Field of Dreams

[Tobywan]

Garry Hancock




Ronald Garry Hancock was born on January 23, 1954 in Tampa, Florida. After graduating from Brandon High School in 1972, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 22nd round of the 1972 amateur draft. Instead of signing he opted to attend the University of South Carolina.

He was drafted again in the secondary phases of 1973, 1974 and 1975 by the Cleveland Indians, Rangers and California Angels, respectively, but did not sign and remained in school. He was a part of South Carolina's run to the College World Series in 1975, but lost to the University of Texas at Austin 5-1. He finally was signed when the Indians made him the 17th overall selection of the 1976 MLB Draft's January secondary phase. He was assigned to the San Jose Bees of the California League where he batted .308 with 162 hits (22 doubles) and 77 RBI. He split the next season between Jersey City and Toledo.

In December 1977 he was traded by the Indians to the Boston Red Sox for Jack Baker and began 1978 in Pawtucket. He was called up to make his MLB debut on July 16 in the second game of a double header at Fenway Park against the Minnesota Twins. He was given the start as the DH batting 7th behind Dwight Evans, others in the line-up included Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski and Fred Lynn. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout at the hands of Twins' hurler Roger Erickson. The Sox would take the day though, winning both games. With his debut Garry became the first Brandon High School graduate to appear in the major leagues. The next day against the Twins coming in to pinch hit in the ninth with Boston behind 2-1, he got his first hit, a single off Dave Goltz. Goltz was relieved by Mike Marshall, later in the inning, Jim Rice singled to score Hancock for the tie. Carlton Fisk then drove in Rice for the win. He got his first RBI against Milwaukee on August 5 when he drove in Fisk on a single off Randy Stein in an 8-1 win. He managed to stick with the team until the end of September but was benched due to hitting just .225, Boston finished in second place.

Back in the minors with Pawtucket in 1979, he led the International League with a .325 batting average. He was back with Boston in 1980 and 1981 but being an outfielder with the likes of Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, and Fred Lynn around, his playing time was limited. His most productive season for Boston came in 1980, when he hit a slash line of .287/.300/.443 with four home runs and 19 RBI in 46 games. His first home run came against the Mariners' Manny Sarmiento in a 12-6 lost on September 7, 1980. Hancock then batted .294 with a career-high 21 home runs at Pawtucket in 1982, and was called up to the majors again late in September.


He was traded after the 1982 season to the Oakland Athletics along with Jerry King (minors) and Carney Lansford for Tony Armas and Jeff Newman.
Over two seasons with the A's, he hit .263 with 8 home runs in 152 games, missing over a month in 1984 with an elbow strain. He also pitched an inning that season giving up no hits and no runs, but he was released in October and never played again. His last ML game was September 30, 1984 for the Oakland A's. In parts of six seasons he batted .247 with 12 homers and 64 RBI in 273 games.


He had made his off season home with his wife Kathy along with children Justin and Courtney in Valrico, FL. and after baseball he started a landscaping business. His son Justin was first drafted out of high school by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998, but he didn't sign, choosing like his father to go to college. He was then drafted out of Florida Southern in the 15th round of the 2002 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Anaheim Angels. Justin played two seasons in the minors but was released, played one season in independent ball before giving up the game and becoming a law enforcement officer with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office. Sadly Justin was diagnosed with bone cancer in June 2012 and lost his battle in April the following year at just 33 years of age.


Garry passed away on October 10, 2015 in Valrico, Florida, he was 61, no cause of death was made public. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Kathy (nee Morello), daughter, Courtney, granddaughter, Charley and extended family. He is interred at Serenity Meadows in Riverview, Florida.

[Tobywan]

Dean Chance



Wilmer Dean Chance was born on June 1, 1941, in Wooster, Ohio, one of two children to Florence (nee Beck) and Wilmer Chance, who owned and worked a dairy farm. Dean was an outstanding athlete, he played on state basketball and baseball championship teams for Northwestern High School in West Salem. A right-handed pitcher, he was 52-1, including 17 no-hitters during his HS career. He pitched every inning of every postseason tournament game during the Huskies Class A state semifinals in 1958 and a championship in 1959. Many of his records including the win/loss still stand at the school.

He signed with the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent before the 1959 season receiving a $30,000 bonus and $12 Greyhound bus ticket. He began his pro career with the Bluefield Orioles (West Virginia) in the Appalachian League. A very impressive first season, he went 10-3 with a 2.94 ERA with 107 IP. He had a distinctive windup in which he would turn his back fully away from the hitter before spinning and unleashing his pitch

In the 1960 off season he was drafted by the expansion Washington Senators as the 48th pick of the expansion draft. He was then traded hours later to the other expansion Los Angeles Angels for Joe Hicks. Just after the draft he married Judy Larson, they had a son Brett in 1962.

He played in 1961 with the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers of the American Association going 9-12. At the end of the Angels inaugural season he got a call up making his ML debut on September 11 against the Twins in Minnesota. It wasn't stellar, giving up four runs on 10 hits, a walk and struck out two in the 3-2 loss. He finished going 0-2 in five games, four were starts. Surprisingly, the 20 year-old Chance was not the team's youngest player. Jim Fregosi and Bob Sprout were both 19, while Tom Satriano and Dan Ardell were both also 20.

He got his first win on May 4, 1962 against the Baltimore Orioles and finished third in the ROY voting that season going 14-10 followed by a rough 1963. He began the 1964 season hampered by a blister, but went 15-4 after July 1st. He would finish the season 20-9, including 11 shutouts, five of them in games the Angels won by 1-0. This was the season he established himself as a Yankee killer. Mickey Mantle especially hated facing him as he went 13-53 against Chance over his career. The Yankees, who were American League champions that year, lost only 63 games, four of them to Chance, who shut them out three times. In a game against them on June 6, he pitched 14 scoreless innings before a reliever lost the game in the 15th. In 50 innings against the Yankees that season, he gave up 14 hits and one run, a homer by Mantle, finishing with an earned run average of 0.18. Against the whole league for the whole season, his E.R.A. was 1.65, still the second-best figure in the American League (behind Luis Tiant’s 1.60 in 1968) in more than 70 years. He also led the league in complete games and innings pitched, was an All-Star and earned the Cy Young award. At the time, the Cy Young was given to the best pitcher in the major leagues. Since 1967, the American and National Leagues have each awarded a Cy Young and at 23, Chance was the youngest pitcher ever to receive it. (In the dual-award era, younger pitchers have won, including Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers in 1981 and Dwight Gooden of the Mets in 1985.)


After a rough year in 1966 the now California Angels traded Chance along with a PTBNL to the Minnesota Twins for Pete Cimino, Jimmie Hall and Don Mincher. Jackie Hernandez was sent (April 10, 1967) to the Twins to complete the trade. He went 20-14 in 1967 and started the All-Star game for the AL, pitched two no-hitters and won the league’s Comeback Player of the Year Award, given by The Sporting News. He went 16-16 in 1968, in1969 he missed part of the season due to injury. The Twins won the division and he pitched in his one and only post season. He pitched two innings in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Orioles, giving up three runs on four hits including a home run to Paul Blair. They were eliminated, though the O's would lose the World Series to the miracle Mets.


He was sent along with Bob Miller, Graig Nettles and Ted Uhlaender to the Cleveland Indians in December 1969 for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams. He wasn't the same pitcher, he was 9-8 with a 4.24 ERA in 155 innings when his contract was purchased by the New York Mets on September 18, 1970.


At the end of spring in 1971 he was traded by the Mets with Bill Denehy to the Detroit Tigers for Jerry Robertson, he lost two months of the season again to injury. He was released after season and retired. His last MLB appearance was in a Detroit Tigers uniform on August 9, 1971 in Boston, a no decision.

After 11 seasons he finished with a 128–115 record, 2.92 ERA with 1,534 strikeouts in 2147.1 IP.

He was considered one of the worst hitters ever to play in the big leagues; in 1966 he went 2 for 76, an .026 average, and for his career he hit .066, the lowest figure for any player with at least 300 plate appearances; in 662 official at-bats, he struck out 420 times.


He was known as a bit of a braggart, stating once that he was the most exciting pitcher since Bobby Feller, then stated you can go back further, since Dizzy Dean. He was also known as a carouser who served as a wingman for one of the game’s legendary night prowlers and ladies’ men, pitcher Bo Belinsky. This is chronicled in Tom Nahigian's book "Bo and Dean: A Lifetime of Fun and Friendship". It's no surprise that Dean's marriage did not survive through it all. His relationship with Belinsky lasted until Bo's death in 2001.


Chance retired to a 300-acre cattle ranch 3 miles from his boyhood farm and became a strong supporter of Wayne County High School Sports and especially Northwestern High School. He kept busy in several jobs after baseball, dabbling in real estate and acted as a carnival barker. He operated games at carnivals and fairs and was one of the most successful operators, eventually employing 250 people and running 40 games at the Ohio State Fair alone. He was on a circuit that included Columbus, OH, Raleigh, NC, Augusta, GA, Syracuse, NY, Hollywood, FL, and Corpus Christi, TX. He got tired of the constant traveling and lifestyle. He became a boxing promoter ( managing the heavyweight Earnie Shavers), founded the International Boxing Association in 1990's and served as its long-time president.

As part of the Angels' 50th anniversary, Chance threw out the first pitch before the June 4, 2011 game versus the New York Yankees. In August 2015 Chance was inducted into the Angels hall of fame.

He passed away on October 11, 2015 at his home in New Pittsburg, Ohio of a heart attack, he was 74. He is survived by his sister, Janet, son Brett, two granddaughters and a niece and nephew. He is buried at the Wooster Cemetery in Wooster, Ohio.

[Tobywan]

Neill Sheridan




Neill Rawlins Sheridan was born on November 20, 1921 in Sacramento, California the oldest son of Solomon and Helen Sheridan, brother Bill was born two years later. He grew up in Berkeley, just north of San Francisco. He and his brother grew up playing sports at local playgrounds. His family was friendly with Yankee Myril Hoag who once got a ball signed by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, so young Neill became a Yankees fan. Just before high school his father who worked for the California State Employment Service was transferred back to the capital Sacramento.

He didn't make the Sacramento High School baseball team, but he excelled in track and football, the starting halfback which earned him a scholarship to the University of San Francisco. He had just turned 20 at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor and he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He suffered an asthma attack before he even got to boot camp and was given a medical discharge. He went to a recruiting office and appealed to the draft board, but no one would take him with the asthmatic condition. He went to work for the Kaiser shipyard in Richmond, California, working in the employment office, doing the same sort of work as his father did for the state.

Due to war there was a shortage of ball players in the majors, independent and semi-pro leagues. Due to his work with the State of CA he dealt with unions, one of the heads of one was a good friend of 11-year major league veteran Lefty O’Doul who manged the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. At the time they were not affiliated to a major league club, he got a try out, signed at the end of the year and got one at bat. He played most of the 1944 season with the Chattanooga Lookouts in the Southern League, they had a working relationship with the Washington Senators, he played 70 games batted .326 before going back to the Seals where he hit .293 in 42 games. They made it into the league post season, he hit .444 (12 for 27) against Oakland during the semi-final series. He hadn't been with the team long enough to be eligible to play in the finals. The Seals went on to take the championship over the Los Angeles Angels (a Cubs affiliate).


In 1945 he signed a new contract with the Seals and got married in the same week to Irene. Sheridan played exclusively for the Seals from 1945 through the 1947 season, with averages of .290, .269, and .286. He played in the PCL All-Star Game in both 1946 (a home run, a double, and five RBI) and 1947 (two singles). The Seals won the PCL title in 1945 and 1946, but lost in the semi-finals in 1947. During this time he was given the nickname “Wild Horse,” dubbed that by an older player named Ray Harrell due to the way Sheridan ran. He showed a bit of power in 1947 hitting 16 home runs matching his previous seasons combined with 96 RBI.


A local sports writer speculated that while the NY Giants (who had a working relationship with SF) were interested, they held back because Sheridan showed a bit of a temper, he had been benched a few times as punishment.

The day before the 1947 season ended the Boston Red Sox sent money and two PTBNL to the Seals for Sheridan.Boston sent Tommy Fine (October 22, 1947) and Strick Shofner (October 22, 1947) to San Francisco (PCL) to complete the trade. Many were perplexed by the move, including Neill himself as the Sox already had five establish outfielders.

Sheridan went to spring training with the big league ball club. He opened the season with the big league club, renting an apartment in Boston for himself, his wife, their daughter and infant son. About a week after they moved in, in early May, he was optioned back to the PCL, playing for the Seattle Rainiers. He hadn't played any games for Boston, seemed they didn't need that sixth outfielder. The Sporting News asked him how he’d gotten along with manager Joe McCarthy, and Sheridan said that McCarthy had only spoken three words to him all spring: “Nice going, kid” after he’d thrown out Dom DiMaggio taking a big turn at first base during an intrasquad game. A few of his best memories are from that spring training camp, a few conversations with Ted Williams, meeting Joe DiMaggio through his teammate (Joe's brother) Dom and then Joe introducing him to Babe Ruth. Babe passed away a few months later.


Sheridan had a very good year for Seattle, hitting .312, hitting 17 homers, and driving in 82. With two weeks left in the season Boston was a game ahead of the Yankees Sam Mele hurt his ankle. Sheridan got the call and on September 19 he got into the second game of a doubleheader in Detroit. The Tigers won the first game, 4-3, in 12 innings. The score was 6-6 after six in the second game, and Wild Horse Sheridan was put in to run for Bobby Doerr when Doerr reached base but strained a leg muscle. Stan Spence was retired then the Tigers scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to win a game that was called after eight innings on account of darkness.



One week later, he came in to pinch hit for Dave "Boo" Ferriss in the top of the ninth,leading off and facing Tommy Byrne of the Yankees. New York had a 6-2 lead. He struck out looking followed by fly outs from Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky. He stayed with the team, went with them as they faced the Cleveland Indians in a play-off game. The Tribe built up such a lead he wasn't needed. With the season over he was sent back to Seattle in time for the PCL playoffs, they moved on to the Championship finals but the opposing Oakland Oaks (managed by Casey Stengel) wouldn't give permission to waive the eligibility clause to allow Sheridan to play in the finals, Seattle lost 4-1.



He stayed with Seattle for the 1949 season, he suffered a slight decline and the team didn't make it back to the play-offs. He spent 1950 back with the SF Seals where he hit .288 with 12 homers and 54 RBI in 319 at-bats. In 1951 he played for the Seals now an affiliate of the NY Yankees and the San Diego Padres under Cleveland control. When the Minneapolis Millers, the Triple-A team of the NY Giants sent Willie Mays to majors, they purchased Sheridan's contract to take his place. He continued to bounce around in 1952 and 1953. Starting off in Oakland in 1953 the team ran out of money, he went to Sacramento, it was there he two home runs one night. July 8, 1953 started off on an interesting note, the team had set up a publicity stunt which feature a player racing an Arabian horse, the player slated got sick, so they sent Sheridan instead. He posted a faster time than the horse with the course set up in a zig-zag formation. That night the Solons were facing Sheridan's old team the SF Seals his second homer went over the left-center field fence at Edmonds Field. No one thought much about it until a man named Pat Kelly presented the ball to Neill. He claimed the ball had hit the rear window on his car while parked on a street near the stadium. Team staff ad officials thought that was impossible and enlisted a survey company to measure the distance. They determined it was 326 feet down the left-field line and another 294 feet to where all parties claimed the car was parked. They put the distance at 613.8 feet, it was credited as the farthest home run in history, at least at the time.


He continued to bounce around, back to the Seals, the Victoria and Vancouver in British Columbia. In fact when Victoria folded on August 2, 1954, he hoped a plane the same day to Vancouver, signed and played for them the next day. He helped them win the championship that year. It finally sunk in that he was never likely to make it back to the majors and retired after the season. His last appearance was September 26, 1948 for the Boston Red Sox. His career is one at bat, no hits, no runs. He finished his 12 year minor career with a .280 BA with 1,305 hits, 107 home runs and 603 RBI in 1,353 games.


He went to work for Black’s Market (a retail grocery business) in Orinda, CA and a Pleasant Hill liquor store before retiring in 1982. In his spare time he coached football and basketball.


He passed away on October 15, 2015 after a bout with pneumonia in Antioch, California, he was 93. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother and son. He is survived by his wife of of 70 years, Irene, daughter Sydney, three granddaughters, and five great-grandchildren. There was a memorial service at Christ the King Church in Pleasant Hill, CA on Nov. 14.







He's holding the bat and ball that he hit a 613 foot home run in 1953 as a member of the Pacific Coast League.

[Tobywan]

John Tsitouris





John Philip Tsitouris was born on May 5, 1936 in Monroe, North Carolina, one of six children born to Philip and Verla Mae (nee Rowell) Tsitouris. His father was a Greek immigrant, his parents were married in 1926, the Rowell family had lived in N. Carolina since before the Civil War. They supported their growing family with ventures in the restaurant business. Born and raised in Monroe, he grew up playing baseball, excelling in the American Legion league, Benton Heights High School and with the semi-pro Monroe Blue Sox. As a star right-handed pitcher he soon drew interest from major league scouts. One such scout, newly appointed by the Detroit Tigers was Rick Ferrell (a fellow-North Carolinian and later Hall of Fame inductee). He signed John during his senior year (1954) as an amateur free agent.

John was first assigned to the Georgia-Florida League and remained with the Class D Valdosta (Georgia) Tigers through 1955, posting a 10-9 record. He started 1956 in Terre Haute, Indiana, until the Class B affiliate folded. He then went with his manager Bill Norman to Augusta, Georgia, in the South Atlantic League. He was embraced by some of the local Greek restaurant owners in the town, they fed him regularly and made him feel at home. Though he had joined the league in midstream he ranked among the league leaders with 13 wins while establishing the lowest single-season ERA (1.51) in South Atlantic history (a record that still holds). However, Tsitouris had a stubborn streak and a temper. He drew ire from his coaches when he decided not to participate in the circuit’s All-Star festivities which earned him a $25 fine. The Tigers invited Tsitouris to advanced training in Florida, they had a heavy slugging line-up but a not so hard hitting rotation. They were hoping the youngster could make the jump, but they deemed him not ready. He did earn a promotion to Triple-A with the Charleston Senators for the 1957 season. He was 7-4 when he got the call to join the Tigers at Briggs Stadium on June 13. The game against the Baltimore Orioles was a scoreless tie in the fifth inning after two pitchers. The second pitcher Steve Gromek suffered a pinched nerve so John was given the task of trying to get the last out. The first batter he faced Al Pilarcik, walked, but he retired Gus Triandos to get out unscathed. He began the sixth and allowed just two hits and no runs. In the Tigers half of the sixth, Charlie Maxwell homered and Jay Porter drove in Al Kaline to give Detroit a 2-0 lead. He came in for the seventh getting the first out, but the gave up a walk and a double before being relieved by Lou Sleater, a ground-out scored a run charged to John. The Tigers held on to win 2-1. He pitched 1.2 innings, gave up one earned run, three hits and two bases on balls, but earn the win. He made one more appearance that ended as a loss for the team. He was promptly sent back to Charleston being replaced by veteran righty Harry Byrd. Angry, defiant and displaying immaturity he chose not to report right away opting to go home and fish. The stunt got him a $175 in fines. He had an very good outing his first time back, but then lost seven of his last ten decisions. To top it off during a late season outing against the Louisville Colonels he was sent in to relieve a pitcher that was hit. Tsitouris appeared to purposely give hits to the opposition resulting in his manager physically jerking him from the mound . He walked off to a barrage of boos from the crowd which was responded to by a vulgar gesture from Tsitouris. Both his manager and the Tigers GM John McHale vowed he would never play for them again. Tsitouris in kind demanded a trade, the team obliged, sending him to the Kansas City Athletics. He was part of a 13 player trade that sent him and Bill Tuttle to KC with the Tigers receiving Billy Martin, among others on November 20.


The A's pitching staff was as anemic as the Tigers, he was one of the last cuts and started the 1958 season in Buffalo. Shortly after arrival, he was called away due to the death of his father. He returned in May grieving and with a sore elbow. He posted a 4.50 ERA for the next month, he left the team abruptly with no notice and no explanation on July 4. He returned under threat of suspension and was demoted to the AA Little Rock Travelers, in limited play he went 0-3, 5.18 in seven appearances. Despite the troubles, Kansas City who had posted the worst ERA in the American League that season called him up, he made an appearance in the last game of the season.


Somewhere around this time he married his high school sweetheart Dorothy "Dottie" Keziah and started a family right away.


He would spend 1960 with the major club but he appeared in only 14 games and 33 innings pitched missing most of the season with a fractured jaw that he received during batting practice in early May. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in a waiver deal for left-handed pitcher Joe Nuxhall in January 1961.
He had a mediocre 1961 season in Indianapolis though the team went on to win the American Association pennant , as he was hampered with arm problems. They were dropped as an affiliate by 1962 so he played with the San Diego Padres in the Pacific Coast League. He started slow, but turned around in June including a 24 straight scoreless innings streak. Despite a fine and suspension for punching an umpire he continued pitching well, making the All-Star team and putting together seven consecutive wins through August and finished among the league leaders with a 2.92 ERA. On August 30, Tsitouris captured the Padres’ pennant-clincher, 3-2, over Vancouver, then led the team to the PCL championship. He earned the Padres’ Most Valuable Pitcher of the Year honors and a call-up in mid-September. He gave up just two earned runs in 21.1 innings including a complete game five-hit shutout against the Phillies on September 30.


The best season of his career was in 1963, when he went 12-8 with a 3.16 ERA for the Reds. He finished the year with 145 strikeouts second highest on the pitching staff. He started 21 games, had eight complete games, and three shutouts. He finished the 1963 season with back to back complete game shutouts against the Cardinals. His roommate on the road that season was some rookie second baseman named Pete Rose. John continued as a full-time member of the Reds' pitching staff, winning nine (1964), and six (1965) games, mostly as a starting pitcher. On April 18, 1964 he came on in relief of Jim Maloney in a game against Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers that came within one strike of being a combined no-hitter; Maloney had held Los Angeles hitless through six innings, but was replaced in the seventh by Tsitouris, who walked Ron Fairly with two out in the ninth and then allowed Frank Howard a two-strike infield base hit. On September 21 that same season he shut out the Phillies 1–0 on six hits at Connie Mack Stadium, starting the ten-game Philadelphia losing streak that knocked the Phillies out of first place. However, with his effectiveness diminishing year-by-year, Tsitouris was sent to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 1966 and, despite brief stints with Cincinnati in 1967–1968, spent the rest of his career in the minors. His final season he was once again suspended for failure to report on time to his minor league assignment. He retired after the season.



He also had decent success playing during the winter leagues in Puerto Rico and Venezuela during his pro career. His last appearance was on April 24, 1968, for the Cincinnati Reds, in his 11 ML seasons he finished with a 34–38 record, 4.13 ERA, 432 strikeouts with 663 IP.

After retirement he went into his father-in-law's automobile dealership. He and Dottie continued to raise their five children, one son, Marc was a standout baseball player at Wingate University in North Carolina and was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1989, but didn't sign. The following year he was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 24th round, launching a two-year minor league career. In 2012 Marc was inducted into Wingate’s Sports Hall of Fame. John enjoyed hunting, fishing, watching his children and grands play sports and was very active in his church.

He passed away surrounded by his family on October 22, 2015 at the Carolinas Medical Center-Union in in Monroe, North Carolina, he was 79. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Rachel (2009). He is survived by his wife Dorothy, their five children, John Philip, Eric, Robin, Sandy and Marc, nine grandchildren, one great-grandchild, his siblings, Georgia, Ernest, Sylvia, Steve and their families. According to his obituary he served in the military but it is unclear when he served or which branch. He is buried at Lakeland Memorial Park in Monroe, NC.




With his children


John in the middle flanked by his late sister Rachel and brother Steve.

[Tobywan]

Norm Siebern

Norman Leroy Siebern was born on July 26, 1933 in St. Louis, Missouri, one of two sons to Milton and Iva Siebern. He attended Wellston High School, was an editor of the school paper and preferred basketball to baseball. According to one source he was being scouted as young as 15 by the New York Yankees, who signed the left-handed outfielder right out high school in 1951. He played that summer for the McAlester Rockets in the Sooner State League batting .331.

During the off seasons he attended Southwest Missouri State University to play basketball, one of his teammates was Jerry Lumpe, who also went on to play for the Yankees and the Athletics. Norm was a member of the SMSU basketball team that won the NAIA National Basketball Championships in 1952-1953. SMSU posted a 10-0 record in the national tourney over the two seasons. This included wins over Indiana State, Murray State, and Gonzaga, though both Siebern and Lumpe headed to spring training prior to the title games. Summers were spent playing baseball in Joplin and Birmingham. The NAIA rule allowing athletes to play minor league baseball and college basketball was rescinded after the 1953 season. Siebern set aside his pursuit of a degree in journalism and his baseball career while serving two years in the U.S.Army.

Upon discharge he reported to the Yankees for spring training in 1956, where he won the first James P. Dawson Memorial Award, an award given to the top rookie in the Yankees' training camp. He suffered a knee injury just before the beginning of the regular season. He rehabbed in Denver, getting the call to the majors on June 15 to make his debut. The youngster joined Yogi Berra, Billy Martin, Phil Rizzuto, Whitey Ford, and 24-year old Mickey Mantle, who was on his way to a 52-home run, 130-RBI, MVP season. In a game in Cleveland he was given a start in LF and batting second in front of Mantle and Berra. On his first at bat against Indians Mike Garcia he hit a single. He then scored on a home run hit by Mantle. He singled and scored again later in the 6-2 Yankee win. He remained with the team the rest of the season, they had maintained first place since the end of April, finishing 97-57. They faced the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series, Norm got one at bat in Game 2, the Yankees were down 11-7 when he pinch hit for P Bob Turley in the 6th, he flied out and didn't play the field. He was benched the rest of the series as he was hobbled by a sore knee and shoulder from a previous game where he chased a fly ball into a concrete wall. The Yanks went on to take the series 4-3. He wasn't fully healed by spring and didn't make the ML club. He ended up playing in the minors for all of 1957 where he was named minor league player of the year by The Sporting News.

He was healthy and ready to go in 1958 and made the team out of spring again. He became the regular left fielder over the now 40 -year old Enos Slaughter, he batted .300 won the only Gold Glove of his career. However, his fielding proved costly in the 1958 World Series against the Milwaukee Braves besides hitting just .125. In Game 4 of the Series, with the Yankees down two games to one, Siebern lost a handful of fly balls in the sun or in the lights, which had been turned on to accommodate television. Although he wasn’t charged with an error, his misplays had a role in all three runs of a 3-0 Braves victory. Manager Casey Stengel benched him for the rest of the series, which the Yankees came back to win. The next year, Siebern played fewer games, his average slid to .271 and he became a key figure in a trade that brought Roger Maris to NY. On December 11, 1959 Siebern was sent along with Hank Bauer, Don Larsen and Marv Throneberry to the Kansas City Athletics for Joe DeMaestri, Kent Hadley and Roger Maris.

He did well in Kansas City and was reunited with his SMSU teammate Jerry Lumpe, the team was terrible, the manger was fired halfway through the season and Hank Bauer took the helm. The team played below .500 each year he was there and never finished higher than eighth. Roger Maris went on to breaking Babe Ruth's record and winning a WS in 1961. Norm had his best season in 1962, he hit 25 home runs and doubles, had 117 runs batted in and a .308 batting average. He made the All-Star team in 1962 and 1963.

In November 1963 he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Jim Gentile and $25,000. Playing for his former teammate and manager, now the O's manager, Hank Bauer, he led the AL in walks for the 1964 season. Bauer had him start all season at first base and once again made the All-Star team. However, in 1965 he lost his starting spot by mid-season to Boog Powell and was sent to the California Angels for Dick Simpson in December. Another mediocre season got him sent to the San Francisco Giants for Len Gabrielson in the off season. He batted just .155 in 46 games as a back up for Willie McCovey, before they sold his contract to the Boston Red Sox. He managed to raise his BA to .205. Boston made it to the World Series, Norm made three appearances collecting one hit and RBI in three at bats. They were defeated 4-3 by the St. Louis Cardinals.

He appeared in 46 games for the Giants in 1967, primarily backing up Willie McCovey at first base, before being purchased by the Boston Red Sox in July. He hit just .205 in 33 games for Boston that year but went 1-for-3 (with a hit coming off Bob Gibson) in pinch hitting appearances in the 1967 World Series. After going just 2-for-30 for Boston in 1968, he was released, and his playing career was over. After batting just .067 in 27 games in 1966 he was released on August 7 and retired. His last MLB appearance was July 30, 1968, for the Boston Red Sox. In 12 seasons he averaged .272 with 1,217 hits, 132 HR, 636 RBI and 708 walks in 1,406 games.


He became a scout for a time with the Atlanta Braves and then the expansion Kansas City Royals. He started an insurance company in Independence, MO. Later he moved to Naples, FL opening an agency there, he sold the company in 2000 and retired to Lady Lake, Florida. He played in several Yankees Old Timers games, and joined his ex-Yankee teammates at several Roger Maris Memorial Charity Golf Tournaments in Fargo, North Dakota. In 2002, he was honored by Missouri State University, where he is a member of the school's Athletic Hall of Fame, when the 1952 and 1953 NAIA championship teams held a 50-year reunion. He played in several Yankees Old Timers games, and joined his ex-Yankee teammates at several Roger Maris Memorial Charity Golf Tournaments in Fargo, North Dakota.

He passed away at Avow Hospice in Naples, Florida on October 30, 2015, after a short battle with acute myeloid leukemia he was 82. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Harold Siebern, and nephew Bradford Siebern. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth, three daughters, Lisa, Jennifer and Saundra, 8 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, 3 nephews and 1 niece.






Norm between Hank Bauer and Yogi Berra.

[Tobywan]

Eddie Milner


Edward James Milner Jr. was born on May 21, 1955 in Columbus, Ohio. He was the fourth of seven children born to Evangeline (nee Covington) and Eddie James Milner Sr. He was athletic as was his brother Hobson Milner, who was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 12th round of the 1982 NFL draft and cousin John Milner, who played in the majors. He was a fast runner which helped him excel in football, good enough the get an offer from Ohio University. He also enjoyed wrestling, but baseball won out, after graduating from Marion-Franklin High School he went to the Division III level with Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio. Sadly, he never got to play as he suffered a back injury while lifting weights in a pre-season workout. He went home and got a job working in a steel mill.


He was playing summer ball when a coach from Central State University saw him at clinic and offered a scholarship. He played well enough to catch interest from pro scouts and was taken in the 21st round of the June 1976 draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He earned a Bachelor's in Finance at CSU where he was also a member of The Lodge. He started his baseball career with the Billings (Montana) Mustangs in the Pioneer League. The lefty outfielder hit .255 with two home runs and 14 doubles in 67 games. His three triples, 17 stolen bases, and 49 walks were team highs. The Pioneers finished second in the league, going 36-35, and Milner was named to the postseason All-Star team.

With the Shelby (NC) Reds i 1977, he led the team with 35 steals. Due to the gravel outfield at their stadium he needed surgery on his feet after the season. In 1978, he led the Tampa Tarpons with 141 hits, a .284 BA, 79 runs, 16 triples, 28 steals, 55 walks, and 44 RBI. In 1979 he split the season at Double-A Nashville Sounds and Triple-A Indianapolis Indians playing with many that were part of the Big Red Machine during their run. He began 1980 with the Indians leading the team with seven triples, he also had 24 steals and a .252 BA. He made his ML debut on September 2 as a pinch hitter against the Cardinals. With two outs in the 5th, reds behind 5-0, he replaced P Charlie Leibrandt, facing Bob Forsch he flew out to center. He made six appearances and though he didn't get a hit he came across the plate as a pinch runner.

He hit .287, stealing 43 bases and leading Indianapolis with six triples in 1981 during a strike filled season. He got a late season call getting his first big-league hit on September 25, a run-scoring double off Atlanta reliever Steve Bedrosian. His speed earned him the nickname "greyhound".


He made the roster in 1982, batting .268 in 113 games, he was more dominant in his defense, but the team was waning losing 101 games. He had an even better year in '83 hitting .261 with nine homers and 33 RBI and a career best 46 stolen bases. It appeared he was on his way to successful long term career.

He only played 117 games in 1984, injuries were nagging him and he was devastated by the death of his mother, sadly Milner turned to cocaine. His batting average dropped to .232 in 1984, and he stole 21 bases in 34 attempts. He bounced back a bit to hit .254 with 35 steals and a career-best 82 runs scored in 1985, manager Pete Rose’s first full year back with the Reds.

Just as Eddie's star was rising his cousin John's career had ended and he was embroiled in a drug scandal. He confessed to his own addiction and a tale of wide spread use in the Pirates clubhouse implicating beloved superstars like Willie Mays and Willie Stargell. John testified that they brought amphetamines and cocaine into the clubhouse. Milner became a pariah in Pittsburgh. John Milner was never invited back to Three Rivers Stadium, not even for celebrations commemorating the Bucs’ world championship season of 1979.


In 1986 he had a 20-game hitting streak, a career-high 15 homers and 47 RBI. He was traded to San Francisco in January 1987, for pitcher Frank Williams and minor-league pitchers Mike Villa and Timber Mead. He entered drug rehab for the first time and batted .252 in 101 games for the division-winning Giants and became a free agent after the season. He signed back with the Reds in 1988, but had a relapse in spring getting suspended by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth for a year, it was reduced to 81 games. He got reinstated after completing another rehab program. He spent time with Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Nashville that season before playing 23 games and batting just .176 for the Reds. He retired after the season, making his last ML appearance July 29 for Cincinnati.


He played nine years in the majors finishing with a .253 BA, 42 home runs, 195 RBI, 145 stolen bases in 804 games. Milner shared a major-league record (as of 2013) with Cesar Tovar as the only players to get a hit in five one-hitters.

He worked odd jobs, one included working with the post-game cleaning crew at Cincinnati’s Cinergy Field in 1996. He also owned Champion Consulting Services, a personal finance company and operated Judah Network Inc., a non-profit company that collects money and sponsorship support for Christian-based youth athletic camps.Though his playing days ended his drug use didn't, he was in and out of rehab for many years.

He gave church a try in the mid 80's, it seemed to help, he became an ordained evangelist, and he began using his struggles to minister to those who were going through the same thing. Even faith couldn't always win. In 1990, Milner played for the Fort Myers Sun Sox of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He appeared in 14 games and was batting .156 when the league folded. His wife Retha stood by him for a long time, but eventually he lost her, too in 2000 when they divorced after 16 years and two daughters.


He passed away on November 2, in Dayton, Ohio, he was 60., no cause of death was made public. He was preceded in death by his mother Evangeline, brother Lynn, grandparents Eddie R. and Emma L. Milner and Hobson and Hattie Covington as well as his cousin John Milner (lung cancer 2000), who played in the ML between 1971-1982. He is survived by his father Eddie J. Milner Sr, daughters, Elisha and Erin, two grandchildren, sisters, Inez and Peggy Ann; brothers, Alvino, Craig and Hobson and numerous extended family and friends. He is interred at Glen Rest Memorial Estates in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

[Tobywan]

Fred Besana



Frederick Cyril Besana was born April 5, 1931 in Lincoln, California one of two sons born to Levell (nee Threlkel) and Cedo (Cyril) Besana. He grew up in a farming town learning to pitch by throwing rocks at a barn. In his senior year at Lincoln High, the lefty struck out 107 batters in 65 innings, leading the Zebras to the 1947 Sacramento County League championship. He went on to pitch for Placer Junior College (now Sierra College). In his second season, he led the Spartans to a league title and the Northern California best-of-three championship series against San Mateo. Mateo’s top pitcher was former Sacramento Solons right-hander Bud Watkins. Besana won the opener 1-0, but his team lost 4-2 in Game 2. In the decisive third game, he took the mound against Watkins, who became a minor-league teammate of Besana’s with the Vancouver Mounties in 1958. San Mateo won the game 3-2 in 16 innings, despite Besana pitching 13 innings and hitting a two-run home run.

In 1950, he signed with the Oakland Oaks of the PCL for $5,000, with the provision he would collect an additional $5,000 if his contract was sold to a major-league team. After attending spring training with the Oaks, he was assigned to the Sweetwater (Texas) Swatters of the Class D Longhorn League. He made five starts, went 3-1 with a 4.64 ERA and was promoted to the Albuquerque (N.M.) Dukes of the West Texas-New Mexico League. At Class C Albuquerque, he was 15-11 with a 5.23 ERA. He pitched a combined 205 innings that season.


His pro career was interrupted when he spent four years in the Air Force, even though he was serving, he still got to play baseball and also some basketball.
He spent all of his military career in the states, stationed at Clarksville Base in Tennessee and Travis AFB3. While at Clarksville word got around that there was a pro pitcher on the base. Owner of the Hartsville Sun, a local semi-pro team , suggested to Besana's base commander to allow him weekend passes to pitch for them. Not everyone liked the idea, one lieutenant cited him for missing guard duty, listing him as being AWOL. After a meeting in the commander’s office, there was no more problems with the lieutenant. A local bidding war for Besana ensued, he was getting $10 a game by the Suns, the Clarksville Moose offered $25, so he became a Moose. He tells of stories from small towns like Harlem, Kentucky. During a game there he rounded third, heading for home and plowed over the catcher. Sitting in the dugout a man in overalls walked up and yelled at him for knocking down his son as he opened his coat to show him a pistol before walking away. While at Travis AFB in 1953 and 1954, Besana pitched for the Marysville Giants of the semi-pro Valley League. Games were played on Wednesday nights and a weekend afternoon. He struck out 18 batters in a game twice.

While at Placer College, Fred met Sylvia Rastler, they were married in 1953.

After his military stint was up he rejoined the the Oaks at the end of the 1954 season. He struggled going 0-4 with 6.83 ERA in 27.2 IP. He had a much better 1955 pitching 146 innings, going 6-10 with a 3.75 ERA and Baltimore bought his contract. Making the team out of spring, he made his MLB debut on April 18, 1956, pitching two innings in relief. In a game against the Boston Red Sox, he came in to start the bottom of the seventh with the Orioles down 8-4. He gave up no hits, no runs and two walks, including a groundout of Jimmy Piersall. There was no more scoring so the game ended in a loss for O's starter Ray Moore. Fred's only disappointment was not facing his idol Ted Williams who had left the game in the 5th due to a heel injury. On April 22, he made the first of two career starts, picking up the 7-3 victory against the Washington Senators. Originally, O's manager Paul Richards wanted to use him strictly in relief, but starter lefty Bill Wight had a rough spring and got rocked in his first two starts. Fred pitched a total of seven games making two starts, despite Richards wishes, Besana was demoted. He spent most of the season with the Vancouver Mounties where he went 1-13 with a 6.62 ERA in 100.2 IP.


In 1957, he joined the unaffiliated Amarillo Gold Sox of the Western League. After he went 10-3, the Orioles purchased his contract again and assigned him to Knoxville of the South Atlantic League to finish the season. Though, he accumulated was 23-25 at Knoxville (1-4), Louisville (11-12 in 1958) and Vancouver (9-8 in 1959). Besana struck out Willie McCovey with the bases loaded in the 1959 Pacific Coast League All-Star Game. He retired and went back to school, completing his college courses to fulfill his teaching credential requirements at Sacramento State. He made one last effort returning the game in 1961, because of this his 1960 season is listed as restricted. Besana played for the Spokane Indians/Montreal Royals, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A club in the PCL. After the season, he called it quits for good. In his eight minor-league seasons, he had a 58-67 record and 4.33 ERA in 1050.2 innings. His last ML appearance May 13, 1956, for the Baltimore Orioles. His career stats are 1-0, 5.60 ERA with seven strike outs in 17.2 IP.

He began teaching and coached junior varsity basketball and baseball at Roseville High School from 1962-64. During the fall of 1965, he became Oakmont High School’s first baseball coach. In 1966, he joined the American River College teaching staff and was named the baseball coach. He coached until 1985 and taught until his retirement in 1990. He was an avid hunter, fisherman and golfer which he enjoyed sharing with his family. He was a 57 year member of Sierra View Country Club. His son, Fred Besana, played in the United States Football League (Oakland Invaders)and National Football League (Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants).

He passed away on November 7, 2015 in Roseville, CA, he was 84. He was preceded in death by his parents and wife Sylvia (2008). He is survived by his son Fred, grandson Adam, and brother Keven. He is buried in Roseville Public Cemetery District in Placer County, CA.


With grandson Adam and friend.

[Tobywan]

Tommy Hanson


Thomas J Hanson Jr. was born on August 28, 1986 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Cindy and Tom Hanson. He had an older sister, two more sisters came later. The family moved to San Bernardino County, California when Tommy was little, his father was an iron worker. He played Little League baseball in Victorville, California under Little League coach Steve Cooper. He did odd jobs including chopping and gathering scrap metal to pay for his way on a travel ball team. His hobby was fishing with his father, grandfather and Uncles, once they went on a nice excursion to Mexico. He played his freshman year of high school baseball at Silverado High School in Victorville, before transferring to Redlands East Valley where he graduated in June 2004. He attended Riverside Community College on a scholarship and played for the Corvallis Knights in the West Coast League, an independent summer collegiate baseball league. In June 2005, the right-hander was selected in the 22nd round (677th overall pick) by the Atlanta Braves as a draft-and-follow pick. He signed on May 24, 2006.

He began his pro career with the Danville Braves of the Appalachian League. In Danville, he began the season as the league's fourth-best prospect according to Baseball America. That season, Hanson ended up starting Game 2 of the Appalachian League Championship Series, finishing the season 4–1 with three wins coming in relief along with a 2.09 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP in 51.2 IP.

He was assigned to and named the best pitching prospect in the South Atlantic League and ranked the ninth-best prospect in the Braves system. Playing for the Rome Braves he went 2–6 record with a 2.59 ERA in 14 starts (and one relief appearance). Midway through the season Hanson was called up to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, also a Class A team for the Atlanta Braves. He finished the season at 3–3 with a 4.20 ERA in 11 starts.

He was back with the Pelicans in 2008, in his first start he pitched five no-hit innings with a then career-best 13 strikeouts. After seven starts he allowed 15 in 40 innings with a 3–1 record and 0.90 ERA he got promoted to the Braves' Double-A affiliate, the Mississippi Braves. In his ninth start he threw a no-hitter and set a new career high 14 strikeouts. He finished 8–4 with a 3.03 ERA in 18 starts and won the MiLBY for Class A Advanced Single Game Performance (with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans). He also earned the Atlanta Braves Pitcher of the Year and also placed on Baseball America's Minor League Team of the Year and was sent to the Arizona Fall League. He compiled a 5–0 record with a 0.63 ERA while racking up 49 strikeouts in 28.2 innings during AFL play and named MVP, the first pitcher to receive this award.

He was considered by Baseball America to be the top prospect in the Braves' farm system heading into the 2009 season and had been linked to trade rumors. He tore a finger nail off during spring camp, but kept pitching. He began the season with the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves. He went 3-3 with a 1.49 ERA in 66.1 IP in 11 starts when he got the call up to Atlanta after the braves had cut Tom Glavine. He made his ML debut on June 7 starting against the Milwaukee Brewers in front of the home crowd. The batter he faced was Craig Counsil who flew out to right field he then retired J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun in order. His Braves were leading 2-0 until he allowed a two run homer to Braun in the 4th tying the game. In the fifth he gave up a go ahead RBI double to Brewers starting pitcher Manny Parra. A three run homer by Chipper Jones put the Braves back in the lead 5-3. However, in the 6th he gave up a two run blast to Braun and another two run homer to Mike Cameron to the Brew Crew up 7-5. He was relieved by a pinch hitter the next inning, the Braves exploded in the 8th off
Carlos Villanueva scoring three runs to take the 8-7 win, but a no decision for Hanson. He earned his first win on June 12 against the Baltimore Orioles. At one point he threw 20 consecutive shutout innings and also became the first National League rookie pitcher to win consecutive starts against the Yankees and the Red Sox. In his first 4 major league victories, his combined ERA was 0.78 and was named June's NL Rookie of the Month. He was sent down to Single A Myrtle Beach on July 10, and recalled to start an 11-3 win against the San Francisco Giants on July 21. Hanson's first loss came against the team against which he debuted, the Milwaukee Brewers, on July 25. He began another scoreless innings streak of nineteen on September 10, with eight against the Houston Astros, followed by seven against the New York Mets, before losing 4-2 to the Philadelphia Phillies on September 20. He finished third in voting for the National League Rookie of the Year award. He went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA, in 21 starts with 127.2 IP. He was named the number one prospect in MiLB by Minor League News in the MLN FAB50 Baseball 2009 rankings. He was especially close to fellow staff member and roommate, Kris Medlen since their minor league started together in 2006. They also played against each other in college.

In a 2009 interview he explained that his middle name (and his father's) was actually just the letter J, it didn't stand for a specific name just for several relatives on his grandmother's side whose names start with "J", like his great-uncle, Jesse.

In 2010 he finished with a 10–11 record, 3.33 ERA, and 1.17 WHIP. He set a career-high in innings-pitched with 202.2, giving up 182 hits while striking out 173 batters and walking 56. On June 12, Hanson set a new career high of 14 strikeouts in a game against the Houston Astros, which matched Bud Norris for the most strikeouts recorded by a pitcher at Minute Maid Park. By the all-star break, he led the league in opponents' batting average (.190), was fourth in ERA (2.44), third in K/9 (9.5), second in WHIP (1.016), and tied for third in wins (10). He was not selected for the NL All-Star team. The Braves went 91-71 for 2nd in the division but good enough to be the NL wild card team. They faced the SF Giants in the NLDS, Hanson started Game 2, he was touched for four runs by the second inning and was relieved before the start of the 5th. The Braves were eliminated 3-1, as the Giants went on to win the World Series.

In 2011 he posted an 11-7 record with a 3.60 ERA in 22 starts while hampered by shoulder issue. Despite suffering a "mild" concussion from car accident the first week of spring training, Hanson was given the honor of being named the Braves' 2012 Opening Day starter. He was quite a foreboding figure at 6'6" with bright red hair and, sometimes, a red beard. Hanson was 12-5 with a 4.29 ERA with 22 starts when on July 31 he was placed on the disabled list with a lower back strain. He became the first homegrown Atlanta pitcher to have double-digit wins in his first four seasons with the Braves. Tom Glavine, Steve Avery nor Kevin Millwood were that good when they started. In November he was traded to the Anaheim Angels (his team growing up) for pitcher Jordan Walden.

As he prepared to start with a new team, he was about to embark on a new life becoming engaged to his long time girlfriend Martha Montgomery in January. Hanson started well but left the team in May for a personal issue, returned, and left again in June. Eventually, it was revealed that his stepbrother, Aaron had passed away. His mother had been married before, she had another son, half-brother to Tommy and he also got close to the stepbrother, two years younger than himself. He had a very difficult time dealing with it, he became close to Mike Trout, the two would go fishing when they had off days. He continued to struggle on the field finishing the season with a 4-3 record with a 5.42 ERA in 15 appearances (13 starts). He was non-tendered by the Angels and he became a free agent.

He and Martha were married in November, the couple appeared happy, this could have been just what Hanson needed to get back on track. In February 2014 he signed with the Texas Rangers but was released at the end of spring. He signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox the first week of April, he was assigned to the Charlotte Knights. He was limited to 10 starts and 49.2 innings as he went to the DL on June 12, causing him to miss the rest of the season. He signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants in May 2015, he made 15 starts between the San Jose Giants and Sacramento River Cats. He became a free agent on November 6.

The details of what happened on November 8, 2015 are sketchy and at times contradictory. Hanson was staying at the home of a friend Brandon Bond and his girlfriend, Clare Jordan. Bond was celebrating his birthday that weekend (with the actual date a couple days away). According to a 911 call, Jordan told an operator, she had let out Hanson's dogs (including his mastiff Hooch), but that once inside heard one of the barking incessantly. She headed downstairs to the basement where Hanson was sleeping to see if something was wrong. She said he didn't look right, his face was discolored and his hands were ice cold. The operator instructed her to perform CPR. When fire and EMS crews and sheriff’s deputies arrived he was not breathing, they took him to Piedmont Newnan Hospital then he was transferred to Piedmont Hospital’s main campus in Atlanta, reports were that Hanson had fallen into a coma. As news was spreading many took to Twitter to offer up prayers and messages of hope for Hanson to pull through. Brandon Bond's Twitter feed lit up with accusatory statements, he posted then later deleted his comments that drugs could not have had anything to do with Tommy's condition, he didn't even smoke. Many statements emerged that Bond is a well known tattoo artist in the Atlanta area, that he is also a drug pusher/dealer. There were claims swirling that Bond traded players free tattoos in order to be "seen" with them, that he was banned from the Braves clubhouse in 2012 due to him providing drugs to the players. Many have stated that Hanson's drug use was well known during that time, long before his spiral following the death of his stepbrother and that was actually why he was traded to the Angels. One investigating policeman wrote in his report that a conversation with the ER personnel led him to believe Hanson's condition was due to an overdose. Ultimately, the versions given from Bond and Jordan were taken at face value, some question where he was during the 911 call as no mention of him is made before arriving at the hospital. Hanson never recovered and died from what has been listed as an accidental death due to catastrophic organ failure by delayed complications of cocaine and alcohol toxicity.

He passed away on November 9, 2015 at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, surrounded by family and friends, he was 29. He was preceded in death by his brother Aaron. He is survived by his wife Martha, parents, Tom and Cindy, sisters, Shabrie, Jackie and Jodi and his brother Kenny and other extended family and many friends. His funeral was attended by former teammate and current Yankee Brian McCann, former teammates Freddie Freeman, Kris Medlen, former Braves manager Bobby Cox and current manager Fredi Gonzalez, among others.

With his death his last MLB appearance was September 28, 2013, for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In five seasons he had a win–loss record of 49–35, 3.80 ERA with 648 strikeouts in 708 IP.

On January 16, 2016 a memorial service was held at the Riverside Community College baseball field in honor of Tommy. His family, many coaches and friends were in attendance.

With Kris Medlen during the 2009 Rookie hazing.

[Tobywan]

Rhoda Leonard




Rhoda A. (nee Leonard) "Nicky" Linehan was born on January 31, 1928 in Somerset, Massachusetts to Charles and Bertha Leonard. She attended Somerset High School, playing multiple sports where she earned Somerset Athletic Hall of Fame honors in 1946, its inaugural year. This honor prompted an invite to tryout for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

She made the cut, was assigned to the Fort Wayne Daisies, she threw right and batted left but she did not get much of a chance to play in her only season. She was used sparingly at second base and outfield, collecting a batting average of .095 (2-for-21) in nine game appearances.

After her one season was done she married and continued her education at Bridgewater State University, graduating in 1950. She began raising a family and served or many years as a teacher for the Norwood Public Schools system. She also enjoyed working with students at St. Catherine's School.

She was among the women in baseball honored with the AAGPBL Permanent Display at Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1988. She was one of four women from the Somerset area that played in the league.

After retiring from teaching she became an avid golfer and member of the WGAM. She was awarded a lifetime membership to the Walpole Country Club after serving as their club secretary for several years. She competed successfully in many tournaments.


She passed away on October 21, 2015 in Norwood, Massachusetts after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, she was 87. She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, John and Bradford, and husband Edmund G. Linehan. She is survived by her children, Mark and Margaret and five grandchildren. She is interred at Knollwood Memorial Park, Canton, MA.

[Tobywan]

Carmen Castillo



Monte Carmelo Castillo was born on June 8, 1958 in San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in June 1978. His pro career began in the rookie Pioneer League with the Helena Phillies but was soon promoted to the Auburn Sunsets. That season he finished with a .249 BA in 58 games with 23 RBI, 12 SB and 31 walks. In December he was taken by the Cleveland Indians in the minor league draft.

With Cleveland he made moved through the minor league ranks with stops in Batavia, Waterloo and Chattanooga. 1982 began with the Triple-A Charleston Charlies batting .278 when he was called up making his ML debut on July 17 against the California Angels. He got the start in left field, facing Geoff Zahn he struck out in his first at bat, went 0-for-3 on the day in a 10-4 win for the Tribe. The first career hit came off Oakland's Steve McCatty, an RBI single on July 19 during a 5-4 win. He launched his first home run off Royals' Bill Castro, a 2 run shot that put the Tribe ahead in a 4-2 victory.

Carmen spent the rest of the season with Cleveland batting .208 in 47 games. He spent the next six seasons with the Indians but never as more than a back up outfielder or pinch hitter with occasional start. Just a week before the 1989 season he was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Keith Atherton. That season he played a career high games batting .257 with 13 doubles, and 33 RBI. He became a free agent after the season then re-signed with the Twins in January 1990, batting .219 in 64 games. In 1991 he batted .167 in nine games when he was released on May 10. He signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers a couple weeks later and spent the rest of the season with the Denver Zephyrs. His best minor league season, he played in 92 games, batted .302.

Castillo played the 1992 season with the Tabasco Olmecas in the Mexican League. In the Dominican Republic Winter League he played with Lions of the Chosen (1979-1987), Tigres del Licey (1987-88) and Cibao Eagles (1988-89). His last MLB appearance was May 9, 1991, for the Minnesota Twins. He spent 10 seasons in the majors finishing with a .252 BA, 55 hoe runs, 197 RBI in 631 games.

After retiring as a player, he remained in the game and served as a coach and manager in the Dominican Summer League and was a hitting coach the Tigers until a couple of years ago. His health had been declining for several years leading to a kidney transplant, though he never fully bounced back.

He passed away on November 15, 2015 of a heart attack at the Abel Gonzalez Clinic in Santo Domingo, DR., he was 57. Not much information on his private life is available, he was married and had children (at least two daughters). He was buried in his home town of San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic.

[Tobywan]

George Genovese




George Michael Genovese was born Feb. 22, 1922, in the New York borough of Staten Island to Italian immigrant parents, Ernesto and Angeline Genovese from Naples. He was the youngest of six, three brothers and two sisters. He grew up playing sports with his brothers. His oldest brothers Frank and Dom played for a local team the West Brighton Cardinals. They held night games at a park near Genovese's home on Staten Island, stringing up lights with cords that crisscrossed the field. Their mother had a concession stand, George sold soda and later became a batboy. Frank and his other brother Tony signed pro contracts, Frank spent a few seasons in the NY Giants system and Tony just one season in the minors with St. Louis.

After graduating from Port Richmond High School, George wanted to tryout for a team himself, the St. Louis Cardinals were holding one in Connecticut. His church league director found him a ride, he beat out hundreds of prospects to earn his first pro contract as an amateur free agent just before the 1940 season. The Cardinals paid him $80 a month, he felt he was high priced, other guys were getting only $65 or $70. He began his pro career with the Hamilton Red Wings (Ont. Canada) as a left handed shortstop.

After three seasons in the minors, he entered World War II serving with the 557th Air Service Group in 1942, They were stationed on the island of Iejima (also known as Ie Shima) during the battle of Okinawa in April 1945. According to his memoir, he was sleeping on a supply ship when it came under attack. As he ran for cover, he fell 15 feet onto a lower deck and separated his shoulder. He said his throwing arm was never really the same afterwards.

He returned to the minors in 1946 playing for the Lynchburg Cardinals, he spent 1947 in Omaha, then his contract was purchased by the Chicago White Sox in December. He played in Denver and Hollywood batting .303 in 1948. He stayed with the Hollywood Stars for 1949 though he was obtained by the Brooklyn Dodgers as part of a minor league working agreement. The Star won the PCL championship. He was taken by the Washington Senators in the November rule 5 draft. He began the 1950 season with the Chattanooga Lookouts, but got a call up and on April 29, he made his MLB debut. In a game against the NY Yankees, the Senators were down 6-2 going into the ninth, he led off as a pinch hitter and walked, but was left there. He got two more appearances one as a pinch runner where he later scored. He was sent down finishing the season with the Lookouts.

In 1952 he became a player-manager of Batavia in the Class D Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League, hired by Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Branch Rickey. He credits Rickey for launching a whole new career in the game with managerial experience. He continued to be a player-manager in the organization before heading to the Mexican League for a few seasons. He retired as a player after the 1957 season. He was out of the game until his brother Giants scout Frank "Chick" Genovese encouraged George to join the San Francisco organization to manage Artesia in the Class D Sophomore League in 1960. After the 1963 season it was suggested that like his brother George should try his hand at scouting. Frank Genovese, known to the baseball world as "Chick", was also a minor league manager and successful scout, having signed Juan Marichal and the three Alou brothers.


George's last major league appearance was on May 6, 1950, for the Washington Senators, with the exception of a walk and a single run scored he has a zero BA and no hits. Of what has been recorded he spent 15 seasons playing pro ball with almost 1,400 games.

He had managed the Batavia Clippers (1952), St. Jean Canadians (1953), Hutchinson Elks (1954), Salinas Packers (1954), Tigres del México (1955–1958), Artesia Giants (1960) and El Paso Sun Kings (1961–1963). He led the Tigres to a league championship victory in 1955. In 1957 he led them to the league finals, which they lost. In 1962 and 1963 he led the Sun Kings to the Texas League playoffs, which they lost in the first round.

He scouted for the Giants until 1994, he and many others were let go after Bob Quinn replaced Al Rosen as general manager. At one point in a September 1973 game against the San Diego Padres, the Giants simultaneously fielded seven players Genovese had signed. Two nights later against the Dodgers, it happened again. One of the two players he didn’t sign, Tito Fuentes, had played for Genovese at Double-A in 1963. After SF dismissed him, the Dodgers promptly hired him as a scouting consultant. He also scouted for the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins. He covered Southern California for the Giants from 1964 through 1995, he played a major role in the signing of about 40 players who eventually made the major leagues, including Jim Barr, Bobby Bonds, Jack Clark, Chili Davis, Rob Deer, George Foster, Eric King, Dave Kingman, Garry Maddox, Gary Matthews, Royce Clayton, Randy Moffitt (brother of tennis star Billie Jean King), Matt Nokes, Matt Williams. He also signed future CBS Sportscaster Rich Perez in 1986.

In 2003, the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation introduced a lifetime achievement award for scouts and named it after George. His autobiography “A Scout's Report: My 70 Years in Baseball” was released in early 2015.


He passed away on November 15, 2015 of sepsis at Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank, California, he was 93. He died just hours after a visit from former Phillies and Dodgers catcher Mike Lieberthal. according to the family. George was preceded in death by his parents, all his siblings and his wife June (2000). He is survived by his daughter Kathleen and two granddaughters Rose and Holly.

[Tobywan]

Kerry Dineen




Kerry Michael Dineen was born on July 1, 1952 in Englewood, New Jersey. He attended Chula Vista High School, becoming a baseball standout before graduating in 1970. He went on to attend the University of San Diego, his 1971 campaign he totaled 78 hits in 186 at-bats with 7 triples and 33 stolen bases as the Toreros advanced to the Division II College World Series. They were eliminated by Florida Southern who went on to take the championship. After another huge season with San Diego he played in the Alaskan Summer League earning MVP of the league while playing on an Alaska Goldpanners team that had six future major leaguers on the roster, including Dave Winfield. Dineen is the only Torero to own a career batting average above .400. His .409 career batting average followed three outstanding seasons with batting averages of .419 (1971), .394 (1972) and .411 (1973). A speedster, he collected 15 career triples and 77 stolen bases. He was an All-American all three years at USD (1971-1973), team MVP in 1972 and 1973 and was the first Torero to make it to the major leagues.

The left-handed outfielder was selected by the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the 1973 amateur draft. Making his pro debut that summer with the Oneonta Yankees hitting .352 in 66 games. His cousin Ken Henderson had been in the majors since 1965 and had just been traded from the Giants to the Chicago White Sox, his cousins Joe and Bob Henderson Henderson played in the minors and uncle Joe Sr. was a long time scout for the Giants. Dineen moved up through the minors quickly with stops in Ne Haven and Syracuse before making his debut on June 14, 1975. Due to on going renovations of Yankee stadium, the team was playing home games at Shea. The opponent was the White Sox, his cousin Ken was in centerfield, the Yankees were behind 7-1 when he came into the 9th as a defensive replacement in center, Bobby Bonds left the game and Walt Williams moved to right to cover his spot. He didn't get to bat and they lost 7-2. He got to play in seven games with other players like Thurman Munson, Craig Nettles, Lou Piniella and Sandy Alomar, batting .364. He began 1976 back in Syracuse, on the night of May 20th a huge brawl broke out at Yankee Stadium between the Bronx Bombers and the Boston Red Sox in the 6th inning. Piniella came in to score bearing down hard on Carlton Fisk, punches were thrown, benches cleared, skirmishes broke out everywhere. Mickey Rivers and Piniella were unable to play the next night so Dineen got the call. Boston still in town the game went into extra innings when the Yankees came from behind to tie in the 9th. Kerry entered in the 10th as pinch runner but was left on base. The game was still 5-5 heading into the 12th. After Munson and Chris Chambliss were retired, Carlos May reached n an error, Nettles singled sending May to third. Dineen singled off Jim Willoughby for game winning RBI to score May, it was the first RBI of his ML career. He got to start the next day, Yanks also won that game 1-0, he made just two more appearances before injury cut his
time short. The Yanks would finish in first place in the AL East, take the pennant, but defeated in a four-game sweep by the defending champion Cincinnati Reds.

He was traded just before the start of the 1977 season to the Philadelphia Phillies for Sergio Ferrer, he was assigned to the Oklahoma City 89ers, but again
suffered injury playing just 33 games. in 1978, he hit .345 and was an American Association All-Star. He earned a September call-up to Philadelphia in 1978,
going 2-for-8 in 5 games. He was once again limited in 1979 by continuing back issues, he played in just 30 games and retired after the season.

His last major league was October 1, 1978 for the Philadelphia Phillies, he played 16 games in parts of three seasons. He finished with a .324 BA, no homer runs and 2 RBI. He was inducted into University of San Diego's Chet & Marguerite Pagni Family Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.

It appears he lived a somewhat low profile life after leaving the game. He had a brief battle with cancer, was admitted to a hospice in Henderson, Nevada where he passed away on November 21, 2015, he was 63. He is survived by his wife Jamie, sons Kerry Jr. and Cory, stepdaughter Katie and grandchildren Stephen, Emilly and Mackenna, his brother Bill and sister Candy. A celebration of life was held at the American Legion Post 434 of Chula Vista, California on January 23rd.

[Tobywan]

Ken Johnson



Kenneth Travis Johnson was born on June 16, 1933 in West Palm Beach, Florida one of three children to Margie (nee Travis, a waitress) and Ernest Johnson (a bank teller). He was born left handed but his father taught him to wear a baseball glove on his left and throw with his right. He played American Legion baseball and on the team at Palm Beach High School. He signed with the Philadelphia Athletics as an amateur free agent in 1952. He reported to spring training in the same West Palm Beach stadium where he use to work the scoreboard. He won 14 games for the Class A Savannah (Georgia) Indians of the South Atlantic League. He pitched six games including a 18-0 shutout against Charleston just before he had to report to the U.S. Army in 1953. He was stationed at Fort Jackson in Columbia South Carolina. While there he met Joanna Lynn Ergle, who went by her middle name Lynn, they were married in March 1955. The same year he left the military and returned to the Athletics, who had just moved to Kansas City, he split the season between Lancaster and Savannah going 6-10. He won 12 games for the Columbia (South Carolina) Gems in 1956.


He would start 30 games for the Little Rock Travelers of the Double-A Southern Association in 1957 and had 30 starts and 12 relief outings for the Buffalo Bisons of the Triple-A International League in 1958 before making his MLB debut on September 13. In a home game against the Washington Senators, the starter Jack Urban gave up three runs, Johnson came into relieve giving up a walk to the first batter he faced. The A's got one back when Bill Tuttle homered, but Johnson gave up a grand slam to Senators catcher Clint Courtney. He made one more relief appearance against the Chicago White Sox finishing the year with a 27.00 ERA. He won 16 games for the Portland Beavers of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League with five shutouts and a 2.82 ERA in 1959. Called up late in the season, he lost his first major-league decision to Detroit’s Jim Bunning at Briggs Stadium on September 22. Johnson lasted four innings and gave up a three-run home run to Harvey Kuenn. Four days later Johnson earned his first win in a start at Cleveland. He finally got a chance to stick with the team in 1960, used mostly as a reliever, the team was terrible, 40 games under .500 and attendance was bare.

In the off season he had learned to throw a knuckleball pitching winter ball in Puerto Rico. When Dick Schofield homered off Johnson on a knuckler during spring training in 1961, manager Joe Gordon told him to stop throwing it. By May 6, Johnson was 0-4 with a 10.61 ERA and the Athletics sold him to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the IL, where he went 5-5. On July 21 he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Orlando Pena and cash, he later viewed
the move as the biggest break of his career. joining the team immediately, he went 6-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 83 innings, three complete games in 11 starts, and one save. He won his first two starts, beat Mike McCormick, Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale in August, and shut out the Phillies on September 4. The Reds won 14 of 22 games at the end of the regular season to win the pennant by four games over the LA Dodgers. In the World Series, which the Reds lost to the Yankees in five games, Johnson retired both batters he faced in former Kansas City teammate Bud Daley’s Series-clinching victory for New York. (He had also played in KC with Roger Maris and Hector Lopez.)

He was looking forward to staying with the Reds but on October 10 he was selected by the Houston Colt .45's as the 29th pick in the expansion draft. He was
reunited with Harry Craft, the Colt .45s’ inaugural skipper and Johnson’s first manager in KC. He began throwing his knuckleball again. At the Colt .45s’
spring training camp in Apache Junction, Arizona, he won two starts against the Los Angeles Angels, as Houston won the 1962 Cactus League. Craft gave him the second slot in the starting rotation. In his first four starts, Johnson allowed nine earned runs in 29 innings but lost each game. His record was 0-5 when
he won his first game on May 18 with a 10th-inning single after allowing a Willie McCovey to homer in the bottom of the ninth that tied the score, 2-2. Five days later he became the first pitcher to beat Bob Purkey, who would go 23-5 for Cincinnati in 1962, with a 2-0 shutout. He had an up and down season
On August 14 against St. Louis, Johnson struck out 12 Cardinals batters, tying Turk Farrell for the club’s single-game strikeout record. On September 18 he laid down three sacrifice bunts along with an RBI to help beat Casey Stengel’s “Amazin’ Mets” for his seventh victory. Johnson (7-16) had a decent 3.84 ERA and led the NL in strikeout/walk ratio with 178 strikeouts and 46 walks in 197 innings for an eighth-place team. The Colt .45s became the second franchise
in major-league history with a pitching staff that recorded 1,000 strikeouts, and the club awarded each pitcher, including Johnson, a 14-karat-gold tie clasp
with the engraving “1,000 Ks”.

He went 11-17 with a 2.65 ERA in 1963 for a ninth-place club that never reached the .500 mark. His season included the July 15 game at the Polo Grounds, when the Mets’ Carlton Willey hit a grand slam off him, becoming the first Mets pitcher ever to hit a bases-loaded homer. He finished the season strong winning his last five decisions. On Opening Day 1964 in Cincinnati, Johnson became the first pitcher to put Houston in first place. He beat the Reds’ Jim Maloney, 6-3, but it was a solemn occasion. Houston players wore black armbands in memory of Johnson’s best friend and road roommate, pitcher Jim Umbricht, who had died of cancer five days earlier at the age of 33. Johnson dedicated the game to Umbricht. On April 23 he no-hit the Reds but lost, 1-0, when second baseman Nellie Fox’s ninth-inning error scored Pete Rose, who had tried to bunt to break up the no-hitter and reached on Johnson’s own throwing error. Johnson even suffered a bruised shin when Chico Ruiz hit a line drive to the mound in the ninth inning that turned into an out. The 10th no-hit loss in major-league history got Johnson a guest appearance on the popular CBS I’ve Got a Secret game show four nights later. Actor and baseball buff Henry Morgan guessed Johnson’s secret, that he had pitched a no-hitter and lost. Johnson’s lack of hitting support even drew the interest of a Mexican voodoo practitioner who had called the Colt .45s’ Spanish-language radio announcer, Rene Cardenas, claiming that he could cast a good-luck spell on Johnson if he could obtain one of Johnson’s old baseball gloves. During the second game of a twi-night doubleheader on May 23, Johnson fired a five-hit, 4-0 shutout against the Mets in a game that did not start until 11 pm due to several rain delays.

In 1965 the Colts were now the Atsros and they had moved into their new home a Harris County Domed Stadium, better known as the Houston Astrodome.
On May 23, he and Jim Beauchamp were sent to the Milwaukee Braves for Lee Maye. The Braves were in the midst of a change, they were planning a move to
Atlanta in 1966, the team contended until early September, but fans stayed away in droves and they were last in attendance. Between the two teams he finished with a 16-10 record. Now in Atlanta, 1966 started a bit rough, he began the the second game of the season lasting just three innings and losing, 6-0, to the Pirates on Willie Stargell’s two-run homer and RBI single. Three days later, Johnson was among 11 Braves fined for fraternizing with opposing players before a game with the Mets. On May 18 Johnson stopped Vernon Law’s personal 10-game winning streak that stretched over two seasons. (He was the last to beat Law, on July 15, 1965.) He battled tendinitis in his right shoulder through the next few weeks but returned to beat the Pirates on June 10. Two weeks later, he ended the Braves’ five-game losing streak, beating the Dodgers, 5-4, in the day half of a day-night doubleheader at Dodger Stadium that drew 79,289 fans. He finished the season with a 14-8 record.

In 1967 the Braves embraced the knuckleball, moving Phil Niekro into a starting role with Johnson and reacquiring catcher Bob Uecker to do the catching for both. Niekro led the NL in earned-run average and Johnson won 13 games. 1968 was not as good, he wen 5-8, the team was just .500. He was 0-1 in 9 games with a 4.97 ERA when he was sold to the NY Yankees on June 10, 1969,the they turned around and sol him to the Chicago Cubs on August 11, 1969. The Cubs had a shot at the pennant being in first place in September, Ken was on the mound on September 7 when Don Kessinger’s error and Richie Hebner’s single produced two unearned runs in the 11th inning as the Cubs lost in extra innings to the Pirates at Wrigley Field before going on the road and free-falling out of first place. The Braves, who he started the season with, went on to win the NL West Division and faced the Eastern Division champion New York Mets in the 1969 NLCS, but it was Mets that pulled off the miracle.

He made it through spring 1970 with the Cubs but they released the day after their season started, hours later he signed with the Montreal Expos who were in their second year of existence. He pitched in just three games before he was released on April 28. He retired making his last appearance April 18, 1970. In 13 ML seasons he amassed a 91–106 record with a 3.46 ERA and 1,042 strikeouts.

He returned to his home in West Palm Beach, he got a job with Palm Beach Atlantic College supervising the Work Ship program. He also was an assistant baseball coach at Louisiana Baptist College in Pineville, where his son Ken Jr. got a baseball scholarship and later became a family practice physician. Johnson retired in 2000. Johnson remains the only pitcher to complete a nine-inning no-hitter game and record a loss.

He developed Alzheimer’s disease, which had also stricken his father. He also had developed Parkinson's and had been bed ridden for a couple of years. He passed away at his home in Pineville, Louisiana on November 21, 2015 after contracting a kidney infection, he was 82. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Shirley and one great grandchild. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Lynn, three children, Kenneth Jr., Russell and Janet, six grandchildren, Jason, Kelly, Beth, Jennifer, Jillian and Jalayne and five great grandchildren and his brother, Ernest Henry Johnson, Jr.

[Tobywan]

Willie Royster




Willie Arthur Royster was born on April 11, 1954 in Clarksville, Viginia to Hilda (nee Boxley) and Arthur Lee Royster. He attended Spingarn High School in Washington, D.C. and was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 22nd round of the June 6, 1972 amateur draft as a right handed catcher. He made his pro debut that summer with the Bluefield Orioles, hitting .234 in 41 games. He moved up the minor league chain making stops in Miami, Lodi and Ashville before being let go by the O's prior to the start of the 1976 season.

In May he signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was limited to just 53 games and batting .235, he then missed all of 1977 after being released by the Pirates on April 1st. He signed again with Baltimore in October once again bouncing around the minors reaching career highs in 1981 batting .265 with 31 home runs for the Charlotte Orioles. He earned a September call-up to the majors and made his debut on September 3 in a game against the Oakland Athletics. Jim Palmer was the starting pitcher, though he left after getting roughed up in the third fr five runs. The O's were behind 10-0 by the 7th when Royster entered the game as a defensive replacement for Rick Dempsey, teammate Cal Ripken also came into the game at the same time. Leading off the O's 7th facing Steve McCatty, he struck out, he was fanned again in the 9th in the 10-0 loss. He made three more appearances, but he was He was back in the minors in 1982, hitting just .198 in 59 games for the Rochester Red Wings.

He played just 13 games for the Evansville Triplets and retired after the 1983 season. His last ML appearance was on October 2, 1981, he had four at bats going 0-for-4, with two strikeouts. He spent 11 seasons in the minors batting .255 with 815 hits, 430 RBI in 961 games.

He furthered his education at Howard University (Washington, DC), relocated to New Jersey and worked as the Director of Facilities for the Salem County Board of Education. He also became an Elder of Calvary Baptist Church, where he also served as a teacher for the Adult Sunday School.He was a member of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni and served as a Board Member. His hobbies were golf and motorcycles.

He passed away on November 23, 2015 of cancer at his home in Ocean View, New Jersey, he was 61. He was preceded in death by his father Arthur. He is survived by his wife of 26 years Kim, children Kimberly, Rachael and Isaac, 2 grandchildren, his mother Hilda and sisters Andre, Lynn and Ruth. He is interred at Calvary Baptist Cemetery in Ocean View, NJ.





w/wife Kim

[Tobywan]

Ramón de los Santos




Ramón (Genero) de los Santos was born on January 19, 1949 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He began playing baseball at age 9, playing on a few local youth teams. He joined the military while also playing on the Navy team Guerra in the Central American. He became a member of the National Team traveling with them to Panama in March 1970 to compete in the XI Central American and Caribbean Games. On March 4, they beat Cuba in a 7-4 upset, the left handed pitcher struck out eight batters scored and giving only one walk. He received personal congratulations from Fidel Castro for the win over Cuba. He won four games in the tournament leading the team to a Silver medal and was given the nickname "Pintacora". He played with the Sabinas Piratas in the Mexican League in 1971, then on April 9, 1972 he signed with the Houston Astros as a free agent.

He had a rough start pitching at AAA level Oklahoma City 89ers going 0-1 with a 6.06 ERA in 52 innings pitched. He spent all of 1973 with the Columbus Astros where he went 8-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 108 IP. He was having a very good 1974 season in Columbus going 7-4 with a 1.30 ERA and 10 saves. He struck out 73 batters in 76 innings and allowed only 11 earned runs in 42 relief appearances before he was called up to the Astros. On August 21, 1974 de los Santos made his major league debut in relief against the New York Mets at the Astrodome. He retired the first batter he faced, right fielder Rusty Staub, then struck out first baseman John Milner to end the 6th inning. In 2.2 innings that night he gave up two hits, three walks, and two unearned runs, and the Astros lost, 10–2. They had made five errors during the game. De los Santos won his first and only big league game one week later at Shea Stadium. He retired Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson, the last hitter in the bottom of the 9th, and then teammate Cliff Johnson hit a home run in the top of the 10th to win the game, 3–2.

He spent one more season in the Astros system playing for Columbus and Iowa before he was taken in the minor league draft in December by the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent two seasons playing in their minor leagues with stops in Tulsa, Arkansas and New Orleans. He spent 1978 with the Mexico City Diablos Rojos in the Mexican League and 1979 with the Santo Domingo Azucareros in the Inter-American League. He went back to Mexico for the next four seasons before returning to the states signing a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics. He played part of the 1984 season with the Tacoma Tigers, he
going 3-2 with a 3.15 ERA and three saves in 40 IP. He was back in Mexico with the Union Laguna Algodoneros in 1985. He never made it back to the majors,
making his final appearance October 2, 1974, for the Houston Astros. He played just 12 games in 1974 ending with a 1-1 record a 2.19 ERA (lowest on the team that year) and seven strikeouts. He also spent 18 seasons with the Lions of the Chosen, Estrellas Orientales and Tigres del Licey in the Dominican leagues.

After retiring as a player he became a scout for the Seattle Mariners. He signed David Ortiz, Damaso Marte and Rafael Soriano among other players in the majors. He was also a mentor and father figure to Rafael Soriano. He also managed the 1992-1996 DSL Mariners.


He was inducted into the Hall of Fame Sports Dominicano in 2001.

He passed away at the National Polyclinic Center after suffering massive hemorrhaging from a stroke in Santo Domingo, D.R. on November 29, 2015, he was 66. He is survived by his wife Mery (nee Hernandez), children Melissa, Wendira, Josefina and David, and siblings Pascual, Santa Juana, Lesbia and Teresa. He was buried at the Máximo Gómez Cementery in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.