12/9 B-Days & RIP: HBD Doc, Hank, Adam, TVP, Mike, Handsome Joe, Bruce; RIP Branch

• 1871 - OF’er “Handsome Joe” Kelley was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He played for 17 MLB seasons, but only spent a partial campaign in Pittsburgh, hitting .239 in 56 games in 1892 as a wet-behind-the-ears 21 year-old. Pity the Bucs didn’t hang on to him - Joe was an early five tool player and part of the core of the powerful early Baltimore Oriole clubs (he was known as “Kingpin Kelly” with the Birds) and a Hall of Famer. He finished with a lifetime .317/.402/.451 slash and 443 stolen bases. Joe knocked in 100+ runs in five straight seasons, scored 100+ runs six times and had 212 assists from the OF; one story about his fielding prowess claims that he hid balls in the pasture so that if one got by him, he had another stashed away near at hand. When he retired, he stayed in the MLB mix as a manager, scout, and coach. As for his nickname, SABR’s Jimmy Keenan wrote “Dubbed ‘Handsome Joe Kelley’ by his multitude of female admirers in Baltimore, he kept a small mirror and comb in his back pocket in order to maintain his well-groomed appearance during games.” 

Handsome Joe 1980 Perez-Steele Hall of Fame Series

• 1879 - OF Mike Mitchell was born in Springfield, Ohio. Mike was known for his speed and strong arm, leading the NL in triples and outfield assists early in his career. He finished his MLB time in 1913-14, hitting .250 over that span for the Pirates before being waived to the Senators to complete his eight-year big league tenure.
• 1905 - OF Adam Comorosky was born in Swoyersville in Luzerne county. He played eight years (1926-33) for the Pirates with a line of .285/26/363. In 1929 and ‘30, he was one of the hot NL bats. Over that period, he hit .317 with 216 RBI and 198 runs scored, banging out 73 doubles, 34 triples (he led the NL with 23 in ‘30) and 18 homers. Adam is the only NL outfielder to register two unassisted double plays in a season, both within the span of a week in 1931. 
• 1914 - C Henry Camelli was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Camelli was a reserve during the war years (he only got three at-bats in 1945 due to service obligations) with a Bucco BA of .229 between 1943-46. Hank played just 159 games in his MLB career, but paid his dues with 13 minor league campaigns. He once caught six straight doubleheaders while on the farm. 
• 1948 - RHP George “Doc” Medich was born in Aliquippa and became a three-sport star at Hopewell HS. For a local boy (he played football and baseball at Pitt, starting on both squads), he didn’t get much Pirates love, pitching just one of his 11 big league season in Pittsburgh, going 8-11/3.52 in 1976. Doc (he MD’ed from Pitt medical school) lived up to his name. Twice as a player (once as a Pirate) he went into the stands to perform CPR on a fan, saving one of the victims. Doc was chosen as a member of the Beaver County Hall of Fame. 

Doc Medich 1977 Topps

• 1961 - RHP Bruce Tanner was born in New Castle. Chuck’s kid, Bruce got to toss one year in the show for the White Sox in 1985, his dad’s final year as Bucco skipper. After the 1989 campaign, Bruce gave up organized ball as a player and spent the 1990s as a minor league pitching coach for San Diego. He became the bullpen coach for the Pirates in 2001, a position he held through the 2005 season. In 2006, he served as pitching coach for the Williamsport Crosscutters, one of the Bucs' minor league clubs. He jumped to the Tigers the next year to become an advance scout and since 2009 has served Motown as a major league scout. 
• 1965 - Former Pirates GM Branch Rickey died of a heart attack. Famous for breaking the color barrier by playing Jackie Robinson while a Dodger exec and becoming the poster child for strong farm teams, Rickey was the Pirates GM from 1950-55 before he retired due to health issues. He walked the walk on farm systems, bringing in Roberto Clemente, Bill Mazeroski, Dick Groat and company, a group that would help bring home the flag in 1960. Rickey was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1967.