1934 r313-A Gold Medal Foods - Pepper Martin

Pepper Martin is one of my favorite players from the 1930s. Not being able to see any of the games, one must develop a favorite on other criteria. In the case of Martin, here is some things he has going for him - I have his true rookie card in the 1928 team postcard, his 1934 Goudey card is one of the coolest looking portrait cards around, and he has a nickname that beats them all. You may be thinking, "'Pepper' isn't that great of a nickname." Perhaps not, but the nickname I am talking about is too long for a card. He was referred to as "The Wild Horse of the Osage." What a great name! He has other names as well, properly named Johnny Leonard Roosevelt Martin. Similar to Fred's Marburry, Johnny spells it Johnnie here.

JLR "Pepper" Martin was called the Wild Horse of the Osage for reasons that are self-evident. But for those who can't image a wild horse of the Osage, it was because he was a hard-nosed aggressive base-runner. In the '31 series Martin's hustle is credited as a key factor in the Cardinals' victory. Poor Pepper's spirited play took a toll on his body and his peak years didn't last very long.

Fred Marberry

Bill Hallahan

Ducky Medwick

Frankie Frisch

Billy Rogell