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Remembering
those who
died in 2003

The following listings are for those who died in 2003 who had some impact in the game of baseball.  However, instead of listing them as an obituary, we will mention them in this form:

George Plimpton (Sept. 25 in New York)
Plimpton, 76, was an author who participated in a number of activities and wrote about them -- including "Paper Lion," his experiences playing for the Detroit Lions of the NFL. His baseball contributions included pitching in an exhibition game with AL and NL players (he retired Willie Mays) and he wrote a book about the experience, "Out of My League." In 1985, he wrote a fictitious story for Sports Illustrated on Sidd Finch, a baseball prospect with a 168 mph fastball. The story was believed by many.

Bob Hope (July 27)
Hope, 100, made a name in comedy and the movies, but he also had a connection to baseball in Cleveland. He was, at one time, a part-owner of the Cleveland Indians and he returned to Cleveland in 1993 to perform his signature "Thanks for the Memories" as the Indians ended 60 years of games at Municipal Stadium.

Frankie Bolden (Aug. 28)
Bolden, 90, was a reporter for the Pittsburgh Courier whose assignments included everything from Negro League Baseball to World War II. His stories included the exploits of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.

Joan B. Kroc (Oct. 12)
The widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc died at 75 after a battle with brain cancer. She inherited the Padres when her husband died in 1984 and sold the team in 1990 to a group led by LA TV producer Tom Werner.

Lloyd Pettit. (Nov. 11).
An Emmy-winning sports broadcaster and Milwaukee-area philantrophist, Lloyd Pettit died at the age of 76. His first love was hockey, but he also was involved in broadcasts of Milwaukee Braves games.

Eloise Pohlad  (Nov. 20)
Pohlad, 86, the wife of Twins' owner Carl Pohlad and a benefactor of Twin Cities charities. She met her husband on a blind date at a college football game in 1946. Pohlad bought the Twins in 1984.

Dick Butler (Dec. 20 in Fort Worth, Texas)
Butler, 92, spent 49 years as a major and minor league baseball executive. He became an assistant to baseball commissioner Happy Chandler in 1946 and he held that title until 1951. He held executive positions in minor league baseball and later served as supervisor of American League Umpires. He became the special assistant to AL president Bobby Brown in 1986 and held that job until his retirement.

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I'd like to thank all of you who take the time to e-mail me with notification of player deaths.  Your help makes this page and this site a success.  If you know of a player death from 2003 that is not listed here, please let me know.

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