“Boy, I hope I never see my name up there.” ~ Yogi Berra (Perhaps another Yogism - Supposedly said when he looked up at the names on the scoreboard at an Old Timers Game)
I was scrolling through my Facebook feed today and saw that it’s been 50 years today since Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash on his way flying aid packages to Managua, Nicaragua. Times passes, some hurts don’t. He was an amazing athlete and human being. I was a freshman in high school, and it deeply affected me. I said it then, and I say it now, he had the best right field arm I’ve ever seen, no debate. CLICK HERE to see some examples. As Vince Scully once said, “Clemente could field the ball in New York and throw a guy out in Pennsylvania.” I had already decided to write about some of the passings in 2022, but that Roberto’s death was 50 years ago just really shocked me.
At the end of each year, we hear about the deaths of “famous” people. I have compiled a list of athletes, writers, musicians / singers that passed away this year. Some of these people really touched my life in a unique way, others were just notable names. It is by no means a “complete list”. It’s amazing how watching athletes and others perform throughout our own lifetime enriches the days and adds to the memories.
Here are some of the MLB deaths from this year:
Larry Biitner. 7/27/1946 - 1/2/2022. A first baseman and outfield. Larry was from Pocahontas, Iowa.
Julio Cruz. 12/2/1954 - 2/22/2022. A switch-hitting second baseman. He played for the Chicago White Sox from mid-1983 through 1986.
Jeremy Giambi. 9/30/1947 - 2/9/2022. An outfielder and first baseman who was Jason Giambi’s younger brother. He admitted to using anabolic steroids in March of 2005. His death was ruled a suicide.
Ralph Terry. 1/9/1936 - 3/16/2022. A solid right-handed starting pitcher who also became a professional golfer after his baseball career ended.
Pete Ward. 7/26/1937 - 3/16/2022. Played nine years as a third baseman, outfielder and first baseman. He played one year for the Baltimore Orioles (1962), but they had a third baseman named Brooks Robinson, so he was traded to the Chicago White Sox and played there from 1963 to 1969. One of my favourite Sox players of that era. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and his dad, Jim played professional hockey for the Montreal Canadians. He and my Uncle Marty shared a birthday.
Tommy Davis. 3/21/1939 - 4/3/2022. Played 18-years in the majors as an outfielder and third baseman. He was a big part of the Los Angeles Dodgers teams (1959-1966) winning their championships and played one year for the Chicago White Sox (1968).
Joe Horlen. 8/14/1937 - 4/10/2022. A fine right-handed pitcher for the Chicago White Sox from 1961-1971. When he debuted in a relief appearance in Minnesota, he wore a numberless jersey as the team didn’t have a road jersey for him. If I remember correctly, he didn’t like the taste of chewing tobacco, felt chewing gum was too sweet, so he chewed unused tissue / toilet paper.
Dwight Smith. 11/8/1963 - 7/22/2022. An outfielder for four teams over eight seasons. He began singing when he was 4 years old in his church choir. During the off-season he would sing in nightclubs and talent shows. While playing for the Chicago Cubs he sang the National Anthem on July 21, 1989, at Wrigley Field prior to a game against the San Francisco Giants.
John Stearns. 8/21/1951 - 9/15/2022. A catcher who was nicknamed “Bad Dude”. He played for 11 seasons.
Maury Wills. 10/2/1932 - 9/19/2022 He was a switch-hitting shortstop for 12 of 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He stole 104 bases in 1962 breaking Ty Cobb’s record of 96, which had been set in 1915.
Bruce Sutter. 1/8/1953 - 10/13/2022. A Hall of Fame Relief Pitcher with a highly effective split-fingered fastball. His number 42 was retired by the Saint Louis Cardinals in 2006.
Gaylord Perry. 9/15/1938 - 12/01/2022. A Hall of Fame pitcher. Played for 22 seasons and “may have” thrown a spitball. Gene Mauch, a former major league manager once said, “He should be in the Hall of Fame with a tube of K-Y Jelly attached to his plaque”.
Curt Simmons. 5/19/1929 - 12/13/2022. The last surviving member of the Philadelphia Phillies 1950 NL Champion team, “The Whiz Kids”. A fine lefty pitcher.
Tom Browning. 4/28-1960 - 12/19/2022. A good left-handed pitcher. 1985 Rookie of the Year and the only Cincinnati pitcher to ever throw a perfect game.
Denny Doyle. 1/17/43 -12/20/2022. Had an 8-year career as a second baseman while playing for three teams. He was a weak hitter but post a career .977 fielding percentage.
Fred Valentine. 1/19/1935 - 12/26/2022. A switch-hitting outfield that played in 533 career games over parts of seven seasons, plus one season in Japan. He was featured in a previous post, (which you can read by clicking) “Valentine’s Day”.
Here are some of the deaths of athletes or sports people:
Dan Reeves. 1/19/1944 – 1/1/2022. A Dallas Cowboys Running Back and NFL Head Coach.
Don Maynard. 1/25/1935 – 1/10/2022. Drafted by the New York Giants, played in the Canadian Football League and starred for the New York Jets as a Wide Receiver. Super Bowl III and one of Joe Namath’s favourite passing targets.
Charley Taylor. 9/28/1941 – 2/19/2022. This Hall of Fame wide receiver played for 13-seasons all with the Washington Redskins. He often introduced himself as, “Charley Taylor, the Grand Prairie Flash, inimitable, happy to be none other.”
Jean Potvin. 3/25/1949 – 3/15/2022. An NHL defenceman who played 11-seasons for various teams.
Daryle Lamonica. 7/17/1941 – 4/21/2022. The “Mad Bomber” an AFL and NFL Quarterback.
Guy Lafleur. 9/20/1951 – 4/22/2022. An outstanding NHL player for 17 seasons and on five Stanley Cup Champions.
Bob Lanier. 9/10/1948 – 5/10/2022. An NBA Center who played 14 seasons. A physical post player that suffered several knee injuries that dampened his career and effectiveness, but never his determination. He wore a size 22 court shoe.
Roger Angell. 9/19/1920 – 5/20/2022. He was an author and essayist who wrote on sports, mostly baseball, but also contributed works of fiction and non-fiction as well as an annual Christmas poem to The New Yorker. He was called the “Poet Laureate of Baseball”, but he was not fond of the title. One of, if not the greatest sportswriter ever.
Bill Russell. 2/12/1934 – 7/31/2022. He was an NBA Center, Player-Coach and Coach, but was so much more. He won 11 champions (8 in a row) in 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics and won five MVP Awards. He was also an outstanding high jumper for the University of San Francisco. He was an outspoken advocate of civil rights. He dealt with racism throughout his playing career but carried himself with dignity. He had a distinctive high-pitched laugh. Don Nelson, a teammate and later an NBA coach said, “There are two types of superstars. One makes himself look good at the expense of the other guys on the floor. But there’s another type who makes the players around him look better than they are, and that’s the type Russell was.” The NBA is retiring his Number 6 throughout the league. If you want to see his athleticism, CLICK HERE.
Vin Scully. 11/29/1927 – 8/2/2022. A Hall of Famer. He was the voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers for 67 seasons.
Len Dawson. 6/20/1935 – 8/24/2022. An AFL and NFL quarterback. He played in the first Super Bowl, losing to the Green Bay Packers and later lead them to their first Super Bowl title in 1969.
Tiffany Jackson. 4/26/1985 – 10/3/2022. An outstanding University of Texas player who is the only female player to score 1000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals and 150 blocks. As an WNBA player she was diagnosed in her fourth season with Stage 4 breast cancer, she fought it and eventually played again before coming a coach. She died of the disease.
Ray Guy. 12/22/1949 – 11/3/2022. An NFL Hall of Fame Punter for the Raiders.
John Hadl. 2/15/1940 – 11/30/2022. An AFL and NFL quarterback. He wore the number 21 throughout his career.
Grant Wahl. 12/2/1974 – 12/9/2022. A Sportswriter known for his soccer insights. He worked for Sports Illustrated for 25 years. He passed away from cardiac arrest while covering the 2022 World Cup.
Paul Silas. 7/12/1943 – 12/11/2022. He spent 50 years in the NBA as a player and coach.
Gary Knafelc. 1/2/1932 – 12/19/2022. One of the last surviving members of Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers. He was inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame in 1976. He played for the Packers from 1954 to 1962. He was the Lambeau Field PA announcer for 40 years.
Franco Harris. 3/7/1950 – 12/20/2022. A great running back for the Pittsburg Steelers. The receiver on Terry Bradshaw’s pass that bounced off Raider’s safety Jack Tatum which Harris scooped the deflection and ran 60-yards for the game winning touchdown; forever known as (CLICK TO SEE) “The Immaculate Reception”.
Kathy Whitworth. 9/27/1939 – 12/24/2022. The first LPGA golfer to earn 1 million dollars in prize money.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele. 10/23/1940 – 12/29/2022. He was one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. Pele was a Brazilian soccer star who led his national team to the World Cup Championship in 1956.
Also passing this year were some of my favourite musician / singers. They have added to the “soundtrack of my life”:
Ronnie Spector. 8/10/1943 – 1/12/2022. The lead singer and co-founder of the 60s all girls group, The Ronettes. Click to listen to “Baby, I Love You”.
Michael Lee Aday, better known as Meat Loaf. 9/27/1947 – 1/20/2022. A singer with an incredible voice who also acted. He was a huge baseball and Yankee’s fan. He got Phil Rizzuto, the Yankee’s broadcaster to do the “play-by-play” on the song, “Paradise by the Dashboard Light”. Click to listen to “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad”.
Jim Seals. 10/17/1942 – 6/6/2022. One half of the singing duo, Seals and Crofts, who had multiple hits in the ‘70s. He played guitar, saxophone, and violin. Click to listen to “Get Closer”.
Olivia Newton-John. 9/26/1948 – 8/8/2022. An Austrian singer with an angelic voice and activist. Click to listen to “I Honestly Love You”.
Jerry Lee Lewis. 9/29/1935 – 10/28/2022. Nicknamed “The Killer”. A pioneer of Rock N Roll, an energetic piano player and performer, Listen to “Great Balls of Fire”.
Christine McVie. 7/12/1943 – 11/30/2022. She was the keyboard player and a singer in Fleetwood Mac. She had and amazing voice. Listen to “Little Lies”.
And a special mention of Barbara Walters. 9/25/1929 – 12/30/2022. She was an American broadcast journalist and television personality.
May they all Rest in Peace. And may we occasionally think of them and smile, remembering their places in our lives.
Have a safe, prosperous, and healthy 2023. I mentioned this in yesterday’s post, but I truly mean it, thanks for your support in this endeavor of mine.
~ Coach Mike
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The End of the Year: 2022
Beautiful post💯 Thanks for sharing 🙏🙏🙏 We lost some great ones and their names and special talents will live on🌟
Thanks Mike, and Happy New Year to you and your family