Saturday, January 24, 2009

Surviving Browns Players as of 1/24/09

Name & Birthdate, Plus Age in 2008:

1. George Binks 07/11/14 - 94
2. Virgil Trucks 04/26/17 - 91
3. Marty Marion 12/01/17 - 91
4. Chuck Stevens 07/10/18 - 90
5. Ken Holcombe 08/23/18 - 90

6. Bob Dillinger 09/17/18 - 90
7. Fred Sanford 08/09/19 - 89.
8. Tom Jordan 09/05/19 - 89
9. Babe Martin 03/28/20 - 88
10. Dick Starr 03/02/21 - 87

11. George Elder 03/10/21 - 87
12. Al LaMacchia 07/22/21 - 87
13. Matt Batts 10/16/21 - 87
14. Bob Savage 12/01/21 - 87
15. Neil Berry 01/11/22 - 86

16. Johnny Hetki 05/12/22 - 86
17. Ray Coleman 06/04/22 - 86
18. Jim Rivera 07/22/22 - 86
19. Duane Pillette 07/24/22 - 86
20. Don Lenhardt 10/04/22 - 86

21. Don Lund 05/18/23 - 85
22. Tom Wright 09/22/23 - 85
23. Les Moss 05/14/25 - 83
24. Billy DeMars 08/26/25 - 83
25. Bill Jennings 09/28/25 - 83

26. Ned Garver 12/25/25 - 83
27. Frank Saucier 05/28/26 - 82
28. Johnny Groth 07/23/26 - 82
29. Lou Sleater 09/08/26 - 82
30. Ed Mickelson 09/09/26 - 82

31. Don Johnson 11/12/26 - 82
32. Roy Sievers 11/18/26 - 82
33. Hal Hudson 05/04/27 - 81
34. Jim McDonald 05/17/27 - 81
35. Al Naples 08/29/27 - 81

36. Billy Hunter 06/04/28 - 80
37. Perry Currin 09/27/28 - 80
38. Joe DeMaestri 12/09/28 - 80
39. Bud Thomas 03/10/29 - 79
40. Don Larsen 08/07/29 - 79

41. Bob Turley 09/19/30 - 78
42. J.W. Porter 01/17/33 - 75

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Oldest ex-major leaguer Bill Werber, teammate of Babe Ruth, dies at 100

January 22, 2009

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bill Werber, who was the oldest living ex-major leaguer and a teammate of Babe Ruth, died Thursday. He was 100. Werber, a career .271 hitter who led the American League in stolen bases three times, played with Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Lefty Grove in stints with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

He hit .370 as the third baseman on the 1940 World Series champion Cincinnati Reds.Until recently, Werber would vividly tell stories of his days playing in baseball's golden era. But Werber had been in deteriorating health for the past month and recently moved into an assisted-care facility in Charlotte, where his daughter, Patricia, lives.

As a collegian, Werber traveled briefly with the storied 1927 New York Yankees. He played for Hall of Fame managers Casey Stengel, Joe McCarthy, Joe Cronin and Bucky Harris, and locked horns in a contract dispute with Connie Mack.

Werber was also the leadoff hitter in the first televised game in 1939.Werber, who would forget dates and times late in life, had no trouble remembering his days as a player — including his first major league plate appearance in 1930 with the Yankees. "Babe Ruth hit a home run and I wanted to show them how fast I could run," Werber said in an interview in June. "So I get into the dugout, and — finally — Babe got into the dugout. He patted me on the head and said, 'Son, you don't have to run like that when the Babe hits one.'"

Sand Gnats Add Two Seasoned Veterans To Front Office

The Savannah Sand Gnats have added two new seasoned veterans to their front office staff as the 2009 season approaches. Ric Sisler, who served as the team's General Manager from 1991-1998, joins the staff as the Director of Sales. Dave Wellenzohn, who most recently served as the General Manager of the Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Penn League, takes over as the Director of Ticketing.

Sisler brings over 20 years of baseball experience as well as ties to the local Savannah community. His track record of success includes being named the Northern League Executive of the Year in 1999, setting six attendance records in his first stint with the Sand Gnats and winning the 1991 South Atlantic League Merit Award for attendance achievement.

He is the grandson of Hall of Famer George Sisler, a lifetime .340 hitter with the St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators and Boston Braves and the 1922 American League Most Valuable Player. His father, Dick Sisler, also played in the Major Leagues and managed the Cincinnati Reds in the mid-1960s. Ric played three years in the New York Yankees' farm system before moving into the front office.