My Vintage Minneapolis Millers & St. Paul Saints Collection

[Tay1038]

1953 St. Paul Saints Team Signed Baseball w/Don Zimmer

[Tay1038]

1930 Pinky Hargrave Hillerich & Bradsby Side-Written Game Used Bat

The younger brother of Bubbles Hargrave, Pinky Hargrave played for the Minneapolis Millers from 1934 to 1936 and was selected in 1934 as the Most Valuable Player in the American Association after compiling a .356 batting average with 17 home runs. He was 38 years old! Pinky had a 10 Year career in Major League Baseball with the Washington Senators (1923–1925, 1930–1931), St. Louis Browns (1925–1926), Detroit Tigers (1928–1930), and Boston Braves (1932–1933), and also played on the 1924 Washington Senators World Series Championship team!

[Tay1038]

1959 Junior World Series Program & Actual Home Line-Up Card Signed by Manager Gene Mauch from Game 2 on September 28, 1959 vs. Havana Sugar Kings at Metropolitan Stadium

WP-Wall. Ed Sadowski of Minneapolis homers off Luis Arroyo leading off the last of the 9th wins the game. The Millers had tied the game with 3 in the 8th on a 2-run homer by Lou Clinton off Mike Cuellar and solo homer by Red Robbins off Arroyo. Earlier in the game, Roy Smalley had hit a 2-run homer. The Millers defeated the Sugar Kings 6-5. The next day with the weather forecast calling for cold and rain, the series commission voted unanimously to move the remaining games to Havana. The Sugar Kings would take the series in seven games, winning twice in extra innings.

[ooo-ribay]

Bubbles and Pinky. Sounds like a couple of loose women.

The stuff you unearth continues to astound me!

[Tay1038]

1924 Johnny Neun St. Paul Saints Minor League Batting Championship "Silver" Bat and Ball Trophy

This Sterling-Silver plated Bat and Ball Award was presented to St. Paul Saints first baseman Johnny Neun for winning the Minor League Batting Championship in 1924 with St. Paul, where he batted .353 with 100 RBI's and lead the American Association with 54 steals!

The bat is engraved, "Frank A. Ubel Trophy Presented to Johnnie Neun Leading Hitter, St. Paul Club 1924 Pennant Winners."

This Silver Bat Award pre-dates the famous "John A. "Bud" Hillerich Award", named for the founder of the Louisville Slugger, that was first given out to the minor league batting champions starting in 1934. In 1949, the Hillerich Award was expanded to the majors and included batting champions from the National and American Leagues. The first winners were Jackie Robinson (Brooklyn) and George Kell (Detroit). Kell had won the award as a minor leaguer in 1943.

[Scott Garner]

Great stuff, Tay!
Truly an epic collection you are putting together!

[Tay1038]

1939 American Association AA All-Stars Game Worn Uniform with Original Baseball Centennial Patch, and ASG Program!

A uniform that really intrigued me! The Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints franchises played in the American Association from 1902-1960. The AA All-Stars of 1939 had 10 combined players rostered between the Millers and Saints teams including third baseman Gil English of St. Paul who won the 1939 American Association MVP that season!

The format of the American Association All-Star game featured the team in first place at mid-season against a team comprised of the best players from the other seven teams. The 1939 contest was held in Kansas City's Muehlbach Field as the hometown Kansas City Blues were crushed 19-7 by the all stars from the rest of the league. A young 20-yr old Shortstop Pee Wee Reese headlined the AA All-Star Roster (Great photo of Pee Wee attached). Notables Phil Rizzuto and Vince DiMaggio played for the KC Blues!

I will have this uniform along with the game-day program on display at The City of Baseball Museum next week during the American Association All-Star Game in St. Paul for those in attendance.