Without a doubt the star that suffered the most from his service in WWII was Cecil Travis. He was on the fast track to the Hall of Fame and was coming off his best season batting .359 as a shortstop in 1941. He enlisted in the military shortly after Pearl Harbor and was one of the first big leaguers to do so. He served for four years and lost part of his foot in the Battle of the Bulge. When he returned to baseball, he was never the same and despite playing for parts of three more seasons, he was a shell of his former self. Even with the service and bad seasons, he ranks first all time in batting average among A.L. Shortstops with a .314 career average! The offered image is a poignant piece of photography, showing Travis all set for service in uniform and using his gun as a prop to make it seem like he is at bat! A possibly unique image from photographer Dick Oliver and issued through the Public Relations Office of the military. His best photo we have ever seen!

Size: 8x10
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: 4/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall Grade: 9/10