6/17 Through the 1960’s: Gravedigger Buries Cubs; HBD Bennie, Joe, Zeb, Pete & Bob

• 1861 - OF Pete Browning was born in Louisville. One of the great hitters (and terrible fielders - he was known as “The Gladiator” because of his fights with fly balls, although others claim it was due to his tussles with league suits and the media) of early baseball, he played 50 games for 1891 for Pittsburgh, batting .291. He may not have played here long, but he had an influential 13-year career. Per Wikipedia: One of the ballers to jump to the outlaw Players League (he actually helped create it), Browning's decision to sign with Pittsburgh in 1891 helped cement the team's new nickname of "Pirates." When the PL collapsed, its members were supposed to return to their original franchises. Pittsburgh, though, signed several players who were theoretically under the control of other clubs, starting with second baseman Lou Bierbauer. Other franchises decried these acts of "piracy", and the name stuck. Browning is also remembered as the inspiration behind Hillerich & Bradsby's iconic "Louisville Slugger" (another of his nicknames) bats. He was the first player to buy bats from the company and they used the name a few years later to both recognize its roots and cash in on Pete’s fame. Finally, The Gladiator retired with a .341 lifetime BA, leading SABR to name him as an overlooked but deserving 19th Century Hall of Fame player. The fact he was an early union agitator and helped form the Players League plus his later bouts of alcoholism, all of which made his relations with the media contentious, hurt his cause. 

Pete Browning - Mears Lithograph/The Sporting News

• 1887 - OF Bob Coulson was born in Courtney, in New Eagle Township in Washington county, and raised in Donora. That Mon Valley community is noted for nurturing stars like Stan the Man and Ken Griffey Sr (Junior was born there), but Bob was its first contribution to the majors. He played three years for three MLB teams, then the Penn State product spent two more seasons in the bushes spanning the country with stints in Newark, Kansas City and Portland. He finally got a chance to finish his career at home, playing 18 games for the Pittsburgh Rebels in 1914, hitting .203 before retiring to Washington county where he became a Register of Wills, Department of Labor inspector and Assessment Officer. He’s buried in Beallsville Cemetery. 
• 1891 - SS Zeb Terry was born in Denison, Texas. He was raised in California and attended Long Beach Poly HS, which has produced 19 MLB players including Tony Gwynn, Milton Bradley, Rocky Bridges and Chase Utley, before going to Stanford and then the majors. Zebelon played seven years in the show, spending the 1919 season with the Pirates. He batting .227, then spent three more pretty solid campaigns with the Cubs (.280 BA). Zeb (and especially his wife) tired of the travel and in 1922 retired to the life of a real estate developer in LA. In 1955, Terry was part of Stanford’s first Sports Hall of Fame class along with guys like Ernie Nevers, Frankie Albert, Bob Mathias, Hank Luisetti, and Pete Desjardins. 
• 1910 - RHP Joe Bowman was born in Kansas City. He tossed for the Bucs from 1937-41, split between starting and the pen, with a record of 33-38-6 and a 4.35 ERA. Joe knew his way around a batter’s box, too, hitting .281 with 38 RBI as a Pirate. Bowman became the Scouting Director for Charlie Finley's Kansas City A's from 1960 to 1968. When the A's moved to Oakland in 1968, Bowman became a regional scout for the Atlanta Braves for a short time before spending two decades scouting for the Baltimore Orioles. 

Joe Bowman - 1939 Goudey Play Ball

• 1932 - RHP Bennie Daniels was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He underperformed in his Pittsburgh years, going 8-16-1 with a 5.84 ERA, though his FIP was a more solid 3.98. He was traded to the Washington Senators, where he put up workmanlike numbers for five more seasons. Bennie bounced around after baseball and served time for embezzlement, but flew straight after his release, working as a clerk in the VA system and then riding the autograph session circuit after retiring. 
• 1969 - Richie Hebner was the man of the hour in a twinbill sweep at Forbes Field against the first place Chicago Cubs, driving in the game’s only run in a 1-0 victory in the opener and then plating a walk-off RBI in a 4-3 nightcap win. Bob Veale won the lidlifter with a save by Bruce Dal Canton. Steve Blass won the second game in relief, and helped himself by scoring the winning run.