Merry-Joseph Blondel, French
The Count of Toulouse’s Topps Rookie Card (Featuring His Famous “Called Shot”), 1840
Oil on canvas
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Info, or links with perhaps more info, about this artist can be found here, here (archived if necessary), here, here (archived if necessary), and here, perhaps in addition to what’s in his Wikipedia page (Google translated French Wikipedia page has more).
I can’t Topp Steve’s caption today, so I’ll lean into his concept of Middle Ages baseball.
/// Before Doubleday changed how it’s played,
there was baseball on the First Crusade.
The pitched ball would take wing
when his broadsword he’d swing,
but in pieces, (if Ray used the blade).
/// Ray used strategy, skill and intrigue
playing teams from the champ Muslim League.
From Jerusalem’s walls
he was brushed back by balls
hurled by pitchers who showed no fatigue.
/// With the flat of his sword Ray would haul
off and wallop the hide off the ball.
It sailed over the wall,
(which he’d pointed to, y’all).
They used pigskin (which isn’t halal).
/// His team hoped that the Muslims would beat it
and by fleeing from “sin” be defeated.
But these Muslims were fine
touching skin from a swine;
they could handle a pig, but not eat it.
/// Raymond’s League was headquartered in Rome,
at the Vatican’s own Superdome.
He’s a slugger supreme,
but can’t win with his team.
Knights who got no home runs would run home.
And for those who prefer learning history to game stats:
/// Raymond left his home in Southern France,
and on Antioch he would advance.
The morale of his men
(and their fight) improved when
they “recovered” the lost Holy Lance.
/// As for titles he earned, here’s the thing.
Winning battles can great honors bring.
For Jerusalem town
he was offered the crown,
but Ray turned down the chance to be King!