[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by HexsHeroes

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. . . who obtained it among old papers disposed of by the organization (whenever that might have occurred).

I seem to recall that something like that occurred involving the Detroit Tigers. Supposedly, several old filing cabinets were either disposed of, or auctioned off complete with contents. If I recall correctly, the filing cabinets and papers had sat for decades in a storage space in Tiger Stadium. Not sure when these artifacts became available. Supposedly, among the contents were team copies of signed contracts, scouting & ballplayer correspondence, expense reports, etc. going back to the early 1900's, during the first or second decade of the team's American League existence. Of interest to me were some of the obscure ballplayer names mentioned, among the signed contracts. The one name I recall most vividly is that of Win Mercer. There were at least two other names mentioned that also peaked my interest, but damn if I can remember them. I never heard whether Ty Cobb's first contract was present among those relics or not. It does make me wonder if such treasure troves still exist within some of the long-time, major sports organizations. People come, people go. So who continues to track what is stored where, within such businesses?

This also happened with the Angels organization when Disney bought them in 1996.