
Under the guidance of publisher JG Taylor Spink, The Sporting News became known as the Bible of Baseball. In charge of TSN from 1914 until his death in 1962, Spink was so well respected that he earned the nickname, “Mr. Baseball”.
In 1962 the Baseball Hall of Fame created The JG Taylor Spink Award to honor baseball writers for meritorious contributions to baseball writing. The highest honor a baseball writer can earn, the award is presented during induction weekend each summer by the President of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Spink himself was the first recipient of the award the summer before he died.
During both World Wars, it was Spink’s idea and decision to send the his publication to our troops overseas. Spink’s integrity, relationships, and army of reporters were invaluable during the Black Sox scandal. The Official Baseball Guide came under Spinks control when he took over publication in the 1940s. Simply put, he was a titan of the game when it was the unifying force in America.
In the collection is a pair of letters dated a month apart in 1945 to Lieutenant Andy Roach. The first of which, seen above was written on April 17, 1945 – the say day as one-armed outfielder Pete Gray’s Major League debut. Spink let the lieutenant know a complimentary copy of TSN along with, “our Special Chesterfield Edition made possible by the makers of Chesterfield Cigarettes. A copy of our Guide is likewise going to you.”