2001 SP Legendary Cuts #74 - Luke ApplingLuke Appling became the first shortstop to claim a batting crown when he hit .388 in the 1936 season. Luke was an extraordinary player. I was obsessed with him when I was in grade school. In fact, Luke was the first autographed photo that I purchased of a White Sox player. The photo was signed during the short period between a stroke and his death.
I always see the same photos of Luke. So, when I see a different photo, I get very excited. The first time that I saw this card, I couldn't recall ever seeing the photo before. It gives a great closeup of his face, which is rarer than you might think. You can also see part of old Comiskey Park in the background. That just sold the card for me.
If time travel were ever possible, I would travel back to 1936 and catch a game at Comiskey Park just to see Luke Appling play. He was the victim of a lot of bad White Sox teams. The Sox had a long road back to winning ways after the 1919 World Series scandal and World War II. Luke never got to a World Series and that's a real shame. I would imagine he would be more popular if he had some World Series heroics under his belt.
No comments:
Post a Comment