Sports Cards Ate My Brain

 I'm not a huge fan of the 1952 - 1956 Topps cards but I have collected a few of the Braves cards: My top 5, in chronological order, are below: One of only two 1952 Topps cards that I have and my only Brave. Another nice card of Del Crandall.  This may be my favorite set from this era of Topps. I like this card even though I don't like the cluttered nature of the design. We end with two from 1956. Sorry 1955, you got left out. So who am I picking? Not in consideration, but from this era, we have this bonus. Joe Cunningham turns into Wally Moon when unfolded. ================================ While 1953 is my favorite design my favorite card is the Ernie Johnson.  I grew up listening to him on the radio or on Braves games on TBS.  I'm sure he would be proud that his son was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster.

The last of the baseball cards I got at the show are 5 cards from 1956 Topps: 131 - Bob Roselli Another backup catcher.  Had 9 at bats in 1955 but was featured in an early series.  Go figure. 185 - Bill Bruton Led the NL in steals for the 3rd straight year in 1955.  Set the table for the big boppers in the Milwaukee lineup. 244 - Bob Buhl A solid pitcher for several years with the Braves.  Was 3rd in the NL in ERA in 1955. 254 - George Crowe 15 HR and 55 RBI in only 303 ABs in 1955. 294 - Ernie Johnson ERNIE!  With Pete van Wieran's recent passing, all 3 of the Braves voices I grew up with are gone.  Ernie was a top flight relief pitcher for several years for the Braves and a key piece of their bullpen during their World Series campaigns in 1957 and 1958.  You young'uns probably know his son better from watching NBA games on TNT. I have 7 more cards to write about from this show but I'll keep them a mystery until the n...

I'm not a big fan of the larger cards that Topps produced from 1952 to 1956 so I haven't started actively pursuing Braves cards from those years.  I will eventually get around to it if I can find some good deals.  I don't have a Braves card from 1952 Topps.  1951 Topps Blue Back - Topps first baseball issue was two series of game cards.  One with red backs and one with blue backs.  They are smaller than the picture below. 12 Sam Jethroe - Sam was the Braves first African-American player and won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1950 after leading the league in stolen bases at age 33. The back is blue.  Go figure. 1953 - I like the artwork of these cards but I think the black bar should have extended across the entire card. 197 Del Crandall - The artist gives Del a light unibrow.  Del has no stats for 1952 as he was in the military. The signature over the biographical info makes it hard to read and was is "Strike Outs" in quot...