centerfield maz

Ronald Wesley Taylor was born December 13, 1937, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His parents were Irish Canadians, living in Toronto's north end. Ron had an older sister named Carole. Taylor was originally a left hander, but his mother feared he would suffer cardiovascular issues & tied his hand behind his back, so he'd throw right-handed. He was signed as a teenager by the Cleveland Indians in 1956. College Degree: He pitched in the minors but also chose to finish his studies at the University of Toronto where he earned an electrical engineering degree. MLB Career: He began the 1962 season on the Indians staff & got the start in the second game of the season at Fenway Park against the Red Sox.  He pitched 11 shut outs innings matching zeroes with future Mets coach Bill Monbouquette. In the 12th inning of the scoreless tie Carl Yastrzemski lead off with a triple. Taylor ended up allowing a walk off grand slam to Caroll Hardy, taking a tough loss. ...

  Mets Career:  In the early days of the New York Mets, the team were trying to bring back some former National League New York stars to draw fans to the Polo Grounds.  In 1963 the Brooklyn Dodger legend, Duke Snider was brought in & reunited with former teammate Gil Hodges.  Snider had considered retiring but was convinced by Dodgers GM Buzzie Bavasi that he should go play back in New York, as h e was close to reaching milestones in hits & HRs. Bavasi worked out a deal selling his contract to the Mets for $40000. D uring their 1950’s heyday, Snider had batted third in front of Hodges, the cleanup man. Duke Snider & Gil Hodges were the only players of the decade of the 1950's to drive in over 1000 runs each.  Snider had hit the most HRs (326) & driven in the most RBIs (1031) in the 1950s, while his teammate Gil Hodges was second to him in both categories.  But in 1963, the two players were at the ends of their careers. Snider ...

Leonard Shenoff Randle was born February 12, 1949, in Long Beach, California. His father was a longshoreman & World War II veteran & his mother a seamstress. He had seven siblings, three brothers & four sisters, all of whom earned college degrees. College Baseball: Randle was originally drafted in 1967 by the St. Louis Cardinals but did not sign. He elected to attend  Arizona State University where t he five-foot ten switch hitter was a two-sport star. He was the second baseman on the 1969 NCAA championship baseball team under legendary manager Bobby Winkles. The Sun Devils won the 1969 College World Series. He was also a football return specialist whose five punt returns for touchdowns stood as a WCA record for 35 years. Trivia: The soft-spoken Randle is fluent in three languages, he never drank alcohol, and has a master’s degree in education. Randle was a first-round pick (tenth pick overall) of the Washington Senators in the 1970 draft.  ...