November 7, 2006

Johnny Sain, an Arkansas-born star major league pitcher who is widely considered to have been the best pitching coach in major league baseball history, died in Downers Grove, Illinois, from complications from a stroke. He is buried in his hometown of Havana (Yell County). Sain had unique (and still controversial) approaches to working with pitchers, the success of which earned him the respect and affection of his charges. As a pitcher, he won 139 games, the third-highest total for an Arkansas native; only Dizzy Dean, with 150 victories, and Lon Warneke, with 192, won more.