Eye catching 1949 original artwork by Willard Mullin of a hobbled Joe DiMaggio beaten with a crutch by the devil in the background and a resplendent Joe DiMaggio swinging for the fences in the foreground. The event which inspired this cartoon was the March 1948 heel spur injury that sidelined DiMaggio until well into June of that year. The bone spurs were so painful that DiMaggio spent most of the thee months in bed trying to recover. It wasnt until June 28, 1949 that Joe would come back against the rival Red Sox and single handedly sweep the Sox in his return series going 5 for 11 with 4 homers and 9 RBI's. Drawn by famous sports cartoonist Willard Mullin, he is famous for working as a Sporting News illustrator as well as creating the iconic "Brooklyn Bum" mascot. The artwork measures 16" in height and 12" wide. The piece has some pencil notations throughout and a tape repair on the reverse. It is unsigned. Overall, it is in very good condition.

These select pieces were saved by one of the original owners of The Sporting News Original Art Archives. Coming directly from The Sporting News, they were purchased at auction in the 1990s. These represent some of the better images by the finest artists including Willard Mullin, Karl Hubenthal, Leo O’Melia and the unsung hero, Lou Darvas.