RIP to Bob Locker, a durable (and record-setting) relief pitcher who appeared in nearly 600 major-league games in the 1960s and '70s. He died on August 15 in Bozeman, Mont., at the age of 84. Locker played for the Chicago White Sox (1965-69), Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers (1969-70), Oakland A's (1970-72) and Chicago Cubs (1973, 1975). … Continue reading Obituary: Bob Locker (1938-2022)
RIP to Bill Haller, an American League umpire for 21 seasons and part of a unique moment among baseball siblings. He died on August 20 at the VA Medical Center in Marion, Ill., at the age of 87. Haller was an umpire from 1961-82 and served as a baseball official and scout for several years … Continue reading Obituary: Bill Haller (1935-2022)
RIP to George Kernek, a first baseman who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1965 and '66. He died on August 14 at the age of 82. Following his playing career, he had a long career running his own insurance agency. George Boyd Kernek was born in Holdenville, Okla., on January 12, 1940. As … Continue reading Obituary: George Kernek (1940-2022)
RIP to John Wockenfuss, a popular player with a distinctive batting stance and a productive career as a utility catcher/infielder/outfielder. He died on August 19 at the age of 73. He had gone public with his struggles with dementia in 2019. Wockenfuss played for the Detroit Tigers (1974-83) and Philadelphia Phillies (1984-85). According to a … Continue reading Obituary: John Wockenfuss (1949-2022)
RIP to infielder Milt Ramirez, who played for parts of three seasons in the majors during the 1970s. According to the website Noticel in an article published on August 18, he has passed away at the age of 72. No date or cause of death was given. Ramirez played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1970-71) … Continue reading Obituary: Milt Ramirez (1950-2022)
RIP to Katie Vonderau, who spent eight years as a catcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and was an All-Star at the position. After her career ended, Dr. Kathryn Vondreau earned multiple degrees and taught and coached at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for more than 20 years. She died on August 10 at … Continue reading Obituary: Kathryn Vonderau (1927-2022)
Here lies Don Wilson, an All-Star pitcher for Houston who threw two no-hitters in his 9-year career. He died at the peak of his playing career in a family tragedy that shook the baseball world and created an incomplete picture of who he was as a person. Wilson played for the Houston Astros from 1966 … Continue reading Grave Story: Don Wilson (1945-1975)
As part of my exploring and photographing baseball graves, I ended up as the chair of the 19th Century Grave Marker Project, one of the many great committees and offshoots of SABR. Our group's mission is to preserve history by identifying 19th-Century ballplayers, pioneers and other noteworthy baseball figures who are in unmarked graves or … Continue reading Hick Carpenter’s grave is unmarked no longer
Here lies George Halas – better known as “Papa Bear.” He is the founder of the Chicago Bears, its longest tenured owner and coach, and arguably one of the more important figures in the history of professional football. So why are we talking about him on a baseball history website? Because before George Halas made … Continue reading Grave Story: George Halas (1895-1983)
RIP to Vin Scully, the greatest broadcaster in the history of baseball -- if not all of professional sports. In a career that spanned 67 years, Scully's voice was a constant in Dodgers history, from Jackie Robinson to Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers announced that Scully died on August 2 at the age of 94. "We … Continue reading Obituary: Vin Scully (1927-2022)
RIP Baseball 