1/12: Big Date for Cap'n Willie; HBD Ed, Big Ed & Rich

• 1859 - C/1B Ed Swartwood was born in Rockford, Illinois. Swartwood played for the Alleghenys from 1882-84 and then spent his last big league season as a Pirate in 1892. He put up some good numbers, including a .322 BA in Pittsburgh. In 1882 he led the American Association with 86 runs, 18 doubles, and 159 total bases, then went on to become the league batting champion in 1883 with a .357 average. Swartwood married a Pittsburgh gal in 1883 while with the Alleghenys and became an Allegheny County sheriff when he was done with baseball (he also umped for a spell after his playing career). He was buried in Union Dale cemetery after he passed on in 1924.

Ed Swartwood 1887 Old Judge

• 1925 - 1B Big Ed Stevens (actually, a modest 6’1”, 190 lbs, but king-sized in the forties) was born in Galveston, Texas. He played in 212 games from 1948-50 for Pittsburgh, batting .253 with 14 HR. The Pirates got him from Brooklyn when he was bumped off the bag by a rookie named Jackie Robinson. Big Ed didn’t hit it big in the MLB, but was a minor league legend. In 16 farm seasons spanning 1941-61, Stevens belted 257 home runs and drove in 1,013 runs on his way to being named to the International League Hall of Fame. After his retirement, he scouted for the Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners and Oakland A’s.
• 1972 - RH reliever Rich Loiselle was born in Neenah, Wisconsin. He tossed his entire career of six seasons (1996-2001) for the Bucs, and went 9-18-49/4.38 during that span. Loiselle was the Bucco closer in 1997-98 when he picked up 48 of his 49 career saves. He struggled after that, having both control and elbow problems.
• 1980 - Willie Stargell was featured on the cover of The Sporting News after being selected as TSN’s Man of the Year. Pops hit 32 homers in 1979 and added five more in the post season, winning both the NLCS and World Series MVP awards.

• 1988 - Willie Stargell was the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA‚ and the 17th player elected in his first year of eligibility. He was inducted on August 1st. In 21 Pirate seasons, his slash was .282/.360/.529 with 475 HR and 1,540 RBI. Ralph Kiner is second on the Bucco list of homers; he hit 301.

1/11: HBD Silver, Max, Lloyd, Warren; Game Boy Cutch; Boo, DH

• 1868 - P Silver King was born in St. Louis. King only played one season in Pittsburgh, but it was a big deal when he signed. King won 110 games from 1888-90 and signed with the Pirates for $5,000, becoming the highest paid player in the game. The investment fizzled; the Bucs got a 14-29 record (although he wasn’t all that bad; he made 44 starts and tossed 384 innings to a 3.11 ERA). But problems were looming. The Bucs released him, and the early sidewinder - one of the first submariners - had one more good year with the Giants before the rules committee chopped him down to size. He threw sidearm from the far right of the pitcher’s circle, making the ball appear to be launched from third base. In 1893, the rubber was introduced and he lost his territorial advantage, never posting an ERA south of four afterward. His nom de guerre is combination nickname and writer’s Anglicizing: His real name was Charles Koenig, but his prematurely white hair gave him the moniker of Silver; King was the English translation of Koenig.

Silver King photo via Robert Shaw

• 1890 - Hall of Fame OF Max Carey was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. He played 17 seasons in Pittsburgh, compiling a .287 BA and stole 688 bases, leading the NL in that category 10 times. He was at his best during the 1925 World Series, hitting .458 as the Pirates dethroned the Washington Senators and Walter “Big Train” Johnson in seven games.
• 1959 - Utilityman and later manager Lloyd McClendon was born in Gary, Indiana. McClendon spent five years (1990-94) as a player in Pittsburgh where he hit .251, mainly off the bench. He was named Buc manager in 2001, and in his five seasons as skipper, McClendon compiled a 336–446 record and famously “stole” a base. A side note: In 1971, as a 12-year old, McClendon earned the nickname "Legendary Lloyd" when he hit five home runs in five at bats, all on the first pitch, and was walked in his other five plate appearances in the three games he played in the Little League World Series.
• 1973 - This is a red letter day in baseball history. The owners voted to allow the AL to use a designated hitter, drawing a line in the sand that still exists between the junior and senior circuits. On April 6th, 1973, Ron Blomberg of the Yankees became the first regular season DH in major-league history, drawing a bases-loaded walk off the Red Sox’s Luis Tiant.
• 1974 - 2B Warren Morris was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. He made his major league debut in 1999, going from non-roster invitee in spring training to starting second baseman early in the season for the Bucs. Morris had a sharp rookie campaign, hitting .288 with 15 home runs, 73 RBI and earning a spot on the 1999 Topps All-Star Rookie team at second base. It went downhill fast, and the Pirates released him before the 2002 season; his last MLB campaign was in 2003 and he formally retired in 2006.

Warren Morris 2000 Revolution

• 2013 - Andrew McCutchen was voted to be the cover athlete on the baseball video game “MLB 13: The Show.” Cutch gathered 108,147 votes from fans via Twitter and Facebook, while NY Yankees' pitcher CC Sabathia came in second place with 89,054 votes.

Notes: Haley, Feliz, Gallardo, Knudson, Sadler, National Games

Contrary to popular belief, the Steelers aren't the only newsmakers this weekend...

• The Buccos signed RHP Trey Haley, 25, who was in the Cleveland Indians' farm system. He went a combined 4-4-1/2.45 ERA at the AA/AAA levels, along with 60 K and 32 BB in 55 IP. Haley was selected in the second round of the 2008 draft. The Texan is 6'4", has a mid-to-upper-90s heater (along with a good two-seamer & curve) and no control, a perfect Pirate fit. The righty was placed on the 40-man roster, replacing RHP Guido Knudson, who the Bucs would like to keep if he gets through waivers.

Trey Haley (photo media day 2015)

• Jeff Sullivan of Fangraphs really likes the pickup of Neftali Feliz. 
• Nick Cafardi of the Boston Globe: "Yovani Gallardo seems to be the next significant starter to go in free agency. Gallardo has a few teams interested, each of which are hoping to score a bargain. And it appears the teams are looking for a two- or three-year deal. Scott Kazmir’s recent three-year, $48 million deal with the Dodgers could be an indication of what Gallardo could land. Look for the Orioles, Blue Jays, Pirates, Royals, and Cubs to be in on Gallardo."
• The Pirates released 25 year old RHP Casey Sadler a couple of weeks ago without any fanfare. He had TJ surgery in October, following a forearm issue that ended his 2015 season in June. Casey will sit out this year after the TJ work and try to catch on as a depth option somewhere in 2017.
• The Bucs have a pair of 2016 home games slated to be shown by Fox: June 11th vs the Cardinals and July 9th vs the Cubs. Both are 7:15 starts.
• Jim Cheney of Uncovering PA has the story on the six HoF'ers buried in Pittsburgh; it's a good read for those who appreciate the 'Burgh's long baseball history.

1/10: HBD Cliff & Bo

• 1922 - LHP Cliff Chambers was born in Portland, Oregon. He worked for the Bucs between 1949-51, going 28-28 with a 4.33 ERA. But he had a shining moment: On May 6th, 1951, Chambers pitched a no-hitter (albeit with eight walks) for the Pirates, beating the Boston Braves 3-0 for the second no-no in franchise history (the first was Nick Maddox’s 1907 gem v Brooklyn).

Cliff Chambers with manager Billy Meyers 1951 (Acme photo)

• 1926 - SS George “Bo” Strickland was born in New Orleans. The Pirates got him from the Red Sox in the Rule V draft, and he played for the Bucs from 1950-52, helping to mentor a young Dick Groat. He hit .199 over that span, and then was traded to the Indians, where he lasted eight more seasons, several as a starting SS and manning the middle for the 1954 AL championship club. Strickland was a solid glove guy; he hit over .238 just once in his 10 year MLB career. Bo got his nickname as a kid; he was always covered with scrapes and cuts, and all those “boo-boos” earned him the moniker Bobo, which was shortened to Bo as he grew up.

Bo Strickland 1951 Topps

1/9: Dreyfuss' Folly; Burleigh Traded; Burnitz Signed; Dirt Passes Away

• 1910 - Dreyfuss’ Folly, Forbes Field, drew some raves from the local press after a busy debut season. The Pittsburg Press noted that “...from its opening to the end of football season, Forbes Field drew nearly one million fans...nothing even approaching this record was ever made at any other athletic venue.” Half the crowd was attracted by baseball; the remainder filled the seats for football, track meets, hippodrome events, police drills, and even a Communion service as the Oakland ballyard quickly become Pittsburgh’s big-event host.

Forbes Field 1909 - photo via RW Johnston

• 1918 - The Pirates traded P Burleigh Grimes to the Brooklyn Robins along with P Al Mamaux and SS Chuck Ward for 2B George Cutshall and OF Casey Stengel, who was making his second stop at Pittsburgh. Hall of Famer Grimes went on to win 158 games in nine seasons with Brooklyn. The Bucs top prize was Cutshaw, who manned second for Pittsburgh for four years, hitting .275 and providing solid up-the-middle defense.
• 2006 - 37 year old OF Jeromy Burnitz was signed to a $6M contract by the Bucs. He hit .230 for Pittsburgh during his last year in the majors; the Pirates opted not to renew his contract and the following spring, Burnitz announced his retirement after 14 seasons during which he logged 315 HR and 981 RBI while playing for seven teams.

Jeromy Burnitz - photo Jay Drowns/Getty Images

• 2014 - Steve “Dirt” DiNardo, who had been the head groundskeeper at Three Rivers Stadium after starting as a part-timer at Forbes Field in 1961 (he retired in 1994), passed away at the age of 82. Dirt was legendary for his tricks, once alleged to have lowered the bullpen mounds of heated rivals the Cincinnati Reds when they were in town along with feats of homerism on behalf of the Steelers.

1/8: HBD Augie & Bo; Goose Voted In

• 1934 - IF Gene Freese was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. Augie went to Wheeling Central HS and West Liberty State College, spending two stints (1955-58, 64-65) and six years with the Bucs. Mostly a reserve with Pittsburgh, he hit .247 as a Pirate, though while between Bucco rosters, he started at third for three years at Cincinnati, hitting 26 homers in 1961, helping the Reds to their first NL flag in 21 years. After he retired, Freese settled near New Orleans where he ran a sports bar. Freese had a history with nicknames; he claimed to have given Pete Rose his “Charlie Hustle” moniker. Gene had his nickname hung on him in 1955 thanks to Ebbets Field PA announcer Tex Ricard, who was noted for confusing names and introduced him as Augie, per former Bucco player and announcer Nellie King.

Gene Freese 1965 Topps

• 1969 - RHP Brian Boehringer was born in St. Louis, Missouri. The reliever closed out his 10 year MLB career in Pittsburgh between 2002-04, with a Bucco record of 10-9-1, 4.36 ERA. He had a sharp 2002 season, making 70 appearances and pitching to a 3.39 ERA, but couldn’t keep up the pace during his final two campaigns.
• 2008 - In his ninth year on the BBWAA's ballot, Rich “Goose” Gossage was the only player elected to the Hall of Fame. During Goose's' 22-year career, he compiled a 124-107 record, saved 310 games, and posted a 3.01 ERA. He spent 1977 as a Pirate, going 11-9-26 with a 1.62 ERA and 151 K in 133 IP. Goose was inducted on July 27th.

1/7: HBD Kitty, Ducky, Al & Ted; McClatchy Sells Out

• 1875 - 1B William “Kitty” Bransfield was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. He played four seasons for Pittsburgh (1901-04), batting .271, and started for the 1903 Pirate team that played in the first recognized World Series, losing to the Boston Americans. He played through the 1911 season and then spent time as an minor league umpire, Cubs scout and briefly as a farm team manager. Per David Anderson of the SABR Biography Project, “His original nickname was "Kid," but a reporter with bad hearing heard it as "Kitty" and the name stuck.”

Kitty - 1907 Bains New Service photo via the Library of Congress

• 1902 - C Al Todd was born in Troy, NY. Todd spent from 1936-38 as a Pirate after coming over in a deal with the Phillies. He started the last two seasons, compiling a .282 BA during that span before being traded to the Boston Bees. He hung up the spikes at age 39 after the 1943 season and worked as a minor league manager and scout for several years after his playing career ended.
• 1921 - OF Ted Beard was born in Woodsboro, Maryland. He played for the Pirates as a reserve outfielder from 1948-52, batting .203, after losing three years to WW2 as a medic. A top prospect, Ted had speed and showed some occasional flashes of power (he became the second player, after Babe Ruth, to clear the RF roof at Forbes Field), but was fated to become a AAAA player. He had great success playing for the Hollywood Stars & San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League and later Indianapolis through the fifties and into the early sixties.
• 1935 - IF Dick “Ducky” (his dad’s nickname that followed Schofield around; prob a play on Dickie) Schofield was born in Springfield, Illinois. He played eight (1958-65) of his 19 big league years with the Pirates, and took over for an injured Dick Groat during the 1960 title stretch run, hitting .333 to help the Bucs take the NL title without looking back. Schofield was a regular infielder from 1963-65, but his BA (.248 as a Pirate, .227 overall) limited him to a backup role through most of his career.

Ducky - 1960 Topps

• 2009 - Selling the last of his remaining shares in the Pirates, Kevin McClatchy ended his 13-year relationship with the team. After local ownership failed to materialize in 1996, the former managing general partner guaranteed that the struggling club would stay in Pittsburgh by finding shareholders and securing the $95M financing needed to buy the franchise. Bob Nutting became the majority stockholder in 2007 and ushered in Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington when the season ended.

Notes: Feliz Signed, Sanchez Goes; Lee, Bastardo & Plouffe Balloons; Camp Invites

The wheels keep on turning:

• Neftali Feliz signed a one year/$3.9M contract with the Bucs, according to Jeff Passan's report. He was pretty terrible last year, but is going into his age 28 season with 97 saves. The Bucs are apparently convinced that his arm woes - he came back from TJ surgery in 2014 and an old elbow issue - are behind him, and little Uncle Ray tinkering will buff him up. Feliz, a fastball/slider guy, is down in his velo a bit, but still brought it at 94-95 last year, a tick above his 2014 speed. EDIT: C Tony Sanchez was later announced as the 40-man roster loser; we thought the Bucs were holding on to see if he could be used as a trade piece, but apparently not.

Neftali Feliz - 2009 Topps Heritage

• Mike Axisa of CBS Sports thinks that the Bucs are one of a handful of clubs that are a good fit for Cliff Lee.
• ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that "The Orioles and Mets have been among those teams involved in talks with lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo." 
• How to solve the Buccos clean-up hitter dilemma? Tim Boyle of Inning Eaters suggests benching Jordy, playing Jung-Ho at short, and trading for the Twins 3B Trevor Plouffe, who may be available because of Miguel Sano's ascent.
• It's getting closer by the minute. The Pirates first full-squad spring drills will begin on February 23rd at Pirate City. Pitchers & catchers report on the 17th to kick off camp.
• Non-roster (not on the 40-man) invitees to camp so far are P Wilfredo Boscan, P Steven Brault, IF Juan Diaz, C Ed Easley, IF Cole Figueroa, P Jim Fuller, IF Adam Frazier, IF Dan Gamache, P Chad Kuhl, P Kelvin Marte, C Reese McGuire, OF Danny Ortiz, P Curtis Parch, OF Antoan Richardson, C Jacob Stallings, P Trevor Williams and P Robert Zarate. Diaz, Easley, Fuller & Marte are recent MiLB signs with invites.

1/5-6: HBD JR, Lee; Bert Gets the Call to the Hall

• January 5, 1961 - Manager John Russell was born in Oklahoma City. While with the Rangers, he caught Nolan Ryan's 6th career no-hitter in 1990. He ended his 10 year career with a .225 batting average, 34 home runs and 129 RBI in 448 games. After hanging up the spikes, he made some coaching stops and managed the Bucs from 2008-10 during some dark seasons, with a record of 186-299. It wasn’t his first stop in Pittsburgh; JR had been Lloyd McClendon’s third base coach from 2003-05. He’s currently the Baltimore Oriole's bench coach.

John Russell (photo Associated Press)

• January 5, 2011 - After a 14 year wait, curve ball king RHP Bert Blyleven was elected to the Hall of Fame. He won 34 games for Pittsburgh between 1978-80, his stay cut short because the Dutchman publicly disagreed with Chuck Tanner, who went to his bullpen early and often rather than letting pitchers get deep in close games. In a 22 year MLB career, Blyleven claimed 287 victories and 3,701 strikeouts, and was inducted into the Hall on July 24th.

Bert Blyleven (Hall of Fame presentation)

• January 6, 1933 - OF Lee Walls was born in San Diego. He played three years in all three outfield positions for Pittsburgh (1952, 1956-57) and put up a .259 BA before being traded to the Cubs in May of 1957. Walls was a Cub starter for three years, earning an All-Star berth in 1958, but spent the back end of his career as a bench player.

Lee Walls 1957 Topps

Notes: Mark the Shark, Fran, Jaso, Masterson, & Ex/Future Buccos

Welcoming in the New Year:

• Per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Pirates are one of "eight to ten" teams to show interest in Justin Masterson, who's said to be recovering nicely after shoulder surgery.No surprise; he's been on their list for a couple of off seasons.
• Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote of Mark the Shark: "He has been available all winter in the right deal, but as time passes, it seems more and more likely that Melancon, who led the majors with 51 saves last season, will remain a Pirate...Because the Pirates will again be playoff contenders, he may not be available at the trade deadline." So it's more than possible that the Bucs, if they remain in contention again, will keep Melancon all the way through his walk year.

The Shark & Fran (photo Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

• Adam Berry of MLB.com has a piece on Fran Cervelli. He says he loves it here, but no extension talks yet - and this is his walk year.
• We wouldn't worry too much about John Jaso's effort to become a competent first baseman. He told the MLB Radio Network that one reason he chose the Bucs is because "It's exciting to put leather on my hand."
• CSN Chicago's Dave Andracki takes a look at the Buccos' off season with a quick peek at the Cubbies winter, too.
• Jim Callis of MLB.com looks for big things from Pirate prospects 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes and CF Harold Ramirez.
• Who knew? WV Black Bear manager and cup-of-coffee Bucco catcher Wayne Torregas is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. 
• The Rangers have signed former Bucco C Michael "Fort" McKenry and LHP Donnie Veal, a Pirate Rule 5 claim from 2009, to minor league contracts. McKenry got a spring training invite.
• Dave Mackall of the Trib has a piece on Elizabeth native and Elizabeth Forward Warrior grad JJ Hoover of the Reds.