Don Newcombe's 20 Wins: A Humorous 1955 Dodgers Cartoon
The page from the August 1955 issue of Sport Magazine features a cartoon highlighting Don Newcombe, a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Newcombe, depicted with a worried expression and adorned in Dodgers attire, is central to the cartoon's dialogue about his performance and mental state during the baseball season. The text captures a humorous exchange involving a "doc" character suggesting that Newcombe has a "little psyche" affecting his performance, implying he might be struggling with psychological pressures associated with pitching. References to "Bums" and “20 wins” collectively emphasize Newcombe's achievements and the Dodgers' identity as the "Bums," a colloquial term used for the team during that era. The cartoon plays on the anxieties of players balancing physical and mental barometers of success. The Dodgers, based in Brooklyn, were pivotal during the 1955 season, a year culminating in their first World Series championship.