Eight Crazy Nights - Four

Happy fourth day of Hannukah!

Tonight's Hanukkah Honoree is Al "Flip" Rosen, the second "Hebrew Hammer".  In addition to a great, if short, career on the field Al went on to become a successful baseball executive.

Leap Day Babies

 Today is a special day for some of you out there.  I must be weird to only see your actual birthdate come up just once every four years.  I don't know if it makes you feel special or bums you out.  Here are three legends and one current player who belong to your club.

I don't know if this was just a mistake or if there has ever been any confusion over "Flip's" birthdate.

 

A notable current player born on Leap Day:

RIP Al Rosen

1948 World Series Champ and 1953 AL MVP Al "Flip" Rosen died yesterday at age 91.

Card of the Day

I admire those of you who make collecting goals and methodically work at achieving them.  My collecting, like my collection, is pretty disorganized.  A couple of years ago I had the idea to start collecting cards of Jewish players.  Here's a recent addition, my only card purchase this month.

Al "Flip" Rosen will most likely be in anyone's top 5 or so greatest Jewish baseball players.   This commemorative card is from the Topps' 1961 set.  It's not from his playing days but it is vintage.

Here's a relatively recent interview with Al:

Blow Out the Candles February 29

1953 AL MVP Al Rosen is celebrating his 88th birthday today.

 1994 Ted Williams Co. #28

2005 UD Signature Decades #SD-AR

On being a Jewish ballplayer:

"I can only tell you this, there was anti-Semitism throughout my playing days, and it came from the stands, it came from the managers, the coaches and players. But as time went on, and particularly after the birth of Israel as a nation, I think that a new aura took over and people had more respect for Jewish athletes or Jews generally, because it showed once again that Jews were not to be taken lightly and that they could fight as well as be bookkeepers and accountants and that sort of thing. The kind of taunting and things like that that I heard personally from the benches softened a great deal after 1946."

Al and Larry Doby celebrating a win over the Baltimore Orioles April 1954

Athlete of the Year 1953

Would you like to see a great Al Rosen card collection?  Greg of

 has one.  Click here.

Gashouse Gang favorite Pepper Martin was born in Temple, Oklahoma on this date in 1904.

 Pepper and wife Ruby 1931

"I'm arresting you for speeding" 1931

Pepper Martin, Terry Moore and Joe Medwick, at training camp in 1936

Chick Hafey, George Watkins, Pepper Martin and Wally Roettger

Musician, Composer and Big Band leader, "JD", Jimmy Dorsey was born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania o this date in 1904.