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Posted By: Chris Counts

This picture presents an interesting puzzle. According to the Hall of Fame site, the wartime patch was used from 1942 to 1945. But I have a 1953 Bowman Enos Slaughter wearing the patch. And he was serving in the war from 1943-45. Is the picture on his card really 11 years old? He sure looks like a veteran in it. As for the catcher, I find it hard to believe he's wearing a Tigers' uniform. Let's say for instance it is 1942. We know the catcher is wearing a home uniform with trim on the sleeves. And he's not on the Red Sox. And he's not on the Browns, because they wore white hats. And we also know it's not the Yankees or Senators, because they had no trim on their sleeves. That leaves the White Sox, the Indians and the A's. Does the stadium pictured match any of those ballparks? I certainly can't tell. I guess it's possible the catcher is a National League player, but without bunting in the background, I find it hard to believe it's an All-Star game. I'm curious how this puzzle turns out. It's a great photo ...

By the way, if you've never looked at the Hall of Fame uniform data base, you're in for a treat!