Dock Phillip Ellis, Jr. was born 65 years ago today, on March 11, 1945, in Los Angeles. He pitched in the major leagues from 1968 - 1979, spending the first eight years of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. There were some memorable moments in Dock's career including starting on the mound for the 1971 All Star Game and being a key member of the '71 World Series Champion Pirates. Former Pirate Dave Parker once called Dock "one of the most intimidating pitchers in baseball." But like it or not, Dock will always be remembered for one thing.
We turn things over to our friends at No Mas to tell the story of June 12, 1970. Enjoy.
Pretty amazing, don't you think? And we're not just talking about Dock's accomplishment. How great is that video? We hope you like it as much as we do.
After stints with the Yankees, A's, Rangers and Mets, Dock returned to the Pirates in 1979 and soon retired. Upon retirement Dock returned to California where he started a career as a drug counselor. His counselor work included being hired by George Steinbrenner as a minor league drug counselor.
Dock passed away on December 19, 2008. Happy 65th Dock!
Today marks the 45th birthday of Roderick (Rod) Kevin Woodson. A graduate of Purdue University, Woodson was not only a two time All-American cornerback for the Boilermakers, but he was also a two time All-American track and field runner. In fact, Woodson still holds the school record for the 60 and 100 meter hurdles and even qualified for Olympic trials in the 100 meter hurdles in 1984. Despite his accolades on the track, Woodson decided to pursue a career in football (Steeler Nation thanks you!).
Chosen 10th overall in the first round of the 1987 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Woodson was a fan favorite and had an immediate impact on the team. #26 would go on to become one of the most decorated defensive backs of all time, and holds several NFL records including the most career interception yards at 1,483. Over his 17 seasons in the NFL, Woodson collected 6 First team All-Pro selections (an NFL record for defensive backs), 2 Second team All-Pro selections, an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and a Super Bowl Championship in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens. Woodson was also named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994 (one of only 5 active players on the list), the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003 and the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Happy Birthday Rod! We are going to honor you in the only way we know how this upcoming season, so stay tuned...
On this day back in 1966, Kevin Johnson was born. A high school standout in baseball and basketball, Johnson led the state of California in scoring with 32.5 points per game. Johnson would later accept a basketball scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley, where he would eventually become the all-time leader in assists, steals and scoring. Johnson graduated from Cal with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and was recently elected to office as the first African American Mayor of Sacramento. He also played a little basketball in the NBA.
Drafted in the first round of the 1987 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Johnson didn’t play much his first season for the Cavs. It took a trade to the Phoenix Suns for Johnson to see serious playing time. However, once Johnson took over as a starter for the Suns in the ’88-’89 season, he emerged as one of the top point guards in the league. For each of the next three seasons, Johnson would average at least 20 points per game and 10 assists per game (only Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas are able to say the same). Over the course of his 11.5 seasons in the NBA, Johnson was a 3 time All-Star, a 5 time All-NBA selection, a 4 time Second team All-NBA selection and a Gold Medal winner in the ’94 World Championships.
Happy Birthday Mayor Johnson!
Born 101 years ago today, Mel Ott was one of the greatest and most beloved New York Giants of all time.
As an undersized, 16 year old hitting sensation, Ott caught the eye of then Giant manager John McGraw. McGraw saw something special in the 5'9", 170 pound catcher with an unorthodox batting style and blazing speed. McGraw signed the teenager from Gretna, Louisiana, sat him at his side and taught him the ins and outs of the big leagues. He could see that Ott was too small to be an everyday catcher so McGraw wisely moved him to right field. At the age of 17, in 1926, Mel appeared in 35 games, hitting .383 in 60 plate appearances.
In 1927 his playing time increased to 82 games and the rest, as they say, is history. In his first full season as a starter, Mel hit .322 which was the first of ten seasons where he would average at least .300. His lifetime batting average ended up at .304 and he twice led the league in on base percentage (1930 & 1932). In 1945 Mel became the first man in National League history to hit 500 home runs. He finished his career with 511 career home runs.
In the field Ott had a rifle arm, superior speed and an amazing knack for playing balls off of the caroms of the Polo Grounds walls. Throughout his playing career he was widely recognized as the premier right fielder in the National League. In both 1929 and 1935 he led NL outfielders in double plays.
Master Mel became the Giants player/manager in 1942 and held those positions through the 1947 season. The Mel Ott led Giants had their best finish in 1942, ending the season in third place. In what is perhaps a reflection of Mel’s mild mannered managerial style, Dodgers coach Leo Durocher said of Ott, “nice guys finish last.”
Mel’s playing days were over after the 1947 season and his managerial duties ended in 1948. His post playing days were centered around baseball as a broadcaster for the Mutual Broadcasting System and the Detroit Tigers. The Giants retired his #4 in 1949 and in 1951 Mel Ott was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Melvin Thomas Ott was killed in an automobile accident in November of 1958 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Happy 101st birthday to one of the greatest hitters and all time good guys in baseball.
Ronald (Ron) Edward Santo was born on February 25th, 1940. Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1959, Santo played his entire 14 year career in the City of Chicago (1960-1973 with the Cubs and 1974 with the White Sox). Across those 14 years in Chicago, Santo put together an elite resume on both sides of the baseball.
Of his 13 years with the Cubs, Santo was selected as an All-Star nine times. He led the league in assists for 7 straights seasons from 1962 to 1968. Santo also won five consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1964 to 1968. He put together four seasons with a .300 batting average. He also hit at least 30 home runs in four seasons. To this day, Santo is the only third baseman to have 90 or more runs batted in (RBIs) in a season for eight consecutive seasons. Despite all of these amazing achievements, Santo has yet to be elected to Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
Due to a long battle with type 1 diabetes, Santo was forced to retire early at the age of 34. Years later, despite his battle with diabetes, Santo did manage to become a part his beloved Cubs organization once again. In 1990, Santo joined the broadcast team at Wrigley Field and became the color commentary for the Cubs. In 2003, Santo became the third player (now one of six) in Cubs history to have his number retired. During his number retirement ceremony, Santo declared, “This is my Hall of Fame!” To this day, Santo is still a fan favorite in Chicago and a legend of the game.
