11/13: Cutch Wins '13 MVP & Pops Shares '79 Honor, '81 FA Draft, Pirates On Film, Bye-Bye 'Burgh?; HBD Jeremie, Gene, Cork, Jack, Ray & Steady Pete

• 1862 - P “Steady” Pete Meegan (it’s believed that he batted lefty, but his throwing arm is unknown) was born in San Francisco. He closed out his brief two-year MLB run in 1885 when he joined the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. He posted a 7-8/3.39 line in 18 games (16 starts) and was said to possess a feared curve. Pete was the child of Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine, and he’s part of Patriot QB Tom Brady’s family tree (he’s a distant cousin). He passed away in 1905 at the age of 42, felled by Bright’s Disease (nephritis). Although unconfirmed, we’re guessing the nickname came about thanks to his dependability, as he completed 36-of-38 big league games that he started. 
• 1894 - RHP Ray Steineder was born in Salem, New Jersey. He worked two years in the show, mainly for the Pirates. He tossed 20 outings (two starts) with a 2-1/5.15 line from 1923-24 before being sold to the Phils in May and finishing out his big league days there. Ray knew his way around a batter’s box, going 10-for-25 (.400) in MLB. He did have a yo-yo history - after the Pirates brought him up after a 37-win campaign in the minors in 1920, he was a late cut and signed with an outlaw team in Oil City. That got him suspended and pushed back his debut season to 1923 when the suspension was lifted (and he got a late start to that year, holding out for $6K). When the Phils released him in 1924, he again signed with an outlaw club and again was suspended. He was reinstated the following year but never caught on in the majors again. 
• 1914 - RHP Jack Hallett was born in Toledo, Ohio. He tossed for the Bucs from 1942-43, and then after wartime service returned in 1946. Working mostly from the pen, Hallett went 6-10 with a 3.06 ERA for Pittsburgh. He was also a solid stick, hitting .238 with one home run in 80 lifetime at-bats, and a perfect fielder, handling all 60 of his career chances flawlessly. Jack carved out a 12-year career with twenty different clubs as a pro, even with his service stint, and tossed in the bigs for the White Sox and New York Giants along with the Buccos. 

Ted Wilks - 1952 Bowman

• 1915 - RHP Ted “Cork” Wilks was born in Fulton, New York. Ted pitched for the Bucs in parts of 1951-52, going 8-10-16/3.19 in 92 outings. He arrived in June of ‘51 as part of the Chambers-Westlake deal with the Cards, and 14 months later the 37-year-old was flipped to the Tribe as a piece of the Johnny Berardino trade. Converting to a reliever from starter after encountering arm woes early in his MLB career, his Cardinal teammates (he spent almost eight years with St. Louis) began calling Wilks “The Cork” because of the opponents’ rallies he stopped. 
• 1947 - RHP Gene Garber was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He began his 19-year career with the Bucs as a 20th round pick in the 1965 draft, pitching sparingly from 1969-72 with an 0-3/5.61 line in just 20 visits to the rubber. Garber would go on to make 931 appearances with 1,510 IP, win 96 games and save 218 more with a career 3.34 ERA before he called it a career. The sidewinder retired after the 1988 season and went back home as a farmer and poultry producer. 
• 1956 - The Pirates announced that they would consider moving out of town if a new stadium wasn’t built to replace Forbes Field, the second oldest yard in baseball after Shibe Park in Philly. Buc VP & co-owner Tom Johnson said in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that “What we need is a municipal stadium in Pittsburgh we both (Pirates & Steelers) can use. If we don’t get one, there’s a chance the Pirates will have to leave this city.” The beef was triggered because the Steelers, rumored to have four different cities interested in transplanting the franchise, were itching to escape Forbes Field and move to the roomier Pitt Stadium, a move that required legislative action. Both got their wish, though it took some time. The political football of who would foot the bill was kicked around for years until Three Rivers Stadium opened in July of 1970. 

Pops - 1979 Topps

• 1979 - For the first time in MLB history, two players shared the MVP. The NL co-winners were Willie Stargell, who hit .281 with 32 HRs, and the Cardinals’ 1B Keith Hernandez, who led the NL in runs scored (116), doubles (48), and batting average (.344). With that honor, the Pirates had taken (or shared) all four major MVP trophies for the season to post the first award sweep in MLB history. Willie took the honors for the NLCS, World Series, and National League regular season, while the Cobra, Dave Parker, won the All-Star Game MVP. 
• 1981 - The Pirates selected 15 free agents in the draft who they could negotiate with: pitchers Joaquin Andujar, Bill Campbell, Larry Christenson, John Denny, Ed Farmer, Ron Guidry, Sid Monge, Frank Tanana & Rick Waits; outfielders Reggie Jackson, Rick Monday, Joe Rudi & Mike Vail; infielder Pete MacKanin and catcher Ed Ott. The big pool didn’t indicate a spending spree was in the offing - GM Pete Petersen told the Press' beatman Dan Donovan that “If the price is right, we’ll sign some players. But it is our past experience that the price isn’t right.” That trend continued as they didn’t sign anyone (although MacKanin did join them, not as a player but as a coach/manager, from 2003-05). 
• 1987 - Umpire Jeremie Rehak of Murrysville was born. He went to Franklin Regional HS and played ball at Ohio University as a walk-on, with a career .272 BA. He went to the Harry Wendelstedt Umpiring School and began his pro arbitrator journey in the Gulf Coast (2011), Appalachian ('12), Florida Instructional ('12), Midwest ('13), California ('13), Eastern ('14-'15), and Arizona Instructional ('14) leagues before moving up to the International League (‘16). Rehak officiated MLB Spring Training in 2017-18 and began working as a vacation/injury replacement MLB ump starting in 2018. After 281 games in the show, he was hired as a full-time umpire for the 2021 season and worked in the postseason (although not the Series) for the past three years. 

• 2010 - Beat ‘Em, Bucs! The Byham Theater hosted a sneak preview of a 50-year-old B&W movie, copied from TV for owner Bing Crosby, of NBC's telecast of the seventh game of the 1960 World Series. Dick Groat and Bob Costas were the event hosts of The MLB Network production, later aired on TV and then made available on DVD. The Post Gazette’s Bob Hoover reviewed the flick and wrote “Fans hailed the eight members of the '60 team invited for the showing, clapped rhythmically to start rallies, reacted loudly every time Roberto Clemente appeared on the screen and leapt to their feet for the two clutch home runs in the eighth (Hal Smith) and ninth (you know who) innings.” 
• 2013 - Andrew McCutchen won the National League MVP easily over Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt, taking 28 of 30 votes. He became the Bucs first MVP since Barry Bonds in 1992, which was also the last time the franchise had posted a winning record until this season. It was a year without a dominant player as Cutch posted a passel of well-rounded numbers. He hit .317 with 21 HR, 84 RBI, 97 RS and 26 SB and was second in WAR at 8.1. Andrew had finished third in 2012. 
• 2024 - The David Altrogge film “Clemente” made its sneak preview premiere as part of the Three Rivers Film Festival. The documentary was screened at the August Wilson Center after winning an award at the SXSW Film Festival. A post-showing party included Steve Blass, Roberto Clemente Jr. and Duane Rieder, the founder of the Clemente Museum and partner in sponsoring the film. Also among the party guests were the movie’s filmmaker, producers and cinematographer.