Check out this nice piece Brian Walton wrote remembering former St. Louis Cardinals who passed away in 2009 including Herman Franks, who was the team’s oldest living former player. A catcher, Herman played six seasons with Dodgers, Giants, Athletics, and Cardinals.

Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders may have attracted a lot of attention by excelling at two sports, but Irv Noren has quietly made his mark in three!

Famously a baseball player who was an All-Star with the Yankees in 1954, Irv also played for the Chicago American Gears in the National Basketball League.

Today, however, it is Irv’s third sport – horse racing – that he is most active in. A long-time owner and breeder, Irv’s horse, Pinstripe Kid, won the sixth race at Santa Anita on New Year’s Day.

Congrats, Irv!

Mentioning former Yankee Ron Blomberg in the same breath as radio legends like Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh is definitely putting the cart before the horse, but Ron is looking to jump-start a career in radio following a successful appearance with Ed Randall on New York’s popular sports station WFAN. Ideally, Ron told Matt Gagne of The Daily News, he would like to host a bimonthly radio show this summer in New York.

Baseball’s first designated hitter has had an interesting life since injuries forced him to retire in 1978 at the age of just 29. In addition to managing a team in the Israeli Baseball League that won the championship in 2007, Ron wrote a an inspirational autobiography entitled “Designated Hebrew” that chronicles – among other things – his overcoming anti-semitism to become a major leaguer. His book can be purchased on his website.

When not in New York, the career .293 hitter lives in Atlanta with his wife, Beth.

One of baseball’s best stories of the Nineties, Jim Abbott threw a no hitter and lodged 87 wins despite being born without a right hand. Recently he sat down for a great interview with Keith Schlosser that features fascinating insight into his baseball career.

Jim also touches briefly on his post baseball life in Southern California which includes raising two daughters, working as a very successful motivational speaker, and collaborating with the US Department of Labor to raise awareness about the talents people with disabilities have to offer.

Head over to www.jimabbott.info for lots of great Jim Abbott content.

Stan Benjamin, a former big league infielder/outfielder who worked in the Houston Astros organization for nearly forty years, passed away this month at the age of 95.

The long time scout lodged a career .229 average in five seasons with the Phillies and Indians. He was an everyday player for the Phillies in 1941, and ranked second in the Senior Circuit with 17 stolen bases.