Mario Picone, pitcher for the 1954 New York Giants World Series team, dies at 87

Mario Picone, a pitcher for the New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds from 1947-1954, passed away October 23, 2013 in Brooklyn, New York. He was 87.

Born July 5, 1926, the Bensonhurst native grew up playing sandlot ball at the fabled Parade Grounds for a team called the “Chiros.” It was on those fields where Picone, who didn’t play for his high school team, earned the attention of Giants scouts just before his 18th birthday in 1944.

Mario Picone

“I grew up in the Parade Grounds,” he said in a 2008 phone interview from his residence in Florida. “Someone [from the Giants] spotted me there. They had me for tryouts in Jersey and they signed me.”

The Giants sent Picone to Bristol, Tennessee to play for their farm team in the Class D Appalachian League. The rookie phenom wasted no time making an impression. On June 15, 1944, he struck out 28 batters in a 19-inning victory over Johnson City, setting a professional record at the time. It was a feat that Picone almost didn’t have a chance to achieve if his manager Hal Gruber had his way that evening.

“In those days, you tried to finish everything,” he said. “It got to be the 9th inning, 10th inning, 11th inning … It was a 2-2 tie. Hal Gruber was the manager. He came to me and said, ‘I’m going to take you out.’ I said, ‘No you’re not. I’ll stay right here. If you take me out because you think I’m tired, I’ll be on the bus tomorrow and I’ll go home.’ Sure enough he left me there. We went 19 innings. Art Fowler came in the bottom of the 19th and pinch hit for me, he got a single, we scored the run and we won 3-2.”

Picone was a rising star in the Giants organization, skipping a level of minor league ball the next season to play with Class B Richmond in 1945. He led the league with a 19-6 record and 202 strikeouts. This earned him a promotion to AAA Jersey City in 1946, one step closer to the major leagues and a front row seat for one of baseball’s most historic moments.

In 1946, the Jersey City Giants opened their season against the Montreal Royals. Playing second base for the Royals was Jackie Robinson. Picone watched in amazement from the bench as Robinson started in his quest to break baseball’s color barrier.

“The first game that Jackie Robinson played in 1946 in Jersey City, I was there,” he said. “He had a bad day (laughs). He had a single, a double, a triple, a home run, and I think he walked. Isn’t that something? He was great. Exactly the way he broke in.

“It seemed like the people were watching, yet they didn’t know what to expect. He showed them. He sure did!”

Picone made his major league debut at the end of Robinson’s historical 1947 campaign. The Giants called him up in September, appearing in two games against the Philadelphia Phillies, starting the first and relieving the second. While Picone didn’t earn a decision in either contest, he ended the season with a .500 batting average, roping a hit in his first major league at-bat.

“I got a double off of the right field wall against Schoolboy Rowe,” he said. “He was in the twilight of his career and he didn’t throw that hard. I was fortunate enough to swing and I got into one.”

Picone had two more trials with the Giants in 1952 and 1954, making the team out of spring training during the latter. In his extended look in with the Giants 1954, Picone managed a 5.63 ERA in 24 innings and was sold to the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds sent him to the minor leagues after 16 days on their major league roster. He never returned to the big show, ending his career with a 0-2 record with an ERA of 6.30 in 13 appearances. He retired shortly after the start of the 1956 season.

“I gave it up in 1956,” he said. “I went into the home improvement business.”

Even though Picone only pitched in nine games for the Giants’ 1954 World Series championship team, the Giants included Picone in their 50th anniversary celebration at AT&T Park. They flew him and his wife out to San Francisco, providing them with a VIP treatment that included a limousine and first class accommodations.

While Picone languished during his trials in the major leagues, he took great pride in his ability to pitch complete games, something that definitely fueled the 19-inning effort at the beginning of his career.

“If I had to pitch every fifth day and pitch five innings,” he said, “I would have been pitching today with the arm I had. I can honestly say this. One guy for one inning, another guy and then comes the closer. That’s how you figured you were going to a higher grade. You had to finish a complete game. It was as good as winning.”

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Frank Castillo, 44, former Chicago Cubs pitcher dies in swimming accident

Frank Castillo / Baseball-Almanac.com

Frank Castillo, a 13-year pitcher in the major leagues, primarily with the Chicago Cubs tragically passed away Sunday July 28, 2013 in a swimming accident. He was 44.

While boating with a friend, Castillo decided to go swimming near his Arizona home. His friend that accompanied him on the boat ride frantically called for police when Castillo did not resurface.

His major league career started with his 1991 debut with the Cubs, for whom he pitched seven seasons before being traded to the Colorado Rockies during the 1997 season. He gained notoriety for while pitching in Chicago for coming one out short of pitching a no-hitter on September, 25, 1995 against the St. Louis Cardinals, when Bernard Gilkey broke up the bid with two outs in the 9th inning on a 2-2 count.

He also pitched for the Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, and Florida Marlins, last seeing action in the majors in 2005. He continued to pitch in the minor leagues and independent ball until 2008. After his playing career ended, he was a coach for the Cubs in their minor league system.

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Virgil Trucks, pitched two no-hitters for the Detroit Tigers, passes away at 95

Virgil Trucks, who spent 17 seasons as a pitcher in the major leagues and served in World War II, passed away Saturday March 23 at a hospital near his home in Calera, Alabama, according to his daughter Carolyn Beckwith. He was 95.

Trucks was signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1938 and immediately posted a record setting season, striking out 418 batters for their Class D team in Andalusia, Ala. He earned the nickname “Fire” from an Alabama sportswriter for his blazing fastball that he used to tear through hitters at the lower levels of minor league baseball. He rapidly ascended the ranks of the Tigers minor league system and was in a major league uniform at the end of the 1941 season.

Virgil Trucks / Author's Collection

He spent the next two seasons with the Tigers before enlisting in the United States Navy in 1944. While in the service, he played for the baseball team at the Great Lakes Naval Station, which allowed him to stay in shape for his return to the Tigers just in time for the 1945 World Series. His complete game victory in Game 2 of the World Series helped lead the Tigers to winning the championship in seven games.

Trucks spent the majority of his career with the Tigers, pitching two no-hitters in 1952, which ironically accounted for two of his five wins that season. The Tigers, looking to go with a younger staff, traded Trucks to the St. Louis Browns at the end of the year. He would later play for the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Athletics, and New York Yankees, before finishing his major league career in 1958. He pitched briefly in the minor leagues in 1959 and barnstormed with his good friend Satchel Paige in the off-season.

“I was living in Kansas City, Missouri when I retired and so was Paige," said Trucks in a 2009 letter to the author. "He had a friend that booked some games and he called me to go with him and I accepted. Most players barnstormed after the season because we could make enough money to live off of until next season.”

He finished with a career record of 177-135 that included two All-Star appearances in 1949 and 1954. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1974. In 2004, he published his life story, "Throwing Heat: The Life and Times of Virgil Trucks," with co-authors Bill Bozeman and Ronnie Joyner.

The Alabama native remained a popular figure with fans throughout his retirement, spending countless hours responding to every fan mail request. He often replied with hand written letters to those who sought correspondence.

“[I receive] 20 or 30 [a week], sometimes more," Trucks told the Birmingham News in 2009. "That's just letters. It doesn't count baseballs and pictures they send. I don't like to keep the stuff around. If I wake up and can't go back to sleep, I'll go answer my mail in the middle of the night.”

His daughter Beckwith said that his fans kept him energized well into the later innings of his life.

“He has always adored his fans,” she said to the Shelby County Magazine in 2012. “When I was little, I would help him sort through his fan mail. … He always made it a point to reply to every single one.”

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Long Island native Evans Killeen was a Casey Stengel favorite in New York Mets first spring training

Fifty years ago in February, the New York Mets opened spring training with a hodgepodge of players cast off by their respective organizations, some looking to prolong their careers, others searching for a new opportunity.

One of those upstarts was 26-year-old Evans Killeen; right-handed pitcher from Elmont, New York. Killeen played in four games with the Kansas City Athletics in 1959, and then in Mexico before the Mets gave him another lease on his baseball career after pitching in a local semi-pro league.

Evans Killeen

“I had been with Kansas City in the AL in 1959,” Killeen said from his home in Long Island. “I hurt my leg in my fourth game in the major leagues; I stepped on a catcher’s mask backing up a play in home plate in Cleveland. In 1960, I played in the Mexican League, just going through the motions. In 1961, I was home and people talked me into playing semi-pro baseball again. I guess I dazzled them out there. St. Johns coach Jack Kaiser saw me pitch against his team and recommended me to the Mets.”

Killeen was part of a group of pitchers that arrived early to spring training that included high-priced signings such as Jay Hook and Bob “Righty” Miller. Despite not being one of the Mets prized recruits, manager Casey Stengel liked what he saw in Killeen.

“It’s got at least five promising youngsters … who will make it big in the future. When we started I didn’t think we had a single prospect. But I liked what I saw in Evans Killeen,” Stengel said to the New York Times.

He quickly gained the favor of Stengel by combining with Roger Craig to throw the first shutout in Mets history, when they blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 on March 13th. Killeen threw four no-hit shutout innings in relief. His performance not only earned him a headline in the New York Times, but more importantly, his 72-year-old manager's praise.

“Wasn’t he great? He was fast, all right, but I was particularly pleased with his slow curve. Yes, sir, that young fellow’s got a chance around here,” Stengel said.

Just as Killeen’s stock was rising, he encountered a cruel twist of fate the day after his sparkling performance. A wayward foray into his grooming supplies gave a sudden u-turn to his spring training hopes.

“I had a freak accident; God must have wanted me not to be a ballplayer,” Killeen laughed. “I reached in my shaving bag and cut my right thumb. I cut it pretty good and was bandaged most of spring training.”

Killeen was relegated to short relief after his injury, pitching well enough to stay with the club until they broke camp. Just as they were to travel north, he was notified he was going to Syracuse.

“The handwriting was on the wall.” he said. “You knew they weren’t pitching you. … It was a money thing. … I had a minor league contract and they had a lot of money invested in all of those players they got in other organizations. I got caught in a numbers game.”

Killeen spent the 1962 season between Syracuse and Quincy before calling it quits. His frustrations after his ambitious spring training were mounting from the pressures of his family for him to move on.

“I didn’t even want to play after I left spring training," he said. "I asked myself, “What am I doing here?’ I was 26 years old, making no money. You couldn’t ask a girl to marry you. It’s terrible. All my friends were becoming doctors and lawyers. With all of these things, how can you hang in there? What kind of confidence do you have to want to play ball?”

The final straw came at the end of the 1962 season courtesy of general manager George Weiss.

“What kicked me in the face, George Weiss offered me to come back the next year with a contract for $700 [a $100 reduction from the prior season]," he recalled. "[After that] I said to myself, ‘I’m done, that’s it.’”

Despite leaving the Mets organization soured by Weiss’ offer, his fond memories of that inaugural spring training season have persisted five decades later.

“It was phenomenal, just the people that were there, from Gil Hodges, to Richie Ashburn, Gus Bell, Casey Stengel, Rogers Hornsby, etc. The whole fanfare was so exciting, so tremendous.”

As the Mets dedicate the 2012 season to celebrating the 50-year history of the franchise, Killeen would welcome the opportunity to get together with his teammates.

“It would be nice, [even though] I didn’t play on the main team, to be invited to a Met reunion for their 50 years. They forgot about guys like me. We’re forgotten people. I would love to see the guys again.”

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Ernie Johnson, 87, Braves pitcher, announcer and World War II veteran

Earlier this evening, it was reported during the Atlanta Braves telecast that their legendary announcer Ernie Johnson Sr. died Friday after spending time in hospice care. He was 87.

One of the friendliest voices in baseball, Johnson spent over 50 years with the organization as a player, executive, and broadcaster. Johnson was one of a handful of players who were left from the Braves’ playing days in Boston. After getting a cup of coffee in 1950, his 15-4 record at AAA Milwaukee the next season paved the way for his full-time role with the Braves pitching staff in 1952.

Ernie Johnson / Topps

Johnson was a key factor in the Braves 1957 World Series victory over the New York Yankees, pitching effectively in relief for three games. He stayed with the Braves through the end of the 1958 season, playing one more year for the Baltimore Orioles after being released.

In 2008, I had the opportunity to interview Johnson via a telephone call from his home in Cummings, Georgia. He spoke with an unparalleled level of clarity and familiarity about his experiences in baseball and his service in World War II.

For a rookie like me, it was like speaking to a sage of baseball, but he held no pretenses about himself. His voice was as inviting as I remembered it from the countless evenings I watched the Braves on TBS.

As the number of living major league players who served in World War II continues to dwindle, Johnson’s experiences serving his country speak highly to his character. He happily shared his journey during his time in the military.

Signed in 1942 by the Boston Braves, Johnson pitched briefly at Class A Hartford before entering World War II. Johnson spent three years in the Marines, seeing action in Japan during the Okinawa invasion. Unlike some ballplayers who did not want to go overseas, Johnson saw the call of duty as his opportunity to help lead the country to victory.

“I could have stayed in this country," Johnson said. "The captain called me in the office and asked me if I wanted to play baseball here. The captain told me, ‘We'll keep you from going overseas, and you can play for the base team.'"

Mulling over the decision of whether to stay or leave, Johnson decided to go to Japan. He just could not desert the troops he trained with for so long.

“I don't want to sound gung-ho, but I got through spending a year or two with these guys and we were prepped and ready to go overseas," he said. "I just thought to myself, ‘I didn't want to play baseball; I joined to help win the war. I'm gonna stick with these guys.’ We went overseas, and I was in the Okinawa invasion.”

He returned for the 1946 season suiting up with Class B Pawtucket. Luckily for Johnson, his best years were ahead of him; however, others returning from service weren’t as fortunate.

“I didn't take me too long to get ready," he said. "I was young in the service. I missed three years and I was still only 21, 22. I got back in shape pretty fast. I felt sorry for guys that went in when they were 25, 26, and now they're 28 and you could see they lost it. They would say, ‘I can't do it anymore.’ The guys I was with in Pawtucket, they couldn't play like they used to and they didn't last very long. It was sad, they missed three to four years and it really affected their careers.” 

As a pitcher, he felt that he had an easier road back from World War II than a position player. He felt it was a lot easier to recover your arm strength than it was your overall feel for the game in the batter's box.

“Pitchers are more apt to not lose it," he said. "They get back in shape and on the mound, it's not different. [The] hardest thing is hitting; you lose your timing and your bat speed, and that's when you lose your career.” 

Fortunately for baseball, Johnson’s career blossomed after his service and led him into our homes for many years as the unmistakable voice of the Atlanta Braves. The legacy he left behind from his entire career as a baseball player, father, broadcaster, and veteran has left an indelible mark on everyone that was able to know him.

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Robinson Cano gets an assist from his father during the Home Run Derby

Last night's Home Run Derby champion, New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano didn't have to go far for family support, it was 60 feet away. His father Jose was throwing perfect pitches down the pipe all night long. It shouldn't be a surprise though; the elder Cano was a pitcher for the Houston Astros in 1989.

Click here to read more about Jose Cano's career and his relationship with his All-Star son.

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Bob Feller eneters hospice care

The longest living tenured member of baseball's Hall of Fame has entered hospice care. Bob Feller, a 1962 inductee of baseball's greatest shrine was placed into hospice care Wednesday after suffering a bout with pneumonia. It unfortunately looks like baseball is going to shortly lose one of their greatest pitchers and World War II heroes.

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Clyde King | Brooklyn Dodger pitcher dies at 86

Former Brooklyn Dodger pitcher and New York Yankees manager Clyde King died November 2, 2010, in Goldsboro, NC. He was 86.

Clyde King / Baseball-Almanac.com

King made his debut in 1944 during the height of World War II at the age of 19. In a February 2008 interview with King, he described how he broke in with Brooklyn.

"I came right from the University of North Carolina right to Brooklyn at 19, almost 20 years old," King said. "There was a shortage of players at that time. I got to stick right there. I had a wonderful time with the Dodgers. I enjoyed Jackie [Robinson]. Campy caught me in my best year in 1951. We had a lot of good players. [Don] Newcombe, [Dan] Bankhead, among others."

He played seven seasons with the Dodgers and Reds between 1944 and 1953, retiring with a career record of 32-25, including 14 wins during the aforementioned 1951 season. King joined the Yankees organization as a scout in 1976 and served various positions within the organization including pitching coach, manager, and general manager.

During the 2008 interview with King, he reflected on his time with the Yankees as he was about to embark on his annual pilgrimage to Tampa as a guest of George Steinbrenner.

"I was with the Yankees for 33 years," he said. "I stay with Mr. Steinbrenner. He told me not to worry about scouting, just to stay in his box with him. We've done this for the past three years. My wife says he's rewarding me for what I did in the past."

Recommended Reading
A King's Legacy: The Clyde King Story

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Cal McLish | Former Brooklyn Dodger pitcher dies at 84

The owner of the longest full name in baseball history, Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish passed away August 26, 2010. He was 84.

Cal McLish

Cal McLish made his debut in 1944 at the tender age of 18 with the Brooklyn Dodgers during World War II straight out of Central High School in Oklahoma City. He missed the subsequent season due to his own military service; however, he later played 15 seasons in the majors with six additional teams, the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox. He appeared in the 1959 All-Star game where he earned a save, pitching the final two scoreless innings for the victorious American League squad.

After his playing career was finished, he was a major league pitching coach for 16 seasons and then went on to become a scout and an instructor, as recently as 2005 with the Seattle Mariners.

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Jim Waugh, 76, Former Pirates Pitcher, 1933-2010

Jim Waugh, the youngest pitcher to win a game in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates, passed away February 16, 2010 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He was 76.

In a professional baseball career that spanned six seasons, Waugh spent parts of two of those seasons in the majors with the Pirates from 1952-53. Immortalized by Topps in their 1953 baseball card set, I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Waugh in July of 2009 after he called me in reply to a letter that I sent to him asking him about his baseball career and for his autograph on the aforementioned card.

Waugh called on July 6, 2009 to tell me that my questions about playing with Puerto Rican center fielder Carlos Bernier had piqued his interest, as he was thinking about Bernier around the time he received my letter. 

"What happened to Carlos Bernier?" Waugh asked. "I've been thinking about Carlos Bernier, particularly with this story about 100 years of Forbes Field."

I had informed him that Bernier had met an early death, hanging himself 20 years prior. After lamenting the fact of Bernier's tragic death, he further described his experiences playing on the Pirates with Bernier.

"He was just there a short time," he said. "He played for Hollywood in '52 and had a real good year. He came to the Pirates in '53 and played quite a bit in the first [part] of the year. I was sent to the minor leagues for the month of June, when I came back, he was gone. ... He played quite a few years in the Coast League. He could play the outfield; he could really run."

As our conversation drifted to the Pirates youth movement when he was in the majors, he explained how he became the youngest pitcher in Pittsburgh history to win a game.

"I just tried to get the ball over the plate," he said. "I was only 18, 19 years old. In my first major league start, it got to a point in the game where I was having trouble with my control. Joe Garagiola [who] was catching came out and said, 'Just throw the ball right down the middle of the plate, don't worry, it won't go there!' I ended up winning the game against the Cubs 4-3 (August 9, 1952), and became the youngest Pittsburgh pitcher to ever win a major league game at 18. Towards the middle of the season in 1953, I did learn to move the ball around and really became a pretty good pitcher after awhile, and then I started having arm trouble, and everything went away."

Waugh cited the help of two veteran pitchers, Murry Dickson and Howie Pollett, in being instrumental in his development. They helped him how to refine his offspeed pitches.

"Murry Dickson, who was our best pitcher, thrived on fly balls to center field," Waugh recalled. "He had pinpoint control. They called him “Heinz” because he had 57 varieties of pitches, which he did! He was something to watch. It really was something. He helped me a lot, always gave me a lot of encouragement. Howie Pollett helped me with my curveball to throw my curveball harder with a sharper break. I had that old high school roundhouse curveball, and he showed me how to throw a good curveball It used to be all in the breaking of your wrist, the wrist snap. Now it is more the fingers, the slider, the cut fastball. You get that spin with your fingers. You get a sharper spin and less break."

Waugh was part of an overhaul at the time when Branch Rickey started to replace higher priced veterans with fresh faces from the farm system. He explained Rickey's reasoning behind the widespread change in personnel.

"I was only 18," he said. "Bobby Del Greco, Tony Bartirome, Ronnie Kline, Lee Walls [were all under 21]. I roomed with Walls in a hotel in Pittsburgh for awhile. Bill Bell and I signed the same day for the Pirates. I was 17 and he was just out of high school; he was 18. This was all Mr. Rickey's idea. The Pirates didn't have much. They had veterans but they were finishing in last place.

"I think he saw what the Phillies did in 1951, with young pitchers Robin Roberts and Curt Simmons and the "Whiz Kids" as they called them. He thought he could do that with Pittsburgh, but I don't know, the pitching just never developed. He relied on me a lot and I had arm trouble. Ronnie Neccai who struck out 27 batters in the minor leagues, he could throw really hard. He had ulcers, he didn't last very long. Bill Bell never came through, he had arm problems. Neccai has a good story on Wikipedia about his career; I believe he wrote a book about it."

As he continued to reminisce about his career in Pittsburgh, we discussed his recollections of facing Jackie Robinson. This question sparked Waugh's memory about one of the better games he pitched and how it was reported by a young Roger Kahn.

"I pitched one of my best games against the Dodgers in 1952," he said. "I started and was leading in the game 2-1, only giving up three hits through the seventh inning. In the sixth [inning], Jackie Robinson came up with a couple guys on, I struck him out. In the eighth, he came up again with a couple of guys on, and I had just struck him out with a really good curveball. I thought, 'Well, I'll just start him off with a curveball, just throw him a curveball for a strike.' Well, he was looking for that curve ball (laughs) and he ripped it past my head, a line drive! It really cost me the game, I ended up losing 3-2. That was my most memorable time against him."

The Dodgers were the perennial front runners in the National League, and with their Hall of Fame lineup, the cellar dwelling Pirates just couldn't measure up to them. In 1953, the Pirates won less than ten percent of their games against the Dodgers.

"[Brooklyn] were mostly right handed hitters, so it was a little easier for a right hander to pitch to them," he said. "In 1953, we only won one game against them, they won 23, we won one! (While still relatively futile, records for that season show it was two wins and 20 losses). I don't know if you ever read Roger Kahn's book Boys of Summer, he talked about Casey Stengel that year in the World Series, talking about the “Brooklyn Pirates.” 'We're playing the Brooklyn Pirates, don't worry about it, they're no better than the Pittsburgh Pirates.' He used that for a motivating speech. Roger Kahn wrote a good story about that. I'll send you a story that Roger Kahn wrote about the game I pitched against the Dodgers. He was only 24, [his] first year following the National League." 

Towards the end of the interview, we discussed his Topps rookie card and how he handled his autograph requests. He put most of his fan mail aside for five years while attending to his wife who was suffering from lung cancer.

"I went about five years when I didn't and wasn't able to answer or reply to a lot of the fan mail," he said. "My wife got lung cancer and we were going through a lot. I just kind of gave up on it. I always enjoy getting the mail. I've caught all of those up. I have a lady who helps me with it so, I enjoy the letters. I enjoyed yours, it was interesting."

Waugh appreciated the support of his fans, who continued to recognize him even after 50 years past him hanging up his cleats. He spoke proudly of a speaking engagement that he had at a SABR meeting.

"I spoke recently to the SABR in Pittsburgh, and a reporter wrote a story about my talk," he said. "It's pretty interesting too. I really enjoyed that. Those guys are really knowledgeable."

Roger Kahn's Herald Tribune Article On Waugh's Game Against Brooklyn

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Paul LaPalme, 86, 1923-2010; Former MLB Pitcher with the Pirates, Cardinals, Reds and White Sox

Paul LaPalme, died in Leominster, MA on Sunday February 7, 2010 at the age of 86 after battling a long illness. LaPalme was a left-handed knuckleball pitcher, who pitched seven seasons with four major league teams including the Pirates, Cardinals, Reds and White Sox. He made his debut at the age of 17 in 1941 with Bristol of the Appalachian League, posting an impressive 20 wins. After moving up to Erie the next season, he lost three years of his career due to his World War II service from 1943-1945.

Upon his return from military service, he clawed his way from Class D ball in 1946 to the big show with the Pirates in 1951. He made an immediate impact, pitching a shutout in his first MLB game, but could not duplicate his hot start, finishing with a record of 24-45 in seven seasons. He retired after the 1959 season with Montreal. After baseball, he entered the engraving business, where he owned and operated LaPalme Engravers in Leominster.

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Now Pinch Hitting, The Pitcher! Micah Owings Does Double Duty

Imagine your feelings after you have spent your entire professional career honing your craft as a position player, only to find out that the manager looks past you on the bench to call on a pitcher for a pinch hitter! Such has been the case this season for the Cincinnati Reds, using pitcher Micah Owings twice in this fashion during the first four games. A throwback to the likes of Don Newcombe and more recently Brooks Kieschnick, Owings has proved valuable as both a pitcher and a pinch hitter Owings versatility has effectively freed up another roster space for Dusty Baker to use. Owings has been penciled in as the team's fifth starter, leaving him available to pinch hit the other four days in which he is not pitching. Owings is batting .322 in 118 career at-bats with five home runs. Now does this situation speak to Owings prowess as a hitter, or lack of depth on the bench? A full season as a pinch-hitter will give us a better idea of how Owings rates once the book begins to circulate on him. If this plan is successful, it could become a trend within the major leagues as management looks to maximize the value of the players on their rosters. Another candidate for this role is Colorado Rockies pitcher Jason Marquis who is 6-for-26 in his career as a pinch hitter.

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Nick Adenhart, 22, Angels Pitcher 1986-2009

On Thursday, April 9th, 2009, just hours after pitching six scoreless innings for the Los Angeles Angels, 22-year-old pitcher Nick Adenhart died along with two other people when their sports car was hit by a minivan that ran a red light. The sports car struck a light pole after being hit. Apparently, the driver of the minivan was driving with a suspended license due to previous drunk driving infractions.
At an age when young men are maturing into adults, and a time when ballplayers are just beginning to smell the freshly cut grass of a new season, the flame of career was extinguished just as it was being lit. Adenhart was living the dream of many young men his age, starting during the opening series of the Major League season, while most are finishing up their final semester of college. Expected to start the season at AAA, he was summoned to the rotation when the Angles had injuries to three of their pitchers. He seized the opportunity by pitching six innings of shutout ball against the Oakland Athletics. Sadly, due to the actions of an irresponsible driver, we will never know how long Adenhart would have kept his flame burning in the Major Leagues. The Angels postponed their April 10th game with the Oakland Athletics to mourn the loss of their fallen teammate. Gone, but not forgotten, Nick Adenhart rest in peace.

Below: A photo from the accident.

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Bennett Flowers, 81, Former MLB Pitcher 1927-2009

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of former MLB pitcher Bennett Flowers, on February 18, 2009. He was 81.

Flowers spent 15 seasons in professional baseball from 1945-1960, with parts of four seasons in the major leagues. Flowers pitched in the majors for the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. He held the American League record for pitching in nine consecutive games in 1953 until it was broken by Dale Mohorcic in 1986.

I had the opportunity to interview Bennett Flowers in October of 2008 regarding his experiences playing professional baseball, serving in WWII and his successes selling electric motors and parts after baseball.


He signed after trying out in front of 16 different scouts in 1945 with the Boston Red Sox organization to play in Roanoke for an $8,500 bonus. At that tryout, the Red Sox didn't even have an official team representative there, it was a college coach from the University of North Carolina who was also a scout that signed Flowers to the Red Sox. The following year, he enlisted in WWII at Fort Bragg, and wound up in Fort Benning as a paratrooper. Upon returning from his military service, he quickly ascended up the ranks of the Red Sox organization. He posted a 17-8 record in 1951 at Scranton, which was enough for the Red Sox to call him up at the end of the season.

Here is the contract from the Boston Red Sox that purchased him from the Scranton team that season.
Reflecting on his career, he had great memories of playing with Hall of Fame teammates such as Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Robin Roberts, Al Kaline and Jim Bunning.

Below is a short video clip of Flowers throwing out the first pitch at a minor league game on his 80th birthday. My condolences go out to the family of Mr. Flowers. A true gentleman from baseball's "golden era."

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