Goose Goslin
Source: In the 1990’s, I bought a B&W photo on eBay. Unfortunately, I do not know the source of the image or the photographer. I am assuming that this image is in the public domain
Photo Subject: My best guess is that this is Goose Goslin fielding a ball at Griffith Park as a Washington Senator.
Fun Fact: In 1928, Goose Goslin won the batting title with a batting average of .379. The 1928 batting title was not settled until the last day of the season. Goslin and Heine Manush of the St. Louis Browns were tied and as coincidence would have it, the Senators and Browns were playing against each other on that final game. Going into the ninth inning, Goslin was leading Manush, and Goslin had one last chance at bat - If he made an out he would lose the batting title. In Lawrence Ritter’s “The Glory of Their Times”, Goslin described what happened next - I am paraphrasing.
His manager, Bucky Harris, let him decide if he wanted to bat or sit it out. Goslin initially chose to take a seat, but his teammates shamed him into taking his turn at bat. As the story continues, Goslin earned two quick strikes. He then fell back on Plan B and began deriding home plate umpire, Bill Guthrie, about his strike calls. He went so far as stepping on his toes. His hope was that Guthrie would eject him from the game for his unsportsmanlike conduct, and he would win the title by default. Umpire Guthrie was wise to his trick and told him he wasn’t going to eject him from the game. Forced to bat, Goslin got a “lucky hit” and was able to secure the batting crown by a faction of a point.
Painting Detail: This was a painting I did in the 1990’s when I was first hand coloring photos. The photo was printed on 11” x 14” fiber board with a matte finish and painted using Marshall’s oils.
Acknowledgement: Lawrence Ritter’s classic book “The Glory of Their Times”.