Classic Baseball Broadcasts

January 3, 1920, The details of the Babe Ruth to New York sale are revealed. The Red Sox owner received $100K plus a $300K note to remortgage Fenway Park. But what about the play? 

We take a deeper look into the trade on the Daily rewind. 

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On January 2, 1918, the Pittsburgh Pirates acquire outfielder Casey Stengel and infielder George Cutshaw from the Brooklyn Robins for 3 players - pitcher Burleigh Grimes, Al Mamaux, and infielder Chuck Ward.

Stengel will play only two seasons with the Pirates before moving on to Philadelphia, but will eventually enjoy his true success as a manager.

Grimes will win 158 games during a nine-year stint with Brooklyn and pitch in the 1920 World Series that Brooklyn lost to Cleveland, he went 1-2 over 3 starts.

His most wins in a season though will be back in Pittsburgh in 1928. When he will go 25-14 and he will finish 3rd and 4th respectively in the MVP race in 28 & 29 for the Pirates.

Grimes will win 270 games vs 212 loses over 19 seasons, playing for 6 different NL franchises and a short stint with the Yankees.

Grimes, known as Ol’ Stubblebeard, and will be inducted in Cooperstown in 1964 by the Veterans Committee.

Stengel will earn his fame managing the New York Yankees from 1949 – 1960 going to the World Series 10 times and winning 7 titles. He will win 1905 over his amazing career as a manager. Stengel - Dubbed The Old Professor, will both be enshrined in Cooperstown two years later in 1966 again by the Veteran committee.

I have something special for you an interview with Burleigh Grimes, listen to him talk about his playing days, Babe Ruth, how he hating managing and the great players he signed as a scout for the New York Yankees.

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Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Classic Baseball Broadcasts

On January 1, 1923, 19th century star Wee Willie Keeler dies at the age of 50. Having promised his fans and former teammates he’d live to see 1923, Wee Willie Keeler dies on New Year’s Day of that year as a result of heart failure. The five-foot, four-and-a-half-inch Keeler amassed 2,932 hits, and won consecutive batting titles in 1897 and 1898. He batted .341 over a 19-year career, placing him in the top 10 on the all-time batting list.

He played for the National League’s Superbas (Dodgers), Orioles, and Giants and the Highlanders (Yankees) of the American League will win election to the Hall of Fame in 1939.

He is credited with the baseball axiom, “Keep your eyes clear, and hit ’em where they ain’t.”

Wee Willie Keeler - Biography

Jim Austin talks about his teammate Wee Willie Keeler 

Events for January 1 

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Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Classic Baseball Broadcasts

December 26th Show Notes

December 26, 1919 —  Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee makes a secret agreement to sell Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $100,000 (one-fourth cash, plus $25,000 a year at 6 percent) plus guaranteeing a $300,000 loan with Fenway Park as collateral. The transaction will be announced publicly in one week.

December 26, 2005 — The Associated Press reports that baseball took a lot of shots in 2005 from politicians, commentators and players themselves as the sport struggled with steroids. MLB went from no drug policy in 2002 to anonymous testing in 2003, to counseling for positive tests in 2004, to a dozen 10-day suspensions this year. Starting next year, an initial positive test will result in a 50-game suspension, and players will be tested for amphetamines for the first time, with penalties for a second positive result.

MLB took similar shots in 1973, many people don’t realize this, but they were on the hot seat by the Staggers Committee that found steroid and amphetamine use in baseball was alarming in November of 1973. Bowie Kuhn was there and testified under oath along with Bud Selig.

They did vow to clean up the game and congress let them off easy and never reviled the names of the players, unlike 2003. Tom House would later tell folks that 6 of 8 players were using steroids and his famous line was we never felt we lost, we were out-milligrammed. 

Born: December 26, 1954 in Mobile, AL. Defying critics who said he was too small and would never hit enough to stay in the big leagues, Ozzie Smith soared through the infield with his acrobatic moves, redefining the role of shortstop. He won 13 consecutive Gold Gloves and set a major league record for assists by a shortstop. Dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals early in his career, Smith became one of the most popular players in franchise history. A switch-hitter, Ozzie blasted one of his few home runs from the left side of the plate to win the 1985 National League pennant. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2002, his first year of eligibility.

Died: December 26, 2013 in Baltimore, MD

An eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, Paul Blair was the best defensive center fielder in the American League in the late 1960s and early 1970s. With uncanny instincts and great speed, Blair positioned himself perfectly, often gliding into shallow center to snare would-be singles. He had several great moments in the postseason, including a game-winning homer in Game 3 of the 1966 World Series, and a leaping catch the next day to prevent a home run.

In 1970, Blair was hit in the cheek, under his left eye, by a fastball from Ken Tatum of the Angels. It shattered about four different bones in his face and he underwent surgery. He missed 21 games but rebounded to play another 10 seasons. Contrary to some who say he was never quite the same hitter, Blair claimed he was unaffected by the incident. He never saw Tatum’s pitch, so, Blair said “I was never haunted by images of the ball hitting me.”

On January 20, 1977, Blair was traded to the New York Yankees. On June 18 of that year in a nationally televised game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, he was involved—though not directly—in one of the most bizarre scenes in baseball history. Yankee manager Billy Martin took right fielder Reggie Jackson out of the game and replaced him with Blair after Jackson had misplayed Jim Rice’s fly ball for a double. As the cameras watched, Jackson and Martin nearly came to blows. After winning World Series titles with the Yankees in 1977 and 1978, Blair was released early in the 1979 season.

He earned four World Series rings, two with the Orioles and two with the Yankees.

December 26, 1947 – Future Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk is born in Bellows Falls, Vermont.

A unanimous Rookie of the Year selection in 1972, when he would win his only gold glove, the studious Carlton Fisk was at times the best catcher in the American League during the 1970s and 1980s. He hit one of the most dramatic home runs in postseason history, winning Game 6 of the 1975 World Series for the Red Sox.

Fisk was one of the most interesting characters of his era. He marched to the beat of his own drum. While with the Red Sox, he earned a reputation as a tough competitor and clubhouse lawyer. In both Boston and Chicago, he clashed with his GM and owners, and he was involved in the collusion case against baseball in the late 1980s. In that case, free agents like Fisk and Kirk Gibson charged that owners had conspired to limit free-agent movement. The players won in a slam dunk and Fisk emerged even more bitter and suspicious. As a player, Fisk walked like an 85-year-old man, even when he was in his twenties. He was very concerned with his appearance, and he took as much time as any batter in preparing to hit. He once walked so slow to the mound to talk to his pitcher, that Rangers' manager Bobby Valentine wondered if he was "paid by the hour."

Fisk considered himself a protector of the game's honor. On numerous occasions, he challenged teammates for failing to play the game properly or (worst of all) failing to hustle. In a celebrated incident, he nearly came to blows with the entire New York team after he admonished Yankee rookie Deion Sanders for failing to run out a routine grounder. Shocked by the confrontation, Sanders later apologized for his actions. At the end of his career, Fisk had proved most of his critics and skeptics wrong, playing more games than any other catcher in baseball history, despite injuries (many of them before the age of 30), having to fight for playing time, and a tall frame that took abuse. Over 24 seasons, his back and knees held up well and he caught his last game at the age of 45. He was the Nolan Ryan of the catching profession.

With the White Sox, he set single-season and career records for homers by a catcher, as well as games caught in a career. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000.

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December 22nd Show Notes

Born on December 22, 1862 in East Brookfield, MA, Player, manager, scout, general manager, owner — Cornelius MacGillicuddy (Connie Mack) — did it all. For more than half a century, he owned and managed the Philadelphia A’s — nearly their entire existence. He built two dynasties that won a total of five World Series titles.

Mack was often described as the “grand old gentleman of the game,” but he wasn’t above stretching the rules to gain a competitive advantage. He was rumored to have kept frozen baseballs handy to insert into the game when his pitchers were on the mound. He also employed a special coach who stationed himself in center field at Shibe Park to steal signs from opposing teams.

Connie Mack pieced together a tremendous baseball team in the first decade of the 20th century, built in large part, around his famous “$100,000 Infield.” At the time, Mack claimed that even that lofty dollar-amount would not pry the four star players away from him. In 1911, John “Stuffy” McInnis was switched to first base to replace the aging Harry Davis, a fine player. McInnis, who earned his nickname because he had the “right stuff” as a young ballplayer in Boston, joined Eddie Collins, Jack Barry, and Frank Baker to form the greatest infield of the era.

His A’s from 1929-1931, had a team second to none, which featured Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons, Lefty Grove, George Earnshaw, Rube Walberg, and Jack Quinn.

Mack holds the all-time record for most games managed (7,755), most games won (3,731), and most games lost (3,814). His record of 50 years managing one team, and 53 years overall will most likely never be broken.

Tom

December 22, 1944 – Future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton is born in Miami, Florida. Rivaling Tom Seaver as the finest pitcher of the 1970s, Steve Carlton won the National League Cy Young Award in 1972 and 1977 before capturing another two trophies during the early portion of the ensuing decade. One of the greatest left-handed hurlers in the history of the game, Carlton trails only Warren Spahn in victories for a southpaw, with 329.

He also ranks fourth on the all-time strikeout list with a total of 4,136. The first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards, Lefty, as he came to be known, surpassed 20 victories on six separate occasions, winning at least 16 games another four times. Over an 18-year stretch beginning in 1967, he failed to post at least 13 victories just once. During that same period, he also finished with an earned run average under 3.00 eight times, struck out more than 200 batters eight times, and threw at least 250 innings 13 times. Carlton remains the last National League pitcher to compile as many as 25 victories in a season, as well as the last pitcher from any team to throw more than 300 innings in a season.

December 22, 1980 — The Boston Red Sox mail Fred Lynn and Carlton Fisk their new contracts two days after the Basic Agreement’s December 20 deadline. Boston’s blunder makes their All-Stars eligible for free agency. Fisk will land in Chicago after a legal battle and complete a Hall of Fame career over the next decade plus. Lynn will end up traded to California with Rick Burleson, and play 11 more seasons. However, he will never have the impact he did in Boston.

This was a dark era in Boston, similar to recent times as they let a Hall of Fame player slip away, as well as trading away the soul of the team. It took several years for them to become competitive again, when Roger Clemens would arrive in the summer of 1984.  

December 22, 1999 — In an interview in Sports Illustrated magazine, Atlanta Braves P John Rocker offends virtually every race and ethnic group in a hateful outburst. Community leaders, media, management, coaches, and teammates alike call for action to be taken against the lefthander, who had 38 saves for Atlanta this past season.

In a story published in the December 27, 1999 issue of Sports Illustrated, Rocker made a number of allegations stemming from his experiences in New York City and answered a question about whether he would ever play for the New York Yankees or the New York Mets.

I’d retire first. It’s the most hectic, nerve-wracking city. Imagine having to take the 7 Train to the ballpark looking like you’re riding through Beirut-next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It’s depressing… The biggest thing I don’t like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?

During the interview, he also spoke of his opinion of the New York Mets and their fans:

Nowhere else in the country do people spit at you, throw bottles at you, throw quarters at you, throw batteries at you and say, “Hey, I did your mother last night—she’s a whore.” I talked about what degenerates they were and they proved me right.

The interview was conducted while driving to a speaking engagement in Atlanta. The reporter, Jeff Pearlman, wrote that during the interview session, Rocker spat on a Georgia State Route 400 toll machine and mocked Asian women. Also, Rocker referred to Curaçaoan teammate Randall Simon as a “fat monkey”.

Although Rocker later apologized after speaking with Braves legend and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and former Atlanta mayor and congressman Andrew Young, he continued to make controversial remarks. For his comments, Commissioner Bud Selig suspended Rocker without pay for the remainder of spring training and the first 28 games of the 2000 season, which on appeal was reduced to 14 games (without a spring-training suspension).

December 22, 1953 –Jack Dunn III officially turns over the name “Orioles” to the St. Louis Browns, who recently were acquired in November 1953 by a syndicate of Baltimore business and civic interests led by attorney and civic activist Clarence Miles and Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro Jr.

His family had successfully operated the International League Orioles franchise for years in Baltimore, Maryland. The original Orioles, an AL charter member franchise eventually moved to New York in 1903 to eventually become the Highlanders, and then the Yankees. 

The move to Baltimore was ushered in with the arrival of Brooks Robinson in 1955. They experienced their greatest success from 1966 to 1983, when they made six World Series appearances, winning three of them (1966, 1970, 1983). This era of the club featured many future Hall of Famers who would later be inducted representing the Orioles, such as third baseman Brooks Robinson, outfielder Frank Robinson, starting pitcher Jim Palmer, first baseman Eddie Murray, shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., and manager Earl Weaver. 

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Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Classic Baseball Broadcasts

December 19th Show Notes

December 19, 1934 – The New York Yankees send five players to the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League as partial compensation for the acquisition of Joe DiMaggio. The Yankees had previously paid $25,000 for the future Hall of Famer. DiMaggio will play one more season in the PCL before reporting to the Yankees in 1936. In ‘36, DiMaggio will hit .323 with 125 RBIs in helping the Yankees to a World Series title.

December 19, 1976 — A single-engine Piper Cherokee plane crashes into the upper deck of Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, home of the Orioles, injuring the pilot and three others. Minutes prior to the mishap, the plane had buzzed the stadium during the final moments of the Steelers’ playoff victory over the Colts.

The pilot of the Piper Cherokee was 33-year-old Donald Kroner. Kroner served three months of a two-year sentence for malicious destruction of property and violation of aviation ordinances.

Kroner had been arrested prior to the Stadium incident for making threats against former Colt Bill Pellington. This included Kroner being accused of dropping a bottle and toilet paper from his plane onto the roof of Pellington’s Timonium restaurant. According to news reports, Kroner was upset over being thrown out of the restaurant. Kroner died in 2013.

Kroner had been fired as an MTA bus driver the day before the crash. He also had been a flight instructor and, according to some accounts, had worked as an air traffic controller. In 1980, Kroner was charged with stealing a Greyhound bus from Dulles International Airport.

December 19, 1990 — At a press conference, Tiger management and WJR announce 1991 will be Ernie Harwell’s 32nd and final season in the broadcast booth. The dismissal of the Motor City’s popular play-by-play announcer starts a furor among fans, which includes a threatened boycott of Domino’s Pizza, a business of club owner Tom Monaghan, and the rise of the slogan, “Say It Ain’t So, Bo”, which appears on bumper stickers and T-shirts all over Detroit, referring to Bo Schembechler, the team president and former University of Michigan football coach.

"[Harwell's situation is] not going to change no matter how much clamor is made over it," said team president Bo Schembechler. The situation caused outrage so much that some made threats of violence against Schembechler. Some, such as Mitch Albom, blamed the situation causing as much negative feeling as it did on WJR executive Jim Long who was the one who pushed the quick, no severance pay removal of Harwell.[6] The movement in favor of keeping Harwell was so strong that even billboards in favor of his remaining were put up.[7] Rick Rizzs was hired away from the Seattle Mariners to replace Harwell in 1992, teaming with Bob Rathbun.

Harwell worked a part-time schedule for the California Angels in 1992. The following year, the Tigers were purchased by Mike Ilitch, who made it one of his first priorities to bring Harwell back. In 1993, Harwell teamed with Rizzs and Rathbun on the WJR broadcasts, calling play-by-play of the middle innings in each game. From 1994 to 1998, Harwell called television broadcasts for the Tigers on PASS Sports and later WKBD-TV. In 1999, he resumed full-time radio duties with the team, swapping roles with Frank Beckmann (who had replaced Rizzs in the radio booth following the 1994 season), teaming with analyst Jim Price, and continuing in that role even as the team's radio rights changed from WJR to WXYT in 2001. During spring training in 2002, Harwell announced that he would retire at the end of the season; his final broadcast came on September 29, 2002. Dan Dickerson, who had joined Harwell and Price in 2000, took over as the Tigers' lead radio voice.

Died: December 19, 2008 in Los Angeles, CA

Dock Ellis, a solid pitcher for the Bucs, is best known for his performance on June 12, 1970, when he would forever etch his name in major league baseball history. That night Dock, despite the fact he walked eight batters, no-hit the San Diego Padres 2-0 on the strength of two Willie Stargell home runs. Also that night, which he admitted later on, was the fact that Ellis pitched his gem while on LSD. Welcome to the wild and bizarre world of Dock Ellis.

He had a 14-3 record at the 1971 All-Star break, but famously said baseball wouldn’t let two soul brothers – he and Vida Blue – start the AS game. Ellis ended up surrendering Reggie Jackson’s titanic blast at Tiger Stadium.

He was also the starter when the Pirates become the first team to start 9 black players. Ellis, never one to avoid controversy, also hit the first three Reds on May 1, 1974 because he felt his team was lackluster.

Ellis will eventually end up a Yankee in ‘76 and win comeback player of year after winning 17 games. Doc Finished up with 138 wins vs. 119 loses and a 3.46 ERA.

In 1955, he broke Ty Cobb’s record to become the youngest player to win a batting title. Al Kaline was one day younger in 1955 than Cobb had been in 1907, when “The Georgia Peach” won his first title. Despite a history of injuries, he tied Tris Speaker’s record of 100+ games in the outfield for 19+ seasons. A future Hall of Famer, Kaline was born on December 19, 1934, in Baltimore, Maryland. In his 22-year career (1953-1974), the outstanding right fielder had 3007 hits, 399 HR, 1582 RBI, 1622 runs, .297 BA, .376 OBP, .480 Slg., & .855 OPS. In the 1968 World Series, Kaline batted .379 with 11 hits, which included two home runs.

Playing his entire career with the Detroit Tigers, his nickname was Mr. Tiger. He was an All-Star in 15 seasons, won 10 Gold Glove Awards, won a batting title in 1955, and was a member of the 1968 World Series champions. His uniform #6 is retired by the Tigers. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980 (88.3% on the 1st ballot).

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Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Matt and Tom Discuss -

Bob Feller, Pitching Machines, December 15th, Free Agency, Bill Hamilton and Tommie Agee

December 15th Show Notes

December 15, 1896 –

THE PITCHING CANNON AT WORK

In 1896, Princeton University mathematics instructor Charles Hinton designed a gunpowder-powered baseball pitching machine for the Princeton University baseball team’s batting practice. According to one source it caused several injuries and may have been partly responsible for Hinton’s dismissal from Princeton that year. A demonstration was given in the school’s gymnasium on December 15, 1896.

Hinton died unexpectedly in 1907 from a cerebral hemorrhage and while he is mostly remembered for his work on the fourth dimension, in stark contrast, he is also credited with designing the first playground jungle gym.

December 15, 1967 — The Mets obtain Tommy Agee, the 1966 Rookie of the Year, and utility infielder Al Weis from the White Sox in exchange for Buddy Booker, Tommy Davis, Jack Fisher, and Billy Wynne. New York’s newest additions will both play a pivotal role in the team’s 1969 World Championship season.

December 15, 1974 — Oakland A’s pitching star and Cy Young Award winner Catfish Hunter is declared a free agent. Arbitrator Peter Seitz rules that A’s owner Charlie Finley committed a breach of contract by failing to make a payment to Hunter’s life insurance fund. The four-time 20-game winner, who helped Oakland to World Championships in 1972, 1973 and 1974, will sign a five-year contract worth a record $3.75 million with the New York Yankees. The decision will usher in a new era in the owners’ relationship with their players.

Died: December 15, 2010 in Cleveland, OH. Blessed with a resilient arm and an overpowering fastball that frequently approached 100 miles per hour, Bob Feller was the most dominant pitcher of his era. Despite missing four full seasons during the peak of his career to join the war effort, Feller compiled 266 victories over the course of 18 big-league seasons, including three no-hitters and a record 12 one-hitters. Many people still feel that no one has ever thrown a baseball harder than the Cleveland Indian Hall of Famer.

Robert William Andrew Feller was born on November 3, 1918 in the small midwestern town of Van Meter, Iowa. Growing up an Iowa farm boy during the 1920s, much of Feller’s childhood consisted of performing household chores and playing baseball. Feller later credited milking cows, picking corn, and baling hay with strengthening his arms and giving him the capacity to throw as hard as he did.

After pitching for the Van Meter High School baseball team, Feller signed with the Cleveland Indians for $1 and an autographed baseball. He made his major league debut with the team on July 19, 1936, more than three months shy of his 18th birthday. Without having spent a single day in the minors, the 17-year-old phenom struck out 15 St. Louis Browns in his first start. Feller finished the season 5-3 with a 3.34 ERA and 76 strikeouts in only 62 innings of work.

December 15, 1940 – Hall of Fame outfielder “Sliding Billy” Hamilton dies at the age of 74. Hamilton stole 912 bases and batted .344 over his 14-year career, placing him in the top 10 on the all-time batting list.

Hamilton revolutionized the game of baseball, making the head-first slide, the first-to-third advance on a base hit, and the drag bunt staples of the game in the 1890s. He won two batting titles, and his .344 career average is sixth-best all-time. In 1894 he set a record that may never be topped, scoring 192 runs for the Phillies. With Philadelphia, he teamed with Sam Thompson and Ed Delahanty to form one of the greatest outfields of all-time. Despite his record-setting career, Hamilton did not earn entry to the Hall of Fame until 1961 — 21 years after his death and 60 years after he played his final game.

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Classic Baseball Broadcasts

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December 12, 1941 – Future Hall of Famer Arky Vaughan is traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Bucs receive four players in return, catcher “Hot Potato” Hamlin, Pete Coscarart, Babe Phelps and Jimmy Wasdell.

Shifted to third base by the Dodgers, Vaughan had an off year in 1942, batting just .277, to finish under .300 for the first time in his career.  However, he rebounded in 1943, batting .305 and leading the National League with 112 runs scored and a career-high 20 stolen bases.

December 12, 1954 – Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente lead the North to victory in the Puerto Rican Winter League’s annual All-Star fundraiser. The Sporting News correspondent, Pita Alvarez De La Vega, gives the exuberant young duo’s exploits some national exposure: “The league took a break from its pennant battle to stage the annual ‘Three Kings’ all-star game at Mayaguez. All proceeds went into a YMCA fund to buy gifts for the island’s poor children in keeping with the old Latin tradition of the Three Kings bringing gifts on January 6… The All-Star North team, made up of players from the Santurce and Mayaguez clubs, won the game, 7 to 5. Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente hit home runs for the winners.”

December 12, 1969 — Cleveland trades pitchers Luis Tiant and Stan Williams to the Twins for 3B Graig Nettles, OF Ted Uhlaender, and pitchers Dean Chance and Bob Miller.

Tiant posted a 9-20 record with a 3.71 ERA in 1969. However, his strikeout-to-walk ratio completely tanked, leading to suspicions that he was pitching hurt. He pitched very well at the start of the 1970 season. Tiant was 6-0 with a 3.12 ERA by the end of May, which was followed by him going on the disabled list with arm troubles. He came back in early August, but only won one more game the rest of the way, and then gave up a run in two-thirds of an inning in a relief appearance when Minnesota was swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1970 ALCS.

Born on December 12, 1950 in Charleston, SC. Gorman Thomas

A big, lumberjack-like slugger, Thomas was a premier outfielder until undergoing rotator-cuff surgery in 1984. He was the first player ever picked by the Seattle Pilots in the June 1969 draft. A two-time minor league home run champion, Thomas’ frequent strikeouts and low batting average kept him from a steady major league job until 1978. The strikeouts continued (478 from 1978 to 1980), but his homers increased. Thomas led the league in home runs with 45 in 1979 and 39 in 1982. He also drove in 100 runs three times and finished in top 10 for MVP voting twice in four years.  

Defensively, Thomas had fine range and never feared the fences. A controversial trade, disastrous for Milwaukee, sent Thomas to Cleveland in 1983 that marked the end of the Brewers as a dominant power in the AL East, Thomas was traded to the Cleveland Indians on June 5, 1983, with pitchers Ernie Camacho and Jamie Easterly, in return for OF Rick Manning and pitcher Rick Waits.

Manning was everything Thomas wasn't: a slick defensive center fielder with superficially impressive batting averages but no power. Thomas was all about massive power, low batting averages, and only passable defense, which was in steep decline as he was aging. Thomas had a rough start to his season, and was hitting below .200 with only five homers; he had played poorly in the 1982 Postseason as well, going a combined 4 for 41 with one long ball as the Brewers came within one game of being World Champions. So there was concern that Thomas was done as a player. He turned things around somewhat with the Indians, connecting for 17 homers with a .221 average in 106 games the rest of the way, while Manning and Waits brought little to the table for the Brewers.

At Seattle, Thomas made a brilliant comeback in 1985 but became relegated to DH and first base duty and he will retire in 1986, with 268 career home runs.

December 12, 1980 – The St. Louis Cardinals send pitchers Rollie Fingers and Pete Vuckovich, as well as catcher Ted Simmons to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Sixto Lezcano, pitcher Lary Sorensen, and two minor leaguers. The trade will benefit the Brewers; Fingers will win the Cy Young award and MVP award in 1981 and Vuckovich will garner the same honor in 1982.

A year later on December 10, 1981, Sixto Lezcano and Garry Templeton were traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the San Diego Padres for Steve Mura and Ozzie Smith.

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You can find Matthew Musico on twitter- 

@mmusico8 Come celebrate MLB's home run history every single day with me at MLB Daily Dingers, whether it's on my blog, on Twitter, or by repping some gear. 

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Tribute to Dick Allen - Listen to his classic homeruns

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Classic Baseball Broadcasts

On December 5, 1921, Babe Ruth and two other members of the New York Yankees are suspended for participating in an “illegal” barnstorming tour after the 1921 World Series. Commissioner Landis punishes Ruth, outfielder Bob Meusel, and pitcher “Wild Bill” Piercy for the first six weeks of the 1922 season.

This will have little impact as the Yankees will make World Series for the second straight year (although they lost to the NY Giants for the second consecutive time). However, Ruth had the worst year of his career posting a 6.4 WAR, and as an everyday player, his 1.106 OPS was his second worst mark of the 20's. He did bounce back in 1923, winning the MVP.

He still managed to hit 35 homers with 96 RBI, so it was a pretty good year. What I marvel at is how much of his Baseball Reference page is bolded. Between 1918 and 1931, he wasn't the league leader in home runs just twice. Once was this 1922 season and the other was 1925, when he appeared in just 98 games.

On December 5, 1973 — Ron Santo becomes the first player to invoke the new 10 and 5 rule. The Cubs want to trade Santo to the Angels for two pitchers, but he vetoes the deal. The 10-5 rule, which was agreed upon during the 1972 players strike, gives a player with 10 years’ service and 5 consecutive years with a team the right to veto a trade. In this case Santo was from the west coast but was comfortable in Chicago and desired to stay in the area.

The Cubs honored the new agreement, and he will eventually be traded to the cross-town White Sox. It did not work out well as Bill Melton was the third baseman, and Santo moved around between second and the DH role. He will hang up the cleats in 1974. Ironically on this day in 2011, Santo will finally get his due and be voted into Baseball's Hall of Fame. A long overdue honor for Santo who passed away the previous year. He receives 15 of 16 votes from members of the “Golden Era” Committee.

On December 5, 1978 — After sixteen years with the Cincinnati Reds, Pete Rose signs a four-year, $3.2 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Other teams which pursued “Charlie Hustle” include the Mets, Braves, Pirates and the Royals. The deal temporarily makes Rose the highest-paid athlete in team sports. In 5 years with the Phils (1979-1983), Pete will be a 4X All-Star and help the Phillies to 2 NL Pennants including the Phillies first Championship in 1980. He led the league in hits in 1981 with 140 base knocks, and he finished his Phillies career with a slash line of .291/.365/.361. That was a period that covered his age-38 to age-42 seasons.

On December 5, 1990, the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays collaborate on an old-fashioned blockbuster trade. San Diego deals Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter to Toronto for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez. Alomar and Carter will help the Blue Jays to two World Championships.

Alomar will become one of baseball’s best players during his 6 years, hitting .307 with 206 stolen bases, a .382 OBP and .833 OPS. He will finish in top 10 in the MVP vote 3 times and win 6 Gold Globes. Carter, a premium RBI man, will drive in 100+ runs in 6 of his 7 years in Toronto. Only the strike shortened year stopped him in 1995. He will finish in the top 5 for MVP voting twice and hit one of the most historic homeruns in World Series history off Mitch Williams.

Fred McGriff will go on to hit 493 home runs over his career playing for multiple teams. It remains an injustice he is not in Cooperstown.

Tony Fernandez will play for 2 seasons in San Diego end up back on Toronto and play on the 1993 World Championship team, playing in all 6 games and driving in 9 runs. On December 5, 1951, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson dies at the age of 62. Jackson, who succumbs to a heart attack, batted .356 over his 13-year career. Jackson had the talent to be the greatest player in history, but he threw it away when he accepted $5,000 to throw the 1919 World Series. As part of the most infamous scandal in sports history, Jackson was banished from baseball following the 1920 season, along with his seven co-conspirators. The controversy over that decision has kept Jackson’s name alive long after his death.

Mentioned in this episode:

Classic Baseball Broadcasts

Classic Baseball Broadcasts