Red Schoendienst (born February 2, 1923)
Larry MacPhail (born February 3, 1890)
Hank Aaron (born February 5, 1934)
Babe Ruth (born February 6, 1895)
Bill Veeck (born February 9, 1914)
Billy Evans (born February 10, 1884)
Herb Pennock (born February 10, 1894)
Chick Hafey (born February 12, 1903)
Billy Hamilton (born February 16, 1866)
Sam Rice (born February 20, 1890)
Tom Yawkey (born February 21, 1903)
Bill Klem (born February 22, 1874)
Sparky Anderson (born February 22, 1934)
Barney Dreyfuss (born February 23, 1865)
Ray Brown (born February 23, 1908)
Honus Wagner (born February 24, 1874)
Eddie Murray (born February 24, 1956)
Monte Irvin (born February 25, 1919)
Pete Alexander (born February 26, 1887)
Hilton Smith (born February 27, 1907)
Jud Wilson (born February 28, 1894)

(from press release)

In honor of Black History Month and in anticipation of the April opening of the new exhibit celebrating the life of Hank Aaron, the National Baseball Hall of Fame will celebrate the achievements of African-American ballplayers with a full week of programs and activities starting Monday, February 16, and running through Saturday, February 21, 2009.

Each day, special artifact-spotlight presentations will feature artifacts from some of the game’s greatest African-American players, such as Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige and more.

These spotlights will take place in the museum’s Pride and Passion exhibit, which shares the story of the African-American baseball experience, and will also include a brief tour and overview of the exhibit. Other themed daily activities during the week include hands-on activities for kids in the Education Gallery and documentary films airing in the museum’s Bullpen Theater.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Museum is open from 9:00 AM until 9:00 PM seven days a week. The Museum observes offseason hours of 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM from the day after Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend.

Ticket prices are $16.50 for adults (13 and over), $11 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $6 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. For more information, call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.

About the photograph:  The picture is from the Library of Congress.  It was taken in March 1943 by Roger Smith.

The title description reads:  “Negro Marines prepare for action. Breaking a tradition of 167 years, the U.S. Marine Corps started enlisting Negroes on June 1, 1942. The first class of 1,200 Negro volunteers began their training three months later as members of the 51st Composite Defense Battalion at Montford Point, a section of the 200 square mile Marine Base, Camp Lejeune, at New River, North Carolina. Evidence of the lack of racial friction may be seen in the sports program at the camp. On the baseball team Negro enlistees and white non-com officers are teammates. Camp Lejeune has its own baseball league, with the Montford Point team a strong contender for championship honors.”

(from press release)

Staff members of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals have recovered three dogs in the past week at Arvest Ballpark.

The first dog, found by Naturals’ General Manager Eric Edelstein on Saturday afternoon, appears to be a young Rottweiler mix puppy approximately nine weeks of age. This pup was brought to the Springdale Animal Shelter and is available for adoption beginning today. The City of Springdale Animal Services is a municipally run shelter and is located on 321 West Randall Wobbe Lane. Their phone number is (479) 750-8166.

A dog under four months of age can be adopted at the shelter for $40.00. This includes a microchip implant, Rabies vaccination voucher redeemable when your pet is four months of age at a veterinarian, basic shots/deworming (including a Bordatella vaccination) and a $10 off spay/neuter voucher.

The second two puppies were recovered Wednesday. Both also appear to be Rottweiler mixes from the same litter and could be as young as three to five weeks of age. They will also be brought to the Springdale Animal Shelter later today and will be up for adoption after a full health screening. All three puppies have excellent temperaments and would make great pets.

“The Naturals are first and foremost looking to do the right thing and see that these puppies get placed with loving families,” Edelstein stated. “The shelter is almost always full and has a lot of dogs and cats that would make great pets.”

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and will open the home portion of their 2009 season on Thursday, April 16th against the San Antonio Missions. For season ticket packages please call (479) 927-4900 or visit nwanaturals.com.

By William Borst

The old expression about the St. Louis Browns was, “First in shoes, first in booze, and last in the American League.” In their 52-year history, the Browns finished in the cellar 14 times, and seventh 12 times. They made only a dozen appearances in the first division. Once, in 1944, they treated their fans to a pennant.

After the 1901 season, the Milwaukee Brewers, charter members of the American League, moved to St. Louis and became the Browns – a name that recalled the glorious history of Chris von der Ahe‘s Brown Stockings. In their first St. Louis season, the Browns finished second. After years of prosperity at the gate, in 1916 owner Robert Hedges sold the team to Philip Ball. Ball’s tenure, lasting until 1933, was one of failure.

Ball’s first major blunder was allowing Branch Rickey, the resident genius in the Browns’ front office, to jump to the Cardinals because of a conflict of egos. In 1920 Sam Breadon, who had just purchased the Cardinals, beseeched Ball to allow his team to cohabit the Browns’ home, Sportsman’s Park. Breadon put the money from the sale of the Cardinals’ Robison Field into the minor league system, which eventually produced a host of star players that brought the Cardinals far more drawing power than the Browns.

The 1922 Browns excited their owner by almost beating the Yankees to a pennant. The club was boasting the best players in franchise history, including future Hall of Famer George Sisler, and an outfield trio – Ken Williams, Baby Doll Jacobson, and Jack Tobin – that batted .300 or better in 1919-23 and in 1925. Ball confidently predicted that there would be a World Series in Sportsman’s Park by 1926. In anticipation, he increased the capacity of his ballpark from 18,000 to 30,000. There was a World Series in Sportsman’s Park in 1926 – with the Cardinals upsetting the Yankees. St. Louis had been considered a “Browns’ town” until then.

The Browns drew only 80,922 fans for the entire 1936 season. The downward spiral reached its nadir in 1939; from 1937 to 1939, the Browns compiled a 144-316 record. The franchise was developing a hard-luck aura.

With the arrival of manager Luke Sewell in 1941, the Browns began a rebuilding program that culminated in their only World Series appearance in 1944. It took two home runs by outfielder Chet Laabs against the Yankees on the final day of the season to clinch the pennant.

After leading the Cardinals two games to one in the Trolley Series, the Browns lost the final three contests, and the World Championship. Due primarily to WWII, the 1940s have been described as a time when “even the Browns” won a pennant, demeaning their only legitimate success.

The owners that followed the 1944 pennant, Richard Muckerman (1945-49), and Bill and Charlie DeWitt, were caught in a spiral of rising inflation and sagging expectation. The Browns had to sell off players to pay their bills.

In 1951 Bill Veeck bought the non-contending Browns with the expressed purpose of driving the Cardinals out of town. Cardinals owner Fred Saigh had income tax trouble. August Busch restored order by purchasing the team. To draw fans, Veeck gave them “fun ‘n’ games,” including midget Eddie Gaedel. The stunts so angered the other owners that Veeck was forced to sell the club to Baltimore interests in 1953, putting an end to the St. Louis Browns.

(Photo from the Library of Congress)

Used with kind permission from The St. Louis Browns Historical Society & Fan Club.  More information on their website at: www.thestlbrowns.com

The president of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), Dr. Harvey Schiller, met with Major League Baseball team owners last week to discuss, among other things, how baseball can return to the Olympics for 2016.

In an IBAF press release which billed the meetings as “successful,” Schiller is quoted as saying:

“Our meetings this week were very positive and supportive with the owners, both for the Olympics and  the continual commitment to grow the sport worldwide,” Schiller said.  “As far as the Olympics goes, our message remains the same…all parties are working together to have a representative group of the BEST players for 2016.  We have never maintained that MLB has to shut down to do this, just as other professional leagues and businesses do not during the Olympic games.  Everyone in baseball is working to get the BEST talent for the Olympics possible in 2016, and MLB, like all the other professional leagues around the world, support that effort.”

MLB.com noted, however, that Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig reiterated his opposition to have an Olympic break in the middle of the Major League season:

(In reference to a statement Selig had issued last November stating that “The 2016 Olympics will have the best representation of professional players in Olympic history.”)

“I don’t think there really was a departure from my views on the subject,” Selig said. “We’d like to be flexible. We’d like to be back in. We’d like to help. We’d like to do whatever we can. And Harvey knows that. But it isn’t rocket science. You can’t stop a season in August and tell your fans we’ll see you in 2½-3 weeks. That would not play well. And look, you’d be playing baseball into December. Just pragmatism takes over.”

On the other hand, Major League Baseball has no qualms with players missing most of spring training by participating in the World Baseball Classic this March 5 through March 28, 2009.

Neither Schiller nor Selig have offered details as to possible solutions to have MLB players participate in the Olympics.  Both men have hedged their statements by saying essentially that the “best available” players will be involved.  This is not a commitment that all MLB players will be allowed to play in the Olympics.

Baseball, softball, golf, karate, skating, rugby and squash are all candidates for inclusion in the 2016 Olympics.  These sports will be voted on sometime between October 7 and October 9, 2009, during the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, Denmark.