World’s Oldest Ballplayer Prepares to Celebrate 100th Birthday
From SABR member Peter C. Bjarkman at The Havana Times on April 9, with an appearance by SABR member Kit Krieger:
On April 25 – only a couple days before or after the final post-season pitches have been tossed – island legend Conrado Marrero will be celebrating his historic one hundredth birthday. On that date the former Washington Senators hurler – already Cuba’s only surviving pre-revolution major leaguer, as well as the oldest living MLB alumnus – will also become major league baseball’s only currently existing centenarian.
Only fifteen alumni major leaguers have ever crossed the century mark, the most recent and last surviving member of that exclusive club being former Brooklyn Dodgers “cup-of-coffee” infielder Tony Malinosky who appeared in only thirty-five 1937 National League games and logged only 79 official big league at-bats. Malinosky reached the century mark back in October 2009 and his death this February (less than two months before the Cuban’s own centennial) left Marrero as the most senior former pro ballplayer.
Read the full article here: http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=41255
Originally published: April 11, 2011. Last Updated: April 11, 2011.