RIP Baseball
@ripmlb
Writing about dead baseball players, visiting gravesites and getting tired of creating more social media profiles. SABR member, card collector, Central PA resident, professional meathead.
RIP to the famous magnolia tree that once stood in the outfield of Ponce de Leon Park. It fell down within the last day or so, evidently. It was more than 160 years old. Here are a few photos from a SABR Magnolia outing in 2022. Yes, this is the tree that gave the Atlanta chapter its name.
Michael Burns, your days are numbered. Well, at least your gravestone is. Arlington National Cemetery.
George Meakim pitched sporadically in pro ball from 1890 to 1895. He appeared in 39 games over 4 seasons with 4 teams, and he had a 15-13 record and a 4.03 ERA. Meakim played throughout the country for a number of teams and won 22 games for Rochester in 1892.
While at Mount Olivet, I visited 2 ballplayers before the rain got too much. John Hatfield was an outfielder in New York City, and he joined the Unions during that team’s run in the National Association. He was known for a cannon of a throwing arm, and he batted .280 in 206 pro games.
The weather last weekend was a little rainy for the formal dedication of Frank “Slivers” Oakley, so attendance was limited to a couple hearty souls. But we can officially bring the 19th Century Grave Marker Project’s latest case to a close, which makes me happy.
The Atlanta Braves just posted that Bob Horner has passed away. Horner, a slugger for the early 1980s Braves teams, was the first player I can remember hitting 4 home runs in a game. He was also one of the first players to head to Japan while still in the prime of his career. (Photo by the Braves)
I admire the fact that Nabisco, in today’s environment, said “Shove your food dye bans up your MAHA ass, we’re making blue Nilla Wafers and the people are gonna love ‘em!”
Another completed set in the books… er, binders. Only took me 41 years to complete my 1985 Fleer set!
MLB just posted the news that Angels star Garrett Anderson has died. There are no further details, but 53 years old is shockingly young. RIP to just a wonderful ballplayer.
Weird to think that I’ve been waiting 36 years to get these specific cards, but thanks to @aldonadi.bsky.social, I finally completed my 1989 Donruss collection. Thanks so much!
Free to a good home. And if anyone has these 3 1989 Donruss cards (78 Dave Righetti, 156 Tim Wallach, 271 Mike Heath), I’d be really interested in buying/trading for them.
Clarence “Pants” Rowland managed the White Sox from 1915 to 1918 and led the 1917 Sox to a victory in the World Series. He also worked as a minor-league manager, umpire, scout and team executive in a career that lasted into the 1950s. He died on May 17, 1969 at age 91.
Born in Ireland, Tony Mullane won 284 games from 1881-lp94. He was a right-handed pitcher who also pitched left-handed. Mullane won 30+ games 5 times and threw 63 wild pitches in 1884 with Toledo, probably because he hated his catcher, Fleet Walker, who was African-American, & ignored his signals.
Oscar “Ski” Melillo. Ski Melillo had a 12-year career in the majors, 1926-37, with the Browns & Red Sox. He was a lifetime .260 hitter & one of the best defensive 2Bs of his era. He also managed the Browns for 10 games in 1938 and coached into the 1950s. He died on Nov. 14, 1963, at age 64.
Jim Hughes was a reliever for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1952-56 and led the NL with 60 games & 24 saves in 1954. He finished his career with brief stays with the Cubs in 1956 and White Sox in ‘57. After arm injuries ended his career, he was a fireman. Hughes died at age 78 on August 13, 2001.
Somewhere in this field lies Ike Fisher. He was a catcher & third baseman for 9 games with the 1898 Phillies. He had 3 hits for a .115 batting average. Ike, nicknamed “Newt,” played and managed the Nashville Vols in the 1900s. He died on Feb. 28, 1947, at age 75.
Leo Dixon. He was a catcher for the St. Louis Browns from 1925-27 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1929. As a 30-year-old rookie in 1925, he played in 76 games and hit .224 with his only career homer. He retired with a .206 average in 159 games. The Chicago native died on April 11, 1984, at age 89.
Max Fiske was born in Germany in 1888 and pitched for the Chicago Chi-Feds of the Federal League in 1914. He was 12-12 with a 3.14 ERA in his only pro season. He pitched semipro ball around Chicago as well. He died at age 39 on May 25, 1928.
Pete Hill started in the Negro Leagues in 1899 & is a .303 hitter in the 5 years in which we have stats — 1920-21 with the Detroit Stars, 1923 with the Milwaukee Bears, and 1924-25 with the Baltimore Black Sox. He died in Buffalo at age 69 in Nov. 19, 1951. He was elected to the HOF in 2006.
There are several graves here belonging to the McNamara family, but George McNamara’s grave is unmarked. He played right field for 3 games with the 1922 Washington Senators & had 3 hits in 11 ABs. He later was a Chicago fireman and worked at horse tracks. He died at age 89 on June 12, 1990.
Joe Benz won 77 games while pitching for the White Sox from 1911-19. He won 15 games in 1914 and 1915 and also led the AL in losses with 19 in 1914. He had a career 2.43 ERA, which is 33rd best all-time, & was part of the 1917 team that won the 1917 World Series. Benz died on April 22, 1957, at 71.
Tom McGuire pitched for the Chicago Chi-Feds of the Federal League in 1914. He was a 2-way player who won 5 games and also batted .271 with a home run. He then pitched in 1 game for the 1919 White Sox. He worked at the Chicago Board of Trade for decades. McGuire died at age 67 on Dec. 7, 1959.
Kevin Hickey. He reached the majors in 1981 as a reliever with the White Sox. After 3 years, he toiled in the minors before resurfacing with the Orioles in 1989-91. He was a batting practice pitcher for the White Sox and worked with the team through his death on May 16, 2012, at age 56.
Bill Conroy. Conroy played minor-league baseball between 1919 and 1931 and played in 18 games with the 1923 Washington Senators. He hit .133 with 2 doubles & 2 triples among his 8 hits. He died at age 71 on Jan. 23, 1970.
Hal Reilly was the left fielder for the Cubs on June 19, 1919. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his only game. His only minor-league games came in 1916, so I’m guessing his career was interrupted by WWI. He later worked in the Cook County Treasurer’s Office and died on Dec. 24, 1957, at age 63.