Imagine Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, three of baseball's greatest players, writing you a get-well letter! How did this come about and who was Ed Phelps of Albany, NY?
The letter was written on July 27, 1941 on stationary from the Hotel Carter in Cleveland, one of the premiere hotels of that city (now converted to low-income senior housing). The three Hall of Famers were in Cleveland for an Old-Timers Game to be played the next day. Here's a photo of the three on July 28.
As to Ed Phelps, he was a catcher who played for four National League teams between 1902 and 1913 (Pirates, Cardinals, Dodgers, Reds). He had a modest career, mostly in a backup role. Ed's moment to shine was in the first World Series in 1903 when he started all eight games.
After his baseball career ended Phelps returned to his native Albany region where he worked for the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Co. In 1931 he was one of the founders of the Albany Twilight League where top amateurs could play on the beautiful summer evenings of upstate New York (games started at 6pm); a league that still exists.
How did the letter come about? Did Speaker, Cobb and/or Ruth know Phelps and, if so, how? Phelps' career was in the National League while Ty, Tris and Babe were American Leaguers at a time when there was very little interaction between players in the two leagues. In 1941 the 62-year old Phelps was battling stomach cancer. Could a mutual acquaintance have reached out to Speaker, Cobb or Ruth with a request for an encouraging letter to a fellow former player? I've run across nothing even hinting at the origins of the letter.
Ed Phelps survived another six months before passing on January 31, 1942.
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