Remembering Danny Frisella

[splitterpfj]

How many of you remember Frisella?

 

Danny came to the Brewers midway through the 1976 season. Over the second half of the season, he was handed the closer role, finishing with 9 saves, and a 5-2 record.

 

The suits were excited about him, and felt as though they had their closer for the upcoming season.

 

On January 1, 1977, Danny died after crashing his "dune buggy" somewhere near Phoenix.

 

Just an interesting bit of the Brewers' past, if you remember, great, and if you don't...now you know.

 

www.baseball-reference.com/f/friseda01.shtml

[Fatter than Joey]

I do -- Frisella was part of the Miracle Mets.

 

There were a lot of deaths in baseball in that period of time, Mike Miley died in the same off-season -- Danny Thompson died from cancer, Bob Moose died in a car accident and the Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh all passed away in that off-season.

[splitterpfj]

I remember some of that FTJ, but I didn't realize they were all in the same off-season.

 

I remember how high the Angels were on Miley, they really thought he was going to be a star SS for them.

 

There were more in the next few years too, the suicide of Danny Thomas, the murder of Lyman Bostock, and of course Thurman Munson's plane crash, I hadn't thought about it, but MLB had a bad run there for a while.

[MadisonBrewerBlue]

another former brewer pitcher and draft pick tim crews also died in a freak accident while playing with the indians in 93. Fellow indians pitcher steve olin also died in the accident which happened during spring training in Fla

 

link

[robfuhr]

What year did Roberto Clemente die?

[splitterpfj]

Clemente: December 31, 1972

[Fatter than Joey]

There were more in the next few years too, the suicide of Danny Thomas, the murder of Lyman Bostock, and of course Thurman Munson's plane crash

 

Danny Thomas was out of baseball went he died --

 

Thurman Munson caught his last game in Milw. -- I was at that game.

 

The other I remember was the year before Frisella died Don Wilson committed suicide in the off-season.

 

Miley was a hot draft-pick out of LSU -- I think he barely played in the minors.

[DocLuna7]

Speaking of the Crews/Olin incident, does anyone have any idea what ever happened to Bob Ojeda?

[Fatter than Joey]

Ojeda recovered enough to pitch in MLB but at a much diminished level.