Birthdays: 2/20 - RedsZone.com - Cincinnati Reds Fans' Home for Baseball Discussion

chicoruiz · 02-20-2012, 08:13 AM

Reds:

Bill Gullickson (53) -Set a rookie record with 18 strikeouts in a game (since broken by Kerry Wood). Has six kids, all of whom compete in some form of athletics at a high level. Pitched one year in Japan and was very popular; the Japanese diabetes association gives out an award for courage called the "Gullickson Award".

Others:

Brian McCann (28) -Wow, that can't be right- he has to be older than 28. Hit the first walk-off homer to be reviewed by instant replay.

Justin Verlander (29) -God was really focused when he made Verlander's arm; Justin was throwing in the mid-80s while still in elementary school. Bet he was fun to face in Little League.

Livan Hernandez (37) -Currently a spring NRI with the Astros. I bet he makes the rotation; you can't kill this guy.

Elroy Face (84) -Holds the record with 96 career wins in relief. In his great 18-1 season of 1959 he got not a single Cy Young vote. Worked as a carpenter after his baseball career.

Tommy Henrich -Nicknamed "The Old Reliable" for his great clutch hitting. Lived to age 96; at the time of his death he was the last living former teammate of Lou Gehrig.

Sam Rice -In 1912, a tornado swept through Rice's town, killing his wife, his two daughters, his sisters and his parents. At a loss, he joined the navy, and eventually drifted into professional baseball. He retired with 2987 hits; no one made a big deal out of the 3000-hit thing back then. Was involved in a famous World Series play where he caught a deep drive and then fell over the outfield fence. Many alleged at the time that he hadn't held onto the ball; Rice refused to talk about it, saying the mystery was more fun. He did, however, leave an envelope to be opened after his death.

Eventually he remarried, and was voted into the Hall of Fame. A journalist came out to his house to do a story on him, and listening to the interview was the first time his second family learned that he had been married before. I guess the memory was too painful for him to talk about. And by the way, the note to be opened after he died turned out to say, "At no time did I lose control of the ball"...

oneupper · 02-20-2012, 10:14 AM

Rice: "I had a death grip on it".

Great stuff chico!

George Anderson · 02-20-2012, 10:29 AM

Chico...Where do you get your info on these guys? Your bringing up alot of stuff about players I never knew.

chicoruiz · 02-20-2012, 11:23 AM

During the week I do these at work so I mostly rely on Baseballreference.com, Wikipedia and whatever articles Wikipedia links me to. On weekends I do them at home, so I have access to some additional stuff: The Bill James Historical Abstract, the Dickson book of baseball quotes, the Neyer/James book of pitchers, and of course the indispensible Great American Baseball Card Book by Boyd and Harris, which everyone should own.
The best is when Baseballreference has a link to a SABR bio of a player.

Bob Borkowski · 02-20-2012, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicoruiz

During the week I do these at work so I mostly rely on Baseballreference.com, Wikipedia and whatever articles Wikipedia links me to. On weekends I do them at home, so I have access to some additional stuff: The Bill James Historical Abstract, the Dickson book of baseball quotes, the Neyer/James book of pitchers, and of course the indispensible Great American Baseball Card Book by Boyd and Harris, which everyone should own.
The best is when Baseballreference has a link to a SABR bio of a player.

I applaud the time and effort you put into these entries. Very much appreciated. Every morning I'm eagerly searching for the birthdays of the day from chico.

chicoruiz · 02-20-2012, 12:53 PM

BTW, one of today's birthdays I didn't mention was a guy named Boardwalk Brown. I never heard of the guy, but is that a great name for a player or what???

RedFanAlways1966 · 02-21-2012, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicoruiz

BTW, one of today's birthdays I didn't mention was a guy named Boardwalk Brown. I never heard of the guy, but is that a great name for a player or what???

Is he the guy that lived at Park Place?

I also appreciate these posts, chico. I look forward to them each day. Thanks for the work!

Bob Borkowski · 02-20-2013, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedFanAlways1966

Is he the guy that lived at Park Place?

02-20-2012, 08:13 AM	#1
chicoruiz Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 1,663	Birthdays: 2/20 Reds: Bill Gullickson (53) -Set a rookie record with 18 strikeouts in a game (since broken by Kerry Wood). Has six kids, all of whom compete in some form of athletics at a high level. Pitched one year in Japan and was very popular; the Japanese diabetes association gives out an award for courage called the "Gullickson Award". Others: Brian McCann (28) -Wow, that can't be right- he has to be older than 28. Hit the first walk-off homer to be reviewed by instant replay. Justin Verlander (29) -God was really focused when he made Verlander's arm; Justin was throwing in the mid-80s while still in elementary school. Bet he was fun to face in Little League. Livan Hernandez (37) -Currently a spring NRI with the Astros. I bet he makes the rotation; you can't kill this guy. Elroy Face (84) -Holds the record with 96 career wins in relief. In his great 18-1 season of 1959 he got not a single Cy Young vote. Worked as a carpenter after his baseball career. Tommy Henrich -Nicknamed "The Old Reliable" for his great clutch hitting. Lived to age 96; at the time of his death he was the last living former teammate of Lou Gehrig. Sam Rice -In 1912, a tornado swept through Rice's town, killing his wife, his two daughters, his sisters and his parents. At a loss, he joined the navy, and eventually drifted into professional baseball. He retired with 2987 hits; no one made a big deal out of the 3000-hit thing back then. Was involved in a famous World Series play where he caught a deep drive and then fell over the outfield fence. Many alleged at the time that he hadn't held onto the ball; Rice refused to talk about it, saying the mystery was more fun. He did, however, leave an envelope to be opened after his death. Eventually he remarried, and was voted into the Hall of Fame. A journalist came out to his house to do a story on him, and listening to the interview was the first time his second family learned that he had been married before. I guess the memory was too painful for him to talk about. And by the way, the note to be opened after he died turned out to say, "At no time did I lose control of the ball"... __________________ "In baseball, you don't know nothin'"...Yogi Berra

02-20-2012, 10:14 AM	#2
oneupper Danger is my business! Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Back in Florida Posts: 7,855	Re: Birthdays: 2/20 Rice: "I had a death grip on it". Great stuff chico! __________________ "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it." http://dalmady.blogspot.com

02-20-2012, 10:29 AM	#3
George Anderson Beer is good!! Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 4,126	Re: Birthdays: 2/20 Chico...Where do you get your info on these guys? Your bringing up alot of stuff about players I never knew. __________________ "Boys, I'm one of those umpires that misses 'em every once in a while so if it's close, you'd better hit it." Cal Hubbard

02-20-2012, 11:23 AM	#4
chicoruiz Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 1,663	Re: Birthdays: 2/20 During the week I do these at work so I mostly rely on Baseballreference.com, Wikipedia and whatever articles Wikipedia links me to. On weekends I do them at home, so I have access to some additional stuff: The Bill James Historical Abstract, the Dickson book of baseball quotes, the Neyer/James book of pitchers, and of course the indispensible Great American Baseball Card Book by Boyd and Harris, which everyone should own. The best is when Baseballreference has a link to a SABR bio of a player. __________________ "In baseball, you don't know nothin'"...Yogi Berra

02-20-2012, 12:53 PM	#6
chicoruiz Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 1,663	Re: Birthdays: 2/20 BTW, one of today's birthdays I didn't mention was a guy named Boardwalk Brown. I never heard of the guy, but is that a great name for a player or what??? __________________ "In baseball, you don't know nothin'"...Yogi Berra

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