Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Happy Birthday, Bill Mueller!
Posted by Matthew NameeBesides being Bill Mueller's birthday, March 17 is also my birthday. In honor of my having survived another 365 days (along with Mueller), here's a list of some of the top players born on March 17 (courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, and in random order):
Mueller, of course (the 2003 AL batting champ)
Hank Sauer (1952 NL MVP)
Pistol Pete Reiser (1941 NL batting champ)
Cito Gaston (two-time World Champion manager)
Charley Root (who gave up the "Called Shot"... also 201 career wins)
Jimmie Hall (.260/.342/.521, 33 HR as a rookie for the Twins in 1963)
Fred Pfeffer (the original March 17 star, born in 1860)
John Smiley (20 wins in 1991)
Boston Celtic (and Blue Jay) Danny Ainge
There are others, of course, and you're quite capable of going to B-R.com and looking for yourself. Anyway, have a great St. Patrick's day!
Matthew Namee cofounded The Hardball Times in 2004, when he was working as the assistant to baseball author and Red Sox executive Bill James. Matthew still lives in Kansas, where he is currently pursuing a law degree. He can be reached at mfnamee [at] gmail [dot] com.