Let's See Some Pros Barnstorming & Playing with Local Teams
 

I have always liked items of pro players that are from before they were pros, during barnstorming tours, or playing with local teams during or after their careers. Let's see your items that fall into these categories. I think I recall a few neat Ty Cobb items like this, hopefully one will make an appearance.

I'll start with a RPPC of Cy Young playing with the local team in Ravenna Ohio just after he retired. Cy last pitched in the majors in 1911, but in 1912:

Cy Young went South with Boston in the Spring of 1912 and pitched well in Regular vs. Yanigan games and in exhibitions. He was with the club when the season opened, but never played in a game during April and into May, and his name seldom appeared in the papers. On May 19, 1912 it was reported in the papers that he might pitch the next day in Pittsburgh where he had been successful in the past, but he didn't appear in the game. Finally it all ended on May 24 when the papers carried the story that Cy Young was retiring from baseball. The decision, he said, was his. The club's management said they wanted him to remain as a player.

from: http://research.sabr.org/journals/cy-youngs-final-fling

On September 2, 1912 he donned his Red Sox uniform to pitch for the Ravenna team.

Cool item. Still looks like a Cy Young poser to me (too young to be a 40+ year old "Ol' Cy") even though the high-waist pants suggest he's well past 60. But I've digressed. Don't have any to share, but I am thinking about a few cards with some barnstorming studs that I'm hoping we'll see here in this thread...GC Alexander in House of David Uni? Tour of Japan Babe and Gehrig?

But then I look at this picture of Mr. Young, and I think, I guess it's gotta be him:

This came across my local facebook group.

http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=24060

Jonesy

whoa! that's a great early Gehringer piece!

This one is from Babe Ruth's and Carl Mays' barnstorming tour after the 1920 season ended. Two different cards were issued, one of Ruth throwing and this one of Ruth batting. It has to be one of the earliest cards picturing Ruth in his Yankees uniform.

I have a feeling that any card that makes this thread will be very cool and rare. Here is Ty Cobb as the hired gun for Otsegos team. There are other Tiger players that played on this team more regularly.

This is the official 1935 Iowa amateur tournament scorebook that a 16 year old Bob Feller dominated just prior to turning pro. Interestingly, these games were played in August and he signed his pro contract (for $1 and an autographed Indians ball) a month prior to this tournament.

In the tournament, against grown men, he pitched 27 1/3 innings for his Farmer's Union team, had 49 K's, gave up 14 hits, 4 runs, 1 earned run (a home run). In the final two days of the tournament he pitched two complete games and likely threw 300+ pitches inside of 24 hours!

Rob M.

Attachment 304884

How about White Sox in Spring Training in 1921?

Zach Wheat is top row first player on the left when he played for the Prairie Roses. He was pretty young.

Amazing card!

This website has hundreds of group shots of semi-pro teams. If you look closely you'll find a number of professional players including some major leaguers.

http://www.goodoldsandlotdays.com/

I love the Ruth, Cobb, and Wheat - fun to see Mr. Wheat when he was so young.

Here is another young gun: Mickey Mantle on his first pro team, the semi-pro Whiz Kids, in 1947 when he was 16 years old. Mantle (unfortunately not a period signature) and a few of the other players signed the picture (the other sigs are barely legible).

The condition is a bit rough because it is an original that belonged to one of the kids in the picture, Guy Crow, who was the bat boy (left end of the right bench). This may also be the first photo of Mantle associated with baseball as his high school yearbooks don't have baseball photos in them.

That's a fantastic Cobb pc!
Love Kevin's Ruth also

Bryan - so you’re the one who has that awesome photo of the Mick! Very awesome! I always thought it was from 1948. I see that there’s one from 1948-49 in the next major Heritage Auction. How do you know yours is from 47? I see that the Mick is standing behind everyone in yours whereas he’s sitting with his teammates in the one at Heritage.

Very cool!

The 1934 Japan Tour baseball will be up in the next Love of the Game auction.

The rest are tied to Jackie Robinson's tours.