Legend of Baseball : George Sisler

George Harold Sisler (March 24, 1893 - March 26, 1973), nicknamed "Gentleman George" and "Gorgeous George," was an American professional baseball player for 15 seasons, primarily as first baseman with the St. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles). From 1920 until 2004, Sisler held the Major League Baseball (MLB) record for most hits in a single season, a mark which stills stands for the 154-game season in which he played.
His 1922 season — during which he batted .420, hit safely in a then-record 41 consecutive games, led the American League in hits (246), stolen bases (51), and triples (18), and was, by general consensus, the best fielding first baseman in the game — is considered by many historians to be among the best individual all-around single-season performances in baseball history.[1]
Sisler was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.[2] In 1999, he received the eighth-largest number of first base-category votes in fan balloting for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and editors at The Sporting News named him 33rd on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."



Born in the unincorporated hamlet of Manchester (now part of the city of New Franklin, a suburb of Akron, Ohio[3]) and having played college ball for coach Branch Rickey at the University of Michigan, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering, Sisler entered the major leagues as a pitcher for the Browns in 1915. He signed as a free agent after the minor league contract he had signed as a minor four years earlier, and which the Pittsburgh Pirates had purchased, was declared void. The following year he switched to first base, to fully utilise his hitting skills. He posted a record of 5-6 with a 2.35 earned run average in 24 career mound appearances, twice defeating Walter Johnson in complete games victories.

Legend of Baseball : Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was the first black Major League Baseball (MLB) player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. As the first black man to play in the major leagues since the 1880s, he was instrumental in bringing an end to racial segregation in professional baseball, which had relegated black players to the Negro leagues for six decades.The example of his character and unquestionable talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation, which then marked many other aspects of American life, and contributed significantly to the Civil Rights Movement.



In addition to his cultural impact, Robinson had an exceptional baseball career. Over ten seasons, he played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Championship. He was selected for six consecutive All-Star Games from 1949 to 1954,was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949 – the first black player so honored. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1997, Major League Baseball retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams.
Robinson was also known for his pursuits outside the baseball diamond. He was the first black television analyst in Major League Baseball, and the first black vice-president of a major American corporation. In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank, an African-American-owned financial institution based in Harlem, New York. In recognition of his achievements on and off the field, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Robinson in uniform for the Kansas City Monarchs
In early 1945, while Robinson was at Sam Huston College, the Kansas City Monarchs sent him a written offer to play professional baseball in the Negro leagues. Robinson accepted a contract for $400 ($4,882 in 2011 dollars per month, a boon for him at the time. Although he played well for the Monarchs, Robinson was frustrated with the experience. He had grown used to a structured playing environment in college, and the Negro leagues' disorganization and embrace of gambling interests appalled him. The hectic travel schedule also placed a burden on his relationship with Isum, with whom he could now only communicate by letter. In all, Robinson played 47 games at shortstop for the Monarchs, hitting .387 with five home runs, and registering 13 stolen bases.He also appeared in the 1945 Negro League All-Star Game, going hitless in five at-bats.
During the season, Robinson pursued potential major league interest. The Boston Red Sox held a tryout at Fenway Park for Robinson and other black players on April 16. The tryout, however, was a farce chiefly designed to assuage the desegregationist sensibilities of powerful Boston City Councilman Isadore Muchnick. Even with the stands limited to management, Robinson was subjected to racial epithets. Robinson left the tryout humiliated, and more than fourteen years later, in July 1959, the Red Sox became the last major league team to integrate its roster.

Legends of Baseball

Hello..........
I have posted some stamps of this series earlier, From today I will continue to publish rest of stamps with brief history of the each player.....

LEGENDS OF BASEBALL

Hi !!!!
Today is some special stamps with me to share with you all. These two stamps were sent by Mr. Jean-Claude Linossi from USA, few months back. But I could not post it because of some reason. Today here are they. Thanks dear Jean-Claude Linossi for these valuable stamps.

The "Legends of Baseball" issue was produced by the USPS and features one self-sticking sheet of 20 stamps. The pictures of 20 different old-time ballplayers appear on the sheet of stamps. All of those honored are Hall of Famers. Most were honored in 1999 as nominees or honorees for Major League Baseball's "All Century Team".
The 33-cent stamps feature the following players:
George Sisler, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Eddie Collins, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth, Mickey Cochrane, Rogers Hornsby, Pie Traynor, Jimmie Foxx, Cy Young, Tris Speaker, Lefty Grove, Lou Gehrig, Dizzy Dean, Josh Gibson, Honus Wagner and Satchel Paige.


Scott Catalogue USA: 3408d
Description: LEGENDS OF BASEBALL
Ty Cobb 33-cent mint single
Issued July 6, 2000
Medium: paper; ink (multicolor); s
elf-adhesive Museum ID: 2000.2020.460
Place: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA


33c Mathewson single
Scott Catalogue USA: 3408c
Description: LEGENDS OF BASEBALL
Christy Mathewson 33-cent mint single
Issued July 6, 2000
Medium: paper; ink (multicolor);
self-adhesive Museum ID: 2000.2020.453
Place: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Complete set of Legends of Baseball :

While the stamps feature attractive artwork of the players, the back of the sheet features brief career biographies, turning these stamps into mini-baseball cards (albeit the non-cardboard variety!). The heading on the back reads "These players embody the glory and tradition of our national pasttime. Tales of their extraordinary abilities and larger-than-life personalities have made them much more than just ballplayers: THEY ARE LEGENDS." Joe Saffold of Savannah, Georgia was the artist, and Phil Jordan of Falls Church, VA served as the Art Director for the project. The stamp designs were unveiled in May when commissioner Bud Selig, Mark McGwire and others helped the Postal Service show the public what the stamps would look like upon their release in July. Dedication and first issue was July 6 in Atlanta, where Major League Baseball held the 2000 All Star Week. Family members of many of the players were present at the dedication ceremony. The stamps were released nationwide July 7, and got great reviews by sports fans, sports collectors, and philatelists. The Philadelphia A's Historical Society held a special ceremony honoring the 4 A's greats that were depicted. Relatives of three of the four honorees attended the event including the daughter of Jimmie Foxx, the son of Eddie Collins and grandson of Lefty Grove. The postal service gave each recipient a framed 20-stamp set as a gift. 200 million of the self-adhesive stamps were printed for distribution at US Post Offices throughout the country. In addition to purchasing the stamps in the sheet of 20, collectors can also purchase a Legends of Baseball Uncut Press Sheet, which consists of six panes (120 stamps) with the marginal plate markings favored by some collectors. Also available through some on-line stamp dealers and the postal service are postal cards with the original stamp art reproduced in a booklet of 20 postcards that are ready for mailing. The baseball stamps are popular with those who collect first day covers also. Many people who purchased the stamps during All Star week in Atlanta, had them cancelled on the first day of issue with a special postmark from Atlanta, site of the 2000 All Star game. The USPS did not forget the great Negro Leagues with this issue, featuring the stamps of Paige and Gibson among the series of 20.

Ty Cobb:


Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was a baseball player and is regarded by historians and journalists as the best player of the dead-ball era and as one of the greatest players of all time. Cobb also received the most votes of any player on the 1936 inaugural Hall of Fame Ballot, receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes.
Cobb is widely credited with setting ninety Major League Baseball records during his career. He still holds several records as of 2009, including the highest career batting average (.367) and most career batting titles with 11 (or 12, depending on source). He retained many other records for almost a half century or more, including most career hits until 1985 (4,189 or 4,191, depending on source), most career runs (2,245 or 2,246 depending on source) until 2001, most career games played (3,035) and at bats (11,429 or 11,434 depending on source) until 1974, and the modern record for most career stolen bases (892) until 1977.
Cobb's legacy as an athlete has sometimes been overshadowed by his surly temperament and aggressive playing style, which was described by the Detroit Free Press as "daring to the point of dementia." During Cobb's playing days, numbers on uniforms had not been introduced yet, and so he is not identified with any particular number, as some other players are.

"Christy" Mathewson:


Christopher "Christy" Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", or "Matty", was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played in what is known as the dead-ball era; and in 1936 was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its "first five" inaugural members.
In 1899, Mathewson left college and signed to play professional baseball with Taunton of the New England League. The next season, he moved on to play on the Norfolk team of the Virginia-North Carolina League. He finished that season with a 20-2 record.
In July of that year, the New York Giants purchased his contract from Norfolk for $1,500. Between July and September 1900 Mathewson appeared in six games for the Giants. He started one of those games and compiled a 0-3 record. Displeased with his performance, the Giants returned him to Norfolk and demanded their money back. Later that month, the Cincinnati Reds picked up Mathewson off the Norfolk roster. On December 15, 1900, the Reds quickly traded Mathewson back to the Giants for Amos Rusie In 1936, Christy Mathewson was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of the famous "First Five" inductees into the HOF, along with Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson and Honus Wagner. He was the only one of the five who didn't live to see his induction. His jersey, denoted as "NY", has been retired by the Giants and hangs in the left-field corner of AT&T Park. Uniform numbers were not used in those days. In 1999, he ranked number 7 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranking National League pitcher. ESPN selected his pitching performance in the 1905 World Series as the greatest playoff performance of all time. During WW II, a 422 foot Liberty Ship named in his honor, SS Christy Mathewson, was built in Richmond, CA in 1943.