2/7 Through the 1920’s: HBD Joe, Bill, Clipper, Spike, Lefty, John & Mitty

• 1859 - P John Fox was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. John spent one of his four major league campaigns with the Alleghenys in 1894, going 1-6/5.63 in seven complete game performances. Believe it or not, he was third in starts on the team - Fleury Sullivan and Jack Neagle got 89 starts between them, leaving just 21 outings for the rest of the staff. It was just the third year of existence for the Alleghenys and the birth pangs showed - the club won only 30 games and went through five managers. And though Fox tossed 45 big league games for four teams over four seasons, none of them bothered to note whether he was a lefty or righty. 
• 1863 - OF Michael “Mitty” Jordan was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. He played just one year of big league ball, in 1890 for the Alleghenys, and that’s not too surprising considering he hit .096 in 125 at-bats. But as his nickname tells us, he was carried as a fourth outfielder and defensive replacement, although there wasn’t much call for a 23-win team to roster a glove guy whose sole purpose was to protect late inning leads. Mitty later went home to work in the local textile industry and became a politician later in life. 

Spike Shannon before he became a Bucco - photo circa 1905 via Wikipedia

• 1875 - OF William “Spike” Shannon was born in Clarksburg (Indiana County) and raised in Pittsburgh. He attended Grove City College, where in addition to baseball, he was an oft-injured football star who played semi-pro ball afterward. Spike also put in five MLB campaigns, closing out with the hometown Buccos in 1908 with a .197 BA (his career average was a healthier .259 and he was the NL leader in runs scored in 1907, when 104 tallies for the NY Giants). After his playing career (Shannon played pro ball until 1913, his 35-year-old campaign), he was an umpire in the Federal League. The Feds folded in 1915 but Spike’s gig in blue continued on in the minors through 1931. His nickname has a couple of possibilities. One was that he was a bit clumsy as a 1B and spiked several runners, although the more likely is that he picked it up in college, when he wore a knee brace that was held together by a spike. 
• 1894 - OF Charles “Lefty” Jackson was born in Granite City, Illinois. Charlie had played in the Sally League, went off to WW1 and then got a cup of coffee (OK, one at-bat) with the White Sox in 1915. The Bucs inked him in 1917 and the 24-year-old outfielder hit .240 in 121 at-bats for his big-league final hurrah. He closed out his playing days with a three-year stint with the Minnesota Millers of the American Association, retiring in 1920 at the age of 26. 
• 1907 - C Bill Steinecke was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bill was a baseball lifer who spent 13 years in the minors, getting his reward in September of 1931 when the Bucs got him into four games, going 0-for-4. Steineke continued on - he managed in the minors for 22 years, then moved on to scouting. He’s the poster boy for the semi-famous “Steiny” in Pat Jordan’s book “A False Spring.” 
• 1927 - Coach Joe Lonnett was born in Koppel, Beaver County. He graduated from Beaver Falls High School and lived in Brighton Township for 45 years before passing away in 2011. He was a catcher for four seasons with the Phillies from 1956-59 before joining the coaching ranks. A long time bud of Chuck Tanner, he came to Pittsburgh with him from the AL - he was with Tanner when he managed the Chicago White Sox (1971-75) & Oakland Athletics (1976) - and was a part of the Pirates staff from 1977-84, serving as the third base coach for the Bucs during the 1979 World Series Championship season. 

Joe Lonnett - photo 1977 team promo

• 1928 - OF/1B Felipe “Clipper” Montemayor was born in Monterrey, Mexico. The Bucs bought him from Mexicali in 1951 and he played for Pittsburgh in 1953 and again in 1955, hitting .173 as one of the first Mexican MLB players. But he did have his day in the sun despite the stats. Montemayor had two career home runs, and they came in both ends of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 1st, 1955. The Clipper had a long career (1948-68) although Pittsburgh was his only MLB stop - he started at age 20 and ended his playing days at 40, playing both in the US minors and the Mexican League. Felipe then became a hometown sportswriter. He got his nickname in the 40s as a Mexican superstar, with “El Clipper” being a knockoff of Joe DiMaggio’s “Yankee Clipper” handle.