Former MLB Commissioner Happy Chandler had No Love for Leo Durocher

The other day I featured a personal letter currently for sale at Legendary Auctions that was written by MLB Commissioner Happy Chandler that addressed his role in integrating Baseball (you can check out that post here).  He expressed obvious displeasure at having his role diminished by history.

In addition to that letter is more correspondence that is of interest to Dodger fans.  In a 1988 letter to former Dodger executive and GM Buzzie Bavasi he let us know that he is not in favor of admitting former Dodger manager Leo Durocher into the Hall of Fame.  In fact, he was adamant that Durocher was not eligible.  He writes:

Leo Durocher made me more trouble during my time as Commissioner than all the other Baseball players in both the Major Leagues.  I frequently talked with Rickey about him, and his need for discipline.  Rickey promised me that he would take care of him, but after numerous failures on Rickey's part, I asked him to turn him over to me.

I do not think he is eligible for the Hall of Fame.

As you know, Leo Durocher was eventually admitted into the Hall in 1994 as a part of an Veteran's Committee vote.

It's likely that Chandler, when considering eligibility, was referencing Durocher's friendships with known gamblers, book-makers and mobsters.  After all, association with gambling is a big no-no, and Durocher's dalliances with this crowd became headline news during his managing days.  Nevertheless, Durocher was never banned (unlike Joe Jackson or Pete Rose), so he was in good standing.

Of special note, Chandler writes a bit about former Dodger PR executive Harold Parrott.  He wrote:

Harold Parrott came and cried to me with respect to his fine, which was deserved.  I rescinded it because he made me think that I was causing his family to starve.  He repaid me by being nasty to me all the days of his life.

Parrott was Durocher's ghostwriter in a regular column in the Brooklyn Eagle, and got into trouble with Chandler when he penned a piece criticizing him.  At the time there were wild accusations about Durocher and Yankee owner Larry MacPhail's connections to gamblers, but the league chose to only come down hard on Durocher.  Parrott's article called that a double-standard.

If you are not familiar with Harold Parrott you can watch the movie "42" for some context.  He was the small fellow with glasses who always seemed to be hanging around Harrison Ford's character Branch Rickey.  A picture of him, as played by TR Knight, is on the left.

Check out the letter below, and check out the auction here.

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Commissioner Happy Chandler Discussed Role in Integrating Baseball in Letter For Sale at Legendary Auctions

The best part about following the large Baseball auction houses is not the fantastic cards and memorabilia that they have.  Although, they are fun to gaze at.  Instead, I enjoy keeping tab because of the amazing amount of Baseball history that is often hidden in plain sight. 

(Dick Perez postcard of Chandler)

For instance, check out this letter that is currently for sale at Legendary Auctions.  It was written by former Kentucky Governor and MLB Commissioner Albert "Happy" Chandler to a curious fan in 1987.  In it Chandler describes his role in desegregating the game, while also (somewhat) diminishing the part that Branch Rickey played.  In fact, he sounds a bit bitter about being left out of history.

As you may know, just prior to the start of the 1947 season (Jackie's rookie year) the 16 team owners got together to debate and vote on whether he should be allowed into the league.  They voted 15-1 to not let him play.  As you can imagine, the result was not what the Dodgers wanted, and as we soon learned, it was not the result the Commissioner wanted either.  So, they worked together to make history happen.  Per Happy Chandler:

As soon as that meeting was over, Rickey, who had cast the only affirmative vote, called me and asked me to permit him to come to my place in Woodford Country to discuss the Jackie Robinson situation.  He came here and for an hour or so, at my cabin at the backside of my place here in the country, we discussed fully his wish to bring Jackie Robinson into the Major Leagues.  He said that in view of the 15-1 vote of the club owners, it was impossible for him to bring Jackie Robinson from Montreal to Brooklyn without my full cooperation and support.  This was a fact, and he and I both recognized it.

I told him that it was unjust and unfair and that they could not any longer justify complete segregation with respect to Baseball.  I told him to bring Robinson in and, notwithstanding the 15-1 vote, we would help him make the fight.  The record will show that we did make it, and that it was a monumental decision.  Of course, I was the only person on earth who could approve the transfer of that contract from Montreal to Brooklyn.  

As for Chandlers view of Branch Rickey's role in the entire situation, he wrote this:

Rickey and his folks tried to take credit for Robinson's entrance into Baseball.  The only thing he did about it was to sign Jackie Robinson as a Baseball player.  For twenty-five years, as you know, my predecessor would not permit them to play.  In fact, just before he died, he made a final declaration: "Everything's been said about this that's gonna be said.  The answer is no."

To suggest that Rickey played only a minor part is obviously inaccurate.  At the same time, it's also unfortunate that history has largely glossed over the importance of Chandler's role in the drama.  He is right.  Without the Commissioner approval Jackie never would have been a Dodger, and we all should be thankful that Chandler saw fit to impose his will.  It must not have been easy for a former Democrat governor of a Southern state in the late-40's to buck deeply ingrained social conventions.  A Dixiecrat, he obviously was not.  A fellow trailblazer, he was.

(Auction Link)

(Auction Link)

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Dodger Stock Certificate Available for Sale at Legendary Auctions

Ephemera is a broad branch of collecting that is not well known, but is something most sports collectors are active participants in.  It typically consist of paper (printed) items that were originally meant to be discarded after their intended use.  Although, that is a bit of an antiquated definition.  Maybe the best explanation I've read is from noted collector Maurice Rickards who said that ephemera is “minor transient documents of everyday life.”  This could be flyers, business cards, calendars or event tickets.  These days ephemera collecting has expanded even further towards certificates, bank notes, letters and even trading cards. 

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Featured here are a couple of unique ephemera items related to the Dodgers that I wanted to point out.  They are currently available for sale through Legendary Auctions and will be closing next week. 

Directly below is a 1966 letter from National League President Warren Giles to Dodger owner Walter O'Malley.  In the letter he officially notifies O'Malley that the Dodgers are the victors of the National League.  It seems a bit odd to me that this is something O'Malley has to be told, but I guess official recognition is required. 

(Auction Link)

This next item is just plain awesome.  Below is a Brooklyn Dodgers ownership stock certificate dated June 18, 1948 and signed by team President Branch Rickey.  It is for 10 shares of stock and has been issued to Marie McKeever Mulvey.  BTW, Marie has signed the certificate on the reverse.

Marie, or Dearie as she was known to friends, was the daughter of construction contractor Stephen McKeever.  As you may know, Stephen and his brother Ed partnered up with Charles Ebbets to build Ebbets Field; taking a significant ownership stake in the process.  Together with Ebbets they continued to operate the franchise until Charles Ebbets died in 1925.  Thereafter, the McKeever's became the primary operators of the club until Stephen's death in 1938.

At that point, Dearie became an owner of the team; along with the Brooklyn Trust Company (owners of the estate of Charles Ebbets) who had designated Walter O'Malley as their overseer.  She maintained significant ownership in the club until her death in 1968, at which time her husband took control until he sold the family's final shares to O'Malley in 1975.  BTW, her husband was James Mulvey, who was once President of Samuel Goldwyn Productions.

I wonder if I went to Stan Kasten with this document, would he grant me part ownership in the club?  Do you think I could finagle my way into the ownership box?

Yeah, probably not.

(Auction Link)

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Dick Perez Paintings of Dodger Hall of Famers at Legendary Auctions

For a couple of years now, Legendary Auctions has been selling original paintings created by famed Baseball artist Dick Perez.  He had previously released a book featuring his newest works entitled, "Immortals Collection," and made the paintings he used for it available for auction.  Below are some of the Brooklyn Dodger paintings available in Legendary's newest auction.

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Rube Marquard was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1971.  He was a standout pitcher for the New York Giants for eight years, but did spend six years of his career in Blue.  Per the auction description:

(auction link)

Purchased in 1908 for the then-unprecedented sum, Rube Marquard struggled miserably in his first two seasons with the Giants until mentor Wilbert Robinson joined the coaching staff. Then Marquard embarked on a stellar three-year run where he averaged almost 25 wins (including his extraordinary record of 19 straight in 1912) en route to a trio of N.L. pennants. Toast of the town, he also starred in the silent movie Rube Marquard Wins and performed on stage nationwide with vaudeville leading lady Blossom Seeley in a popular song-and-dance show. (Seeley scandalously left her husband to marry Rube and they had a child together in 1913.)

Following Robinson to the eponymously named Brooklyn Robins, Marquard donned this iconic plaid uniform style during his renaissance years of 1916 and 1917—when he won a combined 32 games and played in his fourth of five World Series over an eventual 18-year career. Alone on the dugout steps, eyes trained on the admiring viewer, one could hardly imagine a more classic depiction of the Hall of Famer's matinee-idol looks, mischievous grin, and confident swagger.

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Dazzy Vance spent twelve of his sixteen Major League years as a Brooklyn Robin.  He won 190 games for us from 1922 to 1932, and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1955.  Vance is noted for being a late bloomer.  Per the auction description:

Dazzy Vance's life was fit for the silver screen. Nicknamed for his dazzling fastball, Vance toiled in the minors for nearly a decade, then discovered a long-hidden arm ailment thanks to a fluke poker-game injury, and subsequently parlayed his recovery into meteoric major-league success!

In his third season with Brooklyn, the 33-year-old drank from the fountain of youth to capture the 1924 Major League Triple Crown with 28 wins, 262 strikeouts and a 2.16 ERA—taking home the N.L. MVP to boot. Vance also holds the distinction of being the only National Leaguer ever to lead the circuit in strikeouts for seven straight seasons (1922-1928). What's more, he had a no-hitter, an immaculate inning, a 15-strikeout game, and a 15-game win streak to his credit. Then, of course, there were his off-field hijinks as the fun-loving ringleader of the "Daffiness Boys"—along with cohorts Babe Herman and Chick Fewster.

Why the Dodgers have not retired his number (#15) I will never understand.  I get that he (and the Dodgers for that matter) had only worn a number for one year while he was a Dodger, but why deny the Hall of Famer who spent most of his career in Brooklyn the honor. 

(auction link)

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Roy Campanella needs no introduction.  He was one of the best.

Here is what artist Dick Perez said about the legend, via the auction description:

Dick Perez on "Roy Campanella - 'Campy'": "I always believed that any professional athlete to be good you have to have a little boy in you." Roy Campanella, one of the Boys of Summer, spoke these words during his induction into baseball's Hall of Fame. Although he never wanted to be considered a pioneer, Campanella was the 6th African-American player to make an appearance as a Major Leaguer in the 20th century in 1948. Like Jackie Robinson, he was a product of the Negro Leagues where he became a first-string catcher at the age of 16.

(auction link)

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A 1918 Semipro Championship Ring from a Forgotten Former Dodger at Legendary Auctions - Remembering Dodger Scout Artie Dede

Yesterday, I shared a bunch of Dodger memorabilia pieces I came across while perusing Legendary Auctions current offering.  You can check out that post here. But, I wanted to take some time to write this post about one particular item that I thought deserved some special attention.  The collectible itself isn't a Dodger item, but it once belonged to an important former Dodger who has long been forgotten by time.

This 1918 Semipro New York Section Shipbuilding Baseball Champions Ring was given to former Dodger catcher and highly regarded Baseball scout Artie Dede.

(Auction Link)

Artie was one of the great scouts that littered the Dodger ranks in the 40's and 50's.  He was credited with inventing a spring training innovation called the Sliding Dolly, a player would lay down on a platform with wheels and cords designed to show the proper sliding position for his feet and legs, and was a constant presence on New York borough ballfields in hopes of finding a future Dodger. 

In fact, he found one.  Dede was an important voice in the Dodgers pursuit of future Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax.  The Baseball Hall of Fame scouting page credits him with signing Sandy.  I'll go into this a little later.

How Artie Dede became a Dodger is the stuff of legends.  He was one of those Moonlight Graham kind of players -- having recorded just a single at-bat in his Major League career.  In fact, Frank Graham Sr. (a sportswriter for the New York Sun) wrote in his 1981 book titled, "A Farewell to Heroes," that:

Dede was one of the sweetest men alive, everyone's idea of a gentle, twinkle-eyed, wisecracking grandfather.  None of us minded that his jokes were pure cornball; it was the manner and not the substance of his patter that brought out the laughs.  He had been a catcher for the Bushwicks and other semiprofessional teams of the World War I era and, responding to some long-forgotten emergency at Ebbets Field, had played in a single game for the Dodgers in 1916.

As I understand it, Dede was never really on the Dodgers playing roster.  Instead, he was a well regarded semipro catcher from Brooklyn who, based on his reputation as a knowledgeable player, got a gig as a 20-year old bullpen catcher for both the NY Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers.  His work with those clubs gave him the opportunity to catch Major League pitchers, such as; Christy Mathewson, Rube Marquard, Al Demaree, Sherrod Smith, Jack Coombs and Nap Rucker.  He was also known to have traveled with the teams on occasion; having bunked with Jim Thorpe. 

Fortunately, the circumstances surrounding his lone Major League at-bat has not been lost to time; as Frank Graham had mused above.  Through the wonder of the internet we find a July 17, 1947 Brooklyn Daily Eagle story about it from Jimmy Murphy. 

In 1916, during the second to last game of the season, Dede had his chance to enter the record books.  The Dodger catchers (Chief Myers, Otto Miller and Mack Wheat) had banged up fingers, so the team decided to give them a spell.  They brought in Artie Dede as an emergency catcher out of the bullpen. The Dodgers were on their way to winning their very first pennant of the century, and they likely decided it was best to rest their backstops before their World Series matches against the Boston Red Sox. 

Artie Dede faced Giants pitcher Slim Sallee, and also got onto the field for an inning.  Other than recording an out, I do not know what was the outcome of his at-bat.

Dede would continue playing for and coaching various semipro league teams in the New York area for several decades.  During WWI he enlisted in the Motor Transport Corps and remained in the trucking business for 24 years, thereafter.  Then, a Dodger scout by the name of Turk Karum, recognizing Dede's reputation, passed along his name to Mickey McConnell, Director of Dodger Promotional Works, in 1941.  They quickly signed him up and had him running tryout camps in Lodi.  He stayed with the team until the Dodgers departure for Los Angeles in 1958.  He then became a Yankee scout til his death in 1971. 

Over the years, he has been credited with signing Cal Abrams, Billy Loes, Joe Pignatano and Joe Pepitone.  And, to return back to Sandy Koufax, Ed Gruver, wrote in his 2000 book entitled "Koufax", the following:

Upon reading the Campanis Report and conferring with Dodger scout Art Dede, team president Walter O'Malley gave Brooklyn general manager Buzzie Bavasi permission to sign Koufax.

"Everyone was high on him," Bavasi remembered.  "I hadn't seen him play of course, but his father came in asked for $14,000.  So I called Arthur in and said, "Arthur, Mr. Koufax wants $14,000."

He said, 'If I had it, I'd give it to him.'

"That was enough for me."

Clearly, if not for Artie Dede, Sandy Koufax might not have been a Dodger.

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Check Out Some Dodger Goodies at Legendary Auctions - Pee Wee, Jackie, Sandy and Zach

Now that SCP has just closed their Spring auction, Legendary opens up their May extravaganza with over 2,000 lots of sports memorabilia goodness.  As usual, there are some great Dodger collectibles to gawk at.  Below are my favorites.

Below is a March 7, 1940 Central Press Association press photo of rookie and future Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese.  Based on the date, this photo was taken during Spring Training as he prepares to make the big club for the first time.

(Auction Link)

The next two photographs are original "The Jackie Robinson Story" movie stills from 1950.  Jackie is wearing a Montreal Royals uniform in the photo below.

(Auction Link)

Below, Jackie is captured sliding into 2nd base.

(Auction Link)

Here is an original painting by Baseball artist Dick Perez; of Diamond Kings and Perez Steele Gallaries fame.  It is of Dodger Hall of Famer Zach Wheat and was used in Perez's recent book “The Immortals Collection”.  Via the auction description:

Card collectors will recognize this classic pose from the 1921 Exhibit Card set, and it's a picture-perfect Perezian homage to Wheat's trademark swinging style. As described by SABR biographer Eric Enders:

"Wheat was a natural left-handed hitter who corkscrewed his spikes into the dirt with a wiggle that became his trademark. Unlike most Deadball Era hitters, he held his hands way down by the knob of the bat, refusing to choke up. 'There is no chop-hitting with Wheat, but a smashing swipe which, if it connects, means work for the outfielders,' wrote one reporter. He was an outstanding first-ball hitter, and he was also so renowned as a curveball hitter that John McGraw reportedly had a standing order prohibiting his pitchers from throwing him benders."

(Auction Link)

By now, you know how much I love painted Baseball artwork, and my favorite of all the artist I've featured over the years is George Sosnak.  His work is some of the best folk art America has to offer, so it's no surprise his efforts can be found at New York's American Folk Art Museum, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Below is a painted ball Sosnak did of Sandy Koufax.  It appears to be an unfinished ball that may have been part of an estate sale conducted after Sosnak's death (numerous work-in-progress Baseballs were sold by his widow).  Featured on one side is a Koufax signature. 

(Auction Link)

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A GIF of Jackie Robinson Stealing Home - From 1952

As I was writing the previous post last night, I suddenly realized that I could make a GIF of one of Jackie Robinson's steals of home plate.  Check it out above.

The series of photos is a part of the personal collection of famed sports broadcaster George Michael and is currently for sale through Legendary Auctions.  Check out the auction here.  Below are the press photos used to make the GIF above.

As you may know, vintage "Type I" press photos of Jackie stealing home plate are rare and difficult to find.

These photographs are from a Sunday, May 18, 1952 game versus the Cubs.  Dodgers hurler Preacher Roe is at the plate in the bottom of the 4th inning, with Jackie on third base.  On the fifth pitch of a 3-1 count, Jackie heads for home and steals it.  Pitching for the Cubs is Willie Ramsdell and catching is Johnny Pramesa.  Jackie's steal makes the score 4 to 0.

(auction link)

(auction link)

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Some Vintage Sliding Photos of Jackie Robinson from the Collection of George Michael of the Sports Machine at Legendary Auctions

I was a sports obsessed teen in the 80's.  ESPN was luxury that I didn't enjoy until college in the early-90's.  There was no up-to-the-minute highlights at my fingertips.  Instead, I was at the mercy of the general television media.

One source that I religiously watched on Sunday evenings was The George Michael Sports Machine.  Other than the nightly news sport reports, my only opportunity to see the highlights I wanted to see was through this quirky weekly show.

If you've never heard of it, check out the opening of the show below.  George Michael would play around with a computer-like device to share the weeks biggest sports moments.  He was like ESPN Sportcenter for most of the country.

Video Link:

Well, not only was he the nations main source for sports highlights, he was also an avid collector of sports photography.  In fact, he specialized in photos of ballplayers sliding.  From a 1999 SABR article:

One Sunday morning in September of 1947 I was awoken by my Mom in order to show me a great picture in the St. Louis Globe…from the previous day’s game of the Cardinals' Marty Marion sliding into home with the ball bouncing to Dodger catcher Bruce Edwards…I know I was clipping pictures from the paper before I ever started school. For the following fifteen years or so I cut out every sliding picture from the newspapers and put them in carefully protected scrapbooks…The photos I saved had to be clear pictures of a player sliding into second, third or home. The positions of the players and the quality of the actual photo would determine if it was good enough to be saved. Collisions, rough double plays, post homerun photos, posed shots—these were never acceptable. It had to be a clean photo of a player sliding…My Mom died when I was young and my father discarded all the scrapbooks as junk. I decided in 1968 that I would try to find every picture that I had clipped as a kid.

At Legendary Auctions they are selling a large portion of his collection, and it includes many great sliding-action photographs of Jackie Robinson.  Check some out below.  BTW, Michael spent a lifetime seeking out a complete set of 19 Jackie Robinson steals of home photographs, and almost succeeded before dying in 2009.

Below is Jackie Robinson sliding hard into cubs catcher Rob Scheffing in 1947.

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Jackie is caught sliding at home by Pirates pitcher Preacher Roe, and called out.  Hilariously, Roe tags him with the glove when he clearly has the ball in his left hand.

(auction link)

In this 1948 International News photograph taken by Anthony Bernato, Jackie is safe at third.  From the photo caption.

"Jackie Robinson hits the dirt in the fourth inning of today's game between the Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds, and makes third base well ahead of a wild throw that trickled through third baseman Corbitt's legs. The Brooklyn Flash couldn't travel any farther because Lamanno was backing up the third baseman for the visiting club. Jacky went all the way from first to third on Carl Furillo's two-bagger."

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Here's a Spring Training 1947 La Presse photograph from Cuba of Jackie in a Montreal Royals uniform.

(auction link)

This Jackie photo is from 1946 and features jim in a Montreal Royals uniform.

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Jackie is tagged out at home by Philadelphia catcher Andy Seminick.  From the photo caption:

 "Catcher Andy Seminick of the Philadelphia Phillies makes a diving tag as he puts Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn first baseman, out at the plate in the 6th inning of the Brooklyn-Philadelphia game at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, April 22. Robinson was thrown out when he attempted to score from third base on teammate Gene Hermanski's foul fly to Ron Northey, Phillies' right fielder. Dodgers won, 1-0."

(auction link)

Jackie attempts to steal home in the photo below.  He was not successful.  From the photo caption:

"Cubs catcher Rube Walker cuddles the plate, which he defended successfully against hard-sliding Jackie Robinson on his attempted steal home in the eighth inning of the Chicago-Brooklyn game, May 17. Walker appears overcome at having tagged the Dodger second baseman."

(auction link)

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Original Dodger Drawings by Dick Perez at Legendary Auctions

Legendary Auction has just started their February Catalog Auction and it is definitely worth a look.  There's a bunch of Dodgers' related collectibles.  In this post I feature some original artwork from famed Baseball artist Dick Perez.  Later this week, I'll share some of my favorite vintage press photographs from the collection of George Michael (the man behind the Sports Machine).

As you may know, Perez is one of the games most recognizable present-day Baseball artist.  His work can be found at the Baseball Hall of Fame and at a permanent exhibit at Citizen's Bank Ballpark (home of the Phillies).  Perez has been the official artist for the Phillies since 1982.  His work has also been found on Donruss' Diamond King series of Baseball cards.

Both original drawings below were printed in his 2010 book titled, "The Immortals: An Art Collection of Baseball’s Best".

Here is a charcoal drawing of Roy Campanella.  From the auction description:

Much of my early published works dealing with baseball were black-and-white illustrations. They had to be because the art was used in the Phillies yearbooks of the 70s when those publications were not in full color. I enjoy looking at the black-and-white works of the great masters, and I still love to do single-color work. I revisited my distant past doing this charcoal drawing of Roy Campanella.

(auction link)

This drawing is an oil painting of Duke Snider.  from the auction description:

New York City in the 1950s was the center of the baseball universe. Three teams represented the city, and each claimed the best centerfielder in baseball. For Brooklyn Dodger fans it was Duke Snider. Like his counterparts, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, Snider could hit for average and power, and he was a spectacular outfielder. Duke Snider was one of only three players to hit 4 home runs in World Series play; the others were Ruth and Gehrig. Snider did it twice, once in 1952 (pictured as the subject for this painting), and again in 1955, when he sparked the Dodgers to their first World Championship.

I found it appealing that the first person to greet and offer a congratulatory handshake to the great slugger was the batboy. But this was no ordinary batboy. He was "Charlie 'The Brow' DiGiovanna"—named so because of his uni-brow. He was the most publicized batboy in baseball history. He was in his early twenties and very popular with the players. One of his duties was to sign baseballs for the players, hundreds of them. Duke Snider once said that Charlie could sign his name better than he could. DiGiovanna died in 1958 at the age of 28, following a heart attack.

(auction link)

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Some Dodgers Art at Legendary Auctions - Koufax & Pee Wee - And Something from the Natural

Legendary Auctions continues to chug along as they just unveiled their November 2013 auction.  It includes some incredible old-time Baseball photographs and cards, but I really enjoyed seeing some original artwork by Dick Perez.

For those of you who have been in the hobby for awhile, you know who he is.  Dick Perez is one of the more heralded and famous Baseball artist in the hobby.  He was the official team artist for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1972.  Then, in 1979 he teamed up with Frank & Peggy Steele to produce the popular Perez-Steele Galleries postcards that have been a staple for Hall of Fame autograph collectors for decades.  What he is likely more famous for is his portrait artwork created for Donruss trading cards.  Starting in 1982 he painted a portrait for one player of every team that would be created into a subset called "Diamond Kings".

Currently at Legendary Auctions there are 26 original paintings of his available for sale, and it includes a couple of Dodgers.  They both were created recently for his "The Immortals Collection" book that features portraits of some of the greatest ballplayers to ever take the field.

Take a look at his Sandy Koufax painting below.  From the auction description:

Dick Perez on "Sandy Koufax - June 4, 1964": In a short 12-year career cut short by an arthritic elbow, Sandy Koufax dominated the hitters he faced the last 6 of those 12 years. He won a record 5 straight ERA titles, 4 strikeout crowns, 3 seasons winning 25 games or more, 3 Cy Young Awards, an MVP Award, a World Series MVP, and four no-hitters, one of which is the subject of this painting. It was his third, and it was pitched against the Phillies in Philadelphia's Shibe Park on June 4, 1964. It was a near perfect game; he faced the required 27 batters. Only a walk to Richie Allen who was caught stealing prevented it. He managed the elusive perfect game with his fourth no-hitter the following year. He was the youngest player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

(auction link)

Here is Pee Wee Reese.  From the auction description:

Dick Perez on "Pee Wee Reese - The Quiet Force": Pee Wee Reese was probably the largest karat in a golden age of shortstops. He made more putouts, more assists, stole more bases, and scored more runs than any of the other shortstops of his era. He was durable, and was a ten-time All-Star. His leadership earned him the nickname "The Little Colonel." As the Dodgers team captain Reese (a southerner) was the first to welcome and befriend Jackie Robinson, helping to ease Robinson's entry into the world of white baseball. Captain Reese was the force that inspired and held the Dodgers together during the years that changed baseball forever.

(auction link)

This next item made me smile.  Back in the day, when movies were produced with real film and computers were not a household item, directors had to use cardboard people to fill the stands.  It would have been far too expensive to hire hundreds, if not thousands of extras to just sit there, so they made fake people.

Featured below are 16 die-cut fake folks on very heavy cardboard/wood stock that were used in the filming of the Baseball classic, "The Natural". 

I can imagine setting these up in my living room in anticipation of that evenings game.  I'd put a couple of them on my Dodger Stadium seats, and the rest are strategically positioned around me to make me feel not so alone.  The sounds of a boisterous crowd can be replayed on my voice recorder, as I bang on my electric keyboard with the music of "Charge". 

Man-O-Live... Do I miss Baseball.

(auction link)

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A 1887 Dodger Baseball Card of a Player Involved in a Play of Deception

Following up on yesterday's post featuring a couple of vintage Dodgers memorabilia items for sale at Legendary Auctions, I want to take a moment to point out a late 19th century Baseball card for sale of a former Dodger player I thought worth mentioning.

The below card is a 1887 Old Judge tobacco card of Brooklyn Grays starting pitcher Stephen Toole.

He isn't notable because he was a great pitcher worthy of serious consideration into the Hall of Fame.  Toole was a rather poor pitcher who played in only 4 Major League seasons (2 of which with the Brooklyn Grays/Dodgers - 1886 to 1887). 

I highlight Stephen Toole because he played a part in a very unusual triple play.

As a member of the Brooklyn Galdiators (American Association) in 1890 he, along with 2 teammates, were called out in a triple play that can only be described as an act of trickery. 

Toole was on 2nd base with the bases full as the batter, John Peltz, popped it up to the short stop, Marr Phillips.  Seeing an opportunity, the short stop decided to let the ball fall untouched.  In a time before the advent of the "infield fly rule", the runners, unsure of what exactly to do, first held fast then ran for the next base.  As you can imagine, they were all putout for a triple play.

Obviously, the Brooklyn club protested.  They claimed that the league recently declared that only the batter would be out in this situation (i.e. the infield fly rule).  Unfortunately, the umpire, ironically named Barnum, would have none of that.  He declared it a triple play, claiming that he had not been notified by the league of any rule changes.

BTW, the Brooklyn Gladiators lasted only one season as a going concern.  They folded up after the 1890 season, having gone 26-72 for the year.  The team that would be known as the Brooklyn Dodgers, on the other hand, had left the American Association that season and won the National League.

*The above triple play story came from the SABR Triple Play database.

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A Couple of Vintage Dodgers Memorabilia Items at Legendary Auctions

Legendary just opened up their August auction and it includes a couple of notable Dodgers memorabilia items.  Check them out below.  Click on any pic to embiggen.

Here is a 1915 Fatima Turkish brand cigarettes advertising poster that features Hall of Fame Brooklyn Dodger Zach Wheat.  He, along with fellow National Leaguers Red Smith and Gavvy Cravat, forms the "The Strong Arm Squad of the National League".  As you may know, Fatima created a couple of cards sets posthumously known as T200 and T222 in 1913 and 1914, respectively.

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This next item is really neat.  Below is a scorecard and ticket stub from the game in which Don Drysdale completed his Major League record 58 2/3 scoreless innings pitched.  The ticket stub is from June 8, 1968.  Drysdale gave up his first run in the 5th inning of this game against the Philadelphia Phillies after pitching shutouts in 6 consecutive games.  Check out the game box score here.

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Legendary Auctions At the National - Some Baseball Historic Items

The National Sports Collectors Convention isn't just about autographs and Baseball cards.  There are also a couple of auctions taking place.  Last night, Heritage held their auction that featured Eddie Gaedel's Baseball bat and the Sam Snead collection.  See Beckett's story here.  Tonight, Legendary Auctions is holding their event.  Earlier this week I featured the Jackie Robinson Day commemorative watch that was given to Jackie during his rookie season that's for sale.  Today, I focus on 3 historic Baseball items that I thought were too cool not to share. See them below.

Here is a Harry Wright Hall of Fame Induction plaque.  He is known as the "Father of Professional Baseball".  This plaque was made by the same company that the HOF uses and is believed to have been made for the HOF, but was decommissioned due to an error in the engraving.  Notice the misspelling of the word "undfeated" on the second line.

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Below is a final out game used Baseball from Game 7 of the 1903 World Series signed and notated by winning pitcher Cy Young.  Via the auction description:

Game 7 pitted Boston's ace, Cy Young, against the Pittsburg iron man, Deacon Phillippe. Young prevailed to be named the contest's winner, and the upstart Red Sox took a four-games-to-three lead in the scheduled best-of-nine series. The well-used ball is annotated in Young's hand, "Game 7 last out ball, 1903 Boston BBC Worlds Champions, Young vs Phillippe." On the adjacent sweet spot is the signature of Cy Young, himself. As was typical for the time, the ball was probably used for most or all of the game ... and it shows the scars. The previously unbeaten Phillippe was greeted by back-to-back triples in the first inning by Jimmy Collins and Chick Stahl. Others who undoubtedly touched or hit this ball were Pirates Honus Wagner, Ginger Beaumont and Fred Clarke as well as Boston's Freddie Parent and Candy LaChance. A similar ball with similar notations from Game 1 of the 1903 Series (also pitched by Young and Phillippe) resides in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Below is an imperial cabinet card of the 1887 Detroit Wolverines that features Ned Hanlon, Dan Brouthers, Deacon White and Sam Thompson.  This season they won the NL Championship, and then proceeded to defeat the American Association’s St. Louis Browns in a very early version of the World Series.

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