Don't let the scan fool you. But this card in its subject (Richie "Whitey" Ashburn) and its tonal aspirations creates the best card of 2010 for me. The placid green of the background evokes summer memories and shouts of glee. Also, the background echoes a baseball diamond in spirit as the incremental changing of the green gives notice to the outfield, infield, and foul territory differing grass heights.The overlay of the subject in a posed followthrough gives credence to the notion that at the end of the bat motion, there is a split-second of calm, a moment of satisfaction after the bat meets the ball.
Ashburn's eyes are following the ball for that moment left in time, just before he speeds down the baseline to a fate that only the sound of the crowd and the stretch of the 1st baseman may foreshadow.
The colors of the Whiz Kid-era uniforms with the ubiquitous pinstripes and floating Phillies cap patch on the sleeve lends the proper nostalgia and wistful notion to the time and place from whence he came. This was a time when baseball men had to only look up, take in the surroundings, and know that they were home.
1 comment:
Well put. Nice card. Chicle has it's good moments.
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