Helmar This Great Game #29 Orlando CEPEDA San Francisco Giants HOF

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About the Player

A short bio from the Helmar “This Great Game” card back: Maybe the only big league star whose father was a better player than he is. The elder Cepeda, known as “Bull”, was a star in Puerto Rico, winning several batting honors. His batting exploits were legendary on that island nation. Orlando now proudly goes by the nickname “Baby Bull” and waves a mighty swing for the G-Men. Only two players, Cepeda and Frank Robinson, have been named unanimously named Rookie of the Year.

About the Series

This series marks a step in a new direction for Helmar. For the first time we take a serious look at baseball in the 1950's and then, perhaps, the 1960's. The game found itself changing dramatically in this post WWII era, influenced by both the larger society and technological innovation. The color barrier may have been officially broken in 1947 but the acceptance of black players by the big league clubs came slowly, if surely. Reliable and inexpensive air transportation paved the way for geographic expansion. The game, which had been centered in the East and Midwest, found new opportunities along the West Coast.

The very center of the baseball world through the decade was New York City. New York teams competed in every World Series through the decade except for 1959. In many of those years both teams competing were from the city. Interestingly, New York also became the center of the art world at the same time. Migration after WWII brought many creatives to the Big Apple and movements such as abstract, modernism, surrealism and avant-garde.

Studying the era has inspired Helmar to use bold, often surreal colors in this series. We hope that you will join us as we explore this era of change.

Card size: 3" x 4"

Individually Numbered 1-20

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