#237 Jerry Coleman

#237 Jerry Coleman
Progress: 1st of this card
263 of 407  64.6% complete 
How acquired: $7.95 on eBay
Condition: Very Good
Eight years ago or so, when I first started seeking out a copy of a 1952 Topps card (of which I had none at the time), this Coleman was one of the first to catch my eye as a card that might make a good example to have in my collection when my intent was just own a few copies of cards from every Topps set.  Somewhere along the way I became more ambitious.  Coleman though, has long eluded me.  Yankees from these older vintage sets just cost more and I could never bring my self to ante up the cost of this Coleman.  My patience finally paid off, because while the price I paid is more than I like, the condition of this card is far better than other copies I've watched come and go for much higher prices.  Utimately, I feel like I did alright with this one.

Jerry Coleman came into the league in 1949 on a tear, finishing 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting, then being named an All-Star the following season in 1950.  But in 1952 he only appeared in 11 games, and would only appear in 8 games in 1953.  The rest of his career would only see him break the 100 game mark one more time.  This appears to be due in large part to the emergence of Billy Martin as the Yankees regular second baseman during Coleman's brief return to Military Service 1952.  "The Colonel" as he was nick named by his Yankee teammates, had flown 59 bombing missions during WWII, and later another 66 over Korea, at one point surviving a horrific crash.

Coleman, who spent all nine of his seasons with the Yankees, winning an AL Pennant in each of those, and seven World Series for good measure, is best remembered as a San Diego Padre, the team with whom he spent 42 years as a broadcaster.  He also managed the Padres for season.  


Stats: 9 seasons, All-Star, 558 hits, 16 HR, 217 RBI, .253 avg., 19 hits in World Series play, 1950 AL Babe Ruth Award Winner

Best Hall of Fame Showing: N/A