DS, one page, 5 x 3, January 2, 1951. Return receipt card from the Post Office Department of Brooklyn, New York, affirming the delivery of insured parcel No. 11499 to "Dodgers," located at "215 Montague St.," and postmarked at Jamaica, New York, on January 2, 1951. Signed on the reverse in pencil by Roy Campanella, and dated in another hand. In fine condition.
The receipt is accompanied by a TLS from Brooklyn Dodgers Vice President Buzzie Bavasi, signed "Buzzie," one page, 8.5 x 11, Brooklyn National League Baseball Club letterhead, December 28, 1950, addressed to his team's All-Star catcher, in full: "There are several matters to take up at this time. First of all, I am enclosing your 1951 contract with the Brooklyn Club which calls for a salary of $18,500.00. I know that you perhaps will be disappointed, but after giving it some thought, I feel that this contract is fair to both you and the club. I have the letter written that you requested, but I will be unable to mail it to you until we can get together on a contract. I doubt that the party who is to receive the letter will accept the letter if you have not signed a contract. We should have no trouble on this. If you care to call me, I will be free to see you at any time."
A carbon copy of the above letter is included, as is a carbon copy of a follow-up letter from Bavasi to Campanella, dated January 12, 1951, which reads, in full: "I have discussed the situation with Mr. O'Malley and both of us feel that the contract I am enclosing is fair to both you and the club. Of course, I am keeping in mind the $1500 that I have in the right hand drawer. If you do not care to sign this contract bring it in and we can discuss it further, but I think that after you give it some consideration you will realize that this contract, plus $1,500 is quite adequate." A pencil notation along the bottom indicates that the contract in question was signed on December 29, 1950.
Given that Campanella led all National League catchers in home runs (31) and RBI (89) in 1950—his home run total led all major league catchers and his RBI total was second only to Yogi Berra’s total of 124—Bavasi was almost certainly correct in his thinking that Campanella would have been disappointed with the $18,500 amount. Campanella did indeed sign the offered contract on December 29, 1950, which, as was referenced in Bavasi’s second letter, included a cash bonus of $1,500. The prolonged contract negotiations did not affect Campanella’s play in the upcoming season. In 1951, the Dodgers star catcher responded by batting .325 with 33 home runs and 108 RBI, numbers which earned him his first National League MVP Award.
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