March 5 in Tigers and mlb history:
1860 - Sam Thompson is born in Danville, Indiana. An outstanding slugger and a fine right fielder in the deadball era, Thompson will collect 200 or more hits three times, finishing his 15-season major league career with a lifetime mark of .336, 126 home runs, and 1299 RBI, including a batting crown (1887) and two home run titles (1889 and 1895). Thompson will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1974.
1901 - The American League approves a 14-player limit to go into effect 14 days after the start of the season. The limit is changed at the last minute, the deadline postponed for two weeks, and the limit increased to 15 players by Ban Johnson, after six teams request the change.
1922 - New York Yankees star Babe Ruth becomes the highest-paid player in history when he signs a three-year contract that will pay him over $50,000 per season. In 1921, Ruth led the American League with 59 home runs and 171 RBI.
1945: With war-time travel restrictions still in effect, the Dodgers open spring training at Bear Mountain, New York with 15 players in camp. Seven teams - the Browns, Tigers, Reds, Indians, Cubs, Pirates and White Sox - are training in Indiana, the most of any state.
1966 - United Steelworkers union official Marvin Miller is named the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Under Miller's guidance, the players' union will make major gains such as salary increases, improvements in pension benefits, and the advent of free agency and salary arbitration.
1996 - The Veterans Committee elects four new members for the Hall of Fame, and just misses naming a fifth. The group elected includes fiery manager Earl Weaver, who had a .583 winning percentage in 17 seasons managing the Baltimore Orioles; pitcher Jim Bunning, who won 100 games in both leagues, including no-hitters in each circuit, one of the a perfect game; 19th-century manager Ned Hanlon, who won five National League pennants with the Baltimore Orioles (3) and Brooklyn (2), and Bill Foster, the top left-handed pitcher in the Negro Leagues. Nellie Fox receives the necessary 75% of the Committee's votes, but the rules allow just one modern player elected, and Bunning has more votes.
2003 - Although not agreeing to ban ephedra, a memo is sent to all major leaguers by the players' union strongly recommending players "be extremely reluctant to use any products" containing the substance. The diet supplement, which is available without a prescription, has been linked to the spring training death of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler.
Tigers players birthdays:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Sam_Thompson
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thompsa01.shtml?redir
Sam Thompson Detroit Wolverines 1885-1888, Tigers 1906.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/robinra01.shtml
Rabbit Robinson 1904.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Lu_Blue
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bluelu01.shtml?redir
Lu Blue 1921-1927.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/u/ujdurje01.shtml
Jerry Ujdur 1980-1983.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/huntebr02.shtml
Brian Hunter 1997-1999.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Mike_Hessman
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hessmmi01.shtml?redir
Mike Hessman 2007-2008.
Tigers players and executives who passed away:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Bill_Yawkey
Bill Yawkey owner 1903-1919.
from Baseball Reference
