Birthdays: 3/22

[chicoruiz]

Reds:

George Crowe -Indiana's first "Mr. Basketball", later a Reds first baseman in the mid-50s. By all accounts, a fine gentleman.

Jack Boyle -Cincinnati native whose career began with a brief look-see with the Reds. Later known as "Honest Jack" Boyle to differentiate him from "Dirty Jack" Doyle, a teammate. After he retired, he ran a Cincinnati saloon and managed a minor league team called the Terre Haute Hottentots.

Others:

Joe Smith (28) -He's from my alma mater, so he must be wonderful.

Ramon Martinez (44) -Perdo's big brother, and a fine pitcher in his own right.

Billy Goodman -Maybe the best player to be used as a utility man throughout most of his career. He or Gil McDougald or maybe Tony Fernandez would be the three that come to mind. Anyway, Billy hit over .290 for eleven consecutive years and won an AL batting championship in 1950 without really having a regular position.

Marv Owen -The Tigers in the 1930s had one of the game's greatest infields: Greenberg, Gehringer, Rogell and Owen. Owen was probably the least of the four, but he was a pretty good ballplayer.

[Bob Borkowski]

Adding to the Reds section Cory Lidle - He pitched part of the 2004 season with Cincy then moved on to the Phillies. His middle name of 'Fulton' reflects the fact that Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat, was an ancestor. Died October 11, 2006, as the plane he was piloting crashed in New York City.