Card of the Week: 2008 Goudey #217 Bobby Thomson
Posted by Andy on August 18, 2010
Bobby Thomson's 1951 home run made such a large impact that more than 50 years later, baseball card companies are still issuing cards to celebrate his achievement and career.
Take, for example, this 2008 Goudey card. Actually produced by Upper Deck, this set carries the name of a long-gone bubble gum company that sold trading cards (including baseball cards) along with pieces of its gum. The baseball cards sets were produced between the years of 1933 and 1941. The 1933 Goudey Napoleon LaJoie card is among the most valuable baseball cards in existence, thanks to the fact that it survived in only small numbers and LaJoie's Hall of Fame career.
Anyway, Upper Deck has followed the lead of Topps in producing sets that closely follow the design of classic set, and this 2008 Goudey set resembled some of the earlier Goudey sets.
Thomson's name will be forever linked with that famous home run, but he was a pretty good player for a bunch of years. For example, from 1949 to 1953, he was in the top 10 in MLB in homers:
| Rk | Player | HR |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ralph Kiner | 215 |
| 2 | Gil Hodges | 158 |
| 3 | Roy Campanella | 149 |
| 4 | Hank Sauer | 149 |
| 5 | Stan Musial | 147 |
| 6 | Duke Snider | 146 |
| 7 | Gus Zernial | 138 |
| 8 | Bobby Thomson | 134 |
| 9 | Yogi Berra | 132 |
| 10 | Al Rosen | 132 |
and RBI:
| Rk | Player | RBI |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ralph Kiner | 557 |
| 2 | Gil Hodges | 555 |
| 3 | Stan Musial | 544 |
| 4 | Del Ennis | 541 |
| 5 | Roy Campanella | 518 |
| 6 | Duke Snider | 518 |
| 7 | Yogi Berra | 509 |
| 8 | Bobby Thomson | 509 |
| 9 | Vic Wertz | 490 |
| 10 | Eddie Robinson | 487 |
He finished his career with a solid 110 OPS+, 32.9 WAR, and over 1,000 RBI.
We congratulate you, Mr. Thomson, on a fine career. Rest in peace.
August 18th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
Thomson's was indeed one of the Great Moments in Baseball History {caps intended}; the only negative thing I had to say about it was that it WAY overshadowed Dick Sisler's almost identical feat from the year before.
August 18th, 2010 at 11:47 pm
Do moments like that qualify players for the HOF? I dunno -- maybe we should ask Bill Mazeroski.
August 19th, 2010 at 7:48 am
I knew Kiner was the leading power hitter of his time, but I didn't realize how large of a gap there truly was between him and the next person on the home run list over his peak years.
August 19th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
A very sad day for me. Not only was a I rabid Giants fan (I was even at the time and actually watched the game on my twelve-inch Dumont TV set!), but it inspired me to write my second novel, ONCE UPON A FASTBALL. Anyone who loves baseball would, I think, enjoy this novel, available at Amazon.com. I also have learned to admire Ralph Branca in terms of the way he has handled this gaffe his whole life. The greatest moment in sports history, in by humble opinion. --Bob Mitchell
August 19th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Here is a link to Bob's book, complete with B-R commission if you'd like to buy it. 🙂
August 19th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
The person who told me that Thomson had died on Tuesday is someone born in the 1930s named Ralph. I then asked him if he had known that two of the most famous home runs in baseball history were surrendered by pitchers named Ralph. His response was, "Who was the other one?" He knew about Branca but must have known at one time or other in his life about Terry. (Since the Ralph I know has been a member of the Toastmasters International communication and leadership organization for many years, I also told him that he shares the same first name as that organization's founder, Dr. Ralph Smedley. Toastmasters was founded in October 1924, the same month in which the Washington Senators won their only World Series.)
August 30th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
test