Birthdays: 12/30

[chicoruiz]

Reds:

Grant Balfour (36) -Never pitched for the Reds, but was their property in 2006 while he rehabbed. Eventually they released him, needing the roster space; it's easy to see now that they should have figured out a way to keep him, but hindsight is 20-20...

Others:

Jose Morales (66) -Held the record for most pinch hits in a season for almost 20 years. On the road he would take his bat to the hotel with him to practice his swing in front of a mirror. A serious student of hitting, he works now as a freelance coach, helping such players as Yadier Molina and Yorvit Torrealba in recent years. Has been offered ML jobs but says he doesn't enjoy the politics that comes with being part of an organization.

Sandy Koufax (76) -I've said it before, but whenever we get impatient with Aroldis Chapman's progress, we should probably look at how long the Dodgers had to stick with Koufax before he figured it all out.

Frank Torre (80) -Joe's older brother. Tied an NL record in 1957 by scoring six runs in a game. Recipient of both a heart transplant and a kidney transplant.

[Bob Borkowski]

Originally Posted by chicoruiz

Sandy Koufax (76) -I've said it before, but whenever we get impatient with Aroldis Chapman's progress, we should probably look at how long the Dodgers had to stick with Koufax before he figured it all out.

Concerning the tendency of Koufax to tip his pitches: "I knew every pitch he was going to throw and I still couldn't hit him." - Willie Mays