2/10 Through the 1950s: Lloyd, Otto & Jimmy Sign, In The Bag-by, 20...Not, Outlaw Pitches; HBD Larry, Digger, Country Jake, Cotton, Bill & Jim
- 1857 – UT Jim Keenan was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He spent 10 years in the show playing for five teams with an 1882 stop with the Alleghenys, hitting .219 as a catcher and outfielder (he played every position but 2B during his career). Jim was one of the better catchers of the 1880s, spent mostly with Cincinnati. He caught barehanded (ouch!) and is also noted as being one of the few players of that rambunctious era to kick the booze habit during his playing days. Keenan caught the first Pittsburgh Alleghenys game (by extension, the first game in Pirates franchise history), a 10-9 win over his future mates, the Red Stockings, played on May 2nd, 1882 at Cincinnati’s Bank Street Grounds.
- 1893 – RHP Bill Evans was born in Reidsville, NC. He spent his three-year MLB stint with the Bucs (1916-17, 1919) as a fringe hurler, going 2-13 with a 3.85 ERA. Evans went into the military and missed all of the 1918 campaign. He worked seven games for Pittsburgh in 1919, then spent the next decade in the minors. Evans died in Burlington, North Carolina at age 53.
- 1894 – 2B James “Cotton” (because of his light blond hair) Tierney was born in Kansas City, KS. He started his pro career in Pittsburgh (1920-23), mainly as a second baseman but also seeing time in the outfield and at the hot corner. He hit .315 for Pittsburgh and was the main piece in the 1923 trade for P Lee Meadows. Cotton was remembered when in 2005, his great-great-nephew Jeff Euston created the website Cot’s Baseball Contracts, named after his MLB uncle.
- 1900 – SS “Country Jake” Stephens was born in Pleasantville (or nearby York), Pennsylvania. Jake played in the Negro leagues for 17 years, with stops with the Homestead Grays (1929-31) and Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932). The SS wasn’t much of a batsman with a .240 career BA – the curve befuddled him – but he was a fast and acrobatic fielder with a rifle arm. As loaded with bats as the legendary local clubs were, carrying a glove at shortstop was a natural fit. His leather earned him spots in Pittsburgh and York Sports Halls of Fame.
 |
| Greenfield Jimmy Smith – 1917 Chicago Daily News |
- 1916 – Local boys Otto Knabe from Carrick and Greenfield Jimmy Smith had their contracts purchased from the Baltimore Terrapins of the Federal League. Otto was on the downside of his career, suiting up as mainly a player/manager, and after a couple of dozen games, he was traded to the Cubs. Greenfield Jimmy was a utility guy; the colorful infielder got into 33 games for the Pirates in 1916. Smith finished out his MLB days in 1922, playing for seven teams during an eight-year big league run, before returning home to Greenfield.
- 1920 – The spitball, shineball, and emeryball were outlawed by the AL/NL Joint Rules Committee. Seventeen pitchers who were known to use the pitch, including off-and-on Pirate Burleigh Grimes, were grandfathered out of the ban so they could continue to toss a wet one. Grimes, who finished in 1934 with Pittsburgh, was the last man to legally throw a spitter.
- 1932 – RHP Billy “Digger” O’Dell was born in Whitmire, South Carolina. He closed out his 13-year career (twice an All-Star) with the Pirates in 1966-67, going 8-8-4/4.44. Digger retired and left baseball, coaching Legion ball and earning a spot in the South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. He got his nickname from the radio/TV show “The Life of Riley” that featured a character named Digby “Digger” O’Dell.
- 1939 – RHP Bob Klinger exhibited his flipper to Pittsburgh Press beat writer Les Biederman and told him that “You are now looking at the arm that belongs to the fellow who is going to win 20 games…this year.” Klinger had gone 12-5/2.99 in 1938 with a gimpy arm, then underwent off season treatment for neuritis. He did get 33 starts, but finished 14-17/4.36 and 0-1 as a prognosticator. Apparently his arm remained chronically cranky. The Pirates switched him to spot starter/reliever in 1940, and he didn’t rejoin the rotation full-time again until 1943. He was in the Navy from 1944-45, then went to the Boston Red Sox at age 38 and was their closer from 1946-47 as part of the Bosox 1946 World Series club.
 |
| Bob Klinger – 1940 Play Ball |
- 1940 – CF Lloyd Waner signed his 14th Pittsburgh contract (his first minor-league agreement was inked back in 1926), coming off what was oddly the Hall-of-Famers only All-Star season when he hit .313. The amount of the deal wasn’t disclosed, though his 1938 salary was estimated to be $12,500 and this payday likely fell into the same range. The soon-to-be 34-year-old was nearing the end of the road; he lasted until the end of WW2 (1945 was his last campaign) but never was an everyday outfielder again, averaging 70 games per year in his last six seasons, playing for five different clubs, including a swan song with the Pirates.
- 1947 – RHP Jim Bagby Jr. was purchased from the Boston Red Sox for a little more than the $10,000 waiver fee. Bagby had been a two-time All-Star for Cleveland in 1942-43, but the 30-year-old was on his last legs in Pittsburgh, going 5-4/4.67 in ‘47 in 38 games (six starts), which proved to be his final season after 10 years in MLB. His father blazed a similar path, ending his big league days as a Bucco in 1923 after a nine-year tour of duty.
- 1954 – LHP Larry McWilliams was born in Wichita, Kansas. The sixth overall pick of the 1974 draft by the Braves, he worked for the Pirates from 1982-86. Larry had three strong years as a starter, then faded and was shipped back to his original club, the Braves. His line with the Bucs was 43-44-2 with a 3.86 ERA. Per Wikipedia, he was nicknamed Spaghetti by Tony Pena. “That’s what I call him. Take a look at his legs. They look like spaghetti…” his battery mate said.
Source: https://oldbucs.blogspot.com/2025/02/210-through-1950s-lloyd-otto-jimmy-sign.html
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
LION'S MANE PRODUCT
Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules
Mushrooms are having a moment. One fabulous fungus in particular, lion’s mane, may help improve memory, depression and anxiety symptoms. They are also an excellent source of nutrients that show promise as a therapy for dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you may be curious about all the therapy options out there — including the natural ones.Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend has been formulated to utilize the potency of Lion’s mane but also include the benefits of four other Highly Beneficial Mushrooms. Synergistically, they work together to Build your health through improving cognitive function and immunity regardless of your age. Our Nootropic not only improves your Cognitive Function and Activates your Immune System, but it benefits growth of Essential Gut Flora, further enhancing your Vitality.
Our Formula includes: Lion’s Mane Mushrooms which Increase Brain Power through nerve growth, lessen anxiety, reduce depression, and improve concentration. Its an excellent adaptogen, promotes sleep and improves immunity. Shiitake Mushrooms which Fight cancer cells and infectious disease, boost the immune system, promotes brain function, and serves as a source of B vitamins. Maitake Mushrooms which regulate blood sugar levels of diabetics, reduce hypertension and boosts the immune system. Reishi Mushrooms which Fight inflammation, liver disease, fatigue, tumor growth and cancer. They Improve skin disorders and soothes digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Chaga Mushrooms which have anti-aging effects, boost immune function, improve stamina and athletic performance, even act as a natural aphrodisiac, fighting diabetes and improving liver function. Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules Today. Be 100% Satisfied or Receive a Full Money Back Guarantee. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.
| Online: | |
| Visits: | 1,676,264,458 |
| Stories: | 8,350,222 |
Whistler Blowers, Insiders
