My Vintage Minneapolis Millers & St. Paul Saints Collection

[kmac32]

My great great uncle played for the St. Paul Saints in 1919 and 1920 in between stints with the Yankees. He was an outfielder and was one of the team batting leaders during those years. His name was Elmer Miller. Definitely some very cool memorabilia displayed here.

[Tay1038]

1921-24 Gavvy Cravath Hillerich & Bradsby Game Used Bat

I recently acquired one of the toughest Millers bats on my list. 1921-24 H&B Gavvy Cravath (NL home run champion). Cravath was one of baseball's top power hitters of the dead-ball era, in the seven years from 1913 to 1920 he led the National League in home runs six times. He's the guy who had the home run record before Babe Ruth came along. Special thank you to Brendan (BPM0014) for helping me land this bat.

[team-of-rivals]

Originally Posted by Tay1038

I recently acquired one of the toughest Millers bats on my list. 1921-24 H&B Gavvy Cravath (NL home run champion). Cravath was one of baseball's top power hitters of the dead-ball era, in the seven years from 1913 to 1920 he led the National League in home runs six times. He's the guy who had the home run record before Babe Ruth came along. Special thank you to Brendan (BPM0014) for helping me land this bat.

This is amazing! I've give up body parts for something like this! Congrat's on your p/u.

Here's a pic of photo I've had in my collection for a while: 1949 Wright Studios - St. Paul Saints team photo featuring HOFer Walter Alston, 8.5 " X 15"

[Tay1038]

1958-60 Minneapolis Millers Road Flannel Jersey #8

Proud to share this newly discovered 1958-60 Minneapolis Millers Road Flannel Jersey. This would have been worn by Ed Sadowski in 1958-59 and/or Paul Smith in 1960. The Millers, a Boston Red Sox farm team managed by Gene Mauch, were the defending Junior World Series champions, and were making their third appearance in the minor-league classic in the last five years. Minneapolis was bolstered by the recent addition of a young second baseman named Carl Yastrzemski, who had joined the team during the Association playoffs and played out the 1960 season in this style uniform.

[Tay1038]

Can't help but share this fantastic style match to the famous 1959 Junior World Series photo featuring Fidel Castro.

[Bpm0014]

Awesome jersey! And I'm glad you enjoy the Cravath bat!

Brendan

[Tay1038]

I found this Cuban newsreel on YouTube of the Havana Sugar Kings vs. Minneapolis Millers in the 1959 Junior World Series! Does anyone know how to extract a clip like this from YouTube onto a disc? I would love to have this video for my collection.

Watch clip here: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WJAehLwu2aw

Ironically, you can catch Ed Sadowski in multiple frames batting and fielding wearing what likely is this uniform.

[joeadcock]

[QUOTE=Tay1038;1298721]Can't help but share this fantastic style match to the famous 1959 Junior World Series photo featuring Fidel.

Interesting photo. In looking at him in this picture, not able to figure at that time, the evil he was to be.
Thanks for the photo.

[Tay1038]

1959 Minneapolis Millers Grain Belt Beer Poster Schedule

[andypcl]

Great Collection! Thought I'd share my only Millers button...

[ooo-ribay]

Originally Posted by andypcl

Great Collection! Thought I'd share my only Millers button...

It's a shame that pinbacks are pretty much a thing of the past .

[Tay1038]

Game used bats from Billy Gardner, Buzz Arlett, Rip Wade and George Wilson

[Tay1038]

Minneapolis Millers uniform, ca. 1900

Might be the earliest Millers uniform still in existence. My first dead-ball era uniform!

[baseball tourist]

Originally Posted by Tay1038

Just wanted to thank Jason for this uniform. Might be the earliest Millers uniform still in existence. My first dead-ball era uniform and holy grail. Minneapolis Millers uniform ca. 1900-04.

Very cool!

[gracecollector]

Wow, great collection - thanks for sharing it with us!

Thought you might like seeing these two items from my Don Zimmer collection.

1953 Minneapolis Star Newspaper file photo: Don Zimmer (St. Paul Saints) scores a run against the Minneapolis Millers (catcher is Ray Noble - played in Negro Leagues, PCL and Majors) April 28, 1953.




1954 official American Association team signed ball of the St. Paul Saints, Zim's last stop in the minor leagues. This ball is autographed by Zimmer (bottom signature in lefthand photo), 19 other Saint teammates, and team manager Clay Bryant. 12 of the 20 players who signed this ball would go on to play in the Majors.

[mattjc1983]

Great collection!

[Tay1038]

Brad, nice pair of Zimmer items!

[Tay1038]

Metropolitan Stadium turnstile

Thanks to a friend and fellow collecting enthusiast, I was able to add a seldom seen Metropolitan Stadium turnstile to my collection. The Minneapolis Millers were the first occupants of the "old met" from 1956-60.

[Tay1038]

Game used bats from of AB Wright and Foster Castleman.

[Tay1038]

1958-59 Pumpsie Green Hillerich & Bradsby Game Used Bat

He became the first black player on the Red Sox, the last team in the majors to integrate with his call-up from Minneapolis to Boston in 1959. Beautiful bat sourced from his time in Minneapolis.

[CamaroCPA]

Originally Posted by Tay1038

Thanks to a friend and fellow collecting enthusiast, I was able to add a seldom seen Metropolitan Stadium turnstile to my collection. The Minneapolis Millers were the first occupants of the "old met" from 1956-60.

I love this! I wish I could convince my wife to love it as well!

It would go great with my old Met seat.

[David Skoglund]

Great stuff. Thanks for sharing. I've got a few random older Saints things. I've been a season ticket holder for the "new" Saints since 1993, so I've naturally got a ton of stuff from that franchise.

[Tay1038]

1950-56 Bob Lennon Hillerich & Bradsby Game Used Bat

[Tay1038]

Historic 1877 St. Paul Red Caps original photographer display - Very 1st Professional Team in the State of Minnesota!

138 year old, 1877 St. Paul Red Caps photo display. All 9 of the starters from the very first professional baseball team in Minnesota are represented on this display. Photographer: Charles A. Zimmerman, who was an immensely popular photographer during this era. Thanks to a fellow N54 forum member, I found out this is a photographic proof. The larger images and wording were arranged and then another photograph was taken to create the finished composite photo from the photographer so he could then sell the smaller piece with all the players on it.

The transition from amateur to professional baseball in Minnesota happened before either the Saints or Millers existed, with the St. Paul Red Caps in 1877. The Red Caps won the League Alliance, a loosely affiliated league that hoped to rival the National League. The Red Caps played only one season because of money problems, and pro ball wasn't attempted again in St. Paul until 1884, when the St. Paul Base Ball Club, or White Caps, played nine road games in the Union Association.

[kdixon]

Great piece Tay. Wow.

[Duluth Eskimo]

That is an incredible piece and well worth the money

[dwr11]

That is an awesome piece! Love it!!

[Scott Garner]

That's a cornerstone addition to your great MN baseball collection.
Congrats!

[Tay1038]

1956 St. Paul Saints Road Flannel #25

Added this uniform to the collection this week. Story behind it is that the seller's late husband played ball locally around town and in Mexico, along with trying out for multiple baseball clubs over the years. During one specific year, her husband tried out for a baseball cub that Rogers Hornsby was instructing - not sure if it was a minor league team or major league club. At some point during or after the tryout - Rogers Hornsby gifted her husband a jersey of his. The seller could not recall what it all looked liked. Later in life their daughter wore the Hornsby gifted jersey around college (Local private college), and one day it was stolen from her apartment while she was living in the dorms and this Saints jersey was left behind in exchange.

[ooo-ribay]

Always enjoy seeing new additions to this thread!

[Tay1038]

Thank you, Rob. I appreciate that. These two teams have such a rich history - making them fun to collect!

[bocca001]

Seems like a good place to post a pic of this pennant.

[Tay1038]

1931 Bob Meusel Hillerich & Bradsby Game Used Bat

Bob Meusel played 59 games for the Minneapolis Millers in 1931, a year after ending his Major League career with the Cincinnati Reds. He was best known as a member of the Yankees' championship teams of the 1920s, nicknamed the "Murderers' Row", during which time the team won its first six American League (AL) pennants and first three World Series titles. A very difficult bat to find, and another rare Millers player added to the game used bat collection!

[ooo-ribay]

Marc's pennant above? Is that a fairly faithful representation of where they played? Sweet pennant! I'm guessing the older minor league pennants are tough. I've been looking for a Tacoma Giants forever.

[Duluth Eskimo]

The Millers played at Nicollet Park in Minneapolis for many years prior to the opening of Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington in 1956. They played there until the Twins came on in 1961. Nicollet Park was nowhere near the size of Met stadium. Minor league pennants are very difficult overall, but the Millers were a high level team that had more than most. I have a number of different styles for the Millers. The St Paul Saints on the other hand are much more difficult to find.

[MikeGarcia]

...awesome thread... I collect Worch Cigar Premiums so I'm familiar with the Saints and Millers from the thirties....

..

[Tay1038]

1920's Ossie Bluege Hillerich & Bradsby Game Used Bat

Ossie Bluege played 44 games with the Minneapolis Millers in 1922 before being called up to the Majors with the Washington Senators, where he played his entire career from 1922 through 1939. He was a member of the Senators' 1924 World Series championship team, the franchise's only title before moving to Minnesota in 1961.

After retiring in 1939, Bluege managed in the minors for four years before taking over the Senators from 1943 to 1947. In 1948, Bluege was named the Senators' farm director, where his greatest scouting coup was a young Harmon Killebrew. In 1958 he became the team's comptroller, shortly before its relocation to Minneapolis as the Minnesota Twins. He remained the team's comptroller until his retirement in 1971, having served the organization for 50 years.

This is by far one of the most obscure bats in my collection today!

[Tay1038]

Game-Used Bats from Red Robbins, Ed Sadowski & Stu Locklin & 1958 Program w/ticket stubs

Finally after two years chasing these down I was able acquire three key game used bats to add to my 1958 Minneapolis Millers Junior World Series Championship team project, along with a 1958 game program with ticket stubs.

Over the years the Millers were participants in four Junior World Series; matchups between the champions of the American Association and the International League. In the 1932 championship, the team was defeated by the Newark Bears 4 games to 2. The Millers, under manager Bill Rigney clinched the 1955 series against the Rochester Red Wings, 4 games to 3, in the final ball game played at Nicollet Park. In 1958, the Millers, with Gene Mauch as manager, beat the Montreal Royals 4 games to 0. Their last appearance in this Series was in 1959, with Mauch as manager, when the Millers lost the series 4 games to 3 to the Havana Sugar Kings.

All three players were members of the 1959 Millers team, paying alongside 19 year old Carl Yastrzemski during probably one of the most bizarre minor league playoff series vs. Havana Cuba. Much has been written about that event which took place before 3,000 gun toting soliders and an armed Fidel Castro.

Author Stew Thornley recalls the event: http://www.stewthornley.net/millers_havana.html

[Scott Garner]

Terrific pickups, Tay!

[Tay1038]

Thanks Scott. I've got a few more goodies to share here soon!

[Tay1038]

c.1929 Zeke Bonura Hillerich & Bradsby Game Used Bat

Zeke Bonura had a 7 year MLB career from 1934-1940 with a 4 year stay with the American League Chicago White Sox. During that time period, Bonura terrorized the opposing pitchers posting a .307 batting average with 119 home runs and 794 RBI. He hit 100+ RBI in 4 of his 7 seasons!

Fun Fact: Before Albert Belle went and ruined all the fun, Bonura was the White Sox single-season RBI record holder. He drove in 138 runs for the White Sox in 1936, and that record stood for 62 years before Belle shattered it with 152 in 1998.

Bonura played a brief 55 games in Minneapolis over two seasons in 1941 & 1946; and although not one of the most famous players to suit up in a Millers uniform, a fun addition to add to the collection nonetheless.

[Tay1038]

1960 Carl Yastrzemski Minneapolis Millers Game Worn Uniform - Signed & Inscribed 1960 Game Worn

[Scott Garner]

Tay,
That Yaz Millers uniform is the bomb!
Congrats on a true centerpiece to your great Millers collection.
Best,
Scott

[icollectDCsports]

Great Yaz jersey. Signed in exactly the right spot, too. If a game worn jersey is to be signed, down on the tail is the best location, in my opinion.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by icollectDCsports

Great Yaz jersey. Signed in exactly the right spot, too. If a game worn jersey is to be signed, down on the tail is the best location, in my opinion.

+1

[Tay1038]

1959 Minneapolis Millers vs. Fort Worth Cats Playoff Program - Includes Carl Yastrzemski

This program came with the Yaz uniform. Program is from the 1959 playoffs when Yaz was called up to Minneapolis. May be the first program showing the 19 year old Yaz. You can imagine my excitement yesterday presenting these items to Yaz; he was happy to sign program this yesterday!

[Duluth Eskimo]

Taylor,
That's really a great uniform. Congratulations on the pick up as well as the opportunity to present it personally to Yaz to sign. Dick Gordon is really a nice person to deal with and I'm glad you were able to work it out. Jason

[Bobmc]

Tay1038,

The Yaz uni is breathtaking. I am floored.
Congratulations.

Happy T-Day.
Bob

[71buc]

Incredible Yaz uniform that's an outstanding pickup