JULY 19TH AUCTION
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/20/2013
Presented is an approximately 11” x 14” team photo signed by 26 members of this World War II era Detroit Tigers baseball team. This time period of major league baseball was interrupted by the war effort, and with many of the game’s best players enlisting and drafted into service, the major league teams rounded up older players and sandlot “stars” to fill roster space. Tiger regulars Schoolboy Rowe, Tommy Bridges and Hank Greenberg were drafted and served their country during the 1944 season. Each member of the squad has the World War II shoulder patch adorning the left sleeve. Signatures include: Paul Richards, manager Steve O’Neill, Eddie Mayo, Art Mills, Dick Wakefield, “Stub” Overmire, Jim Outlaw, Rufe Gentry, Hal Newhouser, Joe Orengo, Don Ross, Rudy York, Walter Beck, Charlie Metro, Bob Swift, Pinky Higgins, Jake Mooty, Doc Cramer, Joe Hoover, Chuck Hostetler, Johnny Gorsica and a couple others. The photo boasts the usual trappings of these vintage relics including crinkles, scratches and light warping. The signatures are in very light ink, some of which can only been recognized when the photo is held at an angle. Surprisingly, this squad of upstarts finished second in the American League in 1944, setting the stage for their World Series championship run a year later.