Boston Red Sox
LIFE photographer George Silk took these photos in the Boston Red Sox locker room in 1956. None were published in the magazine.
This is a classic "background shot." The photographer is concentrating on the subject of interest, in this case the celery-chewing player, but the photo also captures a player naked in the background.
This angle eliminates the other player in the background, but now we get a peekaboo view of the celery-chewer himself, who is not wearing any pants.
These photos of a Red Sox player getting a rubdown have been widely reproduced on the Internet, but I have never seen the naked player identified. Any baseball fans out there who know who this is in the 1956 Red Sox roster? (UPDATE: ROCB identified him as Joe Albanese. Albanese separated his shoulder during spring training and never got to play for the Red Sox. Later, they traded him to the Washington Senators.)
Continuing the rubdown, they are totally ignoring George Silk, who is photographing every move.
A bit lower. Ahh, that's nice.
"Look into my eyes. You are growing sleepy..."
