Honoring the Brooklyn Dodger players alive as of January 12, 2012
For the last three years I’ve been maintaining this list keeping track of our old Brooklyn Dodgers. When I did last year’s post http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/2011/01/09/honoring-the-brooklyn-dodger-players-alive-as-of-january-10th-2011/ on January 10, it started with a video of Duke Snider in the game show “What is my Line” Sad that in 2011, we lost nine of these players including the Duke.
We have 44 surviving Brooklyn Dodger Players. Let’s see how the list look using WordPress. Before I had trouble copying an Excell worsheet into my blog.
| Name | Birthplace. Other info | Born |
| Mike Sandlock | Old Greenwich, CT. Golfer | 10/17/1915 |
| Ray Hathaway | Grinville, OH. Minor league manager | 10/13/1916 |
| Lee Pfund | ILL. His son was manager of Miami Heats | 10/10/1919 |
| Luis Olmo | Puerto Rico. Played for Mexico and Cuba | 10/11/1919 |
| Boyd Bartley | Chicago. Played in nine games in 1949 | 2/11/1920 |
| Jean-Pierre Roy | Canada. Commentator for the Expos | 6/26/1920 |
| Pat McGlothin | Coalfield, TN. Ezra Mac was a pitcher | 10/20/1920 |
| Andy Pafko | Boiceville, IL. Lives in Mount Prospect, IL | 2/25/1921 |
| Marv Rackley | Seneca, SC. Left fielder. Debut: April 15, 1947. | 7/25/1921 |
| Chuck Kress | Philadelphia. Lefty first baseman. | 12/9/1921 |
| Eddie Basinski | Buffalo, NY. Nickname: The Fiddler, Bazzoka | 11/4/1922 |
| Don Lund | Detroit, Mi. Part time Outfielder in 1945, 1947 | 5/18/1923 |
| Tim Thompson | Coalport, PA. Full name: Charles Lemoine Thompson. | 3/1/1924 |
| George Shuba | Youngstown, OH. Nickname: shotgun. | 12/13/1924 |
| Ed Stevens | Gavelston, TX. Coach for the Padres in 1981 | 1/12/1925 |
| Johnny Rutherford | Ontario, CN. Pitcher. Nickname: Doc | 5/5/1925 |
| Wayne Terwilliger | Clare, Mi. Coach under Ted Williams | 6/27/1925 |
| Chris Haughey | Astoria, NY. Pitcher. Appeared in one game at 18 | 10/3/1925 |
| Ralph Branca | Mount Vernon, NY. http://ww.ralphbranca.com | 1/6/1926 |
| Bob Borkowski | Dayton, OH. Traded for Joe Black | 1/27/1926 |
| Randy Jackson | Little Rock, AR. Nickname: “Handsome Ransom” | 2/10/1926 |
| Dick Teed | Springfield, MA. One at bat in 1953 | 3/8/1926 |
| Don Newcombe | Madison, NJ. Still working for the Dodgers | 6/14/1926 |
| Bobby Morgan | Oklahoma city. Infielder for the Dodgers | 6/29/1926 |
| Charlie Osgood | Sommerville, MA appeared in one game at 17 | 11/23/1926 |
| Carl Erskine | Anderson, IN http://www.carlerskine.com/ | 12/13/1926 |
| Preston Ward | Columbia, MO. APF Cubs, Indians, Pirates & A. | 7/24/1927 |
| Rocky Bridges | Refugio, TX. Infielder, coach & minor league mgr | 8/7/1927 |
| Tommy Lasorda | Norristown, PA. HOF. 61 years with the Dodgers | 9/22/1927 |
| Tommy Brown | Brooklyn, NY. Also played for Phillies & Cubs | 12/6/1927 |
| Joe Landrum | Columbia, SC. Pitcher. Given name: Joseph Butler | 12/13/1928 |
| Joe Pignatano | Brooklyn, NY. Catcher and coach | 8/4/1929 |
| Roger Craig | Durham, NC. Pitcher, coach and manager | 2/17/1930 |
| Ron Negray | Akron, OH. Also played for the Phillies | 2/26/1930 |
| Glenn Mickens | Wilman, CA Afterwards became coach for UCLA | 7/26/1930 |
| Don Zimmer | Cincinnati, OH. Currently working for the Rays | 1/17/1931 |
| Ed Roebuck | East Millboro, PA. relief pitcher and scout | 7/3/1931 |
| Fred Kipp | Iqua, KS. Also pitched for the Yankees | 10/1/1931 |
| Chico Fernandez | Cuba. SS. APF Phillies, Tigers and Mets | 3/2/1932 |
| Jim Gentile | San Francisco, CA. Hitting coach for Flyers | 6/3/1934 |
| Don Demeter | Oklahoma City. CF. Now a Baptist minister | 6/25/1935 |
| Sandy Koufax | Brooklyn, NY. HOF Greatest Lefthander Pitcher | 12/30/1935 |
| Bob Aspromonte | Brooklyn, NY. Resides in Houston, TX | 6/19/1938 |
| Rod Miller | Portland, OR. He played in one game in 1957 | 1/16/1940 |
Here is to you guys! May you have a healthy happy 2012 from the oldest Mike Sandlock at 96 to the youngest Rod Miller turning 72 on January 16th. This Dodger fan salute you all!
crzblue
Emma,
Thanks for compiling this list and honoring these guys. I see one tiny mistake. The correct name of “the fiddler” was Eddie Basinski.
Chuck, from the Allan Roth SABR chapter
Thank you so much Chuck! ::enbarrassed:: I corrected. I had to redo the list and missed that.
I am looking forward to SABR Day January 28th!
that’s a great list you have maintained and i found it fascinating to spot 7 old MILW Braves players on your list ( Negray, Olmo, Pafko, Rackley, Schuba, along with Bridges and Fernandez – although only for an hour or so each). i have a nice signed 8×10 of George “Shotgun” Shuba in his old MILW Braves uniform (taken at Ebbets Field), but i have no idea WHEN he was on the MILW Braves roster. although he did not appear in any games with the Braves, do you know WHEN he might have worn the red, white and blue MILW Braves uniform in the early 1950s?
Crofty
Emma: Great post! I love the little facts you have next to each player. The Baptist Minister, that’s so random!
-Virginia
http://southernbelle.mlblogs.com
During my project interviewing the oldest living players, I interviewed
The late Tony Malinosky (at the time he was the world’s oldest living MLB player and a former Dodger); Mike Sandlock and Ray Hathaway. It was a pleasure to talk to each of them!
http://www.thisgreatgame.com
Crofty,
I would love to go to his church and just chat with him.
thanks. You peaked my interest. Do you think I can see a picture of the picture? George Shuba had a website. Wait I just checked and is working again. Maybe you can find out thru there at http://www.georgeshuba.com .
.
Virginia,
I know ha?
.
Wow Ed! that is great! I saw Tony Malinosky at Dodger Stadium when he was being honored. The picture that I posted of him with Tommy Lasorda is from that game.
Ed,
I could not click on your website.
Thanks for the list Emma! I was curious how many of these guys were still around. They’re all living legends!
You are so welcome DBB. I heard that you also went to one of Clayton & Ellen Kershaw book signings. I started reading the book. Very inspirational.
I salute them too! Great to know so many Brooklyn Dodgers are still kickin it!
–Jeff
Thanks Jeff! Congrats on running the marathon. I admire anyone that does that.
tiny typo: you left out the t in lefthander on Sandy
Thanks Mike! thank you for catching that! I corrected it.
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My grandfather Lee Scott, he dropped the o because of prejudice against Italians back then, was the traveling secretary for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1950′s. i would love to talk with some of the surviving members about my grandfather. I wonder do you have any connection with any of these guys? If so I would love to realize this dream. Thanks, Len
Mr. Scotto, thank you so much for posting here! I forwarded your comment to the Dodger historian. Hopefully you hear from people like Bill Delurry. Who still works for the Dodgers.
Once again thanks!
-Emma.
I am interested in knowing which of these still living Dodgers, other than Ralph Branca, played on the 1947 team with Jackie Robinson? Also, if it isn’t too much work (I realize it might be) could you indicate what years each of these players played for the Dodgers? Thanks!
Robert, thank you for stopping by. I’ll do that but perhaps you want to look at the list as of January 2013 instead of 2012. Here is the link. Also in the blog, you click on categories like I have a category called “Brooklyn Dodgers” Also the search can be used. Thanks for the suggestion! -Emma
Robert,
here is the link to the Brooklyn players alive as of January 2013
http://crzblue.mlblogs.com/2013/01/02/honoring-the-brooklyn-dodgers-players-alive-in-2013/
I checked the list of the players that were there with Jackie Robinson in 1947. Besides Ralph Branca, Don Lund.