FRANKIE CROSETTI
"Crosetti is one of the most valuable members of the New York Yankees, as he can play either at third base or at shortstop. He came to the Yankees in 1932 from the San Francisco team in the Pacific Coast League, where he walloped .343 in 183 games, hitting five home runs and steading 23 bases.
Crosetti was born in San Francisco. After starring in independent baseball circles, he signed with the San Francisco club in 1928. He played with them until secured by the Yankees."
-1933 Goudey No. 217
"Frankie, it is said, started to learn the art of batting by swinging a home-made bat against corncobs tossed by an older brother. It's landed him the regular shortstop berth with the Yankees."
-1936 Goudey
"Frank Crosetti, Yankees, one of a steadily increasing number of Italian-American boys coming into the major leagues. Crosetti is the best Yankee shortstop since the time of Everett Scott, the little iron man whose record of consecutive games was recently broken by Lou Gehrig. Crosetti and Tony Lazzeri form the all-Italian keystone combination for the Yankees, a double play team that is equalled only by Detroit's Rogell-Gehringer duo.
Joining the Yankees in 1932, Crosetti helped his team to a pennant and then to a World Championship in which the Yankees beat the Cubs in four straight games."
-Austen Lake, Boston American (1936 National Chicle Diamond Stars No. 86)
"Many diamond luminaries trace their start back to the San Francisco Winter League, among the number being Frankie Crosetti. The Seals gave him a chance in 1928 and he made rapid strides. In 1930 he hit .334, compiling 261 wallops [hits], and the next season batted .343 to win his berth with the New Yorkers."
-1936 World Wide Gum No. 91
BILL DICKEY
"Bill went from April 19, 1931, to July 2 of the same campaign handling 235 putouts without a miscue, and starting again on July 31, 1931, accepted 322 consecutive chances perfectly.
Lena Blackburne discovered Bill catching in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and induced the latter to sign with Little Rock at the age of 17. Bill has been a Yankee since 1928."
-1936 World Wide Gum No. 34
"Probably the greatest tribute paid Bill Dickey is the saying 'As Dickey goes, so goes the Yankees.' And the Yankees have gone pretty well.
There isn't a catcher in baseball today who can match Dickey's record. After 11 full seasons as top man behind the Yankee plate, Dickey boasts a .320 batting average- he hit under .300 only once in 11 years. There isn't a more dangerous man in a pinch than Dickey. For the last four years he has batted 100 or more runs, and in five World Series with the Yanks brought in 19 tallies, five of them in the last classic. He has caught 100 or more games for 11 successive years, a feat equalling the major league record."
-1940 Play Ball No. 7
"Bill Dickey, one of the greatest of modern catcher, had an off year in 1940, but even the greatest must slip sometime. For the second time since he became the regular catcher with the Yankees back in 1929, Dickey fell below .300 in batting. But he set a major league record by catching 100 or more games for the 12th consecutive year, and tied Rollie Hemsley for the top defensive honors for the season.
After 12 years Dickey shows a batting average of .315 and 1,058 runs batted in."
-1941 Play Ball No. 70
"Bill Dickey has been a stellar and dependable catcher for the Yankees for fifteen years. He has a life-time batting average of .313 and is considered one of the top-flight catchers of the American League. Bill has played in seven World Series and performed very well in all of them."
-1943 M.P. & Co.
BILL DICKEY'S LAST HOME RUN
"The St. Louis Cardinals had drubbed the Yankees 4 games to 1 in the 1942 World Series. Now, in 1943, the two teams met again. The Series stood at 3 games to 1 in favor of the Yankees. Another victory would reverse last year's defeat. But big Mort Cooper, who had beaten the Yanks for the Cardinals' sole victory thus far, was pitted against them.
For five innings Cooper was locked in a scoreless pitching duel with Spud Chandler. Two were out in the Yankee sixth. Charlie Keller was on first when Bill Dickey came to bat. Cooper reared back and pitched a high, fast one. Dickey swung his bat around and timed it perfectly.
It was a home run- Bill Dickey's last major league home run- and it won a World Series for the Yankees."
-1948 Swell Sport Thrills No. 6
"Bill Dickey is among baseball's greatest catchers. His playing career went from 1925 through 1947. It began and ended with Little Rock.
Bill joined the Yankees in 1928 and was with them as a catcher through 1946. He managed the Yanks during part of 1946.
He caught 100 or more games for 13 straight seasons for the big league record. He led American League receivers in fielding five times, in putouts six times and in assists three times."
-1951 Bowman, No. 290 (Bowman Gum, Inc.)
TOMMY HENRICH
LOST THIRD STRIKE CHANGES TIDE OF 1941 WORLD SERIES
"Three strikes may be out but that didn't happen in the 1941 World Series between the Yankees and the Dodgers. Brooklyn faced New York trailing two games to one. Victory was in their grasp in the fourth game. It would tie the Series.
The Yankees came up for their final turn at bat in the ninth with the score 4 to 3 against them. Big Hugh Casey was pitching for the Dodgers. Quickly he retired Sturm and Rolfe. Two out, Tommy Henrich up, and one out to go for victory.
With the count three and two, Henrich swung lustily at the payoff pitch and missed for the third strike- ending the game- but the pitch got away from catcher Mickey Owen. It tailed to the grandstand and Henrich raced to first on the error. Then Joe DiMaggio singled, Charlie Keller doubled and Bill Dickey walked. Joe Gordon followed with a slashing double to left and the Yankees had scored four runs.
A weird error on a ball which should have ended the game in Dodger triumph turned the tables into an ultimate Yankee World Championship."
-1948 Swell Sport Thrills No. 5
"One of the greatest outfielders in baseball and a born competitor, Tommy upped his batting average for last year over 1947 to the tune of .308. He banged out 25 homers, 15 at home, and hit at least one in every park. He hit four home runs with the bases loaded, a feat equalled by only five other players in the history of the game. A top performer in the clutch; his slugging average was .554."
-1949 Leaf No. 55
'Old Reliable' had one of his best seasons in 1949. He hit .287, had 20 doubles, three triples, 24 homers and drove in 85 runs.
Tommy has served in the Coast Guard."
-1951 Bowman, No. 291 (Bowman Gum, Inc.)
JIM TURNER
After toiling in the minor leagues for 14 seasons, Jim enjoyed an outstanding rookie season with Boston's National Leaguers in 1937. The 33-year-old won 20 games with a league-high five shutouts and a circuit-best 2.38 ERA. Jim was an All-Star in 1938, and in 1940 posted a 14-7 record for Cincinnati's most recent World Series winner. He concluded his playing days as a valuable relief pitcher for the Yankees.
When this longtime baseball man returned to the Bronx as Yankee pitching mentor, he was no stranger to manager Casey Stengel. Jim had pitched for the 'Old Perfesser' in Boston and managed against him in the Pacific Coast League.
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