Ex-catcher, MLB.com host Marzano dies

Former Major Leaguer reportedly fell down flight of stairs

By John Schlegel / MLB.com

04/19/2008 11:56 PM ET

John Marzano enjoyed a rich and wonderful baseball life, from hometown college star and Olympian to Major Leaguer for more than a decade to analyst of the game he loved.
On Saturday, that rich and wonderful baseball life came to a tragic and untimely end.

Marzano, a former Major League catcher who most recently served as an engaging host of the "Leading Off" show on MLB.com, died this weekend at his home in South Philadelphia, apparently after taking a fall down a flight of stairs and possibly after suffering a heart attack. He was 45.

Marzano, a first-round draft pick of the Red Sox in 1984 who played for the Sox, Rangers and Mariners, was in his second season as an on-air personality at MLB.com.

"John was a beloved member of our team, a personable, terrific friend to all with whom he worked," said Bob Bowman, CEO of MLB Advanced Media. "He was an engaging, informed interviewer. His energy, knowledge of the game and comedic touch produced admirable results. We miss him dearly already."

MLB.com announced it will establish an internship program in memory of Marzano.

News of Marzano's death spread quickly throughout Major League Baseball on Saturday.

"All of Major League Baseball is in mourning today upon the news of the passing of John Marzano," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "John did a wonderful job in his role with Major League Baseball Advanced Media. We are greatly saddened by this unforeseen tragedy."

The Red Sox, with whom he began his professional career and made his Major League debut on July 31, 1987, also released a statement.

"Over the last few years, John covered a number of Red Sox games in his role as a television, radio and internet journalist," the statement said. "The same preparation and engaging personality that marked his time as a player in Boston carried over to his duties with the media. We express our heartfelt sympathies to John's family and friends at this very difficult time."

Marzano played in the Minors for his hometown organization, and the Phillies, like so many others, expressed genuine sorrow upon the news of his passing.

"John was an endeared member of the Philadelphia sports community who not only represented our city well as both an athlete and a broadcaster, but also had incredible passion for the games we play," Phillies president David Montgomery said in the statement. "Our deepest condolences go out to the Marzano family at this difficult time."

A South Philadelphia native born on Valentine's Day in 1963, Marzano attended Temple University and was inducted in that school's athletic Hall of Fame.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of John Marzano," Temple director of athletics Bill Bradshaw told CSTV.com. "He was a terrific friend of Temple baseball and a dedicated player, broadcaster, father and husband. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this very difficult time."

As a professional, Marzano was a backup catcher with the Red Sox (1987-92), Rangers ('95) and Mariners ('96-98). He finished his Major League career with a .241 average, 11 homers and 72 RBIs in 794 at-bats over 301 games played.

The Red Sox weren't the first team to draft him. The Twins picked him in the third round in 1981 out of Central High School, but Marzano elected to go to Temple, where he starred for three years. Marzano also earned a spot as the starting catcher on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team that included future Major League stars Mark McGwire, Barry Larkin and Will Clark.

After being selected as the 14th overall pick in the '84 draft, Marzano reached the big leagues within three years, playing for Boston from 1987-1992. He was in the Cleveland and Philadelphia farm systems for two years. Then, in 1995, he appeared in two games for the Texas Rangers. In 1996, he earned a spot on Lou Piniella's Seattle roster and spent three years with the Mariners, becoming a popular member of the team and clearly touching many lives there as well.

"John was a good friend of mine and when I heard the news, it really shook me up," Mariners manager John McLaren said Saturday. "He had a way of always making you laugh and had a passion for baseball and for life. I smile just thinking about the guy and our friendship and he will be deeply missed."

Marzano worked for WIP Radio in Philadelphia and at Comcast SportsNet as a postgame analyst for Phillies games before joining MLB.com. Marzano served as co-host with Vinny Micucci of "Leading Off" on MLB.com's Baseball Channel every weekday at 9 a.m.

"Words cannot describe how sorry we are to have lost John's inspiring presence, but rest assured, his spirit and legacy will always influence us," said Dinn Mann, MLB.com's EVP of Content. "Our prayers go out to his family, his friends and his fans. John simply gave his all every time he went about doing his job and living his life, always grateful, always striving."

Marzano brought a unique perspective and keen knowledge of the game to his comments as an MLB.com analyst.

"(Ken Griffey Jr.) lifts and separates better than any hitter I have ever seen," Marzano said during a recent show, breaking down a highlight. "Having an opportunity to watch this man play for three years, I was so fortunate -- even though I was sitting on the bench watching him. To watch him and the plays he made in center field, crashing into walls, sometimes getting hurt, not worrying about himself but worrying about his team, it was amazing for me to watch that."

Clearly, in his short time with MLB.com, he made an impression not only with his on-air expertise but with his personality.

"John not only brought his baseball knowledge to us, but an energy and sense of humor that made us all feel better about the work we did," said Jim Jenks, VP/Executive Producer for MLB.com. "We may have lost a colleague and a great friend, but John Marzano always will be part of our productions."

Added senior producer Mike Siano: "John was just as great a person and friend as he was an analyst. His passion for this game was unmatched in the office each day and it was infectious. He will be missed beyond words."

Comcast SportsNet president Stephanie Smith had fond memories of Marzano as well.

"Comcast SportsNet suffered a great loss today with the sudden passing of John Marzano," Smith said in a statement. "John was a beloved member of our CSN family and he will be dearly missed.

"You knew the moment John entered the building because his infectious laugh permeated throughout our offices. His love and passion for baseball and life were a winning combination that endeared him to staff and viewers alike. John never forgot his Philadelphia roots and was thrilled to have a career talking Phillies baseball."

Indeed, Marzano brought his South Philly roots with him to every "Leading Off" show, providing analysis based on his extensive experience behind the plate along with an energetic sense of humor -- with a definite Philadelphia flavor.

As the bio of Marzano on the "Leading Off" blog said: "He is Rocky, Vince Papale, Mike Schmidt and the Liberty Bell all wrapped into one!"

Micucci wrote of his close relationship with Marzano in a post on the "Leading Off" blog on Saturday.

"John took me under his wing and treated me as if I were his own son," Micucci wrote. "He always spoke fondly of his former teammates, his loving family and his love of baseball. He repeatedly used to tell me that his father's best advice to him was: 'It is nice to be important but it is more important to be nice.' He lived every day that way and I will take it with me forever. I love him like family."

Marzano is survived by his wife Terri, daughters Dominique and Danielle, and two grandchildren.





Tommy Holmes, 91, Who Set N.L. Hitting Mark, Is Dead

The New York Times

By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN
Published: April 15, 2008
Tommy Holmes, the Boston Braves outfielder who hit in 37 consecutive games in 1945, setting a modern National League record that endured for 33 years, died Monday in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 91.

His death was announced by his daughter, Patricia Stone.

Playing for the Braves from 1942 to 1951, then concluding his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in ’52, Holmes had a lifetime batting average of .302. He struck out only 122 times in 4,992 at-bats.

Holmes, a left-handed batter, hit .352 in 1945 and he led the N.L. in hits, with 224; doubles, with 47; and home runs, with 28; while breaking Rogers Hornsby’s consecutive-game hitting streak of 33, set with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1922. Holmes’s record was eclipsed by Pete Rose, who hit in 44 consecutive games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1978.

Holmes knocked in the only run in the opener of the 1948 World Series, his single off the Cleveland Indians’ Bob Feller driving in the Braves’ catcher, Phil Masi, who had seemingly been picked off second base moments earlier but was ruled safe.

A Brooklyn native, Holmes played in the Yankees’ farm system before joining the Braves. He managed the Braves for parts of the 1951 and ’52 seasons and worked in the Mets’ community relations program from 1973 to 2003.

In addition to his daughter, of Woodbury, Conn., Holmes is survived by his wife, Lillian; his son, Tommy Jr., of East Hampton, N.Y.; his sisters Loretta and Kathleen; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

When Holmes headed toward his consecutive-game batting record, he used an old bat given to him by his third-base coach, Del Bissonette, who became the Braves’ manager later in the season.

“I cracked my bat when the streak reached about 20 games,” Holmes once recalled. “I had some others but none I liked particularly. We had an off day, and Bissonette said: ‘I’ll get you a bat. I’m going up to my home in Maine. I’ll bring you back a piece of concrete from my attic.’ ”

“It was like a rock,” Holmes remembered. “It had been aging. But I tried it in batting practice and I liked it.”

On July 7, 1945, Holmes broke Hornsby’s mark with a double off the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Preacher Roe, who became his teammate on the pennant-winning Dodgers seven years later in Holmes’s final days as a player.





Jerry Crider, ex-major leaguer from Sioux Falls, dies

The Argus Leader 4/13/2008

Jerry Crider, a Washington High School graduate who pitched in the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox, has died.

Jerry Crider retired from pro baseball in 1974 and moved to Ciudad Obregon, Mexico, where he was a hunting and fishing guide for 17 years until retiring in 1991. In recent years, he lived in Phoenix.

Crider grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from Washington in 1959.

He played 13 years of pro baseball, including two seasons in the big leagues.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-hander was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1962. He had brief stays with the Twins in 1969 and the White Sox in 1970, going 5-7 with a 4.51 ERA in 119 innings.

His best season was with Denver in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1968 under Manager Billy Martin. He went 18-10 and tied for the most wins in the minor leagues.

In Sioux Falls, Crider pitched on three state champion American Legion teams (1957-59) and was an all-state lineman in football as a junior and senior. In 1961, he pitched and batted Humboldt to its only state amateur baseball title.





Herschel E. Lyons

Published in the Los Angeles Times from 4/10/2008 - 4/11/2008.

LYONS, Herschel E. (92) California native, survived by his beloved wife Dolores of 62 years and loving and devoted son James, along with many nieces and nephews.

While playing professional baseball, he met his wife in Rochester, New York. He was a World War II veteran with service in Italy and Africa.

For over 25 years, he was an elementary school principal in the Los Angeles Unified School District. During an extended retirement, he enjoyed boating, church work and following major league baseball.

Services will be Saturday, April 12, at 11 a.m., at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 6705 W. 77th St., Westchester.

Memorials may be made to Our Savior Lutheran Church or the American Red Cross. Inglewood Mortuary (310) 677-8137.





Walt Masterson, 87; Pitcher Spent 10 Years With Senators

By Joe Holley

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, April 9, 2008; Page B07

Walt Masterson, 87, a hard-throwing right-hander and fierce competitor on a succession of mediocre Washington Senators teams, died of a stroke April 5 at Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C. He pitched in the major leagues for 14 years, 10 with the Senators.

He pitched the best game of his career on a June afternoon in 1947 in Chicago, when he held the White Sox scoreless for 16 innings. In the 17th inning, he gave way to reliever Early Wynn, who got credit for the victory when the Senators -- also known as the Nats or Nationals back then -- pushed across the game's only run in the 18th.

"Masterson was something out of this world," The Washington Post said the next day. In the 16 innings he was on the mound, he gave up only six hits -- all of them singles -- struck out seven batters and walked six, two on purpose.

Tall and rangy, with one of the better fastballs in the American League, Mr. Masterson was a better pitcher than his record indicated. He made the all-star team twice, in 1947 and 1948, and was the starting pitcher in the 1948 game.

He could be wild, Post sportswriter Shirley Povich noted in 1949. "There is no question, though, of his stomach for the battle," Povich said. "Too many times he has nursed slender leads all the way to get [the Senators] home, and rarely did he miss a turn against the tough clubs, New York, Boston and Cleveland."

Walter Edward Masterson III was born June 22, 1920, in Philadelphia, where he was a standout basketball player at Northeast Catholic High School. He tried out for baseball as a shortstop but didn't make the team. Later, when the baseball coach rounded up a scrub team to scrimmage with his varsity nine, he put Mr. Masterson on the mound, and the hard-throwing youngster tossed a no-hitter. He made the team, played one season and was signed by the Senators when he was 17.

He started the 1939 season with the club's farm team in Charlotte and won two games after being called up to the majors later that year. He struggled in 1940, in his first full season with the Senators, winning three games and losing 13. Hoping to improve his control, he started wearing glasses.

During spring training in Orlando the next year, Clark Griffith, the team's 71-year-old owner, had some advice for his young hurler, as recounted in The Post.

"The first thing I want you to do is junk that slow curve you were throwing last year," said Griffith, draping a paternal arm across the young man's shoulder. "It's no good. You can't get it across the plate and when you do, it's so slow that the batter can take a hitch in his swing and murder it."

Mr. Masterson won four games and lost three that year and then spent the next three seasons aboard Navy submarines in the Pacific. In his first game back, in September 1945, he out-dueled Cleveland Indians great Bob Feller in a 1-0 shutout.

He toiled for the struggling Senators for the next three seasons. He was always hoping, his son said, that maybe one day he would be traded to a team capable of giving him healthier offensive support. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were interested. They were impressed "with his ability to beat them both and envisioned him as a big winner on a better club," Povich wrote.

The Red Sox acquired him in June 1949, and he promptly learned to throw a slider from an unlikely teacher, slugger Ted Williams. The future Hall of Famer was Mr. Masterson's close friend and Boston neighbor.

Mr. Masterson stayed with the Red Sox until 1953, when he was traded back to the Senators. He retired at the end of the season, although he came back briefly with the Detroit Tigers in 1956. In his 14 seasons, he won 78 games and lost 100, with a 4.15 earned run average.

Like most major leaguers of his era, long before multimillion-dollar contracts, Mr. Masterson had a second job in the offseason. He was a national sales manager for a golf shoe manufacturer and later a national sales manager for a Kansas-based company that sold flour in bulk to bakeries.

In 1972, his friend Williams, then managing the Texas Rangers, hired him as the pitching coach; in 1980-81, he was the baseball coach at George Mason University. He was a longtime member of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association and was involved with developing baseball's pension plan.

In retirement, he lived on a farm in Rappahannock County until moving to North Carolina about 15 years ago.

Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Virginia Alice Masterson of Durham; two children, Walter E. "Skip" Masterson IV of Vienna and Patricia Masterson Elliott of Oriental, N.C.; five grandchildren; and five great-grandsons.





Services Thursday for ex-major league player

By Staff Reports
3/25/2008

Funeral services for former Cleveland Indians outfielder and Booker T. Washington graduate Roy Foster are scheduled at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church's Holsey Chapel, 1804 E. 48th St. North.

Foster died Friday. He was 62.

Foster was the Sporting News' selection as the 1970 American League Rookie of the Year. After being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers three days before the season opener, he batted .268 with 23 homers and 68 RBIs. In his first major league game, Foster homered off Baltimore's Dave McNally.

Foster, who was born in Bixby, batted .245 with 18 homers in 1971. Injuries ended his major league career, all spent with Cleveland, after the '72 season. He originally signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1963 after graduating from Washington.

Last July, Foster was ranked No. 98 on the Tulsa World's list of Oklahoma's 100 greatest baseball players.





Longtime Tigers coach Billy Consolo dies at age 73

The Associated Press 3/28/2008, 6:23 p.m. EDT

DETROIT (AP) — Former Tigers coach Billy Consolo has died of an apparent heart attack.

A longtime friend, former Tigers public relations director Dan Ewald, says Consolo died Thursday at age 73 at his home in Westlake Village, Calif.

Sparky Anderson and Consolo became close friends while playing high school baseball in southern California. Anderson became the Tigers' manager midway through the 1979 season and added Consolo to his coaching staff in 1980. Consolo retired after the 1992 season.

Ewald says Consolo is survived by two brothers.





Ex-Reds pitcher Purkey dead at 78

SI.com, Tuesday, March 18, 2008 7:24PM

BETHEL PARK, Pa. (AP) -- Bob Purkey, who pitched in three All-Star games and one World Series with the Cincinnati Reds, has died. He was 78.

Purkey died Sunday, according to the Paul L. Henney Funeral Home.

Purkey had a 129-115 record and a 3.79 ERA over 13 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals, last appearing in a game in 1966.

He tossed a complete game in the Reds' 3-2 loss to the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the 1961 World Series. He was used in relief later in the series and had an ERA of 1.64 over 11 innings. The Yankees won the title in five games.

Purkey's best season was in 1962, when he went 23-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 18 complete games.

Purkey was 103-76 in 217 starts over seven seasons with Cincinnati (1958-64) and was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1974.

Purkey was the starting pitcher for the National League in the 1961 All-Star game, opposing Detroit's Jim Bunning, now a U.S. senator from Kentucky.

Purkey is survived by his daughter, Candy Holland, and was preceded in death by his wife, Joan, and their son, Bobby Jr.





Bob Howsam, Former Cardinals GM Dies

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

DENVER — Bob Howsam, who assembled the Big Red Machine in Cincinnati, helped put the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series and co-founded the Denver Broncos, died Tuesday in Sun City, Ariz. He was 89.

Howsam had heart problems, said his son, Robert Howsam of Colorado Springs.

In a career that bridged two sports and several leagues, Howsam's guiding principle was that the fans came first, his son said.

"He loved the fans. They made his life," the son said.

Howsam started his sports career in 1947 as owner of the Denver Bears of the Single-A Western League, later taking the team to Triple-A as a New York Yankees affiliate, his son said.

Howsam helped found the American Football League in 1959 and was principal owner of the Broncos, selling the team in 1961.

He became general manager of the Cardinals in 1964, the year they beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

In 1967 he became general manager of the Reds and is credited with building the Big Red Machine that won two World Series titles, four NL pennants and six division titles in the 1970s.

"He put together an organization that became the model for all of baseball," said Bob Castellini, the Reds president and chief executive officer.

Howsam later was a member of the Colorado Baseball Commission, which helped bring the Rockies and major league baseball to Denver.

Howsam was nominated for the Hall of Fame in the executives/pioneers category last year but fell short of the 75 percent of votes required for admission.

Robert Howsam said his father lived in a retirement home in Sun City with his wife, Janet Howsam. He would have turned 90 later this month.





Thomas T. Roberts Dies at 84; Ruled That Baseball Owners Engaged in Collusion

The New York Times
By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN
Published: February 19, 2008

Thomas T. Roberts, a prominent arbitrator best known for his mid-1980s ruling that major league baseball club owners had improperly colluded to prevent free-agent players from obtaining richer contracts, died in his sleep Wednesday at his home in Palos Verdes Peninsula, Calif. He was 84.

His death was announced by his son, Gary.

Mr. Roberts, who was also an arbitrator in automotive, airline, entertainment and educational labor-management disputes, began hearing baseball salary arbitration cases in the mid-1970s. He awarded Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela the first $1 million contract through arbitration in 1983.

Whatever ill will was engendered in those individual labor-management arbitration tussles, far greater controversy soon arose for Mr. Roberts.

In August 1986, Mr. Roberts was fired by the baseball owners’ labor arm after he ruled that teams could not negotiate drug-testing clauses with players individually; they had to deal with the players union on that issue, under a collective arrangement, he said.

At the time, Mr. Roberts was holding a hearing into players’ accusations that owners had conspired to restrict the movement of free agents after the 1985 season. The players union charged that Mr. Roberts had been dismissed to sabotage the free-agent conspiracy case, but management denied it.

Mr. Roberts was reinstated by another arbitrator, and in September 1987 he issued his finding in the conspiracy case.

Ruling on a complaint brought by the Major League Baseball Players Association, Mr. Roberts noted that after the 1985 season, no teams had sought to sign free agents unless their old clubs had lost interest in them. He termed that “a strong indication of concerted action,” something prohibited by baseball’s collective bargaining agreement.

Mr. Roberts was fired again by management after that ruling. Another arbitrator, George Nicolau, later ruled that baseball management had continued its collusion against free agents after the 1986 and 1987 seasons.

In December 1990, the owners agreed to pay affected players $280 million to settle the cases. In May 2004, with the mailing of the final checks to more than 650 players, the total payment, including interest, came to $434 million, according to The New York Times, which obtained a list of the awards.

Mr. Roberts supervised the distribution of the money. “I used to kid Tom that giving away $280 million plus interest was a lifetime job,” Mr. Nicolau told The Times.

Thomas Tothill Roberts, a native of Chicago and the son of a banker, received bachelor’s and law degrees from Loyola University of Los Angeles. He was an arbitrator in labor-management disputes involving General Motors, NBC, Hughes Aircraft and the University of California system.

In addition to his son, of San Marino, Calif., he is survived by his wife, Kathleen; his daughter, Lisa Roberts King, of Santa Barbara, Calif.; and four grandchildren.

Mr. Roberts once noted that whichever way he ruled in baseball salary arbitration cases, the ballplayers fared well.

“The way you render your award is you put a number in there,” he told The St. Petersburg Times in 1989. “You have to know how to write a lot of zeros.”





DARIO LODIGIANI: 1916-2008
S.F. native spent 6 years in majors, 42 as scout

Tom FitzGerald, Chronicle Staff Writer

The San Francisco Chronicle

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

(02-12) 22:10 PST -- Dario Lodigiani, a San Francisco native who played six years in the major leagues and worked as a scout for the Chicago White Sox for 42 years, has died at the age of 91.

He died Sunday night at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa of complications from pneumonia, according to his daughter, Diane Lodigiani of Napa.

Lodigiani was part of a pipeline of great Italian-American ballplayers who came from the Bay Area in the 1930s, led by his childhood pal, Joe DiMaggio. The list also included DiMaggio's brothers, Vince and Dom, Tony Lazzeri, Ernie Lombardi, Frankie Crosetti, Babe Pinelli, Dolph Camilli and, later, Billy Martin.

Lodigiani grew up with Joe DiMaggio, and both honed their skills on the playgrounds and sandlots of San Francisco. They attended junior high and Galileo High School together, although DiMaggio didn't stay in high school for long before turning pro. Lodigiani was a three-sport star at Galileo.

Years later they would literally cross paths in a game at Yankee Stadium. DiMaggio hit a ball into left-center field, and Lodigiani was covering second base.

"When I caught that ball, I thought a train hit me," Lodigiani said. "You know, I tagged him and he plowed into me and knocked me over on my back and everything. And I got up and I said, 'Hey, Joe, what's going on here?' He didn't say (anything). He just brushed his pants off and ran over in the dugout. And I thought, well, if that's the way he plays ball, you've got to be careful when he gets on base."

Proficient at third base or second, Lodigiani spent six years in the minor leagues before breaking into the majors in 1938. He played three years for the Philadelphia Athletics and two for the White Sox before serving nearly three years with the Army Air Corps, servicing B-17s in the South Pacific during World War II. He returned to the White Sox in 1946, but an elbow injury hampered his comeback.

He played his final big-league game at age 30, finishing his career with a .260 batting average and 156 RBIs.

He then played eight more years in the minor leagues, most of them with the Oakland Oaks and the San Francisco Seals. He was one of the most popular players in the Pacific Coast League, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2006.

Following coaching stints with the Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City A's, he began his long tenure as a scout for the White Sox in 1963.

In 2001, he said about retirement, "This has been my life forever, so I don't even think about it anymore." He did retire five years later.

After the White Sox won the World Series in 2005, their first title since 1917, Lodigiani was presented a World Series ring by club executive Roland Hemond at a gathering of family and friends in St. Helena.

"Good night, I waited 50 years to get one of these," the longtime Napa resident told The Chronicle that day. "I was surprised to see all my friends there. It kind of shook me up." The ring, he said, "looks as big as a belt buckle."

His daughter, Diane, said Tuesday, "For the White Sox to win the championship and for him to receive that ring was a topper on his entire career. That meant so much to him. He was so proud of that team."

White Sox general manager Ken Williams, who went to high school in San Jose and attended Stanford, was among the many players Lodigiani signed or discovered while scouting Northern California, Oregon and Washington.

Lodigiani's wife, Marie, died in 1989. Besides his daughter, he is survived by two brothers, Aldo of Petaluma and Eddie of Oroville; his granddaughter, Julie Paniagua, and her father, Jon.

A rosary and vigil service will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Claffee and Rota Funeral Home, 1975 Main St., Napa. A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Apollinaris Catholic Church, 3700 Lassen St., in Napa.





Karl Ehrhardt, 83,
Sign Man and Shea Stadium Fixture, Is Dead

By DENNIS HEVESI

The New York Times

Published: February 9, 2008

Karl Ehrhardt, who through championship seasons and woeful ones and grand slams and botched plays let the Mets know what he thought of them by raising block-lettered signs from his box seat behind third base at Shea Stadium, died Tuesday at his home in Glen Oaks, Queens. He was 83.

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Ting-Li Wang/The New York Times
Mr. Ehrhardt in 2006.
His death was confirmed by his grandson, Brian Troester.

Known as the Sign Man of Shea, Mr. Ehrhardt brought his big bag of 20-by-26-inch placards to dozens of games each year, from 1964 through 1981. Like Hilda Chester, the cowbell clanger who roamed the aisles of Ebbets Field in the heyday of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1950s, Mr. Ehrhardt became a stadium fixture. Cameras zeroed in and fans hooted when he unfolded his signs.

On a summer day in 1979, when a slow grounder defied the grip of shortstop Frank Taveras, Mr. Ehrhardt quickly checked the color-coded tabs in his portfolio and unfurled, “Look Ma, No Hands.” Whenever outfielder José Cardenal struck out, the sign said, “Jose, Can You See?”

Finer moments were greeted with “Just Great!” or “Can You Believe It?”

On Oct. 16, 1969, when left fielder Cleon Jones caught the final out of the World Series, a choked-up Sign Man held up, “There Are No Words.”

Bob Mandt, the former Mets ticket manager and vice president for stadium operations, said Thursday that Mr. Ehrhardt “was able to reach into his bag and pull out something appropriate without missing a beat.”

“He was part of the happening that Shea became,” Mr. Mandt said.

In an interview with The New York Times in 2006, Mr. Ehrhardt said, “I just called them the way I saw them.” In fact, he was well prepared to call them when he saw them. Choosing from the approximately 1,200 signs he had at home, Mr. Ehrhardt would, he said, “crystal ball what might happen that day,” by reading newspapers to learn who was hot and who was not.

Karl Kurt Ehrhardt was born in Unterweissbach, Germany, on Nov. 26, 1924, the son of Willie and Elsie Voigt Ehrhardt. When he was 6, the family left for the United States and his parents opened a beauty parlor in Queens.

Mr. Ehrhardt served in the Army during World War II, as a translator in a prisoner-of-war camp holding German soldiers. After the war, he graduated from Pratt Institute with a degree in design art. He later designed advertisements for American Home Foods.

In 1949, Mr. Ehrhardt married the former Lucille Schneyer; she died in 1997. He is survived by a daughter, Bonnie Troester of Old Orchard Beach, Me.; a son, Richard, of Queens; and two grandchildren.

In 2002, the Mets invited Mr. Ehrhardt to help celebrate the franchise’s 40th anniversary. At a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers — he had once loved the Brooklyn Bums — he held high, “The Sign Man Lives.”





Former Umpire Ed Vargo Dies

Monday, February 04, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Edward P. Vargo, 79, of Butler, died Saturday afternoon, February 2, 2008, peacefully at his home.

Born in Butler, Pennsylvania in 1928, Ed was the youngest son of Alex and Mary Vargo.

Involvement in the fame of baseball came at an early age as one of his first jobs as a kid was that of batboy/ equipment manager for the Butler Yankees who were at the time a formidable farm-league extension of the New York Yankees.

In 1948, after a brief stint as a catcher in the St. Louis Cardinal's minor league system, he was called to serve his country and spent the next five years in the U.S. Army.

Baseball followed him into the service as he managed a team at Virginia's For Belvoir, to the base championship in 1952. During his service hitch, he discovered a talent for working home plate as an umpire. After an honorable discharge, Ed worked the minors as an empire, refining his game from 1954 until his National League breakthrough year of 1960. From 1960 through his final season in 1983, Ed called balls and strikes during a truly memorable era in the sport. Among the standouts in the profession when Vargo arrived, current Hall of Fame members Al Barlick and "Jocko" Conlon commented that he was the best young umpire to come up to the "big leagues" at that time and an "outstanding ball and strike man." His colorful insight, consistent appraisal of the pitch and love of baseball served the game well.

As a life-long member of the Butler area community, Ed spent his time in the off-season, working with the Butler Area School District in the capacity of a home and school visitor. In this particular role, Ed spent countless numbers of hours helping students and families in need.

Although retired after 1983, Ed Vargo continued to remain part of the game as an umpire supervisor from 1984 through the 1986 season. With the installation of A. Bartlett Giamatti as the Commissioner of Baseball in 1987, Ed became the supervisor of umpires for the National League. He would hold this post with distinction until his retirement from baseball in 1997.

From 1954 until 1959 Ed was a Minor League Umpire in the Georgia-Florida League, the Piedmont League, the Eastern League and the International League. From 1960 until 1983 he was a National League Umpire. and had four World Series appearances: 1965, 1971, 1978 & 1983. In 1971, he was the home plate umpire for the first World Series night game; four National League Championship Series appearances; four All-Star Game appearances; called three "No- Hitter" games including Sandy Koufax's perfect game and was Crew Chief from 1971 until 1983. From 1984 to 1986 he was the Umpire Supervisor under the direction of Charles "Chub" Feeney; from 1987 to 1997 he was the Supervisor of National League Umpires; from 1989 to 1997 he was the Consultant to the Rules Committee of Major League Baseball.

In 1966 Ed was the first inductee into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame and in 1994 he was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Edward is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Elizabeth Hunter Vargo, they had married February 9, 1963; two daughters: Karen McClarnon (Bill McClarnon), Vandergrift and Kristin Wissinger (Darrin Wissinger), Cecil Township; 2 sons: Edward A. (Ellen Rosenthal Vargo), O'Hara Twp. and David A. Vargo, Butler; 8 grandchildren: Ryan E., Jacob A., Zachary W. and William H. McClarnon, Ashley B. and Hayden Wissinger, Alexander and Daniel Vargo; a brother Robert Vargo, Aliquippa; a sister Elizabeth Keller, Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Friends and family of Edward P. Vargo will be received at the GEIBEL FUNERAL HOME, 201 East Cunningham Street, Butler from 2-4 & 7-9 PM Tuesday. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:00 Noon, Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at St. Peter Catholic Church, 127 Franklin St., Butler. The Rev. Pierre Falkenhan, Pastor, will officiate.

Interment will follow at Butler County Memorial Park Cemetery, Butler.

Additional information can be found and condolence messages placed for the family at:
www.geibelfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Mr. Vargo's name to the following organizations: VNA Hospice of Western Pennsylvania, 154 Hindman Road, Butler, PA 16001. Tickets for Kids Charity, 139 Freeport Road, Suite 100, Pittsburgh, PA 15215. or www.ticketsforkidsfoundation.org.





Kenneth (Coach) Raymond Hunt

Published in the Deseret News on 1/30/2008.

Morgan, Utah; Kenneth Raymond "Coach" Hunt, 69 passed away at his home, surrounded by family, Jan. 27, 2008.

He was born December 14, 1938 in Ogden, Utah, to Kenneth and Wanda Hunt. He grew up in Ogden and graduated from Ogden High School in 1957 where he was an all-state basketball and baseball player.

After high school, he attended BYU on a baseball and basketball scholarship. Ken married Carol Nelson on February 6, 1959. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple.

He signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds where he played professional baseball for eight years. He was selected as the 1961 National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year. That same year the Reds won the National League Championship Pennant and he pitched in the fifth game of the 1961 World Series against the New York Yankees.

In 2004, Ken felt honored to be inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame. Ken and Carol settled in Morgan where Ken taught English and coached at Morgan High School for 30 years, retiring in 2003.

He sincerely loved teaching in the classroom, on the basketball court and on the baseball field where he believed that every student and player had the potential to succeed. Ken enjoyed fishing, camping, hunting, spending time with his family and watching sports.

He was a true basketball coach to the end, shouting at the Utah Jazz from bed while watching the game on television. He is survived by his mother, Wanda Hunt of Riverdale; wife, Carol, of Morgan; son Ken (Lisa) of Fruit Heights; daughter Jennifer (Todd) Peterson of Moab; son Adam (Michelle) of Morgan; brother Robert of Layton; brothers Kim and Blair of Ogden and seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father.

The family would like to thank Dr. James J. Milavetz and his staff at the Heart of Utah, the nursing staff on the 3rd and 4th floor of the Heart and Lung Center at the Intermountain Medical Center and IHC Hospice personnel.

A viewing for Ken will be held on Thursday, January 31 from 6 to 8 pm at Walker Mortuary; 45 W. 200 N. in Morgan and again on Friday, February 1st from 10:45 to 11:45 at the Morgan Stake Center; 355 N. 700 E. in Morgan, prior to funeral services at 12:00.

Interment at the South Morgan Cemetery. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family at: rhuntfamily@comcast.net





Lance Clemons, 60

The St. Petersburg Times ~
January 25, 2008

Lance L. Clemons, 60, of Brooksville, died January 22, 2008.

Born in Philadelphia, PA, he moved to Florida in 1975.

He enjoyed a professional baseball career in the 1970s, playing for several teams including the Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals.

He was a teacher and coach at Springstead High School, before becoming a dedicated employee of UPS for 20 years, until his retirement.

He was placed in Radnor High School (PA) Hall of Fame in 2006, and in West Chester University (PA) Hall of Fame in 1992. He graduated from West Chester University in 1969.

He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Linda; daughters, Tandra and Rebecca; grandchildren, Nicholas, Laney, and Hunter Lance; and brother, Aubrey. He was dearly loved by all who knew him.

A Memorial Service will be held St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 2301 Deltona Blvd., Spring Hill, on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2 pm.

In lieu of flowers, make memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society.





Arthur Frantz

Published in the Chicago Tribune on 1/25/2008

Arthur F. Frantz, age 86, WWII Air Force Veteran, beloved husband of the late Marge; Loving father of Robert (Laurie), Sharon (Gary) Gallup, Donna Frank, and Russell (Kathy); Cherished grandfather of many; Dear brother of Don (Dolores), Frank (Mary Ann), Wayne (Janet), and the late Fred, Richard, and Robert; Fond uncle of many.

Art was a former Major League Umpire in the American League and called the game for the 1974 All-Star game and was crew chief of the 1975 World Series. Art is in the Chicago Hall of Fame. He was a member of the American Legion and Alumni Golf League. He was also a member of the Swedish American Club.

Visitation will be at the Skaja Terrace Funeral Home, 7812 N. Milwaukee Ave. Niles on Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m. Funeral Monday, 9:15 a.m. to St. Juliana Church Mass 10 a.m.

Interment Oakridge Cemetery.





Steve Ridzik, former Phillies "Whiz Kid," dies at 78

The Canadian Press 1/17/2008

BRADENTON, Fla. - Former pitcher Steve Ridzik, a member of the "Whiz Kids" Philadelphia Phillies that went to the World Series in 1950, has died. He was 78.

Ridzik died Jan. 8 after battling heart disease for several years, said Nancy Ridzik, his wife of 10 years. He returned to Philadelphia in 2000 for a celebration of the 1950 Phillies team, which lost in the World Series to the New York Yankees.

"He wouldn't have missed it for the world," Nancy Ridzik said Thursday.

Born in Yonkers, N.Y., on April 29, 1929, Ridzik was signed as a prospect by the Phillies when he was 16. He won 39 games and had a lifetime 3.79 earned-run average over 12 major league seasons that included stops with the Washington Senators, the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Reds.

After baseball, Ridzik worked for a military food distributor in the Washington, D.C., area before moving to Florida in the late 1980s. He helped organize charity events featuring former major league players in Florida and helped former Senators teammate Chuck Hinton establish the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by three children, a brother and sister, and four grandchildren.





Longtime exec McHale Sr. remembered
Selig's mentor helped build Tigers, Braves, Expos

By Tom Singer / MLB.com 01/17/2008 4:55 PM ET

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- John McHale Sr., an unsuccessful baseball player but one of Major League Baseball's towering executives for the latter half of the 20th century, died Thursday morning.
McHale, 86, passed away in a hospice near his home in Palm City, Fla.

News of the baseball patriarch's death cast a pall over the quarterly meeting here of baseball owners, who began the day by paying silent homage to his memory.

The owners' closed-door session began with an early morning moment of silence for a man Commissioner Bud Selig recalled as "a wonderful human being."

Attendees at the owners' meeting included John McHale Jr., MLB's executive vice president of administration.

Selig was more expansive in a statement about someone he had worked alongside for three decades.

"Both personally and professionally, John McHale was one of the finest gentlemen I have ever known," Selig said. "After his playing career with the Tigers, John became one of the game's most distinguished officials, including in his role as general manager of that club.

"He was a longtime mentor of mine," the Commissioner added, "and I had the pleasure of serving with him on the board of directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Baseball has lost one of its most respected figures. On behalf of all of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest sympathy to his family, including his son, our Executive Vice President of Administration, John, Jr., and his many friends."

Another one of McHale's pupils was Mel Didier, a scout for the Rangers who has been in baseball for 54 years. He was originally hired by McHale to be a scout for the Tigers in 1954 and was the Expos first director of scouting in 1969.

"John was good," Didier said. "He was one of the greats. He was a pure baseball man ... and when he went up to the front office, he had a real feel for what players go through. He was sharp as a tack. He had a great baseball mind."

Following a spotty playing career as a lefty-hitting first baseman that produced a career average of .193 in 64 games, McHale made a quick and meteoric transition into the front office.

Starting out as the Tigers' director of Minor League operations, McHale ascended to Detroit general manager by 1957, at the age of 35.

By 1959, he had moved on to be the general manager of the Braves and remained in that capacity until the middle of the 1966 season, thus overseeing the franchise's shift from Milwaukee to Atlanta.

Selig, a native of Milwaukee, remembered that he "got to know John McHale in 1958. I remember having hot fudge sundaes with him. So I knew him for 50 years, a very caring person."

McHale spun off baseball's old establishment in 1968 to help launch the Montreal Expos, and guided the National League expansion team through its first 22 seasons, until his retirement in 1990.

During a 20-year run as Expos president, McHale also doubled-up as the club's general manager from 1978 through 1984.

"I could talk about John McHale all day," Jim Fanning, who as both manager and executive worked alongside McHale in Milwaukee, Atlanta and Montreal, once said. "He was a fantastic man and knew every aspect of baseball. I don't think there is a blemish on his record. He was a mentor for so many people."

The mentor's most influential pupil was McHale Jr., who joined the Commissioner's Office in 2002 following his own decade in baseball front offices.

A 1971 graduate of Notre Dame -- also his father's alma mater -- McHale Jr. served as the Tigers' president and chief executive officer for six years. He then retraced his father's footsteps by being instrumental in the startup of another NL expansion team, the Colorado Rockies, acting as their executive vice president of baseball operations for more than three years.

The esteem in which McHale Sr. was held by baseball was reflected in his remaining a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame's Veterans Committee in 2001 -- when criteria for inclusion on the committee was revised -- despite having never been elected to The Hall of Fame himself.





Cardinals mourn loss of icon Marty Hendin
Team executive served ballclub & its fans for 35 years

01/14/2008 11:27 AM ET

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals organization was saddened late last night by the passing of Marty Hendin, the team's Vice President of Community Relations. Hendin, 59, had worked for the Cardinals since 1973, holding positions in Public Relations, Marketing and Community Relations.

"If you were a Cardinals fan over the past 35 years, there was a good chance that you had either met Marty or heard his name," said Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt. "He was friends with everyone from Hall of Famers to the casual fan. If you were a Cardinals fan, you were a friend of Marty. The entire Cardinals organization extends its sincere condolences to Marty's family and countless friends."

Hendin, born March 16, 1948, was the son of Pearl and Sholom Hendin. Marty graduated from University City High School in 1966 and from the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Hendin was elected into the UMSL Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He founded the university's first spirit club "The Steamers" and was sports editor of The Current, the university's student newspaper.

Hendin served many St. Louis area civic and charitable causes, including the team's charitable foundation; Cardinals Care. Many who were fortunate to meet Marty were also introduced to the vast collection of Cardinals memorabilia that graced his office in old Busch Stadium which was known as "Trinket City". He loaned parts of his prized collection to the UMSL Student Center for display after the Cardinals moved into their new downtown stadium offices.

"No one cared more for the Cardinals then Marty," said Cardinals President Mark Lamping. "He was an institution in the St. Louis community for many years and will be missed by his co-workers and by the thousands of Cardinals fans across the country who had the pleasure of knowing him."

Hendin is survived by his mother, Pearl; wife, Ronna Hendin; a son, Rob Hendin; daughter-in-law, Lauren Aronson and his sister, Linda Harber. Visitation will be held Tuesday, January 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at B'nai El Temple, 11411 North Outer 40 Dr, St Louis, MO 63131. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Marty Hendin Fund at B'nai El, Cardinals Care, March of Dimes and the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of St. Louis.





Cardwell, former major league pitcher, dies at 72

Monday, January 14, 2008

The Winston-Salem Journal
By John Dell
JOURNAL REPORTER

Don Cardwell, a former major league pitcher and a Winston-Salem native, died this morning. He was 72.

Friends of Cardwell said that he had been struggling with his health of late.

"We need more Don Cardwells in the world," said Junie Michael, who owns Parkway Ford and worked alongside Cardwell for more than 35 years. "I just can't say enough about what a positive influence he was on our community."

Cardwell, a right-handed pitcher, played for five different teams including the 1969 World Champion New York Mets.

Michael said Cardwell wore that championship ring proudly, but wasn't one to brag about his accomplishments in baseball.

"You had to drag the stories out of him because he just wasn't that way," Michael said.

Michael said that Cardwell retired from Parkway Ford, where he was a top salesman, last spring. Michael said that one of the reasons Cardwell retired was because he was having some health issues.

"One thing I'll always remember about Don was the time he had for children when they asked him about baseball," Michael said. "He loved talking to young kids about the game and that's when you could see his eyes light up."

Cardwell began his career in 1954 when he signed a contract with the Phillies at age 18. He made his Major League debut in 1957 and was a spot starter for three seasons going 16-24 before he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in May of 1960.

One of Cardwell's career highlights came two days after he was traded to the Cubs when he pitched a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field.

Cardwell's best season with the Cubs came in 1961 when he won 15 games and had a career-best 156 strikeouts. In 1962 he was traded to the Cardinals but a month later, without ever pitching for the Cardinals, he was traded to the Pirates.

He spent 1963 and 1964 with the Pirates before he was traded to the Mets in December of 1966. In 1969 he was 8-10 in a rotation that included Tom Seaver, Jerry Kossman and Gary Gentry as the 'Miracle Mets' won the World Series.

For his career, Cardwell was 102-138 and had 1,211 strikeouts.

After his stint with the Mets he was traded to the Braves where he retired from baseball in 1970.

Cardwell was also an outstanding golfer, playing on a celebrity tour for a time in the 1980s, according to Michael.

Ron Morgan and Freddie Einstein played golf with Cardwell through the years.

"I know he had his handicap down into the single digits," Einstein said. "He could hit the ball farther than just about anybody I ever saw."

Cardwell played most of his golf at Tanglewood Park and was also a member at Bermuda Run for several years.

"Don was just a down-to-earth guy and he was a nice guy," Morgan said. "You would never even know that he was some sort of celebrity with his career in the major leagues."

Cardwell is survived by his wife, Sylvia, and three children - daughter Sari Cardwell Glass of Highlands Ranch, Colo. and sons, Gary, of Lewisville and, Brent, of Lexington and five grandchildren.

After a private family service at Salem Moravian Graveyard, a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Konnoak Hills Moravian Church. A reception will follow the service.





Former Dodgers Star Podres Dies

The Associated Press

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — Johnny Podres, who pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers to their only World Series title in 1955, died Sunday at the age of 75.

A spokesman for Glens Falls Hospital confirmed Podres' death but said he didn't know any details.

The left-hander was picked for four All-Star games and was the first Most Valuable Player in World Series history. He became a hero to every baseball fan in Brooklyn when the Dodgers ended decades of frustration by beating the Yankees to win the World Series.

It was the first time a team had won a best-of-seven World Series after losing the first two games, and it was Brooklyn's only World Series victory. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season.

The Dodgers lost the first two games of at Yankee Stadium, then the Dodgers won the third 8-3 at Ebbets Field. Podres, going the distance on his 23rd birthday, scattered seven hits.

In the climactic seventh game, at Yankee Stadium, Podres shut out New York 2-0 on eight hits, relying on his fastball and a deceptive changeup.

As the story goes, Podres told his teammates to get him just one run and the Dodgers would win Game 7. They got him two, and the franchise celebrated its first and only championship while playing in Brooklyn.

Years later, Podres was uncertain he made such a brash statement.

"I don't know if I said it or not. That's what they said I said," a grinning Podres recalled in 2005. "Probably young and dumb — something like that would haunt you your whole life. ... You put on a big league uniform, you've got to think you're pretty good."

Tommy Byrne, the losing pitcher in that game, died Dec. 20.

Podres' career spanned 15 years with the Dodgers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres. He retired in 1969 at age 36 with a lifetime record of 148-116.

Podres also served as a pitching coach when he was older, helping develop Frank Viola when he was with the Minnesota Twins and Curt Schilling when he was on the Philadelphia Phillies staff.

Charles Edward Daniel

Published in The Commercial Appeal on 1/9/2008.

Hot Springs Village - CHARLES EDWARD DANIEL, 74, of Hot Springs Village, AR, died Tuesday, January 1, 2008.

He was born September 17, 1933 in Bluffton, AR to the late Tom and Viola Daniel. He retired from Navistar after 35 years of service. Preceding this he played eight years professional baseball associated with Detroit Tigers and closed with the Little Rock Travelers in 1961.

Mr. Daniel is survived by his wife of 54 years, Rita Blackard Daniel; two sons, Dr. Robin Daniel and wife, Lynn of DeQueen, AR and Tad Daniel and wife, Jill of Memphis, TN; a daughter, Denise Baker and husband, Tim of Memphis, TN; ten grandchildren, Austin, Nathan, Cameron and Keaton Baker, Hunter and Page Daniel, Jessica Daniel Christianson and husband, Thor and Anna, Charlie and Melanie Daniel; and one great-granddaughter, Rita Meg Christianson. Funeral service, with Bro. Burnett King officiating was 10 a.m. Saturday, January 5 at Caruth Village Funeral Home with interment in Bluffton, Cemetery, Bluffton, AR. Pallbearers were his six grandsons and honorary bearers were: John Knapp, Bobby Briggs, James Dickerson and Joy Don Moody.

Visitation was from 5-7 p.m., Friday, January 4 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Bryant Kite Memorial Fund, 1927 Churchill Gate Cove, Memphis, TN 38018.





Edward “Buddy” LeRoux Jr.
The Boston Herald
Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Edward “Buddy” LeRoux Jr. of Tuftonboro, N.H., a former part-owner of the Boston Red Sox [team stats], died Monday at Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro, N.H. He was 77.

Born in Woburn, he graduated from Woburn High School in 1950.

After finishing school, he worked extensively in real estate development in Boston and Central Florida. He served in the Marine Corps briefly and went on to become a sports trainer with the Barrie Flyers Hockey Team, a minor league affiliate of the Boston Bruins [team stats] in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

He was a trainer for the Boston Celtics [team stats] from 1958 to 1966.

From 1966 to 1977, he was the trainer for the Red Sox, including the “Impossible Dream” pennant winners in 1967. From 1978 to 1979, Mr. LeRoux served as vice president of the Red Sox and then became owner of the team until 1986.

“Buddy was very friendly, very outgoing,” said Lou Gorman, general manager for the Red Sox from 1964 to 1984. “I think his legacy will be there forever in the Red Sox organization.”

After leaving the sports industry, Mr. LeRoux invested heavily in real estate in New England and Florida. He opened the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Woburn. He also developed many elderly housing facilities throughout New England and Florida.

He was a member of the President’s Committee on the Handicapped, the President’s Committee on Physical Fitness and the Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness. He founded Champions for Children at Boston’s Children’s Hospital and in the 1960s he traveled throughout Europe and South America conducting athletic injury clinics for the State Department.

He had enjoyed spending summers on Lake Winnipesaukee in Tuftonburo since 1959.

Mr. LeRoux is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Adelaide (Wyse); two daughters, Lisa Tranchita of Tuftonburo and Denise McCall of Weston, Fla.; a son, Scott of Tuftonburo; a brother, Roger of Tuftonburo; two sisters, Judy McGue of Medfield and Dianne West of Nashua, N.H.; five grandchildren, a great-grandson and several nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at All Saints Church, Wolfeboro.

Burial will be in Townhouse Cemetery, Tuftonburo.

Arrangements by Lord Funeral Home, Wolfeboro.





William Thrace Ramsey Jr.
Published in The Commercial Appeal on 1/6/2008.

WILLIAM THRACE RAMSEY, JR., 87, of Germantown, TN, passed on to his new life in Heaven on January 4, 2008 at Kirby Pines.

Visitation will be from 1-2 p.m. Tuesday, January 8, until service time at 2 p.m. at Memphis Funeral Home-Poplar Chapel. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.

He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Patricia Ann Bryant Ramsey. He leaves two surviving children, Diane Ramsey Parker of Germantown and William Thrace Ramsey III of South Lake Tahoe, CA; five grandchildren, William Thrace Ramsey IV, Amy Michelle Beaupre', Jennifer Parker Rosenblum, Brittan Ramsey Robbins, and Brooke Ramsey Parker; six great-grandchildren, Matthew Bryant Parker, Grant Dolor Beaupre', Braden Christopher Robbins, Elijah James Rosenblum, Ramsey Rose Robbins, and Lawson Lee Beaupre'.

He was well loved and loved well. He will be missed by all. Bill was born in Osceola, Arkansas on February 20, 1920, with a lifetime passion for people and baseball. After attending the University of Florida, Bill spent the '40's and part of the 50's playing professional baseball for Boston, Seattle, Sacramento.

Gregarious and outgoing, it can be said that Bill never met a stranger. He often said that you could judge a person's wealth by the number of friends he has. If that is indeed the case, then Bill Ramsey was truly a very wealthy man.

Funeral services will be at Memphis Funeral Home. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to Mosiac Memphis Church Ministries, P.O. Box 171305, Memphis, TN 38187-1305, Crossroads Hospice, 1634 Sycamore View Rd., Memphis, TN 38134, or to a charity of the donor's choice. Memphis Funeral Home 901-725-0100 www.memphisfuneralhome.net.

Brush Prairie all-star Staley dies at 87

Friday, January 04, 2008
BY GREG JAYNE, Columbian Sports editor

Gerry Staley, perhaps the most successful major leaguer to come out of Clark County, has died at the age of 87.

Staley, who was born in Brush Prairie and went on to four All-Star selections, died Wednesday at his Hazel Dell home.

"He was a good man, and he lived a good life," said family friend Bill Hersh. "He was pretty energetic up to the end."

A right-handed pitcher, Staley compiled a career record of 134-111 with a 3.70 ERA from 1947-61. He appeared in the 1959 World Series with the Chicago White Sox, after compiling an 8-5 record with 14 saves and a 2.24 ERA during the season.

Staley appeared in four of the World Series games, pitching 8 1 / 3 innings with a 2.16 ERA as the White Sox lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.

"Just being in the World Series was something," Staley told The Columbian in 2005. "Even some of your great players don't get a chance."

Prior to his major-league career, Staley served with an Army evacuation hospital unit in the South Pacific during World War II.

He reached the major leagues in 1947 with the St. Louis Cardinals, and was named to the National League All-Star team in 1952 and 1953. From 1951-53 with the Cardinals, he posted 19, 17, and 18 victories.

After stops with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees, Staley landed with the White Sox, where his career was rejuvenated.

During the pennant-winning season of 1959, he led the American League by pitching in 67 games. The following year, he went 13-8 with 10 saves and was named to the American League All-Star team, becoming one of the few pitchers to be an All-Star as both a starter and a reliever.

Along the way, Staley faced the likes of Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron.

"I played in an era when there were a heck of a lot of good ballplayers," he said in 2005. "You can't single out one over all the rest.

"If you kept the ball in the park, you were doing a good deed."

Despite his travels with the Army and the nomadic life of a baseball player, Staley was a lifelong resident of Clark County. Following his retirement from baseball, he spent 17 years as a supervisor for Clark County Parks and Recreation.

He spent his later years tending to his garden and fishing for steelhead. And along the way, he was inducted to the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame, the Clark County Hall of Fame, and the Washington State Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame.

Staley also found time to respond to fan mail that arrived from baseball fans throughout the country, autographing pictures or baseball cards.

"There are some players who won't sign unless they get paid for it," he said. "What the heck; I've got enough to live on. It's nice to be remembered."

Staley was preceded in death by Shirle, his wife of 55 years. He is survived by a son and daughter.

No memorial service has been planned. Remembrances may be sent to 2517 NE 100th St., Vancouver, 98686.





James Castiglia; Redskins Player in '40s

By Patricia Sullivan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 28, 2007; Page B05

James Vincent Castiglia, 89, an insurance broker who played for the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1940s, died of endocrine and kidney disease Dec. 26 at Collingswood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rockville.

Mr. Castiglia was board chairman at Morrow & Brooks Ltd., the merged firm that succeeded his previous firm, Castiglia & Johnson Ltd. The Million-Dollar Roundtable member retired in 1984.

His heyday as an athlete was in high school in the 1930s in his home town of Passaic, N.J., at Georgetown University in the late 1930s and, briefly, in two professional sports just before and after World War II.

He was a New Jersey All-State athlete in football, baseball and basketball in 1936 and moved to Washington to attend Georgetown. He led the Georgetown football teams on a 23-game winning streak from 1938 through 1940 and played in the 1941 Orange Bowl game against Mississippi State University in his senior year. Georgetown lost.

A second-round draft choice by the Philadelphia Eagles, the 200-pound six-footer played one season, then was recruited to play baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics. A catcher, he had a .389 batting average.

His baseball career was cut short after 16 games when he volunteered for the Army during World War II. He served as a training officer in the United States and was discharged as a captain.

After the war, he returned to football, playing fullback with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1945 and 1946 seasons. The next year, he played two games in the All-America Football Conference with the Baltimore Colts, then was dropped. He signed with the Washington Redskins for $5,000, seeking to prove himself.

In November 1947, Washington Post sportswriter Shirley Povich described the "heavy-footed marauding of Jim the Jolter Castiglia. . . . Twenty-eight times they gave Castiglia the ball, a weighty day's work in the pro league and he stomped out 85 yards in gains -- no mean feat with the Redskins' line as well as the Steelers' line to contend with."

Povich reviewed Mr. Castiglia's pro-football employment history, concluding that his Redskins teammates quickly gave the walk-on their respect.

"The Redskins did me a favor taking me on when I was released by the Colts," Mr. Castiglia said after that season ended. "In return, I did them a favor. I'd have played for $5 a game, instead of what they gave me, just to prove to myself and Washington I wasn't washed up. Now the Redskins and I are even."

In 1948, his last season, he doubled his Redskins salary to $10,000. He finished his career with an average of 4.2 yards per carry.

He joined his father-in-law in a moving business, Kane Van Service. A decade later, Mr. Castiglia sold the business and went into insurance.

He kept his hand in semipro baseball, playing for the Heurich Brewers for several years, became president of the Touchdown Club in 1958 and was the first president of the Redskins Alumni Association. He was a founding member of an NFL fund that helped needy ex-athletes.

He was the first dual-sport athlete inducted into Georgetown's Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in football and baseball. He briefly coached football at Bullis Prep and baseball at Catholic University. In 1956, he won a local handball championship.

He also was a member of Columbia Country Club, where he played golf, a past chairman of Friends of Georgetown Center for Sight and a member of the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda.

His wife of 62 years, Catherine Kane Castiglia, died in 2005.

Survivors include nine children, Kathleen Greeves of Leesburg, Susan Dunlap of Lexington, Va., Clare O'Shea of Chesapeake Beach, Va., Mary Christine Worch of Rockville, Frances Scoville of Binghamton, N.Y., Eileen Castiglia of Brunswick, Va., James V. Castiglia Jr. of Mission Viejo, Calif., Marian Huff of Herndon and Ann Therese Worch of Damascus; 20 grandchildren; and 30 great-grandchildren.





Beauchamp dies at 68
Former Major Leaguer was longtime coach for Braves

Associated Press

12/27/2007 9:45 PM ET

ATLANTA -- Former Major League player and longtime Atlanta Braves coach Jim Beauchamp has died of leukemia. He was 68.
"As a son, my fondest memory of him was how much he told us he loved us," Kash Beauchamp told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "As tough as he was as a competitor and a baseball man, he had a very soft side when it came to being a father."

A memorial service will be held Jan. 5 at Southwest Christian Church, said Brandon Roberts, a funeral director at Parrott Funeral Home in Fairburn, Ga. There will also be services in Phenix City, Ala., and Grove, Okla.

Beauchamp was the bench coach for the Braves between 1991-98, during the team's transformation from a last-place team to a perennial contender. He was a part of the team's World Series championship in 1995 and most recently served as supervisor of the club's Minor League field operations.

Beauchamp spent 22 years with the Braves as part of a 50-year career in baseball in the Major and Minor Leagues.

Beauchamp, who was born on Aug. 21, 1939, in Vinita, Okla., had a 10-year Major League playing career as a first baseman and an outfielder with St. Louis, Houston, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Cincinnati and the New York Mets, playing his final Major League game for the Mets in 1973. His career batting average was .231, with 14 home runs.

Beauchamp, who died Tuesday, is survived by his wife and five children.





Longtime LA sports broadcaster Nahan dies

Associated Press

Posted at 6:31 p.m., Wednesday, December 26, 2007

LOS ANGELES — Longtime Los Angeles sportscaster Stu Nahan, also familiar to movie fans for his appearances in the series of "Rocky" films, died today. He was 81.
His daughter, Kathy Derington, said Nahan was surrounded by family when he passed away at his home in Studio City.

He had battled lymphoma since being diagnosed with that form of cancer in January 2006.

A former minor league hockey goalie, Nahan had been a sports anchor for three different television stations in Los Angeles. He retired from TV in 1999, and most recently did pre- and post-game radio shows for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Among his other jobs, Nahan at one time worked telecasts of the Los Angeles Kings' NHL games, and current Kings broadcaster Bob Miller said Nahan was special.

"He was always visible at events, and it didn't matter what sport it was. Everybody knew Stu, and not only in Los Angeles. People knew Stu around the country," Miller said. "We'd go on Kings road trips and people would say, 'How's Stu Nahan doing?'

"He knew every player and he could joke with them. That's kind of the way he did his interviews — kind of needling the player a little bit and getting the player to loosen up and kind of laugh with him. He was very good at that. He was a sportscaster who was at the events. He didn't just stay in the studio."

Nahan was a goalie at McGill College in Montreal and was signed by the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs in 1946. He played for the minor league Los Angeles Monarchs, but his playing career ended when the Monarchs folded in 1952.

He began his broadcasting career in radio, doing play-by-play for a minor league baseball team in Modesto. He began his first nightly sports reports on a Sacramento television station. Nahan also hosted a children's TV program there, as "Skipper Stu." He later moved to Philadelphia, where he was "Captain Philadelphia" on another children's show, and did play-by-play for the NHL's Flyers and the Eagles of the NFL.

He returned to California in 1968 and started his long run as a sportscaster in Los Angeles.

Nahan's survivors include his widow, Sandy; children Kathy, Mark and Kevin from a previous marriage; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are pending.





Former Yankee Byrne dies at 87
'Wild Man' found success despite lack of control on mound

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
12/22/2007 12:20 PM ET

NEW YORK -- Tommy Byrne, a hard-throwing left-hander who pitched in four World Series and was known for struggles with his control, died on Thursday in Wake Forest, N.C. He was 87.

A Baltimore product who grew up idolizing Babe Ruth, Byrne was signed by the Yankees in 1940 and debuted in New York in 1943. He pitched two stints with the Bombers, winning 15 games in both 1949 and '50 before returning to win a career-high 16 games in 1955.

Byrne's erratic control earned him the nickname "Wild Man." Byrne walked 179 batters in 1949 and 160 batters in 1950, and despite his high win totals in both seasons, he was dealt to the St. Louis Browns in June 1951 for left-handed pitcher Stubby Overmire.

Byrne was also known as a strong-hitting pitcher, one used frequently by Yankees manager Casey Stengel in pinch-hitting appearances. He sometimes batted seventh or eighth on the days he pitched.

Byrne batted .238 with 14 home runs and 98 RBIs in 601 career at-bats. With the White Sox on May 16, 1953, Byrne hit a pinch-hit grand slam off Yankees hurler Ewell Blackwell into the right-field seats at Yankee Stadium.

After spending time with the Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox, Byrne returned to the Yankees in 1954 at Stengel's urging and finished his career in New York, pitching a complete-game victory in Game 2 of the 1955 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Byrne would lose the decisive Game 7, to Johnny Podres, as Brooklyn celebrated the World Series victory with a 2-0 decision. Retiring after the 1957 season, Byrne had a career record of 85-69 with a 4.11 ERA in 281 Major League games.

In his post-baseball career, Byrne returned to Wake Forest, where he had attended college, and served as the town's mayor from 1973-87.





Former Baseball Coach Jack Lamabe Dies, 71

(12/21/2007) BY www.LSUsports.net

BATON ROUGE -- Jack Lamabe, LSU’s first full-time baseball coach, died Friday. He was 71.

Lamabe came to LSU after a stint at Jacksonville University, where former LSU coach Smoke Laval played catcher for Lamabe’s team.

He was born in Farmingdale, N.Y., and was a graduate of the University of Vermont.

He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1956 and made his Major League debut with the Boston Red Sox in April 1962. He was 7-4, had six saves with a 3.15 ERA that season.

The Cardinals picked Lamabe up in July 1967. Lamabe pitched shutout ball in eight appearances in August in helping St. Louis take the National League pennant and was the losing pitcher against Boston in the 1967 World Series, a 7-2 Cardinals loss.

Lamabe is survived by his wife Janet and two children, John and Jennifer, and has lived in Baton Rouge since he took the LSU job in 1979.

After leaving LSU after the 1983 season, when Skip Bertman was named LSU’s head coach, Lamabe worked in professional baseball, many of those years as minor-league pitching instructor and evaluator for the San Diego Padres.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete.





Chevrier passes away

Globe and Mail

December 18, 2007 at 12:08 PM EST

Don Chevrier, the popular sports announcer best known as the first TV voice of the Toronto Blue Jays, has died suddenly.

Chevrier, who lived in Palm Harbour, Fla., near Tampa, suffered from a blood disorder caused by a low platelet count. Platelets are particles that help clot the blood. He did not consider the condition serious.

His body was found Monday in his home by his son in law.

Chevrier, 69, was in Toronto during Grey Cup week last month to attend a dinner celebrating the launch of the CBC Sports Hall of Fame and to be interviewed for a CBC feature on the network's long history with the CFL.

Don Chevrier, a friend and colleague of Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Tom Cheek, speaks at Cheek's memorial service on Oct. 14, 2005, in Clearwater, Fla. (Steve Nesius/AP)

After returning home to Florida, he was admitted to hospital suffering from the platelet disorder. He was treated and discharged a few days later. He said he was feeling fine.

Chevrier's death shocked friends and colleagues.

Retired sports TV producer Ralph Mellanby said Chevrier's versatility made him one of the top play callers in the business.

"He was one of the greatest broadcasters this country has ever produced, because he could do everything," said Mellanby, who produced the Jays telecasts when Chevrier was calling the games. "His record was unbelievable."

Chevrier most recently worked for NBC's Olympic coverage, specifically curling. With his former CBC partner, Don Duguid, Chevrier helped raise the profile of curling in the United States.

Duguid, who lives in Winnipeg, talked to Chevrier at least once a week.

"I knew he wasn't up to speed," Duguid said. "His platelets were down. It was something he was sick with on and off with for a year, but he seemed to fight it off and said he was fine. It was a real shock."

Duguid said one of Chevrier's strengths as a broadcaster was a strong voice.

"He had great pipes, that great, wonderful booming voice that you could hear no matter where. He never used a cue card, had photographic memory and was really sharp, an excellent broadcaster."

Chevrier, divorced, lived alone with his dog Barcley, but a daughter lived nearby.

"He was kind of set in his ways," Duguid said. "He had a small circle of friends, liked to go to Vegas and play the slot the machines. He loved his dog Barcley. He phoned me twice a week. He was just a great guy and he loved life."

Ex-Yankee born in Bellingham dies
Dec, 16, 2007
CRAIG PARRISH
THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

Clarence Westly “Cuddles” Marshall, who is one of only three players in Major League Baseball history who was born in Bellingham, died Friday at his California home. He was 82.

Marshall, who attended Western Washington University and lived his final years in Saugus, Calif., was a righthanded pitcher with the New York Yankees in 1946 and from 1948 to ’49. He also played for the St. Louis Browns in 1950.

Marshall was the first Bellingham- born player in the major leagues, according to baseballreference. com. He was later followed by Bellingham natives Roger Repoz, who played outfielder for the Yankees, Kansas City Athletics and California Angels in the ’60s and early ’70s, and Ty Taubenheim, who pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2005 and ’06 and was picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this month.

Marshall had a 7-7 career record with a 5.98 ERA in 73 appearances including 15 saves. He earned a World Series championship ring in 1949 when the Yankees defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers, though baseball-reference.com did not list him with any career postseason appearances.
That ring was later stolen by workers in his home, and 20 years later, one of his two daughters had it recast.

Marshall’s brother Ernie, 78, of Bellingham, said he and his wife Beryl have numerous mementos of Clarence’s time with the Yankees. He was Joe Di Maggio’s roommate on the road, and it was the Yankee Clipper who came up with the nickname “Cuddles,” Ernie Marshall said.

One prized newspaper clipping is from the New York Daily News, describing how Clarence Marshall pitched in the first night game in Yankee Stadium on May 28, 1946. He was 21 years old.

The paper used phrases like “Yankees by lamplight” and “night baseball is still somewhat a novelty in New York,” according to Beryl Marshall.

“He lived the dream, and his dream was fulfilled,” Ernie Marshall said. “His dream was to pitch for the Seattle Rainiers, and then move up to the Yankees. He did both.”

Ernie Marshall also said that Clarence Marshall bore more than a passing resemblance to Tyrone Power, one of Hollywood’s biggest actors of the time who achieved his biggest fame after the 1940 release of “The Mark of Zorro.” One newspaper featured the two men placed side-by-side to show the resemblance.

Marshall was preceded in death by his wife Margaret. He is survived by two daughters and one grandchild.





Robert "Bob" Marquis