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5 unusual facts about Dave Kingman


Dave Kingman

During his final year in Oakland in 1986, Kingman sent a live rat in a pink box to Sue Fornoff, a sportswriter for The Sacramento Bee.

Born in Pendleton, Oregon, Kingman's family moved to Illinois and he attended Prospect High School, where he was a center and a forward on the basketball team, a wide receive and safety on the football team, and a star pitcher on the baseball team.

In separate deals, the new organization also reacquired Rusty Staub, and two seasons later, Tom Seaver.

On September 15, Kingman became one of only a handful of players to play for four major league teams in the same season when he was traded to the Mets' crosstown rivals, the Yankees, for Randy Stein and cash.

Paul Olden

Olden was the target of Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda's infamous and profanity laden "Dave Kingman tirade" in 1976, in which Lasorda ranted at Olden (who worked at Los Angeles radio station KLAC at the time) when he asked him about Kingman having hit three home runs against the Dodgers that day.


Mick Kelleher

That August 7, in the second game of a doubleheader against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field, Kelleher, at 5-9 and 170 pounds, responded to Dave Kingman's hard slide into him on a double play attempt (Kingman was apparently angered over being hit by a Steve Renko pitch) by jumping on the 6-6, 210-pound Kingman's back and pummeling him with blows; the ensuing bench-clearing brawl resulted in the ejections of both players.


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