Today In Baseball History: February

CrimsonCowboy

CrimsonCowboy

Moderator
February 1st:

1913: Olympic champion Jim Thorpe signs with the New York Giants.

1954: The Braves trade pitchers Johnny Antonelli and Don Liddle along with catcher Ebba St. Claire and shortstop Billy Klaus to the Giants for Bobby Thompson and catcher Sammy Calderone.

1965: The National League adopts an emergency plan in case a team's plane crashes.

1985: The Giants trade Jack Clark to the Cardinals for David Green, Jose Uribe, Dave LaPoint, and Gary Rajsich.

1999: The Marlins trade minor league pitchers Eddie Yarnell, Todd Noel, and Mark Johnson to the Yankees for third baseman Mike Lowell.

2008: The trade with the Mets and Twins made two days prior becomes official with Johan Santana agrees to a six year deal worth $137.5 million with New York, making it the richest deal given to a pitcher.
 
goldfly said:
would love to read more about that
Click to expand...

Same plan that is in effect today:

Under the N.L. arrangement, if an accident deprives one club of seven or more players, each of the other nine teams will make available a list of 12 players from their 25-man rosters. The stricken club may then pick its replacements from this group, with a limit of two players from one club. If an entire team should be lost, the remaining seven players would have to be obtained from the minors or by purchases. The cost of each player drafted under the disaster plan was set at $100,000. However, a $2,500,000 insurance fund was provided at a cost of $2,000 per club per year.

The monetary amount will be different of course but I believe it's still the same plan
 
February 2nd:

1876: With teams in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, the National League is formed.

1976: Umpire Cal Hubbard becomes the only person to be elected to the Hall of Fame in both baseball and football.

1993: MLB suspends Reds owner Marge Schott for bringing "disrepute and embarrassment" to the game.

1999: The Padres trade Greg Vaughn and Mark Sweeney to the Reds for Reggie Sanders, Damian Jackson, and Josh Harris. Vaughn becomes the first player traded after hitting fifty home runs in a season.

2005: The Cubs trade Sammy Sosa to the Orioles for Jerry Hairston and two minor leaguers. The Orioles agree to pay $16 million of the $25 million left of a contract that Sosa signed in 2003 that was worth $72 million over four years.

2011: The White Sox and Alexi Ramirez agree to a four year extension worth $32.5 million.
 
February 3rd:

1886: A former professional baseball player named Albert Spalding starts a sporting good company with $800. A future Hall of Famer, Spalding produced the first official baseball as well as the first tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, and football.

1938: Lou Boudreau is suspended from the basketball team at the University of Illinois for taking illegal payments from the Indians.

1942: Due to U.S. involvement in World War II making it a necessity, the owners allow each team to play 14 night games, except for the Senators, who will be allowed 21 due to large number of government workers in Washington. The regulation also says no inning will start after 12:50 AM.

1979: The Twins trade Rod Carew to the Angels for outfielders Ken Landreaux and Dave Engle as well as pitchers Paul Hartzell and Brad Havens.

1987: The Expos trade reliever Jeff Reardon and catcher Tom Nieto to the Twins for pitcher Neal Heaton, catcher Jeff Reed, and two minor leaguers.

1989: Bill White is named President of the National League.

1998: Brian Cashman replaces Bob Watson as Yankees GM.

2002: The Yankees and catcher Jorge Posada agree to a five year deal.

2011: Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte announces his retirement.

2013: California Institute of Technology defeats Pacifica 9-7 to end a 228-game losing streak, their first win since February 15, 2003. A home crowd of 87 fans attended the game.
 
February 4th:

1893: Vocalized by Russell Hunting, the first recorded version of "Casey at the Bat" is released.

1956: The A.L. announces it will test automatic intentional walks during the Spring. The concept will never be used in the majors.

1956: The Cy Young Award is established to honor the top pitcher of the season.

1960: The BBWAA does not elected anyone to the Hall of Fame for the fifth time.

1969: The owners elect Bowie Kuhn to be the fifth commissioner of baseball.

2002: The Minnesota Supreme Court refuses to consider an appeal of an injunction that would force the Twins to fulfill their lease to the Metrodome in 2002. The decision ends any possibility of MLB contract any teams for that season.

2004: The Cardinals and Albert Pujols agree to a seven year deal worth $100 million.

2008: The Tigers and Curtis Granderson agree to a five year deal worth $30.25 million.

2010: The Tigers and Justin Verlander agree to a five year deal worth $80 million.
 
February 5th:

1930: The Reds select Leo Durocher off waivers.

1934: Hank Aaron is born in Mobile, Alabama.

1968: Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar is born in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

1983: The Royals acquire outfielder Leon Roberts from the Blue Jays in exchange for minor league prospect Cecil Fielder.

1999: On his 65th birthday, MLB announces they will name an award given to the best hitter in both leagues after Hank Aaron.

2002: Baseball announces that is will scrap any plans for contraction in the upcoming season.
 
February 6th:

1895: Babe Ruth is born in Baltimore, Maryland.

1921: A plot of land is purchased by the New York A.L. franchise in the Bronx from William Waldorf Astor for $625,000. The land will be used for the future Yankee Stadium.

1958: Ted Williams becomes the highest paid player in M.L. history, signing a contract with the Red Sox for $135,000.

2008: The Rangers hire Nolan Ryan as team president.
 
February 7th:

1942: The Reds trade catcher Ernie Lombardi to the Braves for cash.

1949: Joe DiMaggio becomes the first player in A.L. history to make $100,000 in a season.

1979: In the Mets trade that sent Jerry Koosman to the Twins, Jesse Orosco becomes the "player to be named".

2005: The Tigers sign outfielder Magglio Ordonez to a five year deal worth $75 million.

2009: Sports Illustrated reports Alex Rodriguez is one of the 104 players who tested positive for PEDs in 2003.

2014: Alex Rodriguez drops his two lawsuits against MLB over his season-long suspension for the coming season. Rodriguez was one of 14 players who was suspended for PEDs connected to a Florida anti-aging clinic, but was the only one to contest the ruling.
 
February 8th:

1956: Connie Mack dies at age 93.

1982: The Dodgers trade Davey Lopes to the A's for minor leaguer Lance Hudson, breaking up the longest playing infield foursome. Lopes, along with Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, and Bill Russell had been the Dodgers infielders since 1974.

2008: The Mariners acquire Erik Bedard from the Orioles for Adam Jones, George Sherrill, and prospects Chris Tillman, Tony Butler, and Kam Mickolio.

2011: Tony Malinosky, the oldest living M.L. player, dies at age 101. He played in the Dodgers infield in 1937, served in World War II, and survived The Battle of the Bulge.
 
February 9th:

1971: Satchel Paige becomes the first player from the Negro League to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

1981: Joe Morgan signs a one year deal with the Giants.

1984: After vetoing a trade to the A's, the Dodgers waive Dusty Baker.

2001: The Yankees and Derek Jeter agree on a ten year deal worth $189 million.

2009: Two days after the story broke in Sports Illustrated, Alex Rodriguez to using PEDs while playing for the Rangers from 2001-2003. He makes the admission in an interview with ESPN.

2012: The Rangers and Nelson Cruz agree to a two year deal worth $16 million.
 
February 10th:

1910: Ground is broken in Chicago on the future Comiskey Park.

1982: The Mets agree to a five year deal worth $10 million with George Foster. The deal completes the trade that sends Jim Kern, Greg Harris, and Alex Trevino to the Reds.

1984: The Mets and Keith Hernandez agree to a five year deal worth $8 million.

2000: The Reds acquire Ken Griffey, Jr. from the Mariners in exchange for Brett Tomko, Mike Cameron, and Antonio Perez. The Reds would sign Griffey to a nine year deal worth $116.5 million, the richest contract at the time.

2005: The Astros sign pitcher Roy Oswalt to a two year deal worth $16.9 million.

2011: The Rangers sign outfielder Josh Hamilton to a two year deal worth $24 million.
 
February 11th:

1974: Twins pitcher Dick Woodson wins the first arbitration hearing in baseball history. Woodson, the first player to invoke the new free agency clause, is awarded $29,000. The Twins were offering $6,000 less.

1977: The Cubs trade Bill Madlock and Rod Sperring to the Giants for Bobby Murcer, Steve Ontiveros, and a minor leaguer.

1982: Two months after the deal was announced, the trade of Ozzie Smith from the Padres to the Cardinals for Gary Templeton is finalized.

2005: Jose Canseco's booked Juiced is made available in certain markets. In the book, Canseco (who called himself the godfather of steroids in baseball) alleges that Mark McGwire, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmerio, and Ivan Rodriguez all used performance-enhancing drugs.

2007: The Twins and Joe Mauer agree on a four year deal worth $33 million.
 
February 13th:

1920: A group of owners meet at the Kansas City YMCA and form the Negro National League.

1995: The Dodgers sign Japanese All-Star pitcher Hideo Nomo.

2005: Barry Larkin announces his retirement after 19 seasons as the Reds shortstop. He becomes the special assistant to Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, who served that role for the Reds from 1992-2001.

2008: Roger Clemens, along with his personal trainer Brian McNamee, testify for 4 1/2 hours before Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

2006: The Reds and Adam Dunn agree to a two year deal worth $18.5 million.

2009: The Phillies and Ryan Howard agree to a three year deal worth $54 million.

2012: The A's reach a four year deal worth $36 million with Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes.
 
Sorry this hasn't been updated. Have had some bad computer issues. Wound up having to buy a new laptop. Plus, I've been sick as a dog these past couple days.

February 17th:

1891: The American Association pulls out of the National Agreement, starting a battle with the National League. To compete with the N.L., the A.A. moves its Chicago team to Cincinnati.

1943: Joe DiMaggio enlists in the Army Air Force and will not play for Yankees until 1946.

1964: Luke Appling is elected to the Hall of Fame.

1990: Yankees Director of Latin America Operatons Herb Raybourn signs 20-year old pitcher Mariano Rivera.

2011: Jose Bautista and the Blue Jays agree to a five year deal worth $64 million.
 
February 18th:

1909: The Red Sox trade Cy Young to the Cleveland Naps for pitchers Charlie Chech and Jack Ryan along with $12,500.

1944: The Reds sign 15-year old pitcher Joe Nuxhall.

1960: Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley purchases land just north of downtown Los Angeles for the future Dodger Stadium. The property at Chavez Ravine was bought for $494,000.

1998: Longtime baseball announcer Harry Caray dies at age 84.

2009: Ken Griffey Jr. signs a one year deal with the Mariners, with whom he broke into the Major Leagues.
 
February 19th:

1953: After being hit by enemy fire during the Korean War, Ted Williams crash lands his jet.

1970: Denny McLain is suspended three months for his alleged connection with bookmakers.

1983: Fernando Valenzuela becomes the first player to be awarded $1 million in arbitration.

1987: Less than a month after signing a deal with the A's, Vida Blue retires.

2008: Ian Kinsler signs a five year deal worth $22 million with the Rangers.

2014: The Reds sign pitcher Homer Bailey to a six year deal worth $105 million.
 
February 20th:

1923: After purchasing the team along with two partners for $300,000, Christy Mathewson becomes the president of the Boston Braves.

1953: August A. Busch convinces the Board of Directors at Anheuser-Busch to purchase the Cardinals for $3.75 million.

1963: Willie Mays becomes the highest paid player after signing a $100,000 deal with the Giants.

1980: Billy Martin is named the A's manager.

2009: The Orioles sign Brian Roberts to a four year extension worth $40 million.
 
February 21st:

1931: In an exhibition at Houston's Buffs Stadium, the White Sox and Giants play the first M.L. teams to play in a night game.

1945: Due to wartime restrictions, MLB decides to cancel the All-Star Game. It's the only season that the ASG has not been played since the game started in 1933.

1968: The players and owners sign the first collective basic agreement. In the new CBA, the minimum salary is increased to $10,000 and a formal grievance process is introduced.

1974: Tom Seaver signs a deal worth $174,000 a season with the Mets, the largest ever for a pitcher.

1989: Pete Rose meets with Commissioner Peter Uberroth and Commissioner-elect Bart Giamatti to discuss the gambling accusations against him. An inquiry on the matter will be launched the next month.
 
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