1/31 Through the 1960s: Ribant, Pettit Sign; Pud, Poison HoF; Big Poison To Brooklyn; Coach Crunch, HBD Ted, Coral, Don, Jimmy, Stuffy, Jot, Al & Bob

• 1845 - IF Bob Ferguson was born in Brooklyn. In a 14-year career with eight teams, he closed out his playing days in 1884 with the Alleghenys, getting into 10 games and hitting .146. But he did leave a legacy; he was the first recognized switch hitter in baseball, and also had one of the all-time great nicknames, “Death to Flying Things” Ferguson. In orthodox baseball circles, he earned the title because of his ability to run pops and flares down, although a more prosaic theory holds that he got the name because of his skill at swatting flies in hotel lobbies. He later managed for a couple of years and then moved on to umpiring. 

Al Buckenberger - 1889 Old Judge

• 1861 - Manager Al Buckenberger was born in Detroit. He managed the Pirates from 1892-94, coming in second place in 1893 and posting an overall 187-144 slate while also serving as club president. He then tried unsuccessfully to resurrect the old American Association, earning himself a brief league suspension during the 1894 off-season for his efforts. Buckenberger carved out a 25-year career as a manager at different levels, taking the helm for four big league clubs while winning four minor league championships. 
• 1870 - RHP Joshua “Jot” Goar was born in New Lisbon, Indiana. The Terre Haute ace of the Western League was purchased by the Pirates in 1896 for $3,200. He got into three games and was hit hard (0-1/16.88), although per John Decker of Pirates Prospects, one game was an intentional throwaway, trying to waste time in hopes of a rainout. Nevertheless, Jot was sold to Grand Rapids in mid-season. He had another dominating year for Indianapolis in 1897, was purchased by the Reds, got bombed in a mop-up role (ironically against Pittsburgh), claimed a sore arm and on that note ended his MLB career. He finished his playing days in the Western League and semi-pro ball, retiring in 1906 after a freak hunting accident - he shot himself in the arm! 
• 1894 - 2B John “Stuffy” Stewart was born in Jasper, Florida. Stuffy was a stud hitting (five .300+ minor league years) and superb base stealer in the minors (he led the Southern Association in swipes five times), but couldn't buy a base in the show. He played in parts of eight MLB seasons but only got more than 17 at-bats twice in that time, entering 64 of his 176 big league games as a pinch runner. He got into three games for the Pirates in a 1922 trial, going 2-for-13. He was an early version of a AAAA player, lasting for 17 pro seasons and managing a little after that with a year off as an artilleryman during WW1. 

Jimmy Zinn -1920 photo via tnphoto Out of the Ball Park Developments

• 1895 - RHP Jimmy Zinn was born in Benton, Arkansas. A Texas League star, the Pirates purchased him from Wichita of the Western League in 1920, and he worked from then through 1922 in Pittsburgh, slashing 8-7-4/3.54. He also tossed briefly for Philadelphia and Cleveland. Though his MLB career just lasted for just five years and 49 games, he was a baseball lifer as a pro player, suiting up from 1915-39. Jimmy also was an outfielder in the minors and had a streak of seven .300+ seasons with 13-.300 campaigns in all to go with his 288 farm wins. He closed out his book by managing five seasons. 
• 1899 - LHP Don Songer was born in Walnut, Kansas. He tossed three of his four MLB years with the Bucs between 1925-27, going 7-9-3/3.55. Songer was part of two World Series teams, but never got to participate, as he wasn’t included on the playoff roster in his rookie year of 1925 and then was traded to the Giants before the 1927 regular season ended. 
• 1919 - P Ken “Coral” Gables was born in Walnut Grove, Missouri. He pitched for the 1945-47 Pirates, spending his entire MLB career as a Bucco. Gables had a 13-11/4.69 slate before being traded to the San Francisco Seals and spent the last seven seasons of his career in the PCL. We can’t confirm it, but we’d guess his nickname is a nod to the Florida town. 
• 1941 - A Pittsburgh era ended when Paul “Big Poison” Waner, 37, who was released by the Pirates in December, signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers after a 15-year run in the Steel City. He spent his final five campaigns with Brooklyn, the Boston Braves and New York Yankees, hitting .276 over that wartime span. Paul retired after the 1945 season and was a hitting coach for several clubs although he preferred to hunt, fish and golf. He made it into the Hall of Fame in 1952 and the Pirates retired #11, his number, on July 21st, 2007, exactly 55 years to the day of Waner's induction into the Hall. 

Paul Pettit - 1951 World Wide Photo

• 1950 - The Pirates signed high school phenom LHP Paul Pettit (“The Wizard of Whiff” pitched six prep no-hitters) for a record $100‚000 after buying his rights from film producer Fred Stephani, who had signed him to an exclusive contract as an athlete/actor. The lefty went 1-2/7.43 for the Pirates (1951, 1953) and after eight minor league seasons, he retired in 1961 with arm problems that had first surfaced a decade earlier and forced him to become an OF/1B (he actually turned into a good hitter and replaced Dick Stuart at 1B for Hollywood of the PCL). Pettit did get a couple of bit parts in movies, but his show biz plans never panned out and he became a high school coach. 
• 1952 - RF Paul “Big Poison” Waner was elected to the Hall of Fame and inducted on July 21st. In a 20 year career, he led the National League in hitting three times and put up a slash of .330/.404/.473. His 2,868 hits as a Pirate are third on the team, behind Roberto Clemente (3,000) and Honus Wagner (2,970). 15 years later, he and younger sib Lloyd became the second brother combo enshrined in the Hall, following Harry and George Wright. 
• 1955 - RHP Ted Power was born in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Ted tossed for 13 MLB campaigns, stopping in Pittsburgh as a 35-year-old in 1990 and posted a line of 1-3-7/3.66 in 40 games. He famously was used as a Jim Leyland ploy in the 1990 NLCS; although he hadn’t started a game all year, he was called on to open against the Reds. His purpose was to turn around the lineup for lefty Zane Smith, who took over in the third frame. The scheme was effective but fruitless as the Bucs lost, 2-1. His career ended in 1994 after labrum surgery. He became the Reds’ bullpen coach in 2016 after a long run as Cincy’s AAA pitching coach with Louisville; that stint lasted through 2018. 
• 1963 - The Press’ opening line was “The Pirates will lead the major leagues in one department this season - number of coaches in uniform." Danny Murtaugh added Gene Baker and Virgil Trucks to his staff, bringing the number of Bucco aides up to seven. His other helpers were base coaches Frank Oceak & Ron Northey, pitching coach Don Osborn, Sam Narron and Len Levy.

Virgil Trucks - 1963 AP photo

• 1965 - RHP Pud “Gentle Jeems” Galvin was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee as the lone selection. Galvin was MLB’s first 300 game winner while tossing 6,003 innings and 646 complete games, both marks behind only Cy Young. Gentleman James earned 20 victories or more 10 times in 15 seasons and won 365 times in his career. He tossed for both the Alleghenys and Pirates from 1885-1892, winning 138 games and notching four 20+ win years for Pittsburgh. He was inducted into the Hall on July 26th. 
• 1967 - RHP Dennis Ribant, who the Pirates had just gotten from the Mets in the off-season for Don Cardwell, signed his contract for $20,000. The Pirates had high hopes for the 25-year-old after he went 11-9/3.20, for NY, and Ribant said at the signing that “I hope I can win 15 games” in the coming season. He fell short, winning nine times with a 4.08 ERA and was sent to Detroit for Dave Wickersham after the year. Ribant was switched to full-time reliever there, but lasted just two more seasons in the show, spending the last four years of his career in AAA.