I’ve may have mentioned a project I’m working on: collecting obituaries of ballplayers that have appeared in The New York Times with the notion of how a player is identified in the opening lines.
Here’s what Bruce Weber had to say in today’s edition, which had a “refer” on the front page.
Fritz Peterson, who was a stalwart pitcher for the ineffectual Yankees of the late 1960s and early ’70s, but whose lingering renown derived more from one of baseball’s most notorious “trades” — his exchange of wives with a teammate — has died. He was 82.
In fact, it wasn’t just wives; it was families, pets, and house.
Although no cause of death was given, Peterson had been in declining health for years, which is one of the reasons he wanted to publish his memoirs.
Peterson spent most of his career with the Yankees, with whom he went 20-11 and earned his sole All-Star berth in 1970. He was traded to Cleveland in 1974 in the deal that brought Chris Chambliss to the Bronx. Peterson was traded to the Texas Rangers in 1976. He signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox but never played for them. Peterson finished with a record of 133-131
I met Peterson a few times later in his life. He self-published two books — Mickey Mantle is Going to Heaven and When the Yankees Were on the Fritz: Revisiting the Horace Clarke Years — and was at Yankees Fantasy Camp when I was reporting on a special Jewish program for the NJ Jewish News.
If memory serves (and it sometimes doesn’t), I had a hand in setting up a meeting between Peterson and veteran sportswriter Maury Allen, who first reported on the “trade” between the lefty pitcher and teammate Mike Kekich. Needless to say, it was quite the to-do and Allen became persona non grata to Peterson. I had done a story about Allen when he moved to Cedar Grove, NJ and we developed a friendship that was all too brief (Allen passed away in 2010). During that time, I told him that Peterson was coming to the Yogi Berra Museum (see “Author Appearance” below) to promote his first book. Wouldn’t it be nice to come by and clear the air? To my surprise, Allen agreed and it turned out to be quite a charming scene.
I did a Bookshelf Conversation with Peterson and another interview during the Yankee camp session.
- The Bookshelf Conversation: Fritz Peterson, July 27, 2015
- Now Hear This: Fritz Peterson, December 9, 2009
- Author Appearance: Fritz Peterson, September 18, 2009
More on Peterson’s passing:
- From ESPN
- From the New York Post
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It can’t possibly be fifty years since Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record.
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♦ From WRAL.com, “Retired Duke psychology and neuroscience professor Harris Cooper was inspired to write 
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More stats.
Greg DeHart was a former minor league who — like Patkin — never found success in the pros. Instead 
is available on Amazon.com,
Time begins tomorrow
March 27, 2024 · 0 comments
Remember all those posts about the decline of the annual baseball magazine? The same could be said for baseball previews in newspapers.
There was a time when I used to collect these things, with the the help of my friends across the country. They were different from the magazines in that they had writers who covered the team ever day and had the (relatively) most up-to-date data at their fingertips.
But those days are gone, too, as more and more newspapwers fold.
Do we really mean it when we offer such praises for the game every spring or has it just become habit? I mean, the Cincinnati Reds — the oldest professional team in the game — always used to have the honor of playing the first game of the season. No more. Tradition doesn’t seem to mean as much to each new generation of fan.
I had the privilege to attend Spitball Magazine’s CASEY Awards ceremony on Sunday. Much more on that later. When I returned home on Monday I picked up a copy of the Enquirer, that city’s only newspaper. Front page stories included pieces about the Reds and food available at The Great American Ballpark. I’m curious if other newspapers in Major League markets are printing stories about the upcoming campaign.
Joe Posnanski, who received his third CASEY for his latest gem, Why We Love Baseball, noted that one of the main differences between baseball and football is that the former takes the time to look backwards (history and story-telling) while the latter is always looking ahead, always peeking towards the next play and the sport’s draft.
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