On the
blog this fine day, we add Hall of Fame outfielder Duke Snider to my
1963 "Fleer Extension" set, adding to the custom set I produced a couple
years back, with ideas of adding a second WTHBALLS series in the near
future:
Came across this nice shot of the Duke at the end of his Dodger run, perfect for the set, so I figured "why not"?
Snider really was incredibly underrated over his career, which
sadly (for him) coincided with the careers of men like Mickey Mantle,
Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.
Nevertheless, all
he would do in the Majors was hit, finishing his career in 1964, capping off a great 18-year Major League
career that
saw him make eight All-Star teams while posting six seasons where he
finished in the top-10 for N.L. MVP.
Snider
was an absolute beast of a hitter through the 1950's with the Dodgers,
driving in over 100 runs six times, 30+ homers six times including five
straight seasons of 40 or more, five years of scoring over 100 runs and
seven seasons of .300 hitting or better.
A
HUGE cog in the Brooklyn Dodger machine of the 1950s, he was also part
of the "Holy Trinity of New York center-fielders of the era, along with
Willie Mays of the New York Giants and Mickey Mantle of the New York
Yankees.
What a time it must have been to be a young baseball fan!
