St. Louis Browns Fan Club

HALL OF FAME BAR AND GRILL"

2012-02-20T13:01:00.000-08:00

New Theme for Pujols 5 Restaurant

Patrick Hanon, the owner of the Westport Plaza restaurant Pujols 5, has announced his well- known West County eatery is partnering with a St. Louis entity that represents the great tradition and greatest athletes in this city's sports history. Today the restaurant is the “St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Bar and Grill.”

The Hanon family, long known as one of the city's finest restaurateurs, have acquired the exclusive restaurant theme rights to the logo and memorabilia of the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame Founder/President Greg Marecek will coordinate with Pat Hanon and staff the design of the new décor, which will feature authentic sports memorabilia, from pennants, banners, scorecards and classic photographs to major trophies awarded to players and teams in St. Louis history.

“The Hanon Family and our 80 team members are very excited about our new partnership with the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame,” said Pat Hanon. “We look forward to continue providing a unique sports viewing environment for our fans.” The bar and grill features 51 televisions and many special viewing promotions. You can have fun with the bar crowd or a quiet lunch or dinner in one of the many soon-to-be named rooms.

So there is no confusion, the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame’s major displays are, and will continue to be, housed inside the Scottrade Center, with the history of the St. Louis Browns being built now.

Bill Rogers, President of the Browns Fan Club said they are working on assembling memorabilia from the Browns for display at the Scottrade Center and the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Bar and Grill.

Taking a Look at the Four Missouri MLB Teams

2012-02-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

I don’t know how many people realize that Missouri has hosted four different major league teams since 1901, the same number as New York and one behind California’s five. Here is a chart showing how many years each of those four teams has played through 2011:

A look at how many World Series the four teams have won:

And how many World Series they’ve played in:

The St. Louis Cardinals began play in 1882, as the St. Louis Brown Stockings (37-43). They became the St. Louis Browns in 1883 (1059-1029 from 1883 through 1898); they became the Perfectos in 1899 (84-67), then the Cardinals in 1900. In 130 years of existence, the franchise has 10195 wins and 9490 losses.

The St. Louis Browns began play in 1902, after leaving Milwaukee, where they were known as the Brewers for the duration of the 1901 A.L. season. The Browns left after the 1953 season for Baltimore. They went 3414-4465 in their 52 St. Louis seasons.

The Kansas City Athletics went 829-1224 in their 13 seasons, 1955 through 1967. And the Kansas City Royals have 3281 wins and 3546 losses after 2011. So, cumulatively the A.L. teams in Missouri are 7524-9235, more than 1700 games below .500. It’s a little odd that an A.L. team has been in Missouri every year but 1901, 1954, and 1968, despite three different teams occupying that slot. The Cardinals are in no danger of being overtaken by their A.L. counterparts, in terms of total win-loss percentage or World Series titles and pennants won, at any point before about 2040.

There are a couple other other notes on MLB in Missouri: Kansas City’s new Municipal Stadium existed from 1955 to 1976. The A’s played there for their full 1955 through 1967 tenure, and then the Royals played there 1969 through 1972.

Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis was the Cardinals’ home from mid-1920 to May 8, 1966, and the Browns’ home from mid-1920 through 1953. So the two St. Louis and Kansas City franchises have both played in the same stadium for at least part of their existence.

Who was the Browns best player? I suppose George Sisler, although Harland Clift and Vern Stephens are two other very good Brownies.

The Royals best player continues to be George Brett. It is hard to say who was the Kansas City A’s best player. The mind thinks of people like Bert Campaneris, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, and Roger Maris, who had their best years for the Oakland A’s and/or New York Yankees. But if you consider only their time in Kansas City, it’s probably Bob Cerv or Norm Siebern.

From the following blog site:
http://miscbaseball.wordpress.com/2012/02/12/taking-a-look-at-the-four-missouri-mlb-teams/

Milo Hamilton: St. Louis Browns Announcer 1953

2012-02-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

Astros play-by-play man Milo Hamilton has decided to retire following the 2012 season after broadcasting Major League baseball games for the last 59 years.

Milo, 84, began his legendary career in the Major Leagues with the St. Louis Browns of the American League in 1953. After stops with the Cardinals organization along with the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs, Hamilton finally landed with the Houston Astros in 1985, and has become a Houston baseball fixture for the last 27 years.

NAIL ON THE LID! RUBE WADDELL IS COMING

2012-02-15T05:59:00.001-08:00

February 15, 1908

Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette

NAIL ON THE LID! RUBE WADDELL IS COMING

Scheduled to Reach French Lick This Week

His Rubelets Waddell, far famed as a left-handed pitcher, is due to arrive at French Lick the latter part of this week to begin training for the 1908 season. Rube is now the property of the St. Louis American league club, having been bought from the Philadelphia Americans last week. His first action when apprised of the deal was to wire President Hedges, of the St. Louis club, from Mobile, Ala., for $100. What he got was a railroad ticket and a coupon for a berth, with an order to a report immediately in St. Louis.

Hedges never even thought of standing for the touch. Imagine Rube in Mobile with $100 in his clothes. He probably would give an automobile parade through Main street. Rube and Jack Powell, of the St. Louis staff, will be shipped to French Lick one week ahead of the other members of the team.

Hedges smiled and was pleased when he received Waddell’s telegram asking for money. He knew Rube had not changed and he wants him just as he was when he was with the Athletics. He hopes that there also will be no change in his ability and that he can win a couple of pennants for St. Louis as he did for Philadelphia.

Some Batting Greats on the Mound

2012-02-13T13:27:00.000-08:00

A number of batting greats have taken a turn or two on the mound. Stan Musial, who pitched regularly (and well) in the minors for three years, threw an incomplete inning for the Cards in 1952. Ted Williams yielded three hits and one run in two innings in 1940. Jimmie Foxx (534 career home runs) pitched a perfect inning for the Red Sox in 1939 and then, winding up his career with the Phillies, threw 23 innings in 9 games in 1945, for a earned run average of 1.52 for his career.

Going further back, Ty Cobb gave up six hits and two walks in four innings in 1918 and pitched a perfect inning seven years later. Truly impressive was the St. Louis Browns’ George Sisler, a kind of Ruthian double-threat man who twice hit over .400 and yet managed to pitch 111 innings in 24 games between 1915 and 1928, posting an e.r.a. of 2.35 for his career.

“RUBE’S” PRICE $7,500

2012-02-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

G. Edward “Rube” Waddell cost the St. Louis Browns exactly $7,500. President Shibe, of the local Philadelphia club, is the authority for the announcement.

He said, “The St. Louis club paid $7,500 for Waddell. They receive none the worst of the bargain. The ‘Rube’ is as great a master of the pitcher’s art as ever.

“Connie Mack informed me that Waddell’s personal characteristics and idiosyncrasies had a bad influence on his fellow-players. He advised a change, and said he was of the opinion it would be beneficial to all the parties concerned.

“We are sorry to lose Waddell, but I do not think it would have been good business to turn down the superb offer of the St. Louis club. Rube’ has the best wishes of all of us for a successful season.”

(See Rube and other players below once under contract to the St. Louis Browns. Click on photo to enlarge)

T-Shirts Now Available; Follow the Browns

2012-01-30T15:02:00.000-08:00

"Follow the Browns" T-shirts are now available. Just click here to place your order. Also available are logo polo shirts, denim, caps, bags and lots more. Order and pay on-line. Fast and easy.

White

Grey

Bill Rogers modeling Black.

http://stlbrowns.qbstores.com

Bud Byerly dies; pitched in '44 Series for Cardinals

2012-01-30T09:09:00.000-08:00

Native St. Louisan, Eldred W. (Bud) Byerly, a righthanded pitcher believed to be the only surviving member of the 1944 Cardinals World Series champions other than Hall of Famer Stan Musial, died at age 91 after a brief illness.

Byerly, a Webster Groves High product, signed with the Cardinals' organization in 1940 and reached the majors in 1943. He was 2-2 in the regular season for the 1944 Cardinals, who beat the Browns in the World Series. Byerly appeared in one game in that series, pitching 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

An 11-season career also took Byerly, who had a 22-22 lifetime record, to Cincinnati, Washington, Boston and San Francisco. His best season was in 1957 at Washington, where he was 6-6 with six saves.

One of his teammates on that team was Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog, whose first big-league team was the Senators.

_____________________________

Bud Byerly appearing as special guest

at the May 26, 2010 Browns fan

club luncheon

_____________________________

"I don't know if he was a flame-thrower or not early in his career before he came to Washington," Herzog said. "But he knew how to pitch.

"He always said he threw a 'dry spitter,'" said Herzog, laughing. "I'd never heard of a 'dry spitter.'"

Bud Byerly appearing as special guest at the May 26, 2010 Browns fan club luncheon

Baseball Aborted Franchise Moves

2012-01-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

The following is a list of notable aborted franchise moves.....

Boston Braves to Baltimore, 1935. Reason: Braves acquired Babe Ruth from the Yankees.
St. Louis Browns to Los Angeles, 1942. Reason: World War II.
St. Louis Browns back to Milwaukee, 1952. Reason: American League owners vetoed move.
St. Louis Cardinals to Milwaukee or Houston, 1953. Reason: Anheuser-Busch bought the team.
New York Giants to Minneapolis-St. Paul, 1958. Reason: Horace Stoneham decided to join Walter O'Malley in California.
Kansas City A's to Dallas-Fort Worth, 1962. Reason: American League owners vetoed move.
Kansas City A's to Louisville, 1964. Reason: American League owners vetoed move.
Kansas City A's to Oakland, 1964. Reason: American League owners vetoed move.
Chicago White Sox to Milwaukee, 1969. Reason: American League owners vetoed sale to Bud Selig.
San Diego Padres to Washington, 1974. Reason: Padres sold to Ray Kroc.
Chicago White Sox to Seattle & Oakland A's to Chicago, 1975. Reason: White Sox sold to Bill Veeck.
San Francisco Giants to Toronto, 1976. Reason: Giants sold to Bob Lurie.
Oakland A's to Denver, 1978. Reason: City refused to let team out of lease.
Chicago White Sox to St. Petersurg, FL, 1986. Reason: City and state agreed to build New Comiskey Park.
San Francisco Giants to St. Petersburg, FL, 1992. Reason: National League owners vetoed sale. Giants sold to Peter Magowan. Giants signed Barry Bonds.

Remembering Marty Marion as a Cardinal

2011-12-23T09:35:00.000-08:00

Click Below for Access to St. Louis Browns Logo Merchandise, Scorecard, Satchel Paige Replica Jersey

2011-12-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

http://brownsmerchandise.blogspot.com

France Laux: Browns & Cardinals Radio Announcer

2011-12-16T10:53:00.000-08:00

France Laux has been called St. Louis' "pioneer baseball voice," a tribute that referred to his work with the St. Louis Browns and St. Louis Cardinals. He was the voice of baseball for 19 years on KMOX starting in 1929.

The Sporting News presented him with its first award to the nation's outstanding major league broadcaster in 1937. He did radio play-by-play in nine World Series and nine Major League All-Star Games, but his work wasn't limited to baseball. Laux also broadcast boxing, football, wrestling, hockey and basketball.

His voice was also heard on KXOK in St. Louis as part of his play-by-play baseball agreements, but his association with KMOX lasted 30 years. His list of broadcast booth sidekicks reads like a "Who's Who" of sports: Gabby Street, Dizzy Dean, Pepper Martin, Joe Medwick, Leo Durocher and Frankie Frisch.

He often bragged that he had worked for 20 years without missing a broadcast or arguing with a player or umpire.

Pop Flies In the Mail as of 12/13/11

2011-12-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

Pop Flies, the official publication of the St. Louis Browns, is in the mail as of December 13.

Key features include photos from the 2011 Browns luncheon with Whitey Herzog, Bob Turley, Ned Garver, Roy Sievers and other Browns players. Stories include memories of Marty Marion, the Browns last manager, Ned Garver's achievement 60 years ago, and a lot more.

It's now up to the Post Office to complete delivery so be on the lookout. Thanks.

Follow the Browns T-Shirt Now Available

2011-11-24T06:23:00.000-08:00

Visit http://stlbrowns.qbstores.com

Musial's Only World Series Home Run Against STL Browns

2011-11-21T06:38:00.000-08:00

Stan Musial hit his only World Series home run against the Browns. Per Stan, “"The funny thing about that World Series (in 1944), the fans were rooting for the Browns, and it kind of surprised me because we drew more fans than the Browns during the season. The fans were rooting for the underdog, and I was surprised about that, but after you analyze the situation in St. Louis, the Browns in the old days had good clubs. They had great players like George Sisler and Kenny Williams, and the fans who were there were older fans, older men, old-time Brownie fans. But it was a tough series."

Happy Birthday, Stan.

Virgil Trucks Oldest Living Player

2011-11-19T18:52:00.000-08:00

With the passing of Benny McCoy, Virgil Trucks becomes the oldest former Tiger at 94 years old. He is also the oldest player who also played with the Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, and St. Louis Browns.

Virgil Oliver Trucks was born on April 26, 1917. From 1941 through 1958, Trucks played for the Detroit Tigers (1941–1943, 1945–1952, 1956), St. Louis Browns (1953), Chicago White Sox (1953–1955), Kansas City Athletics (1958) and New York Yankees (1958). He batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

In a 17-season career, Virgil "Fire" Trucks posted a 177-135 record with 1,534 strikeouts and a 3.39 ERA in 2,682.2 innings pitched. In 1952, despite a 5-19 record, Trucks became just the third Major League pitcher to hurl two no-hitters in one season (two others have since matched the feat).

After retiring as a player Trucks joined the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning the 1960 World Series with them against his old team the Yankees. He continued coaching with the Pirates then the Atlanta Braves and finally ending his MLB career with the Tigers in 1974.

Highlights of Trucks' Career

> 1953 - 20-10, 149 SO, 2.93 ERA, including eight straight victories.

> Twice made American League All-Star team (1949, 1954)

> Fifth in American League MVP vote (1953, behind Al Rosen, Yogi Berra, Mickey Vernon and Minnie Miñoso)

> Led AL in strikeouts (1949 [153])

> Twice led AL in shutouts (1949 [6], 1954 [5])

> While with the Tigers in 1952, Trucks had a 5-19 record; however, two of those victories were no-hitters, both by a score of 1-0, against the Washington Senators on May 15, and New York Yankees on August 25, joining Johnny Vander Meer, Allie Reynolds, Roy Halladay and Nolan Ryan as the only major league pitchers to accomplish this feat in a single season.

> During his minor league career, set a record with 418 SO in a single season (1938) and also pitched four no-hitters.

> Trucks had been out of the Navy less than two weeks before his start in the second game of the 1945 World Series. The leagues waived the rule requiring players to have been on the team's roster by September 1 to qualify for post-season play, because of the circumstances of World War II. He defeated the Cubs in that game.

> One of a very small number of pitchers traded in a season during which he would eventually win 20 or more games. In 1953 Trucks went 5-4 for the St. Louis Browns (AL) before being traded to the Chicago White Sox (AL) where he went 15-6 for an overall season record of 20-10.

> As of 2011, Trucks is the oldest living pitcher to have thrown a Major League no-hitter.

Browns Logo Shirts Available

2011-11-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

http://stlbrowns.qbstores.com

Tony 2 Seconds Before Final Fly Ball Caught to Win Series

2011-10-31T19:11:00.001-07:00

All 6 World Series Games Were Played in St. Louis in 1944

2011-10-31T19:08:00.001-07:00

St. Louis is still abuzz over the Cardinals capturing the World Series. Can you imagine how wild St. Louis would have been if all 7 games would have been played in St. Louis. This was the case in 1944 when we enjoyed two professional teams here. Our two were the St. Louis Browns and the St. Louis Cardinals

By the time 1944 rolled around, the Cardinals had well established themselves as the predominant team, but that was not the case in the early 1900s. The Browns were the powerhouse. It was in the mid 1920s their decline started and continued to the early 1940s.

The 1944 World Series was an all-St. Louis World Series, matching up the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park. It marked only the third time in World Series history in which both teams had the same home field.

The Browns left St. Louis after the 1953 season and became the Baltimore Orioles. To show you how strong a baseball town St. Louis is, after 58 years the Browns are still very popular with their fan club (330 members), memorabilia sales on eBay, mentioned numerous times in the newspapers during the recent World Series, and now planning a museum presence in the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame in the Scottrade Center in early 2012.

While we dearly love the World Champ Cardinals, a lot of St. Louis still “follow the Browns.”

World Series 2011 Observations

2011-10-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

By Bill Gilbert, Rogers Hornsby Chapter, Society for American Baseball Research

(1) The 2011 World Series will be remembered as a great one despite an anti-climactic Game 7. Before that there were 4 nail-biters plus Albert Pujols epic game and an unforgettable game 6.

(Pictured - Bill Gilbert)

(2) If ever there was a team of destiny, it’s the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. Future regular season and World Series comebacks will be measured against what the Cardinals did this year.

(3) The only time the Cardinals were ahead in game 6 was at the end.

(4) Game 6 had 6 home runs and 5 errors and the Rangers had 3 pitchers charged with blown saves. None of their 7 relievers escaped unscathed.

(5) Hunter Pence would have caught the ball that Nelson Cruz should have had on David Freese’s game tying triple.

(6) Where would the Cardinals be without Lance Berkman? He could possibly join Albert Pujols (and former teammates Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell) in the Hall of Fame.

(7) Aside from his 5-hit game, Pujols had only 1 hit in the other 6 games.

(8) I can’t recall seeing so many right-handed batters hit to right field as in the post season this year.

(9) In game 6, Joe Buck talked about Jaime Garcia as a potential pinch-hitter for two innings before he realized Garcia had been the starting pitcher.

(10) Michael Young is a better designated hitter than a first baseman.

(11) Will Ruth Ryan still be this pretty when she is 75?

(12) I thought it was great that no Eastern Division team, including the three biggest spenders were not in the World Series.

(13) In the 17 years of Divisional Play, 10 wild card teams have played in the World Series and the Cardinals are the 5th team to win it.

(14) How drunk do you have to be to get tattoos on your neck?

(15) The state of Texas came within one pitch (twice) of having the best and worst teams in major league baseball this year.

10/28/11

billcgilbert@sbcglobal.net

Satchel Paige: The One and Only

2011-10-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Written by: Dick Burnon, dburnon@aol.com

Paige (1906-1982) was an American baseball player whose pitching in several different Negro Leagues and in Major League Baseball made him a legend in his own lifetime. A right-handed pitcher, Paige colorful professional baseball playing career lasted from the mid-1920s until 1965. He appeared in the Major League All-Star Games in both 1952 and 1953 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, in 1971.

He played for a dozen Negro League teams; teams in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Mexico; and three Major League teams -- Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles), and the Kansas City Athletics (now the Oakland A’s). As best that can be determined, his overall record was 180 wins and 96 losses. Unfortunately, the Negro Leagues didn’t keep accurate records, so there’s no way to determine how many more games Paige had actually won. He once claimed that he won over 2,000 games and lost only 200 during his lengthy career.

“According to legend, Paige got the nickname ‘Satchel’ from Wilber Hines, a friend and next-door neighbor,” said Burnon, Head of Adult Programming and Public Relations at the Englewood Public Library. “The two would go down to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad station and carry bags for the passengers for money. Hines supposedly gave Paige the nickname after he was caught trying to steal one of the bags that he was carrying.”

On February 7, 1936, Joe DiMaggio was making his last stop as a minor leaguer before joining the New York Yankees, and he was going to face one of baseball’s best pitchers: Satchel Paige. DiMaggio ended up going 1-4 with a game-winning RBI in the

bottom of the 10th. A Yankee scout watching the game wired the big club that day a report which read: “DiMAGGIO EVERYTHING WE’D HOPED HE’D BE: HIT SATCH ONE FOR FOUR.” DiMaggio himself said he now could make it in the big leagues “because I hit off of Satch.”

Finally, on July, 1948, with his Cleveland Indians in a pennant race and in desperate need of pitching, Indians owner Bill Veeck brought Paige in to try out with Indians player/manager Lou Boudreau. On that same day, his 42nd birthday, Paige signed his first Major League contract for $40,000 for the three months remaining in the season, becoming the first Negro pitcher in the American league and the seventh Negro Big Leaguer overall. Two days later, he became the oldest man ever to debut in the Major Leagues, at the age of 42 years and two days. Paige ended the 1948 season with a 6-1 record with a 2.48 ERA, two shutouts, 43 strikeouts, 22 walks, and 61 base hits allowed in 72 2/3 innings.

Paige joined the St. Louis Browns in 1951. The following year, he finished with a 12-10 record for a team which lost 90 games. The team eventually became the Baltimore Orioles. He was in and out of baseball, pitching sporadically, over the next decade.

On May 31, 1981, a made-for-television movie, titled Don’t Look Back, starred Louis Gossett, Jr., as Paige. Paige was paid $10,000 for his story and technical advice.

During a power failure on June 8, 1982, Paige died of a heart attack at his home in Kansas City, a month before his 76th birthday. He is buried on Paige Island in the Forest

Hill Memorial Park Cemetery in Kansas City.

In the 1996 made-for-cable film Soul of the Game, in addition to Delroy Lindo as Paige, the film also starred Mykelti Williamson as Josh Gibson, Blair Underwood as Jackie Robinson, Edward Hermann as Branch Rickey, and Jerry Hardin as Commissioner Happy Chandler”

In 1999, he ranked Number 19 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century team.

Paige stated in the book Pitchin’ Man by Hal Lebovitz - - as well as numerous articles, that one of his greatest disappointments was, “I never pitched to Babe Ruth.” The Babe Ruth All-Stars did play exhibition games against Negro Leaguers, but Paige and Ruth never faced off against each other.

On July 28, 2006, a statue of Satchel Paige was unveiled in Cooper Park, Cooperstown, NY, commemorating the contributions of the Negro Leagues to baseball.

Our Favorite St. Louis Baseball Teams

2011-10-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

Our Favorite St. Louis

Baseball Teams

Click here for slide show of St. Louis

during the 1944 World Series

Cards -vs- Browns

http://stltoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=38169722&event=1337719&CategoryID=38576

Quit the Crying and Hit the Links

2011-10-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

HIT THE LINKS: A telling and uncompromising look at what happened behind closed doors as the Boston Red Sox imploded last month, as reported by Bob Hohler in this morning's Boston Globe. ... ESPN.com's Amy K. Nelson writes that the Brewers are peeved about where the family tickets are for the games at Busch Stadium during this NLCS. That reminds us all of the immortal Emil Verban, who was so furious about where the St. Louis Browns placed his wife during the 1944 World Series (allegedly behind a post) that he hit .412 for the Cardinals in that series. Verban then went to become a Cub.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/birdland/article_61277f54-f4f4-11e0-a1be-001a4bcf6878.html#ixzz1b4a9CA5Z

Strange and Interesting Facts about Baseball

2011-10-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

Baseball was invented by Alexander Cartwright, modeling it upon the stick and ball game that he played then. The first known club match with rules written by him was played in June 19, 1846.

Each baseball game has 12,386,344 possible plays.

The odds of a fan being hit by a baseball are 300,000 to 1.

The shortest major league player was Eddie Gaedel, who was three feet, seven inches tall. His sole appearance in an MLB game was a publicity stunt.

The tallest player in Major League history is Minnesota Twins' pitcher Jon Rauch, who is six feet, eleven inches tall.

Baseball legend states that the silhouette on the MLB logo is Harmon Killebrew, who played for the Washington Senators, the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals. He was second to Babe Ruth in total homeruns.

A strange rule of this game is that before every game, umpires remove the shine from the balls by rubbing them. The number of balls that they rub before every game is around six dozen. The mud with which the balls are rubbed is also location specific. Ideally, it should only come from a particular area in Burlington County, New Jersey.

Fidel Castro was once a star baseball player for the University of Havana.

In 1965, the minimum annual salary for a baseball player was $6,000, just a thousand dollars more than it had been in 1947.

A regulation baseball has 108 stitches.

The very first baseball game was played on June 19,1845, across the Hudson River in Hoboken, New York.

In baseball, a "can of corn" refers to a fly ball that is easy to catch.

Robert Redford attended the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship.

In an effort to sell more licensed apparel, minor-league baseball teams were changing their names so often that the sport's governing body now limits franchises to team name changes every three years.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, houses the largest collection of baseball cards: 200,000.

The first perfect nine innings baseball game was achieved by John Lee Richmond on 12 June 1880.

Giants baseball catcher Roger Bresnahan introduced shin guards in 1907.

In 1897, the Washington Senators became the first baseball team ever to introduce "Ladies' Day."

The longest baseball game was between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago White Sox and lasted for eight hours and six minutes. Due to MLB rules forbidding an inning to start after 1 o'clock AM, fans had to come back the next day to finish the game.

The average baseball only lasts about a week. Each baseball can only be used one time in a MLB game.

Herzog Says "Cardinals are post season contenders"

2011-10-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

Whitey Herzog might just be right

Speaking at the Browns reunion luncheon this past spring, Herzog said he believes this year’s Cardinals are postseason contenders even after losing 20-game winner Adam Wainwright to reconstructive elbow surgery in February.

“Now, they’re off to a good start and it looks like they might have a World Series in St. Louis this year,” Herzog said. “If they stay healthy, I think they’ve got a heck of a chance.”

As of today (10/3) the Cardinals are tied 1-1 in playoff games with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Go Cards!!!

Even the Browns Were Remembered; The Real Fans Don't Forget

2011-08-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

They might get tripped up over today's date, but they still remember playing baseball with bottle caps and broomsticks in the streets of St. Louis.

Veterans with Alzheimer's disease and other dementia-related conditions met at Busch Stadium on Friday to reminisce over baseball memorabilia while sharing stories of the sandlots and heroes of their youth.

The Veterans Cardinals Reminiscence League is a new support group designed to ease anxiety and depression through the solace of America's pastime. The group of nine men and one woman, dressed in Cardinals and Browns gear, meet every other week to talk baseball with inspiration from the Cardinals' collection of signed baseballs, jerseys and photos.

"A lot of times in today's world senior citizens get left behind," said Rich Hoffman, 70, a Navy veteran and retired truck driver who now lives in Festus. "We chit-chat here. I enjoy listening to these other fellows, and I don't have to sit around feeling sorry for myself."

Hoffman, who experienced memory problems after a stroke, got the session started Friday by asking if the chunk of metal trim that fell off Busch Stadium earlier this month had been fixed. Cardinals staff assured him it had, and gently steered the conversation toward Lou Brock and Bob Gibson.

Volunteers passed around the battered base from 1974 that marked Brock's 118th stolen base of the season. Gibson's signed jersey from 1968 was mounted on a table at the front of the First Pitch conference room near the visitors clubhouse.

With Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, long-term memories are the last to fade. For St. Louisans, the community's long history of baseball can be a source of comfort.

"If you grew up in this town, you know Cardinals baseball," said Nina Tumosa, director of geriatric research at the St. Louis VA Medical Center, a co-sponsor of the program. "It's very affirming to know you haven't lost all of your memories."

Jim Carlson, who is usually first to arrive at the meetings, shared his story of riding on a train engine from Decatur, Ill., as a child just to watch Cardinals' games through a hole in the fence at Sportsman's Park.

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There's a lot more to this story so catch all the details at:
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/fitness/article_a7eec700-8bbe-588d-9e9a-845434e409c3.html#ixzz1VmIJyc1N

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/fitness/article_a7eec700-8bbe-588d-9e9a-845434e409c3.html

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John Kunderman, 84 wearing his St. Louis Browns cap, looks at 118th base stolen by Lou Brock in 1974. John, a Navy veteran, participates in the Veterans Cardinals Reminiscence League, a support group that involves talking about baseball and looking at memorabilia to trigger memories. During the group meeting John talked about playing bottle cap baseball on picnics with his wife. "She was a good pitcher, she threw it in hard" he said. The group is a collaboration of St. Louis University, the VA, the Alzheimer's Association, and the Cardinals.

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

Emily Rasinski, erasinski@post-dispatch.com

Browns DVD Video of 2011 Luncheon Now Available

2011-08-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

The St. Louis Browns Video of the 2011 reunion luncheon is now available. This program will have you laughling out loud from baseball stories of yesteryear. The program features 8 guest speakers talking about baseball the way it used to be played.

Featured guests included Whitey Herzog, Ned Garver, Bob Turley, Don Lenhardt, Roy Sievers, Ed Mickelson, J.W. Porter and Bud Thomas. Women's professional baseball direct from the 1940s to baseball's Hall of Fame was represented by Erma Bergmann, a member of the Hall of Fame.

More than 286 fans were in attendance. It's thought this may have been the largest baseball oriented lunch in the history of St. Louis. (Can anyone prove us wrong?). Fans came from both east coast and west coast and from more than a half dozen states in between.

Order your DVD and a scorecard from a Browns game played on April 22, 1950 against Bob Feller and the Cleveland Indians. Click on the photo below, print out the order form and complete and mail with your check.

Photos From the 2011 Browns Reunion Luncheon

2011-08-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

Click on Photos to Enlarge

Whitey Herzog greeting a fan.

Ned Garver

Whitey Herzog & Ned Garver

Don Lenhardt

Ed Mickelson

Roy Sievers

Ned Garver - 60 years after 20-win season with 100-loss St. Louis Browns

2011-08-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Click on link below to view Ned's interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaZ-4R6fjX8

Enjoy Ned Garver's memories of his 20-win season in 1951, his All-Star game start and others.

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

Yogi Was Afraid of Being A Brownie

2011-07-24T06:28:00.001-07:00

Yogi Berra told me a story once that summed up this Yankee attitude. In his first season, Yogi hit a soft ground ball to second base and in frustration jogged to first base. The next time at-bat, he popped up and again failed to run hard to first. During the next half inning Yogi told me three senior Yankees — Keller, Dickey and Henrich — came down the bench and stood before the rookie.

“Look, kid,” one of them growled, “we saw what you just did. But here we bust our (butt) on every play. We count on winning that World Series money, and our wives count on it. If you want to play that way, we can get you back to St. Louis in a week. Got it?”

Yogi said he was so frightened of being shipped to the lowly Browns that he ran out every ground ball or pop-up from that day forward. That was how the great Yankees enforced their culture, and it certainly was effective. Everyone hustled on those teams from the great DiMaggio down to the newest rookie.

At their start, Orioles turned the wrong Paige

2011-07-24T06:28:00.000-07:00

On Sept. 29, 1953, American League owners voted to move the St. Louis Browns franchise to Baltimore. A group headed by Clarence Miles bought the club from Bill Veeck for roughly $2.5 million. Art Ehlers and Jimmy Dykes were brought in from the Philadelphia Athletics as GM and field manager, respectively, and Charm City was back in the big leagues.

It was not a good club. The 1953 Browns had finished dead last at 54-100, and the prognosis for 1954 was no better. Yet, in one of Ehlers' very first transactions as general manager of the Orioles, he released the one player on his roster whose ability to attract a crowd was beyond question: Satchel Paige.

Oh, sure, Paige was 46. Or was it 48? Regardless, he had been an American League All-Star for the Browns in 1953. Pitching almost exclusively out of the bullpen, he led the team in saves with 11 and sported a 3.53 ERA. He appeared in 57 games, second-most on the club. Satch clearly had something left in the tank, but local fans wouldn't see it.

It's easy to sit back and say: Well, he was an older guy, the Orioles wanted to go with kids, blah, blah, blah. But the average age of the inaugural Orioles was nearly 30, and based upon his recent history, he was still better than the other guys in the bullpen.

The truth is probably closer to this: Satchel was a name, and he knew it. He was colorful and frequently outspoken. Major League Baseball was only seven years into integration — by 1954, there were still a few teams that had never had a black player — and Baltimore’s attitude in those days, racially speaking, bore a strong resemblance to the Deep South. If the Orioles were to have African-American players, management reasoned, it would have to be someone who wouldn't make waves. Paige had to go.

The books show that a tiny (5-foot-7) left-hander named Jay Heard was the first black Oriole, making his debut April 24, 1954, in a game against the White Sox in Chicago. He sat for a month and made his final big league appearance May 28 in a home game against Chicago. He never made another big league appearance, and Oriole fans wouldn't see another African-American player in a Baltimore jersey until that September, when Joe Durham was called up for 10 games.

The ’54 Orioles reprised their dismal 54-100 mark of the previous year. The club's quota system for players of color would last a few years longer, until Lee MacPhail was named GM in November 1958.

I know it's spilled milk. Nonetheless, it would be nice to see “Baltimore” under Paige's name on his plaque in Cooperstown.

Braves Field 1948

2011-07-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

On a sunny fall afternoon at 3:30 p.m. on September 25, 1948, this rare color photo of Braves Field in Boston was taken from a seat in the left field pavilion. The photographer captured Jeff Heath in front of the Wigwam's new electric scoreboard as the Tribe left fielder was about to haul in a fly ball third out off the bat of NY Giants catcher Sal Yvars in the eighth inning.

The Giants went on to defeat Johnny Sain and the Braves 3-2.

Click on photo to enlarge

Only in Baseball; Unusual Plays Happen Every Day

2011-07-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

>> 1947 Pee Wee Reese is picked off base in an original way. When teammate Carl Furillo loses his bat in a swing, base runner Reese decides to pick it up and hand it back. He forgot to call time.

>> Getting back to Larsen, the perfect game wasn’t his only brush with a no-hitter. Three years earlier he nearly had one as a rookie on the St. Louis Browns. On August 30, 1953, in a home game against the Senators, Larsen kept a no-hitter going until the eight inning, when Wayne Terwillinger broke it up with a single. In that August game, Larsen walked the leadoff batter and so never had a chance at a perfect game, but followed that up by fanning the next five straight batters. He ended the game with a two-hitter.

>> 1962 Hank and Tommie Aaron homer in the same inning, the first brother combination to do so since Lloyd and Paul Waner in 1938. Both Aaron brother homers in the bottom of the ninth inning to key a Brave comeback over the Cardinals. Tommie’s pinch hit solo shot makes the score 6-4 Cards. Shortly after that, Hank Aaron hits a walkoff grand slam to end it, 8-6. It’s the only walkoff slam Hank Aaron ever hits.

>> 1972 Bob Gibson hits a home run and tosses a complete game shutout. This is the sixth and final time he combines those achievements, which I believe is the record. Cardinals 7, Braves 0.

Babe Martin: Ballplayer and Part Time Wrestling Referee

2011-07-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

Babe Martin was born Boris Michael Martinovich, the son of a professional wrestler, Iron Mike Martin (Bryan Martinovich). Both of Boris’ parents were born in parts of the former Yugoslavia, his father in Montenegro and his mother in Serbia. They each emigrated to the United States and settled in Seattle in the Pacific Northwest. At least one geographically-challenged sportswriter once dubbed him the “Hungarian hot-shot.”

When wrestling, the senior Martinovich adapted his surname to the circumstances. He wrestled in Montana and he wrestled in Chicago, and in any number of other places. If he was wrestling in an Italian area, he took the name Martini. In a Scottish or Irish area, he became McMartin or O’Martin. “Dad could speak a number of European languages, being born over there,” Babe said, adding “When he married mother, that was the end of his wrestling.”

Boris had two brothers and two sisters, Lola and Olga. Brother Robert was the only other one interested in sports, but it wasn’t something he pursued past college. He became part-owner of a Budweiser distributorship in Florida, while brother Bryan -- who’d boxed and wrestled a bit professionally before going into the service -- became a jeweler in St. Louis. Boris married the former Mildred Slapcevich of St. Louis in 1943. He never legally changed his last name, but still generally goes by the name Martin. His sons, though, prefer to stick with Martinovich.

His mother prompted a family move to Zeigler, Illinois, in the southern part of the state, due to a conflict with an in-law. Born on March 28, 1920, Boris was just one year old at the time of the move. “The only type of industry at that time in southern Illinois was coal mining so my dad went to work in the coal mining business. A shaft caved in on him. He survived that, but died about three years later. He just died. Back in 1926, they didn’t know how or what a person died from.” Boris was three at the time of the accident, and the family moved on to St. Louis.

Boris’s mother was very supportive of his ambitions when Boris showed athletic inclinations early on. “I played on sandlots, glass, and gravel fields, under bridges, wherever I could go ahead and play on. Playgrounds, wherever, you know. In the summertime, I’d be gone early in the morning and come home at dusk”. Martin was a good ballplayer, good enough that “they took me out of grammar school, seventh grade, to play on the ninth-grade high school team.”

As the youngest in his family, he was called Baby. “They called me Baby for years. And then as I got a little bit older, it got to be a little bit embarrassing so they called me Babe.” He was Babe all through high school and beyond.

Though he was both a catcher and outfielder in pro ball -- and only a catcher during his brief time with Boston in the majors, he began as an infielder. “As I grew, I got larger. If it had been today, I never would have consented to be a catcher. I could play first base. I was a pretty good infielder; although I was big, I could have moved to third base. But you know, back then, you did what you were told. If they wanted you in the outfield, you moved to the outfield. Today they don’t take that….”

Martin played for McKinley High School in St. Louis in 1936-38, and his high school coach was Lou Maguolo, who scouted in the area for the St. Louis Browns. Maguolo later retired from coaching and became a full-time scout, working in that capacity for the New York Yankees. Babe was all-district in basketball and also played three years on the school’s football team.

Martin graduated from high school in 1940 at age 20 and most sources show him as signing with the Browns then. “Actually,” Martin confides, “I signed in high school unbeknownst to anybody. I signed in 1938. They gave me a job working in the Browns office at $100 a month and I worked out with the Browns and Cardinals. Back in the ’30s, I guess ’37, ’38, ’39, we didn’t have any money. So $100 a month, bringing that home for my mother…my brother Bryan was really the only one that was working at the time. I was working in the office…office work. Answering the telephone at the switchboard. I wasn’t very good at that, but mostly I was on the field. I was working out.”

Martin played for the Browns and Red Sox and worked as a wrestling referee in his spare time.

Read a lot more about Babe Martin at: http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1484&pid=8859

Beer Scams at Baseball Stadiums

2011-07-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Check out this video on YouTube. Do you suppose the same thing happens with soft drinks too? And at your favorite ballpark? Surely not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhh2WjZ7-uk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame to add Two STL Browns Players

2011-07-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

The St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame has finalized its list of 2011 inductees for the annual enshrinement dinner, scheduled for Nov. 16 at the Millennium Hotel downtown. Roll call: Frank Borghi, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Scotty Bowman, Lenny Wilkens, Rusty Wallace, Garry Unger, Dave Phillips, Roy Sievers, Craig Virgin, Jim Holtgrieve and Erma Bergmann. And Arthur Ashe, Bob Burnes, Marty Marion and August Busch Jr. will be inducted posthumously.

Roy Sievers and Marty Marion join George Sisler as players representing the St. Louis Browns as former players. Marion was most noted for his playing days with the St. Louis Cardinals, but became the Browns playing manager during the 1952 season. Marion was the last manager of the Browns before the team moved to Baltimore after the 1953 season.

Browns Denny Galehouse is One of Four

2011-06-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

The Mets' opponent in the 1973 World Series was the Oakland A's. Jon Matlack, who had already started 35 games (34 regular season, 1 postseason) was called upon to start Game 1. In doing so, he became only the fourth pitcher in major league history to start a World Series opener with a losing record (14-16) during the regular season.

The other pitchers to accomplish this rare feat were Alvin Crowder (9-11 with the 1934 Detroit Tigers), Denny Galehouse (9-10 with the 1944 St. Louis Browns) and Don Drysdale (13-16 with the 1966 Los Angeles Dodgers). Matlack pitched well, but took the loss as the Mets' bats remained silent in the 2-1 defeat.

What a Catch

2011-06-12T20:17:00.001-07:00

Springfield Browns on the Move

2011-06-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

IN 2011 WE ARE TURNING BACK THE CLOCK TO THE 1950s and 1960s

For one special year, the Springfield Metro Baseball League is bringing back the storied teams of baseball's past.

In 2011 we have outfitted all our teams in uniforms depicting teams of the 1950s and 1960s like the Saint Louis Browns, the Kansas City Athletics, the Houston Colt 45's, and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

In this endeavor we have sought out and received the cooperation of a number of the historians of many of the teams unique to the era.

The Majors and Seniors are playing the full 90 foot bases and a 60'6" mound. There are some minor base running restrictions in place, but for the most part rules mirror standard Major League rules. **The new Minors division plays on 75 foot bases with a 50 foot mound and has playing rules aimed at player development. All leagues have a 14 game regular season and all teams play at least 4 more games in our annual World Series.

For more information on the 2011 season, call Rob @ 417-833-8788 or 417-833-8088

Mystery Hat Uncovered

2011-06-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

See the second article below for an explanation on the mystery St. Louis Browns cap.

Bill Irvin, Jr. writes . . .

This hat appears to be a hat designed/used by the original St. Louis Browns Fan Club, organzied in the 1950's by a columnist for the Chicago Tribune and comprised of a number of Chicagoans.

I own a couple of press photos depicting "members" wearing the hat--one from 1956 in which members "serenade" Bill Veeck (he also was wearing the hat for the occasion), and one at Sportsman's Park in the 1960's in which club members, wearing the hat, have their picture taken with exBrownies wearing reproduction 1940's style uniforms.

Bill Rogers writes . . .

While we don't know the exact designation of the letter "B", we assume it's for Baltimore.
(Click on photos to enlarge)

I am thinking this style cap was adopted by the fan club as their official hat.

Jim Brosnan writes in the 1964 Atlantic Magazine . . .

The most unusual, and without a doubt jolliest, fan club of baseball history is devoted to an extinct organization, a team with no live ballplayers. The St. Louis Brown's Fan Club was created on the day the team disbanded.

Bill Veeck, the man who put the team out of business, once said: "I found out the Brown fans were a myth. You heard about 'em, but you never saw 'em." As owner of the Browns, Veeck had searched river bottom and wheatland in and around St. Louis for customer-fans. Unfortunately for him they were in Chicago, where they paid the White Sox a nominal fee for bleacher tickets. There they cheered for the Browns, who epitomized the all-American underdog.

"They needed us," says Bill Leonard, a charter member of the S.L.B.F.C. and a columnist for the Chicago Tribune. "They didn't have anything else."

On the last weekend of the 1953 baseball season the S.L.B.F.C. traveled to St. Louis to see the final games played by the Browns.

"They lost," wrote Leonard. "We were unsurprised and undaunted."

Today the S.L.B.F.C. carries on its motto: "To perpetuate the proud name of the St. Louis Browns, file progress reports on the reincarnation of the Browns, drink toasts in nut-brown ale, and maintain jolly times."

As fans, they're out of this world.

Unsolved Mystery: Does This Cap Belong to the St. Louis Browns?

2011-06-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this cap somewhere before? Does it belong to the St. Louis Browns or some other team starting with the letter "B"?

We could make some wild hypotheses.

Number one, the B looks like a Boston B and it could be a "parody" hat about how so many browns were shipped off to Boston after they became valuable. But of course they were not real big into parody back in the 1940s.

Number two, it could be a transition Browns to Orioles hat in that the B stands for Baltimore. Again, why they would bother to produce that in the off-season between 53 and 54 is illogical in itself.

Number three, it could be a modern version of a 19th Century St. Louis Browns Cap.

If you can identify the source of the cap, let us know. Send to stlbrowns@swbell.net.

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

A Colorful Browns Team

2011-06-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

The 1929 Browns were a colorful team, moreso than the brown and orange of their uniforms. They included:

Red Kress

Lu Blue

Sam Gray

Blackie O'Rourke

Fans Flock to Browns Luncheon; Over 286 Attend from Across the Country

2011-06-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the Browns fans who attended the May 25, 2011 luncheon.

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.”

Bob Bokern - Ushered all 6 games of the 1944 World Series of Browns versus Cardinals.

Joe Cunningham - Played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1954-1961), Chicago White Sox (1962–1964), and Washington Senators (1964–1966). The best season for Cunningham was in 1959, when he batted .345 to finish second to Hank Aaron for the National League batting title. He finished his career with a .291 batting average over 1,141 games spread over a 12-year career.

Kerry Clift, Grandson of Harlond Clift, St. Louis Browns
Harlond Clift played for the Browns from 1934 -1943. He finished his 12 year career with a .272 batting average.

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 and others.

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.

Ron Paul * - New York Yankees, 1956-’61.

Bill Purdy - Batboy for St. Louis Browns, Batting Practice Catcher
Browns batboy in ‘52 and batting practice catcher in 1953. He also traveled with the team in this role.

Bob Radomski * - New York Giants/St Louis Browns - 1948-51.

Jean Robbins - Worked in the Browns front office in the 40s for Bill & Charlie DeWitt along with Traveling Secretary, Bill Durney. Also worked for Bill Veeck from 1950 - 53.

Ed Schmulbach - Batboy
Batboy for a Hannibal, MO minor league team when he was a “little squirt” in the 1940s.

Jim Smith * - Browns, 1948-52

Dale Vineyard * - Baltimore Orioles, 1972-73

Jack Litzelfelner * - Browns, Washington, Yankees, 1947-52

Browns Fans From Across the Country Came From:
Dumont, NJ
Fraser, CO
Ellensburg, WA
Olympia, WA
Paducah, KY
Dallas, TX

From the Metro area, Fans Came From:
St. Louis Metro, MO
Kansas City, MO
Fairview Heights, IL
Columbia, IL
Gillespie, IL
Springfield, IL
Strasburg, IL
New Athens, IL
Mascoutah, IL
Alton, IL
Granite City, IL

KC Baseball Historical Society Opens Baseball Exhibit 2011

2011-05-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

The Kansas City Baseball Historical Society has a wide range of memorabilia including uniforms, equipment, photos and a large array of baseball collectibles. Items from the Royals, Athletics, Blues, and Monarchs will be on display at the Town Pavilion at 1111 Main Street in downtown Kansas City Missouri.

Admission is free and open to the public. This Exhibit will run to September so come and take a look.

More details at: http://www.kansascitybaseballhistoricalsociety.com/

Herzog Entertains at Browns Reunion Along with Turley & Garver

2011-05-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

American League Baseball came back to St. Louis for at least a day with the annual reunion of the St. Louis Browns Fan Club. Club president, Bill Rogers, said the luncheon may well be the largest baseball related luncheon in the history of St. Louis sports. Over 285 fans were on hand to welcome welcome Whitey Herzog, Bob Turley, Ned Garver, Roy Sievers, Don Lenhardt, J.W. Porter, Ed Mickelson and Bud Thomas.

From CBS St. Louis >>>
Whitey Herzog says having his jersey number retired by the St. Louis Cardinals is every bit as special as making it to the Hall of Fame.

The manager who produced three National League pennants and a World Series title in the 1980s with a go-go style known as “Whiteyball” said Wednesday it was humbling to realize that every game at Busch Stadium, fans will see his No. 24 alongside other franchise greats. (Click on Photos to Enlarge)

Pictured is Whitey visiting with Ned Garver.

Whitey listens in while Bob Turley addresses the crowd.

Herzog is unique to that group because he’s the first to contend his playing career was nothing special.

“To go up there with Musial, Schoendienst, Gibson, Brock, Sutter and Ozzie (Smith), I think hit me the hardest,” Herzog said. “I appreciated that more than anything that’s every happened.”

Herzog also won three division titles with the Kansas City Royals. As an outfielder with four teams from 1956-63, he batted .257 with 25 home runs and 172 RBIs.

“I had a very mediocre career, I was a hanger-on,” Herzog said. “I never knew if I was going to have a locker when I got to the ballpark, sweated out every cutdown day, every training deadline for eight years.

“I worked hard, I hustled, but I couldn’t hit a slow curve with a paddle.”

Herzog, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veteran’s Committee last year, was the featured speaker at the annual St. Louis Browns reunion luncheon. His appearance at the podium followed a pretty spry group of former players pushing or past 80 recounting glory days with a franchise that left for Baltimore 58 years ago.

“There aren’t many Browns left, and next year there might be less,” said Don Lenhardt, who had career bests of 22 homers and 81 RBIs with the Browns in 1950. “So it’s good to see all of them.”

Catcher J.W. Porter joked that “really it took CPR to bring this group back.”

Pitcher Bob Turley, who debuted with the Browns and became a star with the New York Yankees later in the 1950s, made his first appearance at the luncheon. Taking note of the audience’s advanced age, the pitcher known as “Bullet Bob” said he would have thought he was speaking to a group of Florida retirees.

“All the gray hair,” Turley said.

Turley was a 21-game winner in 1958, taking the American League Cy Young award and then the World Series MVP. But during his playing career, he said he made more in the offseason working for Continental Baking than for the Yankees.

The 80-year-old Turley threw 19 complete games in ’58, and has trouble relating to the game’s obsession with pitch counts and coddling arms. He joked that Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg signed for “$500 million” and “third time out he blows out his arm.”

“One hundred pitches, I’m just getting warmed up,” Turley said. “No sore arm. Want to know why? I kept my arm in shape.”

Herzog recalled that the Browns wanted to sign him out of high school in New Athens, Ill., as a pitcher after a scout watched him throw a no-hitter and strike out all 21 hitters.

“I didn’t want to be a pitcher, I was wilder than hell,” Herzog said. “Finally, I said, ‘Now I know why you guys are last, because you want to sign me as a pitcher.’ That’s what a brash kid I was.”

Herzog believes this year’s Cardinals are postseason contenders even after losing 20-game winner Adam Wainwright to reconstructive elbow surgery in February.

“Now, they’re off to a good start and it looks like they might have a World Series in St. Louis this year,” Herzog said. “If they stay healthy, I think they’ve got a heck of a chance.”

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2011/05/26/white-rat-entertains-at-browns-reunion/

Luncheon Lineup Announced

2011-05-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here's the lineup for speakers and Browns players as it stands as of May 3, 2011. Make your reservation today at this website for the 2011 St. Louis Browns Fan Club Luncheon. Location is the Holiday Inn Viking in Southwest St. Louis County (Sunset Hills) starting at 11:30 a.m. The cost is $29 per person.

Yes, we expect more Browns' players to be added. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share memories with many of our old time favorite ball players.

Whitey Herzog

Ned Garver

Bob Turley

Don Lenhardt

Ed Mickelson

J.W. Porter

Bud Thomas

We're expecting a sell out crowd approaching 200 fans. We will have available T-Shirts, Satchel Paige's replica jerseys and a Browns scorecard along with baseball equipment from the 40s-50s on display.

Duane Pillette Died May 6 at Age 88

2011-05-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

Duane “Dee” Pillette, eight-year major league veteran pitcher, died Friday, May 6 in San Jose, Ca. at the age of 88. Pillette broke into the majors with the New York Yankees in 1949, pitching until 1956 with the St. Louis Browns, Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies. He compiled a 38-66 record, leading the American League in losses in 1951 for the cellar dwelling Browns. He holds the distinction of being the last starting pitcher in Browns history and the first winning pitcher in Orioles history.

Pillette was the son of former major league pitcher Herman Pillette, who spent four of his 26 professional seasons in the major leagues with the Reds and Tigers. The elder Pillette pitched until he was 48 in the Pacific Coast League.

Despite his father’s long career in baseball, the patriarch did not want his son to follow in his footsteps. In a 2009 interview that I conducted with Pillette from his home in San Jose, he discussed how his father wanted him to stay far away from baseball. “My father never talked much about baseball except he didn't want me to play. He fought me tooth and nail when I was a kid. Even though he didn't make much money in the Coast League, he sent me to Parochial schools. He never got past the sixth grade,” Pillette remembered. His father stressed the importance of getting an education ahead of playing baseball. “He said, ‘I don't give a damn about baseball, you aren't going to make any money. I want you to get a good job and the only way is to get a good education.’”

As any teenager would do, Pillette pleaded his case to his father. “I said, ‘You don't have any money and I don't have any money. I have to play baseball to get a scholarship.’ He said, ‘I'll let you play in high school, but if you have a scout come around, he has to talk to me.’”

Read more at: http://www.examiner.com/baseball-history-in-new-york/duane-pillette-second-generation-yankee-hurler-dies-at-88

Springfield Browns to Oppose Cardinals, Dodgers, Pilots, Giants, Braves, Cubs, Yankees and Others

2011-05-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

Springfield Missouri . . . The new home of the BROWNS.

Rob Ginocchio, a baseball enthusiast in Springfield, Missouri writes . . .

I run a youth baseball league in Springfield, MO. We moved into Price Cutter Park, the old Ozark Mountain Ducks stadium. This year we are running the league in throwback style to the mid-twentieth century with teams of the 50's and 60's including the Browns. Our hope is to retrofit the stadium to bring back the feel and atmosphere of the era along with dressing up our teams in retro looking uniforms.

The older league will be 18 and under and the lower league 14 and under, both playing on the full size field, with some moderate rule changes for the younger guys.
(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

The last two years we have had John Mayberry and Bill Virdon throw out our first pitch.

The shared interest in Missouri's MLB past will hopefully make this a one of a kind experience for kids of all ages and those who come to see the games.
We start games on May 15th including the Browns first game against the Cleveland Indians. The next Sunday we have our Opening Ceremonies with Jack Clark, Jerry Lumpe, Jerry Buchek, and Jack Hamilton. The Browns take on the Boston Braves that afternoon.

Our full schedule is online now at http://www.springfieldmetrobaseball.com/ . Remember that all our games all summer are free with the exception of opening ceremonies which is $5. We also are running old baseball videos and movies in our concession area and doing other special things for the "throwback" season.

If Browns fans are in town, we would love to have them stop by to watch a game or just to visit with our kids and enjoy the stadium.

http://www.springfieldmetrobaseball.com/

Browns Historical Society Files Complaint with Attorney General’s Office

2011-05-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

Skokie Attorney Rips Off Non-Profit Fan Club

St. Louis, MO May 7, 2011 - The St. Louis Browns Historical Society has filed a complaint with the Illinois attorney general’s office against a Skokie, Illinois attorney. Bill Rogers, President and Chief Operating Officer of the historical society, said that Irving Funk, an attorney in Skokie, Illinois, purchased a baseball Jersey from their organization, canceled his credit card payment, and has refused to return the merchandise. Rogers said the merchandise was purchased last September, paid for in October, and canceled in November. The organization has been trying ever since two get their merchandise returned.

“We have called Mr. Funk’s published telephone number eight times and have the long-distance bills to prove it. He has refused to return any of our messages. We are willing to pay for the shipping charges to have the merchandise returned, but he refuses to communicate with us to make arrangements. This is somewhat disturbing, especially when dealing with someone within the legal profession who is blatantly breaking the law.”

The St. Louis Browns historical society and fan club was organized in 1984 to preserve the memory and history of the St. Louis Browns professional baseball team. “We are a small, non-profit organization endeavoring to educate baseball fans on the history of the St. Louis Browns team. We have little revenue with which to work and a rip off like this is disturbing.”

The Historical society has filed a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General, State of Illinois and with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois. A complaint has also been filed with the Chicago Better Business Bureau.

Mr. Funk refused to comment on the complaint filings. He is located at 8659 Springfield Ave., Skokie, IL 60076-2215, Telephone 312-419-0810.

About:

The St. Louis Browns historical society and fan club was organized in 1984 with a mission to preserve the history and memory of the St. Louis Browns professional baseball team. More than 320 members span the country nationwide. Information about the organization is available at http://www.thestlbrowns.com/ . Contact: Bill Rogers, stlbrowns@swbell.net, telephone 314-892-8632.

'Baseball Joe' faithfully passionate about Pirates . . . and baseball

2011-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why we do things just for the heck of it. I have had people ask me, “Why do you volunteer your time to the Browns fan club,” among others. To me it’s just a small way to give back to your community, whether it be a historic society, subdivision association, kids ball team or whatever. And every now and then you get a return from some unknown source that helps make it worthwhile. Like maybe a note from a kid or adult that loves baseball but cannot hear or talk or write . . . like the young man who wrote me yesterday from Pittsburgh. See his note below.

More on Joe at this newspaper article about him - http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_701271.html

-----------------------------------
From: Baseballjoe
Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2011 8:41 PM
To: stlbrowns@swbell.net
Subject: Re: BR - St. Louis Browns Fan Club

thank
mine friend writed last email
me haded 3 strokes ands can no not hear ors talk ors write
me meeted lasorda ands costas
me PURE TRUE BASEBALL 365
me nevor watched anothor sport
sisler was pirate hitting coach in late 1950s ands early 1960s
maybe local sabr will help with stuff
ands maybe cards will give help
me started prtition in 1988 to help get clemente statue builded
ands maz statue petition in 2005
now me push get pirates team hall of fame
ands ralph kiner statue
hope you can come pittsburgh ands pnc park some day
who was you favorete player growing up
bullet bob turley most knowed as yankee

Some Great-Named Real Baseball Teams

2011-05-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

Bill McCurdy writes:

When it comes to great team names, however, it’s hard to beat some of those that have existed, or still exist, in minor league history. Here are simply a few of my favorites, starting with the 19th century.

19th Century Clubs:

New York Gothams, Wilmington Quicksteps, St. Paul Apostles, Baltimore Monumentals, Oswego Sweegs, Utica Pent Ups, Boston Beaneaters, Hamilton Hams, Jersey City Skeeters, Zanesville Kickapoos, Davenport Onion Weeders, Houston Babies, Cleveland Infants, Manchester Amskoegs, Aurora Hoodoos, Lebanon Pretzel Eaters, Des Moines Prohibitionists, Adrian Reformers, Kalamazoo Celery Eaters, Hartford Cooperatives, Butte Smoke Eaters, and Troy Washerwomen.

20th Century: Clubs:

Crookston Crooks, Des Moines Undertakers, Schenectady Frog Alleys, Amsterdam-Johnstown-Gloversville Hyphens, Holyoke Paperweights, Jacksonville Lunatics, Freeport Pretzels, Eau Claire Puffs, Hot Springs Vaporites, Alexandria Hoo Hoos, Racine Malted Milks, Kirksville Osteopaths, Fall River Adopted Sons, Flint Vehicles, Terre Haute Hotentots, Dallas Submarines, Salem Witches, Tampa Smokers, and Lansing Lugnuts.

Read Bill's blog at: http://bill37mccurdy.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/some-great-named-real-baseball-teams/

Whitey Herzog to Attend Browns Fan Club Lunch May 25, 2011; Ned Garver & Bob Turley also Attending

2011-03-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

"Whitey" Herzog made his debut as a player in 1956 with the Washington Senators. He played for the Baltimore Orioles (formerly the St. Louis Browns) in 1961 and 1962. After his playing career ended in 1963, Herzog went on to perform a variety of roles in Major League Baseball. Most noted for his success as a manager, he led the Kansas City Royals to three consecutive playoff appearances from 1976 to 1978.

Hired by Gussie Busch in 1980 to helm the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cardinals won the 1982 World Series and made two other World Series appearances in 1985 and 1987 under Herzog's direction. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25, 2010.

Bob Turley at 2011 St. Louis Browns Luncheon

Bob Turley (born September 19, 1930 in Troy, Illinois and grew up in East St. Louis) (known as "Bullet Bob") was signed by the St. Louis Browns in 1948

Turley played his first game on September 29, 1951 for the Browns and moved with them to Baltimore in 1954. He was traded to the New York Yankees after the 1954 season and played for the Yankees from 1955 to 1962. After beginning the year 1963 with the Los Angeles Angels, he finished the year, and his career, with the Boston Red Sox.

His best year was 1958, when he won 21 games and lost seven. As a result, he won the Hickok Belt as top pro-fessional athlete of the year, and the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in Major League Baseball.

Turley started his 1958 World Series on a low note, giving up a leadoff home run and lasting just one-third of an inning as the Yankees fell behind the Milwaukee Braves two games to none. With the Yankees one game away from elimination, Turley threw a shutout in Game Five, then picked up a 10th-inning save in Game Six.

A day later in Game Seven, he relieved Don Larsen in the third inning and won his second game in three days, with 6 2/3 innings of two-hit relief. The Yankees became just the second team to recover from a 3-1 World Series deficit, and Turley was voted the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.

Mr. Turley is attending the Browns Fan Club for the first time.

Ned Garver at Browns Luncheon May 25

Ned Garver (born December 25, 1925) played from 1948 to 1961 winning 129 games in his major league career. Most of his career was spent playing for the St. Louis Browns and Kansas City Athletics.

In 1951, Garver fashioned an outstanding season. Pitching for the St. Louis Browns that season, Garver compiled a 20-12 record, which was noteworthy considering the Browns lost 102 games that year. Garver also posted a 3.73 ERA that season.

Out of the Browns' 52 total wins, Garver accounted for nearly 40 percent of them. Ned also led the American League in complete games with 24 in 1951, and when he pitched, he often batted sixth in the order rather than the customary ninth compiling a .305 batting average with one home run.

Garver remains the only pitcher in American League history and modern baseball history (post-1920) to win 20 or more games for a team which lost 100 or more games in the same season and the only pitcher in Major League history to do so with a winning record.

Garver was the starting pitcher for the American League in the 1951 All-Star Game held in Detroit.

Ted Williams, perhaps the greatest hitter in the history of baseball, said of Garver, "He could throw anything up there and get me out."

Eddie Robinson: My 65 Years in Baseball

2011-03-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

Eddie never played for the Browns, although he played for the minor and major league Orioles and worked for Paul Richards. He certainly played against the Browns and made the last out in Bobo Holloman’s no-hitter, for example. He is 90 years old but in great shape, still playing golf several times a week and enjoying life.

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Anyone Remember Butz's Tavern in Dutchtown in S. St. Louis?

2011-03-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Keith M. Eckrich, Albuquerque, NM

STRIKE THREE!!!

In 1948 I was 9 years old. Back then St. Louis neighborhood taverns were family friendly. Kids were welcome to play the pinball machine for a nickel and munch on those famous soft pretzels while dad downed a cold glass of locally brewed Griesedieck Brothers beer. Butz’s Tavern, in “Dutchtown” in South St. Louis, was a haven for baseball fans, especially for the American League’s St. Louis Browns. In front of the huge mirror behind the bartender was a collection of baseball paraphernalia. I pointed to a baseball balanced atop a beer glass and asked Mr. Butz what that baseball was all about. He handed it to me: “Here, kid, it’s a souvenir from the ball park. It’s all yours.” Wow! My own baseball, a real one, right from the big leagues, and it even sported an autograph!

That baseball thrilled me and my buddy Joey. We played catch by the hour. We hit grounders to hone our infield skills. We slammed “home run” fly balls to emulate Stan Musial. We were in training to become major leaguers to play at Sportsmans Park, the St. Louis Cardinals’ home field on North Grand Avenue.

One day Joey asked me: “Say, there was an autograph on your baseball, but it’s all worn off now. What team did he play with?” I pondered. “I don’t know, but I do remember it’s some guy by the name of “Ted Williams.”

Joey gasped in disbelief: “Hey, guy, you just struck out!”

If you remember Butz's Tavern, drop us a note to tell us what you remember. STLBrowns@swbell.net

Marty Marion at St. Louis Browns Fan Club

2011-03-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

Art Richman, NY Yankees Exec with Marty Marion

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

Marty Marioin with Bill McCurdy, Fan Club Member

Marty with Stan the Man

The Marty Marion Glove

2011-03-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

The Rawlings retail glove endorsed by Marty Marion in the 1940s and early 1950s was one of the most popular gloves in Rawlings history behind the Bill Doak glove, the basemen trappers and Musial and Mantle Rawlings gloves later.

Elmer Blasco, the Rawlings promotion man who came up with the company's "Gold Glove Award," said that Marty always fretted that he wasn't getting high enough royalties on his glove sales and always wanted a higher percentage, Blasco reported.

(Click on photo below to enlarge)

"He would march into Rawlings president's office every off season to try and negotiate a better deal."

Bob Turley At Browns Luncheon - May 25

2011-03-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Breaking news . . .

Just confirmed - Bob Turley to attend the 2011 St. Louis Browns Luncheon on May 25, 2011.

Bob Turley (born September 19, 1930 in Troy, Illinois and grew up in East St. Louis) (known as "Bullet Bob") was signed by the St. Louis Browns in 1948

He played his first game on September 29, 1951 for the Browns and moved with them to Baltimore in 1954. He was traded to the New York Yankees after the 1954 season and played for the Yankees from 1955 to 1962. After beginning the year 1963 with the Los Angeles Angels, he finished the year, and his career, with the Boston Red Sox.

His best year was 1958, when he won 21 games and lost seven. As a result, he won the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year, and the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in Major League Baseball.

Turley started his 1958 World Series on a low note, giving up a leadoff home run and lasting just one-third of an inning as the Yankees fell behind the Milwaukee Braves two games to none. With the Yankees one game away from elimination, Turley threw a shutout in Game Five, then picked up a 10th-inning save in Game Six. A day later in Game Seven, he relieved Don Larsen in the third inning and won his second game in three days, with 6 2/3 innings of two-hit relief. The Yankees became just the second team to recover from a 3-1 World Series deficit, and Turley was voted the World Series Most Valuable Player Award.

Pictured below - Fifty-seven years later, Bob Turley remembers the first big-league baseball game ever played at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Why not? He won it.

From left, Vern Stephens, Bob Turley and Clint Courtney. Stephens and Courtney both hit home runs in the Orioles' 3-1 victory over the White Sox on Opening Day on April 15, 1954. All three players moved from the Browns '53 to the Orioles '54.

2010 Lunch DVD Order Form

2011-03-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

1) Click on order form above to enlarge 2) Press Ctrl + P to Print out the order form 3) Mail in your order (4) Enjoy the stories and laughs when your DVD arrives.

Fan Club Member Looking for Autographs

2011-03-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get some 3x5 autographs of the following Brownies. Do any fellow fan club members have some I could buy? Contact me at: William.Biery@FMR.COM

Clint Courtney
Willie (Willy) Miranda
Bill Norman
Cliff Fannin
Bob Young
Earl Harrist

I really need 3x5 signatures of these players for my collection. Thanks!

Marty Marion dies; shortstop was MVP with '44 Cards, Last STL Browns Manager

2011-03-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

Marty Marion, known as "Mr. Shortstop" to a generation of St. Louis Cardinals fans, died of an apparent heart attack Tuesday night, according to his nephew, Scott Marion.

Mr. Marion was 93 and lived in Ladue a suburb of St. Louis.

Also known as "Slats" during his St. Louis career from 1940-50, Mr. Marion was the Cardinals' shortstop on four National League pennant-winners and three World Series championship teams (1942, '44 and '46). Marion also played for the St. Louis Browns as player/manager in 1952-53. He served as the Browns last manager before the team moved to Baltimore.

Mr. Marion's signature season was 1944, when he won the NL's Most Valuable Player award. According to Hall of Fame baseball writer Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch, this was more of a leadership and fielding award as Mr. Marion was considered the glue of the great Cardinals teams in the '40s. He batted .267 in '44. then sparked a Cardinals defense that made just one error in a six-game "Streetcar Series" victory over the Browns, who committed 10 errors.

His best season as a hitter was 1943, when he batted .280 in the regular season and .357 in the World Series against the New York Yankees. Stan Musial won the first of his three MVPs that year. In 1942, he batted .276 and led the NL with 38 doubles.

Mr. Marion made All-Star Game appearances in 1943-44 and 1946-50 (there was no All-Star Game in 1945), and led NL shortstops in fielding percentage four times during the decade. He was 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds during his playing days, and was known to sportswriters of the time as "The Octopus" because of his long arms and extraordinary range.

"You look at his stats and everything, he should be in the Hall of Fame," former teammate and Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst said today in Florida. "He never ever tried to say that he belonged in the Hall of Fame. He liked baseball. That’s why he played it.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_befd89f4-4fe8-11e0-a6bc-00127992bc8b.html

Browns Player, Fred Sanford, Passes Away

2011-03-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

John Fredrick (Fred) Sanford signed with the St. Louis Browns in 1939 and played with the team in 1943, 1946-48. He was traded to the New York Yankees for the 1949-50 season. He played with four different teams in 1951 and finished his major league career that year back with the Browns. Fred was a pitcher and finished with a career ERA of 4.45 with 37 wins and 55 losses. His best season was with the Yankees in 1949 winning 7 games while losing 3.

Fred Sanford passed away quietly at his Salt Lake City home on March 15, 2011 at age 91. Fred’s passing was on the same day as Marty Marion.

Sometimes the Police do Care

2011-03-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

Too often people come down on our police officers, saying that they don't care. Well, here is a story that shows not all cops are in that category.

The Joplin, Missouri Police Department reported finding a man's body last Saturday in the Spring River near the electric plant. The dead man's name would of course not be released until his family had been notified.

The victim apparently drowned due to excessive partying while visiting "someone" in Riverton, Kansas. He was wearing black fish-net stockings, a red garter belt, a pink G-string, purple lipstick, and a Cubs T-shirt.

The police removed the Cubs T-shirt to spare his family any unnecessary embarrassment. Police sometimes do care.

The Baseball Reliquary Presents Baseball for the Fun of It!

2011-03-02T12:35:00.001-08:00

The Baseball Reliquary Presents Baseball for the Fun of It!

Exhibition: March 5-April 23, 2011

West Covina Public Library, 1601 West Covina Pkwy., West Covina, California

Information: (626) 791-7647 or terymar@earthlink.net

The Baseball Reliquary presents Baseball for the Fun of It!, an exhibition of photographs, artworks, artifacts, and documents exploring some of the humorous and amusing events and personalities that have added much to the history and legacy of the national pastime, from March 5-April 23, 2011 at the West Covina Public Library, 1601 West Covina Pkwy., West Covina, California.

Highlights include a 60th anniversary tribute to Eddie Gaedel, the midget who came to the plate for Bill Veeck’s St. Louis Browns in 1951 in one of the greatest promotional stunts in baseball history. The infamous “Disco Demolition Night” is recalled in a series of photographs by Paul Natkin, who documented the pyrotechnic extravaganza between games of a 1979 doubleheader at Chicago’s Comiskey Park which resulted in pandemonium and hastened the demise of disco as a musical genre. The feathered orange and yellow San Diego Chicken, the pioneering mascot who transcended his character to become a virtual folk hero, is featured in a display of various personal artifacts and props from a game-worn suit to his famous eye chart for umpires.

Baseball for the Fun of It! is a must-see for those who have grown weary of the all-too-serious side of baseball and yearn for the return of some plain old fun to the game.

Library hours for the exhibition are Tuesday-Thursday, 10:00 am-8:00 pm; Saturday, 8:00 am-6:00 pm; closed Monday, Friday, and Sunday. For further information, contact the Baseball Reliquary by phone at (626) 791-7647 or by e-mail at terymar@earthlink.net.

The exhibition is made possible, in part, by a grant to the Baseball Reliquary from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

Hall of Fame center fielder Duke Snider dies at 84

2011-02-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

Duke Snider, the Hall of Fame center fielder for the charmed "Boys of Summer" who helped the Dodgers bring their elusive and only World Series crown to Brooklyn, died early Sunday of what his family called natural causes. He was 84.

Snider died at the Valle Vista Convalescent Hospital in Escondido, Calif., according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which announced the death on behalf of the family.

"The Duke of Flatbush" hit .295 with 407 career home runs, played in the World Series six times and won two titles. But the eight-time All-Star was defined by much more than his stats - he was, after all, part of the love affair between the borough of Brooklyn and "Dem Bums" who lived in the local neighborhoods.

Ebbets Field was filled with stars such as Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges during that 1955 championship season. Yet it is Snider's name that refrains in the ballpark favorite "Talkin' Baseball."

"Willie, Mickey, and the Duke," the popular song goes.

More at: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BBO_OBIT_SNIDER?SITE=MOSTP&SECTION=DJSP_COMPLETE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-02-27-15-35-00

Stan the Man - 2/2011

2011-02-16T13:31:00.001-08:00

PayPal and Attorney Team Up to Rip off Baseball Historic Society

2011-02-14T15:18:00.000-08:00

PayPal Refuses to Help Identify Card Clearing Bank, Partners With Bank to Cheat Historic Society

St. Louis, MO, February 15, 2011 - The 27 year old St. Louis Browns Historic Society says they’ve been ripped off by a Skokie, Illinois attorney using his credit card through PayPal. The attorney, Irving Funk, purchased a St. Louis Browns replica baseball jersey from the Society. He paid for the merchandise and turned around and canceled the transaction with his bank about a month later. Now three months later, the Society is still trying to have its merchandised returned.

Society President, Bill Rogers, says the baseball jersey was exactly as pictured at their blog site at http://brownsmerchandise.blogspot.com/ . “The cost of the sale does not warrant filing a lawsuit, but it does warrant spreading the word about the ethics of Mr. Funk. We have sent numerous e-mails, made numerous phone calls, and also sent post office mail but all goes unanswered. All we’re asking for is either payment of the Jersey ($72) or return of the merchandise. It’s that simple. We have no idea why Mr. Funk changed his mind.”

Mr. Funk advised his bank to stop payment of the purchase. His bank notified PayPal who refunded the money back to Mr. Funk. A call for help to PayPal has fallen on deaf ears. Rogers said, “I have talked to PayPal several times requesting they advise us as to Mr. Funk’s bank name and/or the credit card number used for this fraudulent transaction. PayPal refuses to co-operate citing privacy reasons. PayPal has become a party to this fraud.”

A Google search on “PayPal Problems” turned up over 97,000 websites. Rogers said he noted comments at http://headkeys.com/screw-paypal.com that provides help to those who got ripped off by PayPal.

One person commented, “Had an email off PayPal this morning. The buyer has filed an 'item not as described’ dispute, even though it was exactly as described and the lovely people at PayPal have now seized the money involved and frozen my account! I am going to have to go through all this dispute bovine excrement now, not knowing whether I will even get MY money back from them at the end of it all. Not sure what’s going on. Have I been the victim of a scam? Do you think?”

About St. Louis Browns Historical Society

The mission of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society is to preserve the history and memory of the St. Louis Browns baseball team. The Browns played in St. Louis from 1902 through the 1953 season. The fan club was organized in 1984 and has more than 315 members today.

To learn more about the Browns, visit their Internet sites at:

http://www.thestlbrowns.com/
http://thestlbrowns.blogspot.com/
http://brownsmuseum.blogspot.com/
http://brownsmerchandise.blogspot.com/
http://stlbrowns.qbstores.com/

Contact

Bill Rogers, President/COO
St. Louis Browns Fan Club
P.O. Box 510047
St. Louis, MO 63151-0047
Telephone: 314-892-8632
E – mail: STLBrowns@SWbell.net

A Batter's Eye View

2011-02-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

SPORTS COLLECTORS DIGEST FEBUARY 25, 2011 ISSUE

http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/article/bill_purdy_interview
By Rich Marazzi

It’s not unusual for guys my age to have a bucket list. One thing I’ve always wanted to do was to catch batting practice at Yankee Stadium – or any major league park for that matter. Since teams no longer have batting practice catchers, and my life is in fast forward, chances of me fulfilling my fantasy are slim-to-none.

I recently read an article about former St. Louis Browns bat boy and batting practice catcher Bill Purdy in Pop Flies, the official magazine of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society. Batting practice catcher? Before you could say Clint Courtney, I did my best Sherlock Holmes imitation and tracked him down. (Click on Photo to Enlarge)

Purdy, a retired high school principal and educator in St. Louis, grew up a serious Browns fan despite suffering through a dismal but colorful period in team history. A Knothole Gang member who often went to Browns’ games on weekends, he was one of the 18,369 fans in attendance at Sportsman’s Park on Aug. 19, 1951, when owner Bill Veeck employed Eddie Gaedel, the 3-foot-7-inch midget. It is perhaps baseball’s most notorious stunt that will certainly be resurrected in this 60th anniversary year.

“I was sitting on the third base side in the upper deck with a friend,” recalled Purdy. “Between games of a doubleheader against the Tigers, they wheeled a cake onto the field and out of the cake jumped Gaedel. The crowd was astounded. Frank Saucier, who was considered a rookie phenom at the time, was announced to be in the starting lineup, and I was excited about this. He was scheduled to lead off the bottom of the first and play right field. But when he came to bat, manager Zack Taylor pinch-hit Gaedel for Saucier.”

Tigers’ pitcher Bob Cain threw four “balls” while laughing through the burlesque. After Gaedel waddled down to first base wearing elf’s shoes and uniform No. 1/8, he was replaced by Jim Delsing, and Gaedel’s one at-bat big league career came to an abrupt end.

When the Browns last won a pennant (1944) Purdy was only 7 years old. The Cardinals, with marquee names like Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst and Marty Marion, owned the city. So how did he develop an affinity toward the Brownies?

“We used to play step ball,” he explained “We would use a tennis ball and throw it off the concrete steps. If you caught the ball, you stayed in the game. I used to pretend that I was George McQuinn, the former Browns first baseman.”

Born and raised in St. Louis, Purdy was a standout catcher from Little League through his days at Southwest High School. He hit like Johnny Bench but ran like Ernie Lombardi – maybe a little faster. He then played one year of baseball for Washington University in St. Louis before transferring to Southeast Missouri State College where the school did not have a baseball program.

Bat boy and bullpen catcher

Veeck, who purchased an 80 percent stake in the Browns in 1951, worked endlessly to promote his anemic franchise. After all, he had to compete with “Stan the Man’s” Cardinals who were tenants in the same ballpark.

In 1952, Veeck held a promotional essay contest in search of a bat boy for the St. Louis Browns. The winner was 14-year-old Bill Purdy. Not only was he selected to be the club’s bat boy, he won $500 and his parents were given a season pass. And in classic Veeckian style, any of the 2,500 students at Southwest High School could attend one game for free on May 17. Those who did attend saw the Browns rally for two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Mel Parnell and the Red Sox 2-1.

Purdy now had rock star status among his peers. Like the movie title that year starring Dan Dailey, Dizzy Dean and Joanne Dru, he was “The Pride of St. Louis” among his classmates. And thanks to an understanding school principal who was a baseball fan, he was able to get out of school for the few day games that were played.

The year 1952 was an unforgettable one for the 14-year-old bat boy and batting practice catcher. It was the beginning of the Eisenhower years, Kay Starr sang “Wheel of Fortune” and Topps printed its Cadillac 407-card set.

“My first year I was a bat boy and batting practice catcher,” said Purdy. “In ’53, the final season for the Browns in St. Louis, I was exclusively a batting practice and bullpen catcher.

“I assume the regular catchers, Les Moss and Clint Courtney, didn’t want to do it. Catching was a tough job and the St. Louis heat can take a lot out of you. Coaches Bob Scheffing and Bill Norman were very good to me. I remember Eddie Olsen, who played hockey for the St. Louis Flyers minor league team, often threw batting practice. In the bullpen, I warmed-up legends like Satchel Paige, Virgil Trucks, Harry “The Cat” Brecheen, Don Larsen, Bob Turley, Ned Garver and Tommy Byrne. I had no problem catching them.”

Veeck had a penchant for signing former Cardinals. Brecheen, who spent most of his prominent 133-92 career with the Redbirds, beat the Red Sox three times in the 1946 World Series. He pitched the final season of his career for the Browns. “The Cat” made 16 starts and came out of the bullpen 10 times, going 5-13. And would you believe his favorite bullpen catcher was the young Purdy?

“For whatever reason, one day I warmed up Harry before a game and he won,” Purdy said. “After that he wouldn’t allow any one else to warm him up.”

Purdy was especially close to Paige, the ageless Hall of Fame right-hander who spent most of his career in the Negro leagues.

“He lived in the Adams Hotel at the corner of Pendleton and Olive Streets,” Purdy said.“It was a segregated hotel about two blocks from my father’s restaurant, The Rex Café. My father would pick us up after a road trip and Satchel would often dine there. This was a time when many restaurants and hotels were segregated. My dad’s place was opened 24/7 to everyone, and celebrities such as President Harry Truman, Jimmy Durante, Jane Wyman, Kirk Douglas, wrestler “Gorgeous George,” Harry Caray and others ate there. Part of the movie The Glass Menagerie was filmed outside the restaurant.”

Purdy’s friendship with Paige grew from all this. Their close relationship would impact Purdy’s life.

Read the rest of this story at: http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/article/bill_purdy_interview

St. Louis Browns Fan Club Announces Annual Luncheon May 25, 2011

2011-02-07T19:26:00.001-08:00

Fans gather to honor the Browns; Over 200 fans expected

St. Louis, Missouri , February 8, 2011 - The St. Louis Browns fan club announced its annual luncheon set for May 25, 2011 at the Holiday Inn Viking in Sunset Hills in St. Louis County. Former Browns pitcher, Ned Garver, will be one of the featured speakers on this year’s program. Several other former Browns players will be on hand and announced pending confirmation.

Club president, Bill Rogers, said “It may be difficult to top last year’s program with Tommy Lasorda and Bob Costas but were working on a few surprises.” The Browns fan club is in its 27^th year of operation preserving the history and memory of the St. Louis Browns.” The Browns were in the American League and played in St. Louis for more than 50 years. They left after the 1953 season and play today as the Baltimore Orioles.

The Browns were the owners of Sportsman’s Park and shared it with the St. Louis Cardinals for more than 30 years. The stadium was located on North Grand Ave. where the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club stands today. According to Rogers, “Just like any baseball team, the Browns have their hard-core fans – even today. While the teams had many losing seasons, the players were not losers.”

For reservations, send check for $29 payable to the St. Louis Browns Fan Club and mail to Rick Stamper, 509 S. Geyer Rd., Kirkwood, MO 63122. Last year’s luncheon drew over 155 persons and is expected to draw more this year.

About St. Louis Browns Historical Society

The mission of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society is to preserve the history and memory of the St. Louis Browns baseball team. The Browns played in St. Louis from 1902 through the 1953 season. The historic society is the only one in St. Louis for any sports team which moved from the area. The fan club was organized in 1984 and has more than 315 members today.

To learn more about the Browns, visit their Internet sites at:

http://www.thestlbrowns.com

http://thestlbrowns.blogspot.com

http://brownsmuseum.blogspot.com

Contact

Bill Rogers, President/COO

St. Louis Browns Fan Club

P.O. Box 510047

St. Louis, MO 63151-0047

Telephone: 314-892-8632

E – mail: STLBrowns@SWbell.net

The Name is Almost the Same: Gaedele or Gaedel

2011-02-06T18:34:00.001-08:00

Living history was played out this past summer at Warner Park in Madison, Wisconsin. The Mallards right fielder is Kyle Gaedele, the great-nephew of Eddie Gaedel. He changed the spelling of his last name to have it pronounced correctly.

On August 19, 1951, Gaedel became the shortest player to bat in a major league game, taking four pitches in a Bill Veeck stunt for the St. Louis Browns. Gaedel was 3 foot seven and wore number 1/8.

Kyle Gaedele is 6 foot 4 inches and wears the number 48. And he finished second in the North Woods League All-Star home run derby.

I don’t get tired of talking about my great uncle,” Gaedele said during a clubhouse interview recently. “I’m proud of it. I knew about him ever since I can remember. In 2001, we went to the national baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown when they did a re-enactment of the whole situation. I was 11 years old. It was awesome.”

Gaedele’s off-season home is Arlington Heights, where his parents live. His father owns the historic bat. It’s likely he will bring the bat back to Madison before the regular season ends. “It’s smaller than a miniature bat you can get at a professional baseball game,” Gaedele said.

Kyle Gaedele is a Chicago native who attends Valparaiso University. He brought the Gaedele bat to college for a show and tell. His coach is former major leaguer, Tracy Woodson. He isn’t sure about where he got his height. He also weighs 225 pounds. “My dad is about 5’ 11”, my mom is 5’ 7”, my older brother is about 5’ 10” and here I am at 6’ 4” Gaedele said.

Attorney Rips off STL Browns Historical Society

2011-02-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

The St. Louis Browns Historical Society in St. Louis, Missouri says a Skokie, Illinois attorney, Irving Funk, ripped them off. The Society says Mr. Funk purchased a replica St. Louis Browns baseball jersey from them, but has now refused to pay or return the merchandise. Society President, Bill Rogers, said the jersey was purchased through their website which included photos of the product. Funk said the jersey delivered was “not as advertised.”

“We’ve sold a number of these Jerseys and have not had a single complaint. Mr. Funk sent us threatening e-mails from the very start. He rejected the billing on his credit card and has refused to return the merchandise,” according to Rogers. “We’re willing to take it back but we’re being ripped off.”

You can see the replica jersey in question at http://brownsmerchandise.blogspot.com/.

Best Player Born on Your Birthday

2011-02-04T14:59:00.000-08:00

I found this interesting resource over at Wezen Ball: the best player statistically born on each day. This will allow fans to see what baseball luminaries share the same birthday. The top players are listed in order of WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

For January 26th, it’s a player named George Blaeholder, who predominantly pitched for the St. Louis Browns in the thirties.

Although Blaeholder had a career record of 104-125, his team averaged over 90 losses during his time in the big leagues. He won 15 games for St. Louis in 1933 when they lost 96 games. On May 21st, 1933 Blaeholder gave up Babe Ruth‘s 600th career homer. He was known to give up homers, surrendering 173 during his career, which included 13 by Lou Gehrig. Some also say he was one of the first pitchers to throw a slider.

One of the best days to share a birthday with a baseball player is...… January 31. Three Hall of Famers were born on that day: Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks and Nolan Ryan.

Who is the best player on your birthday? Go check it out.
http://www.wezen-ball.com/other/other/the-best-player-born-on-your-birthday.html

Which Browns' Pitchers did Babe Ruth Face the Most??

2011-02-03T12:03:00.000-08:00

A new service for baseball scholars has recently become available, it is called Retrosheet. It allows statistical breakdowns that were never possible before. Unfortunately for Browns historians, Retrosheet only goes back to 1919, cutting off one-third of Browns history. However, some interesting statistics can be drawn out.

For example:

When the great Babe Ruth played, which player did he face on the opposite team the most games (Think of great contemporary rivalries like Aaron-Mays, Musial-Snider, etc.). Of the Babe’s top ten rivals, half were Browns.

Here are Ruth's most frequent opponents from 1919 on:

1. Sam Rice (286)

2. Joe Judge (247)

3. Goose Goslin (246)

4. Jimmy Dykes (243)

5. Willie Kamm (232)

6. Marty McManus (224)

7. Heinie Manush (220)

8. Bing Miller (217)

9. Harry Heilmann (212)

10. Lu Blue (209)

(Browns are in bold)

In case you are wondering where George Sisler is, Sisler faced Ruth in 151 games from 1919 on. The Holy Grail for Browns fans would be to find out if any one of Sisler's 24 pitching appearances was against Ruth, as a pitcher. Since there were about 7 daily newspapers in St Louis and 10 in Boston in 1915, there are enough accounts to piece together to make a box score, it would seem. Plus Sporting News.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR A VOLUNTEER RESEARCHER TO RESEARCH THIS. SABR membership, a plus, for access to the right databases. ANY TAKERS?.

On this day, February 2, 1954 - Satchel Paige

2011-02-03T11:32:00.001-08:00

This day, February 2.

Soon after the St. Louis Browns became the Baltimore Orioles, the franchise released Satchel Paige on this day in 1954. Paige had a 3.28 ERA over the previous two seasons with the Browns and was coming off two All-Star appearances, but the legendary Negro Leagues star was 47 years old (though Paige's age was always in some dispute).

Paige pitched minor league ball in the Phillies' system from 1956-58, started five games for Portland of the PCL in 1961 and then, incredibly, returned to the majors in 1965 to start one game for the Kansas City A's.

At age 54, Paige pitched three scoreless innings against Boston, holding the Red Sox to one hit.

Hall of Famers Born in Missouri

2011-02-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

New York Giants (1947) Carl Hubbell (Carthage)

Brooklyn Dodgers (1959) Zack Wheat (Hamilton)

Buffalo Bisons (1965) Pud Galvin (St. Louis)

New York Yankees (1966) Casey Stengel (Kansas City)

Pittsburgh Pirates (1971) Jake Beckley (Hannibal)

New York Yankees (1972) Yogi Berra (St. Louis)

Umpire (1976) Cal Hubbard (Keytesville, MO)

Baltimore Orioles (1996) Earl Weaver (St. Louis)

Oakland A's (2008) Dick Williams (St. Louis)

Did we miss any??

George Sisler of Browns Named 7th Best First Baseman of All Time in MLB

2011-02-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

George Sisler: St. Louis Browns (1915-27), Washington Senators (1928), Boston Braves (1928-30)

First base has always been a power spot, with just a couple of exceptions. The greatest first basemen are a collection of the greatest hitters in history, with eight of the 10 in the Hall of Fame, and the other two almost certain to be in Cooperstown at some point in the 21st century.
George Sisler, the greatest player in the history of the St. Louis Browns, came up as a pitcher, but like Babe Ruth, was too good as a hitter to stay out of the everyday lineup. He was a graceful and complete first baseman, and hit .340 lifetime.

He had six seasons with more than 200 hits, 2,812 hits in his 15-year career, and his 257 hits in 1920 was the best single-season mark until surpassed by Ichiro Suzuki 84 years later but only in a longer 164 game season. He hit just 102 homers, but had 164 triples and 425 doubles. He was MVP in 1922, when he batted .420. Also had 375 stolen bases.

You can see the list of the other firstbasemen at:
http://baseball.about.com/od/majorleaguehistory/tp/Top-10-First-Basemen-In-Major-League-Baseball-History.htm

Browns Club Luncheon Photos Available

2011-01-30T13:54:00.000-08:00

Photos from the 2010 Browns Fan Club luncheon are available on Flickr at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stlbrowns/

Click on Photos to enlarge. Featured speakers were Tommy Lasorda and Bob Costas.

Perry Currin: Another Browns player passes on

2011-01-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

Former Browns player, Perry Currin, 82, died of heart failure on January 17, at his home in San Antonio, Texas. He leaves his loving wife of 52 years, Vi Currin, his children Diane Sowell, Sherry Fox, and Chris Currin, ten grandchildren, and many close friends.

Mr. Currin was born on September 27, 1928 in Washington, D.C.

He played baseball for only one year with the St. Louis Browns in 1947. At 18, he was one of the youngest players to ever sign in the Major League at that time. His time with the Browns was followed by a short career in the minor leagues.

The Last of the Browns Players

2011-01-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

With the passing of four players in 2010 and one in 2011, the number of our surviving former Browns, ages in 2011 on birthday, updated, have fallen to 35:

1. Virgil Trucks 04/26/17 - 94
2. Marty Marion 12/01/17 - 94
3. Chuck Stevens 07/10/18 - 93
4. Fred Sanford 08/09/19 - 92
5. Tom Jordan 09/05/19 - 92

6. Babe Martin 03/28/20 - 91
7. Dick Starr 03/02/21 - 90
8. George Elder 03/10/21 - 90
9.Matt Batts 10/16/21 - 90
10. Bob Savage 12/01/21 - 90

11. Neil Berry 01/11/22 - 89
12. Johnny Hetki 05/12/22 - 89
13. Jim Rivera 07/22/22 - 89
14. Duane Pillette 07/24/22 - 89
15. Don Lenhardt 10/04/22 - 89

16. Don Lund 05/18/23 - 88
17. Tom Wright 09/22/23 - 88
18. Les Moss 05/14/25 - 86
19. Billy DeMars 08/26/25 - 86
20. Ned Garver 12/25/25 - 86

21. Frank Saucier 05/28/26 - 85
22. Johnny Groth 07/23/26 - 85
23. Lou Sleater 09/08/26 - 85
24. Ed Mickelson 09/09/26 - 85
25. Don Johnson 11/12/26 - 85

26. Roy Sievers 11/18/26 - 85
27. Hal Hudson 05/04/27 - 84
28. Jim McDonald 05/17/27 - 84
29. Al Naples 08/29/27 - 84
30. Billy Hunter 06/04/28 - 83

31. Joe DeMaestri 12/09/28 - 83
32. Bud Thomas 03/10/29 - 82
33. Don Larsen 08/07/29 - 82
34. Bob Turley 09/19/30 - 81
35. J.W. Porter 01/17/33 - 78

Blackie Schwamb: Major League Murderer!

2011-01-26T09:38:00.000-08:00

From Gary Cieradkowski

"I stumbled on your great St. Louis Browns blog when I wandered onto the Browns Historical Society page. I really enjoyed reading your articles, probably more than I should have because I need to get back to work! I thought you'd be interested in this story I wrote for my own blog, "The Infinite Baseball Card Set" about former Browns pitcher Blackie Schwamb."

--------------------

I found a book I had given my father a few years ago called "The Wrong Side Of The Wall" by Eric Stone. I found out about the book through the SABR (Society Of Baseball Researchers) newsletter a few years ago. Stone brilliantly tells the story of Blackie Schwamb, pitcher for the 1948 St. Louis Browns who also happened to be a murderer. Stone's book has it all, 1940's L.A., mobsters, life in the low minor leagues, crime solving and attempts to redeem a life that once held so much promise. My story today can only hold a candle to Eric Stone's wonderful book and I recommend everyone to pick up a copy - you wont be disappointed!

(The Schwamb card and story is the second entry from the top...) at http://www.infinitecardset.blogspot.com/.

As a kid in depression-era Los Angeles, Ralph Schwamb earned his nickname "Blackie" because he dressed in all black to emulate the bad guys he rooted for in western movies. Taller and stronger than kids his own age, Blackie took up with the older neighborhood kids. Dividing his time between sandlot baseball and petty crime, Schwamb started drinking heavily as a teen, the vice that would eventually lead to his downfall in life. Coupled with his drinking problem Blackie had a volatile temper that he backed up with his fists. World War II came along and Schwamb landed in the U.S. Navy. Unfortunately the only action he saw was in various Naval brigs across the country because of his constant need to go AWOL, something he accomplished over 4 times. The need for manpower during the war usually lead the Navy to go lightly on a sailor who overstayed his leave here and there, but Schwamb took it to the extreme and eventually went on a bender and missed the departure of his aircraft carrier that was being deployed for overseas action. This borderline desertion in the face of the enemy was the last straw and Schwamb spent a few years in prison.

When the war ended Blackie drifted back to Los Angeles and quickly took up with the delinquents he'd known growing up. These guys had by now graduated to become full-time hoods and hustlers. L.A. at this time was booming with post-war prosperity and organized crime was right there to take full advantage of those untapped opportunities. One of the biggest syndicates was run by the colorful Mafia-backed Mickey Cohen. A few of Blackie's buddies were connected to Mickey and the six and a half foot Schwamb began a career as an enforcer for his gang.

Working for Cohen was an easy job, intimidating and occasionally beating the hell out of deadbeats who were slow to pay off their gambling debts. Schwamb spent his spare time hanging around a ball field with his buddies drinking and watching the semi-pro teams that played there. Schwamb was always a natural athlete and after hanging around the field for some time, he worked up the courage to ask for a chance to play. From the start Blackie was a natural. His height and strength made him an overpowering pitcher. He had good control and liked to win and soon scouts from the big leagues took notice. St. Louis Browns scout Jack Fournier liked what he saw and his report read in part "he's a screwball, but he can pitch." $600.00 bought Schwamb's signature on a Browns contract. Shortly afterwards Blackie found out that the Cleveland Indians were about to offer $37,500.00 for him.

Blackie breezed through the Browns minor league spring training and was Schwamb was farmed out to South Dakota to the Aberdeen Pheasants of the Class C Northern League. Before reporting he was picked up on a burglary rap, but released. Through half the season he posted a record of 5 wins and no losses and an E.R.A. under 2.00. In one game he even fanned 14 batters. But his erratic behavior and drinking finally caused the manager Don Heffner to ask the Browns to reassign the ace of his pitching staff to another team. That he was messing around with a local 16 year-old girl didn't help much either. Schwamb now found himself at the other side of the country in the Arizona-Texas League.

The Globe-Miami Browns were a team of has-been misfits, a dead-end. But the wild west atmosphere of the towns that fielded teams in the league were more to Blackie's temperament than the conservative South Dakota. Still, even in this rebellious environment Schwamb stood apart. Reporting to the ballpark for the first game of the league playoffs, Schwamb was so intoxicated he was not allowed into the locker room. Now pissed off as well as drunk, Schwamb climbed up the center field flagpole and started hurling expletives at players and fans alike. It took the local cops to get him down and Blackie was tossed in jail. The Browns suspended him and it was the right thing to do. However the team was trying to win the league championship and Schwamb was reinstated after he apologized to the team. He promptly won 2 games and saved a third to win the championship. Schwamb might be a screwball, but he was good.

After spending half the off-season playing ball in Mexico and the other half breaking legs for the mob, 1948 found Schwamb with the Browns top farm club, the Toledo Mud Hens. The Mud Hens might have been the best club in the Browns farm system, but that wasn't saying much. they stunk. Schwamb drifted through the season with a horrible 1-9 record, but it was mostly due to no run support and fielding errors than his own pitching. Dispirited, Blackie's drinking accelerated and he stayed out all night long and sometimes disappeared for days between starts. Despite his record on paper, reports of his pitching were stellar and the parent club called him up at the end of July.

Wearing number 20, Blackie Schwamb pitched his first major league game at Griffith Stadium on Sunday July 25th against the Senators. He pitched a good game until he tired in the seventh and fielding errors did him in. The Browns eventually won but he was not the pitcher of record that day. Discipline-wise he continued where he left off in Toledo. Schwamb didn't just violate curfew, he disregarded it all together by staying out until breakfast time. Manager Zack Taylor ran a loose ship and the players did pretty much whatever they wanted. For a guy like Schwamb who desperately needed discipline and someone to look after him, this was the wrong team to have been playing for.

On July 31st he registered his first win and the post-game celebration never stopped. Blackie was continuously intoxicated. Beer before and during the game and an upgrade to whiskey afterwards. He got clobbered in his next start and a few days later the lowly Philadelphia Athletics handed Schwamb his first loss. Tired of his drinking, gambling and brawling, manager Zack Taylor relegated him to the bullpen.

Read the rest of this very interesting story at: http://www.infinitecardset.blogspot.com/.

At Home with the Browns

2011-01-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

Hello. My name is Jeff and I’m a certified Brownsaholic.

Don’t ask me why. The star-crossed franchise hasn’t existed in its St. Louis form since 1953, when the club was sent packing to Baltimore to become birds. George Sisler may be the only Brown that your average baseball fan can name. And I’m from New England. So why do I love reading anything I can get my eyes on about this largely forgotten team?

Is it the colors of those two handmade Cooperstown Ballcaps of mine, brown with orange trim and white with brown trim? There’s just a warmth to them. Earthy, almost. And the name Browns, rhyming with frowns and clowns, a built-in sadness I can empathize with. It certainly isn’t because of their uniform logo, which at times was either the knight Saint Louis on a horse or some kind of diabolical pixie. Nor their talent, because they never won a 20th century championship, and their sole pennant in 1944 largely happened because every other roster in the league was emptied by the War.

The Browns were very unlike the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn, the Giants leaving New York, the A’s leaving Philadelphia, or the Senators leaving Washington. Those teams moved but their names went with them, or in the Senators’ case, returned in expansion form. The Browns’ sorry legacy is forever embedded in what for many decades was baseball’s “other” two-team town, on the banks of the Mississippi. All I know is that I’ve daydreamed about kicking back on a broiling 1930s afternoon at Sportsman’s Park with a lemonade, cigar, and 596 other fans, and that I’ve replayed three entire Strat-O-Matic seasons largely to see how Roy Cullenbine, Elam Vangilder and Baby Doll Jacobson would fare.

But the good news is: I’m not alone.

The St. Louis Browns Fan Club (or Historical Society, for long), has over three hundred members, 36 of them actual surviving Brownies. Club President Bill Rogers organizes yearly luncheons and dinners in St. Louis, complete with speakers and memorabilia exhibits, and is constantly looking to bring new and possibly younger members into the fold. With Browns lore receding into the public mind a bit more each year, though, this is not an enviable task. Rogers is especially proud of his July banquet last year, when Bob Costas arrived unexpectedly to announce Tommy Lasorda as featured speaker in a last-minute coup. (Lasorda is considered an “almost Brownie” merely for going to spring training in 1953 with the team.)

FOR THE REST OF THE STORY, VISIT: http://www.seamheads.com/2011/01/10/at-home-with-the-browns/
Thanks to Jeff Polman for the story.
Visit http://www.seamheads.com/ for more baseball insight.

David M. Sisler, former A.G. Edwards exec from baseball family, dies

2011-01-09T13:38:00.000-08:00

BY TODD C. FRANKEL • tfrankel@post-dispatch.com > http://www.stltoday.com/

David M. Sisler, a former A.G. Edwards executive who pitched for seven seasons in major league baseball and came from a well-known baseball family, died Sunday (Jan. 9, 2011) in St. Louis.

Sisler, 79, died from complications of prostate cancer, said his son David G. Sisler of Plano, Texas.

The Ladue resident was the last survivor of four children of Baseball Hall of Fame player George Sisler, the player nicknamed "Gorgeous George" who spent 12 of 15 seasons with the St. Louis Browns, twice hit over .400 in a season and long held the single-season hits record. Fellow Hall of Famer Ty Cobb once called him "the nearest thing to a perfect ballplayer." George Sisler died in 1973.

Growing up in St. Louis in his father's long shadow, Sisler was a standout high school athlete in football, basketball and baseball. He continued playing basketball and baseball at Princeton, where he graduated magna cum laude.

"Sometimes he thought he was a better basketball player than baseball player," his son recalled.

But Sisler went on to play baseball as a righthanded pitcher from 1956 to 1962 for the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators and Cincinnati Reds. Known as a power pitcher, he posted a 38-44 career record with a 4.33 ERA. In 1956, he was named the Red Sox rookie of the year by Boston baseball writers. He considered his best season to be with the 1960 Tigers, when he went 7-5 with a 2.48 ERA, said his son.

After baseball, he joined A.G. Edwards in St. Louis as a stockbroker. He rose to be the company's vice chairman over a three-decade career.

He was married for 54 years to Janet Sisler. He is survived by his wife, his son and three grandchildren.

His brother Dick Sisler, who played eight seasons in major league baseball, including time with the St. Louis Cardinals, died in 1998.

Another brother George Sisler Jr., a longtime minor league baseball executive, died in 2006.

His sister Frances Sisler Drochelman, of Frontenac, died last year. She was on hand as the family's representative for the 2004 game in Seattle when Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki broke Gorgeous George's 84-year-old record of most hits in a season.

How many Browns players have a street named after them?

2011-01-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

How many Browns players have a street named after them? We're certain there's probably a good number of streets name after players on other teams, but we are not sure. Do you know of any? If so, drop us a note and let us know who. Thanks.

This street is Barney Peltry Drive. It leads to the sports complex in Farmington, MO. One of the first Jewish players in the American League, the Yiddish Curver was a workhorse for the Browns, a member of their starting rotation from 1904 through 1911. His peak year was 1906, when he went 16-11 with a 1.59 ERA (second in the AL). The following season he lost a league-high 21 games.

(click on photos to enlarge)

How Can This be a Game Worn Cap from 1952?

2010-12-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

A Browns Fan Club member writes . . . .

"In case I'm crazy - no idea how this could be a game worn 1952 Ned Garver cap since it has a tag with a ZIP code on it...ZIP codes didn't happen till the mid-60s. Caveat emptor!"

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200554453517&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

eBay's Description:

VERY rare vintage 1952 Browns "KM Pro" professional cap issued to Brownies' All-Star ace Ned Garver during the '52 season. Classic, absolutely authentic vintage hat features classic "St L" interlocking logo embroidered on front with orange top button. Near mint, in gorgeous original condition with original KM shipping/storage insert, stating "This Is A Major League Cap." Displays all correct interior tagging with manufacturer's tag sewn in band and company logo and size ["6-3/4"] stamped to right.

The team switched to this all-chocolate brown (panels & bill) style in 1952, and wore it until the move to Baltimore in '54. Garver was traded to the Tigers mid-season in 1952. Purchased through auction of Garver's memorabilia in the late-90's. He provided additional provenance in the form of a beautiful autograph markerd under brim.

This is an extremely scarce Browns cap and likely, the finest known. A tremendous display and representation of era, player and defunct team. This is a tough one to let go of. You will never find a nicer specimen!

Click on Photos to Enlarge

Bob Feller's Connection with Browns & Sportsman's Park

2010-12-16T09:22:00.000-08:00

Bob Feller, the Iowa farm boy whose powerful right arm earned him the nickname ''Rapid Robert'' and made him one of baseball's greatest pitchers during a Hall of Fame career with the Cleveland Indians, died on December 15, 2010. He was 92.

Feller died in a Cleveland hospice from the lingering weakness of his recent pneumonia bout and the acute effects of his progressive leukemia, a disease he has been fighting through chemotherapy since its diagnosis in August of this year.

The death of Feller takes away the arguably greatest Cleveland Indian of all time. You can read more about Feller's career as told by Browns Fan Club member, Bill McCurdy, at: http://bill37mccurdy.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/farewell-to-rapid-robert/

Remarkably fit until late in life, Feller had suffered serious health setbacks in recent months. He was diagnosed with a form of leukemia in August, and while undergoing chemotherapy, he fainted and his heart briefly stopped. Eventually, he underwent surgery to have a pacemaker implanted. In November, he was hospitalized with pneumonia and Feller was recently released into hospice care.

Bob Feller hit 8 home runs during his major league career. One of these is the answer to a Trivia question - "Who hit the first home run in a night game at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis?" The Answer - Bob Feller on May 24, 1940.

In his first career major league start (just his 7th big league appearance) at the age of 17, he picked up his first win pitching a complete game against the St. Louis Browns winning 4-1 in a game in which he struck out 15. In fact, his first two wins came against the Browns.

Hank Arft Gone 8 Years Now

2010-12-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

Henry "Hank" Arft, a first baseman for the St. Louis Browns from 1948-52, died Dec. 14, 2002, at the age of 80 after a bout with cancer.

In 1951, Arft hit .261 with 7 home runs and 42 RBIs, his most productive season in the major leagues. In his career, he hit .253 with 13 home runs. Arft is reported to have written about his days in St. Louis in a St. Louis Browns Historical Society newsletter. At the time Arft played, Bill Veeck was drawing fans to see the team with stunts including Eddie Gaedel, a midget player.
"The Brownie fans were the best ... although Veeck should have owned a circus instead of a ballclub," Arft wrote.

He is also reported to have said, "Who else except a Brownie could say that they played ball with a midget or played in a game that the fans managed?"
Arft retired from baseball in 1953 and became co-owner of Schrader Funeral Home in St. Louis with his wife and brother-in-law.

Sources: AP, Total Baseball

A Quote from MAS*H

2010-12-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

Hawkeye: What does everyone here want?

Major League Teams Who Have Changed Cities

2010-12-11T10:35:00.001-08:00

Major League Baseball

1902: Milwaukee Brewers became the St. Louis Browns.
1903: Baltimore Orioles became the New York Highlanders and then the Yankees.
1953: Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee; this was the first MLB relocation in 50 years.
1954: St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles.
1955: Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City.
1958: Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles; New York Giants moved to San Francisco. These were the first major league teams on the West Coast; the teams moved simultaneously to facilitate travel for other NL teams.
1961: Washington Senators moved to the Twin Cities area and became the Minnesota Twins. Not wishing to alienate Washington and its powerful baseball fans, MLB granted the city a new franchise, also called the Senators.
1966: Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta.
1968: Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland.
1970: Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers. The MLB would grant Seattle a new franchise in 1977.
1972: Second Washington Senators moved to Arlington, Texas and became the Texas Rangers.
2005: Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals. The Expos had split time between Montreal and San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2003 and 2004. This was the first MLB relocation in 33 years

Oldest Brownie Passes Away: George Binks, 96

2010-12-09T12:15:00.000-08:00

George 'Bingo' Binks, the oldest Brownie, has died. 7-11-14 to 11-13-10

Here's a link that summarizes his career in baseball.

http://www.borchertfield.com/2010/04/bingo.html

Surrounded by warm thoughts and prayers from a family that has grown and spread across the United States, George “Bingo” Binks, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, Professional Baseball Player, and master mechanic passed from the earth on Saturday, November 13, 2010 at the age of 96.

George was born on 11 July 1914 to John Binkowski and Teresa Lewandowski, the fifth of six children, in Chicago, Illinois.

To escape the shocking poverty of urban Chicago in the deep years of The Great Depression, George hopped a freight at night that was headed to the Southwest. At dawn in Bloomington, Illinois George saw several hundred kids on a baseball field trying out for a minor league team. At 30 mph, George and a friend jumped from the train, blackened by exhaust soot, into the trackside weeds.

George was number 384 in the line-up. He slept in the dugout for 2 cold April nights in 1933, stuffing newspaper into his clothes for warmth. By the third day, George made the final cut and was paid a few dollars. It was the first time in days that he had enough money to eat. He changed his name to Binks, and later, was given the moniker “Bingo,” for his ability to hit in the “clutch!”

Thus began a baseball career in the Minors that skittered around the country, from

• Monessen Indians in the Pennsylvania State Association to the

• Owensboro Oilers in the Kentucky, Illinois, and Tennessee League to the

• Springfield Indians of the Middle Atlantic League to the

• Tyler Trojans of the East Texas League to the

• Wilkes-Barre Barons of the Eastern League to the

• Cedar Rapids Raiders and Charleston Senators of the Middle Atlantic League to the

• Madison Blues of the Illinois, Indiana, Iowa League to the

• Green Bay Blue Sox of the Wisconsin State League to the

• Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association

When the war broke out, Binks was classified 4-F, "not acceptable for military service," because he was deaf in one ear due to having mastoid trouble in his childhood. Instead of sitting out the war and continuing his career, he sacrificed baseball to work as a machinist in a Studebaker aviation factory in Chicago, Illinois, producing war material for the war effort during 1942 and '43.

Late season 1944 George “Bingo” Binks was swinging a bat for the Brewers and was averaging over .400. So the Washington Senators bought his contract. In ’45 he played first base and outfield. He batted and fielded left-handed. His RBI and doubles were tops on the team and he could have been ‘Rookie of the year,’ In 1947 he was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics, and in 1948 moved to the St Louis Browns. In a five-season career, Binks was a .253 hitter (277-for-1093) with eight home runs and 130 RBI in 351 games, including 112 runs, 55 doubles, 10 triples, and 21 stolen bases.

After his baseball career, George worked at General Motors Locomotive in LaGrange, Illinois, where, over the course of 30 years, he became a master mechanic. Management pleaded with him to stay 2 years past retirement, and he did. The stories from his days fixing the ‘big machines’ at GM were as rich and savory as his stories about Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and Yogi Berra.

George Binks Sr. 7-11-1914/11-13-2010. Late wife Ruth (Naus)and son Gregory. He is survived by his four children, Terrance,(Jenny) Shelbyville, Tn. Randall,(Claire) Mariposa, Ca. Jodee, Strauss/Wolff, Chico, Ca. and George Jr., D.G.,Il.

Ten grandchildren and ten great grandchildren George was a kind, loving, quiet, humorous, gentle man who possessed a deep and abiding testimony about life.

Browns/Cardinals Poster Available

2010-11-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

A Browns/Cardinal fan has available an artist's drawing picturing various players from the 1944 all St. Louis World Series. If interested in acquiring this, contact Jack Yegge at 636-297-1486. Below are some sample images from the poster.

Click on photos to enlarge.

1944 Browns Uniform for Sale

2010-11-18T15:26:00.000-08:00

The shirt is from the Cooperstown Collection. The pants were made by Ebbetts Field. Hat is a 44 model made also by Cooperstown. Very hard to find now. Comes with stirrup socks and also a late 40s, early 50s Marty Marion four fingered glove in very good condition. Shirt is Large, pants are 34 waist and hat is 7 1/4 +/-.

Asking $325 for everything and includes shipping. That's a firm price.

Contact Ed Williams [bzstar68@hotmail.com]

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Dinner Honored STL Sports Stars

2010-11-18T08:15:00.000-08:00

In addition to the first St. Louis Browns player to be inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, there were 15 others plus several special achievement awards. Two old time baseball players were inducted and were George Sisler of the Browns and Dizzy Dean of the STL Cardinals. Dean also wore a Browns uniform for a short period and was a broadcaster for the Browns. See the following article about George Sisler.

Pictured below are just a few of the attendees at the head table.

(Click photos to enlarge)

St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Inducts Browns George Sisler

2010-11-18T07:59:00.000-08:00

Gorge Sisler is considered the greatest St. Louis Brown of them all and one of the half-dozen finest first basemen in baseball history. He came to the majors as a left-handed pitcher, but his hitting was too phenomenal to be restricted to a pitcher's schedule. He arrived in St. Louis in 1915, the same year as Rogers Hornsby, and for 11 seasons they were rivals in excellence.

Branch Rickey was his mentor, coaching Sisler at the University of Michigan, where he was an outstanding pitcher. Rickey also counseled Sisler, helping him eventually land a spot with the Browns, a team Rickey would manage after Sisler arrived. Other major league clubs were interested in Sisler. He considered an offer from Pittsburgh, but opted instead to play for the Browns. (Click on photos to enlarge)

Sisler had promise as a pitcher. Still, it was unthinkable not to have his bat in the lineup every day, and his glove at first base - a perennial weak spot for the Browns. In the field, Sisler was fast and graceful, a combination that gave elegance to his execution of plays. He led the American League in assists seven times and his career total of 1,528 assists ranks No.1 on the all-time list. He led the league in double plays three times, including 13 in 1920. Once against Washington, with Joe Judge on third, Sisler anticipated a squeeze bunt by Roger Peckinpaugh. Darting in with the pitch, he fielded the ball before the righthanded Peckinpaugh started down the line. Sisler brush-tagged him and then flipped the ball to catcher Hank Severeid to nip Judge at the plate. The play resulted in two outs on a squeeze bunt.

For his career, Sisler hit .340, tying him for 15th place on the all-time list with Lou Gehrig. At just under 5-foot-11 and a trim 170 pounds, Sisler swung a 42-ounce bat. He often choked up on the handle, but few could handle the lumber as well as Sisler. He recorded 200 hits in six seasons. In 1920, he established a major league record with 257 hits, which still stands. Sisler was also an excellent run producer. He drove in 1,175 runs during his career.

His 1920 season was as mighty a performance as any player has ever produced. Playing every inning of every game, Sisler hit .407. Among his 399 total bases were 49 doubles, 18 triples and 19 home runs. He went hitless in only 23 games and climaxed the season with prodigious averages of .442 and .448 in August and September, respectively. He also drove in a career-high 122 runs and stole 42 bases. In 1922, when the Browns missed winning the American League pennant by one game, Sisler hit safely in 41 consecutive games en route to a .420 average.

He missed the 1923 season with severe sinusitis that infected his optic nerves, which caused double vision. Sisler returned in 1924, signing a $25,000 contract as player-manager. He hit .305 in 151 games. In 1925, he was back on track with 224 hits and a .345 average. In fact, he only had one sub-.300 season in seven after recovering from the illness.

In 1928, the Washington Senators bought Sisler for $25,000, and then moved him to the Boston Braves, where he was reunited with Hornsby. The St. Louis prodigies put on a good show. Hornsby led the league with a .387 batting average, while Sisler hit .340. In 1929 at the age of 36, Sisler ripped 205 hits and batted .326.

After 1930, Sisler drifted into the minors and eventually went into private business, operating printing and sporting goods companies. Rickey recalled him to baseball in the 1940s as a scout and special hitting instructor at Brooklyn and Pittsburgh.

Pictured below is Bo Drockelman, Grandson of George Sisler commenting on the aware from the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame at their dinner on Tuesday, November 16, 2010.

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

The High School Kid Who Hit it Out of The Park

2010-11-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

We know this may be impossible to read, but you can click anywhere on the letter to enlarge it. It's a great piece of history. It's not too often we come across a document of note that is 90 years old. You can also read a featured article about how Lou Gehrig was almost a member of the St. Louis Browns. It's part of the Fall 2010 of Pop Flies, the official publication of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society. You can join by clicking on the BUY NOW bar in the upper right hand corner of the first page of this blog. We will rush a copy to you.

Click on picture below to enlarge.

Click to enlarge to read

St. Louis Auction Featured Browns Memorabilia

2010-11-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

Members of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society were on hand at a recent auction for one of the last living World War II-era St. Louis sportswriters/reporter who covered the Browns. Jon Hagar (about age 90) saved every scorecard from the Cardinals and Browns games that he covered. He worked for the St. Louis Star-Times 1943/44 to 1946 and had some assignments from William DeWitt (Browns).

Here are a few of the photos of memorabilia at the auction. (Click on photos to enlarge)

Pictured above (L-R) Dwayne Isgrigg, John Hagar and Emmett McAuliffe (Browns Fan Club)

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Orioles Break Franchise Record for Consecutive Last-Place Finishes

2010-11-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Orioles have broken the franchise record for consecutive last-place finishes, with three. The previous record was two consecutive seasons, posted by the 1910 and 1911 St. Louis Browns.

Despite their reputation as “St. Louis, First in Shoes, First in Booze, and last in the American League”, the Browns in their 52-year history avoided finishing in the cellar two years in a row, except for that one instance in their first decade.

It is to be noted:

1. the Orioles play in a five-team division whereas the Browns played in an eight-team league.

2. There is an expansion team in the division, however, the Tampa Bay Rays.

3. If it were not for the Devil Rays, the Orioles would have finished in last place 12 out of the last 13 seasons.

In order to avoid a fourth-straight last place finish in 2011, the Orioles will have to make up at least 19 games between them and their 4th-place rival.

But there is great hope for the Orioles to do exactly that, under new manager Buck Showalter. Go O’s!

Hall of Fame hitters who played for the Browns but never played in a World Series

2010-11-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

Not every ball player who is in the Baseball Hall of Fame played in the World Series. Here are two Browns' hitters whose skills with the bat and glove earned them membership in the Hall of Fame, but who never played in the World Series.

Rick Ferrell

Rick Ferrell was an excellent defensive catcher who played from 1929 through 1945, and returned again in 1947. Ferrell played for the St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators, and Boston Red Sox. Ferrell had a .281 lifetime batting average and struck out just 277 times in 7072 plate appearances. Rick Ferrell was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964.

George Sisler

First Baseman George Sisler spent 15 years in the big leagues from 1915 through 1930, missing the 1923 season. Most of his career was spent with the St. Louis Browns, but he also played for the Washington Senators and Boston Braves. Sisler could hit for average and drive in runs, and was swift on the base paths with 375 career stolen bases. Sisler put up some incredible numbers. In 1920, Sisler won the first of two American League batting titles with a .407 average; he also hit 19 home runs and drove in 122, plus he stole 42 bases. His 257 base hits was the major league record single season record until 2004, when it was broken by Ichiro Suzuki(notes). In 1922, Sisler hit .420, drove in over 100 runs, and stole 51 bases. Sisler had a lifetime batting average of .340. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939.

THEY CAME TO BALTIMORE FROM ST. LOUIS - THE BROWNS

2010-11-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

From Bob in Delaware's Blog - http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/754305-they-came-to-baltimore-from-st-louis-the-browns

A friend was recently lamenting the sad performance of his beloved Baltimore Orioles. "After making it to the post-season playoffs in 1996 and 1997, they've had thirteen straight losing seasons!" he exclaimed.

I tried to cheer him up. "Look at the accomplishments the Orioles have achieved over the years", I said, "They won the American League pennant six times and they won three World Series (1966, 1970, and 1983)." "Yeah", he said, "but they haven't been to the World Series for twenty-seven years!"

"Look at me", I said, "I've been a Phillies' fan since I was a little kid. I had to wait thirty years after the 1950 pennant for them to finally win their first World Series in 1980. Then I had to wait 28 more years for them to win the World Series again in 2008! You don't have it so bad!"

He still seemed down in the dumps, so I then reminded him that the Orioles' predecessors were the St. Louis Browns. The Browns spent 52 seasons in the American League and won only one pennant in all that time. "Well", he concluded, "I guess the Orioles sure have done a whole lot better than the Browns did." And that ended the discussion.

Afterwards, I decided to do a little research on the St. Louis Browns and their only pennant-winning season. It was very intriguing...

Read more: http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/754305-they-came-to-baltimore-from-st-louis-the-browns#ixzz143MjAMfV

Bill Jennings 1925 - 2010

2010-10-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

We learned that Bill Jennings, a former St. Louis Browns player passed away this past week. Bill played shortstop for the Browns during the 1951 season appearing in 61 games. He was 84 years of age.

Bill was diagnosed with cancer recently and decided not to undergo the extensive treatment required. His last public appearance was at the Browns fan club luncheon on July 16, 2010. Mr. Jennings is pictured below with Roy Sievers at the luncheon. Bill turned 85 on September 28. (1925 – 2010)

Jennings is the fourth former Browns player to pass away this year and the third since September 15. The others were Ray Coleman, Al LaMacchia and Ken Holcomb (March).

-------------------------------------

Jennings, William L. asleep in Jesus, Wed., Oct. 20, 2010. Beloved husband for 60 years of Correne Jennings (nee Chambers); dear father of Nancy (Paul) Hutchinson, Peggy (Mike) Noonan and Janet (Wayne) Tucker; dear grandfather of Aaron, Stephen, Brian, Mark and the late Buddy; dear great-grandfather of 3; dear brother of Jerry (Marilyn) Jennings; special friend of Bob Pelc; dear uncle, cousin and friend to many.

Mr. Jennings played professional baseball for 8 years for several teams including the St. Louis Browns and was a retired milk man from Bailey Farms Dairy. Services: Visitation at KUTIS AFFTON Chapel, 10151 Gravois, Sun., Oct. 24, 3-8 p.m. Funeral Service at Salem Lutheran Church (8043 Gravois) Mon., Oct. 25, 10 a.m. Interment National Cemetery. Memorials to Salem Building Fund appreciated.

Roy Sievers (l), Bill Jennings (r)

Shoeless Joe Jackson

2010-10-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Joseph Jefferson Jackson (July 16, 1887 – December 5, 1951), nicknamed "Shoeless Joe", was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball in the early part of the 20th century. He is remembered for his performance on the field and for his association with the Black Sox Scandal, in which members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series. As a result of Jackson's association with the scandal, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Major League Baseball's first commissioner, banned Jackson from playing after the 1920 season.

Jackson played for three different Major League teams during his 12-year career. He spent 1908–09 as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics and 1910 with the minor league New Orleans Pelicans before being traded to Cleveland at the end of the 1910 season. He remained in Cleveland through the first part of the 1915; he played the remainder of the 1915 season through 1920 with the Chicago White Sox.

Jackson, who played left field for most of his career, currently has the third highest career batting average in major league history. In 1911, Jackson hit for a .408 average. It is still the sixth highest single-season total since 1901, which marked the beginning of the modern era for the sport. His average that year also set the record for batting average in a single season by a rookie. Babe Ruth later claimed that he modeled his hitting technique after Jackson's.

Jackson still holds the White Sox franchise records for triples in a season and career batting average. In 1999, he ranked number 35 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. The fans voted him as the 12th-best outfielder of all-time. He also ranks 33rd on the all-time list for non-pitchers according to the win shares formula developed by Bill James.

Jackson was reported to be illiterate, and he was sensitive about this. In restaurants, rather than ask someone to read the menu to him, he would wait until his teammates ordered, and then order one of the things that he heard.

The sworn testimony given by Shoeless Joe Jackson on Sept. 28, 1920 is interesting. Click here to read the deposition.

http://www.blackbetsy.com/jjtestimony1920.pdf

Browns Stirrup Socks Available

2010-10-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

I've about finished putting together a Browns 44 uniform including the jersey, pants, hat, team jacket and a close glove. The glove is a late 40s, early 50s Marty Marion endorsed four finger glove. I have always worn my Browns jersey and hat at any Cards game I attend. Great fun doing so.

The stirrup socks won't be exactly but very close. I had to order twelve pair to get one, so if anyone is looking for a pair to complete a uniform, please contact me. Can't see them going to waste and someone else having to order ten pair also.

Contact Ed Williams at: bzstar68@hotmail.com