1934 R313-A Gold Medal FOods - Dizzy Dean

abothebear
Aug 15, 2021
2 min read

Dizzy Dean was a star. He had the name, he had the personality, and he had the goods on the field. Dizzy Won the NL MVP in 1934. He came in second in '35 and in '36. His strike-out totals for 32-36 were an uncannily consistent 191, 199, 195, 190, 195. He led the league in all five of those seasons. In 1934 he won 30 games. Less known, he won 28 the following year. In the post-dead-ball era, the leaders for wins in a season are Lefty Grove, Denny McLain, Dizzy Dean, Hal Newhouser, and Dizzy Dean. Dean has two seasons in the top 5 (he had 2 in the top 3 at the time it happened).

He was a funny guy with a funny way of saying things. He was a well-known baseball announcer on radio and television for 25 years after his playing days were over. He had two great careers, and this from Arkansas kid who didn't go to school past the second grade.

His funny name came from his eccentric personality. There were so many nicknames back then. Just in this 12-card set you have Dizzy, Daffy, Goose, Pepper (the Wild Horse of the Osage), Jo Jo, Firpo, Wild Bill, Ducky, and the Fordham Flash. The Cardinals also could have contributed Tex, Pop, Dazzy, Spud, Buster, Ripper, Red, and Kiddo. Additional Tigers nicknames - Chief, Red, Schoolboy, Flea, and Icehouse. I mentioned the G-men nickname for the big three Tigers hitters.

The whole Cardinals team had a great nickname that is still well-known among baseball fans - the Gashouse Gang. A gas house was a place where coal was turned into gas before natural gas was widely available. These gas houses dirty smelly places run by rough blue collar characters. The Gashouse Gang, relative to other teams, fit this description. They were rough characters with funny names and dirty uniforms. Because of the Cardinals' innovative development of a farm team system, they ended up with a bunch fun-loving country boys on the team which was a big contributor to the distinct folksy character of the team as a whole.