In 1940 he stepped on a catfish he had just caught while fishing after practice one day while with the Braves that stung him through the sole of his boot and required surgery. While Casey Stengel, who was his manager at the time, quipped that he must have stepped on a filet of sole and not a catfish, the injury was serious but in typical ballplayer fashion, the nickname he got from the episode - "Catfish" - stuck with his throughout his career. The last of the semi-highs in 1952, he would have concluded the landmark Topps set had not the final series been hastily authorized.

Metkovich had a convoluted contractual status in the mid 1940's and was the subject of more player transactions (14) than major league seasons (10), a tough feat to pull off.  The card seen here has a vertical crease running to the left of his blue ink signature, which is a little broken in sports, PSA/DNA AUTHENTIC.