Baseball Pictures > [Branch Rickey, St. Louis AL (Baseball)] (LOC)

pooroldpunch July 29, 2010 at 8:15 pm

1913 was, apparently, his first season as a skipper and front office executive. He was only in his mid 30′s here.

A true baseball legend.

Phillycop July 29, 2010 at 8:47 pm

So far ahead of his time-amazing!!!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branch_Rickey

Maclaine Diemer July 29, 2010 at 9:42 pm

Looks like there was some extensive retouching going on here. The lower half of the picture looks like a painting!

Photography Apocalypse July 29, 2010 at 10:10 pm

Hi, I’m an admin for a group called Circa, and we’d love to have this added to the group!

juanpn1 July 29, 2010 at 10:52 pm

Very interesting report photographys. Thanks and Greetings.

budderflyman July 29, 2010 at 11:26 pm

Most people do not know that Mr. Rickey started out as a catcher in 1906 with the Cleveland Browns. He also played for the New York Highlanders the following year. In this photo you have uploaded, he was the manager of the Browns.

Branch Rickey had a lot of interesting ideas, among which was the "farm system" of minor league teams. Most everyone in baseball respected him, called him "Mr. Rickey", not "Branch." Not everyone got along with him. He was a no nonsense person, a strict born again Christian type, never touched a drop of alcohol and never used foul language. He knew how to get the most from his players and coaches and managers, for as little money as possible. So, he was known as a penny pincher. He had an uncanny knack of judging a young player’s potential. I have read some of his scouting notes, and he was uncanny in predicting the baseball futures of many ball players.

Many people think that baseball would never have been integrated without Mr. Rickey, but that is not true. Bill Veeck was working on getting Satchel Paige and Larry Doby for the Cleveland Indians around the same time. The apparent hold up at that time, 1946, was Commissioner Happy Chandler who I think was a little skittish about allowing "negroes" into the major leagues, for whatever reason, perhaps having been pressured about it by various owners who knew that many white players were opposed to integration. At any rate, it is fair to say that Mr. Rickey, The Dodger system, and Jackie Robinson, and the eventual cooperation of Commissioner Chandler, all were factors resulting in the signing of the first Black player in the modern era of the major leagues.

I am fortunate to have known a man who worked in management in the Dodgers system for Mr. Rickey.

This is a great photo, btw. One usually sees photo of Mr. Rickey in his usual suit coat and bow tie.

slack13 July 30, 2010 at 12:15 am

Date on the photo (appears to be written on the back, as it’s reversed) is 10/29/13 – so it appears this photo was taken in 1913, not 1910 – his first year as a manager.

Dihydroxyphenethylamine July 30, 2010 at 12:27 am

I hate baseball love the modern artful sketchiness/painterliness of this

Catch Me Now July 30, 2010 at 12:49 am

Hi, I’m an admin for a group called Catch The Male Portrait , and we’d love to have this added to the group!