TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

February 27, 2011 — The “Duke of Flatbush”, Hall of Famer Duke Snider dies in Escondido, CA at age 84. Snider was a power-hitting centerfielder for the great Brooklyn Dodgers teams of the 1950s and is immortalized in Terry Cashman’s song “Willie, Mickey and the Duke”.

Snider was Brooklyn’s entry into one of the most passionate debates in baseball history. New York sportswriter Red Smith once wrote, “(Duke) Snider, (Mickey) Mantle, and (Willie) Mays. You could get a fat lip in any saloon by starting an argument as to which was the best.”

Sharing the big city spotlight with fellow future Hall of Fame centerfielders Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, Snider was part of a magical period in New York baseball that saw a team from the nation’s largest city win the World Series in nine out of the 10 seasons between 1949 and 1958.

The Dodgers appeared in the Fall Classic five times during that time, winning their only championship in Brooklyn in 1955. Although the Dodger lineup also featured other outstanding performers such as Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, and Gil Hodges throughout much of the period, no one on the team wielded a more potent bat than Snider. And, even though the Brooklyn centerfielder usually came out third best in comparisons to Mays and Mantle, Snider hit more home runs during the 1950s (326) than any other player in baseball.

Snider is the only man in baseball history to twice hit four homers in a World Series. He did it in 1952 and 1955 and on September 22, 1957 he hit last homerun at Ebbets Field.

Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner once noted, “I’d say Duke covers more ground, wastes less motion, and is more consistent than anyone since DiMaggio.” And Stan Musial named Snider, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron as his all-time National League outfield.

Historic Days!

February 27, 1935, Babe Ruth signs a contract with the Boston Braves. Released by the New York Yankees only one day earlier, Ruth will serve the Braves as a player, coach, and team vice-president.

February 27, 1948, Pie Traynor and Herb Pennock win election to the Hall of Fame. Traynor batted .320 over a 17-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pennock’s election comes less than a month after his death. The ‘Knight of Kennett Square’ posted a .590 win-loss percentage during his 22 seasons in the majors, including a 162-90 stint for the Yankees from 1923-1933. Pie Traynor is elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He narrowly missed getting elected in 1947, falling two votes shy of the minimum 75% of the votes required to gain entrance into the Hall.

February 27, 1970, a threat to Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks is removed when the FBI arrests Lawrence Bankhead in Chicago. Bankhead is charged with making threatening phone calls to the future Hall of Famer.

February 27, 1973, Chicago White Sox first baseman Dick Allen signs the richest contract in baseball history-a three-year deal worth $250,000 per season. Allen won the American League’s MVP Award in 1972 after leading the league in home runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage.

February 27, 1984 -- The San Francisco Giants send pitcher Fred Breining and outfielder Max Venable to the Montreal Expos in exchange for first baseman Al Oliver. Because Breining is found to be injured, the Giants will send pitcher Andy McGaffigan to Montreal on March 31st to complete the trade. Al Oliver learned he had been traded by Montreal Expos to San Francisco Giants was in a telephone call he received from a friend watching televi­sion.

February 27, 1989, Washington State first baseman John Olerud undergoes surgery to remove an aneurysm from his brain. Olerud had collapsed on January 11 after a workout. As a result of the aneurysm, Olerud will wear a helmet at all times while on the playing field. Olerud will go on to enjoy a successful 17-season major league career with the Blue Jays, Mets, Mariners, Yankees and Red Sox, winning a batting title in 1993 and two All-Star berths.

February 27, 2011 -- The "Duke of Flatbush", Hall of Famer Duke Snider dies in Escondido, CA at age 84. Snider was a power-hitting centerfielder for the great Brooklyn Dodgers teams of the 1950s and is immortalized in Terry Cashman's song "Willie, Mickey and the Duke".

Todays featured clip:

TRIVIA

TRIVIA: Duke Snider hit his 400th homerun as a New York Met on June 17, 1963. Just like his career he got very little press, (how did he not win the NL MVP in 56?) and one of his teammates in protest ran the bases backwards after he hit a homerun. Who was he?

Answer in tomorrows newsletter

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Birthday Boys!

 ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA: Name the play Babe Ruth was sold for?  

No No Nanette - Babe Ruth may have become the greatest player in Boston Red Sox history, if not for the greed and short-sightedness of one man. In 1917 the team was purchased by H. Harrison Frazee, a high-living, hard-drinking theatrical producer who loved baseball but loved Broadway more. He saw the Red Sox as a means of financing his theatrical operations, and began selling off all of his best players to Colonel Jacob Ruppert, owner of the New York Yankees, to raise cash for a number of Broadway ventures and to keep the team a float after attendance dropped in 1918 and 1919.

Ruth the prize chip became victim in 1920, when Frazee sold him to Ruppert for $125,000 and the promise of a $300,000 personal loan with which to finance his plays. Fenway Park was put up as security for the loan. The Red Sox have never recovered from the loss of Ruth during the 20’s through through 1990’s. They had won five of the first fifteen World Series, but would not play in another for 28 years, and lost brutal 7 game series in 46, 67,75 and 86, it took a total of 86 years to reverse the curse when the 2004 did so in epic fashion.

Passings.

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