Off-Topic Forum

So I was just wondering, does anybody here personally know or have any relatives who made it to Pro Baseball? I have one who made it to Double A in the Yankees system. Here he is on baseball reference.

I believe "A" in the old days was as far up in the minors as you could go. My great uncle (my Grandpa's brother) made it that far with the Pirates. At Pirates Spring Training in either 46 or 47 he roomed with Honus Wagner, who was in his early 70s at the time and apparently snored to beat the band. He was one of the final cuts and eventually gave up the MLB dreams but still played ball out in the western states (much lower level) for a bit before calling it a day in the mid-50s. 

Lived until he was 94 (died in 2014). In 2012 or 13 we interviewed him and got a bunch of great stories on tape. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=sites-001ern

That's awesome. My Great Uncle Cal Hovue also played for the Pirates for a couple cups of coffee from 1952 -54.

His rookie is 1953 topps # 238  and has a 1954 #134.  Both are high series commons. Also the 90s archives and the real ones autos from 2003 I believe for a total of 7 ral cards. Plus a tri star cut auto of his 53.   

He played on 3 of the worst teams in baseball history averaging well over 100 loses for his duration.  He went 2-10 and struck out Stan Musial 3 times I'm told.   He passed away in 2005.

My wife is a distant relative (second cousin, I think) of former MLB pitcher Elmer Dessens.

This one's a little off the mark, but when my older cousin Robert was still in high school, he was approached by a representative of some sort from the Cincinnati Reds. I always thought that was supercool! Ultimately, I think he felt that the reality of baseball becoming so serious was a total turnoff, as he played purely for the fun and enjoyment of the game, and very quickly decided he wouldn't play baseball again.

That is awesome you have some cards! To my knowledge (and tcdb's) Ernie doesn't have any, but I do have plenty of newspaper clippings and some photos. 

Looks like Cal and Ernie both were from Ohio. Baseball was so much more regional those days, so you really worked in with the local area teams more or less. In Ohio it was basically going to be the Reds, Indians or Pirates you'd be feeding into thru the minor leagues. 

No matter how long or successful the career, always seem to be awesome stories to be had (striking out Musial 3x is amazing). When I went to Cooperstown this past summer I took a pic next to Honus Wagner's managerial hat and wondered if that hat shared the same living space with Ernie at one point...

Acehogue wrote:

That's awesome. My Great Uncle Cal Hovue also played for the Pirates for a couple cups of coffee from 1952 -54.

His rookie is 1953 topps # 238  and has a 1954 #134.  Both are high series commons. Also the 90s archives and the real ones autos from 2003 I believe for a total of 7 ral cards. Plus a tri star cut auto of his 53.   

He played on 3 of the worst teams in baseball history averaging well over 100 loses for his duration.  He went 2-10 and struck out Stan Musial 3 times I'm told.   He passed away in 2005.

There's a trader here, robbyrichardson, he's Bobby Richardson's son. I was born in Sumter, SC, Bobby's hometown. He played 2nd base for the Yankees, 1957-1966,  went to 7 World Series, MVP in 60 WS, and still tied for or holds several WS records.  He was also one of Mickey Mantle's best friends.  Bobby is a Christian and played an important role in Mickey accepting CHRIST before he died, after his liver transplant failed.  Bobby shared a great eulogy at Mickey's funeral.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJtRfrXHJsY

Not baseball, but I am very distant cousins with Kevin Love in the NBA...something like 21st cousins. Our family line split off in the 1300s. We both descend from John of Gaunt. 

No relatives, but this guy, https://www.tcdb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/149/cid/67874/1990-Upper-Deck-764-Mickey-Pina was a HS teammate.

This guy was a teammate in Babe Ruth, High School and college. https://www.tcdb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/9753/cid/409878/2000-Upper-Deck-Victory-Japan-18-Brian-Warren.

He struck me out on 3 pitches when I was a sophomore and he was a senior in HS.  https://www.tcdb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/137/cid/63677/1990-Bowman-227-Mike-Remlinger 

And I got a hit off this guy, https://www.tcdb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/151/cid/70396/1991-Bowman-396-Rheal-Cormier in college.

oh, and I also work with this guy, https://www.tcdb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/191/cid/90449/1992-Fleer-Update-U-24-John-Kiely

My grandfathers cousin was Johnny Bucha, back up catcher who made it to the Bigs with  the Cardinals and the Tigers. He has a 52 Topps and 54 Bowman card...