Inlay

Writing about dead baseball players, visiting gravesites and getting tired of creating more social media profiles. SABR member, card collector, Central PA resident, professional meathead.

Martina McBride was likely chosen because of her song “Independence Day,” which is about a woman who burns down a house with her abusive husband inside. But the chorus has the phrase “Let freedom ring” and has a bell ding-donging away, and dopes like Sean Hannity just assumed it was super patriotic.

At one point in time, the most famous clown in the country was Frank "Slivers" Oakley, and his most famous bit was a pantomime of a baseball game. This incredibly influential entertainer died in 1916 and was buried in an unmarked grave. After more than a century, SABR has given him a proper marker.

Imagine you're 19 years old, fresh off pitching at West Chester State Teachers College, and now you're in the majors facing Roy Campanella & Jackie Robinson. That was the debut for John Edelman, a bonus baby with the 1955 Milwaukee Braves. He died on April 9 at age 90. His MLB career lasted 5 games.

The 1974 California Angels had a total of 17 saves, thanks to innings eaters like Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana on the team. Who led the club in saves that year? A guy who didn't join the club until September and had 3 saves... in 4 appearances. Check out our latest Weird Stats column from Al Doyle.

On this date in 2019, I wrote about one of baseball’s many “could’ve beens.” Jeff Peeples was a star pitcher at Vanderbilt and had 29 wins & a 1.68 ERA. Injuries from a car accident shortened his career in the Cardinals organization, and he was just 46 when he died. ripbaseball.com/2019/06/06/g...

Corky Withrow was a high school and college basketball legend in Kentucky, but his professional sports career amounted to a handful of games with the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals. Withrow was a prodigious slugger and hit more than 200 homers in the minors. He died on April 22 at the age of 88.

Bob Skinner was known for having the prettiest swing in baseball, and he hit well over 1000 hits and 100 home runs in his 12-year career in the majors. He won 2 World Series, appeared in 3 All-Star Games and served as a coach, manager and scout following his retirement. Skinner, 94, died on May 4.

Ellie Rodriguez worked at baseball and boxing in his youth, and he used both skillsets in the majors. He became a 2-time All-Star, a pioneer among Puerto Rican catchers, and part of a long-running, violent feud with Bill "Spaceman" Lee. Rodriguez died on April 22 at the age of 79.

Chuck Nieson's major-league pitching career lasted for just 2 innings, but he did something that nobody else has ever done. He recorded a total of 6 outs for the 1964 Twins, and 5 of them came via the strikeout. Nobody else has fanned so many in so few innings. Nieson died on April 7 at age 83.

Saddened to learn of the loss of Pacific Head Baseball Coach Reed Peters. Reed was a sincere, heartfelt guy who wanted to improve people’s lives through baseball. Thinking of his family tonight and praying for them. 🙏 #NCAABaseball pacifictigers.com/news/2026/6/...

On Wednesday, March 8, 1916, the most famous clown of his era, a man who had entertained millions, locked himself in his boarding house room, turned on the gas from the room's heater and chandelier, and asphyxiated. He was around 45 years old. Days later, he was laid to rest beside his wife in an unmarked plot in a New York City cemetery, and his fame soon faded. After more than a century, that has changed. The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and its 19th Century Unmarked Grave Project has placed a grave marker for Frank "Slivers" Oakley and his wife Nellie, and one of the great entertainers of the 19th Century is no longer forgotten.

RIP to John Edelman, who joined the majors as a bonus baby pitcher when he was just 19 years old. The Pennsylvania native died in Chester County Hospital in West Chester, PA, on April 9. He was 90 years old. Edelman played 5 games for the 1955 Milwaukee Braves. John Rogers Edelman was born in Philadelphia on July 27, 1935. He attended Haverford High School as a multi-sport athlete, and in his first start on the school baseball team in 1951, he fired a 4-0 no-hitter against Cheltenham. He walked 5 and struck out 6, and the…

by Al Doyle No one would expect a losing team such as the 1974 California Angels (68-94-1) to pile up saves, but the Halos took it to an extreme. The bullpen finished with 12 saves. That number isn't solely for the closer, but includes the 17 pitchers who made at least one relief appearance. There is an obvious contributing factor for this eye-popping outlier: Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan went 22-16 with a 2.89 ERA and 26 complete games. He led the majors in innings pitched (332.2), and his other 1974 MLB-best stats are light years ahead of the competition.

Here lies Jeff Peeples, one of the greatest pitchers in Vanderbilt University history. Signed by the Cardinals, he was injured early in his pro career and never made it to the majors. Making it to …

RIP to Raymond "Corky" Withrow, a Hall of Fame basketball player in Kentucky and also a former major-league outfielder. He died on April 22 at the age of 88 in Owensboro, KY. Withrow appeared in 6 games with the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals as part of an 11-year professional baseball career. Raymond Wallace Withrow was born in West Virginia on November 28, 1937. His family-placed obituary lists his birthplace at Hico, but Baseball Reference indicates he was born in High Coal. Other documents Withrow filled out during his life, such as baseball questionnaires and draft cards, also list High Coal, but the city doesn't actually seem to exist anymore.

RIP to Bob Skinner, a contributor to two World Series championship teams, a 3-time All-Star, and a former big-league manager. He died on May 4 at the age of 94 in San Diego. Skinner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1954, 1956-63), Cincinnati Reds (1963-64) and St. Louis Cardinals (1964-66). He later managed the Philadelphia Phillies (1968-69) and San Diego Padres (1977). He is also the father of former major-league catcher and manager Joel Skinner. Robert Ralph Skinner was born in La Jolla, CA, on October 3, 1931. Once he reached the majors, he would be known for having one of the prettiest swings in baseball.

You may remember Ellie Rodriguez as a catcher who played for five teams over a 9-year career in the majors. Or, if you've read The Wrong Stuff by Bill Lee, you remember him as one of Lee's nemeses, along with Don Zimmer and most other authority figures. Rodriguez, an excellent defensive catcher and 2-time All-Star, died on April 22 in his hometown of Fajardo, Puerto Rico. He was 79 years old. During his career, he played for the New York Yankees (1968), Kansas City Royals (1969-70), Milwaukee Brewers (1971-73), California Angels (1974-75) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1976).

RIP to right-handed pitcher Chuck Nieson, who made 2 appearances for the Minnesota Twins in 1964. Nieson died on April 7 at Fairway View Neighborhoods in Ortonville, MN. He was 83 years old. Charles Bassett Nieson was born in Hanford, CA, on September 24, 1942. He was barely a teenager when he began to be recognized for his baseball abilities. He was named as one of the top players in the Hanford Little Leagues in 1955 by the Hanford Daily Sentinel. Nieson, playing for the VFW, had a 6-0 record and a .423 batting average.

Thursday evening, the Pacific Athletic Department was saddened to learn about the passing of Head Baseball Coach, Reed Peters, following a courageous battle with

The featured performers for The Great American State Fair on the National Mall: -Vanilla Ice -Martina McBride -Young MC -C+C Music Factory -Milli Vanilli -The Commodores - Morris Day & The Time - Flo Rida -Bret Michaels