1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #12 "Dixie" Walker - New York Yankees (Variation 2)

Sunday, January 21, 2024

#12 "Dixie" Walker - New York Yankees (Variation 2)

Fred Walker

New York Yankees

Outfield

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 6'1" Weight: 175

Born: September 24, 1910, Villa Rica, GA

Major League Teams: New York Yankees 1931, 1933-1936; Chicago White Sox 1936-1937; Detroit Tigers 1938-1939; Brooklyn Dodgers 1939-1947; Pittsburgh Pirates 1948-1949

World Series Appearances: Brooklyn Dodgers 1941, 1947

Died: May 17, 1982, Birmingham, AL (71)

Dixie Walker played in parts of 18 seasons in the majors, earning his way onto five All-Star teams while with the Dodgers and winning the N.L. batting title in 1944 when he hit .357. He ended the 1946 season as the most popular player in Brooklyn history, according to legendary broadcaster Red Barber, but he'd later become better known as the player who tried to thwart Jackie Robinson from joining the Dodgers in 1947. Walker initiated a player petition asking that Robinson not be permitted to join the team and then later requested that Dodgers owner Branch Rickey trade him. Later in life, he told author Roger Kahn the petition was "the stupidest thing he'd ever done."

Rickey honored Walker's request and traded him to the Pirates on December 8, 1947, where he played the final two years of his career. In his nine seasons with the Dodgers, Walker enjoyed the best years of his career, batting .311 with 67 home runs and 725 RBIs. He was dubbed "The People's Cherce," in reference to the way the word "choice" sounds when said in a Brooklyn accent. In 1,905 career games, Walker had a .306 average with 2,064 hits. Following his playing days, he served as a coach for the Cardinals (1953, 1955), Braves (1963-1965) and Dodgers (1970-1974).

Building the Set

December 13, 2023 from Plumsteadville, PA (707 Sportscards Ltd.) - Card #100

This is milestone card #100 for our 119-card set build, and the penultimate card I added in 2023. This is the third and final Walker card in our version of a master set and I now have all three back variations which update his progress from 1934 to 1936. Not to spoil the next post, but with the Bill Dickey (#11) card on the way, I'm down to needing 18 cards to finish off this iconic set from the 1930s. It's not going to be easy, or cheap. Nine of the cards are Hall of Famers, including two versions of the Hank Greenberg (#54) card - one with his name spelled correctly and a version with his name misspelled. The other nine cards are from the 1936 blue-backed high numbers, some of which I've rarely even seen available for sale.

I'll be working on posts to finish up the cards in the 1981 and 1993 extended sets, so this blog won't be going completely inactive, but there could be gaps in time as I track down the final 18 for our set.

Variations Available

1 - 1934 / green back / 1933 statistics / 1934 copyright / mentions Babe Ruth retiring

2 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1934 copyright / mentions Babe Ruth to Braves

3 - 1936 / blue back / no statistics / 1934 copyright / no mention of Babe Ruth ✅

The Card / Yankees Team Set

The first version of this card was issued in 1934 and notes that Walker "is expected to fill Babe Ruth's shoes when the great Yankee slugger retires." The second version of the card was issued in 1935, noting that Walker "is expected to help fill the gap left by Babe Ruth moving to Boston (Braves)." Ruth (#109) was released by the Yankees on February 26, 1935 and signed with the Braves that very same day so the second version of this card was issued after that date. This is the third and final version, which doesn't mention Ruth at all.

Also dropped is any mention of Walker's father, also Dixie Walker, and the elder Walker pitched for four seasons with the Senators between 1909 and 1912. His brother, Harry Walker, was a two-time All-Star for the Cardinals and played for 11 seasons in the majors. The batting tip on the back encourages batters to relax and step out if needed "until the nervousness has disappeared."

1936 Season

Walker began the season with the Yankees, appearing in six games, before he was claimed off waivers by the White Sox on May 1st. Walker, presumed to be Ruth's successor, was let go so that the Yankees could clear a roster spot for Ruth's true successor - Joe DiMaggio (#126). Walker appeared in only 26 games for the White Sox, losing significant time when he dislocated his shoulder in a collision at first base with the Browns' Jim Bottomley (#59).