Probably the greatest thing that's come out of this awesome challenge is finding and learning about baseball cards that I never knew existed.
I don't own any oddball cards for the '50s, so I scoured the Internet, and found some great choices before settling in on today's card.
I'm combining the card challenge with a Happy Baseball Birthday! post for former Detroit Tigers Hall of Fame 2nd Baseman Charlie Gehringer, who was born on May 11, 1903, in Fowlerville, Michigan.
Gehringer is, to me, the most underrated and under appreciated second baseman in baseball history.
Searching the Internet for today's card challenge I came across this card, a 1950 Callahan HOF Baseball #34 of Gehinger.
A simplistic sketch card illustrates a young Charley, probably from a picture taken of him in the 1920s...his first year was 1924...and the card has the facsimile Gehringer signature.
B.E. Callahan, publisher of the famous Who's Who in Baseball book was the man behind the set HOF cards.
Gehinger was simply one of the best 2nd sackers to ever play in the big leagues, and the best in Tigers history.
Charley Gehringer played for the Tigers from 1924-1942, only wearing the Olde English D uniform and no other.
In his 19 years Charley appeared in 2,323 baseball games, collecting 2,839 base hits, 184 HR, 146 triples, 547 doubles, 1,427 RBI, scoring 1,775 runs.
Defensively Charley was also terrific, retiring with a .973 fielding percentage in 2,185 games at 2nd Base, with just 309 errors in 12, 746 chances, turning 1,444 double plays.
Those defensive stats earned him one of baseball's All-Time great nicknames of "The Mechanical Man"
Charley was the 1937 American League MVP, played in 3 World Series with the Tigers, winning the Series in 1935, Detroit's first ever WS victory.
In 1949 Charley was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Happy Baseball Birthday! to the Mechanical Man!
Tomorrow's challenge is an oddball card from the 1960s... I'm already hitting up Google to find a great card.
PLAY BALL!
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