On the blog today, spotlighting another "missing" card from my custom 1950 Drake's extension set released a couple years ago in deluxe packaging, this time the great Bob Feller:
The
Cleveland Indians' legend wasn't included in the original set, one of
my favorite oddball sets of the period, so I had the pleasure of
creating one some seventy years later!
Really, what needs to be said about the man?
Feller finished up an incredible
18-year Major League career in 1956, one that saw him win 266 games,
toss 44 shutouts including three no-hitters, and striking out 2581
batters between 1936 and 1956.
And don't forget, the man lost
almost FOUR seasons in his prime serving in the military from 1942
through 1945, easily bringing him close to 400 wins, 3500 K's and 60
shutouts if it wasn't for the war.
What an unsung hero all-around!
He
led the league in wins six times, strikeouts seven times, shutouts four
times and earned run average once, completing 279 of his 484 career
starts.
The eight-time All-Star finished in the top-3 for
league MVP three straight seasons between 1939 and 1941, winning 24, 27
and 25 games before sailing off to fight in World War II at the age of
23.
Just an astounding man who incredibly gets left out of the conversation when we talk about all-time greats, especially post-war.
Legend!