#47 Don Zimmer

Don Zimmer  Los Angeles Dodgers

Career: Zimmer is probably the 'baseball lifer'. He said many times that he never drew a paycheck other than from a baseball team. He played a dozen years in the majors, about as many in the minors and Japan. He managed in the majors for 13 seasons and then coached into his 80s. Oh, and he worked as a coach and manager in the minors as well.

In 1960: He had already moved on to the Cubs when this card was issued. He was the regular second baseman on the North Side and hit .258 with six homers. He played one more season with the Cubs and made the 1961 All-Star team. 

Off The Charts: Wikipedia sez: During a minor league game on July 7, 1953, Zimmer was struck by a pitch thrown by pitcher Jim Kirk, causing Zimmer to lose consciousness. He suffered a brain injury that required surgery. He woke up two weeks later, thinking that it was the day after the game where the incident took place. This led to Major League Baseball adopting batting helmets as a safety measure to be used by players when at-bat.

The Card: Love the shot of Zim with the Coliseum as the backdrop. I wish I could make out who the player behind him is but the number is unclear. The blurb on the back really sings his praises and the cartoon is one of the better ones and looks (to my eyes at least) to have been done by Jack Davis. Underrated card to be sure!