Elston Howard

[GeoPoto]

(I'm back again with yet another attempt to showcase one of the significant players in the evolution of integrated major league baseball. Our star of this thread is:

Elston Howard. Catcher for the New York Yankees in 1955-1967. First black player to play for the New York Yankees. 1,471 hits and 167 home runs over 14 seasons. 12-time All-Star. 6-time World Series Champion. 1963 AL MVP. 2-time Gold Glove. New York Yankees #32 Retired. First black player to be AL MVP. Also played for the Kansas City Monarchs and the Boston Red Sox.

My plan is to make a daily post including an item from my collection with a portion of Elston's excellent SABR biography written by Cecilia Tan. I hope that you find Tan's treatment of Howard's long career interesting and would love to see any pieces involving him that may be part of your collection.

My Elston Howard collection, like his career, is spread out over many years. As a result, it will take us a while to complete the entire biography. As such, I apologize in advance to those readers who may chafe at the slow pace. At any rate, here we go.)

Elston Howard was born February 23, 1929, in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Emmaline Webb and Travis Howard. A schoolteacher in Sikeston, Missouri, Emmaline fled to St. Louis when Howard, her principal, refused to marry her. She worked to become a dietician, and when Elston was 5 years old, she married Wayman “Big Poppy” Hill. Elston attended the Toussaint L’Ouverture school as well as the Mt. Zion Baptist Church. The church’s pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah M. Baker, became Elston’s godfather, and the boy was raised to work hard and eat right (thanks to his mother’s dietician’s know-how).

[commishbob]

This is nice to see and I'm looking forward to more posts. I'm an Elston Howard collector as well. He was the first ballplayer I was able to meet in person. He had opened Elston Howard Travel in my hometown of Nutley, New Jersey. When it opened my best friend and I would walk by daily hoping for a glimpse of a major leaguer. One day a woman waved us into the offices and told us to come by that weekend. Sure enough, Elston was there and he signed pictures for us. The signature has faded quite a bit but I still treasure the photo.

btw...I hope you are okay with me posting in this thread. I'll remove this if you want.





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[GeoPoto]

Bob: Thanks very much for the images and the story. I am not only OK with you posting in this thread, but I am trying to encourage it. The more images and remembrances of Elston we can get posted the better. I look forward to your contributions as we work our way through his career.

[Chris Counts]

Under different circumstances where Yogi Berra wasn't his teammate, he might have had an even more impressive career from a statistical standpoint. He was stuck in the minors so long fans picketed Yankee Stadium, and never played 100 games as a catcher until he turned 32. While the Hall of Fame's stubborn gatekeepers might cringe, he wouldn't be the worst catcher in Cooperstown.

Of all his cards, I like the 1958 Topps the best.

[GeoPoto]

(Chris: Thanks for the post and the nice 58T of Elston!)

In the summer of 1945, Howard, then 16, was playing baseball in a sandlot when Frank Tetnus “Teannie” Edwards approached him. “The biggest kid on the field was hitting the ball so hard and far that it made Teannie mad,” wrote Arlene Howard in her book Elston and Me. “When he got to the field he found out that the big kid was, in fact, one of the youngest on the lot.” Edwards, a former Negro Leagues player himself, helped run the St. Louis Braves and he wanted Elston. Convincing Emmaline was the hardest part. Edwards had to promise that young Elston would eat properly. On Easter Sunday 1946 (April 21), Howard debuted in the Tandy League, catching in a game against Kinloch. He had two hits and threw out two runners trying to steal second in a 5-4 loss.

[ronniehatesjazz]

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

Under different circumstances where Yogi Berra wasn't his teammate, he might have had an even more impressive career from a statistical standpoint. He was stuck in the minors so long fans picketed Yankee Stadium, and never played 100 games as a catcher until he turned 32. While the Hall of Fame's stubborn gatekeepers might cringe, he wouldn't be the worst catcher in Cooperstown.

Of all his cards, I like the 1958 Topps the best.

One of the more underrated players of his era... shocking that if you asked the casual fan if they knew who Elston Howard is they would have no idea, despite the 12 AS appearances (really 9 though) and an MVP.

Also, I have surprisingly never seen that 58 Howard and it is one of my new favorites. Has to be the best looking card in the set and probably one of the better looking one of the 50s as a whole.

[jingram058]

I for one love these threads. Outstanding!

[NiceDocter]

Traded to the Red Sox for half the 1967 season and 1968 season. Was on the "Impossible Dream" team and contributed greatly..... only to be on the losing end to the Cards giving him a dubious honor...... tied with Pee Wee Reese for most times on a World Series runner up! PS Thanks to our own Gray Ghost (Scott) for selling me these cool type 1 photos....

[JollyElm]

Although he may have been overlooked elsewhere, for those of us growing up in New York, good old #32 remained a continual presence each night you put on Channel 11 to watch the Yanks.
He stood as a visible pillar of the Bronx Bombers' legacy, and seemed to really be a calming influence in what Sparky Lyle eventually deemed 'The Bronx Zoo.' A class act.

[commishbob]

A couple more Ellie Howard things.

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[GeoPoto]

The following year, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the Major Leagues. Now 18, Howard was working at Bauer’s grocery store and finishing at all-black Vashon High School. After Robinson’s debut, Vashon hastily formed a baseball team. Elston was already a star athlete at Vashon, playing football, running track, and making all-state in basketball. He was easily the best player in baseball, as well, and after graduating from Vashon, he played another summer with the (St. Louis) Braves.