December 16, 2016 – For the most part, anonymity is a good thing for umpires. They tend to get noticed only when they make what are perceived, by managers, players, or fans, as mistakes. On the other hand, there are some umpires whose performance sets them apart in a positive way. Steve Palermo was one…

April 23, 2016 – Larry Bowa embodies the definition of a baseball “lifer.” The son of a minor-league infielder and manager, he has spent his entire adult life in the game, as a player, coach, and manager. Not blessed with exceptional talent, Bowa was a quintessential hard-nosed ballplayer and overachiever. Through determination and tireless effort,…

July 29, 2008; October 13, 2016 – An all-city quarterback at Warrensville Heights (Ohio) High School, Salvatore Leonard Bando chose to focus on baseball at Arizona State University. In his junior year, he led the team to the 1965 College World Series title and was named the tournament’s outstanding player. Following his junior year at…

September 22, 2015; May 27, 2016 – Al Ferrara, the son of Al Ferrara, Sr., a New York City fireman, and Adele Paulucci Ferrara, grew up on East Second Street in Brooklyn. His maternal grandmother, Assunta Paulucci, as well as an aunt and several uncles, lived in the same building. Then, after his mother passed…

February 13, 2004 – Born in Brooklyn on June 27, 1943, Americo Peter Petrocelli was the youngest of seven children of Italian immigrants. Signed out of high school in 1961 by the Boston Red Sox, by 1965 he was their starting shortstop at age 21. Unlike the typical slick-fielding, light-hitting shortstops of the era, Petrocelli…

May 12, 2008 – A major-league infielder with three teams, Tony La Russa appeared in 132 games over six seasons between 1963 and 1973. He also spent all or parts of 15 seasons in the minors. Inquisitive as well as competitive, the native of Tampa took advantage of all that experience by closely studying the…

September 4, 2005 – Jim Fregosi did just about everything a person can do in big-league baseball. Originally signed by the Boston Red Sox, the San Francisco native was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 1960 expansion draft. In 11 years with the Angels (1961-71), he was a six-time All-Star shortstop before moving…

July 9, 1998; June 15, 1999 – The childhood and adolescence of Ron Santo were anything but idyllic. His father was an abusive alcoholic, his parents divorced when he was six, and he was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 18. Nevertheless, a combination of iron-willed resiliency and natural talent enabled him to overcome…

July 19, 1997; May 14, 2008 – Joe Torre is best remembered as the manager who led the Yankees to four World Series wins between 1996 and 2000. But while it was his managerial success that led to his 2014 induction into the Hall of Fame, his outstanding career as a player should not be…

May 3, 2016 – Brooklyn native Ken Aspromonte frustrated his family when he was young by choosing to root for the Yankees instead of the Dodgers (who did not have Joe DiMaggio in their lineup). One of many future major leaguers who grew up playing baseball on Brooklyn’s famed Parade Grounds, Aspromonte was an infielder…