On this day in 1966, baseball commissioner William Eckert nullified the Atlanta Braves’ contract with Tom Seaver. In those days, baseball held a winter draft that was during the college baseball season and Seaver was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. USC coach Rod Dedeaux called Eckert, who said not to let Seaver sign so he could keep pitching at USC. That night, USC could not … Continue reading On This Day

Tom Lovrich, a USC All-American pitcher, died on Oct. 1 at age 91. Lovrich might be best known for giving up a legendary home run to Mickey Mantle when USC played the Yankees at Bovard Field in 1951. The home run supposedly traveled 615 feet. Lovrich won 33 games at USC from 1950-52). He was an All-District and All-Conference first team selection in 1951 and … Continue reading Pitcher Who Is Part Of USC Lore Dies

Former USC pitcher Tyler Gilbert threw a no-hitter for the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night, the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his first Major League start since 1953. Gilbert, 27, made just his fourth career appearance in the majors. He is just the fourth pitcher to ever toss a no-hitter in his first start, joining Theodore Breitenstein (1891), Bumpus Jones (1892), and Bob … Continue reading USC’s Tyler Gilbert Throws No-Hitter In First MLB Start

USC has won just three of its first nine baseball games. Maybe that’s because seven players are in the midst of serving a six-week suspension, according to sources. The players were suspended for visiting a Southern California casino, which broke the COVID-19 protocols set in place by the athletic dept. Most of the suspended players were pitchers, a source said. The suspension is supposed to … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Seven Baseball Players Suspended

A couple follow-ups to yesterday’s story on the Crenshaw Post 715 American Legion baseball team. The coach, Benny Lefebvre, ran a summer baseball camp on Catalina Island in the 1950’s. Catalina, which was owned by William Wrigley, had its own private security at the time. One day, Benny wanted to use the facilities. A warden said no and started giving Lefebvre a hard time. They … Continue reading A Few More Stories On A Legendary Team

Oscar Brown, an outfielder on USC’s 1966 baseball team, died on June 3. He was 74. Brown was the younger brother of former USC All-American tailback Willie Brown, who died in 2018. Another brother, Ollie Brown, spent 13 years playing major-league baseball. Oscar Brown spent one season at USC when the Atlanta Braves selected him in the first round of the secondary draft in 1966. … Continue reading Former USC Baseball Player Oscar Brown Dies