1952 Back-O'-The-Card: Don Bollweg and Archie Wilson

DON BOLLWEG
"Hitting .313 at Rochester in 1950 and .303 at Kansas City in 1951, Don is a good prospect to stick in the majors this year. He had two brief stints with the Cardinals in '50 and '51 but didn't make the grade.
An Army veteran, Don started in organized ball in 1942 and has batted in 60 or more runs every season. In 1947 at Columbus, he drove in nine runs in one game. As a Yankee farmhand at Kansas City in '51, he clouted 20 homers."

-1952 Topps, No. 128


ARCHIE WILSON
"Archie began the 1952 season as a Yankee. Traded to the Senators on May 3, the next day he helped Washington win both games of a doubleheader. Archie got five hits in the two games, including a triple and a double.
He broke into baseball in 1951 with San Francisco, then went to Buffalo. He hit .316 for the season."

-1952 Bowman No. 210

"Archie came to the Yankees in September of 1951. He was traded to the Senators in May of '52 and went to the Red Sox in June. Archie had a great season with Buffalo of the International League in '51 when he led the league in hits, total bases and runs batted in.
He started in pro ball in 1947 after attending the University of California for three and a half years, and was with Kansas City in '49 and '50."

-1952 Topps No. 327

1952 Back-O'-The-Card: Ewell Blackwell

"Tall and thin, Blackwell looks like a spider when he winds up. His wicked side arm delivery develops a speed that has put him among the top flight pitchers.

In 1947, he won 22 games and lost 8. His phenomenal feat of striking out 193 batters and also winning 16 straight games will be talked about in baseball for many years.

Ewell has been playing organized baseball since 1942 with three years out for military service."

-1948 Bowman No. 2

"Ewell is a youthful veteran who scored 22 wins in 1948 with a brilliant 2.47 earned run average, hurling six shutouts and fanning 193 batters to lead the league.

A sore arm stopped him most of last season, with Ewell finally ending up with a 7-9 record. He still managed to strike out 114 opponents- sixth best in the league.

In his first full year- 1946- he won only 4 games and dropped 13, but hurled at the rate of 2.46 earned runs per game."

-1949 Leaf No. 39

"Ill health cut Ewell's effectiveness in 1948 and 1949, but it looks as though the batters are headed to buggy-whip trouble in 1950.

Ewell had a 22-8 record in 1947. He won the most games, pitched the most complete games and got the most strikeouts (193). He hurled a no-hitter and set a modern National League record for most consecutive games won by a right-hander."

-1950 Bowman No. 63

"Ewell made a great comeback last season after ill health had cut down his effectiveness in 1948 and 1949. His earned run average of 2.97 was the third most effective in the league. His win-loss record was 17-15 with a weak-hitting team. Ewell pitched a no-hitter against Boston in 1947; his record that season, 22-8.

Famous for a buggy-whip sidearm delivery, Ewell has a world of stuff to keep hitters in a state of confusion."

-1951 Bowman No. 24 (Bowman Gum, Inc.)

"'The Whip' was on every National League All-Star team from 1946 through 1951. In 1947 he had a 22-8 record, topped the league in strikeouts (193), won 16 straight games, threw a no-hitter against the Braves and had a 2.47 ERA. In 1948 he had an arm ailment, in 1949 a kidney operation and in 1950 won 17 despite an appendectomy.
Ewell started in pro ball in 1942 with Syracuse and was in the service in 1943, '44 and '45."

-1952 Topps, No. 344

"One of the best pitchers in baseball, the string-bean right-hander has been plagued by illness the last few years. He appeared in 38 games for the Reds in 1951, winning 16 and losing 15. His earned run average was 3.44.
Ewell pitched a no-hitter against Boston in 1947. He won 22 games in 1947 to lead the league. He has been with the Reds since 1942, although he spent three years in the service."

-1952 Red Man, National League No. 3

1952 Back-O'-The-Card: Yogi Berra

"Yogi gained the nod as the American League's Most Valuable Player for the 1951 campaign. He batted .294 in 141 games, hit 19 doubles and 27 home runs, and his total of runs batted in was 88.
One of the game's most colorful personalities, Yogi came up from the Missouri sandlots."

-1952 Bowman, No. 1

"The Most Valuable Player in the American League in 1951, Yogi became a Yankee at the end of the 1946 season.
He spent 1943 at Norfolk, 1944-45 in the Navy and 1946 at Newark, where he hit .314. A power hitter, Yogi drove in 98 runs and hit .305 in 1948, and in 1949 clouted 20 homers and had 91 RBIs. In 1950, he hit .322 with 28 home runs and 124 RBIs and made the Major League [Sporting News postseason] All-Star Team.
Yogi is the first player to ever pinch-hit a homer in the World Series (1947)."

-1952 Topps, No. 191

"Yogi, one of baseball's most colorful personalities, was the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1951. An iron man, he appeared in 141 games. His 161 hits were good for a total of 269 bases and he had 19 doubles, four triples and 27 home runs. He batted in 88 runs and hit .294.
With the Yankees since the end of the 1946 season, Yogi hit .322 in 1950."

-1952 Red Man No. AL3