RIP to Frank Thomas, an All-Star slugger from the 1950s and '60s. He is not to be confused with the more recent, Hall of Fame member Frank Thomas. Between the two of them, they hit 806 home runs, which surely is a record for more homers hit by a single name. The elder Thomas died … Continue reading Obituary: Frank Thomas (1929-2023)
RIP to outfielder Ted Savage, who had a 9-year career with eight different teams in the 1960s and early '70s. He died on January 15 at the age of 85. His death was announced by the St. Louis Cardinals, for whom Savage spent parts of 3 years as a player and 25 years as a … Continue reading Obituary: Ted Savage (1937-2023)
RIP to Maury Wills, an MVP, an All-Star, a Gold Glove winner and the stolen base king of the 1960s. He died on September 19 at his home in Sedona, Arizona. He was 89 years old. His daring on the basepaths helped make the stolen base important again, and he paved the way for future … Continue reading Obituary: Maury Wills (1932-2022)
RIP to Dick Schofield, a one-time “bonus baby” and part of a long baseball family dynasty. He died on July 11, at 10:30am, at his residence in Springfield, Ill. He was 87 years old. Schofield played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1953-58, 1968, 1971), Pittsburgh Pirates (1958-1965), San Francisco Giants (1965-66), New York Yankees (1966), … Continue reading Obituary: Dick Schofield (1935-2022)
RIP to Dave Wickersham, whose pitching career began and ended in Kansas City -- for two different teams. He died in Overland Park, Kan., on June 19 at the age of 86. One of the news outlets that reported his death was Fox 4 News in Kansas City, where his daughter Carey is employed as … Continue reading Obituary: Dave Wickersham (1935-2022)
Here lies Fern Bell, an outfielder who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1939 and 1940. After his baseball career, he became a “missing” ballplayer, all the while living out his life as a golf pro out West. Fernando Jerome Lee Bell was born in Ada, Okla., on January 21, 1913. At least, that’s what … Continue reading Grave Story: Fern Bell (1913-2000)
RIP to Gene Clines, who was part of a world championship Pirates team during his 10-year playing career as an outfielder. He also had a substantial career as a major-league coach and remained in uniform into the 2000s. He died on January 27 at the age of 75. Clines played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1970-74), … Continue reading Obituary: Gene Clines (1946-2022)
RIP to Roger Samuels, who transformed from a wild starting pitcher to an effective reliever relatively late in his career, earning a couple of callups to the major leagues. He died on January 17 at his home in San Jose, Calif., at the age of 61. He had been battling kidney cancer for several years. … Continue reading Obituary: Roger Samuels (1961-2022)
RIP to Cholly Naranjo, a Cuban pitcher whose international playing career included one season in the major leagues. He died on January 13 in Miami at the age of 87. Naranjo, who was living in a nursing home because of dementia, died from complications of COVID-19. Journalist Nick Diunte wrote a beautiful tribute to Naranjo, … Continue reading Obituary: Cholly Naranjo (1934-2022)
RIP to Eddie Basinski, who was the second-oldest living ballplayer and one of the last surviving members of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He died on January 8 in Gladstone, Ore., at the age of 99. He had lived in a care facility there for the last seven years after being diagnosed with dementia. Basinski played for … Continue reading Obituary: Eddie Basinski (1922-2022)
RIP Baseball 