Bennie Bengough

[mittmutt]

I'm having some fun with this one. The stampings are very faint but the name is readable, Bennie Bengough. I could use some help. The only listing I can find in the glove catalog is a D&M 1931 model but the model number, G5 doesn't match. Also,I've never seen this type of wrist strap, I'm guessing it'a called a snap wrist strap? The patch resembles a D&M but I'm not sure on that and I also don't see a Lucky Dog. Any help available?

[BretMan]

Spalding offered a Bengough model in 1929-1933, model number BB and the second most expensive mitt in their line-up.

They also sold a C5 model during that same time frame, though those are listed as being endorsed by various other players- most notably, Babe Ruth on their "Home Run Special" series.

All the D&M mitts from that period had model numbers with three digits, all of them beginning with the number "7" (700, 714, 725, etc.).

My first guess would be it's a Spalding. Could that "G5" could be the remnants of a well-worn "BB", or possibly even "C5"?

[mittmutt]

Thanks Bret,your knowledge is amazing. Since I studied JD's site I'm starting to think Reach. They have a 65X youth model. Maybe mine is a larger size that's not listed in my catalog. What's your thought on the wrist strap?

[BretMan]

You would guess that a wrist strap like that would have been offered on a higher-end glove, as opposed to a kid's model.

Reach was owned by Spalding during those years, so there is some conncetion between the two. I'm not sure how much sharing there was of different models, patterns or endorsers.

[mittmutt]

It's deffinitely not a kids model, too large, high quality. From the size and shape of the patch remains I'm guessing not Spalding. Also, the model # is either G5 or 65. If I were more of on expert I might be able to decipher some of the other writing remnants but this one may just remain a mystery. Shuks!!!!!

[ebbets55]

Mittmutt,

I'd bet almost anything that it is a Reach. Reach tags and D&M tags appear in that same location but D&M tags in that location are always the smaller ones. The larger D&M tags normally appear above the wrist opening. Also, Spalding wouldn't have used a black tag circa early 30's would they? Besides, Spalding was making Reach gloves by then. I'd bet Reach mitt, Spalding made.

Bengough mitts don't come up that often. Nice find whatever it is (Reach)

JD

[mittmutt]

I'm still hoping someone can tell me more about the wrist strap. What's it called, etc?

[ebbets55]

There is no name for it. We all call them whatever we want. I'd call it a snapback strap. Works for me. They are rarer than bucklebacks but not rare in general. There are all kinds of variations to that style of back, whether laced, buckled, snapped, weaved or grommeted. Nonetheless, it's a bit different and therefore cool in my book.

JD

[softball66]

I found the Benny Bengough BB model in 1929 Spalding catalog, "Professional Style", $15.00. Reads in descriptive copy: "protected wrist strap with snap-button padding formed to prevent chaffing,...
Near the very top of the line mitt.

[mittmutt]

Joe, thanks for the reply but I'm sticking with JD on this one. There's just enough faint markings to make me think Reach. It would be nice to know for positive but I'm pretty happy either way. Thanks much.

[softball66]

Entirely possible Reach was on this mitt though it doesn't show in the Reach catalogs nor that any had been found when we put out the autograph player finder book. Spalding owned Reach and many of their mitts were interchangable coming from the same designers and factory, like the Ruth gloves and certainly like baseballs were done were done at this time. So this is certainly a rarer one as a Reach.

[Cowboy7130]

As I suffered from insomnia tonight, I reached up to my headboard-bookcase and took down Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in His Time, by Ray Robinson. On page 79, Mr. Robinson writes of Gehrig's spring training in 1924 in New Orleans. It began very dismally, until Miller Huggins moved the 21-year-old Gehrig into a room with 26-year-old Bennie Bengough. He was a

... catcher from Niagara, New York, whom the Yankees had brought up from Buffalo in mid-season of 1923. Bengough was an upbeat, articulate man who had learned to handle pitchers with skill. Although he had joined the Yankees only the year before, he was a favorite of Babe Ruth. The Babe liked to warm up with Bengough before each day's game. When he couldn't locate Benny, the Babe would ask everybody, "Where's that Googles guy?" An expert at mangling names, Ruth had gotten "Googles" form a popular comic-strip character of the time named Barney Google. After all, "Googles" was close to Bengough, wasn't it? (Iron Horse, p. 79)

How cool is that? I read in this forum about a mitt endorsement from a player I have never heard of, and it turns out he was a roommate to one of my favorite all-time players, and a favorite teammate of the greatest of all time!