Card of the Moment #80
November 13th, 2011 by slangon
Today’s Card of the Moment is brought to us by the color green. And the letter K.
Steve “Hoss” Korcheck had a short 4 year Major League career which was broken up by a 2 year stint in the military. He saw limited action with the Senators from 1954-55 and then again from 1958-59. In all 4 of those seasons combined, he only got into 58 games for Washington, 31 of which were starts.
During that time, he compiled an anemic .159 average, drove in only 7 runs and never hit one over the fence. He never stole a base, only hit 1 triple and scored on 12 times. He struck out 36 times as compared to his 6 walks drawn. It’s sort of amazing that he was actually intentionally walked once in his career.
If all those numbers I just spouted out don’t tell the story, just look at that write-up. “Team Spirit”. “Team Man”. “The Will to Win”. “Tireless Pursuit to Improve Himself”. That sounds like the making of an album called “Don’t Quit Your Day Job.” Maybe if he spent more time in the batting cage and less time practicing singing old-timey songs with his barber shop quartet comprised of all the other catchers on the Senators, he’s be in better shape.
Now, I hear you asking, “Today is foosball day. Why are you showing a terribly off-center baseball card of a pretty bad back-up catcher on foosball day?” Well, it turns out that Steve was a star athlete at George Washington University in both baseball and football. Aside from being drafted by the Senators, he was also drafted by the 49er’s, who the Giants happen to be playing today. He ultimately passed on the chance to play for San Francisco, choosing to don the tools of ignorance for the Senators instead.
Considering how mediocre (to put it mildly) his baseball career turned out, I can’t help but wonder if he regretted that decision.
Great card. I love the writing from back then. So diplomatic. The cartoon is awesome. Steve’s signature makes me wonder about his personality. Take a look.