Baseball Passings 2022

[G-Fafif]

The CitiVision in memoriam montage revealed, at least to me, that Joye Murphy, wife of Bob, passed this offseason. (1926-2022).

[G-Fafif]

Lazar LaPenna, Little Leaguer, only 10. “The Mets were everything to him.”

LONG BEACH, N.Y. -- There was a tragedy late last week on a Little League field on Long Island. A 10-year-old boy collapsed and died while running to first base. CBS2's Alice Gainer spoke with his heartbroken Long Beach family on Monday. Lazar LaPenna had just gone on a cruise with his family and celebrated his birthday on Wednesday. Friday was his first Little League game of the season. "He got a really nice hit, barrel of the bat. He knew it. The crowd was going crazy," Greg LaPenna said. Lazar's father was coaching. "He was so excited. He looked over to me. A smile from ear to ear," Gregg LaPenna said. He said he looked down for just a moment to mark down the hit in the scorebook. "I hear Gerry yell that Lazar's having a seizure, and he fell to the ground at first base," Gregg LaPenna said. Gerry is Lazar's 11-year-old brother, who was coaching first base at the time. His father says Lazar had epilepsy. His seizures had gotten worse over the years when he had one, but was nearly a year seizure-free and was on medication. "After a long period of CPR, he just didn't make it," Gregg LaPenna said. People have been placing flowers, baseballs and baseball caps at the ballpark. The family says support from the community is what's getting them through this tragedy. "From everybody, it's touching and everything is so surreal," Gregg LaPenna said. Other teams in the area are also paying tribute, putting baseball bats on porches and using the hashtag #BatsOutForLazar. His brothers are holding on to memories of playing together. "He always play games with me," one said. "Lazar was a really good kid. We'd always play Madden against each other," another said. The family said Lazar lived for sports. "The Mets were everything to him, the Jets everything, so excited about the draft," Greg LaPenna said. And after years of changing up his uniform number, this season he finally picked one he wanted to stick with. "'Can I be number 9? I always want to be number 9?'" his father said, breaking down. Greg LaPenna said the rest of the team's season is dedicated to Lazar. May they play with as much passion and joy as he did.

https://apple.news/Aflqi9eNTRMqLNCaocDdQSQhttps://apple.news/Aflqi9eNTRMqLNCaocDdQSQ

[Edgy MD]

I too always want to be number 9.



Forever.

[G-Fafif]

The kid was not only from my hometown but was attending the same neighborhood elementary school where I was sitting in class at this very moment 50 years ago, likely thinking about the Mets.

[G-Fafif]

“The Mets have lost their biggest fan,” Gregg LePenna wrote on Facebook, citing his son's love for the Queens team. “He was the true definition of what Little League stands for: Fun and excitement for the game of baseball.”

https://www.liherald.com/stories/little-leaguer-dies-playing-game-he-loved,140570https://www.liherald.com/stories/little-leaguer-dies-playing-game-he-loved,140570?

[G-Fafif]

The Mets take notice.

[Edgy MD]

Let's dedicate today's two wins to #9.

[G-Fafif]

John Cumberland, Mets minor league pitching coach in the 1980s (Doc Gooden and David West were two of his many charges), died in April at 74. Cumberland pitched well for the 1971 NL West champion Giants and was one of the rare major leaguers from Maine — facts that raced back to my consciousness from my childhood when I learned of his passing.

[MFS62]

Dave Wickersham - 86

Played for the KC A's and the KC Royals

https://fox4kc.com/sports/royals/former-royals-pitcher-dave-wickersham-dies-at-86/https://fox4kc.com/sports/royals/former-royals-pitcher-dave-wickersham-dies-at-86/



Later

[batmagadanleadoff]

John Cumberland, Mets minor league pitching coach in the 1980s (Doc Gooden and David West were two of his many charges), died in April at 74. Cumberland pitched well for the 1971 NL West champion Giants and was one of the rare major leaguers from Maine — facts that raced back to my consciousness from my childhood when I learned of his passing.

I missed this post when it first went up. You don't say about Cumberland and 1971. I played the '71 Strat-o-Matic set for many years. It was my first and main set. And in the '71 NL, I remember, there were two "under the radar" pitchers that were terrific assets to have in a draft league, but lacking the big name recognizability, even in those times. Bruce Kison was one and Cumberland was the other. Well, the Giants won their division in '71 and a team usually doesn't do that by getting good performances from just their stars. Cumberland was pretty good in '71. And then of course, they had two HOF pitchers in Marichal and Perry, too.

[Edgy MD]

Outfielder James "Cowboy" Atterbury played with the Philadelphia Stars during the waning years of the Negro League. When the Stars were no more, Cowboy was scouted by the legendary Buck O'Neil to the Cubs organization, where he played for through most of the 60's, finishing his career in the Angels organization.



Atterbury, recently departed for points yonder, is the one on the left here. Somebody said the other guy is also a South Carolina-born outfielder, but I can't find his name.



[fimg=650]https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/atterbury.jpg[/fimg]

[Frayed Knot]

It appears that the guy who played in the '50s and '60s looks younger than the one who played in the '80s and '90s

[G-Fafif]

[Edgy MD]

A name inextricably linked with that of Fernando Valenzuela.



Pretty amazing that with his passing, the Dodgers again have, in Julio Urias, a phenomenal young lefthander coming off a 20-win season.



Also Mexican. Also scouted and signed by Brito.

[Lefty Specialist]

You'd see him from the center field camera, behind home plate recording pitch speeds, always with the hat.

[Edgy MD]

Pause a moment and acknowledge the passing of longtime MLB shortstop and Metdaddy Dick "Ducky" Schofield.



Though a reserve most of his career, Ducky had his best season with the champion 1960 Pirates, and was the shortstop behind Harvey Haddix for his 12-inning perfect game.



Almost never had a bad baseball card.



[fimg=300]https://history.pittsburghbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Schofield.jpg[/fimg] https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pics/dick_schofield_autograph.jpg>

[G-Fafif]

[G-Fafif]

Dwight Smith, Met-killer (.487/.512/.923 in a dozen games) as a rookie, 58.



https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/07/dwight-smith-passes-away.htmlhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/07/dwight-smith-passes-away.html

Edited July 22, 2022 by Guest

[Frayed Knot]

Cubs had #1 & #2 NL ROY that year, Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith (Gregg Jefferies was 3rd). Now normally you'd think that would set a club up for a run of success, but not only did neither turn into a star, neither had a full season after that.

[G-Fafif]

Ronnie Mergenthaler, Shea Stadium and Citi Field vendor. If you were any kind of game-going regular in the 1990s, 2000s or 2010s, chances are Ronnie and his beer tray were extremely familiar.



He died about a year ago. Just learned of his passing.



https://www.recordonline.com/obituaries/n0018757https://www.recordonline.com/obituaries/n0018757

[batmagadanleadoff]

I don't recognize the name but that face is definitely familiar.

[kcmets]

He was a fixture at Shea for sure. RIP, Beer Guy!

[G-Fafif]

Johnny Wockenfuss, 72.



https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2022/08/21/detroit-tigers-john-wockenfuss-dies-willie-hernandez/7860529001/https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2022/08/21/detroit-tigers-john-wockenfuss-dies-willie-hernandez/7860529001/

[G-Fafif]

Lee Thomas, baseball man, 86.

Lee Thomas, Phillies general manager from 1988-97, passed away at his home in St. Louis, Mo., today. He was 86 years old. As the architect of the club, Thomas was credited with building the roster that captured the National League pennant in 1993, one year after they finished in last place. From 1989-93, he acquired John Kruk, Terry Mulholland, Curt Schilling, Lenny Dykstra, Milt Thompson, Danny Jackson and many others, setting the stage for the Phillies' improbable run. Ultimately, 80 percent of the Phillies postseason roster in 1993 had been acquired via free agency or trade by Thomas. That season, during which he also selected future stalwart third baseman Scott Rolen in the June amateur draft, he was named Sporting News Executive of the Year. “Lee was a great man and will be missed incredibly,” said Phillies Chairman Emeritus Bill Giles. “I will never forget all the fun we had watching the 1993 Phillies National League championship team that he put together. Through his leadership, Lee has left an indelible mark on Phillies history. My love goes out to his wife Susie and his entire family." Born James Leroy Thomas on Feb. 5, 1936, in Peoria, Ill., “Lee,” as he became known, excelled in basketball, football and baseball in his high school days. He would wind up with a career in the latter that spanned parts of six decades as a player, coach, manager, scout and executive. A former All-Star who played both outfield and first base, Thomas spent eight major league seasons with the New York Yankees (1961), Los Angeles Angels (1961-64), Boston Red Sox (1964-65), Atlanta Braves (1966), Chicago Cubs (1966-67) and Houston Astros (1968). He hit 106 home runs in 1,027 career games, clubbing 20 or more four times. In 1962, he was named an American League All-Star, batting .290 with 26 home runs and 104 RBI. Thomas, who first took the field in 1954 in the Yankees' organization, wrapped up his playing career in 1970 with the St. Louis Cardinals' triple-A affiliate. He remained with the Cardinals past his playing days, holding positions as a bullpen coach and manager in the minors, before moving to the front office. Thomas first worked in sales and promotions, then as traveling secretary before becoming the club's director of player development in 1980. During his tenure with the Cardinals, the team won three pennants and the World Series. He was hired by the Phillies on June 21, 1988, as vice president of player personnel. Thomas was later promoted to vice president, general manager and finally to senior vice president, general manager in 1992. Following his nine-and-a-half-year stint at the helm of Philadelphia's baseball operations, the third-longest in club history, he spent six seasons with the Red Sox as a special assistant to the general manager. He then served as a scout for the Milwaukee Brewers until 2006, and from 2011-18 was with the Baltimore Orioles as a special assistant. Thomas was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

https://www.mlb.com/phillies/press-release/press-release-lee-thomas-passes-awayhttps://www.mlb.com/phillies/press-release/press-release-lee-thomas-passes-away

[MFS62]

RIP

Later

[Edgy MD]

A quiet and golden rest to the GM guy, but man, I totally un-liked those Phillies teams.

[G-Fafif]

Bob Locker, whose card I had a lot and whose name I found memorable, 84.



https://ripbaseball.com/2022/09/02/obituary-bob-locker-1938-2022/https://ripbaseball.com/2022/09/02/obituary-bob-locker-1938-2022/

[G-Fafif]

Pete Burnside, who pitched for the New York Giants and was one of the original members of the San Francisco club, 92. Only 10 Polo Grounds Giants remain.

[G-Fafif]

Mark Littell, who gave up a pennant-losing homer to future Mets hitting coach Chris Chambliss, 69.

[Edgy MD]

Good, workhorse reliever. A Missouri product (by birth, high school, and college) who spent his whole career with the Missouri teams, playing for Whitey Herzog on both sides of the state.