1966 Topps Baseball

Final Card: Mike Brumley

2012-01-24T21:53:00.008-06:00

This is the last of Mike Brumley's three cards (#29). He was on the Senators Rookies card in the 1964 set (one of Lou Piniella's many rookie cards!), and also had a card in the 1965 set.

Brumley was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957, and played for 7 seasons in their farm system, before he was purchased by the Senators in October 1963. Mike was Washington's starting catcher as a rookie, catching 132 games (112 as the starter) and was named the Topps all-rookie catcher for 1964.

Unfortunately for Mike, the Senators purchased another catcher from the Dodgers after the 1964 season (Doug Camilli), and they shared the catching assignments in 1965. Veteran infielder Don Zimmer also caught a few dozen games that season.

Still another catcher (Paul Casanova) joined the team in 1966, and that was the end for Brumley. He spent most of the season at triple-A Hawaii (not a bad place to be exiled to!), and played a few games with Washington.

Mike missed the '67 and '68 seasons, and played for the Astros' triple-A Oklahoma City team in 1969 and 1970.

His son Mike Brumley Jr was an infielder for several teams in the early 1990s.

Final Card: Tony Martinez

2012-01-20T22:27:00.003-06:00

This is Tony Martinez' last baseball card (#581). He also appeared on a 1963 Rookies card, and as an Indian in the 1964 set. Tony was primarily a shortstop, playing less than 5% of his major and minor league games at 2nd base.

Martinez was signed by the Indians in 1960, and played shortstop for various teams in their farm system from 1960 to 1965. He also played 43 games with Cleveland in 1963, and fewer than a dozen games in each of 1964 and 1965. Also in '65, he played for the Cardinals' triple-A team in Jacksonville, although it appears that he was still property of the Indians.

Tony made the Indians team at the start of 1966, but only played in 17 games, the last on June 14th. Two days later, he was sold to the Cardinals, who assigned him to triple-A Tulsa for the remainder of the season. He would never return to the big leagues.

On April 1, 1967, Tony was bundled with pitcher Art Mahaffey and 2nd baseman Jerry Buchek, and shipped off to the Mets for veteran shortstop Ed Bressoud and outfielder Dan Napolean. Martinez spent 1967 and 1968 in the minors, although he only played in 24 games combined for those last 2 seasons.

Final Card: Jim Dickson

2012-01-13T22:51:00.009-06:00

This is Jim Dickson's final card (#201). He previously appeared on the 1964 Reds Rookies and 1965 Athletics Rookies cards.

Jim was signed by the Pirates in 1958, and spent 4 seasons in the low minors as a starter and reliever. After the 1961 season, he was selected by the expansion Houston Colt .45s in the minor-league draft. Dickson pitched all of 1962 and the first half on 1963 with the Colt 45s' triple-A team in Oklahoma City. He made his major-league debut with Houston on July 2nd, and appeared in 13 games for the Colt 45s, all as a reliever.

Prior to the 1964 season, Jim was traded to the Reds for shortstop (and future Red Sox' manager) Eddie Kasko. Dickson only got into 4 games for the Reds that year, spending most of the season with the Reds' AAA San Diego team.

In November 1964, he was selected by the Athletics in the Rule 5 draft. This required him to stay on the major-league roster for the entire season. (1965 would be his only full season in the majors.) He pitched 85 innings in 68 games, both high points of his short career.

The 1966 season would be his last in the big leagues. He made his final appearance for the Athletics on July 24th, and spent the remainder of the 1966 season, as well as the 1967-70 seasons in the minors.

Final Card: Aubrey Gatewood

2012-01-01T22:38:00.007-06:00

Aubrey Gatewood (#42) had a brief career in the mid-1960s with the Angels.

Signed by the Tigers in 1959, he was selected by the Angels in the December 1960 expansion draft. After one season on the Angels' farm, Aubrey was selected by the expansion Mets in the Rule 5 draft, but returned to the Angels before the start of the 1962 season.

Gatewood made his major-league debut with the Angels in September 1963, starting 3 of his 4 games that month. The following season, he made 17 starts for triple-A Hawaii, along with 7 starts and 8 relief appearances for Los Angeles.

Aubrey spent the entire 1965 season with the (now California) Angels, working primarily out of the bullpen that season. Unfortunately, he walked just as many as he struck out (37).

He spent the next 6 years in the minors (although pitching 2 innings for the Atlanta Braves in 1970), playing for 7 different organizations before retiring.

Final Card: Ron Nischwitz

2011-12-26T11:05:00.012-06:00

Ron Nischwitz (#38) had a brief career in the early 1960s, mostly with the Detroit Tigers. He was signed by the Tigers in 1958, and assigned to the class-A Lancaster (PA) Red Roses. Among his teammates that first season were future California Angels Bob Rodgers and Bubba Morton.

Ron compiled some good numbers for his first few years in the minors, and earned a promotion to the Tigers in September 1961. Primarily a starter in the minors, Nischwitz worked out of the bullpen in Detroit. He was with the Tigers for almost all of the 1962 season, in a bullpen featuring stopper Terry Fox and veteran Ron Kline.

After the 1962 season, Ron was traded to the Indians for 3rd baseman Bubba Phillips. Although he played some in Cleveland, Ron spent most of '63 with their AAA team in Jacksonville. 1964 found Nischwitz bouncing around from the Indians' Portland team to the Braves' AAA team in Toronto.

He returned to the Tigers' organization in 1965, splitting his time between Detroit and Syracuse, making his final big-league appearance on September 19th. He wrapped up his career back in Jacksonville in 1966, this time as a Mets' farmhand, pitching in 30 games.

After retirement, Nischwitz coached college baseball for 25 years.

Grady Hatton (#504)

2011-09-23T20:05:00.008-05:00

Awhile back, I posted the Luman Harris card. Lum was the Astros' manager in 1965, but was fired in December (about 2 months AFTER most teams conduct their off-season firings!) Topps issued a 2nd manager card for the Astros in 1966. They would do the same in 1969 for the Senators.

Grady Hatton began his major-league playing career as the Reds' regular 3rd baseman from 1946-52. He kicked around with the White Sox, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Orioles from 1954-56, then became a minor-league player-coach until 1961 (which included a short stint in 1960 playing for the Cubs).

In 1962, Grady was hired as the director of player personnel for the expansion Houston Colt 45s. He followed that with 3 seasons as the manager of Houston's AAA Oklahoma City team before getting the call to the big club in 1966.

Hatton's major-league managerial career was brief. After 2 full seasons in 1966 (8th place) and 1967 (9th place), Grady was fired after 61 games in 1968, with his team in 10th place. I guess having the lowly Mets pass them in the standings was just not acceptable! He was replaced by Harry Walker, who had been fired in mid-1967 by the Pirates.

Hatton continued with the Astros as a scout until 1972. He also scouted for the Giants in the 1980s.

Al Kaline (#410)

2011-07-17T10:34:00.016-05:00

This is the last of 5 cards donated to this blog by Deans Cards a few months ago. (Dean has also contributed some 1963 and 1970 cards to the cause.)

I first became aware of Al Kaline back in 1967, although at that time I thought his name was pronounced Al Ka-LINE (like the battery). I also knew back then that he never played in the minor leagues. Since I've started blogging here, I've learned that Sandy Koufax, Dick Groat, and Billy O'Dell also never played in the minors. (Has anyone EVER included Sandy Koufax and Billy O'Dell in the same sentence?)

One thing I DID learn recently about Kaline (while researching teammate Charlie Maxwell) is that Al spent several seasons as the Tigers' center fielder.

Kaline was signed as a bonus baby by the Tigers in 1953, and spent his entire 22-year career (1953-74) with Detroit. He appeared in 30 games as a rookie, making his debut on June 23rd. Al only started 4 games that season, and none until September 16th.

Starting in 1954, Kaline became a fixture in the Tigers' outfield, and finished 3rd in the Rookie of the Year voting that season. He also won a gold glove 10 times between 1957 and 1967, and was an all star every season from 1955 to 1967, and again in 1971 and 1974.

As I mentioned above, I always thought Kaline played only right field during his prime. He was the team's regular in right field from 1954-58, 61-64, and 67. In 1959 and 1960, he started most of the games as the center fielder. From 1965-66, he split his time almost evenly between center and right. From 1968-70, Al played mostly right field but also started many games at 1st base. He wrapped up his career in 1974 as the Tigers' full-time designated hitter, playing 144 games there and none in the field.

Kaline played in the 1968 World Series against the Cardinals, batting .379. He finished with a .297 lifetime batting average, and led the American League in batting in 1955, finished 2nd in 1959, 1961, and 1963, and finished 3rd in 1966 and 1967.

Al was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.

Pete Rose (#30)

2011-07-01T20:07:00.011-05:00

Here's an early card of the Hit King, courtesy of Dean's Cards. How early? Let's see: short hair, white Reds' cap, vest-top uniform, position = 2nd base, and career hits under 1000!

Pete Rose began his career as the Reds' regular 2nd baseman in 1963. In 1965 he started all 162 games at 2nd. In 1966, he began the season as the regular 3rd baseman. (I thought he didn't move to 3rd until George Foster showed up in the 1970s.) For the first 15 games, Rose played 3rd base while rookie Tommy Helms played 2nd base. Then, after switching positions with Helms, Rose started every game at 2B for the remainder of the season, except for 4 games off between 9/23 and 9/28.

I always thought he moved to the outfield during the 1966 season, since that was the first season without Frank Robinson, and because Rose's 1967 card shows him at 2B-OF. Not so. Pete moved to the outfield to start the 1967 season, starting 140 games in left field, and 1 in center. His only action at 2B that year was during a stretch of games from 7/2 to 8/4, while shortstop Chico Cardenas was on the DL. Regular 2nd baseman Helms moved over to short, Lee May went from 1st to left, and Deron Johnson was plugged in at 1st base.

Rose was a main cog in the Big Red Machine of the 1970s, and was the player that everyone (outside of Cincinnati) loved to hate. Guess what? Once he became a Phillie, that all magically changed! Once in Philly, Rose became a 1st baseman - the 5th position he would play in an all-star game.

After 2 trips to the World Series with the Phillies, Pete was on the move again, and came full circle back to Cincinnati.

Final Card: Buster Narum

2011-06-22T21:26:00.003-05:00

Les "Buster" Narum was born in Philadelphia in 1940. He also attended high school in Clearwater, FL. That's 2 links to the Philadelphia Phillies, although he never played for them.

Buster was signed by the Orioles in 1958, and spent 6 seasons in their farm system, mostly as a starting pitcher. Although he appeared in 7 games for the Orioles in 1963, he was traded to the Senators in March 1964 for a player to be named later (Lou Piniella).

Narum spent 2 full seasons with the Senators in 1964-65 as a key member of their starting rotation. He appeared in 84 games over that span, but compiled records of 9-15 and 4-12 (in his defense, it WAS the Senators!).

(Buster demonstrates his "Live long and prosper" grip!)

For whatever reason, his big-league career evaporated after that. He spent most of the next 2 seasons pitching for the Nats' triple-A team in Hawaii (hey, if you've gotta play in triple-A, that's the place to do it!), while making token appearances in Washington: 3 innings with a 21.60 ERA in 1966, and 2 games in 1967.

In February 1968, Buster was part of a 6-player trade with the White Sox, but spent the entire season at triple-A Buffalo (quite an adjustment from Hawaii). His final season was 1969, toiling with the Cardinals' AAA team in Tulsa, OK.

Final Card: Bob Heffner

2011-06-08T21:10:00.010-05:00

This is the third and last card for Bob Heffner. I wonder if Bob is related to Reds' manager Don Heffner, or maybe to man-about-town Hugh Hefner? (True, Bob's name is spelled differently than Hugh's, but Topps has been known to goof up spelling players' names, such as 1965's Jim Katt, and countless Charlie/Charley mix-ups).

Heffner (Bob, not Hugh) was signed by the Red Sox, and spent 6 1/2 seasons in the minors (including playing for his hometown Allentown (PA) Red Sox in 1959 and 1960) before making his major-league debut in June 1963. As a rookie, Bob was Boston's #4 starter, but the following season he transitioned to the bullpen and was the team's #2 reliever behind closer Dick Radatz.

1965 saw Heffner's performance slip, and included a return to the minors (after staying with the Sox for all of 1964).

After the 1965 season, Bob was selected by the Indians in the Rule 5 draft, but split the 1966 season between Cleveland and the minors. After just 1 season, the Indians sold him to the Mets, who flipped him to the Angels before the start of the 1967 season. He spent all of 1967 with the Angels' triple-A team in Seattle, and only pitched 7 games for the Angels in 1968, the last coming on May 28th.

Final Card: Larry Bearnarth

2011-06-06T20:39:00.006-05:00

This is the 4th and final Topps card for Larry Bearnarth (#464).

Larry was signed by the Mets in 1962, and after only one season at triple-A Syracuse (where he fashioned a 2-13 record as a starting pitcher), he made his major-league debut with the Mets on April 16, 1963. During his rookie season, he was one of the Mets' top 3 workhorses in the bullpen (along with Galen Cisco and Jay Hook), pitching 126 innings in 58 games.

In 1964 Larry was the #2 man in the 'pen behind one-year wonder Bill Wakefield. Over the next 2 seasons, Bearnarth again was a member of the Mets' relief corps, but his playing time decreased somewhat, and he spent a portion of both '65 and '66 in the minors.

Larry's last game for the Mets was a 1-inning appearance on August 7th, 1966 against the Cardinals. He would spend the next 4 seasons pitching for the Mets' triple-A teams in Jacksonville (1967-68) and Tidewater (1969-70) as a starter and reliever.

Although Larry's last card appeared in 1966, he did resurface in the majors in 1971 with the Brewers for 2 games. His 18.00 ERA brought a quick return to Milwaukee's triple-A team for the remainder of the season. He also pitched 3 games in 1972 for the Expos' triple-A team before retiring.

Bearnarth later became a pitching coach - I think for the Expos.

Jim Fregosi (#5)

2011-05-30T11:36:00.010-05:00

Two posts ago, I mentioned that all the Braves' cards were hatless, since the Braves had just moved to Atlanta in the off-season. I just realized that Topps' other lavender team, the Angels, are also all hatless (or with airbrushed hats), as they had also moved from Los Angeles to Anaheim. This is ridiculous, because the Angels had moved prior to the 1965 season. TOPPS HAD ALL OF 1965 TO GET PHOTOS OF THE PLAYERS IN CALIFORNIA ANGELS UNIFORMS, BUT DID NOT!

Jim Fregosi was the last of the original Los Angeles Angels. He was their regular shortstop from 1962-1971, appearing in 6 all-star games during that time.

Jim was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1960, and after 1 season of class-D ball he was selected by the Angels in the expansion draft. Fregosi spent all of 1961 with the Angels' AAA team in Dallas-Fort Worth, and made his major-league debut on September 14th. He played 11 games with the Angels that month, starting 6 of the last 9 games at shortstop.

In 1962 he was back in triple-A for the first half of the season. His first appearance for the Angels was in both games of the July 1st doubleheader. Jim took over the Angels' starting shortstop job on August 17th, and held it until September 8th, 1971. He played the remainder of the 1971 season at 1st base.

In addition to his 6 all-star selections, Fregosi won a gold glove in 1967, led the league with 13 triples in 1968, and generally was a workhorse for the Angels, making over 640 plate appearances 7 times between 1963 and 1970.

After the 1971 season, Jim was infamously traded to the Mets for Nolan Ryan and 3 no-names. After a year and a half in New York, he was sold to the Rangers, where he was a backup corner infielder for several season, before being traded to the Pirates in June 1977.

On June 1, 1978 the Pirates gave Fregosi his release, so he could take the Angels' managerial job. He managed the Angels until midway through the 1981 season.

Next was the White Sox' manager's job, which Jim held for the second half of 1986 and all of '87 and '88.

Fregosi's longest tenure as a manager was his 6 years with the Phillies (1991-96). The Phillies won the NL pennant in 1993.

His 4th and final managerial job was with the Blue Jays from 1999-2000.

Final Card: John Herrnstein

2011-05-18T22:24:00.008-05:00

This is the last of John Herrnstein's 4 Topps baseball cards (#304).

John was signed by the Phillies in 1958, and began his career in 1959 with the class B Des Moines Demons in the Three I (or Three-Eye, or Illinois-Indiana-Iowa) League. He remained in the Phillies farm system through the 1963 season (although playing a few games with the parent club in 1962 and 1963).

In 1964, John made the Phillies at the start of the season. He was the team's primary 1st baseman until Frank Thomas was acquired on August 7th. Herrnstein played in 125 games in his rookie season, with 61 starts at 1st base.

The following season, his playing time was cut back greatly (63 games, 12 starts at 1B), due mainly to Dick Stuart's 1-year stay with the Phillies. John was mainly used as a pinch-hitter in 1965.

Herrnstein did a lot of traveling in 1966. After only 4 games with the Phillies, he was traded to the Cubs on April 21st in the infamous Ferguson Jenkins deal. A month later, the Cubs shipped him off to Atlanta for pitcher Arnold Earley and outfielder Marty Keough. John played 17 games with the Braves, but spent the bulk of the season with their triple-A Richmond team before retiring. His last major-league game was on July 7th, 1966.

Joe Torre (#130)

2011-04-18T20:03:00.016-05:00

Today I'm posting another disaster from the 1966 set known as an Atlanta Braves card. Because the team had moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta after the 1965 season, almost every Braves card in the 1966 set is an ugly, hatless, colorless (unless you like lavender) hack job.

Why couldn't Topps have back-loaded the Braves' players to the later series, after they had time to develop the photos (I assume) they took in spring training? I admit, this notion didn't occur to me until tonight, but then, I'm not the one on Topps' payroll heading up the planning department. They could have done the same thing in 1968 with the Athletics. I'm sure fans of these teams wouldn't have minded waiting a bit, so that they could get decent cards of their favorite players. Each of my yearly binders from the 1960s has the cards arranged by teams, and when I get to the Braves' section, it's a Rogues' Gallery at best!

Joe Torre (remember the post title?) was one of the Braves' star players during the 1960s, before going on to play for the Cardinals and Mets in the 1970s.

Joe was signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1960 and spent his rookie season in the minors, with a 2-game call-up at the end of the season. In 1961 he played part of the season in the minors, but made the Braves for good that year. Although strictly a catcher in '61 and '62, Joe would play several dozen games at 1st base for the Braves from 1963-68, along with his role as the team's #1 catcher. In 1964, he split his time almost evenly between the 2 positions, as veteran Ed Bailey started over 70 games behind the plate.

After the 1968 season, Torre was traded to the Cardinals for 1st baseman Orlando Cepeda. Since the Cardinals already had an all-star catcher in Tim McCarver, Joe took over the 1st base position on a full-time basis. The following season, with Tim McCarver traded to the Phillies in the Curt Flood for Richie Allen deal, Joe moved back behind the plate. After Torre had started every game at catcher in April and May, rookie Ted Simmons began starting most of the games behind the plate, with Torre moving to a new position - 3rd base. Joe would hold down the regular 3rd base job for the 1971 and 1972 seasons as well.

Torre played in 4 straight all-star games while in St. Louis (1970-73). He also had an excellent 1971 season, winning the MVP award, while leading the league in hits (230), RBI (137), and batting average (.363).

After the 1974 season, he was traded to the Mets, and played the corner infield positions there until his release in June 1977. Immediately after his release, he was hired as the team's manager.

These days, Torre is best remembered for his managerial career, with the Mets (1977-81), Braves (1982-84), Cardinals (1990-95), Yankees (1996-07), and Dodgers (2008-10). Joe managed for 29 seasons, and won 6 pennants and 4 World Series, all with the Yankees.

I heard Torre say recently that this spring is the first since 1959 that he wasn't at spring training with one team or another. He now works for Major League Baseball.

Willie Mays (#1)

2011-01-21T22:23:00.009-06:00

Here's the Say Hey Kid, occupying the #1 card in Topps' set. I received this card from DeansCards.com. This is the 2nd Willie Mays card I got from Deans Cards, having purchased a replacement for my lost 1969 card a few years ago. Coincidently, Topps used the same photo on both the 1966 and 1969 Mays' cards. That was no surprise, since Topps had also used the same photo from 1965 on the 1968 card. Willie seems much happier here than on his 65/68 cards.

[I wonder why Topps decided to abbreviate San Francisco on the last stat line on the back of this card, after spelling it out completely the first 7 times?]

I'm not going to rehash Mays' career here, having done it elsewhere. I'll just say that I recently watched various "Prime 9" shows on the MLB network ("Top 9 centerfielders", "Top 9 defensive plays", etc), and Mays was just an awesome player! I saw him play briefly from 1967-73 on TV, but I was too young then to appreciate what I was seeing.

Joel Horlen (#560)

2010-11-07T21:48:00.004-06:00

Joel Horlen was one of the White Sox' "Big Three" starting pitchers in the mid-1960s. (No, the Orioles didn't invent that concept.)

Horlen was signed by the White Sox in 1959, and pitched in the minors for 3 seasons before making his major-league debut in September 1961.

Beginning with his rookie season of 1962, Joel was a fixture in the White Sox' starting rotation for the next 10 seasons, and reached double figures in wins for every season from 1963 to 1969, including 19 wins in 1967. He also led the American League with a 2.06 ERA in 1967.

After 2 sub-par seasons in 1970 (6-16) and 1971 (8-9), he was released at the end of spring training in 1972. Two weeks later, he was picked up by the Athletics, and played his last season in the majors with Oakland in 1972.

1973 was Horlen's last season in professional baseball, where at age 35, he compiled a 6-1 record in 9 games for the Indians' double-A team in San Antonio, TX.

Brooks Robinson (#390)

2010-09-30T21:06:00.015-05:00

Recently, I received a surprise package of 1966 and 1970 cards from the folks at DeansCards.com. Thanks, Dean! Over the past few years, I have purchased many vintage cards from them (usually 'Ex', sometimes 'VG'), and have always been satisfied with the quality of their cards. This is the first of several 1966 cards from that recent package.

Back in the late 1960s, I was somewhat of an Orioles fan (one needs to have an AL team!) Even though I'm not a Brooks Robinson fan, I always like getting his cards (and now have his '66, '68, '69, '70, and '72 cards). I think it's because I was never able to get his 1967 card. Oh well, the '69 card photo is similar to the '67.

Brooks Robinson was signed by the Orioles in 1955, and made his major-league debut in September call-up that season. Robby spent all of 1956, and part of 1957 in the minors, but became the O's full-time 3rd baseman in 1958. He committed 21 errors in 1958, the most of any year in his career.

After spending part of 1959 in the minors, he re-established himself in Baltimore in 1960. He won a gold glove at 3rd base every year from 1960 to 1975, and was an all-star selection every year from 1960 to 1974! He also led the league in games played in '61, '62, '63, '64, and '68, and was the American League MVP in 1964.

The Orioles' exploits in 1966 and the early 1970s are well-documented, and Brooks was a big part of those teams. Robinson played 23 seasons in the majors, all with the Orioles.

Final Card: Howie Koplitz

2010-09-28T12:56:00.002-05:00

My 1966 blog resumes with the final card of Senators' pitcher Howie Koplitz (#46). Howie was signed by the Tigers in 1956, and pitched for 6 years (mostly as a starter) before making his major-league debut in September 1961, after compiling a 23-3 record that season at double-A Birmingham.

In 1962, Koplitz appeared in 10 games for the Tigers, compiling a 3-0 record in 6 starts. This wasn't enough to earn a permanent spot on the team, as he spent the entire 1963 season back in the minors.

After the 1963 season, Howie was selected by the Senators in the Rule 5 draft. However, he spent most of the 1964 season in the minors, so I assume the Tigers declined to take him back, allowing the Senators to demote him.

In 1965, Koplitz pitched 9 games for triple-A Hawaii, but returned to the majors with the Senators for 33 games, his longest stretch of big-league service.

Howie's last pro season was 1966. He pitched 1 game for Washington and 3 games for their double-A York club before a shoulder injury ended his career.

Roland Sheldon (#18)

2010-08-26T19:55:00.013-05:00

Like Gil Blanco in my recent 1967 post, Roland Sheldon was a former Yankees pitching prospect who rode the Kansas City/New York express (but in the wrong direction).

Sheldon was signed by the Yankees in 1960, and after going 15-1 with their class-D Auburn club that year, he jumped all the way up to the majors to start the 1961 season. Rollie was the Yankees' #4 starter (behind Whitey Ford, Bill Stafford, and Ralph Terry) in his rookie season, starting 21 games and relieving in 14 others.

In 1962, the above-mentioned top 3 starters each made 30-plus starts, while Sheldon and rookie Jim Bouton each started 16 games, and relieved in just as many.

Rollie's ride with the Yankees ended for awhile, as he spent the entire 1963 season and part of 1964 with the Yankees' triple-A Richmond team. He returned to New York and started 12 of his 19 appearances. He also pitched in games 1 and 7 of the World Series.

On May 3, 1965 Sheldon was traded (along with backup catcher Johnny Blanchard) to the Athletics for backup catcher Doc Edwards. How far he had fallen in just 3 years, from being the Yankees' #4 starter to becoming one-half of the players required to obtain the Athletics' backup catcher! But it seems like a good deal for Sheldon, because it kept him in the majors for 2 more seasons.

With Kansas City in 1965, Sheldon and Fred Talbot were the A's top 2 pitchers, each winning 10 games for a bad team.

In 1966, he started 14 games before being traded to the Red Sox in mid-June (with pitcher John Wyatt and OF Jose Tartabull) for pitcher Ken Sanders and outfielder Jim Gosger. Rollie's final major-league game was on September 25, 1966.

After the 1966 season, he was traded to the Reds, and spent the 1967 and 1968 seasons with their triple-A team. In 1969 he played for the triple-A teams of the Tigers, White Sox, and Seattle Pilots, and in 1970 played for the triple-A teams of the Cubs and Padres, before retiring.

Somehow, in spite of being a fulltime minor-leaguer in 1967 and 1968, Topps issued a card for him in 1969:

Final Card: Chuck Schilling

2010-06-26T21:45:00.009-05:00

Chuck Schilling (#6) had a short career with the Red Sox in the early 1960s.

Chuck was signed by the Red Sox in 1958, and made his major-league debut in April 1961. His career started off well, as he was Boston's starting 2nd baseman for 157 games, and finished 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting. He also led the American League with 738 plate appearances.

Schilling was the regular 2nd baseman (133 starts) in 1962, but missed over 40 games due to a wrist injury that would hamper him for the rest of his career. He bounced back in 1963 (137 starts at 2nd base) but then started a downward slide.

In 1964, Schilling dropped to #3 in the pecking order at 2nd base, behind rookie infielder Dalton Jones, and journeyman Felix Mantilla. In 1965, Mantilla took over almost completely, making 120 starts at 2nd base to Schilling's 35 starts.

This was the end of the line for Chuck. In April 1966, he was traded to the Twins, but his 1966 season went like this (from Wikipedia):

Coming out of spring training, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins with catcher Russ Nixon for left-handed pitcher Dick Stigman. Schilling began the season on the Twins' 28-man roster, but he never appeared in any games and retired before the rosters were cut to 25 men on May 15.

After baseball, Schilling became a high school math teacher, and also played competitive softball until the age of 69.

Final Card: Merritt Ranew

2010-06-16T11:28:00.009-05:00

Merritt Ranew (#62) first came to my attention as one of the characters in Jim Bouton's book Ball Four. A backup catcher, Ranew began and ended his short career with expansion teams (Houston Colt .45s, Seattle Pilots).

Merritt was signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1957. He played 5 seasons in the Braves' farm system, finally reaching triple-A in 1961. After the 1961 season, he was drafted by the expansion Houston Colt .45s as their 17th pick. The #2 catcher behind ex-Pirate Hal Smith, Merritt started 51 games in his rookie season.

Before the 1963 season, he was traded to the Cubs. Although he was the Cubs 3rd-string catcher, this was the only season where he managed to stay out of the minor leagues.

The next few seasons were spent hopping from one team to another, while playing mostly in the minor leagues: to the Braves in June 1964; to the Giants prior to the 1965 season; sold to the Angels in May 1965; sent to the Yankees prior to 1968; sent to the Pilots prior to 1969. He did not play in the major leagues from 1966 to 1968.

Ranew's final major-league season was in 1969, with the expansion Seattle Pilots. He appeared in 54 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter.

After the 1969 season, he was traded to the Senators for infielder Frank Coggins. Ranew continued in the minors for 2 more seasons before retiring.

Multi-player Cards

2010-05-25T23:14:00.025-05:00

It's hard to figure out Topps' logic when it came to multi-player cards in the late 1960s.

In 1966, there were 5 such cards, all within the first 300 cards:
Astros
Giants
Phillies
Pirates
White Sox
In the later series, multi-player cards just disappeared.

In 1967, that number grew to 13 cards, but only for 11 teams:
Braves
Cardinals
Giants
Mets
Phillies
Pirates
Indians (2)
Orioles (2)
Tigers
Twins
White Sox

In 1968, Topps cut way back to just 3 cards (all in the 6th series):
Orioles
Stars from multiple teams (2)

In 1969, there were 4 such cards, again all in the 6th series (it's as though Topps waited until they were sure they wouldn't need a 5th Royals Rookies card!)
Giants
Orioles
Senators
Athletics
(I first discovered these baseball card blogs last September, when I stumbled upon PackAddict's 1969 Athletics' card shown in the above link.)

I previously posted the Giants' multi-player card. Here are the rest:

#152 Power Plus - How can they make a card about the Phillies' power hitters and not include Richie Allen?

#99 Buc Belters - Stargell and Clendenon would also appear together on the 1967 Pirates' multi-player card. Hey Topps, where's Roberto Clemente? In 1965, he had 10 homers to Clendenon's 14. (They both had fewer than Jim Pagliaroni's 17.)

#199 Chisox Clubbers - In the land of the Go-Go Sox, "clubbers" is a relative term. Skowron and Romano each had 18 dingers in 1965, Robinson had 14.

#273 Astro Aces - At least the title of this card isn't implying home run power for its featured players!

Final Card: Frank Kreutzer

2010-05-07T14:11:00.005-05:00

Frank Kreutzer (#211) pitched for the White Sox and Senators in the early-to-mid 1960s.

He was signed by the Red Sox in 1961. After only one season in their farm system, he was drafted by the White Sox, spending the next 2 seasons in Chicago's farm system, while pitching 1 major-league game each season.

1964 was Frank's first full season in the major leagues. In July, he went to the Senators as part of the Joe Cunningham-for-Bill Skowron trade.

After another full season (1965) with the Senators, Frank resumed his minor-league career. Although he would appear in 9 games for the Senators in 1966, he spent most of that season, and all of '67 and '68 with Washington's triple-A team.

1969 was his final season. After appearing in 4 games with the Senators, he was traded to the Pirates in May, and spent the remainder of the season with Pittsburgh's triple-A team in Columbus.

Final Card: Julio Navarro

2010-05-03T22:09:00.011-05:00

Here's a guy I never heard of until I got his 1966 card within the past year. Julio Navarro (#527) began his career in 1955, spending 8 seasons in the Giants' farm system before the Angels purchased him in September 1962. He pitched 9 games in relief for the Angels that season.

In 1963, Julio was a key member of the Angels bullpen, making 57 appearances and leading the team with 12 saves. This was also his only full season in the majors.

In April 1964, he was traded to the Tigers for outfielder "Wonderful" Willie Smith. During his seasons with the Tigers (1964-66), he spent a good deal of time pitching in the minors.

In June 1966, the Tigers traded him to the Red Sox (with outfielder Don Demeter) for starting pitcher Earl Wilson (one of the best pitchers in the AL at the time) and outfielder Joe Christopher. His time in Boston was short, as he was traded to the Braves after the 1966 season.

Julio remained in the minors until briefly resurfacing with the Braves in 1970.

White Sox Rookies: Tommie Agee / Marv Staehle

2010-05-01T12:45:00.013-05:00

This card (#164) is the first of 2 White Sox Rookies cards in the 1966 set.

This is not Tommie Agee's first card, as he previously appeared on an Indians Rookies card in 1965. I don't know who holds the record for most appearances on a "rookie" card, but it isn't Agee. Lou Piniella was on 3 rookie cards (Senators - 1964, Indians - 1968, Pilots - 1969).

Agee was signed by the Indians in 1961, and played in their farm system for 4 seasons before going to the White Sox in a 3-team, 8-player trade in January 1965. He is probably best known for his exploits with the Mets, particularly in their 1969 world championship season. (Topps has spelled his first name incorrectly (twice) on the back of this card.)

Marv Staehle had a less-spectacular career than Agee. He was signed by the White Sox in 1960, and after 7 seasons playing SS and 2B in their farm system, he bounced around to various organizations (Mets, Indians, Pilots) before the Montreal Expos purchased him from the Seattle Pilots late in the 1969 season.

Most of Marv's major-league playing time came during 1970, when the Expos platooned him at 2nd base with Gary Sutherland.

His final major-league season was 1971, with the Braves.

Final Card: Carl Warwick

2010-04-22T17:05:00.008-05:00

Here is the final card for outfielder Carl Warwick (#247). Warwick was signed by the Dodgers and played in their minor-league system for 3 seasons (1958-60) before making his major-league debut with the Dodgers on April 11, 1961. A month later, he was traded to the Cardinals, and started 33 games in center field as Curt Flood's backup.

On May 7, 1962, Carl was traded to the Houston Colt .45s for veteran pitcher Bobby Shantz. He immediately became the regular center fielder for the expansion team, starting 104 games in center, including 71 of the next 79 games. In 1963, Warwick moved over to right field, starting 103 games there, while a young Rusty Staub started most of the other games there.

1962 and 1963 were the high points of Warwick's career. Just before the 1964 season, he was traded back to the Cardinals, and faded into a 5th outfielder role. In the '64 World Series, Carl was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Warwick was sold to the Orioles in late July 1965, but only appeared in 9 games for the rest of the season. Just prior to the 1966 season, he was traded to the Cubs for catcher Vic Roznovsky. Carl appeared in only 16 games for the Cubs that season (the last on June 12th), and spent most of the season in the Cubs' minor-league system.

Who didn't get a card, but shoulda... (re-mix)

2010-04-20T22:50:00.027-05:00

I originally posted this on 11/15/2009, but recently I found several more players who were missing 1966 cards, so I'm bumping this to the top.

Here are some players who didn't have a card in 1966, though playing in the majors for some time:

Joe Adcock
Joe was a long-time first baseman for several American League teams in the 1950s and 1960s. His last player card was in 1963, although he continued to play regularly for 3 more full seasons with the Angels. After retiring following the 1966 season, he was immediately hired as the Indians manager, and has a 1967 manager card.

Dick Hall
Hall was a relief pitcher for the Pirates (1955-59), Athletics (1960), Orioles (1961-66, 69-71), and Phillies (1967-68). He had Topps cards in 1955-57, 1960-63, and 1967-71. The missing cards in 1958 and 1959 are to be expected, since he spent most of 1957 and 1959 in the minors, and was either out of baseball or injured during the 1958 season. However, there doesn't appear to be a baseball reason for the missing cards from 1964 to 1966, since he was a full-time major-league player with plenty of appearances from 1960 to 1971.

Maury Wills
Wills didn't have a Topps card until 1967. I read a note from Ted Taylor saying that Wills was under contract to Fleer (he had a Fleer card in 1963) and Fleer would not release him to Topps.

Chris Short
Like Wills, Short's 1st card was in 1967. He had been pitching regularly for the Phillies since 1960.

Tony Horton
Tony was a backup 1B-OF for the Red Sox between 1965 and early 1967. Although he only played 6 major-league games in 1966, in 1965 he appeared in 44 games for the Red Sox, playing 344 innings at 1st base. This should have warranted a card for 1966.

Doug Clemens (added 2/28/10)
Clemens was in the major leagues for parts of every season from 1960 to 1968, and continuously since opening day in 1964. He had 218 at-bats in 1964 and 340 at-bats in 1965, yet his only baseball card was in 1967.

Added 4/20/2010:

None of the players listed below spent any time in the minors in 1965 (normally the reason a veteran is denied a baseball card).

Lou Clinton
Lou played 102 games in 1965 for the Angels, Athletics, and Indians. In 1966, he played 80 games for the Yankees. His last card was in 1967.

Don Blasingame
Don was the Senators' regular 2nd baseman in 1965, and played 80 games in 1966 for the Senators and Athletics. His last card was in 1965.

Frank Bolling
Frank was the Braves' regular 2nd baseman in 1965, and played 75 games in 1966 for the Braves, splitting the 2B duties with Woody Woodward. His last card was in 1965.

Bob Lillis
Bob was the Astros' regular shortstop in 1965, starting 2/3 of the games there. He played 68 games in 1966 for the the Astros. His last card was in 1964.

Eddie Kasko
Eddie got 215 at-bats for the Astros in 1965, starting 1/3 of the games at shortstop. He played 58 games in 1966 for the Red Sox. His last card was in 1963.

Joey Amalfitano
Joey played 67 games (96 at-bats) for the Cubs in 1965 as a utility infielder. He played 41 games in the same role in 1966. His last card was in 1965.

Wes Stock
Wes pitched in 62 games for the Athletics in 1965, and another 35 in 1966. His last card was in 1967.

Jay Ritchie
Jay pitched in 44 games for the Red Sox in 1965, and 22 for the Braves in 1966. His last card was in 1965.

Final Card: George Banks

2010-04-20T14:41:00.011-05:00

George Banks (#488) was a utility player who played briefly for the Twins and Indians from 1962-1966. Although he played 3B-OF in the majors, in his 11-year minor league career he was almost exclusively a 3rd baseman.

George began baseball life as a Yankees' farmhand in 1957. After the 1961 season, the Minnesota Twins selected him in the Rule 5 draft, and he spent the entire 1962 season with the Twins. He started 20 games, and appeared in another 40 games strictly as a pinch-hitter.

(The card front shows OF-3B, while the back shows 3B-OF)

In 1963 (free from the Rule 5 restrictions), the Twins sent him back to the minors, which is where he stayed for most of his career. He appeared only briefly with the Twins in 1963 and 1964, before he was traded to the Indians on June 15, 1965 (with pitcher Lee Stange) for pitcher Jim "Mudcat" Grant.

The Indians used him as the Twins did - mostly playing 3rd base in triple-A, this time in Portland Oregon. His last season in the majors was 1966, when he appeared in 4 games for the Indians (the last on May 7th). George spent most of 1967 playing for the Angels' triple-A team in Seattle.

He wrapped up his pro career in 1968, playing for the Phillies' class-A team in Spartanburg, SC.

Final Card: Billy Herman

2010-04-11T22:26:00.005-05:00

Billy Herman (#37) was a 2nd baseman for the Cubs in the 1930s, and the Dodgers in the early 1940s, before finishing up his playing career in 1946 and 1947 with the Braves and Pirates.

He was a player-manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates for one season (1947). After many years as a coach for the Dodgers, Braves, and Red Sox, Billy got his 2nd and final shot as a major-league manager with the Red Sox.

After taking over the team with 2 games remaining in 1964, Billy was at the controls for all of 1965 and most of 1966, until he was fired with 16 games remaining. The Red Sox finished in 9th place in both of Herman's seasons.

It turned out to be a good move, as Boston went on to play in the World Series the following season with Dick Williams as a rookie manager!

Herman coached briefly with the Angels and Padres in the 1960s and 1970s.

Final Card: Bill Faul

2010-04-02T18:42:00.009-05:00

Here's the final card for pitcher Bill Faul (#322), who looks like like a guy named Mike that I used to work with.

Faul started his career with the Tigers in 1962. He spent most of the season in class-A ball, and pitched 1 game with the Tigers in late September that season. His baseball card shows a whopping 27.00 ERA for that one game, but baseball-reference.com says it was 32.40. In any case, he surprisingly remained with the Tigers for all of 1963. In 1964, he spent most of the season in the minors, and was sold to the Cubs during spring training in 1965.

He pitched 17 games for the Cubs in each of 1965 and 1966, but spent a good portion of both seasons in triple-A, as well as the entire 1967 season.

In 1968, Faul was sold to the Indians, who sold him to the Reds, who returned him to the Indians (whew!), all the while remaining in the minors.

Bill continued playing in the minors from 1969-73 for the Royals, Giants, and Cubs, with only a brief 7-game stint in the majors for the Giants in early 1970.

Final Card: Bobby Richardson

2010-03-25T20:49:00.012-05:00

Bobby Richardson (#490) was the regular 2nd baseman for the Yankees during the end of their golden era (1959-1966).

After losing back-to-back World Series in 1963 and 1964, the grand old Yankees began dropping parts like a junker losing its transmission: Tony Kubek after 1965, Richardson, Clete Boyer, and Roger Maris after 1966, Whitey Ford retiring in May 1967, Elston Howard later in 1967, and finally, Mickey Mantle after 1968.

Richardson was signed by the Yankees in 1953 and played 4 seasons in their farm system, while also making brief appearances in New York in 1955 and 1956.

Bobby made the Yankees to stay in 1957. After a few starts in April and May, he took over the starting 2nd base job from Billy Martin on June 4th. (2 weeks later, Martin was traded to Kansas City.)

In 1958, Richardson was relegated to a backup 2B-3B role, but bounced back the following season as the #1 second baseman, a job he would hold until retiring after the 1966 season. From 1961 to 1965 he was a workhorse, starting 160, 161, 150, 156, and 157 games at 2nd base.

In his final 1966 season, Bobby played more games (149) than any other player also in their final season that year. (Willie Kirkland (124) and Harvey Kuenn (89) were the closest to him.) Richardson played his last game on October 2, 1966.

Final Card: Robin Roberts

2010-03-23T23:38:00.011-05:00

Here is the final baseball card for 19-year veteran pitcher Robin Roberts (#530). I just received this card a few days ago, filling a prominent gap near the top of my list of retiring veterans.

Roberts was signed by the Phillies in 1948, and after only 11 games in the minors, he was brought up to the Phillies on June 18th. He ended up being the #4 starter in his rookie season, and by 1950 he was the team's ace, a position he held through the 1960 season.

Roberts led the Phillies to the 1950 World Series, and won 20 or more games every year from 1950 to 1955. This was quite a feat, since most of those Phillies teams had so-so records.

In Robin's final season with the Phillies (1961), he dropped off to a 1-10 record, and was sold to the Yankees after the season. By the following May, the Yankees released him, but he was picked up by the Orioles.

Roberts was in Baltimore's starting rotation during the years when Wally Bunker and Dave McNally were getting their start.

He was released in July 1965, and picked up by the Astros a week later. Robin started 10 games in 1965 and 12 games in 1966 before getting his release on July 4th, 1966. He played the remainder of that season with the Cubs, and in 1967 with the Phillies' double-A team in Reading, PA before retiring.

Mailbox Bonanza!

2010-03-19T15:19:00.003-05:00

In the past few days, the following guys have shown up in my mailbox (along with some late-80s/early-90s Phillies in tow):

I have now completed these sets:
1967 NFL Football
1969 Baseball
1969 Deckle-edge insert set
All Phillies from 1964 to 1993 (except Schmidt rookie)
2 key additions to my "1966-was-their-final-card" series on this blog (Roberts, Richardson).

I added the Bart Starr card to my 1967 Packers post a few days ago, and Roberts & Richardson will be the next 2 posts on this blog.

Final Card: Dick Stigman

2010-03-13T21:18:00.010-06:00

Dick Stigman (#512) spent 6 season in the Cleveland Indians' farm system before making his major-league debut On April 22, 1960. He made 41 appearances for the Indians that season, mostly in relief.

The following season, his playing time tapered off to 22 games. He was the 9th man on a 10-man staff. Just before the 1962 season, Stigman and Vic Power were traded to the Twins for pitcher Pedro Ramos.

Dick had more success in Minnesota. In 1962, he started 15 games and relieved in 25 others. His 142 innings pitched were 4th-most on the team. With a record of 12-5, his .706 winning percentage was tops in the American League.

In 1963, Stigman's wins (15) and innings pitched (241) were more than all other starters except Camilo Pascual (who went 21-9). 1964 was an off-year for Dick (6-15), as he was passed by Jim Kaat and Jim Grant in the Twins' rotation.

In 1965, Stigman found himself occupying the Twins' bullpen. One week before the start of the 1966 season, he was traded to the Red Sox for catcher Russ Nixon and 2nd baseman Chuck Schilling.

Stigman appeared in 34 games for the Red Sox, mostly in relief. His final major-league game was on September 10, 1966. After the season, he was sent to the Cincinnati Reds to complete an earlier trade. He spent the 1967 season with the Reds' and Phillies' triple-A teams.

Final Card: Tracy Stallard

2010-03-11T22:06:00.009-06:00

Here we have the final baseball card for Tracy Stallard (#7), looking very determined, 5 seasons and 2 teams removed from his date with baseball history!

Stallard was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1956, and spent 5 seasons in their farm system, before making his major-league debut on September 14, 1960. He pitched 4 games in relief (a total of 4 innings) for the Sox that year.

In 1961, Tracy was Boston's #5 starter (14 starts), but also pitched 29 games in relief. Stallard's career spanned 7 seasons and 183 games, with a record of 30-57, but he is infamously known for his 1-0 loss on the last day of the 1961 season.

Did that event negatively affect him? He spent the entire 1962 season with Boston's triple-A team in Seattle, except for pitching 1 inning for the Red Sox. After the season, he was traded to the Mets (along with infielder Pumpsie Green) for 2B-SS-3B-OF Felix Mantilla. (I hesitate to label him INF-OF, because that usually means "scrub".)

Stallard spent 2 seasons with the Mets, but because this was the Mets, his winning percentage never rose above .333. After the 1964 season, he was traded to the Cardinals, where he rebounded in 1965 with an 11-8 record, while starting 26 games and relieving in 14 others.

In 1966 he appeared in 20 games, but with a 1-5 record, he was sent to the minors after his last appearance on July 24th. He spent the remainder of 1966 and all of 1967 playing in the minors for the Cardinals and Cubs.

Final Card: Don Heffner

2010-03-08T22:41:00.007-06:00

Don Heffner's (#269) major-league managing career consisted of managing the Reds for the first 83 games of the 1966 season. Prior to this, the picture on his card indicates that he was the coach of the "Blue Team". (Was this a semi-pro team in Flushing, NY?)

At the time of his firing, the Reds were in 8th place with a 37-46 record (15 games back). There didn't seem to be any lineup adjustments made by the new manager (Dave Bristol), and the team finished the season in 7th place (76-84, 18 games back).

Final Card: Dom Zanni

2010-03-05T22:46:00.008-06:00

Continuing the all-Cincinnati Reds theme tonight, here we have the final card for Dom Zanni (#233). Zanni had a 7-year career with the Giants, White Sox, and Reds.

He was signed by the New York Giants in 1951, and spent 11 seasons in their minor-league system, with brief call-ups in '58, 59, and '61. After the 1961 season, Dom was traded to the White Sox (along with pitcher Eddie Fisher and 2 others) for pitchers Don Larsen and Billy Pierce.

The next 2 seasons were good ones for Dom. They were the only seasons he stayed out of the minor leagues. With the White Sox in 1962, he appeared in 44 games, all but 2 in relief.

After 5 relief appearances in 1963, Zanni was traded to the Reds on May 5th. He pitched in 31 games for Cincinnati that season.

What happened after that? Maybe an old-school Reds' fan could recall the reasons, but Zanni pitched the 1964-67 seasons with the Reds' triple-A teams, making only a few appearances with the big club in 1965 and 1966.

Final Card: Joe Gaines

2010-02-28T15:41:00.005-06:00

Joe Gaines (#122) was a journeyman outfielder for 3 teams in the early-to-mid 1960s. He was signed by the Reds in 1956, and spent 6 seasons with their minor-league teams (although making a few major-league appearances in 1960 and 1961).

In 1962, Joe made the big leagues to stay. Joe had to be content with a pinch-hitting role, because the Reds had Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, and Wally Post starting, along with Jerry Lynch and Marty Keough as the 4th and 5th outfielders.

After the 1962 season, Joe was traded to the Orioles, where he received a little more playing time in 1963 than the previous season, primarily spelling Boog Powell in left field. After infrequent use in early 1964, Gaines was traded to the Colt .45s on June 15th for outfielder Johnny Weekly.

Gaines hit the jackpot in Houston, as he was the starting right fielder for 81 of the 85 games from June 19th to September 15th. During most of this streak (July 4 to September 15) Rusty Staub was absent from the starting lineup, and was playing in triple-A (rehab assignment?). Once Staub returned to Houston, it was to right field (and for several seasons), spelling the end of Joe Gaines' gravy train.

In 1965, Gaines was the team's 4th outfielder, logging most of his playing time as a backup to Lee Maye in left and Rusty Staub in right. In Joe's final season (1966) his playing time decreased significantly, as he spent a good portion of the season (139 games) with the Astros' triple-A team in Oklahoma City. His final major-league game was on October 2, 1966.

He spent the 1967 season with the Athletics' triple-A team in Vancouver, and 1968 with the triple-A teams of the Twins and White Sox.

Mel Nelson (#367)

2010-02-26T17:52:00.010-06:00

With this card, all 20 teams are now represented on all 3 of my baseball card blogs. This would be Nelson's last card until 1969.

Mel Nelson was signed by the Cardinals in 1954, and except for a 2-game stint with the Cardinals in September 1960, he spent the next 9 seasons in the minors. Originally an outfielder, he didn't begin pitching until 1956.

After the 1962 season, he was purchased by the Los Angeles Angels. In 1963 he made 36 appearances for the Angels (mostly in relief) along with 12 games in triple-A (mostly as a starter). He spent all of 1964 in the minors, first with the Angels' AAA team in Hawaii, then after his May 25th purchase by the Twins, with their AAA team in Atlanta.

After spending all of 1965 in the Twins' bullpen, and all of 1966 back in the minors, he would bounce up and down for the next 3 seasons. After the 1967 season, the Twins sold him to the Cardinals. Nelson made one appearance in the 1968 World Series for the Cardinals, mopping up the 9th inning of game 6 (a 13-1 blowout by the Tigers).

His last major-league game was on June 2, 1969. Mel wrapped up his career in 1970 with the Braves' triple-A team in Richmond, VA.

Giants' DP Combo (Dick Schofield/Hal Lanier)

2010-02-24T21:29:00.010-06:00

Here's one of the "group" cards that Topps issued for most of the teams in 1966 and 1967. In 1965, these two were the Giants' starting Keystone Combo for 81 games. In 1966, they only hooked up 4 times before Schofield was sold to the Yankees in mid-May.

Dick Schofield had a 19-year career (1953-71) as a shortstop with 7 teams, mostly the Cardinals (1963-58) and the Pirates (1958-65). His only extended time as an everyday player was during the '63, '64, and '65 seasons.

His son Dick was the Angels' shortstop during the 1980s and early 1990s, and his grandson is current Phillies' right fielder Jayson Werth.

Hal Lanier also comes from a baseball family. His father Max pitched for the Cardinals during the 1940s. Hal played shortstop and 2nd base for the Giants from 1964 to 1971, before winding up his career with the Yankees in 1972 and 1973. He later managed the Astros from 1986-88.

Final Card: Ernie Broglio

2010-02-20T15:52:00.009-06:00

Here is the final card for Ernie Broglio (#423). Broglio began his minor-league career in 1953 with the independent Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League. During the 1954 season, he was sent to the Cincinnati Reds organization.

In 1955, Ernie was sent back to play for independent teams in California (Stockton, Oakland), until he was acquired by the Giants prior to the 1956 season. After the 1958 season, the Giants traded him to the Cardinals, where he made his big-league debut in April 1959.

From 1959 to 1963, Broglio was a regular in the Cardinals rotation, along with Curt Simmons, Larry Jackson, Ray Sadecki, and later, Bob Gibson. Ernie led the NL with 21 wins in 1960.

Broglio's last start for the Cardinals was on June 12, 1964, against Sandy Koufax. Ernie took the loss, making his record 3-5. Three days later, he was traded to the Cubs. In deference to Cubs' fans everywhere, I'll dispense with the remaining details (you can read the back of the card).

His final major-league game was on July 2, 1966. He spent the remainder of 1966 with the Cubs' triple-A team in Tacoma, and all of 1967 with the Reds' triple-A team in Buffalo.

Final Card: Camilo Carreon

2010-02-10T22:44:00.008-06:00

41 posts since I started this 1966 blog on 10/16/2009, but none for any Orioles, Giants, or Twins. Let's fix that:

Camilo Carreon (#513) was a promising young catcher with the White Sox until injuries derailed his career. He was signed by the Chicago White Sox in 1956, and played 5 seasons (1956-60) in their farm system, although appearing in a few games for the Sox in '59 and '60.

In 1961, the 23-year-old rookie started 63 games behind the plate, giving the veteran Sherm Lollar (93 starts) a break. The following year Carreon took over as the #1 catcher, making 85 starts to Lollar's 59. Chicago carried a 3rd-string catcher (Bob Roselli) all season, who caught most of the the remaining games.

In 1963, Carreon split the catching duties with J.C. Martin. Martin had been the White Sox' backup first baseman in 1961, and spent almost all of 1962 in the minors.

Carreon would probably like to forget his 1964 season. Early on, he had lost the starting job to rookie Jerry McNertney, and had made only 14 starts through the end of June. In early July, he was put on the disabled list, and didn't return until mid-August. He played sparingly on his return, but started 13 of the last 20 games. (Maybe the Sox were showcasing him?)

In January 1965, Carreon was was part of a 3-team, 8-player trade with the Athletics and Indians:

Rocky Colavito - Athletics to Indians
Cam Carreon - White Sox to Indians

Tommie Agee - Indians to White Sox
Tommy John - Indians to White Sox
Johnny Romano - Indians to White Sox

Mike Hershberger - White Sox to Athletics
Jim Landis - White Sox to Athletics
Fred Talbot - White Sox to Athletics

Carreon only appeared in 19 games for the Indians in 1965, but appeared in 45 games for their triple-A Portland team. On March 10, 1966, he was traded to the Orioles for minor-league outfielder Lou Pinella.

Carreon's career was essentially over, as he only played in 4 games for the Orioles, the last on June 8th. He spent most of the 1966 season, and all of 1967 in triple-A. After being out of baseball in 1968, he played the 1969 season for the White Sox' triple-A team in Tucson.

Camilo's son Mark was an outfielder in the 1980s and 1990s, primarily for the Mets and Giants.

Final Card: Don Landrum

2010-02-08T23:14:00.008-06:00

Don Landrum (#43) was signed by the Phillies, and spent 7 seasons with their minor-league teams, with a 2-game cup of coffee in Philadelphia beginning on September 28, 1957.

Two weeks before the end of the 1960 season, he was traded to the Cardinals for third baseman Bob Sadowski, and finished the season in St. Louis. In 1961 he played 28 games with the Cardinals, and 86 games in triple-A.

Don spent the entire 1962 and 1963 seasons in the majors, first with the Cardinals, then with the Cubs, following his June 1962 trade. Don was the Cubs' 4th outfielder in 1962, but in 1963 he shared the starting centerfield job with Ellis Burton.

In 1964, Landrum was back in the minors for most of the season, but the next year he was the Cubs #1 centerfielder, starting 104 games.

After the 1965 season, Landrum and pitcher Lindy McDaniel were traded to the Giants for pitcher Bill Hands and catcher Randy Hundley. Don was seldom used by the Giants in 1966. Although he played in 72 games, he made only 14 starts in the outfield, along with another 40 late-inning defensive appearances. Willie Mays, Ollie Brown, Jesus Alou, and even Len Gabrielson and Cap Peterson all got the outfield assignments before him. Don also spent part of 1966 with the Giants' triple-A team.

Final Card: Ken Hamlin

2010-02-05T22:44:00.012-06:00

This is the final card for Ken Hamlin (#69). It's also his first card since 1962. Hamlin was a shortstop until 1965, when he switched to second base for his final 2 seasons.

Ken was signed by the Pirates in 1957, and played in their farm system from 1957 to 1959. He had a 2-game cup of coffee with the Pirates in 1957. He also played in the Mexican league for part of 1958.

After the 1959 season, the Pirates traded Hamlin and pitcher Dick Hall to the Athletics for catcher Hal Smith. After only 5 major-league games in the 3 previous years, Hamlin became the Athletics' regular shortstop in 1960, starting 127 of his 139 games there. Oddly enough, after this Cinderella story, Hamlin was left exposed to the expansion draft, and was selected by the Angels.

After sharing the starting shortstop assignments with the likes of Fritz Brickell and Rocky Bridges, Hamlin was traded to the independent Toronto Maple Leafs for second baseman Billy Moran in late June. This was 2 days after the Angels purchased shortstop Joe Koppe from the Cardinals for $1000. (Koppe would start almost all the remaining games at shortstop.)

After the season, Ken was claimed by the Washington Senators in the rule 5 draft, and he was back in the majors in 1962. He shared the shortstop job with journeyman Bob Johnson and rookie Ed Brinkman.

The next 2 seasons were spent in triple-A (presumably on loan, because Rochester was the Orioles' affiliate, and Toronto was the Senators' and Braves' affiliate).

Ken made it back to the majors in 1965, now as a second baseman. He started 63 games at 2nd and 31 games at SS, but was the backup at each position (to Don Blasingame and Ed Brinkman).

His playing time decreased in his final season (1966), as he started only 40 games at second base. By this time, he was the 3rd-stringer behind Bob Saverine and Don Blasingame.

He retired after the 1966 season at age 31.

Final Card: Joe Christopher

2010-02-02T20:39:00.010-06:00

Joe Christopher (#343) was signed by the Pirates in 1955, and played in the minors from 1955 to 1959. During part of 1957, he also played in the Mexican League.

Joe made his major-league debut in late May 1959, and played 15 games for the Pirates, mostly as a pinch-hitter.

In 1960 he was used mainly as a pinch-hitter, but also as a 5th outfielder. The Pirates' starting outfield was Bob Skinner, Bill Virdon, and Roberto Clemente. Whatever playing time was leftover was usually scooped up by 4th outfielder Gino Cimoli.

In 1961 Joe saw more action, starting about 25% of the games in left field, as Bob Skinner's playing time was reduced. After the season Christopher was drafted by the Mets in the expansion draft.

In 1962, Joe, Richie Ashburn, and Jim Hickman were the primary starters in center and right field. Ashburn had seen enough losing, and retired after the season. However, in 1963 Duke Snider, Jim Piersall, and rookie Ed Kranepool would join the team and clutter the outfield picture, taking playing time away from Christopher.

Things would be different after that, as Joe's ship finally came in. In 1964 he was the #1 right fielder, starting 127 games there. The following season he started 110 games in the outfield, although his starts were split between left and right.

After the 1965 season he was traded to the Red Sox for shortstop Ed Bressoud. He didn't stay in Boston long. His last major-league game was on June 9th 1966. A week later he was traded (along with pitcher Earl Wilson) to Detroit for outfielder Don Demeter and pitcher Julio Navarro. Joe finished the season in the minor leagues.

He would play 2 more seasons in the minors before retiring after the 1968 season.

75 New Cards (including John Stephenson)

2010-01-31T08:45:00.002-06:00

On Saturday, I received 75 1966 cards that I recently bought from DeansCards.com, all from the first 2 series. Just by coincidence, they include at least 3 cards from each team (7 from the White Sox!), except only 1 each from the Cardinals (Curt Flood) and Athletics (Rene Lachemann), and none from the Phillies (I already have them all). Also included were 6 league leaders cards.

I had to laugh when I read the back of John Stephenson's card, where Topps proclaims "Johnny is a left-handed batter with good power to all fields." In 3 minor-league seasons, he has hit 8, 9, and 5 home runs! That's "good power"?

John Stephenson (#17) was the Mets' backup catcher. Apparently, Topps can't decide whether to call him John or Johnny, as we have 4 "John", 1 "Johnny", and 1 "Johnnny" on this card.

Rather than repeat myself, you can find more pertinent facts about John Stephenson on my 1967 blog.

Final Card: Willie Kirkland

2010-01-30T21:55:00.011-06:00

Willie Kirkland (#434) was a starting outfielder for the Giants in the late 1950s, and later for the Cleveland Indians.

Willie (wow, he even has the right first name for a Giant!) was signed by the New York Giants in 1953, and played 4 seasons in their farm system before missing the 1957 season due to military service.

Kirkland made his major-league debut on April 15, 1958, and started 102 games in right field during his rookie season.

1959 was more of the same, as Willie the K started 105 games in right. (Felipe Alou started most of the remaining games there.) Even though Willie McCovey joined the Giants in 1959, that didn't affect Kirkland, as McCovey played only 1B that year. Orlando Cepeda would alternate between 1B and LF, which squeezed left fielder Jackie Brandt.

1960 would be Kirkland's last season with the Giants, and he went out with a bang - starting 135 games in right field. After the season, he and pitcher Johnny Antonelli were traded to the Indians for outfielder Harvey Kuenn.

Willie played 3 seasons for the Indians, the first 2 as their starting right fielder. In 1963, he shared the right field chores with Al Luplow.

After the 1963 season, Kirkland moved on to the Orioles, where he was re-united with former Giants teammate Jackie Brandt. For awhile, Willie started about half the games in right field, alternating with Sam Bowens. After July 9th, Bowens took over the job fulltime, and Kirkland was sold to the Senators on August 12th.

Willie played for the Senators until the end of the 1966 season, and was pretty much a 5th outfielder (behind Frank Howard, Don Lock, Jim King, and Fred Valentine). In 1965, he shared the right field starts with Jim King.

In 1967, Kirkland played 144 games for the Senators' triple-A team in Hawaii, before retiring from baseball.

Final Card: Albie Pearson

2010-01-25T19:16:00.014-06:00

Albie Pearson (#83) was signed by the Red Sox in 1953, and spent 5 seasons with their minor-league teams, the last 2 with their Pacific Coast League affiliate in San Francisco. The small (5'5", 140 lbs) outfielder was traded to the (old) Washington Senators for 1B-2B Pete Runnels in January 1958.

As a 23-year-old rookie, Pearson his major-league debut in April 1958, and was the Senators starting center fielder that year, playing in 146 games.

In 1959 Pearson was the starting center fielder for the first 11 games, then missed the next 16 games. During this time, Bob Allison became the starting center fielder, and would hold that job for the remainder of the season. Pearson returned to the starting lineup (in right field) for 10 games in mid-May, but was soon traded to the Orioles for outfielder Lenny Green. Pearson would struggle for playing time in Baltimore. He made only 23 starts for the rest of the season, and rarely started more than 2 consecutive games.

1960 was even worse for Pearson. The Orioles had Gene Woodling in left, and Jackie Brandt in center. Even with a revolving door in right field, Pearson only managed to start 17 games with the Orioles, and in fact, played 53 games in triple-A. Quite a freefall since being a fulltime center fielder in his rookie season!

Pearson's career took a tun for the better in 1961. The Angels drafted him from the Orioles, and he became an outfield fixture for the Angels for several years. In 1961 he started over 100 games between center field and right field. In 1962 and 1963, he was the Angels' regular center fielder, playing over 130 games in each season. He also made the all-star team in 1963.

What happened after that? In 1964, he split the centerfield starting job with Bob Perry, whose major-league career consisted of 2 part-time seasons ('63-'64) with the Angels. In 1965, Pearson lost the starting center field job for good when the Angels acquired rookie Jose Cardenal from the Giants.

The 1966 season is a mystery. He played a grand total of 1 game in 1966, and it was on July 16th. He had no minor-league activity in 1966, so he was either injured, or was doing some serious bench-riding.

Final Card: Johnny Blanchard

2010-01-21T20:03:00.009-06:00

Yes folks, it's "Atlanta Braves Backup Catchers Week"!

John Blanchard (#268) was a Yankees backup catcher in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was signed by the Yankees in 1951, and spent the next 8 years either with a Yankees' farm team or in the military. Although he played in 1 game in 1955, his real major-league action began in 1959.

In his first 2 seasons, Blanchard was the 3rd-string catcher behind Yogi Berra and Elston Howard (which is to say, "minimal playing time"!)

From 1961 to 1963, Blanchard's playing time spiked. Why was that? In 1961, Berra became the regular left fielder (catching only 15 games), elevating Blanchard to 2nd-string catcher. In 1962, Mickey Mantle missed a lot of games, which moved Roger Maris to center field, and Blanchard to right. In 1963, Maris missed 72 games, while Mantle missed 97 games. Johnny was on-the-spot as a replacement outfielder.

In 1964, Blanchard returned to his 2nd-string catcher role, behind Elston Howard. In May 1965 he was traded to the Athletics. Later that season, the A's sold him to the Braves. His final game was on September 27, 1965.

Chris Cannizzaro (#497)

2010-01-18T16:31:00.009-06:00

Chris Cannizzaro managed to stretch out a career as a backup catcher to 13 seasons.

He began playing in 1956 in the Cardinals' organization. He was there for six seasons, and played a half-dozen major-league games in each of 1960 and 1961.

After the 1961 season, he was selected by the Mets in the expansion draft, and spent the next 4 seasons with the Mets and/or their farm teams. He was New York's #1 catcher in 1965.

Chris played exclusively in the minor leagues during 1966 and 1967. Just before the start of the 1966 season, the Mets traded him to the Braves. After the 1966 season he moved on to the Red Sox, but before the 1967 season started, Boston traded him to the Tigers. Following the 1967 season Detroit shipped him to the Pirates. Although primarily a minor-leaguer in 1968, he did play some games with the Pirates. With all this time spent in the minor leagues, Cannizzaro didn't have a baseball card in 1967 or 1968.

The 1969 expansion was a career-saver for Cannizzaro. In March 1969, the Pirates traded him (and pitcher Tommie Sisk) to the Padres for infielder Bobby Klaus and outfielder Ron Davis. Cannizzaro became the Padres' regular catcher for 1969, starting 128 games behind the plate. He was also on the All-Star team. He was the regular catcher again in 1970, starting 100 games (to Bob Barton's 57 starts).

After 1970, his playing time decreased dramatically. Bob Barton took over the starting catcher's job, and in May Chris was traded to the Cubs. He was acquired by the Dodgers in the off-season, and played for them in 1972 and 1973.

The Dodgers released Cannizzaro following the 1973 season, and a few months later he was signed by the Astros. In 1974, his only playing time with the Astros came in 40 minor-league games. In August he was sold to the Padres, where he finished the season in the majors.

His last major-league game was in September 1974, but he appeared briefly in the minors after that: 4 games in 1975 and 1 game in 1979.

Howie Reed (#387)

2010-01-14T18:40:00.010-06:00

This may be the only card I've seen where Topps eliminated all commentary and kept the player's minor-league stats. Howie's rookie card was in 1965. After 1966, we don't see him on another card until 1970.

Reed was signed by the Kansas City Athletics after the 1957 season, and spent 1958 through 1960 in their farm system. During those 3 seasons, he also played a few games with the Athletics, and spent part of 1960 with San Diego, the White Sox' triple-A team.

Just prior to the 1961 season, the Athletics traded Reed to the Dodgers for pitcher Ed Rakow. Howie spent all of 1961-1963 and part of 1964 with the Dodgers' triple-A team in Spokane. Although primarily a reliever up to this point, from 1964 on he was mostly a starter while in the minors. He finally got to play for the Dodgers for part of 1964, and all of 1965.

After 1 game with the Dodgers 1n 1966, Reed was traded to the Angels in late May for pitcher Dick Egan. He finished the 1966 season with the Angels, but was traded to the Astros in the off-season.

Reed's career with the Astros consisted of 4 games in 1967, while the rest of '67 and all of '68 found him toiling for the Astros' triple-A team.

In 1969, expansion revived Reed's career. The Expos purchased him on April 3rd, and he spent the next 3 seasons as one of the Expos' top 3 relievers, pitching over 100 innings in 1969 and over 50 innings in each of 1970 and 1971.

Curiously, after all this success (he managed to stay out of the minors for 3 full years!) he was back in triple-A for all of 1972, before retiring.

Final Card: Jim Gentile

2010-01-11T21:11:00.008-06:00

Jim Gentile (#45) began his minor league career in 1952 with the Brooklyn Dodgers' organization. Throughout his minor-league and major-league career, he only ever played first base, except for pitching in 14 games during the 1952 season, and 1 game in his last minor-league season (1968).

Jim played in the minors from 1952 through 1959, while getting a cup of coffee with Brooklyn in 1957 and Los Angeles in 1958.

After the 1959 season, Gentile was traded to the Orioles, and became their power-hitting first baseman from 1960 to 1963. He was the runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year in 1960.

Following the 1963 season, the Orioles traded Jim to the Athletics for first baseman Norm Siebern. His stay in Kansas City was short, as he moved on to the Astros in June 1965.

This is Jim's last baseball card, but it wasn't his last team. In July 1966, the Astros traded him to the Indians. 1966 was Gentile's last major league season, but he played for 2 more seasons with the Phillies' triple-A team in San Diego.

Final Card: Bobby Bragan

2010-01-08T20:55:00.004-06:00

Bobby Bragan (#476) was a player, manager, and baseball executive.

He played for the Phillies and Dodgers in the 1940s.

In addition to managing in the minors, Bragan managed 3 big-league teams: the Pirates (1956-1957), the Indians (1958) and the Braves (1963-1966). In 1966, he was fired after 112 games.

After his managing days were over, Bragan became the president of the Texas League in 1969, and president of the National Association of Minor League Baseball in 1975.

More on Bobby Bragan here
.

Final Card: Marty Keough

2010-01-05T20:01:00.007-06:00

Here is the final card for outfielder Marty Keough (#334).

Marty was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1952, and played in their farm system for 7 seasons. He made a few appearances for the Sox in 1956 and 1957.

In 1958, he was in the majors to stay, making some appearances as the backup centerfielder, but primarily as a pinch-hitter. In 1959, Keough evenly split the starting centerfield job with Gary Geiger.

In June 1960, he was traded to the Indians for catcher Russ Nixon. His time in Cleveland didn't last long, as he was selected by the new Washington Senators in the expansion draft after the 1960 season.

After one season in Washington (backing up all 3 outfield positions), it was on to Cincinnati, where Marty spent 4 seasons as a 4th or 5th outfielder, as well as a backup first baseman.

Keough was purchased by the Braves a few days before the start of the 1966 season, but less than 2 months later was traded to the Cubs. This would be his final major-league stop.

Marty spent the 1967 season with the Philadelphia's triple-A team in San Diego. In late June, the Phillies called up an outfielder from San Diego for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately for Keough, it was Billy Cowan.

Marty's son Matt pitched for the Athletics in the 1970s and 1980s, and his brother Joe was an outfielder for the A's and Royals from 1968-72.

Final Card: Wes Covington

2010-01-01T13:41:00.008-06:00

Wes Covington (#484) was signed by the Boston Braves in 1952. Topps has omitted his minor-league statistics on this card. Wes played for various minor-league teams in the Braves' organization (missing 1954 due to military service), and made his major-league debut on April 19, 1956.

After backing up left field in 1956, Covington was the Braves' regular left fielder from 1957 through the 1960 season. His 2 best offensive years were 1957 and 1958.

1961 was a strange year for Covington. After coming off 4 seasons as the regular left fielder, he started 5 straight games in April, then a few weeks later was claimed off waivers by the White Sox. A month later he was traded to the Athletics. 3 weeks after that he was traded to the Phillies. He is in a rare group - having played for 4 teams in one season.

Wes got back on track with the Phillies, grabbing the regular left field job for the next 4 1/2 seasons, and batting over .300 in 1963.

After the 1965 season, he was traded to the Cubs for journeyman backup outfielder Doug Clemens, the second time in his career he appeared to be "dumped" for little or nothing in return.

After only 9 games with the Cubs, he was released on May 11th. Two weeks later, he was signed by the Dodgers, where he finished the season. His last action came in the 1966 World Series against the Orioles.

Final Card: Steve Ridzik

2009-12-28T19:56:00.010-06:00

Steve Ridzik (#294) began and ended his career with the Philadelphia Phillies.

He spent 7 seasons in the Phillies farm system (1945-51) with only 1 appearance in Philadelphia in September 1950. In 1952, Steve joined the Phillies as a reliever and spot starter, a role that he would maintain for 3 full seasons.

In late-April 1955, Ridzik and catcher Smoky Burgess were traded to the Reds for catcher Andy Seminick and 2 other players. He only made 13 appearances in Cincinnati, along with 15 appearances for triple-A San Diego.

After the 1955 season, he was purchased by the Seattle team in the Pacific Coast League, but a month later the New York Giants selected him in the rule 5 draft. He appeared in 56 games with the Giants during 1956-57 (mostly in relief), and another 21 games with the Giants' triple-A team in Minneapolis during 1957.

Steve's travel plans kicked into high gear after 1957, as he switched teams every year for awhile. He was purchased by the Indians in April 1958, but spent most of the season in the minors. The Cubs purchased him in May 1959, but he spent the entire season in triple-A.

In April 1960, Toronto (International League) purchased him from the Cubs. He spent 4 seasons (1960-63) with triple-A Toronto, before resurfacing in the majors with the Senators in 1963. He also played with the Senators fulltime in 1964 and 1965.

Prior to the 1966 season, he returned to the Phillies, and appeared in 2 games for them, the last on May 10th. He spent the remainder of the 1966 season with the Phillies' triple-A San Diego team.

Final Card: Bob Skinner

2009-12-21T22:02:00.011-06:00

This is the final player card for Bob Skinner (#471). Bob began his career in the Pirates' system in 1951. After 2 years in the military, Skinner made his major-league debut in April 1954. As a rookie, he was the Pirates' regular first baseman, starting 116 games there.

The following season, he was back in the minor leagues. I wonder if this was injury/rehab related, because he only played 98 games, it was in double-A, and the next season (1956) he was back in Pittsburgh.

In 1956, Bob was used primarily as a pinch-hitter, but also saw some action at first base and corner outfield. The following season, he became the Pirates' primary left fielder, starting about half the games, with Frank Thomas and several others getting the remaining starts.

Bob took over as the everyday left fielder in 1958, starting 141 games there, while making only 3 pinch-hitting appearances. Coincidently, he also started 141 games in 1959, while starting 140 in 1960. With the exception of one game at first base in 1959, after 1957 he played exclusively in left field for the Pirates.

In 1961, Bob's playing time dropped off, as he only started 96 games, while making about 20 pinch-hitting appearances. He came back in 1962 to play almost 140 games in left, which by now was a standard season for him.

In May 1963, Skinner was traded to the Reds for outfielder Jerry Lynch, a former Pirate. A year later, he moved on to the Cardinals, where he played until being released after the 1966 season.

Bob went on to manage the Phillies' triple-A team in San Diego during the 1967 and 1968 seasons. This put him in position to assume the Phillies' managerial job for the last 100 games in 1968, following Gene Mauch's firing. He also managed them for the first 100 games in 1969, before he was also fired. Here is his 1969 card:

I found this on Skinner's Wikipedia page, regarding who was to blame for the Phillies' poor showing in 1969:

"Nonetheless, Skinner's personal responsibility for the Phillies' pathetic performance is much in doubt, as the alleged baseball club sank to even greater depths under Myatt, Frank Lucchesi, Paul Owens and Danny Ozark in the 4 years after his departure, with rosters made up of also-rans whose only competition was between indifference of attitude and inability to hit at even AA levels of proficiency."

Final Card: Vic Power

2009-12-18T22:57:00.015-06:00

Vic Power (#192) was released by the Angels on April 1, 1966, so although this is his final card, his final season was 1965.

Power began his minor league career in 1949 with an independent team in Drummondville, Quebec. Following the 1950 season, Vic was acquired by the Yankees, and spent the next 3 seasons playing for the Yankees' triple-A teams (including 1952 and 1953 in Kansas City).

After the 1953 season, he was traded to the Philadelphia Athletics, in a deal involving ten other players. For the 1954 Athletics, Vic was 4th in at-bats, but his playing time was spread out over all 3 outfield spots, and first base. The Athletics moved to Kansas City in 1955, and Power moved to the regular first baseman's job, which he held until mid-1958.

("1B-INF" is a weird position combination for a baseball card!)

In June 1958, Power and utilityman Woodie Held were traded to the Indians for outfielder Roger Maris and 2 other players. He was the Indians' regular first baseman for 3 1/2 seasons, except for starting 40 games at third base in 1958.

A week before the 1962 season, the Indians traded Vic to the Twins for pitcher Pedro Ramos. In his 2 1/2 seasons in Minnesota, he was the regular first baseman, and started a few games at 2B.

In June 1964, Power was involved in a 3-team, 5-player trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Angels. He didn't get too settled, because 3 months later he was traded to the Phillies for pitcher Marcelino Lopez. After the 1964 season, the Phillies sold him back to the Angels, so in essence, he was a 3-week rental for Philadelphia's failed 1964 stretch drive.

In his final year with the Angels (1965), Power played 107 games at first base, but only started 30 of them. The primary first baseman was Joe Adcock who, like Power, was also 37 years old. (I suspect that Power may have been a defensive replacement for Adcock.)

(Wow! Adcock, Malzone, and now Power. The Angels were really amassing a collection of old-timers that year!)

Also check out this link

Final Card: Don Mossi

2009-12-15T21:13:00.007-06:00

Small children...avert your eyes!

Don Mossi (#74) was a relief pitcher, primarily for the Indians and Tigers.

Topps failed to include his minor-league stats, which tell us that he began playing in 1949. After playing for Indians' minor-league teams for 4 seasons, he inexplicably played for a Cincinnati Reds' farm team in 1953, before making his major-league debut in April 1954 with Cleveland.

Mossi spent 5 seasons with the Indians, primarily as a reliever. He pitched in the 1957 all-star game (the only season with Cleveland where he made more than 5 starts).

After the 1958 season, Don was traded to the Tigers for second baseman Billy Martin. With the Tigers, he was mostly a starting pitcher. Mossi, Jim Bunning, and Frank Lary all won 17 games in 1957. Those 3 would form the nucleus of the Tigers' rotation for the next 5 years, as others such as Phil Regan, Hank Aguirre, and Mickey Lolich would also join the rotation.

After the 1963 season, Bunning and Mossi would leave the Tigers. In his final 2 seasons (1964 and 1965), Don was strictly a relief pitcher. Mossi was sold to the White Sox in March 1964, but was released after the season.

After being out of baseball for a few months, the Athletics picked him up at the end of May 1965, and he made 51 relief appearances for Kansas City, with his final game coming on October 1, 1965.

Final Card: Frank Malzone

2009-12-13T15:17:00.009-06:00

Here we have the last card for Frank Malzone (#152). After 11 seasons with the Red Sox (whose uniform he's wearing here), Frank wrapped up his career in 1966 with the Angels.

Malzone began his career in the Red Sox organization in 1948. He missed the 1952 and 1953 seasons due to military service. His major-league debut with the Red Sox was on September 17, 1955. In 1956, Frank divided his time between Boston and their triple-A team in San Francisco.

Frank took over the full-time third base job from opening day in 1957. (Billy Klaus, the 1956 regular third baseman, moved over to shortstop.) He finished 2nd in the rookie of the year voting in 1957, and played in over 140 games (all at third base) in every season from 1957 to 1964.

In 1965 (at age 35), time finally caught up to Malzone, as he shared the third base job 50-50 with 2nd-year man Dalton Jones. He was released by the Red Sox on November 30th, and signed by the Angels on the same day.

In 1966, Malzone played in 82 games for the Angels - 35 at third base, and the rest as a pinch-hitter. He was released after the 1966 season.

Final Card: Roger Craig

2009-12-09T18:54:00.008-06:00

Roger Craig (#543) was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950. He played 2 years in their farm system before missing the 1952 and 1953 seasons due to military service. Once out of the military, he was back in the minors for another year and a half.

Craig made his major-league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on July 17, 1955. During his 7 seasons with the Dodgers, he was both a starter and reliever, but was primarily a starter during the 1956 season.

After the 1961 season, Roger was selected by the Mets in the expansion draft, and was their #1 starter in 1962 and 1963. He led the league in losses both years (24, 22) but I suppose that wasn't hard to do, given the number of games the Mets lost in those seasons.

After the 1963 season, he was traded to the Cardinals, but only pitched in one season for them. Craig was the Cardinals #4 starter, but also made 20 relief appearances.

In December 1964, he was traded to the Reds, but was released just before the start of the 1966 season. The Phillies signed him on the same day, and he pitched for the first 3 months of 1966 until being released in mid-July.

Roger went on to manage the San Diego Padres in 1978 and 1979, and the San Francisco Giants from 1985 to 1992.

Final Card: Joe Cunningham

2009-12-06T16:07:00.008-06:00

Announcement: If anyone's interested in football cards, be sure to check out my new football blogs. You can find them through my profile, or on this blog's sidebar, above the baseball card blogroll. (And also here: 1967 1968 1971 1972)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe Cunningham (#531) was an outfielder and first baseman for 3 teams, primarily for the Cardinals in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Joe started playing in the Cardinals farm system in 1949, then missed the 1952-53 seasons due to military service.

Joe made his major-league debut on June 30, 1954. After appearing in 85 games with the Cardinals in 1954, he spent all of 1955 and most of 1956 with their triple-A team in Rochester, NY.

In 1957, Joe was back in the major leagues to stay. He played in 122 games, but was primarily the backup to first baseman Stan Musial and rightfielders Del Ennis and Wally Moon. (He did manage to start 22 games at first, and 42 games in right.)

1958 was much of the same for Cunningham, backing up Musial, Ennis, and Moon. Joe played in 131 games, starting 91 at first, left, and right.

1959 was a breakout season for Joe, as he took over the rightfield job, making 104 starts there, in addition to another dozen starts in left. He played a few games at first base, but not many since Musial had a new backup: Bill White, who was acquired from the Giants in the off-season. Cunningham made the all-star team as a reserve.

Joe continued as the regular rightfielder in 1960 (108 starts). Over at 1st base, the pecking order was now Bill White, followed by the 39-year-old Stan Musial, and then Cunningham (14 starts).

In 1961, Cunningham was still the Cardinals' primary rightfielder, but only made 76 starts there. Maybe he was injured for part of the year? After the season, he was traded to the White Sox for outfielder Minnie Minoso.

1962 was Joe's last season as an everyday player. He switched over to first base (making 142 starts there) while playing only 5 games in right field. In 1964, rookie Tom McCraw took over at first base, and Joe was the backup first baseman until July 1964, when he was traded to the Senators for 1st baseman Moose Skowron.

Joe shared the Senators' first base job with Dick Phillips in 1964, and with Bob Chance and Dick Nen in 1965.

Since this baseball card is a late-season high-number, we see that Topps was able to add a note that Cunningham was released by the Senators on April 25, 1966. Joe had started 3 of the Senators' first 4 games at first base, then didn't play again.

Final Card: Jerry Lynch

2009-12-03T21:29:00.007-06:00

Jerry Lynch (#182) began playing minor-league baseball in 1950 for the Greenville (MS) Bucks, an unaffiliated class-C team. Before the 1951 season, the Yankees purchased his contract, but he spent the 1951 and 1952 seasons in the military. After the service, he played for the Yankees' class-B team in Norfolk, Va in 1953.

After the 1953 season, the Pirates selected him in the rule 5 draft, meaning he had to stay on the major-league roster. In 1954, Lynch was part of a 3-way left field platoon with Dick Hall (who would later pitch for the Orioles and Phillies) and Frank Thomas. Lynch also played in right field.

In 1955, rookie Roberto Clemente joined the team and took over right field. Frank Thomas started 81 games to lead all Pirates left fielders. Thomas also started 55 games in center field, so Lynch played left field for 30 of those games, as well as spelling Clemente in right field for 30 games.

Lynch must have been injured in 1956, because he only appeared in 19 games that year, and only 1 game in the field. After the season, he was selected by Cincinnati in the rule 5 draft.

Jerry played for the Reds from 1957 until May of 1963, when he was traded back to the Pirates for outfielder Bob Skinner. In 1957, Lynch was a backup to regulars Frank Robinson, Gus Bell, and Wally Post. Before the 1958 season, Post was traded to the Phillies, which opened up right field for Lynch.

In 1959, the lineup was Lynch in LF, rookie Vada Pinson in CF, and Gus Bell in RF. Hey, I learned that for most of 1959 and half of 1960, Frank Robinson played first base! In 1960, Jerry's playing time got squeezed, as Robinson moved back to the outfield, and Post was reacquired from the Phillies for rookie outfielder Tony Gonzalez.

Cincinnati's outfield continued to be crowded in 1961, as Robinson and Post would mix-and-match as the starters in left and right, with Lynch backing up in left and Bell backing up in left and right. (Pinson was a fixture in center.) This same dynamic continued in 1962, except that Marty Keough replaced Gus Bell.

In 1963, Lynch returned to the Pirates, and for 2 years became Pittsburgh's regular left fielder (alongside Bill Virdon and Roberto Clemente), although he had rookie Willie Stargell breathing down his neck. In 1965, Stargell took over as the regular, with Jerry backing up.

1966 was Lynch's last season, and he was relegated to pinch-hitting duty, appearing in 64 games, only 4 of them in the field.

Final Card: Johnny Keane

2009-11-28T21:51:00.008-06:00

Johnny Keane (#296) took over as the Cardinals manager midway through the 1961 season and managed them through 1964, culminating in their World Series championship over the Yankees.

After the season, he left the Cardinals and was hired to manage the Yankees, replacing 1st-year skipper Yogi Berra. Unfortunately, the Yankees glory years were now over, as 1964 was their last post-season appearance for many years.

He was fired 20 games into the 1966 season, and replaced by Ralph Houk, who had previously managed the Yankees from 1961 to 1963. He passed away less than a year later from a heart attack, while an Angels' scout.

More info: here

Final Card: Ray Herbert

2009-11-27T16:12:00.003-06:00

Ray Herbert (#121) began his career in 1949 with the Toledo Mud Hens, the Tigers triple-A team. After playing for Detroit in 1950 and 1951, Herbert missed the 1952 season due to military service. He returned to the Tigers in 1953 and spent the next 2 seasons as the Tigers' top relief pitcher.

Early in the 1955 season, Herbert was sold to the Athletics, where he was a starter and reliever for the next several seasons (although he would spend the entire 1956 and 1957 seasons in triple-A).

Midway through the 1961 season, the Athletics traded Herbert to the White Sox in a 4-for-4 deal. He was strictly a starting pitcher in Chicago. In 1962 Ray won 20 games, and in 1963 he led the AL with 7 shutouts.

After the 1964 season (and 2 weeks before his 35th birthday) Herbert was traded to the Phillies for youngsters Danny Cater and Lee Elia. He spent his final 2 seasons in Philadelphia, making 19 starts in 1965, but appearing primarily in relief in 1966.

Final Card: Ed Bailey

2009-11-24T20:16:00.009-06:00

Ed Bailey (#246) was a starting catcher from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, mostly with the Cincinnati Reds.

Isn't this just what you would expect a catcher to look like?

Ed started in the minor leagues in 1950 with class-C Ogden (UT) Reds. After 2 years in the military, Bailey returned to the minors with the class-AA Tulsa Oilers. He made his major-league debut in the last week of the 1953 season.

After spending much of 1955 in the minors, Bailey took over as the Reds' #1 catcher in 1956, making 102 starts (compared to 53 starts for Smoky Burgess, the regular catcher in 1955).

A pair of rookie catchers (Jerry Zimmerman, Johnny Edwards) took over the Reds catching duties in 1961, so in late April, Bailey was traded to the Giants.

After starting in 1961 and time-sharing with Tom Haller in 1962 and 1963, Ed was traded to the Milwaukee Braves after the season with Felipe Alou, Billy Hoeft, and Ernie Bowman for Del Crandall, Bob Hendley and Bob Shaw. Before spring training in 1965, he was traded back to the Giants for Billy O'Dell. Four months later, he was traded to the Cubs (this time with Bob Hendley).

Although this card says "Cubs", Ed was sold in January 1966 to the Angels, who released him in early May after appearing in only 5 games - all as a pinch-hitter. This brought an end to Bailey's 14-year career.

Lum Harris (#147)

2009-11-20T21:26:00.007-06:00

We haven't had a manager's card for awhile. Here we have Lum Harris, the manager of the Astros (or is he?)

On the back of the card, after going on and on about Harris' career, Topps wraps up with the statement "Lum was released as manager of the Houston Astros on December 12, 1965."

This raises several questions:
1) How inept was the Astros' front office that it took until December 12th before they decided to fire their manager? What losses occurred between October 1 and December 12?

2) Why would Topps bother to include a Harris card? After reading this a second time, I noticed that the text starts off "Lum was the manager...". (Not "is", "was".) So a sentence about his firing wasn't just tacked on to the end of an already-composed card back. It's at the top! Why not just pull the card, replace it with another Astros player, and catch up later in the summer after the Astros have decided who the new manager will be?

Harris went on to manage the Braves from 1968 to 1972.

Final Card: Lenny Green

2009-11-19T17:48:00.017-06:00

Here's a card I've been meaning to post since my note about players without 1967 cards, but I got sidetracked - first by the World Series, and then by some cards of long-time veterans. Now, heeerrreeee's Lenny!

Lenny Green (#502) began his pro career in the Orioles organization. His major-league debut with Baltimore came on August 25, 1957. Throughout his career, he was strictly an outfielder, primarily playing in centerfield, with some time in leftfield and a few rare appearances in rightfield.

In early 1959, he was traded to the Senators (who became the Twins) for outfielder Albie Pearson. Lenny was the Twins regular centerfielder in 1961 and 1962, playing alongside rightfielder Bob Allison and leftfielders Harmon Killebrew ('61) and Jim Lemon ('62). In 1963, he began to play less and less as he lost his starting job to rookie Jimmie Hall.

In mid-1964, the Twins traded Green to the Angels in a deal that also involved the Indians, and players Vic Power, Jerry Kindall, Billy Moran, and Frank Kostro. In early September, he was re-acquired by the Orioles, and finished the 1964 season with them.

In March 1965, the Red Sox bought Lenny's contract and put him in a centerfield job-share with Jim Gosger. In 1966, with Boston's acquisition of Don Demeter, centerfield playing time was hard to come by, so Green was used primarily as a pinch-hitter, although he got some playing time at his old position. With Reggie Smith slated to join the Red Sox in 1967, Boston cleaned house of some excess outfielders, giving Green his release in October 1966.

The Tigers signed him before the 1967 season, and used him mainly as Willie Horton's backup in leftfield, and as a pinch-hitter. In both 1967 and 1968, Green also had significant playing time with the Tigers' triple-A team in Toledo. In 1968, he only appeared in 6 games for Detroit before being released in early July, ending his 12-year career just 3 months before the Tigers' World Series appearance.

Who didn't get a card, but shoulda...

2009-11-15T17:20:00.017-06:00

Here are some players who didn't have a card in 1966, though playing in the majors for some time:

Joe Adcock
Joe was a long-time first baseman for several American League teams in the 1950s and 1960s. His last player card was in 1963, although he continued to play regularly for 3 more full seasons with the Angels. After retiring following the 1966 season, he was immediately hired as the Indians manager, and has a 1967 manager card.

Dick Hall
Hall was a relief pitcher for the Pirates (1955-59), Athletics (1960), Orioles (1961-66, 69-71), and Phillies (1967-68). He had Topps cards in 1955-57, 1960-63, and 1967-71. The missing cards in 1958 and 1959 are to be expected, since he spent most of 1957 and 1959 in the minors, and was either out of baseball or injured during the 1958 season. However, there doesn't appear to be a baseball reason for the missing cards from 1964 to 1966, since he was a full-time major-league player with plenty of appearances from 1960 to 1971.

Maury Wills
Wills didn't have a Topps card until 1967. I read a note from Ted Taylor saying that Wills was under contract to Fleer (he had a Fleer card in 1963) and Fleer would not release him to Topps.

Chris Short
Like Wills, Short's 1st card was in 1967. He had been pitching regularly for the Phillies since 1960.

Tony Horton
Tony was a backup 1B-OF for the Red Sox between 1965 and early 1967. Although he only played 6 major-league games in 1966, in 1965 he appeared in 44 games for the Red Sox, playing 344 innings at 1st base. This should have warranted a card for 1966.

Doug Clemens (added 2/28/10)
Clemens was in the major leagues for parts of every season from 1960 to 1968, and continuously since opening day in 1964. He had 218 at-bats in 1964 and 340 at-bats in 1965, yet his only baseball card was in 1967.

I will continue to add to this list as others are discovered. Please email or comment if you have any others. (Players who were sent down during the previous season are likely to not have a card in the following season, especially if they are marginal players or aging veterans.)

11/30/09 edit:
Hey, I got a mention in Ted Taylor's column:

The Mail Bag…

Jim from Downingtown writes…

“My question relates to vintage Topps baseball cards. There are some veteran players that don't have cards for certain years. I can understand that when a player spends significant time in the minors one season, he may not have a baseball card for the next season, but here's a few that don't fit that mold.”

Question - Joe Adcock's last card was in 1963, although he played significantly for the Angels from 1964 to 1966.

Answer - Fleer owned his rights, wouldn’t release them. When they did, he was no longer playing. The Adcock card is a very tough one in the ’63 Fleer.

Question - Tony Horton - A part time player in Boston for 1965 and 1966, and a fulltime first baseman in Cleveland since mid-1967, yet he has no baseball card until 1970. In fact, no Cleveland Indian's first baseman card was printed in 1968 or 1969, so it's not as though Horton was passed over for another player.

Answer – Clay Luraschi at Topps says there is no one at the company that remembers why Horton was skipped. It assumes it was contractual, but I doubt the contract was with Fleer. Maybe he was holding out for more money from Topps. Luraschi adds that the exclusion could be as simple as the person putting the set together didn’t want that player in it. (That, unfortunately, often has to do with who gets included and who doesn’t. The old personal preference card.)

Question - Why No Chris Short card until 1967?

Answer – Not sure, but since his team (Phillies) and Fleer were both in Philadelphia we suspect it was that he was under contract to them.

Question - Why no Maury Wills card until 1967?

Answer – This one we know for sure. Maury Wills was under exclusive contract to Fleer and they maintained his rights, despite not producing baseball cards since 1963 until the contract expired. He was their highest profile player.

Thanks Ted!

Final Card: Billy Hoeft

2009-11-14T18:23:00.006-06:00

Billy Hoeft (#409) began his minor league career in 1950 with the Richmond (Indiana) Tigers.

His major-league debut came in 1952 with the Tigers. After his first season, Hoeft was primarily a starting pitcher for the Tigers, with his best seasons coming in 1955 and 1956. (He led the league with 7 shutouts in 1955.)

Early in the 1959 season, Hoeft was traded to the Red Sox. Only a few weeks later, he moved on to the Orioles. After 3 more seasons in Baltimore (mostly as a reliever), he was constantly on the move. Three succesive off-seasons brought trades to the Giants and Braves, and a release from the Braves following the 1964 season.

The Tigers re-signed him in November 1964, but but he was cut prior to opening day. The Cubs signed him in early 1965, and used him in relief for 2 seasons, before releasing him in late 1966. He pitched for the Giants during September 1966, and was released after the season.

Hoeft is one of only 40 pitchers to strike out the side on 9 pitches.

Final Card: Harvey Kuenn

2009-11-11T21:26:00.007-06:00

Harvey Kuenn [pronounced "Keen"] (#372) was a shortstop and outfielder from 1952 to 1966, primarily for the Tigers and Giants.

He joined the Tigers in September 1952, and took over the starting shortstop job. The next season, he was the American League rookie of the year, and led the league in hits and at-bats in his first 2 full seasons, while playing in every game.

Harvey was the Tigers regular shortstop until switching to the outfield in 1958, where he would play for the rest of his career (except for some games at 3rd base during his time with the Giants).

Except for 1957, he was among the league leaders in batting average for all his years with the Tigers, and won the AL batting crown in 1959. After the 1959 season, he was traded to the Indians for Rocky Colavito, who had won the AL homerun title that same year. (It's odd that a league leader would be traded; stranger still that two would be traded for each other!)

After only 1 season with the Indians (in which he hit .308), Kuenn was traded to the Giants for pitcher Johnny Antonelli and outfielder Willie Kirkland.
[I don't understand this trade at all. From looking at stats, Antonelli appeared to be on a downward slide, and although Kirkland was a 20-plus homerun hitter, the Indians two other starting outfielders (Tito Francona and Jimmy Piersall) were in the same power range, but hit for higher average than Kirkland. It seems like giving up Kuenn's .308 average for Kirkland's mild power (already duplicated by Piersall & Francona) makes the trade seem like a bad move for Cleveland. Maybe someone with knowledge of the Indians or Giants at that time can make sense of it.]

In his first season with the Giants, Kuenn shared left field with Orlando Cepeda. The next season, he was the regular leftfielder, as Cepeda was moved to first base. In 1963, Willie McCovey took over as the starting left fielder, so Kuenn joined the backup outfield mix (along with Matty and Jesus Alou), backing up McCovey in left and Felipe Alou in right.

Before the 1964 season, Felipe Alou was traded to the Braves, but younger brother Jesus took over in right field, leaving Kuenn and Matty Alou to back up the corner outfield positions. In late May 1965, he was traded to the Cubs, where he was used primarily as a pinch-hitter and backup leftfielder. In mid-April 1966, he was sold to the Phillies, where he finished out the season.

Kuenn also managed the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982 and 1983, including their World Series appearance vs. the Cardinals in 1982.

Final Card: Bob Friend

2009-11-08T15:18:00.011-06:00

(Now that the World Series is over, I'm putting away my Yankees and Phillies cards, and will focus on players' final cards for awhile.)
----> Related link

Yes, I just said I was putting my Yankees cards away, but Bob Friend (#519) is not a Yankee, he's a Pirate. (Just look at the card back!)

Topps tends to omit minor league stats for long-time veterans, but here we see that Bob spent 1 year in the minors in 1950.

Bob joined the Pirates in 1951, and after a few years, he was not only a horse for the Pirates, but one of the best pitchers in the league during the late 50s and early 60s. In fact, the stats on the back of this card don't do him justice, so I'm including this link.

After the 1965 season, Friend was traded to the Yankees for pitcher Pete Mikkelsen. His time in the AL was short-lived, as after 12 games with the Yankees (8 starts), Bob was sold to the Mets on June 15th. He pitched in 22 games for the Mets (12 starts), and was released after the season, ending his 16-year career.

Final Card: Gene Freese

2009-11-05T20:21:00.005-06:00

Gene Freese (#319) came up with the Pirates in 1955. After 3 1/2 years with Pittsburgh, he became quite the traveler as he moved on to the Cardinals, Phillies, White Sox, and Reds in the next 2 1/2 years. He had a 3-year stay in Cincinnati before going on the move again, for 2nd tours with the Pirates and White Sox.

Here's something you don't see too often: In 1956, Freese played for the PCL team in Hollywood, California. (That team became redundant when the Dodgers moved to LA in 1958.)

From the back of his card, it appears that his heyday was 1955 to 1961. The only thing I knew about Gene Freese prior to obtaining this card earlier this year was that the Phillies traded him to the White Sox for outfielder Johnny Callison after the 1959 season.

This is Gene Freese's last baseball card. Midway through the 1966 season, the White Sox traded him to the Astros, and he finished his major-league career on 9/3/1966. He continued to play minor-league ball for the Cubs, White Sox, and Senators' triple-A teams in 1967 and 1968.

Ray Culp (#4)

2009-10-31T21:37:00.003-05:00

This is Ray Culp's last Phillies card. He spent 4 years with the Phillies (1963-66), and made the all-star team as a rookie. Although primarily a starter, he made quite a few relief appearances in 1964 and 1966.

After the 1966 season, he was traded to the Cubs for lefthanded pitcher Dick Ellsworth. (I recently learned that Culp pretty much talked his way out of Philadelphia after the 1966 season.)

After one season in Chicago, he was traded to the Red Sox, where he spent his final six seasons (the first 4 as one of Boston's top starting pitchers).

Final Card: Hector Lopez

2009-10-29T23:23:00.012-05:00

Hector Lopez (#177) was signed by the then-Philadelphia Athletics, and played in their farm system from 1951 to May 1955. His major-league debut was on May 12, 1955 with Kansas City. From 1955 to 1959, he played 3rd base and some 2nd base.

In May 1959, he was traded to (naturally) the New York Yankees. (Fellow Athletics' teammate Roger Maris would follow him at the end of the season.) Beginning in 1960, Lopez played exclusively in the outfield, usually in left field.

For those of you who never heard of Hector Lopez (and I was among them, before poking around on baseball-reference.com a few years ago), here's how he fit into the Yankees outfield (click to enlarge):

(I used 1966 as the cutoff, because Maris and Lopez left after 1966, and Mantle moved to 1st base in 1967.)

Lopez was released by the Yankees following the 1966 season. He played 2 more seasons with the Senators' triple-A team in Hawaii (1967) and Buffalo (1968).

Bo Belinsky (#506)

2009-10-27T21:12:00.006-05:00

Bo Belinsky was probably more famous for his off-field exploits with the ladies (especially during his 3 years with the Los Angeles Angels) than for his baseball prowess. How fitting that the back of his card lists "Hollywood" as his home.

After kicking around the Pirates and Orioles farm systems for 6 years, the Angels picked him in the rule 5 draft after the 1961 season. He spent 3 years with them before being traded to the Phillies.

Bo was with the Phillies for all of 1965 and part of 1966 (spending most of '66 in triple-A). Following the 1966 season, he was again a rule 5 draft pick, this time by the Houston Astros. (In May 1967, the Phillies purchased pitcher Turk Farrell from the Astros, so this was basically a Belinsky-for-Farrell wash.)

Belinsky spent all of 1967 with the Astros, but was in the minors for most of 1968-1970, with a few major-league appearances in 1969 and 1970. Along the way, he found himself in his THIRD rule 5 draft, following the 1968 season.

Pedro Ramos (#439)

2009-10-27T17:35:00.010-05:00

For the next several days, my 3 card blogs will take on a Phillies and Yankees flavor, as we gear up for the World Series.

Pedro Ramos played for both the Yankees and the Phillies toward the end of his career. He began his career with the (old) Washington Senators in 1955. At that time, he was primarily a starter.

After 7 seasons, the Twins traded him to the Indians for 1B Vic Power and P Dick Stigman. During his 2 3/4 seasons in Cleveland (1962-64) he was used more and more as a reliever, so that by the time he was sold to the Yankees in early September 1964, he was strictly a relief pitcher, and remained so for the rest of his career.

Following the 1966 season, Ramos was traded to the Phillies for pitcher Joe Verbanic. The Phillies saw enough of him in 2 months to give him his release in late May 1967, and replace him with organizational yo-yo John Boozer. He spent the rest of 1967 and 1968 in the minors, was up and down during 1969, and finished his major-league career with the (new) Washington Senators in April 1970. After 2 more seasons in the minors, he hung up his glove.

Final Card: Chuck Dressen

2009-10-26T21:21:00.013-05:00

Time for a manager's card!

Back in the day, I had heard the name Charlie Dressen (probably from listening to Richie Ashburn and By Saam ramble on during Phillies' broadcasts), but since he wasn't managing in 1967 (my first year of collecting baseball cards), I didn't know anything about him, other than he was one of the "old-time" managers (like Jimmie Dykes, Birdie Tebbetts, Leo Durocher, Danny Murtaugh, etc).

Earlier this year, I began collecting 1966 cards, and bought some from DeansCards.com. This card was among the bunch:

Since he was the Tigers' manager in 1966, and the Tigers finished the '66, '67, and '68 seasons in 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place respectively, I wondered "Why would the Tigers replace Dressen prior to the 1967 season?" I learned that he had a heart attack prior to the 1965 season, and a second one during the 1966 season. Dressen passed away in August of 1966.

The card back alludes to a long playing and managing career, but obviously can only skim the surface. I'll let this Wikipedia page tell the story (where we also learn he was an NFL quarterback in 1920).

Final Card: Roy McMillan

2009-10-25T19:39:00.006-05:00

Roy McMillan (#421) began playing pro baseball in 1947. As with many long-time veterans, Topps has omitted McMillan's minor-league stats from the card back.

He made his major-league debut in 1951 with the Reds. In his first year, he was the backup SS/3B. In 1952, he took over the shortstop position, and was one of two Reds players to play in all 154 games. McMillan continued as the Reds starting shortstop for nine years. A durable player, starting in 1952, he played in 150 or more games in 7 of the next 10 years.

After 1960, he was traded to the Braves for pitchers Joey Jay and Juan Pizarro. After 3 years as the Braves regular shortstop, he was traded to the Mets in early 1964 for pitcher Jay Hook. Once again, McMillan was the regular shortstop for the Mets during 1964 and 1965.

Before the 1966 season, the Mets acuuired shortstop Ed Bressoud, and the 2 players shared the shortstop job fairly evenly in 1966. McMillan was released by the Mets following the 1966 season, although his last game was in early August.

Roy also managed the Mets during the 2nd half of 1975.

Final Card: Dick Stuart

2009-10-22T23:06:00.020-05:00

Dick Stuart (#480) was a good-hit, no-field first baseman who primarily played for the Pirates and Red Sox.

In 1956 he hit 66 homers in the minors. He came up to the Pirates in 1958, and was the Pirates' first baseman in the 1960 World Series.

After the 1964 season, he was traded to the Phillies for pitcher Dennis Bennett. After one year, the Phillies saw enough of Dr. Strangeglove, and shipped him to the Mets prior to the 1966 season. (Actually, he became unnecessary for the Phillies after they acquired Bill White following the 1965 season.)

In 1966, Stuart played 30-plus games each for the Mets and Dodgers. He played in Japan in 1967 and 1968, but made a brief comeback in 1969 with the Giants' triple-A team in Phoenix, and with the Angels.

Final Card: Joey Jay

2009-10-19T21:00:00.011-05:00

Joey Jay (#406) arrived in the majors in 1953 with the Milwaukee Braves. He pitched for them through the 1960 season (the last two as a regular starter).

After the 1960 season, he was traded to the Reds for shortstop Roy McMillan. Jay won 21 games in each of his first 2 years with Cincinnati (leading the league in 1961), and was a mainstay in the Reds rotation through 1965. Midway through the 1966 season, he was traded to Atlanta. The Braves released him after the season, ending his major-league career.

In most record books, this is the end of Joey Jay's story.

As I said in my 1960s blog, my introduction to major-league baseball was attending a Phillies game in early 1967. At that game, I bought a Phillies yearbook (and over the rest of that season, probably memorized it!) I was sure that I recalled a Joey Jay page in that book.

Only in the last few months have I found the baseball-reference.com minor-league statistics pages. There (and elsewhere) I learned that Joey Jay did indeed get a non-roster tryout with the Phillies in the 1967 pre-season, but didn't make the team. He spent the year with the Phillies single-A club in Tidewater, VA before retiring after the season.

Final Card: Del Crandall

2009-10-17T14:22:00.012-05:00

What I find most interesting about Del Crandall (#339) is that he is one of the last few active players who played major-league baseball in the 1940s, and he played for the Boston Braves.

Del was the Milwaukee Braves regular catcher from 1953 to 1960. His last season was 1966, when he caught about 25% of the Indians' games. (Joe Azcue caught 50%, and Duke Sims the other 25%.)

After Del's playing career, he began managing in the minors in 1969, and managed the Brewers from 1972-75, and the Mariners in 1983 and 1984.

Final Card: Sandy Koufax

2009-10-16T17:26:00.013-05:00

What better way to start off this blog than with the best player from 1966? (Take that, F. Robby!)

Koufax retired at age 30, following the Dodgers' appearance in the 1966 World Series. In his final season, he compiled a 27-9 record, with 27 complete games, while pitching 323 innings!

As a testament to Koufax's final season, I offer exhibits A, B, and C: