Dan Weber’s Just Sayin’: From Northern Kentucky baseball bro’s to Brad, Miles and Nick

Much thanks to Dick Maile for the link to The Baseball Almanac’s state-by-state listing of major league players that allows us to figure out that of the 307 Kentuckians who have made it to the majors, 48 hailed from Northern Kentucky.

Here’s the town-by-town rundown:

Dick — the former LSU basketball great and Covington Catholic coach and player – and head of one of the first families in Northern Kentucky sports, also has a grandson on this list in Luke Maile, the former Reds’ catcher who is back for his 10th MLB season this year with the Kansas City Royals at the age of 34 and is Edgewood’s lone representative here.

And that got us to thinking how many of the players listed here are family and we came up with four pairs of brothers. The most recent are JJ and Tom Thobe, son of Ludlow’s Jack Thobe, a St. Xavier High and Xavier U. basketball great, whose career sent him to Huntington Beach, Calif., where JJ and Tom grew up before making it to the big leagues in the same year – 1995 – with JJ as an Atlanta Braves’ pitcher and Tom as a Montreal Expos’ pitcher.

Dayton’s Jesse Tannehill made it to the majors in 1900 and despite standing just 5-feet-8 and weighing 150 pounds, he managed to win 197 games with a 2.80 ERA in his 15 MLB years as a lefthanded curve-baller who could run and switch hit and played 87 games as an outfielder and pinch-hit 57 times for Pittsburgh, Boston, Washington and Cincinnati – and once stole home, something unheard of for a pitcher. His younger brother, Lee, would have a 10-year career as a Chicago White Sox infielder.

Nicknamed “Rosebud” for his shock of red hair, Covington’s Howie Camnitz pitched 12 years in the majors but none equaled his 1909 season for the World Champion Pirates when he went 25-6 with a 1.62 ERA. His younger brother, Harry, three years his junior, pitched for the Pirates and St. Louis.

Covington’s Joe Heving led the American League in relief pitching with 11 wins as a 39-year-old veteran for the Boston Red Sox, his fifth team in a 15-year major league career with the New York Giants, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, and both Boston teams including the Braves in the National League where he faced 4,579 batters in all. He led all pitchers in the American League in 1944 with 63 appearances despite the fact that he was the only grandfather playing in the majors. His older brother, Johnnie Heving, was a catcher for eight seasons with the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Athletics.

Brad Fritz’ support fund surpasses $114,000

How beloved is Brad Fritz in Northern Kentucky? The longtime smiling greeter waving at drivers from his wheelchair on Turkeyfoot Road has been released from the ICU and is in rehab after he was struck by a driver charged with drunk driving – for the second time in his life. With a half-dozen broken ribs and a surgically repaired broken arm, Brad can know how much Northern Kentucky thinks of him for the way he handled his first serious accident at the age of 15 to become a motivational speaker and positive influence for many school audiences despite his physical limitations. The fundraisers and hundreds of waving hands being crafted for him along with the more than $114,000 raised on GoFundMe ($114,511 the last we looked) will help Brad with all the medical bills for his recovery.

National TV cameo for our favorite Beechwood manager

Yep, if you caught Guy Fieri’s visit to Ft. Mitchell’s outstanding pizzeria restaurant Camporosso last Friday on the Food Channel’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, there was our favorite athletic manager, and longtime fixture for Beechwood High’s sports programs with 10 state championship rings now, Miles Laird, in one of the shots. Miles, who hasn’t let his Down syndrome slow him down from being the light in the life of everyone he meets, works at Camporosso and raves about the way the owners Eric and Amy Redfield have been to work for. And now he has a national TV appearance to go with those championship rings.

You can catch the show – Episode 42: Trinidad, Thailand and Italy — again on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 22, at 11:30 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 23, at 2:30 a.m. Visit watch.foodnetwork.com for more information on how to stream it—Episode 42.

NewCath’s new baseball coach a veteran ‘Bred

Nick Enginger has been a Social Studies teacher at Newport Central Catholic since 1997. The former Elder High baseball player, after his NKU playing career, stayed on to assist the late Bill Aker and current coach Todd Asalon with the Norse baseball program at his alma mater. He also served as an assistant coach in both football and baseball at NewCath.

And now, he’s the new head coach of the Thoroughbred baseball program. “I am excited for Coach Enginger to take over the baseball program,” said Athletic Director Jeff Schulkens. “He was an assistant coach for me here at NewCath and has a vast knowledge of the game.”

Coach Enginger returned the compliment in his statement, saying “I am excited to teach these young men baseball and life lessons along the way.” Enginger and his wife, Marianne, and daughters Madeline, Karly and Ashton, reside in Cold Spring, KY.

Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @dweber3440.