I'm always late getting the scoop.

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Posted By: Steve f

Joe Reichler
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Joseph Lawrence Reichler

Born January 1, 1915
Died December 12, 1988 in Roslyn, NY

Joe Reichler was a national journalist for the Associated Press from 1943 to 1966. Based out of New York, he was well known for his scoops on the New York teams including the move of the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles and Joe DiMaggio's retirement.

Reichler moved to the Office of the Commissioner in 1966. He was the public relations director during the tenure of Bowie Kuhn.

There was a bit of a controversy at the end of Reichler's time in the commissioner's office. Some of the Hall of Fame's possessions were loaned to the office for a display. The items were then boxed and stored in the garage of Reichler's home.

After some time, the items were forgotten and eventually sold at auction. One purchaser noticed a procurement stamp from the Hall of Fame in one of the items. The buyer called the Hall of Fame and the items were eventually traced back to Reichler. Eventually, the contoversy sputtered but it sullied the reputations of both the Hall of Fame and Joe Reichler.

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It sputtered?! Anyone recall this fiasco and know what these items were?

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Posted By: Greg

I believe the items in question were World Series programs. There was a huge front page story in The Sporting News at the time, and there is a good brief writeup on it in Bill James' book, The Politics of Glory (it's a terrific book, now published under a different name, something like "What's really wrong with the Hall of Fame).

Greg