JOE CRONIN - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 05/04/1959 - HFSID 87059

JOE CRONIN
Joe Cronin sends a typed letter of telegrams that were sent to two players.
Type Letter Signed: "Joe", 1p, 7¼x10½. Boston, Massachusetts, 1959 May 4. On letterhead of The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs to Mr. Calvin R. Griffith, President, Washington Baseball Club, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C. Begins: "Dear Calvin". In full: "Enclosed are copies of telegrams [not present] which I sent to players Ramos and Romonosky. Kindest personal regards." Written the year that Cronin had been appointed President of the American League and the year before the Washington Senators' last season. Baseball Hall of Famer JOE CRONIN, who served two terms as the American League's President (through January 1974), had been the A.L.'s All-Star shortstop seven times and enjoyed eight 100-RBI seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. At the age of 27, he had won the 1933 pennant as the Senators' rookie Manager before being traded to the Boston Red Sox. His #4 was retired by the Red Sox on May 29, 1984, just over three months before Cronin's death in September of that year. Ironically, 1984 was also the year that CALVIN R. GRIFFITH sold his Minnesota Twins to Minneapolis banker Carl Pohlad for $38 million. Griffith, the adopted son of his uncle, Clark Griffith, who had purchased the Senators in 1919, had been a batboy for the team during the 1924-1925 seasons. In 1941, he was tapped to oversee concession sales at Senators' games, and in 1955, he inherited majority ownership of the team upon Clark Griffith's death. Unfortunately, the 1959 Washington Senators ranked near or at the bottom of the league in all offensive categories, although Griffith had made room in the line-up that season for a youngster named Harmon Killebrew, whose power hitting was the team's major strength. The Senators' bullpen, which included Camilio Pascual, PEDRO RAMOS and JOHN ROMONSKY, was considered respectable, but no one held out much hope for the team to be in contention for a pennant. The 1959 season was the last for Romonosky, who had played for the Cardinals in 1953 before joining the Senators in 1958. Ramos, who played for the Senators from 1955-1960, went to Minnesota for the 1961 season when Griffith moved the team to the twin cities. Griffith's Minnesota Twins led the American League in attendance during their first ten seasons. Lightly creased. Folds, horizontal fold touches the lower loop of the "J". Staple holes at upper left blank corner. Overall, fine condition.