The First Superstar

He had a lot of firsts; first baseball player to write an autobiography, first to have a hit song written about him (Slide Kelly Slide went to the top of the charts), first to have an acting career, first real idol and superstar of the game. King Kelly was one of those larger than life guys that played during the infancy of professional baseball. He revolutionized the game introducing the hook slide, being among the first to wear a glove, making the hit and run popular. If not my favorite painting in my Hall of Fame collection, it is certainly in the top 3 or 4.

Mike "King" Kelly