February 4 in Tigers and mlb history:
1915 - The New York Yankees purchase Wally Pipp and Hugh High from the Detroit Tigers for a reported $5,000 each. Baseball historian Lyle Spatz (Yankees Coming, Yankees Going) writes that this was the first of some promised funneling of ball players to the recently-sold Yankees franchise.
1934 - The National Recovery Administration says athletes advertising athletic goods must actually use them or advertisers will lose the NRA Blue Eagle and be fined.
1942 The Tigers release longtime star second baseman Charlie Gehringer.
1956: The Major Leagues vote to establish the Cy Young Memorial Award for the outstanding pitcher of the year. At first, there will be one award for both major leagues.
1956: The American League says it will test the automatic intentional walk during spring training.
1957 - Manager Joe McCarthy and outfielder Sam Crawford are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. McCarthy, the winningest manager in major league history, won nine pennants and four consecutive World Championships with the New York Yankees. Crawford, one of the greatest hitters of the deadball era, finished his career with 309 triples, first on the all-time list out of 2,961 hits.
1958 - The Hall of Fame fails to enshrine any new members for the first time since 1950.
1960: The BBWAA voters fail to elect a new Hall of Fame member. Edd Roush gets 146 votes, but 202 are necessary for election. Sam Rice (143) and Eppa Rixey (142) are next in line. All three will eventually be elected.
1969 - Attorney Bowie Kuhn is named commissioner, succeeding Spike Eckert. Kuhn receives a one-year contract paying him $100,000. Major league owners turned to Kuhn after failing to agree on either of two other candidates, Mike Burke of the New York Yankees and Chub Feeney of the San Francisco Giants. The early favorite, John McHale, took his name out of the running early, as he had accepted the job of President of the expansion Montreal Expos a short time before Eckert was ousted.
1971 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces former Negro League players will have a separate wing in the Hall of Fame. Due to the controversy the announcement causes, it is decided inclusion in regular Hall of Fame is more fitting and more of an honor for the former black players.
1976 - Federal Judge John W. Oliver upholds a recent decision by arbitrator Peter Seitz, who had granted free agency to pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally. Both players had challenged baseball's reserve clause.
Tigers players birthdays:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Germany_Schaefer
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schaege01.shtml?redir
Germany Schaefer 1905-1909.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/ainsmed01.shtml
Eddie Ainsmith 1919-1921.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Joe_Sparma
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sparmjo01.shtml?redir
Joe Sparma 1964-1969.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/papist01.shtml
Stan Papi 1980-1981.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Rusty_Kuntz
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kuntzru01.shtml?redir
Rusty Kuntz 1984-1985.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bandoch01.shtml
Chris Bando 1988.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Doug_Fister
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fistedo01.shtml
Doug Fister 2011-2013.
Tigers players who passed away:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Ed_Siever
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sieveed01.shtml?redir
Ed Siever 1901-1902, 1906-1908.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Woodie_Fryman
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/frymawo01.shtml
Woodie Fryman 1972-1974.
from Baseball Reference
