Baseball History Podcast

Fury Gene Tenace was born October 10, 1946 in Russellton, Pennsylvania. His actual birth name is Fiore Gino Tennaci. Tenace was an underappreciated talent whose magnificent performance in the 1972 World Series displayed to the world his valuable but rarely spotlighted abilities. He reached 20 Home Runs in five of his seven seasons as a regular but throughout his career, his low batting averages were focused on. Missed was the fact that, after becoming an everyday player, he had an on-base average of .400 five times and over .390 three times.

Atanasio Pérez Rigal, more commonly known as Tony Pérez and nicknamed “Big Dog,” was born May 14, 1942 in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. Perez was a fixture on Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine clubs of the 1970s. A native Cuban, he left a job in a Havana sugar-cane factory to sign with the Reds organization. In 1967, he notched the first of seven 100 Runs Batted In seasons.

Clifford Carlton Cravath, nicknamed both “Gavvy” and “Cactus”, was born March 23, 1881 in Escondido, California. Cravath was the home run king of the deadball era. Employing a powerful swing and taking advantage of Baker Bowl’s forgiving dimensions, the Philadelphia clean-up hitter led the National League in home runs six times, establishing new twentieth-century records for most home runs in a season and career. He set marks Babe Ruth would break soon after with the introduction of the lively ball.

William Walker Cooper was born January 8, 1915 in Atherton, Missouri. Cooper was a solid defensive catcher as well as a strong hitter, making the National League All-Star team every year from 1942 to 1950.

Frank Robinson was born in Beaumont, Texas, on August 31, 1935. His aggressive hitting style won the support of fans, with a plate-crowding stance that earned him frequent knockdowns and a hefty number of hit-by-pitcher passes to first.

Joe Leonard Morgan was born September 19, 1943 in Bonham, TX. A fierce competitor renowned for his baseball smarts, Joe Morgan could single-handedly beat opposing teams with his multifaceted skills. He was a terror on the basepaths, topping the 40-steal plateau nine times during his career.

Arthur Charles Vance, nicknamed “Dazzy,” was born March 4, 1891 in Orient, Iowa. Although he didn’t play his first full season until age 31, Vance was the dominant National League pitcher of the 1920s. After a decade in the Minors, Vance joined the Dodgers in 1922 and used his blazing fastball to win 187 games for them over the next 11 seasons.

José Canseco Capas, Jr. was born July 2, 1964 in Havana, Cuba. Canseco was a baseball giant in size, potential, and gossip, and became the first member of the 40-40 club when he was a mere 23 years old, winning the Most Valuable Player award that year in a landslide. But arrogance and injuries, some inadvertently caused by the bulging muscles that gave him such exceptional power, ended up wreaking havoc with his career.