Negro League and Brooklyn Bushwicks Autograph Album
 

I originally posted this autograph book a few years ago. Since I don't collect signatures, I would like to sell this album to someone who appreciated the obscure signatures within. I'm not sure whether I should split the book up or keep together. In this thread I photographed each page and wrote a short bio of each player. I look forward to your opinions...

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This was a great little autograph book I picked up because it had a bunch of Brooklyn Bushwicks players in it. I was always fascinated by the vibrant and competitive semi-pro leagues that operated in the Metropolitan area before World War II and pick up whatever pieces of memorabilia I can. Since I am a baseball illustrator, I specifically grabbed this up because it included a newspaper photo of one of their players, showing the cap, which I will use for a drawing down the road. Bushwick players’ pictures are hard to find. When it arrived, it had much more in it than I expected. The album belonged to a Brooklyn girl named Marilyn who carried it to games at Dexter Park in the summer of 1944. Marilyn must have been a big baseball fan since her book notes the players positions and uniform numbers. Most of the players that are represented on its pages are life-long New York City semi-pros, some of whom had a short stint in the big leagues.

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Page 1

Signature of “Bots” Nekola
1929 and 1933 New York Yankees pitcher Bots Nekola was the Bushwicks ace during the late 1930’s-early 1940’s. The girl who collected the autographs notes “The best pitcher on the team”, his uniform number “8”, his pitch “spit ball” and a nice drawing of the “B” on the caps worn by the Bushwicks.

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Page 2

Signatures of Ed Detz, Jack O’Neill and Wally Holborow

Ed Detz was a NYC semi-pro 3rd baseman who played minor league ball in 1947. Played for the Bay Parkways before coming to the Bushwicks in 1943. Wore number “6”.

Jack O’Neill was the Bushwicks 1st baseman. Played with Little Rock in 1936 and 1937. After 1946 became a coach for the Bushwicks. Wore number “7”.

Wally Holborow was a NYC native who, as a 30 year-old Senators rookie, threw a 2 hit shut-out against the Red Sox. Played in a total of 21 big league games with the Senators and A’s, finishing with 2-3 record. Passed away in 1986. Wore number “14” with the Bushwicks.

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Page 3

Signature of Buddy Hall

Buddy Hall was the right fielder since 1936. Hall was a Yankees prospect and played throughout their farm system, Norfolk, Newark, Binghamton, etc, from 1931 to 1936. Wore number “5” with the Bushwicks.

The other page has 2 loose newspaper clippings from the Daily News. One is unidentified and the other shows Gene Hermanski in his Coast Guard uniform visiting the Dodgers training camp.

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Page 4

Signature of Mickey McBride

Played for Muskogee and Union City in the Cincinnati Reds system in 1937 and 1938 before tiring of the life of a minor leaguer. He returned home to the NYC area to play semi-pro ball. Despite being scouted by multiple scouts, McBride refused to leave home to play ball.

Page 5

Signature of Gene Walsh, aka Gene Hermanski

A neat find in this book was the signature of “Gene Walsh”, the alias used by Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs outfielder Gene Hermanski. Hermanski was stationed on Long Island with the Coast Guard and would play left field for the Bushwicks on weekends, in one afternoon making his entire monthly Coast Guard salary. Apparently the owner of the autograph book wasn’t fooled since she wrote his real name under his pencil signature along with his number “2”.

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Page 6

Signatures of Hugh East, Danny Reagan, Sammy Gentile, Michael “Gunner” George and Joe King of the Camp Endicott Navy Sea Bees team. Most Army and Navy bases had competitive baseball teams stocked with former pro ballplayers. The Endicott team that visited Dexter Park in the summer of 1944 was no exception...

Hugh East pitched for the New York Giants in 1941-1943.

Danny Reagan played in the Yankees farm system before the war.

Sammy Gentile was a St. John’s grad and former Boston Braves outfielder.

Michael George, according to the accompanying article, was a catcher for the ST. Louis Browns. Unfortunately I can’t find and mention of him in the records...

Joe King as far I can find never played pro ball.

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Page 7

Signature of Tony DePhillips

NYC native and Fordham grad Tony DePhillips played for the 1943 Cincinnati Reds in between being the Bushwicks starting catcher from 1942 to 1949. The owner of the book marks his uniform number as “18”.


Page 8

Signature of Emil Moscowitz and Al Cuccinello

Emil Moscowitz had a long pro career in the Yankees farm system starting in 1929. By the time he joined the Bushwicks in 1942 he was a well-known semi-pro pitcher-for-hire. He wore number “16”.

Al Cuccinello was a former New York Giants player. Wanting to stay close to his Queens home, Al quit pro ball to work for the Sanitation Department and play ball for them and other semi-pro teams throughout the city. By 1944 he was the Bushwicks utility player and wore number “20”.

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Page 9

Signature of Gene Philipps

Ambidexterous submarine pitcher who had a long career in the Metropolitan semi-pro circuit lasting from 1935 to 1955.


Page 10

Ink signature of “Bots” Nekola

Another autograph by the Bushwicks’ ace. Attached is a newspaper clipping showing Nekola in a Bushwicks cap with the same “B” the owner sketched on page 1.

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Page 11

Signature of Timmy Adams

The Bushwicks center fielder was one of the NYC area’s most in-demand guns-for-hire. The left-handed lead-off hitter has a 41 game hitting streak in the early 1940’s but chose to stay in the NYC area instead of playing pro ball. The owner of the album marks that he wore number “3” as a Bushwick.

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Page 12

Signature of Emil Gall

Emil Gall played in the Yankees farm system from 1934. By the late 30’s he was the Bushwicks catcher and work number “17”. After the war he rejoined pro ball and played in the St. Louis Browns farm system then became a minor league manager.

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Page 13

Signature of Marie Greene

Marie Greene was a big band singer and Broadway actress. She was in the musical “Carousel” and appeared on the sound track of several 1940’s Hollywood films. Greene must have been a fan at a Bushwicks game when the owner of this album spotted her.

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Page 14

Signatures of the 1944 New York Cubans

Rogelio Linares, 1b - Played in the Negro National League in 1940 then from 1943-1946.

Juan Vargas, cf
Vargas’ career started with the Cuban Stars in 1927 and lasted until 1944, the year he signed this page. He was a speedy outfielder who hit for power and was voted on to the 1942 and 1943 East-West All-Star team. He passed away in 1971.

Gil Garrido, ut
The Panamanian spent 2 seasons in Negro League ball, 1944 and 1945. His son, Gil Garrido, Jr played 6 years in the majors with the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves.

Louis Louden, c
4-time Negro League All-Star catcher. Louden later played in the minors for the El Paso Texans.

Hector Rodriguez, 3b
After playing for the N.Y. Cuban in 1944, Rodriguez went to Mexico where Brooklyn signed him. He spent 1951 with the Montreal Royals, batting .302. The White Sox bought him from the Dodgers and he spent 1952 with Chicago and batted .265. He then finished up his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he became a crowd favorite. His skill at 3rd base was such that the White Sox used a film made of his fielding to train new players.

Rodolfo Fernandez, p
This member of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame was a star pitcher in his native Cuban League from 1931-44. He became a household name on the island in 1937 when he shut out the New York Giants, including Mel Ott and Carl Hubbell, 4-0. Along with Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige, Fernadez was a member of the 1937 Cuidad Trujillo team that represented the dictator Trujillo in the Dominican Republic.

Dave Barnhill, p
4-time All-Star who spent his whole Negro League career with the Cubans. In 1940-41 he led the Puerto Rican League in strike outs. From 1942 to 1947 Barnhill was among the top ten best pitchers in the Negro National League and he led the Cubans to their only World Series Championship in 1947. He later played in the minor leagues before retiring in the mid-1950’s. He passed away in 1983.

Ameal Brooks, c & lf
Starting out in 1928, Brooks managed to play on some of the best blackball teams assembled - Chicago American Giants, Homestead Grays, Philly Stars. He was winding up his career with the Cubans when he signed this page in 1944. He passed away in 1971.

Bill Anderson, p
Anderson pitched in the Negro Leagues from 1940-1946 and later played in the low minors before retiring.

Showboat Thomas, 1b
Came up with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1929 with Satchel paige. Thomas was a member of the famed Negro All-Star team that won the 1937 Denver Post Tournament. In 1945 Thomas and Terris McDuffie were given a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers, but it was only a publicity stunt and nothing came of it.

Claro Duany, lf
This Cuban Baseball Hall of Famer began in his native Cuba in 1942. Playing baseball with the N.Y. Cubans in the summer and the Havana Reds in the winter, Duany won the Cuban League batting title in 1944-45. A big salary lured him to Mexico in 1945 and he won the batting title there two consecutive years in a row, 1945-46. He then returned to Cuba and promptly won that league’s batting title. He finished his career in the Washington Senators organization, playing with his teammate on the Cubans, Dave Barnhill.

Big Brooklyn collector truly amazing piece in my eyes
Good luck with it, one of a kind.
Mike

Thanks Mike, I'm really pleased that I found it. I'm not an autograph guy and I'm not quite sure what to do with it, so I will probably pass it on to someone who really collects these things. It was fun researching all the players in it.

If you ever do want to part with it send me a PM.

Tom C

I listed this piece along with several rare scorecards on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/153596090422