I had no idea who Earl Torgeson was before I bought this card a few days ago, but was intrigued when I Google Searched him and the bio from his SABR page started out with this sentence:
"In a 15-year major-league career filled with great stories and accomplishments of various stripes, Earl Torgeson was well known for getting in brawls."
The card was sold before I could read the second sentence of his bio.
Here is the card.
This is my first Red Man card with a tab.
A few facts I learned about Earl after reading his full SABR Bio:
-His nickname was "The Earl of Snohomish" after his hometown in Washington. The nickname was shared with Indians Hall of Famer Earl Averill who was from the same town. In fact, Torgeson grew up playing at Averill Field in Snohomish.
-Prior to his rookie season he faced assualt charges in Washington for beating two men who had used vulgar language in front of his wife. Torgeson was found not guilty after the judge agreed with his actions.
-Torgeson was in dozens of fights during his Major League career. After breaking his glasses in his first MLB brawl, he infamously would slowly remove them before charging pitchers or players to fight.
-He chain smoked cigars
-The majority of his baseball career was spent with the Braves and White Sox, but he also appeared for the Phillies, Tigers, and Yankees.
-After baseball, he was a County Commisioner representing the Snohomish area.
I need 46 more cards.
Fun facts, indeed! Thanks for the amusing write-up.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!!! Thank you for stopping by and reading my post.
DeleteWow. I never knew the bespectacled Earl was such a fighter.
ReplyDeleteMy fun fact: Torgeson was a pitcher in WA semi-pro ball during WWII.
You learn something everyday. I did not know he was in semi-pro ball during the war, I thought he just served.
DeleteMy fun, but terribly lame, fact: I've been to Snohomish... multiple times!
ReplyDeleteHopefully for some really good reason or you gained a cool story or two from your trips there.
DeleteEarl Torgeson is one of the first 1956 Topps cards I saw as a teenager and I recall learning he was ruffian back then and being surprised because of his scholastic appearance.
ReplyDeleteHe could be a long lost relative of Greg Maddux and I would totally belief it.
DeleteHad no idea who Torgeson was before this post, but he reminded me of Maddux. I decided to look up whether or not Maddux liked to fight... and it led me to a video about him and Canseco. This led me to the fact that Maddux peed on Chipper Jones' feet in the shower... and into a hot tub that had Andre Dawson, Jerome Walton, Dwight Gooden, and Shawon Dunston in it. Gotta love how one thing leads to another.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Great looking card!
Things I said after reading your comment.
Delete"I need some time on Google without the kids around"