For Sale: A Gittings Portrait of Dick Burnett, Who Made Minor League Ball Major in Dallas

Whilst perusing the eBay for some gifts on this here first day of Hanukkah, I came across the portrait you see above -- significant for two reasons, I should think. First, of course, is the subject: Dick Burnett, for whom the late, great Burnett Field was named. As I've noted,...

By Robert Wilonsky

December 20, 2011

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Whilst perusing the eBay for some gifts on this here first day of Hanukkah, I came across the portrait you see above -- significant for two reasons, I should think. First, of course, is the subject: Dick Burnett, for whom the late, great Burnett Field was named. As I've noted, often and then even oftener, Burnett's the man who bought the Dallas Steers from George Schepps in '48 and renamed the baseball club the Dallas Eagles, who were briefly a New York Giants' farm club. This photo is perhaps the finest I've ever seen of Burnett; it dates back to '53, when his club won the Texas League.

And you'll note: It bears the familiar Gittings stamp. Which sent me back to this 1983 profile of Paul Gittings written for Texas Monthly by the great Nicholas Lemann, who noted: "Gittings portraits perfectly fit the Texas that they collectively portray: newly urban, newly rich, a place with sophistication fully in mind as a goal but not yet fully achieved."

The photo, incidentally, comes from the Sporting News archives, and it's a one-of-a-kind that will disappear into someone else's hands if'n you don't act fast. It's all of $9.98. There's another great photo of Burnett for sale here, also from the SN files, featuring his grandson decked out in the cutest Eagles outfit ever.

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