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Thursday, March 04, 2010

Ramon is in the House

Per Tommy's Twitpic, former Dodger ace Ramon Martinez is in Arizona showing the kids how it's done.

Legendary Auctions: Vintage Pics

Here are some notable vintage photos Legendary Auctions is currently auctioning off. Click any of the photos to enlarge.

Wow. That is one very large and quickly aging Babe Ruth taking a mighty swing during batting practice while in a Dodger uniform in 1938. He was paid an annual sum of $15,000 to be a coach and hit before games during batting practice to excite the crowd.

Before there was Tommy Lasorda, there was Wilbert Robinson. He was the round and well-loved former manager of the Brooklyn National Baseball Club. Back then (circa 1916) ball teams did not have club names like the Dodgers or Yankees. They were formerly known as the Brooklyn Nationals or New York Americans, but teams were given nicknames- often by the press. When Wilbert Robinson managed the Brooklyn club he was so loved and respected they nicknamed the team the Robins. Thus, for most of his tenure with the club the ball team was known as the Brooklyn Robins. Below is a great photo of this Dodger legend. Heck, in some ways he resembles our own well-loved coach, Tommy Lasorda. Slim Fast probably wouldn't have worked for him either.
Auction Link:

He is a great pic, circa 1936 of a young Satchel Paige when he pitched for the Pittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro Leagues. I suspect this will be one of the more highly sought after items in this auction.
Auction Link:

Ty Cobb is shown below sliding under the tag of Johnny Kling during the 1907 World Series. Nothing really extraordinary about the pic except for the fact that Cobb's slide look especially painful.

This is a very early pic of Shoeless Joe Jackson. Below he is warming up while playing in the minors in Savannah. I love this pic more because of the background than the primary subject matter. Check out the ad signs on the wall and the slipshod nature of the field. Probably a pre-1910 photo, it really shows how rugged the game was in its infancy. This minor league lot looks like it is just a couple of steps above a sandlot.

eBay: Big Payday for Erskine

Talk about an instant gratification.

Below is a United Press Photo from 1956 featuring a understandibly ecstatic Cark Erskine and an equally happy Walter O'Malley. Why are they sporting such large grins, you ask?

Well, on May 12, 1956 Erskine threw his 2nd no-hitter in his career versus the hated New York Giants, 3 to 0. As a reward, O'Malley handed Erskine a $500.00 check. Instant bonus money, baby!

As a reminder to how low paid these old-timers were, $500.00 would equal $3,902.81 in todays dollars.