Keeping Score of Major Leaguers Serving in the Pacific

In looking at my article writing and publishing patterns of the last twelve months, I can see that I have been merely sporadic and entirely lacking consistency. Since the beginning of April, 2017 until my latest article (at the time of writing this), Seals at War, I have only managed to create 20 articles (a 1.67/month average). A simple scan of the titles reminds me of the reason for such inconsistency: this genre of the baseball or militaria hobby is very sparse in terms of the availability of artifacts. I also suspect that with the steady increase of readership of my articles, I am potentially my own worst enemy as my stories are fueling others’ interest in this area of collecting.

Adding only a handful of artifacts to my collection had a direct correlative impact on providing me with my preferred inspirational subject-matter. In the last several weeks, my bank account of inspiration has received some fantastic credits that are changing the year-long, stagnant trend. In addition to landing the 1944 Seals scorebook, the Waldron NAAF Jersey, a magnificent 1920s baseball medal, and my very first military-related baseball which is getting (my) 2018 off to a very bright start…and there is much more to come!

As with baseball, we can’t win every game and that was the case with the auction of the circa-1944 photograph of the U.S. Navy baseball team on Tinian on which my meager bid was summarily beaten, a few short weeks ago. Missed opportunities are a part of life, the game and so go hand-in-hand with collecting. Whiffing on an artifact that would be an absolutely perfect fit for my collection can be frustrating and yet these occurrences are positive in that I gain understanding on those pieces that are in greater demand and thus have more competitors to land them.

In the article I wrote about the 1944 Seals score book, I made reference to the two WWII service teams pieces that I previously purchased. The first one that I acquired, a Program and score card from the Third Army Championship games, hosted in early August of 1945 at Nuremberg Stadium in Germany opened my eyes to how invaluable these pieces are as records of men who played as they served. The second piece that came home was a battered Scorecard from Game 7 of the 1944 Army vs Navy Championship Series played at Furlong Field on Hickam Army Air Force Base. Both of these game are have been well-documented. There is one additional scorecard (article forthcoming) for a USAAF all-star game that I have in my collection.

A few weeks ago, I was watching a few listings from a person who was selling some fantastic pieces of military baseball memorabilia (purportedly acquired from a hobbyist). In seeing how the bidding was proceeding on the three pieces that I was very interested in (two scorecards and a score book) were from World War II and related to specific games that were played between all-star service teams whose teams consisted primarily of professional baseball players.

1. Navy versus Major League All-Stars: Weaver Field, Submarine Base, April 19, 1944
2. Army All-stars versus Navy All-stars: Hoolulu Park, Hilo, Hi
   Friday October 6, 1944
3. Navy vs Army All-Stars| Fourth game in the Central Pacific Championship Series

Each piece already has numerous bids on them when I first saw them and I realized within a short period of time that each one was going to exceed not only what I was willing to pay for any of them but also their market value. The italicized text is intentional as what a particular piece is worth can be highly subjective. With these items having been produced in small numbers (that is my speculation due to the audiences that are believed to have attended the games), there are so few of them and transaction histories are difficult to obtain (I manually track them) which further complicates the discussion surrounding valuation. In the end, the price that one person is willing to pay essentially establishes the value of an item.  For each of these pieces of military baseball ephemera, the excitement of the bidding and the desire to win an auction resulted, in my opinion, inflated final bid prices.

As an aside, less attention was given to a signed team baseball (one of the Navy teams on the rosters contained withing the scorecards) resulting in a very low price and facilitating my ability to land my second military baseball in less than two weeks.

The three items are considerable pieces that shine more light on these little-known games by providing rosters with the names of players, positions, their former teams, branches and, on one roster, the ranks of  the ball players.

1. Navy versus Major League All-Stars: Weaver Field, Submarine Base, April 19, 1944

Navy vs Major League All Stars score card, April 19, 1944 (source: eBay image).

Though my research has yielded no information regarding this specific game, I am confident that in time, I will be able to locate a Stars and Stripes article, at the very least.  Some facts that stand out to me in viewing this artifact lie within the rosters themselves. While the major league all-stars team consisted of mostly major leaguers who were serving in the Navy, one player, Tom Winsett, was serving in the Army.  I am didn’t quite conclude my research to determine which of the Dickey brothers (Bill or George) was suited up for the Major League team however I do know that both served in and played on the Navy teams.  Considering this roster, one would suspect that the odds of a team of naval personnel could pose any sort of a challenge to be rather slim.

Major League All-Stars Roster

Last	First	Position	Branch	Former Team
Casey	Hugh	P	Navy	Brooklyn Dodgers
Dickey			Navy
Felderman	Marv	C	Navy	Chicago Cubs
Ferrick	Tom	P	Navy	Cleveland Indians
Grace	Joe	3B	Navy	St. Louis Browns
Harris	Robert A.	P	Navy	Philadelphia Athletics
Lucadello	John	2B	Navy	St. Louis Browns
Masterson	Walter E.	P	Navy	Washington Senators
McCosky	Barney	CF	Navy	Detroit Tigers
Mize	Johnny	1B	Navy	St. Louis Cardinals
Olsen	Vern	RF	Navy	Chicago Cubs
Pellagrini	Eddie	SS	Navy	San Diego Padres
Reese	Pee Wee	SS	Navy	Brooklyn Dodgers
Winsett	Tom	LF	Army	Brooklyn Dodgers

(Major League players in italics)

The Navy All-Stars team wasn’t simply stocked with neophytes and amateur ball players. Present on the roster for the Navy were five veterans hailing from the Athletics and Senators of the American League.  At least two of the amateurs (Mo Mozzali and John Jeandron) went on to play professional baseball and perhaps continued research will yield more confirmations of post-War athletic careers of these men.

Last	First	Position	Rank	Former Team
Anderson	Arne	P	SM	Washington Senators
Atkinson	Norman E. “Gene”	C	TM2/c	Semi-Pro
Bishop	Tom B.	SS	EM2/c	Semi-Pro
Brady	E. J.	2B	SF2/c
Brancato	Al	SS	SK2/c	Philadelphia Athletics
Brass	T. H.	P	C Sp
Brennen	J. D.	P	EM2/c
Clifford	N. E.	C	MM2/c
Durkin	R. E.	LF	MM2/c
Felonk	A. F.	CF	MM3/c
Harris	Bob	P	SP 1/c	Philadelphia Athletics
Hecklinger	E. T.	1B	GM3c
Henry	G.	P	CBM
Jeandron	John Hubert	3B	PhM3/c	Port Arthur Tarpons
Johnson	A. Rankin	P	YN1/c	Philadelphia Athletics
Madigan	N. J.	P	ML1/c
Masterson	Walter E.	P	C Sp	Washington Senators
McCorkle		C	Cox
Merhoff	F. D.	RF	GM1/c
Meyers	A. J.	1B	S2/c
Meyers	D. T.	RF	S2/c
Mozzali	Mo	LF	TM2/c
Powell	J. H.	CF	MS1/c
Roos	N. S.	P	SM
Sessions	Oscar M.	P	CEM	Navy
Simione	P. S.	CF	BM2/c
Snider	F. T.	RF	SM
Stutz	E. F.	P	CM2/c
Ward	R. L.	3B	CMM
White	C. D.	2B	EM2/c

The list of sailors, playing ball on teams in the Hawaii Leagues, were pulled together from several of the teams to form this All-Star team. Some of the men had prior major league and professional experience (source: eBay image).

The un-scored page is nearly flawless for being more than 70 years old (source: eBay image).

The list of the Major League All-Stars that were fielded in this game were noteworthy (source: eBay image).

This card sold for more than $50 and had 11 bids (source: eBay image).

The fact that a few items surfaced as I was watching this scorecard, I didn’t bother to submit a bid as the price seemed to be capable of exceeding (in my experience) the prices that these pieces normally garner. When the bidding closed, the final price was less than $51.00 but I suspect that the winning bidder had significant bid that would preclude prospective buyers from submitting a reasonable price that would be capable of toppling.

2. Army All-stars versus Navy All-stars: Hoolulu Park, Hilo, Hi | Friday, October 6, 1944

Navy versus Army All Star Game Program. October 6, 1944, Hoolulu Park, Hilo, HI (source: eBay image).

The second of the three scorecards that was sold garnered considerably greater interest (16 bids) as it sold for more than double of the preceding card and that was undoubtedly due to the sheer star power contained within both teams’ the rosters. Though the Army team for this game was fully-stocked with veritable stars taken from the ranks of the majors and minor leagues, the Navy team carried far more stars with major league experience. One of the Army’s star hitters, Ferris Fain, was building a name for himself and taking advantage of the opportunity as he demonstrated his abilities with his Army Air Force team, playing on the team at Hickam Air Field on Oahu. Fain had played four seasons of professional baseball with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League but was making a name for himself prior to enlisting following the 1942 season.  Nine of Fain’s teammates on this Army All-Star team were major leaguers, headlined by seven-time American League All-Star and two-time league MVP, Joe DiMaggio who had also been playing for the Army Air Force team with Fain.

Last	First	Position	Former Team
Ardizoia	Rugger	P	Kansas City Blues
Ashworth	James	C	Helena
Beazley	Johnny	P	St. Louis Cardinals
Clarke	Joe	Coach	Semi-Pro
DeRose	Carl	P	Amsterdam
Dillinger	Bob	3B	Toledo Mud Hens
DiMaggio	Joe	OF	New York Yankees
Edwards	Hank	OF	Cleveland Indians
Erautt	Eddie “Ace”	P	Hollywood Stars
Fain	Ferris	1B	San Francisco Seals
Funk	Eddie	P	Federalsburg, MD
Gautreaux	Sid	C	Brooklyn Dodgers
Gordon	Joe	SS	New York Yankees
Hairston	Hal	P	Homestead Grays
Judnich	Walter	OF	St. Louis Browns
Kohlmeyer	Kearney	SS
Lang	Don	OF	Indianapolis Indians
Leonard	Wilfred	C	Oakland Oaks
Lien	Al	P	San Francisco Seals
Lodigiani	Dario	2B	Chicago White Sox
McCormick	Mike	OF	Cincinnati Reds
Molberg	Dick	P	Semi-Pro
Schmidt	Bill	P	Sacramento Solons
Schmidt	Don	P	Semi-Pro
Shumbree	John	Coach	Semi-Pro
Silvera	Charley	C	Kansas City Blues
Winsett	Tom Winsett	Mgr.	Brooklyn Dodgers

The Navy team, in addition to being considerably larger (37), outnumbered the Army’s major leaugers (9) by more than three-to-one and one could assume that such a talent disparity would result in their dominance in this particular game.

Unlike today’s game in which players routinely migrate from one major league team and league to another, these men were subject to Baseball’s Reserve Clause making them perpetual “property” of their respective teams, indefinitely (until being released or traded). Noting that within these rosters, several major league teammates oppose each other with their respective service teams. It wasn’t until 1947 with Major League Baseball was integrated with the promotion of Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers’ roster (having played the 1946 season at AA Montreal), but in 1944, the Army team featured pitcher Hal Hairston, formerly of the Homestead Grays of the Negro Leagues.

Last	First	Position	Former Team
Adair	Jim	P	Midland Cowboys
Anderson	Arne R.	P	Washington Senators
Atkinson	Norman E.	C	Semi-Pro
Berry	John	OF	University of Oregon
Bishop	Tom B.	SS	Semi-Pro
Brancato	Al	3B	Philadelphia Athletics
Carlin	Jim	OF	Philadelphia Phillies
Casey	Hugh	P	Brooklyn Dodgers
Dickey	Bill	Mgr.	New York Yankees
Dickey	George	C	Chicago White Sox
DiMaggio	Dominick	OF	Boston Red Sox
Evans	Gordon	OF	Charleston Senators
Feimster	Hank	P	Boston Red Sox
Felderman	Marv	C	Chicago Cubs
Ferrick	Tom	P	Cleveland Indians
Grace	Joe	OF	St. Louis Browns
Hallet	Jack	P	Pittsburgh Pirates
Harris	Robert A.	P	Philadelphia Athletics
Jeandron	John Hubert	2B	Port Arthur Tarpons
Johnson	A. Rankin	P	Philadelphia Athletics
Lucadello	John	2B	St. Louis Browns
Masterson	Walter E.	P	Washington Senators
McCosky	Barney	OF	Detroit Tigers
Mize	Johnny	1B	St. Louis Cardinals
Mozzali	Mo Mozzali	OF	Louisville, KY
Olsen	Vern	P	Chicago Cubs
Recca	Sal	3B	Norfolk Tars
Reese	Pee Wee	SS	Brooklyn Dodgers
Rizzuto	Phil	3B	New York Yankees
Rowe	Lynn “Schoolboy”	P	Detroit Tigers
Schulmerich	Wes	Asst. Mgr	Boston Red Sox
Sears	Ken “Ziggy”	C	New York Yankees
Sessions	Oscar M.	P	Navy
Shokes	Eddie	1B	Cincinnati Reds
Smith	Vince	C	Pittsburgh Pirates
Trucks	Virgil	P	Detroit Tigers
Vander Meer	Johnny	P	Cincinnati Reds

This scorecard was printed and distributed for on of the games in what was known as the Army-Navy World Series that was held throughout the Hawaiian Islands from September 22 to October 15, 1944. The Navy bested the Army, eight games to two (in this series) with the ninth game concluding in a 10-inning, 6-6 tie. This scorecard is specific to game 9.

The 16th and winning bid pf $110.36 for this scorecard was considerably out of my price range (source: eBay image).

One added bonus to this scorecard is the listing of the league records and standings of the games played in the Hawaiian league (source: eBay image).

The scorecard at the center of the booklet was unfortunately unused, leaving the results of the game as a mystery (source: eBay image).

The Army All-Star roster featured Sgt. Joe DiMaggio of the Army Air Force (source: eBay image).

Headlining the Navy roster are the likes of the Dodgers’ Pee Wee Reese, Johnny Mize of the Cardinals and Johnny Vander Meer of Cincinnati (source: eBay image).

The back cover of the scorecard shows some considerable discoloration that is probably due to exposure to liquids (source: eBay image).

3. Navy vs Army All-Stars| Fourth game in the Central Pacific Championship Series

Navy vs Army All-Stars| Fourth game in the Central Pacific Championship Series. Naval Air Station Kaneohe versus Fleet Air Wing Detachment (source: eBay image).

The last of the scorecards also originates from the 1944 Army vs Navy World Series. This particular game (the fourth of 11) was played at Redlander Field, Schofield Barracks, September 25, 1944. According to Baseball in Wartime, the game was filled with excitement but would wind up with a fourth consecutive victory for the Navy All-Stars.

“The Navy took an early lead over the Army in the fourth game, witnessed by 10,000, as it jumped on four hurlers for 11 hits. Johnny Mize, ex-Giant first baseman, poled a 360-foot homer in the first inning after Barney McCosky walked, and the Navy scored one in the third and fourth, four in the fifth and single runs in the sixth and seventh to win, 10 to 5. The Army could not get its sights set up til the sixth frame, when five runs rolled over the plate, during which rally Ferris Fain, from the San Francisco Seals, and Joe Gordon, former New York Yankee second baseman, homered, knocking out Virgil Trucks and bringing Schoolboy Rowe, last with the Phillies, to the rescue.

Johnny Beazley, who was the victim in the first game, was hit freely by the Navy and retired in the fifth inning in favour of Ed Erautt, property of the Hollywood Pacific Coast League club, who, in turn, was succeeded by Carl DeRose, New York Yankee farmhand, in the sixth. Hairston finished up on the mound for the Army.”

This scorebook is, by far, the most desirable of the three that were sold. Complete with player photos of the star players, the book consists of multiple pages and, like the previous two scorecards, is unused.  Topping out in both the number of bids (19) and selling price ($122.68), the most desired piece of the three didn’t fail to draw the most attention among the three auctions.

The Rosters for both of these last championship series games are nearly identical with the same combination of major and minor leaguers along with a few semi-professionals and a collegiate ball player.

Army All-Stars:

Number	Last	First	Position	Former Team
13	Ardozoia	Rugger	P	Kansas City Blues
10	Ashworth	James	C	Helena
16	Beazley	Johnny	P	St. Louis Cardinals
30	Clarke	Joe	Coach	Semi-Pro
17	DeCarlo	A.	C
27	DeRose	Carl	P	Amsterdam
1	Dillinger	Bob	3B	Toledo Mud Hens
4	DiMaggio	Joe	CF	New York Yankees
11	Edwards	Hank	C	Cleveland Indians
19	Erautt	Eddie “Ace”	P	Hollywood Stars
7	Fain	Ferris	1B	San Francisco Seals
18	Funk	Eddie	P	Federalsburg, MD
15	Gautreaux	Sid	C	Brooklyn Dodgers
6	Gordon	Joe	SS	New York Yankees
28	Hairston	Hal	P	Homestead Grays
3	Judnich	Walter	RF	St. Louis Browns
22	Kohlmeyer	Kearney	SS
12	Lang	Don	LF	Indianapolis Indians
9	Leonard	Wilfred	C	Oakland Oaks
25	Lien	Al	P	San Francisco Seals
2	Lodigiani	Dario	2B	Chicago White Sox
5	McCormick	Mike	LF	Cincinnati Reds
23	Molberg	Dick	P	Semi-Pro
24	Schmidt	Bill	P	Sacramento Solons
21	Schmidt	Don	P	Semi-Pro
29	Schumbres	J.	Coach
8	Silvera	Charley	C	Kansas City Blues
20	Winsett	Tom Winsett	Mgr.	Brooklyn Dodgers

 

Navy All-Stars:

Number	Last	First	Position	Former Team
12	Adair	Jim	P	Midland Cowboys
26	Anderson	Arne R.	P	Washington Senators
10	Atkinson	Norman E.	C	Semi-Pro
9	Berry	John	RF	University of Oregon
4	Bishop	Tom B.	SS	Semi-Pro
17	Brancato	Al	3B	Philadelphia Athletics
16	Carlin	Jim	LF	Philadelphia Phillies
27	Casey	Hugh	P	Brooklyn Dodgers
28	Dickey	Bill	Mgr.	New York Yankees
15	Dickey	George	C	Chicago White Sox
11	DiMaggio	Dominick	CF	Boston Red Sox
31	Evans	Gordon	LF	Charleston Senators
	Feimster	Hank	P	Boston Red Sox
18	Felderman	Marv	C	Chicago Cubs
28	Grace	Joe	RF	St. Louis Browns
29	Hallet	Jack	P	Pittsburgh Pirates
24	Harris	Robert A.	P	Philadelphia Athletics
20	Jeandron	John Hubert	2B	Port Arthur Tarpons
23	Johnson	A. Rankin	P	Philadelphia Athletics
6	Leibold	David	Bat Boy
5	Lucadello	John	2B	St. Louis Browns
26	Masterson	Walter E.	P	Washington Senators
3	McCosky	Barney	CF	Detroit Tigers
32	Mize	Johnny	1B	St. Louis Cardinals
13	Mozzali	Mo Mozzali	CF	Louisville, KY
30	Olsen	Vern	P	Chicago Cubs
21	Recca	Sal	3B	Norfolk Tars
34	Reese	Pee Wee	SS	Brooklyn Dodgers
2	Rizzuto	Phil	SS	New York Yankees
26	Rowe	Lynn “Schoolboy”	P	Detroit Tigers
30	Schulmerich	Wes	Asst. Mgr.	Boston Red Sox
14	Sears	Ken “Ziggy”	C	New York Yankees
19	Sessions	Oscar M.	P	Navy
29	Shokes	Eddie	1B	Cincinnati Reds
1	Smith	Vince	C	Pittsburgh Pirates
22	Trucks	Virgil	P	Detroit Tigers
27	Vander Meer	Johnny	P	Cincinnati Reds

The scorebook’s introduction addresses the unique nature of the game and the significance of such an event (source: eBay image).

Seeing the profile images of some of the players in their service team uniforms is incredible. These are invaluable tools that I can use in my efforts to identify players in my vintage military baseball photographs (source: eBay image).

These pages do not differentiate which team the All-Stars for which the All-Stars were serving and playing as ultimately, they were one armed force (source: eBay image).

Besides putting the faces to the names, seeing the players in their service team uniforms gives a glimpse into what was worn on the field during the War (source: eBay image).

Unfortunately, this scorecard is in an unused condition (source: eBay image).

The Army All-Star roster is nearly identical to the rosters of the other games in the 11-game championship series (source: eBay image).

The Navy All-Star roster was just too loaded with (now) legendary ball-players to succumb to the Army (source: eBay image).

The original auction listing (Item 352279457271) shows the fierce competition ending with the 19th bid of $122.58 (source: eBay screenshot).

Though the series was billed as a best seven of the eleven games, the Navy had the series nailed shut well ahead of completing all eleven. The military brass wanted to ensure that the service members throughout the Islands had full opportunity to see the baseball legends taking the field with some 10,000 spectators in attendance at each game.

The 1944 Army/Navy All-Star Championship Series in Hawaii

1. September 22 – Furlong Field, Hickam (Navy, 5-0)
2. September 23 – Furlong Field (Navy, 8-0)
3. September 25 – Schofield Barracks (Navy, 4-3)
4. September 26 – Kaneohe Bay NAS (Navy, 10-5)
5. September 28 – Furlong Field (Navy, 12-2)
6. September 30 – Furlong Field (Navy, 6-4)
7. October 1 – Furlong Field (Army, 5-3)
8. October 4 – Maui (Navy 11-0)
9. October 5 – Maui (Army 6-5)
10. October 6 – Hoolulu Park, Hilo (Tie, 6-6)
11. October 15 – Kukuiolono Park (Navy, 6-5)

These two scorecards (or scorebooks) from the 1944 Championship Series (also billed as the Army vs Navy World Series) are unique to their respective games. Combining the two (above) with the one scorecard that I possess tells me that there is a good possibility that there is a potential for seven others to be on the lookout for.

Struck Out Swinging: Pee Wee Reese, Johnny Mize and Fred Hutchinson on Tinian

Missing out on pieces that would fit perfectly with what I collect is becoming too common of an occurrence for me lately. I am not one who spends my weekends scouring garage and estate sales in search of these precious artifacts but perhaps there might be something to that activity. The problem with taking that approach is that there is a considerable time commitment required just to make it worthwhile and to afford chances to find such treasures. Another challenge is that these military baseball artifacts are so hard to find due to the small population of service members who played the game during their time in the armed forces. I find that it is best to take my chances with the collections, personal items – pieces that are listed by veterans, family members, collectors and pickers.

It is not secret that my tendencies in collecting, both with militaria and in military baseball are towards the Navy and I work harder to land those related items that surface within the marketplace. Often, there are pieces that are of little interest to other collectors or they are listed in such a manner that they elude people who might be using a few different (yet limited or too specific) search criterion or formulas. Even I have missed out on pieces because I was too lazy to search beyond my normal, standby perfunctory methods.

Sometimes, I make discoveries of items that perfectly fit my collection and line up with everything that interest me but are discovered because I was exploring a tangential interest. One example of this was when I was seeking a specific rating badge (a WWII-era bullion Radarman version), I discovered a binder filled with shipyard modernization work orders that belonged to a Chief Electrician (a warrant officer) who used for the heavy cruiser, USS Vincennes (CA-44) that would later be sunk in the Battle of Savo Island in August of 1942.

My collection of Navy baseball artifacts, despite my best efforts, are scantily few. It seems that besides the there being so few pieces in existence, the competition for those items can be quite fierce.

Vintage military photographs are something that I collect. In addition to my naval ship and military baseball photograph archive, I also have several images that were part of a veteran’s photo scrapbook from his service in the 20th Air Force. Among those images of ground activities, bombing missions, wrecked aircraft and airmen enjoying downtown between missions, there are images of several B-29s and their nose art.

This rare color photograph of the B-17 “Going My Way” with Bugs Bunny is very typical of what was seen on many WWI bomber aircraft.

Nose art, especially what was seen on B-17 an B-29 bombers, has considerable following for collectors and historians alike. When the number of just these two types of aircraft (12,731 B-17 and 3,970 B-29 bombers) are considered coupled with the notion that the majority of them (that were deployed to their respective theaters of the war), there would be thousands of differing paintings and illustrations to be documented. In recent years, there have been several undertakings by historians who are seeking to locate photographs of every example of nose art for each aircraft. If the photograph exists, these folks want to have it.

This jacket, combined with the above image of the Goin’ My Way nose art photo would work together for a fantastic display.

In terms of collectors, those who pursue painted bomber jackets in particular, to possess both the jacket and photographic artifacts from the same ship help to make a great display. I have never actually purchased a vintage photo of a bomber or other Air Force aircraft.

A few days ago, while I was browsing through some listings of B-29 photographs taken on Tinian and Saipan (the two principle bases of operation for bombing missions to the Japanese homelands during the latter years of the War), I spotted a vintage photograph that was listed as a “nose art” image. In the thumbnail of the photo in the listing, I could see that there was a large gathering of men posed beneath the aircraft, which wasn’t unusual. What was out of the norm from what I have seen in other images was the sheer number of people lined up in multiple rows. Something about the men also caught my eye as it appeared different from all the photos that I had seen. The Superfortress looked normal though the nose art, from what I could tell, was quite diminutive compared to what was commonly applied to these massive planes.

In this undated photo, the U.S. Navy team poses with airmen in front of the Superfortress known as “Flag Ship” (serial number BA 42-63504). Among the players in the image are Pee Wee Reese, Fred Hutchinson and Johnny Mize. Flag Ship would be damaged on July 24, 1944 by a crashing “Thunderin’ Loretta”(serial number 42-24913) when she went down on take-off, killing 10 men. The crash damaged seven other parked B-29 bombers (serial numbers 44-69841, 42-63506, 42-93992, 44-69844, 44-69972, 42-63504, and 44-69859).
Flag Ship has the distinction of being the first B-29 to land on the Island of Tinian (source: eBay image).

I decided to open the auction listing and I was immediately astounded. There, in the formation ranks were a few recognizable faces – Johnny Mize, Pee Wee Reese and Fred Hutchinson to name a few – among the 43 visible service members. Twelve of the men in baseball uniforms were wearing the road gray navy flannels while 14 were decked out in the pinstripes and blue home togs. Other men posing in the image are in the Army Air Forces and Navy military uniforms. The image appears to be a type-1 (defined as first generation photograph, developed from the original negative, during the period – within approximately two years of when the picture was taken) and the clarity is impeccable. It is obvious that the photograph was snapped by a professional war correspondent, judging by the exposure and composition, regardless of the cropping out of men on the edges of the group.

I really wanted to land this photograph. Not wanting to risk being outbid, I set my amount for more than twice the highest price that I have ever paid for a vintage photograph. I could see that there were some new-to-eBay folks (those who place bids very early after an item is listed) which gave me a little bit of concern as these people tend to drive prices unnecessarily high (my bid won’t show until just prior to the close of the auction). I waited the remaining five days for the close of the bidding and hoped for the best.

I wish that I could say that my bid amount was enough to bring this photograph home to me but someone else with deeper pockets and, very obviously in possession of the knowledge of the significance of this rare photograph took the same actions as I did and placed a higher bid at the same time (just seconds before the auction’s close) that mine was made. Losing and missing out on this image was a painful lesson to learn. If the item matters this much, I had better step up to the plate and take a real swing.

At least I was able to grab a digital copy (albeit, low resolution) for posterity.

 

WWII Navy Baseball Uniforms: Preserving the Ones That Got Away

I created this site as a vehicle for me to write about and discuss the military baseball artifacts that I have or am adding to my collection. Rather than to be simplistic in describing the items and sharing photographs of each piece, I prefer to research and capture the history (when possible) in order to provide context surrounding the items as a means to educate readers. I find that I often return to my articles and incorporate their elements or entirety for use in subsequent articles or as a means to authenticate artifacts that I am interested in purchasing.  Another activity that I enjoy participating in is to document those artifacts that I have discovered either too late or was incapable of purchasing due to being outbid, a missed opportunity, too many unanswered questions, cost-prohibitive or simply unavailable for purchase. Losing out on acquiring somethings doesn’t necessarily translate to letting these pieces pass into oblivion simply because they are not part of my collection.

Norfolk Naval Training Station Bluejackets sporting their wonderful flannel uniforms.
Left to right: Walter Masterson, Fred Hutchinson, Charlie Wagner, Tom Early (source: Hampton Roads Naval Museum).

Left to right: Charlie Welchel, Pee Wee Reese and Hugh Casey of the Norfolk Naval Air Station Airmen baseball team, wearing wings on their uniforms (source: Virginian-Pilot).

I have a soft spot for vintage jerseys and I am constantly on the prowl for anything that would help to make my collection more diverse with uniform pieces from all service teams such as Navy and Army Air Forces teams. In my collection, I now have three different World War II jerseys (two of which include the trousers) from Marine Corps ball teams. This past summer, I was able to locate ball caps that seem to accompany two of those Marines jerseys. In addition to the USMC items, I have two uniforms (jerseys and trousers) from WWII Army teams: one from the 399th Infantry Regiment and the other, a colorful, tropical-weight red-on-blue (cotton duck) uniform from the Fifth Army headquarters ball team (which reminds me that I still need to write an article about this uniform group).  Two years ago, I was able to find another uniform set (jersey and trousers) that I am almost certain was from a Navy ball team, due to the blue and gold colors of the soutache and that the plackard reads in flannel script, “Aviation Squadron” adorning the jersey.

Prior to having the uniform dry-cleaned, I dressed it onto a mannequin torso to snap a few photographs. Based upon the style of jersey and the cut, it was most-likely used during wartime.

Due to the blue and gold (traditional U.S. Navy colors) of the soutache and the blue flannel lettering, I am almost certain that this uniform was used by a naval aviation squadron ball team. There is substantial moth damage on the lettering but the jersey us in excellent condition.

The wool flannel jersey numeral suffered some moth-damage, similar to the plackard on the front.

In my pursuit of military baseball uniforms, I have been working to document the ones that got away (or simply were not available for purchase) in order to create a record for comparative analysis in support of research or to assist in authentication of other uniforms. Unlike professional baseball, the major leagues in particular, there are very few surviving examples of uniform artifacts from the 1940s and earlier. By creating an archive, I am hoping that not only will I have a resource available for my own efforts but will also help others in understanding more about what our armed forces players wore on the field during their service.

This close-up of Ted Williams shows him in the Navy baseball uniform that he wore while attending naval aviation training and playing for the Chapel Hill Cloudbusters ball team.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by an author who was seeking information on what became of the baseball uniforms that were used by the naval aviation cadets who were attending U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School (The V-5 Program) at Chapel Hill. The cadet baseball team (the Cloudbusters) at the V-5 school included some professional ballplayers (such as two Boston Red Sox greats, Johnny Pesky and Ted Williams, Boston Braves’ Johnny Sain to name a few). In addition to the baseball team, Chapel Hill also fielded a cadet football team whose coaching roster included college legends Jim Crowley,  Frank Kimbrough, Bear Bryant, Johnny Vaught and even a future president, Gerald Ford. The uniforms worn by the Cloudbusters baseball team were trimmed with a double soutache surrounding the collar and the plackard that matched what was worn on the cuffs of the sleeves. Across the front in block lettering was N A V Y reminiscent of baseball uniforms worn by the Naval Academy ball teams at that time. In my response to the person who contacted me, I told her that I had not seen anything resembling the Cloudbusters uniforms nor did I have any knowledge of what became of them after the War. I can imagine that a team with a roster filled with professional ballplayers that they would have multiple uniforms (a few sets each for both away and home use), similar to what the Norfolk Naval Station Bluejackets ball team had.

Ted Williams and Johnny Pesky entertain a group of youngsters while in their Navy baseball uniforms of the Chapel Hill Cloudbusters team (source: Baseball Hall of Fame).

See Norfolk’s Virginian-Pilot video series regarding the Norfolk Naval Training Station Bluejackets baseball team featuring an interview with former major leaguer, Eddie Robinson:

 

The left sleeve of the Navy baseball jersey is adorned with patch bearing crossed flags. The U.S. flag shows the pre-1959 48 stars. The British-esque flag might help to identify where, when or who wore this uniform (Vintagesportsshoppe.com).

While looking through my photo archives for images of artifacts in support of another article that I was writing, I discovered images of a Navy baseball jersey that had been for sale at some point by a small, regional business that specializes in vintage sports equipment. I saved the image of the jersey for future reference due to the unique patch on the left sleeve. The patch bears two crossed flags – one is the U.S. flag and the other, a red flag with the British Union Jack in the left corner and an indistinguishable symbol in the red field. The jersey has a singular blue soutache trim and possesses the same block-lettering (as seen on the Cloudbusters jerseys – which have no sleeve patches). In searching through extensive volumes of historical Navy baseball photographs, no image has surfaced showing this uniform in use, keeping it a mystery for the time-being.

This Navy baseball uniform is unique with the zippered front and single, navy-blue soutache on the sleeve cuffs and the uniform front. The well-known Chapel Hill Cloudbusters uniforms had button-fronts and double-soutache trim (source: Vintagesportsshoppe.com).

Wool flannel numerals in navy blue adorn the back of the jersey (source Vintagesportsshoppe.com).

I am hopeful that I can continue to gather a useful archive of uniform artifacts in order to provide a sufficient military baseball uniform research resource. Aside from articles such as this, I think that I will organize the uniform images into a proper archive that will be organized and searchable. By capturing and cataloging the artifacts that do not make it into my collection, I can still maintain a “collection” of artifacts that will be helpful to me and other collectors and researchers.

 

 

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Navy Major League Uniform Insignia – Ratings for Ballplayers

One of the areas I spend time focusing my collecting in is with the navy enlisted rating insignia. For those of you who are neck-deep strictly in baseball memorabilia collecting, rating insignia are the embroidered badges that are affixed to the left sleeve of the navy enlisted uniform and indicate the individual sailor’s job specialty and his or her pay-grade.  I have been collecting this embroidery since I joined the Navy more than 30 years ago – by default, I purchased multiple rating insignia when I was promoted so that I would have enough on hand for all of my uniforms. Once I got out of the service, I merely stored all of my uniforms and accouterments, thereby inadvertently starting my rating badge collection.

September 18, 1943 – Hugh Casey (at left with boatswain’s mate 1/c rating), former Brooklyn pitcher, and Pee Wee Reese, former Brooklyn shortstop, donned different uniforms for the war but were still playing top notch ball at that time. They formed the nucleus for a service team at the Naval Air Station, Norfolk, VA (author’s collection).

When I started to specialize in the older badges (the most recently made rating badges in my collection dating to World War II), I focused on some specific ratings due to their history or correlation to the job that I held when I served. It was around this time that I began to pay more attention to baseball in the armed forces and the close link shared between the two (dating as far back as the American Civil War), especially in terms of collecting. I recalled years ago when I met a few of the game’s legends (specifically, Bob Feller and Duke Snider) and that I had the opportunity to talk about our common experience in serving in the U.S. Navy. I took stock of the autographs that I have obtained and noted that I had signatures from other major leaguers who also had served.

 

Harold “Pee Wee” Reese takes a swing at the plate for the Norfolk Training Station’s Blue Jackets team. (Former) New York Yankees’ shortstop Phil Rizzuto (nearest at left) watches with his Bluejackets teammates (source: Hampton Roads Naval Museum).

When the U.S. was catapulted into World War II, the Navy was not prepared to fully manage the influx of volunteers that began to respond to the attack by rushing to recruiting stations around the country. The Navy Department had been engaged in new ship construction and modernization of the fleet as war raged in Europe and the far east.  So, too was the anticipation of the swelling of the  Navy’s ranks. In a November 21, 1941 letter from the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation (responsible for personnel management) to create an undefined specialist rating (to provide new enlisted ratings that would be needed in wartime but didn’t fall within the established navy enlisted rating structure) to accommodate the needs (though it is unknown the actual date the rating was created). When it was established, the first four specialists — designated on the rating badge the letters A, I, S and P, bordered by a diamond outline — were authorized in February 1942. Specialists could be appointed directly from civilian life to any petty officer grade depending upon their skill level.

Cleveland Indians pitching ace, Bob Feller had been in the league for nearly six years by the end of the 1941 season. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7^th, he was driving from his home to meet with the Indians management to discuss his new contract for the 1942 season hearing of the attack on his car radio while en route and felt compelled to serve, instead.

Chief Feller (left) meets with his catcher, Walker Cooper at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center (source: National Baseball Hall of Fame) .

 

Looking back fondly on his naval service, Feller talked of when he enlisted, “After my basic training, the Navy made me a chief petty officer and assigned me as a physical training instructor (the insignia as denoted with an “A” in the center of a diamond – one of the Navy’s new specialist ratings). It was valuable in its way, but I wanted to go into combat. I’d had a lot of experience with guns as a kid, so I applied for gunnery school and sea duty. After four months of naval gunnery school in Newport, Rhode Island, I was assigned to a battleship, the USS Alabama (BB-60), as a gun-captain on a 40-mm antiaircraft mount that had a crew of 24.”

After serving in combat aboard the Alabama, Feller was sent to the Great Lakes naval training center in March of 1945 where he played for and managed the base’s ball club until the end of the war.

23 Aug 1945, Chicago, Illinois, USA — 8/23/1945-Chicago, IL: With papers placing him on the Navy’s inactive list in hand, Chief Specialist Bob Feller, Cleveland Indian pitcher, finds plenty of volunteer catchers in case he decides to practice his pitching arm and toss away precious papers. Feller waves goodbye as he leaves the Navy Demobilization Center at Navy Pier. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

Harold “Pee Wee” Reese of the Brooklyn Dodgers was a rising star for the club’s middle infield as a short stop having just finished his third season and first as an All Star in late 1942. With WWII fully raging in both theaters, the twenty-four-year-old Dodger enlisted and was accepted into the Navy on January 18, 1943 to serve, like Feller, as a physical training instructor. Reese would spend much of his time in this capacity both domestically (commencing with his first duty station at the Norfolk, VA navy base) and in the South Pacific (with the Sea Bees).

Specialist “A” rating badges while not rare are still somewhat difficult to locate. If you are seeking to add any of the specialist badges to your collection, be prepared to pay as much as $40-50 depending upon the rate (petty officer 3/c to chief petty officer). I have seen both the dress blue and dress white variants. It is possible that there are some reproductions being passed due to the higher prices these rating badges command so pay attention to the embroidery work and the patterns used for the eagle.

Specialist “A” rating badge (athletic instructor) for a third class petty officer. This was applied to the dress/undress white uniform and dates from World War II. Note the reverse and the extra material folded and stitched flat as it was cut down to conceal the other chevrons. All rating badges typically are made as first class and cut to meet the rate (rank) of the sailor.

Specialist “A” 2/c rating badge for dress whites. Both chevrons are sewn onto the backing material while the “crow” and insignia are directly embroidered which dates this rating badge to World War II.

This dress blue Specialist “A” rating badge was used for the Navy’s Athletic Instructor specialist rating from 1942-1944 then as the Physical Training Instructor from 1944-1948.

Note that this Specialist “A” CPO rating badge is fully embroidered which would typically date this as a post-war example. Earlier examples would typically have wool chevrons sewn onto the base material.

References:

• Navy World Series: In WWII, Norfolk hosted baseball’s best
• Bob Feller: Gun-Captain to Legendary Pitcher
• SABR Biography: Pee Wee Reese
• SABR Biography: Bob Feller

“The One Constant Through all the Years…has been Baseball”

Ballplayers (probably USMC or USN) take in instruction from Bestwick, their catcher. I acquired this vintage photo of military ballplayers – obviously dirty from game-action on Guadalcanal in September of 1943. The image was a veteran’s snapshot that had to be approved by the Naval Censor (stamped and signed on the reverse). Author’s collection: dated September, 1943.

“The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again. Oh people will come, Ray.

People will most definitely come” –Terrence Mann – “Field of Dreams”

Over the course of the 2013 National Football League season, I was captivated by the successful run made by my team, the Seattle Seahawks, champions of Super Bowl XLVIII. I didn’t miss a single game as I was captivated with each win and by all of the individual stories that flooded the local media about the players and the fans. It has never been more evident that the NFL and the Seattle Seahawks represent today’s national pastime. However, I must confess that I am still, first and foremost, a fan of baseball. No other American sport has such a storied history and consistent, lasting traditions. No other professional sport has filled the ranks of the U.S. armed forces to the extent that major and minor league baseball has.

At the war’s outset, several of the game’s greats headed to recruiting offices to enlist (in response to the Dec. 7, 1941 Imperial Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor) prompting Major League Baseball commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis to seek guidance from President Roosevelt as to whether to suspend play until the end of the war. In FDR’s (January 15, 1942) reply, he wrote “I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going. There will be fewer people unemployed and everybody will work longer hours and harder than ever before. And that means that they ought to have a chance for recreation and for taking their minds off their work even more than before.”

Program for the Air Force General Depot No. 5 All Star Classic held on 30 May 1945. Pages 1-4

Program for the Air Force General Depot No. 5 All Star Classic held on 30 May 1945. Pages 2-3 showing the rosters of the All Stars.

Throughout the war, the ranks continued to swell with men who traded their flannels and spikes for OD green and navy blue regardless if they were the games biggest stars or utility players from class “D” ball. Baseball historian Gary Bedingfield lists (on his Baseball in Wartime site) more than 1,360 (known) professional ballplayers who served in the armed forces during World War II.

For a collector like me, the crossover collecting – joining baseball and military history together – adds such a enjoyable aspect to the pursuit both common and unusual artifacts. Some of my most recent baseball militaria acquisitions are in the realm of ephemera (one piece) and vintage photographs (three images) and, though I haven’t started to, pose some interesting research challenges in determining who (if any) might have suited up at the professional level before or after the war.

Ernie Raimondi (center) and Dom DiMaggio both volunteered for service in the armed forces during WWII. Raimondi was fatally wounded near Strasbourg, Germany in January, 1945. This vintage press release image shows the two future service members with the (now) defunct San Francisco Seals in 1939.

One (recently pulled) online auction for a set of eight autographed baseballs was the stuff of dreams for a collector like me. However, being on a shoestring budget, the asking price was well outside of my financial means and I had to watch it go unsold though the progressively improved with each re-listing of the item. The signatures on each ball had been obtained by a man who umpired service games in Hawaii in 1945. Each ball was filled with autographs from major and minor league stars (some future Hall of Famers) and had been part of a larger lot of balls from a 2008 estate sale.

WWII umpire, J. F. Scwendemen WWII military service team baseball collection with dozens of autographs of MLB stars and Hall of Famers (source: eBay image).

In the past few months, I have observed a few auction listings for service team uniforms, specifically USMC, that were in considerably bad condition and yet sold for more than I paid for my pristine uniform set, demonstrating that I am not the only collector interested in the baseball-military connection. I do love to wear a jersey on occasion and fortunately for me, I was able to obtain a beautifully-made wool flannel replica of my 1940s Marines baseball jersey. My original is now safe from me potentially failing to keep it safely tucked away in my collection.

Another recent acquisition for me is this September 11, 1943 image. The original Associated Press caption attached to back reads: “Hugh Casey (left), former Brooklyn pitcher, and Pee Wee Reese, former Brooklyn shortstop, wear different uniforms now but are still playing top notch ball. They are the nucleus for a service team at the Naval Air Station, Norfolk, VA.”

In conducting a few online searches for baseball-related militaria, I could easily spend a few hundred dollars and have a small collection of items that would provide significant enhancement (to my existing collection) and help to tell the story of the indelible impact that the game has had on our service members, especially in time of war.

“From the frozen tundra of Iceland to the jungles of the South Pacific; from the deserts of North Africa to the Nazi stadium in Nuremberg, American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines played baseball whenever, and wherever, they could.” – James C. Roberts

Dating from the Civil War through to present day, baseball has been constant and unchanging, especially for our service men and women. The game is a part of the American past, present and hopefully for the future and collectors will be there to preserve that history.

See also:

• Obscure Military Baseball Jerseys – Rare Finds or Fabrications
• The Corps on the Diamond
• Baseball Championship Series in August? Yes, it Happened in 1945