1. Joe Cambria is best known for his work as a scout for Major League Baseball, especially for his work in Cuba.
18 Facts About Joe Cambria
1. 2.
Joe Cambria was born in Messina, Italy on July 5,1890.
3.
Joe Cambria purchased and renovated a ballpark, which he renamed Bugle Field, for the team.
4.
In 1932, Joe Cambria became co-owner and general manager of the Baltimore Black Sox, a Negro league team.
5.
Joe Cambria renovated and expanded Bugle Field, adding lighting equipment for night games, and made it the home park for the Black Sox.
6.
In 1933, Joe Cambria purchased the Albany Senators of the International League.
7.
Joe Cambria sold many players to major league clubs, and established a close working relationship with Clark Griffith, owner of the Washington Senators.
8.
From 1937 through 1940, Joe Cambria owned the Salisbury Indians of the Eastern Shore League.
9.
Joe Cambria appealed the decision to the president of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, but to no avail.
10.
The best pitcher, Joe Cambria Kohlman, pitched a no-hitter to clinch the pennant and a second no-hitter two weeks later to win the deciding game of the league playoffs.
11.
Joe Cambria made his first trip to Cuba in the spring of 1936 and signed nine Cuban players for the Albany Senators.
12.
Joe Cambria signed many other Cuban players who eventually made it to the major leagues, including Sandy Consuegra, Bobby Estalella, Willy Miranda, Mike Fornieles, Connie Marrero, Tony Oliva, Camilo Pascual, Pedro Ramos, and Zoilo Versalles.
13.
Joe Cambria signed players from other Latin American countries, including Alex Carrasquel, the first player from Venezuela.
14.
Joe Cambria developed a system of "bird dog" scouts, including Merito Acosta, who would scout the provinces for young baseball players who had not yet made their way to Havana.
15.
Joe Cambria invested in the neighborhood around Gran Stadium, buying bars, rental properties, and a small restaurant behind the center-field scoreboard.
16.
In 1946, Joe Cambria was one of three investors who owned the Havana Cubans, a franchise in the new minor league Florida International League.
17.
In March 1962, Joe Cambria became very ill and was flown from Havana to Minneapolis for treatment.
18.
Joe Cambria died at St Barnabas Hospital in Minneapolis on September 24,1962.