Birthdays- 10/24

[chicoruiz]

Reds (good day for the bullpen):

Arthur Rhodes (42)

Rawly Eastwick (61) -Blossomed at just the right time for the Big Red Machine, got into a contract hassle in '77 and went downhill from there.

Jim Brosnan (82) -If you haven't read The Long Season or Pennant Race, get off the computer and head for the library at once.

Jim Greengrass (84) -Had three very good years for the Reds in the early 1950s when not too many Reds were having good years.

Others:

Rafael Furcal (34)

Omar Moreno (59) -Holds an unfortunate major league record: most outs made in a season (560 in 1980). Currently works with youth in Panama.

Louis Sockalexis -Might have been the first full-blooded Native American to play in the majors. Played for the horrible 1899 Cleveland Spiders; for a while it was thought that they became the "Indians" to honor him but that seems to have not been the case.

Ned Williamson -Star third baseman of the early days of baseball. First player to hit three home runs in a game. Held the single-season HR record until Babe Ruth broke it, although it was somewhat tainted by the fact that 25 of his 27 homers were hit in his home park.

[cumberlandreds]

I read Brosnan's books a long time ago now. I checked them out of the library, in fact. They were very good and would highly recommend to any baseball fan.

Eastwick was great in 75 and 76. Then just fell completely off the table. I assume he had some arm problems but don't remember now.

[chicoruiz]

Ossie Bluege (pronounced to rhyme with "boogie") was a third baseman with the Senators in the 1930s, and is credited with being the first third baseman to play closer to home to "cut off the cone". Unlike most players who move from shortstop to third as they get older, Ossie played more shortstop in his later years. He worked as an accountant in the offseason, and was eventually named comptroller for the Senators.