Some Obituaries of Recently Deceased Major Leaguers

[_Sir_Charles_]

That's not the Bob McNamara I'm thinking of is it? Reds manager?

~edit~ D'oh! It was JOHN McNamara. How could I forget that? Nevermind, carry on.

[Chip R]

BRM pitching coach Larry Shepard has passed away at the age of 92. He also managed the Pirates for almost 2 years.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...p-obit-shepard

[George Anderson]

BRM pitching coach Larry Shepard has passed away at the age of 92. He also managed the Pirates for almost 2 years.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...p-obit-shepard

Sad

Big Klu, Sparky and now Larry Shepard.

[cumberlandreds]

Sad to hear about Shep. He was much maligned while he was the pitching coach but overall he did a good job of piecing together a good enough staff for the Big Red Machine. Sparky always gave him a lot of credit for managing the staff and keeping it running smoothly.

[redsmetz]

Sad to hear about Shep. He was much maligned while he was the pitching coach but overall he did a good job of piecing together a good enough staff for the Big Red Machine. Sparky always gave him a lot of credit for managing the staff and keeping it running smoothly.

The BRM staffs are often, I think, unheralded. The club has never had a Cy Young winner. Shepard only had one pitcher win 20 games and that was Jim Merritt in 1970. But every year they had multiple pitchers with ten or more wins. I believe in 1976, seven different pitchers fit that category. He had some real workhorses during that time: Billingham, Norman, Gullett, Nolan (I always marvel that Nolan had a ten year career with us, thru the BRM years), Seaver at the end of Shepard's tenure as the pitching coach. And juggling Sparky's propensity for yanking pitchers regularly.

[westofyou]

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/...ies_at_94.html

Eddie Joost oldest surviver of the 1940 Championship Reds

Also along with Eddie Yost and Eddie Stanky was an absolute walk machine post WW2

CAREER
1946-1955
PLATE APPEARANCES displayed only--not a sorting criteria
AVERAGE displayed only--not a sorting criteria
HEIGHT displayed only--not a sorting criteria

WALKS                           DIFF   PLAYER   LEAGUE     PA       AVG      HT     
1    Ted Williams                672     1080      408     4889     .344   6'3"     
2    Ralph Kiner                 461     1011      550     6256     .279   6'2"     
3    Ferris Fain                 431      904      473     4904     .290   5'11"    
4    Eddie Yost                  397      968      571     5766     .258   5'10"    
5    Eddie Stanky                390      710      320     3750     .274   5'8"     
6    Eddie Joost                 346      785      439     4348     .248   6'0"     
7    Stan Musial                 342      908      566     6852     .342   6'0"     
8    Pee Wee Reese               294      894      600     6573     .280   5'10"    
9    Elmer Valo                  286      708      422     4310     .292   5'11"    
10   Earl Torgeson               283      699      416     4565     .269   6'3"

[Bob Borkowski]

Reno Bertoia

An infielder. Best year probably 1960 with Washington with a .265 BA with 122 hits in 121 games. Spent most of his time (career ran from 1953 thru 1962) with the Tigers. A Canadian by birth.

http://www.thedeadballera.com/passings.html



.

[Sea Ray]

Sad to hear about Shep. He was much maligned while he was the pitching coach but overall he did a good job of piecing together a good enough staff for the Big Red Machine. Sparky always gave him a lot of credit for managing the staff and keeping it running smoothly.

I think he was a very good pitching coach. I know it's anecdotal but I recall his propensity for "words of wisdom" as his visits to the mound were followed by a markedly improved pitching performance by the guy on the hill.

Sparky once said that he got himself fired by refusing Dick Wagner's insistence that he get rid of certain staff. I have to believe Shap was the main one that Sparky put his head on a chopping block for.

[Bob Borkowski]

Mel Queen

Former Reds pitcher and Toronto pitching coach...he was 69.

My only firm recollection of him was a 'snapshot' in my mind from 1964. At Crosley I was looking into the Reds dugout during a game he was pitching and glimpsed him grabbing a smoke. It was done back in those days but the players were supposed to be careful about being seen.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=6541239

[cumberlandreds]

Paul Splittorf has died after a battle with cancer. He was a mainstay on a good Royals pitching staff in the 1970's. He went on to broadcast Royals games for a long time after that until 2009. I also frequently heard him doing college basketball games for the Big 12 for many years. Another good player from my youth is gone.

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=351&sid=2396820

[cumberlandreds]

Two recent deaths of players that were predominant in the 1960's. Jose Pagan and Jim Northrup. I remember them a little in my early days of baseball fandom. I remember Pagan playing the 1971 World Series for the Pirates and doing well. Northrup was good outfielder for the Tigers and had the key hit in the 68 World Series that won it for the Tigers.


http://www.thedeadballera.com/passings.html

[westofyou]

Jim Northrup was one of my faves as a kid, the Tigers have the record for the longest string of season a group of players played on the same team, 8 guys were there 11 straight seasons, it was like they were all family to the locals. Then with an average age of 32 they stole the 72 East title, which was my first pennant race and playoff experience in person.


1963-1973

Bill Freehan
Willie Horton
Jim Northrup
Al Kaline
Norm Cash
Dick McAuliffe
Gates Brown
Mickey Lolich

Here's a column on Northrup

http://www.freep.com/article/2011060...ws|text|Sports

[westofyou]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...&sct=hp_t11_a2

Remembering Rod Beaton

Back before the internet gave us so much information so easily about so many teams, if you wanted to learn something about teams outside of your home market -- next level stuff, from minor league prospects to potential trades -- you read Rod Beaton, one of the original staff members of USA Today when it began in 1982. And if you wanted to be around a thoroughly decent man with a great sense of humor and a quick smile, you sought the company and kindness of Rod.

In a business in which travel, competition, deadlines and rude subjects can grind the optimism out of a person, Rod maintained an impressive, even boyish enthusiasm and charm about his work. He never stopped delighting in the small details of the job -- a new acquaintance, a nugget about a prospect, a restaurant discovery, a turn of a phrase.

He laughed at himself and he laughed at the perceived higher ground of the superstar athlete. He once famously got in the grill of Barry Bonds when Bonds chided him for clubhouse loitering, telling the Giants' slugger, "Barry, you're not my social director." When Bonds reacted by extending his arm toward Rod's chest to push him away, Beaton hit Bonds' arm to move it away. Beaton didn't make a big deal out of the incident; he laughed at that, too.

Rod Beaton died this week at age 59. He leaves behind a wife and two sons. His body and mind endured a long downward spiral from Parkinson's Disease and Lewy body dementia, which is as horrible as it sounds. For years we have missed him and that puckish smile around the press boxes and clubhouses of baseball, but all of us are enriched for having known his kindness.

[Redsfan320]

...the Tigers have the record for the longest string of season a group of players played on the same team, 8 guys were there 11 straight seasons...

How long have the Yankee three (Posada, Jeter, Rivera) been together? Obviously the Tiger group was far bigger, but doesn't the Yankee 3 have them beat in years?

FTR, I hate the Yankees; just getting the facts straight.

320

[westofyou]

How long have the Yankee three (Posada, Jeter, Rivera) been together? Obviously the Tiger group was far bigger, but doesn't the Yankee 3 have them beat in years?

FTR, I hate the Yankees; just getting the facts straight.

320

Good call, this is their 17th straight season, that's the record, the previous trios were these guys with 15

Brett/Wilson/White

Brett/White/McRae

Yount/Molitor/Gantner