Please help with ID of Brooklyn ballplayer

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Posted By: DD

Hi,
Can someone tell me who this is? Thanks.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

That looks like a Brooklyn uni to me. He looks a bit like Mize, but that obviously can't be him.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Any idea as to the date of the photo? He bears a slight resemblence to my old buddy Ernie Koy. Anyone else think this could be him?

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Posted By: DD

Hi,
I thought it said Boston, but does look like Brooklyn. It's a Geo. Burke photo; original, I believe.

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Posted By: Mark

Most definitely a Brooklyn Road Flannel... circa 1940 - 45, if that helps narrow down your search.

Sorry I can't help more to identify the player, Mark

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Whoever it is he's a lefty so it can't be Koy. Maybe Dolph Camilli? Always hard to tell from a profile shot.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

OK, Dan's logic disproves my theory (I forgot to take rh/lh into account!). It's not Camilli--his features were much sharper--this man has a "doughy" face! Also, Camilli's eyes were much more sunken in. Due to the round features, this also eliminates Hermanski and Moryn. These men both had narrower faces. I agree with whoever said c. 1940-45. Could that be stretched back to, say, 1938 or so? I'm feeling 1938-42. Which side was the 1939 Centennial patch worn on? Wasn't it the left?

Try consulting the book "Baseball Memories 1930-39". There are three books: "1900-09", "1930-39" and "1950-59". They are invaluable for such matters, and might very well be my favorite reference books! There are photos for nearly every player who appeared in MLB garb during each respective decade, as well as depictions of uniform styles/changes for each club. The 1900-09 would be very interesting for all of you T-card collectors. You are treated to actual images of the players as opposed to the often amateurish portraits featured on the cards (especially the full-body depictions).

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Posted By: Chris Counts

The 1938 and 1939 patches were on the left sleeve. I also checked Ernie Koy and ruled him out for the simple fact his nose is way too big. I agree it's not Camilli. It also doesn't look like a couple other lefties from that era, Arky Vaughan and Augie Galan. Gene Hermanski did play for the Dodgers during that era and I haven't ruled him out yet. I'm also trying to find a good profile shot of Dixie Walker as well ...

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

The Dodger's first used this uniform style (away) in 1939. The centennial patch was on the left sleeve. Looking at the 1939 roster they had a ton of guys that hit lefty on that team.

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Posted By: Mark

Hermanski is my guess. I looked up some pictures of him which were actually quite similar. Some did have the "doughy face" referred to above.

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Posted By: Chris Counts

Here's a photo of Hermanski ... what do you think?

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

I would venture to guess that the pic pre-dates Hermanski's MLB debut, but that's just a guess.

Edit: Just saw the photo Chris added. It's a possibility. I wouldn't be 100% on it, though. It's a close call. I'd be interested in other guesses before drawing the conclusion that it is indeed Gene.

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Posted By: dennis

i think it's pete reiser.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

I can't say I agree with that theory.

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Posted By: Fred Y

It looks like Tommy Holmes to me.

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Posted By: Chris Counts

I considered Reiser, but I found several photos of him with very dark hair. The player in the David's photo seems to have lighter hair ...

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Fred nailed it! It's Holmes! Strange part is that Holmes only played for BKN in his final season, 1952. I really would have thought this photo to be at least a decade older.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

It can't be Tommy Holmes. Brooklyn did not wear uniforms that said "Brooklyn" on them in 1952 - Holmes only season with the Dodgers.

Here's Tommy


edited to add: I agree with Jodi that this photo is c1940...I would guess it's 1939-42 and not any later than that.

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Posted By: Chris Counts

I thought the Dodgers stopped using that jersey after the '45 season?

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Check this out:



You can see why I was so enthusiastic. Could the uni say "Braves" as opposed to Brooklyn? I doubt it, but how can this NOT be Holmes?

(Definitely says "Brooklyn".) That leaves me at a loss, but I still have a hard time believeing it's Hermanski.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

They did. It was in use from 1939-45.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Look at the earlobes. 2 kinds of earlobes in this world - those that attach and those that dangle. Holmes' earlobes are attached the guy in the original photo has danglers.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Here we go with the earlobes again. Nobody is allowed to start using Latin terminology unless they have taken the Hippocratic Oath!

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Posted By: Chris Counts

Dan, you weren't kidding when you said the Dodgers had a lot of lefties on their roster. I'm currently looking for better pictures of Babe Phelps and Jimmy Ripple, although I must concede Phelps looks more like Shrek than the player in David's photo. He definitely has the doughboy look, though ...

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Posted By: DD

I would just like to say that I am very appreciative of the research all of you have done. I would like to offer the photo gratis (sorry about the latin Jodi - lol) to the first person who can identify the player.

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Posted By: Mark

I'm sticking with Hermanski... have yet to see any compelling evidence to the contrary.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

It looks like Hermanski, but the window for it being him is very small....only 18 games in that uniform.

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Posted By: Mark

Dan:

That's the very reason I deleted my post up above, earlier! I had originally guessed Hermanski, but then re-looked at how many games he could have played in that uni.

Although the window of opportunity is small, I think the similarities in the face are compelling enough (especially with regard to the lips/mouth).

Maybe someone else will source some better/clearer pics...

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

If it's a guy who played only during the WW2 years (1942-45) it could be difficult to locate a picture on the internet.

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Posted By: Chris Counts

Perhaps the only way to know for sure would be to ask Gene Hermanski. I just did a google search for him and found a thread about him at www.baseball-fever.com ... two people who responded to the thread said they knew him personally and he was doing fine ... one said he was the only player still alive from Jackie Robinson's first game, while the other said Spider Jorgenson is still alive as well ...

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Yes, I suppose we could call up Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and all conduct a seance! Jorgensen has been dead for some time. I'm 95% certain Hermanski is gone, too, but every online resource I've checked lists him as still being with us. Dean Lollis' great baseball obituary site is no longer up, so I can't get confirmation from there.

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Posted By: DD

I also think it's Hermanski. While it's true he only played in 18 games in 1943, can we find out if he was on the roster the entire year? He was in the Dodgers organization starting in 1941.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Just got word back from a reliable source that Gene is in fact alive and kicking. I think he turns 88 this year, so we'd better ask him fast! If he says it's him, the photo should be signed (as long as it's not an original).

Edited to correct Gene's age. I had orinially posted the Methuselahistic age of 889!

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Posted By: DD

It is original. If the 1st person that identified him agrees, maybe we can just send the photo to Gene as a keepsake.

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Posted By: Mark

DD... I guess you are referring to me, as I think I was the first to guess Hermanski. Yes, if you have a way to get this photo to him/his family, please do so. That is definitely the place it belongs.

If it turns out the photo subject is NOT Hermanski, I suppose we are back to square one!

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Posted By: fkw

http://www.talkingproud.us/Culture073004.html

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Slight resemblence, but check out that third picture in the article. The player in DD's photo appears to be quite a bit more "bottom heavy". And please, PLEASE, people, don't start posting images of MLB posteriors for comparison!

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Posted By: Fred Y

I still think it is Holmes. Is it possible the OP's pic has not Brooklyn, not Braves, but Boston across the uni?

Here's 2 more pics that sure look closer than Hermanski or anyone else to me!

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

And I also think that it looks the most like Holmes.