December 21

Events, births and deaths that occurred on December 21.

[edit] Events

• 1871 - The National Association's Boston Red Stockings meet and elect a new board of directors, who will retain Harry Wright as manager. The club reports an operating surplus of $75 on home attendance of around 35,000.
• 1911 - Future Hall of Fame catcher Josh Gibson is born in Buena Vista, Georgia. Although record-keeping in the Negro Leagues is somewhat nebulous, Gibson will become the leading home run hitter in all of black baseball. His legendary power will earn him the nickname, "The Black Babe Ruth." Gibson wil begin his pro career at age 18 with the Homestead Grays before becoming a star with the Pittsburgh Crawfords.
• 1935:
  • The Brooklyn Dodgers trade Ray Benge, Tony Cuccinello, Al Lopez and Bobby Reis to the Boston Bees for Ed Brandt and Randy Moore.
  • The Pittsburgh Pirates send pitcher Claude Passeau and catcher Earl Grace to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Al Todd. Passeau will have three decent seasons in Philadelphia before blossoming with the Cubs.
• 1940 - Chicago writers name Cleveland Indians shortstop Lou Boudreau as the outstanding rookie in the major leagues. Boudreau will be honored at the annual January banquet. The Rookie of the Year Award won't be created until 1947, however.
• 1944 - Official National League statistics published today show Brooklyn's Dixie Walker at the top of the hitters with a .357 batting average, ahead of Stan Musial at .347. In an even closer vote than occurred in the American League, the National League Most Valuable Player Award goes to fielding wizard shortstop Marty Marion of the Cardinals, who tallies one more vote than Cubs slugger Bill Nicholson (189). The Cardinals committed only 112 errors and fielded .982, both better than previous records held by the 1940 Cincinnati Reds. Marion is the third different Cardinals player in three years to win MVP honors.
• 1960 - Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley announces the club will not have a manager for the next season, but will instead use a college of coaches, who will take turns managing the ballclub. The original eight coaches include Charlie Grimm, Ripper Collins and Rube Walker. Before the season is over, Vedie Himsl, Harry Craft, El Tappe and Lou Klein will have taken turns leading the team. The results will be disastrous for the Cubs, who will finish the season 35 games out of first place, but the experiment will be repeated in 1962 before being shelved for good.
• 1970 - Houston Astros outfielder Jimmy Wynn is stabbed during a domestic dispute. Wynn will undergo abdominal surgery but will recover in time to start next season.
• 1977 - Free agent Orioles pitcher Ross Grimsley is signed by the Montreal Expos. Grimsley will reward Montreal with a 20-game winning season in 1978, the only one in franchise history.
• 1981:
  • The Philadelphia Phillies sign future Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt to a six-year contract worth $1.2 million per season. During the strike-shortened 1981 season, Schmidt led the National League in home runs (31), RBI (91) and runs (78).
  • Twenty-two-year-old Royals pitcher Mike Jones, who was 6-3 with a 3.20 ERA in the second half of the season and was projected to be the club's third starter next year, is listed in guarded condition after crashing his car while driving under the influence near Rochester, NY. Jones will not pitch in the majors again until 1984.
• 1982 - All-Star first baseman Steve Garvey signs a free agent five-year contract with the San Diego Padres. Garvey leaves the Los Angeles Dodgers after 14 seasons.
• 1987 - The Oakland Athletics sign free agent outfielder Dave Henderson, who played this past season with the San Francisco Giants.
• 1989 - The Dodgers sign free agent outfielder Hubie Brooks.
• 1992 - The Colorado Rockies sign free agent outfielder Daryl Boston.
• 1995:
  • After considering an attractive offer from the Orioles, free agent pitcher David Cone re-signs with the Yankees a three-year deal worth $18 million.
  • The Red Sox sign free agent pitcher Tom Gordon to a two-year contract.
  • The Orioles sign free agent second baseman Roberto Alomar to a three-year $18 million contract.
  • The Royals send first baseman Wally Joyner and a minor league pitcher to the Padres in exchange for infielder Bip Roberts and a minor league pitcher.
• 1999 - The Dodgers are fined $50,000 and banned from scouting any Dominican Republic players for one year as a penalty for having signed third baseman Adrian Beltre as a 15-year-old. Beltre is not given his free agency, according to Commissioner Bud Selig, because he participated in the scheme, and because the claim for free agency was made too late. The players association is expected to file a grievance in the matter, but the ruling will stand.
• 2000 - Hoping to pick it up where it all started, 41-year old OF Tim Raines agrees to a minor league contract with the Montreal Expos, the team he broke in with in 1979. After retiring in Yankees camp during spring training with a .295 career batting average, Raines failed to make this year's U.S. Olympic team.
• 2001 - The Boston Red Sox sign free agent CF Johnny Damon to a four-year contract.
• 2002 - After declining their club option, the Arizona Diamondbacks decide to retain veteran 1B Mark Grace. A lifetime .305 hitter, Grace agrees to a one-year deal which includes a club option for the 2004 season.
• 2005 - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays agree to terms with C Toby Hall and P Lance Carter on one-year contracts and the St. Louis Cardinals sign P Sidney Ponson to a one-year contract.
• 2007 - The Cincinnati Reds trade troubled slugging outfielder Josh Hamilton to the Texas Rangers for P Edinson Volquez and Danny Herrera.
• 2009 - The Rangers­ sign reliever Darren Oliver to a one-year contract. It marks the lefty's third tour of duty with Texas.
• 2010:
  • The Blue Jays sign a host of players today, including OF Corey Patterson, Ps Winston Abreu, Mike Hinckley, Brian Stokes and Sean Henn, and C Ryan Budde.
  • The Nationals sign OF Rick Ankiel as a free agent.
• 2011:
  • The Reds continue to acquire players in preparation for a run at what appears to be a wide-open NL Central division in 2012. Today, they get lefty reliever Sean Marshall from the Cubs in return for P Travis Wood and two players to be named, who turn out to be OF Dave Sappelt and IF Ronald Torreyes.
  • Four persons come out to accuse long-time Philadelphia, PA columnist and Spink Award winner Bill Conlin of having molested them when they were children. Conlin abruptly retires from the Philadelphia Daily News, while the BBWAA is criticized for issuing an initial statement that defends its long-time member without expressing any sympathy for the alleged victims.
  • The Royals sign lefty reliever Jose Mijares to a one-year deal, the Phillies add IF Hector Luna and OF Luis Montanez, but lose IF Carlos Rivero, claimed off waivers by the Nationals, while the Indians sign 3B Andy LaRoche.
  • The Padres acquire P Ryan Kelly from Texas for C Luis Martinez.
• 2012 - The Pirates sign P Francisco Liriano for two years at $14 million. However, the deal is not officially announced and rumors soon surface that Liriano has suffered a serious injury to his non-throwing arm, negating the purported deal.

[edit] Births

• 1858 - Steve Dunn, infielder (d. 1933)
• 1859 - Bill Traffley, catcher (d. 1908)
• 1861 - Dell Darling, catcher (d. 1904)
• 1861 - Harry Maskrey, outfielder (d. 1930)
• 1865 - Frank Zinn, catcher (d. 1936)
• 1869 - Joe Harrington, infielder (d. 1933)
• 1872 - Bade Myers, minor league infielder and manager (d. ????)
• 1878 - Warren Gill, infielder (d. 1952)
• 1882 - Bert Weeden, pinch hitter (d. 1939)
• 1884 - Steve White, pitcher (d. 1975)
• 1887 - Cy Williams, outfielder (d. 1974)
• 1892 - Earl Wolgamot, coach (d. 1970)
• 1897 - Hal Haid, pitcher (d. 1952)
• 1898 - Pete Scott, outfielder (d. 1953)
• 1900 - Doc Hamann, pitcher (d. 1973)
• 1905 - Fred Koster, outfielder (d. 1979)
• 1907 - Freddie Muller, infielder (d. 1976)
• 1911 - Nino Bongiovanni, outfielder (d. 2009)
• 1911 - Josh Gibson Hall of Famer (d. 1947)
• 1913 - Heinie Heltzel, infielder (d. 1998)
• 1915 - Chet Bryan, college coach (d. 1986)
• 1920 - Bill Werle, pitcher (d. 2010)
• 1923 - Jay Difani, infielder (d. 2003)
• 1925 - Dottie Kamenshek, AAGPBL infielder (d. 2010)
• 1925 - Kent Peterson, pitcher (d. 1995)
• 1925 - Bob Rush, pitcher; All-Star (d. 2011)
• 1927 - Jack Daniels, outfielder (d. 2013)
• 1930 - Danny Kravitz, catcher
• 1935 - Takao Katsuragi, NPB infielder
• 1936 - Ralph Lumenti, pitcher
• 1936 - Howie Reed, pitcher (d. 1984)
• 1941 - Paul Casanova, catcher; All-Star
• 1942 - Pete Charton, pitcher
• 1947 - Elliott Maddox, outfielder
• 1948 - Dave Kingman, infielder; All-Star
• 1949 - Larry Bradford, pitcher (d. 1998)
• 1950 - Jim Wright, pitcher
• 1952 - Joaquin Andujar, pitcher; All-Star
• 1957 - Tom Henke, pitcher; All-Star
• 1960 - Roger McDowell, pitcher
• 1960 - Andy Van Slyke, outfielder; All-Star
• 1966 - Paul Swingle, pitcher
• 1967 - Rafael DeLima, minor league outfielder and manager
• 1968 - Mike Jeffcoat, college coach
• 1968 - Tim Tadlock, college coach
• 1969 - Andy Beckerman, minor league pitcher
• 1970 - John Hope, pitcher
• 1971 - Jay Vaught, minor league player
• 1972 - LaTroy Hawkins, pitcher
• 1972 - Dustin Hermanson, pitcher
• 1976 - Tony Cogan, pitcher
• 1977 - Buddy Carlyle, pitcher
• 1977 - D'Angelo Jimenez, infielder
• 1977 - Freddy Sanchez, infielder; All-Star
• 1980 - Royce Ring, pitcher
• 1982 - Philip Humber, pitcher
• 1983 - Taylor Teagarden, catcher
• 1983 - John Mayberry, Jr., outfielder
• 1984 - Ramon Aguero, minor league pitcher
• 1984 - Orlando Medina, minor league player
• 1985 - Tim Auty, minor league outfielder
• 1985 - Ed Easley, minor league catcher
• 1985 - Matt Mangini, infielder
• 1985 - Brian Schlitter, pitcher
• 1987 - Khris Davis, outfielder
• 1988 - Danny Duffy, pitcher
• 1988 - William Ireton, Philippines national team infielder
• 1988 - Hyun-jun Lim, KBO pitcher
• 1989 - Jay Johnson, minor league pitcher
• 1989 - Gregory Lambrechts, First Division outfielder
• 1989 - Eitan Maoz, Israeli national team catcher
• 1989 - David Rollins, minor league pitcher
• 1989 - Ayami Sato, Japanese womens' national team pitcher
• 1990 - Baasandorj Nergui, Mongolian national team infielder

[edit] Deaths

• 1909 - Kid Keenan, pitcher (b. 1869)
• 1912 - Jim Conway, pitcher (b. 1858)
• 1933 - Louie Heilbroner, manager (b. 1861)
• 1936 - Fred Gunkle, catcher/outfielder (b. ????)
• 1942 - Ira Davis, infielder (b. 1870)
• 1943 - Jim Cudworth, infielder (b. 1858)
• 1943 - John Warner, catcher (b. 1872)
• 1946 - Bill Evans, pitcher (b. 1893)
• 1949 - Teddy Kearns, infielder (b. 1900)
• 1950 - Dad Lytle, infielder/outfielder (b. 1862)
• 1957 - Marty Berghammer, infielder (b. 1888)
• 1963 - Happy Townsend, pitcher (b. 1879)
• 1963 - Harry Williams, infielder (b. 1890)
• 1964 - Delos Brown, pinch hitter (b. 1892)
• 1970 - Chubby Dean, pitcher (b. 1916)
• 1976 - Walt Lynch, catcher (b. 1897)
• 1978 - Joe Mathes, infielder (b. 1891)
• 1980 - Tony Jacobs, pitcher (b. 1925)
• 1985 - Joe Genewich, pitcher (b. 1897)
• 1987 - Joe Sherman, pitcher (b. 1890)
• 1988 - Willie Kamm, infielder (b. 1900)
• 1989 - Blackie Schwamb, pitcher (b. 1926)
• 1993 - Ernie Kish, outfielder (b. 1918)
• 1993 - Ham Schulte, infielder (b. 1912)
• 2002 - Hal Charnofsky, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1931)
• 2005 - Elrod Hendricks, catcher (b. 1940)
• 2007 - Jack Lamabe, pitcher (b. 1936)
• 2008 - Vern Kindsfather, minor league pitcher, college coach (b. 1924)
• 2008 - Carlos Santiago, Negro League infielder (b. 1926)
• 2009 - Robert Baumler, minor league infielder (b. ~1928)
• 2011 - Bud Bloomfield, infielder (b. 1936)
• 2012 - Vivian Anderson, AAGPBL infielder (b. 1921)
• 2012 - Boyd Bartley, infielder (b. 1920)