Sports obituaries

[sox83cubs84]

John Thompson, longtime basketball coach for the NCAA Georgetown Hoyas, died on 8/30, 3 days before his 79th birthday.

Thompson took Georgetown to the NCAA basketball championship in 1984, the first African-American basketball head coach to win it all. He also lead the Hoyas to three Final Fours.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

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.
\


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