With Pittsburgh finally in contention again, I thought I’d run a card from its past. Aside from the obvious stars (Clemente, Stargell), whenever I think of those old Pirates teams, Gene Alley keeps popping in my head.

Why? I don’t know. But I decided to pay tribute to Gene today.

For the record, Alley played 11 years for the Pirates and was a two-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner.

Here’s to you, Gene…and the Pirates.