Gambo and T_Wil1 Photopack

[SPORTSMEM817]

Any image of Neal Baker of the 1927 A's would be very helpful. Thank you in advance

[brobby05]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

This was my first "favorite new player" when the Yankees promoted him and stuck him into the line-up on September 17, 1967. The following weekend against the first place Minnesota Twins - though billed as a speed-and-defense guy - Shopay hit a three-run homer off Dave Boswell in his second major league at bat and kept Minnesota from expanding their lead from one half game to a game-and-a-half. Since Minnesota lost the pennant by one game, Shopay's homer was of unexpected importance.

He hit another one a week later and the Yankees thought they'd found their next left fielder. But he went into military service for 1968, and when he came back the Yankees decided he was at best a platoon outfielder (26 career plate appearances against LHP compared to 283 against righties) and such a non-prospect that they not only let him go in the 1969 Rule V draft, but when the Orioles didn't keep him on the 1970 major league roster, New York did not reclaim him.

Shopay went on to a surprisingly lengthy run (off-and-on for seven seasons) as a pinch-hit specialist for the O's, and was used four times (without success) in the 1971 World Series. Just to top it off, by pure chance I attended a Yankee game when I was 10 years old and found myself seated behind his wife. They were from a town deep in the wilds of Connecticut called Bristol, which I had never heard of till then but which came up again later in a very different context.

By the way, after his homers on September 23 and September 30, 1967, his next in the majors came on April 24, 1977, against Dave Roberts of the Tigers. If that isn't a record drought for a non-pitcher, it's close enough.

Hey Merkle,


Thanks for the Shopay pic and just for trivia sake, his wife's name was Laurel. In 1970-71, the O's had oodles of outfield talent. Shopay did have a 257 BA in 1971. Here's another outfield prospect that bit the dust. Dave May was the same. He couldn't break into an outfield of Buford-Blair-FRobby. The Brewers picked him up and May became their starting centerfielder in 1970 into 1971. Rettenmund was also there and only because Blair got hit in the face by a pitch from Ken Tatum in 1970, that he started playing more regularly.


In summary, the guys gotta play to stay sharp!


BRobby05

[Cusick]

Originally Posted by SPORTSMEM817

Any image of Neal Baker of the 1927 A's would be very helpful. Thank you in advance

The photo of Baker in the book 2000 CUPS OF COFFEE, by Marc Okkonen, shows him in the baseball uniform of the University of Texas. It's not a high quality photo, but the only one I have of him.

[Penale52]

Originally Posted by Cusick

The photo of Baker in the book 2000 CUPS OF COFFEE, by Marc Okkonen, shows him in the baseball uniform of the University of Texas. It's not a high quality photo, but the only one I have of him.

Found four images of Baker in the University of Texas at Austin's yearbooks on Ancestry.com. The first three are from 1926, and the last image is from 1927

[Penale52]

Also found a higher quality image of Heinie Odom in the 1925 University of Texas at Austin yearbook.

[Merkle923]

A fairly easy find with the Reds - with whom he pitched a combined no-hitter in 1956 - not so much with the Red Sox (though there's a 1955 baseball card).

But I've never before seen an image of him in his last stop, a month with the 1958 Cubs. This is a J.D. McCarthy image of him at Wrigley Field:

[Merkle923]

As we open the new year, please check your files and cubbyholes and piles see if you have anything of the following.

The first ten are entirely guys - some of them prominent - who never actually appeared in a regular season game for the teams mentioned, but did suit up in spring training or for mid-season exhibitions.

Black-and-white is, obviously, fine:

COOK, Murray (Pirates, P-IF, Spring Training 1963)
FITZMORRIS, Al (White Sox, OF, Spring Training 1967)
HEFFNER, Bob (Mets, P, Spring Training 1967)
JOHNSON, Bob (Yankees, P, Mayor's Trophy Game 1975)
LINDBLAD, Paul (Mariners, P, Spring Training 1979)
LOCKWOOD, Skip (Yankees, P, Spring Training 1975)
MAKOWSKI, Tom (Mets, P, Mayor's Trophy Game 1977)
MEJIAS, Sam (Brewers, OF, Spring Training, Opening Day Roster 1975)
PINSON, Vada (Brewers, OF, Spring Training 1976)
WEGENER, Mike (Mets, P, Mayor's Trophy Game 1974)

Then there is a handful of short-term regular season players, only color, non-baseball card needed:

BILLINGHAM, Jack (Red Sox, P, 1980)
CRAWFORD, Willie (Astros, OF, 1977)
SWAN, Craig (Angels, P, 1984)
WEAVER, Jim (Angels, P, 1967-68)

Thanks for looking.

[FatJack]

I know this will be of no help whatsoever, but I was just talking with Ray Peters about Vada's stop in Milwaukee and he pointed me to the attached piece from the Milwaukee Sentinel. Picture is poor and small, but doesn't look photoshopped, so perhaps that news outlet has an archive.

As a Mets fan with a near complete run of their yearbooks, I can't recall seeing any stand-alone Mets images of Bob Heffner, Mike Wegener or Tom Makowski, but I'll check the spring team photos to see if they turn up there.

Though I don't have it (I don't think), I believe I have seen Skip Lockwood in pinstripes (color image, moderate size). And the best Murray Cook I could offer, you've already seen.

[Merkle923]

That is the precise image of Pinson I'm trying to replace ;-)

[Merkle923]

Here's something else from 'the collection' - an excellent action shot of "Sweet Lou" Johnson during his odd interval as the every day right fielder of the 1968 Cubs - which ended when he was dealt to Cleveland at the end of June. It was Johnson's second stint with Chicago - he broke in to the majors with them in 1960.

By that point, Johnson had played in ten minor league cities, and with all his major and minor league stops he would appear with 20 different teams (21 if you think of the L.A. and California Angels as distinct entities).

Despite the peripatetic nature of his career, he had a lot of distinctive moments. He was a defensive replacement in the first game ever played by the Angels, in Baltimore in 1961. And though he began the 1965 season as a 30-year old minor leaguer who hadn't had a major league at bat in two years, he got off to a hot start in the Pacific Coast League and was summoned to the Dodgers to replace Tommy Davis after L.A.'s left fielder had broken his ankle.

Johnson promptly produced a 2.3 WAR, led the team in Slugging, tied for the lead in homers, and finished one shy of the leadership in RBI. He placed 24th in the N.L. MVP vote (it doesn't sound like much, but he finished ahead of Dick Allen and Joe Morgan), homered in two of the Dodgers' four World Series victories that October (he provided the margin of victory in Sandy Koufax's epic Game 7 victory) and in the disastrous '66 Series he led the Dodgers in base hits.

Not long after retirement Johnson went back to the Dodgers as a community relations staffer and goodwill ambassador and remained in that capacity at last word, even as he passed his 83rd birthday.

This image is specifically posted in the hopes that somebody will pirate it and pay Lou to do a signing of it. He's that good a guy.

[Cusick]

Dick Manville pitched in only one game for the Boston Braves. That was in 1950. This photo came from the Baseball In Wartime newsletter of January, 2016, by Gary Bedingfield.

[tnfoto]

Originally Posted by Cusick

Dick Manville pitched in only one game for the Boston Braves. That was in 1950. This photo came from the Baseball In Wartime newsletter of January, 2016, by Gary Bedingfield.

It looks like Gary scaled down this image for the newsletter. In case anyone's interested, here's an uncropped version.

[rico43]

This seems to fall into a gray area as to whether Edward Post, brother of Wally, qualifies as a Bill Sharman All-Star (called up to majors, never played). This is from is Baseball Reference Bullpen bio:

Post would go to spring training in 1950 with the Boston Braves and appeared well, pitching four scoreless innings in a game along with Warren Spahn and make the trip North with the club, spending all of his time in the bullpen for two weeks and was cut loose by the Braves with no appearances or contract. Ed would re-up in the Military Services at that time and suffer a back injury that would put him out of the Army and also finish his pro baseball career.

In event he counts, here is a nice photo of him from Spring Training, 1950, from the Lexibell archives.

[SDL]

RIP Jay Ritchie

[SPORTSMEM817]

Thanks to Pinale52 I was able to use his photo to give Baker an A;s uni....thanks again for the effort Pinale52 it is much appreciated

[rico43]

Many folks here collect photos in uniform variations. Not my area of expertise, but these images dovetail with my Braves collecting. The first is Rick Mahler from 1979, his debut season -- first time I've ever seen a photo of him, color or B&W, in the red pinstripes.

His older brother Mickey was likewise with the Braves in 1977-79, spent two games with the Pirates in 1980 and six appearances, all in relief, for the Angels in 1981-82. A team which I had never seen him pictured.

Would appreciate it if uniform variation collectors let me know if these Lexibell downloads are helpful or a waste of time.

Rick Mahler 1979


Mickey Mahler 1982

[Merkle923]

You mean other than the two sold by Topps last month?

[rico43]

Lord. Guilty of tunnel vision. Too much Lexibell searching. What I get for getting out of my realm.

[SPORTSMEM817]

Raymond played for the 1919 Phillies...the only photo I have seen is this one....Thanks again

[Cusick]

Here's an improved version of the same photo.