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

September 4th, 2022 - 9:30

Extra! Extra! Unless you're wondering why extraordinary-success jackal Plagiarist "Out of Patience" Bile-dumb, 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), 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).