Birthdays: 1/28

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Reds:

Elizardo Ramirez (29) - The Lizard just doesn't have any above-average ML pitches.

George Wright -Four fun facts about George Wright:
1. He was the first batter to come to the plate in a National League game (in 1876)
2. He's the only manager to manage only one year and win a pennant that year.
3. He laid out the first public golf course in New England.
4. His son Beals won an Olympic gold medal in tennis.

Others:

Larvell Blanks (62) -"Sugar Bear" is active now on the amateur golf circuit. He's related to Lance Blanks, former NBA player and current GM of the Phoenix Suns.

Bill White (78) -Good player; a line-drive hitting and fancy-fielding 1B. Later NL president, of course, and also a broadcaster. He called Bucky Dent's famous homer, and was also the first African-American to do play-by-play for an NHL hockey game.

Pete Runnels -AL batting champ in '60 and '62; largely forgotten now. In 1952 he went 0 for 10 in steals, the worst stolen base season ever.

Lyn Lary -Shortstop of the 1930s, mostly for the Browns and the Yankees. On April 26, 1931, he was on base with two out when Lou Gehrig hit a drive that Harry Rice reached over the fence for, initially had, then lost. Lary, under the impression that the ball was caught, peeled off into the dugout, and when Gehrig reached home plate he was called out for passing Lary. Ironically, both Gehrig and Ruth ended up with 46 homers that year, so Lary's blunder cost Lou an undisputed HR championship.

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Bill Doak was once described in the Sporting News as "the only strictly moral man on the Cardinals". Try getting away with saying that about a team today...His nickname was "Spittin' Bill" for his propensity for throwing a wet ball, buit he's best remembered for designing the first modern fielder's glove- the first glove with webbing between the thumb and forefinger. The Bill Doak model glove stayed in Rawlings' catalog for over thirty years and earned Bill a nice piece of change annually.