centerfield maz

Tracie Lehuanani Ruiz Conforto was born February 4th 1963 in Honolulu, Hawaii. She started swimming from the start & soon became a champion. She won the 1979 Team Gold championship at the Pan American Games. Then went on to solo & duet golds at the 1983 Pan American Games. She later won a 1987 Gold there as well. In 1982 she was a World Champion in solo competition and would win six more from 1981-1986. She also won four titles in duet competition, dominating the sport. In 1984 at the Summer Olympics held in the United States, at Los Angeles, Tracie was a two time gold medal winner in synchronized swimming, a new addition to Summer Olympics that year. She won the medals in both solo competition & in a duet with Candie Costie. After a brief stint in body building she returned to swimming in the 1988 Olympics, only competing in solo competition, winning a Silver Medal for the US. In 1985 she married Michael Anthony Confort...

Anthony John DeFrancesco was born April 24th 1963 in Suffern, New York. The Italian American Rockland, County native, attended Seton Hall University & was a ninth round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 1984.  DeFrancesco would play minor league ball for the  Red Sox & Cincinnati Reds from 1984 - 1992. He was a lifetime .232 hitter with 17 HRs & 167 RBIs in 567 career minor league games. Primarily a catcher who played briefly in the outfield, at third & first base. He retired from playing in 1992 & by 1994 was a minor league manager, winning the Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year Award in 2003 with the Sacramento River Cats, in the Pacific Coast League. DeFrancesco spent one season as the Oakland A's third base coach (2008) before returning to Sacramento. In  2012 he got his only shot at MLB managerial experience, he headed the Houston Astros for 41 games replacing Brad Mills. His first win came against the New York Mets on April 24...

Ronald Edward Santo was born on February 25th, 1940 in Seattle, Washington. The six foot right hand hitting third baseman, was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1959 as an amateur free agent.   He played two pro seasons in the minors, before making the Cubs big league club during the 1960  season. By 1961 he was a regular, securing a spot as the Cubs third baseman for next thirteen seasons.  In that time he made nine All Star appearances & received voted for the league MVP six times. He would hit 20 or more HRs eleven times, including four straight seasons of 30 plus (1965-1967). He finished in the leagues top ten in that category seven times. He would drive in 90 runs or better eight straight seasons, with four 100 plus RBI seasons. He was second in the NL in RBIs three times (1964, 1968-1969) but never led the league. Santo did lead the league in walks four times, including three straight seasons from 1966-1968. He also led the league in s...

Back in 1964 when Shea Stadium opened during the midst of the New York's World Fair, it was a grand place.  It was a major tourist attraction & one of the biggest most beautiful ball parks in all of baseball. One of its most interesting & good looking attractions, were the Shea Stadium Usherettes & hostesses. An usherette is defined as a female hostess who greets & escorts a paying customer to their seat at a stadium or concert hall. The Shea Stadium Usherettes dressed like the airline stewardesses of the mid sixties, in seersucker suits, with knee high skirts, sexy but yet very professional looking.  Some of the designs captured a 1900th Century look. Some designs displayed bright blazers, striped jackets, derby hats,  Some wore the solid Mets color jackets & skirts with the Mets logo on their left breast. Others wore a blue & orange pinstripe style with bow ties. Both uniforms were usually accompanied by a hat. The...

 Anthony Ray Swarzak was born September 10th, 1085 in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. The six foot four right handed pitcher, was a star at Nova High, in Davie, Florida. He was 11-1 with 120 strike outs in his sophomore year, getting him signed by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the 2004 draft. He was named All County & All State at the highest levels. He followed that year up winning14 games in both his Junior & Senior years, while losing just three games in both years combined. He also struck out 142 & 145 batters respectively. His minor leagues were impressive early on as well, as he was ranked one of Minnesota's top prospects until turning up dirty in a 2007 drug test, testing positive for pot. He went 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five games at AAA Rochester earning him a shot in Spring Training 2009 with the Twins. He made his MLB debut on May 23rd getting a start against the Milwaukee Brewers where he pitched five scoreless innings earning a win. That year as...

Timothy James Redding was Born on February 12, 1978 in Rochester, New York.  Redding is the great nephew of actress Joyce Randolph. She is most famous for playing Ed Norton’s wife, Trixie on the classic television show Honeymooners. Randolph is the last surviving member of the Honeymooners cast, that also included "the great one" Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, Art Carney as Ed Norton & Audrey Meadows as Alice Kramden. The five foot eleven right hander, attended Monroe College getting drafted in the 20th round of the 1997 amateur draft by the Houston Astros. By 2000 he was the Florida State League Pitcher of the Year , going 12-5 with a 2.68 ERA. In 2001 he was being ranked as the #3 prospect in the Houston organization. That year he was the Pitcher of the Year in the Texas League. He made his big league debut on June 24th 2001, allowing five runs over six innings pitched, with no decision in a 7-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds. He earned his first win on July...

Joseph Henry Garagiola was Born on February 12, 1926 in the Italian section of a neighborhood called the Hill, in St. Louis, Missouri. Garagiola grew up across the street from Yogi Berra and the two became close friends throughout their life. Also on the same block would eventually live broadcaster Jack Buck & his son Joe Buck as well as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The street was recently renamed Hall of Fame place.   As teenagers the scouts considered Garagiola the better prospect, although it was Berra who went on to a Hall of Fame career. Garagiola who always made jokes at his own expense would say, “Not only was I not the best catcher in the Major Leagues, I wasn't even the best catcher on my street!"  Trivia: Back in 2001 centerfiedlmaz, Party Pete, WFUV's Darren Devivo & Den took a baseball trip to Missouri. Visiting both Kansas City & St. Louis. In St. Louis we stopped at the Hill neighborhood, visiting both Yogi Berra & J...