More Famous Wives (Split from Knight Court)

[Edgy MD]

The Wifey Watch Office back in Stockholm files tell us Ray and Nancy filed for divorce in 2009, after 27 years of marriage. They had separated previously.

Ray is part of a small group of ballplayers who were married to somebody more famous than themselves — Ray, Joe DiMaggio, David Justice, possibly Matt Treanor, Casey Daigle, maybe Chuck Finley. I think Kate Upton and Justin Verlander are getting married this offseason. If he keeps pitching like he's doing, he may not join the club.

[Benjamin Grimm]

In retrospect, it seems strange to think that Joe DiMaggio could have married somebody more famous than he was, but I guess he did!

I'll have to Google to see who Matt Treanor, Casey Daigle, and Chuck Finley married.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Matt Treanor married Misty May. I don't know who either of them are, so I don't know who's more famous.

Casey Daigle married Jennie Finch. I don't remember him, but I do remember her as a softball star.

Chuck Finley (who I do remember) married Tawny Kitaen, whose name I've heard before. She's an actress and media personality, but she doesn't look familiar. I'll vote for Chuck on this one.

Here's Tawney with Tom Hanks, who's even more famous than Misty May!

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: In retrospect, it seems strange to think that Joe DiMaggio could have married somebody more famous than he was, but I guess he did!

There's the story of Marilyn coming back from some overseas USO show (or something similar) and telling DiMag, "Oh Joe, you've never heard such cheering"
"Yeah I have" he reportedly replied.


Matt Treanor married multi gold medal winning beach volleyball player Misty May
Casey Daigle is Mr. Jenny Finch the softball pitcher whose nordic blond looks and lengthy legs get her serious TV time whenever ... well, whenever they can.

Tawney Kitaen was in an early Seinfeld episode, playing the bad actress that Jerry wanted to break up with but was unable to.

[fimg=200]http://www.stanus.net/seinfeld/chars/isabel_1.jpg[/fimg]

[Guest Mets Willets Point]

Edgy MD wrote: Wifey Watch files tell us Ray and Nancy filed for divorce in 2009, after 27 years of marriage. They had separated previously. Ray is part of a small group of ballplayers who were married to somebody more famous than themselves — Ray, Joe DiMaggio, David Justice, possibly Matt Treanor, Casey Daigle, maybe Chuck Finley. I think Kate Upton and Justin Verlander are getting married this offseason. If he keeps pitching like he's doing, he may not join the club.

Kris Benson.

[Edgy MD]

I was thinking of that one. I guess so, yeah. Both are kinda niche-y, but probably.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I get the impression that their fame (or infamy) was a tandem deal.

[Guest Mets Willets Point]

Edgy MD wrote: I was thinking of that one. I guess so, yeah. Both are kinda niche-y, but probably.

I just remember that when he joined the Mets, all the threads here were about Anna.

[Edgy MD]

Two big shot wives of guys who didn't even crack the bigs spring to mind:

[list:2ib49wf7][*:2ib49wf7]Mamie Van Doren married minor leaguer Lee Meyers, following an on-again/off-again series of engagements with actual big leaguer Bo Belinsky.
[/*:m:2ib49wf7]
[*:2ib49wf7]Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Cutter Dykstra, but checking now, it looks like they've never married.[/*:m:2ib49wf7][/list:u:2ib49wf7]

[Frayed Knot]

Leo Durocher - Laraine Day
(she was the 3rd of Leo's 4 wives)

[Edgy MD]

I'm not sure that one quite qualifies. Actresses have a lot more access to international markets than ballplayers though.

[Fman99]

Anna Benson was mostly just famous for being married to a ballplayer and having big tits. Like Mrs. Jose Lima, only, without being able to shut up.

[MFS62]

Edgy MD wrote: I'm not sure that one quite qualifies. Actresses have a lot more access to international markets than ballplayers though.

Of course she does. She was a major star in the 40's, and was second (or first) billing to most of the top movie stars of that generation. I'd guess more people paid to watch her movies in a given year than paid to see Leo's games. And isn't that a measure of fame?

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't know... I wasn't around in the 1940s, so I can't be sure, but Laraine Day doesn't seem like she was a "major star". She certainly wasn't nearly at the level of Ingrid Bergman, Barbara Stanwyck, Lana Turner, Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, etc. She married Leo in 1948, when he was the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers and had received a year-long suspension. Laraine may have been more famous than Leo in 1940, but by 1948 I would guess that more people knew Leo.

But like I said, I wasn't around then, so this is just conjecture.

[Frayed Knot]

I'm not sure Day > Durocher qualifies either, it was just one I happened to think of and it would qualify among certain circles.
Wiki: During her marriage to Durocher, Day was often referred to as "The First Lady of Baseball". While Durocher was managing the New York Giants, she wrote the book Day With the Giants (1952).
In 1952, she wrote and published another book entitled The America We Love. She was also the host of Day With the Giants, a 15-minute television interview program broadcast before New York Giants
home games.

Another thing I learned about Day when looking her up is that she was a lifelong Mormon who abstained from cigarettes, alcohol, coffee, tea, etc. her entire life until her death at age 87
My question isn't necessarily 'how do you do that?' but rather, 'how do you do that and be married to Leo Durocher for 13 years?'

[Edgy MD]

MFS62 wrote: I'd guess more people paid to watch her movies in a given year than paid to see Leo's games. And isn't that a measure of fame?

It could be if that were true. I certainly have my doubts.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Fman99 wrote: Anna Benson was mostly just famous for being married to a ballplayer and having big tits. Like Mrs. Jose Lima, only, without being able to shut up.

Also, guns.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Matt Treanor married Misty May. I don't know who either of them are, so I don't know who's more famous.

Partner of Kerri Walsh? No? That means you haven't been watching Olympic beach volleyball, which means your fantasy life during Olympic summer has been much less... robust.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Chuck Finley (who I do remember) married Tawny Kitaen, whose name I've heard before. She's an actress and media personality, but she doesn't look familiar. I'll vote for Chuck on this one.

Whitesnake videos?

[Guest cooby]

Nick swisher is married to Joanna Garcia from the Reba show. Reba Macintyre was one of her bridesmaids

[Guest Mets Willets Point]

Nomar Garciaparra & Mia Hamm.

[Edgy MD]

I considered that one. I'm not sure.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

No, yeah, it's Mia.

[Fman99]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Fman99 wrote: Anna Benson was mostly just famous for being married to a ballplayer and having big tits. Like Mrs. Jose Lima, only, without being able to shut up. Also, guns.

Guns, tits. Call em what you like.

[Edgy MD]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: No, yeah, it's Mia.

I have a good sense of the fame male soccer players have overseas, but women's soccer seems to be biggest in the US and Scandnavia. Does her name open doors in Rome and Prague?

I also don't have a strong sense of what kind of juice a U.S.-born player of Latin American heritage like Nomar gets in Latin America.

But I guess just in the U.S. she is THE most famous player in her sport, coming out of the sport's highest-profile generation. That sort of fame has a long tail.

[Guest Mets Willets Point]

Hamm is famous world wide but in a niche sport. Still, ask someone to name a famous women's soccer player and Hamm's name is going to come up, even if that person knows little to nothing about the sport.

Garciaparra is famous in North American baseball circles which may have more numbers but concentrated in one part of the world. Ask someone who doesn't follow baseball (and doesn't live in the Boston market) and they probably won't be familiar with Nomar.

I give the edge to Mia. The longer they get into the retirement, the bigger the gap will grow.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, that's what I meant. The long tail. She might have a tail of Pele-length.

[ashie62]

Tawny Kitean has been married to Chuck Finley and David Coverdale. She was rumored to have had an affair with OJ. Simpson during the Coverdale marraige.

Beyond that, she has been popped many times for drugs and domestic battery.

You go girl!

[Guest cooby]

People named Tawny cannot be trusted

[Edgy MD]

That's a pretty good policy.

"Kitaen" doesn't inspire a massive amount of confidence either.

[Frayed Knot]

Kitaen is her actual name. Tawny, not surprisingly, is not (Julie).
Looking her up thru IMDB, she had two kids with Chuck Finley and both had links to their own IMDB pages so I clicked thinking, let's find out what they've done in the acting world.
Turns out that both of their credits consist solely of being on 'Celebrity Rehab'. Can't say I'm surprised.