Birthdays: 5/27

[chicoruiz]

I'll be at the "Greatest Spectacle In Racing" all day tomorrow, so here goes:

Reds:

Jacob Brumfield (47) -His career got a late start, but he had a couple of nice years off the Reds bench in the early '90s.

Gary Nolan (64) -14-8, 2.58 as an 18-year-old in the majors. Nowadays they'd treat that arm like it was Waterford crystal; back then they just kept running him out there. He was done by age 29.

Others:

Frank Thomas (44) -Used to swing a rusted piece of rebar in the on-deck circle...Was ejected from the game in which he hit his 500th home run.

Jeff Bagwell (44) -Yes, both 1994 MVPs were first basemen born on the exact same day...BaseballReference lists his nickname as "Bagpipes". I never heard that in my life; I always just heard "Bags"...One guy I truly hated to see come up against the Reds.

Terry Moore -Hustling CF for the "Gashouse Gang" Cardinals. He must have been quite a team leader; on a team with Musial, Frisch, Mize, Medwick and Slaughter, Terry Moore was selected to be the captain.

Pinky Higgins -3B who holds a record with hits in 12 consecutive ABs. Later a manager and GM of the Red Sox, where he shared owner Tom Yawkey's views on integration, making the Bosox the last team to sign an African-American player. In 1968 he struck and killed a highway worker while driving under the influence; he served prison time and then had a fatal heart attack shortly after his release.

[marcshoe]

Gary Nolan started the first Reds game I ever attended. Was one of my favorites even before.