Death Notices (OT)

[andyb]

I imagine he was a guy that had pretty good spin rates on his various stuff before we knew what that meant. Lots of pitchers that show great longevity came up as hard throwers and learned to adapt. Tiant was another from that era. It is yet another reason why velocity matters. A starter that comes up throwing 98 often has enough stuff to survive when they are in the 92-94 range.

[Jeff05]

Bob McGrath, longtime star of 'Sesame Street,' has died at 90

[Philsmania]

Kristie Alley, after a short bout with cancer.

Kirstie Alley Dead: Star of Cheers Dies at 71 After Short Battle with Cancer

[Jeff05]

Longtime soccer sportswriter Grant Wahl has died covering the World Cup in Qatar

[tom81]

George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, last ‘Dambuster’ of World War II, dies at 101

[xogfog]

Silas, 3-time NBA champ and coach, dies at 79

[Jeff05]

Angelo Badalamenti, ‘Twin Peaks’ Composer, Dies at 85

[xogfog]

Mississippi State coach Leach dies at age 61

[California_Dreamin]

Sad to report that lefty Curt Simmons [age 93], the last remaining Whiz Kid, has passed. Simmons was one of the greatest southpaws in Phillie history and was a key member of the 1950 Whiz Kid pennant winning team. I never saw him as a Phillie but saw WAY too much of him as a St. Louis Cardinal after his release from the Phils. Gene Mauch was a brilliant manager but never truly understood pitchers and his untimely release of former bellweather hurlers Robin Roberts and Simmons were huge mistakes, and in the case of Simmons, would come back to haunt the team, especially in 1964.

RIP Curt Simmons, you will be missed as yet another era takes its rest.

[Philsmania]

Sad to report that lefty Curt Simmons [age 93], the last remaining Whiz Kid, has passed. Simmons was one of the greatest southpaws in Phillie history and was a key member of the 1950 Whiz Kid pennant winning team. I never saw him as a Phillie but saw WAY too much of him as a St. Louis Cardinal after his release from the Phils. Gene Mauch was a brilliant manager but never truly understood pitchers and his untimely release of former bellweather hurlers Robin Roberts and Simmons were huge mistakes, and in the case of Simmons, would come back to haunt the team, especially in 1964.

RIP Curt Simmons, you will be missed as yet another era takes its rest.

The last Whiz Kid has left the clubhouse. R.I.P. Obviously, they were well before my time but I grew up hearing plenty of stories about them, thanks largely to Whitey but also from some Greatest and Silent Generation fans who enjoyed that season.

I am not sure if it is a slam dunk that the Phillies were mistaken in letting them go. Looking back at their career pages at BR, both Roberts and Simmons tailed off a good bit in their last seasons in Philadelphia as the team tailed off around them. Both of their careers found second winds moving on the Orioles and Cardinals respectively. One can question whether they would have found those second winds if they stayed in Philadelphia, sans the change of scenery. Plus, one can argue that the the Phillies needed to completely turn the page from the Whiz Kids and embrace a new core and a new identity. Their situations are somewhat similar to Curt Schilling's when the Phillies moved on from him in 2000 as being with the Phillies was holding Schilling back from superstardom and, at the same time, the Phillies really needed to turn the last page from 1993.

[flyers19rw]

Simmons lost time to the service. Then when he got back into form had the lawn mower accident. After that he had some bad Phillies teams behind him before going to the Cardinals. The guy was a true gamer.

[andyb]

Half of the Louis and Bouie show.

Syracuse legend Louis Orr dies at 64

[xogfog]

Tom Browning Passes Away

[zambonir]

Terry Hall, Lead Singer of the Specials, Dies at 63

[Philsmania]

Tom Browning Passes Away

He really was a good pitcher. During a rotisserie baseball auction prior to the start of the 1989 season, a friend of mine infuriated me by doggedly outbidding me for him. If Browning's arm didn't literally give out on him, one has to wonder if he could have made his way into the HOF conversation. A bit of a colorful personality, as well. Once during a Reds-Cubs game at Wrigley, he snuck out and in uniform sat with Cubs fans on of the rooftop bleachers across the street.

[bkeich]

Franco Harris, Hall of Fame Steelers running back dies at 72

Very sad. I met him once on a flight from Pittsburgh. inceredibly nice guy. He was kind enough to sit there and discuss his time in the NFL and how much he enjoyed the things his fame brought him. Just a very grateful guy, at least that day.

It was shocking how "not huge" he was. With his extra large shoulder pads he always looked like a really big guy, but he really was not. Great athlete obviously, on the flight he was carrying a tennis racket, my guess is he could play any sport he wanted to.

RIP sir, you are one of the most impressive people I ever spent 2 hours sitting next to.

[Philsmania]

Denny Doyle, the Phillies second baseman during the rebuild years preceding the first Golden Age. No link, reported on social media.

[julio]

Social media can be linked.

pic.twitter.com/l3R8qPcGVR

— Philadelphia Phillies ( @Phillies ) December 21, 2022

[RTaylor]

Doyle and Bowa came up together, along with Larry Hisle the first prospects I got excited about. Doyle offered baseball camps for a long time, always advertised in the Sporting News.

[schillingfan]

I’m old enough to remember the “immaculate reception.” My team at that time was the Raiders, and it was a huge shock and a gut punch to lose the playoff game that way. Sad that his death occurred almost on the fiftieth anniversary and he was getting his jersey retired on Saturday.