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Showing posts from November, 2022

Remembering Christine McVie (1943-2022)

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 Longtime Fleetwood Mac singer Christine McVie passed away in hospital after a brief illness, she was 70 years old. The lovely Christine was a beautiful singer, songwriter, piano/keyboard player for Fleetwood Mac & in a solo career. Christine Anne Perfect was born in Lancashire, England on July 12th, 1943. Her father was a concert violinist & her mother a physic medium. Originally wanting to be an art teacher but she ended up in the music business. In 1968 she married Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie, by 1971 she became a full-time member. It wasn't until 1975 when Stevie Nicks & Lindsay Buckingham joined Mac as the group became one of the biggest rock bands of all time. McVie usually was overshadowed by the star of Stevie Nicks. In 1975 her biggest songs from the album- Fleetwood Mac, Over My Head & Say You Love Me, both reached the top twenty in the US. She also co-wrote World Turning with Lindsay Buckingham, as well as Warm Ways & Sugar Daddy on her own. In

Josh Smoker: Former Mets Reliever (2016 - 2017)

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Joshua M. Smoker was born November 26th, 1988, in Calhoun, Georgia. He grew up an Atlanta Braves fan in their glory years of the later part of the 20th Century. The six-foot two left-handed pitcher was signed out of high school as a first-round pick by the Washington Nationals in 2007, the 31st pick overall. He spent five years in the Nationals organization, getting plagued by injuries by 2012, making it to pitch in just six games that year with an ERA over seven. After his fastball lost most of it's velocity & he had two arm surgeries the Nationals released him. The next year he was out of baseball & then found himself pitching in an Independent League in the Mid-West at Illinois. In 2015 he signed as a free agent with the New York Mets. He pitched his way through the Mets minors, Savannah, St. Lucie & Binghamton going 3-0 with a 3.12 ERA. In 2016 he began the year at AAA Las Vegas & was t be another Mets pitching story getting to the big leagues. It seems

Mike Scioscia: Former Italian / American Player & Manager:

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Honoring Italian / American Ball Players Michael Lorri Scioscia was born on November 27, 1958, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. His father Fred was a salesman for a beer distributor & his mother Florence a schoolteacher. He went to high school in the Italian American neighborhood outside of Philadelphia near where Tommy Lasorda had grown up.  In 1976 Lasorda was involved in helping to recruit the young 17-year-old  catcher. After a scout spoke highly of him, Lasorda left a message for him to try out for the Dodgers while playing a road game in Philadelphia. In 1976 he was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a first-round draft pick (19th overall). The six foot two, two-hundred-pound catcher batted left-handed but threw right-handed.  MLB Career: After five minor league seasons, he made the Dodgers big league team by 1980. That year Steve Yeager & Joe Ferguson both got hurt & the club had released veteran Johnny Oates. Scioscia made his MLB debut on April 20th, 1980, in

Gene Tenace: Former Italian / American Player & Three Time Oakland A's World Series Champion (1969-1983)

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Fiore Gino Tennaci was born on October 10, 1946, to Italian immigrant parents in Russelton, Pennsylvania. He went to high school in Ohio and was selected in the 1965 amateur draft in the 20th round, by the Kansas City Athletics. After two minor league seasons he began to shower power hitting over 20 HRs at A & AA ball. He made his debut in Oakland in May 1969 & a week later hit his first career HR off Earl Wilson of the Tigers. He only hit that one HR and batted .158 in his first season playing in only 16 games. He was sent back down to AAA, where hit .319 making it back to Oakland in 1970. In 38 games he hit .305 with 7 HRs while playing as a third string catcher. The next season he took over as Dave Duncan’s backup catcher & hit 7 HRs with 7 doubles & 25 RBIs batting .274 in 65 games as the A’s won the AL Western title. Tenace went 0-4 playing in one game in the ALCS. It was the first of five straight AL Western titles he would win in Oakland. The club never