Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Wood vs. Wood #110

 Last time the '62 Topps card, won, 6-3. Who will come out on top this time?

Great shot of the old Yankee Stadium scoreboard as well as the right field grandstand on Bill "Moose" Skowron's card. Skowron was an old-fashioned "tough guy" and that comes through in his "are you kidding me?" face as he poses for the Topps photographer. A six-time All-Star, he was the first baseman on the great Yankee teams of the late 1950s and early 1960s. A lifetime .282 hitter with 211 HR and 888 RBI, he was a legendary clutch hitter on the game's biggest stage, hitting .293 with 8 HR and 29 RBI in eight World Series. The Yankees traded the aging Moose to the Dodgers after the '62 season, and he made them regret it, hitting .385 with 1 HR and 3 RBI to help the Dodgers knock off the Yankees. His final All-Star season came with his hometown White Sox in 1965, helping them to a surprise 2nd-place finish. After his career he worked in a number of promotional roles, was a regular on the card show circuit, and was a community relations representative for the White Sox until he passed away in 2012.

John Tudor was known for his quiet intensity, and that is also apparent on his card. Tudor pitched for four teams over 12 seasons, and was an ace when healthy, but was rarely 100%. In 1985, he put it all together, going 21-8 with a 1.93 ERA. A variety of arm injuries, as well as a leg broken by Mets catcher Barry Lyons when he dove into the Cardinals dugout for a foul ball, sidetracked his career. Despite winning comeback of the year in 1990 (12-4, 2.40 ERA) he retired after the season due to injuries. Tudor has kept a low profile since his playing career ended, doing some youth coaching in his native Massachusetts.


7 comments:

  1. I hate to vote for a Yankee, but the Tudor card is too dull.

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  2. What Matt said! Gotta go with Moose.

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  3. Moose! ... I was just looking at that Tudor card the other day and noting that it is odd. Zack Greinke always seemed like a current day John Tudor. Maybe that's not an accurate comparison (Greinke seems more likable) but that's what's in my head.

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