12-01-1975 – Hall of Fame second baseman JACOB NELSON "NELLIE" FOX died at the age of 47 in Baltimore, Maryland. The 12-time All-Star was the AMERICAN LEAGUE MVP in 1959, leading his CHICAGO WHITE SOX to their first World Series in 40 years.
12-02-1957 – The PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE accepted $900,000 indemnity to be paid over three years for invasion of its territory by the DODGERS and GIANTS. In the realignment, the Los Angeles franchise shifted to Spokane, San Francisco headed to Phoenix and Hollywood was sold to Salt Lake City.
12-03-1967 – In their first official transaction in club history, C JIM PAGLIARONI
was acquired by the OAKLAND ATHLETICS from the PITTSBURGH PIRATES.
12-03-1968 – ROBERT E. SHORT purchases majority interest of the WASHINGTON SENATORS at the Winter Meetings in San Francisco.
12-04-1965 – MASANORI MURAKAMI, 4-1 this season with the SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS, will not renew his contract, instead signing with the NANKAI HAWKS of Osaka for $ 40000.
12-04-1944 – Hall of Fame catcher ROGER BRESNAHAN, known as "The Duke of Tralee," died at the age of 65 in Toledo, Ohio.
12-05-1878 – In its final session, the NATIONAL LEAGUE votes to abolish all outs on the first bounce.
12-05-1951 – JOSEPH "SHOELESS JOE" JACKSON died at the age of 63 in Greenville, South Carolina.
12-05-1973 – 3B RON SANTO became the first player to utilize the new "10 & 5 Rule" whereby any player with at least 10 years in the big leagues, the last five of which are with the same team, may veto a trade, brought on when his CHICAGO CUBS attempt to move him to the CALIFORNIA ANGELS.
12-06-1960 – AMERICAN LEAGUE franchise awarded to Los Angeles and group headed by GENE AUTRY, BOB REYNOLDS and PAUL O'BRYAN.
12-06-1976 – GEORGE SCOTT and BERNIE CARBO are traded by the MILWAUKEE BREWERS to the BOSTON RED SOX for CECIL COOPER.
12-07-1969 – FRANK "LEFTY" O'DOUL, two-time NATIONAL LEAGUE batting champion who went on to manage in the PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE for more than two decades, 17 with the SAN FRANCISCO SEALS, died there at the age of 72.
12-07-1976 – In the first trade by the SEATTLE MARINERS, SS CRAIG REYNOLDS and 2B JIMMY SEXTON come over from the PITTSBURGH PIRATES for LHP GRANT JACKSON.
12-07-1976 – In the first trade by the SEATTLE MARINERS, SS CRAIG REYNOLDS and 2B JIMMY SEXTON come over from the PITTSBURGH PIRATES for LHP GRANT JACKSON.
12-08-1960 – FRED HANEY was appointed the first General Manager of the expansion LOS ANGELES ANGELS.
12-09-1867 – The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of BASE BALL PLAYERS bans black players "on political grounds".
12-09-1931 – MLB owners reduce roster sizes from 25 to 23 men on feeling the pinch of the Great Depression.
12-09-1941 – 23-year-old BOB FELLER, winner of 76 games for his CLEVELAND INDIANS over the past three seasons, and 107 in his young career, enlists in the United States Navy, becoming the first professional baseball player to do so, saying "I've always wanted to be on the winning side." He later reported for duty at Norfolk, Virginia.
12-09-1965 – In the process of giving a speech in Columbus, Missouri, BRANCH RICKEY collapses and dies only a few days short of his 84TH birthday. He had been a player, manager, an extraordinary judge of baseball talent, as well as the shrewdest of traders, and perhaps baseball's most influential executive.
12-09-1976 – Former MLB
pitcher WES FERRELL died at the age of 68 in Sarasota, Florida. He was
the brother of Hall of Fame catcher RICK FERRELL.
12-09-1965 – OF FRANK ROBINSON is dealt to the BALTIMORE ORIOLES by the CINCINNATI REDS in exchange for RHP MILT PAPPAS, OF DICK SIMPSON and RHP JACK BALDSCHUN. The owner of the REDS, BILL DeWITT defended the trade by calling the star outfielder "an old 30", which will later prove to be totally inaccurate.
12-09-1992 – FLORIDA MARLINS President CARL BARGAR collapsed at the MLB Winter Meetings in Louisville, Kentucky, dying a few hours later from what turned out to be a ruptured aortic aneurysm.
12-09-1997 – The expansion TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS sign free agent 3B WADE BOGGS.
12-10-1975 – The AMERICAN LEAGUE owners reverse their former position and accept the bid of BILL VEECK to purchase the CHICAGO WHITE SOX from JOHN ALLYN, the brother of ARTHUR ALLYN, JR.
12-10-1976 – Former MINNESOTA TWINS IF DANNY THOMPSON, now with the TEXAS RANGERS after a six-player trade, died of leukemia at the age of 29, after having played in the majors for three seasons while battling this disease. He was voted Baseball's Most Courageous Player in 1974.
12-12-1935 – GEORGE TRAUTMAN was elected President of the AMERICAN ASSOCIATION, succeeding THOMAS HICKEY who had stepped down.
12-12-1951 – NEW YORK YANKEES OF JOE DiMAGGIO officially announces his retirement.
12-12-1960 – BILL RIGNEY was appointed as the first Manager for the expansion LOS ANGELES ANGELS.
12-14-1985 – ROGER MARIS dies at the age of 51 in Houston Texas.
12-15-1959 – Hall of Fame first baseman JAMES "SUNNY JIM" BOTTOMLEY died at the age of 59 in St. Louis, Missouri. Quote – "... the best clutch hitter I ever saw." - FRANKIE FRISCH
12-15-1964 - RHP PAUL WACHTEL, a top pitcher who had six 20-win seasons and who posted 317 career victories, died at San Antonio, Texas, at the age of 71. From 1919 through 1925 he won 29 or more games six times in seven seasons for Fort Worth of the TEXAS LEAGUE.
12-15-1980 – Free Agent OF DAVE WINFIELD signs a then-record 10-year contract with the NEW YORK YANKEES.
12-17-1924 – The NEW YORK YANKEES traded three pitchers to the ST. LOUIS BROWNS in order to get URBAN SHOCKER, who will go 49-29 over the next three seasons before dying suddenly in 1928.
12-17-1960 - Hawaii was awarded a franchise in the PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE, who then play as the HAWAII ISLANDERS from 1961-1987.
12-18-1990 – The NATIONAL LEAGUE unveils its short list of six potentialexpansion cities: Buffalo, Denver, Orlando, South Florida, Tampa-St. Petersburg and Washington, D.C.
12-20-1955 – The Syracuse, INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE, franchise was sold to SID SALOMON and ELLIOTT STIEN who moved the club to Miami, Florida.
12-20-1958 – Majority control of the CHICAGO WHITE SOX is gained by BILL VEECK and his limited partners after a lengthy court battle with the heirs to the CHARLES COMISKEY estate.
12-21-1878 – The HOP BITTERS of Rochester, the first North American team to play in Cuba, beats a Havana team 21-7 before over 5000 spectators.
12-22-1999 – SYD THRIFT was named Vice President for Baseball Operations of the BALTIMORE ORIOLES.
12-23-1975 – Arbitrator PETER SEITZ announced a landmark decision in favour of the MLBPA, allowing RHP ANDY MESSERSMITH and LHP DAVE McNALLY to become free agents, though the latter had retired on 6-08-1975 and will not return to the major leagues.
12-25-1989 – BILLY MARTIN dies in an automobile accident at the age of 61.
12-27-2003 – Former MLB OF IVAN CALDERON was shot and killed in a bar in his hometown of Loiza, Puerto Rico, at the age of 41.
12-31-1972 – ROBERTO CLEMENTE and four others are killed when an aircraft on a mercy-mission, carrying food, clothing and medical supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean moments after takeoff from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
12-31-1974 – Free Agent RHP JIM 'CATFISH' HUNTER signs a then-record five-year contract with the NEW YORK YANKEES.
12-31-2000 – Former MLB relief pitcher HARRY "FRITZ" DORISH died at the age of 79 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Against the Washington Senators on 6-2-1950 he became the last pitcher to steal home plate.
