ID Help: MOE BERG?? 1923/24 Brooklyn Robins? (Bonus: There is a Dog Smoking a Pipe!)

[Jobu]

Gene Bailey is the guy on the far right. He was on the team in 1923-24. Wilbert Robinson, Zach Wheat are center front row. Can anyone help me pin down other IDs so that I can figure out which year this is from?

I have scans of the full photo and then larger left-right scans, making sure to include the dog smoking the pipe in both images.

Thanks in advance

[brianp-beme]

Although I don't condone the behavior in humans, that dog smoking the pipe is the bomb.

Offhand I don't spot anyone, but I am sure some can.

Brian

[Dewey]

Judging by the hats, looks like 1923 uniforms. That's my guess. Best dog photo ever.

http://www.tailgatingjerseys.com/brooklyn-1920s.html

[Jobu]

Good call Dewey - from the Hall of Fame's Dressed to the Nines uniform database, it looks like they are wearing 1923 home uniforms.

[CobbSpikedMe]

That dog was made famous in the various "Dogs Playing Poker" paintings. Awesome to see an actual photo of him.

[Leon]

Great photo of a dog smoking in the first post....but I have nothing on the IDs

Here is a pc with one smoking a cigarette....sorry it's a bit OT but what the heck.

[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by Leon

a bit OT but what the heck.

Appears to be Pre-War.

[lumberjack]

Put your money on 1924. That's an expanded roster spring training photo and they probably would have been wearing the uniforms of the prior season.

If you check the rosters, in those days the players were pretty much the same from year to year. Kind of an impossible task. That's Dutch Reuther, the lefty hitting his glove with his fist on the left side of the image.

Terrific photo.

lumberjack

[conscious_crow]

Bryan,

First off, thank you for sharing such a nice piece! Aesthetically charming and unique for sure!

In looking through the different faces, I was able to ID a particular fellow by the name of Bernie Hungling, a rather lanky catcher for the time period (6-2, 180). In the third picture you posted, he's the taller fellow standing in the back row, five players from the left. He played for the Robins for the 1922 and 1923 seasons, which would likely date this to the 1923 season, as you surmised.

Again, this is my best guess, but given other photos that are available of Hungling, I'm confident that is him in this particular group shot. Oh, and Dazzy Vance is standing directly to the left of Gene Bailey (looking down while fumbling with his glove) - very cool!

Best,
Josh

[Jobu]

Thanks everyone!

One thing I noticed looking at 23-24 rosters, is that a 21-year-old Moe Berg is on the 1923 team but not 1924. Is anyone here familiar with pictures of him from his younger days? It's a bit tough with many of the players looking down or to the side.

[Jobu]

I just looked for Moe and I think I see him. He was only on the team in 1923, so that would make this 1923. Looking forward to hearing if people agree with the id.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=berg--001mor

[conscious_crow]

Bryan,

I'm not too confident in that particular ID of Berg, as he was known to "rock" a rather iconic "uni-brow" for much of his playing career. Not sure if I happen to see that in this image, but it could very well be the case.

With that being said, it could still mean this is a team shot from the 1923 season, as Berg played for Brooklyn in 1923 (not 1924) - he was a rookie call-up that summer. Given his mid-season call-up, it could stand to reason that this was an early season shot.

Also, if my ID of Hungling is correct, this would further support this being an early season shot, as I believe he was on the roster for the first couple of months before being called down to the minors (much of his career was spent in the minors).

Again, just my amateur opinion, but figured to share it!

Best,
Josh

[jp1216]

Love this!

[Jobu]

Here's a clearer crop of that section of my high resolution scan -- I added one more interesting guy to make it the Three Musketeers.

[midmo]

Great pic! I agree with lumberjack that it's probably spring training 1924. That is Clearwater Athletic Field their spring training facility in those days.

ClearwaterAthleticField.jpg

[lumberjack]

SABR historians Steve Sternberg and Lyle Spatz have just written a book, "Comeback Pitchers." On page 325 is a shot of Uncle Robbie in the same exact clothes with that weird dog. The dog has on a Brooklyn cap and is wearing goggles, like a '20s pilot would have worn. Why would anyone joke about such a thing.

Pretty good book, by the way.
lumberjack

[Jobu]

John - I did a side-by-side with Hungling. Looks pretty good to me:

Hunling.jpg

Still curious what the crowd thinks about the Moe Berg id. I think the shape of the face, head, and features is right and that the shadow from the cap is making it hard to tell how heavy his eyebrows are.

I forgot to post the back. This is an RPPC that was owned by Gene Bailey - his daughter mis-id'd the team and the year on the back. Below is also another photo of him and Charlie Hargreaves (the back says 1924 but they were both on the team in 1923-24).

[bgar3]

If that is actually a spring training image, and if Berg only played with them in 1923, then it is very unlikely that is Berg. In the spring of 1923 he was still playing for Princeton, as late as June I believe, and he was apparently gone in 1924. A lot of ifs in this, I know.

[FrankWakefield]

I don't know...

But before I looked at the responding posts, I looked along at the players. Jumping out at me was the 6th fellow from the left, standing. He's turned his face away from the photographer as he talks to the fellow to his left. My guess was that he looked like Moe based on my recollection of his likeness from cards and pictures. Baseball Reference has him at 6'1".

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by midmo

Great pic! I agree with lumberjack that it's probably spring training 1924. That is Clearwater Athletic Field their spring training facility in those days.

Attachment 448144

Definitely spring training shot, tree line is the same especially the tall fan shaped tree left of center field.