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Thread: Field of Dreams

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    MLB Field of Dreams



    Field of Dreams



    I know it is a little late to mention them but I don't believe I saw any threads on the passing of Ernie Banks or Minnie Minoso, I thought I would make a thread about departed players and start with them.

    Since we have often used the title when talking about them in individual threads I figured I'd use it. Feel free to add, comment, share memories or post a tribute.





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    Re: Field of Dreams



    Ernie Banks

    Ernest Banks was born in Dallas, Texas on January 31, 1931

    He began his pro career playing for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro leagues in 1950, he missed two seasons serving in the military. His contract was sold to the Chicago Cubs and made his debut on September 17, 1953. He spent his entire 19 year ML career wearing No. 14 (retired 1982) for the Cubs earning him the name "Mr Cub". He came in second in ROY voting in 1954. He was 14 time All-Star due to the 1959-1962 two game seasons. He won the NL MVP, HR and RBI titles twice and is a member of the Major League Baseball All-Century Team and the MLB Hall of Fame (1997). His pure love of the game was emphasized in his signature catch phrase "Let's Play Two".

    He played his last MLB game on September 26, 1971, he was 40. In 19 seasons he hit .274 with 2,583 hits, 512 HR, 1, 636 RBI in 9,421 at-bats.

    In 2013, Banks was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented to him by US President Barrack Obama.

    Banks was married four times, he had two twin sons Joey and Jerry and a daughter Jan with second wife Eloyce Johnson, he and his fourth wife Liz Ellzey adopted a daughter, Alyna Olivia.


    He passed away of a heart attack at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago on January 23, 2015. He is buried at Chicago's Graceland Cemetery just blocks from Wrigly Field.

    On an even sadder note: at the time of his death he and Liz were in the process of divorcing. She and his children are currently in a fight over the estate against his caregiver Regina Rice. Originally, Liz filed that he passed without a will, but days later Rice produced one signed just 3 months prior to his death cutting out the entire family and leaving everything to her. The family claims she took advantage of his poor health and weakened state. The family won an emergency hearing to have Banks buried according to his wishes, but the sides are embattled over the assets. Due to the issue the Chicago Cubs covered the funeral expenses.




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    Re: Field of Dreams



    Orestes "Minnie" Miñoso

    Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso Arrieta was born in Perico, Cuba on November 29, 1925*(he fibbed at first using 1922). Most players try to appear younger he wanted to be older so he could join the Cuban Army. He was the first Black Cuban to play in the majors and given the nickname the "Cuban Comet".

    Before the majors he played for the New York Cubans in the Negro Leagues in 1947 they won the Negro World Series defeating the Cleveland Buckeyes. On April 19, 1949, he made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians but played the majority of his career with the Chicago White Sox. He was 9 time All-Star, a 3 time GG winner and his #9 is retired by the Chisox. He came in second for the ROY voting in 1951 and came in fourth in MVP voting 4 times. He also spent a few years as a base coach for the White Sox.

    His last MLB appearance was October 5, 1980 for the Chicago White Sox, he was 53. He spent 17 years in the Major Leagues he finished with a career .298 BA, 1,963 hits, 205 SB, 186 HR, 1,023 RBI in 6,579 at-bats.

    He passed away sometime between February 28 and March 1, 2015 he was found in his car after leaving a birthday party for a friend. He died of a torn pulmonary artery at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife Sharon Rice and their son Charlie and three children from a previous marriage, a son Orestes Jr. and daughters, Marilyn and Cecilia. His son Orestes played minor league ball in the Royals and White Sox organizations in the 1970's. According to his wishes he was buried in his #9 jersey.








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    Re: Field of Dreams



    Stu Miller


    Stuart Leonard Miller was born on December 26, 1927 in Northampton, Massachusetts. The right-handed pitcher spent 16 years in the majors most notably with St. Louis, San Francisco and Baltimore.

    He made his ML debut on August 12, 1952 for the St. Louis Cardinals and was the NL ERA champion in 1958.

    He was an All-Star for both games in 1961 as a member of the Giants, in the first AL game of that year at Candlestick Park in SF, the wind made him sway resulting in a balk call which led to a tie. Though the NL ended up winning the headlines exaggerated the incident as "Miller Blown of the Mound". He was named the Sporting News National League Reliever of the Year.

    He won a World Series with the O's in 1966 and on April 30, 1967 he combined with Steve Barber for a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers, but lost due to a WP and and error that allowed 2 runs in the ninth.

    He gave up Mickey Mantle's 500th career home run on May 14, 1967.

    He made his last MLB appearance on April 23, 1968 for the Atlanta Braves, he was 40. In 16 seasons he went 105-103 with a 3.24 ERA with 1, 164 Ks and 154 saves. He is a member of the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.

    He passed away on January 4, 2015 in Cameron Park, California after a brief illness, he was 87. He is survived by his wife, Jayne; daughters Lori and Kim; sons Scott, Marc, Gary and Matthew; and five grandchildren.







    Field of Dreams-millerstu-01werq-jpg Field of Dreams-010514-mlb-giants-stu-miller-pi-ch-vresize-1200-675-53-jpg

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    Re: Field of Dreams



    Baseball Executive Hank Peters

    Henry John Peters was born on September 16, 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri. He served in the US Army during WW II. His first job in baseball was after answering an ad from the St. Louis Browns in 1946, eventually he got into the scouting department. When they moved to Baltimore he joined the front office of the Kansas City Athletics. He became the director of scouting and minor league director working for Charlie Finley. He was their GM in 1965.

    He served as the assistant GM for the Cleveland Indians from 1966-1971. President of the NAPBL from 1972-75, President and GM of the Orioles from 1975-87. He oversaw the draft of Cal Ripken Jr., an AL pennant in 1979 and a pennant and WS in 1983. He was named the Sporting News Major League Baseball Executive of the Year.

    He then served as President of the Indians from 1987-91.

    He had suffered a stroke at his Highland Beach, Fla.home and passed a week later on January 4, 2015 at Hospice By The Sea in Boca Raton, he was 90. He was preceded in death by his wife Dottie (2010) they had been married for 59 years. He is survived by a son Steve, daughter Sharon and 2 grandchildren.




    Field of Dreams-75445497-hank-peters-jpg Field of Dreams-176533c3845383a9c0af9f920951cdbeefb139783158d8e8150b3261b029501f_small-jpg
    w/Satchel Paige

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    Re: Field of Dreams


    Chuck Locke


    Charles Edward Locke was born on May 5, 1932 in Malden, Missouri. He was a RHP who signed with the St. Louis Browns as an amateur free agent in 1950. He made his MLB debut on September 16, 1955 after they became the Baltimore Orioles, he pitched just 3 innings. His last appearance was on September 23, 1955 for the O's. He played nine seasons in the minors. After baseball he worked for an insurance company and coached Little League and at local schools.

    He died on January 9, 2015 at age 82 in Poplar Bluff, MO he was preceded in death by one son, Brad. He is survived by his wife Evelyn Long (married in 1953), son Blake, daughter Beth and 4 grandchildren. He is buried at Dexter Cemetery, Dexter, MO.





    Field of Dreams-chuck-locke-pitching-jpg Field of Dreams-chuck-locke-jpg

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    Re: Field of Dreams



    Don Bryant

    Donald Ray Bryant was born on July 13, 1941 in Jasper, Florida. He was a catcher who signed as a free agent with the Tigers in 1959. He made his MLB debut on July 17, 1966 with the Chicago Cubs. With the Houston Astros, he had the honor of catching Don Wilson's second career no-hitter on May 1, 1969 against theCincinnati Reds.

    He made his last MLB appearance on July 29, 1970 for the Astros, he was 29. He was called "Bear" in homage to the Alabama football coaching legend Paul "Bear" Bryant. He played parts of three seasons in the majors batting.220 with 24 hits and one home run. He played 13 seasons in the minors.

    He was a playing coach for the Pawtucket Red Sox in 1973, a bullpen coach for Boston (1974-76) when they won the AL pennant in 1975. He was a coach in the '76 All-Star Game.

    He served in the same role with the Seattle Mariners from their inaugural 1977 season until 1980. Don had been a barber like his father before he played baseball and opened his own shop after leaving the game.

    He passed away on Jaunary 22, 2015 in Gainesville, Florida, he was 73. He was survived by his wife Judi Lowery, his mother and father (though he passed just 4 days later), a son Darren, daughter Wendy, 8 grandchildren and 2-great grandchildren. He is buried at Jacksonville Memory Gardens.



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    Re: Field of Dreams



    Nick Koback


    Nicholas Nicholie Koback was born on July 19, 1935 in Hartford, Connecticut, his father was born in Poland. A catcher, he signed at the age of 17 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, GM Branch Rickey was the highest bidder at $20,000 and made his ML debut on July 29, 1953 without ever playing in the minors. At the time he was the youngest ever to sign with the Pirates, under the bonus rule of the time he had to be on the ML roster for two seasons. He caught a a complete game shutout for Murry Dickson, but most of his time was spent as the bullpen catcher. Koback got his first hit of the 1955 season off of Cincinnati Reds pitcher Joe Nuxhall.

    He spent just parts of three seasons in the majors, all with Pittsburgh finishing with a .121 BA, four hits, one triple, one walk and one run scored in 16 games. While playing for the Lincoln (Nebraska) Chiefs he signed up for the state's National Guard. He spent another 5 years in the minors, but an injury forced him to retire at 24.

    He made his last MLB appearance on July 4, 1955, he was just shy of his 20th birthday. Many used Koback as the poster child for what was wrong with the "Bonus Rule".

    After baseball he played pro–am golf in Connecticut and became a golf instructor. He passed away on January 23, 2015 at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT after a long illness, he was 79. He never married, had no children and was survived by a twin sister, three nieces and many great nieces and nephews. He is buried at West Meadow Cemetery in Newington, CT.







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    Re: Field of Dreams



    Bill Monbouquette


    William Charles Monbouquette was born on August 11, 1936 in Medford, Massachusetts. He was RHP who signed with the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1955. After signing he and his parents were given comp tickets to sit in the right field stands at Fenway, they were displeased at a couple of foul mouth drunks. When one spilled beer on his mother he spoke up, him and his father were released from a holding cell after a call to farm director Johnny Murphy. That feistiness did cause some concern in his early career, but he matured.

    He made his ML debut on July 18, 1958 as a Red Sox and was a teammate of Ted Williams in his two last seasons , the two became fishing buddies.
    In 1959 the Red Sox would introduce their first black player Pumpsie Green, he and Bill became fast friends. Their manager Mike “Pinky” Higgins didn't hide hisracism. Bill wasn't crazy about him in the first place as he split the right-hander between the rotation and pen. When he overheard Higgins and first base coach, Del Baker using slurs in reference to Green he took issue and got in their faces. Higgins was fired mid-season and replaced with Billy Jurges. He used Monbouquette as a full-time starter and Bill shined. The next season Jurges was fired, replaced by Del Baker briefly and then Higgins was placed back as skipper but by then Bill was planted firmly in the staff and became a 4 time All-Star.

    On May 12, 1961 he struck out 17 batters in a game against the Washington Senators, setting a Red Sox record that stood until broken by Roger Clemens in 1986 when he struck out 20, He pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox in a 1-0 win on August 1, 1962 at Comiskey Park, keeping Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio and Floyd Robinson at bay, it would have been perfect if not for one walk.


    He was a career high 20 game winner in 1963, loved playing for their new manager Johnny Pesky. He believed in always playing hard, he got into a tiff with Carl Yastrzemski when he saw what he felt was a lack of hustle and threatened to kick his butt if he saw it again.

    On September 25, 1965 he started in a game against the Kansas City A's, their starter was the 58-year old Hall of Famer Satchel Paige. Monbouquette threw a complete game and he was the final strikeout of Paige's career in the third inning. The Tigers' Billy Martin once stolen home on him.

    After the Sox traded him, he played briefly with the Tigers, Yankees and finally the Giants.

    He made his final MLB appearance on September 3, 1968 for the San Francisco Giants, he was 32. In 11 seasons, he finished 114–112 with a 3.68 ERA and 1,122 Ks in 1961.1 IP. He never made it to the post season.



    After his playing days he became a scout, managed in the Mets minor league system and became their pitching coach but he conflicted with manager George Bamberger and he went back to scouting. George Steinbrenner hired him briefly as a pitching coach for the Yanks, then he went to the Blue Jays minor league system.


    He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000. The team presented him with a World Series ring when they became the 2004 champions.

    His final job was as a pitching coach for Detroit Single-A affiliate team, Oneonta Tigers, but the Sox let him coach one night for their farm team in Lowell so he could officially retire as a member of the Red Sox in 2006.

    He also once played professional hockey.


    He was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in May 2008, a bone marrow transplant gave him several more years. In 2010, the Boston rock band The Remains released a song, "Monbo Time," as a tribute to Monbouquette, which was a common nickname for him.

    Bill passed away from the complications of the disease on January 25, 2015 at age 78 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He is survived by his wife Josephine Ritchie, three sons from his first marriage Marc, Michael and Merric, four siblings and three grandchildren. His son Michael is a Marine lieutenant colonel stationed in Kailua, Hawaii. He is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Medford, MA.

    On a personal note, Josephine and Bill grew up in the same neighborhood, attended the same schools, but as teenagers she turned him down for a date. After his divorce they met again at their 40th High School reunion, she accepted a date and a marriage proposal.








    Field of Dreams-monbouquette_1280_auq7m3ye_3w5nottb-jpg Field of Dreams-bill-monbouquette-mlb-baltimore-orioles-boston-red-sox-jpg w/Ted Lepcio at opening game ceremony at Fenway on April 8, 2013.




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    Re: Field of Dreams



    Rocky Bridges

    Everett Lamar Bridges was born on August 7, 1928 in Refugio, Texas, but grew up in Long Beach, CA. He signed a minor league contract worth $150 a month with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 as a short stop. A ball park announcer for the Greenville Spinners in South Carolina gave him the nickname Rocky, because he didn't look like an Everett.

    He made his debut on April 17, 1951 for the Dodgers, he was mainly used as a back-up to Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese, until he got moved to third.
    As the starting SS for the last place Washington Senators he was an AL All-Star in 1958, but didn't play. Known for his clowning sense of humor in response to the surprise of his appointment to the AS team he quipped he was there to show Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra how to sit.

    He made his last MLB appearance on October 1, 1961 for the Los Angeles Angels. He played in 11 seasons for 7 teams, finishing with a career .247 BA with 562 hits, 16 HR and 187 RBI in 2,272 at-bats.

    He served as a third base coach for the Angels (1962–63; 1968–71) and with the SF Giants in 1985. He was also a minor league manager over 21 seasons between 1964-1989 in the Angels, Giants, Padres and Pirates organizations. He managed over 2,800 minor-league games in such cities as Vancouver, Hono*lulu, El Paso and Phoenix. He led the Leones de Ponce of the Puerto Rico Baseball League to the pennant title in the 1968–1969 season. He made his permanent home in Idaho in 1970. He retired in 1995 after 50 plus years in the game.

    He passed away on January 27, 2015 of natural causes at North Idaho Hospice House in Hayden near his home of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, he was 87. He was preceded in death by his wife Mary Alway (2008). He is survived by a daughter Melinda, and sons Lance, Cory and John, their spouses and 11 grandchildren. He is buried at St. Thomas Cemetery in Coeur d'Alene, ID.






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    Re: Field of Dreams



    Charlie Williams

    Charles Prosek Williams was born on October 11, 1947 in Flushing, Queens, New York growing up in Great Neck on Long Island. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 1968 MLB draft by the NY Mets.

    He made his major league debut on April 23, 1971 for the Mets at Wrigley Field, a 7-6 extra inning victory where he pitched 2.2 innings giving up four runs (two earned). The winning pitcher was future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. He played just one season with the Mets before being traded to the SF Giants, He is best known as the pitcher used as trade bait to acquire Willie Mays near the end of his career. Williams pitched for the Giants in parts of seven seasons.

    He made his last MLB appearance on September 11, 1978 for the San Francisco Giants. In 8 seasons he finished with a 23-22 record, 3.97 ERA and 257 Ks.

    After retirement he briefly drove a Taxi in NYC before uprooting to Florida some time in the 1980's to be with his aging parents and stayed after their deaths.

    He had battled Parkinson's for many years but in late December 2014 he had heart surgery to clear blocked coronary arteries. He died due to complications on January 27, 2015 in Port Orange, Florida, he was 67. He spent the last few weeks autographing baseball cards still being sent him from fans. He is survived by a daughter Sharon, a son Ryan and a sister Barbara.





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    Re: Field of Dreams





    Dave Bergman

    David Bruce Bergman was born on October 6, 1953 in Evanston, Illinois. He was first drafted by the Cubs (his favorite team) out of high School, but decided to further his education. When he was drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 1974 MLB draft, he signed. He was the batting champ and MVP in the NYPL (1974) and the Eastern League (1975). He made his MLB debut on August 26, 1975 as a Yank, after just 12 games between '75 and '77 he was traded to the Houston Astros. He was a part time player in four seasons. He became a San Francisco Giant in 1981, playing 90 games batting ,286 in 1983. In 1984 he was traded twice ending up in Detroit as their starting first baseman (he also was a designated hitter and outfielder during his career) defeating the SD Padres in the 1984 World Series.

    He is best remembered for a 13-pitch at-bat on June 4, 1984 that ended in a three-run walk-off homer against the Blue Jays.

    He kept a diary that season that became the book "Bless You Boys". He batted a career high .294 in 1988, broke up a Nolan Ryan no-hitter in the ninth on August 10, 1989. He was a master of the hidden ball trick that even fooled Ozzie Guillen on August 5, 1989. His last seasons were as the back-up to Cecil Fielder.


    He made his last MLB appearance on October 4, 1992 for the Detroit Tigers. He played 17 seasons with four teams, 9 with the Tigers, he batted .258, with 690 hits, 54 HR and 289 RBI.

    His number 12 jersey was retired by Illinois State University in 1994. He was their 1973 and 1974 MVP. In 1974, he was named an All-American outfielder by The Sporting News.

    He made Michigan his permanent home in 1985, after retirement he worked with Sigma Investment Counselors as a partner and finanicial planner in Southfield, MI. Dave was a lifelong friend and fishing buddy of Joe Niekro, after Joe's death of a brain aneurysm, Bergman began working with the Joe Niekro Foundation. He was also active in youth and high school sports programs and was a trustee for former Tigers manager Sparky Anderson's C.A.T.C.H. charity.

    He was diagnosed with bile duct cancer (same form that killed Walter Payton) in 2012 and passed away on February 2, 2015 in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, he was 61. He is survived by his wife, Catherine Link of 39 years, a son, Troy, 2 daughters, Bria and Erika, two grandchildren and three siblings.




    Field of Dreams-dave-bergman-jpg Field of Dreams-june-30-2014-former-detroit-tigers-infielders-lou-whitaker-dave-bergman-alan-trammell-jpg
    Former Tigers infielders Lou Whitaker, Dave Bergman and Alan Trammell during a ceremony to honor the 1984 World Championship team on June 30, 2014.

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    Re: Field of Dreams




    Don Johnson



    Donald Roy Johnson was born on November 12, 1926 in Portland, Oregon to Swedish immigrants. He signed at the age of 16 as an amateur free agent with the New York Yankees as a RHP, his early baseball career was interrupted when he served 2 years in the U.S. Army during WWII. He made his MLB debut on April 20, 1947 for the Yankees starting Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park in an extra inning 3-2 win in their World Series Championship season. A team featuring Joe Dimaggio, Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra.

    He suffered from eczema, which woud at times affect his playing. His best season statistically was for the 1954 Chicago White Sox. He went 8-7 with a 3.12 ERA finishing in the top ten for games pitched, saves and shutouts in the AL.


    He had spent parts of 8 seasons in the majors when he was sent to the minors for an extended period, he was the International League Pitcher of the Year in 1957. He had some personal problems, he pawned his World Series ring when his car broke down in Wyoming. He was jailed in Tijuana, Mexico, after a brawl. He spent 6 days on a Florida chain gang after a drunken auto accident. The owner of the (minor league) Toronto Maple Leafs, Jack Kent Cooke, bailed him out.


    He made his last MLB appearance September 24, 1958 for the San Francisco Giants, he was 31. In seven seasons he went 27-38 with a 4.78 ERA, 17 CG, 5 shutouts and 262 Ks in 198 games playing for 5 different teams if you count the St. Louis Browns changing into the Baltimore Orioles as the same team.

    After his baseball career he worked as a taxi driver in Portland for 25 years, he survived a robbery in 1967 where he was shot in the back of his neck, after the second time he was robbed he quit. He then worked for the Parks Department.

    Don was inducted into the Portland Interscholastic League Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

    He passed away on February 10, 2015 in Portland, Oregon, he was 88. He is survived by his wife Karen Morgan, children from his first marriage, sons Steve and Don Jr. and daughter Lori, a grandson and a great-granddaughter. He is buried at Rose City Cemetery in Portland.




    Field of Dreams-don-johnson-jpg Field of Dreams-27johnson-2-obit-blog427-jpg In 2010, he was honored at an Old-Timers Day at the new Yankee Stadium.









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    Ray Hathaway


    Ray Wilson Hathaway was born on October 13, 1916 in Greenville, Ohio. He was 22 when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939. He proudly served as a combat veteran of World War II. He was stationed with the 6th US Naval Construction Battalion in the Battle of Guadalcanal where he earned the Bronze Star Medal.

    He made his MLB debut April 20, 1945 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he made his last appearance on June 3, 1945 for Brooklyn, he was 28. The very first batter he faced was the legendary Mel Ott (player/manager) who grounded out to second, but he gave up a homer to Phil Weintraub. Dodgers lost to the NY Giants 6-10

    He pitched in just four games, made one start going 0-1 with a 4.00 and three Ks for manager Leo Durocher. He was a teammate of Jackie Robinson with the Montreal Royals in 1946 and was hired as a player/manager of the Santa Barbara Dodgers by owner Branch Rickey in 1947.

    He spent 20 seasons in the minor leagues, he then was a minor league manager and pitching coach for numerous clubs including the Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals.

    He was the ace of the Zanesville Dodgers that won the Ohio-Indiana League championship in 1948. After 1952, he focused more on managing with an occasional mound appearance, he retired in 1973.

    He managed the Asheville Tourists for seven season in three different stints, making the town his permanent home in 1961. He took them to two titles and ranks second on the Tourists' all-time win list, behind Joe Mikulik (938 victories from 2000-12).


    He was a lifetime member of the Professional Baseball Players Association and in 2011 was inducted into the Sally League Baseball Hall of Fame.


    He passed away at his home in Asheville, North Carolina on February 11, 2015, he was 98. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Mary Helen Ditmer (2002); an infant daughter and twelve siblings. He is survived by sons Ray Allen and William, 3 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his nephew former pitcher Dave Burba who is currently the pitching coach for the New Britain Rock Cats in the Colorado Rockies organization.

    Hathaway is buried at Ashelawn Gardens of Memory in Asheville. At the time of his passing he was the second oldest former major league player still living, the first is his former teammate with Brooklyn, Mike Sandlock.


    Field of Dreams-41ahw0jmkrl-_sy300_-jpg Field of Dreams-hathaway_and_mikulik_ll2a3yt5_e7psjqv8-jpg Ray shakes hands with Joe Mikulik, who broke his Tourists record for managerial wins.


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    Re: Field of Dreams





    Wendell Kim



    Wendell Kealohepauloe Kim was born on March 9, 1950 in Honolulu, Hawaii, he was raised in Long Beach, CA. His father was a Korean welterweight boxer Phil "Wildcat" Kim, according to Wendell he was abusive to the entire family. His father retired in 1956 and was shot to death with six bullets in '58, the crime was never solved.

    After playing college ball at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona he signed as an amateur free agent with the San Francisco Giants in 1973. He never made it to the major leagues but in 1980 he began a coaching career starting with the SF Giants Double-A Shreveport Captains. He coached and managed for several years before the Giants made him their third base coach in 1989. He held that position until he went to the Boston Red Sox from 1997-2000.

    He co-authored a book with Sally Rains titled “Youth Baseball: A Coach's and Parent's Guide” released in 2000. He then went back to managing in the minors briefly with Milwaukee, then became a bench coach for the Expos in 2002. He earned the names "Windmill Wendell" and "Wave 'em in Wendell" for his aggressive style of sending runners.

    His last job was as third base coach for the Chicago Cubs he was fired at the end of the 2004 season and retired. He had made Arizona his home for many years, he and his wife bought a new dream house. Soon after though he was having memory loss, there were multiple trips to doctors even the Mayo Clinic he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. His condition deteriorated quickly within just a few short years he could rarely remember anyone including his family. Eventually, he could no longer walk or even speak and needed round the clock care.

    He passed away on February 15, 2015 in Mesa, AZ at an Alzheimer's facility, he was 64. Along with his father he was preceded in death by his two siblings Kenneth and Rita and a daughter Shannon. He is survived by his mother Doris Caserman, wife of 34 years Natasha, son Donald and 3 grandchildren. He is interred at Mariposa Gardens Memorial Park in Mesa.






    Field of Dreams-977-cramer-coca-cola-phoenix-giants-2-wendell-kim-jpg Field of Dreams-wendell-kim-jpg

    1977 Cramer/Coca-Cola

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