eBay Item of the Day: An Old Ad Raises Questions

Some questions about this Champion Spark Plugs magazine advertisement from 1952:

1. Were children really once this skinny?

2. Might it be time to see a specialist about that spinal curvature?

3. Who is the last kid to ever wear his glove looped through his belt while batting? Obviously, the practice faded with time, so there has to be one kid who was the absolute last one to do it. Who is he? What is he doing today? Did this sort of ingenuity come in handy later on in his career?

4. Is he hitting with a fungo bat?

5. Is there trouble at home? What else can explain that grim face? Since it is 1952, maybe his old man is off in Korea stemming the Red tide and it’s playing on the kid’s mind. I’m not here to judge; I just want to know.