Today's PONY (New York-Penn) League Birthday: Art Doll, Hornell Maples Manager, 1947

Credit: Baseball Reference

Former PONY (New York-Penn League since 1957) manager Art Doll was born on this date in 1913, in Chicago, Illinois.

Doll managed the 1947 Hornell Maples to a record of 40-84. (Hornell, New York had a team in the PONY/NYPL from 1942 to 1957)

Prior to managing in the minor leagues (1946-50), he played six seasons in the minor leagues. Doll pitched during two seasons in the major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers (one game in 1936 and three games in 1938).

Following his baseball career, he lived and worked in Calumet City, Illinois, where he died on April 28, 1978, at the age of 64.

Sources: Baseball Reference, SABR

NY-Penn League News and History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League or any of its teams.

Today's New York-Penn League Birthday: Russ Gibson (Corning Red Sox, 1957)

Credits: Topps Co. via The Trading Card Database

Former New York-Penn League prospect Russ Gibson was born on this date in 1939, in Fall River, Massachusetts.

He was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1957, out of Durfee High School in Fall River and assigned to the Corning Red Sox. He appeared in just two games (9 at bats, 4 hits, .444 batting average) before being reassigned to Lafayette (Indiana) in the Midwest League.

Gibson played in the major leagues during six seasons with the Boston Red Sox (1967-69) and San Francisco Giants (1970-72).

Following his playing career, he worked for the Massachusetts State Lottery for several years. He died of a heart attack on July 27, 2008, at the age of 69.

Source: Baseball Reference

NY-Penn League News and History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League or any of its teams.

Today's New York-Penn League Birthday: Johnny Rutherford (Olean Oilers)

Credits: Topps Co. via The Trading Cards Database

Former PONY (New York-Penn since 1957) League prospect Johnny Rutherford was born on this date in 1925, in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in Detroit, Michigan and attended the University of Detroit.

He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as a free agent in 1947, and pitched for the Olean Oilers in 1947 (4-2, 4.11 ERA) and 1948 (14-9, 3.04 ERA).

Rutherford played in the minor leagues for eight seasons and pitched in 22 games (7-7, 4.25 ERA) for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952.

After his baseball career ended in 1955, he attended the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and practiced medicine in Dearborn, Michigan.

He died on December 25, 2016, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan at the age of 91.

Source: Baseball Reference

NY-Penn League News and History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League or any of its teams.

Today's New York-Penn League Birthday: Howie Koplitz (Jamestown Falcons, 1956)

Credits: Topps Co. via The Trading Card Database

Former PONY (New York-Penn League since 1957) prospect Howie Koplitz was born on this date in 1938, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Koplitz was signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1956, out of Oshkosh High School. He pitched in 10 games for the 1956 Jamestown Falcons (1-7, 5.82 ERA, 65 IP, 1.523 WHIP). Koplitz was the Minor League Player of the Year and Southern Association Most Valuable Player with the Birmingham Barons in 1961.

He made his major league debut in 1961 with Detroit and pitched in 54 games (9-7, 4.21 ERA) over 5 seasons with the Tigers (1961-62) and the Washington Senators (1964-66).

Koplitz died on January 2, 2012 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin at the age of 73.

Source: Baseball Reference 

NY-Penn League News and History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League or any of its teams.

Today's New York-Penn League Birthday: Larry Gowell

Credit: Topps Co.

Happy Birthday to former New York-Penn League prospect Larry Gowell, who was born on this date in 1948, in Lewiston, Maine.

He was selected by the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the 1967 June Amateur Draft and pitched for the Oneonta Yankees during the 1967 and 1968 seasons.

Gowell spent eight seasons in the minor leagues and pitched in two games for the 1972 New York Yankees. On October 4, 1972, he hit a double off pitcher Jim Lonborg of the Milwaukee Brewers for the last hit by a pitcher in a regular season American League game before the designated hitter rule was implemented.

Source: Baseball Reference

NY-Penn League News and History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League or any of its teams.

Today's New York-Penn League Birthday #2: Ray Searage

Credits: Choice Sportscards via The Trading Card Database

Happy Birthday to former New York-Penn League pitching coach Ray Searage who was born on this date in 1955 in Freeport, New York.

He was the pitching coach for the Hudson Valley Renegades in 1998 and Williamsport Crosscutters during the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Searage pitched in the majors leagues during 7 seasons with the New York Mets (1981), Milwaukee Brewers (1984-86), Chicago White Sox (1986-87), and Los Angeles Dodgers (1989-90).

He is currently the pitching coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Source: Baseball Reference

NY-Penn League News and History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League or any of its teams.

Today's New York-Penn League Birthday: Art Mazmanian

Credit: University of Southern California

Former New York-Penn League manager Art Mazmanian was born on this date in 1927, in Detroit, Michigan.

He was an All-American second baseman on USC's 1948 National Championship team. Signed by the New York Yankees, he played seven seasons in the minor leagues.

Mazmanian managed in the minor leagues for 18 seasons, spending 9 seasons managing in the New York-Penn League with the Oneonta Yankees (1977-81), Newark (NY) Orioles (1983, '85-'86), and Batavia Trojans (1987).

He died on March 22, 2019, in San Dimas, California at the age of 91. 

Sources: Baseball Reference, usctrojans.com

NY-Penn League News and History is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League or any of its teams.