In the 1950s, it wasn’t unusual for children to be quite conversant about baseball statistics. Part of that ability was tied to the popularity of the game, but part of it must be attributed to bubble gum.
It was a pretty good deal, compared to the chewable cigarettes, for example. You got a big piece of (not terribly flavorful) gum. And with the gum, you got a baseball card. It was a single card for a penny, or a five pack (sometimes 6) for a nickel.
T
he cards were comparable to playing cards in size and shape. The front of the card had a picture of the player, his name, team affiliation, and the position he played. The back of the card listed the player’s stats: height, weight, bats (left or right), throws (left or right), some major achievements, where he was born, and his birthday.
Then the good stuff. There were numbers for games, AB, runs, hits, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI and B ave. There also were some numbers about fielding (PO, A, and E). For pitchers, there were stats for wins, earned run average (ERA) and strikeouts.
Here’s what the abbreviations mean:
AB = at bat. It’s the number of times up to bat; but not counting getting hit by a ball, getting to base on balls, and other unusual events.
2B = a two-base hit, also called a double.
3B = a three-base hit, also called a triple.
HR = home runs (a four base hit).
RBI = runs batted in (number of other runners to cross the plate because of the player’s batting.
B Ave = batting average (hits divided by at bats).
PO = put outs (tagging out opposing runners)
A = assists (helping other fielders)
E = errors (mistakes)
In the case of baseball cards, statistics can be profitable too. Check your attic. If you have a 1951 Mickey Mantle rooky card (made by Bowman) or the 1952 Mickey Mantle card (made by Topps), I’ll give you a dollar for it. That’s just the kind of guy I am.
The card’s worth a lot of money but I’ll give you a dollar. As I said, that’s just the kind of guy I am.
