| SERIES: 1956-63 Artvue Hall of Fame Plaque Postcards SUBJECT: Al Spalding APPROXIMATE SIZE: 3-1/2"x5-1/4" ISSUER: Artvue ORIGINAL or REPRODUCTION: Original vintage item produced in the time period shown COMMENTS / CONDITION: 1956-63 - Al Spalding baseball card VG or better condition as shown. See scans of actual card offered for condition and further details. BIO: Albert Goodwill Spalding was born in 1850 in Byron, IL and died in 1915 in San Diego, CA. He played major league baseball from 1871 to 1877 as pitcher, outfielder and 1st baseman for the Boston Red Stockings and the Chicago White Stockings, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. Spalding was a formidable pitcher and baseball pioneer who became more powerful when he started the sporting goods firm that bore his name. In that role, he had an impact on the game that continues today. In the early part of the 20th century, he helped to convince the world, erroneously, that Abner Doubleday had invented the game of baseball in 1839. Spalding began his career around age 17 before professional ball existed. He was lucky enough to live in Rockford, IL, a hotbed of early baseball, and joined the Rockford Forest Citys, where he made a name for himself. He especially earned attention when he beat the famous Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1870. He became utterly dominant in the first professional league, the National Association, where he led the league in wins during all five years of its existence. When the National League started in 1876, he led the league in its first year as well. He also managed a couple of years, winning the league's first pennant. After retiring as a player, he worked in the front office of the Chicago White Stockings, and eventually became the team's owner. As such, he had a long relationship with Cap Anson, with whom he eventually had friction when Anson was fired as manager in 1897, after serving in that capacity for nearly 20 years. Spalding started his sporting goods store in Chicago, IL with his brother in 1876, and eventually had stores all over the country, becoming a leading manufacturer of baseball and other sports equipment. The Spalding Brothers Company also published one of the earliest baseball guides. In 1910, Spalding ran for the U.S. Senate. In 1911, he wrote America's National Game, described by historian David Nemec as the first serious history of baseball. SKU: CL02400
Item: CL02400
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