Howard Wakefield

[obiwan1129]

He's mentioned briefly in Glory of Their Times. I've looked in the past and not found anything, but was curious if anyone has ever run across a card for Howard Wakefield who played for Cleveland and Washington 1905-1907? I know he was in the Three-I league for a some time too. I'm just trying to verify if he even has a card and what set/release it might even be.

His son is Dick Wakefield who was a bonus baby and played during the 40's and a bit in the early 50's. They are shirt tail relations of mine. I've collected most of Dick's cards and my cousin now has them as Dick was her godfather. In fact Mary had never seen a photo of her Grandpa Howard until she stopped off at the Hall of Fame library a number of years back.

Thanks in advance.

[Snapolit1]

Maybe you've checked it out already, but Vintage Card Prices website doesn't identify any Howard cards.

[Snapolit1]

Have you seen this? Isn't not a card, but something clipped from a magazine.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Howard-Wake...QAAOSw~e5ZTa7u

[FrankWakefield]

I have a Spalding Guide or Spalding Record, or a Reach Guide with a pic of him, somewhere. I don't recall which year. I've been watching for a card of his for years; have not found one.

I have a H&B bat of his, bought back when H&B was selling off their old pattern bats. It has "WAKEFIELD" at the end of the barrel. It's very long, slender, I think it's hickory. I had a shot at buying several different bats, but the cost limited me to two: Howard Wakefield's which is with me, and Ernie Orsatti's, which is on loan to the St. Louis Baseball HOF.

[obiwan1129]

I hadn't seen the Spalding guides before tonight but yeah...those are magazines not cards.

The bat is cool...it's one of Howards models? Can you share a pic?

From your user name are you related?

[JLange]

Hi John, I collect Cleveland cards and memorabilia, and I am trying to find the earliest card or collectible of every player who ever donned the Cleveland uniform, as depicted with the team (plus coaches, managers, GMs, owners, etc.).

I have researched Howard Wakefield a bit and my current assessment is that there are no Cleveland cards of him that are career contemporary. I still think much is out there that we don't know about (RPPCs, etc), so I won't be convinced until I have exhausted all avenues for Wakefield and other players without a card, but that is what I know right now.

I was fortunate to fill my collection for now with a non-contemporary PC of Howard Wakefield. My best guess is that this is a 1970s George Brace PC. As it turns out, the pic is actually from a real career-contemporary item, which I do not have - a Sep 21, 1907 Sporting Life magazine with Howard Wakefield on the cover. The cover photo is accompanied by a nice write up at the bottom. This is on my wantlist in lieu of a card, but I have not come across one in any condition yet.

Good luck in your pursuit, and would greatly appreciate if you share any cards or collectible items of Howard Wakefield you may uncover in the future.

[obiwan1129]

Thanks Jason.

Some great pics! I think I have seen that Sporting Life. Will share anything I find.

[Jobu]

My first thought was the 1905 Cleveland Naps Souvenir Post Card Shop (PC785) team photo:

https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball-c...a/7195-80228.s

But I do not see him there.

Wakefield might be the guy behind Lajoie in this 1907 Raymond Kahn team postcard:

https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball-c.../50012-51090.s

He is on this 1905 Teams of the American League piece (#17 on Cleveland - you can zoom way in on this piece), though I have never seen this until today:

https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/...alth:sf268874j

[Ricky]

You might find Wakefield on a postcard or in a guide but unfortunately his career (1905-1907) happened at a time when there were no baseball card sets produced.

[FrankWakefield]

Maybe I can get these pictures loaded...

[FrankWakefield]

Another try

OK... This bat is about 38 inches long. Old style knob, no marking on the end of the knob. The last pic depicts the now faint markings that H&B had put on the bat to identify it.
In the back of my mind is that the bat doesn't date to 1905ish... but that it's from the early to mid 1910's, when he was back in the minors and playing or managing; I don't recall
the details of why I thought that now.

This bat helps someone to understand the change in bat physics in baseball. The home run increase wasn't only due to Ruth, clean white balls, lively balls, and such. Add in there bat
dimensions. With this long bat you could beat snakes, carry it around as a whopping stick. It'd last a while; maybe a season or three. A few years later, bats are shorter, have a bigger
barrel, and a skinny handle. These bats have a center of gravity that's better centered at the barrel. These new bats would put more of a charge in a batted ball; but the skinnier
handles resulted in many more broken bats. So add bat physics to a reason for the increase of home runs as the game left the dead ball era.

[obiwan1129]

That is so cool! Thanks for sharing.