Friday, March 09, 2007 |
Today's Birthdays
Willy Aybar LAN b. 1983, played 2005. The glass half full, or half empty, and for some (including me), a dubious mark of Ned Colletti's willingness to make trades for the sake of making trades.
Bert Campaneris CAL b. 1942, played 1979-1981, All-Star: 1968, 1972-1975, 1977. A fleet Cuban shortstop who played with the Oakland A's during their glory years of the early 1970's, he's famous for his base stealing exploits, having led the league in six separate years. His maiden game was among the most impressive in history, homering twice in his September 9, 1964 debut, one of only a handful of players to do so. In the 1972 ALCS Game 2, he got hit in the ankle by reliever Larrin LaGrow; Campy threw his bat at the pitcher, which led to a bench-clearing brawl as Detroit manager Billy Martin charged Campaneris. For the Angels, he was a plug-in on the 1979-1981 teams that had a revolving door at short, and later moved to third in the wake of the disastrous Burleson/Hobson trade.
John Curtis CAL b. 1948, played 1982-1984
Koyie Hill LAN b. 1979, played 2003. The flipside of Colletti's dealing; or, where is he now? Last seen working for the Yankees at AAA Columbus as a 27-year-old. Jorge Posada's job is perfectly safe.
Ron Kline LAA b. 1932, played 1961, d. 2002-06-22
Terry Mulholland LAN b. 1963, played 2001-2002, All-Star: 1993. Age appears to have caught up to the formerly ageless lefty, and so we imagine he's done. What a long trip it's been.
Arky Vaughan BRO b. 1912, played 1942-1943, 1947-1948, All-Star: 1934-1942, Hall of Fame: 1985 (Veterans), d. 1952-08-30. A remarkable player whose numbers would have been even better had he not missed a number of years during World War II. Most of his career was played out at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field; traded to the Dodgers, he quit the game after an altercation with manager Leo Durocher in 1943, retired to his ranch in California, but came back after Durocher's 1947 suspension. He quit the game for good in 1948, retired, and drowned when his fishing boat capsized at the age of 40.
Rube Yarrison BRO b. 1896, played 1924, d. 1977-04-22
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