As one might imagine, his grandson was interested in the lore surrounding his semi-famous grandfather, Steamer. As it turns out, he has compiled quite a scrapbook of stories, photos and clippings of Steamer, which provided a wealth of information for the bio that Jack Smiles wrote.
I got Ned Barrett’s telephone number from writer Jack Smiles of SABR, and gave him as call last week. Ned is 70 now, a bit older than I; we chatted a bit as he told me about Steamer and his scrapbook. A cousin’s son now has the original scrapbook in Brooklyn NY, while he maintains a copy. I shared with him that my father’s side of the family has roots in the Scranton PA area where Steamer played, and speculated as to whether I might be directly related to Steamer.
Ned has graciously agreed to show me the scrapbook when I hopefully make it back to the Scranton PA area (perhaps when I return to Erie to broadcast Bill Hillhouse’s fastball tournament?)
Beyond the mystery as to why Steamer Flanagan never get second shot in the Major Leagues after a pretty impressive debut, is another story, “The Mystery of Steamer’s Babe Ruth ball. It is recounted in Jack Smiles story, excerpted below. (the full story linked below).
The story is about a ball — or “the ball” as it is now referred to, hit into the stands by Babe Ruth, and later presented as a gift to Steamer Flanagan. Last seen on display at a local cigar shop in 1921, it disappeared and is still missing to this day.
As Kingston resident Ned Barrett perused a family scrapbook dedicated to his maternal grandfather James “Steamer” Flanagan, he wondered aloud, “Whatever happened to that ball?”
The ball, long since lost to the ravages of the deep past, could be worth up to $30,000 had it survived in good condition. The only known reference to “the ball” was in a Wilkes-Barre Times story in October 1921.
It reads:
“The Babe Ruth Ball the one he hit into the rightfield stands last Sunday in the fourth game of the 1921 World Series has been placed on exhibition in Kearney’s Cigar store on Public Square. The ball was given to Steamer Flanagan by his old friend Hughey Jennings assistant manager of the New York Giants. Jennings secured it from the groundskeeper after having Babe Ruth put his autograph on it and presented it to Flanagan.”
The Pittston-born Jennings – who was enshrined in Cooperstown in 1945 and who is the great-grandfather of Scranton mayor Chris Doherty – was John McGraw’s assistant manager with the New York Giants in 1921. That October, the Giants and Yankees played in the first all-New York World Series.
In his time, Jennings was one of baseball’s most well-known, colorful and highest-paid player/managers.
Jennings could have given that Ruth ball to any of his legion of friends and fans. That he chose Steamer Flanagan suggests Flanagan was one of the best and most respected baseball players in the Wyoming Valley. Though Flanagan played in only seven Major League games, Jennings is only one of the several Hall of Famers Flanagan crossed paths with during his baseball career.
Flanagan died at age 66 in 1947, leaving two mysteries. Whatever happened to that Babe Ruth Ball and why didn’t Steamer Flanagan ever get second shot in the Major Leagues?
Click here to read the full story at the Citizens Voice.
Steamer passed away 68 years ago today, one day after his 66th birthday.