TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

Hey Folks!

Welcome to March 27 is one of those dates that reminds you why baseball history never runs out of stories worth telling. Today we remember Graig Nettles — six time All-Star, two time Gold Glover, Yankees captain, and the man his teammates called Puff because he had a habit of disappearing right after starting trouble. We also look back at Miller Huggins, the little second baseman who built the greatest dynasty baseball had ever seen, and J.R. Richard, one of the most dominant pitchers of his era whose career ended not on a mound but in a hospital room. Pete Rose's gambling secrets spilled onto the pages of Sports Illustrated on this date in 1989, starting a chain of events that changed baseball forever. And in 1917 a Brooklyn Robins owner named Charles Ebbets had a simple idea for an exhibition game — put numbers on the players' sleeves so fans could tell them apart. You probably know that idea by another name today. It's called a jersey number.

March 29, 1984, the New York Yankees trade one of the key members of their recent World Championship teams when they dispatch Graig Nettles to the San Diego Padres for pitcher Dennis Rasmussen and a player to be named. Nettles, who had angered Yankee owner George Steinbrenner by criticizing him in his book

Nettles's moment in the sun came in Game Three of the 1978 World Series against the Dodgers when he made four dazzling stops, twice robbing Reggie Smith of hits. Nettles's fielding enabled New York to win its first of four straight games, after losing the first two games in Los Angeles, to win the Series.

Nettles was a power-hitting third baseman in the mold of Eddie Mathews, and his 319 homers as an AL third baseman are the record. He played mainly the outfield for the Twins in his first three seasons (Harmon Killebrew was at third), but switched permanently to third base when he joined Cleveland in 1970 in a six-player deal in which he was the only non-pitcher. In 1971 he set AL records with 412 assists and 54 double plays, and he led the league in assists in 1972, as well as errors. After the 1972 season, he was swapped to New York, but had trouble adapting and suffered a poor year defensively in 1973, and hit just .234. He rebounded the following year, however. In April, he clubbed 11 homers, half his total for the year, including four in a doubleheader on April 14. On September 14, both he and his brother Jim, playing for the Tigers, homered in the same game.

Nettles led the league in homers in 1976 with 32, but had his best season in 1977. He won the Gold Glove, slammed 37 homers, drove in a career-high 107 runs, and scored 99 runs to lead the Yankees to the first of two World Championships, both over the Dodgers. His power production dropped off during the next two seasons. After committing seven errors in his first 20 games in 1980, he was diagnosed with hepatitis in July and was out for 67 games, but came back to play in the Yankees' playoff loss to the Royals.

Nettles was traded to San Diego in 1984 and was a key figure with ex-teammate Goose Gossage and ex-Dodger Steve Garvey in the Padres' first pennant. He was dealt to the Braves in 1987 and the Expos in 1988, for whom he mainly pinch hit. In 1989, he was involved in the new over-35 "senior" league of former major leaguers started in Florida.

March 27, 1879 —– Miller Huggins is born in Cincinnati, Ohio. A second baseman adept at getting on base, Huggins will lead the National League in walks four times, score 100 or more runs three times, and regularly collect 30 or more stolen bases and an on-base percentage near .400. He will start as a player-manager with the St. Louis Cardinals before heading to the New York Yankees in 1918. Huggins will lead the Yankees to six American League pennants and three World Series titles, and his “Murderers’ Row” club, which will win 110 games before sweeping the 1927 World Series, will be considered one of the greatest teams in history. Huggins will be selected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1964.

March 27, 1938 --White Sox shortstop Luke Appling, sliding into second base in an exhibition game against the Cubs, fractures his right leg in two places and will miss almost half the season. He will return on July 8th.

March 27, 1953 – Lew Burdette smacked a ninth-inning home run off Ralph Branca to give the Braves a 3-2 exhibition victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. “Now I’m as famous as Bobby Thomson,” a jubilant Burdette yelled in the clubhouse after the game.

March 27, 1961 -- In a spring training game, Cardinals pitcher Larry Jackson suffers a broken jaw when hit by a fragment of Dodgers Duke Snider's broken bat. Jackson will be sidelined for four weeks.

March 27, 1973, veteran pitcher Jim Perry of the Minnesota Twins becomes the first player to approve of being traded under the new “ten and five” rule. The Twins send Perry to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Dan Fife and cash. Perry, a 24-game winner in 1970, will win 14 games for the Tigers in 1973.

March 27, 1984 -- The Houston Astros release J.R. Richard, ending his major league career. The hard-throwing Richard had been the Astros' top pitcher before suffering a stroke during the 1980 season, from which he never came back.

March 27, 1989 - Sports Illustrated publishes a story about Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose's gambling activities. Rose will eventually agree to a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball as part of an agreement with Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti.

TRIVIA

TRIVIA: In 1969 Nettles showed promise at third but was bloked by a future hall of famer, who was he?

IF you think you know the answer and bonus points for how many respond with details and if you are right I will give you a shut out! No Googling!

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 ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S TRIVIA

YESTERDAY'S TRIVIA: In 1969 Jim Wynn set the NL record for base on balls with 148, who’s record did he break? Then who broke his and in what year?

Answer: Wynn broke Jimmy Sheckard’s record of 147 set in 1911. In 1999 Mark McGwire broke his record with 162. The only players to pass Wynn in the NL have been Jeff Bagwell, McGwire and Barry Bonds.

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