Willard Mullin - Self Portrait with Eddie Lopat - 1951

This excellent Willard Mullin cartoon appeared in the New York World-Telegram in May 1951. I'm not sure why June is written above, but on May 4, Eddie Lopat beat the St. Louis Browns 8-1. He threw shut-outs his previous two games against Philadelphia and Washington, so the time-line fits. In addition, the title of this piece, "Sue Me...Sue Me....", refers to one of the songs from the Broadway hit Guys and Dolls, which had only been running a few months up until this point. While getting the facts straight is important, even more important is the artwork. I love the pieces in which Mullin features himself, complete with his extra large bottle of India ink. And lucky for Will, he didn't wind up putting the "whammy" on Lopat. He only wound up having his best year in 1951, going 21-9.