Unpossible Autograph- Billy Loes

Billy Loes recently passed away on July 15 at a hospice in Tuscon, AZ, but I hadn't read anything about his death until yesterday. It's always sad to hear that another former Oriole has passed away. He pitched in the Major Leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Orioles and San Francisco Giants during the 1950's and early 60's.

Billy signed this card for me TTM in only 12 days last September, and he charged $5 for his autograph. At the time, I was disappointed that he hadn't personalized it as I had requested, especially since he charged for his signature, but at this point, I'm pretty happy to have this in my collection, especially now that his autograph has become much harder to get with his passing.

I've read that Billy was described as colorful and/or eccentric throughout his playing days and he gained National fame when an article was written about him in the Saturday Evening Post titled "The Dodgers' New Daffiness Boy". He was a member of the '55 Dodgers World Series Championship team and spent 6 years in Brooklyn before the Orioles purchased him in May 1956. He then played in Baltimore for the next 4 seasons and went 21-30 over 121 games, including 34 starts, with a 3.71 ERA and 26 saves. Billy was an All-Star in 1957 for the only time in his career.

RIP Billy, thanks for signing TTM requests when you were still around.