The Great Depression was taking its toll on the country and in September of 1931, the city of Chicago’s two baseball teams came together to play a fundraising exhibition to benefit an unemployment relief fund. The crowd was nearly 35,000—a bigger turnout than the White Sox usually had for their American League games. Among those in attendance was a man famous well beyond … [Read more...] about Photo of the Day: Al Capone and Son, Gabby Hartnett and a Cubs-Sox Game
1931
Photo of the Day: Lefty Grove Receives 1931 MVP Award
You can still see it today, just as Lefty Grove requested. The American League MVP award for 1931 is on display at the Georges Creek Library in Lonaconing, MD, not far from his gravesite. Eighty-six years ago this summer, he was presented with the sterling silver trophy from the Baseball Writers Association. Now, a news photo taken that afternoon in Philadelphia … [Read more...] about Photo of the Day: Lefty Grove Receives 1931 MVP Award
No Leverage: Gehrig’s 1931 Contract at Auction
Lou Gehrig collected a $25,000 salary from the New York Yankees in 1931 (roughly $375,000 today). Now, the contract Gehrig signed with the Bronx Bombers just prior to the ’31 season is on the auction block, where it is expected to fetch somewhere in the neighborhood of the latter figure. The pact, inked by Gehrig and owner Jacob Ruppert, is among the featured … [Read more...] about No Leverage: Gehrig’s 1931 Contract at Auction
Wheatland Offers 1931 Yankees Ball in First Auction of 2017
A 1931 New York Yankees team-signed ball with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, hundreds of vintage sports card sets and lots along with numerous unopened wax, cello and rack pack boxes from the past are among the highlights in Wheatland Auction Services’ new online catalog. Bidding has opened in the auction, which includes over 700 lots and will continue through March … [Read more...] about Wheatland Offers 1931 Yankees Ball in First Auction of 2017
Beast on the Brink: 1931 Portrait of Jimmie Foxx at Auction
Jimmie Foxx already had three full and three part-time seasons under his belt when he arrived at the Philadelphia Athletics’ spring training camp in Florida in the late winter of 1931. He was still only 24 years old. The RMY Auctions Photo of the Day is an original 5x7 Acme News photo of the future Hall of Famer, who was approaching the zenith of his lengthy career. … [Read more...] about Beast on the Brink: 1931 Portrait of Jimmie Foxx at Auction