The Gone But Not Forgotten Thread

[gwynn_fan]

Vontae Davis, former NFL cornerback for the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills, has died, with all three teams confirming the news on Monday. He was 35, just two months short of his 36th birthday.

We are heartbroken by the sudden passing of former Dolphins CB Vontae Davis and extend our deepest condolences to his family & loved ones during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/mB1kYUpZqQ

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) April 1, 2024

 

[kclj520]

@gwynn_fan

Vontae Davis wws one of our Illini football heroes...his brother said he had fallen by accident coming out of a sauna, but no official cause of death has been noted. So very sad.

 

[kclj520]

Also very deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Lou Conter, who was 102 years old, and the final USS Arizona survivor.


Lou traveled back to Pearl Harbor every year until he was nearly 100 for the anniversary of the December 7th attacks.



Lou flew over 200 combat missions in the Pacific theatre of WWII, getting shot down once over the ocean and rescuing his entire crew, only to fly another mission the next night! He stayed in the Navy through the Korean War era, retiring in 1967. He will receive full military honors at his funeral, likely to be held at the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii.

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/03/1242430911/lou-conter-uss-arizona-pearl-harbor

When called a hero, as he often was, he humbly gave credit to all of his shipmates and fellow sailors who died at Pearl Harbor as the true heroes. I was honored to write to Lou on two occasions, and he signed this image for me, always my favorite:


Rest in Peace Lt. Cmdr. Conter. A great American.

 

[gwynn_fan]

Pat Zachry, the right-hander who pitched for the Big Red Machine in the World Series and who pitched in relief for two years with the Dodgers, died on Thursday at age 71.

Zachry played three sports at Richfield High School in Waco, Texas, including basketball and football, but it was baseball in which he excelled the most, pitching three no-hitters. The Reds drafted Zachry in the 19th round in 1970, and in his first year in the majors won 14 games with a 2.74 ERA in 204 innings for a championship team in 1976. Zachry won both of his postseason starts that year — beating the Pirates in Game 2 of the NLCS, then winning at Yankee Stadium in Game 3 of the fall classic — and co-won National League Rookie of the Year along with Padres relief pitcher Butch Metzger.

 

[kclj520]

C.J. Snare, founding member and lead singer of Fire House passed on April 5th at age 64. C.J. had been traveling and performing for almost 35 years with the band, and passed unexpectedly after abdominal surgery.

 

[gwynn_fan]

New York Mets lose another great from the 1969 World Champion Team as
Jerry Grote, the catcher who helped transform the New York Mets from a perennial loser into the 1969 World Series champions, died April 7 at a medical facility in Austin. He was 81.
Mr. Grote had suffered from heart issues and died of respiratory failure during a cardiac procedure, Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said.
Mr. Grote nurtured a young pitching staff led by Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Gary Gentry. The Mets overtook the Chicago Cubs and moved into first place for the first time in their history on Sept. 10. They finished 100-62 to win the National League East Division by eight games, then swept three games from Atlanta in the first National League Championship Series and beat the favored Baltimore Orioles in five games in the World Series.

 

[kclj520]

Surprising news, OJ Simpson, Hall of Fame running back with a troubled history, dead of cancer at 76.

 

[gwynn_fan]

Fritz Peterson, Yankee Pitcher in an Unusual ‘Trade,’ Dies at 82​

He was a leading light on an undistinguished team. But he became known less for his achievement on the field than for exchanging wives with a teammate.

 

[bfd13]

I got to know Mr. Peterson a little in his later years. He was a very intelligent person. It was sad when he announced his Alzheimer's diagnosis.

 

[kclj520]

@bfd13

How cool that you knew him! That was definitely a memorable story, the 'spouse swap'!

 

[gwynn_fan]

Ken Holtzman, MLB’s winningest Jewish pitcher who threw two no-hitters for the Chicago Cubs and helped the Oakland Athletics win three straight World Series championships in the 1970s, has died, the Cubs announced Monday on social media. He was 78.

 

[kclj520]

Sad to hear about Ken, he was a very kind and gracious autograph signer through the mail for decades, and a great ballplayer as well.

 

[kclj520]

Rest in peace Whitey Herzog, who passed today at age 92. He was a tremendous human being and a wonderful baseball personality! He managed STL to the 1982 World Series win, and WS appearances vs. K.C. in 1985, and vs. the Minnesota Twins in 1987.



Whitey signed this photo for me in early March, little did I know it would be one of the last items he ever signed.


A great collage illustration of Whitey from the Cardinals publication:

 

[kclj520]

A truly sad day for baseball, as Carl Erskine also passed away today at age 97. He was one of the last Brooklyn Dodgers, and a tremendously kind man and a great autograph signer.



Carl pitched the last game in Brooklyn at Ebbets Field, and the first game in LA at Dodger Stadium. A real class act, and a WWII Navy Veteran.

 

[gwynn_fan]

Baseball lost two greats today!
Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog (/ˈhɜːrzɒɡ/; November 9, 1931 – April 15, 2024) was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager, most notable for his Major League Baseball (MLB) managerial career.
Herzog next managed the St. Louis Cardinals, from 1980 to 1990. He won the 1982 World Series, and both won the National League pennant and appeared in the Series again in 1985 and 1987.

Carl Daniel Erskine (December 13, 1926 – April 16, 2024), nicknamed "Oisk", was an American baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 1959. He was a pitching mainstay on Dodger teams which won five National League pennants and the 1955 World Series
During the 1953 season, Erskine won 20 games and set a World Series record with 14 strikeouts in a single game. He was an All-Star the following season. Erskine pitched two of the NL's seven no-hitters during the 1950s.

After his baseball career ended, he was active as a business executive and an author. In particular, he involved deeply with the Special Olympics and charities which aimed at helping people with developmental difficulties such as his son Jimmy, who was born with Down Syndrome. Erskine died in 2024, the last surviving member of the "Boys of Summer" Brooklyn teams of the 1950s.