Vintage Superstar TOM HALLER Signed Baseball & Signed Photos

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Vintage Superstar TOM HALLER Signed Baseball & Signed Photos:
$195.00

I have for sale aRare… Vintage and Collectible, Super Star Tom Haller Signed Baseball and Two(2) Spalding Baseball Advisory Staff (full size 8x10) signed black & whitephotos.

Thesecome from a well known friends estate.(Note: This and the 1937 truck other items are all from my friendsestate and I will be listing some Occupied Japan items and more all monthlong.)

I have seen another ball go for about $200 and un-signed photos go for $20 eachhere on . So what\'s this packageworth? I have included close ups of the signatures of both photo\'s which showsthey are notcopies.

I have include belowa great article about this great American and the sports superstar he was andhow it all started back in the mid 40\'s.Please read and enjoy. Feel freeto copy it for your records. (written byAlan Cohen)

~*~Payments, Pricing and Quality: ~*~

Clickhere to check see more of my items.

~*~Policies: ~*~

All Payments arethrough PayPal and transactions should be completed within three days. Pleasecontact me if there is a delay expected or if you need further assistance.

Returns and Refundsare only offered if the item is not properly described in the listing. Please look at my response and see whatother\'s has to say about me. If I can beof any additional service or if you have any concerns or questions, pleaseemail me or call me between 9am to 6pm Pacific time Monday through Saturday at805.868.0531

Ithink all my clients are 5 Star people... If you are happy with my products andservice, please give me 5 too!

~*~Shipping ~*~

Ikeep the shipping as cheap as possible!

Most of my shippingis done with the USPS with tracking.After I receive notice of payment you will receive an email with thetracking number from USPS. This means that your item is packaged and is on itsway to the Post Office. I ship most every day. Please note that it may or maynot show up on \'s website as shipped.I don\'t make money on shipping.

STORY:

Tom Haller

This article waswritten by Alan Cohen.

In the spring of1945, a crane operator for U. S. Steel went shopping. Frank “Red” Haller hadworked in the steel mills in Joliet, Illinois, as did his father before him,but he wanted a better life for his sons. List in hand, he elected to purchasebaseball equipment at Barrett’s Hardware Store, so his sons could learn thegame. The bill came to $68, and it took him a year to pay off his debt. Whenhis wife Julia learned of the purchase, she was quite angry, as the Hallerhousehold had little to spare, financially. As Red told it, “Tom’s motherwanted to murder me. Here you haven’t got 25 cents to buy a loaf of bread, butyou spent $68 on this! Red’s older son Bill would become a major league umpire.His younger son Tom went on to excel at all sports and emerged as the startingcatcher for the San Francisco Giants teams of the 1960s.

Thomas Frank Hallerwas born on June 23, 1937, in Lockport, Illinois. He was the youngest of threechildren, preceded by sister Joyce and brother Bill.

At Rockport HighSchool, Haller starred in football and basketball as well as baseball. Hisfootball prowess won him a scholarship to the University of Illinois where heplayed quarterback. During his junior year at Illinois, in 1957 he was thirdamongst the Big Ten Conference quarterbacks in passing. Against Ohio State, inthe Big Ten opener, he went 10-for-13 with 183 yards passing, but the Illinilost to Ohio State, 21-7. The following week, he led his team to a 34-13 upsetover Minnesota. Later in the season, in a nationally televised game, theytoppled Michigan 20-19. They ended the season rolling over Northwestern 27-0.

During the summer of1957, Haller honed his baseball skills playing with the Moose Jaw Mallards inMoose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. His 18 homers opened the eyes of theprofessional scouts.

Haller was signed bythe San Francisco Giants scout Gene Thompson on February 25, 1958, for $54,000.Part of that money, $2,500, was sent directly to the University of Illinois.Haller, the star quarterback, had left school with one year of eligibility remaining.His feeling was that, “It was only fair to repay the money since I cannotcontinue to compete for the university. His father also stipulated that hewould return to school and get his degree, and that he did. He spent the nextthree off-seasons at Illinois, completing his degree in Physical Education,graduating in 1961.

Haller’s first stopin the minor leagues was Phoenix in the Pacific Coast League, where he playedfor John “Red” Davis.

Tom married JoanAlexander on April 13, 1958, just before the season began and arrived late forthe April 15 season opener against San Diego. They had met while in high schooland started dating at the then tender age of 16. Joan was on the cheerleading squadin high school and remembers that the loudest cheerleader of all was Tom’s mom,who by then had gotten over her anger at Red’s buying all that athleticequipment. Tom and Joan were together until Tom’s untimely death in 2004. Theyhad two sons, Tom Jr. and Tim. Tom and Joan became grandparents when Tim’sdaughter Ellen was born in 1986.

Haller started the1958 season well, and, after 22 games, was leading the league with six homeruns. He broke out on April 19 against San Diego with a pair of homers. Thefirst came off Julio Guerra in the fourth inning, and the second, in the ninthinning, broke a 4-4 tie and sent everyone home. Three days later, he hitanother pair of homers against Sacramento.

Haller suffered asplit finger when he was hit by a foul tip on May 9, and missed nine games.During his time out of the lineup, he lost his league lead in homers, asteammate Felipe Alou and Salt Lake’s Dick Stuart caught fire. He got back intothe lineup in time to have his third two-homer game of the season on May 27against Seattle in a 5-3 win. On June 14 against Salt Lake City, he had a grandslam in the third inning, and tied the game with a single in the eighth asPhoenix went on to an 8-7 win in ten innings.

The team was theclass of the league and they won the pennant by 4½ games. Phoenix MunicipalStadium was a veritable launching pad with the foul poles only 320 feet fromhome plate, and the Giants went on to set a PCL homer record with 205,including 16 by Haller. His 16th homer, a pinch-hit grand slam in the eighthinning, provided the margin of victory in an 8-7 win over San Diego onSeptember 2. They clinched the pennant three days later.

Despite his home runproductivity, his batting average was only .228 and he led the league in passedballs.

Haller wasreassigned to Double-A, the Class A Eastern League for the 1959 season. AtSpringfield (Massachusetts), he batted .276. He also caught a pitching staffthat included a 21-year-old Juan Marichal. Marichal and Haller advanced toTacoma in 1960 and would eventually become battery mates in San Francisco.

Haller showed histrademark durability in June. On June 7, he was beaned in the ninth inning ofthe first game of a doubleheader against Reading at Springfield. He was takenfor x-rays that proved negative and accompanied the team to York, PA where hewent 2-for-5 with an RBI the next day. He went on to hit in six consecutivegames, going 11-for-24 and raising his batting average 40 points.

On June 26, he hadhis first professional four hit game, hitting four singles in an 8-2 win overBinghamton. Haller was named to the All-Star team and saw action in the July20, 1959 game in Williamsport, going 1-for-3 in the contest.

In August, the teamwent on a 22-10 tear and moved into first place on August 26. The Giants wontheir final eight games and clinched the pennant on September 6, as Haller went2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. They continued their success in thepost-season playoffs, defeating Binghamton in three straight and taking threeof four from Williamsport to win the 1959 Eastern League championship.

The next season,Haller was back in Triple A at Tacoma. Once again, he was on a team contendingfor the pennant. Haller’s bat came alive with a grand slam in a 6-1 win overPortland on June 4. On June 16, he met with Hank Sauer, the former Giantoutfielder who was serving as the team’s roving hitting instructor. After thelesson, Haller hit three consecutive home runs in a 9-1 win over Spokane. InJune, Haller had eight homers, 23 RBIs, and batted .296. Haller’s June surgedid not go unnoticed, as he was selected to the All-Star team for the secondconsecutive season. He went 1-for-2 with a double in a losing cause.

Tom Haller was notthe only member of his family moving up the ladder to the Major Leagues. Hisbrother Bill, an umpire, began the 1960 season in the Northwest League. OnAugust 4, he was promoted to the Pacific Coast League and, as luck would haveit, was told to report to Tacoma for a series between Spokane and Tacoma. OnAugust 5, in the seventh inning of first game of the series, Tom stepped up tothe plate as a pinch-hitter, and the Haller brothers were in the same game forthe first time.

For the 1960 season,Haller finished with a .251 batting average, hitting 13 home runs and drivingin 42 for the second place Tacoma Giants. More important, with the aid of coachRoy Partee, he honed his skills behind the plate.vi

Alvin Dark wasappointed Giant manager in 1961, and one of his first decisions was to installTom Haller as his everyday catcher.

Haller’s first majorleague game was with the Giants on April 11, 1961. He started each of theteam’s first eight games that season. His first hit, a home run came againstVernon Law of the Pirates in his second game on April 12 to tie the score at1-1. The Giants went on to win by a 2-1 margin.

His glove play wasexceptional and when tested on the evening of April 25, he came through. TheGiants were leading the Dodgers 3-0 in a game at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Inthe bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers mounted a rally. With two runners onbase, Wally Moon lined a ball towards centerfield. Willie Mays charged theball, caught it an inch off the ground for the out and rifled a throw home.Haller had totally blocked the plate and Maury Wills, trying to score fromthird, was out easily.

Haller’s defensiveskills couldn’t hide his batting average. The Giants obtained catcher Ed Baileyfrom Cincinnati, and Bailey took over the chores behind the plate. Haller gotinto only 30 games with San Francisco and was hitting a lowly .145 when he wassent to Tacoma on July 6.

The 1961 Tacoma teamwas the class of the PCL and they won the Pennant by 10 games. Haller got into56 games with Tacoma. Haller came through with two hits, including a homer, ina doubleheader sweep of Hawaii on July 17 that put Tacoma in the league lead bytwo games. In August, they went on a tear, winning 16 games in a row, and itwas all but over.

Despite theoccasional clutch hit, Tom only hit .205 at Tacoma, but his glove and acumenwere such that the Giants elected split time between him with Bailey in 1962.

Carl Hubbell was theGiants farm director at the time, and he saw in the young Haller the qualitiesthat would bring him to the forefront in any discussion of the great defensivecatchers of the decade. “Haller brings a quarterback’s mind to catching. He’san intellectual behind the plate.

Haller hit .261 with18 homers 55 RBIs for the Giants in 1962. Haller and Bailey combined to givethe Giants 35 home runs and 100 runs batted in as the club they battled the LosAngeles Dodgers for the National League Pennant.

As the season woreon, Haller’s name appeared increasingly in the starting lineup. His clutchhitting, game calling, and gun for an arm could not be kept on the bench. AsHarry Jupiter of the San Francisco Examiner reported, “Watching Haller is ajoy. Runners are cautious, knowing Tom has an excellent arm, and nobody isbetter at catching foul pops behind the plate.

Haller’s throwingarm was the key. The Dodgers that year were built around speed with Maury Willsleading the charge. Haller’s arm was needed against the Dodgers and he started13 of 18 games played between the two teams. Over the course of the regular season,Haller gunned down 36% of those trying to steal against him. He only made fourerrors that year and his fielding percentage of .992 was second in the league.

He was a greatsignal caller for a staff that was led by Jack Sanford and Juan Marichal.Haller caught Sanford regularly. Sanford had his best year in 1962, and Hallerworked with Sanford to keep his pitch count down enroute to a 24-win season,including a streak of 16 straight victories. x

As the Dodgers andGiants battled down the stretch, Haller played a pivotal role with his bat. OnSeptember 29, against Houston, Haller singled and clobbered a three run homeras the Giants earned their 100th win of the season 11-5 and pulled to within onegame of the league lead.

The Giants andDodgers ended the season deadlocked and went on to play a best-of-three seriesfor the National League pennant. Haller caught Game Two in Los Angeles withSanford on the mound. The Giants took a 5-0 lead but the Dodgers came backagainst the Giants’ bullpen, scoring seven runs in the sixth inning, and goingon to win the game 8-7. The Dodgers’ seventh run scored when Lee Walls ran overHaller at home plate, forcing Haller out of the game. He needed six stitches toclose the gash in his right forearmxi and missed the decisive third game, wonby the Giants 6-4.

The Giants faced theNew York Yankees in the World Series. After winning the second game by a marginof 2-0, the Giants were even in the series at 1-1. Sanford, who pitched thecomplete game, was quick to acknowledge Haller’s role in his great season. Heexclaimed “Hey didn’t that Tom Haller catch a good game? There’s the guy whowill be the take-charge guy of this club within the next couple of years.

The Giants lost theSeries in seven games. Haller went four for 14, highlighted by his performancein Game Four. Wife Joan, who was then expecting the couple’s second child, wason hand with Tom’s parents to witness the game at Yankee Stadium. Not long afterthe family was settled in their seats, Haller gunned down Yankees leadoffhitter Tony Kubek trying to steal second. Haller’s throw was so quick thatKubek reversed himself and was tagged out when he fell trying to get back tofirst. In the second inning, on a 3-2 pitch, Haller slammed a Whitey Fordslider into the seats and put the Giants into a 2-0 lead. They won the game7-3, and knotted the series at two games apiece.

The Yankees won twoof the next three games to take the Series. On the last play of that finalgame, with two runners on base, Willie McCovey lashed a hard line drive to theright side of the infield. Bobby Richardson grabbed the liner, and the Giantswere frustrated.

On May 22, 1963,Haller hit his first major league grand slam to propel the Giants to a 10-2 winover the Philadelphia Phillies at Candlestick Park, giving Sanford his seventhwin. After the game, Sanford was particularly appreciative of his battery mate.“Haller and me. You don’t think I could do it all by myself, do you? Tom maycall some pitches you wonder about, but they work.” xiii

In June, he homeredin three consecutive games played. Once again the Giants and Dodgers fought itout for the pennant, but in 1963 the Dodgers prevailed as the Giants slumpedbadly in July, losing 13 of 20 in one stretch. San Francisco faded to third placein the late going. For the season, Haller hit .255 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs.

In December 1963,the Giants traded Bailey to the Milwaukee Braves for veteran catcher DelCrandall, and Haller’s playing time increased substantially. He had started 79games in 1963. He started 105 games in 1964, and that number increased to 125in 1965.

On May 31, 1964,Haller caught all 23 innings of the second game of a doubleheader with the NewYork Mets at Shea Stadium. In that game, Gaylord Perry entered in the bottomhalf of the thirteenth inning. Perry was struggling when Haller went to themound and instructed him to try out that “new pitch” (aka the spitball) that hehad been working on. Perry had been working on a spitter for some time, but hadyet to use it in a pressure situation. If there was ever a time to use it, thiswas it. Haller said, “It’s time to break the maiden, kid. I think you can doit.” Before resuming his position behind the plate, Haller told Perry, “Throwit when you can get it on the ball. Don’t worry about me. You throw it. I’llcatch it. Let’s go. Gaylord, who had been struggling, pitched ten innings ofshutout ball, before leaving the game for a pinch-hitter in the top of the 23rdinning. The pinch-hitter was Crandall, who delivered the game winning hit.

Haller by this pointwas well-established as the Giants’ first-string catcher. He put togetheranother good season at the plate, batting .253 with 16 homers and 48 RBIs.

The end of the 1964season was nerve-wracking. The Giants were in fourth place, eight games off thelead on September 18. The Phillies were in command with a six-game lead. Thenthe Cardinals, Reds, and Giants gave chase, as the Phillies couldn’t win. WithTom Haller going 6-for-13, and homering in each game, the Giants won four in arow and were within two games of the league lead with two games left in theseason. When the dust settled, the Giants finished in fourth place, 2 gamesbehind the pennant winning Cardinals.

Haller batted .329with eight homers in the September drive. He attributed his great finish in1964 to crouching at the plate and becoming a more aggressive hitter.

In 1965, HermanFranks replaced Dark as Giant Manager, and the Giants and Dodgers contended forthe pennant in a season marked by highlights, streaks, and controversy. Hallergot into 134 games, his highest to date, and produced 16 homers and 49 RBIs.

In midseason, in amove that would have an impact on the rest of Haller’s life, the Giantsacquired Len Gabrielson from the Cubs. Gabrielson was installed as the everydayleft fielder and became Haller’s roommate. The two became lifelong friends.

The Giant-Dodgerrivalry was intense. On Thursday, August 19, the Dodgers came into SanFrancisco for a four-game series. At the time, the Braves led the Dodgers by ½game and the Giants were in third, one game behind. Everyone was looking for anedge. In the second game of the series, Maury Wills set up to bunt and Hallermoved up. Wills pulled back, hitting Haller on the glove. Wills got first base.Later in the game there were harsh words between the Giants bench, especiallyMarichal, and Dodger catcher John Roseboro. This escalated, two days later, toRoseboro sending a return throw to the pitcher just past Marichal’s ear, andMarichal swinging his bat at Roseboro’s head.

From September 4through September 16, the Giants won 14 consecutive games, taking the leaguelead by 4½ games. However, they lost eight of their next 14 games. During thatstretch, Haller hit two home runs and drove in five runs on September 27xvi,but the Dodgers won 15 of their last 16 games including 13 in a row, and wenton to defeat the Minnesota Twins in the World Series.

In 1966, Hallerearned his first All-Star berth when he was named as a reserve player for theNational League team. He finished the season with career-highs of 27 home runsand 67 RBIs, as the Giants again finished second to Los Angeles, this time by1½ games, despite winning eight of their last nine games. Haller batted .292 inSeptember.

His durability wasput to the test that season. Haller was behind the plate for all 15 innings onMay 10 in a 2-1 win at Pittsburgh and played 17 innings (7 at catcher and 10 atfirst) on May 13 against the Mets. In the May 13 game, the Mets jumped to a 4-0lead, and Haller’s two-run-homer in the seventh inning started the Giantsscoring, as they went on to win 5-4. Over the course of the season, he went thedistance in 12 extra-inning games as a catcher.

His home runs werenot only numerous, they were timely. He had seven game winning hits thatseason, five of which were home runs. On seven occasions, a Haller home runproduced the first run of the game.xvii

Haller was againnamed to the National League All-Star team in 1967. The Giants finished insecond place for a third consecutive season, as the Cardinals ran away with thepennant, finishing 10½ games in front. For the season, Haller batted .251 with14 homers and 49 RBI.

Over six years, theGiants had had six consecutive winning seasons, but only one pennant to showfor their labors.

In February 1968,the Giants traded Haller to the Dodgers for Ron Hunt. It marked the first dealbetween the teams since they had moved to the West Coast. When owner HoraceStoneham told Haller that the Giants were looking to trade him, Tom asked to betraded to a West Coast team. However, he was surprised when he was traded tothe hated Dodgers. The Giants need at second base was such that they felt theneed to trade Haller. Hunt was installed at second base, allowing Hal Lanier,with a rifle arm, a great glove and range, to stay at shortstop.

The move to LosAngeles was a move away from the cold of San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.Players’ wives rarely could remain in the stands on those very cold nights, andJoan Haller remembers heading towards the parking lot in the late innings andlistening to the game on the radio in her heated car waiting for the game toend and Tom to emerge from the clubhouse.

In Los Angeles,Haller was reunited with Len Gabrielson, but, for the first and only time inhis professional career, played for a team with a losing record. Playing inspacious Dodger Stadium, he saw the need to refine his swing. He became less ofa pull hitter and went to all fields. As he stated, “I decided to begin hittingto the opposite field, sacrificing homers for singles, doubles, and – if Icould get them, triples.

Yes, his home runproductivity dropped from 14 in 1967 to four in 1968. However, he had acareer-high 27 doubles, batted a team-leading .285, led the Dodgers with 53RBI, and earned his third consecutive All-Star nomination. He also played welldefensively with career highs in assists (81) and in double plays (23). He ledthe league in gunning down runners with 48, which represented a career high of49% of runners trying to steal. He guided the Dodgers\' pitching staff to thesecond-best team earned run average in the league, although the team finishedthe season in seventh place.

His time in LosAngeles was well spent and he was well-respected by everyone with the team.Fresco Thompson noted that “Pitchers shake off Haller less than any catcher inthe league” and Walt Alston stated “Perhaps what I like about him most of allis his spirit and attitude.

Over the next threeyears with the Dodgers, he batted .272, but after 1971, it was time for achanging of the guard. In 1971, Haller shared catching duties with Duke Sims,who had been acquired from the Cleveland Indians. By this time, Tom’s throwingarm was showing the signs of age. He only threw out 31% of runners trying tosteal, and Sims completed 12 games that Haller had started during the season.

Haller was traded tothe Detroit Tigers in December 1971, and served as a backup to longtime DetroitAll-Star and Gold Glover Bill Freehan, as well as Sims, who the Tigers acquiredin August. Haller got into only 59 games and batted .207 with two home runs and12 RBI.

The year wasnevertheless memorable. On July 14, when the Tigers played the Kansas CityRoyals, the plate umpire was Tom’s brother Bill. It marked the first time thatbrothers had appeared in the same game as catcher and plate umpire. The Tigerswon the American League’s Eastern Division Championship, and Haller went to thepost-season for the first time since 1962. He only appeared once in the LeagueChampionship Series, grounding out as a pinch-hitter in the second game. It washis last major league appearance.

Toward the end ofhis playing career, Haller spent his off-seasons selling insurance for the JohnMerrick Agency, and after his disappointing 1972 season, he decided to workfull time as an insurance salesman. Tom retired as an active player at the ageof 35.

During his 12-yearmajor league career, Haller batted .257 with 134 homers and 504 RBI. Behind theplate, he was the picture of consistency, adept at handling pitchers, blockingthe plate with his formidable 6’ 4” body and gunning down runners with his strongarm. He gunned down 261 runners during his career. Simply stated, the pitchersknew they were being guided by someone who understood every facet of the game.

He was unhappy inthe insurance business, and he was lured back into baseball in 1977 when Giantmanager Joe Altobelli hired him on as bullpen coach. He was a Giant coach forthree years before assuming the role of director of farm operations in 1980. In1981, he became vice president of baseball operations and served in that roleuntil late in the 1985 season. The team was 56-88 at the time of his dismissalen route to a last place finish in their division. He was named to the SanFrancisco Giants\' 25th anniversary team in 1982. In 1986 his former manager AlDark, then the farm director for the White Sox, hired him as manager of theDouble A Southern League Birmingham Barons.

In June of thatyear, Haller was named general manager of the White Sox, but he was frustratedin that position as the real power rested with Ken Harrelson who was thedirector of baseball operations.

Haller left baseballat the end of the 1986 season and relocated to Palm Springs, California. Heworked as an agent for a mortgage company before taking over a buildingservices maintenance company in 1991. He was not above getting himself a bitdirty and was well respected by his staff of 38. He and Joan became friendlywith one of their staff, Gilberto De La Torre, and were named godparents to theDe La Torre’s newborn child.

In the summer of2004, shortly after vacationing in Colorado, Tom contracted the West NileVirus. He fought the disease for three-and-one-half months before passing awayin Los Angeles on November 26, 2004 at the age of 67.

Fred Claire, abaseball executive who was with the Dodgers during Haller’s time with the team,said it best: Tom Haller was oneof those people who made you feel good about life by simply being in hiscompany.

~*~Thanks again for looking at my items for sale and may peace be with you. ~*~