OT: Help With This Photo (Hall of Fame Game??)
 

Hello to all. Since we have quite the cast of baseball experts on this board, I would truly appreciate any help with determining any info on this photo. My brother in law has this photo in his home and it's from my great grandfather who was apparently a sports reporter out of Virginia. The story is that it is from a hall of fame game but not sure if that's true. Also I'm curious who all is in the picture. Obviously there is Ruth, Wagner, Johnson, Collins, Mack. But not sure of the others. Any info would be much appreciated. Dave

Tris Speaker is third from the left (between Ruth and Johnson), the player between Johnson and Mack looks like Lefty Grove, and I think Rogers Hornsby is on the far right.

Steve

I think on the far right is George Sisler, then Collins, Home Run Baker, Wagner, Bill Dickey I think, Mack, Grove, Johnson, Speaker, Ruth, and Al Simmons.

A better scan would probably help, but I'm pretty sure about most of those identifications.

Graig

I agree with Graig that the one on the far right is George Sisler. I just couldn't think of any other Browns HOFers, other than Hornsby.


Steve

I thought the guy on the right looked like Rick Ferrell

Here's a picture of Frank Baker with Joe D and Mickey Mantle (it looks like a match to me):

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...976ad4c12b.jpg

Steve

By the players in the picture, I would think this is from the mid 40's correct?

That's my guess also, especially looking at The Babe and Honus.


Steve

It does bear a slight resemblance to Ferrell, but I think Sisler is more likely. Ferrell's last game was in September 1947, and The Babe died in August 1948. Sisler's last game was in 1930. Babe was pretty emaciated towards the end of his life, so I highly doubt the picture is from 1948. If it was any earlier than that, Ferrell would've still been an active player, so why would he have been in this photo with the all-time greats, especially since he is a "borderline" HOFer as it is.

Steve

Not to mention that Johnson, I believe, was the first one to pass from this group. Ferrell would have had to been playing. This picture had to be taken before 1946.

I think this is a photo from the All-star War Bond game Aug 26, 43 at the Polo Grounds.

Link here -

http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.co...-war-bond-game

I can ID -

?, Ruth, Speaker, Johnson, ?, Mack, ?, Wagner, ?, Collins and Sisler.

This was in commemoration of Connie Mack's 50th anniversary as a manager, and took place on August 4, 1944. Here's a great article on the event.

http://philadelphiaathletics.org/a-1...o-connie-mack/

Here's the paragraph from the article that lists the players as they came out of the dugout (it matches the order they're standing in, from right to left, in the photo (except for Simmons and Ruth):

"Mack Names His All-Time Team

As a culmination to the ceremony, Connie Mack named his all-time, all-star team of living players, each one exiting the dugout and lining up next to the microphone near home plate when introduced. As announced by Mack, they were: George Sisler, first base; Eddie Collins, second base; Frank “Home Run” Baker, third base; Honus Wagner, shortstop; Bill Dickey and Mickey Cochrane, catchers; “Lefty” Grove and Walter Johnson, pitchers; and finally, the outfielders, Tris Speaker, Ty Cobb, Al Simmons, and Babe Ruth. Two of the men selected by Mack were unable to appear at Shibe Park. Cochrane, as a Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy Reserve, was serving his country on active duty, and Cobb couldn’t attend for reasons unspecified."


Steve

Sounds conclusive!

Awesome! Thank you very much Hank and everyone else.

Well-done!

Great detective work. That's why I love this site.