The initial owner of the book had only two signatures in the
book, herself and her husband, dated December 25, 1909. She later gave this
book as a gift to its second owner, Will Wedge, who was a sports writer for the
New York Sun. He was also the librarian at the Baseball HOF in Cooperstown, late
in his career, according to his daughter. Wedge, (who for many years brought
his daughter along with him while covering sports) filled this book with different
autographs, and in 1949 obtained the signatures of many well known sports writers and sports broadcasters,
as well as baseball coaches, managers, owners and other prominent sports figures of the day, including the majority of the New York Yankees baseball team. I spoke on two occasions with Wedges’ now 88 year old daughter, whose name was on the inside cover of the book which fortunately allowed me to locate her. The discussion that took place was like going back in time and was an amazing history lesson. She remembered most of those that signed the book and was very close to a number of them.
as well as baseball coaches, managers, owners and other prominent sports figures of the day, including the majority of the New York Yankees baseball team. I spoke on two occasions with Wedges’ now 88 year old daughter, whose name was on the inside cover of the book which fortunately allowed me to locate her. The discussion that took place was like going back in time and was an amazing history lesson. She remembered most of those that signed the book and was very close to a number of them.
Below, we are attaching copies of many of the original
signed pages. Most entries list where and when the autograph was obtained and a
short description of who the individual was. This is a unique compilation and
one that has an intriguing and dramatic story to go with it, best not covered
in this forum.
We wanted to share this treasure in hopes that you find it
as fascinating as we do. We do not know of another source of sports writers' and broadcasters' autographs.
Please note that any difference in page coloring is due to our scanner.
Please note that any difference in page coloring is due to our scanner.
The
Ghosts of My Friends (transcription)
Sid Keener:
Tuesday
night 30 August 1949 in Press Box Sportsmans Park, St. Louis.
Sports
columnist St. Louis Star-Times.
Jeanette Kyle (x2)
Charles (Chas.) A. Singer:
Press
Box, Briggs Stadium, Detroit – 23-August-1949.
W.U.
Operator Detroit
D. Bradley Kyle (x2)
10
Sept 1949 at Yankee Stadium Press Box
Newark
(N.J.) News 215 Market Street Newark NJ
Dan M. Daniel:
August
13-1949 in Phil.
N.Y.
World-Telegram Sports Dept.
Curt Gowdy:
Sunday
21 August 1949
at
Private Dining Room
Connie
Mack Day Dinner
Connie’s
A’s 8 N.Y. Yankees 7
64,323
Crowd
Announcer
of the Mel Allen – Larry Allen – Al Werner + Gowdy Radio Team
Mel Allen (x2):
13
August 1949
Radio
Broadcaster
L.M. Schnoberger:
Wednesday
24 Aug. 1949
Chief
Operator Western Union Telegram Co. at Briggs Stadium, Detroit
(Det.
Tigers 13 Yankees 2)
N.Y.
Yankees finals 1949 game in Detroit
3089
Drexel Ave, Detroit 15, Mich
Tommy Leach:
At
Shibe Park, Phila. 13 Aug 1949
3b
+ outfielder Pirates (Haines City, Florida
A.L. Brandes:
Saturday,
27 August 1949
Press
Box Cleveland Stadium
N.Y.
Yankee 4-9-1
Cleve
Indians 0-2-0
Lefty
Tommy Byrne winner
Ladies
Day Crowd of 82,747 including 60,887 Paid
Western
Union Telegraph Chief at Cleveland ballpark
7403
Arder Ave
Parma
Ohio
David Levin (x2):
2536
N.29S9: Western Union Phila. Morse Operator.
Mike Siegel:
Sunday,
28 August 1949 at Press Box, Comiskey Park Chicago,
Western
Union Operator Chicago
Frank Scott (Little Jock):
13
August 1949
Road
Secretary, N.Y. Yankees B.B. Team at The Warwick Hotelm Phila., PA.
Locust
Street at 17th.
Billy Johnson:
14
Aug. 1949 at Shibe Park Phila, Pa
3v-1b
1949 N.Y. Yankees
John Drebinger:
14
Aug. 1949 in Philly
N.Y.
Times sports staff of Rockaville Center L.J. and alumnus (1923) of old N.Y.
Evening Globe
Lefty Tommy Byrne:
In
the lobby of the Muehleback Hotel Kansas City, Mo
29
August, 1949
N.Y.
Yankee starting pitcher
Ben Epstein:
13
August 1949
N.Y.
Daily Mirror
Bill Sulzer:
Tues
Night 30 Aug 1949 in Press Box – Sportsman Park, St. Louis
Briwns
beat Yankees, 6-2 Al Papai over Ed Lopat
W.U.
Chief Operator in St. Louis Ball Park
Will Wedge:
Gus Mauch:
In
Washington D.C. 3 Sept. 1949
N.Y.
Yankee Trainer
8007-32
Ave
Jackson
Height New York.
Arthur (Red) Patterson:
Publicity
Director for N.Y. Yankees and former N.Y. Herald-Tribune scribe
Al Werner:
Aug.
31 1949 at Chase Hotel St. Louis Mo
Radio
Technician for N.Y. Yankees Broadcasting
105
Buckingham Rd Brooklyn 26 N.Y.
Art Morrow:
15
Aug. 1949 at Shibe Park
Phila
Inquirer
Charlie Silvera:
Wednesday
Night 31 August 1949 in visitors’ dugout, Sportsman Park
St.
Louis, Mo.
Ed
Sinclair:
13
August 1949 in Phila Pa
100
Washington Ave,
Suffern,
N.Y.
NY.
Herald-Tribune Sports Staff
Frankie Crosetti:
31
Aug. 1949 visitors’ dugout, Sportsman Park St. Lois, Mo.
Yankee
BB coach and former shortstop – from Cow Hollow San Francisco, Cal.
Hugh Bradley:
13
Aug. 1949 at Shibe Park, Phila.
N.Y.
Journal-American sports staff
Phil Rizzuto:
7
Sept. 1949 in Home team club house Yankee Stadium
SS
N.Y. Yankees
E
Joe Trimble:
14
Aug. 1949 in Phila, Pa
Graduated
1936 St. John’s College, Brooklyn
N.Y.
Daily News (Tabloid)
World’s
biggest circulation
Vic Raschi:
Night
game, Wed. 31 August 194
9
Visitors’
Dugout, Sportsmans Park St. Louis, Mo.
Right
handed pitcher N.Y. Yankees
Won
21 games in 1949, lost 10
Including
pennant clincher vs. Red Sox
Rod McNamee:
At
Shibe Park Press Box
13
August 1949
Park
employee of Phila A’s
Harry Mitauer:
Wednesday
Night 31 August 1949
Press
Box, Sportsmans Park, St. Louis, Mo
Globe-Democrat-St.
Louis scribe
Jim Davis:
13
August 1949
Press
Box Stewart Shibe Park – Phila.
Lawrence (Yogi) Berra:
In
Dining Car, Sept. 2, 1949.
On
Penney Ry., near Johnstown Pa.
In route
from St. Louis to Wash. D.C.
N.Y.
Yankees catcher 24 years old
Stuart M. Boggs:
15
August 1949 in Press Box
Shibe
Park Phila, PA.
Chief
Operator, Western Union at Philadelphia Baseball Park
Lefty Ed (Red) Lopat:
In
the new dressing room + clubhouse for visiting players at Griffith Stadium
Saturday,
3 September 1949 Washington, D.C.
Pitcher
N.Y. Yankees
Jerry Mitchell:
13
August 1949 at Shibe Park Phila, Pa.
333
East 43rd
Tudor
City New York, N.Y.
N.Y.
Evening Post
Lefty Joe Page:
In
Locker Room of Visiting club at Griffith Stadium
Georgia
Avenue + “U” Street
Washington,
D.C.
Satruday,
3 September 1949
Relief
pitcher N.Y. Yankees B.B. Club
Took
part in 60 games in 1949, plus 3 in World Series
Jack Wildman:
In
Press Room – Clark Griffith Stadium
Washington,
D.C. Sat. 3 September 1949
Chief
Operator Griffith Stadium, Wash. D.C.
Mrs. Hugh Bradley:
August
14, 1949
At
Hotel Warwick, Philadelphia
Wife
of N.Y. Journal-American scribe
George E. Little:
7
Sept 1949 at Entrance of Yankee Stadium
Athletic
Director of Rutgers University (future home of College Football Hall of Fame)
Allie (Chief Wahoo) Reynolds:
In
the lobby – Warwick Hotel, Phila, Pa.
Sunday
August 14, 1949
(Reynolds
beaten 4-3 in second half of double header, by lefty Alex Kellnert A’s, Sun.
Aug 14, 1949.)
N.Y.
Yankees right handed starting pitcher.
Tommy Henrich:
7
Sept. 1949 in Medical Alcove of Home Club’s Dining Room at Yankee Stadium
1b
+ R.F. 1949 N.Y. Yankees
Mrs. Joe Trimble:
14
Aug. 1949
At
Warwick Hotel Phila, Pa
Wife
N.Y. Daily News Scribe
Dr. Sidney Gaynor:
7
Sept. 1949
Yankee
Stadium Medical + Rubbing Room
N.Y.
Yankees Team Physician
Of
Lenox Hill Hospital
Frank Shea, Hank Bauer:
R.H.P.
N.Y. Yankee – arm trouble in 1949
Gerald (Jerry) Coleman:
Rookie
2b 1949 N.Y. Yankees
Hank Bauer:
In
Phila. 14 August 1949
4
years in U.S. Marine Corps – 35 Months overseas as Platoon Sargeant, 4th
Marine Reg. 6th Marine Division 10th Army Okinawa.
Outfielder,
N.Y. Yankees
Pipe-fitter
in Kansas City, Mo in off-season
Bobby Brown:
7
Sept. 1949 – Wednesday Evening in Yankee Locker Room
Just
before the game which the Yankees won, 5-2, from RED SOX, with Bobby Brown
hitting a two-run homer in 8th inning off “Handsome Jack” Kramer,
before 66,875 crowd.
3b,
N.Y. Yankee and Tulane University medical student
Al Lang:
14
August 1949 in Phila, Pa
Of
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Florida’s
Baseball Ambassador
William (Bill) Malcolm Dickey:
Wed.
Night Sept 7, 1949 in Yankee Stadium home tea locker room
Former
star catcher + 1949 coach of N.Y. Yankees
Larry Allen:
Statistician
of his brother, Mel Allen, on Yankee Broadcasting program
Cliff Mapes:
RF
– N.Y. Yankees (fine throwing arm)
Eddie Murphy:
Sept.
9, 1949 in N.Y. Sun Sports Dept.
Baseball
expert, now in charge of Night Desk in Sports Sept. N.Y. SUN paper
567-16th
St. Brooklyn, N.Y.
Nick Wedge
Gus Niarhos:
18
August 1949 at Yankee Stadium
Catcher
(Greek-Amer. from Birmingham, ALA) N.Y. Yankees B.B. Team
William Waite:
August
17th, 1949
Bartender,
N.Y. Yankees Stadium Press Box
Born
in Balboa, Panama
Joe Dimaggio:
before
Night game of Sept. 7, 1949 on stool in front of “The Yankee Clipper” locker in
Club House
hitting
.351 as of Sept 7 1949
34
year old
center
fielder of N.Y. Yankees
Jack Farrell (x2):
Secretary
in N.Y. Yankees office
In
charge of players speaking engagements
Howard Smith:
Thursday
Sept. 8 1949 in Press Box Yankee Stadium (Rain out of game with Red Sox)
Chief
Operator Western Union Telegraph Co. at Yankee Stadium
Fred Down:
In
Press Box, Yankee Stadium
Friday,
9 September 1949
N.Y.
Sun sports staff
651
21st 188 Street N.Y.C.
Ed Fisher (x2):
N.Y.
Yankee Enterprises
Archie Down:
N.Y.
Sun, Copy Cutter
Composing
Room Staff (Night Side)
85
Bronx River Road
Yonkers,
NY
Humbert B. O’Byrne:
August
17/49
El
Tiempo
Bogota-Colombia
202-W
102 St. Apt. #4-W
Joe King:
Sun
– Sept. 11, 1949
N.Y.
World – Telegram Sport sports staff
And
as of September 1949
The
“Ghost Writer” for Joe DiMaggio, in a new World-Telly + Scripps-Howard
Syndicate feature
“Joe
DiMaggio on The Pennant Race”
Lester Raymond Goodman:
18
Aug. 1949 in Press Box, Yankee Stadium
of
the Elias Baseball Bureau, (averages + statistics) 11 West 42nd St,
N.Y. City
Julius O. Alder, Jr.:
Sunday,
11 September 1949 – Press Box Yankee Stadium
Son
of one of the chief executives of the N.Y. Times
Sen
(Julius Alder, Sr.) also head of N.Y. National Award
Aaron Lanier:
Auditor,
N.Y. Yankees B.B. Club
Frank True:
of
N.Y. Sun sports staff (from K.C., Mo)
34-10
84th street Jackson Heights, N.Y.
J.P. Rust:
The
Night of the Dedication of Babe Ruth Plaza on 161st north of Yankee
Stadium
17
August 1949
210
West 55th St.
N.Y.C.
19. NY.
Herb Goren:
Sunday
Night, 11 Sept. 1949 at N.Y. Sun office
280
Broadway
N.Y.
Sun sports staff
2865
Ocean Ave
Brooklyn,
N.Y.
Walter M. Lindley:
At
Yankee Stadium Press Box
Thursday,
18 august 1949
9
Evelyn Ave
Westbury
N.Y.
W.U.
Operator
(Colonel) Dave Francis Egan:
Friday,
9 Sept. 1949 in Press Box Yankee Stadium
Score
– Red Sox 7 – Yankees 1 – Ellis Kinder – pitcher – winner of this 19th
victory of season (5 lost)
Losing
pitcher Ed Lopat
Boston
sports Columnist
Graduate
of Harvard (law)
Frank Conniff:
Columnist
“East Side, West Side”
N.Y.
Journal-American
Ted Smits:
In
Press Box, Yankee Stadium
Friday
Sept. 9, 1949 (Red Sox 7, Yankees 1 – 53,548 crowd)
Associated
Press (sports editor)
50
Rockefeller Plaza, N.Y.C.
J. Ira Seebacher:
At
Yankee Stadium – 161st + River, the Bronx
18
August 1949
N.Y.
Morning Telegraph
(the
bible of Race Horse players)
Joe Williams:
In
N.Y. Yankee Stadium locker room
8
Sept. 1949
Sports
Columnist N.Y. World-Telegram
Dana Mozley (x2):
In
Press Box at Yankee Stadium
18
August 1949
N.Y.
Daily News Sports Dept
Willard Mullin:
Sept.
8, 1949 in Yankee Locker Room Yankee Stadium
Rain
- + postponement with Red Sox
Sports
Columnist, N.Y. World Telly and Scripps – Howard papers
Joseph J. Barriskill:
Sunday
21 august 1949 in Press Box, Yankee Stadium
press
box chief – Yankee Stadium
from
Belfast, Ireland – former soccer player + Olympic official
James (Jimmy) J. Cannon:
In
N.Y. Yankee Club House
8
September 1949
Sports
Columnist N.Y. Evening Post
Arlie (Arlington) Latham:
Sunday,
21 August 1949 – Connie (86 yr. old) Mack Day Yankee Stadium
Latham:
born West Labanoa, N.H., 15 March 1859
One
time 3b for St. Louis Bronces of old Amer. Ass’n back in the 1880’s
90
years old attendant at Press Box Yankee Stadium
111
– Seventh St. Apt. 205
Garden
City L.2 N.Y.
(Chas.
L. (Chief) Zimmer (catcher for Cy Young) died Aug. 22, 1949 at age of 88 (or 90
as claimed in obit)
Dave Rall:
September
7, 1949 Yankee Stadium
1703
Washington Ave, Bronx 57 N.Y.
Western
Union, Morse operator on A.P. + N.Y. Sun wire
Joe Sheehan:
Yankees5
Senators 4
18
August 1949
N.Y.
Times, Sports Staff
201
Dogwood Road, Valley Stream, N.Y.
Charley (King Kong) Keller:
In
Pullman Car “Alleghauy County” (Y3) on Pennsy Ry., on route to Washington D.C.
from St. Louis – Friday Sept. 2, 1949
N.Y.
Yankee outfielder
Sol Habel:
Rainy
Thursday, 18 August 1949 at Yankee Stadium
Western
Union operator
2083
Clinton Ave
Bronx
57, N.Y.
Danny Menendez:
19
August 1949 at Hotel Muehlebach, K.C. 6, Mo
General
Manager of Kansas City Blues of Amer. Ass’n
Formerly
the Denver, Co. Club
Edw. P. Duffy:
At
office of NY Sun Paper – 280 B’way
18
August 1949
Of
N.Y. Sun sports staff
Residence:
173 Passaie Avenue, Mifley, U.J.
Clarence (Brick) Laws:
In
the Truman Presidential Suite – 11th Floor Hotel Muehlebach in
Kansas City, Mo
29
Aug. 1949
President
Oakland, Calif. Pacific Coast League Club
Harry H. Magovsky
Jim (The Milkman) Turner:
On
Pullman Car “McReynolds” or the “Y1” of Yankees’ two-car caravan on N.Y.
Central Ry, going from Detroit to Cleveland
Wednesday
Aug 24 1949
N.Y.
Yankee Coach
1004
Wordmont Blvd Nashville, Tenn Jim turner’s residence
George M. Weiss:
Saturday,
20 Aug. 1949 in the Bar, Yankee Stadium
7-3
over A’s
66,912
Ladies Day Crowd
General
Manager N.Y. Yankees
Bill Skiff:
Mon.
29 August 1949 Night Game at Blues Stadium Kansas City, Mo
19,808
Exhibition game attendance
K.C.
Blues 11-17-0
N.Y.
Yankees 3-6-0
22nd
Brooklyn St. K.C., Mo.
Manager
of the Kansas City Blues of Amer. Ass’n. + resident of New Rochelle, N.Y.
Charles Dillon (Casey) Stengel:
Tues.
23 August 1949 in visitors’ Dugout, Briggs Stadium Detroit Mich
Manager
N.Y. Yankees Baseball Club
Del Webb:
Monday,
29 August 1949 in Room 1136 – The Harry Truman Presidential Suite Hotel
Muehlebach
Kansas
City, Mo. 12th + Baltimore Streets
Vice
President of N.Y. Yankees B.B. Club + Pres. of Kansas City Blues.
Johnny Mize:
Tues. Aug, 23, 1949. Locker room, Briggs Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, the day after his (Mize) sale to the Giants by the Yankees.
1b, a stockholder in a Florida Orange Juice Company. De Leone Springs, Fla, Box 106. In New York City – Park Vandome Apts, 57th Street.
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