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1887 Detroit Base Ball Club Oversized Cabinet Photo
The first we've seen of this profoundly rare cabinet photo of the 1887 Detroit Wolverines in these oversized dimensions -- a dramatic 16 x 20". The short-lived Wolverines proved that not even George Steinbrenner could beat this team in greed. Founded at the suggestion of Detroit mayor William G. Thompson, the Wolverines played the 1st big league game in Detroit on May 2, 1881. In 1885, owner Frederick Kimball Stearns craved a winner so much that he bought the entire Buffalo Bisons team, just to acquire stars like Dan Brouthers, Jack Rowe, Hardy Richardson & Deacon White. The move so hacked off the other owners that they changed the NL's rules to limit the Wolverines' cut of road gate receipts to a mere $125 a game. As they began to go broke, the club gave Stearns his wish, a championship in '87, when they went 79-45 and beat the AA's St. Louis Browns in an ersatz World Series. However, Stearns was forced to sell off his stars to other teams and the team went belly-up after 8 seasons. The photo is in remarkbly good condition with just a bit of mottling and foxing throughout, though the images of the players in their snazzy high collar shirts and large belt buckles are sharp and some of their expressions glum (maybe the paycheck was late?). Players are identified under the group shot and the team as "Detroit Base Ball Club -- Season 1887". Pulsating antique image.
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