An R311 mystery?

[conor912]

This is one of my favorite images in all of the gum issues. The fire power on this team leaves me in awe every time I dig it out.

Tonight I was taking a closer look, and something doesn't seem right. It looks like maybe some of the players's faces got superimposed with their own faces, just from different shots. Some of the ratios and expressions just seem off to me, plus it looks like the exposures on all their faces are a little different from each other.

Also, has anyone noticed that the guy labeled as Greenberg looks a ton like Gehringer and the guy labeled as Gehringer looks nothing like Gehringer?

[conor912]

Here's a closer look. Top left claims to be Greenberg and bottom right claims to be Gehringer.

Is the bottom right Tommy Bridges?

[familytoad]

Conor, very astute observation.

No way that Greenberg is actually Hank.
The upper row picture sure does look like Gehringer.


I guess I'm not familiar enough with what Tommy Bridges looks like to comment there...But where is Hank?

[conor912]

I'm pretty sure I'm right, which would mean that the far left guy here, claiming to be Bridges, is unknown. He is also the 5th in a Detroit uniform when I only see 4 Tigers on the team roster (Gehringer, Bridges, Cochrane and Rowe). Greenberg wasn't even on the team, so him being on there is flat out wrong.

[familytoad]

Looking up Greenberg's page on baseball reference, he wasn't on the 1935 all star team.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/p...reenha01.shtml

He had amazing stats in both 1934 and 1935 but it doesn't show him as being an Allstar until 1937

More mysterious now?

[conor912]

Originally Posted by familytoad

Looking up Greenberg's page on baseball reference, he wasn't on the 1935 all star team.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/p...reenha01.shtml

He had amazing stats in both 1934 and 1935 but it doesn't show him as being an Allstar until 1937

More mysterious now?

Yeah, in '36 he hurt his wrist, I think. But in '35 I guess the managers got to pick the rosters and Cochrane picked Gehrig and Foxx to split 1st base. Tough problem to have when Hank Greenberg isn't good enough for your team

[nolemmings]

Apparently there was some controversy to Greenberg not being on the team. From SABR:
https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july...-win-cleveland
...
"Cochrane picked his former teammate Jimmie Foxx as the third baseman and the Yankees’ Lou Gehrig to play first. This was a curious selection, as Foxx had played very little third base for the last five years. In fact, the most he’d played at the position in a season in the previous five years was 26 games in 1931. In 1935 Foxx had played just two games at third. Even more peculiar, Foxx was the only third baseman on the American League roster, and Gehrig was the only first baseman. [Not true--Bluege was a 3b and played the 9th inning there]

Here was the controversy: Cochrane had left Tigers first baseman Hank Greenberg off the team. Greenberg was leading the league in home runs (25) and RBIs (103) at the All-Star break. (He ended the season leading the major leagues with 36 homers and 170 RBIs.) Gehrig at the break had less than half of Greenberg’s totals, 11 homers and 51 RBIs. Some argued that Greenberg had had a bad World Series in 1934 and would probably not respond well in a big game. The flip side of the argument was that Gehrig had gone hitless in his two All-Star Games, in addition to committing the only errors charged to the American League squad in both contests."

BTW, the mystery Tiger kind of looks like Eldon Auker to me, although it would make more sense if it were Del Baker, who was a coach at the game and who also resembles the man pictured.

[MikeGarcia]

Originally Posted by conor912

Yeah, in '36 he hurt his wrist, I think. But in '35 I guess the managers got to pick the rosters and Cochrane picked Gehrig and Foxx to split 1st base. Tough problem to have when Hank Greenberg isn't good enough for your team

..someone once said a picture is worth a thousand words....we all know that look on an athlete's face....

..

[MikeGarcia]

Originally Posted by nolemmings

Apparently there was some controversy to Greenberg not being on the team. From SABR:
https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july...-win-cleveland
...
"Cochrane picked his former teammate Jimmie Foxx as the third baseman and the Yankees’ Lou Gehrig to play first. This was a curious selection, as Foxx had played very little third base for the last five years. In fact, the most he’d played at the position in a season in the previous five years was 26 games in 1931. In 1935 Foxx had played just two games at third. Even more peculiar, Foxx was the only third baseman on the American League roster, and Gehrig was the only first baseman. [Not true--Bluege was a 3b and played the 9th inning there]

Here was the controversy: Cochrane had left Tigers first baseman Hank Greenberg off the team. Greenberg was leading the league in home runs (25) and RBIs (103) at the All-Star break. (He ended the season leading the major leagues with 36 homers and 170 RBIs.) Gehrig at the break had less than half of Greenberg’s totals, 11 homers and 51 RBIs. Some argued that Greenberg had had a bad World Series in 1934 and would probably not respond well in a big game. The flip side of the argument was that Gehrig had gone hitless in his two All-Star Games, in addition to committing the only errors charged to the American League squad in both contests."

BTW, the mystery Tiger kind of looks like Eldon Auker to me, although it would make more sense if it were Del Baker, who was a coach at the game and who also resembles the man pictured.

..I've always thought Auker and Cochrane were twins separated at birth...


...

[timn1]

Originally Posted by conor912

Here's a closer look. Top left claims to be Greenberg and bottom right claims to be Gehringer.

Is the bottom right Tommy Bridges?

I think that is Bridges in the bottom right. Definitely Gehringer top left, next to Ben Chapman (NYY) and Bob Johnson (A's).

So the remaining mystery is, who is the fifth Tiger? Mike is right, could be Del Baker.

[conor912]

This REA '35 AS signed ball has Baker on it, as a coach. Auker was still playing in '35, and didn't make the team.

http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/...ehrig-program/

So it has Baker labeled as Bridges, Gehringer labeled as Greenberg, and Bridges labeled as Gehringer. Three mistakes, all with Detroit players. Baker is not mentioned at all, even though he's in the photo, and Greenberg is mentioned, even though he's not even on the team.

[MikeGarcia]

Originally Posted by conor912

This REA '35 AS signed ball has Baker on it, as a coach. Auker was still playing in '35, and didn't make the team.

http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/...ehrig-program/

So it has Baker labeled as Bridges, Gehringer labeled as Greenberg, and Bridges labeled as Gehringer. Three mistakes, all with Detroit players. Baker is not mentioned at all, even though he's in the photo, and Greenberg is mentioned, even though he's not even on the team.

...picky picky picky...

..

[Leon]

Originally Posted by MikeGarcia

..someone once said a picture is worth a thousand words....we all know that look on an athlete's face....

..

That is a great photo.

[holybull]

that picture is fantastic (of Hank with hand in ice bucket I'm referring to.....could it be for sale???? Thanks, Michael.

[MikeGarcia]

Originally Posted by holybull

that picture is fantastic (of Hank with hand in ice bucket I'm referring to.....could it be for sale???? Thanks, Michael.

...Wifey is in love with anything I have of Bobby Doerr and Hank Greenberg.....but in the event she relents and says "oh , okay , since we have grand-daughters who stand in line in January in Philadelphia for 18 hours waiting to buy Taylor Swift tickets , let's buy them for them" , then I might consider letting go.....but be forewarned , you'll be bidding against a guy , goes by "Leon" who is rumored to have in his basement a " bottomless barrel of C-notes".....I think that's how Tim phrased it...

..

[holybull]

haha...well I'd love a shot at it...let me know please! Thanks, Michael.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by MikeGarcia

...Wifey is in love with anything I have of Bobby Doerr and Hank Greenberg.....but in the event she relents and says "oh , okay , since we have grand-daughters who stand in line in January in Philadelphia for 18 hours waiting to buy Taylor Swift tickets , let's buy them for them" , then I might consider letting go.....but be forewarned , you'll be bidding against a guy , goes by "Leon" who is rumored to have in his basement a " bottomless barrel of C-notes".....I think that's how Tim phrased it...

..

"a bottomless barrel of C-notes" LMAO. Those Sawyer Biscuits were a 1/4 of a semester ....

and back to the topic, if I may, I will go with Brian L.'s comments and say nice catch. No way is it Greenberg....and bottom right looks like Bridges to me too.