"The reason I love baseball so much is because when I come into a game in the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, no one out, and a one-run lead; it takes people off my mind." - Tug McGraw
Frank Edwin McGraw, Jr. was born Wednesday, August 30, 1944 in Martinez, California. At 20 years of age he made his major league debut on April 18, 1965. Drafted by the New York Mets, he would go one to play for them for the next nine years of his career. Then in 1975 he went to play for the Philadelphia Phillies. Playing the last ten years of his career in Philadelphia, he remembered most for his game winning pitch in the 1980 World Series against the Kansas City Royals.
Art Rooney passed away on August 25, 1988 at the age of 87. Arthur Joseph Rooney, Sr. known as "The Chief," was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise in the National Football League. Rooney's affiliation with the NFL began in 1933 when he purchased a franchise for Pittsburgh and named them the Pirates. In 1938, he signed Byron "Whizzer" White to a record-breaking $15,000 contract. Unfortunately, this move did not bring the Pirates a winning season. The club did not have a season above .500 until 1942, a few years after the team was renamed the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The team managed only 24 victories in the first eight years of his ownership. Season after season, it seemed the Steelers would always be destined for second division. However, Rooney's faith and determination in his Steelers was never-ending. Finally, in the 1970s, the Steelers won four Super Bowls (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979), making them the most dominant team of the decade.
Art Rooney received many awards during his career. In 1964, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a beloved figure in the city of Pittsburgh. A stature of his likeness graces the entrance to Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also has a street named in his honor on Pittsburgh's north side.
Today marks the 20 year anniversary when Carlton Fisk set the Major League record for home runs by a catcher, hitting number 328 off Texas Ranger, Charlie Hough. Fisk surpassed Johnny Bench's previous record of 327 and also become the Sox's all-time leader with 187 home runs. "Pudge," as Fisk was known, played both with the Boston Red Sox (1969, 1971-1980) and the Chicago White Sox (1981-1993.)
Fisk was known as one of baseball's most durable catcher after doing so in 2,226 games in 24 years, more than anyone in history. His number 72 was retired by the Chicago White Sox in 1997. Fisk was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000, choosing the Boston Red Sox cap for his plaque, although he played for more seasons with the Chicago White Sox.
Mitchell & Ness keeps Fisk's memorable career alive for his fans by offering his 1990 White Sox home jersey as part of our authentic jersey collection.
Today is the 40th anniversary of one committed fan’s stand against bandwagon followers. With the Milwaukee Brewers stumbling to a 15-30 start through May of the 1970 season and continuing that horrid pace through the beginning part of June, Milt Mason decided to take a stand against his team’s lack of fan support in the ballpark. In an effort to get more people to the stadium, the 69 year old Mason locked himself away in a trailer atop the scoreboard at Milwaukee County Stadium and vowed not to come down until the team recorded a home attendance of at least 40,000 fans.
The team supported his protest and even gave him a few amenities for his troubles. Unfortunately, the protest took a little longer then Mason expected. After a month of his protest, the team’s attendance didn’t even break the 30,000 fan mark. The team’s meager attendance continued into August until August 16th when the Brewers had a home game against the Cleveland Indians. The August 16th game was a “Bat Day” promotion game, and on that day, the team surpassed 40,000 fans by recording a final attendance of 44,387. The Brewers won the game 4-3 and Mason swung down out of his trailer by rope.
Three years later, Milt Mason would pass away, but his memory would not be forgotten. That same year, Milwaukee Brewers created a mascot named Bernie Brewer in his honor. Even today Bernie Brewer does his cheering from a trailer in the rafters of Miller Park. Happy Anniversary to the Original Bernie Brewer.
Today marks the 15th anniversary of the passing of Mickey Charles Mantle. The National Baseball Hall of Famer passed away in 1995 at the age of 63 after a bout with liver cancer. His death marked the loss of one of the game’s all-time greatest players and sportsmen.
Mantle is regarded as the games All-time Greatest switch hitter. A 16 time All-Star at center field/left field for the Yankees, Mantle won 7 World Series Championships, 1 Gold Glove and 3 American League MVP awards wearing the navy pinstripes. A career Yankee, Mantle’s last request was that on his tombstone, he wanted it to read “A Great Teammate,” and on both his tombstone and his Yankee stadium memorial plaque, his last wish has granted.
Here at Mitchell & Ness, we honor Mantle in the only way we know how…
