#235 Walt Dropo

#235 Walt Dropo
Progress: 1st of this card
238 of 407  58.4% complete
How acquired: $2.29 on eBay
Condition: Good
I like the horizontal cards in this set.  If there were more of them, I'm not sure if that opinion would hold. As the ratio stands, they're not too prevelant, and not so few as to make them seem out of place.  That appears to be the dirt at the base of a wall around Dropo.  Though I suspect the artist added it on their own and it's not a true coloring of the photo that was used.  The perspective doesn't look right for that.

Dropo, born in Connecticut, is a bit of a New England sports legend.  He went to UConn where he played football, basketball, and baseball.  In 1947 he was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 9th rd of the NFL draft, and after becoming UConn basketball's all-time leading scorer, went in the 1st rd of the BAA Draft (the BAA would later become the "NBA").   Dropo opted instead to sign with the Red Sox, and would win the AL Rookie of the Year award ahead of Whitey Ford just three years later when he hit .322 with 34 home runs and a league leading 144 RBI's.  He fractured his wrist the next season, and subsequently never matched the numbers he put up as a rookie, though he still had a very respectable career.

Stats: 13 seasons, All-Star, 1,113 hits, 152 home runs, 704 RBI's, .270 avg., 1950 AL Rookie of the Year

Best Hall of Fame Showing: 0.3% 1967