Taken at an unidentified "Old Timers Day" event. DATE: 1969 ORIGINAL or REPRINT: Original - Printed from the original negative in the time period in which it was shot TEAM: New York Yankees SUBJECTS: Charlie Keller, Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Vander Meer ISSUER: New York Times APPROXIMATE SIZE: 10"x8-1/8" NUMBER OF PHOTOS: 1 COMMENTS / CONDITION: This is one of a large accumulation of vintage sports photographs, slides and negatives that we will be listing over the coming months. Wear on these, if any, is mostly confined to minor corner and edge wear, but see scans for further details including condition. We do not deal in stock images or modern reprints, and all scans shown are of the actual vintage photograph, slide or negative being sold. If you have any questions about a particular piece, please ask before the auction ends. BIO: Charles Ernest Keller (King Kong) was born in Middletown, MD and died in 1990 in Frederick, MD. He went to college at University of Maryland. He played major league baseball from 1939 to 1952 as outfielder for the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers, appeared in the 1939, 1941, 1942 and 1943 World Series, and was selected 5 times as an All-Star. Because of his strength, Keller was dubbed "King Kong Keller", a nickname he never liked and seldom answered to. In the third game of the 1939 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, Keller became the first rookie to hit two home runs in a World Series game. Keller got his start in baseball with the semi-pro Kinston Eagles. He was inducted in the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.Following his retirement as a player, Keller founded Yankeeland Farm and had a successful career as a horse breeder – pacers and trotters – near his hometown of Middletown, Maryland. He named many of his horses after the franchises he played for: Fresh Yankee, Handsome Yankee, Yankee Slugger and Guy Yankee. He also benefited by owning syndicated shares of several stallions, which entitled him to free stud fees. Joseph Paul DiMaggio Jr. (Joltin' Joe or The Yankee Clipper) (born as Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio) was born in 1914 in Martinez, CA and died in 1999 in Hollywood, FL. He played major league baseball from 1936 to 1951 as outfielder for the New York Yankees, appeared in 10 World Series, was selected 13 times as an All-Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. Touted by sportswriters as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Shoeless Joe Jackson rolled into one, he made his major league debut on 3 May 1936, batting ahead of Lou Gehrig. The Yankees had not been to the World Series since 1932, but, thanks in large part to their sensational rookie, they won the next four Fall Classics. In total, DiMaggio led the Yankees to nine titles in 13 years. In January 1937, DiMaggio met actress Dorothy Arnold on the set of Manhattan Merry Go-Round. They married at San Francisco's St. Peter and Paul Church on 19 November 1939 as 20,000 well-wishers jammed the streets. Even before their son was born though, the marriage was in trouble, and shortly after he enlisted in the Army and was sent to Hawaii, she filed for divorce. DiMaggio enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces on 17 February 1943, rising to the rank of sergeant. He was stationed at Santa Ana, California; Hawaii; and Atlantic City, New Jersey as a physical education instructor. He was discharged in September 1945. Dorothy reportedly promised Joe she would wait for him to return from 1946 training camp, but married another man while he was gone. On 7 February, 1949, DiMaggio signed a record contract worth $100,000 ($70,000 plus bonuses), and became the first baseball player to break $100,000 in earnings. He was still regarded as the game's best, and hardest working player, but injuries plagued him so much that he could no longer take a step without pain. A sub-par 1951 season and a brutal scouting report by the Brooklyn Dodgers that was turned over to the New York Giants and leaked to the press combined with his injuries, led to him announcing his retirement on 11 December 1951. When remarking on his retirement to the Sporting News on December 19, 1951, he said "I feel like I have reached the stage where I can no longer produce for my club, my manager, and my teammates. I had a poor year, but even if I had hit .350, this would have been my last year. I was full of aches an pains and it had become a chore for me to play. When baseball is no longer fun, it's no longer a game." Joe DiMaggio had always been a leader by example through his hard work and devotion. When he felt he could no longer lead his team, and that he was not able to enjoy his life as an athlete, he felt his time as a ballplayer was over. According to her autobiography, Marilyn Monroe did not want to meet DiMaggio, fearing he was a stereotypical jock. Both were at different points in their lives: the just-retired Joe wanted to settle down; Marilyn's career was taking off. Their elopement at San Francisco City Hall on January 14, 1954 was the culmination of a courtship that had captivated the nation. The relationship was loving yet complex, marred by his jealousy and her ambition, and she filed for divorce on grounds of mental cruelty 274 days after the wedding. DiMaggio re-entered Marilyn's life as her marriage to Arthur Miller was ending. On 10 February 1961, he secured her release from Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic. She joined him in Florida where he was a batting coach for the Yankees. Their "just friends" claim did not stop remarriage rumors from flying. Reporters staked out her apartment building. Bob Hope "dedicated" Best Song nominee "The Second Time Around" to them at the 33rd Academy Awards. According to Maury Allen, Joe was so alarmed at how Marilyn had fallen in with people he felt detrimental to her (including Frank Sinatra and his "Rat Pack"), he quit his job with a military post-exchange supplier on 1 August 1962 to ask her to remarry him; she was found dead on August 5. Her death was deemed a probable suicide but has been the subject of endless conspiracy theories. Devastated, he claimed her body and arranged her funeral, barring Hollywood's elite. He had a half-dozen red roses delivered 3 times a week to her crypt for 20 years. Unlike her other two husbands or others who knew her (or claimed to) he refused to talk about her publicly or otherwise exploit their relationship. He never remarried. Following lung cancer surgery on October 14, 1998, DiMaggio fell ill again December 11, and died on March 8, 1999. In his eulogy, Dom DiMaggio declared that his brother had everything "except the right woman to share his life with", a remark seeming to confirm the family's disapproval of Monroe. Richard Ben Cramer told the New York Times that Dom cooperated with him on his controversial biography, and got other family members to do likewise. In an eerie coincidence, Joe DiMaggio's estranged son, Joe, Jr., died later that same year. There have been numerous mentions and references to DiMaggio in pop culture, including songs, movies, television shows, broadway plays, and even in Hemingway's The Old Man And The Sea. At the time of his retirement, he had the fifth-most career home runs (361) and sixth-highest slugging percentage (.579) in history. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak (May 15–July 16, 1941). A 1969 poll conducted to coincide with the centennial of professional baseball voted him the sport's greatest living player. John Samuel Vander Meer (The Dutch Master or Double No-Hit) was born in Prospect Park, NJ and died in 1997 in Tampa, FL. He played major league baseball from 1937 to 1951 as pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians, appeared in the 1940 World Series, and was selected 4 times as an All-Star. Vander Meer is the only pitcher in major league history to pitch two consecutive no-hitters. On June 11, 1938, he no-hit the Boston Braves at Crosley Field. Four nights later, in the first night game played at Ebbets Field, he no-hit the Brooklyn Dodgers. After his double no-hit achievement, Reds' management wanted Vander Meer to change his uniform number to "00." He politely refused. In 1952, having washed out of the majors, Vander Meer was still hanging on to the game, pitching in the Texas League for Tulsa. Fourteen years after he made history in the majors, Vander Meer no-hit Beaumont 12-0. Vander Meer was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1958. SKU: XP13248
Item: XP13248
|