dizzy dean is in my hall of famer collection

not every hall of famer is in my hall of famer collection. i explained early on that i basically selected players that i had felt a connection to - either from my fandom or collecting experience.  there are a couple that i may go back and add in the future (david ortiz comes to mind), but for now i've stuck with that original list of 98 players.

dizzy dean was not a dodger, did not play during my lifetime, and certainly wasn't in the 1978 topps set.  still, he's in my hall of fame collection with this card:

yes, it's another relic card form 2001 topps tribute.  here's the back:

dean was a member of the 'gas house gang' who won 30 games in the 1934 regular season, plus two more in the world series as his cardinals beat the tigers. he won the mvp award that year, and was the runner-up the next two seasons.  sure, he was a great pitcher, and i learned about dean (and his brother, daffy) through reading about the history of the game.  however, my connection to him comes more from my parents.  after he retired, dizzy went on to become a broadcaster.  working for kmox, the signal was strong enough to be heard in canada, where my parents grew up. so, the first baseball games that my folks heard on the radio were described to them in the poor grammar and southern drawl of jay hanna dean.  after i learned that, i dug deeper into dean's career, and collected what few cards of his i could find.  perhaps my favorite dean story - and i think i read it or perhaps it was relayed to me by vin scully during a broadcast rather than hearing it from one of my parents - was that dean was not allowed to talk about the weather on air. so one night he made a comment along the lines of being hopeful that the ladies in the area were taking their clothes off the clotheslines. 

here's my hall of famer collection as its been documented so far:

babe ruth - 2003 topps tribute world series edition world series tribute relic 351/425

honus wagner - 2001 topps tribute relics

dizzy dean - 2001 topps tribute relics

bob feller - 2001 topps archives

jackie robinson - 2004 topps clubhouse collection clubhouse relics

roberto clemente - 2005 donruss greats hall of fame souvenirs relic

warren spahn - 1999 upper deck century legends epic signatures

mickey mantle - 2000 upper deck legends legendary game jerseys relic

willie mays - 1997 topps willie mays reprints autograph

al kaline - 2001 fleer greats of the game autographs

duke snider - 2003 upper deck sp authentic chirography hall of famers 144/250

hank aaron - 2004 topps originals 1979 topps all-time record holders rbi 03/32

harmon killebrew - 2000 upper deck legends legendary signatures

rollie fingers - 2018 topps archives signature series 1978 topps buyback 1/3

reggie jackson - 2018 topps tier one tier one talent autographs

steve carlton - 2018 topps five star career year autographs

mike schmidt - 2002 topps archives autoproof 1980 topps buyback

don sutton - 2001 fleer greats of the game

dave winfield - 2003 upper deck sp authentic chirography hall of famers 121/350

gary carter - 1999 fleer sports illustrated greats of the game autograph collection

bruce sutter - 2003 topps all-time fan favorites

jim rice - 2005 upper deck past time pennants

pete rose* - 2018 panini flawless legendary signatures 15/25

barry bonds* - 2001 bowman heritage autographs

you can find the full list of hall of famers (and some not - yet) that i aim to include in this collection at my want list site.

*not currently a member of the hall of fame