Tuesday, December 19, 2006 |
Today's Birthdays
Rex Barney BRO b. 1924, played 1943, 1946-1950, d. 1997-08-12
Stan Cliburn CAL b. 1956, played 1980
Stew Cliburn CAL b. 1956, played 1984-1985, 1988
Mike Fetters CAL,ANA,LAN b. 1964, played 1989-1991, 1998, 2000-2001. The Angels' first-round pick of the 1986 draft, he was a nondescript reliever for three years before being traded to the Brewers for the 29-year-old Chuck Crim. The joke was on the Angels, as Fetters exploded in Milwaukee to become a suddenly dominant pitcher. Two years later, he was closing for the Brewers, and remains third all-time for career saves (79) with that franchise, as well as sixth for single-season saves (his 1996 season, with 32), and fifth in appearances (289 games with 334.1 IP).
Flipped twice on December 8, 1997 to the Indians and then the Athletics, who traded him to the Angels in August, 1998, for a PTBNL. After signing with Baltimore as a free agent on a one-year deal, he ended up in the Dodgers bullpen for a year and a half. He posted good numbers during the contract's first year, but disappointing numbers in 2001 got him shipped to Pittsburgh. In recent years, he's played for Minnesota and Arizona as well; famously, imitations of his bizarre sideways look to first before throwing have come from both Mark Grace and Craig Biggio, to much applause.
Welcome Gaston BRO b. 1874, played 1898-1899, d. 1944-12-13
Wally Gilbert BRO b. 1900, played 1928-1931, d. 1958-09-07
Lou Koupal BRO b. 1898, played 1928-1929, d. 1961-12-08
Art Kusnyer CAL b. 1945, played 1971-1973
Tom Wilson LAN b. 1970, played 2004
Gordie Windhorn LAN,LAA b. 1933, played 1961-1962
Geoff Zahn CAL,LAN b. 1945, played 1973-1975, 1981-1985. Came up with the Dodgers in 1973, who traded him to the Cubs in May, 1975 for Burt Hooton, one of the mainstays of the Dodgers' rotation into the mid-80's. Zahn was one of several goats in the Angels' fruitless 1982 ALCS as the losing pitcher in Game 3, pulled after 3.1 innings. Shoulder trouble in 1985 caused him to hang up his glove.
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