Former Expos manager, baseball scout, author Karl Kuehl dies at 70

The Canadian Press, August 7, 2008

PHOENIX — Karl Kuehl, a baseball scout, coach, author and player development specialist known for his contributions to the Oakland Athletics teams that won three pennants, died Wednesday. He was 70.

Kuehl died of pulmonary fibrosis in a Scottsdale hospital, his son John said. He had been active until recent weeks, when he was hospitalized.

Kuehl was the manager of the Montreal Expos in 1976, going 43-85 before being fired with two months left in the season.

He went on serve six seasons as a base coach for the Minnesota Twins, then spent 12 years as head of player development and later assistant to the general manager for the A's.

Players that came out of the A's farm system in those years included Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Walt Weiss, Terry Steinbach, Scott Brosius, Mike Bordick, Miguel Tejada and Mike Gallego.

"Within the game, he's one of the most highly respected people in the nation," said Casey Tefertiller, who co-authored one of Kuehl's two books on baseball, 2005's "Mental Toughness: Baseball's Winning Edge."

Kuehl later served several years in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He also did special projects for the A's and Major League Baseball, setting up academies in the Dominican Republic and Australia. He spent the past several years as a special assistant to the Cleveland Indians, retiring for good last year.

In 2006, he was awarded baseball's Roland Hemond Award for long-term contributions to scouting and player development.

Hemond, a close friend now in the front office of the Arizona Diamondbacks, said he got to say goodbye to Kuehl a few days ago.

"He was a very humble guy who did so much for the game," Hemond said. "He was one of the great guys of the game."

Kuehl grew up in California and began playing professional baseball in 1955. By 1959, at age 21, he was a player/manager at Salem, Ore.

"First and foremost, he was a friend and a teacher," John Kuehl said. "His passion was helping people, and baseball just happened to be the medium."

In addition to his son, Kuehl is survived by his wife, Norma, daughters Kara Neumann and Stefani Kuehl, six grandsons and a sister. A memorial service in planned next month in Scottsdale.

Baseball mourns loss of Skip Caray
Beloved Braves announcer continued legacy of excellence

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com 08/04/2008 6:15 PM ET

ATLANTA -- The Braves family lost one of its most beloved members on Sunday, when Skip Caray passed away at his Atlanta-area home.

Caray, who would have celebrated his 69th birthday on Aug. 12, went to take a nap Sunday afternoon and didn't awaken. He is survived by his wife, Paula, two sons, Chip and Josh, two daughters, Shayelyn and Cindy, and seven grandchildren.

"Our baseball community has lost a legend today," said Braves president John Schuerholz. "The Braves family and Braves fans everywhere will sadly miss him. Our thoughts are with his wife Paula and his children."

The two sons will carry on the family's rich broadcasting tradition, which began with Skip's father, Harry Caray, a Hall of Fame announcer who remains one of the most popular figures in baseball history.

Josh currently calls games for the Braves' Class A affiliate in Rome, Ga., and Chip serves as both a Braves announcer and the play-by-play announcer for TBS' Major League Baseball coverage. Chip was broadcasting Sunday's game between the Angels and Yankees at Yankee Stadium when he heard the startling news about his father.

"I'm just in shock," Chip said. "I know he wasn't feeling good, but this was unexpected. He hung the moon for me. I got to talk to him [on Saturday], and the last thing I got to say to him was, 'I love you.'"

Caray, who began broadcasting Braves games in 1976, battled multiple ailments over the past year that he linked to diabetes. When he wasn't available to broadcast this past weekend's series against the Brewers, it was revealed that he was suffering from bronchitis.

Although he was visibly weaker, Caray still brought his smile and humor to the ballpark on a consistent basis this season. Since the final month of last season, he had been limited to broadcasting only home games.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Skip Caray, whose Hall of Fame-worthy career behind the microphone was instrumental in the growth of Turner Sports from regional telecaster to national sports broadcaster," Turner Sports president David Levy said in a statement. "While Skip's work on our NBA and NFL coverage was significant, his legendary calls and trademark wit on TBS baseball are what resonated most with fans nationally and will not soon be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Caray family." Caray was hospitalized during the latter portion of last season and faced even greater complications once the season concluded.

In October 2007, doctors were concerned enough about Caray's health that they asked for all of his family members to come to the hospital to possibly pay their last respects. His liver was failing and the doctors in the intensive care unit felt they had done all that they could do.

"We are overwhelmed by the number of friends, colleagues, co-workers, MLB players and people in the baseball community who have reached out to us and so grateful and touched by their support and prayers," Caray's family said in a statement. "We are also deeply appreciative by the outpouring of support from the fans who grew up watching him and shared the ride."

Caray battled back and spent most of this past winter continuing to fight ailments that were affecting his liver, kidneys and heart. He said some of his prescribed medications worked in a counteractive manner and made it difficult for him to sleep.

When Caray returned to broadcast games at the beginning of this season, he talked about his near-death experience and said that he was happy to at least have an opportunity to return to the baseball world that had provided so much to himself and his family.

"I'm 68," Caray said on April 2. "If I go tonight, I've had a hell of a life."

While his presence may be gone, Caray's voice will continue forever live with the history of the Braves. His most memorable call arguably came when he exclaimed, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" after Braves center fielder Marquis Grissom caught the final out of the 1995 World Series.

The son of a Hall of Fame broadcaster, Skip devoted much of his life to the broadcasting world. He began his broadcasting career at KMOX Radio in St. Louis as host of a 15-minute high school sports show and later had an opportunity to broadcast University of Missouri football games with his father.

While he was most recognizable as a baseball announcer, Caray's versatile broadcasting skills allowed him to serve as an announcer for NBA games, NFL games, and other ventures like the Goodwill Games. He was named Georgia Sportscaster of the Year six times.

Caray's baseball broadcasting career began in 1963 with the Tulsa Oilers. He joined the NBA's St. Louis Hawks' broadcasting team in 1967 and relocated with them to Atlanta the following year.

Caray's arrival in Atlanta allowed him the opportunity to develop a friendship and working relationship with Ted Turner, whose innovative media initiatives allowed Caray and his close friend, Pete Van Wieren, to broadcast Braves games to a national audience on a superstation that would become TBS.

Caray and Van Wieren began broadcasting Braves games together in 1976 and were still serving as broadcast partners during radio broadcasts this season. Both of them were inducted in the Braves Hall of Fame in 2004.

Last year, when TBS ended its 30-year affiliation with the Braves, Caray was saddened to know he was saying goodbye to a number of people that had been so good to him. He was always extremely grateful for the outpouring of sympathy he received after his father died in 1998.

"In essence, you're saying goodbye to people who you've been part of their life for a long time," Caray said last August. "My access to them will now be denied."

C. Porter Vaughan Jr.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch, 8/1/2008

VAUGHAN, C. Porter Jr., age 89, died July 30, 2008. He was predeceased by his wife of 60 years, Elizabeth Brown Vaughan; and his parents, C. Porter Vaughan Sr. and Bessie Brooke Vaughan.

He is survived by two children, C. Porter Vaughan III and his wife, Kate, and Leroy B. Vaughan and his wife, Susan; four grandchildren, Alan Porter Vaughan, Ellen Vaughan Schroeder, Elizabeth Vaughan Anderson and Leroy B. Vaughan Jr.; and two stepgrandsons, Carl John Knorr III and Thomas Landon Knorr. Porter Vaughan was a native of King and Queen County, Va.

After graduation from Stevensville High School, he enrolled at the University of Richmond and graduated with a B.A. Degree in 1940. Having been successful as a left-handed pitcher for Coach Mac Pitt's State and Southern Conference baseball championship teams, he was signed by Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics.

During World War II, he rose to the rank of Captain in the Army Air Corps and returned briefly to baseball after the War in 1946. C. Porter Vaughan Jr. began his real estate career in September 1946 as an associate with Harrison and Bates, Inc. In February 1949, he and a fellow broker, Winfree H. Slater, started the firm of Slater and Vaughan Realtors. He formed C. Porter Vaughan, Inc., Realtors, in June 1967.

Primarily involved in real estate brokerage, Mr. Vaughan actively participated in syndications, residential subdivision development, commercial and office park development and property management; and his firm developed or represented many of the finest new home communities in Richmond. He was installed as the President of the Richmond Association of Realtors in 1963 and was named their "Realtor of the Year" in 1988. The Virginia Association of Realtors installed him as its President in 1970 and in that same year recognized him as its "Realtor of the Year." He was a Director of the National Association of Realtors from 1975 to 1980.

His involvement in civic activities included serving as Director of the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, the Chamber of Commerce, Richmond Kiwanis Club, Boys Club of Richmond and Metropolitan Richmond Retail Merchants Association. He served on the Board of Directors of the Richmond Chapter Red Cross, South Richmond-Chesterfield YMCA, Big Brothers of Richmond and Richmond Professional Institute (now Virginia Commonwealth University).

He was a member of the Circle of Excellence at VCU (Advisory to Chair in Real Estate). He was a Trustee of the Collegiate Schools. He served on the City of Richmond Real Estate Review Board and was on the Board of Directors of First Virginia Bank Colonial. Porter Vaughan was a member of Westover Hills United Methodist Church from 1946 to his death and served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for 10 years. He was a founder, director and president of Willow Oaks Country Club. He was a member of the Commonwealth Club of Richmond.

Other memberships included Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, Scottish Rite Mason (since 1957) and Rho Epsilon, Real Estate Fraternity, Honoris Causa, Virginia Commonwealth University. At the University of Richmond, he served as a Trustee (1970-74) (1983-99), on the Executive Committee (1985-86), on the Board of Associates (1974-82), as Chairman of U/R Athletic Council (1972-74) and a member from 1956-74. He was inducted in the Sports Hall of Fame in 1976. He received the University of Richmond Alumni Award for Distinguished Service (1981-82), Trustees' Distinguished Service Award in May (1986) and an Honorary Doctor of Commercial Science Degree (1987). He was a Director of Boatwright Society (1985-98).

He was inducted in the Virginia Sports Wall of Fame in 1985, and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. A memorial service will be held 3 p.m. Saturday at Second Baptist Church at the corners of River Road and Gaskins.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution to the charity of one's choice or C. Porter Vaughan Jr. Baseball Scholarship Fund at University of Richmond is appropriate.

Arrangements by the Bliley's Funeral Home Central Chapel.





Leroy Wheat, 78, Major Leaguer and Broward College athletic director

BY MARIA CHERCOLES | South Florida Sun-Sentinel

July 31, 2008

Leroy William Wheat, a former Major League pitcher who was an athletics director at Broward College, died Tuesday. He was 78.

Mr. Wheat, of Fort Lauderdale, died of pneumonia at Holy Cross Hospital, said his daughter Debby Walters.

Throughout his baseball career, Mr. Wheat played with big names such as Bob Feller, Mike Garcia, Bob Schanz and Ewell Blackwell. He also pitched against Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris and Ted Williams, among others.

Born in 1929 in Edwardsville, Ill., Mr. Wheat joined the Cleveland Indians in 1948, right out of high school. There, he went from Class A to AAA shortly before he was drafted into the Army, where he served from 1951 to 1953.

"He was in the prime of his baseball career and had to give up two years of his prime time for the country," said his wife, Sally Wheat.

Mr. Wheat joined the Philadelphia Athletics and was featured in a 1954 Topps baseball card wearing the Philadelphia uniform. He also played for the Kansas City Athletics and for a Class AAA Dodgers Organization team. He retired in 1959 and started his coaching career.

He coached at Fort Lauderdale High School and later Broward College (formerly Broward Community College), where he started the baseball program. He became the school's athletic director in 1979 and retired in 1990.

He was recognized by induction into the Hall of Fame of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

"He worked very long hours and was very dedicated. He got a lot of scholarships for the players he trained. He had a lot of rapport with other coaches and recruiters and helped his students get ahead," Walters said.

He left his family a short baseball memoir, which closes with, "I thoroughly enjoyed playing baseball. It gave me the opportunity to travel, meet many nice fans, play with or against many fine players, and a challenge to do my very best."

In addition to his wife, Mr. Wheat's survivors include daughters Debby Walters and Nancy Moore, sister Virginia Evans, brother Robert Wheat and seven grandchildren.

A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale, 401 SE 50th Ave. Instead of flowers, the family requests donations to the Melanoma Research Fund, Duke Campus Center, Durham, N.C., 27701, or to the Scholarship Fund of the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale.

Russ Gibson dies at 69

By Greg Sullivan

Herald News Staff Reporter

Posted Jul 27, 2008, 4:37 PM

Fall River - He lived the dream - a double dream, actually - of a Fall River sports-loving kid.

Russ Gibson was a three-sport star at Durfee High School, a junior starting forward on the 1956 basketball team that won both the Tech Tourney and New England championships before huge crows - many from Fall River - at the old Boston Garden. Ten years after graduating from Durfee, Gibson was the starting catcher for the 1967 "Impossible Dream" Red Sox team that captured the American League pennant.

One of the Spindle City's all-time favorite sons, one who never ever forgot his roots, died this weekend - either late Saturday or early Sunday, according to his son Chris - at Swan Brook Assisted Living in Swansea.

John Russell Gisbon had struggled with his health for more than a decade, undergoing multiple dialysis treatments each week and battling heart problems.

MaryAnn Kaat

butzinmarchant.com July 24, 2008

MaryAnn Kaat, 64, of Stuart, FL, passed away on Monday, July 21, 2008, at the home of her son in Ripon, WI, after a battle with bladder cancer.

MaryAnn was born in New York City, NY, on March 23, 1944, the daughter of Domenic and Eleanor (Dowd) Montanaro. She went to school in New York at Good Council in White Plains, NY, and Holy Child in White Plains, NY, and attended Ripon College in Ripon, WI.

MaryAnn married Jim Kaat in 1988 in Boca Raton, FL. She was a clothing designer, operator of the Silent Woman, and since 1995 she was agent and manager for her husband.

Survivors include her husband, Jim Kaat of Stuart, FL; daughter, Stacy (Boyte) Diedrich Adams of Cape Coral, FL; son, Jon Drew (Lisa) Diedrich of Ripon, WI; son Jim (Jennifer) Kaat Jr. of Anthem, AZ; daughter, Jill (Peter) Kandel of Ridgewood, NJ; grandsons, Brendan and Tanner Kandel of Ridgewood, NJ, and Conor Diedrich of Ripon, WI; granddaughters, Casey Kandel of Ridgewood, NJ, Quinn Diedrich of Ripon, WI, and Amanda Kaat of Anthem, AZ; brother, John (Susan) Montanaro of Malibu, CA; niece, Kimberly Montanaro; and nephew, Jon Montanaro, both of California.
MaryAnn was preceded in death by her parents.

Services: Per her wishes, a private family memorial service will be held.
Butzin-Marchant Funeral Home, Ripon, is assisting the family.

Jerome Holtzman | 1926-2008

Baseball Hall-of-Famer Jerome Holtzman dies

Hall of Fame former Tribune reporter was game's official historian and a true original

By Paul Sullivan | Tribune staff reporter

10:21 PM CDT, July 21, 2008

Jerome Holtzman, who went from copy boy to Hall of Famer in a distinguished career as a Chicago sportswriter, died Saturday after a long illness. He was 81 and was affectionately known to colleagues as "the Dean," a term reflecting his stature as a baseball-writing "lifer" and his numerous accomplishments over four decades.

"It's a sad day for everybody in baseball," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "Jerome was a Hall of Famer in everything he did, in every sense of the word."

Holtzman was a baseball beat writer and columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times for three decades, starting in 1957, the year before the Dodgers' and Giants' migration from New York to California turned baseball into a truly national sport. He moved to the Tribune as baseball columnist in 1981 and was inducted into the writers' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, perhaps the most notable of the countless honors he achieved over his remarkable career.

It was Cubs great and fellow Hall of Famer Billy Williams who dubbed him "the Dean."

"He wrote about sports, but he cared about people—that was the thing that stood out," Williams said. "When you developed a friendship with Jerome, it lasted a liftetime."

Holtzman was author of six books, including the classic "No Cheering in the Press Box," an oral history of baseball as recounted by 24 sportswriting legends such as Paul Gallico, Shirley Povich and Red Smith. The book was reissued in 1995 with six new chapters and remains a popular text in college journalism classes.

"He was the consummate writer," said George Vass, a former colleague and friend who collaborated with Holtzman on two books. "No one was ever more dedicated and clear-minded about the sport, those who played it and wrote about it. He was a great writer, but more important, a great friend."

Holtzman chronicled the seasons of the White Sox and Cubs for more than 40 years at Chicago newspapers, beginning in 1957 at the Sun-Times. He was responsible for the institution of the "save" rule in 1966, a move to acknowledge effective relief pitching that was the first major addition to baseball statistics since runs batted in were recognized in 1920.

"The reality is, he revolutionized baseball," former Sun-Times columnist Bill Gleason said. "He glamorized the relief pitcher, who was just another guy before [the save rule]. Jerome said not long ago that he was sorry he'd come up with the concept, that it wasn't necessary. But there was no need to apologize. If there were more people who thought like Jerome Holtzman, the newspaper business would be in better shape."

After Holtzman retired as the Tribune's baseball columnist in 1998, Selig hired him as baseball's official historian.

"What I will miss most is not only the friendship, but the knowledge," Selig said. "He was a historian's historian. He was an unmatched resource for baseball. I will miss his counsel."

Loyal friend
Raised in an orphanage, Holtzman grew up to become a prolific writer whose name was synonymous with baseball. He began his newspaper career as a copy boy in the Chicago Times sports department at the age of 17 in 1943. He served two years in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, and returned to cover high school sports at the Times and Sun-Times before moving onto the baseball beat in '57.

It was at the Sun-Times that Holtzman met the love of his life, the former Marilyn Ryan, whom he married in 1949. They raised five children in their Evanston home.

"Romance prevailed, and romance succeeded," Gleason said. "They had a beautiful relationship."

Holtzman traveled with the Cubs and White Sox for the next 28 years, usually changing beats at midseason. He was an influential leader in the Baseball Writers Association of America and a longtime member of the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee, which voted on candidates who had been overlooked in voting by the baseball writers.

Holtzman famously looked out for his friends, even the ones who were trying to beat him on stories, such as the late Wendell Smith, a pioneer among African-American sportswriters. The two became fast friends and fellow Hall of Famers.

"Wendell and Jerry covered baseball together for years," said Wyonella Smith, Wendell's widow. "They went to spring training together and remained very close friends. Jerry was very instrumental in getting Wendell elected into Cooperstown [in 1993]."

Mary Frances Veeck, widow of former White Sox owner and baseball maverick Bill Veeck, said "trust" was the operative word in Holtzman's dealings with people. He never broke that trust with a friend or a source.

"You develop friendships in the game, and I think the thing between Bill and Jerome was they could always count on what the other one was saying," Mrs. Veeck said. "There was mutual respect, and when something came up and they wanted answers, they could count on each other being truthful."

Determined reporter
Holtzman was always primed for a big scoop, including the news during the 1974 World Series the Oakland pitching star Jim "Catfish" Hunter would be granted free agency after A's owner Charlie Finley failed to honor certain provisions in his contract.

"He beat everybody on the beat," Gleason said. "It was during a World Series, and he was so far ahead of everybody it was amusing."

Holtzman was also a hard-bitten reporter who didn't back down from those he covered, most notably former Cubs manager Leo Durocher. Holtzman once bragged he'd spent an entire season not talking to Durocher because the volatile manager had slighted him.

"Leo thought the writers were trying to get him kicked out of Chicago, and he thought Jerome was the ringleader," Williams said.

Holtzman and Durocher eventually made their peace, but only after Durocher initiated it.

Colleagues recall Holtzman never backing down to anyone, including editors, and his stubbornness became one of his most memorable traits.

"Jerome was a little testy at times," former Associated Press sports editor Joe Mooshil said. "He could never admit that Michael Jordan was a great basketball player. He once said Jordan was not a team player, they could never win with him. After the [six] Bulls championships, he'd never say, 'Hey, I was wrong,' as anyone would, because that was Jerome. He was testy and tough."

Former White Sox general manager Roland Hemond believes every relief pitcher in baseball is beholden to Holtzman because the "save" rule has dramatically increased their value.

"Pitchers owe him," Hemond said, and he recalled introducing Holtzman to one reliever who was "pleased to meet the man who made me a lot of money."

"Jerome should have gotten a percentage from all the closers for creating the save," Hemond said. "He helped a lot of relief pitchers become wealthy."

Courted by Tribune
After 38 years at the Sun-Times, Holtzman ran into a sports editor named Lewis Grizzard who believed his style was too old-fashioned for modern-day readers. Grizzard wanted a fresher, hipper approach to sportswriting.

Just when Holtzman feared his career might be over, Tribune sports editor George Langford conspired with editor Jim Squires to bring Holtzman across the street and make him the featured baseball writer at the Tribune in 1981. He immediately rewarded their faith by breaking the story of the settlement of the 1981 baseball strike.

"The Sun-Times was treating him badly," Gleason said. "All the young editors there said they didn't understand what he was doing, which revealed to me they didn't understand what they were doing."

A Sun-Times editor made a last-ditch effort to persuade Holtzman to stay, showing up on his doorstep to plead his case.

"There's something odd about this," Holtzman said. "In all the years I've lived here, you've never come to my door." With that he closed the door, literally and figuratively beginning a new chapter in his life.

"Langford rescued him, brought him to the Tribune, and from there he blossomed as a national writer," Mooshil said.

Holtzman's M.O. was to arrive at the ballpark early, stay late and outwork the competition. Williams said he stood out from most of the other writers because he was tough but always fair, even when criticizing a player.

"I started calling him 'the Dean' because he was the senior writer," Williams said. "We talked baseball all the time. Players didn't hesitate to give Jerome a story, because they knew he was always fair."

Baseball writing has changed, and old-school types like Holtzman are few and far between. He had no interest in promoting himself on TV or radio, preferring to let his words speak for him.

"He was a true original," former Sun-Times colleague Ron Rapoport said. "I never knew a writer who loved baseball more. They'll never call anybody else 'the Dean' again, that's for sure."

Holtzman is survived by his wife, Marilyn; two daughters, Alice Barnett of California, and Janet Holtzman of Wilmette; a son, Jack Merrill of Los Angeles; and five grandchildren. A private funeral will be held on Tuesday at Rosehill Cemetery at 5800 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago. A memorial service is to be announced at a later date.

Longtime baseball aficionado Foley dies at 79

BY JOHN JEANSONNE July 15, 2008

Red Foley, the cigar-chomping fixture at New York ballparks who spent decades meticulously recording hits and errors when he wasn't chit-chatting with managers in their dugouts and clubhouses, died yesterday in a Flushing hospital. He was 79.

For 36 years, beginning in 1966, Foley worked as an official scorer for Mets and Yankees games - and even a few Ducks games. He scored more than 3,000 major-league games, including 10 World Series, more than any other person in modern baseball history.

Though players often perceive scoring decisions that hurt their statistics to be slights and betrayals of their talents, Foley earned widespread respect with his measured accuracy and knowledge of the rule book.

Two potentially troublesome Foley calls for the Mets, one that turned Robin Ventura's 1999 playoff grand slam into a single and one that denied Glendon Rusch a no-hitter in 2001, were readily accepted by players as correct. (Ventura was swamped by teammates after the winning hit and never reached second base; Rusch failed to cover first on what turned out to be the opposing team's only hit, a first-inning bunt.)

"He just called 'em as he saw 'em," said Daily News colleague Bill Gallo, the longtime columnist and cartoonist. "He was like Popeye; he said, 'I yam what I yam.' But he was very well liked by players, managers and newspapermen alike."

Foley's scoring assignments grew out of his baseball beat with the Daily News and continued after retirement from the News in 1981. In 2003, a Manhattan sports bar, Foley's NY, was named for him on 33rd Street as a hangout for baseball writers. (Foley himself was a teetotaler.)

Stout but with a smooth left-handed swing, Foley was the star of a mid-1960s writers/players game in Cleveland, lashing a triple against former Indians lefthander Herb Score, then a broadcaster. Former Newsday baseball beat writer Joe Donnelly recalled that on the flight back to New York, Yankees manager Ralph Houk and Foley sat side by side smoking cigars. Houk, known to have been a light hitter during his playing days, teased Foley about his chugging run with, "I could've been around the bases twice myself." Foley answered, "Yeah, but who would've hit the ball for you?"

Arthur Foley was born Dec. 26, 1928, in Queens and lived most of his life in the borough until a recent move to an assisted living center in Hempstead. The archetypal redheaded lad, he was able to gain free admission to the 1939 World's Fair by virtue of a contest admitting the kid with the most freckles, according to Kevin Brosnahan, his family lawyer.

Foley attended the same Elmhurst high school, Newtown, as current Mets general manager Omar Minaya and started in the newspaper business as a Daily News copyboy. His father had worked in the sports department at the old New York Journal-American.

As a Daily News reporter, Foley "wrote in the old News style, using 'ribbies' [for RBIs] and other non-words," retired Newsday columnist Joe Gergen said. "And he loved to get double entendres into the paper."

"A lot of people thought he was angry because he had a frown," Gallo said. "He wasn't. He was busy."

With a sly, ballpark-trained humor. At the January 2007 funeral of contemporary Jack Lang, Foley noted several empty pews and offered, "Plenty of good seats available."

Foley's funeral will be Thursday at St. Mel's Roman Catholic Church in Bayside.





Harry E. Schaeffer

Published in the Reading Eagle on 7/14/2008

Harry E. Schaeffer, 84, Shillington, died July 12, 2008, at 2:45 p.m. in his residence.

He was the husband of Miriam A. (Madenford) Schaeffer, with whom he shared 57 years of marriage.

Born in Shillington, he was a son of the late Harry E. and Naomi E. (Brendle) Schaeffer.

Harry was a high school teacher in the Cocalico School District, Lancaster County. He taught social studies, health and physical education and, lastly, driver education.

He was director of athletics for 25 years and baseball coach for 14 years, with a very successful record. He retired in 1984.

He was a 1942 graduate of Shillington High School and a 1949 graduate of East Stroudsburg State Teachers College.

He played professional baseball for nine years and was a member of the 1952 World Champion New York Yankees, for whom he pitched.

On Jan. 31, 1985, he received the George W. Kirchner Memorial Award by the Lancaster Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association in grateful recognition for his contributions to sports in Lancaster County.

On Sept. 27, 1986, he was taken into the East Stroudsburg University Athletics Hall of Fame and in 1992, he was inducted into the PA Sports Hall of Fame-Berks Chapter.

He was a member of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Shillington.

He was a Navy veteran of World War II.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, John M., and wife, Amber Schaeffer, Austin, Texas; and two daughters, Susan R., wife of Allen Dissinger, Denver, Pa.; and Sherry L., wife of William Redcay, Lincoln Park.

There are also nine grandchildren: Kelly, Ross, Stefanie, Christopher, Mindi, Todd, Jessica, Scott and Taylor; and two great-granddaughters, Haley and Alexis.

He was predeceased by a brother, Morris Schaeffer; a sister, Mary Ruthhardt; and a great-granddaughter, Amber Nicole Dailey.

Services will be Thursday at 11 a.m. in Klee Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 1 E. Lancaster Ave., Shillington, with the Rev. Victor A. Kroninger officiating. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery, Shillington. A viewing will be held Wednesday 6 to 8 p.m. and Thursday 10 to 11 a.m. in the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, please honor Harry's memory by making contributions to American Cancer Society, 498 Bellevue Ave., Laureldale, PA 19605. For additional information, phone 610-777-7688.





Ex-major leaguer Stobbs enjoyed making others feel welcome

By CHAD BROCKHOFF CORRESPONDENT

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Sunday, July 13, 2008

SARASOTA - The Washington Senators were just playing out the string and it wasn’t even his turn in the rotation, but left-hander Chuck Stobbs gamely took the ball for the 1957 season finale.

Facing the indignity of suffering his 20th loss of the season, Stobbs battled the visiting Baltimore Orioles for 10 innings before dropping a 7-3 decision at Griffith Park. The fact that he cemented his spot in baseball lore that Sept. 27 day overshadowed Stobbs’ competitive spirit.

That same competitive spirit served the Sarasota resident well the last seven years as he battled cancer. Surrounded by friends and family, the 79-year-old Stobbs succumbed to the disease early Friday morning.

“What I will always remember is that he didn’t complain once during the last seven years,” Stobbs’ son, Charley, said.

Born in Wheeling W.Va., on July 2, 1929, Stobbs attended one year of high school in Vero Beach before his family moved to Norfolk, Va. He starred in football, basketball and baseball at Norfolk’s Granby High School.

He was later recognized by the Granby High School Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. The Virginian-Pilot newspaper named Stobbs as one of the Tidewater-area’s greatest athletes of the 20th century.

Stobbs received a $50,000 bonus when he signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox organization prior to the start of the 1947 season. He made his major-league debut on Sept. 15 of that year against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park.

Stobbs was the youngest player in the majors during the 1947 season and the youngest player in the American League in 1948. The legendary Ted Williams once took the youngster along on a clothing shopping spree in New York City.

After compiling a record of 33-23 in five seasons with the Red Sox, he was dealt to the White Sox on Nov. 13, 1951. Following the 1952 season, the White Sox traded Stobbs to the Washington Senators.

The Senators were perennially one of baseball’s worst teams. Fans joked, “First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League.”

In his first season with the club, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Stobbs gave up a “565-foot” home run to Yankee slugger Mickey Mantle. The blast, which was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, was the first of its kind described as a “tape measure shot.”

Stobbs was credited with throwing the longest wild pitch in history during the 1956 season. The pitch reportedly traveled into the 17th row in the grandstand.

Stobbs joined the St. Louis Cardinals after being released in July 1958 by the Senators. The Cardinals released Stobbs in the offseason and he rejoined the Senators, staying with the organization through its first season as the Minnesota Twins in 1961.

“He always told me that he threw just as hard in ‘61 as he did in ‘47; it just didn’t get there as fast,” Charley Stobbs said.

Over a 15-year major league career, Stobbs compiled a record of 107-130 with an earned run average of 4.29. According to Charley Stobbs, Chuck Stobbs always had to be prodded into talking about his baseball career.

Stobbs relocated to Sarasota, where the Red Sox conducted spring training from 1946-58, when the Kansas City Royals opened their baseball academy at Twin Lakes Park in 1971. He volunteered at Bee Ridge Presbyterian Church over the past 35 years, working on various committees, organizing the church bazaar and driving elderly parishioners to services.

“He had a great sense of humor and he always wanted to make people feel welcome,” Charley Stobbs said. “My dad was well aware that there was plenty of suffering in the world, and he just thought that he could brighten people’s day by saying something nice.”

Funeral services will be conducted on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Bee Ridge Presbyterian Church.





Former Yanks great Murcer dies at 62

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com 07/12/2008 7:00 PM ET

Bobby Murcer, a personable, popular five-time All-Star who went on to a successful broadcasting career with the New York Yankees, died Saturday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 62.
After experiencing a general lack of energy, Murcer was diagnosed with a tumor on Christmas Eve 2006, undergoing surgery at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Pathology reports later revealed the tumor to be malignant.

Yankees chairman George M. Steinbrenner issued the following statement upon learning of Murcer's death:

"Bobby Murcer was a born Yankee, a great guy, very well-liked and a true friend of mine. I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Kay, their children and grandchildren. I will really miss the guy."

After being diagnosed, Murcer commented in an upbeat spirit, thanking fans for their prayers and warm wishes -- many of which were delivered in the form of letters and e-mails directly to his hospital bed.

"My heart remains true to Yankees fans," Murcer said on Jan. 24. "I've always believed you're the very best in baseball. It's your steadfast spirit that keeps me feeling so optimistic."

Born May 20, 1946, in Oklahoma City, Okla., Murcer played in the Major Leagues for 17 seasons, including making four All-Star appearances with the Yankees.

A lifetime .277 batter, Murcer hit 252 home runs and drove in 1,043 runs in 1,908 Major League games with the Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs.

Baseball Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig issued the following statement:

"All of Major League Baseball is saddened today by the passing of Bobby Murcer, particularly on the eve of this historic All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, a place he called home for so many years. Bobby was a gentleman, a great ambassador for baseball, and a true leader both on and off the field. He was a man of great heart and compassion and made many wonderful contributions to the Baseball Assistance Team and to the game. All of us in baseball will miss him. We pass on our sympathies and condolences to his family and to his many friends."

Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who played with Murcer with the Yankees for six seasons and remained friends, was informed of the news after his team's game on Saturday.

"It's a sad day," Piniella said. "Just a wonderful person, a great teammate and a heck of a baseball player. [Wife] Kay and Bobby were good friends. I was informed about this about five minutes ago, and I knew that he was struggling. But, boy, you just don't think these sort of things happen, but they do. They happen frequently."

Murcer was the only Yankee to play with both Mickey Mantle and Don Mattingly, and was arguably the franchise's most popular player of the era immediately following Mantle's retirement after the 1968 season.

Murcer was hailed as another Mantle when he emerged from the Yankees' system in the mid-1960s. Both players were signed out of Oklahoma as shortstops by the same scout, Tom Greenwade, prompting comparisons.

As history shows, Murcer could not match comparisons to the Hall of Famer's lofty credentials, but he assembled an admirable Major League career.

One of his best seasons came in 1971, when Murcer led the American League with a .427 on-base percentage and ranked second in the circuit with a career-high .331 batting average.

After struggling with adjustments to Shea Stadium, where the Yankees played in 1974 and 1975 while Yankee Stadium was being renovated, Murcer was traded to the Giants in 1975 for outfielder Bobby Bonds.

He would be dealt to the Cubs in 1977, only to return and finish his career with the Yankees from 1979 through 1983.

Perhaps Murcer's most memorable moment came on Aug. 6, 1979, in the wake of Yankees captain Thurman Munson's untimely death in a plane crash.

Munson and Murcer had been close friends. As the Yankees returned to New York from Munson's funeral service in Ohio, manager Billy Martin suggested that Murcer -- who had delivered a moving eulogy for the catcher -- sit out that evening's game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Murcer disagreed, telling Martin that something was telling him to play, and that he did not feel tired. Dedicating his performance to Munson, Murcer drove in all of New York's runs in a 5-4 victory, slugging a three-run homer and a game-winning two-run single.

"I remember when we went to Thurman's funeral, and that night Bobby hit that home run into the upper deck to win a baseball game," Piniella said. "I was so happy. A lot of good memories, a lot of good memories. You hate to see this happen to good people. ... I thought he was getting better, and I know the past week or 10 days, he's been struggling. It's a shame, what can I say. We're thinking about him."

Murcer was also just the fourth Yankee to hit home runs in four consecutive at-bats, joining Lou Gehrig, Johnny Blanchard and Mantle.

For most of the last 24 years, Murcer had worked as a Yankees broadcaster, winning three Emmy awards for live sports coverage.

Murcer worked as a radio color analyst from 1983-85 before moving to television as a commentator in 1987, and also served as the Yankees' assistant general manager in 1986.

He helped the baseball family immensely through his efforts as chairman of the Baseball Assistance Team, which raises funds for former players who have fallen on hard times. Murcer was also the president of the Oklahoma City 89ers Minor League baseball club in the mid-1980s.

Murcer is survived by his wife, Kay, and two children, Tori and Todd.

Grand Rapids Hall of Famer Don Eaddy dies at 75

Friday, July 11, 2008

By Greg Johnson The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS -- In recent years Don Eaddy would take his brother Jim fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, and they would usually end up talking about their athletic pasts in Grand Rapids.

"I'm not saying this just because he was my brother, but Don was, without a doubt, the best all-around athlete ever to come out of Grand Rapids," Jim Eaddy said.

Mr. Eaddy, a Chicago Cub for a brief time in 1959, died Tuesday night in New Hampshire after a battle with cancer. He was 75.

Mr. Eaddy was a standout at the University of Michigan in baseball and basketball, and a standout at Ottawa Hills High School in football, basketball and baseball.

Bob Hendrickson, a former basketball coach, athletic director and standout athlete at Ottawa Hills, was a teammate of Mr. Eaddy. He concurred with Jim about the quarterback who threw him passes in football.

"I might be prejudiced, but he had to be the best athlete ever out of the city," Hendrickson said. "He was the best at that time in everything, and you don't see that anymore. And he was a really great person, too."

Jim said his brother, who as an eight-time letter winner at Michigan in football and basketball and led the Michigan baseball team to the 1953 NCAA national championship, loved competition.

"He played in the minor leagues (third base) after being in the service, he made it to Triple-A and was called up by the Cubs. He was up with them twice (in 1959) for (15) games, but only got to bat once."

One of five children of William and Clotell Eaddy of Grand Rapids, Don was twice named to All-City teams in each of the sports he played at Ottawa Hills.

He earned 12 varsity letters, and had some performances that veteran City League sports enthusiasts still talk about.

In the fall of 1950, Ottawa Hills tied Union 41-41 in a football game, and Mr. Eaddy either passed to Hendrickson or ran for all of the scores. That winter, in a basketball game against Creston, Mr. Eaddy scored 39 points, including 27 in the fourth quarter.

He went on to Michigan to start for both the basketball and baseball teams, and was the first black athlete to play baseball for the Wolverines.

After his stints in the Air Force and professional baseball, Mr. Eaddy became a salesman and eventually a fast-food franchise owner, including a Burger King in downtown Boston by the old Boston Garden.

His older brother, Jim, meanwhile, became one of the Big Ten Conference's first black basketball officials, and was also a standout coach in the City League. His basketball team at Ottawa Hills won the Class A state championship in 1997.

The brothers are in the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame. Mr. Eaddy was elected as part of the first class at the current home, Van Andel Arena, in 1996, and Jim Eaddy went in 2007.

Mr. Eaddy is survived by his wife, Christine, his brother, Jim, of Grand Rapids and his sister Doris Eaddy of Washington, D.C. He was predeceased by his parents, a sister Shirley and a brother Bill.

Mr. Eaddy opted for cremation, and other arrangements are pending.

"I know he wanted his ashes spread all around that beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee," Jim said. "He loved his fishing."





Ron Jackson's life was full and rewarding

Kalamazoo Gazette Friday, July 11, 2008

Try to imagine the excitement and awe that Ron Jackson experienced in 1954 as a 20-year-old Major League rookie from Kalamazoo.

After all, the young 6-foot 7-inch first baseman entered an era that included an array of playing greats such as Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and Warren Spahn, to name but a few. Jackson, born and raised in our community, died here at age 74 of pancreatic cancer on Sunday.

In the baseball world, Jackson never reached stardom. His professional career lasted only seven seasons (1954-60), six of which were spent riding the bench with the Chicago White Sox, and the seventh with the Boston Red Sox.

At that time, the odds were against him. There was no such thing as free agency. A player was bound to the team that owned him. There were only 16 teams in the Major Leagues in 1954. Today there are 30, and many observers contend that the talent has been diluted.

It wasn't until 1975 that baseball's infamous reserve clause was dismantled, and free agency turned young men into multimillionaires. It's a good bet that, in today's market, Jackson would have had far more opportunities and greater success.

As it turned out, baseball -- which was Jackson's first love -- was a relatively small part of his life. But early on, he excelled. He was a third-team all-American on the 1952 Western Michigan University baseball squad, which he led to a third-place finish in the College World Series.

In southwestern Michigan, Jackson will best be remembered for his stardom in basketball. This superb athlete led Kalamazoo Central's Maroon Giants to a then-unprecedented three consecutive Class A state high school championships in 1949, 1950 and 1951. At WMU in the 1951-52 season, he led the late coach Bill Perigo's Broncos to their first Mid-American Conference basketball crown.

Jackson was inducted into WMU's Hall of Fame in 1981, and in 2003 became an initial member of the Kalamazoo Central High School Hall of Fame. In recent years, he -- along with Carol, his wife of 55 years -- was a familiar figure and enthusiastic fan at WMU home basketball games.

Jackson's life after sports was one of success in business and community involvement. The baseball logo on the building that houses the Ron Jackson Insurance Agency long ago became familiar to motorists driving along South Burdick Street. The Jackson family remains involved in the business.

``Of all the athletes I ever covered, Ron Jackson was the epitome of a real sportsman,'' recalled Jack Moss, retired sports editor of the Kalamazoo Gazette, who now resides in Fort Myers, Fla. ``He was modest, soft-spoken, a really good athlete and a good person. He never bad-mouthed anybody, yet he had a fire within him and was very competitive.''

Ron Jackson not only was a gifted athlete and a role model of his generation, he was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and solid citizen. His contributions to the Kalamazoo community will endure.

Former Royals pitcher Steve Mingori dies at 64

The Kansas City Star, July 10, 2008

Steve Mingori Former Royals pitcher Steve Mingori, 64, died Thursday of natural causes.

Mingori, a Kansas City native, got to pitch for his hometown team during 1973-79, making 264 of his 385 career big-league appearances in a Royals uniform.

In addition, Mingori made seven postseason relief appearances for the Royals.

“He’s one of those guys teammates joked around with,” Royals Hall of Famer Frank White said. “He was a real good teammate. He was a lefty, had a screwball.

“Steve is from KC, played in the B.J. (Ban Johnson) League. He was really excited when he came to Kansas City to play. He was part of our ’77 team. He was real effective.”

Julio Gotay

Baseballlatino.net 7/5/2004

Julio Gotay Sanchez, former ballplayer for the Mayaguez Indians in Puerto Rican professional baseball, passed away yesterday, Friday, of respiratory failure in the Santo Asilo de Damas hospital in Ponce. He was 69 years ofage.

He is survived by Silvia his wife, with whom he was married 48 years and their children Julio, Agustín and the twins Irma and Silvia.

Gotay entered the hospital on June 17 to be treated for cancer of the prostate and passed away yesterday. The body of the well-known ballplayer was exhibited today, Saturday, in the funeral parlor of Jackie Oliver, in the Cuatro Calles area of Ponce. Tomorrow, Sunday, the body will be transferred to his native town, Fajardo, to be held in the Carrasco funeral home and the burial will be on Monday, at 1:00pm, in the new cemetery, located in the Florence barrio of Fajardo.

Gotay Sanchez also played in the Puerto Rican Beisbol League with the Santurce Crabbers and was a close friend of the great Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In addition, he played with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels and the Houston Astros in the Major Leagues.

After his retirement as professional ballplayer, he finished his education and for many years was a school master in Ponce, the city where he made his home.





Author and historian Tygiel dies at 59
Best known for his book on Robinson breaking color barrier

MLB.com July 4, 2008
By Justice B. Hill

Perhaps Jules Tygiel wasn't the most authoritative source on "black baseball," but if other people did have greater intellectual impact in mining the rich history of segregated baseball, they'd still have to pay their proper respects to Tygiel and his seminal work.

For no academician raised research into that area of baseball to serious scholarship the way Tygiel did. His 1983 classic, "Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy" might be, as somebody put it recently, "one of the most definitive books in baseball history on Jackie Robinson."

From the day his book on Robinson hit bookshelves, Tygiel, a history professor at San Francisco State University, became a much-sought source for any topic related to Robinson and the Negro Leagues.

His pioneering research on black baseball, and its ties to American history, will be missed. On Tuesday, Tygiel died of cancer. He was 59.

"His book gave people a better understanding of what the Negro Leagues represented," said Bob Kendrick, marketing director of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. "[One thing] we try to do here at the Museum is to counter that whole aspect of vaudeville, buffoonish and the things that so often had been linked to black baseball."

Here comes Robinson, Kendrick said, to defy those images. Here comes Tygiel, Kendrick said, to write an account of that period in a literary voice tuned with an intellectual's mind. Scholarship was at the heart of who Tygiel was.

"He was an excellent scholar and teacher, and very, very giving of his time to people," said Adrian Burgos, a history professor at the University of Illinois and author of "Playing America's Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line."

Tygiel, who mentored Burgos, earned his doctorate at the University of California-Los Angeles in 1977, and he taught at the University of Tennessee and the University of Virginia before joining the history faculty at San Francisco State in 1978.

Educated as a classical historian, Tygiel, like a handful of his academic peers, found parallels between the changing social and cultural fabric of America in the early 1900s and sports.

As unyielding practices of Jim Crow stood as the barrier to full participation of blacks in the experience, organized baseball had its own unyielding practices, Tygiel said. The sport built an invisible wall, rigid as granite in all respects, in the late 1800s that blocked men with dark skin
from passing through it.

Those men had no choice, if pursuing baseball was their quest, but to find an alternative for their passion. They did. They formed leagues of their own.

"The realm of black baseball was a vibrant and colorful one," Tygiel once wrote. "It offered a panorama of innovations and enterprise, entertainment and excitement, an unparalleled athletic achievement. It enriched the lives of African Americans, and of other Americans who were
fortunate enough to witness its magic."

But his bent toward viewing history through an unclouded lens ensured that Tygiel would find no solace in the existence of two leagues: one black, one white; both separated by the "nation's worst impulses: the cancer of segregation and discrimination ..."

In his writings and teachings, Tygiel captured the resiliency of black men who toiled outside the spotlight of Major League Baseball. He wrote of their struggles; he wrote of their achievements; and he lectured on their leagues and all their shades of glory.

His scholarship proved an inspiration to other historians. "'Baseball's Great Experiment' is a classic work on baseball integration," Burgos said. "The way that Jules did it was the right way, in that he incorporated the story of the Negro Leagues into the story of baseball integration."

His book didn't just celebrate Robinson; Tygiel stitched together the mosaic that led directly to the breaking of the color barrier.

In doing so, Tygiel left behind a work that will be his enduring legacy. While not the first book on black baseball -- John Holway and Robert Peterson wrote about this storied institution before anybody else - "Baseball's Great Experiment" might have been the best.

"Long before Ken Burns' Baseball (1994) put the Robinson story at the center of baseball history, and 14 years before the immense 50th-anniversary celebrations of Robinson's 1947 debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Tygiel's masterful account provided a sophisticated, at times riveting, tale, deftly combining social and cultural history with first-rate drama," a review in The American Historical Review said of Tygiel's book. "Historians with a special interest in mass culture, or race
relations in general, and sports and baseball in particular, have been deeply in his debt for nearly two decades."

Tygiel, however, wrote about more than Robinson.

In his 2001 book "Past Time: Baseball as History," Tygiel penned a collection of essays that, according to a review in The Washington Post, showed that "baseball, far from being a freak show at the periphery of the country's public and important business, has been part and parcel of that business throughout its history."

But like a few others before him, and many after him, Tygiel found that sports in general and baseball specifically dovetailed with the emerging progress whites and blacks have made in bridging the racial divide that U.S. courts had sanctioned.

"With someone like Professor Tygiel, who wrote this wonderful account, he gave people a better understanding and a better appreciation of what the Negro Leagues represented," Kendrick said.





H. Sam Carrigan

Published in the Alamogordo Daily News from 6/28/2008 - 7/9/2008.

H. Sam Carrigan, 86, of Alamogordo, passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 28, 2008, in Alamogordo.

Sam was born July 24, 1921, in Holyoke, Mass., to Victor and Maria (Boutin) Carrigan. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Sam grew up loving sports, especially baseball. He was an American League umpire during the 1950s and '60s, which he believed were the greatest years of baseball.

He retired from the Federated Department Stores in 1986.
In 1992 he moved to Alamogordo and married Rose Bushlow on New Year's Day in 1994. They did much traveling, delivering Meals on Wheels for the Senior Center, and entertained friends for many years. They were active members of St. Jude Mission.

Survivors include his loving wife, Rose, of the family home; a son, Michael Carrigan, and his wife, Deborah, of Grant Pass, Ore.; two daughters, Patricia Dofelmire and Mary "Liz" McCracken, both of Sacramento, Calif.; 12 grandchildren; three stepsons, Tony Bushlow of Monterey, Calif., Mark Bushlow and his wife, Beth, of Alamogordo, and Chris Bushlow and his wife, Deborah, of La Luz; four stepdaughters, Linda Bushlow-Rico, of Arlington, Texas, Gloria Brown and her husband, Roy, of Port Orchard, Wash., Cathy Barton and her husband, Ron, of Alamogordo, and Susan Bushlow, of Las Cruces; 14 step grandchildren; 10 step great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Raymond Carrigan, of Post Falls, Idaho, and Norman "Pete" Carrigan, of Ware, Mass.

Sam was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Jeanette Baril; a son, Christopher Carrigan; and two grandchildren, Billy and Jennifer Carrigan.

The Rosary will be recited Saturday, July 5, at 10:15 a.m. at St. Jude Mission. Mass of the Resurrection will follow at 11 a.m. with Father Wayne Herpin, S.J., as celebrant.

Inurnment will follow in the St. Jude Columbarium with military honors by the U.S. Navy.

Services are under the direction of Hamilton-O'Dell Funeral Home.

Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to their charity of choice.





Funeral services today for former Major League pitcher, coach Billy Muffett of Monroe

Staff report • June 19, 2008

Funeral services for Mr. Billy Arnold Muffett, 77, of Monroe, will be held at 1 p.m., in the chapel of Mulhearn Funeral Home, Sterlington Road, Monroe, with Dr. Bill Dye and Rev. Warren Eckhardt officiating. Interment will follow in Mulhearn Memorial Park Mausoleum.

Muffett retired in November 1994 after 45 years in professional baseball.

Muffett began his career with the Chicago Cubs in 1948. His career was interrupted from 1952-1954 by the military during the Korean Conflict. He pitched for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants. He became pitching coach with the St. Louis Cardinals, California Angels, and the Detroit Tigers. Among his pupils were Hall of Famers Bob Gibson and Nolan Ryan, along with Tigers' great Jack Morris. He worked alongside Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson with the Tigers.

Left behind to cherish his loving memory is his wife of fifty-seven years, Janet Lusk Muffett; sister, Donna Jay of Abilene, Texas; a niece in Tampa, Fla.; a nephew in Abilene, Texas; and other relatives and friends.

Pallbearers will be Mark Leath, David Leath, Leslie Denison, Kelly Jay, Casey Jay, and Larry Lusk.





Longtime Mets employee Jim Plummer dies at 56

The Associated PressPublished: June 24, 2008

NEW YORK: Jim Plummer, who had been with the New York Mets' organization since he was Nolan Ryan's minor league bat boy in 1965, died Tuesday at New York University Medical Center. He was 56.

Plummer had a liver and kidney transplant last weekend and died of a heart attack, Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said.

Plummer started with the Mets in Marion, Va., and moved up to the major league team in 1976. At the time of his death, he was director of corporate sales.

"Plum was a friend who helped me get adjusted to New York," former Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden said in a statement released by the team. "He was there for me whenever I needed something."

Plummer was given a "Ya Gotta Believe" award by the team last April, and it was presented to him by former Mets outfielder Darryl Strawberry.

Plummer is survived by his wife, Tee, and a son, Jonathan. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.





Bert Shepard, 87, an Inspirational Amputee, Dies

The New York Times, June 20, 2008

Bert Shepard, a World War II fighter pilot who lost his right leg when he was shot down over Germany but went on to pitch for the 1945 Washington Senators, becoming an inspiration for grievously wounded veterans, died Monday in Highland, Calif. He was 87.

His death, at a nursing home, was announced by his son Justin.

Shepard pitched in only one major league game, but his impressive relief appearance against the Boston Red Sox at Washington’s Griffith Stadium transcended the world of baseball.

When Shepard entered that game on Aug. 4, 1945, he was still a lieutenant in the Army Air Forces, commuting to the ball park from Walter Reed Army Hospital. A native of Dana, Ind., Shepard had pitched and played first base in the low minor leagues for the Chicago White Sox organization before becoming a pilot.

In May 1944, Shepard was strafing a truck convoy north of Berlin when his P-38 Lightning fighter was downed by antiaircraft fire. A German military doctor pulled him from the wreckage and, at gunpoint, held back farmers threatening Shepard with pitchforks.

Shepard awoke in a hospital as a prisoner of war, his mangled right leg amputated below the knee. In February 1945, he returned to the United States on a prisoner exchange ship with an artificial leg fashioned by a Canadian at his prisoner of war camp.

In March, Robert Patterson, the undersecretary of war, visiting Shepard, learned of his ambitions to play baseball again and arranged for a tryout with the Senators, who were conducting spring training at the University of Maryland. Using a new artificial leg, and officially listed as a coach, Shepard pitched effectively in exhibition games against the Norfolk Naval Training Station team and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

On Aug. 4, he was summoned from the bullpen against the Red Sox in the fourth inning with the Senators trailing, 14-2.

“I came in with the bases loaded, and I struck out George Metkovich to get us out of it," Shepard told The International Herald Tribune in 1993. Though the score gave the Senators little chance of winning, “there was much more pressure on me than it seemed,” Shepard said.

“If I would have failed,” he told the newspaper, “then the manager says, ‘I knew I shouldn’t have put him in with that leg.’ But the leg was not a problem, and I didn’t want anyone saying it was.”

As a left-handed pitcher, Shepard relied on his left leg, the rear one, for balance and for driving off in his delivery.

He pitched five and a third innings against the Red Sox, giving up one run and three hits.

Although the Senators did not use Shepard again, he was back in the public eye Aug. 31 when Secretary Patterson, accompanied by General Omar Bradley, awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross in a ceremony at Griffith Stadium.

“Bert was pretty damn good,” his former teammate, outfielder George Case, once said. “It was amazing. Walter Reed was just up the road from Griffith Stadium.

“Bert was constantly going up there to show what he’d done. And we’d have a couple of amputees at every game. They’d see Bert throw batting practice.”

In the winter of 1946, Shepard made a national tour of centers for the treatment of war amputees.

Shepard pitched in the minor leagues for several years after the war but had a series of operations on what remained of his right leg and never got another chance at the major leagues.

He later worked as a salesman for IBM and a safety engineer and a specialist in employing the handicapped for Hughes Aircraft. He won the national amputee golf championship in 1968 and 1971.

In addition to his son Justin, of Hesperia, Calif., Shepard is survived by his wife, Betty, of Los Angeles; his son Preston, of Hesperia; his daughters Penny Shepard, of Oklahoma City, and Karen Shepard, of Los Angeles; his brothers Martin, Gene and John, all of Indiana; and nine grandchildren.

Shepard remained intrigued by how he had come to survive his fighter-plane crash. In 1992, he learned that the German military doctor who had saved him was an Austrian named Ladislaus Loidl.

“This Week in Baseball,” produced by Major League Baseball Productions, arranged for Shepard to meet Loidl at his home in Vienna, and it took along tapes of Shepard’s pitching days.

In interviews, Shepard always discounted his handicap. “I was the type of person who never overrated my opponents,” he told The Associated Press in 1990. “They’ve got two legs and two hands, the same as me.”





Johnny Buzhardt 1936 ~ 2008

Ex-Cubs, White Sox pitcher Johnny Buzhardt dies
By Bob Vanderberg | Tribune reporter
June 18, 2008

Johnny Buzhardt, a right-handed pitcher who made his major-league debut with the Cubs but whose best years were with the White Sox, died Sunday at his home in Prosperity, S.C. He was 71.

Buzhardt, perhaps best known for his uncanny success against the Yankees, suffered a stroke several years ago and had been in declining health, according to the McSwain-Evans Funeral Home in Prosperity.

"John had been confined to a wheelchair for quite some time," former Sox teammate Gary Peters said Tuesday from Sarasota, Fla. "This is sad news. John was a nice guy, a good ol' country boy. Easy to get to know, easy to get along with."

Buzhardt spent 10 full seasons in the big leagues, breaking in as a September call-up with the 1958 Cubs, for whom he was 3-0 with a 1.85 earned-run average. Two of the victories were successive five-hitters against the Dodgers. After a 4-5 year with the Cubs, mostly in relief, he went to the Phillies in a trade for center fielder Richie Ashburn.

With the Phillies, Buzhardt became a full-time starter—and big-time loser as the 1960 and 1961 Phils were among the worst teams in baseball history (the '61 team lost 23 straight). In fact, Buzhardt was 5-16 in '60 and had a decent ERA of 3.86. After Buzhardt went 6-18 the next year, the White Sox obtained him and third baseman Charlie Smith from the Phillies in exchange for first baseman Roy Sievers.

Soon he began winning games instead of losing them, particularly the ones with the Yankees. He beat the World Series champions 3-1 on April 24, 1962, in New York and blanked them 1-0 nine days later in Chicago. By the time the Sox had sold him to Baltimore in 1967, Buzhardt's record against the Yankees stood at 7-0.

"They were the type of ballclub that wanted to hit the long ball," he recalled in an interview years later. "And I had a fastball that would sink. Occasionally, I could get the curveball over the plate, and they were probably just a little bit anxious. That's the only thing I can think of because I wasn't overpowering.

"But it wasn't easy. Yeah, I beat 'em seven times, but our team beat 'em seven times while I was pitching."

On a club whose rotation included such standouts as Peters, Juan Pizarro and Joe Horlen, Buzhardt was never a big winner: He was 8-12 in 1962, 9-4 in an injury-shortened 1963, 10-8 in '64 and 13-8 in '65 before falling to 6-11 the next season.

Buzhardt's final season was with Houston in 1968, when he was primarily used as a reliever. He retired with a 71-96 won-lost record and a career ERA of 3.66.

He leaves a wife, two sons and a daughter.





Umpire Mick Sharkey dead at age 59

The Dayton Daily News

By Chick Ludwig | Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 12:21 PM

===LUDWIG AT LARGE is deeply saddened by the death of Mick Sharkey, an extraordinary sports official and lifelong family friend. View his obituary and sign online guestbook at: http://dunes.cincinnati.com/announce/default.aspx?id=22220

Mick Sharkey, a popular college and high school baseball umpire, basketball referee and football official throughout southwest Ohio, died of an apparent heart attack at his Cincinnati home on Sunday, June 8, 2008.

Mr. Sharkey was 59.

“He was the only umpire who would never argue with me,” said WONE radio personality Mark Schlemmer, the former head baseball coach at the University of Dayton. “I’d ask him, ‘How can I yell at you if you won’t yell back?’ But he always gave a great effort, and we had some great times after games.”

Mr. Sharkey attended Umpire School in Florida with the goal of reaching the Major Leagues. He worked his way through the minor leagues, but never reached the “bigs” full-time.

That didn’t deter him from pursuing his passion. He became one of the most popular and highly-respected sports officials in the Cincinnati-Dayton corridor.

The Sharkey family will accept visitors from 4-8 p.m. at the Gilligan Funeral Home. 2926 Woodburn Ave., Walnut Hills, OH 45206, on Wednesday, June 11. Phone: 513-281-8311.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, June 14, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church, Hyde Park, 2853 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208. Phone: 513-321-1207.

Burial is at Gate of Heaven Catholic Cemetery, 11000 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45249. Phone: 513-489-0300.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent in Mick Sharkey’s name to:

St. Rita School for the Deaf

1720 Glendale Milford Rd.

Cincinnati, OH 45215

513-771-7600





Eliot Asinof, author of baseball book ``Eight Men Out,'' dies

FROM: Newsday
By The Associated Press 6/10/2008

HUDSON, N.Y.

Eliot Asinof, an author who invited readers behind the
scenes of the sports world with books including
"Eight Men Out," died Tuesday at the age of 88.

The Ancramdale resident died at a hospital in Hudson
of complications from pneumonia, said his son, Martin
Asinof.

Asinof was best known for "Eight Men Out," his 1963
retelling of the "Black Sox" scandal in which eight
members of the Chicago White Sox threw the 1919
world series. He spent more than three years exhaustively researching the book, his son said.

The 1988 movie by the same name featured such stars
as John Cusack, Charlie Sheen and Christopher Lloyd.

The Manhattan native wrote more than a dozen books,
included 1968's "Seven Days to Sunday," for which he
spent a year traveling and living with the New York
Giants football team. A novel, "Final Judgment," is due to be published later this year, his son said.

Asinof was himself a minor-league ballplayer, briefly
playing in the Philadelphia Phillies' organization before joining the Army and serving in World War II. Earlier this year, he completed a memoir about his wartime service, his son said.

"He was writing right up to the end," Martin Asinof said of his father.

The elder Asinof also wrote for television and film,
working on such Western shows as "Maverick" and
"Wagon Train," his son said.

During the McCarthy era, Asinof was blacklisted, and
had to resort to writing under the names of other writers, his son said. Years later, after he obtained his FBI file, he told his son that he had been targeted because he once signed a petition outside of Yankee Stadium saying that black ballplayer Jackie Robinson should be allowed to play in the Major Leagues.

Asinof married Jocelyn Brando, the sister of actor
Marlon Brando, after meeting when she was appearing on Broadway.

His parents met, Martin Asinof said, when his father was dating Rita Moreno, and the Brando siblings _ who were starring in separate productions on Broadway at the time _ joined them for dinner. Moreno and Marlon Brando left together, and the other two became smitten with each other. By 1955, they were divorced.





Longtime Scout Joe Lewis Dies at 102

The Lakeland Ledger

Published: Thursday, June 5, 2008 at 6:01 a.m.

Baseball has lost one of its recruiting "icons."

Longtime scout Joseph W. Lewis Sr. died Saturday in Somerset, Mass. He was 102.

Lewis worked with Anaheim, Cleveland, Detroit, Texas and the old Washington Senators franchise until he retired from the Angels after the 2000 season.

In more than 50 years of scouting at the pro level, Lewis discovered the talents of Ruben Sierra and Charles Nagy. Years before, he scouted Thurman Munson and Tom Grieve, according to his obituary in The Herald News in Fall River, Mass.

"He was such a dedicated baseball guy," Boston Red Sox scout Joe McDonald said. "He loved the game. He was a very good scout."

Lewis spent time in Lakeland during and after his career.

For many years, he would spend seven months living in a Lakeland hotel and the other five at his home in Somerset, according to a Ledger story in 2002.

Well into his 90s, Lewis was making the back-and-forth trip by car.

"He was amazing man to drive the car as he did and come to spring training every year," McDonald said.

Lewis was even spotted at Tigertown this spring, though it was unknown if he drove his car down from Massachusetts.

"He was an icon," said McDonald, who lives in Lakeland. "To remain as sharp as he was, as his years came upon him, was amazing."

Lewis' son, also named Joe, spent time with Detroit as a player, minor-league coach and later a scout. McDonald said he worked with the younger Lewis in the Tigers organization for six years.

McDonald added he was "proud" of Joe Jr., who died in 1996.

The funeral for Joe Lewis Sr. will be held this morning.

"(He was) a dedicated, wonderful man, who was a credit to our game," McDonald said.





Ex-MLB pitcher Gonzalez killed by lightning

Monday, 5/26/2008

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Former major league pitcher Geremi Gonzalez, who won 11 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1997, was killed by a lightning strike in his native Venezuela on Sunday. He was 33.

Emergency management official Herman Bracho said Monday that Gonzalez was struck by lightning at a beach.

Gonzalez pitched for five major league teams from 1997-2006. The right-hander appeared in 131 games with 83 starts, compiling a 30-35 record.

Gonzalez also played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers. He made a combined 24 appearances for the Mets and Brewers in his final major league season in 2006.

The Toronto Blue Jays released him during spring training last year. Gonzalez then moved to Japan and pitched in five games for the Yomiuri Giants.





Lawrence A. Zirbel

Published in the Kansas City Star on 5/22/2008.

Larry A. Zirbel, age 86, resident of Kansas City, MO , passed away peacefully on Monday, May 19 2008 at his home.

Larry was born in Paris Township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin on June 13, 1921. Spent his boyhood in Algoma, Wisconsin and graduated from Algoma High School in June 1939.

He was a World War II veteran, 1942-1945. Received his BS degree from Northwest Missouri State, Maryville 1950 and his MEd from Missouri University, Columbia 1954.

Larry spent thirty-seven years in the teaching profession retiring in June 1986. He has taught at Bethany, King City, Tarkio, The Center School District and the last twenty years in the Hickman Mills District as a counselor. Larry officiated football, basketball, baseball and fast pitch softball at the high school and college level.

He was inducted in to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1993, worked with the Kansas City Chiefs/NFL for 44 years, was involved in the AINBA World Youth Baseball Championship in Kindersley, Canada, July 1984 and also in 1984 Larry umpired in the American League Championship Series for the KC Royals.

Larry is survived by his wife Geraldine of the home; daughters Jeanie and husband Joe Harnett of Dallas, TX and Trish Zirbel of Kansas City, MO; son Rogers and wife Vickie Zirbel of Shawnee, KS; Step-son Jerry and wife Glenda Clark of Lee's Summit, MO; grandchildren Jeff and wife Zoila Harnett, Nicole and husband Forrest Macfarlane, Jason Blackmore, Erin Zirbel; step grandchildren Justin Clark and Melissa and husband Ryan Foley; great-grandchildren Jon and Thalia Harnett and Kyle, Molly and Clare Foley; brother-in-law Tom McGee and wife Shirley.

Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, May 23, 2008 at DW Newcomers Son's Longview Funeral, 12700 South Raytown Rd. Kansas City, MO. In lieu of flowers donations appreciated to NW Missouri Athletics or "M" Club c/o NW Foundation 800 University Dr. Maryville, MO 64468 in memory of Larry Zirbel or to charity of your choice.

Fond memories and condolences may be left for the family at www.dwnecomers.com Arrangement by Longview Funeral Home 816-761- 6272.





Herb Hash, Former Red Sox Player Dies

AP 5/21/2008

CULPEPER, Va. — Herbert H. Hash, the oldest living former Red Sox pitcher, died Tuesday, according to the University of Richmond, where he played several college sports. He was 97.

Hash died of a stroke in his hometown of Culpeper, the
university's sports department said in a news release.

He played two major league seasons, both with Boston, and compiled an 8-7 record with a 4.98 ERA in 38 appearances including 12 starts. He was 7-7 with a 4.95 ERA in 1940 and 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in four games, all in relief, in 1941.

The oldest living former Red Sox player is third baseman Billy Werber, who turned 99 last June 20.

At Richmond, Hash was a three-year letterman in basketball and baseball and he also was a high jumper on the track team. He was a member of Richmond's 20-0 basketball team in 1935, and he
finished with a 13-4 record as a pitcher.

Hash was inducted into the university's 1985-86 Hall of Fame class.

Hash is survived by three sons, Herbert Hash Jr. of Boone, N.C., Randy Hash of Bluemont, Va., and Happy Hash of Culpeper, Va.; and a daughter, Reva Hash of Culpeper.





Gale Miller

Published in print from 5/18/2008 - 5/19/2008.

Gale Miller. Beloved husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, great-grandfather, passed away on Thursday, May 1, 2008 at Northwest Hospital in Seattle, King County, WA.

He was 81 years of age and is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Kathleen, his daughter Cheryl (Miller) White and son-in-law Jeff White, grandsons Gregory, Kevin (Melanie), granddaughter Stacy Woodward and her husband Travis and great-grandchildren Boston White, Jacob and Madison Woodward. We were so blessed to have Gale in our lives and what joy he brought to each of us. Gale quit school to serve in WWII in the Philippines and after the war was over he went back to finish school.

His love of life was always in baseball. He played semi-pro baseball, umpired all levels of baseball games and ended his career by umpiring many games in the King Dome as a major league umpire.

He worked 42 years at Seattle City Light and Woodland Park. A private service was held for him by the family.





Floyd L. Wooldridge

05/16/2008

The Bolivar Herald-Free Press

Floyd Lewis Wooldridge, 79, of Greenfield died Wednesday, May 14, 2008, in St. John's Hospital in Springfield.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 17, in Greenfield Funeral Chapel with Pastor Larry Wheeler officiating. Burial will follow in the Greenfield Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight, Friday, May 16, in the funeral chapel.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Calvin Howe

Published in the Grand Rapids Press on 5/7/2008.

Calvin Howe, aged 83, passed Monday, May 5, 2008. Born into a family of 15, he was preceded in death by three sisters and seven brothers.

Surviving are his wife, Jackie; daughter, Cathy and Dan Moomey; son, Tom Howe and fiancé, Heather DeBack; step-family, Dan Moomey Jr., Mary and Bart Stockreef, Dawn and Kevin Kline and their families; sisters, Mary McKinley of Southfield, MI, Joann (Ron) DeBruine of San Antonio, TX, Lynette (Fred) Flowers of Chicago, IL, brother John (Shirley) Howe of Clinton, IA; and sister-in-law, Esther Howe of W. Columbia, SC; many nieces and nephews.

Calvin served in WWII in Patton's 3rd Infantry and was present at the Nuremberg trials.

He was a professional baseball player for 14 years, spending 34 proud days with the Cubs.

He retired from the G.R. Public Schools as caretaker for Houseman Field.

The family wishes to thank the G.R. Home for Veterans and Spectrum Hospice for their care. The family will receive visitors Thursday, May 8th from 7:00 to 9:00 at Memorial Alternatives, 2432 Fuller N.E. The funeral is Friday, May 9th at 1:00 at the G.R. Home for Veterans Chapel, family greeting visitors one hour before.

Memorial Alternatives 2432 Fuller NE 363-3700 www.memorialalternatives.com.

Buzzie Bavasi, a Dodgers Innovator, Dies at 93

The New York Times

May 2, 2008

Buzzie Bavasi, the general manager of the Dodgers during their glory years in Brooklyn and their first decade in Los Angeles, and a baseball executive for nearly a half-century, died Thursday in San Diego, where he lived. He was 93.

His death