RIP to Bob Friend, an ace pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates who threw more than 200 innings a season for an 11-year stretch with the team. He died in his sleep on February 3 at the age of 88, the Pirates announced. Friend pitched for the Pirates from 1951-65, as well as the New York … Continue reading Obituary: Bob Friend (1930-2019)
Here lies Spencer Adams, an infielder who played for four different teams in his four-year career. Despite his short time in the majors, he managed to appear in two World Series, roomed with Lou Gehrig and was teammates with some of the most famous ballplayers of the era. Adams played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1923), … Continue reading Grave Story: Spencer Adams (1898-1970)
RIP to Eli Grba, the original Angel. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels as the first pick in the 1960 expansion draft. Grba died in Florence, Ala. on January 14 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 84. He pitched for the New York Yankees (1959-60) and Angels (1961-63). Eli Grba was born … Continue reading Obituary: Eli Grba (1934-2019)
RIP to Mel Stottlemyre, a 5-time All-Star pitcher who went on to become one of the most celebrated pitching coaches in modern times. He died on January 13 in a Seattle hospital from complications of bone marrow cancer. He was 77 years old. He had originally been diagnosed with the disease in 2000, and the … Continue reading Obituary: Mel Stottlemyre (1941-2019)
RIP to Rick Down, a long time minor-league manager and big-league hitting coach for the Yankees, Orioles, Mets and more. He died on January 5 in Las Vegas, Nev. after a lengthy illness. He was 68 years old. Down originally was an outfielder/first baseman in the Montreal Expos farm system. He was drafted in the … Continue reading Obituary: Rick Down (1950-2019)
Here lies Fred Sanford, who was an early victim of the New York sports media and the pressure placed on Yankees players. Sanford pitched for the St. Louis Browns (1943, 1947-48, 1951), New York Yankees (1949-51) and Washington Senators (1951). John Frederick Sanford was born in Garfield, Utah on August 9, 1919. Described in an … Continue reading Grave Story: Fred Sanford (1919-2011)
So occasionally while I'm researching one thing, I'll come across a completely different thing that's just as interesting as the thing I was researching in the first place. Got that? I stumbled across this photo in the Oshkosh Northwestern, dated July 20, 1934 while researching my next couple of grave stories. Babe Ruth and Lou … Continue reading Baseball History: That time Lou Gehrig put Babe Ruth in the hospital
