Jun 12 at 12:00 PM - Sale 2708 -
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Sale 2708 - Lot 180

Estimate: $ 1,500 - $ 2,500
(SPORTS--BASEBALL.) Letters from Dead Ball Era legends Sam Crawford and Chief Meyers, to the author of "Glory of their Times." 2 Autograph Letters Signed to Larry Ritter. One of them signed "Wahoo Sam Crawford," 5 pages, 10¾ x 8½ inches; bound with one staple, horizontal fold, lacking a bit of corner in the margin of the final page. Baywood Park, CA, 3 April 1964.

The other signed "Chief Meyers," one page, 11 x 8½ inches; mailing folds, a bit smudged, album mount residue on verso. Rialto, CA, 29 October 1966. California, 1964 and 1966
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Additional Details

These letters were written to Lawrence "Larry" Ritter (1922-2004), author of "The Glory of their Times," a 1966 collection of oral histories which is often cited as one of the greatest books on baseball. Ritter, a New York economics professor by profession, traveled across the country interviewing forgotten stars of early 20th-century baseball. The book played an important role in increasing interest in baseball history--and particularly, interest in his 22 main interview subjects. Ritter remained friendly with many of the old ballplayers after interviewing them, and distributed most of his substantial royalties to them for decades.

Ritter's most challenging interview subject to track down was Samuel E. "Wahoo Sam" Crawford (1880-1968), a Hall of Fame right fielder with the Detroit Tigers who played alongside Ty Cobb for many years; he still holds the career record for triples. Ritter could not obtain the reclusive Crawford's address, but a variety of clues led him to the California coast north of Los Angeles. As Ritter recounted in the preface to "Glory of their Times": "On the morning of the fifth day, frustrated and disappointed, I took some wash to the local laundromat and disgustedly sat watching the clothes spin. Seated next to me was a tall, elderly gentleman reading a frayed paperback. Idly, I asked if he had ever heard of Sam Crawford, the old ballplayer. ‘Well, I should certainly hope so,' he said, ‘bein' as I'm him.'"

The Crawford letter offered here was written not long after their interview, with the feisty 83-year-old ballplayer reflecting on the conversation: "I would appreciate it very much if you would handle the White Sox scandal very carefully, and also the McGraw story, as Mrs. McGraw is still living in N.Y. and might resent it." Crawford finished his major league career with an official 2,961 hits, but he considered himself a member of the exclusive 3,000-hit club, based on his minor-league work in 1899: "I was able to get into the select group of players who had made over 3000 hits. This was made possible by my playing in the old Western League, which was really the beginning of the American League. . . . I went along for 40 years thinking I had the 3000 hits. Then comes my election to the Hall of Fame and I find out they are going to put on my plaque less. . . . I have been pretty sore at baseball over this deal, and I am sure glad Prof. Ritter and his book appeared on the baseball scene at this time. . . . I am going to be terribly disappointed in [Hall of Fame president] Paul Kerr if he don't right this wrong, and give me what is rightfully mine."

Crawford also regrets not talking about his invention, a "bat that was almost unbreakable. I had a patent on it. It was made of hickory and was of 4 pieces laminated. . . . Ruth was leading the league with the Crawford bat. . . . My bat was getting quite a lot of publicity. Spalding had an option on it." However, the baseball commissioner declared the bat illegal: "All Landis had to do was say the bat was OK and the Wahoo would be sitting pretty good. So all in all I got a rotten deal in baseball. . . . Judge Landis I always considered a spotlight loving windbag."

The second letter is much shorter. John T. "Chief" Meyers (1880-1971) was a star catcher and field leader for the New York Giants in the early 1910s. The son of a basket maker from the Cahuilla nation of California, he attended Dartmouth College and was one of the more erudite ballplayers of his day, but faced discrimination because of his American Indian heritage. In retirement he led the Association of Professional Ball Players of America, a charity which aided indigent ex-ballplayers; the letter is written on their letterhead. It was written shortly after the publication of "Glory of their Times"; Ritter had apparently sent a royalty check. Meyers writes: "Most greatful for the Saturday Post check just rec'd, $138.89. Do hope you can make it out our way this winter some time, and have a get together of us California old timers. May help the book--or does it need any help? Do keep well, my good friend."

Provenance: gift from Ritter to fellow baseball writer Darrell Berger, January 1994. Berger wrote about their first meeting in "A Glorious Afternoon with Larry Ritter" (Baseball Hobby News, January 1991). They were both later members of an informal club of New York-area baseball writers which was documented in a 13 October 2002 New York Times article, "The Ballpark of Memory." Ritter sent these letters to Berger unsolicited, knowing that Berger was a Tigers fan. Attached to Crawford's letter is Ritter's Post-It note: "Darrell: A Couple of autographs for your collection. Larry." Ritter's postmarked envelope addressed to Berger is also included.

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