Here lies Kaiser Wilhelm – the pitcher, not the German emperor. This Wilhelm had stints in the major leagues between 1903 and 1921, and while he lost 20 games in a season three times, he never lost a World War. I believe his resting place is between the two graves belonging to Ida (left) and … Continue reading Grave Story: Irvin “Kaiser” Wilhelm (1877-1936)
RIP to former pitcher Henry "Pistol" Mason, whose journey took him from the Negro Leagues to the major leagues to the pulpit. Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, announced that Mason died on May 29 at the age of 88. Mason started his career with the Kansas City Monarchs before spending parts … Continue reading Obituary: Henry Mason (1931-2020)
RIP to Dolores "Dolly" Brumfield White, who was the Joe Nuxhall of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She started as a 15-year-old in the AAGPBL and spent seven seasons in the league. Her death was announced on May 29 -- she had just celebrated her 88th birthday three days prior. White played for the … Continue reading Obituary: Delores Brumfield White (1932-2020)
RIP to Paul Doyle, a lefty reliever who helped the Braves into the postseason before an arm injury curtailed his career. He died on May 6 in California at the age of 80. Doyle played for the Atlanta Braves (1969), California Angels (1970, 1972) and San Diego Padres (1970). Paul Doyle was born in Philadelphia … Continue reading Obituary: Paul Doyle (1939-2020)
RIP to Biff Pocoroba, a former All-Star catcher with a decade-long career in the major leagues. He has passed away at the age of 66, according to Facebook posts from his family. There is not much information available at the moment -- he died on May 24 or 25 -- but I will update when … Continue reading Obituary: Biff Pocoroba (1953-2020)
There are a million stories on Satchel Paige, more than can ever fit into one short bio on the man. I told a few of them in Paige’s Grave Story, but there’s one great one here that I had to leave out for the sake of brevity. So I’ll present it here, in Paige’s own … Continue reading Satchel Paige pitches for his life
Here lies Satchel Paige, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Even though he was prevented from playing Major League Baseball until late in his career, his legend was large enough that he was one of the most famous (and well-paid) pitchers in baseball for decades. After more than 20 years of pitching in … Continue reading Grave Story: Satchel Paige (1906?-1982)
RIP to Ken Retzer, a catcher for four seasons in the early 1960s. He died on May 17 at his home in Sun City, Ariz. He was 86 years old. Retzer played for the Washington Senators from 1961-64. Ken Retzer was born on April 30, 1934, in Wood River, Ill., which is right on the … Continue reading Obituary: Ken Retzer (1934-2020)
If you're looking for my obit on Bob Watson, you can find that here. Looking back over his very long career, you're bound to run into plenty of great stories and anecdotes. However, I couldn't fit everything I found into an obituary without it turning into a full book. Instead, I'll present a few stories … Continue reading Bob Watson runs into things
RIP to Bob Watson, a two-time All-Star, a World Series-winning coach and general manager, and a contributor to a foundation that helps former players in need. He packed an amazing amount of things into a 50+ year baseball career. Watson died on May 14 in Houston from kidney disease. He was 74 years old and … Continue reading Obituary: Bob Watson (1946-2020)
