Do you know or have you ever known anyone who plays/ed professional baseball?

[bluestateguy]

I do. He was a pitcher who toiled around in the minor leagues for 12 years until he was 30. On two occasions he came close to getting the big league callup when the rosters expand in September, but he was passed over. In his last two years (age 28-30) he wasn't getting better, so he threw up the white flag and quit.

He's doing OK now as a varsity baseball coach at a very good high program.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. My grandfather, but that was in about 1915.

He was a pitcher for some minor league team. Never got the details.

[Mnemosyne]

15. My grandfather played minor league in the twenties, also a pitcher.

The Corry Merchants. He was asked to go pro, but my grandmother wanted him home more. I believe he always regretted not going further, he drank heavily thereafter, though he was usually a kind and wonderful guy.

The Merchants played an exhibition game against a Canadian women's team and were whipped badly. My grandfather laughed about it, but most of the men didn't.

On edit:

I have a few old papers with stats and scores of the team and when I put the paper back in the right order some have Pearl Harbor hit and the ensuing actions as the front page headlines!

[jen63]

2. Yes,

Kevin Ritz, who was with the Colorado Rockies. Also a good many who played farm ball.

[Arwinnick]

3. next door neighbor

When I was growing up in New Orleans we lived next door to Rusty Staub's parents on Odin Street.He was a great guy to the kids in the hood.His parents were saints to me.

[panader0]

12. welcome to DU

[Arwinnick]

17. Been around since 2001

I signed on in 2001 as yellowdog redneck.around 2005 or 06 I changed my user name to arwinnick.but i usually only read the lastest news back then.i guess there was a purge of idle accounts or a crash of the site.my old name and passwords didn't work,so I just lurked and read for a few years.Now i'm back with more time to read and post.I even remember donating to the site during a fund drive with a boxing glove indicator to show donation success.I even had a star back then.

[Godhumor]

5. Pro football. Bart "The Mad Scientist" Buetow is the father of one of my good friends

Played OT in the 1970s.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

6. fortunate to know several ball players from a couple of generations...

heck, Phil Niekro taught me how to throw a knuckle-ball and I got hitting tips from Darrel Chaney...

sP

[SidDithers]

14. Phil Niekro taught you the knuckler?...

Holy crap. You don't get a much better instructor than that.

That's very cool.

Sid

[ProdigalJunkMail]

16. played rec-league ball with his son John back in the 80's

i never mastered it the way Phil Niekro did... but I threw it as a change up into college. Just couldn't get it to move the way his did...


sP

[WillowTree]

7. I was out with a girlfriend at Mother's on Rush Street one Friday night.......

........about a hundred years ago and we met a couple of guys on the Baltimore Orioles who were in town for a weekend series with the Sox. We had drinks and played bar games that night and they left box seat tickets for us for the next night's game after which we had dinner. The fella I was with was named Tom Shopay (per google, an outfielder but in actuality, a pinch-runner) and the other fella was Mickey Scott, a relief pitcher, neither one a starter or even marginally well known, for that matter, but major league ball players, nonetheless and we were oh so impressed with ourselves.

Never saw them again, of course, but we're both Cubs fans, so whatever. LOL!!

[etherealtruth]

8. I dated a guy that played for the St Louis Cardinals

... he played for a season ... was injured in a car accident in the off season and that was that. Nice guy ... he went on to get a MA in history. I dated him long after his stint in professional baseball.

Wow ... I almost forgot that I dated a another pro baseball player when I was young ... he played for Detroit for a season and a half, was sent to the minors ... he eventually became a cop and appears to be happy with his life. (I did date this guy while he was playing).

Neither were great players (by professional standards) ... but (if I recall correctly) both were very glad for the chance to play

[HereSince1628]

9. I've known 2 people who played minor league ball.

One with an independent team, and one in the Cubs farm system.

Both pitchers, neither moved up and after a couple of years both went to grad school.

[First Speaker]

10. I was acquainted with Richie Ashburn...

...Hall of Fame player, and an even better announcer for the Phillies for what seemed like forever. One of the nicest people you would ever want to meet...

[femmocrat]

11. My mother's cousin.

I met him at a family reunion. He must have been in his 60s and was still very athletic!

[mythology]

13. At least 2

One who played in Australia who I knew after he had stopped playing and one in high school who was I think a high draft pick, but I don't know if he ever went anywhere.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

18. Father was a pitcher in the Minor Leagues. n/t

[Initech]

19. One of my neighbors was a relief pitcher for the Dodgers.

Always the most interesting guy to talk to at a party.

[Zorra]

20. No, my father was a catcher who played semi-pro for awhile before I was born.

Never personally knew any pros, but one of my ex partners is related to Tug (and Tim) McGraw, a friend of mine used to date Hector Lopez, and I am related to a quarterback who led the Giants to two NFL championships back in the 30's, but I never met him.

And I was a little kid I got to meet Yogi Berra and got his autograph while he was still catching for the Yankees.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

21. My dad pitched in the St. Louis Cardinals minor leagues in the 1930s when he was really young

He faced Dizzy Dean in spring training one time in an exhibition game and won. He wasn't good enough though and his family needed help during the depression. He was a professional boxer for awhile too to earn extra cash. Finally, he found a steady job down south in Houston, Texas in an Armour meat packing plant. He eventually joined the army during World War II and became a career officer in the Air Force.

I also knew a guy who had been in the Minnesota Twins minor leagues and played center field. He had tremendous speed and base stealing ability and could hit well to all fields. He was considered a major prospect but really damaged his throwing arm in an accident. I met him in law school when he was trying to restart his life and we became friends.