Sports obituaries

[sox83cubs84]

Johnny Antonelli, a quality LHP who was named to 6 NL All-Star teams, died on 2/28 at age 89.

Antonelli first appeared with the Boston Braves in 1948, and was also part of the 1949 and 1950 squads, as well. After serving for 2 years in the military, he returned to the Braves for one more year, with the team now located in Milwaukee.

Dealt to the Giants in 1954, he was a major contributor in their World Championship season, going 21-7 with an NL leading 2.30 ERA. He also went 20-13 in 1956 and sported a 19-10 ledger in 1959. He spent one more season after that with San Francisco, then ended his career in 1961, splittting between the Indians and the Braves.

Dave Miedema

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Al Kaline, a lifetime Detroit Tiger who was among the most beloved of living HoFers, died on 4/6 at age 85. No cause of death has been given as of yet.

A lifetime .297 hitter, Kaline became the youngest MLB player ever to win a league batting title, checking in with a .340 average in 1955. He finished his MLB career with 3007 hits, 399 HR and 1583 RBI. He was inducted into Cooperstown in 1980.

Having never played a game in the minors, Kaline's first MLB game was on 6/25/53, and for that season, he wore #25 on his uniform, after which he switched to the #6 jersey we all remember at the beginning of the 1954 season.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Bob Oliver, who played 7 consecutive seasons in The Show after a brief September call-up a few years earlier, died on 4/19 at age 77.

Playing the outfield and the infield corner positions, the Pirates gave him a small taste of the show when promoting him to the Bigs (3 games) in 1965.
After that, he had his best years with the Royals, a full-timer from 1969-71. His top season was 1970, slugging 27 HR and driving in 99.

Beginning the 1972 season in KC, Oliver was dealt to the Angels early that year. After his stint in Anaheim, he ended up with the Orioles and then the Yankees.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Bill Freehan, a longtime Tigers legend who spent all 15 years of his MLB career catching for Detroit, died on 8/19 after a long battle with dementia. He was 79.

Freehan first mad it to the Bigs in late 1961, getting into 4 gaes as a September call-up. He returned to The Show in 1963, and caught in at least 100 games in every season until his last (1976). He was the regular catcher for the 1968 Tigers, who defeated the Cardinals in 7 games to win the World Series, and finished 2nd in AL MVP voting to his batterymate, 31-game winner Denny McLain.

Freehan also won 5 AL Gold Gloves, and was named to 11 All-Star teams. He played college ball at Michigan. Also, he led the AL for 2 consecutive seasons in getting hit by pitches: 20 in 1967 and 24 in 1968.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Spain Musgrove, a DE/DT who played for 4 years in the pros, died on 8/20 at age 76.

Drafted by the Redskins in the 2nd round of the 1967 NFL Draft, the Utah State product spent 3 seasons playing for Washington, before ending his playing career in 1970 with the Oilers.

Dave M.

[sox83cubs84]

Mick Tinglehoff, a HOF center who played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings, died on September 11 at age 81.

The one-time Cornhusker joined the Vikings in 1962, played with them through 1978, and never missed a regular season game, appearing in a total of 240. Wearing #53 in the pros from Day One, he was named to 5 All-Pro teams and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl 6 different times.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Neal Craig, a DB who played for 6 seasons on 3 different AFC teams, died on 8/9 at age 73.

Selected by the Bengals in the 1971 NFL Draft, he spent his first 3 season with Cincinnati. After that he spent one year (1974) with the Bills, then he closed out his career (1975-76) with Cleveland.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Cecil Souders, an end/tackle who played for 3 seasons in the NFL just after WW2 ended, died on 8/30 at the age of 100.

Thought drafted by the Redskins in the 25th round of the 1945 NFL Draft, the Ohio State grad did not play in the NFL until 1947 with the Lions, playing for Detroit from then until he retired after the 1949 season.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Rick Arrington, a reserve QB for the Eagles from 1970-72, died on 9/7 at age 74.

Dave