The legendary Knucksie passes away
Braves Franchise History
1914: The Philadelphia Phillies trade star outfielder and team captain Sherry Magee to the Boston Braves for cash and two players to be named later. The two turn out to be Possum Whitted and Oscar Dugey. Magee led the National League in hits (171), doubles (39), RBI (103), and slugging average (.509), while hitting .314 with 15 home runs and 92 runs. On the first day of 1915 spring training at Macon, Georgia, Magee will step in a hole while shagging fly balls and break his collar bone. He will hit just .280 with 2 home runs and 87 RBI in 156 games.
2020: Hall of Famer and 300-game winner Phil Niekro passes away from cancer at age 81. He is best known for having one of the best knuckleballs of all-time, and for sharing with his brother Joe the record for most wins by a pair of brothers, with 539.
MLB History
2005: The Associated Press reports that baseball took a lot of shots in 2005 from politicians, commentators and players themselves as the sport struggled with steroids. MLB went from no drug policy in 2002 to anonymous testing in 2003, to counseling for positive tests in 2004, to a dozen ten-day suspensions this year. Starting next year, an initial positive test will result in a 50-game suspension, and players will be tested for amphetamines for the first time, with penalties for a second positive result.
2008: 44-year-old Randy Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner, signs with his hometown San Francisco Giants for $8 million (with $5 million in incentives) for one season. Johnson is five wins shy of 300 for his career.