1964 Topps #31 - Dave NicholsonThe picture doesn't do the card justice. You can't fully appreciate the hangdog expression on Dave's face. Given the timing of the card, you might be inclined to think that Dave had just learned about President Kennedy's fateful afternoon on November 22, 1963.
Something is bothering Dave. He could be worried that his 1963 batting average of .229 would force him off the team. I don't know. But his expression was disturbing enough to make me stop dead in my tracks when I was going through my small mailday yesterday.
It could possibly have to do with the angle of his pose, but this seems to be one downtrodden individual. I am left to ponder why, since I wouldn't be born until 12 years after this card was produced. History is made by the people who win, but there are millions of stories that are left untold. What was Dave's story? It might make some interesting reading. At the very least, it may provide a clue as to what was happening when this photograph was taken.
Maybe he had just found out that he led the league the previous season (1963) in strikeouts (175). That would do it for me... Though, he did lead the team in homers that year, too with 22... He's a complicated man, I guess.
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