Feller. Williams. Bouton. Paige. NL All-Stars.
A 19 year old Bob Feller warms up prior to a game in 1938. It’s crazy to think that before Feller even entered the 1938 season, he already had over 200+ innings in parts of 2 seasons under his belt due to making his Major League career at 17 years old.
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Taken on June 26, 1936, one day after signing with the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres, Ted Williams poses for a photo while wearing a uniform of a local amateur team. Williams was only 17 at the time and had to wait until he finished the school year before officially joining the Padres and making his professional debut.
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After being essentially blacklisted from Major League Baseball in 1970 for writing the infamous “Ball Four,” Jim Bouton finally made his return to the big leagues in 1978 with the Atlanta Braves. If you’ve never read “Ball Four,” do yourself a favor and read one of the greatest baseball books ever. If you’ve never heard of Bouton or his book, you’ve definitely heard of an invention that he helped invent and is well known for: Big League Chew bubblegum.
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Satchel Paige and Goose Tatum pose for a photo in 1962 during their time with the Harlem Stars, the baseball version of the Harlem Globetrotters. Satchel was 55 years year old at the time and while his playing days were quickly coming an end, he surely had some bullets left his ageless arm.
If the name Goose Tatum rings a bell, it should. Tatum was much more than a novelty act. He is credited with inventing the hook-shot and is in the Basketball Hall of Fame as he was a superstar with the Globetrotters for years. His athletic skills were not limited to just basketball as he also played baseball in the Negro Leagues with various teams such as the Birmingham Black Barons. He was no slouch either as he played in the 1947 Negro League All-Star game, where he went 2 for 4 at the plate.
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Stan Musial, Gil Hodges, Jackie Robinson and Ralph Kiner pose together at an All-Star game in either the late 1940s or early 1950s. Don’t really know what to say about this, but what an amazing photo of these baseball heroes from yesteryear. Just thinking about seeing an All-Star game from this era is crazy and almost seems unreal.
ninety feet of perfection. 