RIP to Mary Pratt, believed to be the last surviving member of the inaugural Rockford Peaches. She died on May 6 at the age of 101. The southpaw pitcher played for the Rockford Peaches (1943-44, 1946-47) and Kenosha Comets (1944-45). Thanks to one of my readers, who directed me to the Patriot Ledger, which had … Continue reading Obituary: Mary Pratt (1918-2020)
Here lies Joe Kuhel, a slugging first baseman who had an 18-year career as a player and a couple years as a manager. Kuhel played for the Washington Senators (1930-37, 1944-46) and Chicago White Sox (1938-43, 1946-47). Joe Kuhel was born in Cleveland on June 25, 1906. A story about him from 1932 said that … Continue reading Grave Story: Joe Kuhel (1906-1984)
RIP to Eldred "Salty" Saltwell, a 50-year veteran of professional baseball and a 30-year veteran of the Chicago Cubs, including a year as the team's general manager. He died on May 3 at the age of 96. That one season as the Cubs general manager in 1976 is pretty infamous in Cubs lore, but there … Continue reading Obituary: “Salty” Saltwell (1924-2020)
If you like baseball history, podcasts and podcasts about baseball history, then you're in luck. My friend Jeff hosts Rounders: A History of Baseball in America, and he invited me to join him on his most recent episode. We talked about some of my favorite "cup of coffee" players -- ballplayers whose MLB career amounted … Continue reading RIP Baseball appears on Rounders podcast
RIP to Matt Keough, a pitcher who was a part of Oakland's "Five Aces" pitching staff in the early '80s. He died on May 2 at the age of 64. Keough was part of a baseball family that included his father Marty Keough, his uncle Joe Keough, and his son Shane, who played in the … Continue reading Obituary: Matt Keough (1955-2020)
Here lies Frank Doljack, an outfielder who had a five-year career in the majors, and then an improbable but brief comeback nine years later. Sadly, a heart attack at a young age felled him before he could get back into baseball. Doljack played for the Detroit Tigers (1930-34) and Cleveland Indians (1943). Frank Doljack was … Continue reading Grave Story: Frank Doljack (1907-1948)
Baseball has many legendary names… Aaron, Ruth, DiMaggio, Paige. Then there are the legendary names. Johnny Dickshot. Razor Shines. Urban Shocker. Maybe the players themselves aren’t in the Hall of Fame, but those names are pretty memorable. Author D.B. Firstman has a new book that celebrates 100 of the best names of all time, along … Continue reading Talking about the Hall of Name with D.B. Firstman
RIP to Bart Johnson, a pitcher for 8 seasons and a long-time scout for the White Sox, among other teams. He died on April 22 in Palos Heights, Ill., due to complications from Parkinson's Disease. He was 70 years old. Johnson pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1969-74 and 1976-77. Clair Barth Johnson was … Continue reading Obituary: Bart Johnson (1950-2020)
RIP to Rich Hacker, who played one season in the major leagues before embarking on a substantial career as a minor-league manager and major-league coach. He died on April 22 at the age of 72. He had been diagnosed with leukemia 15 months ago and died in Fairview Heights, Ill. Hacker played for the 1971 … Continue reading Obituary: Rich Hacker (1947-2020)
RIP to Steve Dalkowski, a flame-throwing pitcher who is one of the more famous players to never actually play in the major leagues. He died on April 19 in New Britain, Conn., at the age of 80 from COVID-19. Reported to be baseball's fastest pitcher, Dalkowski pitched in the minor leagues from 1957-65. The legend … Continue reading Obituary: Steve Dalkowski (1939-2020)
