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1/1: Jay Bell, Pops Dapper Dans; Josh Shut Down; Hot Potato; New Years Ballgame; RIP Specs; HBD Gary, Bob, Hank; Webster & Gunner

Sunday, January 1, 2023 7:01

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1855 – Manager Bill “Gunner” McGunnigle was born in Boston. After his playing career was ended by a beanball that fractured his skull, McGunnigle stayed in the game as a manager. When the 1891 Pittsburgh Pirates (the first to be known as the Pirates) got off to a 31–47 start on the heels of a 23–113 season, the club demoted captain/manager Ned Hanlon and hired McGunnigle, who had a prior stop at Brooklyn. He managed the club to a 24–33-2 record over the remainder of the year and was replaced by Tom Burns. The dapper Gunner managed and coached the bases wearing black patent-leather shoes, a cutaway suit coat, lavender trousers, a silk tie and a derby hat. He was street smart despite his foppish attire – he was the first to use signals from the bench and the first to steal opponent’s signs. His earned his nickname in the minors because of the strength of his arm, per McGunnigle’s SABR bio written by Ronald Shafer.

Pgh Dispatch 1-2-1892

1892 – In a spur of the moment promotion that featured two top Pittsburgh semi-pro clubs, the Pittsburgh Keystones (regrouping after a five-year hiatus) and the South Side Standards, a New Year’s game at Exposition Park was slapped together. The game was scheduled on short notice during an uncharacteristic warm spell, and began with a fife-and-drum corp-led parade from town to the park with the players following in carriages. The contest drew 500 fans as the Standards won 8-3; the late afternoon game was called after 7-1/2 innings because of darkness. It had a touch of the big leagues as former Alleghenys’ pitcher turned Allegheny City bar owner Ed “Cannonball” Morris umpired the game. The Keystones avenged the loss in an April rematch.
1900 – RHP Webster McDonald was born in Wilmington, Delaware. McDonald was a submariner who played in the Negro Leagues from 1920 through 1940 and then managed at Washington and Philly. He tossed and won one game for the Homestead Grays in 1928 and would later join them on an All-Star barnstorming tour. Webster’s nickname was “56 Varieties” due to his deep toolkit of pitches, with his bread-and-butter servings being a sinking fastball, curveball and changeup.
1911 – Hall of Fame OF Hank Greenberg was born in New York City. He played for the Bucs in 1947, teaming up with Ralph Kiner in the middle of the Pirate order. The original Hammerin’ Hank signed with Pittsburgh for a reported $90,000, the biggest MLB contract inked to date. Team minority owner Bing Crosby even recorded a song, “Goodbye, Mr. Ball, Goodbye” with Groucho Marx and Greenberg to celebrate Hank’s arrival. The Pirates also brought in the left field fence at Forbes Field for him, calling it “Greenberg Gardens” and then keeping it intact during the Kiner era as “Kiner’s Korner.” Though he hit just .249 in Pittsburgh, he had a .408 OBP (he walked 104 times), launched 25 homers and tutored Kiner while taking his major league bow.

Billy Southworth – 1919 Strip set

1919 – NL President John Heydler washed his hands of the entire NL 1918 batting championship brouhaha by not naming the league’s top hitter. Some writers felt the king should be the Pirates Billy Southworth, who hit .341 but played just 64 games w/275 at bats. A second school preferred Brooklyn’s Zack Wheat, who hit .335 in 105 games w/436 at bats, and who tops most lists as the champ, as 100 games/400 at bats was the unwritten rule-of-thumb cut-off line then. The Bucs’ Debs Garms got into the same kind of mud fight in 1940 when he won the title easily (he hit .355, 30 points higher than any other NL’er) while playing 103 games but with only 358 at bats, as he was hurt early in the year. In 1954, the league ended the debates and made 3.1 plate appearances per game over the season (currently 502 PA’s) the official gold standard.
1943 – C Josh Gibson suffered from a brain tumor (not a nervous breakdown as often touted) and was admitted to St. Francis Hospital for rest and treatment. He was released 10 days later, in time to get to spring camp and play for the Homestead Grays. The Pirates, among other clubs, reportedly wanted to try out the future Hall of Famer, but the color line wouldn’t be crossed until 1945. Although he never got a MLB shot, Gibson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972.
1955 – LHP Bob Owchinko was born in Detroit. The vet made one outing for Pittsburgh in 1983 after signing as a free agent; he faced two batters against St. Louis, gave up two hits (Andy Van Slyke homered and Darrell Porter doubled) and blew the save in a 7-6 loss, forever maintaining a Pirates ERA of infinity. He spent most of the year as a starter in AAA Hawaii (10-6/4.25) and was sold to the Reds after the season. It was his second quick tour as a Bucco: the Pirates had originally gotten him as part of the Bert Blyleven trade with Cleveland in 1980, but sent him to Oakland for RHP Ernie Camacho early in April. His playing days ended in 1986, concluding a ten-year, six-team career.

Gary Wilson – 1995 Flair

1970 – RHP Gary Wilson was born in Arcata, California. He was drafted by Pittsburgh in the 18th round of the 1992 draft from Cal State (Sacramento) and his MLB career consisted of 10 games tossed for the Bucs in 1995 with a line of 0-1/5.20. Following his playing days, Wilson briefly coached college ball, then became a scout for Colorado and later Kansas City.
1980 – In the first year of fan voting, Willie Stargell ran away with the Dapper Dan Man of the Year award. It was Pop’s second Dapper Dan recognition, and he was presented with the prize the following month at the group’s annual dinner. Willie had already claimed the NL Playoff and World Series MVPs, then frustratingly tied with Keith Hernandez for the NL MVP and Terry Bradshaw for the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year honors.
1990 – RHP Carmen “Specs” Hill passed away in Indianapolis at the ripe ol’ age of 94. Hill tossed eight years for the Pirates (1915-16; 1918-19; 1926-29) and was a late bloomer; in his first five Bucco campaigns, he bounced back and forth between the big club and the farm. He was 47-31/3.26 for Pittsburgh, but his heyday was 1927-28 (he won 21 times at Indy in 1926 to earn a return trip to the majors at age 31) when he won 38 games and was a member of the ‘27 NL championship rotation. Oddly, those were the only seasons – he spent parts of 10 years in the majors – that he won more than three games, although the screwballer claimed 202 victories in the minors. While mostly a depth arm, he was a member of good staffs – he was with the Giants, which won the 1922 World Series; the Pirates, winners of the 1927 National League pennant and the Cards, which claimed the 1930 NL flag. Carmen picked up the “Specs” moniker in 1915; he and Lee Meadows were among the first pitchers to sport glasses, and they were Buc teammates from 1926-29.

Specs – 1927 photo Mears/TSN

1994 – Jay Bell was announced as the Dapper Dan Athlete of the Year, becoming the third Pirate (Syd Thrift, Jim Leyland) in the past seven years to earn the honor. He hit .310, scored 102 runs and earned an All-Star berth after signing a $20M deal in April while also earning Golden Glove and Silver Slugger honors. Jay’s award soiree was held February 11th.

Source: https://oldbucs.blogspot.com/2023/01/11-jay-bell-pops-dapper-dans-josh-shut.html

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