Sunday, August 8, 2021

2021 National Pickup - Dizzy Dean Signed Baseball

The main reason I even looked at this ball at the National was because I missed out on another ball from the same seller that was signed by Dizzy Dean.  I had talked with Andrew as we walked around the show the first day about how it would be nice to cross Dizzy Dean off of my list.  I had seen a ball for a good price that was signed by Dean, Sandy Koufax and Pee Wee Reese.  I made a note of where it was, and watched it for a few days.  When I was ready to pull the trigger on the ball, I went to where I saw it, and the ball had sold.  The seller then showed me this one, signed by Dean, and the two other guys I needed.  It was a bit more, but I had knocked some credit cards down over the COVID lockdowns, and had a little room to spend.  So, I wouldn't let this one get away.

Dean (b. 1910 - d. 1974) played in the majors in 1930, from 1932 to 1941 and 1947 for the Cardinals, Cubs and Browns.  He had a career record of 150-83 with 1,163 strike outs and a 3.02 ERA.  He led the league in wins in 1934 (30) and 1935 (28) and strikeouts from 1932 to 1935 (191, 199, 195, and 190, respectively).  He was the NL MVP in 1934 and finished second in the NL MVP voting in 1935 and 1936.  He won the World Series with the Cardinals in 1934.  He also was a 4-time All Star (1934 to 1937).  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1953, after appearing on 11 various ballots.

Dizzy Dean died in 1974 from a heart attack.  He is my 157th Hall of Famer on a baseball.

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