The 6'7" Connors played pro basketball with the Boston Celtics after WWII before
concentrating on baseball. In the Brooklyn organization he earned more applause for
his spring training recitations of "Casey at the Bat" than for his hitting. He pinch-hit
once for the Dodgers in 1949. The Cubs acquired him in 1951 and sent him to Los Angeles
of the Pacific Coast League where he hit .321. A bit part in the Spencer Tracy -
Katharine Hepburn movie "Pat and Mike" after the 1952 season convinced him to make
acting his fulltime profession. In 1957 he landed the lead in the TV western series
"The Rifleman," which aired through 1962. His second western series, "Branded," aired
1964-65. He has appeared in numerous movies and television dramas since, and won
critical acclaim in the role of a slave owner in the television mini-series "Roots"
(1977).
(MC)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»August 26, 1951:
At the Polo Grounds, Chuck "The Rifleman" Connors clubs his 2nd and last ML homer, a three-run shot off Sal Maglie in the 9th to give the visiting Cubs a temporary 4–4 tie. Wes Westrum then answers with his 2nd homer of the game, off reliever Walt Dubiel, and New York wins, 5–4. New York takes the nitecap, 5–1, to run their victory streak to 14 games. Jim Hearn tops Cal McLish. Mays electrifies the crowd in the 6th by singling, advancing on a balk and a short fly, and stealing home. The Giants trail by six games.
»November 18, 1951: Former Cub 1B and future TV star of The Rifleman Chuck Connors is the first player to oppose the ML draft. Currently the 1B of the LA Angels (PCL), Connors wants to stay in California, instead of going to whatever team might draft him for the ML. The PCL views his refusal in a positive manner, allowing them to ask higher prices for players than what the ML usually offers.
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