Old School Heritage and New School Ponies - Part 8: Catchers

RARITY CATCH ME



Shoulda had Elston catch you, Pinkie...

Earl Battey and Elston Howard are featured in this '63 Combo card. With no inset circle the combos are the plainest cards in the set, but there's plenty of room for the photo. This pic might have been taken at the first 1962 All-Star game in Washington since Earl and Elston are both in the home pinstripes. I'm worn out and am getting a headache and just wanna go to bed so I'll just linky SABR's biographies on Elston and Earl here instead of summarizing them up.

1965 Topps Elston Howard

You know what ya dumb Veteran's Committee? DON'T put Elston Howard in the Hall of Fame.

It's nice to have one superstar vintage Yankee player to collect that DOESN'T cost an arm and a leg to acquire.

See those stats? See his MVP season in 1963? Oh yeah, Elston was an MVP. He was also a great defensive catcher. He also integrated the Yankees. Oh, but he doesn't really have the stats to go into the Hall of Fame. Maybe because he had to play in the Negro Leagues for three years. And didn't make his MLB debut until he was 26. And was stuck behind Yogi once he hit the bigs. AND served two years in Korea.

OoooOOOOooooohhhh... but he don't have the StaaaAAAAaaaats....

BECAUSE THE HALL OF FAME IS ABOUT NOTHING BUT STATS

HE ALSO INVENTED THE BATTING DONUT FOR PETE'S SAKE

PUT HIM IN THA HALL OF FAME YOU LOUSY VOTING BASTARDS

(sorry the Pinkie Pie episode got me feeling all joyful and smiling this morning so I had to go on a crazed rant real quick to balance out the force)

Then later...

ANOTHER Elston Howard.

And then...

Elston Howard.