Sports obituaries

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Jay Johnstone, a longtime OF and PH and a Hall of Fame level clubhouse prankster, died on 9/26 at age 74, due to complications from COVID19.

Johnstone played for 20 seasons (1966-85) and was part of two World Series winners (1978 Yankees and 1981 Dodgers.) Other teams he played for include the Angels, White Sox, A's, Phillies, Padres and Cubs.

Dave Miedema

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Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, one of the most feared and intimidating pitchers of his day, died 10/2 at age 84 due to pancreatic cancer.

Twice the Cy Young Award winner and the NL MVP in 1968, Gibson ended the '68 season with a record low 1.12 ERA. The 5-time 20-game winner also excelled in three World Series, going 7-2 with a 1.89 ERA. Over the course of his MLB career (1959-75, all with the Cardinals), his won/lost record was 251-174, with a 2.91 ERA, with 3,117 strikeouts.

Finally, during Joe Torre's managing days in the National League, he chose Gibson as his pitching coach not only with the Cardinals, but with the Mets and Braves, as well.

Dave Miedema

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This weekend has not been a good one for Dodger fans, as 3 ex-Dodgers were reported as passing away over the last few days:

Lou Johnson, a well-traveled outfielder in the 1960s who is best remembered as a Dodger, died 9/30 at age 86.

Johnson's stint with the Dodgers was only for 3 years (1965-67), but his most notable accomplishments came in Dodger Blue, particularly in '65. He hit a home run in Game 7 of the World Series to help L.A. win the World Series in seven games against the Twins. During the regular season, he smacked the only hit and scored the only run in Sandy Koufax's 1-0 perfect game against the Cubs. The losing pitcher, Bob Hendley, threw a 1-hitter.

Sweet Lou, as he was known, had two tours of duty with the Cubs (1960 and 1968), two with the Angels (1 game in 1961 and a lot more in 1969). He also had brief stints with the Braves (1962) and the Indians (1968).




Ron Perranoski, a great Dodger bullpen star in the 1960s,, died on 10/2 at age 84..

Ron pitched for the Dodgers from 1961-67,and had one of the best seasons any relief pitcher has enjoyed. In 1963, Ron finished the season with 69 appearances (all in relief), a record of 16-3, 21 saves and a 1.67 ERA, all of which placed him 4th in NL MVP voting for the season.

Traded to the Twins in the 1967-68 offseason, Ron pitched for them from 1968 to mid-1971, when he was dealt to the Tigers. While a Twin, he led the AL in saves in both 1969 (31) and 1970 (34).

Ron remained a Tiger until late 1972, when he briefly returned to the Dodgers before calling it quits after one season with the Angels (1973)

Ron also was a longtime Dodgers pitching coach on both the MLB and MiLB level, and later did the same for the Giants.
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Charlie Haeger, a pitcher who performed for 2 season with the Dodgers (2009-10) was found dead near the Grand Canyon. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound ,while police were tracking him down as a suspect in the murder of his ex-girlfriend. He was 37.

Haeger's MLB career began with the White Sox (2006-07) followed by the Padres in 2008, and after that his 2 seasons with L.A.

Dave Miedema

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Whitey Ford leaves us

A career-long Yankee, Ford died on 10/8 at age 91.


The lefty first appeared in The Show in 1950, going 9-1. After two years spent in military service, he returned in 1953, and pitched on 6 Yankees World Series teams and also took part in 10 All-Star games.

After his career ended in 1967, his career totals showed a W-L record of 236-106,and an ERA of 2.75 . After retirement, he served as the Yankees pitching coach for several years.

Dave Miedema

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Fred Wenz, a relief pitcher in the Majors for 23 years, died on 10/6 at age 79.

After brief stints with the Red Sox (1 game in 1968, 8 games in 1969), Wenz joined the Phillies in 1970, appearing in 22 contests. All of his appearnces during his MLB career were out of the bullpen.

Dave Miedema

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Kim Batiste, a back-up 3B-SS for five seasons in The Show, died on 10/7 at age 52.

Batiste played for the Phillies from 1991-94. He didn't play in MLB in 1995, but returned for one final season in 1996, playing for the Giants.

He appeared in both the NLCS and World Series for the '93 Phillies, smacking a double in the NLCS in his only at-bat in both playoff rounds.

Dave Miedema

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Hall of Fame 2B Joe Morgan, part of the MLB playing landscape for 22 seasons, died on 10/11 at age 77.

His first tastes of The Show came in 1963-64, when Houston's team was known as the Colt .45s. He continued playing for Houston through 1971, and was traded to the Reds in the '71-'72 offseason, only to return to the Astros in 1980.

Of course, those years with the Reds are what made him a legend. Playing for back-to-back World Series winners in 1975-76, he also won 2 MVP awards, played in 10 All-Star Games, won 5 Gold Gloves, and led the NL in walks 4 different times.

In his final 4 seasons, he played for the Giants (1981-82), Phillies (1983) and Athletics (1984).

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Dave Miedema

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Another former pro athlete has succumbed to COVID19.

HOF DE Fred Dean passed away on 10/14 at age 68.

Dean played on 2 Super Bowl winners with the 49ers. He was an All-Pro twice and was named to 4 Pro Bowl squads.

Dean came to the NFL in 1975 with the Chargers, remaining there until mid-1981. He then joined the 49ers and stayed there until his retirement after the 1985 season.


Dave Miedema

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J.W. Porter, a C-OF who played for 5 different ballclubs in the 1950s, died on 10/11 at age 87.

Porter broke in with the St. Louis Browns in 1952. After serving in the military for the next 2 years, he returned to The Show in 1955, remaining there through 1957. He spent time with the Indians in 1958, and called it a career in 1959 after splitting the season between the Senators and the Cardinals.

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Mario Henderson, an OT who spent 2007-10 in an Oakland Raiders uniform, died 10/21 at age 35.

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Matt Blair, a LB who played his entire NFL career with Minnesota,died on10/22 at age 70.

A defensive star from 1974-85, Blair was part of 6 NFC Pro Bowl teams and was named to 1 All-Pro team. He is among the Vikings greats who are remembered in the team's Ring of Honor.

Dave Miedema

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Bill Mathis, a RB in the old American Football League, died on 10/21 at age 81.

While Mathis was originally drafted in 1960 by the Houston Oilers, he was dealt to the New York Titans (later the Jets) prior to the season opener. His career with New York's AFL team ran from 1960-69, and he played for the Jets in Super Bowl 3.

Dave Miedema

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Tom Yewcic, who played in 1 game for the Tigers in 1957 and was a member of the NCAA 1952 National Champion football team at Michigan State, died on 10/21 at age 88.

Dave Miedema

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Jack McMahan, a LHP who split the 1956 season between the Kansas City A's and the Pittsburgh Pirates, died on 10/16 at age 88.

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