7/10 Happenings: Fred HoF; Divisional Era; HBD Gene & Harvey & More

• 1877 - P Harvey Cushman was born in Rockland, Maine. His one major league campaign came in 1902 as a 25-year-old Pirate, getting four starts with a slash of 0-4/7.36 and managing to walk 31 batters in 25-2/3 IP. Harvey finished out his pro career after the 1905 season with Braddock of the Class C Ohio-Pennsylvania League. He must of liked the area; he died in 1920 in Emsworth. 

Gene Alley 1968 Topps/TSN All-Stars

• 1940 - SS Gene Alley was born in Richmond, Virginia. He played his entire 11-year career (1963–73) with the Pirates. A modest hitter - his BA was .254 - he won a pair of Gold Gloves, was twice selected an All-Star, and set the MLB DP record for middle infielders with Bill Mazeroski in 1966 with 161. Shoulder and knee problems slowed and ultimately ended his career. 
• 1943 - Pittsburgh surrendered a franchise record for most runs given up in the modern era when the Brooklyn Dodgers spanked them 23-6 at Forbes Field. As motivation, the Dodgers only had two players willing to suit up before the game after Leo Durocher suspended pitcher Bobo Newsome. Da Bums, led by ex-Buc Arky Vaughan, were ready to walk out in support of Newsome until GM Branch Rickey stepped in and calmed the seas, leaving Brooklyn to take out its frustrations on the Buccos. Vaughan despised Leo The Lip so much that he sat out the following three seasons and wouldn’t return to Brooklyn until Durocher was gone. 
• 1943 - Homestead Grays owner (and numbers king) Rufus "Sonnyman" Jackson was briefly jailed after a confrontation at Forbes Field with a Mexican baseball agent (actually, the Mexican diplomatic consul AJ Guina) trying to raid his roster. As quoted by Mark Ribowsky in A Complete History of the Negro Leagues, Jackson said “I don’t care if they send Pancho Villa, they’re not getting my ballplayers.” Sonnyman eventually kept his players and he ran the team himself after team co-owner Cum Posey's death, winning the last pennant in Negro National League history in 1948. 

Fred Clarke Ron Lewis Art Card

• 1945 - Fred Clarke was inducted into Hall of Fame. Selected by the Old Timers Committee, Clarke spent 15 years in Pittsburgh (1900-11, 1913-15) and hit ahead of Honus Wagner, batting .299. As a manager, he led the Bucs to the first three modern NL pennants, taking four flags in all, and finished second five times. Clarke won (1,602) and managed more games (2,829) than any other Bucco skipper, and compiled the club’s highest career winning percentage (.576). 
• 1968 - The NL announced that it would split into two divisions next season. The Eastern Division would consist of Chicago, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. It was the beginning of the Divisional Era, where the winners of each division would compete against each other in a League Championship Series to determine the World Series opponents.