R.I.P. SPORTS RELATED 2023(Non Wrestlers) (*)

[jimsteel]

MMA Fighter Victoria Lee passed away at 18

[jimsteel]

Martin Fabi, a former tight end and punter in the CFL, passed away at the age of 80.

The following is an excerpt from Mr. Fabi's online obituary: "After his father was killed in World War II, the family fled to Austria in 1944. In 1953, Fabi and his family immigrated to Canada, where they settled in the town of Aylmer, Ontario. Martin attended East Elgin High School and excelled in football and basketball. He also played for the famed Tillsonburg Livingston’s Senior Men’s basketball team making the national championship game during the 1960-61 season. In 1962, when he was 19, he was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. He was traded that same year to the Saskatchewan Roughriders where he played out the remainder of his career, retiring after the 1965 season. He was a Tight End and Punter and still holds two CFL records for Most Punting Yards in a Game (814) and Most Punts in a game (18). After the CFL, he played semi-pro football for the London Lords of the Canadian ORFU for a few seasons. At this time, he also decided to focus on a full-time business career with Livingston International, a warehousing company based in Tillsonburg, ON, after working part-time for them for several years during his CFL career."

[jimsteel]

Jan 7, 2023 18:07:38 GMT -5 lankylefty17 said:

shouldnt this be in the sports section? Seems weird its in movies and tv haha

AGREED SO I MOVED IT TO SPORTS

[TTX]

Makes sense here.

[jimsteel]

‘Mad Dogs’ surfer Marcio Freire dies while riding waves in Portugal

Veteran Brazilian surfer Marcio Freire, featured in the 2016 “Mad Dogs” documentary about conquering a giant wave in Hawaii, died Thursday in a surfing accident off the coast of Portugal, authorities said. He was 47.

[jimsteel]

Steve Witiuk, a former NHL rightwinger, passed away at the age of 93.

Witiuk’s NHL career was limited to 33 games with Chicago as a first-year pro in 1951-52. Witiuk scored three goals and 11 points with the Blackhawks.

Witiuk, scored 294 goals and 717 points in 945 games in the minors, the WHL. Witiuk, a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, is a member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.

[jimsteel]

Cincy Powell, a former ABA basketball player, passed away at the age of 80.

A 6'7" forward from the University of Portland, Powell was selected by the St. Louis Hawks in the eighth round of the 1965 NBA draft. He did not make the Hawks' roster, but he would soon blossom while playing for the American Basketball Association's Dallas Chaparrals. Powell averaged 18.3 points and nine rebounds in his first season with the Chaparrals, and two years later he represented Dallas in the ABA All-Star Game. Powell also spent time with the Kentucky Colonels, Utah Stars, and Virginia Squires, and he ended his ABA career in 1975 with 9,746 total points. Powell was the first cousin of former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell is an inductee in the University of Portland Hall of Fame.

He played on the following ABA teams:
1967–1970 Dallas Chaparrals
1970–1972 Kentucky Colonels
1972–1973 Utah Stars
1973–1975 Virginia Squires
2× ABA All-Star (1970, 1971)
All-ABA Second Team (1968)

[jimsteel]

Former soccer star Modeste M’Bami died Saturday after a heart attack AT 40.

According to French news and culture website Melty, M’Bami had tested positive for COVID-19 a few days prior to his death. His agent reportedly said that M’Bami was “very tired and kept coughing,” according to the report.

[jimsteel]

Maurice Fisher, a former MLB pitcher, passed away at the age of 93.

The right-handed pitcher had an eight-season (1949–56) career in pro baseball, but appeared in only one Major League game as a member of the 1955 Cincinnati Redlegs.

Fisher's lone big-league appearance came on April 16, 1955, against the Milwaukee Braves at Crosley Field. He relieved starting pitcher Jim Pearce in the third inning with one out, two runs in, and baserunners on first and second bases. He retired Joe Adcock on a fly ball and then gave up an RBI single to Johnny Logan before getting Jack Dittmer for the third out. In the fourth inning, Fisher allowed the only two runs of his big-league career on a home run to Del Crandall and an RBI single to Bobby Thomson, then held the Braves off the scoresheet in the fifth inning before his removal for a pinch hitter. Pearce was charged with the eventual 9–5 Cincinnati defeat. After his lone appearance for the Redlegs, Fisher was sent to the Pacific Coast League, where he spent the rest of the 1955 season. He lived every American boy's dream by getting to play in the MLB.

In two and 2⁄3 innings pitched, Fisher allowed five hits, two earned runs and two bases on balls.

[jimsteel]

Willie Tasby, a former MLB outfielder who has appeared in 583 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the Baltimore Orioles (1958–1960), Boston Red Sox (1960), Washington Senators (1961–1962) and Cleveland Indians (1962–1963) passed away at the age of 89.

This passing also went unreported on all of the usual reference pages. He was primarily a center fielder, with 459 of his 545 career defensive appearances at the position. Although Tasby was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, he was a graduate of McClymonds High School in Oakland, California, alma-mater of star American athletes Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood and Vada Pinson during the 1950s. He also attended Oakland's Laney College.

Before the 1950 season, he was signed by the St. Louis Browns as an amateur free agent. The Browns moved to Baltimore and in September of 1958 Tasby made his MLB debut. After playing in 1959 and parts of 1960 with the Orioles, on June 9, 1960 he was traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Boston Red Sox for Gene Stephens. Although he batted .281 during his 1960 campaign with the Red Sox, his good season did not get overlooked and he was drafted by the Washington Senators as an expansion draft pick.

But he had issues in during the start of the 1962 season and batted only .206 for the Senators. So on May 3, 1962 Tasby was traded by the Washington Senators to the Cleveland Indians for Steve Hamilton and Don Rudolph. He went on to play 127 during the 1962 and 1963 seasons with Cleveland before he went on to finish his career in the Mexican Leagues playing 3 more seasons.