1953 Topps, Bob Borkowski

#7 Bob Borkowski

This past year, as I was sending out and receiving my Topps Diamond Giveaway TTMs, I realized something. I realized that I was only a few cards short of having at least one signed card from every Topps base set. So, that prompted a new and easily reachable goal and I bought this card of Bob Borkowski from checkoutmycards and off it went in the mail. I sent this card to Bob in the middle of June and I had it back eight days later.

Bob played in the Majors for parts of six seasons in the early 50s with the Cubs, Reds, and Dodgers. He was mostly a part-time player, though he did see action in 126 games with the Reds in 1952. That season, he hit .252 (which was basically his career average)with 19 extra-base hits, 42 runs, and 24 RBI.

One of the home runs he hit that season came off of future Hall of Famer, Hoyt Wilhelm. That home run was an inside that park three run home run at the Polo Grounds, which I'm sure was fairly common with its extremely deep centerfield fence, that put the Reds up 4-1. The inside the parker was part of an eight run fourth inning in a game the Reds won 11-4. Bob recorded two more hits that day and tallied a walk and another run, as well. That was Bob's second home run of the week and the last one he would hit that season.

I absolutely love this card. It looks and feels like it is sixty years old. I love the old navy-colored Reds cap and the billboards on the outfield fence. But the thing I think I like the most about it is the American flag flying next to Bob's head. It looks like it was colored in with a marker. Why that makes me like it, I don't know. It just really caps off a good-looking card.