Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

[zonker]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

usa stadium is in millington tn, just north of memphis. it opened in 84 for the usa olympic team and is there official training site. they also played alot of world tournament games there. china, korea, japan and other national team's etc. played against the usa olympic team. "GO TROJAN'S" !!!!!!!!!!!!

[ziggy]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

I know very little about Olympic baseball, but could the uniforms in question be from qualifying games or something to that effect? I know ever summer there is a Team USA team that plays in world tournaments etc and sometimes needed to qualify for olympics, etc? just a thought. Might be worth contacting USA baseball....I think they are located in Tennessee. I am sure they have records, photos, etc

[ChrisCavalier]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

Hello Russ,

As per my previous post, I contacted the winning bidder and took him through this entire thread. He is a collector of 1984 Olympic memorabilia and said he thought he would be able to contact one of the former coaches to see if he had any insight into the possibilities of the uniform being worn by Dedeaux, either during the games or at some other time/event. I explained that he would not be required to purchase the jersey if he was not comfortable with it and the consignor has also agreed to those terms as well.

Again, please note that we are not questioning the credibility of Dr. Smith. However, in light of the information shared, we will not require the winning bidder to take the uniform if he is not comfortable with it.

[russyurk]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

I finally found a clear photo of Coach Dedeaux from the 84 Olympics that shows buttons on the jersey.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

the caps in my photos show "USA" in a true vertical arch. the cap in the auction does not have a vertically arched "USA". you can tell by looking at the "A".

rudy.

like this:



rudy.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

the caps in my photos show "USA" in a true vertical arch. the cap in the auction does not have a vertically arched "USA". you can tell by looking at the "A".

rudy.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

mike dunne in his '84 olympics uni. note the patch on left sleeve.




rudy.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

here's a pic i found. it's supposed to be from '84.



rudy.

stupid me. this pic is from 1988. that's jim abbott leaping in the air by the way. should've noticed the missing hand.

rudy.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

final game between USA and Japan, showing Surhoff still wearing #24:



rudy.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

here's proof that surhoff did indeed wear #24. here's a boxscore from USA vs Italy in the '84 olympics:



rudy.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

here's another one i found. i know for a fact that this one is indeed from
the '84 olympics in LA. why is it different from the other pic i posted?:



rudy.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

here's a pic i found. it's supposed to be from '84.



rudy.

[ironmanfan]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

Lets face it, the 1984 Olympics (baseball included) were far from a secret and there has to be some photographic evidence of them wearing this style uniform. Could "Ish" have been innocently mistaken and perhaps this is some sort of a Salesman Sample, with corrections to Dedeaux's name/number & style done once competition began (particularly since he was the Federation's President)? Dedeaux would make sense as a sample since he was the manager before any individual players were named to the team....Just some thoughts I had in looking at this lot as well...

[kingjammy24]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

jeff

you're sharper than that. i have no clue about olympic gamers but at a minimum, this russyurk fellow brings up several specific issues for discussion. it's hardly an answer to any of it to say the jersey ought to coast on its provenance. if players can be mistaken about the very gear they personally used, i'm guessing it's possible for mr.smith to be mistaken. from your description of him, he sounds like he's a big mayor mccheese when it comes to olympic baseball in the US. that's great. how is he with gamers?

remember the crystal mantle glove? not much of a response to have said "if anyone doubts this glove, they're doubting the word of mickey mantle himself". turns out mickey was wrong. turns out esken knew more about mickey's gloves than mickey himself did.

russyurk brings up 4 specific issues. maybe he's completely wrong on all of them. maybe he's right on a few and confused on others. who knows. at a minimum, i think it warrants a discussion of those specific issues rather than simply a blanket reply that mr.smith's word is beyond reproach and the provenance automatically makes the jersey infallible.

rudy.

[Birdbats]

Re: Rod DeDeaux (Legendary Manager) 1984 Home USA Olympic Worn Uniform (Robert "Ish" Smith LOA)

I am the consignor of this uniform. I received it at an FCA auction in Effingham, Illinois, directly from Ish Smith. After I won the uniform, Dr. Smith wrote the LOA in front of me. Dr. Smith runs the FCA in southern Illinois and has held a few auctions to benefit the organization. He donates his own personal items to these auctions, including this uniform. I have absolutely no reason to doubt Dr. Smith when he says this jersey was worn by Rod Dedeaux. Dr. Smith was instrumental in getting baseball into the Olympic games and ran the LA games' baseball tournament in 1984. I do not claim to be an Olympic baseball expert, but I am certain that I received this uniform directly from Dr. Smith and watched as he wrote the LOA. If anyone questions the authenticity of the jersey, then they are questioning the word of the man who was the long-time president of both the US Baseball Federation and the International Baseball Federation.