Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
January 22, 2009
Werber Passes

The title of oldest living player gets handed down:

Bill Werber, who was the oldest living former major leaguer and a former teammate of Babe Ruth, has died at age 100.

Werber's son, Bill Jr., said his father died Thursday morning of "old age" after moving into an assisted care facility three weeks ago.

Good for Bill. One century is very impressive, and to have spent part of it playing with the greats of the game makes it that much more special.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Update: Tony Malinosky appears to be the oldest living player now.


Posted by David Pinto at 08:52 PM | Deaths | TrackBack (0)
Comments

100's a pretty good ol' age. Do you know who the new oldest is?

Posted by: Devon Young at January 22, 2009 09:49 PM

Tony Malinosky played 35 games for Brooklyn in 1937 at 3b/ss. Baseball Encyclopedia has him at 99
with Oct 5, 1909 birthdate.

Posted by: Bob S at January 22, 2009 11:05 PM

Bill Werber wrote a very interesting memoir. I think it came out in the late 1990s or early 2000s when he was already in his 90s. Worth reading. As I recall, Eldon Auker had one out about the same time and I can't remember either title exactly, but both brought 1930s baseball alive.

Posted by: Bob R. at January 23, 2009 07:12 AM

I've made a half-century. But I doubt that I'll convert it, as they say in cricket.

By the way, Bobby Doerr is the oldest living Hall of Fame player, at age 90. Lee MacPhail is the oldest living Hall of Fame inductee, at age 91.

Posted by: Casey Abell at January 23, 2009 11:25 AM

My sister ran the section of the facility where Mr. Werber spent his last two months, but had known him for a number of years (his wife had also been a resident, too). A very lovely man, I was fortunate enough to visit with him last year and it was an hour and a half that I will always cherish. He was in amazing mental health for someone 99 yrs old and when we spoke about the Yankees, he looked at my sister briefly, then turned to me to say, "she doesn't like it when I talk about them!" (as we are born and bred of Red Sox Nation). Incredible recall and spoke passionately about Duke basketball and very intelligently about the then-current business world.

Posted by: Michael at January 25, 2009 09:04 AM
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