You can't make this stuff up!

Bill Henry, former major league pitcher, dies in Florida


September 2, 2007

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) -- Bill Henry, who pitched in the majors for more than 15 seasons, has died. He was 83.

Henry died Aug. 27 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, two days after he suffered a heart attack, his stepdaughter Debbie Lee said.

Born William Rodman Henry in Alice, Texas, the left-hander made his major-league debut in 1952 with the Boston Red Sox. Henry later pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants before ending his career in 1969 with the Houston Astros.

He finished with a career record of 46-50 and pitched in two games in the World Series in 1961 with the Reds.

Lee said her father enjoyed his time on the mound, but also picked up another sport -- golf -- later in life.

Henry is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Jean Henry, and his stepchildren, Lee said.

It turns out this guy was not who he claimed to be. How embarassing it must be for his family.

Houstonian, Former MLB Pitcher Bill Henry Still Alive

05 Sep 2007

The death of a Florida man who passed himself off as a former major league pitcher from Texas unveiled a long-told secret that has thrown everyone for a curve -- he was not who he said he was.

Bill Henry -- a Lakeland, Fla., resident and retired salesman from Michigan -- told people, including his wife and stepchildren, for decades that he was a former major league pitcher.

The Florida man's claim to fame was never questioned until the real Bill Henry, of Deer Park, came forward to let everyone know he was "still kicking" after his obituary made national headlines.

"Let everybody know that I'm still kicking," the retired ballplayer, who will celebrate his 80th birthday Oct. 15, told The (Lakeland, Fla.) Ledger on Tuesday from his Deer Park home. "I don't know what to think," he said of the man who took his identity. "I'm baffled."

A paid obituary in Thursday's edition of The Ledger first reported Henry's death. The newspaper followed up with a short news item in the sports section of Saturday's edition, which was then picked up by The Associated Press and distributed nationally.

The Ledger reported that David Lambert, a baseball buff in Boston who is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and a genealogist for the New England Historical Genealogical Society, uncovered the hoax.

Lambert said a discrepency in age led to the discovery -- the retired major league pitcher was born on Oct. 15, 1927 in Alice, Texas; the retired salesman from Michigan was born Feb. 1, 1924 in Moberly, Mo.

The real Bill Henry made his major-league debut in 1952 with the Boston Red Sox. Henry, a left-hander, later pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants before ending his career in 1969 with the Houston Astros.

Henry had a career record of 46-50 and pitched in two 1961 World Series games with the Reds.


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