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The former Minneapolis Central High School star played in five World Series with the New York Yankees. He was 76.
Johnny Blanchard could have stayed in his home town and played professional basketball with the Minneapolis Lakers, but his passion for baseball led him to play for the New York Yankees.
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George Kell, the Hall of Fame third baseman who edged Ted Williams for the 1949 American League batting title and became a Detroit Tigers broadcaster for nearly 40 years, died Tuesday. He was 86. Jackson's Funeral Home in Newport confirmed the death but did not give a cause. The Hall of Fame said he died in his sleep at his home in Swifton. Kell was severely injured in a car crash in 2004 but was able to walk with a cane about six months later.
Kell outlasted Williams for the 1949 batting crown, hitting .34291 while the Boston Red Sox great finished at .34276. Kell played 15 seasons, hitting more than .300 nine times and compiling a career average of .306. He was a 10-time All-Star.
"I grew up idolizing Stan Musial and George Kell," said Brooks Robinson, another Hall of Fame third baseman from Arkansas. "I played a lot of baseball in Swifton and Newport, where George is from. ... He was a hero to me on and off the field."
