Bithdays- 8/8

[chicoruiz]

Reds:

Johnny Temple - Scrappy Reds second baseman who had a troubled post-baseball career. Just like you-know-who...

Ken Raffensberger -Had some pretty good years pitching for some bad Reds team in the late '40s and early '50s.

Others:

Ross Ohlendorf (29) -Thought he was younger.

Mike Ivie (59) -One of only a few players to hit two pinch-hit grand slams in the same season.

Jose Cruz (64) -Great hitter whose stats were hurt by playing in the Astrodome.

Frank Howard (74) -Massive man; fun to watch unless you were a pitcher.

Cecil Travis -Outstanding shortstop whose career was derailed by World War Two.

Cupid Childs -19th-century high-OBP guy who played for the ill-fated Cleveland Spiders.

[cumberlandreds]

Jose Cruz was an outstanding hitter. He was one my favorite non-Reds. I always loved the way the Houston PA said his name: Jose Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuz

Mike Ivie was a bigtime prospect with lots of potential who never quite panned out in MLB.

What were some of Johnny Temple's post baseball problems? My dad would mention him when talking about some of the old Reds before my time.

[chicoruiz]

He got involved with some shady partners in a business selling boats. The business collapsed and he lost everything, including his house. He got another job with state government, but was fired after allegations of theft. He began to drink heavily, and in 1977 he was arrested and charged with being part of a scheme to sell heavy equipment.

His wife wrote a plea for help in The Sporting News, and through that he received free legal help plus a few thousand in cash. He testified against his fellow defendants, and then disappeared from public view; there were rumors he was in the witness protection program. It is known that he died in 1994.

[cumberlandreds]

He got involved with some shady partners in a business selling boats. The business collapsed and he lost everything, including his house. He got another job with state government, but was fired after allegations of theft. He began to drink heavily, and in 1977 he was arrested and charged with being part of a scheme to sell heavy equipment.

His wife wrote a plea for help in The Sporting News, and through that he received free legal help plus a few thousand in cash. He testified against his fellow defendants, and then disappeared from public view; there were rumors he was in the witness protection program. It is known that he died in 1994.

Thanks. I never knew that or if I did I had forgotten all about it.

[marcshoe]

Back in the nineties I was sitting behind first base at a Reds/Mets game. I think Jeff Kent was playing first for the Mets, and Frank Howard was coaching first. I was absolutely amazed at Howards size. He looked like a muscular giant next to Kent and the other guys on the field. He must have been one scary dude in his prime.

[oneupper]

Not to pick nits, but Howard would be 75 according to Baseball-Reference (b. 1936)

[chicoruiz]

Sorry...75 is correct. I wasn't told there'd be math involved in this job..

[Bob Borkowski]

Cupid Childs -19th-century high-OBP guy who played for the ill-fated Cleveland Spiders.

Wow, whatta name!

[chicoruiz]

I had Cecil Travis in a Diamond Mind historical sim league, so I researched his career a bit. He was really, really good..I don't think there's any doubt he'd be in the Hall of Fame if not for WW2.