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14 Facts About Jim Fanning

1.

William James Fanning was an American-Canadian catcher, manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball.

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2.

Jim Fanning played baseball for the Moneta Bulldogs and they earned a state runner-up title his sophomore season to Corwith.

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3.

On Sep 14,1957, in the second game of a double-header against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jim Fanning caught Cub pitcher Dave Hillman, playing on their shared 30th birthdays, the only known instance of a battery sharing the same birth date.

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4.

Jim Fanning was briefly listed as a coach for the 1968 Braves, but before the season began he resigned to become the first director of the Central Scouting Bureau.

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5.

Just months later, when his old Milwaukee boss, John McHale, became the first president of the expansion Expos, Jim Fanning accompanied him to Canada as the Expos' general manager.

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6.

Jim Fanning was forced to improvise when veteran pitcher Jackson, a five-time All-Star and winner of 194 career games, decided to retire rather than report; Fanning accepted shortstop Bobby Wine as compensation.

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7.

The matter took two months to settle, but was resolved when Jim Fanning took back Clendenon and sent young pitchers Billingham and Guinn, with cash, to Houston to complete the trade.

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8.

Morton, whom Jim Fanning knew from their days together in the Braves' organization, won 18 games in 1970 and was the NL Rookie of the Year; Renko would win a total of 28 games in 1970 and 1971, and 27 more in 1973 and 1974.

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9.

Jim Fanning then served in a number of front office posts with Montreal, including director of scouting, when, during the 1981 stretch run, he was called back into uniform.

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10.

Jim Fanning returned as pilot in 1982, but the Expos finished a disappointing third, six games behind the St Louis Cardinals.

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11.

Jim Fanning moved back into the front office, handing over the baseball manager's job to Bill Virdon, recently fired by the Houston Astros.

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12.

Once more, Jim Fanning came down to the field and took over the club, but with poor results, as the team finished a disappointing fifth.

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13.

Jim Fanning was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St Marys, Ontario, in 2000, and received his Canadian citizenship in 2012.

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14.

Jim Fanning died as the result of a heart attack on April 25,2015, at his London, Ontario, residence at the age of 87.

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