40+ Baseball Autographs on Four Boston Programs, 1973-91 – Boggs, Clemens, Eckersley, Etc.
Lot 175. 40+ Baseball Autographs on Four Boston Programs, 1973-91 – Boggs, Clemens, Eckersley, Etc. The autographs in this collection are overwhelmingly nm-m 8 and better. Most of the signatures are on 1973, 1986 and 1991 programs for the Annual Awards Dinner of the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). Three more are on a booklet titled “The American League and You … A Career in Professional Baseball.” This booklet, apparently from the mid-1960s, is signed on the cover by Bobby Brown (not the A.L. president), (Edward) Doc Farrell (died 1966) and Eddie Mayo (d. 2006). Farrell played for six MLB teams, including the Boston Braves and Red Sox. His autograph is scarce. The Farrell and Mayo autographs have been authenticated by JSA and come with Basic Cert K24441. The 1973 BBWAA Boston program has cover autographs of Mike Ryan and Sparky Lyle, as well as John Kiley, the Red Sox organist, and one other. Signers of the 1986 program, all 28 on the outside back cover, include Don Mattingly, Wade Boggs, John McNamara, Red Sox manager; Jeff Reardon, Rico Petrocelli, Walt Dropo, Bill Fischer, Calvin Griffith (Senators/Twins owner), Dick Flavin (Red Sox public address announcer, known as the team’s “poet laureate”), Mike Shalin (Boston sports reporter), George Digby (Red Sox scout), Dave O’Hara (Associated Press Boston sports editor), Art Davidson (Boston area sports editor), Bill Buckner, and Walter Underhill (a Red Sox press room employee). Red Sox pitcher Jeffrey Plympton autographed the cover the 1991 BBWAA program. Inside, primarily on individual photos or biographical sketches, are the signatures of: Joe Morgan, Red Sox manager; Roger Clemens, Bill Conigliaro (ex-m 6 signature), Lou Piniella, Bobby Witt, Tom Bolton (ex-m 6), John Tudor, Tony Perez, Jeff Reardon, Dana Kiecker (ex-m 6) and Mo Vaughn. A page with the image of a baseball is autographed by Jody Reed, Jim Eisenreich, Butch Hobson, Dennis Eckersley, Mike Greenwell and Jeffrey Plympton. Winning Bid $45.
