Baseball History -- January 1

I took the morning off to take care of some things. BaseballLibrary.com is taking the whole day off. So we need to head to The Baseball Page for January 1 in baseball history. The entire entry is HERE.

Highlighted entries are:

On January 1, 1977, Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Danny Frisella is killed in a dune buggy accident near Phoenix, Arizona. Nicknamed "Bear," the 30-year-old Frisella had pitched three games for the New York Mets in 1969, when they won the World Series. The right-handed reliever saved 57 games over his 10-year career.

Frisella was 5-2 with nine saves after the Brewers picked him up from the Cardinals in a June 1976 trade. His career stats are HERE.

On January 1, 1961, Detroit’s Briggs Stadium is renamed Tiger Stadium. The ballpark had initially been named for Walter Briggs, the owner of the Tigers until his death in 1952.

This would be like renaming the place the Chicago National League team plays at Cubs Field because the Wrigley family doesn't own the Cubs anymore.

On January 1, 1911, future Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg is born in New York City. In 1930, Greenberg will make his major league debut at the age of 19. A slugging first baseman for the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates, Greenberg will enter the Hall of Fame in 1956.

Greenberg also fought in World War II, helped the Tigers win the 1935 and 1945 World Series, and was a part owner of the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox with Bill Veeck. Greenberg's Wikipedia page is HERE.