Morrison's nickname, Jughandle Johnny, was a tribute to his sweeping curveball, considered among the best ever. He was 25-13 for the Pirates in 1923, and, as a workhorse starter and reliever, tied for the NL lead in games pitched in 1924 and led in 1925. A heavy drinker, he was suspended by Pittsburgh at times in 1926 and 1927, when, claiming illness, he went home to the hills of Kentucky. Dodger manager Wilbert Robinson had tolerance for wayward imbibers; after the sobering experience of being sent to the minors, a repentant Morrison was welcomed to Brooklyn in 1929. Robinson's reclamation project was a one-year success, as Morrison was the NL's best reliever, with eight saves and ten wins out of the bullpen. But, early in 1930, he failed to report for a game, was deemed "out of shape" and fined $200, and left Brooklyn for good. His brother Phil pitched in one game for the Pirates in 1921. (JK)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 30, 1922: George Burns, now a member of the Reds, steals home against the Pirates in the 3rd on the front end of a double steal with Greasy Neale,. It is his 28th career steal of home and gives him a new National League record formerly held by Honus Wagner. The Reds win the opener, 9–3, then lose game 2, 7–3, to Johnny Morrison. » September 13, 1922: Pittsburgh sweeps a pair from the visiting Braves, winning 8–1 and 6–1. Wilbur Cooper and Johnny Morrison are the winners. Joe Genewich makes his ML debut in relief for the Braves. Genewich jumped from the sandlots, where he was making $5 a game pitching, directly to the Braves, bypassing the minors. » September 26, 1925: With the pennant clinched, the Pirates get shut out for the 2nd time in three days, losing twice to the visiting Giants. Fred Fitzsimmons stops the Bucs 3–0 in the nitecap, beating Johnny Morrison. Zeke Barnes outpitches Vic Aldridge, 4–3, in the opener. To the dismay of the 25,000 on hand, the Bucs leading batter Kiki Cuyler is hitless. » August 6, 1929: In a Ladies Day game at Wrigley that draws 29,000 women and 11,000 men, the Cubs have their 5-game win streak stopped by Brooklyn, 5–4, despite Hornsby's 23rd home run of the year. Brooklyn's Jughead Johnny Morrison is the winner over Chicago ace Pat Malone. But Chicago will win their next three.