Christy Walsh
| Birthdate | 12/2/1891 |
| Death Date | 12/29/1955 |
| Debut Year | 1912 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | |
| Position | Agent |
Christy Walsh is considered the first agent in baseball; he represented Ruth, Cobb, Gehrig, Dizzy Dean, Rogers Hornsby, John McGraw & Walter Johnson.
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Christy Walsh worked in the production of Pride of the Yankees
Christy Walsh worked in the production of Pride of the Yankees
Christy Walsh started his association with baseball as the ghostwriter for Christy Mathewson in 1912. Walsh soon became the first agent in baseball history representing the titans of the game – Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, John McGraw, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Dizzy Dean and others.
In the collection is this stunning letter dated January 27, 1942 regarding Pride of the Yankees, the Lou Gehrig biopic. Walsh writes, “After considerable negotiations, I am very happy to say that Bill Dickey has finally agreed to come out and appear in the Lou Gehrig picture. This is not yet to be announced.”
The letter is written to Walsh’s assistant Joe Bihler whom Walsh asks to, “send me as much material as you can dig on on Bill Dickey suitable for studio publicity.” Walsh suggests contacting Elias Sports Bureau founder Al Munro Elias for the information.
The next two paragraphs are of particular interest.
“You might also consult Mrs. Gehrig by telephone to see if she has any reminiscence or suggestions regarding Dickey, particularly regarding his friendship and relationship with Lou.
“We are trying to have Bill arrive in Hollywood a few days before Babe arrives because, naturally Babe carries more news importance and we don’t want him to take the edge off of Dickey’s arrival story. This, of course, has to be handled tactfully because I don’t want to offend Bill Dickey.”
The letter is written on Samuel Goldwyn Inc letterhead and signed neatly by Walsh at the bottom. This correspondence comes three years after the passing of the Iron Horse.
