Old-Timer's Day, Cincinnati 1932

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Posted By: <b>Joseph</b><p>The below program is currently being offered for sale on a major Bay Area auction web site. I'm showing here in the the hopes that the winner will post a superior reproduction. Or maybe someone has one of these already. Notice the pre-game festivities! This event had to be a depression-boy autograph hound's Nirvana.<br /><br /><img src="http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w150/base_ball2007/oldtimers.jpg">

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Posted By: <b>Mark L</b><p>Cool. Dummy Hoy, Gus Weyhing, and the newer guys, too.

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Posted By: <b>Jodi Birkholm</b><p>I actually have the poster from the first annual reunion in 1931. Cy Young, Branch Rickey and about twenty others signed the verso. Unfortunately, I have had to cut it up, as its breakup value was tremendous. Mordecai Brown was at the first one, as were a ton of other great and obscure players. Thanks to this event, there is at least one true autograph of 1903 Highlander Ambrose Puttmann and pioneering 19th century player Gus Shallix in existence. It really hurt to cut this piece up, but, to be entirely honest, nobody really cares enough about this reunion to rationalize keeping the piece intact. <br /><br />Does anyone have a clue as to how many years this reunion took place?

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Posted By: <b>Dan Bretta</b><p>What? No Wahoo Sam???

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Posted By: <b>Matt</b><p>great piece!<br /><br />Notice the inscription by Wagner - it's stated so matter of fact-ly, like you would say "world's tallest building."

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Posted By: <b>Jodi Birkholm</b><p>The strangest thing about these reunions is that a few of the "former major leaguers" listed never actually played! I've often scratched my head at this. Were they con men, like that guy who pretended to be Buckwheat? The one I can recall offhand is Bert Baumgartner. He is listed as having played for two major league teams, but I certainly can't find any major or minor league record for this man. It's not Stan Baumgartner, and can't be in reference to Harry Baumgartner. I had this Baumgartner fellow's signature on the back of the poster, and it doesn't match up with Stan's. I don't think there is a Harry Baumgartner autograph extant. The only relation between the mysterios Bert and the well-known Stan is that both apparently spent time pitching for the Phillies. Can anyone figure this one out?

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Posted By: <b>Mark L</b><p>Maybe it's George Baumgardner. My name has been garbled in print from time to time. Baumgardner pitched for the Browns back in the teens. Maybe he coached or scouted for the Phillies, too.

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Posted By: <b>Jodi Birkholm</b><p>No, it's someone who is both listed and has signed "Bert Baumgartner". Still a mystery.

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Posted By: <b>Mark Lutz</b><p>Then it's clearly an alias.

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Posted By: <b>Jodi Birkholm</b><p>Or somebody pretending to be a former major leaguer. There were at least three such instances listed on that poster. I still retain a scan of the piece in its entirety. I just wish I could figure it all out. Two of the three men actually signed my poster, and one of the signatures was signed by a man in the very advanced stages of his life. J. Shiver ( or "Shriver", I forget offhand). Either way, there's no record, even in the National Association.