February 2nd part 2 of 3-

1936: The Baseball Writers' Association announces the results of the first Hall of Fame vote. Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner each receive the requisite 75 percent of ballots cast and comprise the inaugural class of Hall of Fame members. Active players also are eligible in this first election, with Rogers Hornsby finishing 9th, Mickey Cochrane 10th, Lou Gehrig 15th, and Foxx 19th. Tainted former star Hal Chase receives 11 votes for 25th place, and despite being banned Joe Jackson receives two votes to tie for 36th place.

http://www.baseballha...


(Ty Cobb is missing from the photo-he missed a train and was late)

1943: After experimenting with a vest worn over knit jerseys, the Cubs return to conventional baggy flannels for 1943. The outfitting change saves the organization $2,000 on the cost of uniforms

1944: The leagues meet in New York to discuss postwar action. They decide that players with war service will be guaranteed a 30-day trial with pay as well as restrictions on their release or assignment. Military service will count as playing time.

1949: Brothers Bill DeWitt and Charlie DeWitt gain control of the Browns by acquiring 57 percent of the stock from Dick Muckerman for $1 million.

1950: The TV show What's My Line premiers with Phil Rizzuto as the very first mystery guest

1954: Mickey Mantle has his second operation since the end of last season, this one to remove a cyst behind the right knee.

1964: The Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee tabs Red Faber, Burleigh Grimes, Tim Keefe, Heinie Manush, John Montgomery Ward, and Miller Huggins for induction in the biggest veterans class ever. Keefe (a pitcher) and Ward (a pitcher and shortstop) were 19th century greats, Faber and Grimes were standout hurlers of the early 20th century, Manush batted .330 over 17 seasons, and Huggins had a .645 career winning percentage and won six pennants as manager of the Yankees. Keefe and Ward were teammates and brothers-in-law, with Ward married to the famous actress Helen Dauvrey and Keefe married to her sister Clara Gibson.

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1969: Pitchers Stan Coveleski and Waite Hoyt are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Coveleski won 20 games for four straight years with the Indians and finished his career with 215 victories and a .602 winning percentage. Hoyt won 237 games and pitched for seven pennant winners.

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1972: The Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee selects former players Lefty Gomez and Ross Youngs as well as former A.L. president Will Harridge. Gomez won 189 with a .649 career winning percentage and pitched for five World Champion Yankees clubs. Youngs was a .322 career hitter who played for four straight pennant winners with John McGraw's Giants. Harridge was A.L. president for 28 years, a longer term than even the one served by the league's founder, Ban Johnson.

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February 2nd part 3 of 3-

1976: The Special Veterans Committee selects players Roger Connor and Freddie Lindstrom and umpire Cal Hubbard for Cooperstown. Hubbard becomes the first man elected to both the Football and Baseball Hall of Fame. Lindstrom was a .311 career hitter who batted .358 in 1928 and .379 in 1930 and had 231 hits in both those seasons for the Giants. Connor, and power-hitting threat, batted .317 in 1,997 major-league games from 1880 to 1897.

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1987: Three-time 20-game winner Dennis Leonard, who returned to the majors in 1986 after a three-year absence due to a knee injury, announces his retirement. Leonard was 8-13 with a 4.44 ERA for the Royals in his final season.

1989: Bill White, a six-time All-Star and longtime Yankees broadcaster, is elected president of the National League. White succeeds Chub Feeney, becoming the first African-American to be named president of either league and the highest ranking black executive in the four major sports.





1998: Yankees GM Bob Watson announces his resignation. He is replaced by 30 year old Brian Cashman.

1999: Padres' outfielder Greg Vaughn becomes the first player in major league history to hit 50 home runs in a season and then be traded. The slugger is dealt to the Reds along with Mark Sweeney for Reggie Sanders, Damian Jackson and Josh Harris.



2001: It will take approximately seven more feet to hit a home run at Camden Yards this season as a result of the Orioles moving home plate. The new alignment of the field will also cut down the amount of foul territory available with the foul poles being almost flush against the left- and right-field corners.

2003: Red Sox Manager Grady Little, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and first-base coach Dallas Williams appear at the Atrium Mall in Newton modeling the team's new look, including solid red socks. The Red Sox socks have had very little red in recent years and haven't been totally red for over fifty years.

2005: The much heralded Sammy Sosa trade to the Orioles is finalized as commissioner Bud Selig approves the deal and the 36-year old slugger passes a physical. The Cubs exchange Sosa for second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. and two minor-leaguers and agree to pay Baltimore $16.15 million of the remaining $25 million left on a $72 million, four-year contract signed in 2003

2005: SkyDome is renamed to Rogers Centre several days after Rogers Communications completed its purchase of the Toronto Blue Jays' stadium. Fans react to the naming with derision.



2006: Ramón Hernandez hit for the cycle and drove in five runs, leading the Caracas Lions of Venezuela to a 17-1 rout of Mexico's Mazatlan Reindeer in the Caribbean World Series opener. Alex Cabrera also hit a home run with four RBI, and starter Jeremi Gonzalez struck out seven in seven innings. In the other Series opener, Anderson Hernandez hit a tiebreaking single in the 11th inning to help the Dominican Republic's Licey Tigers beat the Carolina Giants of Puerto Rico 5 - 4. Miguel Tejada drove in two runs in the third inning, giving the Dominicans a 2 - 0 lead. According to Caribbean Series historians, Ramón Hernandez's feat was the first in Caribbean Series play dating back to 1949.

February 3rd-

1896: Happy Birthday Nelson 'Chicken' Hawks 1925 Phillies 1B 125 games

1901: Happy Birthday Ernie Maun 1926 Phillies P 14 games

1916: Cubs sell Wilbur Good OF/P to the Phils

1928: The National League appoints two former players as umpires: Sherwood 'Sherry' Magee 1904-14 Phillies OF/1B/SS 1521 games, member of Pat Moran's 1919 Reds and Monroe 'Dolly' Stark SS1909 Naps, 1910-12 Superbas/Dodgers SS. It is a type of vindication for Magee, who was suspended for hitting an umpire in 1911.

Today we would call Sherry Magee a five-tool player: he could hit, run, field, throw, and hit with power. For more than a decade he was the Philadelphia Phillies' clean-up hitter and greatest offensive star, setting the all-time team record in stolen bases (387) and ranking among the top ten in almost every other category. Magee's defense was nearly the equal of his offense; sensational catches with his back to home plate were his trademark, and Pirates scout Frank Haller commented that his every throw was "on a line and right on target."

He was undoubtedly the National League's most valuable player in 1910, and either he or Johnny Evers deserved the appellation in 1914. That season one Philadelphia writer called Magee "probably the best all-around ball player in the National League," and a Cincinnati reporter went a step further: "To my mind Sherwood Magee is one of the best all-around players the game has ever seen." SABR Biography by Tom Simon

1936: Russ Bauers P is granted free agency by the Phils

1942: Rest in Peace Joseph 'Happy' 'Smokey Joe' Finneran 1912-13 Phillies P 17 games

1949: Happy 59th Birthday Arnold 'Bake' 'Shake N Bake' McBride 1977-81 Phillies RF/CF 553 games



1950: Rest in Peace Charles 'Dick' Spalding, born and died in Philadelphia, buried in Northwood Cemetery, 1927 Phillies OF 115 games

1951: Happy 57th Birthday Mike Wallace 1973-74 Phillies P 28 games

1960: Free agent (minors) Paul Brown P is signed by the Phils

1961: Happy 47th Birthday Freddie Toliver 1985-87 Phillies P 26 games

1961: Rest in Peace Dana Fillingim 1925 Phillies P 5 games

1977: Davey Johnson 2B/IF is signed as a free agent by the Phils

1988: Rest in Peace John 'Jocko' Thompson 1948-51 Phillies P 41 games

1990: Rest in Peace Erving 'Erv' 'Peanuts' Kantlehner 1916 Phillies P 3 games

1994: Phils sign Norm Charlton P as a free agent

Other Baseball History-

1877: Cherokee Fisher admits that he was paid $100 to lose a game last September while pitching for the West Ends in Milwaukee. Fisher played in a single game for the Chicago NL club in 1877 and he appeared in another one game stint for the Providence NL club in 1878 before concluding his professional career.

1886: Albert Spalding begins a sporting goods company with $800. He will become the manufacturer of the first official baseball as well as the tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, and football.


1900: Rival forces fight for control of the Union Park Ball Grounds in Baltimore. John McGraw's men camp around a fire at third base. Ned Hanlon, his former manager in Baltimore in the 1890s, now manager of Brooklyn and still president of the Baltimore club in the N.L. has forces camped around first base.

http://query.nytimes....

1900: A writer for the New York Clipper, reflecting the anti-immigrant feelings spreading across the United States, asks, "What is baseball coming to? For nearly half a century things ran smoothly enough until they began to rope in a few ringers, such as [Eddie] Abbaticchio, [Louis] Sockalexis, [Ossee] Schreckengost and now Accorsini."

1908: Chris Von der Ahe, flamboyant former owner of the Browns, files for bankruptcy, claiming $27,000 in debts, and $200 in assets.



1914: A joint National League-American League rules committee decrees that: a runner touched or held by a coach while rounding 3B is out; coaches may now assist other members of their team, not just base runners; the frequently violated rule requiring pitchers to stand behind the rubber until ready to pitch is rescinded -they may now stand on the rubber; base runners are now not permitted to run on an infield fly. A move to eliminate the intentional walk is defeated.

1915: The American League bans the emery ball, a pitch introduced by Russ Ford in 1910.

Alternative names for the spitball are spitter, mud ball, shine ball and emery ball, although technically, an emery ball is one where the ball has been abraded in much the same way that the original cut ball had been physically cut.
http://en.wikipedia.o...

The Spitball. During the Dead Ball Era, pitchers threw two pitches that are now illegal: the spitball and the emery ball. To throw the spitball, pitchers lubed up the baseball with saliva, vaseline, tobacco juice or any other substance that would make the ball wetter and heavier. This caused the ball to dance like a knuckleball or a screwball, even though it was thrown at the speed of a fastball.
http://baseball.suite...

February 3rd page 2 of 3-

1920: A meeting in Kansas City results in the birth of the Negro National League. Chicago American Giants owner Rube Foster spearheads the formation of the league, which will consist of eight franchises: Chicago Giants, Cuban Stars, Dayton Marcos, Detroit Stars, Indianapolis ABCs, Kansas City American Giants, Kansas City Monarchs and St. Louis Giants.

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1928: SS Jimmy Cooney gets to spend his last ML season with his brother Johnny Cooney when the Cards sell him to the Boston Braves.

1934: Powel Crosley, local millionaire, heads a syndicate that buys just over half the stock in the Cincinnati Reds from Sidney Weil. No price is announced. Crosley, owner of a 500,000 watt radio station, is on the board of the Central Trust Bank, and it is the bank that had loaned money to Sidney Weil and his syndicate to buy the Reds. Weil was in the process of raising money to pay off the bank when Crosley's purchase takes place. The Reds' home park will be renamed Crosley Field. Crosley also manufactured is own automobile.

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1934: The St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns decide to cease broadcasting home games. The teams hope the move will result in better attendance at their ballparks.

1942: At a special meeting to discuss wartime regulations, MLB owners decide to allow 14 night games for each club, with Washington allowed 21. Two All-Star Games will be played, one with a military All-Star team. Curfews are set for night games with no inning to start after 12:50 A.M.

1965: Braves officials propose a $500,000 payment to county officials if the club's lease to play in Milwaukee can be terminated a year early. The offer is refused.

1969: To show strength in their bid for a better pension plan, 125 players meet in New York City.

1975: Billy Herman, Earl Averill, and Bucky Harris are selected for the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Herman was a ten-time All-Star second baseman who batted .304 in 15 seasons and played in four World Series. Averill batted .299 or better in nine of his first ten seasons and finished as a .318 career hitter. Harris managed the Senators to two pennants in his first two seasons as a player-manager and was a career .274 hitter.

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1977: The Hall of Fame's Special Committee on the Negro Leagues picks Martin Dihigo, the versatile Cuban star, and shortstop John "Pop" Lloyd. Dihigo, a native of Cuba, played the infield and the outfield, caught, and pitched from 1923 to 1945. Lloyd, a standout shortstop and dangerous hitter, played in the Negro Leagues from 1906 to 1932.

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1978: Under the financial reorganization of the club, F.J. 'Steve' O'Neill becomes the principal owner of the Cleveland Indians.

1979: Expecting to lose him to free agency, the Minnesota Twins trade Hall of Famer Rod Carew to the California Angels for outfielder Ken Landreaux and three lesser players. Carew, who hit .333 for the Twins in 1978, will hit .318 for the Angels in 1979.

February 3rd part 3 of 3-

1982: For the second time, minor league catcher Angel Rodriguez, who played for the Pirates' Alexandria club (Carolina League) last season, is suspended from organized baseball for tipping off opposing Latin American batters of the upcoming pitch about to be thrown. Rodriguez had been suspended by the Pirates last season after being caught in the act during an August 19th game against Lynchburg.

1987: The Minnesota Twins acquire relief ace Jeff Reardon from the Montreal Expos for pitcher Neal Heaton, catcher Jeff Reed, and two minor league players. Reardon will save 31 games for the Twins and help the franchise to its first World Championship.

1993: Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott is fined $25,000 and banned from the day-to-day operation of her team for a year, resulting from her reported use of ethnic and racial slurs.

Marge Schott, the tough-talking, chain-smoking former owner of the Cincinnati Reds who won a World Series and was repeatedly suspended for offensive remarks, died on March 2. She was 75. She reportedly used racial slurs to describe her players and repeatedly praised Hitler despite admonitions to keep quiet. The Reds won the 1990 World Series, sweeping the Oakland A's while Schott rubbed dog hair on manager Lou Piniella and his players for good luck.

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1994: Atlanta OF Ron Gant breaks his right leg in a motorbike accident a week after signing the largest single-season contract in history.

1996: The White Sox sign free agent P Kevin Tapani, a double-figure winner in each year in the 90's.

1999: After 16 years of doing local telecasts, the Mets do not ask Tim McCarver to return to the broadcast booth. Tom Seaver will replace the highly regarded broadcaster and will assume other duties within the organization.

2002: Yankee catcher Jorge Posada (.277, 22, 95) signs a five-year contract with the club. Terms are not announced, but the Bronx Bomber backstop was asking for $7.75 million in arbitration which would make the 30-year-old the second best paid receiver in baseball history.

2006: Miguel Tejada hit a three-run home run to help the Dominican Republic's Licey Tigers rally past Mexico's Mazatlan Reindeer, 10 - 6, in the Caribbean World Series. In the second game, Marco Scutaro hit a grand slam to propel the Caracas Lions of Venezuela to a 6 - 1 victory against Puerto Rico's Carolina Giants. Scutaro and his Caracas teammates are 2-0 in round-robin play. The Dominican Republic is also undefeated after two games, and the two teams square off tomorrow night.

2006: The Boston Red Sox finished up their deal for slick-fielding shortstop Alex Gonzalez, plugging their last big hole after a major offseason upheaval. Gonzalez, who spent his first eight major league seasons with the Florida Marlins, will reportedly get a one-year contract worth $3 million. An All-Star in 1999, Gonzalez also helped the Marlins win the World Series in 2003. He committed 32 errors in the last two seasons (16 each), compared to the 30 committed by Edgar Renteria in his only season with the Red Sox.

2006: The San Francisco Giants renamed their stadium as a result of continuous changes in the corporate world that pay handsomely for sports naming rights, giving the stadium its third identity since the ballpark opened in 2000. The Giants ballpark is changing its name to AT&T Park beginning in March. The stadium was originally called Pacific Bell Park and was later renamed SBC Park. AT-and-T Park is scheduled to host the All-Star Game in 2007.

February 4th-

1874: Happy Birthday William Gallagher 1896 Phillies SS 14 games

1883: Happy Birthday Roy 'Doc' Miller 1912-13 Phillies OF 136 games

1890: Happy Birthday George 'Possum' Whitted, member of the 1915 NL Pennant winning team, 1915 OF Fldg % .978 119 games, 1915-19 Phillies OF/3B/1B 526 games

1896: Happy Birthday Andy Woehr 1923-24 Phillies 3B/2B 63 games

1899: Hugh 'Ee-Yah' Jennings 1901-02 Phillies 1B/2B/SS 160 games, will not go south with the Brooklyn team but will get in shape as baseball coach for Cornell University.

1937: Rest in Peace Harry 'Fighting Harry' Wolverton 1900-01, 1902-04 Phillies 3B 453 games

1941: Phils sell Art Mahan IB/P to Little Rock (minors).

1944: Rest in Peace Frank 'Dixie' Davis 1918 Phillies P 17 games

1946: Cardinals sell Johnny Wyrostek OF and Al Jurisich P to the Phils

1959: Bob Miller P is sent to the Cardinals by the Phils for .future considerations'.

1962: Happy 46th Birthday Dan 'Sacman' Plesac 2002-03 Phillies P 99 games

1973: Happy 35th Birthday Chris Coste 2006-07 Phillies C/1B113 games



1975: Phils sign Orlando Isales OF as a free agent (minors)

1985: Gregory Michael Luzinski, 1970-80 Phillies LF/OF/1B 1289 games, Phan Phavorite, member of the 1980 Phillies World Series Championship team, NL All-Star 1975, 1978, and AL All-Star 1983, announces his retirement. 'The Bull' batted .276 and hit 307 home runs and 1128 RBI in 15 seasons with the Phillies and Chicago White Sox. Greg will become the A's hitting coach in 1993 and a Royals coach 1995-97.







1985: Phils trade Al Oliver OF/1B to the Dodgers for Pat Zachry P

1992: Free agent Greg Mathews P is signed by the Phils

2003: Phils sign Brent Billingsley P as a free agent.

2005: Free agent Juan Sosa OF is signed by the Phils.

2005: A dentist, who became partially blind after being struck attempting to catch a foul ball, is appealing his case against the Phillies which alleges more needs done to protect fans. The case, dismissed by a Philadelphia Common Pleas judge citing multiple warnings were made by the club including PA announcements, text on the back of the ticket, and posted signs in the ball park, will now be heard in the state's Commonwealth Court.

Montco dentist sues Phillies over injury from foul ball

HARRISBURG - A dentist from Elkins Park who lost some of his vision after he was beaned at a Phillies game is suing the team, alleging that not enough was done to protect spectators.

The dentist would have been protected during the June 25, 2001, game at Veterans Stadium if the backstop had been wide enough to meet the recommendations of the Architectural Graphic Standards and had been angled differently, according to court documents citing an expert hired by his attorney. The dentist was struck when a foul ball flew off the bat of Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins. He attempted to catch the ball instead of protecting himself, according to court documents.

Both the City of Philadelphia and the Phillies are defendants. A Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge dismissed the Phillies from the case in October, but the dentist appealed to Commonwealth Court. Oral arguments are scheduled for March 3.

The dentist, who underwent surgery for the injury, suffered temporary blindness and has not regained all of his sight, according to the suit. He is seeking more than $50,000 in damages, said Robert J. Foster, an attorney retained by the team. - AP
Inquirer 2/5/2005 P. B-02

Other Baseball History-

1861: Wearing ice skates, the champion Atlantics defeat the Charter Oak Club, 36-27 on a game played on frozen Litchfield Pond in South Brooklyn.

1882: National League players are now responsible for carrying their own bats and uniforms on road trips. They are also required to purchase and keep clean two complete uniforms, including the white linen ties they are required to wear on the field at all times.

1893: The first recorded version of "Casey at the Bat," as sung by Russell Hunting, hits the music charts. DeWolf Hopper's more famous version will not be released until October 1906.

1909: Hall of Fame pitcher John Clarkson dies at the age of 47. Clarkson won 328 games during a 12-year career in the 19th century.

1915: The Yankees purchase Wally Pipp and OF Hugh High from the Detroit Tigers for a reported $5,000 each. Historian Lyle Spatz (Yankees Coming, Yankees Going) writes that this was the first of some promised funneling of ball players to the recently-sold Yankee franchise.

February 4th part 2 of 3-

1922: Joe Harris, formerly with Cleveland, is reinstated by Judge Landis because of his good war record. Harris had been on the ineligible list for having played with and against ineligible players in independent games. "His service in France, where he was gassed after bitter fighting, caused him to do things he might not have done," says Judge Landis in reinstating him.

1925: Brooklyn acquires OF Cotton Tierney from the Braves for OF Bernie Neis

1934: The National Recovery Administration says athletes advertising athletic goods must actually use them or advertisers will lose the NRA Blue Eagle and be fined.

1956: The A.L. says it will test the automatic intentional walk during spring training. The Major Leagues vote to establish the Cy Young Memorial Award for outstanding pitcher of the year.

1957: Manager Joe McCarthy and outfielder Sam Crawford, 1899-1902 Reds, 1904-17 Tigers, AL Pennants 1907-09, teammate of Ty Cobb; are elected to the Hall of Fame. McCarthy, the winningest manager in history, won nine pennants and four consecutive World Championships with the New York Yankees. Crawford, one of the greatest hitters of the dead-ball era, finished his career with 312 triples, first on the all-time list.



Casey Stengel, McCarthy, and 'Wahoo' Sam Crawford

1958: The Hall of Fame fails to enshrine any new members for the first time since 1950.

1960: The BBWAA voters fail again to elect a new Hall of Fame member. Edd Roush gets 146 votes, but 202 are necessary for election. Sam Rice (143) and Eppa Rixey, 1912-17, 1919-20 Phillies P 232 games, (142) are next in line. Rixey will be voted into the Hall in 1963.



1960: The Giants move their offices to Candlestick Park. They will work out of a locker room until the San Francisco facility is completed.



1967: Rest in Peace Earle Mack (born Thaddeus McGillicuddy) 1910, 11, 14 Athletics 1B/3B/C 5 games, son of Connie Mack, 1924-50 Athletics Coach; part owner of the Athletics with his father, Connie, and brother, Roy.

http://www.thedeadbal...

February 4th part 3 of 3-

1969: Attorney Bowie Kuhn, a compromise choice for Commissioner of Baseball, is elected on a pro-tem basis. 1969, 42-year-old Bowie Kuhn is named commissioner, succeeding Spike Eckert. Kuhn receives a one-year contract paying him $100,000. Major league owners turned to Kuhn after failing to agree on either of two other candidates, Mike Burke of the New York Yankees and Charles Feeney of the San Francisco Giants

1971: Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces former Negro League players will have a separate wing in the Hall of Fame. Due to the controversy the announcement causes, it is decided inclusion in regular Hall of Fame is more fitting and more of an honor for the former black players.

1976: Federal Judge John W. Oliver upholds a recent decision by arbitrator Peter Seitz, who had granted free agency to pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally. Both players had challenged baseball's reserve clause. Messersmith will sign a free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves, while McNally will decide to retire

1984: The Yankees obtain third baseman Toby Harrah and minor leaguer Rick Brown from the Indians for Dan Boitano, Otis Nixon and minor leaguer Guy Elston.

1990: The St. Petersburg Pelicans get home runs from Lamar Johnson and Steve Kemp and rout the West Palm Beach Tropics, 12-4, to win the first-ever championship of the Senior Professional Baseball Association.

1991: The Hall of Fam's Board of Directors votes unanimously to make all players on baseball?s permanently banned list ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration. The decision makes Pete Rose ineligible for the Hall's ballot as long as he remains suspended. He will become eligible again only if the commissioner reinstates him by December, 2005.

2002: The Minnesota Supreme Court refuses to consider an appeal of an injunction that forces the Twins to fulfill their Metrodome lease in 2002. The decision puts an end for this season any possibility of contraction in major league baseball.



2004: Avoiding an arbitration hearing, the Cardinals and Albert Pujols (.359, 43, 124) agree to a $100 million, seven-year deal. The 24-year slugging first baseman/outfielder was the runner up to Barry Bonds of the Giants in National League MVP voting.

2005: Needing to fill the void created by the departure of Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou, the Cubs avoid arbitration and sign Aramis Ramirez (.318, 36, 103) to an $8.95 million, one-year contract. The 26-year old infielder established a club record for a third baseman.

2006: In the Caribbean World Series, Alex Gonzalez, , hit a three-run home run off Jorge Sosa in the top of the ninth inning, lifting the Caracas Lions of Venezuela to an 11 - 9 victory over the Dominican Republic's Licey Tigers. Venezuela overcame deficits of 5 - 0 and 6 - 1 before Gonzalez's blast. Closer Francisco Rodriguez pitched a scoreless ninth to complete the win. Venezuela, which has won all three of its games so far, handed the Dominican Republic's their first loss. Alex Cabrera also homered for the Lions and the Tigers hit five, including one a piece by Miguel Tejada and Jose Offerman. Earlier, Victor Rodriguez drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning and the Carolina Giants of Puerto Rico beat Mexico's Mazatlan Reindeer, 10 - 9, for its first victory in the Series. Mexico's Mazatlan - last year's champions - are winless in three games.

February 5th-

1880: Worcester is voted into the National League. The team, known as the Ruby Legs, Worcesters, No-Names, or the Brown Stockings, will be expelled from the league after minuscule attendance in 1882. Their spot was taken by the Philadelphia Quakers (later Phillies), but there is no direct link between the teams. The vacant Worcester franchise was picked up by sporting goods mogul Al Reach though it had none of the same players or personnel. Yet the Phils still claim their heritage from the Worcester team.



1928: Happy Birthday Don 'Tiger' Hoak 1963-64 Phillies 3B 121 games

1934: Phils buy Ethan Allen P from the Cardinals.

1965: Rest in Peace Bill 'Dode' Brinker 1912 Phillies OF/3B 9 games

1970: Happy 38th Birthday Terrence Chris Brock 2000-01 Phillies P 87 games

1988: Phils trade Freddie Toliver P to the Twins for Chris Calvert (minors)

1993: Rest in Peace Ed Boland 1934-35 Phillies OF 38 games

2003: Phils release Mike Coolbaugh 3B/SS

Other Baseball History-

1886: The patent dispute between Thayer & Wright and A.G. Spalding & Brothers goes to court in Chicago. Thayer is the Harvard pitcher who claimed to have invented the catcher's mask, while G. Wright and Spalding are former teammates on the champion Boston Red Stockings. In the eventual settlement, Thayer's claims will be upheld and he will receive a royalty on masks sold from Spalding's company. Spalding will buy out many rivals on his way to establishing a monopoly in the sporting goods business.

1897: Pitcher Charley Radbourn dies in Bloomington, Illinois, at age of 42. In an 11-season career, Radbourn played for the Providence Grays, Boston Beaneaters, Boston Reds and Cincinnati Reds, compiling a 309-195 record with 1830 strikeouts and a 2.67 ERA. He posted at least 20 wins in nine seasons, including 59 in 1884 and 48 a year before. Affectively nicknamed "Old Hoss", Radburn will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.



1903: The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox announce they will play a series of 15 pre-season games against each other.

1919: N.L. president John Heydler dismisses charges brought in 1918 by Reds owner Garry Herrmann and manager Christy Mathewson against Hal Chase for betting against his team and throwing games in collusion with gamblers. Heydler rules that Chase's poor play was attributable to 'carelessness,' and not to gambling. Two weeks later, Giants manager John McGraw trades first baseman Walter Holke and catcher Bill Rariden to the Reds for Chase. In September, McGraw will send Chase and Heinie Zimmerman home without explanation; during the investigation of the Black Sox scandal in 1920, McGraw will testify that the dismissal was because both players had thrown games and tried to enlist Fred Toney and Benny Kauff in their scheme.





1921: The Yankees purchase a 20-acre plot of land in the Bronx for the future site of Yankee Stadium.



1931: Hack Wilson, who set National League, marks for home runs and RBIs the previous season, signs for $35,000. The 31-year old Cubs' outfielder RBI record is still standing today.



1931: A court finds Lefty Grove, 1925-33 Philadelphia Athletics P, member of the great 1929-31 A's teams; not liable in a shooting accident that occurred in November 1928. Grove was hunting with a friend Roberdeau Annan in West Virginia and when Annan crested a hill, Grove shot him by mistake, partially blinding him in the left eye.

http://www.leftygrove...

1932: Barney Dreyfuss, owner of the Pirates, dies at the age of 66 of complications following surgery.

1934: Future home run king Hank Aaron is born in Mobile, Alabama. After a one-year stint with the Negro Leagues' Indianapolis Clowns, Aaron will make his major league debut with the Milwaukee Braves on his way to a record 755 home runs. At the same time, Babe Ruth, the man whose record Aaron would one day break, is celebrating his last winter off-season as a member of the New York Yankees. After the '34 season, Ruth will be dealt away to the Boston Braves for one last dismal year in '35, bringing an end to his brilliant baseball life.



1935: The Yankees release 39-year old Babe Ruth.

1942: The Braves get Tommy Holmes from the Yankees for Buddy Hassett and Gene Moore in one of the best trades in Braves history. Hassett will hit .284, then join the Navy and never make it back to the major leagues. The much-traveled Moore will never play for the Yanks. Holmes couldn't break into New York's all-star outfield, but he will be a .302 career hitter and help the Braves win the 1948 pennant.

1946: The Cardinals sell OF/1B Johnny Hopp to the Braves for a reported $40,000 and the transfer of infielder Eddie Joost to the Cardinals' Rochester farm team. Hopp will play well in Boston, while the veteran Joost will break in as a regular with the A's in 1947. Joost will be the third and final A's manager during their 53 years in Philadelphia. Connie Mack, 1901-1950, and Jimmy Dykes, 1950-53, are the only other Philadelphia A's managers.

February 5th part 2 of 2-


1951: California governor Earl Warren denies the rumor he is a candidate for baseball commissioner.

1954: In a swap of vets, the Orioles trade OF Johnny Groth and SS Johnny Lipon to the White Sox for OF Sam Mele and SS Neil Berry. Lipon will go to the Reds on April 18th for Grady Hatton and then retire after one National League at bat.

1956: New York City Mayor Robert Wagner and Brooklyn Borough President Frank Cashmore sponsor a bill to create a Brooklyn Sports Center Authority, which will propose building a $30 million downtown sports center.

1956: The ML owners reject the players' request for an increase in the minimum salary from $6,000 to $7,000.

1983: the Toronto Blue Jays acquire minor league first baseman Cecil Fielder from the Kansas City Royals for journeyman outfielder Leon Roberts. Although the Blue Jays won't see the benefits, Fielder will become one of the American League's top power hitters after a stint in the Japanese League. Fielder will lead the AL in home runs in 1990 and 1991 with the Detroit Tigers.

1991: Jack Morris signs a contract with his hometown team, the Minnesota Twins. In doing so, he turns down a 3-year offer from the Detroit Tigers.

1992: The Pirates name former catcher Ted Simmons as general manager.

1999: Major league baseball will honor each league's best hitter with an award named after Hank Aaron. The all-time home run king learns about the honor on his 65th birthday at an event which includes President Bill Clinton, Ernie Banks and Reggie Jackson.



2002: Luis Arroyo is inducted into the Latin American Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. The Puerto Rican reliever, who made the National League All Star squad as a rookie with Cardinals in 1955, had a 8-year career mark of 40-32 saving 36 games with a 3.93 ERA and is best remembered for his 1961 season with the Yankees (15-5, 29 saves).



2002: Baseball announces the withdrawal of its plan for contraction this upcoming season, but the sport is still determined to eliminate two teams in 2003. Attempts to contract the Twins and Expos this season could not be accomplished due to a series of legal decisions and fierce opposition from the Players Association.

2002: Troy Percival's seven-year tenure with Anaheim, which is the longest on the current roster, will increase as the All-Star reliever signs two-year contract extension with the club. The 32-year-old right-hander, who is Angels' all-time leader with 210 career saves, converted 39 of 42 save opportunities last season.

2002: The Astros file a motion in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York asking the court to determine whether the 30-year naming agreement with Enron signed in 1999 should continue. The team does not want to call its stadium Enron Field any longer due to the financial burden placed on many Houston-area residents caused by the bankrupt energy company business practices