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2/28: Jack, A-Ram, Bob, Homer Sign; Cover Boy Clemente; Druggies Dinged; Barney Buys Into Philly; Price Goes Up; HBD Aroldis, Aaron, Lil, Jud, Moose, Cotton Top & Jack

Wednesday, February 28, 2024 6:58

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1865 – P Jack Easton was born in Bridgeport, Ohio. He tossed in the MLB for five years, closing out with a three-game (one start) stint with the Pirates in 1894, posting a line of 0-1/4.12. He finished his pro career in 1897 at age 32 with Wheeling of the Interstate League. He worked in glass plants after his playing days, passing away young in 1903 of consumption (TB).
1881 – IF Terry “Cotton Top” Turner was born at Sandy Lake in Mercer County. He only got seven at-bats for Pittsburgh as a 20-year-old rookie in 1901 after a two-day August audition, but after some seasoning on the farm, Terry carved out a 17-year MLB career, almost entirely as a Cleveland Nap/Indian. Turner’s calling card was as a master at “small ball.” He was a strong defender who led AL shortstops in fielding four times. On the attack, though he only had a .253 BA, Terry was a great bunter (he laid down 268 sac bunts) and a speedy, fearless runner who pioneered the use of the head-first slide while stealing 256 bases as a pro. His “Cotton Top” nickname came about because of his light hair.
1881 – OF Harry “Moose” McCormick was born in Philadelphia. Moose had a scattered five-year career in the big leagues and was an early pinch-hitting stalwart, hitting .285 over his career. He played his 1904 rookie campaign in part with the Pirates, hitting .290 in 66 games. His post-baseball career was interesting – he served in the military during WW1 and was a salesman, ump & minor league manager before serving as the skipper at Bucknell & West Point. Moose rejoined the Army during WW2, heading up the physical training program at Mitchell Field and became a director of vets housing after the war. He also wrote a coaching manual (“The Fundamentals of Baseball” in 1931) and spent two years running a baseball exhibit at the New York World’s Fair of 1939-1940. His nickname dated back to high school where he was a strapping 5’11”, 185 pounds.

Jud Wilson – Helmar T207

1897 – IF Ernest Judson (Jud or Boojum) Wilson was born in Remington, Virginia. Jud played for the Homestead Grays (1931-1932, 1940-1945) and had a brief stop with the Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1932. The Grays’ captain and Hall of Fame infielder compiled a .351 lifetime BA. He was indifferent with the glove and feisty – his Hall of Fame bio describes him as “ill tempered and fearless” – but was one of the best pure hitters the Negro Leagues ever produced. Satchel Paige gave him his nickname when he yielded a line drive off Wilson’s bat that zipped by his head. After that, Satchel called Jud by the sound the ball made: “Booh-ZHOOM!” per Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post.
1899 – RHP Ulysses Simpson Grant (“Lil”) Stoner – he got the nickname in his youth because his brother couldn’t pronounce Ulysses – was born in Bowie, Texas, the 17th of 18 children. Lil threw seven years for the Tigers; he was workmanlike, winning 10 or more games three times, but could never meet his highly-touted expectations. After that run, he got a brief look in Pittsburgh in 1930 (5-2/3 IP, three runs, seven hits) before being sent to Fort Worth. He had a bounce back campaign there at age 31, but failed a brief audition in Philly the following season and was out of pro ball altogether after the 1932 campaign. Stoner was quite the Renaissance Man – he was an excellent cook (his teammates sometimes called him the “Bowie Baker” because of his culinary skills), became famed for his flower-raising abilities (he was often called on to judge shows) and was an Enrico Caruso opera fan per Bob Hurte of SABR.
1903 – A syndicate headed by Philadelphia socialite James Potter that included Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss bought the Phillies for $170,000 and brought in former Bucco Chief Zimmer as a player/manager. Though they sold the team two years later, ownership interest in more than one team, with its inherent conflicts of interest, wasn’t prohibited until 1910.
1905 – Pittsburgh signed LHP/C Homer Hillebrand as a free agent. The 25-year-old saw action with the Bucs over the next two seasons, posting an 8-4-1/2.53 line in 17 games and batting .237 in 18 more games at first, outfield and behind the plate. The Pirates used the versatile Hillebrand on the slab because of his rifle at backstop; it was a mixed blessing as he was an effective pitcher but limited by arm soreness. Homer had to retire after a partial 1906 campaign because of his bum wing. He tried to make a comeback in 1908, but fell short. The lefty was a Princeton guy and a true 4-H’er – his full name was Homer Hiller Henry Hillebrand.

Homer Hillebrand – 1905 Chicago History Museum/Getty

1926 – The Pirates announced an increase in ticket prices at Forbes Field: with tax included, box seats jumped to $1.75; reserved $1.50; grandstand $1.10 and bleachers remained the same at $.50. When the ballyard closed in 1970, ticket prices ranged from $3.50-$1 at The House of Thrills.
1960 – LF Bob Skinner wasn’t happy about it, but he became the last Pirate to sign a contract on the opening day of camp at Fort Myers. He had a 40-point drop in BA from 1958 to ‘59 (albeit .321 to .280) and the team clipped his salary from $18,000 to $15,000. His pay would continue to yo-yo in his remaining three years in Pittsburgh, as he made $21K in ‘61, $18 K in ‘62 and $31 K in ‘63, before being traded away and settling on a pay scale in the mid-20’s range during his final five seasons with Cincinnati and Saint Louis.
1970 – Roberto Clemente was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Swan Song?” TSN needn’t have worried about The Great One fading into the sunset; the 35-year-old Arriba hit .352, earned a spot on the All Star team for the division-winning Buccos and won a Gold Glove.
1986 – Commissioner Peter Ueberroth gave seven players who were admitted drug users, including ex-Pirates Dave Parker (Reds) and Dale Berra (Yankees), a choice of a year’s suspension without pay or being assessed hefty fines (10% of their salary to a drug program) plus career-long drug testing‚ along with 100 hours of drug-related community service, as a result of the Pittsburgh Cocaine trial. Parker, then with the Cincinnati Reds, and Berra, with the New York Yankees, unsurprisingly took the fine/testing/community service penalty. Lee Lacy (Orioles) and Al Holland (Yankees), likewise ex-Bucs, were issued lesser fines equal to 5% of their salary and had to perform 50 hours community service.

Aaron Thompson – 2011 photo via Steiner Sports

1987 – LHP Aaron Thompson was born in Santa Fe. A first round pick (#22 overall) of the Marlins in 2005, the Pirates picked him up off waivers during the winter of 2010, and he made his MLB debut in August, 2011. He got into four games (7-2/3 IP, 7.04 ERA) and was released at the end of the year. He later popped up briefly in the Twins bullpen (2014-15). He was let go after 2015, played a year of indie ball, spent another season in Mexico, and then retired in 2017.
1988 – LHP Aroldis Chapman was born in Holguin, Cuba. The Pirates signed the 14-year vet and seven-time All Star to a one-year/$10.5 M contract as a bridge man and experienced closer behind David Bednar to add another brick to an already-sturdy bullpen back end.
2002 – The team agreed to terms with 3B Aramis Ramirez on a back-loaded, three-year contract extension through 2004 for $9.5M. The Bucs traded him to Chicago, along with Kenny Lofton, in mid-2003 for IF Bobby Hill and a farmhand before the big money fell due. A-Ram finished his career with the Bucs in 2015, retiring after 18 MLB campaigns with a .283 BA, 368 HR and 1,417 RBI.
2006 – The team and SS Jack Wilson worked out a three-year/$20.2M contract extension through the 2009 season with a limited no-trade clause and an $8.4M club option for 2010. He was sent to Seattle before the 2009 deadline. Injury-plagued in his later years (he only played 90+ games once from 2008-12), Jack retired after the 2012 campaign and now is a college coach.

Source: https://oldbucs.blogspot.com/2024/02/228-jack-ram-bob-homer-sign-cover-boy.html

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