1/15 From 1965: Cutch, Hartenstein Deals; Rick Rod Signs; '16, '91 Arbs; WBC; Hans Museum; Pop-era; Roberto Hurt; RIP Gus, Bill; HBD Banny

• 1965 - Jeff “Banny” Banister was born in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Drafted in 1986, he got one at-bat with the Bucs in 1991 and singled. After going through the minor league system, he then served as a coach or manager for the franchise beginning in 1993. He flew the coop in 2014 when he was hired as the skipper of the Texas Rangers and quickly earned the AL Manager of the Year award in 2015. He came back to the Bucs briefly before being let go in 2020; now he’s the Arizona bench coach. His nickname, btw, isn’t based on his surname, but is short for “bantam rooster,” a nod to his scrappy style of play. 

Roberto - NL Batting Leaders/1966 Topps

• 1965 - Roberto Clemente aggravated a thigh injury in the winter league All Star Game, forming a clot that was surgically removed OTD. The operation was deemed a success but the leg limited his effectiveness with the Pirates in the first month of the 1965 season, during which he batted .257. He found his groove in mid-May and finished the year with a MLB-leading .329 BA. 
• 1969 - In a minor league deal, the Pirates traded OF Manny Jimenez to the Cubs for RHP Chuck Hartenstein and IF Ron Campbell. Jimenez played briefly for Chicago (he went 1-for-6) before fading into the minors, while Campbell never made it to the show. Hartenstein made 56 appearances for the Bucs in 1969, with 10 saves/3.95 ERA, but slipped in 1970 and was traded to St. Louis and then to Boston to close out his final MLB campaign. Chuck coached and scouted afterward, spending some time with the Bucs as a minor league pitching coach. 
• 1972 - Bill Benswanger, the Pirates president for 15 years, passed away. He held the position from 1932-46, taking over after the death of his father-in-law, Barney Dreyfuss. Bill never brought a title to Pittsburgh, but he did steer the club through the lean years of the depression and Second World War while fielding competitive clubs that usually finished in the first division and earned second four times. He sold the club to the McKinney interests for $2.225M in 1946. 
• 1983 - Willie Stargell narrated the premiere of Robert Schwanter's "New Morning for the World," performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington by the Eastman Philharmonic, before a crowd of DC politicos during an Martin Luther King Jr. birthday anniversary performance. Pops met President Ronald Reagan earlier in the day at a White House reception prior to the concert. 

Doug was the only winner - 1992 Fleer

• 1991 - The Pirates had nine arb-eligible players - Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, Doug Drabek, Mike Lavalliere, Jose Lind, John Smiley, Bob Kipper, Bill Landrum & Lloyd McClelland - and all filed for arbitration, with four going the distance to a hearing. Bonds, Bonilla and Lind lost their cases while Drabek beat the club and won a $3.35M salary with $2.3M being the club's offer. Among the losers, Bobby Bo settled with $2.4M (he asked for $3.475M), BB got $2.3M (BB sought $3.25M) and Chico took home $575K (Lind asked for $950K, although he won the next year’s challenge for $2M). 
• 2004 - Gus Suhr, who played 10 seasons for the Bucs (1930-39) passed away in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the ripe old age of 98. Gus was more dependable than spectacular - he hit .278 as a Pirate, drove in 100+ runs three times and made the 1936 All-Star squad. Suhr walked 250 times more than he whiffed as a Corsair and compiled a .368 OBP to offset just average power. He played a then-record 822 consecutive games, with the streak halted not by injury or slump but by his mom’s funeral. The Golden Gate native liked his home by the bay - he spent from 1925-29 with the San Francisco Seals of the PCL before joining Pittsburgh and came out of retirement to play again for the Seals during the war years of 1943-45, hangin’ ‘em up for good at age 39. 
• 2005 - Mayor Jim Pascoe of Carnegie announced plans for the Honus Wagner Museum which opened later in the year. The little-known attraction, filled with photos, news clips, and other Flying Dutchman mementos (with many culled from the local Elks Club that he belonged to) is on 1 West Main Street in the Carnegie Historical Society Building. It’s easy to spot with Honus’ famous baseball card replicated on a mural on the outside and is open to the public on weekdays. 

Jay Bay with Les Habs - 2006 Flair Showcase

• 2006 - Canada’s first WBC team had a distinct Pittsburgh look to it, as current Bucco Jason Bay, past Pirate Matt Stairs, and future Corsairs Justin Morneau & Erik Bedard were named to the squad. 
• 2016 - RHP Mark Melancon was the last of six arbitration-eligible players to agree to a contract. C Chris Stewart had earlier reached a two-year deal with the club. The others avoiding arbitration by inking one-year deals were C Francisco Cervelli, who then signed a three-year extension in May, LHP Tony Watson, RHP Jared Hughes, SS Jordy Mercer and LHP Jeff Locke. The FO trimmed five others off the list by non-tendering 1B Pedro Alvarez, 1B Travis Ishikawa, RHP Vance Worley and OF Travis Snider while trading 2B Neil Walker to the Mets. 
• 2018 - Two days following the Gerrit Cole trade, the Pirates sent Andrew McCutchen, in the walk year of a $14.5M contract, and $2.5M to the San Francisco Giants for OF prospect Bryan Reynolds, RHP Kyle Crick and $500K international pool money. Reynolds was a 22-year-old switch-hitter who developed into an All-Star outfielder. Crick, a 25-year-old flamethrower with questionable control, became Pittsburgh’s eighth-inning bridge man during the ‘18 season. Injuries, up-and-down performances and other issues eventually earned him his release in 2021; he’s now a free agent. Cutch has played for three teams while undergoing knee surgery and is now back home. The FO had reportedly passed on a 2017 deadline deal with the Washington Nats that would have netted Gio Gonzalez, Lucas Giolito and a third lower-level player for Cutch’s services. 

Rick Rod - 2021 image AT&T SportsNet

• 2021 - RHP Richard Rodriguez signed a one-year, $1.7M contract with the Pirates to avoid arbitration. A Buc since 2018, he got into 196 games with a line of 16-14-19/2.98 as the 27-year-old became the Bucs closer in ‘20. But not for long; he was traded to Atlanta at the ‘21 deadline and is currently on the market after an 80-game PED suspension in 2022.