This Date in Baseball

"There have been only two geniuses in the world. Willie Mays and Willie
Shakespeare." - TALLULAH BANKHEAD, actress

1949 The A's trade Nellie Fox to the White Sox for catcher Joe Tipton.
1979 Hall of Fame outfielder Willie Mays, one of the game's most popular players, severs all ties with major league baseball when he accepts a public relations job with Atlantic City casino. Due to the gambling aspect of the position, he had been given an ultimatum by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn to disassociate himself from the national pastime.
1985 Cardinal pitcher Joaquin Andujar is suspended for the first ten games of next season as a result of bumping Don Denkinger twice during his Game 7 dispute with the home plate ump over ball and strikes calls.
1991 Buck Showalter replaces Stump Merrill as the Yankee manager. During his four-year reign as the Bronx Bomber skipper, the 36-year old will compile a 313 -268 (.539) record capturing the AL manager of the Year award and AL East title in 1994 and first AL wild card the following year.
2001 Commissioner Bud Selig says major league baseball is considering eliminating two teams could by the start of next season. Contraction would include the Montreal Expos and either the Minnesota Twins or the Florida Marlins.

2001 Matt Williams becomes the first player in World Series history to hit home runs with three different teams. He homered in the Fall Classic for the Indians in 1997 and the Giants in 1989.
2002 Bringing the total to seven this month, three new managers are named including Ned Yost (Brewers), Ken Macha (A's) and Eric Wedge (Indians). Being younger than two of his players (Ellis Burks and Omar Vizquel), the Tribe's skipper, at the age of 34, becomes youngest manager in the major leagues.

2006 Silas Simmons, the oldest baseball player who ever lived, passes away at St. Petersburg's Westminster Suncoast retirement community in Florida. The 111-year old was a southpaw hurler in the Negro Leagues for 17 years played for the Homestead Grays, New York Lincoln Giants, and Cuban All-Stars.