For 50 years, Philadelphia Athletics Manager Connie Mack stood tall in the dugout in his trademark business suit and guided his charges through a combination of kindness and understanding. He did not believe in embarrassing his players by yelling at them in public. He led his club to nine American League pennants and five World Series titles and finally retired from the game following the 1950 season, at the age of 87. In 1937, he was part of the second class ever elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. As the A’s manager for 53 seasons, Mack won 3,731 games.
"Humanity is the keystone that holds nations and men together,” Mack once said. “When that collapses, the whole structure crumbles. This is as true of baseball teams as any other pursuit in life."
Mack’s words ring true with the lot that’s offered here, a collection of eight handwritten letters from Mack to Lou Brissie, a young, left-handed pitcher who showed plenty of potential.
The
letters were penned by Mack between 1944 and 1947 and concentrated on his pursuit of Brissie, a promising southpaw who served his country in World War II and suffered a serious leg injury during fighting in Italy after a shell exploded near him and shattered his left leg. The letters, six are written in black ink and two in blue ink, are on letterhead ranging from the “American Baseball Club of
Philadelphia” to the “Hotel George Washington” in West Palm Beach, Florida, to the “Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel” in Hollywood, California. They show Mack’s nurturing side as he was fully invested in Brissie returning from injury and eventually pitching for the Athletics. The letters reveal that Mack was a big fan of keeping the lines of communication open between not only he and his players, but also he and his promising prospects. Seven of the eight letters are signed “Connie Mack” while the remaining one is simply signed ”Con.”
Includes LOA from the Brissie Family.
Pre-certified by PSA/DNA.