He was best known for his managerial skills, but John McGraw's playing career straddled the centuries. Primarily a third baseman, the 5'7, 155-pound Irishman debuted in 1891 and retired in 1906, with a career batting average of .334 and 436 stolen bases. There are plenty of photos of McGraw during his long tenure as manager of the New York Giants but with his … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Rookie DiMaggio Poses for William C. Greene
William C. Greene was a fixture on the New York sports scene decades ago, even if most fans didn’t really know him. A prolific photographer who spent much of his career with the New York World-Telegram, Greene’s work regularly appeared in print. Greene was 36 when he captured this photo of a young Joe DiMaggio, who was just beginning what would be a legendary … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Teenage Jimmie Foxx…at Catcher
Let's just say Lefty Gomez didn't always enjoy having to face Jimmie Foxx. "He has muscles in his hair," the always quotable Yankees pitcher once said. "The Beast" was just that during his long big league career. He belted 534 homers and batted .325, winning three MVP awards and the Triple Crown in 1933. It all had to start somewhere, … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Harry Steinfeldt Arrives
It’s been a favorite baseball trivia question for decades. Who was the third baseman during the Chicago Cubs “Tinker to Evers to Chance” era? Franklin Pierce Adams wrote the poem about the double play combination of the Cubs powerhouse teams of the early 1900s so you can’t blame him for leaving the very capable Harry Steinfeldt out of his legendary … [Read more...]
1-of-a-Kind Mike Mowrey Photo Was Used for His T206 Card
They’re colorful works of art, but those who created T206 baseball cards started with black and white photographs. The images used to create them aren’t commonly found, but they offer some fascinating insight into what the artists saw when they were turning the photos into cards that would be inserted into millions of packs of cigarettes from 1909=1911. One of those … [Read more...]
9-11 Inspired Shoes Gifted by Kobe to Young LeBron at Auction
A pair of basketball shoes gifted by Kobe Bryant to a teenage LeBron James 19 years ago are auction block this weekend. Heritage Auctions is selling the red, white and blue Adidas sneakers in its Platinum Night Auction where they’re expect to bring a strong five or possibly six-figure price. The shoes are among the earliest LeBron gamers ever to reach the … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Walter Johnson Debuts His Board Game
When an athlete’s name was attached to a baseball board game, the manufacturer simply paid for the player’s endorsement and the use of his image. Walter Johnson was willing to sit down and play it with a youngster or two. A mid-1920s image showing Johnson in promotional mode at the annual American Toy Fair in New York City is the RMY Auctions Photo of the Day. The 6 … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: “And Then Cobb Said to Mantle…”
He hadn't played in 30 years but when Ty Cobb spoke, ballplayers tended to listen. In 1958, the man whose name was still atop the all-time hits list paid a visit to Yankee Stadium for Old Timer's Day. He struck up a conversation with two-time reigning MVP Mickey Mantle and the cameras began to click. While images of that historic chat session … [Read more...]
Rare Group of Conlon Glass Plate Negatives at Auction
Most of the original glass plate negatives taken by legendary baseball photographer Charles Conlon that wound up in the archives of The Sporting News in St. Louis were later sold as one large archive. But not all of them. A small group of previously unknown examples have just hit the auction block, including a few featuring Baseball Hall of Famers. The previously … [Read more...]
Phot of the Day: Rare Photo from 1923 Yankee Stadium Construction
It would see Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle and Jeter. Knute Rockne, Johnny Unitas. Rocky Marciano. Pink Floyd and Pope Paul VI. Jacob Ruppert never could have imagined the history his Bronx ballpark would leave behind. Yankee Stadium was a big deal, though, when it began to rise from the dirt. A rare, original image of the stadium as it neared its … [Read more...]