Tris Speaker Autographed Baseball PSA/DNA COA
Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), he compiled a career batting average of .345 (sixth all-time).[1] His 792 career doubles represent an MLB career record. His 3,514 hits are fifth in the all-time hits list. Defensively, Speaker holds career records for assists, double plays, and unassisted double plays by an outfielder. His fielding glove was known as the place "where triples go to die."[2]
After playing in the minor leagues in Texas and Arkansas, Speaker debuted with the Boston Red Sox in 1907. He became the regular center fielder by 1909 and led the Red Sox to World Series championships in 1912 and 1915. In 1915, Speaker's batting average dropped to .322 from .338 the previous season; he was traded to the Cleveland Indians when he refused to take a pay cut. As player-manager for Cleveland, he led the team to its first World Series title. In seven of his eleven seasons with Cleveland, he finished with a batting average greater than .350. Speaker resigned as Cleveland's manager in 1926 after he and Ty Cobb faced game-fixing allegations; both men were later cleared. During his managerial stint in Cleveland, Speaker introduced the platoon system in the major leagues.
Speaker played with the Washington Senators in 1927 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1928, then became a minor league manager and part owner. He later held several roles for the Cleveland Indians. Late in life, Speaker led a short-lived indoor baseball league, ran a wholesale liquor business, worked in sales and chaired Cleveland's boxing commission. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. He was named 27th [3] in the Sporting News 100 Greatest Baseball Players (1999) and was also included in the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Joyner Clifford "Jo-Jo" White (June 1, 1909 – October 9, 1986) was an American center fielder in professional baseball. He played nine MLB seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1932–38), Philadelphia Athletics (1943–44), and Cincinnati Reds (1944). Born in Red Oak, Georgia, Joyner White was known as "Jo-Jo" because of the way he pronounced the name of his native state of Georgia.
The 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 165 lb (75 kg) White batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He began his playing career in minor league baseball in 1928 and after four full years of apprenticeship, he made the Tigers' roster at age 22 at the outset of the 1932 season.
He then had a long career as a scout, minor league manager and MLB coach, serving on the staffs of the Cleveland Indians (1958–60), Detroit Tigers (1960), Kansas City Athletics (1961–62), Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1963–66), and Kansas City Royals (1969), usually as third base coach. He was a longtime associate of manager Joe Gordon, working with him with the Indians, Tigers, Athletics and Royals.
Indeed, as a coach under Gordon, White was involved in the bizarre trade of managers between the Indians and Tigers on August 3, 1960. That day, the Indians' Gordon was swapped even-up for Tigers' manager Jimmy Dykes. As the two pilots prepared to change teams, Cleveland needed an interim manager and tabbed White to handle the Indians for their night game with the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium. In White's only MLB game managed, he oversaw a 7–4 Indians' win. Mudcat Grant hurled a complete game, supported by second baseman Ken Aspromonte's home run and three runs batted in.[5] Four days later, it was announced that White also "traded" teams—leaving the Indians to rejoin Gordon with Detroit, while Tigers' coach Luke Appling simultaneously quit his post to rejoin Dykes with the Indians.[6]
White died at age 77 in Tacoma. He was inducted posthumously into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
His son Mike White, a center fielder and second baseman, played in the Major Leagues for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros in 1963–65.
Royal Brewer Brougham (September 17, 1894 – October 30, 1978)[1] was one of the longest-tenured employees of a U.S. newspaper in history, working for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in Seattle, Washington, primarily as sports editor, for 68 years, starting at age 16.[2]
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Brougham moved to Seattle as a youngster with his family. He was a highly regarded Seattle citizen who befriended athletes such as Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth and movie stars like Bing Crosby.[3][4] At age 74, he stepped down as sports editor in 1968, succeeded by John Owen,[5] but continued to write for the P-I for ten more years.
Brougham was a devout Christian and philanthropist. The Royal Brougham Sports Pavilion at Seattle Pacific University and South Royal Brougham Way (formerly known as South Connecticut Street, bordering both T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field) in Seattle commemorate his legacy to the community.[9][10]
The Emerald City Supporters, a supporter group for the Seattle Sounders FC team, have nicknamed the team's home stadium "Royal Brougham Park" in honor of the sportswriter.[11] The supporters' section behind the southern goal, closest to S. Royal Brougham Way, is known as the "Brougham End".[12] Two of these supporters' groups take his name: The Brougham Boys '74 are an invite-only Ultras group affiliated with the ECS, as are the Royal Femmes for Women.