Hall of Fame catcher Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett picked up his nickname as an ironic bit of humor since, as a young Major Leaguer, he was very shy and seldom spoke. Presented is a stunning, twice-signed Official Little League ball, signed by Hartnett: once on the sweet spot as Leo "Gabby" Hartnett and once near the label as "Gabby" Hartnett. Gabby was a 6-time All-Star who batted a career .297, with 236 home runs - at his retirement the all-time record for a catcher. Hartnett played from 1922-40 on the Chicago Cubs, and he finished his playing career with a season on the New York Giants in 1941. Hartnett was the NL MVP in 1935, and he was the player-manager of the Cubs from 1938-40. Hartnett achieved some acclaim on April 1, 1930, in Los Angeles, when he caught a baseball dropped from a Goodyear blimp somewhere between 550 and 800 feet in the air. Hartnett was in the news again on Sept. 9, 1931, in an exhibition game against the Chicago White Sox, when he was photographed signing an autograph for notorious gangster Al Capone. Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis chastised Hartnett in writing and told him to never again be photographed with Capone. Hartnett wrote back to Commissioner Landis: "Okay, but the next time you don't want me photographed with Al Capone, you tell him."

Hartnett's best on-field moment occurred on Sept. 28, 1938, at Wrigley Field in a key late-season pennant race contest against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates had a half-game lead with less than a week to play in the season. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with the game about to be called because of darkness in the lightless stadium, Hartnett was batting with two out and an 0-2 count. Hartnett then homered into the darkness in left-center field to take the Cubs into first place. The Cubs went on to win the pennant. The homer is forever known as "The Homer in the Gloamin'." Hartnett signed both neatly scripted autographs in black fountain ink. The offering comes with a PSA/DNA Letter of Grading and Authenticity (CERT. NUMBER: AE07861). The aforementioned PSA/DNA Letter shows an OVERALL GRADE: 9, and for Hartnett's autographs - Sweet Spot: [MINT] 9, and North Panel: [MINT] 9. The signed MacGregor ball is in EXCELLENT to MINT condition.

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