3/5: HBD Al & Teke; Foxy Joins HoF; Cutch Signs on the Dotted Line

• 1917 - Coach Al Monchak was born in Bayonne, NJ. After his playing days (he had a cup of coffee with the Phils), he was a scout, instructor and minor league manager. Then he hooked up with Chuck Tanner and coached for the White Sox, Athletics, Braves and Pirates (1977-84) as Chuck’s first base coach and infield tutor. He was named the 2009 winner of the Roland Hemond Award by Baseball America in December 2009. The award recognizes baseball figures who have made long-term contributions to scouting and player development operations.
• 1947 - RHP Kent Tekulve was born in Cincinnati. The rubber armed reliever pitched 12 years for the Pirates (1974-85) with a record of 70-61-158/2.68, and appeared in 90 games twice, making 722 Pittsburgh outings for 1,017-1/3 IP. He saved three of the four wins against the Orioles in the 1979 World Series, and Teke & Mike Marshall are the only pitchers to make 90 appearances three times during their career. Tekulve is now a Root Sports analyst, special spring instructor and oh yah - heart transplant recipient.

• 1996 - “Foxy” Ned Hanlon was selected to the Hall of Fame. He played and managed for the Alleghenys, Burghers and Pirates (1889-91) but his glory years were as skipper of the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas. Noted as a keen tactician, he came up with innovations still in play today such as the hit-and-run, double steal and “Baltimore chop.” He was inducted on August 4th.
• 2012 - Andrew McCutchen signed a team-friendly six-year, $51.5 M contract extension with the Pirates, with a $14.75M option for 2018, carrying him through his age 31 season. And they’re already clamoring for an extension...

Saturday: Bucs Kiss Sis, Atlanta On Deck

The Pirates visit the Braves in Lake Buena Vista today, with a 1:05 start scheduled at Champion Stadium. No TV or radio; the game will be on mlb.com audio stream.

The pitching: It's prospect day on the mound. Tyler Glasnow will open, with Jameson Taillon, Steven Brault, Chad Kuhl and Trevor Williams behind him. Bud Norris starts for Atlanta.

Tyler Glasnow (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

The lineup: Cole Figueroa SS, Matt Joyce LF, Gregory Polanco DH, Starling Marte CF, Michael Morse 1B, Jason Rogers 3B, Chris Stewart C, Sean Rodriguez 2B, Danny Ortiz RF. The cavalry includes OF Harold Ramirez, 1B Josh Bell, IF Max Moroff, C Elias Diaz, IF Alen Hanson & OF/1B Jake Goebbert.

The Twinkie game yesterday was one of those spring specials; it ended in a 2-2 tie. It was one-all going into the ninth when the two teams exchanged runs. Starling Marte tripled in the opening tally and Adam Frazier got the game tying knock in the final frame. Frankie was sharp, tossing two perfecto frames with four K.

The go-go Bucs were just 2-for-5 in base stealing antics. JJ botched a play at first; he has a lot of  learning to pick up in a month. As for that OBP thingie, getting 'em on ain't quite the same as getting 'em in, as the Bucs stranded as dozen runners. They had 12 hits, but 11 were one-baggers to go with a Minny boot and five walks. The box is here.

• Gerrit Cole threw live BP today for the first time in camp yesterday, a good sign that his rib injury has calmed down.
• Yesterday was Ron Necciai day; for those unfamiliar with him, Ron K'ed 27 batters in a nine inning game as a Pirate minor leaguer; injuries kept him from making a mark in the MLB. His tale is told by Jason Dill of the Bradenton Herald. 

3/4: HBD Clyde, Mel & Fort; Leyland Bleeps Out Bonds

• 1917 - C Clyde McCullough was born in Nashville. Clyde had a long MLB career, catching for Pittsburgh on a semi-regular basis from 1949-52 and batting .258. He was a Cub at heart. The Bucs got him from Chicago and he returned there later, spending 12 of his 16 campaigns in the Windy City. He coached for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins, New York Mets & San Diego Padres and is a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
• 1918 - RHP Mel Queen Sr. was born in Maxwell in Fayette County, south of California University of PA. After starting out with the Yankees, he worked for Pittsburgh from 1947-48, then from 1950-52. Queen’s Bucco record was 19-36 with a 5.33 ERA. His son, Mel Jr., pitched for several seasons in MLB and went on to have a long and storied career as the Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching coach.

Mel Queen Sr 1952 via Out of the Park Developments

• 1985 - C Mike “The Fort” McKenry was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was a back-up catcher for the Bucs from 2011-13, and was a popular player with several clutch hits on his resume. Overall, though, he hit just .226 as a Pirate and returned to his original team, the Colorado Rockies, as a free agent in 2014 and is now with the Texas Rangers. McKenry earned his nickname because of the similarity of his name to Fort McHenry and the way he defended the plate on plays at home.
• 1991 - In Pittsburgh’s most famous manager meltdown, Jim Leyland was caught on camera as he blasted Barry Bonds at camp following a media spat. The redacted version of Leyland’s message went something like “I’ve kissed your (bleep!) for three (bleeping!) years here and I’m sick of this. If you guys don’t want to be here then get the (bleep!) out!”

Friday: Jays Win, Twins on TV Today, Pitching & Lineup

The Bucs have a third straight contest at McKechnie today, hosting the Minnesota Twins at 1:05. It's the first TV game of the year, broadcast on Root Sports, MLB Network and MLB.TV along with some radio love from 93.7 The Fan.

The pitchers: Frankie Liriano gets the Pirates start, with Tommy Millone getting the nod for the Twinkies. Other Pittsburgh hurlers penciled in today are Mark Melancon, Neftali Feliz, Curtis Partch, Rob Scahill and Trey Haley.

Frankie (photo: USA Today)

The lineup: Josh Harrison 2B, Gregory Polanco RF, Cutch CF, Starling Marte DH, Fran Cervelli C, Jordy Mercer SS, John Jaso 1B, Sean Rodriguez 3B, Cole Figueroa LF. Put the pitcher where Cole is and start Starling in left, and you're prob looking at the regular season starting lineup. This lineup is also why you'll see a lot of RHP against the Bucs yet again this year.

In yesterday's game, the Bucs were bopped 10-8 by the Jays. Jon Niese got the first five batters, but a couple of ground singles, a couple of infield hits, a walk on a coin flip 3-2 pitch and one well struck ball brought in four runs before he could collect that sixth out. Big John Holdzkom & Guido Knudson had tough outings, too. On the bright side, Ryan Vogelsong went six up, six down, and Harold Ramirez went 2-for-2 and scored twice while Jake Stallings and Josh Bell each had a pair of RBI, so the kids were all right. The box score is here.

The old Bucs didn't make the trip - Russ Martin & Tony Sanchez stayed at camp while JA Happ is scheduled to pitch today. Oddly enough, his opponent on the hill will be Vance Worley.

3/3: HBD Yaller, Neal & Trent; Bucs Buy Debs

• 1879 - C Ed “Yaller” Phelps was born in Albany, NY. Phelps was on the 1902 and 1903 National League pennant-winning clubs and played in the 1903 World Series, serving as a back-up catcher during his five year Pittsburgh career (1902-04, 1906-08). He hit .247 as a Bucco. Phelps' nickname of "Yaller" referred to his sallow complexion, according to his family.
• 1940 - The Boston Braves sold OF Debs Garms to the Pirates. In 358 at bats for Pittsburgh he led the NL in hitting with a .355 average. At the time, there was no minimal at-bat requirement. League prez Ford Frick said the title was unofficial and 100 games was enough (Garms got into 103). In 1950, the NL made 2.6 AB’s per scheduled game the magic qualifying number. The veteran was sold to St. Louis after the 1941 season, where he would finish his career in 1945. Debs, btw, is not a moniker but his given name. His parents christened him in honor of early twentieth century labor activist and socialist, Eugene Debs.

Debs Garms 1941 Play Ball

• 1960 - LHP Neal Heaton was born in South Ozone Park, NY. He pitched for Pittsburgh from 1989-91, making the All Star team in 1990 after a 9-1 start. Heaton, who had battled tendinitis, credited the 1990 success to a new pitch, a knuckle change. The league apparently caught on; he finished the year at 12-9. As a Pirate, his line was 21-19 with a 3.46 ERA.
• 1964 - Coach Trent Jewett was born in Dallas. Jewett was a C on the Pirate farm before continuing on as a coach in the organization. He managed the Triple-A Nashville Sounds from 1998 to 2000, was the Bucs third base coach from 2000-02, then returned to managing AAA Nashville and Indy until 2008 when he skipped to the Nat system. In 2013, he joined Lloyd McClendon as bench coach for Seattle.

Thursday: Tigers Bop Bucs, Blue Jays Come to Bradenton, Notes

 Toronto visits McKechnie Field today, with the game beginning at 1:05 and aired by 93.7 The Fan. It's also the free MLB.com streamed game of the day.

The pitchers: Jon Niese opens; also scheduled to pitch are Ryan Vogelsong, Mark Melancon (he worked yesterday), Tony Watson, Guido Knudson and Kelvin Marte. UPDATE: the back-end hurlers will now be John Holdzkom and Jim Fuller. Gavin Floyd will start for the Blue Jays.

The lineup: Josh Harrison 2B, Matt Joyce RF, Jason Rogers 3B, Michael Morse DH, Jake Goebbert 1B, Jordy Mercer SS, Elias Diaz C, Willie Garcia CF, Danny Ortiz LF. The second unit, coming in after five: Max Moroff 2B, Harold Ramirez RF, Dan Gamache 3B, Morse, Josh Bell 1B, Pedro Florimon SS, Reese McGuire C, Adam Frazier CF, Cole Figueroa LF.

Jake Goebbert gets a shot at first (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

In yesterday's game, Jeff Locke was beat up, giving up four runs in the first. John Jaso made a throwing error (and a big one; Locke picked off a runner and JJ launched a throw into the OF, allowing a run to score) and missed a low throw on a DP relay, so 1B is still a work in progress. Eric O'Flaherty got beat up too, and like Locke it was a combo of bullets and fielding. At any rate, it resulted in a 10-3 loss.

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh was busy. he brought the team down to watch the game, chatted it up w/Clint Hurdle and coached first base for Detroit in the first, waving those Tigers around the sacks.

• Doc Emrick will work the Pirates radio booth for a bit this afternoon against Toronto.
• Gerritt Cole's rib issue appears to be settled; he's pitching w/o any restrictions now, as is Cory Luebke, whose hammy was tweaked. Not tossing yet is Robert Zarate, who suffered from "elbow discomfort." JHK is hitting and fielding, but not running the bases yet.
• The Pirates announced a multi-year contract (exact time span and financials not released) that will keep Bucco radio broadcasts on KDKA's 93.7 the Fan.
• Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com went over the MiLB systems. He selected the Pirates' farm eighth overall, with the Top Thirty players and a general breakdown.

Wednesday: Bucs Win, Tigers Visit McKechnie, Notes

The Tigers return the favor and play at McKechnie Field today. The game starts at 1:05 and will aired by The Fan 93.7 and streamed by MLB.com. For Detroit, it will be a split squad game; they're also entertaining the Yankees at Lakeland.

The pitching: Jeff Locke will start against Detroit at McKechnie Field in the spring home opener. The lefty and Juan Nicasio, who is being stretched in camp just in case, will go two innings. Jared Hughes, Arquimedes Caminero, Eric O'Flaherty, AJ Schugel and Jorge Rondon are scheduled for a frame. Detroit sends Buck Farmer, Jeff Ferrell, Alex Wilson, Bruce Rondon and Bobby Parnell to the rubber.

Jeff Locke (photo: Associated Press)

The lineup: Gregory Polanco RF, John Jaso 1B, Cutch CF, Starling Marte LF, Chris Stewart C, Sean Rodriguez 3B, Josh Bell DH, Pedro Florimon SS & Alen Hanson 2B.So we'll get our first look at JJ on first and Hanson continues to get an early look.

The Bucs got their first Joe Block calls and #RaiseIt hashtags yesterday when they beat Detroit at Joker Marchant Stadium as Fran Cervelli and Jordy Mercer (2-for-3) homered in the Bucs 4-2 win, with Alen Hanson (1-for-1, walk, stolen base, run scored) and Jason Rogers also driving home a run. Clint was in go-go mode today; he put on at least a handful of hit-and-runs as the Bucs go small ball this campaign.

Rob Scahill got the daily double of a blown save followed by a win. He gave up a two run shot to Victor Martinez, but the Pirates bailed him out. The other Bucco hurlers tossed goose eggs; Trey Haley was especially sharp in his frame, with two swinging Ks, one on a 96 MPH heater and the other with an off-speed offering. Gift Ngoepe continued to shine in the field. (Click for the box score)

• Blake Murphy of Fangraphs looks at the Pirate pitching. 
• Nate Adcock, who the Bucs lost in the 2010 Rule 5 draft, has signed to pitch with the Orioles. Since leaving Pittsburgh, the righty has tossed in the bigs for the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds.
• Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman was suspended 30 games by MLB under its domestic violence policy. Chapman will not appeal and will return May 9th. He's allowed to finish spring training.

3/2: HBD Chick, Frank, Abie & Don

• 1879 - RHP Joe “Chick” Robitaille was born in Whitehall, New York. He spent his two year MLB career as a Pirate (1904-05), going 12-8 with a 2.56 ERA before being released in August 1905. Chick signed on with the Washington Senators the following season as a free agent, but never returned to the big leagues.

Chick Robitaille 1905 (photo Chicago Daily News via Library of Congress)

• 1918 - 1B/OF/PH Frank Colman was born in London, Ontario. He played for the Bucs at the start of his career (1941-46), getting just 373 PA and hitting .233. In 1947, Frank’s career ended with the Yankees when a leg injury followed by surgery finished his MLB playing days. Frank caught on as a player-manager in the minors for awhile, then bought the team he started out on, the London Majors. Frank later founded the Eager beaver baseball group for kids, and for his efforts as a ballplayer and ambassador for the sport was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
• 1924 - OF Cal “Abie” Abrams was born in Philadelphia. He spent 1953 in Pittsburgh as the starting RF, hitting .286 with 15 HR, and was traded early in 1954 to Baltimore for P Dick Littlefield. Abrams hit .269 over his career, but drew 304 walks to just 290 whiffs and ended up with a .386 lifetime OBP in eight seasons with the Dodgers, Reds, Pirates, Orioles and White Sox.

Abie Abrams 1953 Bowman

• 1936 - RHP Don Schwall was born in Wilkes-Barre. After an All-Conference basketball career at Oklahoma, he won the AL Rookie of the Year honors in 1961 with the Red Sox, beating out teammate Carl “Yaz” Yastrzemski. He settled into journeyman status and was converted to the bullpen later in his career by the Bucs. He was with Pittsburgh from 1963-66, going 22-23-4 with a 3.23 ERA.

3/1: Pirates Be Pirates; Forbes Field Begins; HBD Jumbo & Johnny; Camp Stuff & MLB Agreement...

• 1891 - After earlier spiriting 2B Lou Bierbauer away from Philadelphia, the Pittsburg Alleghenys again raided the American Association by signing OF Pete Browning and P Scott Stratton away from the Louisville Colonels, further cementing its new nickname of "Pirates." The Alleghenys were never found guilty of wrongdoing in any of the deals, and they thumbed their noses at being called piratical by rebranding themselves as the Pirates for the 1891 season. The nickname was finally stitched on the team's uniforms in 1912.

Lou Bierbauer 1898 Cameo Pepsin pin

• 1909 - Barney Dreyfuss began construction of a stadium near Schenley Park in Oakland, to be named Forbes Field after General John Forbes of French and Indian War fame. It opened remarkably quickly, on June 30th, and remained the Bucco’s ballyard for decades. The Pirates won three World Series there while sharing it with Pitt, the Steelers, the circus, rallies and events of all stripes before shutting down in 1970.
• 1915 - RHP Nick “Jumbo” Strincevich was born in Gary, Indiana. Called “Jumbo” because he was 6’1”, Strincevich was selected to play on the 1945 All-Star team but due to wartime travel restrictions, the game was cancelled. He was a Buc from 1941-48, starting about half the games he appeared in, and compiled a Pittsburgh slash of 42-40-5/4.05.
• 1939 - The Major League Broadcasting Agreement was signed just prior to the 1939 season. Prior to that, many MLB teams didn’t broadcast their games for fear of losing attendance. Afterward, all did, except for a couple of time that clubs didn’t get what they believed was a fair price for their rights. You can mark this date as the beginning of full electronic media coverage of baseball.
• 1953 - The Pirates opened their first and only spring camp in Havana. The Cuban government didn’t like the financial results of the experiment while the Pirates missed competing against other MLB teams based in Florida, so the original three-year deal ended up one and done.
• 1957 - 2B Johnny Ray was born in Chouteau, Oklahoma. He played seven years (1981-86) for the Bucs with a .286 BA before being moved to make room for Jose Lind. He was Rookie of the Year runner up in 1982 to Steve Sax, playing in 162 games and hitting .318. Ray also won a Silver Slugger award in 1983.

Johnny Ray 1983 Topps

• 1965 - Roberto Clemente didn’t report for spring training, suffering from malaria. He made it to camp a month later and struggled until mid-May. He did rally, and won the NL batting title with a .329 BA, but only hit 10 home runs with 65 RBI, his lowest totals since 1959.
• 1976 - The owners ordered a spring training lockout, which lasted 17 days. Unwilling to delay the start of the season, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn decreed training camps to open March 18th. Players agreed to open the 1976 season without a collective bargaining agreement in place, and no games were canceled. A new four-year CBA was hammered out in July that allowed for free agency, and it was ratified in August.

Tuesday: Bucs @ Detroit, Post-Scrimmage & Notes

Pittsburgh opens Grapefruit League action against the Tigers at Lakeland's Joker Marchant Stadium today at 1:05. It will be broadcast by The Fan at 93.7 FM/1480 AM.

The scrimmage yesterday ended up 4-3 in favor of the Gold. Jameson Taillon & Tyler Glasnow showed butterflies, while less heralded hurlers Steven Brault and Trevor Williams each tossed two perfect innings. Gift Ngoepe looked good, using his legs to manufacture a run and making a nice play at short, while OF'er Danny Ortiz had a pair of knocks, including a double.

Kyle Lobstein takes the hill.

The pitchers: The Bucs rotation will be Kyle Lobstein, followed by Wilfredo Boscan, each working two frames, with Neftali Feliz, Curtis Partch, Rob Scahill and Trey Haley slated for an inning. The Tigers will counter with Matt Boyd, Michael Fulmer, Angel Nesbitt, Kyle Ryan and Logan Kensing against the Buccos.

The lineup: Josh Harrison 2B, Fran Cervelli C, Jason Rogers DH, Michael Morse 1B, Jordy Mercer SS, Matt Joyce LF, Willie Garcia RF, Cole Figueroa 3B, Danny Ortiz CF.

• Jim Harbaugh, Michigan's football coach, may switch sports for an afternoon and step into the first base box for a frame; maybe even for both teams. Clint wants him to at least give a pep talk to the club.
• Matt Gajtka of DK On Sports reports that the Bucs are expecting Jung Ho Kang back sometime in April, with a possible Opening Day return possible. That would impact the bench make-up if the Bucs don't need to carry an extra infielder early on.
• Next up on the MLB agenda: expansion. 
• Matt Capps signed a minor league contract with Arizona.