3/08/2007

Baseball History -- March 8

Complete entry is at BaseballLibrary.com HERE.

Highlighted entries:
1999
Joe DiMaggio, baseball's "Greatest Living Player," dies at the age of 84 following a long illness.

Here's to Joltin' Joe.
1947
In Havana's new Stadium del Cerro, the Dodgers, behind three pitchers, beat the Yankees in 10 innings 1–0.
Carl Furillo scores on Pete Reiser's double, and Snuffy Stirnweiss's 10th-inning single is the only Yankee hit. On hand to watch is Connie Zimmerman, an associate of mobster Lucky Luciano, and a racing handicapper, Memphis Engelberg. As Burt Solomon writes, Leo Durocher points out the men to sports writers Dick Young and Milt Gross, saying, "Look at that. If I had those guys in my box, I'd be kicked out of baseball. Are there two sets of rules? One applying to managers and one applying to club owners. When asked about if the me[n] are his guests, Dodger GM Larry MacPhail snaps, "What are you. The g----m FBI?" MacPhail calls Durocher a liar, and in a bizarre turn, later files charges against the manager with the commissioner's office.

Truly, this was baseball's golden age. This was also a big reason why Durocher enjoyed beating the Dodgers as the manager of the Giants in 1951.
1930
Babe Ruth signs a 2-year contract for $160,000 with New York. At $80,000 per year, he is the highest paid player of all time. When it is pointed out he is earning more money than the President of the United States, Ruth observes: "I had a better year than he did." Ed Barrow, Yankee GM, assures posterity, "No one will ever be paid more than Ruth."

Barrow then mentioned that no one would every walk on the moon.
1913
The
Federal League is organized as a 6-team "outlaw" circuit and elects John T. Powers president. It will play 120 games at a level equivalent to the lower minor leagues, but will enhance its status considerably in 1914 to challenge the MLs.

The idea of "outlaw" was a bit different back in 1913.

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