St Patty's Day 1978

[westofyou]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100316&content_id=8811150&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Back in 1978, March 17 around Spring Training camps was known simply as ... Friday.

Maybe Cincinnati Reds general manager Dick Wagner was bored after tooling the Big Red Machine into back-to-back World Series winners in 1975 and 1976. Maybe he grew nostalgic for the days when his gimmicks popularized the Ice Capades. Or maybe he just liked pulling a fast one.

Whatever it was, months before the Reds departed for their Spring Training camp in Tampa, Wagner had this brilliant thought. Most people struck by ingenuity would be eager to call others and share their idea, but Wagner went the other way: He kept it to himself.


http://www.mdsportsconnection.com/images/baseball/PBB0462a_500.jpg

[Always Red]

Beautiful picture of a beautiful jersey and idea.

The Reds were the first, though you wouldn't know it anywhere but here. thanks woy!


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/204/497953411_3eb6881cba_o.jpg

[westofyou]

Speaking of St. Patty's day, I receved this email the other day



Thought you might be interested in this, as we approach St. Patrick's Day and, of course, Opening Day.

The Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame has announced its 2010 Nominees.

Please reply or call me if you would like further information. Thanks.



Media Contact: John Mooney, (908) 720-6057 (cell) johnrmooney@yahoo.com

Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant (212) 290-0080


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame Announces Nominations for 2010 Induction Class



Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant Recognizes Players, Executives, Journalists and Entertainers of Irish Descent



New York, NY (March 15, 2010) – Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant (18 W. 33rd St.) today announced the nominations for 2010 induction into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame (IABHOF). Voters include past inductees into the IABHOF and a panel of baseball historians. Results will be announced in April 2010.



HALL OF FAMERS and LEGENDS

Big Ed Walsh – Baseball’s All-Time ERA Leader

Michael “King” Kelly – Baseball’s First Superstar

"Mighty Casey" of the Mudville Nine by Ernest Thayer



CURRENT LIVING EX-PLAYERS

Dale Murphy, Long-time Atlanta Brave, two-time NL MVP

Joe McEwing – "Super Joe," now a manager in the White Sox minor league system



MANAGERS

John McGraw – Legendary manager of the NY Giants

Tom Kelly – Minnesota Twins two-time World Series winning manager



BROADCASTERS

Tim McCarver – Network TV analyst

Bob Murphy – Longtime Mets Broadcaster



EXECUTIVES

Brian Cashman – GM, NY Yankees

Bill James – Stastician, Red Sox Consultant



ENTERTAINERS

John Fogerty – Writer/Singer of “Centerfield”

Bill Murray – Cubs Fan, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” singer at Wrigley Field

John Cusack – Star of “Eight Men Out”

Rosie O’Donnell – Co-star of “A League of Their Own”



“It’s a strong and deserving class of nominees for the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame this year. All of these men -- and one woman -- have made significant contributions to the game,” said Shaun Clancy, owner of Foley’s, which features one of the country’s most extensive public displays of baseball memorabilia outside of Cooperstown.



With the blessing of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Foley’s, a popular destination among baseball players, executives, umpires and fans, created the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame to recognize players, managers, executives, journalists, and entertainers of Irish descent. Inductees are chosen based on a combination of factors, including impact on the game, popularity on and off the field, contributions to society, connections to the Irish community, and, of course, ancestry.





The game of baseball has long welcomed immigrants from its earliest days, when an estimated 30 percent of players claimed Irish heritage. Many of the game’s biggest stars at the turn of the 20th century were Irish immigrants or their descendants, including Michael “King” Kelly, Roger Connor (the home run king before Babe Ruth), Eddie Collins, and NY Giants manager John McGraw. Today, major league teams regularly sign players born in Latin America, Japan, Canada, and elsewhere.



Shaun Clancy, an amateur baseball historian, created the Hall after learning about the rich heritage of Irish Americans in the sport dating from its infancy – a legacy that has been overshadowed in recent years by other ethnicities. He decided to celebrate his roots and those who helped make the game great by creating a shrine to Irish Americans in baseball in 2008.



“Starting Nine”



The “Starting Nine” inductees were: the late Mets and Phillies reliever Tug McGraw, Yankee announcer John Flaherty, sportswriter Jeff Horrigan, NY Mets groundskeeper Pete Flynn, retired sluggers Mark McGwire and Sean “The Mayor” Casey, Kevin Costner, star of Field of Dreams and Bull Durham, legendary owner-manager Connie Mack, and longtime official scorer and sports columnist Red Foley.

The 2009 inductees were: longtime Brooklyn and LA Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, sluggers Steve Garvey and Paul O’Neill, longtime umpire Jim Joyce, veteran sportscaster Vin Scully, and Ed Lucas, a blind reporter who has covered the Yankees and Mets for more than 40 years.

[TheNext44]

It's a replica, but still my favorite jersey.


5671

[Heath]

I read in the John Fay blog, that the Reds are going to wear Green Hats at the 10:05 game against the Indians tonight.

[macro]

I have the Mitchell and Ness version of Pete's St. Patrick's day jersey. I love it, and plan to display it once I get the basement finished. Also have the cap to go with it. Still scouting ebay for a pair of pants.