Quote:
Originally Posted by Cusick
This is speculative, and hinges on the year of the photo being 1945. There were three catchers on the Giants' spring roster -- Ray Berres, Ernie Lombardi, and John Toncoff, a career minor leaguer. The photo is definitely not Berres or Lombardi. During the regular 1945 season, there were three catchers -- Lombardi, Clyde Kluttz, and Bill DeKoning. I've examined photos of Kluttz and DeKoning and have found characteristics which eliminate them.
The photo of Toncoff (on the left) shows him at age 26 in 1938 with the Ft. Smith Giants. One just has to wonder if he would have looked 7 years later like the Giant catcher in the photo on the right.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amazin69
Aha! (I think.) It's Angel "Jack" Aragón (son of 1914 Yankee Angel Aragón), who caught for the Giants in 1944:
Attachment 384804Attachment 384805
Aragón spent 1947 in AAA Minneapolis, so perhaps the Giants called him up to New York during the parade of catchers and just didn't get him into a game? (If I could ID the stadium, we could see if it was fairly near to Minny.)
Alternatively, this is a 1944 picture, and Aragón has simply rolled his sleeves up to hide the second stripe we see on Gee's picture, above. But it doesn't seem as though the sleeves are long enough to merit such treatment, and Aragón's sleeves don't look rolled up, IMO.
But I do think it's Aragón. |
It is not Toncoff nor Aragon. Their left ears (viewer's right) disqualify them. Here is a larger, clearer version of the Toncoff image where the ear is more visible, allowing for earsier comparison.
It is not Grasso, either.