Comment made at: Firebrand Archives (Quality) -featuring Reed Crandall artworkSlugger is clearly based on "Slapsie" Maxie Rosenbloom, a prizefighter turned actor whose most famous appearance was in MR. MOTO TAKES A CHANCE, which was originally a Charlie Chan movie and features Keye Luke as Lee Chan in a supporting role. I would not recommend using the character in a Firebrand story out of respect for Maxie's memory; he died in 1964 of cancer of the brain, brought on by being hit in the head so many times during his boxing career. His trademark as an actor was his slurred language, again the result of his boxing career.
