Don Newcombe, Baseball Hero

In 1949, shortly after Don Newcombe finished his startling rookie season for the Brooklyn Dodgers, a comic book came out called "Don Newcombe: Baseball Hero."

It begins with a personal message from Newcombe to kids:

"Control, hard work, courage, and sportsmanship are the fastest balls in the pitchers' repertory," he wrote. "They always make you a winner t…