New Trove of Photos Found in Boston

[RichardSimon]

Check this out.
http://eye-on-baseball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22297882/28364251

[Wihawk]

Great pics. Thanks for the link.

[GoldenAge50s]

WOW! What a find of photos and most likely many never seen before!

[ElCabron]

Those are great photos, but they couldn't find someone who could identify Bob Feller, Lefty Grove, Dizzy Dean, Tony Lazzeri, Mickey Cochrane, or Bill Dickey? Really??? Even Foxx and Doerr are unidentified in some. Eddie Collins, too.

Anyway, some great baseball images there. Love these kinds of discoveries.

-Ryan

[slidekellyslide]

Those are great photos, but they couldn't find someone who could identify Bob Feller, Lefty Grove, Dizzy Dean, Tony Lazzeri, Mickey Cochrane, or Bill Dickey? Really??? Even Foxx and Doerr are unidentified in some. Eddie Collins, too.

Anyway, some great baseball images there. Love these kinds of discoveries.

-Ryan

Not all are identified in the titles, but nearly all of the players are identified below in the summaries.

[slidekellyslide]

There are some incredible photos in this collection....in fact the photo titled "Cubs try to score vs Braves" may be one of the coolest baseball photos I've ever seen...unfortunately you can't copy or link to any of these photos otherwise I'd post the link to that particular photo.

[Kawika]

Here ya go, Dan.
Great photos!

http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_o_ka_pakipika/sportscardsetc/mischidden/miscellanybaseball/Cubs%20try%20to%20score%20vs.%20Braves_%201940s.jp g

[slidekellyslide]

Thanks David...that's the one. Could you imagine MLB allowing a photographer to be that close to the action today?

[olsport]

The photographers of today can be inches away from the action with those huge 3 foot long telephoto lenses.
It would really be neat if another photographer took a shot from the other side, with this photographer in the play. To really see how close to the action he is.

[Big Dave]

Cool photos. Wish I could find something like that sometime im my life, just once would be nice.


http://www.amazon.com/b?%5Fencoding=UTF8&site-redirect=&node=256994011&tag=colmor-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325

[drc]

That photo almost looks 3D

[jbsports33]

I have talked with staff at the Boston Public Library and they may have the best collection of sports photos in the country, still many unreleased images are still being found. They take pride in what they do to preserve the collection and maintain the archives they do have, so the public can continue to enjoy them.

Great Stuff! Thanks for the post

Jimmy

[mcgwirecom]

I picked out that action photo also! You rarely see that great of a photo from that era...even today! Just for fun I tried to ID the players and date of the photo. I'm not saying that I know I am right but going by the jerseys and numbers I got it down to this... Hank Wyse scoring a run, Hugh Poland catching. The date 10-1-44. Only because that was the only date Wyse scored a run in Boston. He wore #33 and Poland #14. Providing that he was actually safe...

[slidekellyslide]

Nice work Randall! I'd love to have a framed copy of that photo in about 16" x 20" size.

[SteveKiwi]

I looked at this photo and was amazed that the photographer was able to get that close to the action. Like Randall I tried to identify the players and date:

If you look closely at the catcher (especially the Original size, which is the largest pic), the number on his back is almost certainly 15. There is a tail on the second number hanging down to the left, with a gap above it, meaning it could only be a 3, 5 or 9. The top left of the second number also appears squared off, making it a 5.

The photo credit said 1946-52. I checked uniform numbers on Baseball Reference of catchers for the Boston Braves for 1940-52. Looking for 13, 15 or 19, there were only two catchers with one of those numbers for the Braves. Bob Brady wore #15 in 1946, but only played one game and not against the Cubs.

The other player was Bill Salkeld, who played 59 games in 1948 and 63 games in 1949 as catcher for the Braves. He is most likely the catcher.

In 1948 and 49, Gene Mauch wore #33 for the Cubs.

In 1949 Mauch played 8 games in Boston for the Cubs. Salkeld caught 4 of those games. In one of the 4, Mauch played SS but did not bat, was probably a defensive replacement. In the other 3, he pinch hit and was 0 for 1 with 0 runs each time. It's possible he reached on an error and was thrown out at the plate, but not likely. I conclude it was not a game from 1949.

In 1948 Mauch played 4 games in Boston for the Cubs, Salkeld caught in 2 of those games. In the first game, June 15, Mauch was 0 for 3 and did not score. The second game, June 17, Mauch went 1 for 3 and scored a run.

Looking back at the photo, there are four players. Mauch trying to score, Salkeld behind him presumably fielding the ball and trying to make a tag.

On the right is a player holding two bats. My first thought was a bat boy picking up the bat, but I don't think he would already be holding one. I think this is the on-deck batter, already holding a bat, who ran around and picked up the other one.

The other player, in the background, is looking back at the play. I believe, since this is also a Cubs player, that he just scored a run, and has turned around to look at the play behind him. It appears there is a cloud of dust by his feet, suggesting he just ran through the plate.

Unfortunately there is no play-by-play for this game on Retrosheet, but looking at the boxscore, I think I can identify a likely play.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1948/B06171BSN1948.htm

Three players drove in two runs that day, including the batter behind Mauch, the pitcher Ralph Hamner, who hit a double. Two batters ahead of Mauch, Peanuts Lowrey scored a run.

Lowrey's picture at http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lowrepe01.shtml looks a lot like the guy in this photo, who has just scored, although even at the biggest size it's not clear.

So, in summary:

June 17, 1948 (first game of a double-header)
Second inning (the Cubs scored 4 that inning, the only inning they scored more than 1)
Ralph Hamner has just doubled off Warren Spahn (!)
Peanuts Lowrey has scored, Gene Mauch is about to score, beating a possible tag from Bill Salkeld.
The on deck batter would be Hank Schenz.
Home plate umpire is Lee Ballanfant according to the boxscore.

Cubs would lead 5-0 at the end of the second inning (can't tell if Mauch is scoring the 3rd, 4th or 5th run without the play by play), but the Braves would come back and win 7-6.

Now, how many times would Warren Spahn give up 5 runs (4 earned) in 1 and a third innings? Not many, I'd bet.

[mcgwirecom]

Nice job, I didn't look at the other number on the catcher. I just took the info off the description.