WHAT IF........PART VI

                         

                     It's time for another installment of What If...... In this installment we take a look at what might have happened had a trade after the 1956 season took place. Our subject you see before you is 1 Dick Littlefield a journeyman pitcher who played on for 9 different teams & just 3 teams alone in the 1956 season. Dick made 6 appearances for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the beginning of the season before being traded to the St Louis Cardinals where he appeared in 3 games before being dispatched again this time to the New York Giants where he finished the season appearing in 31 games. Then on December 13th 1956 he was traded by the Giants to their cross-town rivals the Brooklyn Dodgers (soon to be Los Angeles Dodgers after the 1957 season concluded) along with $30,000 for a future Vice President & Director of Personnel of the Chock Full O' Nuts Coffee Company. Unfortunately for poor Dick never pitched a single inning for Dem Bums in Brooklyn he was returned back to the Giants before being traded eventually to the Chicago Cubs prior to the 1957 hence why your viewing his 1958 Topps card as a member of the Northside Windy City team. 

                 On Monday this week I received this debate of a question & I was going to post this post on Tuesday but I was too exhausted after a hard weekend at my job at Dollar General which you read about on my last post. So here's your chance to rewrite history had the trade been accepted & the player who went to the Giants continued to play instead of retiring from the game. I like to hear what you think what might had happened to that player did he make it to Cooperstown or did his time with the Giants ruin his chances to be there as well Mr. Littlefield here. 

              Here's what I responded to within the group on my rewriting of history. There's no reason to rewrite what happened cause the thing is it's an impossible thing to wonder what might have happened to that player whom Dick Littlefield was traded for.  Let me tell you a bit more about the player that retired so you can see what I am talking about. This player started his MLB career back in 1945 when he was signed as a free agent. He started his career in the minors with the AAA team the Montreal Royals where he worked more harder than most to prove that his signing wasn't just a publicity stunt. After 1 season with the Royals he proved to management that he was ready for the big leagues. In 1947 this player played his first MLB game on April 15th batting 2nd going 0 for 3 in his debut in a Dodgers victory over the Boston Braves. That first year he had highs & lows & when the season ended he was named the Inaugural Rookie of the Year, 2 years later he was named National League MVP then finally in 1955 he was on the World Series winning Brooklyn Dodgers team. Then in 1962 along with Bob Feller this player was inducted to Cooperstown on his 1st ballot. Then in 1997 we honored his accomplishments by being the 1st sport to retired his # for every team that is involved with the sport of baseball. If you haven't guessed by now whom Dick Littlefield was traded for it was legendary Hall of Famer Jack Roosevelt Robinson #42 himself. 

             So you think I responded correctly with my answer or do you have a better view point I look forward to hearing your comments about this. Now normally I would end my piece with a quote from Rogers Hornsby but I am going to give Jackie this time last word cause he said this once "In all my years of baseball, I have always expected to be traded. I never liked the idea." Do you agree or disagree thanks for reading until next time.