This Date in Browns History!

[Bill_McCurdy]

June 25th

On This Date in History!



June 25, 1950: Former Brown Lehner Ties AL Fielding Mark.

Paul Lehner Was A Brown from 1946 to 1949.

Outfielder Paul Lehner was a 4-season member of the St. Louis Browns until his trade to the Philadelphia Athletics on December 13, 1949, along with 3rd baseman Bob Dillinger, for outfielder Ray Coleman, infielders Frankie Gustine and Billy DeMars, minor league outfielder Ray Ippolito and $100,000 cash. Today former Brown Lehner ties an American League record with 11 putouts in left field as his Philadelphia A's roll to victory over the Chicago White Sox by a score of 13-5 at Comiskey Park. Nice going, Paul, Just know that some of still miss your fire.



A Brownie Record Booker

Question: Who is the all time stolen base leader in franchise history?

George Sisler Could Run Too!

Answer: That would be George Sisler, of course. The man's name rolls through the Brownie record book like a runaway Xerox machine. Sisler racked up 351 stolen bases as a Brown to top all others.



Births on June 25



Thomas Fred "Fred" Walden is born on June 15, 1890 in Fayette, Missouri. The BR/TR catcher is a true candidate for the Moonlight Graham MLB Alumni Association. - Walden catches in one game for the Browns on June 3, 1912 as his only appearance in the big leagues. He doesn't play for long because he never comes to bat. In his one chance for a play in the field, he makes an error, assuring speedy delivery of his passport and train ticket to The Land of Gone For Good. - Fred Walden will pass away on September 27, 1955 in Jefferson Barracks, Missouri at the age of 65.

BCT/GB, "Moonlight Fred" Walden!



Deaths on June 25



So Far, No Browns Have Ever Died on June 25. Ever.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1950&t=PHA

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/



Extra.

June 25, 2005: Astros To Retire Jimmy Wynn's # 24 Today.

My wife Norma and I will be among the special guests of good friends Jimmy and Marie Wynn when the Houston Astros retire Jimmy's uniform # 24 at Minute Maid Park in Houston this afternoon. The ceremony was originally scheduled for July 8th, but was changed to June 25th because of national television plans for the Astros' game today against the Texas Rangers. As the 3rd man on the list behind Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio for most career Astro homers (291), Jimmy Wynn never played for the St. Louis Browns, of course, but we sure could have used the power of his bat and his skill in the field back in the really old days.

Here's a link to the original announcement story (with the July 8 date). Since that article was written, current Astro Jason Lane has decided to surrender uniform # 24, rather than wear it for the rest of this season, out of respect for Jimmy Wynn. To put the cap on his gesture, Lane homered last night in his final game as the last Astro to wear # 24 on the field. Henceforth, Jason Lane will wear # 16.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bb/astros/3141816

[Bill_McCurdy]

June 26th

On This Date in History!



June 26, 1950: Browns Nursing Six Game Losing Streak! Indians Coming Tomorrow!



All's quiet on this Monday in St. Louis and it's just as well. Yesterday the St. Louis Browns took another pounding from the Boston Red Sox at Sportsman's Park, this time by a score of 8-2. The loss gave the Bostons a happy four game weekend sweep of the Browns, dropping them into a six game losing slide and leaving them at the .333 mark on the season with a 20-40 record.

The Cleveland Indians are coming to town tomorrow for a three game series, but we won't think about that today. Sometimes we just need some time to hide away and heel. Unfortunately for the Browns, one theory has it there never seems to be enough time on the clock to recover completely. The other theory seems to hold more water. - The Browns do have time to recover. They're just not that good once they do regain full strength.

Let's go with making lemonade out of lemons today - in spite of its missing roots in reality. - "Take it easy, Browns! You'll get 'em tomorrow!"



A Brownie Record Booker

Question: Who holds the franchise record for most sacrifice hits in his Browns career?


Robyn Williams would be the perfect choice to play Jimmy Austin in a bio movie.

Answer: By his style of play and his 16 years with the club (1911-1923, 1925-1926, 1929), Jimmy Austin holds the record with 222 sacrifice hits as a Brown.



Births on June 26



Debs C. Garms



Original Artwork of Debs Garms at Home. This beautiful piece was created by famous sports artist Opie Otterstad in honor of Garms' 2004 induction into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame. (In the off-season, Debs believed that storing his bats on the roof of his barn helped preserve them.) If you are interested in this limited edition work, click on to the "store" file at our Texas Baseball Hall of Fame website.

... http://www.tbhof.org/bio/biomenu.htm

Debs C. Garms is born on June 26, 1907 in Bangs, Texas. The BL/TR infielder/outfielder will go on to a 12-season MLB career (1932-1935, 1937-1941, 1943-1945) in which he bats. 293 with 17 homers. As a Brown (1932-1934), Garms hits .284, .317, and .293 in limited play. He will later win the National League batting championship in 1940 when he hits .355 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Garms will also be lesser recalled as the Boston Bee (NL) who breaks up Johnny Vander Meer's attempt to pitch a 3rd consecutive no hitter when he singles against the Reds hurler with one out in the 4th inning of a game played at Boston. - Garms will be inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004. - Debs Garms will pass away on December 16, 1984 in Glen Rose Texas.



Willard Jessie Brown

Willard "Home Run" Brown

Willard Jessie Brown is born on June 26, 1915 in Shreveport, Louisiana. The BR/TR outfielder will become the second black to play for the St. Louis Browns when he makes his debut on July 19, 1947. Two days earlier, infielder Hank Thompson became the first black player for the Browns. - On August 13, 1947, Willard Brown becomes the first black player to hit a home run in the American League. Pinch-hitting for Joe Schultz, Brown drills a pitch off the center field wall for an inside-the-park homer off future Hall-of-Fame Detroit Tiger pitcher Hal Newhouser. (So, the first American League black player to hit a home run was doubly a "Brown.") After 21 games with the St. Louis Browns, Willard Brown's brief run with the St. Louis Browns comes to an end. Hitting less than his weight, at .179, Brown will be released. He will continue to play professional baseball, but never again as a big leaguer. - Willard Brown will pass away on August 8, 1996 in Houston, Texas at he age of 71.

BCT/GB, Willard Brown! - I will also remember you as member of my Houston Buffs!



Deaths on June 26




So far, No Browns Ever Died on This Date in History.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1950&t=SLA

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...all_in_kc5.stm

[Bill_McCurdy]

June 27th

On This Date in History!



June 27, 1940: Bobo Newsom Bests Browns, 2-1!



Bobo Newsom (10–1) wins his 10th game in a row as the 2nd place Detroit Tigers edge the St. Louis Browns, 2–1, at venerable Sportsman's Park. Detroit manages just three hits, but the ones they do get really count. Two of the hits are homers by future Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg and Charlie Gehringer that supply all the runs that Newsom needs to beat the Browns. - The loss to Detroit drops St. Louis to a record of 30-35 for the 1940 season to date.



June 27, 1930: Browns Surrender HR To Oldest HR Belter!

"I thought I'd never finish my HR trot!" - John Quinn

At Shibe Park in Philadelphia today, John Quinn, the 46-year-old Athletics pitcher, becomes the oldest player ever to hit a big league HR when he connects against the Browns in the 2nd game of a doubleheader and also picks up the victory, 8-3. "Fellow sluggers" Jimmie Foxx and Al Simmons also go yard for Philadelphia. The Browns won the opener, 8-2. The DH split moves the Browns' record to date in 1930 to 18-39.



A Browns Record Booker

Question: What was the largest regular season home crowd in Browns' history?

Answer: It happened in that 1944 American League championship year with the pennant on the line on the last day of the regular season. 34,625 fans turned out at Sportsman's Park on October 1, 1944 to watch the St. Louis Browns take the New York Yankees, 5-2, as the club edged the Detroit Tigers for the league crown by a single game.



Births on June 27



Albert Eugene "Fuzz" White is born on June 27, 1916 in Springfield, Missouri. The BL/TR right fielder is 0 for 2 in two times at bat for the 1940 Browns. He returns yeas later to go 3 for 13 for the 1947 Giants and that's it. As fas as MLB is concerned, there isn't anymore. He's gone, leaving behid him a career BA of .200 with 0 extra base hits. - Fuzz White will pass away on April 24, 2003 in Springflield, Missouri at the age of 86.

BCT/GB, Fuzz White! :atthepc



Louis Henry "Lou" or "Lena" Kretlow

Lou Kretlow Was Twice a Brown.

Lou Kretlow is born on June 27, 1921 in Apache, Oklahoma. The BR/TR pitcher from Central (Oklahoma) State College will post a career MLB mark (1946, 1948-1956) of 27 wins, 47 losses, and an ERA of 4.87. Kretlow will have teo tours with the Browns, going 0-2 for the 1950 club and coming back to them in 1953 from the White Sox as part of the Virgil Trucks deal to go 1-5. - Lou Kretlow is alive and kicking in 2005.

Happy 84th Birthday, Lou Kretlow!



Deaths on June 27



Frank E. "Frank" Thompson passes away on June 27, 1940 in Jasper County, Missouri at the age of nearly 45. The BR/TR infielder went 9 for 53 (.170 BA) with no homers for the 1920 Browns and then gone-for-good from big league baseball. - Frank Thompson was born on July 2, 1895 in Sprigfield, Missouri.

BCT/GB, Frank Thompson!



Alan Cochrane "Alan" or "Inky" Strange passes away on June 27, 1906 im Seattle, Washington at the age of 87. The BR/TR infielder from Penn State will have an MLB career (1934-1935, 1940-1942) that is almost all Browns, except for 16 games with the Senators at the tail end of the 1935 season. His career BA is .223 with 1 HR in 947 official times at bat. (Now you may forgive yourself for not recalling dear Inky.) - Alan Strange was born on November 7, 1906 in Philadelphia, PA.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1940&t=SLA

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/

[Bill_McCurdy]

June 28th

On This Date in History!



June 28, 1951: Traubel Out. Trouble Still In for Browns.

Helen Traubel Was an International Opera Star and a Browns Stock Holder.

Famous St. Louisan opera singer and club share holder Helen Traubel sells her estimated 5,000 shares in the St. Louis Browns to Bill Veeck and also urges her fellow stock holders to do the same. The plan is motivated by Veeck's appeal for capitol and more control over the future of the franchise. The Traubel sale does not solve the Browns' financial trouble, but it does serve as a very public gesture for calling attention to the need for a dramatic change in the business operations of the club.



June 28, 1915: George Sisler in Browns Debut Versus White Sox.

Sisler Pinch Hits and Pitches Last 3 Innings.

The much heralded University of Michigan graduate George Sisler makes his major league and Browns debut as a pinch hitter today against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park. Sisler stays in the game to pitch the last three innings. He gives up no runs, but the damage already has been done. The White Sox defeat the Browns, 4-2. Today's loss drops the Browns' 1915 season record to a misery-stoking 22-38.



June 28, 2003: Cy Young Awards Browns a Loss in Double Boston Goose Egg.

Boston Wins 1-0, 3-0 Behind Young and Hughes.

At St. Louis today, Cy Young of the Boston Pilgrims shuts out the St. Louis Browns in the opener of a doubleheader, 1-0, pinning a tough loss on Red Donahue. Pilgrim righthander Long Tom Hughes follows Young with a 3-0 second goose egging of the Browns in the nitecap. Ace hurler Jack Powell takes the second loss of the day for the unsupported Browns pitching staff. - As a result of the double Boston whammy, the Browns drop to a record of 26-25 in the 1903 season.



A Brownie Record Booker

Question: Who holds the record for the most career steals of home against the St. Louis Browns?


May 4, 1912: Ty Cobb Cleating Browns Catcher Paul Krichell on Play At The Plate. Cobb would later in the 1912 season steal home twice while Krichell was catching.

Answer: Who else could you be thinking of? Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers did it 6 times.(The Browns weren't alone in this area. Cobb had 54 career steals of home against all American League clubs. By comparison, the more recent all time stolen base leader Rickey Henderson only stole home a total of 8 times.)

Cobbs 6 steals of home against the Browns occurred on the following dates against these batteries. The (L) or (R) notations after each pitcher's name is there to indicate the hurler's throwing arm. The (S), (D) and (T) notations at the end of each entry are there to show if the effort was part of a single, double, or triple runner attempt:

(1.) 5/30/1910: vs. Bill Bailey (L) & Jim Stephens (S).

(2.) 7/04/1912: vs. George Baumgardner (R) & Paul Krichell (D).

(3.) 9/06/1912: vs. Earl Hamilton (L) & Paul Krichell ((D).

(4.) 4/28/1915: vs. Bill James (R) & Sam Agnew (T).

(5.) 6/23/1915: vs. Grover Lowdermik (R) & Sam Agnew (S).

(6.) 4/22/1924: vs. Bill Baynes (L) & Pat Collins (D).

Steal Record Reference: The National Pastime, 2005, by SABR, pp. 19-23.



Births on June 28



Kenneth Roy "Ken" Williams

Ken Williams Took The 1922 HR Crown with 39!

Ken Williams is born in Grants Pass, Oregon on June 28, 1890. Williams is destined to become one of the great Browns in franchise history and a major player in the 1922 club's near-miss run at the American League title. In good company with Brownie Immortal George Sisler at 1st base, beautiful Baby Doll Jacobson in center field, and electrifying mound ace Urban Shocker, the lefty swinging/righty throwing Ken Williams will anchor left field for the '22 Browns and hit .332. Ken Williams will lead the American League in homers in 1922 with 39 - and also in RBIs with 155. Williams not only bests Babe Ruth's 35 long balls that season, but he also takes the measure of the Athletics' Tilly Walker, who will finish in 2nd in 1922 with 37 homers. - Ken Williams will cap his big league career (1915-1929) with a BA of .319. His best years are with the Browns (1918-1927). - Williams will pass away on January 22, 1959 in his birthplace hometown of Grants Pass, Oregon at the age of 68 - Thank you, Ken Williams, for being one of the legendary men who contributed most to the brightest era in our club's history. You made the early 1920's a time of hope for Browns fans - even if that hope did eventually fail to get us into the World Series.



Deaths on June 28



Joseph "Joe" Sugden passes away on June 28, 1959 in Philadelphia. PA at the age of 88. The BB/TR position player pitched one inning for the 1902 Browns, giving up one hit and no runs - and did not figure in the decision. For his career as a catcher/infielder (1893-1899, 1901-1905, 1912) the former member of the notoriously bad 1899 Cleveland Spiders built a BA of .255 with 3 HR's. Sugden was a Brown from 1902 to 1905. His best year as a Brown was 1904 when he batted .267 in 105 games. - Joe Sugden was born on July 31, 1870 in Philadelphia. PA.



Harry Richard "Cy" Morgan passes away on June 38, 1962 in Wheeling, West Virginia at the age of 83. Never to be confused with Cy Young, Cy Morgan was a BR/TR pitcher who still had a a fair 10-year MLB career (1903-1905, 1907-1913). He finished with a record of 78 wins, 78 losses, and an ERA of 2.51. This "Cy" won 4 and lost 14 for the 1903-1905 and 1907 Browns. - Cy Morgan was born Pomeroy, Ohio on November 11, 1878.



John Clement "Johnny" or "Eagle Eye" Schulte passes away on June 28, 1978 in St. Louis, Missouri at the age of 81. The BL/TR catcher had a 5-year, limited action big league career (1923, 1927-1929, 1932) in which he batted .262 with 14 homers in 374 total official times at bat. Schulte was a Brown for only 7 games in 1923 and another 15 games in 1932 and did nothing to write home about on either tour. - We're not sure how Schulte acquired that "Eagle Eye" nickname. He must have been a girl watcher because he certainly was no George Sisler at the plate. - Johnny Schulte was born in Fredericktown, Missouri on September 8, 1896.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1903&t=SLA

[Bill_McCurdy]

June 29th

On This Date in History!



June 29, 1953: Headed For The Last Round Up!

On The Road Again.

It is a sleepy, but satisfying Monday in Chicago for the St. Louis Browns this morning. Having arrived in Chicago late last night after a long train ride from Philadelphia, the Browns have the day off today before beginning a 2-game series tomorrow at Comiskey Park against the White Sox. The Browns are nursing a lousy 26-46 record for the season, but the last few games on this long road trip have raised some spirits. The boys are 7-7 on this roll through the league and they have won 6 of their last 8 games. The Browns got off to a bad start in New York (June 16-18) when they lost 3 of 4 to the Yankees. The club then went to Boston (June 19-21) where they dropped another 3 of 4 to the Red Sox, but avoided a sweep by winning the last game of a getaway day doubleheader. The Boston win seemed to fire the club up for their next two stops. From Boston, the Browns traveled to Washington and swept the Senators in 3 games (June 23-25). From Washington, the Browns then treked to Philadelphia and took 2 of 3 from the Athletics. - It's looking like a good day to stay in bed, lounge in the lobby, take in a movie, and maybe go out later on a brew cruise. After the two Chicago games are wrapped, it will be back home to St. Louis and another series with the White Sox, starting on the 4th of July.



June 29, 1905: A Giants Gone-For-Gooder Will Be Famous in the Future.

Moonlight Graham: Some Now Forgotten Browns Could Keep His Company.

At Brooklyn today, the New York Giants tally seven runs in the first three innings off Mal Eason and coast from there to an 11–1 victory. Christy Mathewson leaves after five innings of shutout ball, and Mal Eason tosses the last four innings. Dan McGann paces the offense with a triple and homer, while Moonlight Graham, in his only game in the majors, takes over in right field as a late inning replacement. Graham will have no at-bats but he will be made famous years from now as a featured character in W.P. Kinsella's clasic novel "Field of Dreams."

Sadly, or understandably, Graham's feat and fate are really no larger than the one-game big league lives of many other short-timers - and we've certainly had our share of them pass through the St. Louis Browns. I only wish I had made an ongoing list of them all as we have passed through these daily posts in Browns history. I'm determined to go back later and round them all up.

As recently as June 25, we celebrated the birthday of Red Walden, who played only one game in the field as a catcher on June 3, 1912. Walden never got a time at bat, but he was in the field long enough to make an error before he vanished. - Back on June 15, we noted the birth of a fascinating figure named Dutch Schirick, who got into a Browns game on September 17, 1914 for only a single time at bat, but he used that opportunity well enough to walk - and then steal 2nd and 3rd - and then disappear for good from the big leagues.

Maybe we need to start something like the Moonlight Graham Club to help celebrate the memory of those others who got into only a single major league game. It isn't fair to mythologize only that single player with a New York team who happened to be written about by one of our most famous baseball authors. Yes, I know that Graham had no chances in the field during his only inning in right field, but so what? - A younger Burt Lancaster could have made a myth of Dutch Schirick walking and stealing two bases for the Browns just as easily, had Schirick's name and deeds first been put into print by a guy like W.P. Kinsella.



A Brownie Record Booker

Question: In their 52-year history, how often did the Browns finish with the worst record in the American League?

Answer: The Browns managed to finish last with the worst record in the American League a total of 11 times. Fittingly, the Browns added their 11th and last worst record season in 1953, their last year of existence.



Births on June 29



William Jacob "Bill" or "Parson" McGill is born on June 29, 1880 in Galva, Kansas. Speaking of Gone-For-Gooders! - The BR/TR Friends University alumnus pitcher will hang around the big leagues just long enough to feel his Quaker oats. Parson Bill McGill will go 1-0 with an ERA of 3.44 in 2 games for the Browns and then be G-For-G. - Bill Parsons will pass away on August 7, 1959 in Alva, Oklahoma at the age of 79.

BCT/GB, Parson Bill McGill! - Thou art still perfect in the record book!



Deaths on June 29



Through 2005, no Browns have ever died on June 29.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1953&t=SLA

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/

[Bill_McCurdy]

June 30th

On This Date in History!



June 30, 1952: Satchel Paige of Browns Named to AL All Star Team!

Satchel Man To Carry Brownie Banner into Summer Classic!

Satchel Paige of the St. Louis Browns is named today as a member of the 1952 American League All Star pitching staff by New York Yankee and AL All Star Team manager Casey Stengel. The annual game against the National League All Stars, managed this year by Leo Durocher of the New York Giants, will be played on July 8, 1952 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Also named today as American League All Star pitchers are: Mike Garcia and Bob Lemon of the Cleveland Indians, Vic Raschi and Allie Reynolds of the New York Yankees, and Bobby Shantz of the Philadelphia Athletics.



June 30, 1950: Garver Goof Puts Game in Loss Column! ChiSox Win, 3-2!

Even To The Best, "Stuff" Happens!

In a game against the White Sox at Comiskey Park in Chicago today, Ned Garver rests on 2nd base as the top of the 9th runner who may provide the St. Louis Browns with the leading and potential winning run, if he scores. In the moment that follows, these hopes appear to be in motion. Following a base hit by some Brownie player whose identity has now been lost to a bad job of reporting history, Garver steams around 3rd base and races in to score the apparent leading run that puts the Browns up, 3-2. It is not be. The White Sox pull an appeal play that results in Garver being called out for his failure to touch 3rd base on the romp home. The run is cancelled and the Browns threat is ended, but Chicago's inability to score in the bottom of the 9th sends the game into extra innings with the score knotted at 2-2. The Browns again fail to score in the top of the 10th, opening the door for the White Sox to push across the winning run in the bottom of the 10th for a 3-2 Chicago win. - The disappointing boner loss drops the Browns to a record of 21-43 for the 1950 season to date. - I have to wonder if Ned Garver remembers this game. 55 years later, he may have long since turned it over to the powerful pain-relieving forces of denial and repression. - I'm going to have to ask him.



June 30, 1935: Tigers Fox-Out Browns in DH Sweep, 18-1, 11-6!

Pete Fox Enjoys Career Day in Brown Bashing!

Sportsman's Park brings fun to only three kinds of fans today. Those who are Tiger partisans join forces with sadists and masochists to become the only people with smiles on their faces after this long day's journey into night. At the same time, true Browns fans suffer numbly from another big dose of the same old chronic pain that derives from losing big - and losing often. - Paced by journeyman leadoff hitter Pete Fox, the Detroit Tigers drub the St. Louis Browns in a twin bill by the runaway margins of 18-1 and 11-6. Fox drives in 10 runs on the day, starting with 6 tallies in the opener, when he also crushes his 2nd grand slam of the month. By nightfall, Fox has registered 8 hits, including 5 scores in the nitecap. In service to balance, Fox scores 4 runs in each game. Tiger pitcher Schoolboy Rowe coasts to an easy victory in the opener and Alvin Crowder is the Easy Street nitecap winner. - This mortifying day drops the Browns' 1925 season record to 19-43.



June 30, 1934: Talk About Running Your Club Out of a Big Inning!

Browns Win, 4-3, With Help from Tiger Gee Walker. "@#&*$#!" - Mickey Cochrane.

In a 4–3, 10-inning loss to the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park today, Tiger center fielder Gee Walker contributes mightily to high-flying Detroit's pratfall when his numbskull baserunning results in two pickoffs in the same offensive inning. This inept performance infuriates Tiger manager Mickey Cochrane and Walker is subsequently suspended for 10 days as a result. Here's how it happens during an unspecified inning of the ballgame. - First, Hank Greenberg singles. Then Walker reaches base on a Browns error, moving Greenberg to 2nd base. - So far, so good for Detroit, but not for long. Walker gets caught off 1st base when Browns catcher Rollie Hemsley fires quickly to the first sacker. Attempting to protect the asleep-at-the-wheel Walker, Greenberg tries to draw a throw by running to 3rd base. Greenberg is thrown out, but Walker advances to 2nd base on the play. Perhaps, Greenberg sees that an out here is inevitable and thus gives himself up so that the speedier Walker will be the surviving runner at 2nd. Moments later, Greenberg's possibly brainy good intentions will not matter. - Walker immediately takes a huge six foot lead off 2nd base. Eyewitness sports writer Charles P. Ward describes Walker in this action as appearing "brave as a boy on a burning deck." The metaphor proves apt in its depiction of the inept. - Browns pitcher Jack Knott immediately seizes the opportunity with a great throw to shortstop Alan Strange that nabs Walker and clears the bases of the Tiger threat. Manager Cochrane is so furious that he not only suspends Walker, but he also fines him $20 for good measure. It is the 6th time this season that Walker has earned a $20 fine. (In today's vernacular, it appears that Cochrane and Walker have issues that aren't getting worked out.) At any rate, Gee Walker's next appearance won't come until July 16. Ironically, it comes when he is called into a game to pinch hit for the very man who earlier suspends him, manager Mickey Cochrane. - The partially gifted win on June 30th pulls the Browns' record up to 29-34 for the 1934 season.



June 30, 1927: Thomas of Chicago Beats Browns for 6th Time, 5-1!

"Tommy Thomas Has Our Number!" - '27 Browns.

Alphonse "Tommy" Thomas of the Chicago White Sox pitches a 5–1 win over the Browns today. It is the 6th time this season that the White Sox pitcher has beaten St. Louis. Thomas last bequiled the boys from St. Louis on June 22nd. Lefty Stewart, who gives up a homer to Earl Sheely in the 6th, takes the loss for the Browns. Depending on your point of view, the action or inaction takes place at Sportsman's Park. The home loss drops the Browns' 1927 record to 27-38.



June 30, 1917: Browns Split Home DH with Detroit, 4-3, 5-6! *

Ty Cobb: The Bad Boy Has Another Big Day Against Browns.

At Sportsman's Park today, the St. Louis Browns split a doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers, wiining the opener, 4-3, and dropping the nitecap, 6-5. Ty Cobb of Detroit is his usual pesky and menacing self, collecting 2 hits in the 1st game and then coming back to clock a game-winning, opposite field grand slam homer and a triple in the 2nd game. The slam by the "Detroit Peach" clears the left field bleachers. The splt leaves the Browns at 25-40 on the 1917 year.

* NOTE: Baseball Library (dot) Com reports the final score of Game 1 as 5-3. I have chosen here to accept the usually more score-reliable Baseball Almanac (dot) Com's report that Game 1 finished in a 4-3 Browns win. I could be wrong, but checking which is accurate, if either, is not something I can do here this morning with limited time.



June 30, 1914: Browns-Naps Split DH, 3-8, 5-0, at Sportsman's Park!

Terry Turner's 1st HR in 3,186 Times At Bat Helps Naps Take Opener!

Unbelievable! And just our luck! Cleveland's Terry Turner ends a long dry spell as a power hitter in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park today by cracking a 3-run homer off the Browns' Earl Hamilton. Turner's last home run was back in 1906. He had gone 3,186 times at bats without a round tripper until now. Turner's blast provides most of the margin for an 8-3 Naps win in the opener, but the Browns rally in the nitecap for a 5-0 victory and a twin bill split. - Today's results leave the Browns at rest with a 37-32 record through this date in the 1915 season.



June 30, 1912: Shoeless Joe's 3 Triples Topple Browns, 15-1, for DH Split!

"Just give me one crack at Judge Landis' head!" - Joe Jackson. *

In game two of a DH at St Louis, Joe Jackson of the Cleveland Naps ties the major-league record with three triples to pace Cleveland to a 15–1 pasting of the Browns. The Browns took the opener, 6-4. Today's results leave the Browns with a record of 18-46 on the 1912 season.

*Joe Jackson never actually said anything publicly along those lines.



June 30, 1902: 1st Same Inning "Back-to-Back-to-Backs" in AL History!

Nap Lajoie (left), Hickman, & Bradley HR's Pace Cleveland Over Browns, 17-2!

The Cleveland Blues are the first American League team to hit three consecutive HRs in one inning today as Nap Lajoie, Piano Legs Hickman, and Bill Bradley connect in the sixth off St. Louis, with all the homers landing in the left field bleachers at St. Louis. The last two come on the first pitch thrown. Jack Harper of the Browns tees up the gopher balls in the 17-2 loss. The single inning, 3-straight homer trick was last performed on May 10, 1894 in the older National League. - The Browns and Blues battle in a 2nd game, but it ends in a 3-3 tie due to darkness. - Today's loss drops the Brownie win/loss record for 1902 to 27-27, not counting 3 ties.



Births on June 30



David Jefferson "Davy" or "Kangaroo" Jones is born on June 30, 1880 in Cambria, Wisconsin. The BL/TR Northern Illinois Yniversity alumnus outfielder will go on to a 14 year MLB career (1901-1904, 1906-1915) and he will hit .270 with 9 HR's. He will get his start with minimal service to the 1902-1903 Browns, batting .173 in 14 games and .224 in 15 games. - Davy Jones will pass away on March 30, 1972 in Mankato, Minnesota at the age of 91.



Arthur Otto "Art" or "Scoop" Scharein is born on June 30, 1905 in Decatur, Illinois. The BR/TR infielder will have a 3-year, All-Browns MLB career (1932-1934), batting .244 with 0 HR's in 776 official AB's. - Art Scharein will pass away on July 2, 1969 in San Antonio, Texas at the age of 64.



Deaths on June 30



Grover Cleveland "Grover" Baichley passes away at the age of 56 on June 30, 1946 in San Jose, California. The BR/TR pitcher from Valparaiso University worked only 4 games for the Browns in 1914. He recorded no wins or losses, but he gave up 5 runs (4 earned), 9 hits, 3 walks and a wild pitch in only 7 total innings for an E.R.A. of 5.14. He alse recorded 3 strikeouts to chart out his limited, but complete MLB career as the Grover Cleveland What's-His-Name that few beyond family will recall to this day. This Grover Cleveland namesake was born on January 7, 1890 in Toledo, Ohio.



Joseph Henry "Joe" Lake passes away on June 30, 1950 in Brooklyn hometown at the age of 69. Lake's BR/TR pitching career (1908-1913) includeD some serious time with the Browns (1910-1912). He finished with a career mark (1908-1913) of 62 wins, 90 losses, and an E.R.A. of 2.85. - Joe Lake was born on January 6, 1881 in Brooklyn, New York.



Ralph Edward "Hap" Myers passes away on June 30, 1967 in San Francisco, California at the age of 79. The BR/TR 1st baseman attended the University of California before embarking upon a 5-year MLB/Federal League career (1910-1911, 1913-1915) in which he hit .268 with 4 HR's. - In 11 games for the 1911 Browns, Hap Myers went 11 for 37 (.297) before being moved that same season to the Red Sox. - At 6'3", Hap was a big player for his day. - Hap Myers was born on April 8, 1888 in San Francisco, California.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

http://www.todayinbaseballhistory.co...oday/todayb.pl

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1906&t=SLA

Finis! Finally! Goodbye, June 30!

[Bill_McCurdy]

July 1st

On This Date in History!



July 1, 1951: Garver Wins Nitecap! Browns Split DH With ChiSox, 1-2, 3-1!

Ned Garver: ...
The Browns could've finished last without him, but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.

In the second game of a doubleheader at Comiskey Park today, Ned Garver of the St. Louis Browns, en route to a 20-win season for a last place club that will lose 102, limits the White Sox to two hits, winning, 3–1. The loss drops the Sox out of the American League lead. Chicago wins the opener, 2–1, in 11 innings on Minnie Minoso's 400-foot home run to left center. Minnie's blow breaks up a pitching duel between loser Duane Pillette of the Browns and Ken Holcombe of the White Sox. The split leaves the fated Browns with a record to date of 21-47 for the 1951 season.



July 1, 1911: Tigers Crush Browns, 8-0, As Cobb Continues All Out Play!

Ty Cobb Has Another Browns-Killer Day!

Ty Cobb, who had an infield single off Earl Hamilton of the Browns in his last game meeting of June 29th, repeats today in Detroit by leading the Tigers again to victory over St. Louis, 8-0. Once more, Cobb beats out another infield hit against the St. Louis lefty.



July 1, 1910: Browns Help Open Original Comiskey Park!

Home Plate is all that now remains in 2005.

They called it "White Sox Park" originally, but it will be remembered forever as the original "Comiskey Park." The venerable venue on the south side of Chicago opens today with the St. Louis Browns taking a 2-0 victory over the home town White Sox in the first game ever played on these hallowed grounds. At the time of its opening, the new ballpark is baseball's biggest at a cost of $750,000 to build. - 24,900 fans attend the first game, 1,100 less than capacity. This stadium will be closed in the fall of 1990, replaced by a new structure next door, which is still named Comiskey Park. Old Comiskey Park will become a parking lot, but one with the original home plate location still in place as a reminder of the past.



July 1, 1905: Browns Drop DH To White Sox & Owen, 2-3, 0-3.

They don't make arms like they used to.

Visiting Chicago White Sox pitcher Frank Owen works both games of a doubleheader played against the St. Browns today and he comes away with two wins by scores of 3-2 and 3-0. Owens narrowly misses becoming the first man to pitch a doubleheader shutout. What was his pitch count? C'mon! This is 1905! - Pitchers throw as long as they need to throw to get the job done. This is the dead ball era. Nobody's counting pitches.



A Brownie Record Booker

Question: Who holds the franchise record for most home runs hit in a single month?

Answer: Harlond Clift was one of the few bright lights in another dark year. His 15 homers in August 1938 stand alone as the franchise record.



Births on July 1



James Forrest "Jim" Buchanan is born on July 1, 1876 in Chatham Hill, Virginia. The Midland Lutheran College alumnus will become a BL/TR pitcher who posts a 5-9, 3.50 ERA record for the 1905 Browns as his only MLB experience. - Jim Buchanan will pass away on June 15, 1949 in Norfolk, Virginia at the age of 72.

BCT/GB, Jim Buchanan!



Paul Eugene "Paul" Lehner is born on July 1, 1920 in Dolomite, Alabama. The BL/TL outfielder enjoys two tours with the Browns (1946-1949 and 1951) and he will bat .257 with 22 HR's over the course of his total big league career (1946-1952). Paul Lehner will pass away at age 47 on December 27, 1967 in Brimingham, Alabama.



Jack Raymond "Jack" Bruner is born on July 1, 1924 in Waterloo, Iowa. The BL/TL pitcher and University of Iowa alumnus is 1-2 in 1949 for the White Sox and 1-2 in 1950 for the Browns. Bruner's short career MLB totals are 2 wins, 4 losses, and an ERA of 4.91. - Jack Bruner will pass away on June 24, 2003 in Lincoln, Nebraska at the age of nearly 80.



Kenneth Lanier "Ken" Wood is born on July 1, 1924 in Lincolnton, North Carolina. The BR/TR outfielder will go on to an MLB career (1948-1953) in which he hits .224 with 34 homers. Ken was a Brown from 1948 to 1951. Blessed with a great arm, Ted Williams once proclaimed Ken Wood as the best throwing right fielder in baseball. During Eisenhower's first term in 1953, Ken was a Senator. He caught Ike's opening day pitch and still has the autographed ball. - Ken Wood now lives happily in retirement with his dear wife Alberta in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Happy 81st Birthday, Ken Wood! - Looking forward to seeing you again, "Cousin!"




Deaths on July 1

Through 2005. On July 1st. So far. No Browns have died. Ever.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1951&t=SLA

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/

[Bill_McCurdy]

July 2nd

On This Date in History!



July 2, 1951: Veeck Gains Control of Browns on Last Day of Opportunity!

"It's a deal! I'll buy all you got!" - Bill Veeck.

It's a close call for Bill Veeck, but he beats the deadline on his opportunity for taking control of the Browns. On this last day to do it, Veeck acquires the necessary 75 percent of outstanding stock and buys the St. Louis Browns from Bill and Charlie DeWitt. - What does this mean for the franchise? Well, for one thing, it means that the Browns now are only 50 days away from becoming the first major league club to send a midget to bat in a regulation game.



July 2, 1937: Browns Suspend Rollie Hemsley!

"What did I do?" - Rollie Hemsley

Catcher Rollie Hemsley is suspended by the Browns for a violation of training rules. Don't know what he did. It could've been anything from missing curfew to expressing disagreement with manager Rogers Hornsby.



July 2, 1909: White Sox Romp, 15-3! Browns Give Up 12 Stolen Bases!

"The Sox had three steals of home today, Mortimer. I'm terribly afraid our Browns are doing something quite fundamentally wrong!" - Browns Management.

The Chicago White Sox steal 12 bases in the course of a 15–3 win over the St. Louis Browns. Three are steals of home, including one by lumbering pitcher Ed Walsh in the 6th inning, for a modern MLB record.





A Brownie Record Booker

Question: How did the Browns fare in their 4th of July games?

Answer: Not too well at 35 wins and 63 losses, but fairly consistent with their overall record over the years in all games. The Browns' winning percentage in July 4th games was .357. Interesting to note, the schedule maker doesn't give the Browns a home game DH on the 4th of July until their 8th year in the league. - Wherever you see only one final score, the most probable reason is that rain or darkness cancelled the other. - The Browns most often find themselves playing Chicago, Detroit, or Cleveland. - Boston is the 4th of July foe in 1903, but never again. - The Browns don't play Washington in their only 4th of July meeting until 1943. - Philadelphia doesn't make the holiday schedule until 1944 and 1945. but that's all for the A's. - In their entire history, the Browns never play the New York Yankees on the 4th of July.

What follows are the scores by year from 1902 through 1953. The year is followed by the (H) home or (A) away symbols and scores. Using the old style of reporting, since almost all of these holiday fares were twin bills, the team that won Game 1 is shown first, with its scores for both games following.

To help see the years that the Browns won at least one game, the word "Browns" is shown in bold type. To help see the years that the Browns either swept two or won the only game played, the whole line is in bold type.

Enjoy!

1902: (A) Detroit 4,2 - Browns 3,4. (1-1)
1903: (A) Boston 4,2 - Browns 1,0. (1-3)
1904: (A) Browns 12,4 - Cleveland 10,9. (2-4)
1905: (A) Detroit 4,0 - Browns 1,11. (3-5)

1906: (A) Browns 3,1 - Chicago 0,5. (4-6)
1907: (A) Detroit 9,7 - Browns 4,6. (4-8)
1908: (A) Chicago 8,1 - Browns 4-8. (5-9)
1909: (H) Detroit 3 - Browns 1. (5-10)
1910: (A) Chicago 5,7 - Browns 3,4. (5-12)

1911: (A) Cleveland 6,2 - Browns 5,4. (6-13)
1912: (A) Detroit 9,7 - Browns 3,0. (6-15)
1913: (H) Browns 6,1 - Chicago 1,2. (7-16)
1914: (A) Chicago 4,9 - Browns 3,0. (7-18)
1915: (H) Browns 2 - Cleveland 0. (8-18)

1916: (A) Browns 2,6 - Chicago 1,7. (9-19)
1917: (H) Cleveland 2,5 - Browns 0,2. (9-21)
1918: (A) Cleveland 4,9 - Browns 2,8. (9-23)
1919: (A) Cleveland 9,11 - Browns 4,1. (9-25)
1920: (A) Chicago 6 - Browns 3. (9-26)

1921: (H) Detroit 4,7 - Browns 1,6. (9-28)
1922: (A) Chicago 5,3 - Browns 3,5. (10-29)
1923: (H) Chicago 9,3 - Browns 7,1. (10-31)
1924: (A) Browns 5,3 - Detroit 2,2. (12-31)
1925: (H) Detroit 7,10 - Browns 1,12. (13-32)

1926: (A) Browns 2 - Cleveland 1. (14-32)
1927: (H) Browns 8,8 - Detroit 4,10. (15-33)
1928: (A) Browns 11,0 - Chicago 8,1. (16-34)
1929: (H) Browns 12, 7 - Detroit 6,6. (18-34)
1930: (A) Browns 11,4 - Chicago 3,6. (19-35)

1931: (H) Browns 4,8 - Chicago 3,5. (21-35)
1932: (A) Detroit 2,12 - Browns 0,7. (21-37)
1933: (H) Detroit 7,5 - Browns 4,6. (22-38)
1934: (A) Browns 4,2 - Chicago 0,3. (23-39)
1935: (H) Chicago 11,4 - Browns 6,0. (23-41)

1936: (H) Detroit 8,10 - Browns 3,13. (24-42)
1937: (H) Chicago 4,9 - Browns 2,5. (24-44)
1938: (A) Chicago 5,5 - Browns 4,1. (24-46)
1939: (H) Chicago 7,7 - Browns 3,4. (24-48)
1940: (A) Chicago 7,8 - Browns 3,5. (24-50)

1941: (A) Cleveland 9,3 - Browns 8,2. (24-52)
1942: (A) Browns 8,8 - Chicago 5,7. (26-52)
1943: (H) Browns 4,10 - Washington 2,3. (28-52)
1944: (A) Browns 4,3 - Philadelphia 0,8. (29-53)
1945: (H) Philadelphia 3,5 - Browns 2,6. (30-54)

1946: (A) Browns 4,3 - Chicago 1,2. (32-54)
1947: (H) Chicago 6,2 - Browns 3,10. (33-55)
1948: (?) No Game Played on This July 4th (rain?) (33-55)
1949: (H) Chicago 12,2 - Browns 5,4. (34-56)
1950: (A) Cleveland 8,3 - Browns 7,8. (35-57)

1951: (H) Cleveland 6,4 - Browns 5,3. (35-59)
1952: (A) Chicago 3,2 - Browns 1,0. (35-61)
1953: (H) Chicago 13,4 - Browns 0,2. (35-63)



Births on July 2



Grover Allen "Grover" or "Slick" Hartley is born on July 2, 1888 in Osgood, Indiana. The BR/TR catcher/infielder will have a 14 year MLB career (1911-1917, 1924-1927, 1929-1930, 1934) that is protracted over time by some brief appearances as an older player. He will hit .268 with 3 HR's in a career that includes two stops as a Brown (1916-1917 and 1934 for 3 AB's). - Grover Harley will pass away on October 19, 1964 in Daytona Beach, Florida at the age of 76.



Frank E. "Frank" Thompson is born on July 2, 1895 in Springfield, Missouri. The BR/TR infielder will go 9 for 53 (.170) in 22 games during the 1920 season before departing for The Land of Gone For Good. - Frank Thompson will pass away on June 27, 1940 in Jasper County, Missouri at the age of nearly 45.

BCT/GB, Frank Thompson!



Deaths on July 2



Franklin Thomas "Frank" Grube passes away on July 2, 1945 in New York City at the age of 40. The BR/TR catcher from Lafayette College enjoyed a 7-year career with the White Sox and Browns (1931-1941). His two tours (1934-1945, 1941) with the Browns were part of a consistent pattern of Grube going back and forth between the two clubs. Never a full-time player, Grube hit for a career BA of .244 in only 394 total games played. He hit one home run during his 1931 rookie season and never hit another. One homer in 1,125 official times at bat helped Grube to a career slugging average of only .308. - Frank Grube was born on January 7, 1905 in Easton, PA.



Arthur Otto "Art" or "Scoop" Scharein passes away on July 2, 1969 in San Antonio, Texas at the age of 64. The BR/TR infielder had a 3-year, All-Browns MLB career (1932-1934), batting .244 with 0 HR's in 776 official AB's. - Art Scharein was born on June 30, 1905 in Decatur, Illinois.



Charles Edward "Ed" Stauffer passes away at the age of 90 in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 2, 1979. The BR/TR short-term big leaguer had a 2-inning season with the Cubs in 1923 and a 30.1-inning "year" with the 1925 Browns, where he recorded his only big league decision as a "loss." Stauffer ended his career with an 0-1, 5.85 ERA as his spot on wall of baseball history. Ed Stauffer was born on January 10, 1888 in Emsworth, Pennsylvania.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.todayinbaseballhistory.co...day/today2S.pl

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...oday/JULY2.stm

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1906&t=SLA

Have a great holiday weekend, everybody! :atthepc

[Bill_McCurdy]

July 3rd

On This Date in History!



July 3, 1915: Browns Split DH With Cleveland, Highlighting Research Problem.

Too Bad we can't call George and ask him what really happened on July 3, 1915!

The following fact from Baseball Library (dot) Com for this date in history illustrates a common problem that comes up sometimes in the compilation of these daily reports:

1915
» The Browns lose to the Indians, 3–1. Despite walking 9, George Sisler pitches a complete game victory.

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

My standard double-check of the above data is to go to the daily season scores for this date in history at Baseball Almanac (dot) Com and to carry on with the writing of my stories, if these two sources consistently report the same facts. When that doesn't happen, I withold reports, pending further research, or else, make that statement here that I am not sure about the accuracy of some fact that is being reported.

Today's example is a good, straightforward one of the questions raised when the facts do not coincide. Here's what Baseball Alamanac (dot) Com reported in their 1915 season game results for July 3rd:

07-03-1915 vs Cleveland Indians 3-1 W
07-03-1915 vs Cleveland Indians 1-5 L

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1915&t=SLA

What do we learn from these two reports?

(1.) Most basically, we learn that the Sisler game was only one game of a doubleheader played between the Browns and Indians on July 3rd.

(2.) There's a serious discrepancy in the results being reported here. The 1st source reports that the Browns lost the 3-1 game and that George Sisler was the winning pitcher. We know that didn't happen. The 2nd source says the Browns won the 3-1 game, but adds that they played another game that day that they lost, 5-1.

It's impossible to ferret out the truth immediately, but you can bet I will seek it out about this seemingly small error. We have to accept errors as part of the human condition, but we cannot ignore them in research, once we know they exist. Even the small ones add up to distortion and misunderstanding if we simply pass them by, or worse - pass them on as facts.

If the Browns lost to the Indians, 3-1, how did George Sisler pitch a complete game victory?



A Browns Record Booker

Question: Who holds the franchise single season record for posting the highest slugging average?

Answer: George Sisler holds the club record with the .632 slugging average he registered in 1920.



Births on July 3



Thomas Francis "Tom" Tennant is born on July 3, 1882 in Monroe, Wisconsin.The BL/TL alumnus of Northern Illinois University will play 2 games as a pinch hitter for the 1912 Browns, but he will never play a moment in the field. For his two tries at the plate, Tom will go 0 for 2, but he will manage to score a run, leaving us to conclude that he must reach base at least once on either an error or a fielder's choice, since there is no record of catcher's interference or him being hit by the pitcher. By the Browns' choice, Tennant never plays again. - Tom Tennant will die on February 15, 1955 in San Carlos, California at the age of 72.

BCT/GB, Tom Tennant! - You Had 2 More Big League AB's Than Most of Us!



Michael Richard "Mike" Balenti is born on July 3, 1886 in Calumet, Oklahoma. The BR/TR Texas Aggie shortstop/outfielder will play 8 games for the 1911 Reds and 70 games for the 1913 Browns, hitting for a brief career BA of .183 and 0 homers in 219 total times at bat. - Mike Balenti will pass away on August 4, 1955 in Altus, Oklahoma at the age of 69.

BCT/GB, Mike "Aggie" Balenti! - You didn't exactly 'gig 'em,' but you got there!



Anthony John Grzeszkowski, aka "Bunny Brief" is born on July 3, 1892 in Remus, Michigan. The BR/TR 1st baseman/outfielder has a career that fits his adopted name. For the MLB years 1912-1913, 1915, 1917, Bunny Brief hits .223 with 5 HR's. His Browns years are 1912-1913. - The man with the long Polish name they call "Bunny Brief" will pass away on February 11, 1963 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the age of 71.



Deaths on July 3



William "Reindeer Bill" Killefer passes away on July 3, 1960 in Elsmere, Delaware at the age of 72. The St. Edwards College alumnus and BR/TR catcher had a 13-year career in MLB (1909-1921) and he batted .238 with 4 HR's. Killifer played 85 games for the Browns during his first 2 year (1909-1910), but didn't hit a buck-forty either season. We assume that the "Reindeer" descriptor assigned to his first name identity has something to do with his ability to run or throw quickly and not due to the fact that his nose lit up every night. The latter guess is improbable. After all, "Reindeer Bill" came along years sooner than "Rudolph" the red-nosed you-know-what. - Bill Killifer was born on October 10, 1887 in Bloomingdale, Michigan.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.todayinbaseballhistory.co...oday/todayd.pl

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1915&t=SLA

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

[westsidegrounds]

On This Date in History!






William "Reindeer Bill" Killefer passes away on July 3, 1960 in Elsmere, Delaware at the age of 72. The St. Edwards College alumnus and BR/TR catcher had a 13-year career in MLB (1909-1921) and he batted .238 with 4 HR's. Killifer played 85 games for the Browns during his first 2 year (1909-1910), but didn't hit a buck-forty either season. We assume that the "Reindeer" descriptor assigned to his first name identity has something to do with his ability to run or throw quickly and not due to the fact that his nose lit up every night. The latter guess is improbable. After all, "Reindeer Bill" came along years sooner than "Rudolph" the red-nosed you-know-what. - Bill Killifer was born on October 10, 1887 in Bloomingdale, Michigan.

]

This is one of the great mystery nicknames in baseball history.

I'm not seeing any indications of great footspeed - 39 career SB, 21 career triples (but hey, the guy was a catcher).

Why name somebody after such a little-known animal? They travel in herds, have kinda fuzzy-looking horns, and pull Santa's sleigh ... where exactly is the connection with baseball?

Couldn't find any answer on the 'net. (There were a couple of photos, and no, he didn't look like a reindeer.)

Did find one thing to add though: apparently Bill was one of the few people to get close to Grover Alexander; Ol' Pete liked his catching, and they were traded together from the Phillies to the Cubs.

[Bill_McCurdy]

July 4th

On This Date in History!



Happy Independence Day!



Without our constitutional protections of freedom, it's likely that none of us would have had the St. Louis Browns or any other baseball club to fondly remember. After all, choosing to go to the ballpark is one expression of freedom in our American society. We look back in sweet reverie on those times that our dads chose to take us with him to ballgames because these memories tell us that he, or whoever took us, loved us enough to share personal time and the great game of baseball.

Thanks, Dad! - And BCT/GB, America!




July 4, 1934: Independence Day, Satchel Paige Style!



On a 4th of July game day at Comiskey Park, the St. Louis Browns and the Chicago White Sox battle to a doubleheader split before a large crowd of celebrating fans. The Browns take the opener, 4-0, but the home town Sox come back to capture the nightcap, 3-2. - Meanwhile, another baseball man, and future Brown, is even busier and far more productive on this most special of our American holidays.

In Pittsburgh, Satchel Paige starts the day by pitching a 4-0 no-hitter against the Negro League Homestead Grays, with only a walk and an error spoiling a perfect game. After this performance, Paige gets in his car and drives alone to Chicago to shut out the Chicago American Giants 1-0 in 12 innings, giving him two shutouts in two different cities in the same day. - It's too bad the flag of freedom wasn't flying fully in American life back in 1934, Satch. - The Browns could've used your help at Comiskey Park today.




A Red, White, & Blue Brownie Record Booker



Question: What was the 4th of July W/L record of the Browns against each of the seven other American League clubs from 1902 through 1953?

Answer: A couple of days ago, we posted all the scores from all of the Browns' 4th of July games. Here's the total board, starting with the team they played the most - and showing their total # of games played and W/L records against each team in parentheses:

Browns' July 4th Record Against:

(1.) Chicago - 47 games (16-31)
(2.) Detroit - 25 games (10-15)
(3.) Cleveland - 18 games (5-13)
(4.) Philadelphia - 4 games (2-2)
(5.) Washington - 2 games (2-0)
(6.) Boston - 2 games (0-2)
(7.) New York - 0 games (0-0)

Totals: The Browns' final record for the 4th of July is 35 wins and 63 losses. Why the club never played the Yankees on Independence Day is uncertain. We imagine it had more to do with a schedule quirk than anything else, but who knows?




Births on July 4



Edward Ottis "Pinky" Swander is born on July 4, 1880 in Portsmouth, Ohio. The BL/TL right fielder will play 15 games for the 1903-1904 Browns and go 14 for 52 with 0 homers and a career MLB batting average of .269. - Pinky Swander will pass away on October 24, 1944 in Springfield, Massachusetts at the age of 64.

Hypothetical Question: Had Swander lived into the McCarthy Era, would he have been more blessed by his July 4th birthdate - or more cursed by his "Pinky" nickname?



William Jennings "Bill" or "Iron Duke" Kenworthy is born on July 4, 1886 in Cambridge, Ohio. The BR/TR 2nd baseman/outfielder will go on to a 4-year MLB career (1912, 1914-1915, 1917) in which he bats a not-too-shabby .304 with 18 homers in 989 times at bat. His service as a Brown is limited to a 1 for 10 performance in the 5 games he will play in 1917, his last season in the "bigs." - For a guy with his apparent ability to disappear so quickly, it suggests that something happens to stop him. We don't what it is that brings his career up short - nor do we know how he earns his nickname of "Iron Duke." (There are so many mysteries to be solved in baseball history.) - Iron Duke Bill Kenworthy will pass away on September 21, 1950 in Eureka, California at the age of 65.




Deaths on July 4




Through 2005, No Browns Ever Won Their Independence from Planet Earth on July 4th.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1906&t=SLA

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/

Happy 4th of July, Everybody! :atthepc

[Bill_McCurdy]

July 5th

On This Date in History!



July 5, 1947: Indians Break AL Color Line! Browns To Follow in 12 Days!


Larry Doby of the Indians (left above) and Hank Thompson of the Browns are the 2nd and 3rd blacks to integrate the major leagues.

Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians becomes the first black to play in the American League. He strikes out as a pinch hitter, as the Chicago White Sox edge the Indians 6-5. Tomorrow he will go 1-for-5 in his first full game at 1B. 12 days from now, on July 17, 1947, Henry "Hank" Thompson will become the 2nd man to break the color line in the American League when he enters a game for the St. Louis Browns. Two days following Thompson, on July 19, 1947, Willard Brown begins play for the Browns as the 3rd black player in the American League and the 4th in the major leagues in 1947. Jackie Robinson of the National League Brooklyn Dodgers, of course, became the 1st man to break the 20th century color line in organized baseball when he broke into the Opening Day lineup on April 15, 1947. Bottom line for the franchise: The St. Louis Browns are the 3rd major league club to break the color line.




July 5, 1922: Hornsby Ties Ken Williams for MLB HR Lead at 20!

"The Rajah!"

Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals slams his 20th home run of the 1922 season, tying Ken Williams of the American League St. Louis Browns for home run leadership in the major leagues. In the process, the Cards whip the Reds, 12–4. Meanwhile, the Browns are in route by train from Chicago to Boston for a six game series with the Red Sox. Following a 3-5, 5-3 doubleheader split yesterday with the White Sox, the Browns are rolling smooth and sleeping well with a record to date of 45-30 on the season.



A Browns Record Booker

Question: Who holds the high mark for most career grand slam home runs by a member of the St. Louis Browns?

Answer: The record is held by three great franchise sluggers: Ken Williams, Harlond Clift, and Vern Stephens each recorded 5 grand slams as players for the Browns.



Births on July 5



Ward Taylor "Ward" or "Grump" Miller is born on July 5, 1884 in Mount Carroll, Illinois. The Northern Illinois alumnus and BL/TR outfielder will play for 8 years in the big leagues (1909-1910, 1912-1917) and hit .278 with 8 HR's. "Grump" will conclude his career as a Brown, hitting .266 in 146 games in 1916 and .207 in 43 games in 1917. - Grump Miller will pass away om September 4, 1958 in Dixon, Illinois at the age of 74.



Irving Darius "Bump" Hadley


"Bump, we 'Hadley' knew ye!"

Bump Hadley is born on July 5, 1904 in Lynn, Massachusetts. The BR/TR pitcher will win 38 and losw 56 in 3 seasons for the Browns (1932-1934). Those sums are only a small part of his total career record in the big leagues of 161 wins, 165 losses, and a 4.24 ERA from 1926 to 1941. - The Brown University alumnus with the pleasant personality dies early, leaving this world on February 15, 1963 in Lynn, Massachusetts at the age of 58.



Deaths on July 5



Edson Marshall "Ed" Hemingway passes away on July 5, 1969 in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the age of 76. The BB/TR infielder had an MLB career (1914, 1917-1918) that ended in a 43-game BA of .225 with no homers. That poorly shining record included an 0 for 5 effort at the plate with the 1914 Browns. After going .213 for the 1918 Phillies, Hemingway needed not ask for whom the baseball bells tolled. They tolled for him - and he was gone for good. - Ed Hemingway was born on May 8, 1893 in Sheridan. Michigan.

BCT/GB, Ed Hemingway!

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1922&t=SLA

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/

[Bill_McCurdy]

July 6th

On This Date in History!




July 6, 1929: Browns Put Up Screen To Reduce Homers at Home!

"We could even stop spears if we add a 156 feet high screen atop the whole thing!" - Chinese Emperor Ling Ting Tong (on his plans for a Greater Wall of China).

After watching the Detroit Tigers belt eight HRs on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of July, the Browns use the off day to erect a screen in front of the right field pavilion at Sportsman's Park. The screen stretches 156 feet high from the foul pole toward center field, 310 feet down the line from home. In tomorrow's game, Heinie Manush of the Browns will hit three balls off the screen against Waite Hoyt of the New York Yankees. Babe Ruth will hit two balls off the screen in the series. This new protection against the easy long ball will remain in place into the 1940's. Sportsman's Park this becomes the only big league venue with extended outfield seating where it is impossible to catch a home run ball.



July 6, 1928: Ailing Shocker Released By Yankees.

Urban Shocker Was a 4 Time 20-Game Winner as a Brown.

Former Brown star pitcher Urban Shocker, in poor health, is released today by the New York Yankees after one appearance on the mound on May 28, 1928. Two months from now, on September 9, 1928, Urban Shocker will pass away at age 38 in Denver Colorado of the same heart ailment that today causes the end of his brilliant big league career.



June 6, 1913: Scoring Change Gets Big Train Another Win.

Ban Johnson Changes a Rule.

At St. Louis today, the Washington Senators push across two runs in the top of the 9th to take a 3–2 lead, Walter Johnson, the 4th Washington pitcher, shuts out the Browns in the 9th and is awarded the win. As reported in Sporting Life, American League President "Ban Johnson rules that when a pitcher leaves the box (game) at the end of an inning he shall not receive benefit of any runs made in the following inning. He (Ban Johnson) says all runs should aid the reliever, not the previous pitcher." - Today's rules change is merely one of the myriad reasons why most serious baseball historians look askance at "pitching wins" alone as a sign of greatness. A week earlier, Walter Johnson would not have received credit for the "W" today. - My favorite irksome "W" award occurs today when a closer comes into a game in the 9th, blows a 2-run lead, and then gets credit for the win when his own club rallies to regain the lead and take the game in the bottom of the 9th.



A Brownie Record Booker

Question: What Brown player named Sisler holds the franchise high mark for most runs batted in during his club career?

Answer: George Sisler has the record figure with 959 RBI.



Births on July 6



Roy Allen "Roy" Hartzell is born on July 6, 1881 in Golden, Colorado. The BL/TR utility position player will go on to an 11-year career (1906-1916) in which he bats .252 with 12 HR's. Hartzell is a 5-year Brown (1906-1910) whose best year is 1908 when he hits .265 in 115 games. - Roy Hartzell will pass away on November 6, 1961 in his home town of Golden, Colorado at the age of 80.



Stephen Francis "Steve" O'Neill is born on July 6, 1891 in Minooka, Pennsylvania. The BR/TR catcher and future American League manager will have a 17-year career (1911-1925, 1927-1928) in the big leagues and hit .263 with 13 homers. O'Neill is a back up Browns catcher for 84 games during the 1927-1928 seasons. - Steve O'Neill will pass away on January 26, 1962 in Cleveland, Ohio.



Kenneth Eugene "Ziggy" Sears is born on July 6, 1917 in Streator, Illinois. The University of Alabama alumnus and BL/TR catcher will have brief stops in the big leagues with the 1943 Yankees and the 1946 Browns. He will hit .282 and 2 homers in a total of 202 times at bat. After his playng days, Sears will enjoy a colorful career in the AA Texas League as an umpire. - Ziggy Sears will pass away on July 17, 1968 in Bridgeport, Texas.



Frank William "Frank" Kellert is born on July 6, 1924 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma A&M alumnus and BR/TR 1st baseman will go 0 for 4 in 2 games for the 1953 Browns and he will finish his short big league career (1953-1956) with a BA of .231 and 8 homers. - Frank Kellert will die on November 19, 1976 in Klahoma City at the age of 52.

BCT/GB, Frank Kellert!



Deaths on July 6



Samuel Pond "Sam" or "Horsewhips" or "Sad Sam the Cemetery Man" Jones passes away on July 6, 1966 iin Barnesville, Ohio at the age of nearly 74. His nicknames alone are worh his mention, but Sam Jones also had a great big league career. The BR/TR pitcher had a 22-year MLB career (1914-1935) in which he won 229 games, lost 217, and registered an ERA of 3.84. Jones was 8 and 14 with a 4.32 ERA in his only year as a Brown in 1927. - Sam Jones was born on July 26, 1892 in Woodsfield, Ohio.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1929&t=SLA

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/

[Bill_McCurdy]

July 7th

On This Date in History!



July 7, 1953: Browns Set MLB Home Losing Streak Record at 20!



JOE BTFSPLK, a Browns season ticket holder, will be at Sportsman's Park for all 20 of the Browns' consecutive home game losses in 1953. BTFSPLK will miss the July 8th streak-busting Brownie win when he slips on a banana peel on Grand Avenue as he's walking to the ballpark and has to be taken instead to the hospital.

The St. Louis Browns set the major-league mark today for consecutive home defeats as they drop their 20th game in succession, 6-3, to the Indians. The streak dates back to June 3rd. Here are the dates, opponents, and scores that chain together as another ignominious record in franchise history:

(1.) June 3rd: Lost to Washington, 3-2.
(2.) June 4th: Lost to Washington, 10-1.

(3.) June 5th: Lost to New York, 5-0.
(4.) June 6th: Lost to New York, 6-2.
(5.) & (6.) June 7th: Lost DH to New York, 9-2, 7-2.

(7.) June 9th: Lost to Boston, 6-5.
(8.) & (9.) June 10th: Lost DH to Boston, 11-2, 3-2.
(10.) June 11th: Lost to Boston, 7-0.

(11.) June 12th: Lost to Philadelphia, 5-3.
(12.) June 13th: Lost to Philadelphia, 8-3.
(13.) & (14.) June 14th: Lost DH to Philadelphia, 4-1, 3-1.

(June 16th: The Browns go on the road and stop a 14-game overall losing streak by defeating New York at Yankee Stadium in their first game away from St. Louis. The road trip continues through July 1st with games at New York, Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, and Chicago. The Browns come home with a long road trip record of 8 wins and 9 losses. It's back to the home game losing streak.)

(15.) & (16.) July 4th: Lost DH to Chicago, 13-0, 4-2.

(17.) & (18.) July 5th: Lost DH to Detroit, 10-7, 7-1.
(19.) July 6th: Lost to Detroit, 8-7.

(20.) July 7th: Lost to Cleveland, 6-3.

July 8th: The home game losing streak will be halted at 20 tomorrow when the Browns defeat Cleveland, 6-3. - Stay home, Joe!



July 7, 1948: Bill Veeck Signs Satchel Paige for Cleveland!

Two Great Future Figures in Browns History.

Future Browns are in the new today - and making history in Cleveland. Cleveland club owner Bill Veeck stuns the baseball world by signing Satchel Paige, the legendary veteran Negro League pitcher, to an Indians player contract on his 42nd birthday. The move is ridiculed by some as a Bill Veeck publicity stunt, and A.G. Spink in The Sporting News editorializes, "Veeck has gone too far in his quest for publicity. . . . To sign a hurler at Paige's age is to demean the standards of baseball in the big circuits." The 42-year-old Paige will answer the critics tomorrow, earning a relief appearance decision in an 8–6 win over New York in part of a doubleheader sweep. Paige will finish the 1948 Indians World Series championhisp season at 6–1. Paige is the oldest player to debut in the majors, but he is not the first 40-year-old rookie. That distinction goes to Chuck Hostetler in 1944, who was 40 years old when he broke into the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers on April 18, 1944.



July 7, 1931: Chicago Beats Browns, 10-9, in Longest "K"-Free Game!

Not Today, Casey!

Talk about putting the ball in play! - The St. Louis Browns and the Chicago White Sox today play a 12-inning game in which not a single strikeout is recorded. It is the longest strikeout-free game in major league history. Sadly, but redundantly, for the Browns, Chicago wins, 10-9*, dropping the St. Louis 1931 season record to 33-41.

* Baseball Library gives the score as Chicago, 10-9. - Baseball Almanac shows the final score as 10-8, Chicago. Pending further research, we cannot be sure which score, if either, is correct.



July 7, 1927: Browns Trade Zachary Back To Senators for Crowder.

Tom Zachary: A Man of Destiny or Circumstance?

It's almost as though they are only fulfilling their role on the path of destiny. Today the Washington Senators trade righthander General Crowder to the St. Louis Browns in exchange for southpaw Tom Zachary. Come late September, it will be Washington pitcher Tom Zachary who serves up Babe Ruth's record-breaking 60th home run. Without today's trade, we would all have to re-order our memories of a great historic moment in baseball history and, who knows, maybe Tom Zachary is the key to the whole thing happening or not.



July 7, 1911: Red Sox Pitcher Wood Smokes Browns, 6-1, on 1 Hit!

"How I hit what I could not see I do not know." - Burt Shotton.

At St. Louis today, Smoky Joe Wood of the Boston Red Sox allows only a single to Burt Shotton in pitching a one-hitter over the St. Louis Browns. Boston wins, 6–1, dropping the Browns to a humbling 1911 season record of 19-52.



A Brownie Record Booker

Question: Who holds the record for the most times caught stealing in a single season?

Answer: Burt Shotton set the mark in 1915 when he was caught attempting to steal on 32 tries. Shotton was no slouch of a runner. He also stole safely on 43 occasions in 1915.



Births on July 7



Franklin Burton "Dutch" Wetzel is born on July 7, 1893 in Columbus, Indiana.The BR/TR off-the-bench outfielder will hit .243 with 2 HR's for the 1920-1921 Browns and then be ... gone for good ... from the big league scene. - Dutch Wetzel will pass away on March 5, 1942 in Hollywood, CA at the age of 48.

BCT/GB, Dutch Wetzel!



Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige

"Never look back. Something might be gaining on you." - Satchel Paige

Satchel Paige is born (we think) on July 7, 1906 in Mobile Alabama. The BR/TR legendary Paige will come to be regarded by most as one of the two greatest pitchers in the history of the Negro League. (The other is a fellow named Smoky Joe Williams who, like Paige, is now an inducted member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.) - Paige will arrive late in the big leagues because of the color line that keeps him and all other blacks from pitching in the majors during his best years of the early 20th century. Signing with the Cleveland Indians on his 42nd birthday, July 7, 1948, Paige will go on from age 42 to a brief 6-year career in the big leagues (1948-1949, 1951-1953, 1965), one in which he will win 28, lose 31, and post an ERA of 3.27. In his 3 years as a Brown in 1962, Paige will record his biggest win year with a 12-10 mark. - Satchel Paige will pass away on June 8, 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri at the age of 75(?) years.

BCT/GB, Satchel Paige! - And thank you for lending your legend to the history of the Browns!



Deaths on July 7



Patrick Edward "Pat" Burke passes away on July 7, 1965 in his home town of St. Louis at the age of 64. The BR/TR outfielder went 0 for 3 with 1 RBI in his only big league game for the Browns on September 23, 1924. - Then he was off to the Land-of-You-Know-Where. Pat Burke was is born on May 13, 1901 in St. Louis, Missouri.

BCT/GB, Pat Burke!



Victor Woodrow "Vic" Wertz Vic Wertz takes his leave of this flawed-but-only-one-we-got world on July 7, 1983 in Detroit at the age of 58. The BL/TR 1st baseman/outfielder played for 17 years in the big leagues (1947-1963) and he batted .277 with 266 homers over the course of his career. Wertz is best remembered for his long drive to center field in the Polo Grounds in the 1954 World Series - the one that immortalized Giants center fielder Willie Mays for "The Catch." - Before that big moment, Wertz joined the Browns on August 14, 1952 in a multi-player trade between the Tigers and St. Louis that also sent pitcher Ned Garver to Detroit. Wertz hit 6 homers and batted .346 for the balance of the 1952 season as a Brown. He returned for the last Browns season of 1953 and hit .268 with 19 homers. When the franchise shifted to Baltimore in 1954, Wertz was among the original Orioles before he was traded to the Indians early in the season and launched upon the road to his ignominious date with destiny in the 1954 World Series. - Vic Wertz was born on February 9, 1925 in York, PA.

BCT/GB, Vic Wertz. Your power as a man and a player came not from steroids!

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/team...p?y=1953&t=SLA

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/

[Bill_McCurdy]

July 8th

On This Date in History!



July 8, 1949: 1st Black Brown Becomes 1st Black Giant!

Hank Thompson (L) and Monte Irvin both play for the Giants today. Hank starts at 2nd. Monte pinch hits in the 8th.

Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson, brought up from Jersey City three days earlier, are the first blacks to play for the New York Giants. Appropriately, both men play today in a game at Ebbets Field against the club that first broke the color line two years earlier with Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Thompson, who was also the first black to play for the St. Louis Browns in 1947, starts at 2nd base, making him time-technically the holder of that same pioneer status with the Giants. Monte Irvin only enters today's game in the 8th inning as a pinch hitter for pitcher Clint Hartung. If you want to measure this mark by the game appearance alone, then both men are tied for the honor by playing today against the Dodgers. Incidental to the historic occasion, the Giants fall to the Dodgers in today's game by a score of 4-3.



A Brownie Record Booker

Question: What is the significance of the Browns logo which shows the rider on the horse?



Answer: That particular Browns logo is derived from the statue (in St. Louis, Missouri) of the Crusader King Louis IX of France, for whom the city is named. He is clad in 13th Century armor and he is depicted in this work as going into battle with an inverted sword symbolizing a cross.



Births on July 8



Joseph Shelby "Joe" Crisp is born on July 8, 1889 in Higginsville, Missouri. - The BR/TR (but neither for long) Crisp is aptly named. In spite of his 6'4" height, be barely casts a shadow upon the big leagues. Crisp appears in only 1 game a year for the 1910 and 1911 Browns, Then he retires and joins the rest of us ordinary people for a life that isn't box scored - unless you strike it rich or break the law. - Crisp plays as a catcher in his 1910 game and goes 0 for 1. His pinch hit single in his only 1911 game appearance allows him to retire with a crisp major league BA of .500. - Joe Crisp will pass away on February 5, 1939 on Kansas City, Missouri at the age of 49.

BCT/GB, Joe Crisp!



Walter A. "Wally" Mayer is born on July 8, 1890 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The BR/TR catcher will go on to a 7-year, limited action career in the big leagues (1911-1912, 1914-1915, 1917-1919) and he will hit .183 with 0 HR's in 274 times at bat. In his only time with 1919 Browns, Mayer hits .226 in 62 times at bat. - Wally Mayer will pass away on November 11, 1951 in Minnetonka, Minnesota at the age of 61.



William Verna "Bill" Brown is born on July 8, 1893 in Coleman, Texas. The BL/TL outfielder will appear in 9 games for the 1912 Browns, going 4 for 20 (.200) on his way out the door with a perfect Mendoza. - Bill Brown will pass away on May 13, 1965 in Lubbock, Texas at the age of 71.

BCT/GB, Bill Brown!



Deaths on July 8



Philip Wiley "Wiley" Taylor passes away on July 8, 1954 in Westmoreland, Kansas at the age of 66. Wiley is a BR/TR pitcher who went 2-10 with a 4.10 ERA in a big league career from 1911-1914. Taylor was 2-7 in his final two years as a Brown (1913-1914). - Wiley Taylor was born on March 18, 1888 in the mighty metropolis of Wamego, Kansas.



William Fort "Bill" McAfee passes away on July 8, 1958 in Culpeper, Virginia at the age of 50. The University of Michigan alumnus was a BR/TR pitcher posted a 10-4, 5.69 ERA record during his 5 big league years (1930-1934) and he was 1-0, with a 5.84 ERA, in his only season with the 1934 Browns. - Bill McAfee was born on September 7, 1907 in Smithville, Georgia.



Roy Lee "Roy" or "Simon" Sanders passes away on July 8, 1963 in Louisville, Kentucky at the age of 69. The BR/TR pitcher posted an 0-2 record with the 1918 Yankees and a 1-1 mark with the 1920 Browns to total out his MLB career with 1 win, 3 losses, and an ERA of 4.61. His nickname of "Simon" bears no simple explanation. As for the precise location of his birth, the man brings more mystery than mastery to the record books of baseball history. - One thing is sure. - Simon Sanders was born on June 10, 1894 at some "unknown" spot in the State of Missouri.



Francis Rogers "Frank" Ellerbe

Frank Ellerbe.

Frank Ellerbe passes away on July 7, 1988 at the age of 92 in Latta, South Carolina. Ellerbe is best remembered as the BR/TR 3rd baseman for the 1922 Browns. He also played some shortstop and 2nd base for some of the great Browns teams of the early 1920's (1921-1924). In a major league career which extends from 1919 to 1924, Ellerbe finishes with a lifetime BA of .268 and 4 homers. Frank Ellerbe was born on December 25, 1895 in Marion County, South Carolina.

Today's Reference Links ... http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseb...logy/today.stm

http://baseball-almanac.com/teamstat...p?y=1949&t=NY1

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/