great portraits of baseball players

now we're talkin, thank you photoshop wizards

Al Oliver, circa 1973 @Pirates pic.twitter.com/INLoLyWaZa

— Vintage Jerseys & Hats (@PolyesterUnis) March 18, 2023

More than 10,000 rare baseball images from the @ruckerarchive are now available online in the #SABR Research Collection: https://t.co/lKc9XlI8Y3 pic.twitter.com/BMDGGHWjM0

— SABR (@sabr) April 4, 2023

i don't think i'm doing this right

https://i.imgur.com/9bJzwhg.png

USC's Rod Dedeaux and a couple of fresh-faced punks (one of whom was cut from the team).

https://phildellio.tripod.com/dedeaux.jpg

Trivia lost to time: RJ*'s battery-mate on that team was Jack Del Rio**, both two-sporters.

*RJ: baseball & basketball
**JdR: baseball & football

Checked to see if there was a book on Rod Dedeaux, and there is, from 2013--very short, but may order a copy. He coached a lot of great players, starting with those two and Seaver.

https://i.postimg.cc/3r9q5cZq/IMG-4436.jpg

I kept forgetting to post this, truly iconic photo of Lincecum imo. This is his first postseason game in 2010 vs Halladay’s Phillies. Other photos from this game are (maybe?) more well known because of the Phillies fans whistling/jeering at him but this one is incredible for the composition: the windup, the incongruity, the lights. Everyone remembers this game for the two Cody Ross “ssory doc” homers but Ross himself was talking about this game on a podcast and said Lincecum was the forgotten man of this game - held a loaded Phillies lineup to 3 runs in 7 innings.

Anyway.

Not quite what this thread is, but if I could have seen any three pitchers ever, these'd be the three.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/pitchers.jpg

again not a portrait but what a great picture. manny in left.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/resizer/2DTF0wzLfkbxg3lL4KNsmxmxIJ0=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-bostonglobe/ATSRF6HK3PH3C5KPX34DDHFEOE.jpg

from this article: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/24/sports/fenway-park/

Speaking of Boston and left field:

https://i.postimg.cc/65kv740X/yazted.jpg

Awww.

Yaz? Yaz.
https://www-bostonherald-com.cdn.ampproject.org/i/s/www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/0918-NWS-BHR-L-carlmikeyaz002.jpg?w=978

I guess this is a famous photo? I'd never seen it till this morning, when it turned up on my FB wall.

https://www.welovedc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/2010-08-10-carter-wipes-away-tear-500x333.jpg

Carter's wiping away a tear as Dawson is honoured by the (then still relatively new) Nationals franchise.

Brendon Barynov (bbflicks on Instagram) is an MLB photographer who mainly photographs the Giants and visiting teams. Some of his usual work:

https://i.postimg.cc/Sx2pF42F/IMG-7051.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/FHMXh63f/IMG-7054.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/L4Dqhty4/IMG-7055.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/c4Jv3vjR/IMG-7056.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/YqyhzpKJ/IMG-7057.jpg

JP one particularly cool cos his dad is this guy (who I don’t know but clemenza might).

Anyway recently he’s been using a disposable camera for shots and the aesthetic really works: something about combining the goofiness of players when they see a disposable camera, which many people associate with fun/informality, with the older/grainer look to the pictures making them look timeless. Padres Polaroid effect?!

https://i.postimg.cc/DZyScm03/IMG-7047.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/NMJ5CY29/IMG-7048.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/1zKg6D9K/IMG-7049.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/y8c31wtt/IMG-7052.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/KYbkR0yz/IMG-7050.jpg

Sorry, missed that--don't know much about the CFL (my friend's brother knows so much, he's been hired by the league for a panel charged with naming the 150 greatest players ever).

Ichiro shaking hands with George Sisler's daughter:

https://i.postimg.cc/ydmLbsds/ichiro.jpg

Not sure if I see Fernando in there!

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/USATSI_21190152.jpg

A little haircut goes a long way

https://i.postimg.cc/s2NxMSY3/eckson.jpg

We lived down the road from Denny McLain when I was a young child, there were always references to the Tigers around my house, so I was kind of aware of baseball, but this is the first picture (and play) I can remember:

https://www.baseballhistorycomesalive.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/1-rudi-4.jpg

I guess not really a portrait, but it's what immediately came to mind when I read the thread title. It's etched in my mind.

Here's a portrait to make up for it.

https://www.si.com/.image/t_share/MTY4MTI4MjI3NTU1Mjg4MzM3/1969-0622-reggie-jackson-001161220jpg.jpg

A shocking omission from the underwear pics upthread

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/kOsAAOSwekpiF-O6/s-l1600.jpg

McLain is fascinating. I tried to get a filmmaker friend interested in exploring a possible documentary on him 10 years ago, but we never pursued it. Still alive, 79.

Rudi--along with Fingers--is in the Reggie documentary on Prime, the three of them sitting around reminiscing.

McLain was the dark side to the beloved Mickey Lolich.