May 3rd. Yeah, I'm behind on stockpiling posts.... Some interesting tidbits and players I collect. Not my images, though I do have most of the cards.
1950 - Although he beats the White Sox, 4-3, Vic Raschi balks four times during
the contest. The Yankee pitcher is unable to adjust to the new rule
which requires a pitcher to come to a rest for a full second.
1959 - At Briggs Stadium, Charlie Maxwell hits four straight home runs in a
doubleheader, helping the 2-15 Tigers, under new manager Jimmy Dykes,
sweep the Yankees 4-2 and 8-2. It was Dykes' first day as skipper, and
he put Charlie back in the lineup even though 'Ole Paw Paw' was hitting
only .136 at the time.
1966 - After previously blanking Boston and Kansas City, Indian right-hander
Luis Tiant tosses his third consecutive shutout when he beats the
Yankees in the Bronx, 1-0. The 25 year-old 'El Tiante' has yet to
surrender a single run this season.
1975 - After taking the mound against the Rangers in the second inning at
Arlington Stadium, Nolan Ryan finds a rubber snake and a large rubber
crab when he reaches for the rosin bag. The Angels right-hander, who
gets the victory when the Halos beat Texas, 4-2, suspects opposing
manager Billy Martin for the shenanigans, calling the prank a "Little
League stunt."
1979 - In a 6-1 defeat to the Brewers, Indian outfielder Bobby Bonds hits his
300th home run off Moose Haas to become only the second player in major
league history to steal at least 300 bases (413) and hit 300
round-trippers. Willie Mays was the first to accomplish the feat. (July
4, 1961). (Thanks to Giovanni for the custom)
1987 - Joe Cowley, pitching in relief, makes his final major league appearance,
giving up three runs in two-thirds of an inning in the Phillies' 9-6
loss to Cincinnati. The 28 year-old right-hander becomes the only
pitcher in major league history never to win another game after pitching
a no-hitter, a feat he accomplished last season against the Angels as a
starter with the White Sox.
2005 - With a 9-0 margin, a state legislative committee votes to approve a
bill, which will require the Los Angeles Angels, formerly known as the
Anaheim Angels, to disclose on all promotional material, including
tickets, ads, and team publications that the team is based in Anaheim.
Using the example of an orange juice company selling OJ that contains no
oranges, California Assemblyman Tom Umberg, the bill's sponsor, says he
is is trying to promote truth in sports advertising.
I really liked this addition, a lot of interesting tidbits that I hadn't heard before. As an aside, I don't think that Nolan Ryan ever did learn the meaning of the word "fun".
ReplyDeleteI had the same thought as Jon, Nolan Ryan was a hell of a pitcher-but not much fun at all. Also, how did the Anaheim Angels get out of referring to Anaheim? The whole thing is BS.
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice Bobby Bonds custom. For a second I thought there was a '79 Topps Traded set I wasn't aware of.
Forget Anaheim... I think they should go back to calling themselves the California Angels :)
DeleteAs for Ryan... that's a great story. I loved me some Billy Ball back in the early 80's.