DATE: 1970s ORIGINAL or REPRINT: Type 3 - Second or later-generation photo, printed from a duplicate negative or wire photo process, within about 2 years of when it was shot TEAM: New York Yankees SUBJECTS: Oscar Gamble, Whitey Ford, Elston Howard, Bill Virdon APPROXIMATE SIZE: 6-5/8"x10-1/2" to 8"x11" NUMBER OF PHOTOS: 3 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: Oscar Charles Gamble was born in 1949 in Ramer, AL and died in 2018 in Birmingham, AL. He played major league baseball from 1969 to 1985 as outfielder for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, and the Texas Rangers, and appeared in the 1976 and 1981 World Series. Gamble was discovered playing baseball in a semi-professional league by legendary Negro League baseball player Buck O'Neil, who was working as a scout for the Chicago Cubs at the time. O'Neil convinced the Cubs to draft Gamble, which they did in the sixteenth round. He was nicknamed the Big O by Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto. Unlike some players who failed to cope with the New York media, Oscar thrived on it, and was always a favorite with sportswriters. Gamble, whose hitting prowess was overshadowed by his famously large Afro hair, has the distinction of logging the last hit and RBI at Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium on October 1, 1970. His 10th-inning single gave the Phillies the 2-1 win in the stadium's final game. Coincidentally, that feat was also overshadowed as unruly fans stormed the field during and after the game to claim bases, infield dirt, seats, and other various stadium items. Edward Charles Ford (The Chairman of the Board and Slick) was born in 1928 in New York, NY and died in 2020 in Lake Success, NY. He played major league baseball from 1950 to 1967 as pitcher for the New York Yankees, appeared in the 1950, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964 World Series, was selected 8 times as an All-Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. He was voted the AL Rookie of the Year in 1950 by The Sporting News, and won the Cy Young Award in 1961. After his career ended, Ford admitted to occasionally cheating by doctoring baseballs in various ways, such as the "mudball," which could only be used at home in Yankee Stadium: Yankee groundskeepers would wet down an area near the catcher's box where Yankee catcher Elston Howard was positioned; pretending to lose balance on a pitch while in his crouch and landing on his right hand (with the ball in it), Howard would coat one side of the ball with mud. Ford would sometimes use the diamond in his wedding ring to gouge the ball, but he was eventually caught by an umpire and warned to stop; Howard then sharpened a buckle on his shinguard and used it to scuff the ball. In 1977, Ford was part of the broadcast team for the first game in Toronto Blue Jays history. In 1999, Ford ranked 52nd on The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 2003, Ford was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame. In 2002, Ford opened up "Whitey Ford's Cafe," a sports-themed restaurant and bar next to Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York. It lasted less than a year before it closed down. In Slick: My Life In And Around Baseball, Ford wrote "I didn't begin cheating until late in my career, when I needed something to help me survive. I didn't cheat when I won the twenty-five games in 1961. I don't want anybody to get any ideas and take my Cy Young Award away. And I didn't cheat in 1963 when I won twenty-four games. Well, maybe a little." Elston Gene Howard was born in 1929 in St. Louis, MO and died in 1980 in New York, NY. He played major league baseball from 1955 to 1968 as outfielder for the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, appeared in the 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967 World Series, and was selected 9 times as an All-Star. Howard was the 1963 American League MVP, and earned Gold Glove Awards in 1963 and 1964. Howard was a trendsetter in many ways. In addition to being the first African-American Yankee, he is also widely credited as the creator of the batting donut. William Charles Virdon was born in 1931 in Hazel Park, MI and died in 2021 in Springfield, MO. He played major league baseball from 1955 to 1968 as outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, and appeared in the 1960 World Series. Virdon was the 1955 National League Rookie of the Year. Following the 1965 season, Virdon was released by the Pirates and joined the New York Mets organization as a minor league manager. He led the Williamsport Mets in 1966 and the Jacksonville Suns in 1967 before rejoining the Pittsburgh Pirates as a player-coach in 1968. He became a full-time coach for the club the following season. In 1972, Virdon became the Pirates manager, and he led the team to an NL East division title, losing the NLCS to the Cincinnati Reds. However, star Roberto Clemente was killed in a plane crash during the offseason, and the club played sub-.500 ball the following year, costing Virdon his job late in the season. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner hired him to manage his team in 1975, and under his leadership, New York improved from fourth to second place. Yet once again, he did not last long as skipper. During his second season at the helm, he was fired by Steinbrenner and replaced by Billy Martin in the first of his many stints as Yankees manager. Less than a month after being fired by the Yankees, Virdon was hired by the Houston Astros to replace Preston Gomez as manager, remaining in that position until 1982 when the Astros fell to fifth place and Virdon was let go late in the season. He became manager of the Montreal Expos in 1983, but after a year and a half at the helm, he was replaced by Jim Fanning. He eventually returned to the Pirates as a coach in 1986 and spent time as the organization's roving outfield instructor. He later was a Astros coach in 1997 and a member of the Pirates staff again in 2001 and 2002. SKU: XP11880
Item: XP11880
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