Tag Archives: Ralph Branca
Bobby Valentine
Bobby Valentine (Baseball. Born, Stamford, CT, May 13, 1950.) Though his relationship with the press was often tempestuous, Robert John Valentine presided over the development of the Mets into one of baseball’s most exciting teams in the late 1990s. He became the first Mets manager ever to guide the club into the post-season in successive […]
Don Mueller
Don Mueller (Baseball. Born, St. Louis, MO, Apr. 14, 1927; died, St. Louis, MO, Dec. 28, 2011.) Known to his teammates as “Mandrake the Magician” for his skill in handling the bat, Donald Fred Mueller was a lefthand choke-up hitter who was key to the Giants’ 1951 and 1954 N.L. pennant winners. Mueller had an […]
Bill McCarthy
Bill McCarthy (College Baseball. Born, Holyoke, MA, Feb. 19, 1895; died, Palm Beach, FL, Apr. 15, 1986.) Bill McCarthy, a baseball coach who sent New York University teams to the College World Series and players to the major leagues, led the Violets for 40 seasons. McCarthy became the baseball coach at N.Y.U. in 1922, succeeding […]
Chuck Dressen
Chuck Dressen (Baseball. Born, Decatur, IL, Sept. 20, 1898; died, Detroit, MI, Aug. 10, 1966.) In three eventful seasons. Charles Walter Dressen made a distinct impression on the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1951, his first season, the Dodgers were able, through concentrated effort, to squander a 13½-game August lead over their hated crosstown rivals, the Giants, […]
Ralph Branca
Ralph Branca (Baseball. Born, Mount Vernon, NY, Jan. 6, 1926.) Another N.Y.U. star who graduated to the major leagues, Ralph Theodore Joseph Branca had a lengthy career (1944-53, 1956) with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Branca’s finest season was 1947, when he was 21-12, helping pitch Brooklyn to the N.L. pennant. That year, he won the sixth game […]