4/2: Hans, Vern, Sudden Sam, HBD Jon, Strike Ends, Money Talks, Free Baseball, WENS-TV

• 1942 - The Sporting News released a poll of 100 former major leaguers and managers voting for the best player of all time. Ty Cobb won easily, with Buc SS Honus Wagner second. The Flying Dutchman handily outpolled both Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby.
• 1954 - Station WENS, the City’s first ABC affiliate, announced that it would broadcast 20-30 Pirates games during the season beginning with the April 17th Opener at Philadelphia. Bob Prince and Rosey Rowswell were the broadcast team.
• 1963 - The Pirates made the decision to leave pitcher Vern Law at Daytona Beach to start the season for work on strengthening the lingering rotator injury he first suffered in 1960. What was hoped to be a two-week stay turned into a month, and Law made just 18 outings (12 starts) good for 76 IP and a 4-5/4.93 slash before he was shut down for good in early August. The long rest period paid off as he put together three solid seasons on the hill from ‘64-66, averaging a 14-10/3.20 line with 196 IP over that span and earning the NL Comeback Player of the Year award in 1965.

Vern Law 1963 Fleer

• 1970 - RHP Jon Lieber was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Pirates picked him up at the 1993 deadline as part of a trade for Stan Belinda with KC, and he pitched his first five (1994-98) seasons with the Bucs, going 38-47/4.36. Pittsburgh sent him to the Cubs for Brant Brown after the 1998 campaign. He spent another nine workmanlike years in the show, winning 131 games in 14 seasons, including 20 in 2001 for the Cubs.
• 1975 - The Pirates signed pitcher Sudden Sam McDowell, a 32-year-old free agent who started out at Central Catholic. It would be the last hurrah of a 15-year career that saw him win 141 games and K 2,453 batters, mostly with the Indians. Sudden Sam was The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year in 1970 when he worked 305 frames and punched out 304 batters. But his bouts with the bottle caught up with him; he pitched well for the Pirates but was released in June. McDowell later went through rehab and turned his life around. The character Sam Malone, the bartender on the TV show “Cheers,“ was said to be loosely based on Sudden Sam.
• 1995 - The players’ strike ended days after a court ruling undercut the owner’s position. Per Wikipedia, the 1994–95 strike was the eighth work stoppage in baseball history as well as the fourth in-season work stoppage in 22 years. The strike began on August 12th, 1994, and resulted in the remainder of that season being canceled, including the postseason and, for the first time since 1904, the World Series. After spending 232 days walking the picket lines, the walk-out was the longest such stoppage in MLB history. 948 games were lost and the MLB became the first major professional sports league to lose an entire postseason due to labor struggles. Because of the strike, neither the 1994 or 1995 seasons reached 162 games; the strike was called after most teams had played 113 games in 1994 and 144 games in 1995.

The Freak Show wasn't just underappreciated - they were underpaid, too!

• 1997 - Per BR Bullpen, for the first time in major league history, the salary of one player was more than that of a team. The Chicago White Sox paid Albert Belle $10M for the season, which was $928,333 more than the entire Pirate “Freak Show” payroll.
• 2014 - The Pirates and Cubs hooked up for the longest baseball game ever played in Pittsburgh, a 16 inning marathon that lasted five hours and 55 minutes before the Bucs could scrape out a 4-3 decision. Chicago tied it in the ninth and took the lead in the 12th, but the Bucs knotted the score again on a two-out single by Starling Marte. Tony Sanchez ended the longest day with a knock to drive home Jose Tabata. Stolmy Pimentel got his first MLB win while Carlos Villanueva dropped his second consecutive game as he was the losing pitcher on Opening Day.

4/2: Hans, Manny & Sudden Sam; HBD Jon; Long Time Coming; Albert Cashes In the Bucs

• 1942 - The Sporting News released a poll of 100 former major leaguers and managers voting for the best player of all time. Ty Cobb won easily, with Buc SS Honus Wagner second. The Flying Dutchman handily outpolled both Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby.

Honus Wagner 1949 (cover Pittsburgh Press Sunday Roto)

• 1963 - The Pirates traded for OF Manny Mota, sending OF Howie Goss to the Astros. Mota spent six years as a Pirate, hitting .297 as a fourth OF’er/pinch hitter. He went on to a long career with LA as a pinch hitter deluxe, and when he was finished hitting, his 34 consecutive seasons as a Dodgers coach was the longest in team history and the second-longest streak in MLB history behind Nick Altrock.
• 1970 - RHP Jon Lieber was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Pirates picked him up at the 1993 deadline as part of a trade for Stan Belinda with KC, and he pitched his first five (1994-98) seasons with the Bucs, going 38-47/4.36. Pittsburgh sent him to the Cubs for Brant Brown after the 1998 campaign. He he spent another nine workmanlike years in the show, winning 131 games in 14 seasons, including 20 in 2001 for the Cubs.
• 1975 - The Pirates signed pitcher Sudden Sam McDowell, a 32 year old free agent that started out at Central Catholic. It would be the last hurrah of a 15 year career that saw him win 141 games and K 2,453 batters, mostly with the Indians. Sudden Sam was the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year in 1970 when he worked 305 frames and punched out 304 batters. But his bouts with the bottle caught up to him; he pitched well for the Pirates, but was released in June. McDowell later went through rehab and turned his life around. The character Sam Malone, the bartender on the TV show “Cheers,“ was said to be loosely based on Sudden Sam.

Sudden Sam McDowell (photo via Main Line Autographs)

• 1997 - For the first time in major league history, the salary of one player was more than that of a team. The Chicago White Sox paid Albert Belle $10M for the season, which was $928,333 more than the entire Pirate “Freak Show” payroll.
• 2014 - The Pirates and Cubs hooked up for the longest baseball game ever played in Pittsburgh, a 16 inning marathon that lasted five hours and 55 minutes before the Bucs could scrape out a 4-3 decision. Chicago tied it in the ninth and took the lead in the 12th, but the Bucs knotted the score again on a two-out single by Starling Marte. Tony Sanchez ended the longest day with a knock to drive home Jose Tabata. Stolmy Pimentel got his first MLB win while Carlos Villanueva dropped his second consecutive game as he was the losing pitcher on Opening Day.

4/2: Hans Honored, Mota & Sudden Sam Sign, Jon Lieber B-Day, Longest Game & More...

• 1942 - The Sporting News released a poll of 100 former major leaguers and managers voting for the best player of all time. Ty Cobb won easily, with Buc SS Honus Wagner second. The Flying Dutchman handily outpolled both Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby. 
• 1963 - The Pirates traded for OF Manny Mota, sending OF Howie Goss to the Astros. Mota spent six years as a Pirate, hitting .297 as a fourth OF’er/pinch hitter. He went on to a long career with LA as a pinch hitter deluxe, and when he was finished hitting, his 34 consecutive seasons as a Dodgers coach was the longest in team history and the second-longest streak in MLB history behind Nick Altrock. 

Manny Mota 1966 Topps series

• 1970 - RHP Jon Lieber was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Pirates picked him up at the 1993 deadline as part of a trade for Stan Belinda with KC, and he pitched his first five (1994-98) seasons with the Bucs, going 38-47/4.36. Pittsburgh sent him to the Cubs for Brant Brown after the 1998 campaign. He he spent another nine workmanlike years in the show, winning 131 games in 14 seasons, including 20 in 2001 for the Cubs. 
• 1975 - The Pirates signed pitcher Sudden Sam McDowell, a 32 year old free agent that started out at Central Catholic. It would be the last hurrah of a 15 year career that saw him win 141 games and K 2,453 batters, mostly with the Indians. Sudden Sam was the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year in 1970 when he worked 305 frames and punched out 304 batters. But his bouts with the bottle caught up to him; he pitched well for the Pirates, but was released in June. McDowell later went through rehab and turned his life around. The character Sam Malone, the bartender on the TV show “Cheers,“ was said to be loosely based on Sudden Sam. 

Sam McDowell via Main Line Autographs

• 1997 - For the first time in major league history, the salary of one player was more than that of a team. The Chicago White Sox paid Albert Belle $10M for the season, which was $928,333 more than the entire Pirate “Freak Show” payroll. 
• 2014 - The Pirates and Cubs hooked up for the longest baseball game ever played in Pittsburgh, a 16 inning marathon that lasted five hours and 55 minutes before the Bucs scraped out a 4-3 decision. Chicago tied it in the ninth and took the lead in the 12th, but the Bucs knotted the score again on a two-out single by Starling Marte. Tony Sanchez ended the longest day with a knock to drive home Jose Tabata. Stolmy Pimentel got his first MLB win while Carlos Villanueva dropped his second consecutive game as he was the losing pitcher on Opening Day.

4/2: TSN Best Player, Manny Mota, Jon Leiber, Sudden Sam, Payroll Hits Rock Bottom...

TSN Best Player, Manny Mota, Jon Leiber, Sudden Sam, Payroll Hits Rock Bottom... 

• 1942 - The Sporting News released a poll of 100 former major leaguers and managers voting for the best player of all time. Ty Cobb won easily, with Buc SS Honus Wagner second. The Flying Dutchman handily outpolled both Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby. 
• 1963 - The Pirates traded for OF Manny Mota, sending OF Howie Gross to the Astros. Mota spent six years as a Pirate, hitting .297 as a fourth OF’er/pinch hitter. 
• 1970 - RHP Jon Lieber was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Pirates picked him up at the 1993 deadline as part of a trade for Stan Belinda with KC, and he pitched his first five (1994-98) seasons with the Bucs, going 38-47/4.36. Pittsburgh sent him to the Cubs for Brant Brown after the 1998 campaign. He he spent another nine workmanlike years in the show, winning 131 games in 14 seasons, including 20 in 2001 for the Cubs. 
• 1975 - The Pirates signed pitcher Sudden Sam McDowell, a 32 year old free agent that started out at Central Catholic. It would be the last hurrah of a 15 year career that saw him win 141 games and K 2,453 batters, mostly with the Indians. Sudden Sam was The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year in 1970 when he worked 305 frames and punched out 304 batters. But his bouts with the bottle caught up to him; he pitched OK for the Pirates, but was released in June. McDowell later went through rehab and turned his life around. The character Sam Malone, the bartender on the TV show “Cheers,“ was said to be loosely based on Sudden Sam.

Topps 1975 series

• 1997 - For the first time in major league history, the salary of one player was more than that of a team. The Chicago White Sox paid Albert Belle $10M for the season, which was $928,333 more than the entire Pirate "Freak Show" payroll.

Win Today or Win Tomorrow?

Opening Day has come and gone, and Jeff Samardzija did what Jeff Samardzija does - make fools of the Bucco batters. AJ pitched well; Sam I Am pitched better.

One game doesn't define a season. But it did lead to a perplexing question - why exactly was Garrett Jones batting second and Travis Snider sitting on the bench?

OK, we get that Jones hits better. But basically, it has nothing to do with him; it's a matter of Gaby Sanchez being swapped out for Snider. Neither guy has an edge against righties. Sanchez bats RH, Snider LH, and both are lifetime .250 hitters against RHP. And Samardzija doesn't have a big lefty/righty split; righties actually hit him a tad better (.242/.231). So it's not an entirely outre move.

Here's what we don't get. The Pirates had three guys competing at camp for two spots in the outfield, with a fourth guy, Felix Pie, crashing the party with a hot spring and a young gun they traded for, Jerry Sands, summering at Indy. They sent down the two guys that were playing the best in the spring, Presley and Pie, and kept Snider and JT.

That contest was rigged because of option issues, c'est la vie. But no matter the reason, it seemed predestined that this was the season we would find out if Snider could play or not.

Then come the games that count, and Snider is collecting splinters. Granted, Samardzija made him look sick as a pinchhitter when he came off the bench cold - both figuratively and literally - by blowing 95 MPH heaters past him. Then again, Jones and Sanchez put up 0-fers against him, too.

But here's the point. The Pirate FO loves collecting guys. They also have a manager that is much more comfortable with veteran players. Ergo, a lot of youngsters gather dust and never get the opportunity to show if they do or don't belong in the league. It seems that office management and field management are at cross-purposes in this regard.

The Pirates need to have a franchise commitment to building a sustainable team. If Travis Snider wasn't the option they wanted out of camp, why is he on the roster while guys with MLB pedigrees who outperformed him landed in Indy? The short answer, of course, is that Snider is the guy the FO wanted to play.

He didn't play because the manager thought the team was stronger with Sanchez in the lineup than with Snider. And that may be true in the short term. But to get over the hump, there has to be a master plan. And stockpiling guys at Indy instead of playing them in Pittsburgh isn't it. You can't have a youth movement without playing youth.

So we're hoping this was just a one-time thing with Clint trying to earn Tony LaRussa gold stars by over-managing. But if the lineup indicates a split between the Pirates front-office commitment to a long-term plan and a manager who wants to win today, it's a franchise that's in trouble.

• Jeff Locke hopped a plane to Florida. He'll work a minor-league game to stay on schedule, as the Bucs won't need a fifth starter until next week.
• High Class A Bradenton today officially announced its roster. SS Alen Hansen and OF Gregory Polanco are the names you should recognize.
• April 2, 1963 - The Pirates traded for OF Manny Mota, sending OF Howie Gross to the Astros. Mota spent six years as a Pirate, hitting .297 as a fourth OF’er/pinch hitter.
• April 2, 1997 - For the first time in major league history, the salary of one player was more than that of an entire team. The Chicago White Sox paid Albert Belle $10M for the season, which was $928,333 more than the entire Pirate payroll.