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Old 09-06-2021, 02:00 PM   #35127
tnfoto
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Norm Wallen 1945

Something bothered me about the Wallen image used in the Facepack and on his baseball-reference.com page. That image shows a classic posed pitching follow-through shot with the subject wearing an "M" hat. But Wallen wasn't a pitcher, and didn't have a team listed on his minor league page that would likely wear such a hat. In looking further, a contemporary pitcher named Ray Wallen played for both the Milwaukee Brewers and Montgomery Bombers. I believe that is the person shown in the current Facepack image.

The attached image shows Norm Wallen in 1949. Ironically enough, the photo accompanied a story about Norm's team (which also featured Pro Football Hall of Famer Elroy Hirsch) facing a team managed by Ray Wallen. I did not see any mention in that article or elsewhere that there was any relation between the Wallens, and with the Major Leaguer using an assumed name during his career (his birth name was Walentowski), I doubt they were related.
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