A Dodger Christmas Card and a Letter to a Fan at BST Auctions

With the Baseball world's attention focused on the playoffs, I thought it would be a nice little respite before the start of this evenings Game 4 to point to an auction currently ongoing. Shown here are a couple of Dodgers related items that jumped out at me in BST's current auction.

Since the holidays are just around the corner I though the above 1955 Dodgers Christmas card would be fun to point out. (Auction Link) As you know, this year was the franchises first championship, so naturally their Christmas card had to reflect that. Above is both the front and back of the card. Below is a team photograph that was placed inside. As you can see, it reads on the reverse:

Blog Kiosk: 10/13/2017 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

As I've said many times before, there's nothing cooler than seeing some fan taken vintage snapshots of our legendary Dodger players. More often we see them in Dodger duds. On this occasion, however, we see several players in their travelling suits at the Terminal Train Station in Cincinnati. They were in town for a four-game series in late August 1950.

According to the auction listing at BST Auctions (Auction Link) they were taken by a porter at the train station and eventually gifted to a 16-year old kid who had his own dreams of Major League ball. His name was Herb Shavers and he eventually played African-American semi-pro ball. I'm sure that although he never reached that eventual goal I think it's fair to say that if not for Jackie he could not have dreamed so large.

Featured are Pee Wee Reese and Gil Hodges on the top left; Jackie Robinson on the top right; manager Burt Shotten and his wife on the bottom left; and Don Newcombe and Gene Hermanski on the bottom right.

Below are more links to check:

• This day in Dodgers History: In 1938 Leo "The Lip" Durocher is named the new manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers.  In 1974 Dodgers closer Mike Marshall picked off A's designated runner Herb Washington to get the second out in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the World Series.  He would eventually record a save to preserve the Dodgers only win in the series.  Oakland would win the title in Game 5.  You can watch the pick-off here.
• Happy Birthday, "Wild" Bill Donovan, Jim Roberts, Ray Hathaway, Bob Bailey & Chris Gwynn!

A Dodger Scorecard from 1885 of an Error Filled Game

Following up on a post from last week that featured two vintage 1884 Brooklyn Atlantics (the Dodger franchise) scorecards, I now share another scorecard from the following season in 1885 (Auction Link).

As you can see, Brooklyn outfielder John Cassidy is featured prominently on the cover. It dates to a game played on July 31st between Brooklyn and the Philadelphia Athletics, which the A's won 10 to 7, and notes a wild and raucous affair.

There were a total of twenty errors recorded in the game -- including nine by Brooklyn pitcher John Harkins.  Hilariously, the story in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle the next day made sure to let its readers know how bad Harkins was.

Scorecards from the Dodgers First Year as a Major League Club in 1884

The Dodger franchise didn't start as some expansion team created out of thin dust.  Instead, like most ballplayers, the club rose up the ranks.  The Brooklyn Grays, as they were known back then, had won the Interstate Association (a Triple-A level league) championship in 1883 and decided to move up to a major league called the American Association the following year.  That season they were dubbed the Brooklyn Atlantics in honor of the old National Association Brooklyn Atlantics team, and featured below are a couple of completed vintage scorecards from that season in 1884.

They are both available at BST Auction and I thought it would fun to take a closer look at them.  Click any pic to embiggen.

A Brief Look at Billy Holbert - a Late 19th Century Brooklyn Gray/Dodger

I figured it was about time I take a moment to highlight an old-time Dodger player; albeit a Dodger who only played 15 games for the old club.  Featured above is William "Billy" Holbert on an 1888 N172 Old Judge Baseball card that is currently available at BST Auctions.  He is shown bent-over home plate -- complete with an fantastic vintage "spider" style catchers mask and tipped-finger workman’s style baseball glove.  (Click on the pic to embiggen)

Billy is well known for several reason.  First, he was the favorite catcher to dominant Hall of Fame pitcher Tim Keefe when he played for both the Troy Trojans and the New York Metropolitans.

(Via DPL)

Secondly, Holbert holds an MLB record that still stands today.  In 2,335 career Major League at-bats he did not hit a single home run.  Zilch!  Nada!

He was the living embodiment of the no-hit, good defense kind of catcher. (Check out another card of his on the right from the same set as seen above)

Granted, he did play ball during the deadball era -- a time period known more for slap hitting rather than homers.  Still, you'd think with the large expansive outfields of the time he'd have at least one round-tripper next to his name.  BTW, Tom Oliver of the early 30's Red Sox owns the modern record for most at-bats without a homer with 1,931.

As a Brooklyn Gray/Dodger his time with us was largely uneventful.  Holbert came over from the NY Metropolitans as part of a seven player trade/sale. He would play in Brooklyn for part of only one season, 1888, and get into only 15 games before retiring.  As a Brooklyn player he would slash a measly .120/.170/.140/.310. 

After leaving the game as a player he would go on to become an umpire for a short time; including being an umpire for the short-lived Players League of 1890.  Billy would soon serve with the US Secret Service soon thereafter. 

Check out his career statistics below, via Baseball Reference:

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1880's Brooklyn Grays Pitcher John Harkins at BST Auctions

I figure from time to time, when the desire strikes, I'll put up a little post featuring an old-tyme Dodger player you may not know.  It'll usually be a fellow who played over 100 years ago, and I'll be sure to share a pic of a vintage card or collectible of him, as well.  Over the years I've done this numerous times, but I plan on making it a regular occurrence.

Today's flashback is former Brooklyn Grays, the Dodger first incarnation as a part of the American Association, pitcher John Harkins.  I ran into an BST Auction of a 1887 Old Judge tobacco card of his and decided to find out more about him.  You can see a photo of the card above.  BTW, the card sold at auction a couple of weeks ago for just under $300.

Harkins was known by the nickname of "Pa" for reasons I do not know - although I'm sure it has to do with an paternal instinct.  After all, he moonlighted as a college coach at Yale, Princeton and Lehigh during his playing days.

John Harkins began playing the game in the sandlots of New Brunswick, New Jersey.  He was learned in every position on the field, but it was as a pitcher that he made his name.  In fact, his prowess at the position was something he stumbled upon.  According to a story told in an obituary reprinted on Ancestry.com, Harkins was asked to to pitch after the days hurler failed to appear.  He eventually threw a tie and became a regular pitcher from then on.

As an older lad, he attended Rutgers University as a chemistry major, but soon left to pursue a career on the diamond.  Harkins played for Trenton of the Inter-State League, was eventually sold to the Cleveland Blues of the National League and then was quickly snatched up by the Brooklyn club when Cleveland folded - going along with follow Blues players Duc Bushong and Germany Smith. 

With Brooklyn he joined the starting rotation and won a total of 39 games over three seasons.  He threw just under 800 innings during that span while completing 88 games and recording one shutout.  In 1888 he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles and soon retired.  As is relayed in the obituary, he decided he could make a better living opening up a tavern and pitching intermittently for local town-ball teams.

John Harkins died of a heart attack in 1940 at the age of 81.  He was a retired professional ballplayer, a former Dodger, a longtime sergeant-a-arms of the New Brunswick District Court and an entrepreneurial restaurant owner in the New Brunswick area.

When asked about his thoughts of the big leagues when he visited his last game in 1936 he said thusly:

"Yes, there's been a big change since my day. And one of those boys down there (pointing to the members of the two teams) probably is paid more than was our entire team. And the crowds nowadays are different. Here there are 50,000. When we played before 5,000 we were performing for an 'enormous throng'."

Below are a few more cards featuring John Harkins.  You will also see the photo of Harkins as an Oriole that was taken from the original 1888 Glass Plate Negative used for one of the cards below.  That negative sold in 2014 for $1,554 at Legendary Auctions.

Here are Harkins' career stats, via Baseball Reference:

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