Art Schallock has the easy laugh of someone as delighted with his current circumstances as he is with his memories.
“I’m still alive and I’m healthy,” he said, prefacing the words with a chuckle.
Schallock, the oldest living former Major League Baseball player, certainly has had the last laugh. He celebrated his 100th birthday with a party Thursday at Cogir on Napa Road, the Sonoma assisted-living facility he calls home.
The Dodgers, who signed Schallock in 1946, sent him a gift jersey: No. 100, of course. A representative from the New York Yankees — who won three World Series with Schallock on the roster — made a surprise visit and gave him a jersey signed by the 2024 team.