Former Yankee outfielder Bobby Murcer, who played with the Bombers during their 11 year pennant drought (1965-1976), succumbed to brain cancer Saturday at Mercy Hospital in his hometown of Oklahoma City after a year and half battle.  He was first diagnosed with the disease in December, 2006.  Murcer was 62 years old.

Murcer, who played most of his 17 year career with the Yankees, also played 2 seasons with the San Francisco Giants and 3 seasons with the  Chicago Cubs and was a five-time All-Star (1971-76), a starting outfielder four times.

Although Murcer didn’t put up Hall of Fame numbers (252 HRs, 1,862 hits, 1043 RBIs), his lifetime batting average was .277 and his career spanned the seasons between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, and “Mr. October”  Reggie Jackson and Don Mattingly.

One of the great moments of Murcer’s career was giving a eulogy upon the death of teammate catcher Thurmon Munson who died tragically in a plane crash in August 1979.  In the game after the eulogy, Murcer drove in 5 runs, hitting a three-run homer and then a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth to beat Baltimore 5-4 in what will be remembered by Yanks fans as the Thurmon Munson game.

The Associated Press report on Murcer for Fox News notes;

A tearful Murcer fell into the arms of teammate Lou Piniella after the game and gave his bat to Munson’s wife.

“There is no way to explain what happened,” Murcer said. “We used every ounce of strength to go out and play that game. We won it for Thurman.”

After a stint with the Cubs, Murcer came back to the Yankees during the 1979 season. He had a pinch-hit grand slam in the 1981 opener and was a part-time player when he reached the World Series for the only time later that year, with New York losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

During his career, Murcer had a three-homer game, hit for the cycle and once homered in four straight at-bats.

Smart at the plate, he beat out Willie Mays in 1971 to lead the majors in on-base percentage. The next year, Murcer set career highs with 33 homers and 96 RBIs, and led the AL in total bases and runs. He finished with more career walks (862) than strikeouts (841).

He retired in June 1983 and moved into the broadcast booth that season, working as a color analyst on radio. He served one year as assistant general manager of the Yankees, returned as an announcer in 1989 and stayed in the booth.

Murcer is survived by his wife, his children, Tori and Todd, and his grandchildren.

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His passing didn’t get much ink, but this past Sunday former Chicago Cubs,  Phillies and Chicago White Sox hurler John Buzhardt died at 71 in Prosperity, S.C. after a stroke followed by several years of illness.

As a young pitcher with a lot of potential, Buzhardt had the misfortune to have been part of some of the worst teams in MLB history.  He started his career with the Cubs.  Baseball writer Bob Spear recalls his interview with Buzhardt 4 years ago;

He signed a pro contract with the Cubs in 1954 — for $250.

“I got another $250 if I lasted 60 days,” he said jokingly.

After turning 3-0 and 4-5 records in his first 2 seasons with the Cubs, he was traded to a Phillies club which was sooo bad (How bad were they??), sooo bad that manager Eddie Sawyer who managed them to last place finishes in 1958 and 1959 gave up on them and quit after they lost the opening game of the 1960 season.

They were sooo bad that they managed one the worst trades in MLB history, 1958 rookie of the year Jack Sanford for the horrid and inept battery of Ruben Gomez and Valmy Thomas and that the Phils held on to Gomez for two seasons although then-owner Bob Carpenter later called the deal “the worst trade he ever made.”

However Buzhardt commented to Bob Spear on those Philly teams; “Not a bad team, just a young team,”

When Buzhardt came to the Phils, the sports writers and the radio, TV announcers all pronounced his name “Buzhardt” pronouncing the “h”.  But when he arrived at Clearwater in 1961, he asserted that the correct pronounciation of his family name was “Buzhardt” with the “h” silent.

John Buzhardt is best known by MLB historians for having won the second game of a doubleheader with the San Francisco Giants on July 28, which preceeded the now infamous Phillies “modern NL-record 23-game losing streak,” and winning over the Milwaukee Braves 7-4 in the 2nd game of a doubleheader on Aug 20, 1961 ending the winless string.

Although Buzhardt had a lifetime losing record of 71-96 in his 11 year career, he finished his career with an enviable 3.66 ERA.

Buzhardt had his longest and most successful stretch with one club from 1962-1967 with the AL  Chicago White Sox.  The Sox acquired him in exchange for 1st baseman Roy Sievers, a slugger with the Sox who came to be known in Philly as “Pop-Up Sievers” during 2 1/2 failed seasons.   Buzhardt’s career best season was in 1965 with the Sox with a recorde of 13-8 and a 3.01 ERA.

Baseball writer Spear also recalls Buzhardt’s personality from during the interview;

“My first hit,” he said. “A line drive that gets longer and harder every year.”

Even after a motorized scooter and wheelchair replaced a golf cart for transportation, John Buzhardt remained a beacon for good humor.

John Buzhardt, however one pronounces the name, will be missed and not forgotten.

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Two notable hurlers passed away within a day of each other; lefthander  Johnny Podres, who was part of 4 Dodger World Champion teams, and righthander Don Cardwell, who started and struggled in his early career with the Phillies but who was the first major league pitcher to toss a no-hitter in his first start with a new team having been traded by the Phillies to the  Chicago Cubs in 1960 and was an integral part of the Miracle Mets 1969 World Championship. 

Podres passed away in Glens Falls, NY. at age 75, but Glens Falls Hospital spokesperson would disclose further details.

Yahoo sports reports;

According to a report on the New York Daily News’ web site, Podres had been battling a number of illnesses and was a lifelong smoker. The newspaper also reported that Podres recently underwent a leg amputation to treat an infection.

Cardwell passed away on Monday at age 72 of causes not yet known.   The AP report for the MLB website indicates that “he had been struggling with his health lately.”  

Podres, who came from an iron mining family in Witherbee in the Adirondacks, broke in with the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers after but two seasons in the minors.  John Madden of the New York Daily News reports;

The previous year, Dodgers GM Buzzie Bavasi turned down an offer of $250,000 from the Cleveland Indians for him after Podres had fashioned a stunning 21-3 record and 1.67 ERA in Class D ball. Podres went on to pitch 15 years in the majors, remaining with the Dodgers through 1965, and compiled a 148-116 record with a career 3.68 ERA. In 1957, he led the National League with a 2.66 ERA and six shutouts, and his best season was 1961 when he was 18-5. In four World Series with the Dodgers, Podres was 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA.

But Podres is best remembered for his performance in the 1955 World Series against the neighboring New York Yankees, the first World Championship for Brooklyn after the frustration of being soo close, soo many  times, both in their rivalry with the then-neighboring New York NL Giants as well as against the Bronx Bombers in three previous World Series.  

Podres won games 3 and 7, completing both games.  His performance in game 7, a 2-0 shutout, was the stuff of lore. 

Madden recounts that Podres;

shut the Yankees down on eight hits. The Yankees’ lone threat off him in the game was thwarted by reserve left fielder Sandy Amoros - who, just after being inserted into the game for defensive purposes for Junior Gilliam by Dodger manager Walt Alston, snared Yogi Berra’s slicing fly ball in the left-field corner of Yankee Stadium with two on and nobody out in the sixth inning to start a double play.

“When Yogi hit that ball, I thought it was out,” Podres said years later in an interview with Baseball Digest. “But then it started to slice a lot. I don’t know if Junior would have caught it, being that he was a righthanded thrower. Being lefthanded, Sandy was able to reach out at the last second and catch it.

“All I know is, we won the game, but the feeling … I don’t know. I can’t remember the feeling I had. There was too much hysteria going on.”

After retiring from active play, Johnny Podres was pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins and later, the Phillies whom he coached between 1991 and 1996, most notably the Phillies’ last NL pennant-winning season in 1993 under manager Jim Fregosi.

Pods, as he was affectionately called by the Phillies is credited with giving direction to the career of a then-young Curt Schilling who had come over in a trade with the Houston Astros.  Schill was 14-11 with a 2.35 ERA for the NL East cellar-dwellers of 1992, his first season under Podres’ tutelege.  He followed in 1993 with a 16-7 mark with a 4.02 ERA to lead the Phils into the World Series.

Schill writes on his 38 Pitches blog;

Johnny made me realize that being a man wasn’t about the macho cool stuff we think men are supposed to be, but rather compassion, care, commitment, loyalty, integrity and drive. He asked everything of me and always got everything I had. He made me realize the only limits in my life were self imposed, that pushing yourself mentally and physically were what separated players when they crossed the white line.

Yahoo’s obituary reports that “besides his wife, Podres is survived by two brothers and two sons.”

Although Don Cardwell holds the distinction be being the first pitcher to toss a no-hitter [he was one base-on-balls away from perfection], in his first outing after being traded [testament to how glad he must’ve been to be traded from that horrendous 1960 Phillies team],  he is best known for his performance down the stretch of the 1969 Miracle season for the Mets who charged by the Chicago Cubs to win the NL East division, handled the  Atlanta Braves for the NL Pennant and finally, the Met’s 4-2 pasting of the  Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.

MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo describes Cardwell’s stretch run in 1969 as well as his pitching style;

Cardwell split his career among five teams, but was perhaps best known for the role he played leading up to the 1969 World Series. After posting a 3-9 record over the season’s first four months, Cardwell strung together five straight wins down the stretch to help the Mets overtake the Cubs in the National League East.

He won just 20 total games in four seasons with the Mets, but the quality of those final five certainly trumped all else. Beginning the streak with a stretch of 28 scoreless innings, Cardwell went on to allow just one run over the five victories, good for a 0.26 ERA. By the time he finally lost a game on the season’s final day, Cardwell’s Mets — thanks also to a rotation that included [Tom] Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Gary Gentry — had clinched the division title.

He pitched one perfect relief inning in Game 1 of the World Series, marking the only postseason appearance of his career.

“He was a three-quarter-arm guy with a real good sinker, slider. Hard stuff,” former Mets teammate Ron Swoboda said. “I remember hitting off him before we got him from Pittsburgh and you really had to convince yourself from the right-hand side to stay in there against him.”

AP reports for Yahoo sports that Cardwell’s “survivors include his wife, Sylvia; three children, five grandchildren and three sisters.”

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Starter/reliever Gerry Staley, who won 88 games in 7 and a fraction seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and later was a standout in the bullpen for the 1959 AL pennant winning Chicago White Sox, passed away this past Wednesday at age 87.

His son Brian told media on Friday that he died of natural causes at his home in Vancouver.

Baseball Library reports that Staley;

Won 19, 17, and 18 games for the Cardinals from 1951 to 1953. When he slipped to 7-13 in 1954, he was dealt to the Reds, then on to the Yankees, but he continued to be ineffective as a starter.

When he arrived with the White Sox in 1956, his old manager, Marty Marion [managed Staley on the Cards in 1951], converted him to relief and opened a second career for him. He and fellow reliever Turk Lown helped lead the Sox to the 1959 pennant. On September 22, he [Staley] made one pitch, a game-ending double play with the bases loaded, to nail down the flag. In 1960 he led the AL with 13 wins in relief.

The AP report for Yahoo sports notes;

The right-hander pitched for six teams during a 15-year career that lasted from 1947-61. He was 134-111 with a 3.70 ERA, appearing in the 1959 World Series with the Chicago White Sox.

Staley went 8-5 with 14 saves and a 2.24 ERA in 1959. He pitched in four Series games, tossing 8 1-3 innings with a 2.16 ERA as Chicago lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.

During the pennant-winning season of 1959, Staley led the American League by pitching in 67 games. The following year, he went 13-8 with 10 saves and was named to the AL All-Star team.

Staley was born in Brush Prairie on Aug. 21, 1920. He played in the minors and served in World War II with an Army evacuation hospital unit in the South Pacific before reaching the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was selected to the NL All-Star team in 1952 and 1953.

Staley’s career record is 134-111 over 15 seasons with 58 complete games, 9 shutouts, 58 saves and a 3.70 ERA.

After retiring from baseball, Staley served as superintendent of the Clark County Parks and Recreation department for 17 years, tended his garden and took up fishing and pitching horseshoes.

The AP report adds that Staley once talked about his career this way;

“I played in an era when there were a heck of a lot of good ballplayers,” he said in 2005. “You can’t single out one over all the rest.

“If you kept the ball in the park, you were doing a good deed.”

Staley is survived by his son and a daughter.

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Former Yankees lefthanded pitcher Tommy Byrne, known for his slow-working on the mound and walking tons of hitters early in his career and for his anchoring the pennant winning Yankees pitching staff in 1955, passed away at age 87.

Byrne, who after his retirement from major league baseball served two terms as mayor of Wake Forest, died Thursday. According to an AP report for Yahoo sports, Byrne had congestive heart failure and was in declining health the last six weeks.

Byrne pitched in both the 1949 and 1955 World Series winning and completing the 2nd game in 1955 series.  He was awarded a World Series ring in 1950 (although he didn’t pitch in the Series against the Phillies) and was an All Star that season as well, although he didn’t pitch in the game. 

But his slow mound work and walking slews of hitters during hte 1948-1951 season drove Yankees ownership bonkers.  Byrne walked 179 batters in 196 innings 1949 and 160 in 203 1/3 innings in 1950 after walking 101 hitters in 133 1/3 innings in 1948, his first full season with the Yanks.

New York Daily News sports writer Bill Madden reports that Byrne himself admitted;

“I drove (Yankees co-owner) Dan Topping crazy. He hated the way I pitched because my games took too long and he always had a date waiting for him afterward.”

As a result, he ended up being discarded by the Yanks to the then-St. Louis Browns, the Chicago White Sox and the then-Washington Senators during the span of the 1951 through 1954 seasons.

Madden outlines how returned to the Yankees and his critical role in the Yankees’ 1955 Pennant;

At the end of ‘54, the Yankees, at the urging of Casey Stengel, purchased Byrne’s contract from Seattle [in the minors], and the next season he rewarded the manager’s faith in him by leading AL pitchers in winning percentage with a 16-5 record. In the ‘55 World Series, Byrne pitched a 4-2 complete-game victory in Game 2 against the Dodgers, then lost the seventh game, 2-0, to Johnny Podres.

“Tommy had a great curveball and after he came back from the minors, he had a slider,”   Yogi Berra said Friday. “He was a great guy, one of my first roommates, and loved to have fun. He used to yell at the hitters, telling them what pitch was coming and they never believed him. I remember the time he came into the game and was warming up when all of a sudden he hit Mickey Vernon in the on-deck circle with a pitch because he thought Mickey was watching his pitches.”

Byrne was on the 1955 Yankees staff which included Whitey Ford (18-7) and Bob Turley (17-13).

Byrne was pretty handy with the stick as a pitcher.  Baseball Library recounts that when Byrne first came to the big leagues;

Manager Joe McCarthy tried to talk him into converting to first base, Byrne amassed 14 homers and pinch hit 80 times.

Daily News writer Madden recounts Yogi Berra’s comments on Byrne’s hitting;

Berra noted, Stengel often used the lefthanded-hitting Byrne as a pinch-hitter, and in many interviews, Byrne cited May 16, 1953 as one of his most satisfying days in baseball, when with the White Sox, he was called in from the bullpen to pinch-hit against Yankee sidearmer Ewell Blackwell and hit line-drive a grand slam [the 2nd of his career], 20 rows back in Yankee Stadium’s right-field stands.

Byrne retired after the 1957 season, finishing with a career mark 85-69 and a lifetime 4.11 ERA.

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Journeyman lefthander Joe Kennedy passed away early on Friday morning at his in-laws’ home in Hillsborough County, Florida.  Medical tests to determine cause of death have begun and will take 6-8 weeks to complete.

The death has caused shockwaves throughout the baseball world, particularly with the teams with which Kennedy played.

AP Writer Rob Gillies provides background for Yahoo sports;

Kennedy spent seven years in the majors, playing last season with Oakland, Arizona and Toronto. He also spent time with Tampa Bay and Colorado and had a 43-61 career record with a 4.79 ERA in 222 appearances.

“We were terribly shocked,” Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey told The Associated Press. “From what we understand he was in Brandon … to be the best man at a wedding today.”

“Obviously, when a 28-year-old man dies, ballplayer or not, it’s a terrible, terrible thing,” he said.

After going to bed early, Kennedy woke up at about 1:15 a.m. Friday and collapsed as he was leaving a bedroom at the home of his wife’s parents, Hillsborough County sheriff’s spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue took Kennedy to Brandon Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, she said.

Craig Weissmann, the Tampa Bay scout who signed Kennedy, described him as a fierce, determined competitor.

“He really dedicated himself and was really on a mission to become a major league pitcher,” Weissmann said. “You wish as a scout and a major league organization, you wish every kid could develop that fast.”

Godfrey said Toronto was interested in bringing Kennedy back.

Kennedy made his major league debut in June 2001 and made his last appearance in relief on Sept. 29 in a 5-3 win over Tampa Bay.

“We had every intention to speak to him,” he said. “We had him on our list to talk to.”

Rockies team president Keli McGregor extended his sympathies through a statement released by the team.

“Joe was a great husband, father, teammate and friend to so many in our organization and throughout the baseball world,” McGregor said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, wife, his young son and all those whose lives were touched by Joe over his life.”

That family meant everything to Kennedy, Weissmann said.

“He was a great father. He loved that boy and his wife both more than anything in the world. That son of his was the apple of his eye,” Weissmann said. “He just was really looking forward to everything that a father shares with a son.

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