Category: tribute

Dodgers with Presidential Names

Happy Presidents Day!

George-Washington-Baseball-

This was fun looking up all the Dodger players who have “Presidential” names.  In the list, there are three Hall of Famers.
Gary Carter

Gary Carter

Jackie-Robinson-Dodgers

Jackie Roosevelt Robinson

Wilson_Hack-1932

Hack Wilson.

Here the complete list:

Adams, Terry  2000-01

Carter, Gary  1991

Carter, Lance  2006

Ford, Hod  1925

Grant, Jim  1968

Jackson, Edwin  2003-05

Jackson, Randy  1956-58

Johnson, Brian  2001

Johnson, Charles  1998

Johnson, Jason  2008

Johnson, Lou  1965-67

Johnson, Reed  2010

Johnson, Fred Ivy  1924

Johnson, Jimmy  1916-25

Kennedy, Adam  2012

Kennedy, Bob  1957

Kennedy, Brick Yard  1892-1901

Kennedy, John  1965-66

Nixon, Al  1915-16,18

Nixon, Otis  1997

Jackie Roosevelt Robinson  1947-1956

Theodore Roosevelt Lilly  2010-13

Taylor, Danny  1932-36

Taylor, Harry  1946-48

Taylor, Zack  1920-25, 35

Washington, Ron  1977

Wilson, Eddie  1936-37

Wilson, Hack  1932-34

Wilson, Robert  1958

Wilson, Steve  1991-93

Wilson, Tex  1924

Wilson, Tom  2004

Honoring the Brooklyn Dodgers Alive as of January 3, 2015

An annual tradition in this blog is to update the list of Brooklyn Dodger players alive.

In 2014, we lost the following Brooklyn Dodgers:  Charlie Osgood, Charlie kress, Don Zimmer, Dick Teed, George Shuba, Pat McGlothin and John Pierre Roy.

We now have 31 surviving Broklyn Dodger players.   Mike Sandlock is the oldest one.  He will turn 100 on October 17.   The youngest one is now Bob Aspromonte who will turn 76 on June 19.  I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Aspromonte at the SABR convention in Houston in 2014.

Here is the list of the 31 surviving Brooklyn Dodger players:

Name Birthplace.   Born Uni#
Mike Sandlock Old Greenwich, CT 10/17/1915 1, 4
Ray Hathaway Grinville, OH 10/13/1916 22
Lee Pfund Oakpark, IL 10/10/1919 14
Luis   Olmo Puerto Rico 10/11/1919 21
Marv   Rackley Seneca, SC 7/25/1921 35
Eddie   Basinksi  Buffalo, NY 11/4/1922 3
Tim Thompson Coalport, PA 3/1/1924 21
Johnny Rutherford Ontario, CN. 5/5/1925 15
Wayne Terwilliger Clare, Mi. 6/27/1925 34
Chris Haughey Astoria, NY. 10/3/1925 14
Ralph Branca Mount Vernon, NY 1/6/1926 13,20,28
Bob Borkowski Dayton, OH 1/27/1926 27
Randy Jackson Little Rock, AR 2/10/1926 2
Don Newcombe Madison, NJ 6/14/1926 36
 Bobby Morgan Oklahoma city.  OK 6/29/1926 2
Carl Erskine Anderson, IN 12/13/1926 17
Rocky Bridges   Refugio, TX 8/7/1927 9
 Tommy Lasorda   Norristown, PA 9/22/1927 2,27,29
 Tommy Brown    Brooklyn, NY 12/6/1927 9
 Joe Landrum    Columbia, SC 12/13/1928 19
 Joe Pignatano    Brooklyn, NY 8/4/1929 58
Roger   Craig    Durham, NC 2/17/1930 38
 Ron   Negray    Akron, OH 2/26/1930 38
Glenn   Mickens    Wilman, CA 7/26/1930 46
Ed   Roebuck    East Millboro, PA. 7/3/1931 37
 Fred   Kipp     Iqua, KS 10/1/1931 26
 Chico Fernandez    Cuba 3/2/1932 3
Jim Gentile    San Francisco, CA 6/3/1934 38
 Don Demeter    Oklahoma City.  OK 6/25/1935 2
Sandy Koufax      Brooklyn, NY 12/30/1935 32
Bob Aspromonte    Brooklyn, NY 6/19/1938 28. 34

Gentlemen:  May you have a healthy 2015!

A Tribute to the Dodgers that Passed Away in 2014

A tradition in my blog on December 31 is to pay tribute to the Dodgers that passed away in 2014.

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Charlie Osgood

Chuck Kress

Frank Jobe

Don Zimmer

Bobby Welch

Bobby Castillo

Dick Teed

Geoge Shuba

Pat McGlothin

John Pierre Roy

Honoring the Brooklyn Dodgers Players Alive as of January 6, 2014

Here is my annual post of updating this list of the Brooklyn Dodgers players alive.   From the Brooklyn Dodger players, we lost Andy Pafko, Don Lund, Preston Ward and the youngest one, Don Miller.

We now have 38 surviving Broklyn Dodger players with Mike Sandlock who continues to be the oldest one.  Mr. Sandlock will turn 99 on October 17.  The youngest one is now Bob Aspromonte who will turn 75 on June 19.

Happy birthday to Ralph Branca who turns 88 today January 6, Dia de Los Reyes, Day of the Kings.

I wish you all a healthy 2014.
Name Birthplace.   Born Uni#
Mike Sandlock Old Greenwich, CT 10/17/1915 1, 4
Ray Hathaway Grinville, OH 10/13/1916 22
Lee Pfund Oakpark, IL 10/10/1919 14
Luis   Olmo Puerto Rico 10/11/1919 21
Jean-Pierre Roy Canada. 6/26/1920 34
Pat McGlothin Coalfield, TN 10/20/1920 23
Marv   Rackley Seneca, SC 7/25/1921 35
Chuck   Kress Philadelphia, PA 12/9/1921 5
Eddie   Basinksi  Buffalo, NY 11/4/1922 3
Tim Thompson Coalport, PA 3/1/1924 21
George Shuba Youngstown, OH 12/13/1924 8
Johnny Rutherford Ontario, CN. 5/5/1925 15
 Wayne Terwilliger Clare, Mi. 6/27/1925 34
Chris Haughey Astoria, NY. 10/3/1925 14
 Ralph Branca Mount Vernon, NY 1/6/1926 13,20,28
Bob Borkowski Dayton, OH 1/27/1926 27
Randy Jackson Little Rock, AR 2/10/1926 2
 Dick Teed Springfield, MA 3/8/1926 37
Don Newcombe Madison, NJ 6/14/1926 36
 Bobby Morgan Oklahoma city.  OK 6/29/1926 2
Charlie Osgood Sommerville, MA 11/23/1926 20
Carl Erskine Anderson, IN 12/13/1926 17
Rocky Bridges   Refugio, TX 8/7/1927 9
 Tommy Lasorda   Norristown, PA 9/22/1927 2,27,29
 Tommy Brown    Brooklyn, NY 12/6/1927 9
 Joe Landrum    Columbia, SC 12/13/1928 19
 Joe Pignatano    Brooklyn, NY 8/4/1929 58
Roger   Craig    Durham, NC 2/17/1930 38
 Ron   Negray    Akron, OH 2/26/1930 38
Glenn   Mickens    Wilman, CA 7/26/1930 46
 Don   Zimmer    Cincinnati, OH 1/17/1931 23
 Ed   Roebuck    East Millboro, PA. 7/3/1931 37
 Fred   Kipp     Iqua, KS 10/1/1931 26
 Chico Fernandez    Cuba 3/2/1932 3
Jim Gentile    San Francisco, CA 6/3/1934 38
 Don Demeter    Oklahoma City.  OK 6/25/1935 2
Sandy Koufax      Brooklyn, NY 12/30/1935 32
Bob Aspromonte    Brooklyn, NY 6/19/1938 28. 34
Update:
Rest in peace to the following Brooklyn Dodgers:
Charlie Osgood ( November 23, 1926 – January 23, 2014)
Chuck Kress   (December 9, 1921 – March 4, 2014)
Don Zimmer   ( January 17, 1931 – June 4, 2014)
George Shuba  ( December 13,  1924 – September 29, 2014)
Ezra Mac “Pat” McGlothin (October 20, 1920 – October 24, 2014)
Jean–Pierre Roy (June 26, 1920 – November 1, 2014)

A Tribute to the Dodgers that passed away in 2013

A tradition in my blog on December 31 to pay tribute to the Dodgers that left us during the year to go with the big Dodger in the sky.

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Rest in peace, Justin Miller, Dick Gray, Don Lund, Preston Ward, Andy Pafko and  Rod Miller
Justin Miller (August 27, 1977 – June 26, 2013)
Dick Gray (July 11, 1931 – July 8, 2013)
Don Lund (May 18, 1923 – December 10, 2013)
Preston Ward (July 11,1931 – July 8, 2013)
Andy Pafko (February 25, 1921 – October 8, 2013)
Rod Miller (January 16, 1940 – November 8, 2013)
ref:  Baseball-almanac

Rod Miller (January 16, 1940 – November 8, 2013)

Reading the LA Times newspaper this morning on the train, the obituary  of  Diane Disney Miller, daughter of Walt Disney.caught my attention.  She played a major  role in the completion of the Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.  RIP Diane.

I noticed Diane’s husband’s name is Ron Miller.  This made me think of Rod Miller, the Brooklyn Dodger that had only one at bat with the Dodgers.  Also I thought , the youngest Brooklyn Dodger alive.   After reading the newspaper, I moved to my Iphone to catch up with more news.   That is when I ran into the obituary of Rod Miller.  Rod passed away on November 8, 2013, he was 73.   Rest in peace Mr. Miller.

Rod_Miller

Here is the obituary http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/rgj/obituary.aspx?n=Rod-Miller&pid=168087199#

The 17 year-old Miller was signed by the Dodgers out of Lynwood HS in SoCal on June 26, 1957.  He was brought up to Brooklyn in September.  He appeared in only one game facing the Philadelphia Phillies on September 28. Rodney Carter “Rod” Miller went swinging on his only major league at bat in 1957.

“Walter Alston was the classiest human being I’ve ever known giving me a chance to bat. That one at-bat opened more doors for me than I could ever have imagined.” – Miller in “Once Around the Bases”

Rest in peace Mr. Rodney Miller

With the passing of Rod Miller, the youngest Brooklyn Dodger alive is Bob Aspromonte at 75, followed by Sandy Koufax who will be 78 on December 30.

Ref:  Baseball Reference.

Brooklyn Dodgers. Then and Now: Chris Haughey

Chris Haughey Then

Portrait of Chris Haughey

Chris Haughey was born in Astoria, New York on October 3, 1925.  he was pitching in the Queens CYO League when the Dodgers signed him midway through the 1943 season.

Without throwing a ball in the minors, Haughey made his major league debut on October 3, 1943 against the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field – the last day of the season and Haughey’s 18th birthday. He hurled seven innings in the 6-1 loss but only three of those runs were earned.

Before the start of the next season, on February 15, 1944, Haughey entered military service with the Army.   Here is this from Baseballinwartimes.com:

He was assigned to a Cavalry Replacement Company at Fort Riley, Kansas, but a dispute with a commanding officer ruined his chances of playing with other professional players on the base team. For the next three years, Haughey was a communications instructor, training radio operators.

When he was discharged from the Army in 1946, Haughey was out of practice and his arm was out of shape. He was assigned to Montreal of the International League but released to Asheville of the Tri-State League in May where he was 0-2.

Chris Haughey Now

Haughey later obtained a degree in engineering from FordhamUniversity and worked as an operations manager for a New York oil company. He later spent 20 years as part owner of a men’s clothing store in Salinas, California before moving to Fremont where he continues to live.

I could not find a current picture.
Ref: Baseballinwartime.com, Baseball-fever.com, Baseball Prospectus

Haikus for Matt Kemp & Video of Giveaway Gifts to Cancer striken Dodger Fan

By now everyone has seen the video of Matt Kemp giveaway gifts to a cancer striken young Dodger fan.  I have seen it many times since yesterday.    If you have not here it is

So in honor of Matt Kemp here are some humbling haikus

Swept by the Giants
Kemp comes up big with a kid
He Hit a Grand Slam

Cancer striken kid
Received jersey, ball and cleats
from goodwill Matt Kemp

Kemp could have walked out
After Dodgers lost series
But Kemp made us proud!

Stripped of self-pity
“Life is bigger than Baseball”
Said Kemp afterwards

We love you Matty!

At Kershaw Cy Young Award press conference, Kemp taking the time to pose with me.

Here is Kemp with Alyssa, a beautiful little girl that passed away with Cancer.  Since that happened, Kemp updated his twitter profile picture with a picture with Alyssa.

Kemp stopped by to take a picture with me at the Bluetopia movie premier in 2008.

Here is Kemp again posing with me one day I was on the field prior to a game.