This is part 18 of an ongoing series. To see the rest of this series, click here
Thirteen. That’s how many hits shy of 3,000 Sam Rice was when he retired from the game of baseball in 1934 as a member of the Cleveland Indians. Rice, better known as a Washington Senator, broke into the Big Leagues in 1915 and played with the Senators until 1933, which ironically is the year of his rookie baseball card. The 1933 Goudey offering is a somewhat unique set in that damn near every card in the set is considered a rookie, including icons Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, who also played for several years before the 1933 season.
Rice is a 1963 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame was one of the best pure hitters of his time. He was overshadowed by power house Ruth and Gehrig, but Rice excelled in his brand of ball and earned a spot in the Hall of Fame. In addition to his excellent offensive skills, Rice is also known for robbing a player of a home run in the 1925 World Series by catching the ball and then falling over the fence — the type of play emulated in arcade-style video games.
As for this particular copy of Rice’s rookie, it is authentic and was obtained in one of my bargain bin finds at a recent card show.
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