William Louis Raimondi (December 1, 1912 – October 18, 2010) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

. He played in Minor League Baseball for 22 years, including 21 years in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

(PCL). He played for the Oakland Oaks from 1932 to 1949, the

Sacramento Solons The Sacramento Solons were a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Pacific Coast League during several periods (1903, 1905, 1909–1914, 1918–1960, 1974–1976). The current Sacramento River Cats began pl ...

from 1949 to 1950, and the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

from 1951 to 1953. Raimondi is a member of the PCL Hall of Fame, elected in 1951. Raimondi was born and raised in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

. After a standout baseball career at

McClymonds High School McClymonds High School is a public high school in the West Oakland neighborhood of Oakland, California, United States. In addition to being the third oldest high school in Oakland, it is the only comprehensive high school in West Oakland, opera ...

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, Raimondi signed with the Oaks of the PCL. He tried out with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

for the 1936 season, but an arm injury prevented him from playing in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). Raimondi returned to the Oaks in 1937, and declined further opportunities from MLB clubs to stay close to home. He served as the interim

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of the Oaks during the 1945 season. A year after winning the PCL championship with the 1948 Oaks under

Casey Stengel Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (; July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of the 1950s and later, the expansion New York ...

Chuck Dressen Charles Walter Dressen (September 20, 1894Dressen's birthdate has been revised from 1898, as was commonly reported in ''The Sporting News' Baseball Register'' and ''Macmillan's Baseball Encyclopedia'', to 1894 by both Baseball Reference and Retr ...

traded Raimondi to Sacramento, where he became a

player-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

during the 1950 season. Signing with the Angels in 1951, Raimondi served as a backup catcher and coach through the 1953 season, when he retired. After his playing career, Raimondi served as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

organization and managed the

Magic Valley Cowboys The Magic Valley Cowboys were a minor league baseball team in the Pioneer League for a total of 17 seasons between 1952 and 1971. The team was based in Twin Falls, Idaho — the largest city within the Magic Valley region — and succeeded the ...

for part of the 1956 season. He lived in

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda (island), Alam ...

, for the remainder of his life.

Early life

Raimondi was born in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, California, on December 1, 1912, and lived in North Beach. At the age of two, his family moved to the

West Oakland West Oakland is a neighborhood situated in the northwestern corner of Oakland, California, United States, situated west of Downtown Oakland, south of Emeryville, and north of Alameda. The neighborhood is located along the waterfront at the Po ...

neighborhood of

, where he grew up. His father worked as a

shoeshiner Shoeshiner or boot polisher is an occupation in which a person cleans and buffs shoes and then applies a waxy paste to give a shiny appearance and a protective coating. They are often known as shoeshine boys because the job was traditionally d ...

and his mother worked in a

cannery Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although un ...

. The Raimondis had six sons and one daughter. Raimondi began playing baseball as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

when he attended Thompkins Grammar School at the age of 12. He was recruited to play as a

semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a consid ...

, and became a

one day when the regular catcher was absent. He got over his original dislike of the position and played it regularly. When Raimondi attended

, he quit playing as a semi-professional to play for the school's baseball team. He was named All-City for two seasons. In 1931, while he was in high school, his father died in a

hit and run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...

collision in West Oakland. Raimondi signed his first baseball contract to help support his family.

Career

1931–1937

Bernie DeViveiros, who played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

for the Oakland Oaks of the

(PCL) and managed Raimondi's semi-professional team, recommended Raimondi to Oaks' management. Raimondi attended

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

with the Oaks in 1931. They assigned him to their

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, the

Phoenix Senators The Phoenix Senators were a minor league baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, that played on-and-off from 1915 to 1957. They played in the Rio Grande Association in 1915, the Arizona State League from 1928 to 1930, the Arizona–Texas Le ...

of the Class D

Arizona–Texas League The Arizona–Texas League was a Class D level American minor league baseball league that existed for nine seasons, from 1931–32, 1937–41, 1947–50 and 1952-54. In 1951, the Arizona-Texas loop merged with the Sunset League (based primarily ...

, for the season. In 75

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

, Raimondi had a .304

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

. In 1932, the Oaks assigned Raimondi to the

Bisbee Bees The Bisbee Bees were a Minor League Baseball team that represented Bisbee, Arizona from 1928 to 1941. The Bisbee Bees played as members of the Arizona State League (1928–1930) and Arizona–Texas League (1931–1932, 1937–1941). The Bees wer ...

of the Arizona–Texas League. After Raimondi batted .312 in 73 games for Bisbee, the league collapsed due to the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The Oaks released

Alex Gaston Alexander Nathaniel Gaston (March 12, 1893 – February 8, 1979) was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played between and for the New York Giants (1920–1923) and Boston Red Sox (1926, 1929). Listed at , 170 lb., Gaston batted and th ...

so they could recall Raimondi, and he caught 45 of the Oaks' 60 remaining games. Raimondi opened the 1933 season as the backup catcher to Pat Veltman, and batted .289 in 101 games. The

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

(NL) acquired Veltman before the 1934 season, leaving Raimondi as the Oaks' only catcher until they acquired

Johnny Pasek John Paul Pasek (June 25, 1905 – May 13, 1976) was a Major League Baseball catcher. Pasek played for the Detroit Tigers in and the Chicago White Sox in . He batted and threw right-handed. Pasek was born in Niagara Falls, New York. From 1 ...

from the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(AL) in May. The White Sox recalled Pasek in July. Raimondi batted .284 while he caught 156 of Oakland's 189 games for the 1934 season. Oakland signed

Hugh McMullen Hugh Raphael McMullen (December 16, 1901 – May 23, 1986) was a Major League Baseball catcher. McMullen played for the New York Giants in and , the Washington Senators in , and the Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American profe ...

in September 1934 to help finish the season and to backup Raimondi for the 1935 season. Raimondi batted .256 in 1935. The AL's

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

had a working arrangement with the Oaks for the 1935 season, giving them an option on Oakland's players. The Yankees exercised their option on Raimondi after the 1935 season, and then conditionally sold him and

George McQuinn George Hartley McQuinn (May 29, 1910 – December 24, 1978) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball from to , most notably as a member of the only St. Louis Browns team to win an ...

to the NL's

for $25,000 ($ in current dollar terms). He went to spring training with the Reds, who also had

Ernie Lombardi Ernesto Natali Lombardi (April 6, 1908 – September 26, 1977), was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, and New York Giants duri ...

, Gilly Campbell, and

Hank Erickson Henry Nels Erickson (November 11, 1907 – December 13, 1964) was an American professional baseball catcher. Erickson spent seven seasons in professional baseball, one of which was in Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Reds. Over his major ...

as catchers. Raimondi's throwing arm was not in condition at the start of the 1936 season, and the Reds returned him to the Yankees. After he missed the entire 1936 season, the Yankees optioned Raimondi to the Oaks before the 1937 season. He spent the 1937 season as Oakland's first-string catcher, catching 107 games. After the 1937 season, the Yankees reassigned Oaks'

Billy Meyer William Adam Meyer (January 14, 1893 – March 31, 1957) was an American baseball player and manager. He holds the dubious distinction of having played with, then managed, two of the worst teams in the history of Major League Baseball. A catch ...

to the Kansas City Blues of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

; Meyer requested Raimondi join him, but Raimondi preferred to stay in Oakland. Though the PCL's

and San Francisco Seals sought to acquire Raimondi from the Yankees, the Oaks bought his contractual rights outright.

1938–1948

In 1938, the Oaks acquired Bill Conroy to share catching duties with Raimondi. They played together in 1939 and 1940 as well. Raimondi batted .304 in the 1939 season. In 1940, Raimondi caught 103 games, including almost 30 consecutively while Conroy was out with an injured finger. Raimondi wore down over the season, finishing with a .237 batting average. He gained an additional to increase his durability for the 1941 season, and he batted .283 for the year. With Conroy drafted by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

after the season, Raimondi was paired with Joe Glenn for the 1942 season. Raimondi also played as a

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

during the 1942 season when

Fred Tauby Frederick Joseph Tauby (born Fred Joseph Taubensee from March 27, 1906 – November 23, 1955), was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played in and with the Chicago White Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies. He batted and threw right-handed. T ...

left the team to join the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. In 132 games in 1943, Raimondi batted .277. The Oaks fired

Dolph Camilli Adolph Louis Camilli (April 23, 1907 – October 21, 1997) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers. He was named the National League's Most Valuable Pl ...

, their manager, in June 1945 and named Raimondi their interim manager. The Oaks finished the season in fifth place, and they hired

to succeed Raimondi as manager. Raimondi batted .300 in 1946. The NL's

tried to acquire Raimondi to serve as their third catcher before the 1947 season, but he decided that it was not worth it for him to move his family. He batted .297 in 152 games in 1947. In 1948, Raimondi batted .285 in 126 games played. However, he broke his wrist when he collided with the

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

of the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

during a mid-September game, ending his season. The 1948 Oaks won the PCL championship. The team was known as the "Nine Old Men", as Lombardi was 40, Raimondi,

Cookie Lavagetto Harry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto (December 1, 1912 – August 10, 1990) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman from 1934 to 1947. Lavagetto started his majo ...

Floyd Speer Vernie Floyd Speer (January 27, 1913 – March 22, 1969) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He was born on January 27, 1913, in Booneville, Arkansas. He attended Booneville High School, where he starred in baseball. His twin brother, ...

, and

Nick Etten Nicholas Raymond Thomas Etten (September 19, 1913 – October 18, 1990) was a first baseman in major league baseball, who played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1938–39), Philadelphia Phillies (1941–42, 1947) and New York Yankees (1943–46). ...

were 35,

Jack Salveson John Theodore Salveson (January 5, 1914 – December 28, 1974) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for five seasons. He played for the New York Giants from 1933 to 1934, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago White Sox in 1935, and the ...

and

Les Scarsella Leslie George Scarsella (November 23, 1913 – December 16, 1958) was an American professional baseball player of the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman and left fielder, he was the two-time Pacific Coast League MVP and appeared in 265 games i ...

were 34,

Dario Lodigiani Dario Antonio Lodigiani odi(June 6, 1916 – February 10, 2008) was an infielder in Major League Baseball who played for two different teams between 1938 and 1946. Listed at 5'8", 150 lb., he batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Sa ...

was 32, and Mel Duezabou was 30.

1949–1953

In 1949,

Charlie Dressen Charles Walter Dressen (September 20, 1894Dressen's birthdate has been revised from 1898, as was commonly reported in ''The Sporting News' Baseball Register'' and ''Macmillan's Baseball Encyclopedia'', to 1894 by both Baseball Reference and Retro ...

succeeded Stengel as the Oaks' manager, and

Don Padgett Don Wilson Padgett (December 5, 1911 – December 9, 1980) was an American professional baseball player, a catcher/outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals (1937–41), Brooklyn Dodgers (1946), Boston Braves (1946) and Philadelphia Phillies (1947 ...

was brought in to catch alongside Raimondi. Though Raimondi began the year as the starting catcher, Padgett began to receive more playing time than Raimondi as the season progressed. Dressen and Raimondi did not get along, and the Oaks traded Raimondi to the

for Frank Kerr in June 1949, upsetting the fans and resulting in bad press for Dressen. Raimondi batted .272 for Oakland and .263 for Sacramento. He had the second-best

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

among PCL catchers in 1949, trailing only

Mike Sandlock Michael Joseph Sandlock (October 17, 1915 – April 4, 2016) was an American professional baseball utility player who played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1953. He played for the Boston Braves (baseball), Boston Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers a ...

of the

Hollywood Stars The Hollywood Stars were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early- and mid-20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles-based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels. Hollywood Stars (192 ...

. Raimondi shared catching duties for Sacramento with

Red Steiner James Harry "Red" Steiner (January 7, 1915 – November 16, 2001) was a professional baseball catcher. He played a total of 38 games in Major League Baseball during 1945 for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox. Listed at and , he batted left ...

in 1950. In June 1950, the Solons fired manager

Red Kress Ralph "Red" Kress (January 2, 1905 – November 29, 1962) was an American shortstop, third baseman, first baseman and coach in Major League Baseball. From through , he played for the St. Louis Browns (1927–1932; 1938–1939), Chicago White Sox ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

Lindsay Brown. The Solons hired Joe Marty as their new manager, and Marty chose Raimondi to serve as a

. Raimondi batted .242 in 110 games in 1950, spending time on the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

. Belieiving that Raimondi could not be relied upon as a starting catcher, and having acquired

Vinnie Smith Vincent Ambrose Smith (December 7, 1915 – December 14, 1979) was an American Major League Baseball baseball player, player and umpire from Richmond, Virginia. During his playing days, the , Smith threw and batted right-handed. Career Smith's p ...

and Al Lakeman to pair with Steiner, Sacramento released Raimondi after the 1950 season. In 1951, Raimondi signed with the

. He opened the season as the Angels' regular catcher, but began to lose playing time by late April, after the Angels acquired

Les Peden Leslie Earl Peden (September 17, 1923 – February 11, 2002) nicknamed "Gooch", was an American professional baseball player and manager. A catcher, he appeared in nine Major League games for the Washington Senators. He threw and batted right ...

. In May 1951, he was elected to the PCL Hall of Fame. Angels' manager

Stan Hack Stanley Camfield Hack (December 6, 1909 – December 15, 1979), nicknamed "Smiling Stan", was an American third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago Cubs and was the National League's top t ...

had Raimondi catch Bill Moisan's starts. Raimondi played in 52 games during the 1951 season, batting .290. Raimondi returned to the Angels as a backup to Peden in 1952, but was removed from the active roster in June. He remained with the Angels as a coach, though he was activated in July while Peden recovered from an injury. Peden began the 1953 season with the Washington Senators of the AL, and Raimondi was brought back to the active roster to share catching duties with El Tappe and

Al Evans Alfred Hubert Evans (September 28, 1916 – April 6, 1979) was an American Major League Baseball catcher and a Minor League manager. Listed at tall and , Evans batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Kenly, North Carolina. Basically a co ...

. At the end of April, the Angels again deactivated Raimondi and had him serve as a coach. The Angels released Raimondi after the 1953 season. He finished his PCL career with a .274 batting average, 1,937

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

, 99

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s, seven

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s, and 212

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s in 6,532

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s and 2,041 games caught.

Post-playing career

In 1956, Raimondi joined the Cubs as a

, focusing on

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

. In July, the Cubs named him the manager of the

of the Class C Pioneer League, following

Al Zarilla Allen Lee "Zeke" Zarilla (May 1, 1919 – August 28, 1996) was an American professional baseball player, scout and coach. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from to , most notably as a member of the only St. Louis Browns team to ...

's resignation. After the season, he returned to scouting. The Cubs released Raimondi after the 1957 season. He became a life insurance salesman and also worked in circulation for the ''

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the declin ...

'' for ten years. Raimondi Park

Personal life

Raimondi's brothers Al, Ernie, and Walt played in the PCL. Al played for the Oaks and the

Mission Reds The Mission Reds were a minor league baseball team located in San Francisco, California, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1926 through 1937. First Missions team In early September of 1914, the failed Sacramento Solons team moved ...

, Walt played for the Oaks, and Ernie played for the Oaks and the Seals. In 1947, the

Oakland City Council The Oakland City Council is an elected governing body representing the City of Oakland, California. Since 1998, Oakland has had a mayor-council government. The mayor is elected for a four-year term. The Oakland City Council has eight council memb ...

approved a resolution renaming Bayview Park after Ernie Raimondi, who was killed in action in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Raimondi met Frances Palermo through

, who was a mutual friend, in 1936. They married in a secret ceremony in

Carson City, Nevada Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

, in 1937 and had a second wedding ceremony for their families in 1938. They moved to

, in 1940, and had three children. Raimondi died at his home in Alameda on October 18, 2010.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raimondi, Billy 1912 births 2010 deaths Baseball players from Oakland, California Baseball players from San Francisco Businesspeople from California Baseball catchers Phoenix Senators players Bisbee Bees players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players Sacramento Solons players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Chicago Cubs scouts Oakland Oaks (baseball) managers