This Day in Baseball - The Daily Rewind

April 24, 1966 Willie Mays ties Mel Ott with his 511th homerun The Audio Was supplied by Astrodaily.com Classic Broadcasts are old-time broadcasts that have been put together from various sources. Many are found on the Internet Archives in a raw form. If you wish to take a deeper dive, that includes: Scorecards, Rosters, Newspaper Clippings. All members can jump over to : www.vintagebaseballreflections.com and join the membership platform Astros HistoryThis Day In Baseball

On April 5, 1913 Charlie Ebbets dream comes true as we opens Ebbets Field. Our Podcast details how the land was bought Disney style, lost they keys to the front gate and how a future hall of famer hits a foul pop that lends to a Highlander bumping his head on a base drum.

Lefty Grove was Born on March 6 in Lonaconing, Maryland, Grove was a sandlot star in the Baltimore area during the 1910s. Grove didn't play organized baseball until he was 19 years old. In 1920, he made his professional debut with the Martinsburg Mountaineers of the class-D Blue Ridge League, where he appeared in six games. In 59 innings pitched, Grove gave up just 30 hits, and he had an earned run average (ERA) of 1.68. His performance attracted the attention of Jack Dunn, Sr. (1872–1928), the manager/owner of the minor league Baltimore Orioles, who also discovered Babe Ruth. Here is an interview that is long but worth the listen by Eugene Murdock on July 18, 1974 in Norwalk, Ohio Check out his page: https://thisdayinbaseball.com/lefty-grove-page/

February 13, 1974 Cool Papa Bell goes to Cooperstown joining Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard as just the third man to play exclusively in Negro Leagues to be inducted. Listen to him talk about Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Education and how he was able to turn a light off and get into bed before the light went out. Cool Papa Bells Page - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/cool-papa-bell-page/ Negro Leagues on This Day In Baseball - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/category/negro-leagues/ Sources - Baseball Hall of fame - https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/cool-papa-bell-oral-history-interview-1981-september-26-0 MS Historynow - http://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/articles/277/cool-papa-bell Youtube - https://youtu.be/on-Y2cWl_ag

On February 12, 1924 — The National League announces it will join the AL in awarding a thousand dollars to the player selected by writers as the league’s Most Valuable Player. Dazzy Vance, who posts a 28-6 record along with an ERA of 2.16 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, easily outpoints Rogers Hornsby to become the National Leagues first MVP. Sponsor Dazzy's Page - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/dazzy-vance-page/ February 12 - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/this-day-in-baseball-february-12/ Don Drysdale - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/don-drysdale-page/

On February 11, 1982 — Ozzie Smith agrees to go to the St. Louis Cardinals to complete the December deal that finally sends Gary Templeton to the San Diego Padres. An outside arbitrator, Tom Roberts, will determine ‘the Wizard of Oz’s’ Cardinal salary before the season starts, awarding the light-hitting Gold Glove shortstop $450,000, rather than the $750,000 he requested. Smith batted only .222 for the Padres in 1981, but will blossom into stardom in St. Louis. Sponsor Ozzie Smiths Page - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/ozzie-smith-page/ Gary Templeton - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/garry-templeton-page/ Other Events From February 11 - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/this-day-in-baseball-february-11/

February 10 - Happy Birthday to Allie Reynolds. Sponsor his Page - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/allie-reynolds-page/ Sponsor other pages - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/product/player-page-sponsorship/ Check out events from February 10 - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/this-day-in-baseball-february-10/ Allie Reynolds, born in 1917 in Bethany, Oklahoma, faced religious restrictions on playing organized baseball due to his parents' Nazarene beliefs. Overcoming this, he excelled in various sports during high school and later earned a track scholarship at Oklahoma A&M. After an impressive college career, he joined professional baseball, pitching for the Cleveland Indians and eventually the New York Yankees. Renowned for his achievements, including two no-hitters in 1951, Reynolds played a crucial role in the Yankees' dominance, contributing to five consecutive World Championships from 1949 to 1953. After retirement, he succeeded in the oil business and supported charitable causes. Reynolds passed away in 1994.

Sponsor Edd Roush's Page - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/edd-roush-page/ Sponsor a page - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/product/player-page-sponsorship/ Check out the Events on February 9 in Baseball History - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/this-day-in-baseball-february-9 Edd Roush, the fiery baseball player known for his Hall of Fame career, wielded a heavy bat and mastered the art of place hitting. Born in 1893 in Indiana, Roush's strong hands and arms, developed on his family's farm, propelled him into baseball. Beginning with the Cincinnati Reds in 1916, he quickly became a defensive standout, often compared to Tris Speaker. Roush secured two batting titles in 1917 and 1919 and led the Reds to a World's Championship in 1919. Despite salary disputes and his aversion to the bean ball, Roush's career soared. He retired in 1931, leaving a lasting legacy in baseball history.

Connie Macks Page - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/connie-mack-page/ Sponsor a Page - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/product/player-page-sponsorship/ February 8 Events - https://thisdayinbaseball.com/this-day-in-baseball-february-8/ OnFebruary 8, 1956, one of baseball’s most prominent figures, Connie Mack, dies at the age of 93 from old age and hip surgery. He was known as “The Tall Tactician” and was baseball’s grand old gentleman for more than a generation. Statuesque, stately, and slim, he clutched a rolled-up scorecard as he sat or stood ramrod straight in the dugout, attired in a business suit rather than a uniform, a derby or bowler in place of a baseball cap. He carried himself with quiet dignity, and commanded the respect of friend and foe. After his 11 year career as a journeyman catcher and managing Pittsburgh's National League he became a prominent figure in Ban Johnson's Western League. A founder of the American League in 1901, Mack managed and owned the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 to 1950, leading the team to five World Series titles and nine American League pennants. The 'Tall Tactician' set records for the major league wins (3,731) and losses (3,948), compiling a .486 managerial mark during his 54 years as a skipper, including his three seasons with the Pirates before the turn of the century. He won election to the Hall of Fame in 1937. Interview with Connie Mack, conducted by legendary vaudevillian Joe Cook on his Shell Chateau radio broadcast of May 29, 1937, in which Mack picks his all-time all-star team and discusses his rivalry with New York Giants manager John McGraw

On February 7 2019 — Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, a member of the 500 Home Run Club, a Triple Crown winner, the first player to win the MVP Award in both leagues, and the first African-American manager in major league history, passes away in hospice care in Los Angeles, CA at the age of 83. He was also a senior executive for Major League Baseball and was still serving as the honorary President of the American League. Robinson was one of the greatest players in MLB history, he was an All-Star in 12 seasons, won 2 MVP Awards, won a Triple Crown in 1966, won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 1956, won a Gold Glove Award in 1958, and was on 2 World Series champions (1966, 1970 Baltimore Orioles), winning the World Series MVP Award in 1966. His uniform #20 is retired by the Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Indians. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982 (89.2% on the 1st ballot). Robinson had a very prominent post-playing career. Most notably, he became the first Black manager in MLB history in 1975 (with the Indians). He won the AL Manager of the Year Award in 1989 (with the Orioles). In his amazing 21-year playing career (1956-1976), Frank had 2,943 hits, 586 HR, 528 doubles, 204 SB, 1,812 RBI, 1,829 runs, 1,420 BB, .294 BA, .389 OBP, .537 Slg., & .926 OPS.

When he posed for his 1959 Topps baseball card, Lew Burdette grabbed teammate Warren Spahn’s glove and pretended to be a lefty. Topps missed the joke and printed the card with the error. Burdette would sign his name “Lewis” on his contracts, and would alternate between “Lou” and “Lew” for autograph-seekers. He said he really didn’t care how his first name (which was actually his middle name) was spelled. Years before Mark Fidrych became famous for talking to the baseball, Lew Burdette used the same antics to psych himself up on the mound. Often accused of throwing a spitball, Burdette never bothered to refute that charge, and used the paranoia to his advantage. In the 1957 World Series, he shut out the New York Yankees twice in four days to give the Milwaukee Braves their only World Championship. Lew Burdette On October 10, 1957, Burdette shut out the Yankees for the second time in four days. He was the first pitcher in 37 years to win three complete games in a single WS and the first since Christy Mathewson (1905) to throw two shutouts in a single Series. The win gave Milwaukee the world championship and earned Burdette Series MVP honors. Hall of Fame lefty Warren Spahn and righthander Burdette gave the Braves a formidable one-two punch, with 443 victories between them in 13 seasons. A slider and sinkerball pitcher, Burdette was widely accused of throwing a spitball as well. His constant fidgeting on the mound fed that suspicion; it didn’t indicate nervousness. Teammate Gene Conley said, “Lew had ice water in his veins. Nothing bothered him, on or off the mound. He was a chatterbox out there … He would talk to himself, to the batter, the umpire, and sometimes even to the ball.” Besides winning 20 games in 1958 and 21 in ’59, Burdette won 19 twice and 18 once. His 2.70 ERA topped the NL in 1956. In two All-Star Games, he allowed only one run in seven innings. He no-hit the Phillies on August 18, 1960. On May 26, 1959, he was the winning pitcher when Pittsburgh’s Harvey Haddix hurled 12 perfect innings against the Braves, only to lose in the 13th. That winter, the puckish Burdette asked for a $10,000 raise, explaining: “I’m the greatest pitcher that ever lived. The greatest game that was ever pitched in baseball wasn’t good enough to beat me, so I’ve got to be the greatest!” “My best pitches were a sinker and slider,” Burdette said. “I’d move the ball in and out. I always tried to keep it down. I was always being accused of throwing at the hitters. Early Wynn always said that he was the meanest pitcher in the American League, and I was the meanest in the National League.” — Sports Collectors Digest, September 4, 1998 "I'm the greatest pitcher that ever lived. The greatest game that was ever pitched in baseball wasn't good enough to beat me, so I've got to be the greatest!" - Lew Burdette, 1959 ""There should be 3 pitching statistics for Burdette: Wins, Losses, and Relative Humidity." - Red Smith, The New York Times

Born: Sunday, February 05, 1928 in Roulette, PA USA He was the kind of player who’s worth doesn’t always show up in the box score, but yet his determination and aggressiveness to win made him one of the most valuable players on the world championship of 1960. Don Hoak, nicknamed Tiger by Dodger pitcher Clem Labine because he was always starting fights, was a solid fielder who twice led the circuit in fielding percentage at third base who also would contribute at the plate, hitting over .280 in three of his four seasons with the Bucs. Many players felt he was such an important cog to the club’s championship run. Cy Young Award winner Vern Law felt his fighting spirit rubbed off on everyone helped push the club over the hump to the title, while legendary reliever Roy Face thought he was the most underrated player on the team. What ever it was, Hoak definitely wanted to fit the tough boy persona. He was a Marine in World War II where he saw some action in the Pacific theater and also spent sometime as a boxer in the middleweight division and his tough image was something he prided himself on. Tiger came up with the Dodgers in 1954 and was part of their memorable 1955 world championship team, the only title that the legendary team from Brooklyn would win. He was dealt to the Cubs the year after where he hit .215 and went on his way Cincinnati in 1957. It was there that his career finally started to take shape as he led the senior circuit in doubles with 39 and fielding percentage with a .971 mark while hitting career highs in both homers 19, and RBI’s with 89. Hoak was named to his one and only selection in the mid –summer classic that year. Don slumped in 1958 and was dealt to the Bucs along with Smoky Burgess and Harvey Haddix in a seven-player deal that many felt was the final piece in the Pirate 1960 championship machine. In 1959, Tiger proved that his .261 average in 1958 was just a fluke as he broke .290 for the first time when he hit .294, before moving into his best all around season in the Steel City. Hoak would show a rare glimpse of power during that magical season, hitting 16 homers to go with 79 RBI’s and a .282 average. While his numbers were good, it was his grit, determination and leadership that found him finishing second to teammate Dick Groat in the National League Most Valuable Player voting ahead of such Hall of Famers as Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Roberto Clemente and Eddie Mathews.

February 4, 1957, manager Joe McCarthy and outfielder Sam Crawford are elected to the Hall of Fame. McCarthy, the winningest manager in history, won nine pennants and four consecutive World Championships with the New York Yankees. Crawford, one of the greatest hitters of the dead-ball era, finished his career with 309 triples, first on the all-time list. Some have challenged Sam Crawford's status as a Hall of Famer, but the truth is that Crawford was one of the best sluggers of his era, hands down. Consider: Crawford retired as the American League career leader in home runs, extra-base hits, total bases, RBI, and triples. From 1910 to 1915 (when he was 30-35 years old), Sam led the AL in games played, total bases, RBI, extra-base hits, and triples. He was second in homers and hits, third in runs created, fourth in slugging, and batted .320 for that six-year stretch. He ranked that high while Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Home Run Baker, and Joe Jackson were in their prime. His total of 643 RBI from 1910-1915 were 118 more than his closest rival in the American League! Somehow however, it took a campaign by Cobb to get his teammate into the Hall of Fame. Though he never played in the major leagues, Joe McCarthy earned the respect of his players as one of the most successful managers in history. He guided two teams to the World Series, and orchestrated four consecutive World Championships at the helm of the Yankees, from 1936 to 1939. He relied on his remarkable memory, his "Ten Commandments of Baseball," and his brillant ability to manage all types of players, and ended up with the highest winning percentage in the history of the game. Description "With his lantern jaw and chunky body," wrote author David Kaiser, "he could be an impressive presence on the field, and although he respected umpires, he also knew how to try to intimidate them in a key game."

Fredric Michael Lynn was born on February 3, 1952 He arrived on the big league scene like a bolt of lightning through the evening sky. Fred Lynn played in his first game on September 5, 1974 and proceeded to smash major league pitching to the tune of a .419 batting average and a .698 slugging average over his first 15 games. He followed that up with one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, leading the Red Sox to the World Series and earning the Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and Gold Glove awards for the 1975 season. Lynn was the first player to achieve this trifecta, an accomplishment matched by Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners in 2001. Fred Lynn had the greatest coming out party in baseball history in 1975, when as a rookie, he played a stellar center field for the Red Sox and earned the American League Most Valuable Player Award. All season, opposing pitchers searched in vain for a way to get the left-handed hitter out, and all season they were left scratching their heads. Lynn hit .331 in his freshman campaign, and followed it with a .314 mark in 1976, but injuries kept him out of the lineup all too frequently for the remainder of his career. He was healthy in 1978 and 1979, and in the latter year, he had his best overall campaign, belting 39 homers to go with 122 RBI, 116 runs scored, 42 doubles, 82 walks, and a .333 average. But after he was traded by Boston to the Angels, he was never quite the same player. He did recapture his magic twice after leaving Red Sox Nation, however. In 1983 he hit the first grand slam in All-Star Game history, and in the 1982 League Championship Series, he punished Brewers' pitchers for a .611 batting average and 11 hits in the Angels' five-game defeat. Seemingly destined to become one of the game's greats, Lynn never met those lofty (and unfair) expectations, but he still produced 306 homers and more than 1,100 RBI in his injury-riddled career. After he collected 11 hits in five games and batted .611 in the 1982 Playoffs, Fred Lynn became the first player on a losing team to be named Most Valuable Player in a League Championship Series.

February 2, 1969 – Pitchers Stan Coveleski and Waite Hoyt are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Stan Coveleski learned control as a youngster by throwing rocks at tin cans that swung from a tree. Though he pitched a shutout in his first big league start with the Athletics in 1912, it was the spitball he later learned in the Minor Leagues. in 1913-1915, earning a permanent spot in the big leagues in 1916 when the Indians bought his contract. Using a fluttering spitball that dove sharply and broke inside on lefties and righties, Stan Coveleski helped two unlikely teams to the World Series. He won three games in the 1920 Series — the first championship for Cleveland, against Brooklyn while yielding only two runs and in 1925 he helped the Senators to the World Series in his first year with that club, winning 20 games. He consistently topped 275 innings pitched and was a valuable pitcher well into his mid-thirties. longtime resident of South Bend, Indiana, the ballfield in that college town bears his name. Waite "Schoolboy" Hoyt pitched his first inning in the majors at the age of 18, and when he threw his last pitch 20 years later he had more than 230 wins in his Hall of Fame career. Originally signed by the New York Giants, Hoyt fell from the grasp of John McGraw and was with the Boston Red Sox in 1919-1920 before he was shipped off with the rest of Harry Frazee's big names prior to the 1921 season. Like many other Red Sox castoffs, Hoyt ended up with the New York Yankees, and it was there that he emerged as an ace. A clutch performer, Hoyt was 6-3 with a stellar 1.62 ERA for the Bronx Bombers in the World Series. He anchored the pitching staff for three Yankee championship clubs before moving on to several teams in his 30s.

Feb 1 1875 Billy Sullivan born is born, he will debut in 1898. Despite being a notoriously poor hitter, Billy Sullivan is generally regarded as one of the best defensive catchers of the Deadball Era. In 1901, Sullivan jumped to the Chicago White Sox of the new American League and was the catcher in the circuit's first game, collecting a pair of hits in an 8-2 Chicago victory over the Cleveland Blues on April 24. He batted only .245 that season, but would never again top .229, hitting as low as .162 in a full season and having an average below .200 five times. Between 1901 and 1911, the Sox never finished lower than fourth with Sullivan as their starting catcher and won two pennants, in 1901 and 1906. During the two seasons in which he missed significant playing time because of injuries, in 1903 and 1910, the team finished more than 30 games out of first place. Sullivan is perhaps most famous for going hitless during the 1906 World Series, finishing 0 for 21 with 9 strikeouts. In spite of this lack of production, he played every inning of the Series as the White Sox beat their cross-town rivals the Chicago Cubs in six games. Sullivan batted only .213 lifetime, the second-lowest batting average for a player with over 3000 at-bats (the lowest average belongs to Bill Bergen, a contemporary catcher). As poor as his offense was, his defense was outstanding: he was reckoned to have the best throwing arm in the American League and his ability to work with pitchers was second-to-none. During his career, he led the AL in fielding four times. Todays catchers have Sullivan to thank who actually pattened shin pads Sullivan's son Billy Sullivan Jr. played in the majors from 1931 to 1943. When Billy Jr. played in the 1940 World Series for Detroit, the Sullivans became the first father-son pair to have played in the World Series. Listen to his son Billy Sullivan JR discuss his father and what Ty Cobb thought of him

On January 31 1927 – National League President John Heydler rules that Rogers Hornsby cannot continue to both hold stock in the St. Louis Cardinals and play for the New York Giants. Seemingly oblivious, the Cards’ board of directors, meeting in St. Louis, votes stockholders a 10% dividend, earning Hornsby $2916 for his 1167 shares. Hornsby had a fabulous stretch from 1921-1925. For that five-year period, his average season included a .402 batting average, 120 RBI, 123 runs scored, 216 hits, 41 doubles, 13 triples, and 29 home runs. If injuries in 1923 hadn't kept him from playing only 107 games, those yearly averages would look even more impressive. He won two Triple Crowns and hit over .400 three times in four years, peaking at .424, the highest average in the past hundred years. Nobody could rain base hits all over a ballpark like Hornsby, and he stayed hotter than hot for five straight years. 1921: Hornsby had 33 games with at least three hits, including five times in six games in July. In August he had 49 hits, and on September 25 he raised his average to .404. But he went only 5-for-22 the rest of the way, going hitless in his final two games to drop to .397. That's how close he came to hitting .400 four times in five years. 1922: This was Hornsby's best year, when he won the Triple Crown by hitting .401 with 42 home runs and 152 RBI. Late in the season, he put together a 33-game hit streak, batting .466 with 68 hits. He had multiple hits in 22 of the 33 games. Like Ted Williams in 1941, he was technically hitting .400 going into the last day of the season, with an average of .39967. Like Williams, he chose to play rather than protect his average. He banged out three singles to finish at .401. 1923 : After missing several weeks early in the season, Hornsby came back strong in July, batting .488 with a mind-boggling 61 hits. That included a stretch of 13 straight multi-hit games, when he went 33-for-56 (.589). Hobbled by injuries in September, he saw his average drop from .396 to .384 before missing the final 19 games. 1924: Hornsby started fast, hitting .429 in April, and dipped below .400 only briefly, in June. He got hot in July, including five three-hit games in one week. But that was nothing compared to what he did from August 20-26, arguably the best week any hitter has ever had. His Cardinals played three doubleheaders that week, so he played 10 games, starting with back-to-back twin bills. Against the Phillies on August 20, he went 6-for-7 with three doubles. The next day, facing the Giants, he went 7-for-7, giving him 13 hits in two days! The week ended with a 4-for-4 performance (three doubles and a home run) against Hall of Fame pitcher Burleigh Grimes of the Dodgers. Can you imagine someone getting 27 hits in a week? That's what Hornsby did. He went 27-for 39 (.692), with eight doubles, one triple, six home runs, 16 runs scored, 12 runs batted in, and a slugging percentage of 1.410. That sounds more like some bopper in a slow-pitch softball league. No, it was Rogers Hornsby at his best. He got six hits the next two days, but that was another week. For the month of August, he was 54-for 106, a .509 average. 1925: The hits kept on coming for "The Rajah" as he ran away with his second Triple Crown, hitting .403 with 39 home runs and 143 RBI. A cold July, when he missed a week and hit only .326, forced him to finish fast to surpass .400 again. On September 15, his average stood at .389, and it's tough to gain points that late in the season. No problem for Mr. Hornsby. He got 18 hits in his final 29 at-bats. Before a September 27 doubleheader, he was hitting .399. He went 2-for-5 in the opener to stay at that mark, then had a single, a triple, a home run and a walk in the nightcap. The next day, he fouled a ball off his foot in batting practice, splitting open a toenail. That forced him to sit out the final four games of the season. Here is Horsby on Tops in sports . .

January 30, 1930 Sandy Amoros is born in Matanzas, Cuba At 20 he made the 1950 Central American and Caribbean Games, Amorós led Cuba to a Gold Medal with 6 home runs in 7 games. He then turned to America to turn pro, first playing for the New York Cubans in the Negro Leagues in 1950 and in the Dominican Republic during the summer of 1951, he will finally debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers August 22, 1952. He was a good hitter with a keen eye, not quite a regular he did play in over 100 games in both 1955 & 1956 & 1957 and posted a 902 OPS in 1956. He hit a career high in hrs in 1956, 16 and from 1954-1957 in Brooklyn he had some nice spilts including a 369 career OBP. LA wasn’t as kind to Sandy. The defining moment of Amorós' career with the Brooklyn Dodgers was one of the memorable events in World Series history. It was the sixth inning of the decisive Game 7 of the 1955 World Series. The Dodgers had never won a World Series and were now trying to hold a 2–0 lead against their perennial rivals, the New York Yankees. The left-handed Amorós came into the game that inning as a defensive replacement, as the right-handed throwing Jim Gilliam moved from left field to second base in place of Don Zimmer. The first two batters in the inning reached base and Yogi Berra came to the plate. Berra, notorious for swinging at pitches outside the strike zone, hit an opposite-field shot toward the left field corner that looked to be a sure double, as the Brooklyn outfield had just shifted to the right. Amorós seemingly came out of nowhere, extended his gloved right hand to catch the ball and immediately skidded to a halt to avoid crashing into the fence near Yankee Stadium's 301 distance marker in the left field corner. He then threw to the relay man, shortstop Pee Wee Reese, who in turn threw to first baseman Gil Hodges, doubling Gil McDougald off first; Hank Bauer grounded out to end the inning. According to winning pitcher Johnny Podres: “As great a catch as Amoros made, his relay to Pee Wee [Reese] (to double up Gil McDougald) was even better.” When a reporter asked Amoros if he thought he would make the catch, he said, “I dunno. I just run like hell.”

On January 29 1971 — In accepting the Tris Speaker Award from Houston sportswriters, Roberto Clemente gives a speech which, apart from being called by many of those in attendance “the best talk any baseball player ever made,” is the source of Clemente’s most famous – if oft misquoted – assertion: “If you have an opportunity to accomplish something that will make things better for someone coming behind you, and you don’t do that, you are wasting your time on this earth.” A member of the 3,000-hit club, Roberto Clemente was a tremendously proud man who was often misunderstood by the press and his teammates. He was criticized for refusing to play with minor injuries, despite the fact that he won four batting championships. He played on two Pirate World Series winners and became more legendary after his tragic death while delivering supplies to victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake in 1972 than during his playing days. His tragic death prompted the Hall of Fame's Board of Director's to unanimously wave the customary five year period for induction, opening the door for the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) to hold a special election on Clemente's behalf. By an overwhelming vote of 93%, Clemente became the first player of Latin American descent to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

On January 28, 1968 — Goose Goslin, a former Washington Senator and Detroit Tigers Tiger outfielder who retired with a career .316 batting average after playing in five World Series, and Kiki Cuyler, a .321 career hitter who won four stolen base crowns while running the bases for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, are elected into the Hall of Fame by a unanimous vote of the Veterans Committee. Goslin believed his enshrinement in Cooperstown was helped by his interview that was shared in Lawrence Ritter’s 1966 book, The Glory of Their Times: The Story Of The Early Days Of Baseball Told By The Men Who Played It. Kiki Cuyler delivered the World Series-winning blow in the 1925 Fall Classic, clearing the bases with a double off Walter Johnson in the eighth inning of Game Seven. He is probably the only Hall of Famer to be benched for a month by his manager for lackadaisical play in his prime. He won four stolen base titles and led the National League in doubles, runs, and triples, but is still considered by some experts as a marginal Hall of Famer. Leon "Goose" Goslin won batting titles in the minor leagues and the American League. He won World Series with the Senators and the Tigers. He drove in 100 or more runs eleven times, and was known as one of the best fastball hitters of his time. The Washington Post called Goslin, "Washington's answer to Babe Ruth." A clutch hitter, Goslin was famous for driving in the winning run in Detroit's first World Series championship. "Leon Goslin was tabbed "Goose" while still in the minor leagues, because of his beak-like nose and gawky physical features. Goslin used a closed batting stance, and once joked that he would have "hit .500 if he could have seen over his nose."" Factoid During the 1935 World Series against the Cubs, Goslin kept an entire rabbit in the clubhouse, figuring if a rabbit's foot was good luck, then an entire rabbit must be even better. Goslin delivered the Series-winning hit in Game Six. Speaking of Glory of their times here is a short exerpt from that interview