Hall of Pretty Good Candidate Sid Gordon
He may have been the hardest hitting ballplayer not named Gil Hodges in the five years leading up to his 1952 Topps baseball card.
1952 Topps
Kid Pitcher Outhits “The Kid”
Carl Scheib was pitching in the majors at an age when many teens are learning to drive. Ted Williams couldn’t keep up.
Cookie Lavagetto Always Had a Fan Club
In addition to the admiration of teammates and coworkers everywhere he went, Cookie literally had a fan club.
Two-Sport Athletes Aren’t a New Development
Sometimes your professional basketball team folds and you just have to find work plying the outfield for the Cubs.
Sneaking Into the ’52 Topps Set
He didn’t play in 1952, but that didn’t stop kids who opened packs of cards that year from thinking he did.
Sibby Sisti Received One More HOF Vote Than Roy Hobbs
A smiling member of the “one vote for the Hall of Fame” Club.
Yankees Sunk by Hudson
Breaking into Major League Baseball in 1940, the Washington Senators’ Sid Hudson never got to pitch to Babe Ruth. He did, however, do all he could to shut down the Yankees in Ruth’s final Yankee Stadium appearance.
Can’t Hit? Not a Problem in a No-Hitter
There is a reason why Topps placed the cards of Johnny Lipon and Bob Feller next to each other in the 1952 checklist.
Willard Marshall’s Record Can’t Be Broken
It’s hard to beat a perfect record, even if 124 others have tied it.
An Extra Man on the Roster and the First Victim of the Curse of the Billy Goat
Postseason rosters are locked well in advance of the World Series. The sport made an exception for a single at-bat in 1945, the same series in which the Curse of the Billy Goat made itself felt.