1948 Bowman #25 Dutch Leonard played by CJ Nitkowski in 42

I imagine the Phillies will be featured as a lot of bad guys in the Jackie Robinson biopic 42.  One of the Phillies pitchers from the era that is featured in the film is Dutch Leonard.

1948 Bowman #24 Emil (Dutch) Leonard

Dutch Leonard only played two seasons for the Phils but that was good enough to get him on two Bowman cards (1948-49).

Leonard was a right handed knuckle ball pitcher. His career spanned 20 seasons (1933-53) 9 of which were spent with the Washington Senators. He was a 5 time all-star that never got the chance to play in the postseason. He tallied 191 wins in his career v 181 losses. Twenty of those wins came in 1939 when Dutch Leonard finished 7th in the MVP voting behind 6 future Hall of Famers (DiMaggio, Foxx, Feller, Ted Williams, Ruffing, Bill Dickey)   

Also of note, Dutch Leonard tied for the NL lead in saves in 1935 with 8 EIGHT! - doubt it was a stat at the time.

1995 Topps #84 CJ Nitkowski Draft Pick (image swiped from Baseball Card Database)

Dutch Leonard is played by another Major Leaguer in 42, CJ Nitkowski.  Once again Hollywood has taken some liberties with history - and the issue can be spotted on these two cards.  Dutch was a right-hander, whlle CJ is a southpaw.

CJ Nitkowski is also a columnist and penned an interesting article about his own experiences with racism while pitching in Japan.  Nitkowski is active on Twitter @CJNitkowski and also has his own blog.   

Finally to tie all this together the Phils are facing Reds tonight in a desperate attempt to salvage a game in this series and a 3-3 road trip.  Nitkowski was drafted by the Reds 19 years ago. 

For the Collector

The Dutch Leonard card is one of two Phillies represented in 1948 Bowman. I always tell Phils fans that want to build a vintage team set that is the one to pick - interestingly the other Phillies player in that set is another Emil, Emil Verban.  Off condition 1948 Bowman commons from the low series can be had for about $2.    

1951 Bowman #56 Ralph Branca

I Haven't seen 42 yet but I have seen the ads as well as the trailer and some promotional interviews. Ralph Branca has been featured in the interviews and appears to have a prominent role in the film.   

1951 Bowman #56 Ralph Branca

Ralph Branca is one of the Brooklyn Dodgers that befriended Jackie Robinson rather than shunning the new player. According to wikipedia Branca stood with Jackie Robinson for Opening Day lineups in 1947, when other Dodgers refused. Nothing quite like being on the right side of history.  

Branca is also known for giving up "The Shot Heard Round the World" to Bobby Thomson in 1951.  The Home Run by Thomson completed a victory for the Giants in a 3 game series to determine the NL champ.

The three time all-stars career was much bigger than that single game. He pitched for a dozen years almost entirely with the Dodgers - He pitched in two World Series (1947, 1949).  

Jackie Robinson's first season (1947) was Branca's best as he posted a 21-12 record with 4 shutouts and loggged 280 innings. The 21 Ws and his 147 Ks were both good enough for 2nd in the league while his 2.67 ERA was 3rd.

Ralph Branca is still alive at age 87 and can be seen promoting the film 42 on several baseball and sports outlets. There is also an official Ralph Branca website for fan who are interested in autographs and other memorabilia.

For the Collector

I picked up the above Branca card for $1 at a show last April. The card may be a little rough, but any vintage Brooklyn Dodger card for a buck is like stealing. The Lo E-Bay for a really rough 51 Bowman Branca among recent closes is $3.78, for $4.04 you could get a much nicer card.  The card peaks at $69 for a PSA 7 NM.   

1949 Bowman #194
The Bowman RC of Ralph Branca started at $66.  High numbers for the 1949 Bowman set start at #145 - Hall of Famers and Stars like Branca are virtually impossible to find.  Best of luck to anyone looking to build that baby.  The card peaks at $109 (BVG 7.5 NM+)

Topps
The only Topps card for Ralph Branca is from the iconic 1952 set #274. The low recent auction for an acceptable condition card was $11.94.  A PSA 8 NM-MT went for a tidy $414.  If your willing to settle for PSA 5 EX you can get the card at the far lower price of $95.   It should be noted that the card is part of the middle series of 1952 Topps which runs #251-310.  I have found commons in this series run 2-3x higher then the low series, stars and HoF vary but typically multiply more.