Johnny was the youngest of the "Cranston Cooneys," a Rhode Island family legacy of ballplayers beginning with Chicago Cubs shortstop James Joseph Cooney in 1890. All four of Jimmy Sr.'s sons played professional baseball, with Jimmy Jr. playing short in the majors like his father from 1917-28. Johnny Cooney's interesting playing career spanned 24 seasons (1921-44), starting out as a pitcher for the Boston Braves (1921-30) before transitioning into a productive position player, all the while being a very adept hitter. In fact, from 1923-29, he appeared in 145 games as a pitcher (71 starts, 3.64 ERA) and batted .295 with 159 hits in 539 at-bats. He settled in as a first baseman and outfielder in the 1930's for Brooklyn and Boston, eventually becoming a full-time coach for the Braves in 1946. When Hall of Famer Billy Southworth's health forced him to take a leave of absence as manager in 1949, Cooney filled in as skipper for the final 46 games.

Featured here is Cooney's Boston Braves game worn road jersey dating to the late 1940's when he served as coach and interim manager. Inside the collar is the era-appropriate "Horace Partridge [Athletic Goods Boston]" label with a size "42" flag tag. Below this is a white felt patch with the name "Cooney" chain-stitched in red. The red and black felt scripted "Braves" ascends gently upon the chest across the zippered front, transversing the stylish red and black piping that is repeated at each sleeve cuff. The tomahawk below the team nickname is a complicated interplay of chenille and felt. Even more luxurious is the Indian headdress patch on the left sleeve, crafted from five colors of felt and remarkably detailed threadwork. Cooney's uniform number "28" is sewn on the back in red felt outlined in black. The heavy flannel garment appears all-original and exhibits solid, consistent wear throughout, with a few minor spot soil stains on the back shoulders. Aside from the red faded from the chenille pattern on the front tomahawk (very common among other examples), there are no condition issues to speak of. You will be hard-pressed to find any flannel from the first half of the 20th century in such remarkable shape.