Happy Birthday--November 10

Jim Whitney (1857)
Cy Morgan (1878)
Del Gainer (1886)
Chick Fewster (1895)
Jimmie Dykes (1896)
Birdie Tebbetts (1912)
Cal Ermer (1923)
Gene Conley (1930)
Norm Cash (1934)
Mike Vail (1951)
Paul Thormodsgard (1953)
Larry Parrish (1953)
Larry Christenson (1953)
Bob Stanley (1954)
Jack Clark (1955)
Kenny Rogers (1964)
Keith Lockhart (1964)
Butch Huskey (1971)
Shawn Green (1972)

Calvin Coolidge Ermer was a longtime manager and coach in the Twins organization, managing the major league club briefly in 1967-1968.  As a player, he was primarily a second baseman.  Born in Baltimore, Ermer began his playing career in Class D in the New York Giants organization in 1942, then missed three years due to World War II, when he served in the Marines.  Upon his return, he played in the minors through 1951, playing in the Washington, Detroit, and Philadelphia Athletics organizations.  He played in one major league game, for Washington in 1947.  He went 0-for-3, but handled seven chances in the field flawlessly.  He briefly managed Class B Charlotte in 1947, but did not really begin his managing career until 1950, when he was the player-manager for Class D Orlando.  With the exception of three seasons from 1958-1960, his entire managing career was in the Washington/Minnesota organization, although he was a major league coach with other clubs.  Ermer retired from managing in 1984.  He never really "retired", however, becoming a scout for the Twins.  Ermer was not only interested in baseball; he also coached soccer at the University of Maryland.  Cal Ermer passed away on August 8, 2009 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he had lived for 57 years.

Pitcher Paul Thormodsgard spent his entire major league career with the Twins.  Born in San Francisco, he was signed by Cincinnati as a free agent in 1971.  He had a good year at Class A in 1973, posting an ERA of 2.36, but when he slumped the following year he was released.  Thormodsgard was out of baseball in 1975, but the Twins signed him in December, and after a mediocre year in Class A in 1976, the Twins put him in their starting rotation for 1977.  Given his track record, he pitched surprisingly well, going 11-15 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP.  In 1978, he got off to a 1-6 start, even though he wasn't pitching that much worse than he had before, and he was demoted to AAA Toledo, where he pitched well in five games and then missed the rest of the season with an injured groin.  He had another strong year in Toledo in 1979, getting a September call-up, but was traded to Philadelphia that off-season for Pete Mackanin.  He had another good year at AAA in 1980, mostly in relief, but was out of baseball after that.  He didn't strike out many, but he didn't walk many either, nor did he give up a lot of home runs.  In his major league career, he was 12-21 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.  Not that he would have been great, but it seems like teams were awfully quick to give up on him.  No information about Paul Thormodsgard's current situation was readily available.

Pitcher Kenny Rogers spent one of his twenty major league seasons with Minnesota.  Born in Savannah, Georgia, he was drafted by Texas in the 39th round in 1982 at age 17.  Presumably due to his low draft selection, Rogers pitched in relief for much of his minor league career, not starting regularly until 1988.  He proved that he belonged in the rotation, but still had never pitched above AA at this point.  Still, in 1989, the Rangers brought him up to the big leagues, and he surprised them by pitching very well out of the bullpen, appearing in 73 games and posting a 2.93 ERA.  Rogers remained in the bullpen through 1992, serving as the closer for a while in 1990, when he saved 15 games, and leading the league in appearances in 1992.  Moved to the rotation in 1993, he did well there also, making the all-star team in 1995, when he won 17 games.  Rogers was a free agent after that season and signed with the Yankees.  Things did not go well for him in New York, and after two mediocre seasons he was traded to Oakland for Scott Brosius.  He got back to normal in Oakland, and pitched well for a season and a half before being traded to the Mets.  He finished 1999 there, and then became a free agent.  He went back to the Rangers for three years, winning two Gold Gloves.  A free agent again, Rogers came to the Twins for 2003.  He had a good season for Minnesota, going 13-8 with a 4.57 ERA.  He went back to Texas the next year and pitched well there for two years, making the all-star team both seasons and winning two more Gold Gloves.  A free agent again, he moved on to Detroit, where at age 41 he won 17 games, made the all-star team again, won another Gold Glove, and finished fifth in the Cy Young voting.  Rogers was injured much of 2007 and had a down year in 2008, although he made 30 starts at age 43.  A free agent at the end of the season, Rogers opted for retirement.  He won 219 games in his major league career, which is even more remarkable when you consider that he did not get into a major league rotation until he was 28.  At last report, Kenny Rogers was living in Westlake, Texas, and was helping to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.

Outfielder Robert Leon Huskey played for Minnesota for the first half of 2000.  Born in Anadarko, Oklahoma, Huskey was drafted by the Mets in the seventh round in 1989.  He showed power in the minors, hitting 26 homers with Class A Columbia in 1991, 25 with AA Binghamton in 1993, and 28 with AAA Norfolk in 1995.  He got a September call up in 1993, spent a month and a half with the Mets in 1995, and arrived for good in 1996.  He had three solid years for the Mets, hitting .274 and averaging 17 homers as an almost-regular.  After the 1998 season, Huskey was traded to Seattle, and moved on to Boston in late July.  He again had a solid year, hitting .282 with 22 homers as an almost-regular.  A free agent after the 1999 season, he signed with the Twins.  It did not go well:  in half a season, Huskey put up a line of .223/.306/.353, with 5 homers and 27 RBIs.  On July 15, Minnesota traded him with Todd Walker to Colorado for Todd Sears and cash.  He got going again in Colorado, hitting .348 in 92 at-bats.  The Rockies were not terribly impressed, however, and sent him to AAA Colorado Springs for 2001.  He hit .323 there with 19 home runs, but did not get called up to the majors and was let go after the season.  No one picked him up, and Huskey's career was over.  He was the last Minnesota player to wear the number 42.  Butch Huskey is a regular at New York Mets' fantasy camps.  According to the Urban Dictionary, the phrase "butch huskey" means "to hustle, scam, or otherwise acquire something by fraudulent or criminal means."