10/30: Gunner & Nellie Axed; Sauer Prez; Colts Bought; HBD Ian, Bobby, Lee, Pete, Lefty, Mosquito & Houston

• 1866 - RHP Pete Conway was born in Burmont, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philly. For Pete, it was a matter of too much, too soon. He broke into the majors at age 18 in 1885, and by his 1888 campaign made 46 starts, with 43 complete games and 391 IP on the way to a 30-14, 2.26 year for the Detroit Wolverines. Motown disbanded, Conway signed with the Alleghenys for two years at $3500 per year and then worked all of three games as his arm was shot (the Boston Daily Globe reported that he had “snapped a cord in his arm”; later researchers believed he had a rotator cuff injury) and Pittsburgh suspended him - without pay, of course - for not being in baseball condition. He became a cause celebre with the Players Brotherhood as they tried to get his contract enforced (Pete even reported to the team daily) but to no avail; the injury was deemed to have a “natural cause.” He tried to pitch for a couple of more years, then went to Michigan to get a law degree. He coached the Maize & Blue nine for two years, but never had much time for either career, passing away at age 36 of a heart ailment. His older brother Jim was also a big league pitcher; his career ended because of a bum arm, too.

Pete Conway 1891 (photo via Wikiwand)

• 1884 - Financially troubled despite finishing second to New York in the American Association‚ the Columbus Colts sold its players to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys for $8‚000 and disbanded. The Alleghenys needed all the help they could get; they finished the 1884 season 30-78 and 45-1/2 games behind the AA champion NY Metropolitans. 10 of Columbus’ players stuck on the Alleghenys 1885 roster, and five became core players for years - C Fred Carroll, OF Tom Brown, 2B Pop Smith, 3B Bill Kuehne and P Ed Morris. 
• 1914 - LHP Aldon “Lefty” Wilkie was born in Zealandia, Saskatchewan. Lefty worked three years in the majors, all for Pittsburgh (1941-42, 1946), posting a line of 8-11-3, 4.59. He lost 1943-45 to the war as he was sent to Europe by the Army, and he never regained his pitching touch after his return. Lefty worked in the minors through 1951, then retired to Oregon and became a poultry farmer. 
• 1917 - Manager Bobby Bragan was born in Birmingham, Alabama. The former big league infielder managed the Bucs in 1956-57, just before they turned the corner, slating a record of 102-155 (.397) before Danny Murtaugh took the reins. Bobby moved on to Cleveland and after a break managed the Braves from 1963-66. He went on to become president of the Texas League and chairman of the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation. 

Bobby Bragan 1957 (photo Hy Peskin/Getty)

• 1918 - SS Tony “Mosquito” Ordenana was born in Guanabacoa, Cuba. Ordenana spent from 1942 to 1954 in pro ball, playing in 11 leagues with 14 teams. After appearing in one big league game with the Pirates in 1943, going 2-for-4 w/three RBI while handling seven chances at short, he spent the rest of his pro career in the minor leagues. But Mosquito (so called because of his quickness) hurt his MLB cause by batting just .250 without ever swatting a homer. 
• 1957 - IF Houston Jimenez was born in Mexico City. Jimenez got parts of four seasons in the show, with most of his playing time as a Twin. He went 0-for-6 as a Bucco, getting into five games in 1987 before moving on the Indians for a final cup of coffee the following campaign. Houston finished out his career playing winter ball and in the Mexican League, taking his last at bat in 2001 as a 43-year-old. He’s managed below the border since and was recognized in 2013 when he was selected into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame. 
• 1960 - RHP Byron Lee Tunnell was born in Tyler, Texas. The Baylor righty was the Bucs’ second pick in the 1981 draft. He arrived in Pittsburgh the following September and then went 11-6/3.85 in 1983, but his four year run (1982-85) produced just a 17-24/4.06 line overall. Lee went on to toss for St. Louis and Minnesota. He later pitched in the Japanese League for three seasons, then coached in the minor leagues for the Rangers & Reds. Tunnell joined the Brewers in 2009 as a minor league pitching coordinator and became their bullpen coach in 2012. 
• 1975 - Westinghouse Broadcasting stunned Pirate fans by announcing that Bob “The Gunner” Prince and sidekick Nellie King were getting the ax. At the time, no major league broadcaster had ever spent more years (29) with one team than Prince had with the Pirates. The reasons given were that the pair didn’t do enough to promote the team and went off-topic too often (guilty of the latter, but not the former). Despite a parade in his support that drew 10,000 fans, the duo were replaced by Milo Hamilton, formerly of the Atlanta Braves booth, and Lanny Frattare, the voice of the Pirates AAA Charleston club. 

Ian Snell 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter

• 1981 - RHP Ian Snell was born in Dover, Delaware. He spent parts of six seasons (2004-09) as a Pirate starter, showing promise but never quite getting over the hump with a line of 33-46/4.75. Ian was demoted to Indy in 2009, at his own request, and traded to Seattle a month later. He bombed there and was DFA’ed in June of 2010, ending his MLB career, although he did make a couple of comeback efforts. 
• 1991 - Mark Sauer was named club president after Carl Barger left to run the Florida Marlins. He oversaw the cost-cutting that gutted the Pirates' 1990-92 powerhouse teams as per the orders of the Pirates' public-private ownership to reduce payroll. He was eased out of action by the Kevin McClatchy group and resigned in the summer of 1996; McClatchy took his spot.