Charles Haeger had a pretty unremarkable baseball career. In six years, he played for three different teams, regularly moving from the minor leagues to the majors. His pitching was erratic, with good games followed by early exits from the mound after a shelling. He called it a career in 2010 with a 2-7 record, but …
After a bout of meningitis, William Hoy was rendered deaf at the age of three… but it never hindered his determination. After graduating as valedictorian from the Ohio State School for the Deaf, he opened a shoe repair business and played baseball on the weekends. Impressed with William’s on-field prowess, baseball manager Frank Selee signed …
Solly Drake had dreams of becoming a professional baseball player. So did his younger brother Sammy. As a teenager, Solly played for the Elmwood Giants, a minor league team, before he was signed to the farm system of the Chicago Cubs. In 1956, the wiry, switch-hitting outfielder made his major league debut with the Cubs, …
Ted Cox had a pretty inauspicious five-season career in baseball. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1973 and spent five years making his way through the team’s farm system. He made his Major League debut at the end of the 1977 season. In Ted’s first game, he went 4-for-4. After the game, …
Jim “Mudcat” Grant, Major League pitcher with 14 seasons under his belt, had a career filled with firsts. Despite being awarded a scholarship to play football and baseball at Florida A&M University, Mudcat had to drop out in order to help his family through a spell of financial hardship. Ever determined, Mudcat was signed as …
Don Wilson was an integral part of the Houston Astros for nine seasons. His career could have continued… but other circumstances changed that. Don won over 100 games for the Astros. He was selected to the All Star Game in 1971, where he pitched two scoreless innings. Her also threw two no-hitters – one in …
