Baseball Passings 2011

[Benjamin Grimm]

I thought that maybe Davey Johnson had a chance to get on that list now that he's managing the Nationals, but no. He only had 90-win seasons with two teams, the Mets and the Orioles (with 98 wins in 1997).

His high with the Dodgers was 86 (in 2000) and with the Reds it was 95 (in 1995).

[Edgy MD]

The rule has almost always been that two championships as a manager get you to the Hall of Fame: with Williams having to wait a bit because he made few friends. I long thought that Don Denkinger robbed Whitey Herzog of that honor and Rich Garcia robbed Davey Johnson.

Herzog got the call this last year anyhow. Probably justly so, even with one championship.

[HahnSolo]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I thought that maybe Davey Johnson had a chance to get on that list now that he's managing the Nationals, but no. He only had 90-win seasons with two teams, the Mets and the Orioles (with 98 wins in 1997). His high with the Dodgers was 86 (in 2000) and with the Reds it was 95 (in 1995).

Have a look at that Reds lineup* and rotation (staff ace: Pete Schourek!) and ask yourself how the hell he got that team to go 85-59.

*big years from Gant and Reggie Sanders notwithstanding.

[Met Hunter]

So a few years ago, the Baseball Hall of Fame creates a Fathers Day Classic. Its a game on Fathers Day with ex big leaguers and HOFers. The 2010 game pitted Bob Feller's squad vs. Harmon Killebrew's. As we know both of those men died before the next Classic. So who was in this year's game last month? Dick Williams. That game is either jinxed or Doubleday Field is becoming the final appearance for HOFers in their Field of Dreams.

[MFS62]

Don Buddin, ex-Red Sox shortstop, died earlier this week at age 77.

Later

[seawolf17]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I thought that maybe Davey Johnson had a chance to get on that list now that he's managing the Nationals, but no.

Because they're the Nationals.

[seawolf17]

Hideki Irabu, 42. Likely suicide...? Yowza.

http://riveraveblues.com/2011/07/hideki-irabu-42-found-dead-in-los-angeles-home-53186/

[Edgy MD]

Gah!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

That sucks.

[metirish]

Horrible

"@Buster_ESPN: Really sad news about Hideki Irabu. He always seemed terribly sad in the two years I covered him; he had a lot of troubled times. RIP."

[Frayed Knot]

At least when he was here he could always look forward to those kind words that great humanitarian George Steinbrenner would have for him.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, I have trouble not thinking about this today. Be merciful to your high-paid underperformers, folks.

[Fman99]

Known for his hanging slider.

[Guest themetfairy]

Lisa Olson wrote an insightful column about Irabu in the wake of his death.

[Frayed Knot]

Matty Alou - 72
The middle of the three Alou brothers who roamed the OF for the SF Giants in the 1960s.
Smaller and more of a slap-hitter (31 career HRs) compared to older brother Felipe, Mateo hit .300+ six times in the offensively challenged 1960s including a batting title with the 1966 Pirates and made two AS games.

Older brother to brief NYM Jesus; uncle to the slightly longer-lasting NYM Moises.

[Edgy MD]

Also uncle of 1997-1998 Met and Bobby Bonilla trade-bait Mel Rojas and cousin of 1975-1976 Astro Jose Sosa.

Son of the greatest baseball dynasty there be.

[Frayed Knot]

NYM Carlton Willey makes history (sort of) in the top of the 8th of this game
It was youngest brother Jesus's ML debut and since the Mets were (quite naturally in 1963) kicking ass (OK, it was 3-0 at the time) the Giant's mgr decided to go to some PHers and make the Alous the first trio of brothers to bat in the same half-inning. Willey retired them all.

[Edgy MD]

Oddly enough, the greatest baseball dynasty is misnamed. They're known as the Rojas family in the Dominican Republic, but the Giants scout who originally signed Felipe took down his matronym for a surname, and once the paperwork is filed, it's filed.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy DC wrote: Oddly enough, the greatest baseball dynasty is misnamed. They're known as the Rojas family in the Dominican Republic, but the Giants scout who originally signed Felipe took down his matronym for a surname, and once the paperwork is filed, it's filed.

Switching between maternal & paternal family names seems to be somewhat common in Latin cultures.
I also heard that the proper/local pronunciation is closer to 'Allow' then the 'Ah-Loo' which got adopted here - and those things tend to be even harder to change than paperwork.

[Benjamin Grimm]

[Edgy MD]

I like how the card says "Matty," but the autograph says "Mateo."

[seawolf17]

Edgy DC wrote: I like how the card says "Matty," but the autograph says "Mateo."

There's a lot of that on cards; the autographs are pulled off the contracts, and most guys sign their contracts with their legal names, so you get odd juxtapositions sometimes.

[HahnSolo]

Yeah, if I was related to Mel Rojas, I'd be OK with being called Alou.

[Frayed Knot]

Some of that name-shifting stuff stems from the fact that the Felipe Alou family tree is, how you say, a bit complicated.
Several wives plus maybe a kid or two from outside those so the descriptions of cousin/nephew/etc get a bit hazy.
Mel Rojas is related to the Alou clan of MLB fame although I'm not sure exactly how.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Another former Cardinal passes on:

Bob Forsch, one of a handful of pitchers to have two no-hit games and the third winningest pitcher in Cardinals history, collapsed at his home near Tampa Fla., and died suddenly Thursday night. Early reports from his wife, Jan, were that Forsch, 61, had suffered an aneurysm in his upper chest. Forsch, who spent 15 seasons with the Cardinals from 1974-88, won 163 games for the club, ranking him third behind Bob Gibson (251) and Jesse "Pop" Haines (210). Employed as a minor league pitching coach in the Cincinnati organization for the last few years, Forsch was on three Cardinals World Series teams here under manager Whitey Herzog in 1982, 1985 and 1987. Forsch threw the ceremonial first pitch here last Friday before Game 7 of the Cardinals' 11th World Series championship. Forsch pitched no-hitters in 1978 and 1983 for the Cardinals, making him the only pitcher in club history to do that. His best season was in 1977 when he won 20 games. He had 10 double-figure win seaons before finishing his career with Houston in 1989. Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/cardinals-pitcher-forsch-dies-at-age/article_bdfb18cc-06f5-11e1-a7f4-001a4bcf6878.html#ixzz1ckyhTHZq

[G-Fafif]

Bob Forsch gave up Ed Kranepool's final hit, a pinch-double.

[Edgy MD]

Bad week for big-league brothers. Both threw no-hitters, I think.

One of them, I think Bob, was also a pretty good hitter.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Two former Cardinals whose brothers were also big leaguers just died.

If he believes that things happen in threes, Joe Torre is probably in panic mode right now.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I guess if you're gonna collapse and die suddenly there are worse ways to spend your final week on Earth than to throw out the first pitch of Game 7 of the World Series which your team wins.

I never knew Bob Forsch was as distinguished as all that. I associate him with the Big League Brothers cards of my youth and would have guessed he & Ken were the lesser of the Niekros and Rueschels.

[Edgy MD]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Two former Cardinals whose brothers were also big leaguers just died. If he believes that things happen in threes, Joe Torre is probably in panic mode right now.

Or J.D. Drew. Or Chris Duncan.