SOLD!!!! Josh Gibson vs Dizzy Dean!

[Shoeless Moe]

Not sure how many Josh Gibson items come up, let alone against Big Leaguers, and none other than Jerome "Dizzy" Dean. What a matchup that must have been!

Fellow HOFers Ray Dandridge and James "Cool Papa" Bell listed in the lineup for the Negro National League team as well. WOW!!!!

Here's what I could dig up on this:

"At the age 23 in 1935, Josh hit .355 with 16 homers (leading the league as usual, three more than Mule Suttles). In a post-season series, Gibson hit .407 with a homer against the New York Cubans. He was 4 for 13 in an exhibition series against the Dizzy Dean All-Stars, taking Dean deep once."

"Certainly there were many blackball stars that could have “stepped right in.” But with Gibson this was a foregone conclusion. Not only could he have stepped in, he could have dominated. At least some proof of this was provided via the admirable and popular post-season traveling series St. Louis Cardinal great Dizzy Dean had helped organize, in which non-biased and willing white all-stars locked horns with blackball all-stars. More exhibition than anything, Gibson nonetheless shelled the white Major Leaguers he faced, including Dean himself (who was full of praise for Gibson and truly seemed to have enjoyed helping provide blackball’s most talented a stage). In retrospect, it seems impossible that Gibson’s legend-making talent could have been anything but dominating in the all-white Majors. And amongst the many nicknames that had been hung on the slugger (“fence buster,” for instance) one did and still does stand out given the history of race and its effects on this country—that nickname being “the black Babe Ruth.” By this point in an increasingly Hall-of-Fame-worthy career many had begun to wonder if Babe Ruth was not the “white Josh Gibson.”

Program is in Good condition for its age, some splitting by the lower spline. Some minor rips/tears, but overall not bad and one of kind item. Would look great framed with the score card page showing both Deans and Gibson's names. Unscored, never seen another one, searched every auction houses history I know and couldn't find another. Don't miss out, doubt it will last long!!! Gibson stuff rarely comes around.

SOLD PENDING PAYMENT - AWAITING CHECK