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Dead Ball Era Photo Gallery
Click on any image below to see photos in full size and to start Photo Gallery:
Opening Day for the Giants, 1911 at the Polo Grounds
Giants pose for a group photo before the start of Game One, 1911 World Series
Giants’ outfielder, George Burns
Giants pitching staff, 1911: Rube Marquard, Jeff Tesreau, Christy Mathewson, Red Ames, Hooks Wiltse, Doc Crandall
1911 National League champion New York Giants (player ID’s available upon request) Hooks second player to right of McGraw
Giants Opening Day line-up, 1911
Typical ball used during the Dead Ball Era
Cobb and Wagner, the two greatest stars of the Dead Ball Era
The great Dead Ball Era star, Honus Wagner
Ty Cobb sliding hard into third
Hall-of-Fame second baseman, Johnny Evers
The notorious gambler and game fixer, Hal Chase
The great HOF centerfielder, Tris Speaker
The great Hall-of-Fame infielder, Nap “Larry” Lajoie
Frank “Home Run” Baker
HOF pitcher Rube Waddell
John McGraw and Christy Mathewson
White Sox manager Kid Gleason and Hall-off-Fame second baseman Eddie Collins
Early photo of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson
Hall-of-Fame outfielder Zack Wheat with his son.
1903 New York Highlanders
1914 Chicago Whales of the Federal League
Jim Thorpe of the New York Giants up at bat.
New York Giants portraits in 1917 World Series
It’s Time for a Quiz!
[Update: See answers to the quiz questions below in the comments section]
Here’s a little something to shake the winter doldrums and to get you thinking about baseball again. Especially if you’re like me and just got hit with eight inches of snow last night. Not only that, there’s still 69 more days until Opening Day!
But first, a trip down memory lane, back to the days of grade school when you heard your teacher give you that bad news. Here’s the scene I remember:
Sister Mary and Joseph, 1960: “Class…Put your books away at once, close your desks, and take out a sheet of paper! I hope you studied last night because we’re having a quiz!”
Young Gary Livacari: “Yes, Sister.”
Sister Mary and Joseph: “And no cheating! If I catch anyone cheating, you’ll take all the books out of your desk and stand in the waste basket until I tell you! And Gary, that goes doubly for you!”
Young Gary Livacari: “Oh, no, Sister…not again! My arms are still sore from the last time you made me do that!”
Yes, it’s that time again. And no, there will not be a note sent home to your parents if you don’t get it right!
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1. It’s five members of the New York Giants, probably from Spring training, 1915. L-R: Fred Merkle, “Laughing Larry” Doyle, Christy Mathewson, John McGraw, and Fred Snodgrass.
It can’t be any later that 1915, as after that, Snodgrass was gone.
2. The unique thing about the photo is than none of the five players are wearing the same uniform. And it appears some of them are wearing mish-mash unis from different years.
Doing a little research from “Dressed to the Nines,” here’s what I found:
Merkle: Due to the pining on the front of the jersey, it has to be the 1915 home uni. but he’s wearing road socks and cap from 1915.
Doyle: As far as I can tell, he has on a 1915 road uni, with 1909 socks, and a 1915 home cap. In 1909 he had his best year in the majors up to that time, leading the league in hits with 172, and he hit .302. Maybe he kept the socks for superstitious reasons.
Christy Mathewson: He has on a home jersey from 1900-1904. That’s the only time frame when “New York” appeared spelled out on the front of the jersey. The cap appears to be from 1900-1901, as there is no “NY”. He has on 1914-1915 socks.
McGraw: Wearing a 1914 home uni, with 1915 home cap.
Snodgrass: Appears to be wearing either a 1914 or 1915 road uni with a 1915 home cap.
Update: Thanks to Ken Samoil for informing me that the uniform Christy Mathewson has on is actually one worn by the Giants on the 1913-1914 World Tour, not from 1901-1904 as I had stated.
Fabulous!! I KNEW I’d seen Mathewson’s uni somewhere before — it’s the same one (?) Babe Ruth wore in a barnstorming trip to Brea CA with Walter Johnson and Sam Crawford, 1924.
…and I didn’t know about he Giants’ World Tour.. thanks for that as well!!
Gary you gotta come visit the Ty Cobb Legacy page.
Share your knowledge and facial ID talents!!
And I’m sure you’ll see SOMEthing there you didn’t already know….
L to R Fred Merle, Larry Doyle, Christy Mathewson, John McGraw, and Fred Snodgrass
That’s right…but how about Part Two?
I know-I know-I know!!
Left to right: Pee Wee Herman, Dizzy Gillespie, Gabriel Heater, Averill Harriman, Jack Paar.
What’s unique: None of them could play ball worth a hoot.
Bet you thought nobody would get it.
Cheers,
Michael
Haha! How in the world did you ever get them all correct! I thought I had everyone stumped! You must really know your baseball!
OK…Here’s the answers to the quiz:
1. It’s five members of the New York Giants, probably from Spring training, 1915. L-R: Fred Merkle, “Laughing Larry” Doyle, Christy Mathewson, John McGraw, and Fred Snodgrass.
It can’t be any later that 1915, as after that, Snodgrass was gone.
2. The unique thing about the photo is than none of the five players are wearing the same uniform. And it appears some of them are wearing mish-mash unis from different years.
Doing a little research from “Dressed to the Nines,” here’s what I found:
Merkle: Due to the pining on the front of the jersey, it has to be the 1915 home uni. but he’s wearing road socks and cap from 1915.
Doyle: As far as I can tell, he has on a 1915 road uni, with 1909 socks, and a 1915 home cap. In 1909 he had his best year in the majors up to that time, leading the league in hits with 172, and he hit .302. Maybe he kept the socks for superstitious reasons.
Christy Mathewson: He has on a home jersey from 1900-1904. That’s the only time frame when “New York” appeared spelled out on the front of the jersey. The cap appears to be from 1900-1901, as there is no “NY”. He has on 1914-1915 socks.
McGraw: Wearing a 1914 home uni, with 1915 home cap.
Snodgrass: Appears to be wearing either a 1914 or 1915 road uni with a 1915 home cap.
Thanks to all for participating!
Update: Thanks to Ken Samoil for informing me that the uniform Christy Mathewson has on is actually one worn by the Giants on the 1913-1914 World Tour, not from 1901-1904 as I had stated.
Fabulous!! I KNEW I’d seen Mathewson’s uni somewhere before — it’s the same one (?) Babe Ruth wore in a barnstorming trip to Brea CA with Walter Johnson and Sam Crawford, 1924.
…and I didn’t know about he Giants’ World Tour.. thanks for that as well!!
…searching google images for photos… (can I post here?? evidently not…)
try https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/original-1924-babe-ruth-barnstorming-526255567)
Thanks…glad you enjoyed it. Here’s a link to an essay I wrote about the 1913-14 World Tour recently: https://wp.me/p7a04E-6HU
Gary you gotta come visit the Ty Cobb Legacy page.
Share your knowledge and facial ID talents!!
And I’m sure you’ll see SOMEthing there you didn’t already know….
like, who’s in this picture?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/958434190977482/permalink/1549239685230260/