ArtBalls® is devoted to the art of the painted baseball and the history of the sport it imparts.
ArtBalls® primarily focuses on the work of artist Monty Sheldon, but also incorporates other artists who have painted images on a baseball. ArtBalls®: A Visual History of Baseball is a book that uses the artwork of Monty Sheldon as a focal point for the discussion of baseball history and its relation to American culture. ArtBalls® has an expected publication date of Winter 2014.
Artballs
Eddie Gaedel is on a baseball measuring about 3.4 inches in circumference. Eddie Gaedel was a midget (3' 7" tall) who had one major league at bat in 1951 as a publicity stunt arranged by Bill Veeck, owner of the St. Louis Browns. He walked on four pitches. Midgets were then banned from the majors by the Commissioner. Babe Ruth is on a standard baseball (9"). The 1869 Red Stockings team, baseball's first professional team, is on a lemon peel baseball. The AAGPBL All-Stars is on an 11-inch softball, the size used in WWII. You might be able to make out silver stars next to each player's head shot. This indicates the number of times they were selected to the All-Star team. Finally Team Steroids is on a 12-inch softball, an artistic commentary of the increased body size of PED users.
Artballs
First Row (Left to Right): Rube Foster, Satchel Paige, Moses Fleetwood Walker, Josh Gibson, Buck O'Neil
Second Row (Left to Right): John Henry Lloyd, Ray Dandridge, Judy Johnson, Buck Leonard
Third Row (Left to Right): Martin Dihigo, Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, Leon Day
All are in the Hall of Fame except Moses Fleetwood Walker and Buck O'Neil. Walker was one of the last African-American players to play at the top level of professional baseball (1884 - American Association) before segregation took hold and ended over sixty years later with Jackie Robinson. Buck O'Neil is famed for many reasons - great Negro League player and manager, first African American scout and coach in the majors and first president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. But he may be most widely known as the charismatic story teller in Ken Burns PBS documentary Baseball.
Artballs
Starting at the 6 o'clock position and going clockwise has: Babe Ruth by Monty Sheldon (1998), Babe Ruth by Doc Werner (ca 1940), Curt Simmons commemorative near perfect game* (5/16/53) by Stan Lopata (1953), 1952 Red Sox by Del Wilber (1952), Ted Lyons by George Sosnak (ca 1980), and Babe Ruth by unknown (guesstimated around 1995).
*Bill Bruton, CF for the Milwaukee Braves, led off the bottom of the first with a single. Simmons retired the next 27 batters.
The Doc Werner baseball is the earliest image of a player painted on a baseball I am aware of. According to Werner's obituary he gave it to Babe Ruth in trade for two autographed baseballs.
