On-the-field trivia: Dick Kinsella was the sheriff of Sangamon County, IL and a part-time New York Giants scout who discovered Carl Hubbell while taking in a minor league game in Houston, where he was a delegate to the 1928 Democratic National Convention that nominated Al Smith to run for President. Other teams had been concerned about Hubbell's reliance on the screwball, a pitch known for taxing pitching arms, but the Giants had had success with screwballer Christy Mathewson and signed Hubbell. From 1933 to 1937 Hubbell was the best pitcher in the National League, winning over 20 games each season and winning three ERA crowns. The screwball began taking a toll on his arm by 1939, however, and for the next three years he was a good, but not great, pitcher. He is best known for striking out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin in the 1934 All-Star Game.
Off-the-field trivia: Hubbell retired after the 1943 season and became the Giants' Head of Player Development, a role he held through 1977. He remained a Giants scout until his death in 1988 at the age of 85, when he suffered a stroke while driving. At the time of his death he was one of the last New York Giants in organized baseball and the last who played under John McGraw.
My collection: I do not have any playing-days cards of Hubbell. Hubbell's last solo card as a contemporary player was in the 1943 MP and Co. set.
I guess that would explain why both Topps and Panini (and Fleer when they were still around) pretty much always use the same two photos for his cards.
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