Fun facts about Dan Neville:
-I'm at a loss! Dan never threw a pitch in the major leagues, despite his 14 wins in 1964 for the champion San Diego Padres of the hitter-favoring Pacific Coast League. Does anyone have a lead on Dan Neville?
Fun facts about Art Shamsky:
-As an 18-year-old, Art roomed with Pete Rose with the 1960 Geneva Redlegs. He hit a home run in his first professional at-bat and made the All-Star team.
-His 21 home runs placed second on the 1966 Reds, trailing only Deron Johnson (24). He accomplished it in just 272 at-bats.
-On August 12, 1966, Art became the first player in Reds history to hit two extra-inning home runs in one game, going deep in the 10th and 11th to extend the game further. He entered the game in the eighth during a double switch, hitting a home run in the bottom of that inning. All told, he had three big flies, and is believed to be the only substitute to ever homer three times in a single game. Shamsky went deep in his next at-bat two days later, another pinch hit job; he tied the major league record with home runs in four consecutive at-bats.
-Was a valuable contributor to the 1969 Mets, hitting .300 with 14 home runs in part-time duty. He turned in a 7-for-13 performance in the NLCS that year for the World Champs.
-Got a career-high 403 at-bats in 1970, batting .293 with 11 home runs, 49 RBI, and 19 doubles.
-A balky back curtailed his productivity and caused his retirement in 1972.
-His post-playing career has included stints as a real estate consultant, a broadcaster for the Mets (1980-81), and the owner of a New York restaurant named "Legends".
-Was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.
-In 2007, Shamsky managed the Modi'in Miracle of the Israel Baseball League. The entire league folded after the inaugural season due to insufficient funds.
-Jon Stewart, host of "The Daily Show", has a pit bull named Shamsky.
Carrier! The air conditioning company. My mother-in-law worked for them.
ReplyDeleteDon't know anything about Neville, but the Topps Vault is selling/auctioning color negative they date as 1966.
ReplyDeleteWonderful. Especially the skinny on Shamsky.
ReplyDelete-In 2007, Shamsky managed the Modi'in Miracle of the Israel Baseball League. The entire league folded after the inaugural season due to insufficient funds.
ReplyDelete---No, that's not the reason; it's because a bunch of lying scum thieves were running the league, shaking down Jews across America for money to finance a crooked venture, and leaving Israelis holding the bag. Check out the real story here:
http://tabloidbaby.blogspot.com/search/label/israel%20baseball%20league
I did a Google search on ("Dan Neville" pitcher) and the second result was a Google Books excerpt from Mike Shannon's book "Tales From the Dugout." Neville now has a sports bar in Cincy called "Crosley's" and has practically an entire chapter in Shannon's book for his stories.
ReplyDeletePerhaps someone in Cincy can corroborate this.
Dan - Good catch!
ReplyDeleteBob - I could get in real trouble browsing those Topps Vault listings! :)
Patricia - Thanks!
Mmayes - That's pretty cool. Nice find!
I heard some very strange info about Shamsky last week about his divorce, with his ex-wife claiming that he gave her an STD that he picked up from another man with whom he was having an affair. Yes, man. What I find strange is not the possibility of Shamsky being gay or bisexual--I'm a strong believer in everybody doing what makes them happy so long as they aren't hurting other people. The strange stuff is just the idea of suing over possible transmission of an STD.
ReplyDeleteI've seen stories about Shamsky and his wife. Messy split. Very ugly. I bet the New York Post is all over it.
ReplyDeleteI lived next door to Dan and his family for a few yesrs back in the 70s. Dan lived in Cincinnati and retired from Proctor and Gamble. Played major league softball also.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post thank you
ReplyDelete