Baseball Legends

Hosts Dan Schlossberg and Bruce Campbell each represent a wealth of knowledge in baseball history. Dan is a former Associated Press newsman and author of 35 books on baseball. Bruce is a dealer in baseball memorabilia and is renowned for his expertise on baseball players, games and statistics throughout the history of the sport. The two have collaborated in organizing baseball-themed events for over 20 years.

Al Clark is known as one of the most unbiased Major League umpires in the history of baseball. In his 26-year career, Al officiated 3,392 major league games including three American League Division Series, five American League Championship Series, two All-Star Games and two World Series.

Ron Blomberg was the first Designated Hitter in baseball, playing for the New York Yankees. A pure athlete, Ron was offered 125 basketball scholarships and 100 football scholarships, but passed up collegiate sports to be the Yankees’ first pick overall in the 1967 amateur draft.

A native of St. Louis, Art Shamsky started his big league career in Cincinnati in 1965. When he retired in 1972, his career batting average was .253 with 68 home runs. Shamsky received national attention as a clutch hitting star of the 1969 World Series Champions, the Miracle Mets. He batted .538 in the National League Championship Series against Atlanta, helping the Mets sweep the favored Braves. A member of the New York Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Shamsky also played for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics. He later managed the Modi’in Miracle in the Israel Baseball League.

Jay Johnstone played for eight teams during his 21-year career. In addition to being a versatile outfielder and accomplished pinch-hitter, he was a notorious prankster who wrote three books on the subject. His two-run homer for the Dodgers in Game 4 of the 1981 World Series led his team to an 8-7 victory following a 6-3 deficit. Los Angeles won the next two games and the World Championship. Johnstone also played for both Chicago teams, the California Angels, the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Yankees, the San Diego Padres, and the Oakland Athletics. He later spent some time as a baseball broadcaster.

Fritz Peterson was a lefty pitcher for the New York Yankees (1966-1974), Cleveland Indians (1974-1976), and Texas Rangers (1976). Fritz set the Yankee Stadium’s all-time lowest earned run average of 2.52, a record that will never be surpassed as the stadium was demolished in 2008.