Goodbye to Fred McLeod at the age of 67.
McLeod, who was originally from Strongsville in Northeast Ohio, was best known for his work with the Detroit Pistons for most of his career until Dan Gilbert (a Michigan native) bought the Cleveland Cavaliers and in one of his first moves as team owner brought in McLeod as the play by play voice of the Cavaliers on television.
That decision meant that the voice on so many of LeBron James' career highlights would be that of Fred McLeod.
McLeod was one of those steady announcers that aren't truly appreciated until they are gone because he realized that the game is better when it speaks for itself rather than making the moment about the man behind the microphone.
Goodbye to Andre Emmett at the age of 37.
Emmett was an All-American for Texas Tech under Bob Knight in 2004 and is still Texas Tech's second all-time leading scorer behind Jarrius Jackson.
Emmett spent eight games with the Grizzlies in his rookie season and would spend the rest of his career playing overseas other than six games with the 2012 Nets.
Emmett most recently played in the Big 3 league that features older players in three on three play.
Goodbye to Bill Bidwill at the age of 88.
Bidwill was the long-time owner of the Arizona Cardinals and was the owner behind some of the oddest decisions in football.
Honestly, if not for the one miracle Super Bowl run behind quarterback Kurt Warner, it would be tough to find too much credit for Bidwill, who took football out of St.Louis, fired Don Coryell in the middle of the only sustained success of Bidwill's ownership, chose Bud Wilkinson, who had never coached in the pros or at all in fifteen years over Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, pledged to help St.Louis get an expansion team and when it was time to vote, voted for Jacksonville and that's just the St.Louis part of the inept reign of the Bidwill family, which doesn't account for the legendary stories of the organization's cheapness.
I bet there is a hell of a book somewhere behind the scenes of the St.Louis and early years in Arizona Cardinals when Bill Bidwill called the shots before handing over control to his children.
Goodbye to Ed Simonini at the age of 65.
Simonini was an All-American at Texas A&M in 1975 and won the Southwest Conference defensive player of the year award in 1974 and 1975,
The linebacker was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the third round in 1976 and would lead the Colts in tackles from 1977-80 as the flagging Baltimore franchise's final big-time middle linebacker.
Simonini would be injured in 1981 and would play for the Saints in 1982 before retiring.
Goodbye to Tom Phoebus at the age of 77.
The diminutive 5'8 Phoebus was best known for his curveball. won 14 games as a rookie for the 1967 Orioles and was named the AL Rookie of the year by the Sporting News.
Phoebus was said to have had the best stuff of any of the Orioles starters which included Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Mike Cuellar, but struggled often with his control.
Phoebus followed up with 15 wins and a no-hitter in 1968 and 14 more for the 1969 American League champion Orioles.
Phoebus was the swingman for the 1970 World Champion Orioles, but despite an ERA of 3.07 Phoebus finished only 5-5 and after the season was traded to San Diego for Pat Dobson.
Dobson won 20 games for the 71 Orioles, Phoebus won three in San Diego and three more for the 72 Cubs to end his major league career.
Goodbye to Wally Westlake at the age of 98.
Westlake played ten years in the majors from 1947-56 with six teams, mainly with the Pirates and Indians.
Westlake hit 103 of his 127 homers in his first five years with the Pirates and would be a backup utility outfielder for the 1954 American League champion Indians.
Goodbye to Alex Grammas at the age of 93.
Grammas played shortstop for nine seasons, mainly for the Reds and Cardinals, before coaching for years with the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers as Sparky Anderson's third-base coach.
Grammas would also manage the Milwaukee Brewers in 1976 and 1977 to two sixth-place finishes before returning to Anderson as his righthand man.
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