Friday, August 13, 2010

Interesting Facts About Rogers Hornsby

Rogers Hornsby, nicknamed "The Rajah", was a Major League Baseball second baseman and manager.
Born: April 27, 1896 in Winters, Texas.

Hornsby's first name, Rogers, was his mother's maiden name.

Height: 5’11"

Rogers Hornsby spent the majority of his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals, though he also had short stints with the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Braves, and the New York Giants, and he ended his career as the player-manager of the St. Louis Browns.

Married: Sarah Martin (1918), Jeanette Pennington Hine (1924) and Marjorie Berniece Frederick (1957).

Rogers Hornsby is the only player to win the National League Triple Crown twice.

Rogers Hornsby was so obsessed with hitting that he refused to watch movies or read newspapers (except to check his batting average) for fear of corrupting his eyesight.

His career batting average of .358 is the highest in National League history, and also the highest in major league history for any right-handed hitter.

Seven National League Batting Titles (1920-1925, 1928)

His batting average for the 1924 season was .424, a mark that no player since has matched.

Rogers Hornsby is the only member of the 40–400 club—having 40 or more home runs and batting .400 or more in the same season.

The Baseball Hall of Fame elected Hornsby in 1942.

Died: January 5, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Special Guests at Fan Club 2010 Luncheon

The Fan Club Luncheon on July 16 included a number of Special Guests. Among them were the following.

Erma M. Bergmann (Bergie) - Amateur Softball and Professional Baseball Player (Click on Photo to Enlarge)

A St. Louis native, Bergmann grew up playing baseball with her two brothers until at age 14 she was asked to play organized amateur softball. At age 19 she was asked to try out professionally for the All American Girls Baseball League in Pascagula, Ms. Bergmann, one of the real players from the movie "A League of Their Own", made the team and was recruited to play for the Muskegon Lassies in 1946. This was the first time in U.S. history women played professional baseball. Known for her strong throwing arm, Bergmann pitched a no hitter against the Grand Rapids Chicks...a career highlight. Bergmann pitched in this extraordinary baseball league from 1946 to 1951. After baseball ended, Bergmann returned to St. Louis and became one of the first pioneer policewomen in 1956. Bergmann retired after 25 years of honorable service in 1981.

Fred Buchholz - Batboy for St. Louis Browns

Fred served as a batboy for both the St. Louis Browns and Cardinals, as well as every visiting AL team.  He was recently featured on the Bob Costas narrated program, "MLB Network Remembers: The Eddie Gaedel Story.”

Rosanne Delsing - Wife of Jim Delsing, St. Louis Browns

Jim Delsing was a popular player with the Browns from 1950-52. He also played for the White Sox, Tigers, Yankees and Athletics. Rosanne is the mother of PGA golfer, Jay Delsing.

Bill DeWitt, III - President, St. Louis Cardinals 

Bill DeWitt III was appointed president after the 2007 season and was previously the team's vice-president of business development.

Joan DeWitt McKean

Ms. McKean is the daughter of Browns owner Bill DeWitt Sr.   She resides in Grosse Point, Michigan.  Sportswise, Ms. McKean is a 4-time Michigan bridge champion who competed last year with 3,000 bridge players from across America and Mexico.

Chuck Diering – St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles

Diering, a St. Louis native and Beaumont High graduate, was drafted by the Browns/Orioles in November 1953 and ended up being the Orioles team MVP for 1954.  He was the last original Oriole still with the team, departing June 24, 1956.  He played in 396 games for the Cardinals from 1947-1951 and was the everyday centerfielder between Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter in 1949. 

Bo Drochelman - Grandson of George Sisler, St. Louis Browns
Julie Drochelman - Great Granddaughter of George Sisler, St. Louis Browns

George Sisler, ranked as the #1 player in the history of the Browns, played for the team from 1915 - 1927. He was the AL batting champ in 1920 & 1922.

Charlie Hopkins - Browns Minor League System

Charlie Hopkins was a standout catcher for the San Antonio Missions during the early ‘50s. Catching future major leaguers such as Ryne Duren. (Charlie Hopkins Photo Shown)

Archie Jones - Browns Minor League System

Jones signed with the Browns in 1953 and was assigned to play with the Pine Bluff Judges in the Class C Cotton States League. Upon completion of military service the following year, he played with the San Antonio Missions and Lubbock Class B League, which was now part of the Baltimore Orioles farm system.

Greg Marecek - Founder/President, St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame

The St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame became a reality in 2009. The HOF will tell the stories with artifacts and presentations on the great tradition of sports in St. Louis.

Bob Muncrief, III - Grandson of Bob Muncrief, St. Louis Browns

Pitched for the Browns from 1937 - 1947. Also played for the Indians, Cubs, Pirates and Yankees.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Browns Luncheon with Lasorda & Costas on Local TV and Internet

The July 16 luncheon of the St. Louis Browns Fan Club is set to be broadcast three times during the coming week. This is the luncheon with guests Tommy Lasorda and Bob Costas. The times are:

     Saturday, Aug. 14 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
     Sunday, Aug. 15 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The video is available through Charter Cable and ATT u-Verse television on the following channels.

     Charter - Channel 994
     ATT u-Verse – Channel 99

On u-Verse, your screen will show this as a LOCAL GOVERNMENT, EDUCATION AND PUBLIC ACCESS channel. Follow the instructions on the screen. The next screen will allow you to access various public information from various localities. We assume you will need to select the ST. LOUIS CHANNELS to access the program. I assume this may be the same with Charter Cable.

The video is a service of News Channel 20. You can also view the luncheon on the Internet by going to http://www.news20tv.com at the above times. Click on the GTN logo to go live.

Now . . . this will probably be a first for you as it was for me. While I knew the Local Government and Public Access channels were there, it was one I have never watched . . . so we’re all learning something new. I guess we will all find out if this works come Thursday evening. You may want to check out your appropriate TV channel and also visit the News20tv.com web site beforehand.

The luncheon will also be available on DVD. We expect to receive copies within the next few days. (Click on Photos to Enlarge)

If you're not a member of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society and Fan Club, please consider a donation of only $25 to help support programs of this nature . . . and receive the Browns magazine, Pop Flies. Just send a short note along with your check payable to the St. Louis Browns Fan Club to Rick Stamper, 509 Geyer Rd., Kirkwood, MO 63122.

River City Rascals Salute St. Louis Browns at Ballgame August 19; Tickets Available On-line

The St. Louis Browns Historical Society and the River City Rascals are teaming up for a St. Louis Browns Fan Club night at the ballpark. Please join us on Thursday, August 19 at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon, MO. The park is conveniently located 35 miles west of downtown St. Louis just off Interstate 70. Join with us in a salute to Eddie Gaedel (baseballs only midget player) and the St. Louis Browns.

The game is an important fund raiser for the St. Louis Browns Historical Society. Please help support the history of major league baseball in St. Louis by joining us on August 19. Game time is 7:05 p.m. against the Oakland County Cruisers.

Tickets are available at $10 per person (a 10% discount). We have a block of reserved seats for fan club members so you will have lots of opportunities to talk Browns baseball with other fan club members.

You can order and pay for tickets on-line using MasterCard, VISA, Discover or American Express by going to our special website below. Your tickets will be mailed to you the next day and confirmed via e-mail.

Click Here: http://rascaltickets.blogspot.com/

Our credit card processing is handled through PayPal. You do not have to be a member of PayPal in order to use this service. The above link will take you to their secured website for processing.

Or you can purchase by mail. Send your check payable to the St. Louis Browns Fan Club to:

St. Louis Browns Fan club
P.O. Box 510047
St. Louis, MO 63151-0047

If you have any questions, please contact us by e-mail or phone. We hope to see you at the ballpark on Augst 19.

Bill Rogers
St. Louis Browns Fan Club
Tel: 314-892-8632
stlbrowns@swbell.net

Click Here For Tickets: http://rascaltickets.blogspot.com/