If Your Birthday is July 1st...

...you share it with Ron Marinaccio, one of several young Yankee relievers who have emerged this season. A 19th round draft pick from the U of Delaware, the Jersey Shore native has struck out more than a batter an inning since being promoted to the Bronx.

Nelson Cruz , the late blooming slugger who spent time in the Mets, A's and Brewers farm systems before becoming a star with the Rangers at age 28. With more than 450 career homers as he turns 42 -- but just seven this season as time seems to have finally caught up with him -- Cruz might have been a Cooperstown candidate. But a 2013 suspension for using PED's will likely keep him out of the Hall.

Charlie Blackmon also waited until his late 20s for his career to kick into high gear. The bushy bearded outfielder has been a solid performer during the last decade in Colorado, highlighted by 2018 when he led the National League in batting and doubles. 

Craig Anderson holds a forever place in Mets history. Actually, several. The first pitcher to win both ends of a doubleheader for the club (on May 12th, 1962 v. the Braves), he was also the losing pitcher in the final major league game ever played at the Polo Grounds, on September 18th, 1963 (against the Phillies). And his last game as a Met was also memorable. He pitched 2/3 of an inning -- but wasn't involved in the decision -- during the 23-inning marathon nightcap of the May 31st, 1964 doubleheader between the Mets and Giants.

After his retirement, Anderson served as the pitching coach for Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, where he worked with future big leaguer Paul Hartzell.

Onto Saturday and a second-generation major leaguer:

Daulton Varsho, the Diamondbacks' power-hitting outfielder/catcher, whose father Gary was a backup outfielder for the Cubs and Pirates during the late '80s and early 1990s.

Angel Pagan spent more than a decade in the majors playing the outfield for the Mets and Giants -- where he was a key player on the 2012 and '14 World Champs.

Jose Canseco, the 1986 AL Rookie of the Year and '88 MVP, claims to have helped popularize the use of steroids in the major leagues and revealed Barry Bonds as a fellow cheater. 

Hal Reniff was a productive reliever for the Yankees as they continued winning pennants during the first half of the 1960s. While I never snapped his photo in the Bronx, I caught him in action warming up for the Syracuse Chiefs, then the top Yankee farm club, during an August 1968 game. Reniff  became a fixture in Syracuse, and played for the local team through 1973; he died in 2004.

Looking ahead to Sunday:

Moises Alou is a member of one of baseball's most prolific families. The son of Felipe Alou and nephew of Matty and Jesus, is the brother of Luis Rojas and cousin of Mel Rojas. His numbers speak for themselves: a .303 hitter with 332 homers over 17 seasons.

Frank Tanana went from Nolan Ryan's fireballing Angels teammate (and 1975 American League strikeout leader) to a control and finesse specialist after a mid-career arm injury. All told, the Detroit native won 240 games between 1973 and '93.

The weekend rolls into the 4th of July... and while it's the birthday of such familiar names as Vinny Castilla, Jose Oquendo and Hal Lanier, one baseball name stands above all others born on America's Birthday:

Has any owner changed baseball more since Walter O'Malley?

George Steinbrenner was as famous as any of the Yankees who played for him -- and that includes Hall of Famers such as Jeter, Rivera and Jackson -- in his four decades as principal owner. Leading the investment group that bought the franchise for $8.8 million (less than the price of a mid-rotation starter), he restored the Yankee brand, embraced free agency and spent the money to re-energize the roster that paid off in four pennants and two Worlds Championships between 1976 and '81. But... there was that downside, a revolving door of executives and managers (including five stints by Billy Martin), impulsive trades and other questionable decisions, such as running off Reggie Jackson and a forever-strained relationship with Dave Winfield that turned ugly and led to his early 1990s suspension.

Leaving the club in the capable hands of longtime executive Gene Michael, The Boss returned to find a rebuilt team brimming with talented young players about to launch a new dynasty. While making one final impulsive move -- firing Buck Showalter after he broke the franchise's 14 year playoff drought, while bringing Joe Torre who earned four rings and made the post-season in 12 straight years -- and, a tradition-shattering one in replacing, instead of renovating Yankee Stadium, a "kindler and gentler" George was a more restrained presence as the winning resumed, until his health began to decline. His death, nine days after he turned 80 -- and less than a year after his seventh and final World Series championship -- was the symbolic end of a remarkable Yankee era. 

It's no surprise that his plaque is the largest in Monument Park.