The Chicago White Sox were the kings of baseball in 1917 but dark clouds were forming as they reported to Mineral Springs, TX for spring training in 1918.
Buck Weaver and Oscar ‘Happy’ Felsch reported to a shortened camp feeling like they could repeat their World Series title. Just about everyone, in fact, expected it.
Sometimes things don’t turn out the way you’d expect.
The RMY Auctions Photo of the Day is a newly uncovered image of Weaver and Felsch warming up in April of 1918. The 7×11 photograph shows an interesting convergence of past and present with two people on horseback watching the action and another sitting in a vintage automobile. It would be offered to news outlets across the country looking for baseball coverage amid the constant news from World War I.
The photo is one of more than 1,000 images in RMY’s April Premier Auction. It has pinholes but in otherwise good condition and is date-stamped on the back.
For the Sox, 1918 would not turn out like 1917. Weaver hit .300 but the Sox would finish 57-67. The war would result in a shortened season and throughout the spring and summer, military service decimated the team’s roster. Joe Jackson would barely participate. Felsch would spend most of the year fulfilling his military obligation, then become one of the central figures in the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Weaver, fairly or unfairly, would also see his career come to an end because of the scandal.
For more information, visit RMYAuctions.com.
Related Stories:
One of a Kind? Top Quality Buck Weaver Photo Dated Just Prior to 1919 World Series
Photo of the Day: Casey at the Bat
Photo of the Day: Hap Felsch in 1919
1918 Red Sox Photo Headlines RMY Premier Auction
Photo of the Day: Buck Weaver in 1919
RMY Premier Auction Launches With Newly Discovered Joe Jackson Photo
Newly Discovered Joe Jackson ‘Outlaw’ Ball Photo
Eddie Cicotte 1919 Black Sox Photo Uncovered
