One of the great ambassadors of the game, Monte Irvin passed away last night at the age of 96. Irvin was member of that generation of African-American ballplayers who suffered greatly as they integrated the game. Jackie Robinson was the first and most famous, and sometimes men like Irvin and Larry Doby don’t get the […]
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Monte Irvin
Literary birthday greetings: 1919 – Monte Irvin, outfielder; All-Star, Hall of Famer Nice Guys Finish First: The Autobiography of Monte Irvin, by Irvin and James A. Riley, Carroll & Graf, 1996. 1929 – Syd Thrift, general manager (d. 2006) The Game According to Syd: The Theories and Teachings of Baseball’s Leading Innovator, by Thrift and […]
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John McGraw,
Monte Irvin,
Ron Santo,
Syd Thrift
Literary birthday greetings: Poor Feb. 1. It has a tough act act to follow with Jan. 31, which celebrates the arrival of such legends Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks, and Nolan Ryan, who, between the three of them, have been the subjects of scores of books. Turns out there are no players who were born on […]
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baseball pension,
Happy Chandler,
Hughie Jennings,
Jon Miller,
Monte Irvin,
Negro Leagues
Five time All-Star Paul O’Neill, that notorious hot head, turns 48 today. O’Neill published a sentimental memoir, Me and My Dad : A Baseball Memoir, in 2003. Writing runs in the family: his sister is Molly O’Neill, a chef and cookbook author. * * * How do you suppose Monte Irvin got the nickname “Mr. […]
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Monte Irvin,
Nice Guys Finish First - The Autobiography of Monte Irvin,
Paul O'Neill
One of the true gentlemen of the game turns 89 today. When it comes to recognition, Irvin always seemed to play second second fiddle behind Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, and Willie Mays, among others. He played only eight season, arriving with the New York Giants in 1949 at the age of 30. But he never […]
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Monte Irvin