ZB Digital Library

Easter Sunday on April 2, 1972 Baseball was entering day two of the first unionized player strike that would last another 11 days.  However, the strike was not the biggest tragedy that baseball dealt with on this day.  Because the strike canceled their scheduled exhibition game for the day against the Braves a few of the New York Mets coaches, Eddie Yost, Joe Pignatano, Rube Walker and Gil Hodges decided to use the free time to play 27 holes of golf. The New York Mets were in the middle of Spring Training and staying at the Ramada Inn across the street from the Palm Beach Lakes Golf club. After finishing their golf game, the group chatted with former pitcher Jack Sanford who was working at the course.  They walked back to the hotel and as they were separating Pignatano yelled across the parking lot to ask him what time to meet for dinner.  Hodges replied and as he turned back to his room he collapsed.  He was quickly rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital where Doctor James Smith diagno

Branch Rickey and Fred Haney 1950 Hollywood Stars Program In 1976 the Chicago White Sox stepped onto the baseball field wearing shorts.  The players hated the uniforms, and before the second game of that day’s doubleheader the uniforms were retired, never to be seen again.  However, they were not the first baseball team to wear shorts during a game.  On this date, April 1st, in 1950 the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League also took to the field wearing shorts. The uniform was the brainchild of Stars’ Fred Haney who was in his second season as team manager.  Haney had played in the major leagues, as an infielder, from 1922 o 1929 for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and briefly the St. Louis Cardinals.  He had also managed for the St. Louis Browns and would later go on to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Braves. He got the idea after reading an article by Los Angeles Times writer Braven Dyer about records in track, golf, and other sports being broken becaus