Cleveland had another pitcher ready in case Bob Feller's first start didn't go so well. After all, he was still just 17-- a high school student who had just finished his junior year. Feller's arm was special--"once in a lifetime," according to Cy Slapnicka, the scout who'd signed him out of the Iowa countryside. He had pitched in relief and done … [Read more...]
Former Yankees Exec’s 1978 World Series Ring Part Of Wheatland Auction
Marshall Samuel earned four sports championship rings during more than 50 years as a sports public relations official and marketer. One piece of that jewelry — a 1978 World Series ring he was presented because of his duties with the New York Yankees — will be part of Wheatland Auctions Services May 2021 Sports Card & Memorabilia auction that ends on May 23. Samuel, who … [Read more...]
Photo from Feller’s Opening Day No-Hitter Emerges in Auction
Only once in baseball history has a team finished a game with the same batting average with which they started. It happened 80 years ago when 21-year-old Bob Feller threw what remains the first Opening Day no-hitter in baseball history. The Chicago White Sox all started the game with batting averages of .000. When Feller was through working his magic, their … [Read more...]
5 Baseball Cards of the Legendary Bob Feller as a Teenager
Bob Feller's baseball career began before he was even technically an adult. He debuted at the age of 17 with the Cleveland Indians in 1936 and quickly impressed, going 5-3 while striking out 76 batters in only 62 innings pitched. Feller would continue to improve and really broke through as a star in 1938 at the age of 19. That year, he was named as an All-Star for the first … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Feller’s 1939 Baseball Magazine Cover
Bob Feller made his major league debut when most teenagers were learning how to drive. He wasn’t in awe. The Iowa farm boy was no rube when it came to pitching. After a successful debut in the second half of the 1936 season, Feller was becoming a national sensation. He wound up on the cover of multiple national publications before his 21st birthday including … [Read more...]
Newly Discovered Photo of Feller’s 3rd No-Hitter
Eleven years after tossing the first no-hitter of his brilliant career, Bob Feller did something no pitcher in the history of baseball had ever done. This month, a previously unknown photograph of the celebration immediately following his third no-no is being offered in RMY Auctions’ October online auction. On July 1, 1951, the 32-year-old Feller started the first game … [Read more...]
1938 Goudey Heads Up Issue Has Several Unique Distinctions
It was definitely a departure from your traditional baseball card set. Using photos and some cartoon-like art, the 1938 Goudey set is unmistakable 78 years after the cards and gum could be found on store shelves. The set wasn't big on size but it was filled with stars. Despite being much smaller in number of cards than some of the first Goudey card sets, the 1938 issue … [Read more...]
1949-1950 Num Num Cleveland Indians Set Highlighted 1948 Champions
The Cubs' 108-year famine is over. The wait, however, goes on in Cleveland. Back in 1948, the franchise won its second (and most recent) World Series title. In 1949 and 1950, the Num Num snack company created a set of photographs of Indians players - most of whom were on that championship team from 1948. It represents about the only comprehensive trading card … [Read more...]
Veterans Day: Honoring Athletes Who Served
As the United States honors its military veterans on this Veterans Day, it’s instructive to understand that some very real sacrifices were made by athletes to keep the country free. Some paid with their lives; others sacrificed the primes of their athletic careers to serve in the military. Some are household names. Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson … [Read more...]
1950 Bowman Baseball a Trend Setter
As Americans said their good-riddances to the 1940s, a decade that shredded our hearts and families with war and decimated the National Pastime, sports fans were ready to finally enjoy their games with a full roster of superstars once again. When the first spring of the new decade dawned, the 1950 Bowman baseball set was ready and waiting to greet collectors who had waited all … [Read more...]