Top 10% of 1952
Playing Beisbol Got Max Lanier Banned from MLB for Half a Decade
MLB banned nearly two dozen ballplayers for joining a rival league in the 1940s. Not since the expulsion of 8 players in the Black Sox scandal of 1919 had the sport kicked out so many players.
Playing the Role of Duke Snider
Snider’s career was seemingly dreamed up by a group of Hollywood writers. This card was picked up in my first card show since the 1990s.
Dutch Leonard: Great-Great-Grandfather of R.A. Dickey’s Knuckleball
An unbroken chain of knuckleballs was passed down like black magic for a century.
The Best in ’52 Topps
In terms of stats already in the record books, no other player appearing in the 1952 Topps set was as accomplished as Johnny Mize.
Mr. Team Could Have Been Captain America
Bob Elliott carried his teams through several tough seasons and would have undoubtedly brought the same intensity to the military if not for some wayward baseballs.
Al Rosen Was a Holy Terror to Pitchers
Al Rosen could have been one of the game’s all-time greats if not for a late start and a contract dispute.