DATE: 1949 ORIGINAL or REPRINT: Type 1 Original - Printed from the original negative within about 2 years of when it was shot TEAM: Brooklyn Dodgers SUBJECTS: Roy Campanella, Phil Rizzuto, Pee Wee Reese, Eddie Miksis, Frank Crosetti APPROXIMATE SIZE: 9"x7-1/8" NUMBER OF PHOTOS: 1 COMMENTS / CONDITION: This is one of a number of photos to be offered which hail the personal collection of All-Star player and manager Eddie Stanky. 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: Roy Campanella (Campy) was born in 1921 in Philadelphia, PA and died in 1993 in Woodland Hills, CA. He played major league baseball from 1948 to 1957 as catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, appeared in the 1947, 1952, 1953, 1955 and 1956 World Series, was selected 8 times as an All-Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. He was voted National League MVP 3 times (1951, 1953 and 1955). Campanella learned to speak Spanish rather well thanks to his winter-ball exposure. He would later help Spanish-speaking teammates such as Sandy Amorós. One of the top sluggers of his era, he finished third in the league in homers twice and was fifth once, peaking at 41 long balls. On January 28, 1958, Campanella was involved in a career-ending automobile accident that left him permanently paralyzed. He never played a game in the majors after age 35. He played for the last Brooklyn club and never played for a Los Angeles Dodgers team. Roy Campanella was a surprisingly busy man after he got out of the hospital in late 1958. His health was delicate, but he was still tending to his business ventures (and the misadventures of his wayward stepson David). He attended spring training at Vero Beach and went out to Los Angeles for the big night in his honor at the Los Angeles Coliseum on May 7, 1959. Attendance was 93,103. He appeared at Yonkers Raceway on July 1. In August, he even acted in an episode of the TV show Lassie. Among all these other activities he fit in the formation of a semi-pro ballclub at Ebbets Field called the Brooklyn Stars. Before he died of a heart attack on June 26, 1993, he had continued to serve as an instructor at spring training and as a member of the Dodgers' community-service division in Los Angeles. Philip Francis Rizzuto (Scooter) was born in Brooklyn, NY and died in 2007 in West Orange, NJ. He played major league baseball from 1941 to 1956 as shortstop for the New York Yankees, appeared in 9 World Series, was selected 5 times as an All-Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994. In 1950, he also won the Hickok Belt, awarded to the top professional athlete of the year, and was named Major League Player of the Year by The Sporting News. He was voted top major league shortstop by The Sporting News four consecutive years (1949-1952). Rizzuto later enjoyed a 40-year career as a radio and television sports announcer for the Yankees, becoming known for his popular but idiosyncratic style. Rizzuto broadcast Yankee games on radio and television for the next 40 years. His popular catchphrase was ''Holy cow.'' Rizzuto also became known for saying ''Unbelievable!'' ''Oh, man'' or ''Did you see that?'' to describe a great play, and would call somebody a ''huckleberry'' if he did something Rizzuto didn't like. He would frequently wish listeners a happy birthday or anniversary, send get-well wishes to fans in hospitals, and speak well of restaurants he liked, or of the cannoli he ate between innings. He also joked about leaving the game early, saying to his wife, ''I'll be home soon, Cora!'' and ''I gotta get over that bridge'', referring to the nearby George Washington Bridge, which he would use to get back to his home in Hillside. In later years, Rizzuto would announce the first six innings of Yankee games; the TV director would sometimes puckishly show a shot of the bridge (which can be seen from the top of Yankee Stadium) after Rizzuto had departed. Rizzuto was also very phobic about lightning, and sometimes left the booth following violent thunderclaps. Rizzuto was the longtime celebrity spokesman in TV ads for The Money Store. He was their spokesman for nearly 20 years, from the 1970s into the 1990s. He also served for a number of years as the commercial spokesperson for Yoo-Hoo chocolate beverages. Rizzuto did a 5-minute weekday evening sports show (''It's Sports Time with Phil Rizzuto'') from 1957 to 1977. In Rizzuto's obituary, The New York Times recalled a play that had occurred on September 17, 1951, with the Yankees and Cleveland Indians tied for first place and just 12 games left in the season: Rizzuto was at bat (he was righthanded) against Bob Lemon of the Cleveland Indians. It was the bottom of the ninth inning, in the middle of a pennant chase. The score was tied at 1. DiMaggio was on third base. Rizzuto took Lemon’s first pitch, a called strike, and argued the call with the umpire. That gave him time to grab his bat from both ends, the sign to DiMaggio that a squeeze play was on for the next pitch. But DiMaggio broke early, surprising Rizzuto. Lemon, seeing what was happening, threw high, to avoid a bunt, aiming behind Rizzuto. But with Joltin’ Joe bearing down on him, Rizzuto got his bat up in time to lay down a bunt. ''If I didn’t bunt, the pitch would’ve hit me right in the head,'' Rizzuto said. ''I bunted it with both feet off the ground, but I got it off toward first base.'' DiMaggio scored the winning run. Stengel called it ''the greatest play I ever saw.'' As the winning run scored, Lemon angrily threw both the ball and his pitching glove into the stands. Harold Henry Reese was born in 1918 in Ekron, KY and died in 1999 in Louisville, KY. He played major league baseball from 1940 to 1958 as shortstop for the Dodgers (Brooklyn & LA), appeared in 7 World Series, was selected 10 times as an All-Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. One of the most popular players with both his teammates and the fans, the "Little Colonel" was the Dodger's team captain, and he, not the manager, brought out the line-up card at the start of their games. Reese is also famous for his support of his teammate Jackie Robinson, the first modern African American player in the major leagues, especially in Robinson's difficult first years. Following his retirement as a player, Reese enjoyed considerable success as a play-by-play announcer on network television, calling games for CBS and NBC. Edward Thomas Miksis was born in Burlington, NJ and died in 2005 in Huntingdon Valley, PA. He played major league baseball from 1944 to 1958 as infielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles and the Cincinnati Reds, and appeared in the 1947 and 1949 World Series. Frank Peter Joseph Crosetti (Crow) was born in San Francisco, CA and died in 2002 in Stockton, CA. He played major league baseball from 1932 to 1948 as shortstop for the New York Yankees, appeared in the 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1942 and 1943 World Series, and was selected in 1936 and 1939 as an All-Star. Crosetti is the answer to a popular baseball trivia question: "Who has collected the most World Series checks in the history of baseball?" As a player and third base coach for the Yankees, Crosetti was part of 17 World Championship teams of 23 World Series participants overall, during 1932 through 1964. SKU: XP12368
Item: XP12368b
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