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Lot # 887: Edd Roush's Personal 1919 Cincinnati Reds Yearbook

Starting Bid: $500.00

Bids: 11 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed

Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "2023 Spring Classic",
which ran from 4/2/2023 7:00 PM to
4/22/2023 10:00 PM



Presented is Hall of Famer Edd Roush's personal copy of the 1919 Cincinnati Reds Yearbook, a particularly fascinating offering because the 1919 Reds were the winning team when certain members of the Chicago White Sox, forever known as "The Black Sox," fixed the World Series. Roush was a 2-time National League batting champion, and according to former Baseball Hall of Fame associate director Bill Guilfoile, "...probably the premier (defensive) center fielder of hie era." Roush played 18 seasons in the Major Leagues (1913-31) and is most remembered for his time with the Cincinnati Reds (1916-26 and 1931). Roush also played with the New York Giants, and Chicago White Sox as well as two teams in the Federal League, a short-lived third Major League: Newark Peppers and Indianapolis Hoosiers. Roush had a lifetime .323 batting average, with 2,376 hits. He was a place hitter who used a 48-ounce bat, one of the heaviest in Major League history. Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander said of Roush: "Of all the batters I have faced, Edd Roush and Ross Youngs are the trickiest. I won't say they are the hardest hitters but they are the trickiest, smartest." In the infamous '19 Black Sox World Series (a best-of-nine games affair), Cincinnati beat Chicago, 5 games to 3. Roush batted only .214, but drew three walks, was twice hit by pitches, had two doubles, a triple, scored six runs and drove in seven. The offered yearbook measures 4.5x7" and has 46 pages. The yearbook is entitled "Official Players Souvenir/The Reds of 1919." The yearbook features short biographies of 21 players and manager Pat Moran. With each player bio is a colorized head shot of the player superimposed over a drawing of the players dressed in a tie and jacket. What distinguishes the yearbook is that the biographies emphasize narrative over individual player statistics, so that each bio recounts the player's team history and strong points but is not filled with statistics. Famed football player and coach Alfred "Greasy" Neale, a Hall of Famer for both college and pro football, is in the yearbook as the Reds right fielder, and Neale batted .357 in the 1919 World Series. The advertisements in the yearbook also merit close attention because they depict the world of Cincinnati of over a century ago - an intriguing group of advertisements selling items of that era: player pianos, chewing tobacco, vintage autos, and coal deliveries. This wonderful yearbook, offering a trip back in time, was Edd Roush's personal copy, and it comes with a Letter of Authenticity from a Roush family member. The yearbook is in Excellent condition, and it comes from the only Hall of Famer on the Championship 1919 team.

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