October Legends and Americana Ending November 14th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2015
By 1944 the major leagues had been dangerously drained of top-shelf talent. Into the void left when Ted Williams, Stan Musial and Joe DiMaggio went to war went guys who were either too old or had some kind of debilitating injury that made them useless for combat. Perhaps nothing exemplified the sad state of big league baseball better than the St. Louis Browns winning the 1944 pennant. For decades the Browns wallowed in the depths of the American League, little more than a last stop for washed up ball players on their way back to the minor leagues. The team was so neglected in St. Louis that they were looking to relocate to Los Angeles, but the day before the American League presidents were to vote on the move was December 7th, 1941.
With the nation at war the Browns were stuck in St. Louis. Luke Sewell took over as the Brownies skipper and the first thing he did was get rid of the losers and dead weight in the clubhouse. Sewell deftly managed an ever changing roster as players went away to war and by 1944 he had a core of players who for one reason or another were exempt from service. This Spalding Official National League Warren Giles ball has been signed by 18 of the men who won the only pennant in St. Louis Browns history. Signed at a team reunion held in the 1960's, the signatures are in blue ball point and range from 8/10 to 5/10.
Among the key Brownies are Sig Jakucki, a big, mean southpaw from New Jersey who went from hanging wall paper to winning 13 games, including the pennant clincher against the Yankees. Team ace's Jack Kramer (17 wins) and Nelson Potter (19 wins) have signed along with their catcher Red Hayworth. Players Danny Galehouse, Mark Christman, Sam Zoldak, Tex Shirley, Chet Laabs, Al Zarilla, Don Gutteridge, Mike Kreevich, Milt Byrnes, Ellis Clary and Gene Moore have signed along with traveling secretary Charles DeWitt, trainer Bob Bauman and coach Zack Taylor. A great memento of the only pennant winning season of baseball's most hapless franchise.
Comes with full LOA from PSA/DNA (#Y03301)