10/31: HBD Harry & Dee, Break-Up Day, Jim MoY, Reuss To Bucs

• 1874 - C Harry Smith was born in Yorkshire, England. He was a reserve catcher from 1902-07, hitting just .202 as a Bucco. He joined the club as a highly touted youngster. When the Bucs signed him after the 1901 season, the Pittsburg Press wrote in a front page article that gushed “Clever Harry Smith...is the catcher pronounced by all the writers who are in sympathy with the National League as being the greatest young backstop in the country.” Smith was a player-manager for the Boston Doves briefly, and went on to become a minor-league skipper after he hung up the spikes.

Harry Smith 1903 (photo Chicago History Museum/Getty Images)

• 1924 - 1B Dee Fondy was born in Slaton, Texas. Dee joined the Bucs in 1957 and hit .313 in 95 games; he also was the last player to bat at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn before the Dodgers switched coasts. Fondy was a contact hitter, and in the off season, the Bucs dealt him to Cincinnati for Ted Kluszewski. Following his playing career he worked as a scout and in the FO for the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers.
• 1973 - The Astros traded Jerry Reuss to the Pirates for Milt May. Reuss ended up 61-46 with a 3.52 ERA as a Buc and was a rotation mainstay for four seasons. The lefty worked six campaigns in Pittsburgh (1974-78, 1990) and spent his last MLB season as a Pirate. He did get around; Reuss was on the roster of eight different clubs at one time or another and won 220 games in a 22-year career.

Jerry Reuss 1974 Topps

• 1990 - Jim Leyland was selected as the NL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He guided the Bucs to 95 wins and a division title, easily outdistancing the Cincinnati Reds’ Lou Piniella in the voting.
• 2011 - Roster shake-up day: the Pirates lost C Ryan Doumit, C Chris Snyder, SS Ronnie Cedeno and LHP Paul Maholm to free agency after deadline acquisitions OF Ryan Ludwick and 1B Derrek Lee had declared themselves FAs the day before.

10/31: HBD Clever Harry; Reuss-for-May Deal; Leyland MoY; Roster Shake Up

• 1874 - C Harry Smith was born in Yorkshire, England. He was a reserve catcher from 1902-07, hitting just .202 as a Bucco. He joined the club as a highly touted youngster. When the Bucs signed him after the 1901 season, the Pittsburg Press wrote in a front page article that “Clever Harry Smith...is the catcher pronounced by all the writers who are in sympathy with the National League as being the greatest young backstop in the country.” Smith was a player-manager for the Boston Doves briefly and went on to become a minor-league skipper after he hung up the spikes.

Harry Smith (photo Getty Images via Chicago History Museum)

• 1973 - The Astros traded Jerry Reuss to the Pirates for Milt May. Reuss ended up 61-46 with a 3.52 ERA as a Buc and was a rotation mainstay for four seasons. The lefty worked six campaigns in Pittsburgh (1974-78, 1990) and spent his last MLB season as a Pirate. He did get around; Reuss was on the roster of eight different clubs at one time or another and won 220 games in a 22-year career.
• 1990 - Jim Leyland was selected as the NL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He guided the Bucs to 95 wins and a division title, easily outdistancing the Cincinnati Reds’ Lou Piniella.
• 2011 - Roster shake-up day: the Pirates lost four veterans to free agency: C Ryan Doumit, C Chris Snyder, SS Ronnie Cedeno and LHP Paul Maholm. Stretch run acquisitions OF Ryan Ludwick and 1B Derrek Lee had declared themselves FAs the day before.

Chris Snyder (photo Charles LeClaire/USA Today)

10/31: Brit Bucco, Reuss Comes To Town, Leyland MoY, Bye-Bye Vets...

Brit Bucco, Reuss Comes To Town, Leyland MoY, Bye-Bye Vets...

• 1874 - C Harry Smith was born in Yorkshire, England. He was a reserve catcher from 1902-07, hitting just .202 as a Bucco.
• 1973 - The Astros traded Jerry Reuss to the Pirates for Milt May. Reuss ended up 61-46 with a 3.52 ERA as a Buc and was a rotation mainstay for four seasons. The lefty worked six campaigns in Pittsburgh (1974-78, 1990) and spent his last MLB season as a Pirate. He did get around; Reuss was on the roster of eight different clubs at one time or another and won 220 games in a 22-year career.

Jerry Reuss - October, 1990 pitching his final MLB game

• 1990 - Jim Leyland was selected as the NL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He guided the Bucs to 95 wins and a division title, easily outdistancing the Cincinnati Reds’ Lou Piniella.
• 2011 - Roster shake-up day: the Pirates lost four veterans to free agency: C Ryan Doumit, C Chris Snyder, SS Ronnie Cedeno and LHP Paul Maholm. Late season acquisitions OF Ryan Ludwick and 1B Derrek Lee had declared themselves FAs the day before.

Ronny Cedeno 2009 Topps Update series

Buc's Halloween History: Fido, Bobby Bragan, Lee Tunnell, Jim Bibby, Ian Snell, Jerry Reuss, Jim Leyland, and more...

Fido, Bobby Bragan, Lee Tunnell, Jim Bibby, Ian Snell, Jerry Reuss, Jim Leyland, and more...

• October 29, 1893 - P Mark “Fido” Baldwin was born in Homestead. He only pitched two years and some change for the Pirates (1891-93) but the club got its money’s worth. Between 1891-92, Fido started 104 games, went 47-55, and worked 878 IP with a 3.14 ERA. He was known as one of, if not the fastest, thrower of his era. He also was sued by St. Louis owner Chris von der Ahe for trying to influence his players to skip leagues (which he did), and was arrested for participating in the Homestead steel strike (he was freed, claiming to be just a spectator). Baldwin later became a doctor and associated with Homestead’s Municipal Hospital. He’s buried in Allegheny Cemetery. 
• October 29, 1944 - RHP Jim Bibby was born in Franklinton, NC. The big guy worked five years (1978-83; he was out all of 1982) for Pittsburgh, and won 19 games in 1980 in his All-Star season. He was 50-32/3.53 during that span. Bibby started three games in the 1979 championship run (1 NLCS, 2 WS) and while not getting a decision in any of them, put up a 2.08 ERA. His career highlight was in 1981, when he gave up a leadoff single to Atlanta’s Terry Harper and retired the next 27 batters. A shoulder injury suffered later that season eventually led to his retirement in 1984. 
• October 30, 1981 - RHP Ian Snell was born in Dover, Delaware. He spent parts of six seasons (2004-09) as a Pirate starter, showing promise but never quite getting over the hump with a line of 33-46/4.75, and was traded to Seattle. 
• October 30, 1884 - Financially troubled despite finishing second to New York in the American Association‚ the Columbus Colts sold its players to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys for $6‚000 and disbanded. The Alleghenys could use all the help they could get; they finished the 1884 season 30-78 and 45-1/2 games behind the AA champion NY Metropolitans. 
• October 30, 1917 - Manager Bobby Bragan was born in Birmingham, Alabama. The former big league infielder managed the Bucs just before they turned the corner in 1956-57, with a record of 102-155 (.397) before Danny Murtaugh took the reins.
• October 30, 1960 - RHP Lee Tunnell was born in Tyler, Texas. The Baylor righty was the Bucs’ second pick in the 1981 draft. He arrived in Pittsburgh the following September and then went 11-6/3.85 in 1983, but his four year run (1982-85) produced just a 17-24/4.06 line overall.
• October 31, 1973 - The Astros traded Jerry Reuss to the Pirates for Milt May. Reuss ended up 61-46 with a 3.52 ERA as a Buc and was a rotation mainstay for four seasons. The lefty worked six campaigns in Pittsburgh (1974-78, 1990) and spent his last MLB season as a Pirate. 
• October 31, 1990 - Jim Leyland was selected as the NL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He guided the Bucs to 95 wins and a division title, and easily outdistanced the Cincinnati Reds’ Lou Piniella.
• October 31, 2011 - The Pirates lost four veterans to free agency: C Ryan Doumit, C Chris Snyder, SS Ronnie Cedeno and LHP Paul Maholm. Late season acquisitions OF Ryan Ludwick and 1B Derrek Lee declared themselves FAs the day before.