12/24 From 1950: Starg, Terry SI MoY; Groat & Syd DD Winners; Fire; HBD Vic & Tim

• 1957 - Pirates SS Dick Groat outpolled Steelers coach Buddy Parker 16-13 to win the 1957 Dapper Dan Man of the Year Award after batting .315 during the season. It was presented to the Swissvale native on January 19th at the charity’s annual dinner funder. The honor marked the second straight MoY recognition for the Bucs; Dale Long was the 1956 recipient. 

Victor Cruz - 1981 Topps

• 1957 - RHP Victor Cruz was born in Rancho Viejo, Dominican Republic. Cruz came to Pittsburgh as part of the Bert Blyleven deal. He lasted one season here, and tossed pretty well in 22 games going 1-1/2.65 as a bridge man before he was traded to the Texas Rangers in 1982 for Nelson Norman. As it ended up, Cruz became the most Pirates asset of the trade that shipped out Blyleven, a Hall-of-Fame pitcher with 11 big-league seasons left in the tank, demonstrating that GM Harding Peterson could blow a deal as well as any Bucco exec. 
• 1964 - RHP Tim Drummond was born in La Plata, Maryland. Tim was signed by the Pirates after being chosen in the 12th round of the 1983 draft out of the College of Southern Maryland. He worked for the Bucs in 1987, making six outings/six IP with no decisions and a 4.50 ERA. Drummond worked 1989-90 with the Twins, ending his MLB career. 
• 1970 - There was a fire in the right field stands of the vacated Forbes Field. The damage this blaze caused, followed by a July 1971 fire, hastened the old ball yard’s demolition. The Christmas Eve blaze became a five-alarm fire when Pitt security guards couldn’t find the keys to the center-field gate, delaying the firefighter’s entry to the ballpark. 
• 1979 - The famous Willie Stargell/Terry Bradshaw cover issue of Sports Illustrated hit the stands when the pair were named co-Sportsmen of the Year. Willie led his team to the World Series title and Terry & the Steelers won the Super Bowl, with both being named MVP.

• 1987 - Syd Thrift was given an early Christmas present when he was named the “Sportsman of the Year” by the Dapper Dan Club, awarded to him at their annual banquet in February. The glow wore off quickly as he was ousted after the 1988 season, but he helped lay the groundwork for the success of Jim Leyland’s early 1990’s teams