centerfield maz

Gerald Floyd Williams was born August 10, 1966 in New Orleans, Louisiana in a family of ten brothers & sisters. The six foot two right hand hitting outfielder was drafted out of Grambling State University by the AL New York club, in the 14th round of the 1987 draft. His career started out well in the New York Penn League batting .385 at Oneonta. He struggled the next season but hit 20 HRs with 100 RBIs & 37 steals in 1990 between A & AA ball. By 1992 he hit .285 with 37 more stolen bases at AAA Columbus getting a call up to the big leagues. Williams would play sparingly, his first three seasons with the A.L. New York team, getting into the most 57 games in 1994. In 1995 he saw action in 100 games batting just .247 with6 HRs 28 RBIs. In 1996 Williams was batting .270 in August when he was traded along with Bob Wickman to the Milwaukee Brewers for Graeme Lloyd, Pat Listach, and Ricky Bones. The next year he hit a career high 32 doubles, while stealing 23 bases in Mil...

Oscar Donald Melillo was born on August 4, 1899 in Chicago, Illinois. His parents had emigrated from Tuscany, Italy in 1883 settling in the Chicago area raising their five children. Oscar wasn’t much for school dropping out of high school and working instead. He earned the nickname “Ski” after a local football hero he rooted for, and later the nick name of “spinach”. He began playing organized ball in Canada & eventually at AA Milwaukee getting better each year. He raised his average to .291 in 1925 & was an outstanding defensive second baseman that some writers called the next Napoleon Lajoie. Manager George Sisler was trying to strengthen his St. Louis Browns defense and according to two different reports , either traded five players for Melillo or paid the Brewers $50,000. Either way he began his MLB career in 1926 and would play ten seasons with the Browns. That year he suffered from a kidney disease known as Brights disease, and was told by a doctor he would only ...

Ronald Gabriel Palillo was born April 2nd 1949 in Cheshire, Connecticut. He was an Italian / American who pursued acting. He first attending the University of Connecticut where he later returned to as a teacher. Palillo will always be remembered as Sweat Hog, Arnold Horshack on the classic 1970's sit com (& one of centerfieldmaz's fav all time shows) Welcome Back Kotter (1975-1979). Horshack was the curly haired Sweat Hog, who had the unforgettable nasal hyena sounding laugh. Palillo said he got the idea for the laugh when he remembered his father laughing that way while struggling with lung cancer.  Arnold was famous for raising his hand in class when he was to answer a question & shout out "Ooh Ooh Ooh!!" This was very similar to Joe E. Ross' character in the classic Car 54 Where Are You? TV show from the early sixties.   Horshack was a strange fellow with a strange outlook on life & could only fit in with the Sweat Hogs. Arnold once ad...