9/14 Happenings: HDB El Coffee, Jake, Don, Fred, Frank & Jerry Don; Hamey GM; Mudcat, Salkeld Join Up, Cover Boy Z

• 1853 - 1B Jake Goodman was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Jake got his start with the Alleghenys in 1877 (they were part of the short-lived minor league International Association) and then played for the Milwaukee Grays the following year. He dropped off the map for a while, probably playing minor or semi-pro ball, and popped back up as an Allegheny again for 10 games in 1882 (they were major-league then as part of the American Association), going 13-for-41 and last appearing in May. His story didn’t have a happy ending. While playing minor league ball, he was beaned in 1884 and never recovered; he suffered from palsy afterward and died of a stroke in 1890 at age 36. 

Don Williams 1960 Topps

• 1931 - RHP Don Williams was born in Floyd, Virginia. Don went to the U of Tennessee and signed with the Bucs in 1953 along with his twin Dewey, who never made it out of the minors. After losing the 1954-55 seasons to military service, he finally got a couple of sips of the big league with the pirates in 1958-59, getting into eight games with no record and a 6.75 ERA. He was sold to the White Sox, pitched again briefly in the show for Kansas City and retired after the 1963 campaign, becoming a rancher and gym teacher back in Floyd County. 
• 1933 - LHP Fred Green was born in Titusville, New Jersey. He pitched four years for the Bucs (1959-61, 1964) with a line of 9-6-4/3.33. The multi-role reliever was a member of the 1960 championship club after signing in 1952 and coming through the Pirate farm system; his last MLB gig was also with the Pirates in ‘64. Fred became a trucking manager and found time to occasionally pitch batting practice for the Pirates before passing away at age 62. His son Gary played shortstop for the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, and Cincinnati Reds, and managed Pirates and Tigers farms teams for 11 season. 
• 1938 - LHP Frank Carpin was born in Brooklyn. The Bucs took him from the Yankees via the 1964 minor league draft and Frank got into 39 games in 1965 for the Pirates with a slash of 3-1-3/3.18. The Astros picked him up the following season when Pittsburgh left him unprotected in the Rule 5 draft. He tossed 10 games for the ‘Stros, ended up in AAA and retired at the end of the year. At age 27, it was an easy decision - he had a degree from Notre Dame (he became a broker), four kids and bone spurs in his elbow. 

Bill Salkeld (photo George Brace)

• 1944 - The Pirates purchased catcher Bill Salkeld from San Diego of the Pacific Coast league. He was brought aboard to replace Al Lopez, but couldn’t win the spot even though he hit .293 in his three (1945-47) Bucco campaigns. As a rookie in ‘45, Salkeld batted .311 with 15 home runs in only 317 PA, but was mainly a platoon guy with a .213 lifetime BA against lefties. 
• 1946 - Roy Hamey, president of the minor league American Association, was named GM of the Pirates. He ran the ship until 1950 and was the first true general manager of the team, as the duties of the position had previously been handled by the team president. Roy picked up some veteran pieces for the squad but never put together a farm system to provide home-grown talent and was replaced by Branch Rickey, who did the opposite by tearing the MLB team apart but building a strong minor league pipeline. It took Joe Brown to successfully fuse the two approaches. 
• 1957 - LHP Jerry Don Gleaton was born in Brownwood, Texas. An All-American at the U of Texas, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round (18th pick overall) of the 1979 draft. The hard-tossing reliever spent the final year of his 12-season career as a Pirate with a 1-0/4.26 line. The first-rounder won just 15 games in those dozen years, bouncing around among six teams. He’s now active in the Pro Athletes Outreach ministry and keeps his hand in the game by coaching. 

Jerry Don Gleaton (photo via The Goal)

• 1970 - The Pirates traded with Oakland for Jim “Mudcat “Grant, sending them a PTBNL (Angel Mangual). Mudcat made 50 appearances for Pittsburgh with a 7-4-7, 3.41 line. He worked as a broadcaster and executive for the Indians and as a broadcaster for the Athletics after he retired. Grant also became a black baseball historian and wrote the 2006 book “The Black Aces.” Angel played six seasons for the A’s as a reserve outfielder. 
• 1974 - Richie Zisk was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Menacing Bat.” It certainly was; Zisk hit .313 with 17 HR and 100 RBI in his first full-time season. 
• 1991 - OF Gregory Polanco was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He made his debut on June 10th, 2014, against the Cubs. In that game, he recorded his first MLB hit against Travis Wood. His first career home run, a two-run shot, against the Miami Marlins in the 13th inning was the game winner in an 8–6 victory. On June 18th, he became the first Pirate with a hit in each of his first eight games. He got his nickname of El Coffee as a Dominican teen baller; he reminded one of his coaches of an older player with that moniker.