3/16: Hans First Retirement; Spring Feats; HBD Little Poison, Patsy & Abraham

• 1865 - OF Patrick “Patsy” Donovan was born in Queenstown, Ireland. He played for the Pirates from 1892-99, hitting .307, and spent 17 years in the big leagues with a lifetime .301 BA. He put up six consecutive .300+ seasons and served as player-manager from 1897-99. Patsy managed in the show for 11 seasons, became a minor league skipper and eventually a high school coach at Phillips Academy in Andover, where he coached the future 41st President, George HW Bush. 

Patsy 1898 Pepsin Gum badge

• 1906 - OF Lloyd “Little Poison” Waner was born in Harrah, Oklahoma. The Hall-of-Fame OF had a .319 BA over 17 seasons with Pittsburgh. He batted .316 with 2,459 hits, striking out just 173 times in an 18-season major league career. Lloyd and his sib Paul set the record for career hits by brothers in MLB with 5,611 knocks. Little Poison worked as a scout for the Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles after retiring as a player and was elected into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1967. 
• 1908 - Honus Wagner announced his retirement at the age of 34, citing arthritis and the need to rest his body. The Pittsburgh Press wrote that “Some hope is still expressed that the mighty Teuton will see...the error of his way and return to the game.” He did after sitting out spring training. Hans played in 151 games in 1908, matching his 1898 high when he was just 24, and led the NL in batting average (for the sixth time at .354), hits (201), total bases (308), doubles (39), triples (19), RBIs (109), stolen bases (53), slugging % (.542), OBP (.415) and OPS (.957). The Flying Dutchman finished the year two homers short of winning the Triple Crown. Honus retired several times in a regular rite of spring, but didn’t actually hang up his spikes until after the 1917 campaign. 
• 1956 - The Pirates 10-5 exhibition win over the Tigers in windy Fort Myers gave long-suffering Bucco fans a rosy glimpse of the future. Les Biederman, beat man for the Pittsburgh Press, wrote “(Roberto) Clemente brought down the house when he twice tripled with two aboard and the 1,289 fans gave him the glad hand. (Bill) Mazeroski, the 19-year-old former Wheeling resident who is here for a long look, contributed two singles and played expertly in the field.” The Great One was in the second of 18 seasons with the Pirates while Maz would be called up in July to begin a 17-year Pittsburgh run. Both men ended up with retired numbers, ballyard statues and Hall of Fame plaques. 
• 1960 - It didn’t count, but still...Benny Daniels and Jim Umbricht tossed a combined no-hitter against the Tigers at Fort Myers. They were this close to a perfecto; Daniels “nicked leadoff man Eddie Yost in the trousers” (on an 0-2 count!) per Les Biederman of the Pittsburgh Press and he was the only Detroit runner for what was pretty much a scrub Motown club. There weren’t any heroics in the field either; all the outs recorded were garden variety during the Pirates 5-0 spring win. It was old hat to the blue crew - arbiter Vinnie Smith was behind the dish for Harvey Haddix’s 12-inning gem in 1959 and Larry Napp was a base ump for Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. 

Pie Traynor 2012 Panini Cooperstown Crystal

• 1972 - Pie Traynor died at age 72 in Pittsburgh. The 3B played 17 years for the Pirates, his only team, with a .320 BA and had a second career as the "Who Can? Ameri-can" spokesman. He managed the Bucs after he hung ‘em up and later served as a Pirate scout before taking a job as a radio sports director in 1944. His show (he was on KQV, hosting the The Pie Traynor Club) was popular with fans and he remained at the job for 21 years. In 1948, Traynor was selected to the Hall of Fame, being the first third baseman to be chosen by the Baseball Writers Association of America. In 1969, as part of the centennial of professional baseball, Traynor was named the third baseman for MLB's all-time team. 
• 1976 - IF Abraham Nunez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The utility man - he played SS, 2B and 3B - spent eight seasons (1997 - 2004) with Pittsburgh and hit .238. His big league career ended in 2008 and after a 2010 fling in the indie leagues, Nunez retired. He now coaches in the Kansas City organization and manages in the Dominican League. 

May your blessings outnumber

The shamrocks that grow, 

And may trouble avoid you 

Wherever you go. 

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!