| SIGNERS: Wes Westrum, Dave Kingman, Ed Kranepool, Kevin Collins, Bud Harrelson, Jimmie Schaffer, Bob Moorhead, Chuck Hiller, Gordie Richardson APPROXIMATE SIZE: 7"x4" unlined index card MARKS / STAMPING: Autograph album page hand-signed by Wes Westrum, Dave Kingman, Ed Kranepool, Kevin Collins, Bud Harrelson, Jimmie Schaffer, Bob Moorhead, Chuck Hiller, Gordie Richardson ORIGINAL or REPRINT: Original COMMENTS / CONDITION: As with all of my signed items, the signatures are guaranteed to pass further inspection by any major authenticator, or your money back. See scans for conition and signature quality. BIO: Wesley Noreen Westrum was born in 1922 in Clearbrook, MN and died in 2002 in Clearbrook, MN of cancer at the age of 79. He played major league baseball from 1947 to 1957 as catcher for the New York Giants, appeared in the 1951 and 1954 World Series, and was selected in 1952 and 1953 as an All-Star. Signed by the Giants in 1941, Westrum missed three seasons (1943-1945) seasons while still in the minors due to military service during World War II. He reached the majors late in the 1947 season after hitting 22 homers with the Minneapolis Millers that year and spent most of the next two years as a backup catcher with the team. He also was with the Jersey City Giants for part of the 1949 campaign and hit an International League record 5 grands slams in just 51 games with the club. Westrum became the Giants regular catcher in 1950 and had an excellent year at the plate, hitting 23 home runs and driving in 71 runs. He went on to catch every game for the Giants in the 1951 and 1954 World Series and was a National League All-Star in 1952 and 1953. After finishing his playing career in 1957, Westrum remained with the Giants as a coach when they moved to San Francisco the next year. After six seasons on their staff, he was a part of one of the more unusual swaps in baseball history: he was "traded" to the New York Mets for coach Cookie Lavagetto. He eventually replaced Casey Stengel as the Mets manager in 1965 when Stengel, 76, broke his hip and was forced to retire. He remained at the helm of the team for just over two seasons, stepping down late in the 1967 campaign. Westrum returned to the Giants coaching staff from 1968 to 1971 and replaced Charlie Fox as the team's skipper in 1974. Under his leadership, the club improved from fifth place to third in 1975, but he was replaced by Bill Rigney after the season. Westrum stayed in the game as a scout for the Atlanta Braves for many years. Wes Westrum appeared on the first Sports Illustrated cover in August 1954. He was the catcher, Eddie Mathews was the batter, and Augie Donatelli was the umpire. David Arthur Kingman (Kong, Sky King) was born in 1948 in Pendleton, OR and went to college at the University of Southern California. He played major league baseball from 1971 to 1986 as infielder and outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, California Angels, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and the Oakland Athletics, and was selected 3 times as an All-Star. Edward Emil Kranepool was born in 1944 in New York, NY and died in 2024 in Boca Raton, FL. He played major league baseball from 1962 to 1979 as infielder and outfielder for the New York Mets, appeared in the 1969 and 1973 World Series, and was selected in 1965 as an All-Star. Kranepool's batting success was reflected in a 1978 television commercial for Gillette Foamy shaving cream. The ad began with black-and-white film footage of Kranepool striking out, and an announcer saying, "From 1962 to 1970, Ed Kranepool batted .227. Then Ed switched to Gillette Foamy." The ad showed Kranepool in front of a mirror, lathering up and shaving, and switched to color footage of him hitting a ball down the right-field line. The announcer said, "Since 1971, Ed's batted .283! What do you think of that, Ed?" As baseball players had long had a reputation for being superstitious, the ad closed with Kranepool standing in the dugout, in uniform but lathered up and holding up a can of Foamy, saying, "I don't know, but now I shave every other inning." The closing narration was, "Foamy: More than thick and rich enough for New York's heavy hitters." Another Gillette commercial featured Kranepool lighting a candle in his bathroom and trying to shave using Foamy during a blackout. The ad was clearly inspired by the New York blackout of the previous season, which came during a Met home game at Shea Stadium on July 13, 1977. Kranepool also appeared in an ad for SportsPhone with teammate Jerry Koosman. Ed Kranepool made a living after retirement as a stockbroker and restaurateur, and was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1990. Kevin Michael Collins (Casey) was born in 1946 in Springfield, MA and died in 2016 in Naples, FL. He played major league baseball from 1965 to 1971 as 2nd and 3rd baseman for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos and the Detroit Tigers. He left baseball in 1974 while still playing well because he didn't want to keep uprooting his family for the itenerant baseball life. He worked for 20 years for an automotive supply company. SKU: L14176
Item: L14176
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