Tiger, Barney, Ted and Freddy...
- 1928 - 3B Don Hoak was born in the Potter County town of Roulette. The Tiger played four years for the Pirates (1959-62), hitting .281 and renowned for his scrappy play on the diamond, living up to his resume as an ex-boxer and Marine. After his playing days ended, Hoak was a Pirates' broadcaster for two years and managed a couple of seasons in the Pirate farm system.
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| Don Hoak 1963 Exhibit Supply Co series |
- 1932 - Longtime owner and one of baseball’s early pathfinders Barney Dreyfuss died at 66, leaving Pirate ownership to his widow Florence and his son-in-law Bill Benswanger. Not only was he influential in Pittsburgh, building a solid franchise and a signature field, but he was also a sturdy rudder for baseball as it sailed some stormy seas in its early decades. In Dan Bonk’s Story of Forbes Field, it was noted that “Between 1895 and 1932, Dreyfuss was in the middle of every important decision facing professional baseball including syndication, contraction, league conflicts, the Federal League, schedules, and of course, the scandal arising out of the 1919 World Series.”
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| Barney Dreyfuss surrounded by the 1902 team that won 103 games |
- 1992 - The Pirates hired Ted Simmons as General Manager. He served in that position for only a year, retiring after suffering a heart attack in June 1993. He was under a lot of stress, as ownership wanted to trim payroll, resulting in an unsettled locker room as the players waited for the next domino to fall.
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| Ted Simmons 1992: photo Associated Press |
- 2008 - 2B Freddy Sanchez inked a two year, $11M contract with an option for $8M in 2010. He was traded at the 2009 deadline to the Giants for RHP Tim Alderson. Freddy played only one full season for the G-Men, the 2010 World Series campaign, as knee and shoulder injuries eroded his career. Alderson never cashed in as a Pirate prospect and is a free agent this season.
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| Freddy Sanchez 2008 via RBI Magazine |
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I have always believed that Ted Simmons would have made a fine GM had it not been for his health crisis. If I recall correctly, he did some good things with the two drafts that he supervised and I think (though I'm not certain) that the Pirates' farm system produced more and better players, overall, in his two drafts than anything that happened under Dave Littlefield (other than Cutch and Walker of course). Hard to say with Ted because he just wasn't here long enough. It would be interesting to compare the results of his drafts with what came later; Ron, do you know of any blog or site that has done this kind of analysis? Thanks if you do! :-D
ReplyDeleteThis be the place, Will: http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?query_type=franch_round&draft_type=junreg&team_ID=PIT&draft_round=1
ReplyDeleteAh, rats - cut and paste it, Will, or just go to Baseball Reference; they have the draft histories.
ReplyDelete