March 22

Events, births and deaths that occurred on March 22.

[edit] Events

• 1886 - Denny McKnight, one of the founders of the American Association, is ousted from the league presidency for his partisan handling of the Sam Barkley case. Wheeler Wikoff becomes the new AA president.
• 1888 - 3B/C Deacon White signs with the Detroit Wolverines after a prolonged battle with manager Bill Watkins, under whom White had said he'd never play.
• 1889 - The All America team beats Chicago, 7 - 6, in England's Old Trafford Cricket Stadium. The Manchester Guardian says: the "general verdict of the more than 1,000 spectators was that the American game was 'slow' and 'wanting in variety.'"
• 1939 - Rookie outfielder Pete Reiser starts his second spring training game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. After going 0 for 3 yesterday against the Yankees, Reiser belts a home run in his first at bat against the Cardinals, and follows with a walk and two singles. He will have 10 straight hits before striking out three times against Yankees pitcher Oral Hildebrand six days later. When Jack Haley relieves Hildebrand, Reiser hits a home run off him. Reiser will go north with Brooklyn and play in an April 15th exhibition against the Yankees in Ebbets Field before being sent to the Triple-A Elmira Pioneers.
• 1947 - In the first televised Mexican League game, the Azules del Veracruz win, 11 - 3, over the Diablos Rojos del México.
• 1962:
  • A former member of the New York Giants requesting anonymity reveals that Bobby Thomson's home run in the 1951 playoffs against the Brooklyn Dodgers was helped by a sign-stealing clubhouse spy. The spying is claimed to have gone on for the last three months of the season. Thomson, along with former Giants manager Leo Durocher, vehemently denies that he received help, but a source close to the team confirms the spy operation.
  • At spring training, Yankees slugger Roger Maris declines to pose with Mets coach Rogers Hornsby because the Hall of Famer criticized him in his book My Wars with Baseball.
• 1963 - The New York Mets, who finished last in the National League with a 40-120 record in their inaugural season, purchase pitcher Carl Willey from the Milwaukee Braves. Willey will boost a pitching rotation that includes Roger Craig, Al Jackson and Tracy Stallard. The Mets will improve to 51-111 this season.
• 1972:
  • The American League approves the sale of the Cleveland Indians by Vernon Stouffer. A group headed up by businessman Nick Mileti purchases the team for an estimated $9.7 million. Mileti also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association and the Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association. Stouffer turned down an earlier offer from local business tycoon George Steinbrenner to buy the team, but when the AL owners reject his proposal to have the Indians play some of their games in the New Orleans Superdome, Stouffer decides to sell the team.
  • In one of the best trades in franchise history, the New York Yankees acquire reliever Sparky Lyle from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for 1B/OF Danny Cater. In seven seasons with the Yankees, Lyle will post a 57-40 record with 141 saves and a 2.41 ERA, win a Cy Young Award, and help the team to three World Series.
• 1976 - The California Angels' groundskeeper finds hundreds of marijuana plants growing in the outfield at Anaheim Stadium. The culprits? Most likely rock fans who attended a recent performance at the stadium by The Who.
• 1981 - American League President Lee MacPhail suspends Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver for removing his team from the field and forfeiting a spring training game to the Kansas City Royals. It is the fourth career suspension for Weaver, who was upset that the umpires did not provide him with an official batting order after Kansas City made numerous substitutions. Weaver's suspension will last three days.
• 1990 - Major league umpires announce that they will boycott exhibition games to protest not having been consulted in the revision of the regular season schedule after the lockout. They will return to work on April 1st.
• 1991 - At Sotheby's in New York, a 1909-10 tobacco card in mint condition of Honus Wagner sells for $451,000, with the 10% auction house premium. Ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and Los Angeles Kings owner Bruce McNall purchase the rare card. On the same day, a 1952 Topps card of Mickey Mantle goes for $49,500, tripling the pre-auction estimate, while a baseball, signed by 12 players at the 1939 Hall of Fame induction ceremony, sells for $20,900.
• 1993 - Cleveland Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews are killed, and Bob Ojeda is seriously injured, when the motorboat in which they are riding strikes a pier on Little Lake Nellie near Winter Haven, Florida. Crews and Olin are the first active major leaguers to die since Thurman Munson in 1979.
• 1997:
  • The New York Mets, loaded with middle infielders, add two more, acquiring shortstop Manny Alexander and third baseman Scott McClain from the Baltimore Orioles. The Mets give up hard-throwing reliever Hector Ramirez in exchange.
  • At spring training, Cincinnati Reds catcher Joe Oliver tears a ligament in his thumb making a tag at home plate, and will need surgery to repair it. Oliver will be out of action until May.
• 1999 - The St. Louis Cardinals announce that starter Matt Morris, expected to be the ace of their pitching staff, will miss the entire season because of a torn ligament in his right elbow.
• 2002 - 38-year-old Dante Bichette announces his retirement after a poor spring trying to make the Dodgers' roster as a bench player. A four-time All-Star, Bichette was a .299 hitter with 274 home runs and 1,141 RBI in a 14-season career with five teams.
• 2005 - Eleven home runs shy of passing Babe Ruth on the all-time list, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds indicates he may not play this season. The 40-year-old National League MVP, who has had two knee operations and has been implicated in the sport's steroids scandal, cites being physically and mentally "done" and blames the news media for much of his unhappiness.
• 2008 - Javy Lopez retires. Lopez hit 260 home runs and slugged .491 in his major league career, producing a 112 OPS+ in 15 seasons. He set a single-season home run record for catchers with 42. A three-time All-Star, Lopez sat out 2007 before managing just a .188 average in his comeback attempt with the Atlanta Braves this spring.
• 2009 - Japan moves to the finals of the 2009 World Baseball Classic by wiping out Team USA, 9 - 4. Daisuke Matsuzaka improves to 3-0, while Japan lights up Roy Oswalt for five runs in the 4th inning. Kenji Johjima hits two sacrifice flies in the win.
• 2010:
  • The Minnesota Twins sign catcher Joe Mauer, last season's American League MVP, to an 8-year contract worth $184 million. The deal includes a full no-trade clause for the hometown hero, who grew up in St. Paul, MN, and is the fourth-largest in Major League history.
  • Albert Pujols gives the Cardinals a scare as he is scratched from the line-up for today's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, suffering from tightness in his lower back. The 2009 National League MVP has already missed a week of work this spring; he undergoes a MRI and receives an anti-inflammatory injection as a precaution. On the positive side of the ledger for the Cards, OF Matt Holliday is back in the line-up after missing two weeks with a strained chest muscle.
• 2011 - Greg Anderson, personal trainer of Barry Bonds, refuses to testify at the slugger's trial for perjury. He is charged with contempt of court by Judge Susan Illston and is taken into custody, facing a fifth jail term for his consistently uncooperative attitude.
• 2012:
  • Braves 3B Chipper Jones, one of the greatest switch-hitters of all time, announces that he will retire after this season. Jones, who will turn 40 next month, hopes to remain with the Braves - the only team he has played for - in some capacity after hanging up his spikes.
  • New Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine gets an early introduction to the fierce rivalry with the Yankees. After the Sox tie a spring training game, 4 - 4, on a squeeze bunt by Jason Repko in the bottom of the 9th inning, Valentine has reliever Clayton Mortensen on the mound ready to pitch the 10th when rival manager Joe Girardi announces that his team is leaving Fort Myers, FL immediately, taking a bus back to their base in Tampa, FL. Girardi later justifies his last-minute decision by the fact that he has used all of the pitchers he had planned to bring into the game, but Valentine is still irked.
  • Major League Baseball announces it is setting up a new league for amateur players in the Dominican Republic, in order to give them an opportunity to perform against top competition without having to commit to a professional contract at a very young age. The lack of high school or equivalent competition has hampered the development of the game in the D.R., whose national teams have performed poorly in international competitions in spite of the large number of professional players born in the country.
  • Jeff Moorad announces he is stepping down as Chief Executive Officer of the San Diego Padres, but will remain a Vice-President in charge of developing the team's relationship with the Fox Sports San Diego network.
• 2013 - Major League Baseball files a lawsuit against Anthony Bosch and five others connected with a Miami clinic that allegedly provided PEDs to a number of players. The suit charges that the defendants "knowingly participated in a scheme to solicit or induce major league players to purchase or obtain performance-enhancing substances in violation of MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program." The suit seeks monetary damages and other relief.

[edit] Births

• 1854 - Myron Allen, outfielder (d. 1924)
• 1856 - Bill McClellan, infielder (d. 1929)
• 1866 - Jack Boyle, infielder (d. 1913)
• 1867 - Nick Reeder, infielder (d. 1894)
• 1868 - Ed Fuller, pitcher (d. 1935)
• 1869 - George Bausewine, pitcher (d. 1947)
• 1880 - Ernie Quigley, umpire (d. 1960)
• 1881 - Bill Chappelle, pitcher (d. 1944)
• 1882 - Jimmy Sebring, outfielder (d. 1909)
• 1889 - Tillie Shafer, infielder (d. 1962)
• 1892 - Lew Wendell, catcher (d. 1953)
• 1896 - Chick Holmes, pitcher (d. 1954)
• 1898 - Luke Urban, catcher (d. 1980)
• 1902 - Goldie Holt, coach, minor league player and manager (d. 1991)
• 1904 - Bob Elson, announcer (d. 1991)
• 1906 - Manuel Chávez, minor league infielder (d. 1988)
• 1906 - Marv Owen, infielder (d. 1991)
• 1906 - Moose Solters, outfielder (d. 1975)
• 1906 - Overton Tremper, outfielder (d. 1996)
• 1907 - Johnny Scalzi, pinch hitter (d. 1962)
• 1909 - Ed Cole, pitcher (d. 1999)
• 1910 - Oliver Grosselin, college coach (d. 1972)
• 1913 - Hank Steinbacher, outfielder (d. 1977)
• 1915 - Norm Branch, pitcher (d. 1971)
• 1915 - Wataru Nonin, NPB infielder and manager (d. 1991)
• 1918 - Bill Butland, pitcher (d. 1997)
• 1918 - Carl Miles, pitcher
• 1921 - George Crowe, infielder; All-Star (d. 2011)
• 1924 - Lee Eilbracht, college coach (d. 2013)
• 1926 - Billy Goodman, infielder; All-Star (d. 1984)
• 1926 - Wataru Noguchi, NPB infielder and pitcher
• 1927 - Paul Stuffel, pitcher
• 1928 - Paul Schramka, outfielder
• 1932 - Al Schroll, pitcher (d. 1999)
• 1933 - Frank Dolson, writer (d. 2006)
• 1934 - Víctor Saíz, minor league umpire; Salon de la Fama
• 1935 - Gene Oliver, catcher (d. 2007)
• 1935 - Frank Pulli, umpire
• 1940 - Dick Ellsworth, pitcher; All-Star
• 1943 - Ron Wojciak, minor league catcher (d. 1966)
• 1944 - Matt Galante, manager
• 1948 - Jake Brown, outfielder (d. 1981)
• 1948 - Armando Capiró, Cuban league outfielder
• 1948 - Ralph Dickenson, college coach
• 1948 - Carlos Velazquez, pitcher (d. 2000)
• 1949 - Terry Wilshusen, pitcher (d. 2000)
• 1952 - Eddie Bane, pitcher
• 1952 - Bob Costas, announcer
• 1952 - Eric Rasmussen, pitcher
• 1953 - Dan Boitano, pitcher
• 1956 - Doug Stokke, minor league infielder
• 1960 - Scott Bradley, catcher
• 1960 - Matt Sinatro, catcher
• 1963 - Rich Monteleone, pitcher
• 1964 - Joe Padilla, umpire (d. 2013)
• 1965 - Glenallen Hill, outfielder
• 1965 - Ty Nichols, minor league infielder
• 1966 - Sean Berry, infielder
• 1966 - Luis Natera, minor league infielder and manager
• 1967 - Josh Lowery, minor league outfielder
• 1968 - Ramon Martinez, pitcher; All-Star
• 1969 - Ilya Bogatyrev, minor league infielder
• 1971 - Jeremy McGarity, minor league pitcher
• 1972 - Cory Lidle, pitcher (d. 2006)
• 1972 - Kevin Lidle, minor league catcher
• 1974 - Jason Phillips, pitcher
• 1975 - C.J. Thieleke, minor league infielder
• 1976 - Selwyn Langaigne, minor league outfielder
• 1976 - Marc Marsch, Bundesliga outfielder
• 1978 - Jeremy Griffiths, pitcher
• 1981 - Dong-hwa Cho, KBO outfielder
• 1982 - Michael Morse, infielder/outfielder
• 1983 - Jordan Bert, Division Elite outfielder
• 1984 - Joe Smith, pitcher
• 1985 - Romain David, Division Elite infielder
• 1985 - Justin Masterson, pitcher
• 1985 - Michael Fisher, minor league infielder
• 1986 - Dexter Fowler, outfielder
• 1987 - Ike Davis, infielder
• 1988 - Derek McCallum, minor league infielder
• 1990 - Brett Marshall, pitcher
• 1990 - Kristoffer Sjöberg, Elitserien player
• 1994 - Daniel Robertson, minor league infielder

[edit] Deaths

• 1897 - Dave Anderson, pitcher (b. 1868)
• 1902 - Johnny Ryan, outfielder (b. 1853)
• 1904 - Art McCoy, infielder (b. 1864)
• 1905 - Gus Krock, pitcher (b. 1866)
• 1912 - Ed Kenna, pitcher (b. 1877)
• 1918 - Jim Holdsworth, infielder/outfielder (b. 1850)
• 1940 - Libe Washburn, outfielder (b. 1874)
• 1942 - Bob Vail, pitcher (b. 1881)
• 1944 - Claude Hendrix, pitcher (b. 1889)
• 1947 - Tony Von Fricken, pitcher (b. 1869)
• 1949 - Jake Livingstone, pitcher (b. 1880)
• 1953 - Michael Driscoll, pitcher (b. 1892)
• 1954 - Harry LaRoss, outfielder (b. 1888)
• 1954 - Frank Metz, minor league infielder and manager (b. 1885)
• 1957 - Charlie Babington, outfielder (b. 1895)
• 1960 - Gordon Rhodes, pitcher (b. 1907)
• 1962 - Lee DeMontreville, infielder (b. 1875)
• 1962 - Joe Martina, pitcher (b. 1889)
• 1969 - Floyd Speer, pitcher (b. 1913)
• 1973 - Bill McCorry, pitcher (b. 1887)
• 1980 - Ray Foley, pinch hitter (b. 1906)
• 1980 - Tatsuo Saeki, high school official; Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (b. 1892)
• 1983 - Don Savidge, pitcher (b. 1908)
• 1985 - Arthur Allyn, Jr., owner (b. 1913)
• 1993 - Steve Olin, pitcher (b. 1965)
• 1996 - Pete Whisenant, outfielder (b. 1929)
• 2000 - Lilio Marcucci, minor league catcher and manager (b. 1922)
• 2001 - Newt Kimball, pitcher (b. 1915)
• 2007 - Don Dennis, pitcher (b. 1942)
• 2007 - Dong-hee Park, KBO pitcher (b. 1968)
• 2007 - Willard Schmidt, pitcher (b. 1928)
• 2011 - Normie Roy, pitcher (b. 1928)
• 2012 - Fred van Leeuwen, Hoofdklasse umpire (b. ????)