Mailday - Virgil Trucks Signed Photo

I sent an email to my friend (and friend of the blog) Mr. Don McNair last week letting him know that Virgil Trucks had passed away.  Mr. McNair's father, Eric McNair, and Mr. Trucks played on the 1941 Tigers together and both had been members of the Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics organization in their careers.  Mr. McNair (Don) had met Mr. Trucks during an Athletics Alumni luncheon a while back and conversed at times.  On one of those occasions, Mr. Trucks sent Mr. McNair a signed photo.  Well, when I mentioned to Mr. McNair that Mr. Trucks had passed, I made a comment about how I wanted to get a nice photo of him to put on my wall in my 'man cave.'  Mr. McNair responded and said "Don't buy one.  I have one, signed, that I will put in the mail to you!"  The photo arrived today.

I'm so lucky that I have been able to interact with some really nice folks during the life of this blog.  It makes the collecting experience that much more fun and rewarding.  I think, aside from Mr. Trucks, I have conversed with Mr. McNair the most about the hobby and the history of the game.  I really wish there were more folks like them so that the rich history of the game could be passed along so easily.

Thank you again for the photo, Mr. McNair, it is definitely in good hands!

COMC Pickup - 1970 Fleer World Series #27: 1930

Here is another really cool card that I picked up from COMC the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  This is a 1970 Fleer World Series #27 - 1930 A's vs Cardinals card.

The 1930 World Series is special to me, mainly because it is the only World Series for which I have held the actual corresponding championship ring.  I was afforded the opportunity by the generosity of the son of one of the 1930 Philadelphia A's.

The 1930 World Series pitted the AL Champion Philadelphia A's who were 102-52 against the NL Champion St. Louis Cardinals who were 92-62.  Philadelphia won the series 4 games to 2.

Future Hall of Famers for the 1930 A's included: Manager - Connie Mack, Catcher - Mickey Cochrane, First Baseman - Jimmie Foxx, Outfielder - Al Simmons, Player/Coach - Eddie Collins and Pitcher Lefty Grove.

Future Hall of Famers for the 1930 Cardinals included: First Baseman - Jim Bottomley, Second Baseman - Frankie Frisch, Pitcher - Jesse Haines, Pitcher - Burleigh Grimes and a 20-year old rookie pitcher named Jay Hanna (Dizzy) Dean.

I got this card for $2.50, even though supposed BV is $1.50.  I didn't care, I thought it would be a cool addition to my Eric McNair and/or Jimmie Foxx PCs.

TTM Success - Bob Savage

I got my 66th TTM success today from former big leaguer Bob Savage.  Savage (b. 1921) played in the majors from 1942, 1946 to 1949 for the Philadelphia A's and St. Louis Browns.

Savage, a pitcher, had a career record of 16-27 with a 4.32 ERA and 171 strikeouts.  He played alongside Eric McNair on the 1942 Philadelphia A's for a brief period of time.  As you may know, McNair is a constant subject on this blog and his family reads it from time to time.  One of my TTM goals lately has been to try to get some correspondence from some of McNair's former teammates.  Unfortunately, Savage did not reply to the letter I had written asking about his possible interactions with McNair, but it was worth a shot.

Savage did include this Diamond Signatures card along with my baseball.  It is a really sharp looking card that I will add to my PC.  I mailed to Mr. Savage on November 13 and got my baseball back signed today (November 19), so that makes him a 6-day TAT.

Some More Stuff From Mr. McNair

I still haven't shown off everything I got from my vacation and from the National Card Show, which is amazing to me.  When Chris and I left our dinner meeting with Mr. Don McNair, Chris was given a 'grab bag' from Mr. McNair and was told not to open it until we got back to our hotel.  We were also told that there were a few things in there for me, and a few things in there for Chris.  Chris was told specifically that there was a baseball card in there for him and that I would be able to figure out what was mine.

This 1939 Play Ball Eric McNair was the card for Chris.  This is now Chris' oldest baseball card, by far and will be kept in my safe until he is older and can take care of it.  The card is in rough shape, but this is definitely one of those moments when 'Mint' is not necessary.  The card has definite character.  I will pick up a EX-NM version of the card at some point (yes, I will have an Eric McNair PC).

You should be able to click on the picture and read the back of the card.  This card is from 1939, of course, and by then, McNair had been in the majors for 10 years and had a World Series ring from 1930 after seeing only 4 games of action in the 1929 season.  He had been on the legendary Phillies teams of 1929 through 1931 and then had seen the dynasty dismantled by Connie Mack.  He worked through a few lean seasons with the A's then was moved to the Red Sox and was reunited with his good friend, Jimmie Foxx.  When the above card was printed, McNair was beginning his first season in Chicago after being traded there by Boston for Boze Berger.  It is kind of interesting to see how certain players ended up with certain teams.

Something really cool that was in the grab bag was this old Eric McNair fountain pen.  I used to have a couple fountain pens when I was in high school.  I used them for some pen and ink work in art class.  I was actually really good at it (I'm sure you didn't know that).  Seeing this pen brought back some good memories.  I probably should get back into doing a little art work here and there.  Who knows.

Anyway, the Eric McNair fountain pen was really cool.  When I met with Mr. McNair's son, Eric, III, the next day, I told him about the grab bag.  He laughed and explained to me that this was something his dad has been doing for his daughters their entire lives.  Every time they visit Mr. McNair's house, he gives them grab bags full of random items that he picked up from around his house.  This was so funny to me because it explained the eclectic mix of stuff that was in the bag.  Along with the above items, there was also a turkey feather, a book for Chris, a shirt for me, photos of Mr. McNair and his family and a check-in ticket from a local jewelry store (???).

This also reminded me of something I and my brothers used to do for each other's birthdays.  We would take an old toy out of the toy box and wrap it up or get a couple popsicle sticks and wrap them up.  You know, random stuff.  Eric, III told me that it was something unexpected that his dad did for the kids and it speaks to his dad's sometimes eccentric personality.  I definitely enjoyed that about him.

Don McNair accepted Chris and I as if we were members of his own family and I appreciated it greatly.  I hope he enjoyed our dinner as much as I did.  I really hope I can get back to Meridian, Mississippi and see him again soon.  Thanks Mr. McNair!

More Vacation Leftovers - 1930 World Series Rain Check

One of the coolest things I picked up on my vacation came as a complete surprise to me.  During my dinner with Mr. Don McNair, I was allowed to look at his scrapbook that he put together about his dad's career.  When I got to the portion that showed this rain check (which used to be attached to the actual ticket to the game, of course), he asked me if I was able to take it out of the album.  I said 'I think so', removed it, and he said 'good, take it home with you.'

I'm still amazed at his generosity.  This piece of a World Series ticket is 82 years old and is definitely a part of history.  To have it in my possession is really awesome.  I saw whole tickets to later World Series at the National Card Show going for several hundred dollars.  This one is in rough shape and clearly isn't a whole ticket, but it it still amazing.  I also like that the ticket has the signature of C. McGillicuddy at the bottom.  Also known as Connie Mack.

Hidden Treasures in Mississippi Part 3 - Trip to Japan and Autographs

One of the coolest things Mr. McNair showed me was in a briefcase he brought with him to dinner.  Inside the briefcase was an album that was given to Eric McNair when he was a member of the 1934 barnstorming team that toured Japan right before World War II.

The team featured players such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty O'Doul, Earl Averill, Eric McNair and were managed by the legendary Connie Mack.  One of the players, catcher Moe Berg, was even spying on the Japanese for the US government.  This story was featured in the book The Catcher Was a Spy.

Also in the album was some other autographs, one of which was this index card of Hall of Famer, Lefty Grove.  The coolest thing in the briefcase, though, was this framed paper signed by members of the 1934 barnstorming team.  Click on the photo if you can see the signatures, but Ruth, Mack, Foxx, Gehrig are all clear and legible.  All of these autographs are real, no copies here!

Pretty darn amazing, if you ask me.  Below is a photo of the team and Mr. Mack.  Lots of great players on that team.  I plan on reading the book about Moe Berg after I finish Eight Men Out.

So, these posts have been the highlights of my meeting with Mr. Don McNair, son of former big leaguer Eric McNair.  I met up with Mr. McNair's son Eric, III (grandson of Eric McNair) the next day for lunch.  He is also a really nice guy who turned me toward something really cool while I was in Birmingham, AL, so look for a post on that coming soon!

Hidden Treasures in Mississippi Part 2 - The Ball

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get my next post up, but I haven't had a wifi connection at the last two places I have stayed the night, so I had to wait til I got home this morning to post my next entry.  I have so much to post, I shouldn't be without something to write for a while.

Getting back to my dinner with Mr. Don McNair; I had asked him before we met if he could bring a Jimmie Foxx signed baseball since I had never seen one in person.  He said that it would be no problem, so he brought this beauty with him.

 This ball is signed by Jimmie Foxx, Eric McNair and George Earnshaw.

The ball and signatures are in amazing condition for being around 80+ years old.  It is one of the dual-color seam baseballs of the period, and they even hold up well, also.

Included in his ball cube is a pin and plastic elephant for the Athletics.

I  really want to add a Foxx signed ball to my collection someday, but this is the closest I have gotten.  It was so awesome to be able to hold it in my hands.  Eric McNair and Foxx were good friends and drinking buddies, so having them on the ball together is fitting.  I think it was really great of Mr. McNair to let me see the ball, as I am sure it if priceless to him.

Stay tuned for my last post from our dinner, some amazing autographs from Eric NcNair's trip to Japan in 1934.

Hidden Treasures in Mississippi

 In Meridian, Mississippi, there lives a man who has some amazing baseball memorabilia that not a lot of people know about.  He doesn't like the attention, mainly due to the epic amount of memorabilia that he has and the fact that key items had been stolen in the past, but were recovered.  I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of this man's hospitality when he uncovered his rare items so that I could take a look at them over dinner tonight.  That man's name is Don McNair.  He is the son of former Major Leaguer, Eric McNair, whom I have written about on this blog before.  Don't worry, none of these items reside in Mr. McNair's home.  They are kept in a safe location under lock and key.

I heard about Mr. McNair from a friend and colleague that I work alongside, me being a consultant and the friend being a state regulator.  Sometimes the relationship between regulator and consultant is less than amicable, but this regulator and I have developed a great rapport over the years.  One day he overheard me discussing my blog with someone and he told me about the man in Mississippi with the amazing memorabilia.

I wrote Mr. McNair a letter a while back and got some cool items in return.  So, when I knew I would be coming this way on my vacation, I shot Mr. McNair an email and we worked it out so that we could meet up for dinner (along with the father-in-law of said regulator, and my son Chris).

Mr. McNair brought a bag of various memorabilia with him as well as a briefcase that housed a good bit more.  I plan on breaking up the meeting into several blogs so I can do some of the items justice.

The first thing I noticed when we sat down for dinner was the gold ring on Mr. McNair's finger.  I asked him if it was his dad's World Series ring, and, of course, I was correct.

So, here you have it, a 1930 World Series ring, given to the members of the World Champion Philadelphia Athletics.  You know, the A's for those of you who only know them as being from Oakland.

I got to hold the ring in my hand.  82 years old, the ring still looked epic.  Well worn in places, Mr. McNair has had it since his dad's untimely death in 1949.

Mr. McNair had an album with a bunch of items from that 1930 team, one of which being this program from the World Series.  He also had a ticket stub from that series and told me to take it home with me.  I was amazed at his generosity!  I will blog the ticket stub when I get back home to my scanner.

The 1930 Philadelphia A's are regarded as one of the greatest teams in the history of baseball.  Pundits go back and forth between the '30 A's and the '27 Yankees as to which team is the greatest.  To put it into perspective, the 1930 A's went 102-52, boasted future Hall of Famers Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, Mickey Cochrane, Lefty Grove and were managed be legendary Connie Mack.  Even Hall of Famer Eddie Collins was a coach on the team and got into 3 games.  The A's lost more than 2 games in a row only twice that season and did not lose more than two games in a row after the 14th of June.

Jimmie Foxx led the team with 37 homers followed by Simmons' 36.  Lefty Grove pitched to a record of 28-5.  Eric McNair, a rookie at 21 years old, would have 63 hits, 0 home runs and a .266 batting average over 78 games.

The A's would win the World Series after collecting their second of three pennants in a row.  Their opponent in that series, the tough St. Louis Cardinals would bow to the A's after 6 games.

I am still amazed at Mr. McNair's hospitality.  How many people can say that they were able to hold a World Series ring from 1930 in their hands?  I plan on meeting his son, Eric McNair, III tomorrow for lunch and will enjoy more baseball discussion.  Stay tuned for a look at some more of the items in Mr. McNair's collection.

Card Show Pickup - 1940 Play Ball Eric McNair

You all may remember my recent blog post where I received some photos and a letter after corresponding with Don McNair, Jr., son for former big leaguer Eric McNair.  If you need a refresher, here is the post.

This is now the second Play Ball card that I have, since i also have a Jimmie Foxx.  They are really nice cards that age very well.

I thought it was really funny that I walked by a table and the card just jumped out at me.  I had to have it, since i had a kind of 'Six degrees of Kevin Bacon' moment.  Plus, it is just a really cool vintage card that you don't see every day.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

Corresponding With The Son of A Former Big Leaguer

I have been reading a book that I bought from Schuyler's bookstore (Merritt Books) about Jimmie Foxx called Jimmie Foxx: The Pride of Sudlersville.  In the book, Foxx's career is discussed through the author's collection of personal interviews with Foxx's family and various newspaper and magazine articles, etc.  One of the players mentioned in the book was Eric McNair, who as a rookie in 1930 won the World Series with Foxx and the Philadelphia A's.

I got a phone call as I was driving to a site one morning from one of the state regulators that I have to work with.  I was wondering why he was calling me from his cell phone, as opposed to his office phone when he informed me he was calling me from his vacation to see his wife's family in Meridian, Mississippi.  He told me that his wife's family was close friends with a man whose father played baseball back in the 30's and had won a World Series with the Philadelphia A's.  He then told me that the man they knew was named Don McNair, Jr., I knew that the player he was talking about was Eric McNair.

McNair (b. 1909 - d. 1942) played in the majors from 1929 to 1942 for the A's, Red Sox, White Sox and Tigers (playing on the 1941 and 1942 Tigers makes McNair a teammate of friend of the blog, Virgil Trucks).  He had 1,240 career hits, 82 home runs and a .274 batting average over 14 seasons.

My friend got me the address of McNair's son, so I decided to take a shot at sending him a letter to see what kinds of stories and information he would be willing to share.  I was pleasantly surprised today when I came home to a large manila envelope full of documents about Eric McNair's playing career.  The above copies of McNair's signature and the vintage photos are all copies that Mr. McNair sent to me for my collection.  He also included a nice letter, which I will relay:

It was nice of you to write and inquire about Dad's MLB career.  Not many folks down home even know abt. him, as a MLB player.  Here in Deep South, football (College Style) Ole Miss, ALA., State, Sou. Miss is King of the Hill.

I was 11 years old and was a batboy for Savannah Indians baseball team, (1947) when he (Dad) had and untimely heart attack & passed away shortly thereafter.  He was back in baseball, after a 13-year playing career in MLB, as a Manager for Connie Mack's AA farm club, in Savannah, GA.  I think he would have eventually made it to Phil. A's as, a third base coach!

I remember some stories, and Foxx (old Double X) who chased The Babe's HR record was a good friend of Dad's.  I have enclosed some memorabilia, especially of J. Foxx for you to have as a keepsake.

I have a 1929 world series ring in a safe deposit box, plus a world series watch that I had restored and gave to my son Eric III for a past Christmas gift.

He could never afford college back then, his parents, Henry McNair and Nettie Roberts-McNair, was an irish immigrant's son and a hard working blue collar employee of Southern RR, In Meridian, MS.  A railroad center at the time!  Actually, Eric was only a rookie in 1930... just 21 years old.

The invite to Japan (1934) ALL AMERICAN TEAM... by the Japanese Imperial Gov't. & YOMARHARI NEWS FOR A MONTH TOUR OF JAPAN...IN NOVEMBER 1934.  Due to Japan's aggression towards China, the USA had a State Dept. ban on Americans going to Japan.  Special diplomatic approval had to be arranged.  Plus, a catcher, MOE Berg, was secretly commissioned by USA Central Intelligence Bureau, to be a Spy in Tokyo, of the Japanese warships in Tokyo Bay!  A book "the catcher was a spy," has been released several years ago!

...selected by Babe Ruth and Connie Mack [the 1934 all American Team] has been recently declared by Leland's Heritage Auction Houses as the greatest barnstorming team of the 20th century.  FOXX, RUTH, GEHRIG, the supreme HOME RUN HITTERS of that era were on [the] team.  Be that it may, ERIC MCNAIR was the invited SS on this team.

...many thanks for the heads up abt. the new release book on Foxx, I shall look it up on Amazon.

Best Regards,

Don E. McNair, Jr.

***I typed most of the letter as he had written it.

Below is a photo from the Japanese tour, with Eric McNair on the left, J. Quinn in the middle and Jimmie Foxx on the right.

Above are some paraphernalia from the Japanese tour.

Above is a newspaper photo of Jimmie Foxx circa 1926.  I love the elephant on the jersey.

Here is a comic that Mr. McNair sent me about Foxx and his pursuit of The Babe's then home run record.

I thought it was really awesome to get all of this correspondence in the mail from Mr. McNair.  I'm sure he enjoys relating the stories he has of his father.  The 1930 A's had a bunch of Hall of Famers on that team.  Along with Foxx were also Lefty Grove, Al Simmons, Mickey Cochrane, Eddie Collins (for 3 games as a player and most of the season as a coach) and were managed by Connie Mack.

I appreciate Mr. McNair getting back to me and for my friend who turned me toward Mr. McNair for the information.