Gambo and T_Wil1 Photopack

[FatJack]

Jim Ray Hart passed away on Thursday (May 19, 2016), following a long battle with an unspecified illness. He was 74. Hart stood just 5'11", but had uncommon power, earning him the nickname "Black Angus" from Yankee teammate Horace Clarke, because, Clarke said, he was "this high and all beef".

Hart was signed by the Giants in 1960. There was never any question about his bat, but his glove kept him in the minors until 1963, by which time he'd demolished the pitching at every level he'd played. Things were rough in his first major league trial. Jim got his first and second start on the same day, July 7. 2 for 5 in the first game of the double-header, Jim learned quickly, in the nightcap, that rookies didn't dig in against elite hurlers--not without consequence--as Bob Gibson nailed him in his shoulder, landing Jim on the DL. Returning to action in mid-August, Jim made it through four more games before, in his fifth game back, he was beaned by Curt Simmons and his season was over.

Jim came back with a fury in 1964, hitting .286 with 31 home runs (still the franchise record for a rookie) and 81 RBIs. He finished second to Rico Carty in Rookie of the Year voting and even got some MVP votes. For his first five seasons, Jim was a force of nature, providing ample protection for Mays and McCovey. He hit 23, 33, 29 and 23 home runs from '65 to '68. His RBIs in those years--96, 93, 99 and 78. His lone All-Star appearance came in 1966. Though his production was down a tick in '68, there was no reason for concern as Jim was just entering what, for most players, would be his prime years.

But, in April 1969, Jim hurt his shoulder. A dead pull hitter, normally, that limited his power and that, in turn, limited his playing time. He hit just 3 home runs in 1969. In 1970, the Giants sent him back to Phoenix to start the year. When recalled in July, Jim proved he could still be a dangerous hitter when, in his second game back, he hit for the cycle and tied a major league record (set by N.Y. Giant Fred Merkle in 1911) by driving in six runs in one inning. But he hit just 8 roundtrippers for the Giants that year and opted for surgery on his still ailing shoulder that off-season. It didn't seem to help and Jim's slide continued.

In April 1973, the Giants finally gave up on Jim, selling him to the Yankees for just $30,000--an insulting price even then. Fortunately for him, there was this thing in the American League called the Designated Hitter. Jim had never liked third base--"It's just too damn close to the hitters," he said. And his glove wasn't much better in the outfield. So he was thrilled to be heading to the Yankees where all he'd ever have to do is hit. Manager Ralph Houk made it clear. "It will be snowing in July when you see Jim Ray going onto the field." And Jim told Sports Illustrated, "I've got three gloves in my locker and I hope they fall apart from age before I get a chance to use them." Jim took to the DH role immediately and seemed resurgent, hitting 13 home runs and driving in 52. But the magic was gone completely in 1974. He started the year in Syracuse and got just 19 at bats with one hit for the parent club before the Yankees released him. Jim played in the Mexican League through 1976, hoping for another team to give him another DH slot, but no call ever came and he hung up his spikes.

In later years, Jim would confess that one reason for his rapid decline had been alcohol. Towards the end, he said, he cared less about the games and more about the pay checks that would keep him drinking...every day. The bottle eventually cost him his house and had him scrounging floors looking for change so he could get another drink. On a flight to an Old Timers game, he blacked out. When he woke up, he had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there and decided it was time to stop. He successfully completed a rehab program and got a job at a Safeway Stores warehouse, retiring in 2006.

Jim was fairly reclusive in his later years. Even his family didn't know where he was or how he was doing (truthfully, he hadn't seen them since his baseball career ended). He was known to sign baseballs for neighborhood kids in the Sacramento neighborhood where he's said to have lived, but didn't respond to any requests for interviews or Old Timers game invitations.

The attached image was found on Pinterest via google search.

[doors11]

Jim was one of my all time favorite players.I got to see him play when he was with Phoenix playing the Eugene Emeralds. Its a sad day for me

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

does anyone have 1970 Portland beavers team photo1971/72 trois-riverias aigles team photo's

[keonleafs]

Originally Posted by rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com

does anyone have 1970 Portland beavers team photo1971/72 trois-riverias aigles team photo's

Les Aigles de Trois-Rivières, as in Three Rivers. You can find the 1971 & 72 Team Photos here, on SABR-Québec (SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN BASEBALL RESEARCH)

[tnfoto]

Originally Posted by rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com

does anyone have 1970 Portland beavers team photo1971/72 trois-riverias aigles team photo's

Here are the 1970 Portland Beavers.

As I mentioned before, these minor league team photo requests are much better suited for the Minor League Baseball Players thread. I will move any future requests for such to that thread.

[cheech411]

he was 76 from frank on another site

[SandMan]

I found this on the internet and know I don't remember who it is or why I copied the image. The file name makes no sense.


My thanks go out to UKBaseballFan for his help in identifying this photo as Rollie Hemsley - 1933 St. Louis Browns.

I also cropped a colorized version in 90x135 if anyone wants to use it.

[rico43]

There were five folders in the Lexibell site that held color images dating between 1994 and 2003, with many appearing in various obscure Fleer cards in that era. Of the 500 images, we are down to the last 25-30 ID's. I want to say the first is Sexson, but I can't sell it 100 percent. I have learned my lesson about guessing. So I'm asking for help. Thank you to all.
Folders with complete ID's will be available upon completion of the project.

Photo No. 1


Photo No.2


Photo No. 3


Photo No. 4


Photo No. 5

[Merkle923]

Here's a mini-mystery up on eBay (Denny McLain Signed 8x10 Photo Auto Autograph White Sox Tigers 1968 MVP CY Young | eBay)

Images of Chicagoan Denny McLain in the uniform of the White Sox are hardly scarce. Topps, McCarthy, and others got him in Spring Training 1963 before Chicago had to choose keeping one of two first-year pitchers (Dave DeBusschere) and trying to sneak the other into the minors via waivers (McLain). Oops.

But this is a shot of McLain at Comiskey Park, almost certainly a Brace image. And whereas McLain might have "gone north" with the White Sox before they lost him to the Tigers, a) what we can see of the outside foliage looks like summer, not spring), b) while the White Sox didn't open until April 9, the MLB openers were April 8, but c) the White Sox opened on the road, not at Comiskey.

The likeliest guess is that McLain worked out with the Sox shortly after graduating from Mt. Carmel High in Chicago and signing with them in June, 1962. The uniform number (29) would've been unassigned then rather than, say, for a post-season unofficial workout in September, 1962, when it was worn by another rookie pitcher, Frank Kreutzer.

[tnfoto]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

Here's a mini-mystery up on eBay (Denny McLain Signed 8x10 Photo Auto Autograph White Sox Tigers 1968 MVP CY Young | eBay)

...

But this is a shot of McLain at Comiskey Park, almost certainly a Brace image. And whereas McLain might have "gone north" with the White Sox before they lost him to the Tigers, a) what we can see of the outside foliage looks like summer, not spring), b) while the White Sox didn't open until April 9, the MLB openers were April 8, but c) the White Sox opened on the road, not at the Comiskey.

The likeliest guess is that McLain worked out with the Sox shortly after graduating from Mt. Carmel High in Chicago and signing with them in June, 1962. The uniform number (29) would've been unassigned then rather than, say, for a post-season unofficial workout in September, 1962, when it was worn by another rookie pitcher, Frank Kreutzer.

This probably just adds to the mystery, but I have this photo of McLain during one 1962 photo op or mini-workout wearing 36.

[Buccos]

Re: Finishing up "Fleer Vault"

Isn't photo #1, that Hernandez guy who struck out ALL the time?

[Katsox]

It is Jose Hernandez!

[Pinetarpress]

2 is Rich Rowland and 4 is Desi Relaford

[tnfoto]

1927 A's, the first shared by John over at baseball-birthdays a few years ago, the second courtesy of thecatspajamas.

[tnfoto]

1970 Reds, another low-quality clip from a team photo. I'll leave it on the list as "need better" for now.

[tnfoto]

1933 Browns, courtesy of thecatspajamas.

[tnfoto]

Another poor team photo clip, this one from a 1989 A's team pic. Also remains on the list as "need better."

[RUKen]

Pembroke Finlayson 1908
Finlayson made his major league debut on June 6, 1908, pitching for the Brooklyn Superbas at home against the Cincinnati Reds. He was brought in to start the fourth inning and promptly walked the first three batters. The fourth batter bunted back to the pitcher; Finlayson threw home, but not in time, and the batter reached first on the fielder's choice. Finlayson then walked the next batter and was taken out of the game. All of the remaining base runners later scored in that inning, and Finlayson did not appear in another major league game that year. Under today's rules, he would be credited with five earned runs in zero innings pitched, but in 1908 he was credited with those runs in one-third of an inning for an ERA of 135.00. He pitched one more time in the major leagues, also for Brooklyn, on September 1, 1909, and allowed four runs, all earned, in seven innings. He died of peritonitis and myocardial adenitis following heart surgery in 1912.

[cheech411]

don't use bad pic

[Merkle923]

FYI: The image above is well distributed, and photoshopped.