October Legends Closing October 27,2018
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/27/2018
Throughout his career Lou Gehrig was known for his introverted and non-confrontational personality. As long as Babe Ruth was his teammate, Lou was able to shrink into the background as the New York press corps concentrated on the extroverted Babe. However, when Ruth left for Boston in 1935, Lou Gehrig became the Yankees biggest star, and the object of city’s sportswriters. Gehrig did his best to accommodate the intrusive scribes, but this signed letter from 1938 shows that the private ballplayer’s relationship with the writers was not always amicable.
The typewritten letter is on Lou’s personal 7 x 10-inch letterhead and addressed to “Jimmy,” who has been identified as sportswriter Jimmy Powers of the New York Daily News. The letter reads: "Dear Jimmy, I am sorry you took the incident so seriously; it didn't annoy me to that extent, but I did mention it to Jack Smith because I was a little afraid that the quotation might put me in a bad light with my fellow players. I have noticed my name in your column many times and recognized it as a friendly attempt to give me a boost. However, I appreciated your note, and I hope you do not feel that I am angry about the quotation."
It is not known what transpired between Gehrig and Powers, but his letter is significant in that it demonstrates that ballplayer had a conflict with the Daily News sportswriter as early as the spring of 1938. Powers would later write a controversial “news” story that blamed the Yankees lackluster 1940 season on the “polio germ” introduced to the locker room by Gehrig. The dying Yankees hero brought a one-million-dollar suit against Powers and the Daily News, with several of Gehrig’s former teammates doing the same to show their support for the first baseman. A full retraction and apology by Powers and the newspaper quietly put an end to this sad chapter of journalistic integrity.
The bottom portion of the letter bears pencil notations, presumably made by Jimmy Powers upon receipt. Gehrig’s black fountain pen signature is in Gem Mint condition and the letter shows light toning from age and has two horizontal creases from mailing. A very attractive signed Gehrig letter written to a prominent New York sportswriter. This letter has been encapsulated by PSA/DNA (84104108) and has been graded a GEM MINT 10.