Friday, January 22, 2010

Bobby Bragan, 92, Former Brooklyn Dodger, 1917-2010

Former player and manager, Bobby Bragan has passed away at the age of 92 on Thursday in Fort Worth, TX.. Dubbed "Mr. Baseball" for his long time association with the game, Bragan became a manager for the Pirates and Braves after he retired as an active player with the Phillies and Dodgers. He later went on to start the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, which provided scholarships to youngsters from the Dallas / Fort Worth area.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Satchel Paige: The Story Of An American Baseball Legend

NPR program Fresh Air recently conducted an interview with Larry Tye, the author of the biography, "Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend." Tye's book was a New York Times best-seller in 2009 and gives great insight into the life and career of one of baseball's greatest players and characters, Leroy "Satchel" Paige. Click here to listen to the audio of the interview.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Update: Jose Offerman banned for life from Dominican winter league

ESPN.com reports that the Dominican Winter Baseball League has suspended Jose Offerman for life after he tried to hit umpire Daniel Rayburn during an argument last week. Due to the incident, Rayburn and three other American umpires working in the Dominican league resigned and left the country, forcing the league to use native umpires in the league's finals that start Monday between Cibao and the Escogido Lions.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Jose Offerman throws a punch at an umpire

ESPN.com reports that Jose Offerman threw a punch at an umpire during a Dominican winter league game Saturday night, the second time in 2½ years he has assaulted someone on a baseball field.

Offerman, who is the manager of the Licey Tigers, took a swing at the first base umpire during a heated exchange in the game against the Cibao Giants. Offerman came out onto the field after Ronny Paulino was ejected for arguing balls and strikes. He went to argue with the home plate umpire, but got entangled with the first base umpire Daniel Rayburn instead.

Offerman's previous fighting incident on the field occurred during the 2007 season when he was a member of the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. During the August 14, 2007 game against the Bridgeport Bluefish, pitcher Matt Beech hit him with a fastball. Offerman charged the mound with his bat and swung at least twice, striking Beech and Bluefish catcher John Nathans.

In February 2009, Nathans sued Offerman in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, seeking $4.8 million in damages. Nathans said the attack left him with permanent, career-ending injuries.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Art Rust Jr., author and radio host, dies at 82

Art Rust Jr., author of the pioneering baseball book "Get That Ni--er Off The Field" and WABC sports talk radio host, died Tuesday at a hospital in Manhattan. He was 82. The cause of death was from complications of Parkinson’s disease, said his daughter, Suzanne Rust. For more complete coverage of Rust's career, click here.

Get That Nigger Off the Field: An Oral History of Black Ballplayers from the Negro Leagues to the Present