Thomas Edward Van Hyning

@RodDMartin Napoleon was “long gone” before the Battle of Puebla. He never invaded Mexico 🇲🇽.

🇲🇽 Cinco de Mayo May Have Saved America — And Almost No One Knows It Most people think it’s just a drinking holiday. But on this day in 1862, a small band of Mexican heroes defeated Napoleon III’s elite army… and very likely saved the United States in the process. Here’s the story you were never taught: Mexico was broke after years of civil war. France’s emperor saw his chance to colonize it. With America tearing itself apart in its own Civil War, Napoleon invaded Mexico, planning to install a puppet emperor and use the country as a launchpad to restore France's North American empire. And from Mexico they could have achieved what Santa Anna only dreamed of a generation earlier. A 33-year-old Mexican general named Ignacio Zaragoza (born in Goliad, Texas, cousin to Texas revolutionary hero Juan Seguín) led the defense. At the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, Zaragoza’s outnumbered, outgunned forces delivered a stunning upset against the world’s premier army. That single victory bought critical time. It inspired fierce resistance across Mexico. By the time the French finally installed their puppet emperor, the Union had already won Gettysburg and Vicksburg. The window for French intervention had slammed shut. After Appomattox, the battle-hardened U.S. military enforced the Monroe Doctrine. General Sheridan shipped tens of thousands of rifles to Mexican Republicans. The French withdrew. Their puppet emperor was executed. The heroes at Puebla didn’t just save Mexico. They saved America too. So tonight, when you’re enjoying the tacos, tequila, or Corona… raise a glass to those brave Mexicans who held the line against impossible odds. They may have saved North America from the colonialist fate of Africa and Asia. Just like the defenders of the Alamo, they delayed the "inevitable" — and made it anything but. Feliz Cinco de Mayo, America! 🇲🇽🇺🇸 RT if this surprised you. What other “party holidays” have hidden history? Drop it below 👇

@Jimfrombaseball Casey Candaele played 2B for 1990-91 Santurce 🦀 in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 and helped them win the pennant.

"She would hit me ground balls, play catch, and throw me batting practice. I thought that everybody’s Mom was doing that. My mom told me that you can never have a bad day hustling. So you know, run balls out, play the game hard." Casey Candaele. His mother, Helen Callaghan and her sister, Marge Callaghan, played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was depicted in the movie "A League of Their Own". Candaele and his mother represent the only mother/son combination to have both played professional baseball!!!

@GermnJRivas1 Buenos dias. Bevacqua bateo .271 en sus 3️⃣ temporadas en Venezuela 🇻🇪 con 5️⃣ jonrones. Fue muy consistente: 1970-71 44 hits en 58 partidos con Caracas, .270 promedio. Seria posible compartir su rendimiento con Magallanes 1972-73 y Aragua 1973-74? Estoy escribiendo algo sobre el.

Kurt Bevacqua, uno que jugaba en MLB y venía año a año al Caribe Con Mayaguez fue líder 68 CI y MVP (77-78) y es parte de la lista de 75 mejores peloteros (Liga de Pto Rico) Con Licey (71-72) quedó a 2 de ser el 3er jugador con 50 CI En Venezuela jugó con CCS, MAG y ARA

@ChaiLife613 @TMIJOS Forty years ago a colleague and myself at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale put together a Travel Guide on the state’s southernmost 20 counties. 1️⃣ of my favorite visits was to Jane Goetting of the Chester Herald Tribune—to get the background on Popeye including his statue.

“Pop-eye” was Jewish! His real name was Frank "Rocky" Fiegel. He was born in 1868 in Poland and, as a child, immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled down in a small town in Illinois. As a young man, Rocky went to sea. After a 20 year career as a sailor in the Merchant Marines, Fiegel retired. He was later hired by Wiebusch's Tavern in the city of Chester, Illinois as a ‘Bouncer’ to maintain order in the rowdy bar. Rocky quickly developed a reputation for always being involved in fighting(and usually winning). As a result, he had a deformed eye ("Pop-eye"). He also ‘always’ smoked his pipe, so he always spoke out of one side of his mouth. In his spare time as a Bouncer, Rocky would entertain the customers by regaling them with exciting stories of adventures he claimed to have had over his career as a sailor crossing the ‘Seven Seas.’ The creator of Popeye, Elzie Crisler Segar, grew up in Chester and, as a young man, met Rocky at the tavern and would sit for hours listening to the old sailor’s amazing ‘sea’ stories.’ Years later, Segar became a cartoonist and developed a comic strip called ‘Thimble Theater.’ He honoured Fiegel him by asking if he could model his new comic strip character, ‘Popeye the Sailor Man,’ after him. Naturally Fiegel was flattered and agreed. Segar claimed that ‘Olive Oyl,’ along with other characters, was also loosely based on an actual person. She was Dora Paskel, owner of a small grocery store in Chester. She apparently actually looked much like the Olive Oyl character in his comics. He claimed she even dressed much the same way. Through the years, Segar kept in touch with Rocky and always helped him with money; giving him a small percentage of what he earned from his ‘Popeye’ illustrations.

@LILFBaseball @26thYankee 👀 Bill Singer pitched for 1965-66 San Juan Senators, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 Winter League. Singer went 4-8, 3.77 ERA, 69 SO, 46 BB in 103 IP. His catcher was Duane Josephson. I believe this helped Singer in becoming a (future) better big-league pitcher.

Bill Singer, pitcher mostly for the #Dodgers and #Angels, was born #OTD in 1944. A two-time All-Star, he won 20 games twice, struck out 200 batters three times, and led the league in FIP in 1967. Singer won 118 career games with a 3.39 ERA.

@lindsayberra @EliasSports Mr. Berra caught a 22-inning 7️⃣ hour game in Detroit June 24, 1962. NYY won 9-7 on Jack Reed’s2️⃣ run HR. Yogi answered4️⃣questions in ✍️ via mail in 2010. I inserted his answers in my 2010 SABR bio of Jack Reed, Yogi’s teammate 1961-1963. I really appreciated Mr. Berra’s feedback.

This is one of my favorite Grampa stats and 117 had always been the number I had heard as well, but my good friends at @EliasSports recently told me the real number is 119!

@OleTimeHardball @GaryCarterKid Gary Carter played 1973-75 with Caguas Criollos🇵🇷; Raines 1980-81 Escogido🇩🇴; Dawson Lara Cardinals🇻🇪mid1970s; Rogers Caguas Criollos 1972-73; Guerrero 🇩🇴including 2002 Caribbean Series; Larry Walker Mexico🇲🇽; Dennis Martinez Caguas 1976-79, 80-81, Santurce 84-85, Mayaguez 97-98.

Top 10 Montreal Expos (All-Time)

@BBGreatMoments @nlbmprez Ralph “Road Runner” Garr right of Mr. Paige, correct? 5️⃣(Baker, Bell, Aaron, Paige, Garr) benefited from winter ball in Caribbean. Aaron: Caguas-Puerto Rico 🇵🇷; Bell: Cienfuegos-Cuba🇨🇺; Baker: Santurce🦀 🇵🇷 + Magallanes Navigators 🇻🇪; Paige-Guayama+ Santurce 🇵🇷, 🇨🇺, 🇩🇴; Garr 🇩🇴 .

Dusty Baker, Cool Papa Bell, Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige.

@Jimfrombaseball @26thYankee Doby’s 1946-47 San Juan Senators winter season in Puerto Rico: .349 BA, 12 HR, 42 RBI, 36 Runs (53 for 152) was instrumental in “being noticed” by the Cleveland Indians. I became aware of this growing 🆙 in Puerto Rico🇵🇷 and writing about the🇵🇷 Winter League. Doby played 2B in🇵🇷.

"It was eleven weeks between the time Jackie Robinson and I came into the majors. Eleven weeks. Come on. Whatever happened to him happened to me. I knew it was segregated times, but I had never seen anything like that in athletics. I was embarrassed. It was tough. I knew being accepted was going to be hard, but I knew I was involved in a situation that was going to bring opportunities to other blacks." Larry Doby. Bill White later noted that Larry Doby had to go to the Chicago White Sox clubhouse to get a first baseman’s glove for his first MLB warmup, since none of his Cleveland teammates offered him one. In 1945, Larry Doby was stationed on Ulithi, a volcanic atoll in Caroline Islands between Guam and the Philippines. Seven-time All-Star from 1949- 1955. 1st Black player in the American League. 1st Black player to hit a home run in World Series. 1st Black player to hit a home run in an All-Star game. 1st Black player in the American Basketball League (preceded NBA), when he signed a contract for the 'Patterson Crescents'. 1st Black player to go directly to the majors from the Negro leagues. 1st Black player to lead either league in home runs. World Series Champion in 1948. Two-time American League home run leader in 1952 and 1954. American League's RBI leader in 1954. "I give myself five years. If I don't make it by then, I'll give up on the idea and get out of baseball ..." Larry Doby. Let's make July 5, "Larry Doby Day."!!

@Jimfrombaseball @26thYankee I saw👀 Jim Gilliam manage 1973-74 San Juan Senators in Puerto Rico🇵🇷Winter League. Ruben Gomez pitched his last SHO for Santurce🦀 🆚 SJ at age 46 in 73-74. Ruben + Jim were 1950-53🦀teammates. George Scales managed Jim with🦀1950-52. Jim helped🦀win 1951 +1953 Caribbean Series.

"He didn't hit with power, he had no arm, and he couldn't run, but he did the little things to win ballgames. He never griped or complained. He was one of the most unselfish ballplayers I know." Walter Alston. Jim Gilliam is the Only Dodger in history with his uniform number retired, but NOT in the HOF!! "I gave Junior Gilliam his chance. I forced them to play him. Gilliam was a kid we had come up from Nashville with the team as a third baseman. The manager had a friend he brought up to play second. I said to owner Vernon Green: ‘Make that man put Gilliam on second’ George "Tubby" Scales. Jim Gilliam was taught the game by George “Tubby” Scales! In my HOF!!!!

@Jimfrombaseball In 1953-54-Stan Lopata reinforced Ponce Lions🦁, Puerto Rico🇵🇷 Winter league. He caught5️⃣man rotation of Steve Ridzik, Jack Sanford, Karl Spooner, Jose G. Santiago, Luis “Tite” Arroyo. Joe Buzas was their mgr. 5️⃣starters pitched 644 innings: completed 45 of 80 starts for 39-41🦁.

"Stan Lopata looks like a man hittin’ from an easy chair." Dizzy Dean. "Stan Lopata was a good, big catcher with the Phillies, who hit out of a peculiar crouching stance that presented a very difficult target for a pitcher because it effectively reduced the strike zone. As much as pitchers complained to umpires about Stan`s stance being illegal, however, the stance didn't do Stan that much good, except maybe in 1956 when he hit 32 homers and 33 doubles." Fred Harris. "I started to crouch because that way I could guard the plate better, and I always wanted to hit .300 in the big leagues" Stan Lopata. Was 18 years old when he entered the military service with the Army in December 1943. Serving with the 14th Armored Division in Europe, Lopata was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart before being discharged in late 1945. Stan Lopata was the first catcher in the National League to wear eyeglasses!!!

@OleTimeHardball @Todd4State His WAR would have been higher without 1981 strike and 1987 injury. Still holds Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 Winter League mark of 44 SB in 1980-81 season. Played 48 games: 80 percent of Ponce Lions 60 🦁 games.

Rickey Henderson owned the 1980s

@Jimfrombaseball @26thYankee Boog Powell had 2️⃣ good seasons with Mayaguez Indians of the Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 Winter League 1962-64. Quite helpful for his Baltimore career.

John Powell`s team reached the Little League World Series and advanced to the quarterfinals, but was shut down by a stout Schenectady, New York team in 1954. John "Boog" Powell had his revenge,however. In 1966 Boog Powell, faced off against the Dodgers and Jim Barbieri, who was a member of that Schenectady Little League team, the Orioles picked up the four-game sweep to win the World Series. Earned the nickname “Boog” from his father, the name is shortened from “mischief buggers,” referring to children getting into mischief. Pitched and played in the 1954 Little League World Series for his hometown team in Lakeland. “When you’re 12, you can eat a lot.” At Little League World Series, the all-you-can-eat dining room still remains a fond memory. "Son, that’s the worst nickname I’ve ever heard." Dizzy Dean on meeting "Boog" Powell for the first time! Boog Powell Orange Little League Lakeland, Florida, 1954.

@Jimfrombaseball @JAMVMD At least 3️⃣ played winter ball: Garvey: Licey, 1972-74; Cey: 1972-73 Santurce 🦀; Lopes: 1972-73 Caracas Lions 🦁.

"We won more games together as an infield than anyone else in major league history. The planets aligned big time for that to happen. We had to be good enough, long enough. We had to have a management that embraced stability, even when it was known for developing young players and wasn’t hesitant to promote them." Ron Cey. "The Infield". Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey started 833 times together, and the Dodgers went 498-335, for a .598 winning percentage. That’s equal to a team going 97-65 over a season. On those occasions when at least one of them missed his start, the Dodgers were 306-267-1, a .534 clip. That works out to a team going 87-75. So having all four of them added 10 wins to the Dodgers per year. They played in four postseasons together, making the World Series each time (1974, 1977, 1978, and 1981), totaling 45 games. Garvey, Lopes, and Russell started all 45 playoff games together, while Cey started 40, only missing the 1981 division series against Houston with a broken forearm. Combined 21 All-Star selections during their run with the Dodgers. "Garvey, Lopes, Russell and Cey The Dodger infield that came to stay Nothing flashy, but steady and true Dating way back to Seventy-Two." "You’re asking a guy who swung at the first pitch a lot. I still got my 80 walks a year, but I think it’s a bit of a misnomer. There are times when you have to work the count and try to get a walk. But there are times when you get your pitch and you have to try and do some damage. The important thing is to have a high on-base percentage." Davey Lopes. Go easy.

@notgaetti Dave May played winter ball in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷, mainly for Santurce 🦀 1966-69 + Ponce Lions 🦁1️⃣ season. Earl Weaver managed him 1966-68; Frank Robinson 1968-69. May, Paul Blair, Dick Hughes chipped in 1966-67 to rent a Volkswagen ($300/month). Santurce was 2nd; won the playoffs.

November 2, 1974: Atlanta receives Dave May & PTBNL • 721 hits, 99 2B, 72 HR, 306 RBI Milwaukee receives Henry Aaron • 3600 hits, 600 2B, 733 HR, 2202 RBI December 2, 1974: Atlanta receives PTBNL Roger Alexander • (Never reaches the big leagues)

He drives a school bus in Dallas, Texas. But the kids on his route call him something else — Dad. Every morning before the sun is fully up, Curtis Jenkins pulls his yellow school bus to the curb and waits. Not just to pick up kids. To see them. For seven years, Curtis noticed things other people missed. The little girl who folded her paper lunch bag perfectly every day but left it on the bus — because there was nothing inside. The boy whose shoes were too small. The kids who got on quiet, eyes down, carrying weight no child should have to carry alone. So Curtis did something simple. He made his bus a community. He gave every child a job — a greeter, an assistant, a "police officer" keeping order in the aisles. Every morning he'd call out, "We're going to care about each other and love everybody, right?" And 50 small voices would answer back. But it didn't stop there. Over the years, Curtis spent thousands of dollars of his own money — money he saved by skipping his own Christmas gifts with his wife — on birthday cards, bikes, backpacks, turkeys at Thanksgiving, and 70 hand-wrapped Christmas presents. He didn't buy random gifts. He asked each child what they wanted. Then he went and got exactly that. No donation page. No announcement. No cameras. When the story finally got out and people questioned how a bus driver could afford it, Curtis just smiled. "It doesn't take money. It takes discipline." But here's the part that will stay with you. When a reporter asked the kids what they loved most about Curtis — not one of them mentioned the gifts. A fifth grader named Ethan, whose parents had divorced when he was four, looked up and said quietly: "He's the father that I always wanted. In some ways, I wish my dad could have been like that." Curtis heard it. Didn't flinch. Just nodded. "That's the paycheck right there," he said later. "If I can get that, you can keep the money." He wasn't looking for a medal. He wasn't going viral on purpose. He was just a man who decided, every single morning, that his bus would be the safest place those kids walked into all day. Sometimes the person who changes a child's life forever isn't a teacher or a coach or a counselor. Sometimes it's the person behind the wheel of a yellow bus at 7 a.m. — who chose to show up, and chose to care, when nobody was asking him to. Tag someone who needs to read this today. 💛

@Jimfrombaseball Gates Brown played for 1963-64 Mayaguez Indios, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 Winter League. Detroit had a working agreement with Mayaguez: 1960s and 1970s. Dennis McLain, Joe Sparma, John Hiller, Jim Northrup, Mickey Stanley, Willie Horton were Indios. Ditto for Jack Morris and Lance Parrish.

"One day Gates Brown wasn't in the Tigers starting lineup, so he grabbed two hot dogs from the clubhouse. Manager Mayo Smith told him to pinch hit. He stuffed the hot dogs in his jersey to hide them from his manager. "I always wanted to get a hit every time I went to the plate. This was one time I didn't want to get a hit. I'll be damned if I didn't smack one in the gap and I had to slide into second-head first, no less. I was safe at second with a double. But when I stood up, I had mustard and ketchup and smashed hot dogs and buns all over me. The fielders took one look at me, turned their backs and damned near busted a gut laughing at me. My teammates in the dugout went crazy." Gates Brown was then fined $100 and when Mgr. Smith asked him what he was doing, the hitter came clean: "I said, 'I was hungry. Besides, where else can you eat a hot dog and have the best seat in the house?'" Gates Brown. "I took a little English, a little mathematics, some science, some hubcaps, some wheel covers." Gates Brown when asked what he had majored in back in high school. Signed from the "Mansfield Reformatory" in Ohio by scout Pat Mullin. Location for “The Shawshank Redemption.”

@BBGreatMoments @GaryCarterKid Both played in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 Winter League: Bench 1967-68 San Juan Senators and Carter 1973-75 Caguas Criollos. Both came to 🇵🇷 as teenagers as did Roy Campanella for 1940-41 Caguas. Carter helped Caguas win the February 1974 Caribbean Series in Mexico 🇲🇽.

Gary Carter and Johnny Bench. The two hall of fame catchers combined for 25 All-Star selections, 13 Gold Gloves, and 713 home runs.

Vidal López fue el primer venezolano en participar en la Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico... beisbol101.com/jugador/vidal-…

Mother writes: My daughter Adar Ben Simon, 20, was a commander and fighter in a rescue and search unit. On October 7, she heard that terrorists had infiltrated the Zikim base. Adar immediately jumped in and protected 120 new soldiers. She put all the recruits in the protected room and went out to fight the terrorists. She strove for contact and fought with all her might! After a hard fight, she fell in battle. I ask that you share in her memory!