted COVID in 2021 and never fully recovered.
James Evan Perry was born on October 30, 1935, in Williamston, NC. He pitched with the 1957 Fargo-Moorhead Twins (15-12, 2.88). He is the older brother of Gaylord Perry. Jim attended Campbell Junior College.
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The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"Although Jim Perry is best remembered as Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry's older brother, Jim paved the way for one of the game's most successful brother acts. He was the first in the family to make it to the major leagues and was as All-Star while Gaylord was still working on a new pitch, which turned out to be the spitball.
"Jim Perry entered the American League in 1959 with the Cleveland Indians. He won 12 games with a 2.65 ERA, struck out 79 batters in 153 innings and finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting. The following year he led the league with 18 wins, a .643 winning percentage, and four shutouts. In his third year, Perry was named to the All-Star Game. Early in the 1963 season the Indians traded Perry to Minnesota. Two years later he went 12-7 as the Twins reached the World Series only to lose to Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers. For the next three years Perry split his time between starting and the bullpen.
"In 1969 under manager Billy Martin, Perry became a regular starter and he responded with a 20-6 record as the young Minnesota team went to the very first American League Championship Series. Perry pitched eight innings in the opening, but the Orioles won the game in 12 innings and swept the series. The next year, as brother Gaylord recorded 23 wins in San Francisco and place second in the Cy Young balloting, Jim Perry led the American League with 24 wins, while throwing four shutouts. He also was voted his league's Cy Young Award. Also that season the Perry's became the first sibling pitchers to face each other in the All-Star Game.
"Jim Perry had four more seasons winning at least 13 games. In 1974 he and Gaylord pitched together on the Indians and Jim recorded 17 wins, with a 2.96 ERA. He retired following the 1975 season, after being traded to Oakland with Dick Bosman for Blue Moon Odom and cash. Together, the Perrys struck out more batters - 5,110 - then any other pair of pitching brothers in the major leagues, tossed more shutouts and won more games than any other siblings except Phil and Joe Niekro."
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With Cleveland from 1959-1962, Jim pitched in 44, 41, 35 and 35 (13, 36, 35 and 27 starts) for 153, 261, 223 and 194 innings with ERAs of 2.65, 3.62, 4.71 and 4.14. He was chosen for the 1961 All Star game and pitched in 5 games and 10 innings for the Tribe in 1963 for a 5.23 ERA before going to the Twins on May 2 for Jack Krolick where he started 35 games pitching 168 innings for a 3.74 ERA.
He continued to pitch for the Twins from 1964-1972 in 42, 36, 33, 37, 32, 46, 40, 40 and 35 games including 1, 19, 25, 11, 18, 36, 40, 39 and 35 starts for 65, 168, 184, 131, 139, 262, 279, 270 and 218 innings with ERAs of 3.44, 2.63, 2.54, 3.03, 2.27, 2.82, 3.04, 4.23 and 3.34. In 1965 he was placed on waivers, but was unclaimed and went on to win 7 straight games in the Twins' pennant year. Jim played in the 1970 All Star game and was chosen for the one in 1971. Perry spent much time in manager Sam Mele's doghouse and had the rap that he was "too nice" to win consistently. In his first six seasons with the Twins, he was generally in the bullpen only making starts when injuries or doubleheaders required it. When Billy Martin became manager Perry became his number two starter.
On Mar. 27, 1973, he was traded to Detroit for Dan Fife and cash. Jim had one year (1973) with the Tigers appearing in 35 games (34 starts) and completed 203 innings with a 4.03 ERA. On Mar. 19, 1974, he went to Cleveland for Rich Sawyer and Walt Williams in a three-team deal. For the Indians in 1974, he made 36 starts with 252 innings and a 2.96 ERA. In his last year of 1975, he was with Cleveland for 8 games (6 starts, 38 innings) for a 6.69 ERA and then was sent to Oakland on May 20 for Blue Moon Odom and cash. His season and career ended with the A's in 15 games, that season, including 11 starts with a 4.66 ERA.
His career lasted 17 years, 630 games and 3,285 innings. He allowed 3,127 hits, 998 walks and struck out 1,576 while compiling a 3.45 ERA and .252 OAV. At the plate, Jim was a switch hitter and batted .199.
In the minors from 1956-1958, he pitched on three teams with ERAs under 3.00 for two of them.
Jim became a feed and seed salesman and lived in Edina, MN and
also has resided in Sioux Falls, SD, and Greensboro, NC. Perry now
lives in New London, NC. His son, Chris, is a professional
golfer.
Stanley Perzanowski was born in East Chicago, IN, on August 25, 1950. He pitched for the Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1969 (4-4, 3.34). He is a cousin of former Dodgers' great Ron Perranoski.
Perzanowski got five short tastes of the major leagues. In 1971, he performed in 5 games for the White Sox completing 6 innings, but gave up 14 hits and 3 walks for a 12.00 ERA. It took until 1974 to get back to the Sox when he pitched 2 games including one start for 2 innings giving up 8 hits and 2 walks for a 19.29 ERA. On Feb. 25, 1975, he was traded to Texas for Steve Dunning.
At Texas in 1975 he appeared in 12 games (8 starts) and 66 innings for a good 3.00 ERA. In 1976 he was in 5 games for them finishing 12 innings with a 10.03 ERA before he was traded on May 28 with cash to Cleveland for Fritz Peterson. On Dec 3, he was sent with cash to California for Bill Melton [he never played for either the Indians or the Angels]. The right hander's last trial came for the Twins in 1978 when he pitched in 13 games (7 starts) completing 57 innings for a 5.24 ERA.
In his 37 games (16 starts) and 143 innings, he gave up 160 hits and 60 walks while striking out 70 for a 5.11 ERA and .288 OAV.
In the minor leagues, he played from 1968-1979 for 16 teams. He had five seasons with ERAs at or under 3.00 and played at class "AAA" for eight years.
Perzanowski has lived in Syracuse, IN, and now resides in
Hammond.
Bill Peterman
William David Peterman was born on March 21, 1921, in Philadelphia. He caught for the Wausau Lumberjacks in 1941 (.336, 8 HR, 85 RBI).
Peterman only played one game in the majors. On April 26, 1942, he caught part of a game for the Phillies with one at bat - he hit a single.
As a minor leaguer, from 1940-1942 and 1946-1949, he played on nine clubs. Other then his one MLB game, he never played higher then class "AA".
Bill serviced in the U.S. Army from December 1942-1945 and was
stationed in the United States. He died on March 13, 1999, in
Philadelphia and was interred at Hillside Cemetery in Roslyn PA,
apparently in an unmarked grave.
Bobby Pfeil
Robert Raymond Pfeil was born in Passaic, NJ, on November 13, 1942. He played with the 1963 St. Cloud Rox in 1963 (.261, 6 HR, 59 RBI), led all third basemen in fielding and was on the All Star team. Bobby played baseball and basketball in school and was first signed by the Cubs. On Apr. 10, 1965, he was traded by the Cubs to St. Louis with Hal Gibson for Bob Humphreys, but he never played for the Cardinals. .
Pfeil played two years in the majors as a utility player. In 1969, he appeared in 62 games for the New York Mets playing at third, second and the outfield with a .232 average in 211 at bats. The right hander also played 44 games for the Phillies in 1971 with a .271 average. He caught 4 games and played at first and short. On Feb. 8, 1972, he was traded to Milwaukee for Chico Vaughens and on March 20, he was sold to Boston. He never played for either the Brewers nor the Red Sox.
In his MLB career, he was in 106 games and batted 281 times for a .242 average, .278 OBP and .306 slugging percentage. His fielding % was .980 and he was 8 for 26 as a pinch hitter.
As a minor leaguer from 1962-1972, he played with 14 teams. He twice hit over .300 at "AAA" in his seven years spent at that level. He played eight positions during a PCL game in 1970, but the umpiring staff would not allow him to pitch because "he was not certified". He also led the Texas League in third baseman fielding in 1965.
During an interview with Mark Simon (a SABR biographer), Pfeil said of his career and the 1969 Championship Mets: "My reputation was that of a guy who understood the game and wasn't going to embarrass you. A guy who could, catch, who could field, and who could advance the runner. I didn't hit as well as I should have, but everybody on the team had a purpose. Everyone played. A slow week for me, I played three games. I have a world of respect for Gil Hodges as a manager. What a great way for someone to manage a team."
During the off-seasons of his baseball career, Bobby worked in the animation department at Walt Disney's studios. In the 1980's he was a partner in a chain of shoe stores called "Sports Shoe" and he lived in Reseda, CA. Pfeil later went into the apartment building business with three friends (the "RPM Company"), which was a successful enterprise building properties in 14 states. He also assisted coaching high school baseball for seven years, pitching batting practice four days a week. As of 2008, he had retired from that position and lives in Stockton, CA.
Please see a much more detailed bio from the SABR Bio project at
SABR.org. 
Dee Phillips
Damon Roswell Phillips was born on June 8, 1919, in Corsicana, TX. He played for the 1959 Fargo-Moorhead Twins (.176) as a player/manager.
Phillips played in 28 games as a shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds in 1942 and hit .202 in 84 at bats. In 1944, he was the Boston Braves starting third baseman/shortstop appearing in 140 games with a .258 average. His career ended with 2 games in 1946 for the Braves (1 for 2 as a pinch hitter). In 1944, he became the first third baseman in the 20th century to have 11 assists in a nine-inning game.
In his career 170 games and 575 at bats, the right hander batted .250 with a .296 OBP and .315 slugging %. His fielding average was .956..
In the minors, from 1938-1943 and 1947-1959, he played on 25 teams with averages over .300 in three seasons. He played at the "AAA" level for 12 years.
Dee served in the U.S. Army in 1945 and 1946 and was a minor
league manager from 1957-1960 in the Yankees lower minors and 1961 in
the Orioles organization. His managerial record was 312-297. Later he
became a scout for the Texas area working for the Orioles and Tigers.
Phillips lived for some time in Joinerville, TX, and died on November
4, 2004, in Fort Worth. 
Thomas Harold Pheobus was born in Baltimore on April 7, 1942. He played for the Aberdeen Pheasants in 1962 (13-10, 4.47 ERA).
Pheobus had a nice debut with his home-town Orioles in September 1966 by pitching two consecutive shutouts [only the fourth AL pitcher to ever accomplish that feat]. For the month, he made 3 starts going 22 innings, striking out 17 and giving up 16 hits and 6 walks for a 1.23 ERA.
He was then a full time starter from 1967-1969 in 33, 36 and 35 games pitching 208, 241 and 202 innings for 3.33, 2.62 and 3.52 ERAs. In 1970, he was in 27 games including 21 starts for 135 innings and a 3.07 ERA. Tom was "The Sporting News" Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 1967 and no-hit Boston on April 27, 1968. In the 1970 World Series, he pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in game two, giving up one hit and getting the win. On Dec. 1, 1970, he was traded to San Diego in a six-player deal which included Pat Dobson.
His 1971 season was spent with the Padres where he pitched in 29 games (21 starts) for 133 innings and a 4.45 ERA. In 1972, he appeared in one game for San Diego (6 inn, 7.94) before he was sold to the Chicago Cubs on April 20 where he was in 33 games (2 starts) for 89 innings and a 4.04 ERA. On Oct. 20 he was traded to Atlanta for Tony LaRussa, but never played for them.
The right hander pitched in 201 MLB games (149 starts) completing 1,030 innings giving up 888 hits and 489 walks for a 3.33 ERA and .233 OAV. His record was 56-52. In the minors from 1960-1966 and 1973, he pitched for nine teams with four years at the "AAA" level. He threw a no-hitter for Rochester (IL) in 1966. He later commented that he always had to deal with put-downs about his (over) weight.
Following
baseball, Tom
became a liquor distributor in Bradenton, FL. He then earned
an education degree and taught grade school physical education in
Port St Lucie, FL. Tom then lived in
Palm City, FL, and died there on September 5, 2019.
Ronald Jacques Piche (pronounced "Pee-Shay") was born in Verdun, Quebec, Canada on May 22, 1935. He pitched for the Eau Claire Bears in 1956 (16-7, 2.84 ERA) leading the league in victories.
Piche was up and down between the minors and the majors for five years and had one complete MLB season in1963. From 1960-1963, the right hander appeared in 37, 12, 14 and 37 games for the Braves finishing 48, 23, 52 and 53 innings for ERAs of 3.56, 3.47, 4.85 and 3.40. In 1960, he saved 9 games for them. On October 14, 1964, he was traded to the Angels with Phil Roof for Dan Osinski.
In 1965 he appeared in 14 games and 20 innings for the Angels with a 6.86 ERA. His last year was in 1966 as a St. Louis Cardinal when he pitched in 20 games and 25 innings for a 4.26 ERA. On April 22, 1968, he was traded by the Cardinals to the Cubs with Jack Lamabe for Pete Mikkelsen and Dave Downing. He never played for the Cubs.
An apocryphal story has circulated for years that he became a pitcher when his first manager asked his position and the French-speaking youngster, thinking he had been asked his name, answered, "I Piche." As a major leaguer for 6 years, 134 games and 221 innings he allowed 216 hits, 123 walks and struck out 157 for a 4.19 ERA and .255 OAV.
As a minor leaguer, from 1955-1962 and 1964-1970 and 1972, he pitched for 19 clubs and had nine years with ERAs under 3.00 and three more that were under 3.10. He spent 10 years at "AAA" including 1961 when he led the PCL in shutouts with five and in ERA (2.26). He was also 14-3 for Toronto in 1964.
Ron became a major league coach for the Montreal Expos (1976) and their director of Canadian scouting from 1977 to 1985 while living in Quebec. In later years, he lived in his birth town of Verdun and was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. Piché was also a volunteer firefighter with the Montreal Auxiliary Firemen and did public relations work with the Expos which earned him the nickname "Monsieur Baseball".
In 2009, he nearly lost his life in an automobile accident (it took the "jaws of life" to remove him from his vehicle). Piche died after a lengthy battle with cancer on Feb. 3, 2011, in Montreal. His remains were cremated and located in the mausoleum of the Alfred Dellaire Funeral Home in LaSalle, QC.
"Ron was and will remain a true baseball icon in Canada,
because he was a gentleman who represented everything that is great
about the game and the industry," said Canadian Hall of
President president & CEO Tom Valcke in a statement. "His
passion and pride for Canada were second to none. Everybody loved Ron
Piché! As far as being a supporter of what we do here, it was
never more evident than when he suffered a terrible automobile
accident on his way to St. Marys two years ago to attend the
induction ceremony, and when he was being removed from his vehicle by
the emergency crew using the jaws of life, he asked them to please
not damage the Hall of Fame blazer that he was wearing. He will be
dearly missed, but will always serve as an inspiration to all of
us."
Louis Victor Piniella was born on August 28, 1943 in Tampa, FL. He played for the Aberdeen Pheasants in 1964 (.270, 0 HR, 12 RBI). Please read about his short time in the Northern League on the page "Tales From the League's Dugouts".
-----
The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"Lou Piniella was a large, likable man whose hot temper always seemed to get him into trouble. In New York, not an easy town in which to be liked, he won awards in consecutive years as a fan and media favorite. He was both a solid, if unexceptional player and a successful manager.
"Piniella was a Catholic All-American in high school basketball. However, he chose to pursue baseball and after high school graduation he spent seven years in the Baltimore, Washington and Cleveland farm systems. Claimed by the Seattle Pilots in the 1969 expansion draft, he was swapped to the other expansion team, Kansas City, before the season began. The muscular outfielder showed line drive power in his first full year, hitting 21 doubles, six triples and 11 homers with a .262 average. He was voted American League Rookie of the Year, narrowly beating out pitchers Mike Nagy and Ken Tatum and outfielder Carlos May. For the next three years Piniella hit well and played adequate defense for Kansas City. He hit .301 with a career high 88 RBIs in 1970. Two years later his .312 average was second in the league behind Rod Carew's .318. He also led the league with 33 doubles and was selected to the All-Star Game.
"After Piniella slumped to .250 in 1973, the Yankees came calling. They offered the Royals 38-year-old hurler Lindy McDaniel for Piniella and pitcher Ken Wright. Kansas City, remarkably, said yes. Piniella's on-field fiery attitude coupled with his pleasant demeanor off the field made him a true Yankee. In 11 years in pinstripes, he hit better than .300 five times. His arm became something to fear too: three times he nailed more than 10 baserunners in a season. The New York club, long a legend, had been down for a dozen years. Two years after Piniella joined the Yankees they were coming back. From 1976 through 1981 the Yanks were in the postseason every year but one. In 1978 the team fought back from a 14-game deficit to the Red Sox and the two clubs had to play a one-game playoff to determine the division champ.
"Piniella was in right field in the last of the ninth, and the Yankees were up by a run. Boston, however, had Rick Burleson on first and one out. Jerry Remy lined a ball into right-center that Piniella lost in the afternoon sky. He charged in toward it, then stopped stock-still. He raised his arms in dismay for an instant before dropping them to his sides. 'I was saying to myself, Don't panic. Don't wave your arms and let him know you've lost it', he recalled later. The ball bounced to his right and several feet in front of him. He was able to reach out and snag it before it got past him. Burleson had to stop at second. The next batter, Jim Rice, hit a deep fly to Piniella and Burleson was able to advance to third. Had Piniella not made the heads-up play, Burleson would have scored on the Rice fly, Carl Yastrzemski then popped up to end the game.
"In five postseason appearances with New York, Piniella batted .313 with six doubles. In 1983 and 1984, his final two seasons for the Yankees, he was a part-time player while working as a batting coach. He kept his job after hanging up his spikes as a player and, in 1985, when club owner George Steinbrenner fired skipper Billy Martin for the third time, Piniella took over as manager..."
-----
On Mar. 31, 1964, he was traded by Washington to Baltimore for Buster Narum. Lou played 4 games for the Orioles in 1964 going 0 for 1. In 1968, for the Indians, he was in 6 games with a 0 for 5 record at the plate. Cleveland manager, Birdie Tebbetts, planned to make Piniella a catcher. He worked with him and everything seemed to going fine until Lou was called on to catch Sam McDowell in practice. Piniella was hit by so many bad pitches, he said he would be an outfielder or nothing at all. On April 1, 1969, he was traded by Seattle to Kansas City for Steve Whitaker and John Gelnar. In 1969-1973, for the Royals, he appeared in 135, 144, 126, 151 and 144 games batting .282, .301, .279, .312 and .250.
On Dec. 7, 1973, he was sent to the New York Yankees with Ken Wright for Lindy McDaniel. As a Yankee from 1974-1984, he played in 140, 74, 100, 103, 130, 130, 116, 60, 102, 53 and 29 games hitting .305, .196, .281, .330, .314, .297, .287, .277, .307, .291 and .302.
In his 18-year playing career, he played in 1,747 games with 5,867 at bats and hit .291 with a .336 OBP and .409 slugging %. His fielding average was .981. As a minor leaguer from 1962-1968, he was on seven teams with three years at "AAA".
Lou was the Yankee's GM, special assignment scout and consultant in 1988. His managerial record with New York was:1986: 90-72 (2nd); 1987: 89-73 (4th); 1988: 45-48 (n/a). His record with the Cincinnati Reds was:1990: 91-71 (1st, World Series winners); 1991: 74-88 (5th);1992: 90-72 (2nd).
Lou's record with the Seattle Mariners was: 1993: 82-80 (4th); 1994: 49-63 (strike year);1995: 79-66 (1st, won division playoff, lost ALCS); 1996: 85-76 (2nd); 1997: 90-72 (1st, lost division playoff); 1998: 76-85 (3rd); 1999: 79-83 (3rd); 2000: 91-71 (2nd, won division playoff, lost ALCS); 2001: 116-46 (1st, won division playoff, lost ALCS); 2002: 93-69 (3rd)
His record with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays was: 2003: 63-99 (5th), 2004: 70-91 (4th) and 2005: 67-95 (5th). During those years in St. Petersburg, he had the ability to spend time with his family including the attending of his grandchildren's birthday parties. He came to an agreement with the Devil Rays' management not to return for the 2006 season and sat out the year. In mid-October 2006, he signed a three-year contract to manage the Chicago Cubs beginning with the 2007 season. In his first season, his team won the NL Central pennant with a 85-77 record, but lost in the NLDS 3 games to none. Another pennant came in 2008 as his Cubs improved their record to 97-64 finishing 7 ½ ahead of Milwaukee. His team fell to second in 2009 with a 83-78 record.
The 2010 season was a complete disappointment. By August, Piniella announced that he would retire after the season, however, on August 23, Lou said he would leave the club immediately and return to Tampa and aid his ailing mother. His team was in fifth place at 51-74. In February 2011, he was named as a special assistant to the San Francisco Giants' GM.
Piniella's final major league managerial record was 1,835-1,713.
It may be written someday that Lou's decision to manage the Devil
Rays, in his home town of Tampa, cost him a chance at the Hall of
Fame as a manager. 
Vada Edward Pinson Jr. was born in Memphis on August 11, 1938. He played for the 1956 Wausau Lumberjacks (.278, 2 HR, 23 RBI).
In high school, Pinson played only baseball. "I went out for basketball once." he said, "but it was too much running for me." He graduated from Oakland's McClymonds High School, where he was a pitcher and first baseman, in 1956 and was signed by the Reds' Bobby Mattick for $4,000. He played 75 games for Wausau that same year. Even though he was only 5'11", he reported to the team as a first baseman. "I was the smallest first baseman in the league," he recalled in a "TSN" bio in April 1958. He was finally moved to the outfield on the last day of the season.
In 1957 he played at Visalia (Calf.) where he batted .367 for the batting crown, stole 53 bases and hit 40 doubles, 20 triples and 20 home runs. By 1958 he was destined to become the first player since Mickey Mantle to jump from class "C" to the majors. He played only 27 games for the Reds in that year and the rest were with the PCL Seattle club.
-----
The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"By his first full season, at age 20, Vada Pinson was already a great ballplayer. He led the National League with 47 doubles and 131 runs scored, while hitting .316 with 20 homers and stealing 21 bases. After several more excellent years, the rest of his career was a slow and uneven downward spiral.
"Pinson's family moved to Oakland when he was 7, and he later attended the same high school as outfielders Curt Flood and Frank Robinson. He signed with Cincinnati in 1956 and played with Wausau and Visalia before reaching the Reds in 1958. That spring he was the subject of a misunderstanding. Coach Jimmy Dykes mistakenly believed that he was Spanish and talked to Pinson in signs and broken English. Pinson finally said 'Mr. Dykes, if there is something you want me to do with my stance, please tell me;' Dykes almost fell over.
"In one of Pinson's first major league games he hit a grand slam to beat Pittsburgh, 4-1, but he was demoted soon after. He returned in 1959 and had an exceptional rookie season. Pinson was only the fourth National League rookie to collect more than 200 hits, but he wasn't considered a rookie by 1959 rules. That season Braves manager Fred Haney predicted, 'For now...Hank Aaron. For the future, there's no doubt about it...Vada Pinson.' Reds batting coach Wally Moses cautioned, 'For Vada, the sky's the limit. But he'll have to get there himself. You can't put him there.'
"An excellent left handed fielder, Pinson led the league in outfield putouts each year from 1959 through 1961, winning a Gold Glove in 1961. He also scored more than 100 runs in each of his first full seasons and stole more than 20 bases in his first five full years. In his second season, Pinson again led the league in doubles with 37. The next year he was even better, finishing second in the NL with a .343 batting average while leading the league with 208 hits. However, he hit a disappointing .091 against the Yankees in the 1961 World Series.
"In 1962, angered by a column by Cincinnati sportswriter Earl Lawson, he took a swing at the scribe. 'I'm just glad Pinson gets more body into his swings with the bat than he does with his fist,' Lawson joked. He swore out a warrant for Pinson's arrest, although he later dropped the charges. Pinson had another great performance in 1963. He hit .313 with 22 homers, 27 stolen bases, a career-high 106 RBIs and a league-leading 204 hits and 14 triples. After that season, however, he began to be hampered by a recurring hamstring pull. In 1964 he hit only .266 with eight stolen bases and showed significantly less range in the outfield.
"By 1966 it was clear that Pinson's legs were not up to his previous pace. After hitting .271 in 1968, with only five home runs, the Reds traded him to St. Louis. Pinson had another lackluster season there and was sent to Cleveland for outfielder Jose Cardenal. Pinson temporarily revived in the American League and hit 24 homers in 1970. In 1971 he disappointed again and was shipped to California. After two mediocre seasons with the Angels, Pinson was traded to Kansas City where he finished his career in 1975..."
-----
For the Reds from 1958-1968, Pinson played in 27, 154, 154, 154, 155, 162, 156, 159, 156, 158 and 130 games with batting averages of .271, .316, .287, .343, .292, .313, .266, .305, .288, .288 and .271. He was never on the DL during those years averaging 154 games and 627 at bats. He was in the 1959 and 1960 All Star games, hit 20 or more home runs in 6 seasons and had more then 76 or more RBI 7 times. On Oct. 11, 1968, he was traded to St. Louis for Wayne Granger and Bobby Tolan.
For the Cardinals in 1969, he hit .255 with 70 RBI and led the league outfielders in fielding % even though he was hampered by a broken leg during the season. On Nov. 21, 1969, he was sent to Cleveland for Jose Cardenal. With the Indians in 1970-1971, he appeared in 148 and 146 games with batting averages of .286 and .263.
On Oct. 5, 1971, he was traded in a five-player deal to California. With the Angels in 1972-1973, he played in 136 and 124 games batting .275 and .260. On Feb. 24, 1974, Pinson was sent to Kansas City for Barry Raziano and cash where he finished in 1974-1975 with 115 and 103 games hitting .276 and .223. He only played as a DH seven times with the Royals. .
In his career, he also played first base 16 times in his 2,469 games over 18 years with 9,645 at bats, a batting average of .286, OBP of .330 and slugging % of .442. He had a life-time fielding mark of .981, was 17 for 80 as a pinch hitter and stole 305 bases in 422 attempts.
As a short-time minor leaguer from 1956-1958 he played for three teams with one year in class "AAA". He hit over .300 in two of those seasons.
Vada stayed in baseball as a batting instructor in the Mariners and Tigers systems with major league coaching assignments with the Mariners in 1977-1980 and 1982-1983, the White Sox in 1981, the Tigers in 1985-1991 and the Marlins in 1993-1994. He died on October 21, 1995, at the Summit Medical Center in Oakland when he had a heart attack while attempting to recover from a stroke three weeks earlier. Burial was at the Rolling Hills Memorial Park in Richmond, CA.
From the SABR bio on Pinson by Ralph Moses: "Analyst Bill James, in the 2001 edition of his Historical Baseball Abstract, ranked Pinson 18th among centerfielders, ahead of Hall of Famers Hack Wilson, Hugh Duffy, Max Carey and Earl Combs - but behind Jimmy Wynn, Dale Murphy, Wally Berger and Fred Lynn, who are also outside the Hall. "
For a much more complete bio, please see Moses' work at SABR.org.
Elmo Plaskett
Elmo Alexander Plaskett was born in Frederiksted, Virgin Islands, on June 27, 1938. He caught for the Grand Fork Chiefs in 1960 (.295, 11 HR, 68 RBI).
Plaskett had two short stints with the Pirates. In September 1962, he played in 7 games with 14 at bats and 4 hits (.286). In 1963, he appeared in 10 games and 21 at bats with 3 hits (.143). In addition to the his 9 games at catcher, he also played third base in one. The right hander handled 34 chances defensively without error and was 1 for 9 as a pinch hitter.
In the minor leagues, he played from 1957-1969 for 21 clubs hitting over .300 for four of them. He spent five years at the "AAA" level. Cal Ermer, who was eventually the manager of the Minnesota Twins was Elmo's skipper in Puerto Rican winter baseball. He once stated: "...never, in my 57 years of pro baseball, have I seen a young hitter as good as Elmo was." In particular, Ermer singled out Plaskett's prowess at hitting breaking stuff. It has been said by observers, of his career, that his main drawback was that "he allowed himself to get heavy." Had the DH rule been in effect ten years earlier...
After retiring, Elmo became a baseball specialist for the department of Housing, Parks, and Recreation on St. Croix, VI. In the 1980-90s, he lobbied successfully for the reintroduction of high school baseball, umpired local games, and served as one of the coaches for the Virgin Islands branch of MLB's RBI program (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities). He also gave input to the Major League Scouting Bureau on behalf of many local and was a Pittsburgh Pirates scout. He died on February 2, 1998, in Christanstad, VI, and was buried at the Frederiksted, St. Thomas, VI, Cemetery.
Plaskett, who was a legend in Ponce, PR, as well as the Virgin
Islands is remembered as a selfless man who strove foremost to help
local youth.
Rance Pless
Rance Pless was born on December 6, 1925, in Greeneville, TN. He played on the St. Cloud Rox in 1948 (.308, 5 HR, 86 RBI). He led the league in triples with 18.
He served in the Navy during World War II, assigned to a Landing Craft Infantry ship (LCI-696) in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, from 1944 to 1946.
Pless played one partial year in the majors for the Kansas City A's. His 1956 record was: 48 games, 85 at bats, 23 hits (.271), .354 OBP, .329 slugging %, 1.000 fielding % at first and third bases (162 chances) and 7 for 26 as a pinch hitter.
As a minor leaguer from 1947-1960, the right hander played with 17 clubs and hit at or near .300 for nine of them. He was in "AAA" for seven seasons and won the American Association MVP in 1955. Pless led the SALLY League in hits (185) and doubles (37) in 1951, the Southern Association in hits (196) and average (.364) in 1952 and the American Association in hits (200) and average (.337) in 1955. He played 1,755 minor league games with a .303 average and 1,083 RBI.
He
was a baseball scout for the Atlanta Braves for 25 years and worked
at The Magnavox Company as security captain when it didn't interfere
with baseball or farming, from 1947 to 1987.
He resided in Greeneville until his death there on November 11, 2017.
Burial was at the GreeneLawn Memory Gardens in Greeneville.
[Please
see "Tales from the League's Dugouts" for a story on Pless'
toughness]
Mike Poepping
Michael Harold Poepping was born in Little Falls, MN, on August 7, 1950. He played for the 1970 St. Cloud Rox (.224, 14 HR, 43 RBI). Mike attended St. Cloud State University.
Poepping turned heads during a game in July 1974, for Orlando of the Southern League, when he hit what may have been the longest home run at Tinker Field in Orlando. His hit cleared the 80-foot light tower in left field and fell to earth just short of Church Street - an estimated 520 feet from home plate. Orlando GM Bob Willis said, at the time, that it was the longest he had ever seen at Tinker in his 11 years: "Bob Allison hit one over the tower in spring training of 1964, but I'd say that Poepping's traveled further on the fly."
Mike played in 14 games with the 1975 Minnesota Twins as a right hand hitting outfielder. In 37 at bats, he batted .135 with a .238 OBP and .162 slugging %. His fielding % was .950 has he had one error in 20 chances.
In the minors from 1968-1976, he played for 11 teams with two seasons at class "AAA".
Poepping became a carpenter living in Pierz, Mn. In 2002, he violated a restraining order by trying to see his stepdaughter, whose privacy he'd previously been jailed for abusing. He served four months in jail for that violation and for violating his probation. He continues to live in Pierz.
Jimmy Pofahl
James Willard Pofahl was born on June 18, 1917, in Faribault, MN. He played for the 1936 Winnipeg Goldeyes (.272, 14 HR, 66 RBI).
Pofahl was purchased by the Washington Senators for $40,000 to become their starting shortstop in 1940. However, due to an off-season arm injury caused by a taxi accident, he could barely get his throws to first base. He played 119 games hitting .234. In 1941-1942, he was in 22 and 84 games with averages of .187 and .208.
He left baseball, after the 1943 year, for a job in wartime defense work. In his 225 MLB games, he batted .220 with a .290 OBP and .295 slugging %. The right hander's fielding average was .951 with 182 games at short, 19 at second and 14 at third.
Pofahl was known for his cat-quick instincts. He played minor league ball from 1936-1939 and 1943 for five teams. Jim was at the "AAA" level for three seasons.
Jim became a partner in the Gopher Athletic Company and died on
September 14, 1984, at the Owatonna (MN) City Hospital. He was buried
at the Maple Lawn Cemetery in Faribault. 
John Pregenzer
John Arthur Pregenzer was born on August 2, 1935, in Burlington, WI. He pitched for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1959 (2-1). John graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University.
Pregenzer pitched for the San Francisco Giants in two short spans. In 1963, he appeared in 6 games and 9 innings allowing 8 hits and 8 walks for a 4.82 ERA. In 1964, he was in 13 games finishing 18 innings giving up 21 hits and 11 walks for a 4.91 ERA. He struck out 13 in his career 19 games and had a OAV of .279.
Even though his career was short, he did have a fan club that proposed a "John Pregenzer Day" at Candlestick Park. It never happened because he was sent to "AAA" before the scheduled date. And a San Francisco restaurant had made plans to have him as a guest, but since he was in the minors, the owner placed a sign in his window that said "John Pregenzer was going to eat here".
In the minors from 1958-1965, the right hander pitched for 10 teams and had ERAs under 3.00 for four of them. He played three years in class "AAA".
During his playing days, he taught school in Fresno, CA, in the off-seasons. After he left baseball, he taught junior high school history, coached junior high school basketball and high school baseball at Washington High School in Tacoma, WA [in the Franklin Piece School District]. Later, he became a high school world history teacher, umpired baseball games and refereed basketball contests. He retired and lived in Portland, OR, Puyallup WA and later in Paris, MO. He died on January 31, 2024, in Paris, MO.
Jimmie William Price was born on October 13, 1941, in Harrisburg, PA. He caught for the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1961 (.287, 6 HR, 36 RBI) and 1962 (.283, 13, 79). On Apr. 7, 1967, Pittsburgh sold his contract to Detroit.
Jim was a back-up catcher for the Detroit Tigers and Bill Freehan from 1967-1971. The right hander played in 44, 64, 72, 52 and 29 games in those years and batted .261, .174, .234, .182 and .241. He appeared in the 1968 World Series for two pinch hitting attempts (no hits). In his career 261 games and 602 at bats, he batted .214 with a .290 OBP and .341 slugging % (he hit 18 home runs). His fielding %, for his 180 games he caught, was .985 and he was 13 for 77 as a pinch hitter.
In the minor leagues, he played from 1960-1966 for seven teams with three seasons spent at "AAA".
After retiring, Price remained in the Detroit area, taking a manufacturer's representative job. He then started a broadcasting career becoming a sports announcer covering the Tigers on cable TV in 1993 and, since 1998, he has been the color communicator on Tigers radio broadcasts. His other broadcast credits include work as play-by-play man on Chicago White Sox cable telecasts, color commentary for ESPN college baseball and anchoring a weekend sports on Detroit's WJBK-TV. Price also assisted in Tigers' front office efforts, focusing on baseball participation camps.
He and his wife, Lisa, founded a non-profit foundation called Jack's Place in October of 2002 to benefit children with autism. The foundation, named after their son who was diagnosed with autism, hopes to provide all the services a person or family affected by the neurological disorder would need. Price had lived in Detroit and than lived in Washington, MI.
He dealt with health issues for years before is death on August 7, 2023, in Washington Twp, MI. He had worked in Tiger's broadcasting up to a month before his passing.
For a much more complete bio, please see SABR.org. 
William Eddleman Queen ("Doc") was born in Gastonia, NC, on November 28, 1928. He played for the Eau Claire Braves in 1951 (.250, 1 HR, 6 RBI).
Queen played three games for the Milwaukee Braves in 1954. The right hander had two at bats as a pinch hitter and struck out both times. In one of the games, he stayed in and played the outfield making one putout.
In the minor leagues, he played for 20 teams from 1947-1960 batting over .300 in five seasons. He played at the "AAA" level for eight years.
He was managed a team in the Carolina League during the last half of the 1960 season. On August 3, he was suspended for 90 days for attacking an umpire. Bill did not play pro baseball again.
After baseball, he was the owner and operator of a local retail
store in Gastonia. Queen died there on April 23, 2006. Burial was at
the Gaston Memorial Park.
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Sources:
"The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball" - second edition
The Professional Baseball Player Database - 4.0
"The Minor League Register", edited by Lloyd Johnson, pub: Baseball America
"Total Baseball" - sixth edition, pub: Total Sports
"The Baseball Encyclopedia" - tenth edition, pub: MacMillan
"Aaron to Zuverink" by Rich Marazzi and Len Fiorito, pub: Stein and Day
"Aaron to Zipfel" by Rich Marazzi and Len Fiorito, pub: Avon
"The Baseball Autograph Collector's Handbook" - Number 12 by Jack Smalling, pub: Baseball America
"The Baseball Autograph Collector's Handbook" - Number 14 by Jack Smalling
"Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia", pub: Sport Classic Books
"The Baseball Necrology" by Bill Lee, pub: McFarland $ Company
"The Sports Encyclopedia - Baseball" - 2002 ed, by David S. Neft, Richard M. Cohen and Michael L. Neft, pub:St. Martin's Griffin
"Once Around the Bases" by Richard Tellis, pub: Triumph Books
"Yesterday's Heroes" by Marty Appel, pub: Morrow
"The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues" by James A. Riley, pub: Carroll & Graf
"We Played the Game" edited by Danny Peary, pub: Hyperion
http://www.historicbaseball.com
Sean Lahman
"One Shining Season" by Michael Fedo; pub by Pharos Books
Rod Nelson and Jim Sandoval
Merritt Clifton
"The Baseball Autograph Collector's Handbook" - Number 13 by Jack Smalling [ http://www.baseballaddresses ]
Topps Company
"Danny Gardella and the Reserve Clause" by David
Mandell; from "The National Pastime",number 26; pub by
SABR
"Jim Northrup" by Jim Sargent; available at:
http://bioproj.sabr.org
"Baseball Memories 1950-1959" by MarcOkkonen; pub: Sterling
"Lee Maye" by Cliff Blau; available at: http://bioproj.sabr.org
"Baseball Memories 1930-1939" by Marc Okkonen; pub: Sterling Pub.
"The Ballplayers" edited by Mike Shatzkin; published by Arbor House
"Dan Osinski" by Ron Anderson which appeared in the book "The 1967 Impossible Dream Red Sox: Pandemonium On The Field", edited by Bill Nowlin and Dan Desrochers; pub, by Rounder Books (2007) also available at: http://bioproj.sabr.org ,.
2000 Cups of Coffee 1900-1949 by Marc Okkonen - unpublished [download available on SABR members-only web site]
B. Pannell
Various educational and business oriented web sites
