Post any Tickets, Photos, Programs, etc. That have to do with

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by Oldtix

June 18, 1927, and the St. Louis Cardinals pay tribute to the 1926 World Series by raising a huge championship flag at Sportsman's Park. Special guest for the ceremonies was the hometown boy who had flown "The Spirit of St. Louis" alone to Paris less than a month earlier...Charles Lindbergh. On the field, Grover Cleveland Alexander gets a three-run homer by Sunny Jim Bottomley to defeat the Giants 6-4 before the capacity crowd.



In this game, played July 10, 1935, Babe Herman of the Reds hit the first home run in a night game in major league history. This was the fourth night game in MLB history, and the first night game for the visiting Brooklyn Dodgers.



Bob Gibson gets his first major league win AND his first two strikeouts in a 1-0 shutout of the Reds at Crosley Field.



Don Denkinger makes the call that ensured he would never again pay for a drink in Kansas City - my ticket for Game 6 of the 1985 Series.

Cool tickets Rick!

[karamaxjoe]

First game with a major league team wearing shorts.

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by karamaxjoe

First game with a major league team wearing shorts.

First and only, Mike! Do you have a photo to frame it with?

[thekingofclout]

A single page from the New York Evening Post newspaper dated June 14, 1923 proves without question, that this is the first ever photo of Lou Gehrig in pinstripes! The large photo of Lou Gehrig states that Lou "NOW WEARS A YANKEE UNIFORM."

And Gehrig went on to make his Major League Debut on the very next day, June 15.

1923GehrigJoinsYanks.jpg1923GehrigJoinsYankesNEWSPAPERcloseUP.jpg1923GehrigJoinsYankesNEWSPAPER1.jpg

[Scott Garner]

Here is the only known season pass/ticket to NY Giants' Christy Mathewson's 1st no-hitter on July 15, 1901. Matty no-hits the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0. Only 5,000 patrons attended the game, witnessing what marked only the beginning of Mathewson's great HOF career.

The pass is issued to Bryan Snyder, which arranged train transportation for the Cardinals baseball team.

The pass is signed by Frank deHass Robison that was the team owner of the Cardinals and the Cleveland Spiders. League Field in St. Louis was also named Robison Field in his honor.

[karamaxjoe]

Originally Posted by thekingofclout

First and only, Mike! Do you have a photo to frame it with?

Actually first of three. Here's number two. I'm still trying to find number three from August 22, 1976. My website below tells the whole story.

[ramram]

Thought I'd share an interesting recent find. I picked up this Spalding Basketball scorebook recently. It has several college games from the NY area as well as a few Pro games. This book was apparently the official book used for those games. The Pro games were at Madison Square Garden and included the NY Knicks, Washington Caps, Rochester Royals and Minneapolis Lakers (with George Mikan). However, it also included some of the games from the 1949 NIT games at the Garden. The really interesting game, as it turns out, is the game between Kentucky and Loyola of Chicago. This is the game that Alex Groza, Ralph Beard and Dale Barnstable fixed with some bookies to shave points. Kentucky went on to lose this game and finished the season 29-2. Two years later when it came to light, Beard and Groza were arrested and also banned for life from the NBA, thus ending the careers of two of the greatest players of their era. Anyway, I thought it was pretty neat that this was the official scorebook that captured that infamous game.

Rob M.

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[Scott Garner]

Here is a scan of a rare ticket stub to the historic 1912 World Series game 8 deciding game which won the series for the Boston Red Sox, their 1st at Fenway Park, 100 years ago.

The starting pitchers in this game featured the Red Sox Smoky Joe Wood (34 wins in the regular season + 3 in the World Series in 1912) vs. the Giants' HOF'er Christy Mathewson. Smoky Joe and the Red Sox win game 8 with a final score of 3-2. The Sox win the series 4 games to 3 (one game was called because of darkness in a tie).

The lucky patron noted the final score and the teams on the verso of the ticket stub.

Enjoy!

[YankeeFan]

Awesome 1912 WS ticket Scott!


Here's my scored program to the last Dodgers game in Brooklyn

[mcgwirecom]

Minoso becomes oldest player to get a hit, and plays in 5 decades...

[71buc]

This probably won’t ever be considered as a historic event. However it was a record setting feat and entertaining nonetheless. July 22, 1926 in a stunt at Mitchell Field in New York, Ruth, a private in the National Guard, caught a baseball that was dropped from a bi-plane. The plane was at an altitude of 250 feet and traveling at about 100 miles-per-hour. The record was reported in the October 2, 1926 National Police Gazette. Below are that issue and the original photo depicted on page five.

The Babes record stood until 1939 when it was broken by Cleveland catcher Joe Sprinz. Sprinz caught a ball dropped from a blimp hovering 800 feet overhead. His new record required five attempts. On the fifth attempt, the ball crashed into his glove at an estimated 154 mph. It slammed his glove hand into his face with such force that he broke his upper jaw in twelve places, fractured five of his teeth, and was rendered unconscious. He also dropped the ball.

[thekingofclout]

What a terrific display those two Ruth pieces will make, Mike!

Here's a vintage original photo of the Iron Man as he gets ready to play in his 2,000 consecutive game.

Gehrig2000Games.jpg

[thekingofclout]

July 4, 1939

1939babelouhugging.jpg1939gehrigday2.jpg
1939gehrigday1.jpg1939LouGehrigDay.jpg

[whitehse]

Here is an off topic question regarding the Gehrig pictures and Lou Gehrig day.

I have noticed that all of the ball players in the pictures are wearing undershirt sleeves. Looking through archived information, all information points to the fact that July 4, 1939 was a hot muggy day with temps around 85 degrees. Why were all the players wearing sleeves under their wool uniforms?

The only logical thought I have on this is that the undershirts soaked up the sweat so the uniforms would not be so heavy when the sweat was absorbed. Other than this, I cannot think of any reason why they would wear long sleeves on a hot, muggy July day.

Any thoughts?

[Gary Dunaier]

Originally Posted by Oldtix

June 18, 1927, and the St. Louis Cardinals pay tribute to the 1926 World Series by raising a huge championship flag at Sportsman's Park. Special guest for the ceremonies was the hometown boy who had flown "The Spirit of St. Louis" alone to Paris less than a month earlier...Charles Lindbergh. On the field, Grover Cleveland Alexander gets a three-run homer by Sunny Jim Bottomley to defeat the Giants 6-4 before the capacity crowd.

Just noticed how this ticket says, in large bold letters, FIRST ROW. I can just imagine the lucky person with this ticket walking with a George Jefferson swagger as he walks down the aisle down to the front row.

Incidentally, June 18, 1927 was also the day the Post Office Department issued an air mail stamp commemorating Lindbergh's achievement. St. Louis was where the stamp was issued, and it's safe to presume "Lucky Lindy" also played a role in the dedication ceremonies.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by Gary Dunaier

Just noticed how this ticket says, in large bold letters, FIRST ROW. I can just imagine the lucky person with this ticket walking with a George Jefferson swagger as he walks down the aisle down to the front row.

Incidentally, June 18, 1927 was also the day the Post Office Department issued an air mail stamp commemorating Lindbergh's achievement. St. Louis was where the stamp was issued, and it's safe to presume "Lucky Lindy" also played a role in the dedication ceremonies.

Gary,
That's a cool post!
Is this the same stamp that was produced with the extremely rare upside down plane error?

[Exhibitman]

Yankees' last championship for 18 years clinched in this game. Reggie hit one off Welch to cap it.

[71buc]

The Tickets below are from games I have attended. Not necessarily historic but I certainly enjoyed them all. Ryan’s Last Game, Randy Johnson Ks 19 (LH record) and gives up a 538ft HR to McGwire, we were in the cheap seats and the ball still went over our heads, opening week at Arlington, Nolan’s 6th no hitter (I missed that one), Ryan vs. Clemens ( 16 inning 15Ks and 3 runs between them awesome game!), Griffey JR & SR first game together, McGwire tickets for Hrs. 60 and 61( We sat in Big Mac Land), The photo is of Don Larsen a few days after the Perfect game. The slug explains that he had returned to clean out his locker. The players around him are the NY Football Giants, 1951 World Series Program Joes D's last appearance, Dugout lineup card from K-Rods 62nd save, (I have posted this one here before) ball hit McGwire to set AL rookie HR record and tie the MLB record.

[mybestbretts]

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[mybestbretts]

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[Scott Garner]

Mike,
You have a great collection of items there! I especially like the K-Rod lineup card and the Big Mac rookie signed ball.

BTW, the Ryan vs. Clemens game played on 9/7/92 (Texas Heat # 3) was an excellent one, but my guy Ryan was outmatched by Rocket Roger in this game. That being said, I recall that Nolan left this game in the eighth or ninth inning with an injury.

FYI, I believe that this game only went the standard 9 innings, not 16. Nolan's high water mark was 12 innings. He did this twice in his 27 year career...

Here is a scan of Red Sox broadcasting great Ken Coleman's personal scoresheet from Texas Heat # 1 which featured Texas flamethrowers Nolan Ryan and Rocket Roger Clemens in their first hookup. Ryan won this one 2-1.

I'm also including a scan of season ticket stubs to Texas Heat # 1 and # 2. Overall, Roger won two of the three games where they faced off. No matter what the outcome, the fans in attendance walked away the winners!

[71buc]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

Mike,
You have a great collection of items there! I especially like the K-Rod lineup card and the Big Mac rookie signed ball.

BTW, the Ryan vs. Clemens game played on 9/7/92 (Texas Heat # 3) was an excellent one, but my guy Ryan was outmatched by Rocket Roger in this game. That being said, I recall that Nolan left this game in the eighth or ninth inning with an injury.

FYI, I believe that this game only went the standard 9 innings, not 16. Nolan's high water mark was 12 innings. He did this twice in his 27 year career...

Here is a scan of Red Sox broadcasting great Ken Coleman's personal scoresheet from Texas Heat # 1 which featured Texas flamethrowers Nolan Ryan and Rocket Roger Clemens in their first hookup. Ryan won this one 2-1.

I'm also including a scan of season ticket stubs to Texas Heat # 1 and # 2. Overall, Roger won two of the three games where they faced off. No matter what the outcome, the fans in attendance walked away the winners!

Scott,
Impressive group of items you posted, as always. What I meant was sixteen innings of pitching combined between the two. Ryan gave up all three runs in the nine inning game.

[Gary Dunaier]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

Gary,
That's a cool post!
Is this the same stamp that was produced with the extremely rare upside down plane error?

No... you're thinking of the "Inverted Jenny," which was issued in 1918...

[David Atkatz]

Coincidently, though, Lindbergh's first airplane was a war-surplus Curtiss Jenny.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by Gary Dunaier

No... you're thinking of the "Inverted Jenny," which was issued in 1918...

Ah, yes! Thanks for setting me straight.

Thanks also, David for providing the add'nl detail. I thought the plane looked familiar.

[D. Broughman]

1925 tickets and picture of Navin Field, 1935 letter asking for passes and 1984 tickets

[earlywynnfan]

WWII Service game held at Cleveland's cavernous stadium. The program isn't that rare, but the ticket is. Unfortunately, my ticket is packed up right now.

Ken

[ramram]

Satchel Paige's first Major League win on 7/15/1948 as noted in radio announcer Claude Haring's scorebook. "Page" won in relief against the Philadephia A's 8-5.

Scorebook Satchel Paige game.jpg

[doug.goodman]

It's a bit messy, but here's a scorecard from the Oct 1, 1933 game where the Babe beat his old team for his 94th career victory. He also hit a home run that day (#686).

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by doug.goodman

It's a bit messy, but here's a scorecard from the Oct 1, 1933 game where the Babe beat his old team for his 94th career victory.He also hit a home run that day (#686).

What a terrific piece, Doug! And messy is a good thing when it comes to old scorecards, IMO. Here's a TYPE 1 Photo from Babe's 93rd career win, also at the expense of the Bo Sox!

Sept. 28th, 1930 on the last day of the season. Babe hurled a complete game victory against his former team the Boston Red Sox. The final score was 9-3. Read about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/sp...ll/17ruth.html

baberuthpitching.jpg

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by doug.goodman

It's a bit messy, but here's a scorecard from the Oct 1, 1933 game where the Babe beat his old team for his 94th career victory.He also hit a home run that day (#686).

Hi Doug,
Here is a ticket to the Big Bam's last game pitching which compliments your great scorecard.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by thekingofclout

... messy is a good thing when it comes to old scorecards, IMO...

Thanx, I agree, I love the well loved ones.

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

Hi Doug,
Here is a ticket to the Big Bam's last game pitching which compliments your great scorecard.

That's a very cool display, Scott.

[ValKehl]

This is the most significant ticket stub in Washington's MLB history, and this won't change when the Nationals win the 2012 World Series!
Val

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by ValKehl

This is the most significant ticket stub in Washington's MLB history,

You ain't kidding Val, they just don't get any better than that!

[Scott Garner]

Great ticket Val!

[Scott Garner]

It's been a while since this thread got a bump. While I don't own this ticket, my good friend Tony Swann just picked up the only known full, unused ticket to the infamous Disco Demolition Night at CWS Comiskey Park in 1979.

Many of you are probably aware of Disco Demolition Night, but here is a great article in case you would like to take a walk down memory lane!

Enjoy!

Disco Demolition Night
A Midsummer Nightmare

July 12, 1979. A warm Thursday night at Chicago's Comiskey Park, where the hometown White Sox were scheduled to play a twi-night doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. Although both teams were struggling through losing seasons and lacking any marquee stars, more records were broken that night than on any other date in baseball history. They were also detonated, trampled, and burned.

It was Disco Demolition Night, a promotional event in which any fan bearing a disco album was admitted for a mere 98 cents. Between games, the records were ritualistically destroyed. Bad idea. With the possible exception of Cleveland's Ten-Cent Beer Night, Disco Demolition Night went down as one of the most ill-conceived promotions in the annals of sport.

By the summer of 1979, the national disco backlash was approaching critical mass; "Disco Sucks" was its unofficial rallying cry. Rock fans despised the genre and critics dismissed it as a commercial-driven fad, even as the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Blondie, and other such acts embraced the style and scored crossover hits.

Originating from a largely gay, largely black dance culture, disco cut through racial lines and integrated diverse crowds in a communal, pan-sexual boogie. For these reasons it was as loved by its adherents as it was loathed by its detractors, most prominently, white male rock 'n' rollers.

Among them was Steve Dahl, morning deejay at Chicago rock station WDAI. When WDAI switched to an all-disco format in December 1978, Dahl was subsequently fired, only to be hired three months later by another Chicago rock station, WLUP. In addition to Dahl, "The Loop" also captured many of WDAI's former listeners, similarly disgusted with Saturday Night Fever, the Village People, "Funkytown," and so forth.

Dahl courted his discophobic listenership by taking their shared hatred to the airwaves and launching an all-out anti-disco crusade. His antics included smashing up a copy of Van McCoy's million-selling single "The Hustle" over the air, doing so just the morning after McCoy suddenly died of a heart attack.

On a broader scale, Dahl formed the "Insane Coho Lips Anti-Disco Army," an ad hoc group "dedicated to the eradication and elimination of the dreaded musical disease known as disco." At its peak, the ICLADA claimed 7,000 card-carrying members.

It just so happened that the sports commentator on Dahl's show was White Sox promotions director Mike Veeck, son of beloved Sox owner Bill Veeck. The elder Veeck was considered a promotional genius, credited for devising events like Bat Day and being the first owner to stitch players' surnames on the backs of their jerseys. The goofball showman also installed the famed exploding scoreboard at Comiskey Park, and once made the Sox play a game in short pants. Perhaps his most memorable publicity stunt was the time he sent a midget in to pinch-hit.

Veeck was always on the lookout for crazy new promotions, and between him, his son Mike, and Steve Dahl, the trio cooked up Disco Demolition Night. Apparently it occurred to none of them that records are fun to throw, capable of slicing through the air like Frisbees, only with much greater distance and velocity.

The big night arrived, and so did the fans. Comiskey Park usually attracted more of a blue-collar crowd than the relatively well-heeled clientele across town at the Cubs' Wrigley Field, and was reputed to have sold more beer per person than at any other big-league venue. On this night, the crowd appeared more like it came out to see Blue Öyster Cult than a ballgame.

Dahl's Anti-Disco Army showed up in full force: an invasion of drunken, stoned, longhaired teens sporting Sabbath and Zeppelin shirts, carrying the requisite records along with signs and banners emblazoned with the ubiquitous "Disco Sucks." (There were likely soldiers from the KISS Army as well.) Not surprisingly, trouble arose before the first pitch was thrown.

Comiskey Park's 1979 capacity was listed at 44,492, though Sox officials estimated the overflow audience at 55,000. Another 20,000 were turned away when the gates closed, and police blocked exit ramps from the nearby interstate to keep even more fans from pouring into the area. Despite the beefed-up police presence, some of those locked out began climbing the stadium's two-story chain-link fences. Others simply rushed the turnstiles.

"We were trying to hold the main gate closed but the kids forced it open," explained one security guard. "The ushers got beat up."

Nevertheless, the first game started at 5:30, just as the records started to fly. Fans hurled discs around the stands and onto the field, showering the ballpark in a hail of vinyl. The players were both angry and nervous about having to compete under the constant bombardment of not only records, but also album covers, fireworks, beer cups, hot dogs, and anything else on hand. Batboys and groundskeepers periodically ran onto the field to clear the debris, which only further incited the crowd.

On the prospect of getting nailed by a Peaches and Herb LP, Detroit reliever Aurelio Lopez refused to warm up in the bullpen. Sox outfielder Wayne Nordhagen later complained, "How'd you like to get hit in the eye with one of those? These people don't realize it only takes one to ruin a guy's career."

Fortunately, no careers were ruined, and Detroit won the first game, 4-1. Game 2 was to begin a half-hour later.

During the intermission, a large wooden crate was placed in centerfield, filled with a few thousand disco records. Dahl emerged, wearing a green army helmet, and presided over some short ceremony. At its conclusion, Dahl detonated an explosive charge, which ignited several roman candle-type fireworks in front of the crate, and then the crate itself blew up. The crowd roared as cardstock sleeves and vinyl shards blasted into the air.

The salvo was a call-to-arms for fans to storm the field. At first, just a few guys sprung from the stands; before long, an estimated 7,000 hooligans were running amok, as if the Sox had won the pennant. A few players were warming up on the field as the chaos started, but then quickly bolted for the dugout. Some picked up bats.

Bonfires blazed as records continued to sail and fireworks continued to explode. The batting cage was torn down and dragged around the field while some guys scaled the yellow mesh foul line markers. One young man grabbed a high-powered hose and blasted water around the outfield, and others tore up the neatly manicured infield. Chunks of Kentucky bluegrass were ripped away, and much of what remained was scorched. Girls rode on the shoulders of their bare-chested boyfriends, while some kids just ran the bases. Bottles were thrown and fistfights broke out.

Those who waited in the stands for the second game chanted, "Clear the field!" Bill Veeck and Sox radio announcer Harry Caray made similar appeals over the PA system, yet the rioters were oblivious to their pleas. The scoreboard ineptly flashed: "Please Return to Your Seats."

Stadium security was overwhelmed, though the revelers eventually began to wear themselves out. Then, about half-hour after the disorder began, 80 riot-clad cops marched onto the field. Wearing blue helmets and armed with batons, the cops were greeted by cheers from the law-abiding fans who weren't part of the mob.

Most of the ruffians retreated to the stands upon mere sight of the infamous Chicago riot police, notorious for cracking skulls at the Democratic National Convention in '68. After clearing a few stragglers, the cops restored order within five minutes. Thirty-nine were arrested for disorderly conduct and spent the night in jail, and only a few minor injuries were reported.

The smoldering diamond resembled a battleground, strewn with refuse and missing sizeable patches of sod. Bill Veeck insisted the second game could still be played, but around 10 p.m., umpire Dave Phillips called it off.

Veeck immediately tried to reschedule the game on a later date, though Tiger manager Sparky Anderson demanded a forfeit: "The only thing that can force a postponement is an act of God. This was no act of God... The [condition of the] field is the responsibility of the home team. It's no different than a guy slipping on a banana peel in front of your house. You're at fault... Beer and baseball go together, and they have for years. But I think those kids were doing things other than beer."

The next day, American League president Lee MacPhail judged that the Sox had indeed forfeited the game, losing by a 9-0 score as dictated by the rulebook. Veeck slammed MacPhail's decision as "a grave miscarriage of justice," even as he accepted full blame for the fiasco: "Anything that happens here is my responsibility."

Veeck also criticized the rioters ("these weren't real baseball fans"), but took credit for restraining the police: "We used no force. We let 'em run until they got tired and bored. The worst injury we had all night was a guy who broke his ankle coming down a ramp."

In light of MacPhail's ruling, Sox manager Don Kessinger lamented, "We have found a lot of ways to lose games this year, but I guess we've added a new wrinkle. It's tough to lose two games when you played only one."

Sox pitcher Rich Wortham, a Texan who preferred the Grand Ole Opry to Grand Funk Railroad, blamed the music: "This wouldn't have happened if they had country and western night."

Possibly so. What was officially recorded as a Detroit twinbill sweep is better remembered as the zenith of the disco backlash. A few critics even viewed the album-torching and subsequent melee as a mass exercise in racism and homophobia, reminiscent of Nazi book-burnings. As one clueless 17-year-old rioter remarked, "This is our generation's cause."

The following month, Comiskey Park played host a rock festival featuring Foghat, the Beach Boys, the Tubes, and Sha Na Na. Once again the field was torn to shreds, causing the Sox to cancel another three games. The stadium itself was ultimately demolished in 1991, as the Sox moved across the street into "New Comiskey Park" (recently renamed "US Cellular Field"). Oddly enough, the Sox's bizarre tradition of on-field fan violence and subsequent arrests also followed the franchise to "The Cell": in 2002 a drunken father-son duo attacked Kansas City's elderly first base coach Tom Gamboa (he suffered permanent hearing damage); on a half-price ticket night in 2003, a fan accosted umpire Laz Diaz.

Bill Veeck, who eventually conceded that Disco Demolition Night was "a mistake," died in 1986 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. Mike Veeck has since owned part of several minor league teams, and continues to dream up nutty promotions. He planned to give away free vasectomies during a Father's Day game, which he cancelled after a protest led by one of his season-ticket holders, a Catholic bishop. During the 2002 campaign he gave away seat cushions, each with baseball commissioner Bud Selig's mug printed on its surface.

As for Steve Dahl, who currently hosts an afternoon talk show on Chicago's WCKG, his army may have won the battle on Disco Demolition Night, but lost the musical war. Most of today's ballparks routinely blare disco-inspired music -- if not vintage disco tracks themselves -- replacing the traditional live organ with such staples as "More More More," "Boogie Shoes" and "Who Let the Dogs Out?".

However, Disco Demolition Night wasn't a complete failure, at least for one young woman in attendance. On the occasion of her first big-league ballgame, she exclaimed, "This is cool! Does it happen every night? I'll become a fan!"

All quotes are from the Chicago Tribune.

Originally appeared in issue #37 of the print zine Roctober, Winter 2003. Order it here.

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