1960s Baseball

1960s Hall of Fame Results

2012-01-16T11:33:00.005-06:00

The results have been tabulated, and the inductees for the first 1960s Blog Hall of Fame are:

The inaugural election includes 16 names. The plan was to elect 1 player at each position, except for 3 outfielders, 4 starting pitchers, 2 relief pitchers, and 2 managers. At first base, Harmon Killebrew jumped out to a commanding lead early on, but Willie McCovey slowly caught up and tied Killebrew in the last few days. Both players will be inducted, and to keep the class at 16 names, manager Red Schoendienst (who finished a distant 2nd to Walter Alston) will not be inducted this time.

When the entire 66-name list is sorted by percentage of the vote received, the 16 inductees shown above are also the 16 with the highest percentage of the vote. The combined results:

Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson received an amazing 96% and 92% of the votes. Willie Mays and Hank Aaron also received a high number of votes (well ahead of #3 outfielder Roberto Clemente). At other positions, Pete Rose received more than 3 times the votes of runner-up Rod Carew.

I was surprised to see how few votes were received by Carl Yastrzemski, Al Kaline, Fergie Jenkins, and especially Lou Brock.

All names receiving less than 15% of the vote will be dropped from the next ballot (although they may be added to a future ballot). This leaves 15 holdovers for the next ballot, who will be joined by some new players (such as Warren Spahn and Whitey Ford, who were inexplicably left off this first ballot by the nominating committee).

Some of the winners seem to have less-than-impressive voting percentages in the 40% to 60% range, but I think this was a result of each position being on a separate ballot, and voters having to choose between one or another player. Future ballots will have all names in a single list, and multiple names can be selected without regard to their position.

1967 Scrapbook - Cookie Rojas

2012-01-01T22:39:00.012-06:00

Another installment of a new series called "1967 Scrapbook". A few months ago, I found a baseball scrapbook I had made in 1967, containing photos that I clipped from the Philadelphia sports pages that summer. Most of the photos are from the previous night's Phillies game.

June 5th - Rojas dons the catching gear in the top of the 9th. With the Phillies behind 10-2 in the bottom of the 8th, manager Gene Mauch pinch-hit for Bob Uecker (who had earlier replaced starting catcher Clay Dalrymple). Mauch sure liked to make moves!

June 30th - Cookie pitched the 9th, adding a 9th position to his resume:

June 9th:

July 27th:

August 12th:

EDIT: On 1/20/2012, I found this great post about Cookie Rojas on a KC Royals blog.
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1967 Scrapbook - Mantle, Ford, Mays

2011-12-27T20:40:00.008-06:00

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Today I'm starting a new series called "1967 Scrapbook". A few months ago, I found a baseball scrapbook I had made in 1967, containing photos that I clipped from the Philadelphia sports pages that summer. Most of the photos are from the previous night's Phillies game, with the exception of the two photos in this first installment.

WHITEY FORD'S RETIREMENT - May 31

WILLIE MAYS - July 1

The back of the Willie Mays photo may be more interesting than the front. Here, not only do we see Mets' rookie pitcher Tom Seaver helping his wife with the grocery shopping, but on the far left, there's a picture of Phillies' farmhand Lowell Palmer, for once photographed without his trademark sunglasses.

1960s Hall of Fame

2011-12-01T00:26:00.007-06:00

Welcome to the first 1960s Hall of Fame balloting. (Yes, I ripped off this idea from White Sox Cards, and tailored it to my blog.)

To jump start the membership, for this first ballot, vote for 1 player at each position (except for 3 outfielders, 4 starting pitchers, 2 relievers, and 2 managers). To keep things organized, there is a separate poll for each position.

Subsequent ballots will have all nominees combined on one ballot, and only those getting a certain percentage of votes will be elected.

Voting will continue until January 15th, at which time the winners will have their plaques (a/k/a baseball cards) featured together in a montage post.

Unlike all other halls of fame, balloting will probably occur more than once a year (mainly because I'm impatient). Use the comments to suggest other nominees for future ballots.

Have at it!
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RIP - Matty Alou

2011-11-25T09:08:00.010-06:00

Matty Alou left us on November 3rd, at age 72, from complications with diabetes.

Matty came up with the San Francisco Giants in 1961, the 2nd of three Alou brothers to do so. (Felipe arrived in 1958, and Jesus in September 1963.) Felipe left the Giants after the 1963 season, but not before all 3 brothers played in the same outfield.

Matty was traded to the Pirates after the 1965 season, where he immediately became the everyday center fielder. In his first season in Pittsburgh, he led the NL in batting with a .342 batting average. (Brother Felipe, by then with the Braves, was 2nd with a .327 average.)

Alou spent 5 seasons as the Pirates' regular center fielder. In his last 2 years with the Bucs, he led the NL in at-bats, with over 670 in each season. He missed the Pirates' glory years in the early 1970s, as he was traded to the Cardinals after 1970 for pitcher Nelson Briles and outfielder Vic Davalillo.

Matty bounced around to several teams (Athletics, Yankees, Padres) before being released in July 1974. He then played several seasons in Japan.

Retiring in the late 1960s (part 5)

2011-09-24T17:24:00.011-05:00

Here's another installment of veteran players who retired in the late 1960s.

Previous posts: 15 years and up 12 to 14 10 to 11 8 to 9

Listed below are those players with 5 to 7 years in the majors who retired between 1966 and 1969. The last column indicates if I've posted their last card on one of my other blogs.

(Click to enlarge)

RIP - Wes Covington and Dick Williams

2011-07-10T16:31:00.007-05:00

Former Milwaukee Braves' and Philadelphia Phillies' outfielder Wes Covington passed away on July 4th from cancer at age 79 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Covington was signed by the Boston Braves in 1952, and played for the Braves from 1956 - 1961, including all 14 World Series games against the Yankees in 1957 and 1958. Wes played for 4 teams during the 1961 season (Braves, White Sox, Athletics, Phillies) finally settling in as the Phillies' regular rightfielder on July 22nd. The following season he moved over to left field, and was the primary starter there through the end of 1965.

Covington's slugging ability was such that Topps featured him on the 1966 "Power Plus" card, even though he had been traded to the Cubs in January 1966. After a month with the Cubs, Wes finished out the season with the Dodgers, including another World Series appearance.

After retiring from baseball, Covington moved to Alberta and ran a sporting goods business. He was also involved with Edmonton's minor-league baseball team in the 1980s.

Dick Williams passed away on July 7th, at age 82.

He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers for parts of 1951-56, but his most significant playing time came during his time with the Orioles and Athletics from 1956-1961. Williams finished his playing career with the Red Sox in 1963-64.

His real success came as a manager, beginning with the 1967 Red Sox. In his first season as a big-league skipper, he took the perennial doormats to the World Series. Because of his managerial style, he tended to wear out his welcome, so after 3 seasons in Boston, it was on the Oakland Athletics, where his teams made 3 World Series appearances, winning twice. He also managed the Angels, Expos, Padres, and Mariners, in a career that ended in 1988.

Williams later worked in the front office for the Yankees, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.

RIP - Jose Pagan and Jim Northrup

2011-06-10T20:56:00.012-05:00

I had planned for my next post on this blog to be a review of the 1969 Seattle Pilots (as I've done with several teams on my 1967 card blog), but yesterday I learned of the passing this week of 2 well-known players from the 1960s. So, at the risk of turning this blog into an obituary column...

The 1960s baseball alumni association lost 2 members this week. Former Giants, Pirates, and Phillies infielder Jose Pagan passed away on June 7th at age 76. The next day, former Tigers' outfielder Jim Northrup passed away at age 71.

I'm not going to re-hash their obituaries or career details here, as there are many other places to find that. Instead, I wanted to make a brief observation from each one's career.

Jose Pagan was the Giants' regular shortstop from 1961-64, then went on to become the Pirates' ace utility infielder from 1965-72. He played his last season (1973) with the Phillies, who acquired Jose to serve as a veteran influence / insurance policy for rookie 3rd baseman Mike Schmidt.

Jim Northrup was an outfielder for 11 seasons with the Tigers before finishing his career in 1975 with the Orioles. He hit a 2-run triple in game 7 of the 1968 World Series, allowing the Tigers to claim the championship. Had manager Mayo Smith not made the famous move of regular centerfielder Mickey Stanley to shortstop for the Series, Northrup probably would have spent most of his time pinch-hitting and riding the bench, and the Series outcome may have been different.
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RIP - Harmon Killebrew

2011-05-18T20:53:00.017-05:00

Harmon Killebrew passed away yesterday, from cancer at age 74. Killebrew was the first great star for the Minnesota Twins. I never saw him play in person, but I remember him as one of the top sluggers of the mid-to-late 1960s. Here are all of my Harmon Killebrew cards:

At a time when Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were fading, Killebrew, along with Willie McCovey, Hank Aaron, and Frank Howard seemed to always be at the top of the home run leaders every year.

Tonight, I decided to see how accurate my recollections were. Below are all the top home run hitters I can remember from the 1960s. This may not be a complete list, but I think I included all the big names. I gathered these numbers from each player's baseball-reference page.

Fittingly, Killebrew came out on top. (I suppose I could have looked that up somewhere, but this exercise was fun.)

By all accounts, Killebrew was as great a person as he was a player. He will be greatly missed, not only by Twins fans, but by all who remember that era fondly.

Rest in peace, Killer!

Old-School Umpires

2011-04-29T20:11:00.006-05:00

On the way home from work today, I was listening to the start of the Phillies' game on the radio. After giving the lineups, the broadcaster said the names of the 4 umpires, not one of which I recognized!

Immediately, I began recalling some of the names of umpires from back in the day (National League only, as I grew up following the Phillies). Names like Shag Crawford, Harry Wendelstedt, Chris Pellakoudas, "Big" Lee Weyer, and Frank Pulli. The only AL umpire I can recall was Al Barlick (or maybe it was Al Bartlett). Other NL umps from the next generation were Eric Gregg, Joe West, and Jerry Crawford (Shag's son).

How about you all out there? Who are some of the NL or AL umps you can remember from the 60s and 70s?

(Please limit your answers to names from memory only! Looking guys up on the computer or in books detracts from any trivia exercise, in my view. The names above were retrieved from little-used brain cells, not Google.)

Vintage Phillies tickets

2011-01-21T17:43:00.003-06:00

More from the junk drawer...

Here we have a World Series ticket from 1964 (sorta). This ticket is huge - measuring in at 7 1/2" x 2 1/4". I got this on eBay a few years ago.

Ok, not the 1960s, but here's my ticket to the first-ever game at Veterans Stadium. My brother and I rode a charter bus from the 69th Street SEPTA terminal in Upper Darby to the game. We took our seats (high in the 700-level in right field) and marveled at the size of the place. Soon, a helicopter would drop the first ball to the Phillies' catcher.

The picture on the ticket was the standard "artist's rendering" of the stadium used at that time. The actual stadium didn't have quite the overhang shown in the picture, nor was there the elevated walkways across the local streets. Over time, the yellow raincheck stub became detached. On the other end of the ticket, another similar yellow stub was torn off by the ticket-taker upon entry to the stadium.

Here's another ticket from late in the 1980 season. Only $4.50 to see the Phillies on their march toward their 1st championship ever!

Phillies schedules from the 1960s

2011-01-04T15:00:00.010-06:00

I found these recently while cleaning out a junk drawer in my house:

1965:
Note to Fidelity Bank: The Phillies wear red, not blue.

1967:
This is the home schedule only. My 1st Phillies game was one of the late-May games against the Reds.

1968:
Here we see the Phillies' broadcast crew from 1963-70. In 1971, the Phillies switched beer sponsors from Ballantine to Schmidts. The Schmidts' people thought that since Bill Campbell had been a Ballantine spokesperson, he would have to go. He was replaced by Harry Kalas at the start of the 1971 season. A few years later, By Saam was replaced by Andy Musser.

1971:
The first season at Veterans Stadium.

The Eagles' 1968 schedule. (I wonder about the Eagles' definition of "championship").

TV Alert - Prime 9

2010-09-30T12:02:00.003-05:00

Today at 4 pm (EDT), the MLB Network's "Prime 9" program will feature the 9 best players of the 1960s.

Winding down in the 1960s

2010-05-03T21:56:00.007-05:00

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A few months back, I posted a list of players with 10+ years in the majors who retired between 1966 and 1969.

Here are the players with 8 to 9 years of service who retired in that time period. I have posted the final card for most of them to my other blogs already (as indicated by the last column).

Click (and click again on the pop-up) to enlarge.
(updated 6/7/2011)

Final roster cuts for 1967 (not until mid-May!)

2010-04-27T20:30:00.009-05:00

Recently, I posted a roster review of the 1967 Cardinals on my 1967 baseball cards blog. After examining each player and each game they played, with the help of Baseball-Reference.com (for starting lineups) and Retrosheet.org (for every game played by each player - which is easier to verify the non-starters than by pulling up each game's boxscore in Baseball-Reference.com), it seemed like the Cardinals had 26 or 27 players on their squad during April and May.

Reader Patrick Farrell pointed me in the direction of an internet newspaper archive, and specifically, columns in some of the Florida papers on May 11, 1967.

Below is the transactions column from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune on May 11, 1967, which lists the players released or sent down as all teams scrambled to get down to the 25-man limit that late into the season. I wonder why this wasn't required by opening day? Does anyone have insight into this?

In my earlier review of the Phillies, I also noticed that they seem to have had 26 players on their roster in the early months, before Tito Francona was sold.

Yankees' All-1960s Team (Pitchers)

2010-04-22T21:01:00.017-05:00

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Last week I posted a column about the All-1960s Yankees' Batters. Here now is the pitching staff.

Pictured above are the top 6 pitchers (by innings pitched), plus #9 (Steve Hamilton) and #10 (Hal Reniff).

I don't have a card for #7 Bill Stafford, and I have bypassed 1968 Rookie of the Year Stan Bahnsen for 2 reasons: He only had 2 significant seasons with the Yankees in the 1960s (whereas all the other pitchers had at least 4), and I also wanted to have some relief pitchers represented (Hamilton, Reniff).

(Click to enlarge)

This chart shows innings pitched and games started for those pitchers who had 200 or more innings pitched for the Yankees in the decade. Next to their name is the number of years with the Yankees (in the 1960s), and the number of significant years (50 or more innings pitched in a season).

(see: Whitey Ford, Ralph Terry, Jim Bouton)

(If anyone wants the entire list of 62 players, send me an email through my profile page.)
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Frank Robinson to the Orioles (Dec. 1965)

2010-04-20T19:57:00.022-05:00

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(The second in an occasional series about some of the big trades during the 1960s.)

On December 9, 1965 the Cincinnati Reds traded 10-year veteran Frank Robinson (their starting right fielder, a 6-time all-star, and the 1961 National League MVP) to the Baltimore Orioles for pitchers Milt Pappas and Jack Baldschun, and outfielder Dick Simpson.

Who got the better of this deal? In his first season with the Orioles, Robinson won the Triple Crown and AL MVP, and the Orioles won the World Series, so is there any need for debate? Let's look anyway:

Robinson had been a starter for the Reds since his rookie season. Primarily the right fielder, he was the regular left fielder in '56, '57, and '63, the regular 1st baseman in 1959, and in '58, '60, and '61 he split time between various outfield spots and 1st base. In the mid-1960s, the Reds had an abundance of good position players in Pete Rose, Tony Perez, Deron Johnson, Tommy Harper, youngsters Tommy Helms and Lee May, along with defensive specialists Vada Pinson and Chico Cardenas. What they lacked was good pitching. I guess they felt that after 10 years, Robinson would soon begin his decline, and therefore was the expendable one.

After the trade, Robinson won the 1966 Triple Crown and MVP, while leading the Orioles to their first-ever World Series appearance. The next season, he followed that up by batting .311 and hitting 30 homers and tallying 94 RBI, all while missing the month of July due to injuries. He would have 6 good seasons with the Orioles, then move on to the Dodgers and Angels before wrapping up with the Indians, first as a player, then as a player-manager for 2 seasons, before going on to manage the Giants, Orioles, Expos, and Nationals.

Righthander Milt Pappas had won in double figures for 8 straight seasons, and never turned in a losing season. After the trade, Milt had 2 good seasons with the Reds, then in mid-1968 was traded to the Braves in a 6-player deal that brought (among others) reliever Clay Carroll, who proved to be an important cog in the Big Red Machine of the 1970s. Pappas spent a few sub-par seasons with the Braves before resurrecting his career with the Cubs.

Jack Baldschun and Dick Simpson never played for the Orioles. In fact, they were each acquired (in separate trades) in the week leading up to the Robinson trade.

Baldschun had been the Phillies' bullpen ace from 1962 to 1965. He was acquired by the Orioles (for veteran outfielder Jackie Brandt and pitching prospect Darold Knowles) 3 days before being shipped on to Cincinnati. After the trade, Jack had 2 poor seasons in Cincinnati, followed by a complete season (1968) in the minors. He then moved on to the Padres.

Simpson had played in the Angels' minor-league system from 1961 to 1965, with brief callups to the Angels during those years. Seven days before the Robinson trade, Baltimore sent their 1965 starting 1st baseman Norm Siebern to California for Simpson. Simpson's career was a series of whistle stops over the 4 years after the trade.

Were these deals with Philadelphia and California engineered specifically to get the spare parts that the Reds needed to sweeten the (essentially) Robinson for Pappas deal? It seems likely, because although the Orioles weren't going to need Siebern anyway (because Boog Powell was going to take over 1st base on a full-time basis, after shuttling between 1B and LF) what would they need with Simpson? They had plenty of outfielders. Also, with Stu Miller, Dick Hall, and others in the bullpen, Baldschun seemed unnecessary.

ADVANTAGE: Orioles (in a slam-dunk!)
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Yankees' All-1960s Team (Batters)

2010-04-11T22:27:00.013-05:00

These are the top players at each position during the 1960s for the Yankees, the team America loved (well, maybe not everybody).

Although the decade ended badly for the Yankees, it started off as per usual, with 5 trips to the World Series in 5 years. Then the wheels started falling off.

Here are the players who made at least 20 starts for the team during the 1960s (click to enlarge):

Long-time Braves manager Bobby Cox made the all-rookie team in 1968!

(see: Elston Howard, Bobby Richardson, Tom Tresh, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris)
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Hey Jim, you're pitching tonight!

2010-03-26T20:08:00.009-05:00

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Here's 60% of the 1967 Minnesota Twins pitching staff:

If only they also had Palmer, Hunter, Maloney, and Bunning. They could have run the table.

Imagine being the manager/pitching coach/catcher having to come up with enough nicknames to differentiate them all!
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Jim Bunning to the Pirates (Dec. 1967)

2010-03-09T19:16:00.023-06:00

A few weeks ago, I decided to start a series of 20 bi-weekly posts (one per team) where I would review the top players and main events for each team during the 1960s. I had decided to start with the most successful teams, and alternate leagues (the first few teams would be the Cardinals, Orioles, Dodgers, Tigers, Mets, and Red Sox). But I soon realized that this would be too ambitious a project, given what else is also on my plate. Maybe I will do that next year, once I've finished my football card blogs, and exhausted my supply of 1966 baseball cards.

Instead, I'm going to occasionally post about some of the trades in the mid-to-late 1960s involving big (or soon to be big) names. Trades like Frank Robinson to the Orioles, Fergie Jenkins to the Cubs, Lou Brock to the Cardinals, Frank Howard to the Senators, Dean Chance to the Twins, and Jim Bunning to the Pirates.

On December 15, 1967 the Phillies traded Jim Bunning, the ace of their staff, to the Pirates for pitcher Woodie Fryman and 3 minor-league prospects (shortstop Don Money, and pitchers Bill Laxton and Hal Clem). Bunning had been acquired from the Tigers 4 years earlier, and posted 19, 19, 19, and 17 wins in his 4 seasons with the Phillies. He was also among the strikeout leaders each season. I can remember thinking "What are the Phillies doing?!?"

(For good measure, on the same day the Phillies also traded pitcher Dick Ellsworth and veteran catcher Gene Oliver to the Red Sox for young defensive catching whiz Mike Ryan, but that's a story for another day.)

Who got the better of this deal? Let's look:

Bunning was one of the top pitchers during the 1960s. In his first season in Philadelphia, he pitched a perfect game against the Mets in game 1 of a Fathers' Day doubleheader. (Rick Wise pitched the nitecap in his major-league debut.) He was the Phillies' ace during those 4 seasons.

After 2 non-descript seasons with the Pirates and Dodgers (with a combined record of 17-24), Bunning (although with diminished skills) was re-acquired by the Phillies. He closed out his career with the Phillies in 1970 and 1971, and was the opening-day starter in 1971, the Phillies' first game at Veterans Stadium. So, they didn't really lose much by Bunning's absence.

Fryman's 1966 season earned him the Topps all-rookie award among southpaws. Woodie spent 4 1/2 seasons with the Phillies, initially as a starter, but in his later seasons he began making relief appearances. After leaving the Phillies, he went on to a long career with several teams, but he was a useful addition to the Phillies, and provided a steady lefthanded presence during the time when southpaw Chris Short's sore back acted up regularly.

In the late-1960s, the Phillies were desperate for a shortstop. By 1967, Dick Groat had the mobility of a statue. Defensive specialist Bobby Wine couldn't hit a lick, and also developed a bad back, which eventually would keep him out of action for most of 1968. 1967 rookie Gary Sutherland proved to be not all that. Larry Bowa was still in the low minors, and hardly played at all in 1967.

Don Money had just played a combined 260 games for the Pirates' class-A teams in 1966 and 1967. He could be just what the doctor ordered! The Phillies rushed Money and rookie centerfielder Larry Hisle to the majors on opening day in 1968 but they both flopped. By the end of April they were both back in triple-A, but would be rookie stars in 1969. (That was a good break, because Wine, Sutherland, and 1968 fill-in shortstop Roberto Pena were all sent packing in the Fall 1968 expansion draft!) In 1970, Money slid over to 3rd base to make room for rookie Larry Bowa.

After 4 seasons with the Phillies, Don was traded to the Brewers for pitchers Jim Lonborg and Ken Brett. The Phillies needed to make room for rookie Mike Schmidt, Lonborg was a fine #2 starter behind Steve Carlton, and Brett pitched well for one season, then was swapped to the Pirates for 2nd baseman Dave Cash.

Bill Laxton was drafted out of the Phillies' organization by the Padres in the 1970 rule 5 draft, and went on to have a spotty career with several teams.

Hal Clem never made it above double-A.

Summary:
The Phillies swapped Bunning for Fryman (who had several good seasons in Philly) and Money (who helped solidify the Phillies' infield, then brought Jim Lonborg and Ken Brett (and by extension, Dave Cash) in return). On top of all that, they got Bunning back for 2 more seasons.

ADVANTAGE: Phillies
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Now THAT'S pitching!

2010-02-10T14:51:00.017-06:00

On July 2, 1963, the Giants beat the Braves in the bottom of the 16th inning on a home run by Willie Mays. How many pitchers do you suppose each team used during that game?

ONE EACH!

Juan Marichal pitched all 16 innings, while the 42-year-old Warren Spahn pitched 15.1 innings.

Last night during the Willie Mays interview on the MLB Network, Marichal recalled that game, and how Giants' manager Al Dark told Marichal in the dugout that he was thinking of making a pitching change soon.

The 25-year-old Marichal told Dark "See that guy on the mound? He's 42 years old. There's no way I'm coming out of this game before he does!"

As the game dragged into the 16th inning, Marichal told Mays "I'm tired, help me out, Willie." Mays responded with a home run in the bottom of the 16th.

2/15 update:
I wondered, "After all that pitching, were they ineffective in their next outing?" Ha! They both pitched again 5 days later:

Marichal - Lost 5-0 to Bob Gibson, who pitched a complete game. Marichal's line: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K, 0 BB.

Spahn - Beat the Astros 4-0. His line: 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 K, 1 BB
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ALERT: Willie Mays on TV tonight

2010-02-09T17:32:00.008-06:00

Willie Mays will be interviewed by Bob Costas on the MLB network TONIGHT at 8 pm, 11 pm, and 2 am eastern time.

Update:

What a great interview this was. 2 hours of Willie Mays in the studio, and with an audience along the walls (which I don't remember seeing during other interviews).

Besides clips of Willie from 1951 to 1973, there were taped comments from Buck O'Neill, Joe Torre, and Juan Marichal (also briefly from Don Zimmer, Willie McCovey, Bob Gibson, and Joe Black).

Don't miss the funny stories involving Bob Gibson, Gaylord Perry, Ken Boyer, Joe Torre, Mickey Mantle, and Donna Reed (yes, Donna Reed)!

Two very touching moments (both in the last 15 minutes):

1. Willie showing emotion while reminiscing about the late Bobby Bonds (during a discussion of Barry Bonds)

2. Bob Costas' closing comments to Mays.

Don't miss this show!

Who can't get enough of the Washington Senators?

2010-02-06T09:31:00.009-06:00

These guys, that's who! The following are the players who were members of both the "old" Washington Senators (which became the Minnesota Twins in 1961) and the "new" Washington Senators (the 1961 expansion franchise which became the Texas Rangers in 1972):

Hal Woodeshick was one of only 2 players who stayed put in Washington while the rest of the team went off to Minnesota. Pedro Ramos, Zoilo Versalles, and Camilo Pascual began their careers in Washington, and returned at the tail end of their careers.

Long-time veterans say goodbye (part 3 of 3)

2010-01-23T19:18:00.005-06:00

Between 1965 and 1969, 117 players with 10 or more years in the big leagues retired. I previously posted these lists in November:

Players with 15+ years in the majors

Players with 12 to 14 years in the majors

Below is the list of the 10 and 11-year veterans who retired between 1966 and 1969. I have posted the last baseball card (or their 1968 card, if their last card was in '69 or '70) for most of these players on my 1966, 1967, and 1968 blogs already, and will post 6 more of these cards to my 1968 blog in the next week. (click to enlarge)

(Updated on Feb 28, 2010)

Last Active St. Louis Browns

2010-01-13T22:10:00.008-06:00

Here are the last active players to have played for the St. Louis Browns.

In 1967, the 38-year-old Larsen was called up by the Cubs for 12 days. He hadn't played in the majors since 1965.
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MLB Network: Jim Bouton interview; 1967 review

2010-01-11T20:03:00.004-06:00

Tuesday night at 9:00, Bob Costas will interview Jim Bouton, former Yankees and Pilots pitcher, and author of Ball Four.

On Wednesday night, the 1967 season is the subject of a Baseball Seasons episode.

1969 Phillies

2010-01-10T00:08:00.013-06:00

Following the abysmal 1968 season, the Phillies embarked on a major housecleaning.

Lost to expansion were pitcher Larry Jackson, all 3 shortstops (Bobby Wine, Roberto Pena, and Gary Sutherland), and centerfielder Tony Gonzalez. Also gone were pitcher Dick Hall, catcher Clay Dalrymple, and first baseman Bill White. Outfielder Don Lock would soon follow in April.

New additions were 1B/3B Deron Johnson, acquired from Atlanta, and top rookies Don Money and Larry Hisle, both of who had flopped a year earlier. This lineup seemed like a mix of rookies and veterans playing out of position. Tony Taylor led the team in at-bats, but didn't play 80 games at any one position. Newly-acquired slugger Deron Johnson also bounced between positions.

Catchers
Weak-hitting right-handed Mike Ryan (#9) assumed the starting catcher's job, for lack of a better alternative. Rookie Dave Watkins was the backup (in his only major-league season).

Infielders
Richie Allen (#15) was the regular first baseman, although for less than 120 games (thanks to his suspension). Cookie Rojas (#16) and Tony Taylor (#8) split the second base duties, with Rojas starting more often. With all three of last year's shortstops departing, the starting job was given to rookie Don Money (#5), who was acquired from the Pirates for Jim Bunning following the 1967 season. Lightweight rookie infielder Terry Harmon backed up at SS and 2B. Tony Taylor played about half the games at third base, with the remaining games split between Deron Johnson (#11) and Rick Joseph (#19).

Outfielders
Johnny Callison (#6) the Phillies rightfielder since the early 60's, was back for one last go-round. Rookie Larry Hisle (#4) blossomed as the regular centerfielder. Newcomer Deron Johnson was the primary leftfielder, with John Briggs (#12) getting the call whenever Johnson would move in to third base. Spring-training rookie phenom Ron Stone soon settled back into the scrub role he would play throughout his Phillies career.

Pitchers
Last year's ace Chris Short (#41) missed the whole season due to injury. Filling his shoes was southpaw Grant Jackson (#29), previously a reliever. Woody Fryman (#35) was the other left-handed starter, while the righties were Rick Wise (#38), Jerry Johnson (#33), and rookie Billy Champion (#31).

The closers were veteran Turk Farrell (#32) and rookie Al Raffo, who came out of nowhere, pitched well, then disappeared after the season. The other bullpen suspects were long-time organizational fodder John Boozer, and rookies Billy Wilson and Lowell Palmer. Palmer was notable for always wearing dark glasses (even on his baseball cards!)

Summary
This team was worse than the '68 team, and as such, 2nd-year manager Bob Skinner got the boot before the season was over.

On the bright side, Don Money proved to be the real deal at shortstop, and Larry Hisle also had a fine rookie season. They both were selected to the major-league all-rookie team. Hisle's success as a Phillie was to be short-lived, as he faded in 1971 and was traded to the Dodgers. Rick Wise and Grant Jackson were also improving as quality starters. This Phillies team had gotten younger since 1968, but not better. Following the 1969 season, they would get even younger as Callison, Allen, Rojas, and Farrell would leave.

1969 was billed as the "last year at Connie Mack Stadium". However, because of construction delays at Veterans Stadium, they would play one more season at the old park.

Last Active Boston Braves

2010-01-01T14:32:00.009-06:00

Here are the last active players to have played for the Boston Braves.

Eddie Mathews went out on top - appearing in the 1968 World Series with the Tigers.
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Baltimore Orioles pitchers of the 1960s

2009-12-27T23:33:00.001-06:00

Any O's fans out there? Here's a breakdown of their pitching staffs from the first wave of '64 - '66 (McNally, Bunker, Palmer), through the second wave (Phoebus, Hardin, Cuellar, and the return of Palmer), up to the four 20-game winners season of 1971. (click to enlarge)

Last Active Philadelphia Athletics

2009-12-18T23:36:00.008-06:00

Here are the last active players to have played for the Philadelphia Athletics.

Vic Power is also featured in my 1966 blog today.
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Bob Costas interviewing Dick Allen on MLB

2009-12-15T23:09:00.009-06:00

Earlier tonight, I was watching Bob Costas' Studio 42 interview show on the MLB Network. His guest was Dick Allen, who is surprisingly soft-spoken. Mixed in with studio chatter was video of Allen's highlights, as well as comments from Willie Mays, Cookie Rojas, and Stan Hochman (a Philadelphia sportswriter since 1959).

Some topics:

- Allen is friends to this day with Frank Thomas.
- He doesn't blame Gene Mauch for 1964's collapse.
- His off-field antics and in-game scrawling in the dirt were designed to get him shipped out of Philly.
- He was the first black player to play for the minor-league team in Little Rock AR, and took much abuse there.

These shows are usually replayed often [at least the McCarver episode was! :( ] Phillies fans should check it out.

Last Active (old) Washington Senators

2009-12-07T21:02:00.004-06:00

Here are the last active players to have played for the "old" Washington Senators. That is, the team that left Washington DC after 1960 to become the Minnesota Twins.

They were immediately replaced by the expansion Washington Senators in 1961, who 11 seasons later would also skip town to become the Texas Rangers.

Last Active New York Giants

2009-11-28T10:55:00.009-06:00

Here are the last active players to have played for the New York Giants. Appropriately, Willie Mays is on top of the list.

Hoyt Wilhelm's last game was on July 10, 1972 - 16 days before his 50th birthday!
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Last Active Brooklyn Dodgers

2009-11-25T22:53:00.008-06:00

On October 16th, I posted a list of the last active player from each of the first wave of relocated teams.

Today, I'm drilling down to find the last 10 active players to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Most had retired by the end of the 1960s. Some guys (like Aspromonte and Demeter) only had a few at-bats with Brooklyn.

Next: The New York Giants
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Jarry Park was a minor-league stadium

2009-11-22T20:44:00.003-06:00

The MLB network was showing a 1970 game between the Expos and Pirates. The lighting was so bad at Jarry Park in Montreal that not only do the players have shadows, but when the camera behind home plate follows fly balls to the outfield, you can't even see the outfield fence, because the entire area is in shadows.

Heads-up: MLB Network showing 1960s World Series

2009-11-20T18:33:00.007-06:00

I just noticed that the MLB Network will be showing various games from the 1965, 1968, and 1969 World Series on Saturday and Sunday.

Tonight they are showing 1/2 hour summaries of the 1951 to 1955 WS, followed by Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 WS.

Long-time veterans say goodbye (part 2 of 3)

2009-11-15T20:34:00.020-06:00

Between 1965 and 1969, 117 players with 10 or more years in the big leagues retired. Below is the list of the 12 to 14-year veterans who retired between 1966 and 1969. I have posted the last baseball card for some of these players on my 1966, 1967, and 1968 blogs already, and will post more of these cards (to those blogs) over the next few weeks. (click to enlarge)

(last updated on 04/23/2010)

1968 World Series

2009-11-14T21:12:00.010-06:00

I watched game #1 of the 1968 World Series on the MLB Network today. (I've seen this one earlier this year on MLB, but it's always a classic!)

The announcers were NBC's Curt Gowdy (as always), and Harry Caray (who was the Cardinals' broadcaster at the time). I think it's great that the network included the home team's regular announcer (as they would also do in 1969 with the Mets' announcer). The 2 of them each announced half the game, with the other one doing sparse color commentary.

The early buzz was 16-year veteran Tiger Al Kaline playing in his 1st series, and Detroit outfielder Mickey Stanley starting at shortstop (having only played there for 9 games in his pro career, including all of the Tigers' final 6 games in 1968). The highlight of the game turned out to be Bob Gibson's stellar performance, as he pitched a complete game victory and broke the World Series strikeout record with 17 strikeouts. Denny McLain (who won 31 games that year), pitched well for a few innings, but was outplayed by Gibson.

The Tigers eventually won the series, thanks to the way their manager Mayo Smith handled his pitching rotation. Gibson & McLain started games 1 & 4, with Gibson winning both. Nelson Briles and Mickey Lolich started games 2 & 5, with Lolich winning both for the Tigers. (The Cardinals also won game 3.) After 5 games, with the Cardinals leading 3-2, Smith brought McLain and Lolich back on short rest to pitch games 6 and 7, and the Tigers won both!

The 1968 World Series was the last hurrah for long-time sluggers Eddie Mathews (Tigers - PH) and Roger Maris (Cardinals - RF).

1968 Phillies

2009-11-12T22:02:00.009-06:00

After the 1967 season, the Phillies traded pitcher Jim Bunning (their ace since coming over from Detroit prior to the 1964 season) to the Pirates for southpaw Woody Fryman, shortstop prospect Don Money, and 2 other minor-league pitchers. The same day, they packaged disappointing #5 starter Dick Ellsworth (acquired prior to 1967 from the Cubs for pitcher Ray Culp) and backup catcher Gene Oliver in a deal which brought a young catcher from the Red Sox (Mike Ryan). This was not enough however, as the team sank deeper in the standings.

Along the way, Gene Mauch, who had managed the team from day #2 of the 1960 season (Eddie Sawyer had quit after the first game) was fired, as much for his inability to co-exist with Richie Allen as for the losing record. Taking over the team was Bob Skinner, who had managed the Phillies AAA club in San Diego since 1966. He did no better than Mauch, and would be fired midway through the following season.

Catcher
Left-hander Clay Dalrymple (#11) shared the catching with right-handed newcomer Mike Ryan (#9). Ryan was a good defensive catcher who didn't hit much.

1st base
Future NL President Bill White (#10) returned for his 3rd (and last) year as the Phil's first baseman.

2nd base
Once again, Cookie Rojas (#16) was the everyday second baseman. As part of the 100th anniversary celebration of Major League Baseball, there was a poll for the all-time Phillies team. Rojas was the second baseman on that team, the only current player to be named. Rojas finally shed his utilityman role, playing only one game away from second base (catcher).

Shortstop
Weak-hitting Bobby Wine (#7) had chronic back problems which kept him out most of the season. Highly touted prospect Don Money was handed the job in spring training and promptly flopped in the first week. This led to the call-up of minor-league journeyman Roberto Pena (#34), who became the regular shortstop for 1968. Gary Sutherland (#18) was on the team the entire year, but in more of a utility role.

3rd base
Partly due to his season-ending wrist injury in 1967, but also due to his defensive shortcomings, Richie Allen (#15) was moved to leftfield, with the versatile Tony Taylor (#8) became the regular third baseman. Utility 1B/3B Rick Joseph (#19) was also along for the ride.

Outfield
Johnny Callison (#6) was a fixture in rightfield, as usual. Rookie phenom Larry Hisle imitated Don Money and also flopped big-time in 1968. Tony Gonzalez (#25), Don Lock (#23), and John Briggs (#12) all rode the centerfield merry-go-round, with Briggs seeing some action at first base. Allen became the regular leftfielder, playing only a few games at his old third base spot. With all this job-sharing, there was only marginal playing time for Doug Clemens.

Pitchers
With Bunning gone, the undisputed ace was lefty Chris Short (#41). He bounced back from an injury-filled 1967 to win 19 games in 1968. Woody Fryman (#35) was the other left-handed starter, while the righties were Larry Jackson (#46) and Rick Wise (#38). Once again, the closers were right-handers Turk Farrell (#32) and Dick Hall (#27). Other assorted spot starters and long relievers were southpaw Grant Jackson (#29), and righties John Boozer (#31), Gary Wagner (returning to the team after 2 years in the minors), Jeff James, and Jerry Johnson (the latter two being rookies).

Others
At triple-A San Diego, the Phillies had a bunch of young pitchers, but most of the position players were major-league veterans: 1B Jim Gentile, plus a bunch of journeymen (catchers Doc Edwards and John Sullivan, 2B Bobby Klaus, 3B John Werhas, outfielders Billy Cowan and Johnny Lewis). The only prospects were SS Don Money and OF Larry Hisle.

Summary
The Phillies just fell apart in 1968. The controversy between manager Gene Mauch and Richie Allen went on all season until Mauch was fired. Allen wouldn't show up for games, preferring to spend time at race tracks instead. Bunning's wins were not made up, Allen didn't regain his batting stroke following the injury, and Gonzalez faded fast from his .339 average of the previous year, so much so that the Phillies left him unprotected in the upcoming expansion draft. Callison and White were also not the same players they once were. On top of that, the two rookies Money and Hisle flopped in the first month of the season. The team sank to a 76-86 record, 6 wins less than the previous year. Fortunately, you could always rely on the Astros and Mets to have worse records than any other team.

Following the season, the San Diego Padres (which was the Phillies' AAA team from '66-'68) and the Montreal Expos selected players in the expansion draft. The Phillies lost SS Roberto Pena and CF Tony Gonzalez to San Diego, and P Larry Jackson and SS Gary Sutherland to Montreal. Each team also picked a Phils' minor-league pitcher. When Jackson retired rather than report to an expansion team, the Phillies gave Montreal their remaining SS Bobby Wine as compensation (although by this time, Wine was essentially useless). Now all three shortstops with major league experience were gone. The pressure was really on rookie Don Money to come through in 1969!

Long-time veterans say goodbye (part 1 of 3)

2009-11-07T23:13:00.017-06:00

Between 1965 and 1969, 117 players with 10 or more years in the big leagues retired. Below is the list of 15-year veterans who retired between 1966 and 1969. I have posted the last baseball card for some of these players on my 1966, 1967, and 1968 blogs already, and will post the remainder of these cards (to those blogs) in the next few days. After that, I'll work my way through the under-15 bunch.

(last updated 04/23/2010)

1969 World Series

2009-11-01T11:48:00.007-06:00

Yesterday and today, I've been watching the rebroadcasts of the 1969 World Series between the Mets and Orioles on the MLB network.

These games bring back a lot of memories, not only of the Amazin' Mets and the great Oriole teams of the late 60s and early 70s, but of baseball in general back then.

These games were originally broadcast by NBC, and the announcer was regular Mets' play-by-play man Lindsey Nelson, with Curt Gowdy doing color. WHAT A DIFFERENCE in the broadcasting style back then! Nelson is informative, without being overbearing or a Mets homer, and Gowdy rarely says anything - preferring to say nothing when there's nothing to say. With every pitch, there are gaps of silence where you can actually watch the game and take in the atmosphere.

If only today's "announcers" like Joe Buck and that clown Tim McCarver would take note! (I'm not even going to start in on the amateurish bunch employed by TBS!)

1967 Phillies

2009-10-30T18:16:00.011-05:00

In 1967, the Phillies had a few rising stars such as 3b Richie Allen, ... (ok, one rising star), along with aging but solid veterans like pitchers Jim Bunning, Chris Short, Turk Farrell, 1B Bill White, OF's Johnny Callison and Tony Gonzalez, and a few young players like P Rick Wise, 2B Cookie Rojas, and OF John Briggs. The team finished in 5th place, starting their downward slide which would turn into a freefall in 1968 and 1969. They were managed by Gene Mauch (#4), and had been since 1960.

Catcher
The Phillies starting catcher was left-hander Clay Dalrymple (#11), who had started for most of the 1960's. The two things I remember most about him were 1) he was bald, and as a kid I thought it strange that a ballplayer would be bald (I hadn't discovered Ray Nitschke for another year or two), and 2) he was always on the radio promoting the pre-season tours to Clearwater. Backing up Dalrymple was Bob Uecker (#9). Ueck was acquired from St. Louis prior to 1966 along with Bill White and Dick Groat for P Art Mahaffey, C Pat Corrales (later a Phillies' manager), and OF Alex Johnson. (The Phils could have used Johnson later - I think he won a batting title with Cincinnati or California in the early 70's .) Midway through the season, Uecker was traded to Atlanta for catcher Gene Oliver (#9). Like Uecker, Oliver was right-handed, but unlike Uecker, Oliver could actually hit! This got him more playing time at catcher, and pinch-hitting.

1st base
The Phillies first baseman for 1966-68 was Bill White (#10). This lefthander had come from St. Louis, and was the Phillies #3 slugger behind Allen and Callison. Unfortunately, he missed the start of the season due to an off-season paddleball injury. Tony Taylor (#8) played mostly at 1st base while White was out. The Phils signed 1B-OF Tito Francona as a backup until White returned, at which time Francona got the ax.

2nd base
Cookie Rojas (#16) had won the 2nd base job from Tony Taylor in '65 or '66. Rojas had joined the Phillies in 1963 from the Reds, and had worked his way up from utility IF-OF to starting 2nd baseman. With his one-game pitching stint in 1967, he had now played all nine positions. (Although the Athletics' Bert Campaneris and Twins’ Cesar Tovar had played all nine positions in a single game!) Tony Taylor had been the starting 2nd baseman since coming over from the Cubs in 1960, until Rojas replaced him. Still, Taylor found plenty of playing time at 1st (White's injury), at 3rd (Allen's late-season injury), as well as at 2nd and pinch-hitting.

Shortstop
The Phillies had holdovers Dick Groat (#24) and backup Bobby Wine (#7). Groat was the starter during 1966, while Wine had shared the job with Ruben Amaro Sr. for the first half of the decade. Also on hand was promising rookie Gary Sutherland. Groat landed on the disabled list with a foot injury in early April. After the Phillies sold outfielder Jackie Brandt in mid-June, Groat was activated into Brandt’s roster spot. This was short-lived, as Groat was washed up, and sold to the Giants in late June. Wine and Sutherland shared the job for most of the season, with Sutherland getting some time in left field as well.

3rd base
Richie "Crash" Allen (#15) was the star of this team. He was among the league leaders in HR and RBI, and had also homered in the 1967 all-star game. Allen's one problem was his defense. In late summer, while "pushing his stalled car", he jammed his hand through a headlight, cutting his wrist and ending his season. Taylor took over at third base the rest of the way, with 1B/3B Rick Joseph called up from San Diego as a backup.

Outfield
Right fielder Johnny Callison (#6) was the #2 slugger on this team. The left-hander was a star in the '64 and '65 all-star games. Long-time center fielder Tony Gonzalez (#25) moved over to left to start the season, making room for newly acquired center fielder Don Lock (#23). Lock had hit 99 homers in four years with the Senators. Left fielder John Briggs (#12) lost his starting spot temporarily, but soon got playing time as Lock faltered, and Gonzalez began shuffling between LF and CF. Gonzalez ended up batting .339, the second-highest average in the league. Also around for backup/pinch-hitting duty was former Orioles star Jackie Brandt (although only until mid-June), as well as Doug Clemens and Billy Cowan.

Pitchers
The staff aces were righthander Jim Bunning (#14), fresh off three 19-win seasons, and lefty Chris Short (#41), who had just won 20 games. Rounding out the starters were righties Larry Jackson (#46) and Rick Wise (#38), and southpaw Dick Ellsworth (#30).

The bullpen was completely revamped for 1967. Gone from 1966 were Darold Knowles (traded for Lock), Ray Culp (traded for Ellsworth), Joe Verbanic (traded for Pedro Ramos), Ed Roebuck, Ray Herbert, Terry Fox, Roger Craig, Bo Belinsky, and John Morris. In their place were Turk Farrell (acquired from the Astros in late May) and Dick Hall (acquired from Baltimore in the off-season), both right-handed closers. I remember Hall's claim to fame was that he never walked anyone. (In his last 7 seasons, his unintentional walks were 4, 4, 4, 2, 3, 4, and 2!). It seemed like these 2 guys would always shut down the opposition! Setup guys included southpaw rookie Grant Jackson, and righthanders Bob Buhl, Pedro Ramos, and Ruben Gomez. The last 3 were all given pink slips before the end of May, and replaced by righties John Boozer and Dallas Green.

Others
Major-league veterans stashed at triple-A San Diego for emergencies were starting pitcher John Tsitouris (on loan from Cincinnati), relievers Terry Fox and Ed Roebuck, catchers Dick Bertell and Jimmie Schaffer, 1B Jim Gentile, 2B Bobby Klaus, SS Roberto Pena, 3B Rick Joseph, and outfielders Lou Clinton and Marty Keough. (Joseph was called up in August when Dick Allen was injured, and Schaffer played a few games in late September.)

Summary
On paper, the Phillies had some decent players that year. Injuries to White, Allen, and Short are what did them in, I guess. The following winter, Bunning was traded to the Pirates for LHP Woody Fryman, SS prospect Don Money, and 2 other minor-league pitchers. At the time, I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT A TEAM WOULD TRADE THEIR ACE PITCHER!

1969 AL Expansion

2009-10-25T20:33:00.009-05:00

In 1969, the American League added the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots. It had been eight years since the previous AL expansion added the Angels and Senators.

This time, the expansion draft guidelines were going to be more favorable to the new teams. (I guess they wanted to avoid another team losing 120 games!) Each established team would protect 15 players on their 40-man rosters, and the Royals and Pilots would each select up to 30 players (3 per established team, so that the existing teams would each lose a total of 6 players). When a team lost a player, they could protect 3 more players on their roster. (So, each team would theoretically lose their 16th, 20th, 24th, 28th, 32nd, and 36th best players.)

Here's how it went (click to enlarge):

After the draft (held in October 1968), teams also signed free agents, made rule 5 draft picks, trades, etc. The deals listed above were those that occurred before opening day 1969.

The Royals team was a direct result of the Kansas City Athletics moving to Oakland following the 1967 season. Never has a city had to wait so little for a replacement team.

The Pilots were another story. After one season (immortalized by Pilots' pitcher Jim Bouton in his book Ball Four), the team was in financial ruins. Bud Selig (then a car dealer from Milwaukee) bought the team and moved them to Milwaukee. This move occurred during spring training 1970. The team went to camp as the Seattle Pilots, and emerged as the Milwaukee Brewers!

Out of the above collection of prospects, has-beens, never-weres, and other assorted backups, the teams settled on these lineups:

1969 NL Expansion

2009-10-24T20:48:00.024-05:00

In 1969, expansion added 4 new teams, unleashing 100 "major-league" players on the public. The National League added the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres. It had been seven years since the previous NL expansion added the Mets and Colt .45s (later renamed Astros).

This time, the expansion draft guidelines were going to be more favorable to the new teams. (I guess they wanted to avoid another team losing 120 games!) Each established team would protect 15 players on their 40-man rosters, and the Expos and Padres would each select up to 30 players (3 per established team, so that the existing teams would each lose a total of 6 players). When a team lost a player, they could protect 3 more players on their roster. (So, each team would theoretically lose their 16th, 20th, 24th, 28th, 32nd, and 36th best players.)

Here's how it went (click to enlarge):

After the draft (held in October 1968), teams also signed free agents, made rule 5 draft picks, trades, etc. The deals listed above were those that occurred before opening day 1969.

Notice that Johnny Podres is listed with the Padres. He had been out of baseball in 1968, but came back at age 36 for one season with the Padres.

The Phillies' Larry Jackson decided to retire, rather than to play for an expansion team. For compensation, the Phillies offered a group of players from which the Expos could choose one. When they chose shortstop Bobby Wine, this cleared out the Phillies roster of all their major-league shortstops (Bobby Wine, Gary Sutherland, Roberto Pena). No matter, it was already planned that Don Money would be promoted from triple-A and handed the shortstop job in 1969.

Out of the above collection of prospects, has-beens, never-weres, and other assorted backups, the teams settled on these lineups:

Next time: The 1969 American League expansion
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Last active players from relocated teams

2009-10-16T22:59:00.022-05:00

While poking around the internet, I found the following players to be the last active player from these teams:

Boston Braves (1952) - Eddie Mathews (1968 Tigers)

St. Louis Browns (1953) - Don Larsen (1967 Cubs)

Philadelphia A's (1954) - Vic Power (1965 Angels)

Brooklyn Dodgers (1957) - Bob Aspromonte (1971 Mets)

New York Giants (1957) - Willie Mays (1973 Mets)

Washington Senators (1960) - Jim Kaat (1983 Cardinals)

(Jim Kaat outlasted Harmon Killebrew (who was my guess) by 8 years!)
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Phillies 1967 pre-season roster

2009-10-10T20:34:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, I found a news archive site that includes page scans from the 1967 St. Petersburg Press. The February 26th issue had the spring training rosters of the teams training within 110 miles of St. Petersburg (Phillies, Cardinals, Mets, White Sox, Red Sox, Pirates, Reds, and Athletics).

This is a 42-man roster. (John Briggs and Mike Wegener are designated as on the "Military List", so maybe they're not counted toward the 40-man roster.) The non-roster invitees are listed at the bottom, and include veterans Ruben Gomez, Joey Jay, Jim Schaffer, and Jim Gentile.

Besides players that appeared for the Phillies in 1967, this roster includes future Phillies Billy Champion, Larry Colton, Lowell Palmer, Bill Wilson, Larry Bowa, Denny Doyle, and Larry Hisle.

Those Loveable Losers

2009-10-10T00:00:00.005-05:00

I found this article today on the New York Times archive website. Only the headline and first paragraph are available without paying. The headline is hilarious:

Mets Acquire Kralick of Indians, An Experienced Losing Pitcher
By JOSEPH DURSO
May 2, 1967, Tuesday

THE NEW YORK METS, who will get their first look at Willie Mays and the San Francisco Giants tonight, reported yesterday that they had purchased Jack Kralick from the Cleveland Indians.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C1EF73558107B93C0A9178ED85F438685F9

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Philadelphia was no place for a young player in 1967

2009-09-26T00:59:00.002-05:00

After trading away rookie pitcher Ferguson Jenkins for 2 old-timers (Larry Jackson, Bob Buhl) in early 1966, the Phillies apparently thought old = good, as they loaded up on aging veterans in the off-season. Pitchers Pedro Ramos, Ruben Gomez, Dick Hall, and Joey Jay were all brought in to supplement Bob Buhl and Terry Fox in the bullpen. First baseman Jim Gentile was signed to give the equally-old Bill White some time off.

This preference for geezers soon went by the wayside, as Jay, Fox, and Gentile never made it out of spring training (the latter two spending the year with the Phillies' triple-A team in San Diego, while surprisingly, Joey Jay wrapped up a long career by pitching for the Phillies single-A team in Tidewater). By mid-June, the Phillies had also dumped Buhl, Ramos, and Gomez, along with aging position players Dick Groat and Jackie Brandt. For good measure, little-used pitcher Dallas Green was let go 2 weeks before season's end.

My introduction to major league baseball

2009-09-26T00:22:00.002-05:00

My first baseball game was in May 1967, when the Phillies hosted the Cincinnati Reds at Connie Mack Stadium. This is when I started following MLB, and collecting baseball cards. It was all new to me, so I knew nothing of the Phillies' infamous 1964 collapse.

The Phillies had a decent team in 1967, but with the exception of Richie Allen, they were top heavy with veterans on the downside of their careers. Jim Bunning and Chris Short were still top-notch pitchers, Allen was an offensive star, and Johnny Callison was a good hitting outfielder starting his downward slide. Cookie Rojas and Tony Gonzalez were serviceable/adequate players, but the rest were mostly filler.

The team continued to bottom out over the next several years, as Bunning was traded after 1967, Gonzalez and 4 others were selected by the expansion teams after 1968, and finally, Allen, Rojas, and Callison were traded away after the 1969 season. By the start of 1970, only Rick Wise, Chris Short, Tony Taylor, Grant Jackson, and John Briggs remained from the 1967 team, as the Phillies started the decade-long rebuilding process that would culminate in the 1980 World Series championship.