5 Veterans Who Rocked the Hobby

They packed more "hero" per square inch of cardboard

Friday was Veterans Day in the United States, which you probably already knew.

And, you might have even guessed that occasion would tweak my nostalgia-patriotism nerve and lead to something like this … a list baseball players who served in the military AND have a significant hobby profile all these years later.

If you so guessed, then you were sooo right.

So …

Here are five of those guys to wrap up the weekend …

Ted Williams

The Splendid Splinter just may have been the greatest hitter to ever play the game, and his career numbers back that up: .344 batting average, 521 home runs, 2600+ hits, .487 on-base percentage, .634 slugging percentage.

All that while missing something like five seasons of his prime due to military service, which has led to plenty of speculation about whether Teddy Ballgame would have surpassed Babe Ruth’s home run record before Hank Aaron got to it.

No surprise, Williams’ baseball cards have been a hot commodity forever and even helped rewrite hobby history.

Hoyt Wilhelm

It took Wilhelm forever to get to the big leagues, not debuting with the New York Giants until he was on the cusp of his 30th birthday in April of 1952.

A big hunk of that delay was due to his service during World War II.

Somehow, the “old man” stuck and had a wonderful rookie season at the same time his high-number RC was getting chucked or folded into bike spokes.

And then, he stuck some more, courtesy of a willingness to play any role on the mound and a knuckleball that confounded hitters and kept him healthy … all the way past his 49th birthday and into the Hall of Fame.

Willie Mays

After a Rookie of the Year campaign in 1951, Mays was drafted to serve in the Korean War. He’d play a few weeks for the Giants in 1952 before heading off to the Army, but he was out the entire 1953 season.

Considering that Mays hit 41 home runs and won the MVP in helping the Giants win the 1954 World Series, it’s fair to wonder where the home run record (and others) might stand now had he played full seasons in 1952 and 1953.

Mays’ already gold-standard cards just might have been untouchable.

Thurman Munson

Munson is a bit of an outlier on this list since he served in the Army Reserve for four months during the latter part of his minor league days. Still, he served.

And there is little doubt about the love that fans and collectors hold for Munson all these years later, with plenty calling for his election to the Hall of Fame on an annual basis.

The Yankees’ captain, of course, did have his career cut short when he died in a plane crash in 1979, and his cards stand toe-to-toe with any 1970s baseball icon these days.

Garry Maddox

Maddox is generally regarded as one of the greatest centerfielders of all time. And, while he has never been a serious threat to land a spot in Cooperstown, he maintains a strong following among old-school Phillies fans and old-school collectors alike.

Before the Secretary of Defense ever played an inning of major league ball, though, he volunteered for the Army and served from 1968 through 1970, including a year in Vietnam.

Maddox’s cards are sure to bring a smile to any old-timer’s face.

—

There have been plenty of other veterans amongst the ranks of major leaguers, of course, all of them turning in double duty.

I’d love to hear about some of the vets you love to collect, too.

Thanks for reading.

—Adam