March 17 in Tigers and mlb history:
1871 - The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players is founded, setting the stage for the future National League
in 1876. The entry fee for a National Association franchise is set at $10.
1886 - The Sporting News, the weekly that will become "The Baseball Paper of the World," publishes its first issue.
1936 - Much-heralded rookie Joe DiMaggio makes his debut with the New York Yankees, collecting four hits including a triple.
1946 - In Daytona Beach, the Brooklyn Dodgers take the field against their minor-league farm team, the Montreal Royals. With Jackie Robinson in the lineup for Montreal, the game marks the first appearance of an integrated team in Organized Baseball in this century. A crowd of 3,100 attends the game at City Island Park, which will be renamed "Jackie Robinson Stadium" in 1990.
1965 - Jackie Robinson is signed as a member of the ABC-TV major league baseball broadcast team, becoming the first black broadcaster to receive a network position. ABC provides the first-ever nationwide baseball coverage with weekly Saturday broadcasts on a regional basis.
1992 - Pitcher Hal Newhouser and umpire Bill McGowan are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. "Prince Hal" won two MVP awards with the Tigers and still has the record for most wins by a pitcher before his 30th birthday with 188 and won an even 200 games with Detroit.
2005 - During more than 11 hours of hearings by the Committee on Government Reform concerning major league players' use of steroids, Mark McGwire refuses to talk about the past and does not deny taking performance enhancing drugs. Other players testifying include Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and former big leaguer Jose Canseco, whose recent book, Juiced, prompted the congressional hearing. Palmeiro will be found guilty of steroid usage later this year.
Tigers players birthdays:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Oscar_Stanage
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stanaos01.shtml
Oscar Stanage 1909-1920, 1925.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilsova01.shtml
Vance Wilson 2005-2006.
Tigers players who passed away:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Howard_Ehmke
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/ehmkeho01.shtml
Howard Ehmke 1916-1917, 1919-1922.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/purtebi01.shtml
Billy Purtell 1914.
from Baseball Reference
