OK...card #1 is a 1939 PayBall of HOFer Red Ruffing. I must admit, I didn't know a lot about Ruffing, other than that he grew up in the sticks of Illinois, like I did. But when I looked up his stats, I was surprised at what the trade from the Red Sox did for him. Talk about an unequal trade, that probably looked like nothing when it was made! Ruffing had pitched seven seasons with the BoSox, amassing a record of 36-96. Yes, 36 and 96! Remember, future HOFer with a 7-2 WS record. He had seasons like 10-25, and 9-22. So the Red Sox traded him for Cedric Durst, who played one season, before he was out of the league. Ruffing, you ask...how did he do? He only pitched 15 seasons with the Yankees, where he won 231 games. How's that for a lopsided trade? I bet Ernie Broglio could use that info. He was traded after an 0-3 start in Boston, then went 15-5 with the Yankees the rest of the 1930 season. Reminds me of Sutcliffe going to the Cubs in 1984. He had three seasons in a row, where he went 20-7, 21-7, and 21-7 again. That's pretty awesome, if you ask me, or even if you don't ask me. Durst, in the mean time, ended up on the San Diego Padres of the PCL, where he was voted the most popular player in 1936, winning a new suit. I think the Yankees got the better of that one. Even if it was Men's Wearhouse, where he might get a second suit for free.
BTW, that black dot is weird. It's on the card, but doesn't look nearly so big and dark when you see it. I'm not sure why the scanner made it so prominent. Weird.
