ONEMOREINNING

FORGOTTEN:PART TWO

 

   NICK ALDENCROFT AND ED STEVENS. FATE HAS RELEGATED THEM TO THEIR OBITUARIES BRINGING THEM SOME RECOGNITION AFTER YEARS OF NEGLECT.

   WITH NICK ALDENCROFT FATE DESTROYED HIM. HE STAYED FORGOTTEN, THE BASEBALL WORLD IN GENERAL NOT BEING AWARE OF HIM UNTIL HIS DEATH

   ED STEVENS HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF BEING INVOLVED IN A MOMENTOUS EVENT AND HIS DEATH BROUGHT OUT THE STORY WHICH VERY FEW OF US WERE AWARE OF.

   NICK ALDENCROFT WAS AN ANGELS PITCHER WHO PITCHED SIX SCORELESS INNINGS  FOR THE ANGELS IN HIS SECOND YEAR IN THE MAJORS AND HOURS AFTER WAS KILLED IN A CAR CRASH. HIS ASCENT TO THE MAJORS WAS NOT EASY.  TABBED AS A HIGH PICK IN THE 2004 DRAFT HE HURT HIS ELLBOW BEFORE THE PICKS WERE ANNOUNCED . HE WAS DROPPED TO THE 14TH ROUND. EVENTUALLY HE WAS PICKED UP BY THE ANGELS. HE THEN HAD TOMMY JOHN SURGERY AND HIS RECOVERY WAS SLOW. AFTER 4 YEARS IN THE MINORS  HE CAME UP TO LOS ANGELES. AFTER THREE STARTS HE HAD A 9:00 ERA AND WAS SENT DOWN AGAIN.

   HIS DEATH WAS MOURNED BY THE ANGELS WHO HAD GONE THROUGH SEVERAL

TRAGEDIES IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.   A WEEK BEFORE ALDENCROFTS DEATH A FAN HAD BEEN ASSAULTED IN ANGELS STADIUM AND DIED THE NEXT DAY.

   iNFIELDER CHICO RUIZ AND  AND PITCHER BRUCE HEINBECHNER ALSO DIED IN CAR TRAGEDIES AND SHORTSTOP MIKE MILEY SUFFERED THE SAME ACCIDENT. LYMAN BOSTOCK WAS SHOT AND KILLED THAT SAME YEAR. IN 1989 DONNIE MOORE SHOT HIS WIFE AND KILLED HIMSELF AFTER GIVING UP A HOMERUN THAT KEPT THE ANGELS OUT OF THE AL PENNANT.

   ALDENCROFT WAS FORGOTTEN UNTIL WIKIPEDIA HAD A SHORT ARTICLE ABOUT HIM. THE OBITUARY FOR HIM MENTIONED A POSTER BY A FAN AT A MEMOIAL THE DAY AFTER HIS DEATH. "NUMBER 34 , YOU ARE NOW ONE MORE ANGEL IN HEAVEN. NOW YOU PLAY FOR ANOTHER TEAM".

   ED STEVENS  HAS A MOMENTOUS PLACE IN BASEBALL HISTORY. HIS DEATH IN 2012 REMINDED US OF JUST WHAT IT WAS.

   STEVENS PLAYED IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES FOR FIVE YEARS. HE WAS A FIRST BASEMAN WHO CAME UP TO THE BROOKLYN DODGERS AND LATER ON WAS TRADED TO THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES. HE WAS SIGNED BY THE DODGERS AS A 16 YEAR OLD  AND PLAYED IN THE MINORS FOR FOUR YEARS BEFORE MAKING THE BIG LEAGUE CLUB. HIS FIRST YEAR WITH THEM HE  SHARED FIRST BASE WITH AUGIE GALAN. IN 1946 HE PLAYED FIRST BASE ON A REGULAR BASIS. HE MANAGED TO HIT .242 WITH 60 RBIs AND THE SECOND HIGHEST TOTAL OF HOMERUNS ON THE TEAM WITH TEN.

   THEN THE YEAR 1947 CAME UP AND BASEBALL HISTORY WAS MADE.

 

   HE WAS REPLACED BY A PROMISING ROOKIE AND NEVER GOT HIS JOB BACK AT FIRST. IN 1948 HE WA SENT TO PITTSBURGH, DID WELL FOR THEM FOR HIS FIRST YEAR. HE WAS SOON AFTER SENT  TO THE MINORS AND LASTED FOR A TOTAL OF 16 YEARS.

   AFTER HIS PLAYING DAYS HE BECAME A MAJOR LEAGUE SCOUT  FROM 1964 UNTIL 1981. HE DIED IN 2012 AT THE AGE OF 87.

   OH YES THE PLAYER WHO REPLACED HIM AT FIRST FOR THE DODGERS WAS SOMEBODY NAMED JACKIE ROBINSON.