Updated 9-12-2023
Updated 9-12-2023
Northern League Notables
Index:
Rich Donnelly
Greg Riddoch
Marion Danne Adair was born on February 10, 1913, at Mobile, AL. He played in the minor leagues from 1936-1942 and 1946-1948; was a player-manager from 1949-1953 and 1955-1956; minor league manager in 1957-1961, 1963-1966, 1968-1969 and 1971-1972; and he was also a major league coach, manager and scout.
As a player, he performed for 11 minor league seasons playing as high as AA with 4 years in the Southern Association. His best year was in 1940 for class B Montgomery (AL) when he hit .329 with 20 home runs and 113 RBI as a second baseman.
Bill managed in the minor leagues for 21 years including Eau Claire in 1951 and 1952 when the Bears finished 1st and 3rdwith records of 77-44 and 72-53. In his first 9 low-minor years, he won 6 first place championships.
He managed in AAA for 11 years: Charleston for a partial year 1958 (56-41, 1st) and the complete year of 1959 (77-84, 5th), 1960 for Louisville (76-60, 2nd), 1963 for Toronto (76-75, 2nd), 1964 with Denver (80-78, 4th), 1965 for Atlanta (83-64, 2nd), Richmond in 1966 (75-72, 4th), Hawaii in 1968 (78-69, 2nd), Tucson in 1969 (60-86, 4th), 1971 in Hawaii (73-73, 3rd) and 1972 in Peninsula (56-88, 8th).
Bill was a major league coach for the Braves in 1962 and 1967, the White Sox in 1970 and the Expos in 1976. He also had the opportunity to manage the White Sox in '70 for 10 games, winning 4. From 1974-1975 he scouted for the Expos from his home in St. Petersburg. Adair signed Andre Dawson and Tim Raines for Montreal.
His minor league managerial record was 1611-1305 (.552). Bill died
on June 17, 2002, in Minette, AL.
David James Bancroft ("Beauty") was born on April 20, 1891, in Sioux City, IA. He played in the minor leagues from 1909-1914 and the majors from 1915-1930. He was also a major league coach and manager.
In 1909, during the summer after his junior year in high school, he began his professional baseball career with Duluth, MN, who were the Minnesota-Wisconsin League champions. In mid-season, Duluth sent the 18-year-old shortstop to Superior, WI, its rival on the south shore of St. Louis Bay. He hit only .210 with 6 extra-base hits in 111 games. He returned to Superior the next year and played in a league-leading 127 games, improving his average to .267, stealing 38 bases, and earning a reputation as a defensive star. He did not hit over .273 in his 6 minor league years including 2 in class AAA.
He played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1915-1919 in 153, 142, 127, 125 and 92 games hitting .254, .212, .243, .265 and .272 as a shortstop. In 1920, after 42 games for the Phils (.298), he was traded the New York Giants for cash and two players where he hit .299 in 108 games. He led all shortstops in fielding that year. In New York, his career took off as from 1921-1923 he batted .318, .321 and .304 in 153, 156 and 107 games. He was McGraw's field leader and designated cutoff man. In 1921-22, he led the league in putouts, assists and double plays. Besides hitting over .300, he had a 6-for-6 day in 1920 and hit for the cycle in 1921.
In late 1923 he was dealt to the Braves with Casey Stengel and Bill Cunningham for Billy Southworth and Joe Oeschger. [McGraw claimed he gave up the "league's best shortstop" as a favor to Christy Mathewson who was then the Braves' president. The truth was probably something else]. With Boston from 1924-1927, he hit .279, .319, .311 and .243 in 79, 128, 127 and 111 games. In 1925 he led the league shortstops in fielding even though he was a step slower on defense.
In 1928-1929, Dave was with the Brooklyn Dodgers for 149 and 104 games with .247 and .277 batting averages. His MLB career ended back with the Giants for 10 games and a .059 average.
Dave was the classic shortstop with quick hands for ground balls or deft tags. He had quickness afoot for covering the middle infield and quick wittedness for lightning responses to defensive opportunities. At bat, he was a switch hitter with equal skill on both sides of the plate. In his 1,913-game, 16-year career, he batted .279 with a .355 OBP and .358 slugging %. He had 145 stolen bases. The Biographical Baseball Encyclopedia states: "...Bancroft is less famous than some, but he's one of the three top fielding shortstops ever, along with Ozzie Smith and Art Fletcher. No shortstop ever handled more chances than Bancroft did in 1922 with the Giants - 984."
He was a player-manager for the Boston Braves from 1924-1927 with records of 53-100 (8th), 70-83 (5th), 66-86 (7th) and 60-94 (7th). Dave was also a major league coach for the Giants from 1930-1932.
In 1933, Beauty managed the Minneapolis Millers to a second place finish. He led Sioux City (Western) to a fifth place finish in 1936 and, in 1947, managed St. Cloud to a pennant by 10 games. Later Bancroft spent three years managing Max Terry's traveling all-girls team, that played games across the United States, South America and Cuba. After leaving baseball, he returned to Superior where became a warehouse supervisor for Interprovincial (aka Lakehead) Pipeline Company. He retired in 1956 to pursue his other favorite pastimes - hunting and fishing,
In 1971, the Hall of Fame veterans committee elected him to the
Hall of Fame. He died on October 9, 1972, at a hospital in Superior
after a long illness. Burial was at the Greenwood Cemetery there.
For a more complete biography, please see:
http://bioproj.sabr.org/
Walter Antone Berger was born on October 10, 1905, in Chicago. He was a minor league player from 1927-1929 and 1941-1942; a minor league manager from 1949-1950;and a major league player.
The following is from Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia:
"Until Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron arrived in the 1950s, Wally Berger was the greatest slugger ever to wear a Braves uniform. From 1930 through 1936 the righthanded outfielder was practically the only home run threat the Braves could muster. In 1935, for example, he hammered 34 homers to lead the National League. Significantly, the second-most prolific home run hitter on the club was Babe Ruth, who hit six before he retired in May.
"...Berger grew up in San Francisco playing sandlot baseball. In high school he played third base on a team that featured future Hall of Famer Joe Cronin at second. In 1927, he signed his first professional contract with the class C Utah - Idaho League's Pacatello Bannocks and became an outfielder. When he hit .385 with 24 home runs in 92 games, he was brought back home to play for San Francisco's PCL team.
"Although Berger tore up PCL pitching for the next two seasons, he was not brought up to the majors for even the traditional 'cup of coffee.' His rights were owned by the Chicago Cubs, whose 1930 team boasted an outfield of Riggs Stephenson, Hack Wilson and Kiki Cuyler, each of whom would hit .300 with more than 100 RBIs that year. Before the 1930 season opened, Berger was traded to Boston. He rewarded his new employers with one of the best rookie seasons on record, hitting .310 with 38 home runs and 119 RBIs. His home run total as a rookie, although tied by Frank Robinson in 1956, stood as the major league record until Mark McGwire bested it in 1987.
"Although he never surpassed his rookie home run total in any other year, Berger hit between 17 and 34 home runs for each of the next six seasons. He also batted over .300 four times with the Braves, with a career-high .323 in 1931. Four times he batted in more than 100 runs, with a league-leading 130 in 1935. He started in center field for the NL in the first three All-Star Games (1933, 1934, 1935) and was also named to the squad in 1936.
"In 1933 Berger missed almost three weeks of the season because of illness, but led the Braves into the first division for the first time in a dozen years. He hit .313 with 106 RBIs and his 27 homers were exactly half his team's total for the season. Two factors make Berger's record all the more impressive. First, during his entire time with Boston, pitchers could always pitch around him because there was never a longball threat coming up behind him. The second-highest homer total for a Brave during those seven years was 13 by Gene Moore in 1936 and only two other batted had seasons in which they reached double figures. Another factor working against Berger was the Braves' ballpark. Braves Field had the most distant fences in the National League. As a righthanded pull-hitter, Berger was challenged by a distance of 350 feet down the left field line before the fence intruded. Although he hit 105 homers at Braves Field, more than any other player in history, one can only wonder how many he might have hit in more friendly confines.
"A shoulder injury in 1936 reduced Berger's hitting ability and in 1937 he was traded to the New York Giants. Playing only part-time, he helped them win the 1937 NL pennant. In 1938 he was sent on to Cincinnati, where he helped the Reds win a pennant in 1939. Released after two games in 1940, he signed with the Phillies but didn't finish the season."
With the Braves from 1930-1937, the powerfully built Berger played in 151, 156, 145, 137, 150, 150, 138 and 30 games with batting averages of .310, .323, .307, .313, .298, .295, .288 and .274. He hit 38, 19, 17, 27, 34, 34, 25 and 5 home runs and 119, 84, 73, 106, 121, 130, 91 and 22 RBIs during that period. He led all NL outfielders in fielding for 1932 with a % of .993.
For the Giants in 1937, he was in 59 games batting .291 with 12 homers and 43 RBIs as his shoulder worsened. In 1938 for New York (16 g) and the Reds (99 g), he hit .298 with 16 home runs. Then, for the Reds, in 1939 he hit .258 in 97 games with 14 home runs. His totals, in his last year of 1940, for the Reds (2 g) [released in May] and Phillies (22 g) were .302, 1, 5. Philadelphia released him in June.
Wally had good success against curve ball pitchers, but his nemesis was Carl Hubbell whose screwball would upset his timing for several games. He played 1,350 games in his 11 seasons for a .300 average, .359 OBP and .522 slugging %. He had 242 homers and 898 RBIs. His fielding % was .974 with 1,296 outfield games and 13 and first base.
He was a minor league manager 1949-1950 for teams in Class C including part of the 1949 season for the Grand Forks Chiefs. Berger died on November 30, 1988, at the South Bay Hospital in Redondo Beach, CA. His death came from complications of diabetes and he was buried at the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, CA.
Henry John Bonura was born on September 20, 1908, in New Orleans. He was a minor league player from 1929-1933, 1941, 1946-1949 and 1951-1952; a minor league manager from 1946-1949 and 1951-1954; and a major league player.
Zeke played 5 years in the Southern Association and Texas league (led league in '33 with 24 home runs and 111 RBI) with a partial season at AAA before he became the starting first baseman for the Chicago White Sox from 1934-1937 for 127, 138, 148 and 116 games with batting averages of .302, .295, .330 and .345. He had 27 home runs in '34. It has been written that Bonura led AL first basemen in fielding in 1936 by refused to attempt certain plays. Easy grounders could go by him untouched as Zeke would just give it a wave with his glove. He was a fans' delight and manager's nightmare as he was colorful and outspoken. His nonchalant attitude, aggravating annual hold-outs and a rumored interest in the Sox owner's daughter got him traded in early 1938 to Washington for Joe Kuhel.
He was with the Senators for 137 games in 1938 batting .289 with 22 homers and the Giants in 1939 for 123 games and a .321 average. His last year was 1940 with 79 games for Washington (.273) and 49 for the Cubs (.264). The righthander hit .307 in 917 MLB games with 119 homers.
SABR member Tom Knight wrote the following about Bonura in 2001:
"It does not seem possible that 60 years have passed since over 51,000 fans paid their way into New York's Polo Grounds for what proved to be an eventful day as baseball's greatest rivals, the Giants and Dodgers, played a doubleheader. As usual, half the crowd came over from Brooklyn. The date was July 2, 1939. The New York World's Fair, "The World of Tomorrow," was in full swing in Flushing and, along with the Yankees, both teams wore the Fair emblem, the trylon and the perisphere, on their uniform sleeves.
"The Dodgers won the first game, 3-2, beating Brooklyn'born Bill Lohrman. The Giant runs came in the eighth, when Mel Ott homered off winning pitcher Luke Hamlin. It was during the second game that the fireworks started--two days before the Fourth! Giant pitcher Hal Schumacher hooked up in a duel of righthanders with Brooklyn's Whitlow Wyatt. In the fourth inning Brooklyn, trailing 4-0, scored three runs, knocking Schumacher out of the box. As rookie manager Leo Durocher, playing shortstop, hit into an inning ending double play, he deliberately spiked first baseman Zeke Bonura, who had hit a home run on opening day at Ebbets Field, ruining Durocher's managerial debut.
"Enraged, big Zeke threw the ball at Leo. As the ball whistled past Durocher's ear, Bonura chased the manager into right field, caught him, and pounded him while holding him in a head lock. The mismatch was quickly broken up as the umpires restored order. Both Leo and Zeke were ejected from the game. Durocher later contended that he spiked Zeke in retaliation because Schumacher was throwing at Dodger hitters. The game was tied until the eighth inning when Giant catcher Harry Danning hit a two-run home run to give the New Yorkers a 6-4 victory and a split for the day.
"Before coming to the Giants, Bonura had been one of the American League's outstanding hitters. When Zeke hit .345 in 1937, the right/landed slugger was outhit by only three men--Charlie Gehringer (.371), Lou Gehrig (.351), and Joe DiMaggio (.346). In five seasons with the White Sox and Senators, Zeke drove in 554 runs. A lifetime .307 hitter, he hit .321 for the Giants in 1939 as the team finished fifth.
"Zeke's career was cut short by World War II. He was among the first group of ballplayers called before December 7, and served more than five years in the Army. Assigned to Special Services, he set up leagues, laid out baseball diamonds and had 44 service teams playing in North Africa, culminating in the African World Series. Zeke also organized baseball teams for Italian kids in Italy and French kids in France. But he did more than that.
'We were in France,' he said, 'and they asked me to go back to Italy and round up a band of Italian musicians to play for our group back of the lines, because we had no bands of our own around there and they figured a little music would do our guys some good. So I went back and came up with some band leaders and they got the men for me. I rounded them up and put them on a ship and took them to France. Well, they were swell but all they knew were Italian pieces and the officers said to me, 'Those soldiers want some songs from back home. What can you do about it?' One day, without a pass or anything, I sneaked off and got in a jeep and drove into Paris. I went to the Special Services headquarters there and grabbed an armful of sheet music that had just come over from the U.S. and hustled back with it and then we had some real hot stuff, right up to date.' That was typical of my good friend, fun-loving Sgt. Zeke Bonura.
"For his great job, General Dwight D. Eisenhower conferred the Legion of Merit upon Zeke. "It was on Goat Hill," Zeke said. "They had the troops drawn up and I was called out and General King pinned the medal on me. I was so proud--so proud I can't tell you how much. But I could have cried. I hadn't fired a shot in the war and here I was, getting a medal on Goat Hill--and a lot of our guys had died taking that hill...."
Zeke was in the military from 1942-1945 and played six more years in the minors as a player-manger. In his minor league career, he played 1,046 games with a .349 average and 132 home runs. His minor league managing career was punctuated by fiery disputes with umpires.
He was a minor league manager for 8 years including Fargo-Moorhead in 1953 (partial year, 1st, playoff champs). Zeke died at Mercy Hospital in New Orleans on March 9, 1987, from a stroke and ruptured aneurysm. He was buried at the Metarie Cemetery in Metairie, LA.
Paul Bowa was born on August 28, 1918, in Sacramento. He was the father of former major league player and manager, Larry Bowa, and the grandfather of former player Nick Johnson. He played minor league baseball in 1941, 1944 and 1946-1947; and was a minor league manager from 1946-1947.
In 1946, he played in AAA hitting .221 for Sacramento. His other 3 playing years were in the lower minors, including 1947 for the Duluth Dukes when he hit .292 with 2 home runs and 30 RBI as their player-manager.
In 1946, he took over the managerial duties, during the season at class C Fresno, and managed Duluth in 1947 to a 60-55 record and a 4th place finish.
Like his son, Paul displayed his temper throughout his minor league stays. During his year in Duluth and after recovering from a sudden debilitation of an appendectomy, he was hit in the head by a pitched ball without wearing a batting helmet. He was in a coma for three days and even had a priest read him his last rites. During the next off season, his wife demanded that he quit baseball – which he did.
Thereafter he drove a beer truck, ran a bar and operated a printing press. Bowa had to retire because of emphysema probably caused by his use of certain chemicals. Also during this working years, he managed a American Legion team in Sacramento. When his son was playing on a rival team, most evening dinners would break up in a fight between father and son. [information from the took I Still Hate to Lose by Larry Bowa.
Paul died on August 22, 1994, from a heart attack, in Sacramento.
Antonio Vincent Bordetski (later changed to Anthony Vincent Brief) was born in Remus, MI, on July 3, 1892. He was a minor league player from 1910-1928; a minor league manager in 1938; and a major league player.
Bunny played in the lower minors for 3 years and then had a MLB chance, in 1912, with the St. Louis Browns for 15 games with an average of .310. He had a longer trial with them in 1913 for 84 games as a right handed first baseman-outfield hitting .217. He then played in the American Association where he batted .318 in 1914 which got him another big league trial - this time with the White Sox in 1915 for 48 games and a .214 average. Bunny led the American Association in home runs in 1916 (33) which allowed his last MLB chance in 1917 with the Pirates with whom he hit only .217. His major league career was 183 games with a batting average of .223.
From 1918-1928, he finished his pro career in the American Association leading the league in home runs in 1920, 1921, 1922, 1925 and 1926. He also led the league in RBI during the 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1925 seasons and he holds the all-time record of 191 in one season (for Kansas City in 1921). His minor league career spanned 19 years and 2,426 games with a batting average of .331, 342 home runs and 1,584 RBI. All told, he led his leagues in homers 8 times and twice led all minor leaguers.
He managed the 1938 Wausau team to a 60-55 fourth place finish. After his baseball career, he supervised the Milwaukee Recreation Department's baseball program. After a two-year battle with cancer, he died at his home in Milwaukee on February 10, 1963, and was buried at the Oakwood Cemetery in Milwaukee.
James David Bristol was born in Macon, GA, on June 23, 1933. He played for Wausau in 1957 (.333, 2, 8). Bristol played in the minor leagues for 10 years, was a minor league manager for 9 years, major league coach for 13 years and a major league manager for 12 years [his coaching and managing assignments overlapped during some seasons].
His pro career began in 1951 in the Appalachian League and he was in the Pioneer League in 1952-1953. Dave did not play in 1954 because of military service and played the next three years in the lower minors until he became a player/manager late in 1957. From 1958-1961, he continued in that role. In 1958 and 1959, he hit over .300.
Bristol managed Hornel (NY-Penn) late in 1957; Geneva (NY-Penn 69-57, 2nd) in 1958; Visalia (Calf. State 63-77, 5th] in 1959; Palatka (Flor State 81-56,2nd ) in 1960; Topeka (Three-I: 79-50,1st ) in 1961, Macon (So. Atlantic 80-59, 3rd and 81-59, 1st) in 1962-1963; San Diego (PCL 91-67, 1st and 70-78, 3rd) in 1964-1965.
In 1966, he starting his major league coaching and managing career. He was a coach with the Reds until midway into the '66 season, when he was named manager (39-38, 7th) and he continued as such from 1967-1969 (87-75, 4th; 83-79, 4th and 89-73, 3rd). In 1970, he became the manager of the former Pilots' franchise that was moved to Milwaukee as the Brewers. That assignment lasted until 30 games into the 1972 season (65-97, 4th; 69-92, 6th and 10-20, 6th) as he was saddled by some of the worst teams in the majors.
Bristol returned to coaching with the Expos for the 1973 through 1975 seasons and then took the helm of the Atlanta Braves in 1976 (70-92, 6th) and kept that job through the 1977 year (60-100, 6th). In 1978 he became a coach for the San Francisco Giants which lasted until nearly the end of the 1979 season when he was named manager (10-12, 4th). He ended his MLB managerial career with the Giants in 1980 (75-86, 5th). Over 12 years as a manager, his record was 657-764 (.462).
Dave's coaching resume continued at Philadelphia in 1982-1985 and 1988 and he was back with the Reds in 1989 and 1993.
Bristol lives in Andrews, NC, where he has spent his life. For
many years, with his father, he raised horses and wild boars.
In 2006, he was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame. 
Frank Willis Carswell was born on November 6, 1919, in Palestine, TX. He was a minor league player in 1941 and 1946-1958; and a minor league manager from 1958-1970. Frank graduated from Rice University in 1941 and, in 1972, was inducted into their athletic Hall of Fame for his basketball and baseball abilities.
Frank's first professional year was in 1941 when he hit .338 as a third baseman at Jamestown (NY). The next 3 years were spent in the military in the US Marines. Every year from 1947 through 1956 he hit over .300 including 1951-1954 at Buffalo where he led the league in hitting in '52 (.344) and home runs (30). In 1955 he hit .351 at Omaha and in 1956 he averaged .310 at Portland. He had a total of 7 years in AAA. In the lower minors he also played first and in the outfield and, in later years, was strickly an outfielder. His minor league career batting average was .337 in 1,580 games.
His only major league chance came in 1953 for the Detroit Tigers where he batted .267 in 16 games and 15 at bats. He also played professional basketball.
Included in his 14 years of managing was a stint with the 1960 Duluth-Superior Dukes (70-51, 2nd) and 5 years at AAA. He managed Syracuse for a partial year in 1963, 1964 (88-66, 2nd), 1965 (74-73, 4th) and 1966 (54-93, 8th). He also was at the helm with Toledo in 1970 (51-89, 8th).
After baseball he settled in Carmine, TX. Frank died October 16,
1998, in Houston. 
Elwood Robert Clear was born in Denver on December 14, 1927. He played minor league ball from 1945-1956; was a player-manager from 1956-1961 and 1965, 1967; a manager only from 1968-1973; and a major league coach.
Bob played for 19 seasons as a pitcher going 16-7, 3.38 ERA/20-11, 2.93 in 1950 and 1954 in the Western League, 20-11, 3.63 in 1957 Arizona-Mexican League and 21-6, 2.50/4-5, 2.50 for Grand Forks in 1960-1961. He led the Northern League in ERA and strikeouts in 1960.
He managed for 18 years in the minors including 1960-1961 for Grand Forks (61-62, 5th and 60-66, 4th). Bob did not manage higher then AA -- a partial year in 1964 for Asheville (24-33). His record was 915-1008 (.476) with 2 first place finishes (1958 and 1970) and one second.
Bob was a long-term major league pitching coach for the California Angels from 1976-1987. He lives in Carson, CA. He served as a mentor for major league manager Joe Maddon who has described Clear as a blunt man with a salty tongue and a man players and coaches gravitated toward to seek for his thoughts on baseball. Clear died on April 6, 2010, due to a heart condition. He lived out his final days in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
"Bob Clear was the best baseball coach that ever lived, best instructor that ever lived," Maddon has said. "I was very fortunate to have him as a coach in the Minor League system as a player and then he came back as a roving instructor when I started as the Minor League roving hitting instructor in 1987. Truly the best baseball coach I ever met, and he had a big influence on my career. ... He's made a big impact on a ton of people."
Andy
Cohen
Andrew Howard Cohen was born in Baltimore on
October 25, 1904. He was a minor league player from 1925-1927,
1930-1942 and in 1946; a minor league manager from 1939-1940, 1946
and 1948-1957; and a major league player and coach. His brother, Syd,
pitched for the Senators and was the last AL pitcher to strike out
Babe Ruth.
Andy was at class A in 1925 and part of 1926 before being called up to the New York Giants where he played in 32 games as a utility infielder with a .257 average. In 1928-1929 he had his last chances with them playing in 129 and 101 games hitting .353 and .294. In his 262 MLB games, he batted .281. It has been said that he got his chance with the Giants because manager John McGraw wanted a Jewish star and needed a second baseman to replace Rogers Hornsby.
He then spent 10 years at class AAA for Newark (1930-1932) and Minneapolis (1932-1939) hitting over .300 in 4 seasons as a second baseman. Andy was a player-manager in the low minors in 1939-1940 and played in the Eastern League in 1941-1942. During the war years of 1943-1945, he was in the military. His last games as a player came in 1946 when he also managed in the Mexican National League.
From 1948 through 1950, Andy managed Eau Claire to the following records: 66-55, 3rd ; 71-52, 1st and 73-53, 2nd. He then managed from 1951-1956 in class A and AA. In 1957, he led Indianapolis to a 74-80 record for 6th place finish in the American Association.
Andy was a major league coach for the Phillies in 1960 and acted
as their manager for one game. That same year, he founded the
University of Texas-El Paso baseball program. He coached there until
1976 and died in El Paso, due a number of medical problems, on
October 29, 1988. He was buried at the B'nai Zion Cemetery in El
Paso. 
Henry Nicholas Cullop was born in Weldon Springs, MO, on October 16, 1900. He was a minor league player from 1920-1930 and 1932-1944; a minor league manager from 1940-1952, 1954-1957 and 1959; and a major league player.
Nick started as a pitcher with a 49-50 record in 140 games including Madison in the South Dakota State League of 1920. His first major league games came in 1926 for the New York Yankees with 2 pinch hitting tries (1 hit). He had his next trial with the Senators and the Indians in 1927 when he hit .231 and he had another few games in 1929 with the Dodgers (13 g, .195). Finally, as an outfielder with the Reds in 1930-1931, he played in 7 and 104 games hitting .182 and .263. In 1931, he struck out 84 times to lead the league while hitting 8 homers. Cullop's MLB career lasted 173 games for a .249 average.
From 1932-1938, the good-fielding power hitter played in AAA hitting over .300 each year except '38. In 1939-1940, he was in the Texas League and then played a few games as a player-manager from 1941-1944. As a minor league player, he appeared in 2,484 games and batted .312 with 420 home runs and 1,857 RBI [at one time a minor league career record]. He had 3 seasons when he led a league in home runs: 1925 Southern Association (30), 1930 American Association (54) and 1939 Texas (25). He had 12 seasons of hitting 20 or more home runs.
Nick managed in the minors for 17 years including Fargo-Moorhead for a partial year in 1952 (7th). "The Sporting News" named him as the Minor League Manager of the Year in 1943 (Columbus in the A.A).and 1947 (Milwaukee - A.A.).
After baseball, he worked in the Ohio State School for the
mentally retarded which was near his home in Columbus. He tried
to break up a fight between two inmates and had one leg severely
injured by a chair which caused him problems the rest of his life.
He died on December 8, 1978, at Westerville, OH, after being in
failing health for some time. Cullop was buried at the Mifflin
Cemetery in Mifflin, OH. 
Steve
Dalkowski
Steven Louis Dalkowski was born on June
3, 1939, in New Britain, CT. In 2000, Patrick Hruby of the Washington
Times and in 1990, Robert Graziul wrote in Baseball Digest about
former Aberdeen Pheasant Steve Dalkowski. Some
excerpts:
Steve Dalkowski wasn't very tall and often wore big, thick
horn-rimmed glasses while pitching, but his fast ball was one of
legend. "He threw as hard as anyone I've ever seen,." said
Billy DeMars, a former major leaguer who managed Dalkowski in the
Orioles minor league system including in 1958 with the Aberdeen
Pheasants (Steve also played in 1959 for them). "Nolan
Ryan, Randy Johnson, Bob Feller - Dalkowski was in that group. The
way Ryan had that great hand and wrist action when he threw - this
kid had the same thing. It was like snapping a whip. He could have
been right with the best."
He never made the majors
because he couldn't get the ball over the plate. In nine minor league
seasons, he fanned 1,396 hitters and walked 1,354. A 1963 elbow
injury cost him both his fastball and the potential of a major league
career. After the Orioles released him 1964, Dalkowski drifted to
Northern California, where for nearly three decades he worked as a
migrant farm worker and drowned his bad memories with drink.
"Ask
anyone from that time who the fastest ever was," said Ray
Youngdahl, a minor league teammate. "They'll tell you Dalkowski.
He just had the gift. I've faced Koufax and I'll tell you what: He
wasn't faster then Steve." He once threw a pitch clear through
the welded mesh backstop of a Wilson, NC, grandstand and, according
to Dalkowski, it hit a hot dog vender in the butt and knocked him
down. He fanned bonus baby Rick Monday four straight times, then
taunted Monday with "$104,000, my ass!" In Miami, he
uncorked a wild throw that hit a fan at a concession stand. And in
Kingsport, TN, he threw a 24 strikeout no-hitter - but walked 18 and
lost 8-4.
"Best arm I've ever seen," said a former
MLB general manager, Pat Gillick, a minor league roommate. If he ever
could have controlled himself, he would have been great." One of
the Dalkowski legends goes like this: While he was throwing batting
practice before and Orioles-Red Sox spring training game, Steve's
fastballs caught the eye of Ted Williams. Intrigued, Williams
supposedly asked for a catcher and stepped in to take a few cuts -
only to watch Dalkowski fire a pitch right past him. Afterward, he
reportedly called him "the fastest ever." adding that he
would "be damned" if he ever had to face him again. Asked
to confirm the story years later, Williams told reporters he didn't
remember it. Dalkowski insists it happened. "He took about three
pitches, swung and missed. Then he got out of there. He could see the
seams on a pitch, but he said he never saw my ball."
In
three seasons with his high school team in New Britain, CT, he
pitched 154 innings with 313 strikeouts and 180 walks. In a 1956 game
against a team that would win the state title, he struck out 24. "I
just remember my thumb was always sore as heck and my left index
finger was purple," said Connecticut baseball coach Andy
Baylock, Dalkowski's high school catcher and a childhood friend. "I
learned about soft hands - bend your wrist, flex your elbow and cup
your hand to keep an air pocket in there. I learned by necessity."
Blaylock attempted to answer the question: How did he generate so
much velocity? His theory is: "He had a big paw on him and I'm
sure he could rotate his shoulder beyond 180 degrees, " he said.
"You have to look at genetics. It's an exceptional thing when
you can get every single link of your body coordinated to give you
that final speed. Was it a gift? Absolutely."
In 1957,
Baltimore gave Steve a $4,000 bonus (the limit at that time) plus
another $6,000 under the table and a new car. In his first pro season
at Kingsport, he had a game where he struck out 24 and walked 18 and
during another game, he throw a wild pitch and tore off a batter's
earlobe. "The kid ended up in the hospital," DeMars said.
"Never played again." Billy heard all about him before he
managed him in Aberdeen in 1958. "First day I
had him, I asked him to throw 10, 15 minutes of batting practice,
DeMars said. "And I jumped in first. Well, he threw a couple
right on past me and I got the hell out of there. I had already
played for 15 years - there was no sense in getting
killed."
Watching Dalkowski pitch a night game in St.
Cloud, DeMars (who had been ejected from the game earlier) spotted
what he thought to be the reason for the lefty's wildness: Dalkowski
never took his foot off the pitching rubber. "So we went back to
Aberdeen and were playing catch and I noticed he was throwing great,
" DeMars said. "Because his foot was coming off the rubber.
So I told him, 'Next time you pitch, just think about having your
back foot come over the top and down.' "The next night, he went
out and walked five while striking out 20. He was unbelievable. When
the game was over, he threw his glove 75 feet in the air." Under
DeMars he had his best season.
During a game caught by Cal
Ripken, Sr., Dalkowski crossed up Cal by throwing a fastball instead
of a slider. The ball hit umpire John Lupini in the face, shattering
his protective mask and made him unconscious. "Steve was very
lucky he was wild up and down, and not in and out," said Frank
Zupo, one of his minor league catchers. "If he was in and out,
he would have needed a license to kill. He hit Carl Warwick one night
in Macon, GA, and broke his arm. <And once> we walked out of
the bullpen and some of guys bet Steve that he couldn't throw the
ball far enough ro reach the clubhouse - over 410 feet away,"
Zupo recalled. "Without even warming up, he let loose and
bounced the ball off the top of the clubhouse."
Former
umpire Doug Harvey was quoted as saying: "I've umpired for
Koufax, Gibson, Drysdale, Maloney, Seaver, Marichal and Gibson and
they could all bring it, but nobody could bring it like he could. In
one season, he broke my bar mask, split my shin guards, split the
plastic trim on my chest protector and knocked me back 18 feet. He's
the fastest I've ever seen. One game (class C in California), he
struck out the first nine guys he faced, recalled Harvey. "No
one even touched the ball. He was leading 2-0 and pitching a truly
perfect game. With the tenth guy, Dalkowski's first pitch hit 40 feet
up the backstop. After that, he never got the ball back over the
plate. When they came to take him out, the score was tied 2-2 and the
bases were loaded and he still hadn't given up a hit."
In
Class AAA one year, former Oriole and Pheasant catcher Andy
Etchebarren cleaned up on a simple bet: Dalkowski against a split log
fence. "We had been rained out and Andy started betting a bunch
of guys that I could throw a ball through this wall down at the end
of the bullpen," Steve said. "The wall was made out of
split logs. I said, 'Andy I don't know if I can do this.' He told me
not to worry and son-of-gun, my third pitch broke right through. "I
remember that." said Etchebarren in 1990. "I've never
actually seen anybody throw as hard as he did. The ball would
actually rise. A young Jim Palmer could do that sometimes, but not as
often as Dalkowski" recalled Etchebarren.
Former major
league infielder Dalton Jones had these comments about Dalkowski:
"Hearing him warm up on the sideline was like hearing a gun go
off. I kept thinking: if this guy ever hits me, he'll kill me. I
batted against Nolan Ryan and 'Sudden Sam' McDowell, but Dalkowski
was noticeably faster." Moose Skowron faced him in the Spring of
1963 and remembered: "I was looking for a fastball and he threw
it, and how did I look? Terrible. I didn't hit it. Didn't even come
close. What can I say?"
The Orioles tried some weird
methods to get his fast balls under control. One manager had him
throw 75 to 100 pitches in the bullpen before each start. Another
gave him glasses with thick lenses to correct his 20-80/20-60 vision
and a third had him pitch to two batters on each side of the plate at
the same time. Paul Richards had a wooden target built for him
complete with a strike zone-sized hole. "They gave him a bag of
balls and told him to go out to the bullpen and see if he could throw
through the hole." DeMars said with a laugh. "And by the
time he was done, there was no target left. He shattered it."
The Orioles also tried to measure the speed of his pitches with
little success since he had to place a throw into a box to cut a
radar beam. There were differing reports of speeds this rather
primitive machine reported, but the most realistic is that they got
only one rather accurate one - 98.6 mph - even after Steve had
earlier that day pitched a complete 150 pitch game (or so goes the
story).
Oriole coach Harry Brecheen took a shot at curing his
control problems. He said that Dalkowski's unusual buggy-whip
throwing motion - one that ended in a cross-body arm swing ("I
hit my left elbow on my right knee so often they finally made me a
pad to wear.") had to be corrected. "They put a line in the
dirt that I wasn't supposed to cross over when I threw the ball."
Dalkowski remembered. "That kept me from throwing across my body
so much and seemed to help."
According to Zupo,
Dalkowski's problem was mental, not mechanical. "You had to be
talking to Steve all the time, like a golfer." he said. "You
had to keep patting him on the butt and telling him, 'You can make
this, don't worry." DeMars had another explanation: "He was
a very, very nervous kid," DeMars remembered. "He knew he
could throw hard, but he didn't have that confidence, that cockiness.
I thought that hurt him. On nights when he pitched, he could hardly
speak to you. But on nights he didn't pitch, he was the life of the
party." Steve may have had another problem. "He was an
alcoholic when I had him in '61," DeMars said. "One night
he was supposed to pitch, but the game was rained out. So I told him,
'You're going to pitch tomorrow, so no beer - or just one.' Well, he
didn't get to bed until 5 in the morning - with his clothes on."
Zupo doesn't agree. "They made his drinking something else -
like he drank a bottle of wine between innings," he said. "And
it wasn't like that at all. So much has been distorted. He never came
to the ball park drunk. He never drank during a game. He was like
every other ballplayer: You finish a game, you go have a sandwich and
a couple of beers. No one was any different. Where do you go after
11:00? You don't go to church."
DeMars mentioned another
side of Steve: "Steve was the kind of guy that if he had a buck
in his pocket and you needed a dollar to eat, he would give you the
dollar and he would go hungry. He was easily led by other players and
he could never say no. The guys would take him out, get him smoked
and make him do crazy things."
Another former Pheasant manager, Cal Ripken Sr., had other
memories of Dalkowski't pitching stating that what hatters didn't
realize was that he didn't hit many people. He walked a ton, he was
wild high and he was wild low. And when he was wild low, it would
beat the stuffing out of a catcher. But he was actually pretty easy
to catch cause usually he was wild over the screen. He just walked
everybody and batters were so frightened they just bailed out. Cal
said Steve would show up to a game after he had been drinking all
night. Basically, he was a functioning alcoholic. He did not warm up
much and he's just throw it hard. Finally the Orioles told him “Don't
throw so hard. Throw kind of three-quarters”. That's when he
started winning games and walking less people and why he had a good
year in AAA.
Steve liked Earl Weaver. "Other managers
wouldn't stay with me too long," Dalkowski said. "But Earl
let me pitch." Weaver claims, in 1962, while he managed him he
ended the season with 110 strikeouts and 11 walks in 57 innings. In
Spring training the next March, he performed very well in relief and
was told he had made the Orioles (Etchebarren claims Dave McNally was
going to be the last pitcher cut) . But on March 23, he was called
into a game against the Yankees in the sixth inning. Dalkowski struck
out Roger Maris and Elston Howard (as one story goes), but then he
threw a slider (some say a fastball) to Phil Linz (some say Bobby
Richardson) and felt a pop in his elbow. "I don't know how I
knew it," Steve later told the Hartford Courant. "But I
knew my career was over right there." Movie writer and director
Ron Shelton tells another story in "Cult Baseball Players".
He was told that Jim Bouton was the batter who laid down a sacrifice
bunt which was fielded by Steve and the throw to first caused the
blown-out elbow. In any case, Dalkowski pitched acceptably in
Stockton that year, but his fastball was only "good", not
"exceptional". After the season, the Orioles released him
as did the Angels two years later as he never recovered fully from
the ulna nerve damage in his elbow.
By 1991, Dalkowski had
almost drank himself to death eventually ending up as a migrant
worker. But, he got help from Zupo and other friends and stopped
drinking by 1994. He is living out his days in a Connecticut nursing
home suffering from alcohol-related dementia. It has been reported
that he can no longer watch a baseball game because, a few hours
later, he will have nightmares of baseballs being hit at him and
being unable to escape from them. His doctors state that medication
does not help.
------
Steve Dalkowski's pro record:
G IP H BB SO ERA W-L
1957 Kingsport (Appalachian) 15 62 22 129 121 8.13 1-8
1958 Knoxville (SALLY) 11 42 17 95 82 7.93 1-4
Wilson (Carolina) 8 14 7 38 29 12.21 0-1
Aberdeen (North.) 11 62 29 112 121 6.39 3-5
1959 Aberdeen (North.) 12 59 30 110 99 5.64 4-3
Pensacola (AL-FL) 7 25 11 80 43 12.96 0-4
1960 Stockton (Cal) 32 170 105 262 262 5.14 7-15
1961 Kennewick (NW) 31 103 75 196 150 8.39 3-12
1962 Elmira (Eastern) 31 160 117 114 192 3.04 7-10
1963 Elmira (Eastern) 13 29 20 20 28 2.79 2-2
Rochester (IL) 12 12 7 14 8 6.00 0-2
1964 Elmira (Eastern) 8 15 17 19 16 6.00 0-1
Stockton (Cal) 20 108 91 62 141 2.83 8-4
Columbus (IL) 3 12 15 11 9 8.25 2-1
1965 Kennewick (NW) 16 84 84 52 62 5.14 6-5
San Jose (Cal) 6 38 35 34 33 4.74 2-3
Total 236 995 682 1354 1396 5.59 46-80
------
In the early 1990's, Dalkowski's sister had Steve
transported to a nursing home in New Britain, CT, which was close to
where she lived. In probably his final public appearance in 2009 when
he was inducted into Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals. He
was introduced by the writer and director of the movie Bull
Durham, Ron Shelton. Steve walked very slowly to the mic and said
“Thank you.” He died on April 19, 2020, at 80 years
old.
Robert Walter Dews was born in Clinton, IA, on March 23, 1938. He was a minor league player from 1960-1970; a minor league manager in 1969 and from 1971-1978; and a major league coach. He attended Georgia Tech and received his Bachelors Degree from West Georgia College.
Bobby played in the lower minors through the 1963 season including at Winnipeg in '63 where he batted .258 in 98 games. He hit .277 at the Texas League in 1964 and had tastes of AAA play from 1965-1967 in 89, 43 and 10 games hitting .206, .212 and 6 for 16. The infielder-outfielder did not have a complete season of hitting .300.
He managed 9 years in the minors with 2 first place finishes and 2 second place ones. The highest managerial classification was the Southern League in 1978. Bobby was/is a major league coach for the Braves (1979-1981, 1985 and 1997-2006). Thereafter, he became a roving coach. He works with the Braves at home games and works with the minor league teams while the major league club is on the road. In 1988, the upper Braves management realized Dews had a problem with alcohol [his family had a history with the problem which caused him to delay his first drink until the age of 30]. "I found myself in a rehab center in St. Simon's Island, just in the nick of time," Dews has said. "I'd spent a lot of time trying to get to the top of this game, so I was gonna get help. It's not like it's going to go away. I'm not drinking. But I'll always be an alcoholic."
Dews has written the book Legends Demons and Dreams published in paperback in 2007 by Literati Press, New York (originally released in hardcover by Longstreet Press in 2005). In 2008 Dews became a writer-in-residence at Andrew College in Cuthbert, GA. In 2009, he completed and published a second collection of stories entitled An Illusion of Victory released by CreateSpace. More recently he has published Unpublished Poets – his sixth book.
He lives in Albany, GA. 
Walter Edward Dixon was born on November 25, 1920, in Chatham County, NC. He was a player in the minors from 1940-1942 and 1946-1948; a player-manager from 1949-1958; and was strictly a manager in 1959 and 1961-1976. Dixon attended William and Mary.
Before he became a manager, he pitched for 6 seasons though never higher then class A in 1946. In 1942 for Scranton he was 11-9 with a 2.89 ERA and in 1948, for Florence, he was 17-12, 4.05. In 1950 he became an outfielder hitting .363 for Shelby. He also hit .348 for Headland in 1952, .415 for Norton in 1953 (leading the Mountain States League in home runs and RBI), .337 for Middlesboro in 1954, .310 for Kokomo in 1955 (lead league in home runs), .328 for Crestview in 1956 and .372 for Lafayette in 1957. He became a first baseman in later years.
His minor league managerial assignments lasted 27 years for a 1484-1521 (.496) record. He managed the St. Cloud Rox in 1963 (51-69, 6th) and 1964 (54-68, 5th), but was never a manager higher then in the class AA Texas League which was in 1962, 1971 and 1974. In his career, his teams finished first in 4 seasons and he had 4 second place finishes in split-season type leagues.
Walt served in the military in 1943-1945, attended William and Mary College and was a major league coach with the Cubs in 1964-1965 (during their “College of Coaches” experiment). During the 1980s, Dixon also scouted for the Cubs from 1976 to 1989. He then moved to the Yankees an area scouting supervisor for the Yankees based in Florence, SC. He died there on September 25, 2003.
Rich Donnelly
Richard Francis Donnelly was born on August 3, 1946, in Steubenville,OH. He played for the St. Cloud Rox in 1968, as a catcher in the Twins organization, hitting .205, with a .297 OBP and .261 slugging. Rich attended Xavier University.
He never reached the majors but played 147 games in AAA for the Twins in 1970-71 batting .257 with a .327 OBP and .318 slugging.
Rich managed in AAA, A and rookie ball. For the Rangers, from 1976-79 and 1981-82, he helmed AAA games with a 412-427 record. During the 2011-13 seasons he managed “A” ball for the Mets ending with a 296-229 mark. His last managerial assignment was in 2019 for the Mets in a rookie league (34-34).
As a MLB coach he had an amazing record. In 1980 he was the bullpen coach for the Rangers. He was promoted to first base coach in 1983-85. Rich moved to the Pirates in 1986 serving first as their bullpen coach thru 1991 and then the third base coach from 1992-96. On to the Marlins for the 1997-98 seasons again as a third base coach and then for the Rockies during the 1999-2002 years. Rich continued at third for the Brewers in 2003-05, the Dodgers in 2006-07 and the Marines in 2014-15.
Finishing his baseball experiences he worked in the player development department for the Bucs in 2008-10 and was a AAA bench coach in the Mets organization in 2000-21.
Donnelly often said the his favorite sport was racquetball. He wrote a book “The Chicken Runs at Midnight” about his baseball life and currently lives in Jacksonville, FL, working for First Coast News.
Frederick E. Dorman was born on June 6, 1902, in Carlstadt, NJ. He was a minor league player from 1922-1947 and a minor league manager from 1936-1947 and 1949-1955.
Dutch played his whole career in class A or lower. He played from 1925-1927 in the Texas League and part of 1929 in the Eastern League. He led the Piedmont league in runs scored in 1923 and the Northern League in runs scored and doubles in 1937. As a player-manager for Duluth from 1937-1939, he batted .338, .300 and .291. In 2,540 minor league games, he batted .291 as an infielder.
He managed for 19 years including Duluth in 1937 (81-39, 1st, playoff champs), 1938 (72-44, 2nd, playoff champs) and 1939 (71-46, 2nd), but never higher then class A.
Dorman was a part-time scout for the Phillies until 1985 when he
became an associate scout for the Braves. Dutch died on April 5,
1988, in York, PA. 
H. Louis Fitzgerald was born in Cleveland, TN, on August 25, 1920. He was a minor league player in 1942 and 1946-1950; a player-manager from 1951-1957; and just a manager from 1958-1970.
Playing in the low minors as a position player, he batted .357 for Natchez in 1946, .330 for Marshall in 1947 and .336 for Texarkana in 1948. As a player-manger he hit .379 in 1951 and .350 in 1952 for Shawnee. In 1954 he batted .318 for Port Arthur.
Lou managed for 20 years in the minors with a 1241-1171 record (.515) with 4 first place finishes and he led 5 second place teams. He managed Aberdeen in 1960 (63-61, 3rd) and 1961 (74-54, 2nd) and had 5 years at the class AA Texas League and one partial AAA season with Buffalo in 1967 (31-39, 7th).
After 1970, Lou's baseball involvement was as a scout for the Pirates (1976), Braves (1982-90), Marlins (1991-93) and also the Reds, Astros and Orioles. He retired from baseball in 2003. Also, during those years, he also accumulated 18 years as Cleveland's director of municipal recreation. One of his most apt quotes about scouting was: “Everybody gets so hyped up about how fast a guy can throw. That’s not the true test of whether or not he can pitch.” In 2010, Fitz was named to the Pro Scouts Hall of Fame.
Fitzgerald died on January 27, 2013, and was buried at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Cleveland.
Joseph Filmore Frazier was born on October 6, 1922, in Liberty, NC. He was a minor league player from 1941-1942, 1946-1953 and 1957-1960; a minor league manager from 1965 and 1968-1975; and a major league player and manager.
In 13 years of minor league play, he hit over .300 in only his first 3 years. He was at the class AAA level for 7 years.
He came up to the majors originally in late August 1947 with the Indians as an outfielder in 9 games going 1 for 14 at the plate. The left-hander played in 81, 58 and 14 games for the Cardinals in 1954-1956 with batting averages of .295, .200 and .211. Part of his '56 season was also spent with the Reds for 10 games and a .235 average and the remainder with Baltimore (45 g, .257). In his 217 game MLB career, he batted .241 with a .331 OBP and .415 slugging %.
Joe was a minor league manager for nine years including Mankato in 1968 (42-27, 2nd) winning four division pennants and four playoff championships. He managed in the Houston organization in 1966, Mets system from 1969-75 and a Cardinals farm team in 1982.
Frazier managed the New York Mets in 1976 (86-76, 3rd) and part of 1977 (15-30). After living in Broken Arrow, OK, for many years in retirement, he died there on Feb. 17, 2011, due to a massive heart attack.
When Mets' General Manager Joe McDonald introduced Frazier as the team's manager, he said: "Joe Frazier has consistently proved to us his ability to handle players. Winning is what it's all about, and Joe Frazier is a winner." Joe himself then added: "I'm the type of manager who stresses fundamentals. I think a man should go from first to third on a hit and second to home. I demand hustle. If I have my way, you're going to see a Mets' club next year that will hustle."
George Walter Freese was born in Whelling, WV, on September 12, 1926, and is the brother of former major league player Gene Freese. He was a minor league player from 1948-1964; a minor league manager from 1962-1971 and 1973-1974; and a major league player and coach.
Freese's athletic career began in his hometown, where he lettered in football, basketball and track. From there, he attended Pitt, making the football squad as the starting quarterback as a freshman in 1944. He served in the Air Force until 1946, and after being discharged, he received a scholarship to West Virginia University, where he lettered in 1946-1947 as an all star quarterback.
In 3 of his first 6 minor league years, he hit over .300. He played in class AAA for 8 years where he hit over .300 4 times. George also managed his last 3 playing years.
His first game in the majors was in April 1953 when he appeared as a pinch hitter (0 for 1). He then played 51 games for the Pirates in 1955 hitting .257 as a third baseman and had 9 games for the Cubs in 1961 when he went 3 for 9. In his career 61 games, he batted .257 with a .329 OBP and .369 slugging % in 187 at bats. On May 1, 1955, Freese hit an inside- the-park grand slam. When asked how he did it, he humbly replied, "I just kept running."
George managed in the minors for 12 years including leading the 1962 St. Cloud Rox to a 61-63, 6th place finish and the 1970 Huron Cubs to 2nd place at 37-31. He did not manage higher then at class A.
George was also listed as a major league coach for the Cubs in 1964 and 1965 and was involved in professional baseball for 26 years. Later became a department store sporting goods manager . Freese had lived in Portland, OR, since 1958 where he played for 4 years in the Pacific Coast League. He was named to the Oregon Hall of Fame in 2008.
After retiring George enjoyed spending time with family, watching sports, elk hunting with friends, attending annual gatherings in Sequim, Wash., (where he was the master beef stroganoff chef) and the occasional vacation in Hawaii. George was the highlight of every Christmas, where he took great joy in creating a fun-filled, highly memorable and family-centered holiday celebration, complete with a fire crackling in the fireplace and the voice of Mario Lanza.
Freese died on July 27, 2014, in Portland. Burial was at the Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, Oregon
.
Owen Lacey Friend ("Red") was born in Granite City, IL, on March 21, 1927. He was a minor league player from 1944-1949 and 1954-1960; a minor league manager from 1960, 1962-1965, 1967, 1970-1971 and 1973-1975; and a major league player and coach.
Owen was a middle infielder who had a good power years in 1948 and 1949 with Muskegon (21 home runs) and Elmira (20 HR's). He also hit 21 home runs in the Pacific Coast League in 1957 and 16 in 1959, but did not hit .300 as a pro. That early power ability prompted comparison to Rogers Hornsby. He also was compared to Eddie Stanky in the field. Personally, he modeled himself after Joe Gordon.
Friend first reached the majors in October 1949 with the Browns in 2 games going 3 for 8. In 119 games for them in 1950 he batted .237 with 8 home runs. With Detroit for 31 games in 1953, he hit .177 and in 34 games and, that same year, with the Indians he averaged .235. In 1955, he played 14 games for the Red Sox (.262) and 6 games for the Cubs (.100). His MLB career came to a close in 1956 after 2 games with the Cubs (.000).
Probably less then major league caliber, Owen averaged .227 in 208 big league games with a .295 OBP and .339 slugging %. His fielding % was .963 with 141 games at second, 27 at third and 26 at short.
He was a minor league manager for 11 years including 1967 with the Aberdeen Pheasants (34-36, 4th). He was a major league coach in 1969 for the Kansas City Royals.
"(Owen) Friend always stood up for the old-timers and was adamant that today's players, or many of them, couldn't have made it back then. 'You couldn't name a ballplayer from the 1950s or 1960s that Owen hadn't played with, played against, coached, scouted,' (Daryl) Sanders said. 'We would always name a player we figured he'd never heard of and then he would say, 'Oh, yeah, I played with him in the (Pacific) Coast League in 1958.'" - Columnist Bob Lutz in "The Wichita Eagle" (10/16/2007)
Owen was in the military in 1951 and 1952. He died on October 14, 2007, in Wichita, KS, and was cremated with his ashes interred in the Ascension Cemetery in Bel Aire, KS.
David Garcia was born in East St. Louis, IL, on September 15, 1920. He was a minor league infielder in 1939, 1941-1942 and 1946-1957; a minor league manager from 1948-1955, 1957, 1964, 1967-1969 and 1974; and a major league coach and manager. Garcia served in the U.S. Air Force for three years.
Dave played for Grand Forks and Eau Claire in 1941 hitting .224 in 43 games. In 1942, he batted .320 with 18 home runs and 107 RBI for Eau Claire. He was in the military from 1943-1945. In 1946, the infielder played 20 games for Minneapolis (.262) and then played in the lower minors until 1948 when he appeared in 7 games for Jersey City (.214). He was a player-manager from 1948-1957 with 6 years of averages over .300, in the lower minors, including a batting championship (.369) in the Wisconsin State League in 1951 when he also led the league in home runs (23) and RBI (127).
He managed in the minors for 14 years with the highest level being the Texas League. His teams had three first place finishes. He was a major league coach for the Padres (1970-1973), Indians (1975-1976 and 1979), Angels (1977) and Brewers (1983-1984). Dave managed the Angels in 1977 (35-46, 5th) and until May 1978 (25-20, 3rd); Indians in 1979 (38-28, 6th), 1980 (79-81, 6th), 1981 (26-24, 6th; 26-27, 5th) and 1982 (78-84, 6th). He ended his on-the-field activities as a coach with the Rockies form 2000-2002 and then as a scout for the Cubs until 2009.
It has been written that Garcia was liked for his fairness and decency, but was sometimes criticized for lacking toughness to inspire his players. He lived in El Cajon, CA, after leaving baseball and died in San Diego on May 22, 2018.
Frank John Gravino was born on January 29, 1923, in Newark, NY. He played minor league baseball from 1940-1942 and 1946-1954.
Frank started his professional career as a pitcher with a record of 26-19 from 1940-1942. From 1943-1945, he served his country in the military. Switching to the outfield, he hit .336 in 1946 at Hamilton, in the PONY League, with 17 home runs and he had 4 more with Allentown that same year. In 1947, he had 16 at Winston-Salem in 104 games.
He played at his highest classification in 1948 with AAA Rochester for 116 games batting .277 with 18 home runs. In 1949 he hit only 7 at class A Columbus and Omaha. The next year, 1950, he was at class B and the independent Provincial League hitting 18 homers. He continued to play the 1952 season in the independent league hitting 42 home runs and driving in 123 runs to lead the league.
After 27 games back at class B Cedar Rapids, in 1952, where he batted .162 with 5 home runs, he was sent toFargo-Moorhead where he began to most awesome power show in Northern League history. In 125 games and 471 at bats, Frank led the league in home runs that year with 32 and RBI with 108. He followed that up in 1953 with 52 home runs and 174 RBI and in 1954 with 56 homers and 158 RBI to lead the league in both categories those years. His batting averages those three years were .311, .352 and .301. Danny Litwhiler, who managed part of the 1952 season, took some credit for Frank's performance by stating that he had coached him, while hitting, to hold his hands closer to his body . This was the same as Mel Ott had once taught Danny.
In his 12-year professional career, he played 1,148 games with a
.292 batting average and 271 home runs. Frank retired after the 1954
season because of medical problems which were adversely effecting his
eye sight. He died on April 5, 1994, in Rochester, NY.
George Dallas Green was born in Newport, DE, on August 4, 1934. He was a minor league player from 1955-1960 and 1964-1967; a minor league manager from 1968-1969; and a major league pitcher, manager and executive. Green attended the University of Delaware.
The left hander pitched in the lower minors for 3 years and then in AAA for most of 3 more (including 1959 when he had a 2.94 ERA) before he joined the Philadelphia Phillies in 1960. He appeared in 23 games, including 10 starts, for 109 innings and a 4.06 ERA. From 1961-1964, he pitched in 42, 37, 40 and 25 games (10, 10, 14, 0 starts) with 128, 129, 120 and 42 innings compiling ERAs of 4.85, 3.83, 3.23 and 5.79.
Dallas was with the Washington Senators briefly in 1965 for 6 games (2 starts), 14 innings with a 3.14 ERA. In 1966, he was in 4 games for the New York Mets finishing 6 innings compiling a 5.40 ERA. His MLB experiences ended in 1967 with 8 games and 15 innings back with the Phillies (9.00 ERA). In his 185-game, arm-injury-shortened career, he finished 562 innings allowing 647 hits and 197 walks while striking out 268. His ERA was 4.26 and he had a .294 OAV with a 20-22 record. He was known for a great fast ball.
In 1964, he had a 2.63 ERA in the Pacific Coast League and in 1967 a 1.77 ERA in the Eastern League.
He managed in the minors for two years including 1968 for the Huron Phillies (26-43, 5th) and then was an Assistant Farm Director and Minor League Director for Philadelphia. In 1979, he became the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies where he stayed through the 1981 season - 1979 19-11, 5th; 1980 91-71, 1st, World Series Champs; 1981 34-21, 1stand 25-27, 3rd. He also managed the New York Yankees in 1989 (56-65, 6th) and the New York Mets from 1993-1996: 1993 46-78, 7th; 1994 55-58, 3rd; 1995 69-75, 2nd and 1996 59-72, 4th. In his 8-year MLB managing career, he was 454-478 (.487).
"The Baseball Encyclopedia" states: "Dallas Green was not a man to try to push around. The 6'5", 210 pound Green was known for his nasty temperament when he pitched...After his playing career ended, he took his temper into the clubhouse. Green managed a full 162-game schedule just once - baseball strikes and mid-season changes occurred in his seven other seasons as a skipper..."
Green himself has said: "I express my thoughts. I'm not a screamer, a yeller and a cusser. I never hold back." When he was appointed the Cub's GM in 1981, he said: "I'm no Messiah, but I'll guarantee no one will ever outwork us. When I hire someone he better work at it or hear from me." At the time he was fired as the Yankees' manager in 1989, he referred to owner Steinbrenner as "manager George".
He was the General Manager of the Chicago Cubs from 1982-1987. Dallas lives in rural West Grove, PA, and is a Senor Adviser to the Phillies General Manager. Green has been inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame. He passed away in Philadelphia, after being in poor health for several years, with kidney failure and pneumonia on March 22, 2017.
"The game lost a great baseball man...," Phillies chairman David Montgomery said at the time of his death. "Dallas held many different positions in baseball, and his passion and love for the game was evident in every role he played. He was a big man with a big heart and a bigger-than-life personality. Having known Dallas since 1971, he was one of my first phone calls upon becoming Phillies president because of his perspective and advice. All of us at the Phillies had tremendous respect for Dallas as a baseball man and friend. We will miss him dearly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Sylvia, and his children, Dana, John, Kim and Doug."
Carroll William Hardy was born on May 18, 1933, in Sturgis, SD. A standout athlete during his school days in Sturgis, he also starred in football, baseball and track at the University of Colorado. His track records include a long jump of 24' 2" and a 100-yard dash of ten-flat. In Carroll's last college football game, he ran for 238 yards and three touchdowns during an upset over Kansas State.
In 1955, he begin his pro baseball career with the Indians' farm club at Reading in the class "A" Eastern League where he played in the outfield along side of Roger Maris. Carroll hit .265 with 5 HR and 31 RBI. That fall, he played defensive back, running back and punter for the San Francisco 49ers. He averaged 28 yards per reception.
In 1956, the Indians' GM, Hank Greenberg, asked Hardy to choose between baseball and football. Needless to say, he chose baseball. He was moved up in the organization to class AAA and the Indianapolis Indians in the American Association. There he hit .385 with 2 HR and 15 RBI. The next season was spent in the military.
Returning to baseball in 1958, he split the season with San Diego in the Pacific Coast League (.236, 2, 11) and the Cleveland Indians. His debut came on April 15 when walked as a pinch hitter and his stay lasted 27 games (47 at bats, .204 average, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .304 OBA). He played the outfield in 17 games. A highlight, of the season, was when he hit a pinch homer battling for Roger Maris. It was his first MLB home run.
The 1959 season was much the same as he played in the Pacific Coast League for Seattle (.254, 3, 21) and with second place Cleveland where he appeared in 32 games, batting .208 with 2 RBI and an OBA of .250. Fifteen of those games were spent in the outfield.
In 1960 he stayed the whole year in the majors. First for the Indians where he was in 29 games, hit only .111 (1 HR) and played 17 games in the outfield. On June 13, he was traded to the Red Sox with Russ Nixon for Marty Keough and Ted Bowsfield. During the rest of the year with the Sox, he got an opportunity to play more often (73 games) and hit a better .234 with 2 HR and 15 RBI. That year he became the only player to pinch hit for Ted Williams. Of course, the only reason Carroll got the chance was because Williams had to leave the game after he fouled a pitch off his instep (Hardy then lined into a double play).
The 1961 season was Carroll's best in the majors playing in 85 games for the sixth place Red Sox where he hit .263 with 3 HR and 36 RBI. His OBA was .330 and he appeared on the field in 76 games. He was 3 for 14 as a pinch hitter with one of those for Carl Yastrezemski in Yaz' rookie season
He played more games in 1962 then in any other MLB season as he appeared in 115, but his average dipped to .215 with 8 HR and 54 RBI. He had a decent .321 OBA and was 0 for 7 as a pinch hitter for the eighth place Red Sox.
On December 10, his Sox career ended as he was traded to the expansion Houston Colt 45's for Dick Williams. In 1963, for the ninth place Harry Craft-led National League team, he appeared in only 15 games, hitting .227 with 3 RBI. Most of the year was spent at their Oklahoma City "AAA" farm team where he batted very well with an average of .316 and 16 HR/61 RBI.
In 1964 he again split the year between Oklahoma City (.321, 14, 28) and the Colt 45's where he played in 46 games batting .185 with 2 HR and 12 RBI. The Colts were not going anywhere and neither was Carroll.
The 1965 and 1966 seasons were spent in Denver for the Minnesota Twins organization. The high altitude helped his record in '65 as he hit .300 with 14 HR and 63 RBI. There was no question, he could play well at the AAA level. In 1966, his performance declined to .259, 6, 36.
In 1967, he got his last opportunity as a player in a major league uniform. Most of the year was again spent in Denver (.296, 2, 26), but the 34-year-old Carroll also played in 11 games with the Twins in September in a stint which allowed him to qualify for a major league pension. Used almost exclusively as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement, he was 3 for 8 (3 for 7 as a pinch hitter) with one home run.
Carroll's pro playing career ended in 1968 with a couple of appearances with Denver. However, he then became the manager of the Twins' class "A" Northern League farm team in St. Cloud, MN. His team finished first with a 43-27 record. That season he managed future major leaguer, Dave Goltz and that was apparently his only attempt at managing a professional baseball team.
After baseball, he worked for 20 years in the Denver Broncos' front office as their director of player personnel. He also worked for the city of Steamboat Springs, CO, and was a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs. On August 8, 2020, he died from dementia complications in Highland Ranch CO.
Joseph John Hauser was born on January 12, 1899, in Milwaukee. He was a minor league player from 1918-1921, 1927 and 1929-1942; a minor league manager from 1937-1942, 1946-1953 and 1955-1958 and a major league player.
After 2 years in the Eastern League (led league in homers and triples in 1919) and 2 in the American Association (.hit .316 in 1921), Joe reached the majors with the Philadelphia A's. He was their starting first baseman from 1922-1924 playing in 111, 146 and 149 games with batting averages of .323, .307 and .288 (9, 16, 27 homers [2nd to Ruth]). In 1924, he had 115 RBI. On April 7, 1925, he broke his kneecap which ended that season for him. He was back with them in 1926 for 91 games, but only hit .192 with 8 home runs.
In the American Association in 1927, he batted .353 with 20 home runs and 22 triples (led the league). That good season earned a return to the A's for 1928 where he hit .260 with 16 homers in 95 games. He started the 1929 season with the Indians, but only appeared in 37 games for a .250 average and 3 home runs. Joe played the rest of the year at AAA Milwaukee where he hit .238 in 31 games.
His next 8 years were spent at AAA, first with Baltimore of the International League in 1930-1931 where he led the league in home runs with 63 and 31. From 1932-1936, he was with the Minneapolis Millers who played in a park with a right-field fence 279 feet from home plate. The left-hander hit 49 and 69 home runs in 1932-1933 not only to lead the American Association but to set a mark only surpassed or equaled by the performance enhanced Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa - two professional seasons with 60 or more home runs. During the rest of his years with the Millers, he hit 33, 23 and 34 home runs.
In 1937 he became the player-manager of a team in Sheboygan, WI, where he continued to play part-time, except for the 1939 season, until 1942. Over those 5 seasons, he hit 40 home runs. After the war, Joe was the manager at Union City in the Kitty League for 9 years (1946-1953 and 1955) and for Duluth-Superior in 1956 (63-56, 3rd, playoff champs), 1957 (73-52, 1st) and in 1958 for a partial year.
He moved to Sheboygan in 1937 and lived there the rest of his life. He operated a sporting goods equipment store, "The Joe Hauser Sports Shop", until May of 1984 and Hauser died on July 11, 1997. His burial was at the Calvary Cemetery in Sheboygan..
For a more complete biography, please see:
http://bioproj.sabr.org/
Ira Kendall Hutchinson was born on August 31, 1910, in Chicago. He was a major league pitcher in 1933, 1937-1941 and 1944-1945; a minor league player; a minor league player-manager in 1951; and a manager in the minors from 1951-1967 and 1970.
Ira pitched one game for the 1933 Chicago White Sox lasting 4 innings as a starter, but gave up 7 hits and 3 walks for a 13.50 ERA. He was back in the majors in 1937-1938 for the Boston Braves as generally a capable reliever pitching in 31 and 36 games for 92 and 161 innings with ERAs of 3.73 and 2.74. The right hander went to the Dodgers in 1939 where he pitched in 41 games and 106 innings compiling a 4.34 ERA.
In 1940-1941, he pitched for the Cardinals in 20 and 29 games finishing 63 and 47 innings for 3.13 and 3.86 ERAs. He ended his MLB career in 1944-1945 in 40 and 11 games completing 120 and 29 with ERAs of 4.21 and 5.02. In his 8-year career, he appeared in 209 games for 611 innings allowing 628 hits and 249 walks while striking out 179 for a 3.76 ERA.
As a minor league pitcher, he had a 2.79 ERA with Baton Rouge in 1933, a 17-11 record with a 2.21 ERA for Rochester in 1943 and for the 1947-1948 Columbus team he had ERAs of 2.91 and 2.54. He totaled 11 seasons at the AAA level.
As a player-manager in 1951 for Wisconsin Rapids he had a 2.06 ERA. Ira managed for 18 years for a 1168-1107 (.513) record with 5 first place finishes (including 3 in split-season leagues) and had 2 second place teams (including 1 in a split-season). He managed the 1967 Duluth-Superior Dukes to a 30-39 5thplace finish, but did not manage above class A ( had 1 year in the Western League in 1957).
In 1968-1969, he was the advertising director of the Chicago White
Sox. Ira died from cancer on August 21, 1973, in Chicago and was
buried at Chapel Hill Gardens South in Worth, IL.
Travis
Jackson
Travis Calvin Jackson was born on
November 2, 1903, in Waldo, AR. He was a major league infielder from
1922-1936, a minor league player from 1921-1922 and 1937-1938, a
minor league manager in 1937-1938, 1946 and 1950-1960 and major
league coach from 1939-1940 and 1947-1948.
Travis played for Little Rock in the Southern Association for 39 games in 1921 (.200) and 147 games in 1922 (.280). In September 1922, he was brought up by the New York Giants for 3 games and was 0 for 8 at the plate. For the next 15 years, Jackson was nearly always a Giants full-time infielder.
The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"Rogers Hornsby, a man known to have been sparing with praise, said of Travis Jackson, 'In all the years I watched him, playing with him and against him, I never saw him make a mistake.' Jackson was nicknamed 'Stonewall' for his defense at shortstop. He led the National League twice in fielding percentage and four times in assists, and Joe Cronin once said that Jackson was 'as good a shortstop as ever lived.' As a batter, 'Stoney' topped .300 six times, once hit game-winning homers in both halves of a double header, and in 1930, a year when batting averages reached new heights, was part of the best-hitting infield in history.
"Jackson made history in his first major league game. With runners on first and second, a Cincinnati batter hit a liner just to his left. Instead of catching it in the air, Jackson said, 'I had to take it on the pickup and so we got a double play. Imagine, on the first ball hit to me in the majors!' Jackson was a utility player in 1923, first filling in for Heinie Grob when the third baseman injured his knee and then for regular Dave Bancroft when the shortstop contracted pneumonia in June. The rookie so impressed [manager John] McGraw that he traded future Hall of Famer Bancroft to the Braves. Giants fans howled over the decision, but soon Jackson was just as good as Bancroft.
"From 1925 to 1927, in fact, the Giants boasted a complete Hall of Fame infield: George Kelly at eight first or second, Bill Terry at first, Frankie Frisch and Hornsby at second, Jackson at short, and Freddie Lindstrom to third. In 1927, 1928, and 1929 Jackson was named to 'The Sporting News' major league All-Star team. Beset by problems with his right knee for good part of his career, in 1932 he also injured his left knee, and that winter in Memphis had operations on both. Although he went to 1933 spring training, it took him until late in the season to get back into the lineup. By the next season, however, he was named to the All-Star team. In 1982 the Veterans Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame."
From 1923 through 1936, the strong-armed right-hander with good range, played in 96, 151, 112, 111, 127, 150, 149, 116, 145, 52, 53, 137, 128 and 126 games with averages of .275, .302, .285, .327, .318, .270, .294, .339, .310, .256, .246, .268, .301 and .230. In 1924 he led NL shortstops with 58 errors, but twice led in fielding average, twice in double plays and four time in assists. Knee injuries lessened his mobility by 1934 and he played his last year at short leading the NL in errors with 43. Jackson moved to third for his last two seasons.
Although he generally batted in the 6th spot for the Giants, he was a good bunter and a consistent hitter who could measure the short Polo Ground fences. Travis played in 1,656 major league games with 6,086 at bats and hit a composite .291 with a .337 on base % and .433 slugging percentage. Travis played 1,326 games at short and 307 at third with a life-time .952 fielder mark.
In mid-1990s all-time fielding records, he was number15 in average putouts per game for shortstops with a 2.2 mark, number 6 in assists per game with an average of 3.5 and no. 12 in chances per game with 6.0. In the World Series of 1923, 1924,1933 and 1936, he was 4 for 21 (.149), but made 7 errors in 64 chances while playing third base in 11 games and 7 at short.
Jackson was the manager of Jersey City in 1937 (50-100, 8th) and part of 1938. He also played in 6 and 10 games those two years getting 5 hits in 17 at bats. In 1939 and 1940, he was a MLB coach with the New York Giants. In 1946, he managed Jackson in the Southeastern League (class B) and then returned to the Giants as a coach for the 1947 and 1948 seasons. In 1950 through 1960, he managed in the Boston/Milwaukee Braves organization which included assignments at Owensboro (class D), Bluefield (D), Hartford (A), Appleton (D), Lawton (D), Midland (D), Eau Claire in 1959 (55-68, 7th- except for 2 weeks when he was ill) and Davenport (D). He also had to leave the Midland post in 1958 because of illness.
He has been named to the Arkansas baseball Hall of Fame. He died
at his home in Waldo, AR, on July 27, 1987, and was buried at the
Waldo Cemetery.
Claude Alford Jonnard was born in Nashville on November 23, 1897. He was a minor league player from 1917-1922 and 1925-1940, a minor league manager from 1938-1942, 1947 and 1949-1951; and a major league player. His twin brother, Clarence "Bubber", was a major league catcher for six seasons, during the 1920s.
He pitched in his home town of Nashville from 1917-1920 which was highlighted by a 2.33 ERA in 1919. For Little Rock in 1921, he led the league in games pitched (58), innings pitched (347), losses (he had a 22-19 record) and strikeouts (234) as he compiled a 2.31 ERA. That same year, he pitched 4 scoreless innings for the Giants with 7 strikeouts in his MLB debut.
In 1922-1924, he got his chance full-time with the Giants pitching in 33, 45 (tied for lead the National League in appearances) and 34 games and 96, 96 and 90 innings for ERAs of 3.84, 3.28 and 2.40. Jonnard also led the NL in saves in 1922-23. He was in the American Association in 1925 leading the league in innings pitched (333) and losses (22-19) with a 3.38 ERA. The St. Louis Browns gave him a trial in 1926 in 12 games, but his ERA was 6.00. He was back in the American Association for the rest of '26 and all of the 1927 and 1928 leading the league in walks in '27 (136) and strikeouts in '28 (150). His ERAs were 3.53, 4.18 and 3.29 those years.
Claude got his last MLB chance in 1929 with the Chicago Cubs for 12 games and 28 innings. Since his ERA was 7.39, he spent the rest of the year back in the Association where he played through the 1933 season and he played in the lower minors until 1940.
The slender, curveballer's major league record was 14-12 in 137 games and 349 innings as he allowed 373 hits and 122 walks while striking out 160 with a 3.79 ERA. In his 616-game minor league career, he was 219-219 in 3,783 innings giving up 3,834 hits and 1,384 walks with 1,895 strikeouts.
He managed in the minors for 9 years including 1947 for the Grand Forks Chiefs who finished with a terrible 28-92 record in last place. It was the worse team, record wise, in league history, but it should be noted that they played the year with no major league affiliation.
Claude was also a scout and, for a time, organized the Giants
spring training site in Florida. After baseball, he operated a
sporting goods store in Florida and was associated with a company who
completed research on guided missiles. On August 27, 1959, during an
operation to remove a blood clot from his heart, he died at the
Baptist Hospital in Nashville. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery
in Nashville. 
John Donald Jorgensen was born on November 3, 1919, in Folsom, CA. He was a minor league player from 1941, 1946, 1948 and 1950-1960; a minor league manager from 1960-1962 and 1969; and a major league player. Spider attended Sacramento City College.
On February 17, 1942 he enlisted in the US Army and joined the Army Air Corps. After four years, he reached the rank of technical sergeant while serving at military installations in Idaho, Arizona, and Texas.
The wiry Jorgensen came up to the Dodgers in the spring of 1947 and was their clutch starting third baseman for 129 games with a .274 batting average. In the off season, he bruised his throwing arm from hunting and further injured it in the spring training of 1948. In 1948-1949 he only played in 31 and 53 games for averages of .300 and .269. After 2 games with the Bums in 1950, the left-handed hitter was traded to the Giants where he played in 24 games for a .135 average. He finished his MLB career in 1951, with New York, in 28 games and a .235 average.
In his 267 major league games, Spider batted .266 with a .359 OBP and .384 slugging %. His fielding average was .940 with 195 games at third base and 11 in the outfield. He finished his playing career in the Pacific Coast League for Oakland (1951-1955) and Vancouver (1956-1959). In 1960 was a player/manager at class C.
He was also a minor league manager for 4 years including 1969 for the Winnipeg Goldeyes (26-43, 6th). Also in the 1960s, he coached American Legion baseball. Jorgensen continued as a major league scout for the Philadelphia Phillies and for the Chicago Cubs for 22 years. He lived in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, for many years and died there, after a short illness, on Nov. 6, 2003. Burial was at the Lakeside Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Folsom.
In his newspaper obit, his baseball acquaintances commented on
Jorgensen’s scouting ability and on his character: "I
don't think there is a person in the world who didn't love him,"
Ontario High baseball coach Bob Beck was quoted. "To my
knowledge, he didn't have an enemy in the world. He had an unassuming
manner about himself. He was just very friendly, accommodating, but
he didn't miss a trick. He always knew what was going on." 
Joseph Erwin Just was born on January 8, 1916, in Milwaukee. He was a minor league player from 1936-1942 and 1945-1950; a minor league manager from 1955-1958; and a major league player.
Joe played 4 minor league seasons including 2 with his home town Brewers before getting his MLB chances with Cincinnati in 1944-1945. He caught in 11 and 14 games batting .182 and .147. For those 25 games, he had a OBP of .240 and slugging % of .156. His fielding % was .941 for the right hander. He finished his playing career from 1945-1950 with 6 years in AAA (including 2 more with Milwaukee) and one at AA.
He was a minor league manager for 4 years including 2 years with
the Eau Claire Braves - : 1955: 81-43, 1st
and 1956: 70-52, 1st. Joe never managed above the class A
level. He lived in Franklin, WI, for many years and died there on
Nov. 22, 2003. He was buried at St. Adalbert Cemetery in
Milwaukee.
Richard Henry Kerr was born in St. Louis on July 3, 1893. He was a minor league player; a minor league manager from 1937-1938; and a major league player.
As a major league rookie in 1919, he pitched for the most infamous team in baseball history - the Chicago White (Black) Sox. He appeared in 39 games, including 17 starts for a 2.88 ERA in 212 innings. Dickey [or "Dickie] was a starting pitcher in the World Series and played it straight by winning 2 games including a shutout. He had three more MLB seasons, all with the White Sox, in 1920, 1921 and 1925 for 45, 44 and 12 games and 254, 309 and 37 innings with ERAs of 3.37, 4.72 and 5.15.
Kerr was 21-9 in 1920 and 19-17 in '21, but, in 1922, he decided to pitch for independent teams because Sox' owner Charles Comiskey cut Kerr's salary by $500. Dissatisfied with his new contract, he asked for his release, and then quit. Kerr was placed on the permanent ineligible list until '25 .
In his big league career, he was in 140 games finishing 811 innings allowing 876 hits and 250 walks with 235 strikeouts and a 3.84 ERA. He had a 53-34 record and .281 OAV.
He was a long-term minor league manager including the 1937 season for Wausau who finished in 8th place with a 46-75 record (he apparently pitched briefly that year). In one season, Kerr helped convert 19-year-old Stan Musial from a pitcher to an outfielder. Friends thereafter, Dickey drove Musial's wife threw red lights to a hospital where she delivered the couple's son, Richard [named after Kerr]. Eventually, Musial purchased a home for the Kerr's.
Dickey moved to Houston in 1933 and worked for 10 years in the
cotton business. He was a Cardinals scout in 1946 and later was the
office manager for B & M Electrical Company – a job from
which he retired. On May 4, 1963, he died from cancer at his home and
was buried at Forest Park of Lawndale in Houston. 
Fred Carl Koenig was born on April 27, 1931, in St. Louis. He was a minor league player from 1951-1963; a minor league manager from 1962-1965, 1967-1969, 1972, 1975 and 1989; and a major league coach.
Fred hit over .300 once and that was as a player-manager for Winnipeg in 1962. However, in 1958, he hit .299 in the Eastern League. He only had 3 partial seasons in AAA (1954, 1955 and 1959) where he hit .122, ..247 and .204. His power was decent as he had 10 or more home runs in 7 seasons.
He was a minor league manager for 10 years (never higher then class AA) including Winnipeg in 1962 (59-63, 7th) and 1963 (55-64, 4th). Fred was a major league coach for the Angels (1970-1971), Cardinals (1976), Rangers (1977-1982), Cubs (1983) and Indians (1985-1986). In 1973-74, he was the Cards Director of Player Development. In the late 1980s he joined the Braves farm system as a roving coach and manager at the Rookie level. He died on January 12, 1993, in Wagoner, OK.
George John Kurowski was born in Reading, PA, on April 19, 1918. He played major league baseball from 1941-1949; was a minor league player from 1937-1941 and 1949; a player-manager in 1950, 1953, 1955 and 1959; and managed in the minors from 1951-1955, 1958-1962, 1964-1965 and 1970-1971.
When Kurowski was 12 years old, he fell from a fence in Reading and cut his right arm on a piece of glass. It became swollen with blood poisoning. "They wanted to cut it off at the elbow," he said, "but my sister wouldn't let them." (He had 11 siblings.) The surgeons took another option and cut four inches off his ulna bone, between the wrist and elbow. It took a complete year to recuperate, but it left him with a right arm considerably shorter than the left one. "Doctors were always amazed that I was ever able to play ball," he said. "They still are. And I think the short arm made me a natural pull hitter."
Scouts did not line up to sign him after high school "They were afraid of my arm," Whitey remembered. "But the Cardinals gave me a chance and I was sent to Caruthersville, Missouri (class D) for $70 a month." He hit .339 and would spend four more years in the Cardinals organization.
The stocky, thick-legged Whitey, who had surprising speed, came up to the St. Louis Cardinals in September 1941 for 5 games going 3 for 9. He then became one of the finest third basemen in the 1940s as he stayed with the same team for the rest of the decade playing in 115, 139, 149, 133, 142, 146, 77 and 10 games for batting averages of .254, .287, .270, .323, .301, .310, .214 and .143. He led the league's third basemen in fielding average in 1944 and 1946, was named to the 1943 and 1945 All Star teams and played in the 1944, 1946 and 1947 games. Kurowski led the NL in putouts three times and once each in assists and double plays. Whitey also had power, hitting 20 or more home runs in three different seasons. His homer off Red Ruffing in game 5 of the 1942 World Series broke a 2-2 tie, with the Yankees, and led the Cards to a victory in their series-clinching game. He also played in the World Series of 1943, 1944 and 1946 batting .253 in 83 at bats in all four of his series' games.
Kurowski had career highs in home runs (27) and RBI (104) in 1947 which was his last as a regular. An arm injury in 1948 which developed into bone chips in his elbow by 1949 combined to end his MLB years. In his career, he played in 916 games hitting .286 with a .366 OBP and .455 slugging % and had 3 years with 20 or more home runs.
He hit .386 for the 1938 Portsmouth minor league team and made a few appearances as a player when he was managing in 1953, 1955 and 1959. Whitey managed in the minors for a total of 15 years with a 983-916 (.518) record with 2 first place finishes and 6 second place ones. He managed the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1960 (72-51, 1st, playoff champs) and had one complete season in AAA (1964 Buffalo: 80-69, 3rd) and one partial one (1970 Denver: 26-36).
Later he worked for the Berks County (PA) Bureau of Weights and
Measures until retiring in 1980. He lived for many years in
Shillington, PA, and died on December 9, 1999, in Reading. Burial was
at the Gethsemane Cemetery in Laureldale, PA.
Joseph Paul Lonnett was born on February 7, 1927, in Beaver Falls, PA. He was a minor league player from 1947-1950, 1953-1955 and 1958-1963; a minor league manager from 1965-1967; and a major league player and coach.
In the lower minors in 1948 and 1949, Joe hit over .300. In 1952-1952 he was in the U.S. Army and then played 3 years in the International League before he had his first taste of the major leagues with full seasons in 1956 and 1957. With the Phillies, as their back-up catcher, in 16 and 67 games he batted .182 and .169. He also had partial seasons with them in 1958-1959 for 17 and 43 games hitting .140 and .172. In his MLB career 143 games he batted .166 with a .262 OBP and .246 slugging %. His fielding average was .992 from 130 games as catcher.
After his playing days were over he worked int the Phillies, White Sox, Pirates and A's organizations in a variety of positions, including scout, coach, minor league manager and roving catching instructor.
Joe was in class "AAA" from 1958-1962 and a minor league
manager for three years with Huron with the
following records: 1965 31-35, 2nd, 1966 32-35, 3rdand
1967 27-40, 6th. He was a major league coach for the White
Sox (1971-1975), A's (1976) and Pirates (1977-1984). He also was a
scout for the Phillies (1963-1965 and 1968-1970). Lonnett died at a
nursing home in Beaver, PA, on Dec. 5, 2011, and was buried at the
Beaver Cemetery in Beaver, PA. 
Bernard J. Lutz was born in Lucinda, PA, on August 20, 1917. He was a minor league player from 1936-1943 and 1946-1954; and a minor league manager from 1949-1960.
Barney was an outfielder who hit over .300 in his first 3 seasons in the lower minors He also hit .304 in the Eastern League in 1943. During the war years of 1943-1945, he was in the military. After the war, he had 2 trials in AAA. In 73 games for Toledo in 1946, he hit .228 and in 1948 for Toronto he batted .307. The left-handed batter, had a minor league career average of .302 in 2,020 games.
He was a minor league manager for 15 years including 4 with Aberdeen in 1953 (60-63, 4th, 1954 (60-75), 1957 (partial year, 7th) and 1958 (partial year, 8th). The highest level at which he managed was at class AA Texas League in 1959 for a partial year.
In 1961, Lutz became an Orioles scout and coordinator of instruction. He was considered one of the important behind-the-scenes figures of the Baltimore dynasty of the 1960s and 1970s. Said former MLB GM Lou Gorman: "Lutz was a throw-back to the old-time scouting breed: tough, hardworking and loyal . He was one of a kind.”
Barney died on July 11, 1966, in Geneva, NY, from a heart attack
while scouting a game. Thereafter, the Orioles created the Barney
Lutz Memorial Award in his memory, given for excellence to an Orioles
minor league player One of it's early winners said: "Barney
Lutz, before he died of a heart attack, was one of the most
competitive men ever to have worn a uniform. I was glad someone
recognized me and compared me to Lutz.”
Joseph John Macko was born on February 19, 1928, in Port Arthur, OH. He is the father of Steve Macko (1954-1981) who was a 2-year MLB infielder that died from cancer while he was still a player. Joe was a minor league player from 1948-1964 and 1970; a minor league manager from 1961-1964; and a major league coach.
First baseman Joe hit over .300 in his first 3 professional seasons and then hit 20 or more home runs for many years - 1953 (20 for Indianapolis), 1954-1955 (29 and 28 for Tulsa), 1956 (36 for Dallas), 1958 (24 for Ft. Worth), 1959 (25 for Ft. Worth and Minneapolis) and 1960 (27 for Houston). He played a total of 4 complete class AAA seasons but hit over .240 only once. In his career, he hit 306 home runs in 1,987 games with a .272 batting average. He also pitched for parts of four seasons, compiling a record of 11-7 with a 3.70 ERA in 37 games (15 starts). In 1948 he was a primary starter for his team.
He was a minor league manager for 4 years including 1961 for St. Cloud (73-54, 3rd) when he also batted .265 with 17 home runs. Following his playing and managerial career, Macko was the GM at Dallas-Ft Worth in 1970-71 and then served as business manager for the Rangers in 1972. From 1973-1994, he was their home equipment manager and then moved to the visiting clubhouse for 1995-2001. Joe was part of the Cubs' College of Coaches in 1964. He lives in Arlington, TX, and is currently serving as a Rangers' Goodwill Ambassador who is available for motivational speeches .
Robert Edward Malkmus was born in Newark on July, 4, 1931. He was a minor league player from 1951, 1954-1957, 1959 and 1962-1967; a minor league manager from 1967-1975 and a major league player.
After one professional season, Bobby spent 1952-1953 in the military. After his release, he went up the latter to AAA in 1957 where he hit .291 and got his first major league trial with the Braves for 13 games and 22 at bats, as a second baseman, hitting .091. He was with the Senators the complete season of 1958 as a utility infielder playing in 41 games and batting .186. In 1959, he hit .300 at class AAA and got into 6 games as a pinch runner with the Senators. He went to the Phillies in 1960-1961 for complete seasons appearing in 79 and 121 games with batting averages of .211 and .231.
Bob was back in AAA in 1962 batting .278, but also had his final MLB chances, with the Phillies, in 8 games going 1 for 5. He played from 1963-1966 at class AAA hitting .293 his last year.
He managed for 9 years (508-463) including Watertown in
1970 (32-38, 4th). His assignments were at class A or
lower. Later he became a scout for the Indians and Padres through the
mid first decade of the 21st century. He lives in Union,
NJ.
Gordon Ralph Maltzberger was born on September 4, 1912, in Utopia, TX. He was a minor league player from 1932-1934, 1936-1942 and 1948-1952; a minor league manager from 1957-1959 and 1965; and a major league player and coach. He was one of 14 children.
As a control pitcher, Gordy's breakout seasons were in 1940-1942 for Jacksonville, Dallas and Shreveport when he had ERAs of 2.20, 2.69 and 2.57 with records of 16-6, 15-16 and 16-12. In 1943-1944 he received his first trials in the majors for the White Sox where he pitched in 37 and 46 games with 2.46 and 2.96 ERAs while leading the American League in saves both years. [His ability to pitch frequently caused manager Jimmy Dykes to use him out of the bullpen.] In '44, he had a 10-2 record including 7 relief wins in-a-row by July 15, but finished at 10-5. His 1945 season was spent in the military.
In 1946-1947, he had his last 2 MLB seasons - still with the Sox - appearing in 19 and 33 games for ERAs of 1.59 and 3.39. From 1948-1951 and 1953-1954, he was with Hollywood of the Pacific Coast League with ERAs generally in the mid-3.00s. His career MLB record was: 135g, 293 inn, 258 h, 74 bb, 136 so, 2.70 ERA, .236 OAV.
Gordy was a player-coach in the PCL in 1953-1954 and a coach-only
there from 1955-1956. He was a minor league manager for 4 years
(highest classification was AA) including Eau Claire
in 1957 (70-55, 3rd), 1958 (65-56, 5th) and
1959 (partial season, 7th). Maltzberger became a minor league
pitching instructor for the Braves in 1960 and then a major league
coach for the Minnesota Twins from 1962 through 1964 and later was a
scout until 1973. He died at the Community Hospital in San
Bernardino, due to pancreatic cancer, on December 11, 1974. Burial
was at the Hermosa Cemetery in Colton, CA. 
Fred Melvin McGaha ("Mack-gay-hay") was born on September 26, 1926, in Bastrop, AL. He played in the minor leagues from 1948-1958, was a minor league manager from 1954-1960 and 1966-67, a major league coach from 1961, 1963-64 and 1968-70 and a major league manager in 1962 and 1964-65.
McGaha graduated from the U. of Arkansas and was scouted by the Los Angeles Rams as an end, the New York Knicks as a guard and the St. Louis Cardinals as a first baseman-outfielder. He played one season for the Knicks in the B.A.A and was known as their "hatchet man". In his first year as a baseball pro he played for the Duluth Dukes. It was the year the Dukes lost 4 players and their manager in the July bus crash. Mel was on the bus at the time of the accident and suffered a severe shoulder dislocation. That impairment helped keep him out of the majors.
At Duluth in 1948 he hit .353 with 15 RBI. In 1949-50 he was in the American Association at Columbus where he batted .290 and .220. In 1950, he also played at Houston (Texas League) where he compiled a .269 average He continued to play for Houston in 1951-52 ending with averages of .224 and .263.
In 1953, McGaha began his stay at Shreveport (Texas) which lasted through the 1957 season. He batted from 236 to .326 in those years and managed the club from 1954-1957 with a first place finish in 1954. In 1958, he managed at Mobile (SA) and played his last year as an active player (.288). He continued to manage the team in 1959 to their 2ndconsecutive second place finish. In 1960, he led the International League's Toronto Maple Leafs to the league championship.
Also from 1953-55 he was head basketball coach at Arkansas A&M College. He posted a 32–15 (.681) record during his two years with the Boll Weevils.
Mel was a major league coach for Cleveland in 1961, for Kansas City in 1963-64 and at Houston in 1968-70. He got his first major league managing chance with Cleveland in 1962 with the Indians finishing 6th with a 78-82 record. In 1964, he took over for Ed Lopat as manager of the A's, finishing last with a 40-70 mark with him at the helm. In 1965, Kansas City got off to a terrible 5-21 start and it ended McGaha's MLB managerial career.
He returned to AAA in 1966-67 taking the helm of the Oklahoma City 89ers (6th, 59-89 and 4th, 74-74) in the Houston chain. Mel was a MLB coach for Houston from 1968-70.
McGaha died in Tulsa, OK, on February 3, 2002.
Russell Eugene Nixon was born on February 19, 1935, in Cleves, OH. He played in the minors from 1953-1956, 1965 and 1968, was a minor league manager from 1970-1975, 1993-1994 and 2003-2005; a major league player and a major league coach and manager. His twin brother, Roy, was also signed by the Indians.
Russ hit near or over .300 in his first 4 professional seasons including .319 in the American Association in 1956. He caught for the Cleveland Indians from 1957-1960 [a regular only in '58] in 62, 113, 82 and 25 games while batting .281, .301, .240 and .244. The remainder of his 1960 season was spent with the Red Sox where he hit .298 in 80 games. First, he was traded to the Sox for Sammy White in March, but when White refused to report, a second trade had to be completed in June.
He played with the Sox for 5 more years (1961-1965) for 87, 65, 98, 81 and 59 games with batting averages of .289, .278, .278, .268, .233 and .270. Russ spent part of '65 in Toronto where he batted .323.
Nixon was with the Minnesota Twins from 1966-1967 appearing in 51 and 74 games batting .260 and .235. His MLB career ended in 1968, back with the Red Sox, as he hit .153. Russ' professional career also ended that year with some games in the Eastern League.
Often felled by injuries, he had a 12-year, 906-game major league career, batting .268 with a .313 OBP and .361 slugging %. He appeared in nearly a quarter of his games as a pinch hitter and his fielding % was .988.
Russ managed in the minors for 19 years [in the Reds system from 1970-1975] including Sioux Falls in 1970 (24-46, 6th). He was a major league coach for the Reds (1976-1982), Expos (1984-1985), Braves (1986-1987) and the Mariners (1992). Nixon also managed the 1982-1983 Cincinnati Reds (27-42, 6th and 74-88, 6th) and the 1988-1990 Braves (42-79, 6th; 63-97, 6th and 25-40, 6th). He was the Pirates catching instructor in 2001-2002 and later managed at the rookie level through 2005 and a minor league roving instructor for Houston in 2006-07. During past off seasons, he lived for many years in Cincinnati area. He then moved to Las Vegas where he died on November 8, 2016.
Ambrose Francis Ogrodowski was born on February 17, 1912, in Hoytville, PA. He was a minor league player from 1933-1935, 1938-1947 and 1949-51; a minor league manager from 1949-1952 and a major league player.
After 3 years in the minors, including 1935 in AAA where he hit .298, he had 2 complete major league seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. He caught 94 and 90 games for them with batting averages of .228 and .233. His career OBP was .263, he had a slugging % of .318 and a .986 slugging % in his 172 games behind the plate.
Bruce spent the next 11 seasons in AAA including the last 7 with the San Francisco Seals.
He was a minor league manager for 4 years including Aberdeen
in 1951 (partial year, 5th) and 1952 (63-62, 5th).
He became disabled due to TB and died at his home in San Francisco on
March 5, 1956. His burial was at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma,
CA. 
Robert Carl Oldis was born in Preston, IA, on January 5, 1928. He was a minor league player from 1949-1953, 1955-1959, and 1961; a minor league manager in 1971 and was a major league player and coach.
Bob had good "high .270 to .280s" batting averages in his first 4 pro seasons and had 3 short tours of duty with the Washington Senators in 1953-1955 playing in 7, 11 and 6 games and batting .250, .333 and .000 in limited at bats. Also during those years, he played at Chattanooga. He was at AAA from 1957-1959 and got another chance in the majors with the Pirates in 1960-1961 appearing in 22 and 4 games with averages of .200 and .000. He also played in 2 games of the 1960 World Series as a defensive replacement.
His MLB career came to an end with 38 and 47 games for the Phillies in 1962-1963 hitting .262 and .224. In his 135-game career, he only had 236 at bats with a .237 average, .297 OBP and .275 slugging %. His fielding % was .983 with 120 games at catcher and 2 at third base.
Bob managed Watertown in 1971 (30-40, 4th). He was a major league coach for the Phillies (1964-1966), Twins (1968) and the Expos (1969) and then became a scout for the Expos. As of 2002, Bob worked as a scout for the Marlins and continued as such to at least 2010. He is living in Iowa City, IA.
The following is a comment from former pro catcher Don Gurniak: “I'm a catcher from B.C Canada and had the great fortune to play for coach Oldis in Watertown S.D. 1971. It was the best time of my pro career. I learned so much about catching during spring training and that season from coach Oldis. I will always remember his family out at Lake Kampeska. Coach was funny, fair,and tough as nails. I will remember him showing me his throwing hand and he was missing half of his pointer finger,and he threw out M Wills twice. I will never forget you. I still teach the same fundamentals of catching that he taught me. “
Thomas Noble Oliver was born on January 15, 1903, in Montgomery, AL. He was a minor league player from 1923-1929 and 1934-1942; a minor league manager from 1940-1942, 1946-1947, 1950 and (it is believed)1956, a major league player and coach.
From 1923-1929, Tom went up the minor league classification latter from Minot, in the North Dakota League, to Little Rock in the Southern Association where he hit .321 and .338 in 1928-1929. The next 4 years he was generally a starting outfielder for the Boston Red Sox playing in 154, 148, 122 and 90 games with averages of .293, .276, .264 and .258. Those years were his only MLB experience. From 1934-1938, he played at AAA with 3 years at Toronto.
Oliver was a graceful centerfielder whose defensive ability was likened to Tris Speaker and Joe DiMaggio by sportswriter Fred Lieb. He thrilled Red Sox fans with his speed and strong arm, but lacked power. Tom led all AL rookies with 646 at bats in 1930.
In his major league career he played 514 games hitting .277 with no home runs. In the minors, he played in 1,781 games with a .293 average and 57 home runs.
He managed in the minors for 7 years (it is believed) apparently
including 1956 with Fargo-Moorhead(49, 74, 8th).
His other managerial assignments were also in the low minors. Tom
scouted for the Phillies in 1948-1949 and was a major league coach
for the Phillies in 1951-1953 and the Orioles in 1954. He also
scouted for the Minnesota Twins for 15 years and served in the U.S.
Navy during WWII. His death came on February 26, 1988, at his home in
Montgomery and burial was at the Greenwood Cemetery there. 
George Michael O'Neil was born in St. Louis on April 12, 1900. He was a minor league player; a minor league manager from 1940-1942, 1945 and 1951-1955; a major league player and coach.
Mickey was a catcher from 1919-1925 for the Boston Braves playing in 11, 112, 98, 83, 96, 106 and 70 games with averages of .214, .283, .249, .223, .212, .246 and .257. He spent the 1925 season with Brooklyn for 75 games batting .209. His career ended in 1927 with 5 games for the Senators and 16 for the Yankees (.132). In his career 672 games, he batted .238 with a .292 OBP and .288 slugging %. The right hander's fielding average was .972 from 654 games at catcher and 2 at first.
O'Neil was a clever catcher who said he caught over 2,000 games in the majors and minors without breaking a finger.
He managed in the minors for 9 years (at the class "C"
or lower levels) including Winnipeg in 1954 (73-60,
3rd). He was a major league coach for the Cleveland
Indians in 1930 and later the Pirates. He died at his home in St.
Louis on April 8, 1964, and was buried at the Calvary Cemetery in St.
Louis. 
Antonio Aristides Pacheco (PA-checko) was born on August 9, 1927, in Havana, Cuba. He was a minor league player from 1949-1956; a minor league manager from 1958-1959, 1966-1973 and 1975; and a major league coach.
Tony played in the lower minors until1953 when he played 7 games in the American Association (.222). His only other class AAA experience was in 1954 for Havana where he batted .250 in 10 games. The infielder never hit above .293 in a complete season.
He was a minor league manager for 12 years including
Bismark-Mandan in 1966 (16-47, 6th) and 2
years in class AAA: 1958 (65-88, 8th) and 1972 (57-83,
4th). Tony was a major league coach for the Indians
(1974), Astros (1976-1979 and 1982). He died on March 23, 1987, in
Miami Beach.
Ronald Charles Plaza was born on August 24, 1934, in Passaic, NJ. He was a minor league player from 1951-1959 and 1961-1962; a minor league manager from 1963-1968, 1970-1973 and 1975; and a major league coach.
From 1951-1955, Ron played third base in the lower minors and then advanced up the latter to the Eastern League hitting over .300 in one season. From 1956-1959 he was at the AAA level and was inactive in 1956. He finished his career in AAA from 1961-1962.
He managed for 11 years including in Winnipeg in 1964 (52-65, 4th) and was a minor league instructor for the Reds (1974-1977). Ron was a major league coach for the Seattle Pilots in 1969, the Reds in 1978-1983 and the A's in 1986. He was employed by the A's from 1984 until his death in 2012 as a scout and minor league instructor.
In addition, he played an integral part in helping to establish the A's training complex in the Dominican Republic and was given credit for aiding in the development of Latin American players such as shortstop Miguel Tejada and catcher Miguel Olivo. He lived in St. Petersburg for many years. In 2012, he suffered a series of small strokes and was being treated at a rehab nursing home when he died on April 15.
A's general manager Billy Beane said in a statement. "Ron was a great baseball man and a wonderful person. His love of the game and dedication to teaching were unmatched during his 30 years with the A's. All of us -- front office, staff, and players -- are richer for having been around Ron for so long. He will be missed by everyone in the organization."
"Ron had a pure love of baseball and demonstrated it as a passionate teacher and contributor to the game," A's director of player development Keith Lieppman said. "He left an important legacy, not only with the A's organization, but with the impact he had on the many lives he touched throughout his career. He elevated players and staff through his knowledge and his ability to get the most out of them. The game has lost one of its great teachers."
Jim Rantz was born in 1938 and was the winning pitcher in the University of Minnesota's College World Series clincher in 1960 and a line-mate with Herb Brooks on the Gophers' hockey team. He signed with the Washington Senators after graduation.
He was a minor league pitcher from 1960-1964 [the last 3 in AAA] until he hurt his arm. Jim was a minor league manager for the 1965 St. Cloud Rox (43-23, 1st). After the season he took a 2-month internship in the Twins' media relations department. That job became permanent.
Rantz became the Twins' Assistant Public Relations Director and then moved to the Scouting and Minor League Department. His most famous discovery was in 1981 when MLB was on strike and things were slow at the Twins' offices. Rantz decided to drive his family to Illinois to watch his oldest son play for Peoria in the Central Illinois College League. The game was against Quincy and it didn't take him long to notice their stocky center fielder with a shaved head and big smile. "For the day he hit a home run, a couple of doubles. I think he had four hits, stole a couple of bases, threw a guy out at home plate. He wasn't tough to pick out. He stood out." In 1982, the Twins drafted and signed Kirby Puckett.
In 1986, he was named Director of Minor League Operations. During his tenure, the Twins' farm system has become one the most respected in all of baseball. In May 2007, he was named to the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. "He's just a class guy, very professional...and that's what you need in that position, " said Twins' player Michael Cuddyer. "From day one, he's always been a friend and that's pretty neat. It's pretty cool that even when he never knew me, never know who I was, he made me feel like I was wanted, needed and a friend of his."
Rantz retired in October 2012 and lives in Lino Lakes, MN.
Grover S. Resinger was born on October 20, 1915, in St. Louis. He was a minor league player from 1939-1941 and 1946-1949; a minor league manager from 1961-1965 and 1972; and a major league coach.
From 1939-1941 he had 3 seasons hitting over .300. After the war, he played for 6 teams, but none higher then class AA.
He was a minor league manager for 6 years including Winnipeg in 1961 for a partial year (6th) and at class AAA for one year in 1965. Grover was a major league coach for the Braves (1966), White Sox (1967-1968), Tigers (1969-1970) and Angels (1975-1976). He died on January 11, 1986, in St. Louis.
Greg Riddoch
Gregory Lee Riddoch was born on July 17, 1945, in Greeley, CO. He played for Sioux Falls in 1969 (64g, .320).
Riddoch never reached the majors as a player but play five seasons (1967-71) in the minors (426g, 1433 ab, .213/.261/.289) never above the AA level.
He attended Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado before becoming a junior high teacher. He then managed in the minors from 1974-81, 1990-92, 2005 and 2007-10 for a 713-737 record in the Reds, Padres and Rangers organizations. Greg was the Reds farm director in 1985.
His major league experience came as a coach for the Padres in 1987-90 and then was their manager during the 1990-92 seasons (200-194). He was the third base coach for the Devil Rays in 1998-99, the Brewers farm director in 2000-02 and the Rangers minor league defensive coordinator from 2003-04.
After his retirement from baseball in 2010, he has lived in Longmont, CO.
Kenneth Darrell Rowe was born in Ferndale, MI, on December 31, 1933. He was a minor league player from 1953-1978, a minor league manager from 1968-1971 and major league player and coach.
Ken did not reach AAA until 1962 - a time which included his military service in 1957. Also in '62 he pitched in 14 games, as a reliever, for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 28 innings, he had a 2.93 ERA. In 1964, he went 16-11 with a 1.77 ERA for Spokane and got into 6 games with the Baltimore Orioles for 10 innings and a 8.31 ERA. He had his last MLB trial with the O's in 1965 for 6 games and 13 innings compiling a 3.38 ERA. In his 26-game big league career, he pitched 45 innings allowing 55 hits and 14 walks while striking out 19 for a 3.57 ERA and .304 OAV. He continued to play in AAA through the 1967 season.
He was a minor league manager for 4 years including Aberdeen in 1969 (28-42, 5th), 1970 (36-33, 3rd) and 1971 (35-36, 2nd). Ken was a major league coach for the Orioles in 1985-1986 served as a minor league pitching instructor for the Indians with the 2005-2006 seasons being at AAA Buffalo. For 2007, he became the pitching coach at Mohoning Valley in the NY-Penn League. Over the years, he was also a college coach and scout.
He lived in Norcross, GA, and worked in baseball until shortly
before his death, caused by pneumonia, on Nov. 22, 2012, in Dallas,
GA. Burial was at the Liberty Hill City Cemetery in Acworth, GA. 
Calvin Edwin Ripken was born in Aberdeen, MD, on December 17, 1935. He was a minor league player from 1957-1962; a minor league manager from 1961-1974; and a major league coach and manager.
Cal was a catcher who hit .292 for Pensacola in 1959 and .281 for Fox Cities in 1962. In spring training of 1963, two foul tips in succession hit him in his right (throwing) shoulder. After three months of pain when he attempted to throw, it was discovered that his shoulder was dislocated, his deltoid muscle had atrophied and he had a tendon problem. Since the only cure in that era, was complete rest for years, he was nearly done as a player. The Orioles then offered him his first managerial job.
He was a minor league manager for 14 years including 3 years at Aberdeen: 1963 (65-55, 2nd), 1964 (80-37, 1st, playoff champs) and 1966 (47-22, 2nd). Cal was at AAA for 2 years in Rochester: 1969 (71-69, 5th) and 1970 (76-64, 3rd). His minor league record was 964-796.
Sr. was an Orioles scout in 1975 and a major league coach with the Orioles from 1976-1986 and 1989-1992. He was the Baltimore manager in 1985 (1-0), 1987 (67-95, 6th) and 1988 (0-6), but they lacked the talent to field respectable teams. It was said he had tears in his eyes when he was forced by O's management to end his son, Cal Jr.'s, consecutive-innings streak. After the 1992 season, he was dismissed as a coach, an action for which he (and many Orioles' fans and players) never fully forgave team management.
Cal died on March 25, 1999, at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center in Baltimore due to lung cancer. He was buried at the Baker Cemetery in Aberdeen, MD. Before his death, he had published "The Ripken Way - A Manual for Baseball and Life" (pub: Pocket Books).
Raymond Roy Ripplemeyer was born in Valmeyer, IL, on July 9, 1933. He was a minor league player from 1954-1955 and 1957-1965; a minor league manager in 1965; and a major league player and coach.
Ray played at class AAA in all of his pro seasons including 2 seasons with ERAs under 3.00. His last 4 years were spent at San Diego. His only MLB experience came in 1962 for the Washington Senators where he appeared in 18 games (1 start) finishing 39 innings and allowing 47 hits and 17 walks with 17 strikeouts for a 5.49 ERA.
He managed at Aberdeen in 1965 (27-29, 4th). Ray was a basketball player at Southern Illinois University and has done some college basketball officiating. Ray was a coach in the PCL in 1968-1969 and a major league coach for the Phillies from 1970-1978 and 1988. In 1989-90 he was a AAA pitching coach for the Reds. Later he was a pitching coach in the Mets organization which lasted through 2003. Ripplemeyer then returned to his farm near Valmeyer, IL.
Regarding his stay in Aberdeen, the Padres' GM found an opening for Rippelmeyer to manage the Aberdeen Pheasants—a Baltimore Orioles’ farm team in the Class A Northern League—in 1965. “Eddie called me in and said I could stay in San Diego (PCL), but he had an opportunity for me to manage,” said Rippelmeyer. “My arm was killing me, so I took the job!” Aberdeen (27-39) finished last in the four-team circuit in what proved to be Rippelmeyer’s only managing experience.
Rippelmeyer’s minor-league pitching totals included a 114-83 record, 3.42 ERA, 1,732 innings pitched, 732 strikeouts, and 524 walks.
According to the Bleacher Report Blog writing (in 2012) about the 50 best pitching coaches in baseball: “When former pitcher Ray Rippelmeyer took over as pitching coach for the Philadelphia Phillies, he inherited a pitching staff that for years had been inept. By the time he was finished in 1978, he had it transformed into one of the best in baseball. Over his nine years as coach, Rippelmeyer presided over the development of Dick Ruthven, Ken Brett, Larry Christenson and Steve Carlton, and the Phillies had won three straight NL East Division titles in Rippelmeyer’s last three years. It was Rippelmeyer who suggested to Carlton that he use his famous slider more often after his trade from the St. Louis Cardinals. Carlton rode that pitch to two Cy Young awards under Rippelmeyer’s watch.”
Rippelmeyer died on September 9, 2022 in Waterloo, Iowa, and was buried at St. John cemetery in Valmeyer.
.
Charles Henry Root was born on March 17, 1899, in Middletown, OH. He was a minor league pitcher; a minor league manager from 1943-1946 and 1948, 1954 ; and a major league pitcher and coach.
Charlie had 27 appearances for the St. Louis Brown in 1923 with 60 innings for a 5.70 ERA. He then pitched from 1926-1941 for the Chicago Cubs mainly as a starting pitcher winning 201 games and losing 156. He led the National League in wins (26), innings (309) and games (48) in 1927. In 1929, his record was 19-6 and he pitched over 200 innings in eight different seasons.
Root was a durable, top-flight pitcher and in his MLB 17-year, 632-game, 3,197-inning career, he allowed 3,252 hits and 889 walks with 1,459 strikeouts and a 3.59 ERA.
In 1969, the Cubs named him as their all-time best right handed pitcher. In the 1932 World Series, he was the pitcher when Babe Ruth supposedly hit his "called-shot" homer. Charlie always vehemently denied that Ruth pointed his finger toward center field. "He didn't point", Root always said, "If he had, I'd have knocked him on his fanny. I'd have loosened him up. I took pitching too seriously to have anybody facing me do that. He was just saying the had one strike left" He did pitch in 4 different World Series, but was 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA.
He finished his pro career with 5 years at AAA. He was a
player-manager for Hollywood in 1943-1944 and also managed Columbus
for 2 years. All told, he was a minor league manager for 6 years
including Eau Claire in 1954 (71-63, 4th).
He was a major league coach for the Cubs (1951-1953 and 1960) and the
Braves (1956-1957). After baseball, he was a cattle rancher and
antique dealer near Hollister, CA. He died at the Hazel Hawkins
Hospital in Hollister on November 5, 1970, due to pneumonia and
eosinophilic leukemia and was cremated. 
George Richard Scherger was born on November 10, 1920, in Dickinson, ND. He was a minor league player from 1940-1942 and 1946-1956; a minor league manager from 1947-1956, 1961-1965 and 1967-1969; and a major league coach.
He played his first pro season with Superior in 1940 hitting .319 in 20 games. From 1943-1945 he was in the military and from 1946-1956 played in the lower minors never higher then the California League. He hit over .300 in 2 seasons. The second baseman led the Canada-American and K-O-M Leagues in fielding in 1949 and 1951.
George managed for 19 years at levels never higher then the
California League. His teams finished first five times. Scherger was
a major league coach for the Reds (1970-1978 and 1982-1986). He had
attended Seton Hall College and lived in Charlotte, NC, during his
retirement years. He died there on October 13, 2011. 
Robert Aloysius Schmidt was born in Belleville, IL, on June 9, 1918. He was a minor league player from 1937-1941 and 1946-1954; and a minor league manager from 1949-1950 and 1953.
Joe led all of pro baseball with a batting average of .441 in 1939 for the Duluth Dukes. He also led the Northern League in runs, hits, home runs (31) and RBI (133). After hitting over .300 in each of the 1940-1941 seasons in the Middle Atlantic and Southeastern Leagues, he was in military service from 1942-1945. He played 9 more years in the minors hitting over .300 in 8 of them. Schmidt hit .246 for Fargo-Moorhead in 1951. He never had a chance higher then class B and finished with a .324 career average, 189 home runs and 1,162 RBI in 1,399 games as an infielder/outfielder.
Joe was a minor league manager in the
lower minors for 3 years. Schmidt died on May 2, 2006 in Belleville,
Illinois. 
Kenneth Joseph Silvestri was born in Chicago on May 3, 1916. He was a minor league player from 1936-1939, 1947-1948 and 1954-1957; a minor league manager from 1955-1958 ; and a major league player, coach and manager.
After 2 class AAA seasons, Ken arrived with the White Sox in 1939 for 22 games as a catcher with a .173 batting average. As a back-up in 1940 he played in 28 games hitting .250. He had 17 games for the Yankees in 1941, batting .250 and then went to war from 1942-1945, in the U.S. Army, where he earned three Bronze Battle Stars.
From 1946-1947, he was in 13 and 3 games for the Yankees, with averages of .286 and .200. Most of his '47 season and all of his '48 one were spent in AAA. Ken ended his MLB career with 4, 11 and 4 games for the Phillies in 1949-1951. In his career, he appeared in102 games and had 203 at bats for a .217 average, .326 OBP and .355 slugging %. His fielding % was .974.
Ken was a minor league manager for 4 years including
Fargo-Moorhead in 1958 (72-51, 2nd,
playoff champs). He was a major league coach for the Phillies
(1959-1960), Braves (1963-1975) and White Sox (1976 and 1982). He
also was a major league manager in 1967 for the Braves in 3 games
(0-3) and a scout. Ken died on March 31, 1992, at his home in
Tallahassee and was buried at the Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside,
IL. 
Joseph Everett Sparks was born on March 15, 1938, in McComas, WV. He was a minor league player from 1956-1964 and 1966-1969; a minor league manager from 1970-1978, 1980-1983, 1986-1988 and 1991-1994; and a major league coach.
As a player, he hit .308 in 1960 and 1961 for Eugene and Springfield (MA), .301 for El Paso in 1963 and .306 in 1969 for Columbus. He had 2 seasons at the class AAA level.
He was a minor league manger for 20 years with a 1330-1247 (.516) record including 1970 when he led Duluth-Superior to a 1st place finish. His teams finished first 7 times and in second 2 more times. He managed in AAA for 17 years with Iowa in 1973-1975 (1st, 2nd, 4th), Toledo in 1976 (8th), Iowa in 1977-1978 (4th, 4th), Omaha in 1980-1983 (3rd, 1st, 1st, 4th), Indianapolis in 1986-1988 (1st, 3rd, 1st) and Toledo from 1991-1994 (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th).
As a major league coach, he served with: White Sox (1979), Reds (1984), Expos (1989) and the Yankees (1990).
Sparks was an advance scout for the St. Louis Cards from 1996-2003. In 2004 he was a coach in the 2004 and then he returned to scouting for the Athletics until 2008.
Joe was a major league coach for the White Sox (1979), Reds
(1984), Expos (1989) and the Yankees (1990). He now lives in Phoenix.
Ken Staples was born in 1927. He was a minor league player from 1945-1954 and a minor league manager from 1966-1967 and 1971. Ken spent 2 years in the US Army stationed at Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam, Houston, TX
He played as high as class AA (Ft. Worth 1949-1954). His best season was for Grand Forks in 1946 when he hit .382 and won the Northern League batting crown and he also batted .306 at Burlington in 1945.
Ken managed in the minors at St. Cloud in 1966 (49-18, 1st), 1967 (44-26, 1st) and 1971 (42, 28, 1st). Staples returned as a pro manager in the 1981-82 seasons managing in the Midwest League. Staples overall record managing in the minor leagues was 259-219 (.542).
He was a high school coach at Cooper High and minor league/regional clinic instructor for the Minnesota Twins for nearly 40 years. Staples also was a part-time scout, hockey coach, Wayzata High School baseball coach and manager of the semi-pro Osceola Braves of the Wisconsin Baseball Association. He was inducted into the University of St. Thomas Hall of Fame and Mancini's St Paul Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, the Minnesota State High School Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006, the Osceola Braves Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on October 30, 2010.
Staples had heart surgery in December 2004 and, in February 2005, had completed rehabilitation. In mid-May 2006, he suffered a mild stroke and was hospitalized for four days. Shortly thereafter, he had another stroke and began speech therapy. Staples lived until September 8, 2014, and was interred at the Ft. Snelling National Cemetery in St. Paul, MN.
Robert Virgil Swift was born on March 6, 1915, in Salina, KS. He was a minor league player from 1934-1939 and 1955-1956; a minor league manager in 1961; a major league player, coach and manager.
It took Bob nine stops in seven years to reach the majors He was the starting catcher for the St. Louis Browns in 1940 for 130 games with a .244 batting average. In 1941 and 1942, he played in 63 and 29 games for them hitting .259 and .197. He finished the 1942 season with the Phillies where he appeared in 60 games batting .229. He was also with the Phils in 1943 for 77 games hitting .192.
From 1944-1953, he caught for the Detroit Tigers in 77, 80, 95, 42, 97, 113, 74, 67, 44, 28 and 2 games batting .192, .255, .233, .234, .251, .223, .238, .227, .192, .138 and .333. He was the Tigers' catcher on August 18, 1951, when the Browns sent midget Eddie Gaedel to bat.
Swift was a smart handler of pitchers and in his career 14 years and 1,001 games, he batted .231 with a .313 OBP and .280 slugging %. He played in the 1945 World Series and finished his pro career in the PCL and Western League in 1955-1956.
Bob was a skilled instructor threw out his managing and coaching career including Duluth-Superior in 1961 (76-52, 1st). He became a major league coach for the Tigers (1953-1954 and 1963-1966), A's (1957-1959) and Senators (1960). Swift was an interim manager for Detroit in 1965 and 1966 when Chuck Dressen was ailing. In addition, over the years, he did some scouting.
He died at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit on October 17, 1966, due to lung cancer. His burial was at the Roselawn Memorial Park in Salina.
James Robert Snyder was born on August 15, 1932, in Dearborn, MI. He was a minor league player, major league player, minor league manager, major league coach and major league manager.
Snyder begin his professional career in 1952 and after 11 stops reached the AAA American Association in 1958. The right handed middle infielder played there and in the Pacific Coast League through the 1960 season. In 1961, he was with Indianapolis for the complete season except for his first taste of the major leagues in September with Minnesota. With the Twins, he was in 3 games with 5 at bats and no hits.
In 1962, he was with Vancouver (PCL) and then appeared in 12 games for the Twins getting one hit in 10 at bats. In 1963, he played at Dallas-Ft.Worth (PCL) for the whole season and, in 1964, ended his MLB record with Minnesota in 26 games and 71 at bats with 11 hits. He also played at Atlanta (IL) in '64. In 41 big league games he had 86 at bats and hit .140 with an OBP of .187 and slugging % of .198. He had a .984 fielding % with 33 games at 2b and one at 1b.
Jim ended his pro career in 1965 at York of the Eastern League. All told, he played pro ball for 14 years which included 20 minor league teams. He hit over .300 one season in the minors.
Snyder managed the Sioux Falls Packers from 1966-1969 with successive improving records (26-41 [5th]; 35-33 [3rd]; 41-29 [3rd] and 45-25 [2nd]) He also managed at: Ashville (Southern - 59-80) in 1970; Trois Rivieres Aigles (Eastern - 78-59) in 1971, 1972 (76-60), 1973 (67-72), 1974 (65-73) and part of 1975; Indianapolis (Amer Assoc. - 62-73) in 1976; Peninsula (Carolina - 71-67) in 1977 and 1978 (90-49); Reading (Eastern - 77-61) in 1979; Oklahoma City (Amer. Assoc - 70-65) in 1980 and 1981 (69-67).
He was a major league coach with the Cubs (1987), Mariners (1988) and the Padres (1991-1992). Jim managed Seattle for 105 games in 1988 (45-60).
He lives in Odessa FL.
Harry Clinton Warner was born on December 11, 1928, in Reeders, PA. He was a minor league player from 1946-1962; a minor league manager from 1960-1976 and 1980; and a major league coach.
Harry played for Eau Claire in 1950 batting .285 as a first baseman. He got as far as the Southern Atlantic and Texas Leagues with 2 seasons with averages over .300. He led the Southern Atlantic League in RBI and walks in 1958 and in walks in 1959.
He managed in the minors for 18 years with 4 first place finishes and had 6 teams in second. Warner managed AAA teams in 1972 (3rd), 1976 (2nd) and 1980 (8th). He was a major league manager for the Blue Jays (1977-1979) and the Brewers 1981-1982). Warner then was a scout for the Twins and the Padres from 1984-90
He lived in his home town of Reeders and died there on April 11,
2015.
Earl Sidney Weaver was born in St. Louis on August 14, 1930. He was a minor league player from 1948-1956; a minor league player-manager from 1956-1960; a minor league manager 1961-1967; and a major league coach and manager.
Earl was named the most valuable player in the Illinois State League in 1948 when he led the league in games played, putouts and fielding % for second basemen. In 1950 he also led the Carolina League in fielding. In 1953 he led the Western League in fielding and the Southern Association in the same department in 1955. In 1954 he was the Western league leader in hit by pitch (13). He played as high as class AA for 2 years hitting .228 his last year before he became a manager.
He was a minor league manager for 12 years including Aberdeen in 1959 (69-55, 2nd) and 2 years at AAA Rochester in 1966 (1st) and 1967 (2nd). He was a major league coach for the Orioles in 1968 and their manager from 1968-1982 and 1985-1986.
The following is from "Baseball - The Biographical Encyclopedia":
"Earl Weaver was a baseball strategist of the first order. He was also combative, opinionated, disciplined, raucous and possessed of an insatiable desire to win. As a player Weaver never made it out of the minors, but he took to managing like a duck to water. In 12 years of minor league managing his teams won three pennants and never finished below fourth. In his last two years at Triple A-Rochester his teams finished only one game back because of losses on the final day of the season.
"Weaver developed what has become known as "the Baltimore Way". In 1961 he was given responsibility for organizing all workouts for Baltimore farmhands below Triple-A. He devised a system of fundamental practice techniques used throughout the organization. For the first time, a player moving from level to level could count on a familiar style of practice and play. Weaver's system played a large part in Baltimore's success after he took over the big club. When a writer accused Weaver of being a 'pushbutton manager,' Orioles general manager Harry Dalton replied with a snort, 'Pushbutton manager? He built the machine and installed the buttons.'
"Weaver's managerial philosophy was based on knowing what each player could do and getting the player to do it at the right time. He demonstrated a knack for finding appropriate roles for journeyman players. By platooning John Lowenstein with Gary Roenicke in left field he created an excellent run-producing due. 'A manager's job is to select the best players for what he wants done,' Weaver explained. 'They're not all great players, but they can all do something.' He said his philosophy boiled down to 'pitching, defense and the three-run homer.' As facile as that sounds, Weaver was implying that one-run strategies were self-limiting in the big-inning game of baseball. He explained, 'I have nothing against the bunt - in its place. But most of the time that place is in the bottom of a long-forgotten closet.' He hated the hit-and-run play even more and didn't even have a sign for it.
"To endure good performance on the mound Weaver hired some of the game's best pitching coaches - George Bamberger and Ray Miller. Weaver studied player and pitcher performance like no one ever had before. Extensive charts told him what each batter did against each pitcher in every situation. Much of the situational strategy taken for granted in today's game resulted from Weaver's innovations. In addition, he kept in touch personally with each of his players in an effort to discover what motivated them. Apart from victories, Weaver's most notable successes came with his hurlers. By using his own powers of insight and putting his pitching coaches to work to execute his ideas, he built sensational mound staffs. His teams led in complete games nearly every season. And he let his pitchers call their own games, figuring they knew best what was working.
"In his 17 years as Baltimore manager, Weaver's pitchers won six Cy Young Awards. When Weaver saw Mike Cuellar devouring big league hitters with a screwball in winter ball in Puerto Rico, he realized that pitching wasn't the lefty's problem in the majors; the problem was the language difference. Weaver obtained a bilingual catcher, Ellie Hendricks, and paired him with Cuellar. Cuellar won the Cy Young Award in Baltimore. Weaver, who pioneered the use of the radar gun in the majors, knew how to handle relievers too. One of his rules was that no pitcher warmed up in the bullpen for more then three consecutive games.
"Weaver was promoted from minor league manager to major league coach for the 1968 season. Baltimore manager Hank Bauer suspected that Weaver was the heir apparent for his job and he was right. Halfway through the season Weaver took over. The team played .585-ball under his direction and the third-place Orioles moved to second. Im 1969 Weaver's Orioles won 109 games and went to the World Series, but were defeated by the surprising Mets. Baltimore won it all in 1970. The following season the Orioles lost the Series to Pittsburgh, then won division championships in 1973 and 1974. Weaver's O's finished in second place for the next three years, slipped to fourth in 1978 and then returned to the 100-win plateau and the World Series in1979. But the Pirates again denied Weaver and his team the world championship. The Birds finished in second place in 1980 and in both halves of the strike-split 1981 season. After losing the AL East on the last day of the 1982 season, Weaver retired. The next season, under Joe Altobelli, the Orioles won their first world championship since 1970, defeating Philadelphia. But in 1984 Baltimore tumbled all the way to fifth. When 1985 promised more of the same, Weaver was coaxed out of retirement, but he couldn't make much difference. In 1986 he had his first losing season ever and retired for good.
"Weaver's fiery personality earned him numerous enemies among American League umpires. His antics, including faking a heart attack and tearing second base off it's moorings and refusing to give it back, bordered on the childish. He turned the bill of his cap around whenever he argued with an umpire in order to get as close to the arbiter's face as possible. Weaver was tossed from nearly 100 games and was suspended six times for questionable behavior. His host publicized battles were with Ron Luciano, a large, fun-loving arbiter who had thrown Weaver out of games the first four time they crossed paths in Class AAA and couldn't seem to stop when he got to the bigs. Three times Weaver was ejected from both games of a doubleheader, twice before the second game even started.
"In his 17 seasons at Baltimore's helm Weaver won six AL East titles, four pennants and one World Series. Only Yankees manager Joe McCarthy posted more 100-game seasons." Earl was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996. After retirement, he lived in Pembroke Pines, FL
Weaver died on January 19, 2013 of an apparent heart attack while on an Orioles' fantasy cruise in the Caribbean Sea.
Bud Selig released the following statement: "Earl Weaver was a brilliant baseball man, a true tactician in the dugout and one of the key figures in the rich history of the Baltimore Orioles, the club he led to four American League pennants and the 1970 World Series championship ... Having known Earl throughout my entire career in the game, I have many fond memories of the Orioles and the Brewers squaring off as American League East rivals. Earl's managerial style proved visionary, as many people in the game adopted his strategy and techniques years later. Earl was well known for being one of the game's most colorful characters with a memorable wit, but he was also amongst its most loyal..."
William George Werle was born in Oakland on December 21, 1920. He was a minor league player from 1943-1944, 1946-1948, 1953-1961 and 1963; a minor league manager from 1963-1964 and 1967-1970; and a major league player and coach. In his college career, at the University of California, he was 25-2.
Bill started his pro career in AAA San Francisco in 1943-1944 with 4.84 and 4.05 ERAs. He was in the military service in 1945 and then played three more years with the Seals (2.26, 3.29 and 2.74 ERAs).
Those years earned him a spot on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster for 1949-1951 when he appeared in 35, 48 and 59 games with ERAs of 4.24, 4.60 and 5.65. Werle displayed outstanding control and durability as the NLs top rookie lefthander in 1949 when his record was 12-13. However, arm trouble in 1950 forced his move to the bullpen and his control faltered. In 1951, he set a Pirates since-broken record with 59 appearances.
He started the 1952 season with the Pirates (5 g, 9.00 ERA), but then went to the Cardinals for 19 games and a 4.85 ERA. Werle split the 1953-1954 seasons between AAA and the Boston Red Sox with 5 and 14 games in the majors for 1.54 and 4.38 ERAs.
In his 6-year, 185-game, 665-inning MLB career, he gave up 770 hits and 194 walks while striking out 283 for a 4.69 ERA and .291 OAV. From 1955-1961, he closed out his pro career with seasons in the Pacific Coast League.
Bill managed in the minors for 6 years including Aberdeen
in 1968 (26-44, 6th) and one year in AAA (1967: 3rd
in PCL). He was a major league coach for the Giants in 1966 and later
an Orioles' scout who became their "pitcher specialist" as
he followed only pitchers the three months preceding an amateur
draft. On November 27, 2010, Werle died due to complications of
Alzheimer's in San Mateo, California. Burial was at Skylawn Memorial
Park in San Mateo. 
James Bernard "Jimmy" Williams was born on May 15, 1926, in Toronto. He managed the Grand Forks Chiefs in 1964, and never reached the majors as a player (OF).
He played pro from 1947-1964 with six years at AAA and was a minor league manager for 17 years. Those years were interrupted by a period of coaching with the Major-League Astros (1975) and Orioles (1981-87). In 1988 he became the director of field operations for the Indians' farm system.
Williams lives in retirement in Joppa, MD.
Hugh Edward Wise was born on March 9, 1906, in Campbellsville, KY. He was a minor league player; minor league manager from at least 1936-1941 and 1946-1948 ; and a major league player.
His only major league chances came in September 1930 for the Detroit Tigers when he appeared as a catcher in 2 games going 2 for 6. He continued to play minor league ball through 1941 generally in the lower minors. He only had parts of 2 seasons in class AAA.
He was a minor league manager for at least 9 years including Eau
Claire in 1947 (62-57, 5th). He later became a
scout in the Caribbean and in Venezuela and designed baseball fields.
Hugh retired in about 1977 and on July 21, 1987, he died at
Plantation, FL. He was cremated and his remains were buried in Naples
Memorial Gardens in Naples, FL. 
Mel Wright
Melvin
James Wright was born in Manila, AR, on May 11, 1928. He was a minor
league player from 1950-1961; a minor league manager in 1969; a major
league player and coach.
After two years in the lower minors, Mel reached the class AAA level in 1953 and played there off-and-on the rest of his pro career including 4 seasons with ERAs under 3.00. He had MLB trials in 1954-1955 for the Cardinals with 9 and 29 games for 10.45 and 6.19 ERAs. His last chances came with the Cubs in 1960-1961 for 9 and 11 games with ERAs of 4.96 and 10.71. In his major league career, he pitched in 58 games for 84 innings allowing 119 hits and 27 walks with 36 strikeouts, a 7.61 ERA and .339 OAV.
Mel was a minor league manager in1969 for Huron(31-39, 4th). He was a major league coach for the Cubs (1963-1964 and 1971), Pirates (1973), Yankees (1974-1975) and the Astros (1976-1982). He died on May 16, 1983, in Houston.
-----------------
Sources:
"The Minor League Register" edited by Lloyd Johnson, pub: Baseball America
"The Baseball Autograph Collector's Handbook" (Number 12) by Jack Smalling, pub:Baseball America
"The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball" (2nded) edited by Lloyd Johnson and Miles Wolff, pub: Baseball America
"Total Baseball" (6th ed), pub: Total Sports
"The Baseball Necrology" by Bill Lee, pub:McFarland
"The Only Way I Know" by Cal Ripken, Jr with Mike Bryan, pub: Viking
"The Historical Register" compiled by Bob Hoie and Carlos Bauer, pub: Baseball Press Books
"The Baseball Biographical Encyclopedia", pub: Sport Classic Books
"The Greatest Prospect Never to Make it to the Majors" by Robert Graziul - Baseball Digest, Dec. 1990
"Steve Dalkowski" by Ron Shelton incl. in "Cult Baseball Players" edited by Danny Peary, pub:Fireside Books
"Joe Hauser" by Stew Thornley, available at: http://bioproj.sabr.org/
Charlie Walters - "St. Paul Pioneer Press"
"Former Cardinal Excelled Despite Shortened Arm" by Bob Mayer; printed in June 1995 "Baseball Weekly"
"Dave Bancroft" by Trey Strecker, available at: http://bioproj.sabr.org/
"Baseball In Eau Claire" by Jason Christopherson; pub: Arcadia
"Zeke Bonura" by Tom Knight; printed in "The Baseball Research Journal" number 30; pub: SABR
"Baseball Memories 1930-1939" by Marc Okkonen; pub: Sterling Pub.
"The Ballplayers" edited by Mike Shatzkin; published by Arbor House
Topps Company
