Dolph Camilli began his Major League career with the Chicago Cubs, but it was his second team, the Philadelphia Phillies, where he proved that he was an everyday player.  The Dodgers took notice and traded for him, feeling that he had another level in him.  They were right.

Becoming a Dodger in 1938, Camilli led the NL in Walks that year and did so again in 1939, his first All-Star Game season.  Camilli continued to smack Home Runs, belting at least 23 in his first two years in Brooklyn, with the latter two years seeing the First Baseman finish 12^th in MVP voting, but the best was still ahead of him.

Camilli won the 1941 MVP when he led the NL in Home Runs (34) and RBIs (120) while going to his second All-Star Game.  He had another good season in 1942, but the Dodgers saw that he was aging out, and he was traded to the New York Giants during the 1943 Season.  Camilli refused to report to the Giants and would only play one more half-season in the Majors with the Red Sox in 1945.

With the Dodgers, Camilli batted .270 with 139 Home Runs and 809 Hits.

We are losing too many legends already in this short year.

Rock and Roll superstar, Jeff Beck passed away today at the age of 78.  He first gained international attention as a member of the Yardbirds, and his blues-infused style made him one of the most admired guitarists of his era.  The Yardbirds also featured Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton (before Beck joined), and generated the hits, “Heart Full of Soul”, “For Your Love”, and “Shapes of Things”, but like Clapton, Beck left the band in 1966 and formed his own group.

As a solo, or leading the Jeff Beck Group, Beck remained amongst the apex of rock guitarists.  There were no styles he couldn’t blend, and his pioneering work of feedback and distortion are legendary.  Beck did not have the hits, or even the album sales, but the respect was there, and it is no accident that he won eight Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; one with the Yardbirds and one as a solo.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Jeff Beck. 

A Dodger for the entirety of his career, Carl Furillo arrived in Brooklyn in 1946, and it did not take long before he became one of the Dodgers more popular figures.

Beginning in Center, Furillo was moved to Rightfield, where he was regarded as the master of comprehending the bounces of Ebbets Field.  Furillo turned heads with arm strength, but he was an underappreciated hitter who won the 1953 Batting Title (.344), the second of two All-Star seasons.  Furillo, who helped the Dodgers win two World Series (1955 & 1959), showed decent power, with six 15-plus Home Run years and an overall OPS of .813.

Furillo was released in May of 1960 while he was injured with a torn calf muscle, and he alleged that the team released him to avoid paying the higher pension rate affixed to a 15-year veteran, which he would have been had Furillo still been signed at the end of the season.  Another MLB team never signed him, and it was a bitter end to one of the better runs in Dodgers history.

He exited Baseball with 1,910 Hits, 192 Home Runs, and a Batting Average of .299.

Maury Wills might be known first in any baseball reference guide as the National League MVP award winner in 1962, but his real contribution was how he changed the perception of how runs could be scored.  Wills was not the first man to be a star on the base paths, but he did usher in its renaissance.  Wills was the first to steal over 100 bases, and it wasn't long before teams across the country looked for a Wills-type player to lead off their lineup.  Wills would go on to lead the NL in steals on six occasions.

Maury Wills, however, was not the perfect leadoff man.  Wills did not walk enough, and his overall On Base Percentage was not ideal.  He also suffered from a post-playing career where his managing stint with Seattle is considered the worst in baseball history, and he often rubbed baseball writers the wrong way.  Maury Wills may not have been the best base stealer in history, but he did change the way the game was played for a while, and that is undoubtedly a big pro on his Hall of Fame ledger.

Wills, who played most of his career with Los Angeles save for two years with Pittsburgh and a short spell with Montreal in their inaugural year, had 1,732 Hits and 490 Stolen Bases in Dodger Blue.

Later, in 2019, Wills was one of four players awarded plaques in the stadium as Legends of Dodgers Baseball.