EllGab - Spite Board
Rikki Gins Lounge => Collections and Collectibles => Topic started by: Rikki Gins on September 12, 2025, 06:58:56 PM
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I've collected quite a lot of paper collectables over the years, but never any baseball cards, until several months back, that is. I am now collecting baseball cards that show the oldest living Major League Baseball players. Just to make things interesting, I have stipulated that the cards must be personally hand autographed by the players themselves. So anyway, here we go.
The oldest MLB player is currently a fellow by the name of Bill Greason, who is 101 years old. Bill played in the Negro leagues for quite a few years until he was finally acquired by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954. I honestly doubt if I will be able to get a signed card of Bill's because they currently fetch a hefty price. There are some cards of his that are affordable out there, but they aren't signed.
Bill Greason at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Greason
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Bobby Shantz is currently the second oldest MLB player. He is currently 99 years old, and if he can hang around for another 14 days, he will be 100 years old.
Bobby Shantz at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Shantz
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I'll enjoy following this thread for sure.
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I'll enjoy following this thread for sure.
Oh, that's great to know, WAN! I'll be posting a card each and every Friday.
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I wonder if Shantz secretly hopes Greason kicks it so he can get the title.
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I wonder if Shantz secretly hopes Greason kicks it so he can get the title.
I'm inclined to think so, for no other reason than that everyone would like to hold a record of some sort. In this case, I wasn't able to find any current info on Greason's health, though he did throw a ceremonial pitch in June of 2024.
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Bill Greason
There was an update on Bobby Shantz's current state in his Wiki profile:
According to an interview with The Athletic, as of August 2025, Shantz lives in Ambler, Pennsylvania with his wife Shirley. They own a dog named Jake. He formerly operated a bowling alley and a dairy bar in nearby Chalfont, Pennsylvania, with his former Athletics teammate, Joe Astroth. In his younger years, he enjoyed playing golf. Health limitations include a bad hip, and he can no longer travel, but overall, he "feels good". He frequently watches baseball on television.
Thus far, Mr. Greason has held the oldest player title for 6 months & 9 days. He had to wait 2 years & 8 months to get it.
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Jim Willis is currently the third oldest MLB player. He is 98 years and 6 months old. Mr. Willis resides in Boyce, Louisiana. There are no current articles about him. I did find one that covered his reactions to the final game of the 2016 World Series, which was won by his old team, the Chicago Cubs. He became a school principal after his baseball career, and he also wrote a book called "My Baseball Story."
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I have never seen a W like that before.
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I have never seen a W like that before.
Almost like a drawing of a corn on the cob.
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Deceased.
Bob Oldis was the 4th oldest MLB player and I was all set to put his card in this exclusive baseball card thread when, to my surprise, I read that he passed away, just last Sunday. So, I'll still put him here, as a memorial of sorts, but sadly, it will be the only time that he appears here. Rest in Peace, Bob.
Bob Oldis at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Oldis
An article announcing Bob's death: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/bob-oldis-catcher-for-1960-world-champion-pirates-passes-away/ar-AA1NaZjO
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Public Domain
On a happier note, our current 2nd oldest MLB player Bobby Shantz, is celebrating his 100th birthday today. Happy Birthday, Bobby!
A guide to Bobby Shantz baseball cards: https://www.beckett.com/news/a-guide-to-bobby-shantz-baseball-cards/
An article about Bobby: https://www.royalsreview.com/2025/1/23/24347796/remembering-the-career-of-bobby-shantz
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Roy Face is currently our fourth oldest ex-Major League Baseball player. Roy, or Elroy if you prefer, was born on February 20, 1928, making him 97 years, 7 months, and 14 days old at the time of this posting. Roy was a relief pitcher and his nickname was "the Baron of the Bullpen." He did carpentry/plumbing work after his retirement from baseball.
There are no recent articles about Roy, but he is still signing photos and cards that are sent to him, for ten bucks a whack.
Elroy Leon Face at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Face
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Elroy Face won 18 games a reliever in 1959. AFAIK that record still stands. Also a little guy - like 5' 7" or 8"
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Elroy Face won 18 games a reliever in 1959. AFAIK that record still stands. Also a little guy - like 5' 7" or 8"
Have you noticed, WAN, how these older ballplayers had to take up secondary jobs after their retirement from MLB? Sad, but they weren't paid a gazillion dollars like today's players are.
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I remember him as Elroy. Didn't he have a spacial pitch? Maybe a forkball?
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Have you noticed, WAN, how these older ballplayers had to take up secondary jobs after their retirement from MLB? Sad, but they weren't paid a gazillion dollars like today's players are.
Not only after retirement but during the offseason as well. Richie Hebner (https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hebneri01.shtml) dug graves in the off season.
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I remember him as Elroy. Didn't he have a special pitch? Maybe a forkball?
That's right. A forkball. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forkball (Roy is actually mentioned in this Wiki article.)
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Not only after retirement but during the offseason as well. Richie Hebner (https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hebneri01.shtml) dug graves in the off season.
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LOL! That's right, WAN. Thanks, I forgot to mention that Roy did his carpentry work during the offseason as well.
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Floyd Robert Ross is currently our fifth oldest ex-Major League Baseball player. Robert (or Floyd, take your pick) was born on November 2, 1928, making him 96 years, 11 months, and 9 days old at the time of this posting.
Bob was a high school teacher during both the offseason and his retirement from baseball, then he became a principal and finally a school administrator. After his retirement from the educational field, he owned and operated an avocado orchard for awhile.
Statistically, Bob, or Robert, or Floyd, had a less than stellar career in Major League Baseball, but the fact remains that he played in it for awhile, and thus his presence in this baseball card thread is secure. After all, most of the MLB players weren't a Ruth, a Cobb, a Gehrig or a Mantle, anyway.
There is an interesting article about Bob that is called He’s Made The List! Enter his name in search and you can find it. It is from 2017 when Bob was currently number 94 on the oldest living MLB players list.
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Seems like those baseball card vandals skipped Bob Ross and went after Ross Jones.
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Al Worthington is currently our sixth oldest ex-Major League Baseball player. He was born on February 5, 1929, making him 96 years, 8 months, and 13 days old, at the time of this posting. Al, or Allan, take your pick, was yet another MLB pitcher. I say 'yet another' because even a cursory glance at this fledgling baseball card thread shows that most of the players are pitchers.
Al was called Red by his fellow players. (Nice, I love nicknames.) He was a sinkerball pitcher, meaning that the thrown ball would sink by the time it passed over home plate. After his days of playing MLB baseball ended in 1961, he started a new career in...well... baseball. He returned to playing MLB and continued to do so for another eight years. When he really did stop playing, he sold insurance for several years. Then he started another new career in...well... baseball. Not playing though, he was a coach in college baseball. He then returned to MLB as a pitching coach, a manager and a scout. Al also found the time to write a book about his years in baseball called, I Played and I Won.
Allan Fulton Worthington is now retired and enjoying life in Birmingham, Alabama.
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Joe Margoneri was born on January 13, 1930, thus making him 95 years old and the seventh oldest living ex-Major League Baseball player in the world. Joe was a pitcher by trade, (big surprise, huh?) and he played for the New York Giants in 1950, but his career was cut short when he was drafted into the United States Army. After his stint in the army, he did some minor league pitching for about four years before hooking back up with the Giants. Joe was a Giant during the 1956 and 1957 seasons. He pitched and batted left handed and during his second year he was used almost exclusively as a relief pitcher.
In the small world department, Joe was part of a pitching roster that included the player portrayed above, Al Worthington.
After his brief two year baseball career, Joe became a supervisor in the corrugated paper department of the International Paper Company. He is currently spending his retirement years in West Newton, Pennsylvania.
Joseph Emanuel Margoneri at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Margoneri
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The two recent Giants players would have played at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan. Perhaps the weirdest MLB ever. 483 to straight away center, 450ish in the power alleys and well under 300 down the lines. Dusty Rhodes, whom probably had the best season for a pinch hitter ever in 1954 won a World Series game with a walk off homer that was a lazy fly ball in any other park.
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Interesting. Thanks WAN! I noticed that Al Worthington played for the Giants in both New York and San Francisco. I wondered how many players had, that were still alive, so I asked AI. It named Al, of course, plus the oldest living player, Bill Greason. Then it got kind of vague, scratched its artificial head and said that there were four other living Giants players that played in both cities.
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Interesting. Thanks WAN! I noticed that Al Worthington played for the Giants in both New York and San Francisco. I wondered how many players had, that were still alive, so I asked AI. It named Al, of course, plus the oldest living player, Bill Greason. Then it got kind of vague, scratched its artificial head and said that there were four other living Giants players that played in both cities.
I took a quick look and didfn't find any others. I thought Mike McCormick might have been a good candidate as he was just 18 when he played for the Giants their last year in NY but he is gone. Several others have died in just the last couple of years.
You don't see 18 year olds in the Major Leagues any more either. I'm guessing A-Rod was the last one and he's got to be in his 50's now.
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Deceased
John O'Brien had occupied the seventh oldest MLB player spot, but he passed away last June, before I could get the thread started up, so I will include him here as a memorial of sorts. RIP, Johnny O.
Johnny O'Brien at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_O%27Brien
A baseball themed obituary for Johnny: https://ripbaseball.com/2025/06/27/obituary-johnny-obrien-1930-2025/
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His twin brother was Eddie O'Brien whom played a prominent part in Jim Bouton's book, Ball Four
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Not only after retirement but during the offseason as well. Richie Hebner (https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hebneri01.shtml) dug graves in the off season.
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Nice pickax.
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Vernon Sanders Law is currently our eighth oldest ex-MLB player. Vern was born on March 12, 1930, making him 95 years old and exactly 59 days younger than Joe Margoneri, the player in seventh place. As you can tell from the card, Vern is yet another long lived pitcher.
This baseball card was printed in 1955. Notice the use of a television set on it? Not surprising, because television sets were coming into their own, back in the mid 1950s.
Vern's nickname is Deacon, because he was, and is, I assume, a religious man.
Vernon Law at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vern_Law
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One of Vern's sons was named Vance and had a pretty decent MLB career as well. The Laws are Mormons.
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One of Vern's sons was named Vance and had a pretty decent MLB career as well. The Laws are Mormons.
Vance was the most bland Expo of all time.
Bryan Little was second.
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Here is another signed Vernon Law baseball card. I had purchased the two of them because I couldn't decide which one I liked the best. So, I have posted this one just for, as Groucho would say, the halibut.
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Our ninth oldest ex-Major League Baseball player is a fellow by the name of Robert Perry Lillis. Robert, or Bob for short, was born on June 2, 1930, in Altadena, California, making him 95 years old. Bob is exactly 2 months and 22 days younger than Vernon Law, the player who is in eighth place.
Bob was a shortstop. (At last, a player who wasn't a pitcher.) His nickname is Bob, by the way. Big surprise, huh? He played for the LA Dodgers, the Houston Colt 45s and then the Astros, after the name change.
Notice the palm trees in Bob's picture. Definitely Southern California there. Bob is currently spending his retirement years in another warm clime, Orlando, Florida.
Bob Lillis at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lillis
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Look at those eyes.
Bob means business.
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Bob is in his Dodger whites - so home game. Looking at the small bleachers behind him in the photo it is possible that the picture was taken at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida. The Dodgers had spring training there for many decades. Might be SoCal but might be Florida too.
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Bob is in his Dodger whites - so home game. Looking at the small bleachers behind him in the photo it is possible that the picture was taken at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida. The Dodgers had spring training there for many decades. Might be SoCal but might be Florida too.
It looks like Vero Beach. I think the games I saw there were the best baseball viewing I ever had.
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Bob is in his Dodger whites - so home game. Looking at the small bleachers behind him in the photo it is possible that the picture was taken at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida. The Dodgers had spring training there for many decades. Might be SoCal but might be Florida too.
Yes, you and JUAN are both right, WAN. For some reason I assumed that any spring training camp would have been in Southern California due to a warm climate, but yes, they were training in Vero Beach back in 1958. Besides, those palm trees look like a different type than the ones in LA.
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Look at those eyes.
Bob means business.
Indeed he does, Bart. He's got Quint the shark hunter eyes.
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Joe Morgan is the tenth oldest ex-player in Major League Baseball. Joe, or Joe for short, was born on November 19, 1930, making him 94 years, 11 months and 27 days old. Joe will be turning 95 years old in five more days.
Joe played center field and shortstop during his MLB days. Judging by the card, he seems to be remembered more for being a manager than a player. Perhaps because he was never part of an official lineup for the Braves, Athletics, Phillies, Indians or Cardinals. He was signed up with those teams though, and played in official MLB games, so his presence is most welcome here.
Aside from being a respected MLB manager, Joe spent 13 years as a player in the minor leagues and six in the above mentioned major league teams.
Joe's nickname was both "Walpole Joe" and "Turnpike Joe" because he used to operate a snow plow on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Walpole, Massachusetts during the offseason. He is spending his retirement days in a cute little house with a big front lawn, in Walpole. Joe had a wife named Dottie but she passed away back in 2016.
Joe Morgan article at the Society For American Baseball Research site: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/joe-morgan-walpole-joe/
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Happy 95th birthday, Joe!
https://x.com/LFTimes_sports/status/1991136879719149983
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Zack Monroe is our eleventh oldest ex-Major League Baseball player. Zack, Zach, or Zachery if you prefer, clocks in at the age of 94. He's 7 months and 20 days younger than tenth place Joe Morgan who just celebrated his 95th birthday.
Zack was a pitcher who spent the majority of his baseball career in the minor leagues. The Yankees called him up for service during the 1958 and 59 seasons and boy, he couldn't have wished for a better opportunity to play in the majors because the Yankees were in the World Series in 1958. Zach got to relief pitch in game 2. How did he do? Read this, it's a great description of game two of the 1958 World Series. (But don't blink or you will miss Zach's involvement in the game.) https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/october-2-1958-braves-hammer-yankees-in-game-2-of-world-series/
The seven game, 1958 World Series would have been fun to watch if it had been played in modern times. But then again, any World Series to go seven games would be fun to watch, as we found out earlier this year. Here is a nice link for those who might be interested in reading about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_World_Series
Zachery would be with the Yankees in 1959, but only briefly before returning to the minors, where he remained for another four seasons. After his retirement from baseball, Zack became a sales manager for a hydraulic manufacturing company in Peoria, Illinois. He currently lives in a big, white, two story house (with a number of established trees in both the front and back yards) in Bartonville, Illinois.
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Read this, it's a great description of game two of the 1958 World Series. (But don't blink or you will miss Zach's involvement in the game.) https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/october-2-1958-braves-hammer-yankees-in-game-2-of-world-series/
Johnny Kucks!
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Johnny Kucks!
Ha, I know. Johnny would have been a fun player to have in this thread but sadly, he died twelve years ago.
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Ray Crone is the dozenth oldest former Major League Baseball player in the whole wide world. He was born on August 7, 1931 and if he wants to make it to 100, he must remain alive for another 5 years, 8 months, and 10 days. Piece of cake!
This particular card is a little worse for wear but it matters not because there is some history behind it. It was once part of the famous Talley Autograph Collection. Ed Talley (January 7, 1946-March 26, 2024) was a major league baseball fan and he compiled a big, signed, baseball card collection. He gathered over 5,000 first person baseball card signatures throughout his life, and pitcher Crone was one of them.
Ray first pitched in the majors at the age of 22, and lasted from 1954 to 1958. He bounced back and forth from the majors to the minors in that time, but he was a bonified pitcher for the Milwaukee Braves and the New York / San Francisco Giants, and you can't take that away from him.
Interestingly, Ray became a MLB scout a good ten years after his last pitched game. He scouted for the Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres and, as recent as 2017, for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Good grief, that's really not all that long ago!
Ray is now retired and lives in sun filled Waxahachie, Texas in one half of a big double house. He's at the curved end of a circle drive, and his mailbox is embedded inside a brick column, with a little angel perched atop it.
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Here is another Ray Crone signed baseball card. I had purchased this one before the earlier Crone card. That happens. When I shop for certain signed cards, I might wind up purchasing two or three by the same ballplayer.
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Pretty cool name - Crone. Probably shops at the FoodMaxx.
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Here is yet another Ray Crone signed baseball card. I purchased the two previous Crone cards and was pleased with them, but then I saw this one and liked it just as much, so I bought it.
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Charles Abraham Essegian, Jr., or Chuck for short, was born on August 9, 1931, making him lucky 13 on our list of the oldest players of Major League Baseball. He is only two days younger than Mr. Twelfth Place player, Ray Crone.
Chuck was a left fielder and he had some good playing days in MLB. According to Wikipedia: He appeared in 404 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) over six seasons (1958–1963) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Athletics and Cleveland Indians. During the 1959 World Series, Essegian, then with the Dodgers, set a Series record with two pinch-hit home runs against the Chicago White Sox.
After the majors, Chuck journeyed to Japan and played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes for a season. Then, back to the USA where he played in the minor leagues for awhile. After retiring from baseball, Chuck earned a law degree and became an attorney in Southern California. He retired from law practice in 1987.
Chuck is currently living in sunny Canyon Country, (Santa Clarita, if I'm not mistaken) California.
Chuck Essegian at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Essegian
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Stan Pawloski is the fourteenth oldest Major League Baseball player in existence. He was born on September 6, 1931, so this makes him yet another ball player who is currently 94 years old. He is a mere 29 days younger than Chuck Essegian, the player in thirteenth place.
When I started this thread, I thought that anyone who played in Major League Baseball would have his own baseball card, or cards in some cases. Not ole Stan Pawloski, though. Try as I might, I couldn't find a single card, let alone one that had his signature on it. So I did some research on Stan and I found out why. He had only played second base in two games for the Cleveland Indians during the 1955 season.
Well, that's that, and I had to decide, should Stan be included in this thread? Well, the answer is yes, because despite the fact that there is no picture card with his signature on it, he did play in the majors and he's an old timer who is still alive, so two out of three isn't bad. Also, looking ahead, I'll most likely run into this type of thing again. That, or come across cards that are beyond my budget to purchase. (Case in point, Bill Greason, the current oldest, MLB player alive.)
I'm thinking of buying an occasional hand signed index card if I can't find a signed baseball card. I would have gladly bought that signed autographed card of Stan's as shown above, but there is no online record of it anywhere, just the image.
Getting back to Stan, he is currently living in a "large Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) for active adults 55+ offering independent living, personal care, memory care, and rehab/skilled nursing, known for its resort-style amenities like golf, swimming, and dining, providing a full continuum of care in a secure, engaging setting near Philadelphia." (That's AI talking, not me.)
Stanley Walter Pawloski at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Pawloski
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Ken Aspromonte is our fifteenth oldest Major League Baseball player. Born on September 22, 1931, Ken is yet another member of the 94 year old club. Ken is just 16 days younger than Stan Pawloski, the player in fourteenth place.
Ken played second base mostly, for seven full seasons with an assortment of teams. After that, he traveled to Japan and played down there for the Chunichi Dragons and the Taiyo Whales. (Love those Japanese names.) After three years in Japan, Ken returned to the states and stayed with baseball by becoming a manager for the Cleveland Indians for three full seasons.
Ken currently lives in a cute little house on a circular road with a circular driveway, in Piney Point Village, Houston Texas. Ken's house is nearly swallowed up with trees and bushes, some of which are shown below.
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Kenneth Joseph Aspromonte at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Aspromonte
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Introducing Mr. Fred Kipp, our seventeenth oldest Major League Baseball player. Oddly, just last week, Fred was in sixteenth place, but a late addition to the oldest living players list knocked almost everyone down a spot. What happened was that, all at once, Ron Teasley, a player for the Negro League, was placed third on the list.
Back in 2020, Major League Baseball elevated all the Negro Baseball League teams to Major League Baseball status. I'm not sure what took so long for Mr. Teasley to make the list, but a correction will be made in this thread to bring things up to date. Just give me a couple weeks.
Fred Kipp is the sixth player to be in his 94th year of life. He was born on October 1, 1931 and he's only 54 days younger than Ken Aspromonte, the player in sixteenth place. Fred had a colorful pitching career in baseball. He bounced back and forth from the minors and majors, but enjoyed a steady, full year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After that, back to the minors, but Fred was recalled to the Dodgers where he helped the team win the 1959 pennant race. From there, the Dodgers won the World Series against the Chicago White Socks, but Fred didn't pitch during the series.
Fred retired from professional baseball at the end of the 1962 season and he lives in a nice looking house in Leawood, Kansas.
Fred Kipp at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Kipp
The Last Yankee Dodger: https://fredkipp.com/
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Miami, Asheville, Mobile and Montreal. Kipp did alright for his minor league assignments,
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Miami, Asheville, Mobile and Montreal. Kipp did alright for his minor league assignments,
Indeed. I forgot to mention that some of his minor league teams were international. He played against the Havana Sugar Kings, in Cuba of course, right after Castro took over the island. There were men roaming the streets with rifles. Fun times!
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I am sadden to announce that Jim Willis, the third oldest Major League Baseball player, has died at the age of 98. Jim passed away on January 2nd. Yup, the day after New Year's day. Rest in Peace, Jim.
Jim's earlier entry in this thread: https://ellgab.com/index.php?topic=1874.msg517538#msg517538
Jim's baseball themed obituary: https://ripbaseball.com/2026/01/08/obituary-jim-willis-1928-2026/
He is survived by son Frank, daughters, Susan, Sally and Aza, and their families. The most recent addition to Willis’ extended family, a great-grandchild, was born the day before he died.
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A day late and a dollar short, but Happy Birthday to Joe Margoneri, who celebrated his 96th birthday yesterday. Joe is currently the 7th oldest, former Major League Baseball player.
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It pains me to have to announce the death of our twelfth oldest MLB player, Ray Crone. Ray passed away just three days ago at the age of 94. Player Charles Essegian (https://ellgab.com/index.php?topic=1874.msg519978#msg519978) will now occupy Ray's twelfth place spot.)
Ray's first appearance in this thread: https://ellgab.com/index.php?topic=1874.msg519752#msg519752
There is no obituary for Ray at this time, but here is an interesting article written about him when he was still alive: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ray-crone/
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They are dropping like fly balls hit to Babe Herman.
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They are dropping like fly balls hit to Babe Herman.
They certainly are. I had planned to put 50 players in place, but am not sure if I can keep pace with all the dropouts.
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Here is the next best thing to a signed baseball card... A signed photo. The signing took place back in 2009 at a Bruce Mugerian sports show in Livonia, Michigan.
Ron Teasley was a ballplayer for the famous Negro League. He was an outfielder with the Cubans, the New York Cubans I should specify, and not the Havana Cubans, if there was such a team. The Negro League was brought into Major League Baseball status back in 2020.
Ron is 98 years old, making him the third oldest player in Major League Baseball history. If he hangs around for another 4 days, he will turn 99. Ron lives in a nice looking, two story house in Detroit, Michigan. He's got a big, beautiful oak tree growing in his front yard.
Ron Teasley at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Teasley
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There was a minor league team in Havana. They were the Havana Sugar Kings. After things went sour in Cuba they moved and are now the Norfolk Tides.
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There was a minor league team in Havana. They were the Havana Sugar Kings. After things went sour in Cuba they moved and are now the Norfolk Tides.
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Neat. Love those Cuban team names. The Sugar Kings sounded familiar and then I remembered that Fred Kipp, the player up above, had played against them right after Castro took over the island.
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Time to wish player Ron Teasley a very Happy Birthday. Ron turned 99 on January 26. He is the third oldest Major League Baseball player.
Ron is 1 year, 4 months, and 1 day younger than second place player Bobby Shantz, and 2 years, 4 months, 24 days behind the longest lived ball player, Bill Greason.
By the way, Ron's nickname was “School Boy Teasley.” Ron liked to educate himself during his playing days by reading lots of books.
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Nice little write up on Mr. Teasley
https://nlbemuseum.com/history/players/teasley.html
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Nice little write up on Mr. Teasley
https://nlbemuseum.com/history/players/teasley.html
Good article, WAN, thanks! I like how in addition to all of his sports related hall of fame awards and other recognitions, he had time to become a member of the Meals on Wheels Hall of Fame.
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Just when I was about to place another player on this list of long lived baseball players, I was greeted with the news of the passing of Zack Monroe. Zack was 94 years old and was the 11th oldest ex-Major League Baseball player. Needless to say, all the players that were behind Zack, will move up a spot.
Newsweek wrote an article about Zack, though they spelled his first name Zach, with an H. Not sure how long the link will last, but here it is: https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/yankees-world-series-champion-dies-11420958
Here is Zack's (or Zach's, it appears to be written both ways) initial appearance on this thread:
https://ellgab.com/index.php?topic=1874.msg519548#msg519548
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On a more cheerful note, we welcome Bob Skinner to the oldest, living Major League Baseball player list. Bob was born on October 3, 1931, making him 94 years, 3 months and 28 days old. He is currently number 15 on the list. Just a week or so ago, Bob was in 16th place until the sad passing of Zack Monroe, as recorded above.
Ron was a first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the year 1954. He surely wanted to play for the Pirates because he turned down offers from the Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox. The Pirates repaid Bobs loyalty by sending him to the minors while keeping two other first base players. The two players have both since died, so I guess Bob had the last laugh there. Bob was back with the Pirates in 1956 as a backup outfielder and first baseman. In 1957, Bob was a fulltime outfielder and he played in that position clear up to 1963 when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He would end his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, retiring from MLB in 1967. Ooops, I almost forgot to mention that Bob played in the 1960 World Series which his team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, won. After his retirement from MLB, Ron stayed in baseball by becoming a manager in both the minor and major leagues for a number of years.
Wikipedia notes that:
During the off season as a player he worked as an x-ray technician in a jet engine plant in San Diego; and also worked in promotions for a San Diego newspaper. Skinner is the father of former MLB catcher and coach, and minor league manager, Joel Skinner.
Bob currently lives in a nice looking house in sunny San Diego, California.
Robert Ralph Skinner at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Skinner