MLB Dream Bracket Alt-Topps Cards Part 5

Indians v Negro League Legends

Spoiler alert:

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The biggest disappointment in the Dream Bracket so far (besides the non-existent graphics) was the early exit of the Negro League Stars.  In an apparent lack of pitching on either side, the Tribe outscored the Negro League 52-36 in a series that went all seven games. You can read the recap here or see the video here. 

I was disappointed because I wanted  them to go deep into the bracket. I wanted to see how the Negro League Legends stacked up against other teams as well. Maybe a round-robin type of series would have been better for this. Anyway, This whole thing could have been improved by better graphics like MLB The Show and/or a different form of bracket that wouldn't be a one and done situation.  

Just my thoughts on this imaginary series of games. Now lets get to the imaginary cards!

For the  Indians we have Bob Feller, Nap Lajoie, Lou Boudreau and Larry Doby.

For the Negro League Legends I could not just do 4 cards.  I decided to make four pitcher cards, the full line-up of position players including the DH and three of the reserves.  On a side note, I know that I am missing perhaps the most famous Negro League pitcher, but there are so many cards of Satchel Paige compared to his contemporaries. Also I decided to go with black and white photos rather than an amateurish attempt at colorization. Plus with 16 cards that's a ton of work. 

Here are the four pitchers: Bill Foster, Hilton Smith, Leon Day and Smokey Joe Williams.

Here are the position players: Josh Gibson C, Buck Leonard 1B, Newt Allen 2B, Ray Dandridge 3B, Pop Lloyd SS, Turkey Stearnes LF, Oscar Charlseton CF and Cool Papa Bell RF.

The designated hitter is Mule Suttles. On the bench is Martin Dihigo, Monte Irvin and Biz Mackey.

  It also goes without say that this is the All-Time great nickname team.  Mule, Turkey, Biz, Buck, Pop, Smokey and of course Cool Papa.

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These cards are base on the MLB Dream Bracket.  Not sure who picked the "all-time players". It is a product of Twitch, Out of the Park and Draft Kings.  I take no responsibility for their choices, good or bad.  The cards themselves are based on a rejected Topps design from the late sixties.

To check the status of the bracket click here.

The 1943 Phillies Team That Never Was

Cleaning Out the Closet: 

Part 2 - Abandoned Projects

Been a bit busy lately and haven't had the time to post anything new so here are some more cards rescued from the junk files. This is another example of an overly ambitious project.

I got the idea from an article I read about Bill Veeck. He claimed in his autobiography that in 1943 he attempted to buy the Phillies. He planned to make a team using the great Negro League players from the era. This would have predated Jackie Robinson's debut by several years. The league was being drained of its talent due to World War II. Still many talented players were not considered because of their skin color.  Now there is no historical evidence of this alleged plan other than Veeck's word for it many years after the fact. But it makes you think. How would this have changed history. Would a team stacked with Negro League greats dominate in a league with many of its players engaged in the war effort?

This project presented a few problems. Among them, I would have to find pictures of the players. These are fairly few and far between. Next I would have to photoshop them into Phillies uniforms. And the biggest hurdle was that there were no cards issued in that era. I would need to create a card that looked like it came from 1943.

 

Once again, it just proved too much for me. I really liked the idea and I think the cards that I made looked pretty cool. Unfortunately, I just couldn't find enough suitable pictures of relevant players. I've actually held onto this project for quite some time in hopes of reviving it, but I guess it's time to put it to rest.