July, 2019 Obituaries.

[Trainman2223]

Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca October 15, 1924 – July 2, 2019

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/02/business ... index.html

"Auto industry icon Lee Iacocca, once one of America's highest profile business executives and credited with rescuing Chrysler from near-bankruptcy in the 1980s, has died. He was 94.
He was instrumental in the creation of the Ford Mustang and the Chrysler minivan.
Iacocca's youngest daughter confirmed he passed away of natural causes Tuesday. He is survived by two daughters and eight grandchildren."

[Trainman2223]

Tyler Wayne Skaggs, 27 (July 13, 1991 – July 1, 2019)

starting pitcher, for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/ty ... li=BBnb7Kz

"ARLINGTON, Texas — The Los Angeles Angels made a decision a day after starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs, 27, was found dead in his Texas hotel room: The team would play its scheduled Tuesday game against the Rangers."

[KingsleyRailFan]

Dr. James Jude

http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/James-Jude-102707024

Dr. James Jude, one of the experts credited with pioneering life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation, has died. He was 87.

[Jochs]

R.I.P. Benton Harbor, MI native, Arte Johnson. (90)
He was a well known comedian on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In."
https://deadline.com/2019/07/arte-johnson-dead-laugh-in-emmy-winner-lover-at-first-bite-1202641747/

[Garry K]

R.I.P. Benton Harbor, MI native, Arte Johnson. (90)
He was a well known comedian on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In."
https://deadline.com/2019/07/arte-johnson-dead-laugh-in-emmy-winner-lover-at-first-bite-1202641747/

Veeerrrryyyy interesting!

Garry K

[AARR]

I never heard of Jared Lorenzen but apparently he played pro football.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/jared-lorenzen-very-sick-battles-health-issues

[GTW6401]

I never heard of Jared Lorenzen but apparently he played pro football.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/jared-lorenzen-very-sick-battles-health-issues

He won a super bowl ring backing up Eli Manning with the Giants.

[GTW6401]

Ross Perot died on July 9, 2019 after a battle with leukemia. He was 89.

[hoborich]

Famous for "That giant sucking sound". Strongest independent candidate for POTUS in history, getting 19% of the popular vote.

[Jochs]

Ross Perot died on July 9, 2019 after a battle with leukemia. He was 89.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/09/politics ... Ev-yPiwkWM

[Jochs]

R.I.P. Oscar Nominated Actor Rip Torn, 88.
https://ktla.com/2019/07/09/oscar-nominated-actor-rip-torn-dies-at-88-report/

[Jochs]

R.I.P. Denise Nickerson, 62. She played Violet Beauregard in the 1971 classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7235405/Willy-Wonka-Chocolate-Factory-star-Denise-Nickerson-62-passes-away-age-62.html?ito=social-facebook&fbclid=IwAR2MDUxphdZcCZm3Cf7Rzi0pYN6LStFqqOLD4ZpCZIYhu-0Vifk2Sy06cjo

[Garry K]

Ex-major league baseball pitcher Jim Bouton has died at 80 years old.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-jim-bouton-ball-four-dies-20190711-bxtdcqsymvfytf36nashfeouue-story.html

The obit mentions his book "Ball Four." I bought that book when it came out. It is entertaining reading, especially about stuff that happens "behind the scenes" in pro baseball. That book really enraged the baseball establishment when it was published.

An excerpt from the book, from when Bouton was with the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969. Seattle was playing the Detroit Tigers, with Joe Sparma pitching for the Tigers:

It started in the first inning when Joe Sparma walked Tommy Harper, leading off, on four-straight pitches. Hegan was the next batter. Ball one. On ball two, way over Hegan's head, Harper tries to steal second and is thrown out. Sparma still hasn't thrown a strike. Two more balls and Hegan's on first base. Sparma has thrown eight balls in a row and he's got one out.

Tommy Davis up. First pitch, ball one. Second pitch is shoulder high, a ball, but he swings at it and tops it down the third-base line. He had no business swinging, of course. By now he should have been wondering if Sparma would ever throw a strike. Instead of wondering, he's thrown out at first. In the meantime, with two out and second base all his very own, Hegan decides to try for third. It's very important that he go to third base because he can score from there on a base hit. He can also score from second base on a base hit. So he needs to go to third like Frank Howard needs more muscles. Of course, he's out from here to there and Sparma is out of an inning in which all he threw was ten pitches--all balls.

A couple of innings later Al Kaline, of all people, steals third with two out. Can't imagine what he was thinking of.

Disclaimer: I'm so old, I actually remember watching that game!

Unfortunately, most of the book is unquoteable for the public internet! :-)

Garry K

[GTW6401]

I knew of Jim Bouton from the Netflix documentary The Battered Bastards of Baseball. The book got him pushed out of the major leagues. Mickey Mantle was mad for years.

He ended up playing for the Portland Mavericks. They were an independent team owned by Bing Russell, and members of the team including Bouton were the founders of Big League Chew gum.

He also pitched in college at Western Michigan.