Reminds me of this story:

After retiring as a player, the still-popular (Dizzy) Dean was hired as a broadcaster by the perennially cash-poor Browns to drum up some badly needed publicity. After broadcasting several poor pitching performances in a row, he grew frustrated, saying on the air, "Doggone it, I can pitch better than nine out of the ten guys on this staff!" The wives of the Browns pitchers complained, and management, needing to sell tickets somehow, took him up on his offer and had him pitch the last game of the season. At age 37, Dean pitched four innings, allowing no runs, and rapped a single in his only at-bat. Rounding first base, he pulled his hamstring. Returning to the broadcast booth at the end of the game, he said, "I said I can pitch better than nine of the ten guys on the staff, and I can. But I'm done. Talking's my game now, and I'm just glad that muscle I pulled wasn't in my throat."

JimStinson
 

THAT my friend is a classic !
How about when they asked Ty Cobb what he thought his batting average would be against modern day pitching. he said .300 and the interviewer said ...."Only .300?" and Cobb said

"You've got to remember - I'm seventy-three years old."
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Hands-down, that's always been my favorite baseball quote.

I think you misquoted Ty. I heard it as "I'm seventy-three f#*king years old."

Sounds more like him.

JimStinson
 

LOL.....Actually this is my favorite Ty Cobb quote

"When I began playing the game, baseball was about as gentlemanly as a kick in the crotch." ...Ty Cobb
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my favorite sports quote of all time, heavyweight boxer jack roper.

"I zigged when I should have zagged."

;)

There's always my wonderful virtual friendships with you enlightened people. Isn't that something?

That's right up there.

I always have to laugh when I hear people say "poor Buckner" as he was one of the first to criticize Leon Durham for letting a ball go through his legs against the Padres in the 1984 playoffs. For those who don't remember, there was a first baseman controversy in '84 with the Cubs as Leon Durham eventually won the job from Billy Buck who would soon be shipped off to Boston. After Durham booted the ground ball Buckner was quoted as saying that if he was in the game he would have never missed that ball, implying that the Cubs would have been in the series if he was there. Two years later, Buckner was in the same situation and was now the goat for his miscue.

I remember talking to Jay McCracken, then of Upper Deck at the Field of Dreams show in Iowa back in '92 or so and I asked him if Buckner's Upper Deck card from 1990 which showed him fielding his position but you could clearly see the large tarp between his legs was intentional and he looked at me, winked and said, "what do you think".

I think it is time Buckner is let off the hook for this one though.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ps8217b0c3.jpg

As much as I love and collect those great teams (Black Sox, 27 Yankees, 34 Cards, 60 Pirates, 61 Yanks, etc etc), for my money I think the 98 Yankees could give anyone a run for their money. Also, those 70's Reds teams didn't exactly suck either.

All of the players you listed are in the photo below except for Walter Beall (though he is sometimes identified as the player top row far right next to the trainer, that player is actually Joseph Styborski). In addition to those on your list I personally added Exec. Ed Barrow, traveling secretary Mark Roth, Trainer Doc Woods, head scout Paul Krichell, and clubhouse attendant Fred Logan. I limited myself to the players who appeared in a game or are pictured in that photo. I personally didn't feel the need to chase the spring training hopefuls.

What about Pete Sheehy? He began his clubhouse career in 1927.

Sheehy definitely has his place in Yankee history. While I wouldn't mind adding his signature to my collection, I didn't think it necessary as part of a 1927 Yankee project. He was actually someone I was on the fence about. I passed on him for two reasons. First, although it marked the begining of his very prominent Yankee career, his role in the clubhouse was likely very limited in 1927. Second, for my 1927 Yankee project the goal was to find all vintage fountain pen signatures. So, I guess the door remains open in the event that a period payroll check should surface.

True. But less limited than the roles played by Miller and Styborski! ;)

Not sure I agree with that. Miller tossed BP in the World Series. Pete was probably sweeping floors and cleaning toilets. But in the end, for me it wasn't the contributions of Miller and Styborski that led me to include them. It was the fact that they are in the team photo. Had Sheehy ( or for that matter, anyone else) been asked to pose that day he'd be on my list as well.

That's the beauty of collecting. There's no wrong or right answers. Like I said, I find a vintage fountain pen signature of him and my mind is easily changed.

You're right there is no right or wrong answer on team collecting. A lot of the fun comes from finding people of interest involved with a particular team to collect. I know as I came to the end of my 1960 Pirates collecting, I took a look at their team picture and realized there were a few extra people there. I would normally never collect a traveling secretary, but Bob Rice was there and turned out to be an easy autograph to get. George Sisler was also there as Assistant to the manager, and that was an easy decision to add a HOF'er to the display. Another place I fortunately or unfortunately found was the team yearbook. I found out that Bing Crosby was part owner so I added him (although if it was Joe Blow I probably wouldn't) and also Virgil Trucks was their batting practice pitcher so I added the two no-hit pitcher as well.
At some point though, especially if you're working on a matted display, you have to draw the line or else you'll never complete the project.

You can add this to your list of trivia: at the time Michael Sergio landed on the field, Boston was at bat... and the batter at the plate was Bill Buckner.

I just finished a story about Joe Styborski - I first heard about him right here in this thread, so thanks for introducing ,me to him. Here is the link for those who are interested:

Joe Styborski

Great article. Very nice work.

Back to Don Miller, if anyone still needs him, check out SCP right now.

Great thread to read through...side note I know a collector, whom I have sold my tough 1919 Reds to, that just needs 3 signatures to have the whole team (official team picture) completed...time will tell if he can get those last 3

Thomas, any idea whom the three 1919 Cincinnati Reds are that the collector needs ?

Wow, only 3 left? Very nice indeed.

Well, someone snagged the single item, a report card, with (3) Don Miller autographs on it last night in the SCP suction but at a steep price, just over $5K. High bid was around $600 when the extended bidding started and closed at a hammer price over $4K before the 20% premium. Add potential sales tax and shipping and the total is even higher. My guess is the winning buyer will split the (3), keep (1) and try to recoup some of his money by reselling the other (2).

They also had a photo of the pitching staff (came from his estate) that was also signed by Don. Ended up just over $14k.

To bring this back to the "27 Yankees. I have all who appeared in a game, the coaches, Huggins Roth, Doc Woods, and Kritchel. But not Eddie Bennett. Have only ever seen him on team balls--and I'm not about to buy another one of them.
Anybody got a Bennett salary check?

Bennett
 

Never saw a Bennett check. I wonder if he was officially on the payroll.

I will check (someone probably knows off the top of their head) I think Bennett received World Series shares during his time with the Yankees, dont know about on payroll but probably by 1927 he might have been on payroll as he was an adult by then.

A quick search and I did see that Don Miller "a young college pitcher who joined the team late in the Summer, was voted a half share" of the $5702 full share to the Yankee players.

I have images of 6 different Eddie Bennett signed album pages/cuts in my comp folder...one of which I bought from a member on here a few months ago

also here's a very cool news story from this month about a head stone being bought for Eddie Bennett https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/n...-cemetery.html