3/1 Through the 1930’s: Radio Days; Forbes Field Dirt Flies; More Pirating; HBD Lefty, Jumbo, Paul & Henry

• 1855 - OF and general utilityman Paul Hines was born somewhere in Virginia. Hines played in 1,659 games in three major leagues from 1872-91, had 2,135 hits, hit .300+ 11 times and posted a career batting average of .302. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh fans, he played for the Alleghenys during part of the disastrous 1890 113-loss season and performed at their level, hitting a career low .182 in 31 games. He was 35 then and had one more season left in him, bouncing back with a more representative .282 BA in his swan song with Washington. 

Paul Hines in pre-Pittsburgh days - 1887 Buchner Gold Coin

• 1864 - C Henry Yaik was born in Detroit. His big league career was spent with the Alleghenys when he played two games in October, 1888. Henry caught in one contest and played LF in another, with two hits, a walk, and an RBI in seven PA. His claim to fame: Henry was the catcher for Cy Young in the minors when they were battery mates for the Tri State League Canton club in 1890. 
• 1885 - LHP Cleon “Lefty” Webb was born in New Gilead, Ohio. He joined the Pirates on September 1st, 1909 via the prospect draft. In his only big league season, he split time between the Bucs and the American Association Indianapolis squad in 1910, making seven Pittsburgh appearances (three starts) with a 2-1/5.67 line. 1914 was his last pro year; the Ohio Wesleyan grad went on to a second career of teaching, coaching and eventually became a school superintendent. 
• 1891 - After earlier spiriting 2B Lou Bierbauer away from Philadelphia, the Pittsburgh Alleghenys again raided the American Association by signing OF Pete Browning and P Scott Stratton away from the Louisville Colonels, further cementing its new nickname of "Pirates." The Alleghenys were never found guilty of wrongdoing in any of the deals, and they thumbed their noses at being called piratical by rebranding themselves as the Pirates for the 1891 season, at least in the media. The nickname was finally stitched on the team's uniforms in 1912. 
• 1909 - Barney Dreyfuss began construction of a stadium near Schenley Park in Oakland, to be named Forbes Field after General John Forbes of French and Indian War fame. The steel-and-concrete ballyard was built and opened remarkably quickly on June 30th, remaining the Bucco’s playground for decades. The Pirates won three World Series there while sharing it with Pitt, the Steelers, the circus, rallies and events of all stripes before shutting down in 1970 and moving to Three Rivers Stadium. 
• 1915 - RHP Nick “Jumbo” Strincevich was born in Gary, Indiana. The Pirates sent Lloyd Waner to the Boston Braves for Nick, and he remained a Buc from 1941-48, starting about half the games he appeared in while compiling a slash of 42-40-5/4.05 before being sold to the Phils. Strincevich was selected to play on the 1945 All-Star team but unfortunately due to wartime travel restrictions, the game and his day in the sun was cancelled. Jumbo carved out a long career, pitching 16 seasons of pro ball. His nickname was lifted from his dad, who was known as Big Jumbo and Nick as Little Jumbo. 

Jumbo - 1947 Tip Top

• 1939 - The first Major League Broadcasting Agreement was signed just prior to the 1939 season. Prior to that, many MLB clubs didn’t broadcast their games over the radio for fear of losing attendance, especially the two-team cities. Afterward, they all did except for a couple of times that clubs didn’t get their asking price for the rights. The first televised game was also aired this year, and in 1953 ABC began broadcasting a national game on Saturdays. League-wide broadcasts started when Commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis orchestrated a deal in 1935 that allowed the World Series to be carried over the radio on all three major networks. In exchange, baseball was paid $400,000 for the radio rights. This marked the beginning of the end of the radio bans, and by 1939, all MLB teams were free to broadcast their games on the radio.