Minor League Baseball Players

[Cusick]

Nice find, Pinetarpress. Because I had no record of Tim Kammeyer's being on a spring training roster or a non-roster invitee, I sent him an email using the link you provided as to his current whereabouts. He replied confirming that he was in spring training with the Angels his final year, and he verified Topps Vault KF 237 as being himself. See below his note to me. I've excised his cell phone number, to keep it from becoming public.

"That is me in the photo. I signed with the Angels in June 1981. Spent 3.5 years in the minors & did go to big league spring training my last year. I'm just not positive what year that was but I think it was 1984. Please feel free to call, text, or email me anytime. My cell is .........

Tim"

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

1969 Indianapolis Indians Dennis Ribant.

[Pinetarpress]

Originally Posted by Cusick

Nice find, Pinetarpress. Because I had no record of Tim Kammeyer's being on a spring training roster or a non-roster invitee, I sent him an email using the link you provided as to his current whereabouts. He replied confirming that he was in spring training with the Angels his final year, and he verified Topps Vault KF 237 as being himself. See below his note to me. I've excised his cell phone number, to keep it from becoming public.

"That is me in the photo. I signed with the Angels in June 1981. Spent 3.5 years in the minors & did go to big league spring training my last year. I'm just not positive what year that was but I think it was 1984. Please feel free to call, text, or email me anytime. My cell is .........

Tim"

Cusick....That is outstanding....I love when these guys see their photos for the first time....I guarantee that Rod Allen will get a kick out of his White Sox photos and I would not be surprised if those photos were used on a Tigers broadcast this season to poke fun at his "very 80's" look


Also, I have been thinking about starting a blog focusing on all of the TV releases of guys who never made the majors....perhaps, also (occasionally)including guys who have photos on a team they never played in the majors with....My hope is this would allow players and their families to see these photos for the first time and allow them to make comments on them if they choose....occasionally, also, grabbing an interview with someone like Kammeyer....

[Cusick]

Originally Posted by Pinetarpress

Also, I have been thinking about starting a blog focusing on all of the TV releases of guys who never made the majors....perhaps, also (occasionally)including guys who have photos on a team they never played in the majors with....My hope is this would allow players and their families to see these photos for the first time and allow them to make comments on them if they choose....occasionally, also, grabbing an interview with someone like Kammeyer....

Don't know how you would publicize such a blog to draw people to it, but I like your idea.

Another player I contacted to let him know about his TV photos was Gary Marks. That occurred a little over a year ago. His response was that he remembered the photos being taken, and he had always wondered what happened to them. He was happy to share them with his family. What I didn't know about Gary was that he was terminally ill at the time. He died last year. So you'll never know what good could come from this kind of blog.

[Cusick]

As requested by DeweyintheHall.

Lew Olsen Minor Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com

[Rainmaker]

Also from the Vault:

[Cusick]

Response to another DeweyintheHall request.

Davis May was a Sharman Society entrant in 1977 and was also on the Minnesota Twins' spring roster in 1977.

The photo on the left comes from Davis May's 1979 TCMA Syracuse Chiefs baseball card. The one on the right is from baseball-birthdays.com. It shows Davis with the Tacoma Twins.

Dave May Minor Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

Originally Posted by Cusick

Response to another DeweyintheHall request.

Davis May was a Sharman Society entrant in 1977 and was also on the Minnesota Twins' spring roster in 1977.

The photo on the left comes from Davis May's 1979 TCMA Syracuse Chiefs baseball card. The one on the right is from baseball-birthdays.com. It shows Davis with the Tacoma Twins.

Dave May Minor Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com

Davis May also was a 1979 NRI for the Cincinnati reds

[Pinetarpress]

Originally Posted by Cusick

Don't know how you would publicize such a blog to draw people to it, but I like your idea.

Another player I contacted to let him know about his TV photos was Gary Marks. That occurred a little over a year ago. His response was that he remembered the photos being taken, and he had always wondered what happened to them. He was happy to share them with his family. What I didn't know about Gary was that he was terminally ill at the time. He died last year. So you'll never know what good could come from this kind of blog.

I would think friends and family (former teammates) would appreciate seeing the photos and perhaps some of the stories some could tell

Whit Merrifield's dad Bill with the Angles...for example...was appreciated

[FatJack]

Doug Gentry was a minor league pitcher through the sixties, mostly in the Red Sox system. This 1961 image of Gentry with the Grand Forks Chiefs (a Pirates farm team) is a current offering on eBay.

[FatJack]

From the same eBay seller as above, here is future Hall of Famer Billy Williams in 1959 with the Dallas Fort Worth Cats, then the AAA farm club of the Cubs. Williams played only 5 games with the Cats (hitting .476) after spending much of the year with AA San Antonio (where he hit .318). He made his major league debut on August 6, 1959.

[keonleafs]

Originally Posted by FatJack

From the same eBay seller as above, here is future Hall of Famer Billy Williams in 1959 with the Dallas Fort Worth Cats, then the AAA farm club of the Cubs. Williams played only 5 games with the Cats (hitting .476) after spending much of the year with AA San Antonio (where he hit .318). He made his major league debut on August 6, 1959.

This not Billy Williams, but Georges Williams who also played for D-Fort Worth but in 1961. He played part of 3 years in the Majors, 1961 Phillies, 1962 Houston and 1964 KC A's, with whom he had a Topps Rookie Stars card, no 388

[FatJack]

Originally Posted by keonleafs

This not Billy Williams, but Georges Williams who also played for D-Fort Worth but in 1961. He played part of 3 years in the Majors, 1961 Phillies, 1962 Houston and 1964 KC A's, with whom he had a Topps Rookie Stars card, no 388

Thanks. Seller has it listed as Billy. I didn't think it looked like him, but facial recognition ain't my strong smoot (unless it's a Met), so I took it on faith that the seller knew better than I.

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

1969 Indianapolis Indians with former Pilots Johnny Morris

[Merkle923]

Here's a Dexter of a two-year professional who appeared with the Mets in Spring Training 1967: Richard Howard Minor Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com

[Merkle923]

Another Dexter - left-handed pitcher in camp with the '67 Pirates

Roger Brown Minor Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

Anyone know of any photo's of Fred Rath Sr. in a 1971 Evansville Triplets Uni? any 1971-1972 of Evansville Triplets various player photo's?

[pepsikula]

Any good pics of Melwood "Mel" Civil who played mostly in the Pirates farm system 1964-1965 and 1968-1973? Also played a little with the Indians farm system in 1971.

[FatJack]

Originally Posted by pepsikula

Any good pics of Melwood "Mel" Civil who played mostly in the Pirates farm system 1964-1965 and 1968-1973? Also played a little with the Indians farm system in 1971.

Here are a couple of (brightened) stills from a local 1969 interview with Civil when he was playing for the Salem Rebels. The interview is up on YouTube.

[FatJack]

This image of Mel Civil comes from a 1973 team issued "set" of the Sherbrooke Pirates and a completed eBay auction.