Friday, August 4, 2023

VINTAGE SPECIAL! "MISSING" 1954 WILSON'S FRANKS SATCHEL PAIGE

Super fun card to create and add to the WTHBALLS stable, a "missing" 1954 Wilson Franks Satchel Paige edition, celebrating the legend during his stint with the St. Louis Browns:


Now THIS would have been an awesome card to exist, though most likely painful for collectors to chase these days in pursuit of perhaps the greatest baseball odd-ball set of the era.
Paige just wrapped up his third and final season with the Browns in 1953, appearing in 57 games at the age of 46, posting a record of 3-9 with a 3.53 earned run average over 117.1 innings, saving 11 games and making his second straight All-Star team.
From his start as a 20-year old playing for the Birmingham Black Barons in 1927 to his final Major League appearance as a 58-year old for the Kansas City Athletics, Paige became an American icon not only for his on-field play but for his infectious personality.
Though his career Negro League record is listed as 100-50 over 18-seasons, he won countless other games along the way, as was the usual for the Negro Leagues as they played exhibition and non-league games during gaps in their schedule.
His stories are legend, enough so that by the time the Baseball Hall of Fame got off their ass and finally began electing Negro League all-time greats to Cooperstown, Paige was the very 1st to be so honored.
A 5x time Negro League all-star, 2x American League all-star, Negro League champ in 1942 with the Homestead Grays, and Major League World Champion with the 1948 Cleveland Indians, Paige left a baseball legacy that few could come close to.