Carl Barger
Encyclopedia
Carl F. Barger was a high-powered Pittsburgh attorney and baseball executive.
of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Major League Baseball
team, serving from 1987 through the beginning of 1991. He became the first president
of the Florida Marlins
(now the Miami Marlins) on July 8, 1991. However, he died of an aneurysm
during MLB's winter meetings in 1992 in Louisville, Kentucky
. On April 5, 1993, the day that the Marlins played their first-ever regular-season game, the Marlins retired the number 5 in Barger's memory, as his favorite player was Joe DiMaggio
(who wore number 5 in his career); no Marlin has ever worn jersey number 5. The only other person to have his number retired by the Marlins was Jackie Robinson
, whose number 42 jersey was retired throughout Major League Baseball to honor his achievement of breaking baseball's color barrier.
Additionally, the Marlins designated the practice areas and fields next to Space Coast Stadium
in Viera, Florida
, as the Carl F. Barger Baseball Complex.
Biography
Barger became the PresidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
team, serving from 1987 through the beginning of 1991. He became the first president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
(now the Miami Marlins) on July 8, 1991. However, he died of an aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
during MLB's winter meetings in 1992 in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. On April 5, 1993, the day that the Marlins played their first-ever regular-season game, the Marlins retired the number 5 in Barger's memory, as his favorite player was Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
(who wore number 5 in his career); no Marlin has ever worn jersey number 5. The only other person to have his number retired by the Marlins was Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
, whose number 42 jersey was retired throughout Major League Baseball to honor his achievement of breaking baseball's color barrier.
Additionally, the Marlins designated the practice areas and fields next to Space Coast Stadium
Space Coast Stadium
Space Coast Stadium is a baseball stadium that was completed prior to the 1994 season as part of a plan to bring spring training for the Florida Marlins to Viera, Florida....
in Viera, Florida
Viera, Florida
Viera is a master planned community located in the central coastal region of Brevard County, Florida. It is part of an unincorporated section adjacent to the Melbourne, Florida area.-Geography:...
, as the Carl F. Barger Baseball Complex.