A Prototypical Early-50s Pittsburgh Pirate
The Pirates sucked in the early ’50s. And yes, Bill Howerton absolutely looks like a grown-up version of The Sandlot’s Ham Porter.
Set Collecting
Barry Bonds vs. The Hall of Fame
There are tons of examples of writing that argue for or against the inclusion of Barry Bonds into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This isn’t one of them.
Active Duty at Fort Eustis
With more than 50% of the players appearing in the 1952 Topps checklist having been in the military, there was bound to have been a lot of baseball played on military bases.
(The Original) Fish Man Good
Tim Salmon was the first of the Angels’ big fish. He was also attacked by a houseboat and his baseball cards were part of a major shift in how we chase rookie cards.
A Bullpen Catcher’s Baseball Card Sent a Half Dozen People to the World Series
Johnny Bucha batted just .205 with a negative WAR in a short career. A surprisingly impressive baseball card sent some of his fans to the World Series.
The Patch Card in 1952 Topps
A staple of modern collecting, patch cards take on a different meaning when trying to pin down when a player was photographed for his card.
We’ll Never See Another…Never Mind
Nolan Ryan’s retirement came at the same time as the emergence of a nearly identical pitcher.
Say “Cheese!”
Chris Van Cuyk looks absolutely thrilled to be on his first baseball card. It looks like he is saying, “cheese” for the photo, but when did people start doing this when posing for pictures?
Murry Dickson the Magician
Distraction and sleight of hand work together to create successful performances of magic tricks. Murry Dickson was a master of both and employed these skills to create one of the most steady pitching performances of a career that reached into parts of three decades. This story has it all, from card tricks and baseballs that seemingly pass through opposing bats to vanishing bank robbers and an arm that made Father Time a liar.