The Power of Forgiveness

Today is the birthday of John Roseboro, born in Ashland, Ohio, 1933.

A 6x all star, and 3x World Series champion, and 2x Gold Glove winner — Roseboro was among the best catchers of the 1960s. But he’s most often remembered for his role in one of the most vicious bench-clearing brawls in the history of the game.

On August 22nd, 1965, the National League pennant race was tight between the Giants and the Dodgers. Their game that afternoon in Candlestick park was tense from the start.

Early in the game, Juan Marichal and Sandy Koufax began taking turns throwing high and in on batters. The pitches were so blatant that the Umpire warned both teams — another, and he’d throw them out.

When Marichal took to the plate, he expected Koufax to bean him. Instead, Dodger’s catcher John Roseboro threw a ball back to the mound right by Marichal’s head.

A fight immediately broke out and Marichal hit Roseboro over the head twice with his bat, clearing the dugouts and starting a 14-minute long brawl between the teams. The next day, the sports section of nearly every national paper led with photos of Roseboro with blood flowing from head.

The incident ate Marichal up inside. Not only had he acted out of character, but his suspension likely cost the Giants the pennant.

Later in life, Roseboro would not only forgive Marichal, but urge the league to do the same. He appealed to Dodgers fans to accept Marichal when the team signed him in 1975, and lobbied for his induction into the Hall of Fame after he failed to be voted in on the first two ballots.

The two became so close that Marichal was an honorary pall bearer at Roseboro’s funeral. At the service, he said “Johnny forgiving me was one of the best things that happened in my life.”

NL Shakeups, Da Pope, and a Highlight

• “We need to play better” – The Pittsburgh Pirates let go of their Manager, Derek Shelton last Thursday. Phenom Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes laid it out plainly, “Someone’s t to be held accountable, and unfortunately right now, it’s him. That’s just kind of how it goes, but I don’t know that it fixes the root issue, which is we need to play better”

• The Rockies Follow Suit – The Rockies, who are tied for the second-worst 40-game start in MLB history, let go of manager Bud Black on Sunday. Black will be replaced by Third-base coach Warren Schaeffer. There’s little hope that the move will make a difference, which raises the question; why are the Rockies so bad? 

• Pope Leo XIV Signs a Ball – Jason Perash, an injury lawyer and kind of ‘autograph guru’ somehow managed to get an audience with noted White Sox fan and recently elected Pope Leo XIV. The Pope’s question to Perash; “White Sox or Cubs?”

• Different Sox, More Drama – With Red Sox first basemen Tristan Casas out with a season ending injury, the Boston team has been looking for a bat to fill the position. Easier said than done. Devers, who was named AL player of the week this week, chaffed at the idea of being moved to DH after the team brought on Bregman, has said very plainly, “no”. Ken Rosenthal says leave him at third base.

• Highlight Reel – Machado makes a beautiful throw to first. Jace and Josh Jung play tic-tac-toe between innings. Jackson Merrill dives for it.

5/13/2025

Stan Musial Joins the 3,000 Club

• 1958 — Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals collected his 3,000th career hit. He achieved the milestone with a pinch-hit double off Moe Drabowsky of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Musial was the first National League player to reach 3,000 hits since Honus Wagner, and only the eighth player in MLB history to do so at the time. Known as "Stan the Man," Musial would finish his career with 3,630 hits—exactly 1,815 at home and 1,815 on the road, a remarkable testament to his consistency.