newyorkyankees

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We had earlier seen Sgt. Gibson, who was appointed Drillmaster of the Yankees by the military, in Opening Day photos from April, 1917. These are from June, when the Tigers visited the Polo Grounds and each team put on military drill exhibitions before the game. Account of June 2, 1917 game at: query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=950CE7DE133BEE...

Thanks Art Siegel, for the information about the two different games. We'll add some of the information to the records for both photos the next time we update.

Military drills on opening day, 1917 at the Polo Grounds.
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Sgt. Gibson was the army recruiting officer at Macon, Georgia where the Yankees trained before the season in 1917. He was assigned by the Army as a drillmaster for the team. On Opening Day, April 11, 1917, the Times headline read: "Donovan's Soldiers Do Military Stunts for 16,000 Fans, but Their Baseball Is Poor. GEN. WOOD REVIEWS DRILL " query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9902E7DD153AE4...

In the front is Major Dorey of Gen. Woods' staff, flanked by the team's owners. From the New York Tribune: "ln the major matter of military science, the Yankees, swinging in column of squads across the field, won a popular victory that was of much more consequence than a baseball game. Just before the bell rang for the Yankee practice period Manager Donovan gave a signal and the men scurried to the clubhouse. The band struck up a quickstep and then, out of the clubhouse into which the baseball players disappeared stepped the neatest and nattiest looking infantry platoon that ever marched. The men wore the white home uniform of the Yankee baseball team. They carried their bats on their shoulders. But it would have taken the quartermaster department only a few short minutes to put them into the olive drab and to hand them Springfield rifles, and they would have passed for a platoon of regular army infantrymen. Major Dorey, of Major General Woods' staff, let on the platoon. He was flanked of one side by the martial figure of Captain Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston and on the other by the scarcely less martial figure of Colonel Jacob Ruppert. Sergeant William Donovan (Wild Bill Donovan) acted as guide. [...] After doing light military calisthenics with their bats the Yankees were dismissed by their drill sergeant and became mere civilians and baseball player! once more." (April 12, 1917) chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1917-04-12/ed-...

Thanks to both of you for this information. We'll add some of it to the records for these photos the next time we update.