RIP to outfielder Ricky Nelson, who spent parts of four seasons with the Seattle Mariners in the 1980s. He died on November 19 from complications of COVID-19. He was 62 years old. His death was announced by former ball player and fellow Arizona resident Jimmy Driscoll and has been confirmed by his daughter, Ashley Guller. … Continue reading Obituary: Ricky Nelson (1959-2021)
RIP to Doug Jones, an All-Star closer who was the epitome of "late-bloomer." Of his 303 career saves, 302 of them were recorded after his 30th birthday. Jones died on November 22 at the age of 64. Former pitcher Greg Swindell announced on Twitter that his friend and ex-teammate Jones had died from complications of … Continue reading Obituary: Doug Jones (1957-2021)
RIP to Astros legend J.R. Richard, one of the most intimidating (and misunderstood) pitchers of his era. He died in a Houston hospital on August 4 at the age of 71. It has been reported, including by former teammates, that his death was due to complications from COVID-19. Richard played for the Houston Astros from … Continue reading Obituary: J.R. Richard (1950-2021)
RIP to Randy Tate, a right-handed pitcher who was a part of the New York Mets starting rotation for the 1975 season. His sister announced on Facebook that he died on March 25 from complications of COVID-19. He was 68 years old. Cindy Tate Agee posted on March 25: "My brother Randy passed away today … Continue reading Obituary: Randy Tate (1952-2021)
RIP to Ron Johnson, who had a very successful career as a minor-league manager after a brief career in the major leagues in the 1980s. He died on January 26 at St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro, Tenn., at the age of 64 from complications of COVID-19. Johnson played for the Kansas City Royals (1982-83) … Continue reading Obituary: Ron Johnson (1956-2021)
The death of Charley Pride left a giant hole in the heart of country music. He was the genre’s first African-American star, and decades later, still one of a handful of people of color to have any kind of lasting success as a country singer. Despite enduring a stream of racist behavior from country music … Continue reading Charley Pride and Nashville’s lethal ignorance
Ever wonder what it's like writing baseball-related obituaries in 2020? In a word, it's been exhausting. Let's use this week as an example. I wrote and published stories on Tommy Sandt and Bill Spanswick on December 5 and 7, respectively. While I was working on those, reports came out that that Lorenzo "Chico" Fernandez died, … Continue reading 2020 was as bad as you thought it was
RIP to Lindy McDaniel, who for more than 20 years was one of the game's top relief pitchers. He died on November 14 at an urgent care center in Carrollton, Texas, from COVID-19. He was 84 years old. McDaniel played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1955-62), Chicago Cubs (1963-65), San Francisco Giants (1966-68), New York … Continue reading Obituary: Lindy McDaniel (1935-2020)
RIP to Rick Baldwin, who was a reliever for three seasons with the Mets in the 1970s. He died on October 30 due to complications of COVID-19. He was 67 years old. Baldwin played for the New York Mets from 1975-1977. Baldwin and his wife, Sherry, were pastors at the One Church St. John's Campus … Continue reading Obituary: Rick Baldwin (1953-2020)
RIP to Jay Johnstone, who had a 20-year career as a outfielder and a well-earned reputation as one of the game's all-time great characters and pranksters. He died on September 26 at the age of 74. He had been living with dementia and was living at a nursing home in Granada Hills, Calif. when he … Continue reading Obituary: Jay Johnstone (1945-2020)
RIP Baseball 