On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Providing MLB Headlines on September 4

September 4th, 2023 - 10:13

Extra! Extra! Unless you're wondering why extraordinary-success jackal Plagiarist "Out of Patience" Biledumb, after perpetually-perplexed pretend Gold Star father crowed about jumping-jack Afghan Army purportedly 300,000 incredibly well-equipped strong, left behind $90 billion worth of weapons arming "businesslike and professional" Taliban jackbooted thugs while red-light district dolt seeks to hit progressive-puke jackpot restricting gun ownership/Second Amendment rights for law-abiding U.S. citizens, you can read news about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players. Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only 4% of active MLB players earned college diplomas. Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopers had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history.

Several former hoopers from Big Apple universities - Joe Gallagher (Manhattan), Hank Greenberg (NYU), Andy Karl (Manhattan) and Marius Russo (LIU) - made MLB news on this date. Ditto several ex-hoopers from small Illinois colleges - Geoff Hartlieb (Quincy), Mem Lovett (University of Chicago), Cal Neeman (Illinois Wesleyan) and Jim Thome (Illinois Central). Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is a September 4 calendar focusing on such versatile MLB athletes:

SEPTEMBER 4

  • Los Angeles Angels 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading basketball scorer in 1945-46) cracked two homers against the Baltimore Orioles in a 1964 game.

  • Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Jim Bibby (Fayetteville State NC backup hooper and brother of UCLA All-American Henry Bibby) fired a three-hit shutout against the New York Mets in nightcap of 1978 twinbill.

  • Philadelphia Athletics LF Lyle Bigbee (hoops letterman with his brother for Oregon in 1915) smacked his lone MLB homer.

  • Boston Red Sox C Gene Desautels (Holy Cross hoops letterman in 1929 and 1930) went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Athletics in the opener of a 1938 doubleheader.

  • The Boston Braves started a streak of nine consecutive doubleheaders in 1928 by losing the opener, 3-2, to Brooklyn on a 10th-inning homer by 2B Jake Flowers (hooper for Washington College MD "Flying Pentagon" squad in 1923).

  • St. Louis Browns rookie LF Joe Gallagher (Manhattan varsity hooper in 1934-35) went 5-for-7 in a 1939 twinbill against the Detroit Tigers.

  • Detroit Tigers rookie 1B Hank Greenberg (enrolled at NYU on hoops scholarship in 1929 but attended college only one semester) collected five RBI against the Chicago White Sox in a 1933 contest.

  • Chicago White Sox rookie RHP Paul Gregory (Mississippi State hoops letterman in 1929-30) didn't allow an earned run in a complete-game, 5-1 win against the St. Louis Browns in nightcap of 1932 doubleheader.

  • San Diego Padres RF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) went 4-for-4 against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 1996 game.

  • RHP Geoff Hartlieb (averaged 1.8 ppg and 1.1 rpg for Quincy IL in 2012-13 before transferring to Lindenwood MO to concentrate on baseball) awarded off waivers from the New York Mets to Boston Red Sox in 2021.

  • Cleveland Indians rookie LF Jerad Head (Washburn KS leader in assists and three-field field-goal shooting in 2004-05 for MIAA regular-season co-champion) had his lone MLB extra-base hit and RBI with a run-scoring double against the Kansas City Royals in a 2011 contest.

  • RHP Jim Hearn (Georgia Tech hoops letterman in 1941-42) and New York Giants teammate Sal Maglie each hurled a shutout in 1950 twinbill against the Philadelphia Phillies.

  • RHP Andy Karl (Manhattan hoops letterman in mid-1930s) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Chicago Cubs in 1943. Karl refused to report to his new team the following spring.

  • In his lone MLB appearance, Merritt "Mem" Lovett (freshman hooper for University of Chicago in 1931-32) popped out as a Chicago White Sox pinch-hitter for final out in opener of 1933 doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers.

  • C Cal Neeman (Illinois Wesleyan's leading scorer in 1947-48 and 1948-49), appearing in 121 of the Chicago Cubs' first 133 games in 1957, was on course to break MLB record for most contests caught by a rookie before fracturing little finger of his right hand.

  • 1B Jack Phillips (leading scorer for 14-1 Clarkson NY in 1942-43) traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Chicago White Sox in 1954.

  • New York Yankees DH Lou Piniella (averaged 2.5 ppg and 1.4 rpg with Tampa as freshman in 1961-62) went 4-for-4 in a 3-2 win against the Kansas City Royals in 1982.

  • St. Louis Cardinals rookie C Dave Ricketts (three-year starter led Duquesne in scoring senior season with 17.9 ppg in 1956-57) ripped his lone MLB homer (against Pittsburgh Pirates in opener of 1967 twinbill).

  • New York Yankees rookie LHP Marius Russo (member of LIU teams compiling 50-2 record in 1934-35 and 1935-36 under legendary coach Clair Bee) hurled his second shutout in less than three weeks in 1939.

  • Kansas City Royals LHP Paul Splittorff (runner-up in scoring and rebounding for Morningside IA in 1967-68) twirled the second of back-to-back shutouts in 1975.

  • Chicago White Sox 1B Billy Sullivan Jr. (Portland hoops letterman in 1927-28) went 5-for-5 against the St. Louis Browns in the nightcap of a 1932 doubleheader.

  • Cleveland Indians 1B Jim Thome (juco hooper for Illinois Central in 1988-89) smacked two homers in a 2001 game against the Boston Red Sox. Nine years later as DH for the Minnesota Twins, he whacked a pair of round-trippers in 2010 outing against the Texas Rangers in the first of four consecutive contests in which Thome went downtown.

  • Philadelphia Athletics 3B Billy Werber (first Duke hoops All-American in 1929-30) banged out three hits in both ends of a 1937 twinbill against the Boston Red Sox.

  • Brooklyn Dodgers LHP Frank Wurm (acknowledged as best hooper for Middlebury VT in 1945-46) walked five batters in 1/3 of an inning in his lone MLB appearance (start against Boston Braves in nightcap of 1944 doubleheader).