Tony, the Killer, and Carew

Former Twin and longtime Tiger’s coach, Billy Consolo passed away on Thursday of an apparent heart attack. Consolo was 73. His playing time with the Twins was brief (11G, 5AB, 1R, 0H), but he did manage 179 games as a utility infielder with the Senators in 1959/1960.

Consolo signed with the Red Sox straight out of High School in 1953 and was their starting second baseman and leadoff hitter at the start of the 1954 season.

Billy Consolo’s TwinsCards.com page

Billy Consolo’s Baseball-Reference page

Billy Consolo’s Baseball-Reference Bullpen page

Billy Consolo’s Baseball Cube page

Billy Consolo’s Baseball Almanac page

Billy Consolo’s SABR Minor League Database page

We found out yesterday, that former Twins pitching coach, Johnny Podres, passed away at the age of 75. Podres may be remembered by Twins fans as our pitching coach from 1981-1985 or the one who taught Frankie Viola to throw a change-up, but most die-hard baseball fans will remember him as the savior who pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers past the New York Yankees in the 1955 World Series. It would be their only World Series triumph during their reign in Brooklyn. Please check out Joe Christensen’s, Around the Majors blog, where he reprinted a 1993 Patrick Reusse column on Podres.