1/26: $1M Cobra; Maz Signs; First Pirates Fest; Pitchers Era; HBD Josh, Jeff, Ad & Kaiser

• 1874 - RHP Irvin “Kaiser” Wilhelm was born in Wooster, Ohio. Kaiser tossed one year in Pittsburgh (1903), going 5-3/3.24 before bouncing around between the show and the farm. While in the bushes, he authored a perfect game for Birmingham in 1906 and put together the minor league record (still standing) for consecutive shutout innings with 59 the following year, also as a Baron. And yes, his nickname was thanks to Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm. 

Ad Gumbert (as a White Stocking) - Goodwin/Old Judge

• 1895 - RHP Addison “Ad” Gumbert was traded to the Brooklyn Grooms for C Tom Kinslow. The deal stirred some controversy on a couple of fronts. First, it happened four days after a newspaper report (which he denied) claimed he bad-mouthed the Pirates’ Pink Hawley trade. Additionally, the Reds protested, saying they had a prior handshake deal for Gumbert with manager Connie Mack, but that argument was rejected by the league. Ad, only 26, had gone 26-21/5.71 for the Bucs in 1893-94 and Kinslow was a back-up catcher. Neither team got much out of the deal as both retired after the 1896 season. Ad was a local boy who was elected County Sheriff in 1906 & County Commissioner in 1915 (he became Chairman), where he was a key figure in the building of the three Sister bridges. He also headed a variety of benevolent efforts - in fact, Pittsburgh Mayor William Magee once appointed him an Assistant Director of Charities for the City - and belonged to many service groups, including the Masons, Shriners and Odd Fellows. Ad passed away in 1925 from a brain tumor and is buried in Homewood Cemetery. 
• 1959 - After hitting .275, winning his first All Star nod and being awarded a Golden Glove, the Bucs rewarded Bill Mazeroski by doubling his contract from a guesstimated $10K to $20K. It was his second year as a starter, and in those two seasons (1957-58) he batted .277 to go with his legendary leather to launch his 17-year Pirates career into the Hall of Fame. 
• 1963 - A brief pitcher’s era began when the MLB Rules Committee opened up the strike zone between the top of the batter's shoulders and the bottom of his knees. The hurlers began to dominate, and after the run drought of 1968 (the “Year of the Pitcher”), the league reversed course, lowering the mound by five inches (from 15” to 10”) and tightening the strike zone to between the bottom of the armpit and the top of the knee for the next campaign. Later changes deformed and reformed the strike zone, though the mound remained thankfully unaltered. 

Jeff Branson - 2016 photo J Meric/Getty

• 1967 - Former Pirates hitting coach Jeff Branson was born in Waynesboro, Massachusetts. A second round draft pick of the Reds in 1988, he spent nine seasons in the show as a utility infielder, mostly with Cincinnati. After his playing days, Branson joined the Bucco minor league staff in 2003, and in late 2012, he was called up to the home club to serve as an assistant hitting coach under Jay Bell; when Bell left after the following year, Jeff was promoted to his position. He held the job until after the 2018 campaign when he was replaced by Rick Eckstein. Jeff coached the Detroit Tigers’ AAA Toledo Mud Hens in ‘21 and the following year was named their minor league hitting coordinator. 
• 1979 - Dave Parker of the Pirates became the first $1M per year player in sports when he signed a five-year/$5M contract after winning consecutive batting crowns and being named MVP. He didn’t get to enjoy it long - he had three straight All-Star seasons, but missed half of the 1981 and 1982 campaigns with injuries before having a full-time but meh, by his standards, year in 1983. Fans behaved even more poorly when they tossed batteries and other assorted trash at him in the field. He signed with Cincinnati when the deal expired. As Lennon and McCartney so aptly observed, “Money Can’t Buy Me Love.” (Note: the contract payout was worth at least $7.75M in all but was spread out over 30 years, so he never received $1M in any single campaign but rather $775K per season for five years. How the financial breakdown was finally worked out is unknown; the Pirates took him to court to void the deal due to Cobra’s coke use, and an undisclosed settlement was reached in 1988 before trial. In 1980, Nolan Ryan became the first actual $1M/season player with the Houston Astros.) 
• 1981 - RHP Josh Sharpless was born in Beaver. Josh went to Freedom Area HS and was drafted by the hometown nine in the 24th round of the 2003 draft out of Allegheny College, where he still ranks in the top five in several career pitching categories. He blew through the Pirates minor league system in three years, pitched in the Futures game, and tossed briefly for the Bucs, going 0-1/4.41 between 2006-07 cups of coffee in the show before being released and joining the Giants. Sharpless still lives in the area and gives pitching lessons while helping coach the LaRoche College Redhawks. 

Josh Sharpless - 2007 Topps Heritage

• 1990 - The Buccos held their first Pirates Fest at the Monroeville Expo Mart. It lasted two days and featured GM Larry Doughty, skipper Jimmy Leyland, Bobby Bonilla, Jay Bell, RJ Reynolds and Billy Maz among others, along with an exhibit of Buc memorabilia. The Fest was a fan favorite, but the Bucs unplugged it for the 2023 offseason, with no mention of whether it’s to return.