Bob Wicker was born at Bono,IN, and lived in Bedford,IN. He pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Cincinnati Reds from 1901-1906 during baseball's Dead Ball Era. Winning 20 games for the 1903 Chicago Cubs. Check out his bio by Bill Lamb at Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/13dad0c3
On
April 4, 1994 Tuffy Rhodes of the Chicago Cubs became the first National
Leaguer to hit three home runs on Opening Day. He accomplished the task against New York Mets
ace Dwight Gooden. Rhodes only hit 10 other
home runs in his 590 career at-bats. Finishing his major league career with 13
home runs and 44 RBI.
Rhodes
would enjoy a stellar career in Japanese baseball where he hit 464 home runs
including tying Sadaharu Oh’s season record of 55 home runs (since broken by Wladimir
Balentein in 2013 with 60). He also drove in 1269 runs.
Joe Glasgow is
a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play
Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h
Honus
Wagner was signed by the Louisville Colonels of the National League making his
debut in 1897 after spending only two seasons in the minor leagues. He would
play in Louisville
through the 1899 season, the National League contracted to 8 teams, and Wagner
would go to the Pittsburgh Pirates where he would spend the rest of his career.
Wagner
considered by many to be the best all around player of the Dead Ball Era. He hit
101 home runs with 1,732 RBI with a batting line of .328/.391/.467. He stole
722 bases in his career, and was the best shortstop of his era.
Wagner
would win 8 National League batting titles, 5 times he would lead the league in
RBI, and 5 times he would lead the league in stolen bases.
He
would lead the Pirates to their only World Series Championship during his
career in 1909. His #33 was retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1936, he was
elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
Joe Glasgow is
a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play
Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h
Don
Kessing was a slick fielding shortstop for the Chicago Cubs from 1964-1975. During
that period he would be a six time National League All-Star. He would win the
Gold Glove Award in 1969 and 1970.
Never
known for his offense, he hit 14 home runs with 527 RBI with a hitting line of .252/.314/.312.
His best offensive season would be 1969, when he hit 4 home runs with 53 RBI.
He
would spend the end of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago
White Sox. He would serve as manager for the White Sox in 1979 with a record of
46-60.
Joe Glasgow is
a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play
Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h
Gorman
Thomas was one of the most popular players in Milwaukee Brewers history. He hit
268 home runs with 782 RBI. His career battling was .225/.324/.448.
Thomas
was a solid defender in centerfield until injuring his shoulder near the end of
his career. He was part of the Brewers only World Series team. The 1982 Brewers
were a hard hitting club that won the American League Pennant. Managed by
Harvey Kuehn and were called Harvey’s
Wallbangers.
Thomas
would have his best season in 1979. He would hit 45 home runs and drive in 123
runs. He led the league in home runs, and would lead the league again in 1982
with 39. Five times in his career he hit 30 plus home runs in a season. He was
also known for striking out, but remained popular with the Brewer faithful.
One
season after going the World Series the Brewers dealt the popular outfielder to
the Cleveland Indians in June of 1983. He would play for the Seattle Mariners
from 1984-986, and finished the balance of the 1986 back with the Milwaukee
Brewers.
Joe Glasgow is
a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play
Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h
