Sports obituaries

[sox83cubs84]

Rich Hacker, a SS for 18 games with the 1971 Expos, died on 4/22 at age 72.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Dan Walters, a catcher who played for the Padres in parts of 1992 and 1993, died on 4/22 at age 53.

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]

Dick Hyde, a relief pitcher in the late 1950s for the original Washington Senators, died on 4/15 at age 91.

After a late season call-up to the Senators in 1955, he returned and became a key performer for Washington's bullpen from 1957-59. His best year was 1958, when he finished with a 10-3 record, a 1.75 ERA and led the AL with 44 games finished and 19 saves. He also served on the Senators' staff in 1960, before closing out his time in The Show with the Orioles in 1961.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Damaso Garcia, a 2B best remembered for his 7 seasons with Toronto, died 4/15 at age 63.

Garcia was the Blue Jays' regular second sacker from 1980-86, appearing in 2 All-Star Games, and being the first Blue Jay player ever to steal at least 50 bases in one season.

Garcia first had brief stints in 1978 and '79 for the Yankees. In 1988 he played in the NL for the first time as a member of the Braves, and finished his MLB career in 1989 with the Expos.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Tavaris Jackson, who played 9 seasons as a QB (mainly as a back-up) died on 4/12 at age 36. The cause of death was a car accient.

Wearing #7 fo his entire career, Jackson played for the Vikings from 2006-10. He then joined the Seahawks in 2011, then was out for a year, returning to them for 2013-15, including Seattle's SB48 winning team.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Colby Cave, a center for the Edmonton Oilers this abbreviated season, died on 4/11 at age 25.

Cove's NHL career began with 3 games for the Bruins in 2017-18. He split the 2018-19 season between Boston and Edmonton.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Jim Frey, who was a longtime coach with the Orioles for Earl Weaver, and later managed the Royals and Cubs, died on 4/12 at age 88.

As a manager, Frey took the Royals to their first-ever World Series berth in 1980, although KC was defeated by the Phillies. He was also connected to 2 NL East Cubs pennant winners; as a manager (1984) and as a GM (1989). Both times, however, the Cubs were defeated in the NLCS.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Pete Retzlaff, a halfback and pass-catcher for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1956-66, died on 4/10 at age 88.

Retzlaff was a member of the 1960 NFL Champion Eagles and was selected to 5 Pro Bowl teams during his career.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Glenn Beckert, a 4-time NL All-Star who played most off his career with the Cubs, died 4/12 at age 79.

A member of America's most revered 2nd place ballclub (1969 Cubs), Beckert played for the Cubs from 1965-73. Over the winter, he was traded to the Padres for OF Jerry Morales, and spent 1974-75 in San Diego before hanging 'em for good.

A lifetime .283 hitter, Beckert finished 2nd in the NL in 1971 by hitting .342.

He also was among the toughest men in baseball to strike out during his career.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Pat "Whitey" Stapleton, a longtime fixture on defense, died 4/8 at age 79 due to a stroke.

Stapleton was a main cog in Coach Billy Reay's Blackhawks defense for 8 seasons. He left the Blackhawks to spend 2 season playing for the WHA Chicago Cougars (actually a player-coach in one of them.) After the Cougars folded, he stayed in the WHA, joining the Indianapolis Racers forr 2 seasons before finishing up with the Cincinnati Stingers in 1977-78.

Before he joined Chicago's NHL team, Stapleton got his first taste of the NHL, playing for the Bruins for 2 seasons. Spending some time in 1962-63 in the minors, as well, Stapleton spent the next 2 full seasons down on the farm. In 1965, he was dealt to Toronto, but went to Chicago the next day. After 14 games with the minor league squad in St. Louis (the Blues didn't exist in the NHL yet), he was promoted to Chicago, and never looked back.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Bobby Mitchell, an offensive skill player for 11 years with the Browns and Redskins, died on 4/5 at age 84.

A Pro Football Hall of Famer and 4-time Pro Bowler, Mitchell was proficient both in rushing and receiving. A 7th round draft pick by Cleveland, he starred for then for 4 seasons, after which he was dealt to Washington, where he played his final 7 years, retiring after the 1968 season. Over his 11 years in the NFL, he never missed a regular season game.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

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 Lee, a RHP who shined during his first couple of years in The Show, died on 3/25 at age 82.

He was a solid reliever for the Angels from 1964-66, and made the AL All-Star team. This honor was during a season where he finished with a 9-7 record, a 1.92 EA and 23 saves. His last 2 seasons were spent primarily with the Reds, although he began 1967 by appearing in 4 games with the Dodgers.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Ed Farmer, a RHP normally used in relief and who pitched for 8 different MLB teams, died on 4/2 at age 70. Cause of death were complications after a previous illness..

Farmer has been a radio voice with the White Sox for close to 3 decades, both as the play-by-play man and as the color commentator.

His best season also came as a White Sox pitcher, earning 30 saves and making the AL All-Star team.

The recipient of a kidney transplant in 1991, Farmer became a voice for organ donations.

Dave Miedema