Minor League Baseball Players - Page 102

Cusick · 10-15-2017, 01:40 PM

Hal DeMars was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo is from the Eau Claire Leader of May 21, 1957.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=demars001har

Cusick · 10-15-2017, 01:44 PM

Alfred "Al" Diez was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo is from the El Paso Herald-Post of June 20, 1957 and shows him with the El Paso Texans.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=diez--001alf

Cusick · 10-15-2017, 02:09 PM

Tom Fassler was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo is from the St. Louis (MO) Post-Dispatch of July 17, 1955 and shows him with the Aubuchon-Dennison American Legion Post team of the St. Louis area.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=fassle001tho

Cusick · 10-15-2017, 06:26 PM

Bob Fidler was an outfielder on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo is from the Greensboro (NC) Record of July 8, 1957, and shows him with the Greensboro Patriots.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=fidler001rob

Cusick · 10-15-2017, 08:38 PM

Benny Griggs was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo on the left would be that Benny. It is from the Wellsville (NY) Daily Reporter of May 15, 1959, and shows him with the Wellsville Braves. I'm not so sure about the photo on the right, but it's probably Benny in a North Battleford (Saskatchewan, Canada) uniform. It comes from the website, attheplate.com. It claims that it is the same Bennie (sic) Griggs who pitched for Wellsville and Jacksonville. However, it gives this Bennie Griggs' birthdate as Aug. 28 1928, whereas baseball-reference.com gives our desired Benny Griggs' birthdate as an unknown day in the year 1935.

The link to the attheplate website is: http://www.attheplate.com/wcbl/profi...gs_bennie.html

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=griggs001ben

Cusick · 10-15-2017, 08:46 PM

Dale Hendrickson was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. During his career, he also ascended to the Milwaukee Braves' spring roster in 1959. The photo appeared on eBay in March of 2011.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=hendri002dal

Cusick · 10-15-2017, 09:00 PM

Charles "Charlie" Kolakowski was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. He also made the 1959 Cleveland Indians spring roster. The photo was sent to me years ago by a friend. I believe it was a clipping from a Reading (PA) newspaper. It shows Kolakowski with the Reading Indians.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=kolako001cha

Cusick · 10-15-2017, 09:15 PM

Boyd Linker was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo is from the Omaha World-Herald of May 2, 1958. I assume that the uniform shown is that of the Omaha Cardinals, for whom he had been pitching since 1957.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=linker001boy

Cusick · 10-15-2017, 09:41 PM

Taking time out to divert from the Jacksonville Jets to pay tribute to a minor leaguer who died earlier this month -- on October 3. Catcher Don Pinciotti was on the Chicago White Sox spring roster in 1948. He had also been an all-star full back earlier in his career. The photo is from a website called commercialappeal.com, where I found it in 2013. He is shown in the uniform of the 1952 Memphis Chickasaws.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=pincio001don

FatJack · 10-15-2017, 09:57 PM

Before there was Billy Hamilton, there was Jeff Anderson. "Pep" Anderson was a late round draft pick of the New York Mets in 1970 (the 31st round, to be specific). In his debut campaign with Class A Pompano Beach, he stole 73 bases. That was not only tops in the league (the closest to him was John Shaw of Ft. Lauderdale, who stole 43), but was also more stolen bases than three entire teams in the circuit could muster. Jeff's prowess on the basepaths earned him this image in the 1972 Mets yearbook, but not much else. There were lots of holes in Jeff's game (he struck out a ton). He never advanced beyond Double-A and was out of the game after just three seasons at the ripe old age of 25. He finished with a career total of 155 stolen bases and a career batting average of .237. (The cap, if you're wondering, was the standard issue for the team's Instructional League squad in those days.)

FatJack · 10-15-2017, 10:17 PM

Willie James was signed by the Expos as an undrafted free agent in 1969. Though every team, including the Expos, had passed on him in the draft, GM Jim Fanning boldly proclaimed Willie was "probably one of the three or four best hitters of the whole 1969 crop." Don't give up your day job, Jim. Oh. That is your day job. Never mind.

Anyway, praise for Willie James just flowed from the Expos in the spring of 1970 as he crushed in batting practice. Manager Gene Mauch declared, "When I first saw him, I knew he really had something." And Rusty Staub compared Willie to Roberto Clemente. He even got a write up in the team's 1970 yearbook (the only other "prospects" so featured were pitchers Balor Moore and John Strohmayer).

The young outfielder played three seasons in the Expos chain and one more with a Cardinals affiliate, closing out his career with 3 years in Mexico (for which no stats are available). His career batting average was .231. He hit 13 home runs with 81 RBIs in his 4 minor league seasons.

This image is from the 1970 Expos yearbook.

SDL · 10-16-2017, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cusick

Hal DeMars was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo is from the Eau Claire Leader of May 21, 1957.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=demars001har

Any relation to Billy DeMars?

Cusick · 10-16-2017, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SDL

Any relation to Billy DeMars?

Haven't been able to find any. Hal DeMars went to high school in Terryville, Connecticut. Billy DeMars was born in Brooklyn. Don't know where he attended high school. An article about him says he played baseball and stick ball in the "streets of the city," so that sounds like he stayed in Brooklyn.

Read several articles about Hal DeMars, and I would think they would have mentioned Billy if there had been a relationship, because Billy had already been a major league player.

Cusick · 10-16-2017, 09:02 AM

Another member of the 1961 Jacksonville Jets, Andy Madalone played second, third, and short during his minor league career. The photo is from the Allentown (PA) Morning Call of March 2, 1960, and shows him with the Allentown Red Sox.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=madalo001and

Cusick · 10-16-2017, 09:21 AM

Hal Norris was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo on the left shows him in a training session with the California Angels at the Polo Grounds, where he is doing sit-ups. The photo is from The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, CA) of Feb. 28, 1961. Norris hails from Richland, WA, and is a graduate of Central Washington College.

The photo on the right is from a an obituary webpage honoring him. The obituary reveals a number of interesting pieces of information about him. He was born on 9/9/1933 in Illinois. He died on 6/19/2008 in Richland, WA. He was quite an entrepreneur. He was a founder and major financier of two firms -- Chem Nuclear Waste Management and Great Columbia Life Insurance Company. He was the developer and owner of "McDougals and My Place" bistro in Richland. He was a mentor to many other individuals who made their way into the business world as entrepreneurs. The "1951" on the second photo is indicative of his having been in his high school class of 1951. His nickname was "Frosty."

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=norris001har

Cusick · 10-16-2017, 09:27 AM

Jose Padilla was a shortstop on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo shows him with the West Palm Beach (FL) Sun Kings. It is from the April 20, 1956 issue of the Palm Beach Post.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=padill001jos

Cusick · 10-16-2017, 09:52 AM

Bill Rittman was a third baseman on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo on the left shows him with the Wellsville Braves, and is from the Wellsville (NY) Daily Reporter of April 28, 1955. On the right, I found an improved photo when he was trying out for the Louisville Colonels. It is from the Louisville Courier-Journal of April 5, 1960.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=rittma001wil

Cusick · 10-16-2017, 10:10 AM

Elio Toboso was an outfielder on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The image appeared on pinterest and was merely described as a rare minor league card. I'm unable to amplify on that.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=toboso001eli

Cusick · 10-16-2017, 10:26 AM

Eddie "Burt" Touchberry was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo on the left shows him in the uniform of the Nashville Volunteers. It's from The Tennessean (Nashville) of April 26, 1958. The photo on the right gives a clearer image of his face. It shows him in the basketball uniform of the Florida University Gators. He died on January 15, 2015.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=touchb001edd

Cusick · 10-16-2017, 02:25 PM

Bob Wedin was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. He is shown here in the uniform of the University of Connecticut. His hometown was Seymour, CT. The photo is from the Hartford Courant of June 22, 1958. The accompanying article indicated that he had just been named a first-team All-American baseball player.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=wedin-001rob

10-15-2017, 01:40 PM	#2021
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Hal DeMars Hal DeMars was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo is from the Eau Claire Leader of May 21, 1957. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=demars001har Attached Images

10-15-2017, 01:44 PM	#2022
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Al Diez Alfred "Al" Diez was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo is from the El Paso Herald-Post of June 20, 1957 and shows him with the El Paso Texans. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=diez--001alf Attached Images

10-15-2017, 02:09 PM	#2023
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Tom Fassler Tom Fassler was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo is from the St. Louis (MO) Post-Dispatch of July 17, 1955 and shows him with the Aubuchon-Dennison American Legion Post team of the St. Louis area. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=fassle001tho Attached Images

10-15-2017, 06:26 PM	#2024
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Bob Fidler Bob Fidler was an outfielder on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo is from the Greensboro (NC) Record of July 8, 1957, and shows him with the Greensboro Patriots. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=fidler001rob Attached Images

10-15-2017, 08:38 PM	#2025
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Benny Griggs Benny Griggs was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo on the left would be that Benny. It is from the Wellsville (NY) Daily Reporter of May 15, 1959, and shows him with the Wellsville Braves. I'm not so sure about the photo on the right, but it's probably Benny in a North Battleford (Saskatchewan, Canada) uniform. It comes from the website, attheplate.com. It claims that it is the same Bennie (sic) Griggs who pitched for Wellsville and Jacksonville. However, it gives this Bennie Griggs' birthdate as Aug. 28 1928, whereas baseball-reference.com gives our desired Benny Griggs' birthdate as an unknown day in the year 1935. The link to the attheplate website is: http://www.attheplate.com/wcbl/profi...gs_bennie.html https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=griggs001ben Attached Images

10-15-2017, 08:46 PM	#2026
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Dale Hendrickson Dale Hendrickson was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. During his career, he also ascended to the Milwaukee Braves' spring roster in 1959. The photo appeared on eBay in March of 2011. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=hendri002dal Attached Images

10-15-2017, 09:00 PM	#2027
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Charles Kolakowski Charles "Charlie" Kolakowski was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. He also made the 1959 Cleveland Indians spring roster. The photo was sent to me years ago by a friend. I believe it was a clipping from a Reading (PA) newspaper. It shows Kolakowski with the Reading Indians. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=kolako001cha Attached Images

10-15-2017, 09:15 PM	#2028
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Boyd Linker Boyd Linker was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo is from the Omaha World-Herald of May 2, 1958. I assume that the uniform shown is that of the Omaha Cardinals, for whom he had been pitching since 1957. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=linker001boy Attached Images

10-15-2017, 09:41 PM	#2029
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Don Pinciotti Taking time out to divert from the Jacksonville Jets to pay tribute to a minor leaguer who died earlier this month -- on October 3. Catcher Don Pinciotti was on the Chicago White Sox spring roster in 1948. He had also been an all-star full back earlier in his career. The photo is from a website called commercialappeal.com, where I found it in 2013. He is shown in the uniform of the 1952 Memphis Chickasaws. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=pincio001don Attached Images

10-15-2017, 09:57 PM	#2030
FatJack All Star Reserve Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 847	Jeffrey L. Anderson Before there was Billy Hamilton, there was Jeff Anderson. "Pep" Anderson was a late round draft pick of the New York Mets in 1970 (the 31st round, to be specific). In his debut campaign with Class A Pompano Beach, he stole 73 bases. That was not only tops in the league (the closest to him was John Shaw of Ft. Lauderdale, who stole 43), but was also more stolen bases than three entire teams in the circuit could muster. Jeff's prowess on the basepaths earned him this image in the 1972 Mets yearbook, but not much else. There were lots of holes in Jeff's game (he struck out a ton). He never advanced beyond Double-A and was out of the game after just three seasons at the ripe old age of 25. He finished with a career total of 155 stolen bases and a career batting average of .237. (The cap, if you're wondering, was the standard issue for the team's Instructional League squad in those days.) Attached Images

10-15-2017, 10:17 PM	#2031
FatJack All Star Reserve Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 847	Willie James Willie James was signed by the Expos as an undrafted free agent in 1969. Though every team, including the Expos, had passed on him in the draft, GM Jim Fanning boldly proclaimed Willie was "probably one of the three or four best hitters of the whole 1969 crop." Don't give up your day job, Jim. Oh. That is your day job. Never mind. Anyway, praise for Willie James just flowed from the Expos in the spring of 1970 as he crushed in batting practice. Manager Gene Mauch declared, "When I first saw him, I knew he really had something." And Rusty Staub compared Willie to Roberto Clemente. He even got a write up in the team's 1970 yearbook (the only other "prospects" so featured were pitchers Balor Moore and John Strohmayer). The young outfielder played three seasons in the Expos chain and one more with a Cardinals affiliate, closing out his career with 3 years in Mexico (for which no stats are available). His career batting average was .231. He hit 13 home runs with 81 RBIs in his 4 minor league seasons. This image is from the 1970 Expos yearbook. Attached Images

10-16-2017, 09:02 AM	#2034
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Andy Madalone Another member of the 1961 Jacksonville Jets, Andy Madalone played second, third, and short during his minor league career. The photo is from the Allentown (PA) Morning Call of March 2, 1960, and shows him with the Allentown Red Sox. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=madalo001and Attached Images

10-16-2017, 09:21 AM	#2035
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Hal Norris Hal Norris was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo on the left shows him in a training session with the California Angels at the Polo Grounds, where he is doing sit-ups. The photo is from The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, CA) of Feb. 28, 1961. Norris hails from Richland, WA, and is a graduate of Central Washington College. The photo on the right is from a an obituary webpage honoring him. The obituary reveals a number of interesting pieces of information about him. He was born on 9/9/1933 in Illinois. He died on 6/19/2008 in Richland, WA. He was quite an entrepreneur. He was a founder and major financier of two firms -- Chem Nuclear Waste Management and Great Columbia Life Insurance Company. He was the developer and owner of "McDougals and My Place" bistro in Richland. He was a mentor to many other individuals who made their way into the business world as entrepreneurs. The "1951" on the second photo is indicative of his having been in his high school class of 1951. His nickname was "Frosty." https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=norris001har Attached Images Last edited by Cusick; 10-16-2017 at 08:59 PM. Reason: Add second photo plus more info.

10-16-2017, 09:27 AM	#2036
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Jose Padilla Jose Padilla was a shortstop on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo shows him with the West Palm Beach (FL) Sun Kings. It is from the April 20, 1956 issue of the Palm Beach Post. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=padill001jos Attached Images

10-16-2017, 09:52 AM	#2037
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Bill Rittman Bill Rittman was a third baseman on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo on the left shows him with the Wellsville Braves, and is from the Wellsville (NY) Daily Reporter of April 28, 1955. On the right, I found an improved photo when he was trying out for the Louisville Colonels. It is from the Louisville Courier-Journal of April 5, 1960. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=rittma001wil Attached Images Last edited by Cusick; 10-16-2017 at 09:58 AM. Reason: Add second photo.

10-16-2017, 10:10 AM	#2038
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Elio Toboso Elio Toboso was an outfielder on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The image appeared on pinterest and was merely described as a rare minor league card. I'm unable to amplify on that. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=toboso001eli Attached Images

10-16-2017, 10:26 AM	#2039
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Burt Touchberry Eddie "Burt" Touchberry was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. The photo on the left shows him in the uniform of the Nashville Volunteers. It's from The Tennessean (Nashville) of April 26, 1958. The photo on the right gives a clearer image of his face. It shows him in the basketball uniform of the Florida University Gators. He died on January 15, 2015. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=touchb001edd Attached Images Last edited by Cusick; 10-16-2017 at 10:30 AM.

10-16-2017, 02:25 PM	#2040
Cusick Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 4,319	Bob Wedin Bob Wedin was a pitcher on the 1961 Jacksonville Jets. He is shown here in the uniform of the University of Connecticut. His hometown was Seymour, CT. The photo is from the Hartford Courant of June 22, 1958. The accompanying article indicated that he had just been named a first-team All-American baseball player. https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=wedin-001rob Attached Images