April 14, 1937, 80 years ago: Ned Hanlon dies of a heart attack in Baltimore. He was 79, and, medicine being what it was in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, he had outlived most of his players.
He had been a center fielder, winning a National League Pennant with the 1887 Detroit Wolverines. (This team would have no connection to the Tigers, founded in 1901.) He would manage the Baltimore Orioles (also, no connection to an American League team of the same name) to NL Pennants in 1894, 1895 and 1896.
In 1899, he became the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Due to a famous circus troupe named Hanlon's Superbas, they were renamed the Brooklyn Superbas, and won Pennants in 1899 and 1900. Since there was then no postseason series, these would be the last "World Championships" won by the Dodgers until 1955.
Among the Baltimore players he managed were future managers John McGraw, Hugh Jennings and Wilbert Robinson (who would manage the Brooklyn team, and it would be named the Robins before becoming the Dodgers again in 1932). He also managed Willie Keeler in Baltimore, and future Pennant-winning managers Connie Mack in Pittsburgh, Fielder Jones in Brooklyn, and Miller Huggins in Cincinnati. It would be 1996, long after they all died, before Hanlon was finally allowed to join them in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
His "manager tree" continues to grow. In fact, all 30 current Major League Baseball managers, and thus all 750 current MLB players, can be traced back to him. Eat your heart out, Kevin Bacon:
* Arizona Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo played for Art Howe in Oakland. Howe played for Bill Virdon in Houston. Virdon played for Bobby Bragan in Pittsburgh. Bragan played for Durocher in Brooklyn, thus linking Hinch to Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Atlanta Braves: Brian Snitker played and coached for Bobby Cox in Atlanta. Cox played for Ralph Houk in The Bronx. Houk played and coached under Casey Stengel in The Bronx. Stengel played for McGraw at the Polo Grounds, thus linking Snitker to Hanlon.
* Baltimore Orioles: Buck Showalter played minor-league ball in Nashville for Johnny Oates, who played in Baltimore for Earl Weaver, who was hired to manage in the Orioles' system by Paul Richards, who played in Philadelphia for Mack, who played for Hanlon in Pittsburgh.
* Boston Red Sox: John Farrell played for John McNamara in Cleveland. McNamara coached under Alvin Dark in Oakland. Dark played for Leo Durocher at the Polo Grounds. Durocher played for Frankie Frisch in St. Louis. Frisch played for McGraw at the Polo Grounds. McGraw played for Hanlon in Baltimore and Brooklyn.
* Chicago Cubs: Joe Maddon coached under McNamara in Anaheim. McNamara coached under Alvin Dark in Oakland, thus linking Maddon to Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Chicago White Sox: Rick Renteria played for Jim Leyland in Pittsburgh. Leyland coached for Tony LaRussa in Chicago. LaRussa played in Oakland for Dark, thus linking Renteria to Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Cincinnati Reds: Bryan Price coached under Lou Piniella in Seattle. Piniella played for Billy Martin in The Bronx. Martin played for Casey Stengel in The Bronx, thus linking Price to McGraw and Hanlon.
* Cleveland Indians: Terry Francona played for Dick Williams in Montreal. Williams played for Charlie Dressen in Brooklyn. Dressen coached under for Durocher in Brooklyn, thus linking Francona to Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Colorado Rockies: Bud Black played for Dick Howser in Kansas City. Howser coached under Martin in The Bronx, thus linking Black to Stengel, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Detroit Tigers: Brad Ausmus played under Joe Torre in Los Angeles. Torre played for Dressen in Milwaukee, thus linking Ausmus to Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Houston Astros: A.J. Hinch played for Howe in Oakland, thus linking Hinch to Virdon, Bragan, Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Kansas City Royals: Ned Yost played for Harvey Kuenn in Milwaukee. Kuenn played for Dark in San Francisco, thus linking Yost to Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Mike Scioscia played for Tommy Lasorda in Los Angeles. Lasorda played for Walter Alston in the minor leagues in Montreal and in the major leagues in Brooklyn, and coached under him in Los Angeles. Alston played for Frisch in St. Louis, thus linking Scioscia to McGraw and Hanlon.
* Los Angeles Dodgers: Dave Roberts played for Francona in Boston, thus linking Roberts to Williams, Dressen, Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Miami Marlins: Don Mattingly played for Billy Martin in The Bronx, thus linking Mattingly to Stengel, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Milwaukee Brewers: Craig Counsell played under Leyland in Miami, thus linking Counsell to LaRussa, Dark, Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Minnesota Twins: Paul Molitor played for Kuenn in Milwaukee, thus linking Molitor to Dark, Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* New York Mets: Terry Collins coached under Leyland in Pittsburgh, thus linking Collins to LaRussa, Dark, Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* New York Yankees: Joe Girardi played for Joe Torre in The Bronx, thus linking Girardi to Dressen, Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Oakland Athletics: Bob Melvin played for Roger Craig in San Francisco. Craig played for Alston in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, thus linking Melvin to Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Philadelphia Phillies: Pete Mackanin played for Martin in Texas, thus linking him to Stengel, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Pittsburgh Pirates: Clint Hurdle played for Davey Johnson in Flushing. Johnson played for Weaver in Baltimore, thus linking Hurdle to Richards, Mack and Hanlon.
* St. Louis Cardinals: Mike Matheny played and coached for LaRussa in St. Louis, thus linking Matheny to Dark, Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* San Diego Padres: Andy Green played for Melvin in Arizona, thus linking Green to Craig, Alston, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* San Francisco Giants: Bruce Bochy played for Virdon in Houston, thus linking Bochy to Bragan, Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Seattle Mariners: Scott Servais played for Terry Collins in Houston, thus linking Servais to LaRussa, Dark, Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash played for Francona in Boston, thus linking Cash to Williams, Dressen, Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Texas Rangers: Jeff Banister played for Leyland in Pittsburgh, thus linking Banister to LaRussa, Dark, Durocher, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.
* Toronto Blue Jays: John Gibbons played for Johnson in Flushing, thus linking Gibbons to Weaver, Richards, Mack and Hanlon.
* Washington Nationals: Dusty Baker played for Lasorda in Los Angeles, thus linking him to Alston, Frisch, McGraw and Hanlon.