Sunday, January 31, 2021

#139 "Chuck" Klein - Philadelphia Phillies


Charles Herbert Klein
Philadelphia Phillies
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Born:  October 7, 1904, Indianapolis, IN
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1928-1933; Chicago Cubs 1934-1936; Philadelphia Phillies 1936-1939; Pittsburgh Pirates 1939; Philadelphia Phillies 1940-1944
World Series Appearances:  Chicago Cubs 1935
Died:  March 28, 1958, Indianapolis, IN (53)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1980

Chuck Klein won the Triple Crown in 1933, leading the league in batting average (.368), home runs (28) and RBIs (120) and he's one of only six National League players to have accomplished that feat.  One of the great all-time Phillies players, Klein was the 1932 N.L. MVP and the starting right fielder, batting third, in the first ever All-Star Game held in 1933.  He led the league in home runs four times, hitting a career high 43 during his first full season in 1929.  Klein also led the league in runs scored three times, hits twice, doubles twice, RBIs twice and stolen bases (with 20) once.  He was the first National League player in the modern era to hit four home runs in a game, accomplishing that feat on July 10, 1936.  He compiled a .320 average over his 17-year career, a mark that is currently 49th on the all-time list.

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards
In between three different stints with the Phillies, Klein played briefly with the Cubs and Pirates, reaching the World Series in 1935 with the Cubs.  He was also a great fielder, playing a shallow right field in Philadelphia's Baker Bowl and leading the league in assists with 44 in 1930.  In 1,753 career games, Klein amassed 2,076 hits, exactly 300 home runs and 1,201 RBIs.  He was inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame and the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1980.

Building the Set
December 16, 2020 from Albion, NY
Within days of officially deciding to collect the Diamond Stars set, I found myself searching for the 1993 extension set consisting of 36 more "what if" cards this time issued by the Chicle Fantasy Company.  Individual cards from this set are very prevalent on eBay, but I wanted to buy a complete set to save myself some time and money.  Given this is a relatively modern set, I was somewhat surprised at the closing auction prices for previously sold complete sets and I was happy to win my set at a lower price.  These cards are gorgeous, and I can tell a lot of hard work and love for the originals went into making this tribute set.  What's more, the set's creators were smart enough to start the numbering with card #120, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

As I slowly collect the originals from the 1930s, I'll also highlight each of the cards from these extension sets with their own posts.

Variations Available
1 - 1993 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1993 copyright

Klein is portrayed wearing the Phillies home jersey worn by the club for their 1935, 1936 and 1937 seasons.  The back of the card highlights his four home run game from 1936.  The Evansville anecdote would have happened on opening day 1922 when Klein was playing in his first professional games as a 22-year-old for the Evansville Hubs.  The Phillies acquired him in July 1928 from the Fort Wayne Chiefs.

After playing the entire 1934 and 1935 seasons with the Cubs, Klein was traded back to the Phillies along with Fabian Kowalik for Ethan Allen (#92) and Curt Davis on May 21, 1936.  Given that these cards are imagined to have been issued in August 1936, I'm glad Klein was back with his original team by then and we get a fantasy Phillies card as a result.

1936 Season
After 29 games with the Cubs, Klein picked up where he had left off with the Phillies and slid into their line-up as the every day right fielder.  In 117 games with the Phillies, he hit .309 with 20 home runs and 86 RBIs.  First baseman Dolph Camilli led the club that season in both power categories with 28 home runs and 102 RBIs.  The Phillies finished in last place with a 54-100 record under manager Jimmie Wilson (#22).

Phillies Career
In his three different stints with the club, Klein was a bright spot for some dreadful Phillies teams.  His offensive statistics for his first five years are staggering as he batted .359 and averaged 131.6 runs, 46.4 doubles, 36 home runs and 138.6 RBIs per season.  His 43 home runs in 1929 was a Phillies season record until broken by Mike Schmidt in 1980 when Schmidt hit 48.  Klein still holds the Phillies single season records (since 1900) for runs (158), doubles (59), extra-base hits (107), total bases (445) and RBIs (170).  His 243 home runs with the Phillies are second on the team's all-time list among left-handed batters behind Ryan Howard, who hit 382.  Klein is the all-time franchise leader (minimum 3,000 plate appearances) with a .553 slugging percentage.

In 2001, the Phillies wanted to honor Klein by retiring his number.  The problem was, Klein had worn 7 different numbers during his time with the club - 1, 3, 8, 26, 29, 32 and 36 - so the team opted to "retire" the old English "P" worn by Klein during his first six season with the team as a symbolic gesture.

1929 Kashin Publications (R316)
1933 DeLong #22
1933 Goudey #128
1941 Play Ball #60
1994 Ted Williams #74

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1929 Kashin Publications (R316)
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Panini Diamond Kings #37

182 - Klein non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/23/20.

Sources:
2020 Phillies Media Guide

Next Card: #140 Mike Kreevich - Chicago White Sox
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Sunday, January 24, 2021

#109 Benny Frey - Cincinnati Reds


Benjamin Rudolph Frey
Cincinnati Reds
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  165
Born:  April 6, 1906, Dexter, MI
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati  Reds 1929-1932; St. Louis Cardinals 1932; Cincinnati Reds 1933-1936
Died:  November 1, 1937, Spring Arbor Township, MI (31)

In eight major league seasons, mostly with the Reds, side-arming Benny Frey appeared in 256 games and earned a record of 57-82 with a 4.50 ERA.  His best season came in 1934 when he went 11-16 in 39 games, with a 3.52 ERA and a pair of shutouts.  As arguably the best player on the last-place 1934 Reds team, Frey's efforts earned him MVP votes in that year's tally.  Frey's continuous service with the Reds was interrupted by a month with the Cardinals.  On April 11, 1932, the Reds traded Frey and Harvey Hendrick (#41) with cash to the Cardinals for Chick Hafey (#18).  Less that a month later, on May 9th, the Cardinals sold Frey back to Cincinnati.

Before the start of the 1937 season, Frey suffered an arm injury and refusing a demotion to the minor leagues he announced his retirement at the age of 31.  Tragically, despondent over his arm injury and his dismissal from the Reds, Frey took his own life later that year.

Both Frey and the player he was traded to the Cardinals with, Hendrick, ended up committing suicide.  I'm only a few cards into this blog's life and I'm hoping there are more upbeat life stories on the way!

Building the Set
December 11, 2020 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards)
On the night I impulsively decided to collect the original Diamond Stars set, and I subsequently purchased the Harvey Hendrick card from Kit Young Cards, I also added the complete, and first, extended set to my cart for the very reasonable price of $7.50.  The 12 cards in this first extended set were originally issued in 1981.

In the early 1980s, a family member of a former National Chicle employee discovered an uncut sheet of 12 unused cards presumably meant as a 1937 continuation of the Diamond Stars set.  As originally advertised, and as mentioned on the back of every card issued, the company had intended for the set to contain 240 subjects.  They only produced 108 cards before production was halted, and the theory is this newly found sheet represented a "lost" continuation of the set.  Fortunately, the images of the cards made their way into the collecting world and a 12-card "what if" set was created.  (More on the uncut sheet can be found here from SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee and from this Ryan Cracknell article for Beckett.)

The Beckett online database lists the set as "1981 Diamond Stars Continuation Den's" and the set's description notes "This set was created and produced by Denny Eckes.  Hobbyist Mike Galella was involved in bringing this sheet to the the public.  These cards were originally available from the producer for $3."  The back of the cards have a 1981 copyright attributed to Den's Collectors Den, the company belonging to the aforementioned Eckes.

The 12 cards include more ambitious geometric designs than the original Diamond Stars cards,  although the overall color template remains the same as their 1934 to 1936 counterparts.

Variations Available
1 - 1981 / blue back / 1936 statistics / 1981 copyright

The Card / Reds Team Set
I wouldn't have guessed by the picture used here that Frey was a pitcher, as he looks more like a middle infielder snagging a line drive.  The source for the picture originates from the 1934 Butterfinger (R310) issue, shown below.

The back of the card, written in the style of the original Diamond Stars cards, gives great advice of trying to be a good-hitting pitcher.  Frey owned a lifetime average of .255 and he hit a lofty .344 in 1935 with the Reds, going 11 for 32 with a double.

1937 Season
As mentioned above, Frey never pitched in 1937.  Had this card been issued contemporaneously, collectors would have wondered, "What ever happened to Benny Frey?" while chewing their National Chicle gum.

1934 Butterfinger (R310)
1936 National Chicle Pastels (R312)
1992 Conlon Collection
TSN #381

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934 Butterfinger (R310)
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1992 Conlon Collection TSN #381

6 - Frey non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/22/20.

Sources:

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Sunday, January 17, 2021

#62 Fred M. Frankhouse - Boston Braves


Frederick Meloy Frankhouse
Boston Braves
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  April 9, 1904, Port Royal, PA
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1927-1930; Boston Braves 1930-1935; Brooklyn Dodgers 1936-1938; Boston Bees 1939
Died:  August 17, 1989, Mifflintown, PA (85)

Known for his roundhouse curveball, and possibly a spitball as well, Fred Frankhouse pitched in 13 different seasons spending most of his career in Boston.  He was a member of the 1928 National League Champion Cardinals, although he didn't pitch in that year's World Series against the Yankees.  His best season came in 1934 when he went 17-9 with a 3.20 ERA, and he appeared in the second ever All-Star Game, pitching a scoreless ninth inning.  Known for his wildness, Frankhouse tallied 701 career walks to his 622 career strikeouts, but he still accumulated at least 10 wins a season for five straight years between 1933 and 1937.  In 402 major league games, Frankhouse went 106-97 with a 3.92 ERA.

After retiring from baseball, Frankhouse served for four years in the Army during World War II, earning the rank of Captain.  A long-time resident of Port Royal, Pennsylvania, Frankhouse started that town's Little League program and later had the town's baseball field named in his honor.

Building the Set
December 15, 2020 from Longmont, CO (BBC Emporium) - Card #5
1935 - Frankhouse & Ruth
Bitten by the bug of collecting a new set, I decided I could justify an early Christmas present to myself and while on a particularly long and unproductive work video meeting, I found four more cards for my set.  Along with this Frankhouse card, I added the cards of Roy Mahaffey (#10), Red Rolfe (#29) and Jo-Jo White (#45).  Rolfe and White were the priciest two of the four-card lot from BBC Emporium located in Longmont, Colorado.

Variations Available
1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

The Card / Braves Team Set
Frankhouse is the only subject of the set with his middle initial appearing on the front of his card, which I find odd and mysterious.  The back of the card touches on Frankhouse's dominant, but occasionally wild, curve ball.

1935 Season
The Braves were awful in 1935, sparking the franchise to change its nickname to the Bees in 1936 in an attempt to re-invigorate the fan base and provide a fresh start for the team.  Under manager Bill McKechnie (#144), the Braves went 38-115 with Frankhouse leading the pitching staff with 11 wins - almost 30% of the team's total wins for the year.  He finished the season with an 11-15 record, and a 4.76 ERA while leading the staff in both walks (81) and strikeouts (64).  Frankhouse was the starting pitcher for the Braves on May 30, 1935, in game one of a double header against the Phillies at Shibe Park.  The game is notable as Babe Ruth (#109b) batted third and started in left field for the Braves, the final game of his legendary career.

Ruth is a notable omission from the original Diamond Stars set, and he received two re-imagined Diamond Stars cards in a 2014 "extended" set available at that year's National Sports Collectors Convention.

1933 Goudey #131
1935 Goudey 4-in-1
1939 Play Ball #70
1992 Conlon Collection TSN #498

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #131
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Conlon Collection TSN #1110

23 - Frankhouse non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/22/20.

Sources:

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Sunday, January 10, 2021

#45 "Jo Jo" White - Detroit Tigers


Joyner Clifford White
Detroit Tigers
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  162
Born:  June 1, 1909, Red Oak, GA
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1932-1938; Philadelphia Athletics 1943-1944; Cincinnati Reds 1944
World Series Appearances:  Detroit Tigers 1934-1935
As a Manager:  Cleveland Indians 1960
Died:  October 9, 1986, Tacoma, WA (77)

Jo-Jo White, given that nickname because of the way he pronounced his home state of Georgia, was the starting center fielder for the Tigers team that went to the World Series in 1934 and 1935 and won the championship in 1935.  He finished in the top 10 for American League stolen bases in three different seasons, and White's SABR biography comments on the legend that Tigers great Ty Cobb himself tutored White in the art of running the bases.  His best season came in 1934 when he hit .313 with 97 runs scored, 28 stolen bases and a career-high 43 RBIs.  After a four-season stint with the Seattle Rainiers in the Pacific Coast League, White returned to the majors and appeared in parts of two seasons with the Athletics and Reds in 1943 and 1944.  He finished up his playing career with five more seasons in the Pacific Coast League, leading the league in batting with a .355 average as a member of the Sacramento Solons in 1945.

White later served as a long-time minor and major league coach, with a one-game stint as the Indians interim manager in 1960.  His coaching journey included jobs with the Indians (1959-1960), Tigers (1960), Athletics (1961-1962), Braves (1963-1966) and Royals (1969).  Jo-Jo's son Mike played in parts of three seasons with the Colt .45s/Astros between 1963 and 1965.  I wrote about Mike over on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set
December 15, 2020 from Longmont, CO (BBC Emporium) - Card #4
Bitten by the bug of collecting a new set, I decided I could justify an early Christmas present to myself and while on a particularly long and unproductive work video meeting, I found four more cards for my set.  Along with this White card, I added the cards of Roy Mahaffey (#10), Red Rolfe (#29) and Fred M. Frankhouse (#62).  Rolfe and White were the priciest two of the four-card lot from BBC Emporium located in Longmont, Colorado.

Variations Available
1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

The Card / Tigers Team Set
The reference photo used for White's card is from 1933 at the latest, as that's the last season the Tigers wore pinstriped jerseys.  I won't spend too much time on the backgrounds for these cards on every post, but the background here could only appear on a Diamond Stars card.  The four monochromatic colors - light blue, yellow, red, dark blue - the angles and lines in the background design and the lone yellow pennant are all often-used traits for this pre-war set.  The back of the card explains the art of White's "kicking slide," which very well may have been taught to him by Cobb.

1935 Season
Guided by manager/catcher Mickey Cochrane (#9), the Tigers won the 1935 World Series in six games over the Cubs.  White was the club's regular center fielder, sharing the outfield with Goose Goslin (#112) in left and Pete Fox (#110) in right.  In 114 games, White batted only .240 and had the lowest average of any of the regulars, but he still scored 82 runs.  He drove in the winning run in the 11th inning of Game 3 of the World Series, singling home Marv Owen (#67).

1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premiums
1936 World Wide Gum
1949 Bowman PCL #14
1960 Topps #460
1992 Conlon Collection TSN #612

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934-1936 Diamond Stars #45
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1960
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1992 Conlon Collection TSN #612

28 - White non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/22/20.

Sources:

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Sunday, January 3, 2021

#29 Robert Rolfe - New York Yankees


Robert Abial Rolfe
New York Yankees
Third Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  170
Born: October 17, 1908, Penacook, NH
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1931, 1934-1942
World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1936-1939, 1941-1942
As a Manager:  Detroit Tigers 1949-1952
Died:  July 8, 1969, Gilford, NH (60)

Red Rolfe played in 10 major league seasons with the Yankees, reaching the World Series in six of those seasons and winning five World Series rings as a key member of the "Bronx Bombers" of the 1930s.  As the team's regular third baseman, Rolfe went to four All-Star Games and provided both a steady glove and a reliable bat.  His best season came in 1939 when he helped the Yankees reach the World Series by leading the league in runs (139), hits (213) and doubles (46) while hitting his career highs in batting average (.329) and home runs (14).  He tied his career high with 80 RBIs that season as well.  With his glove, Rolfe twice led the league in fielding percentage for third basemen (1935 and 1936).

Retiring following the 1942 season, Rolfe coached baseball and basketball at Yale University before returning to the majors in 1947 as a coach for the Yankees.  He took over as manager of the Tigers beginning in 1949, going 278-256 over four years at the helm.  Rolfe returned to his alma mater, Dartmouth, as their athletic director in 1954 where he stayed until retiring in 1967.  In a 1969 Yankees fan poll, Rolfe was named the third baseman on the Yankees' all-time greatest team.

Building the Set
December 15, 2020 from Longmont, CO (BBC Emporium) - Card #3
Bitten by the bug of collecting a new set, I decided I could justify an early Christmas present to myself and while on a particularly long and unproductive work video meeting, I found four more cards for my set.  Along with this Rolfe card, I added the cards of Roy Mahaffey (#10), "Jo Jo" White (#45) and Fred M. Frankhouse (#62).  Rolfe and White were the priciest two of the four-card lot from BBC Emporium located in Longmont, Colorado.

Variations Available
1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

It's not a variation, but a completely different card of Rolfe that's available in the final 24 cards of the set released in 1936.  Rolfe, along with 11 other players, had their cards duplicated using the same photos as the cards issued already in either 1934 or 1935.  Rolfe's second card shows up at #104.  The text on the back of card #104 is exactly the same too, but in blue ink, with Rolfe's age updated to 28 and listing his .300 average from 1935.

The Card / Yankees Team Set
There's all kinds of stuff going on in that Art Deco photo.  Rolfe is presumably getting ready to make a throw from third to first while the shortstop (maybe?) looks on and an umpire preemptively makes a safe call even though Rolfe is still holding the ball.  In the distance, a factory's smokestack sends smoke into the cloudless blue sky.  Rolfe is wearing a Yankees road uniform, as those sported "New York" across the front while the Yankees home uniforms contained nothing but pinstripes up until 1936.

The back contains a fielding tip, advising the reader to learn how to anticipate in which direction a batted ball will go based on the location of the pitch.  Rolfe had mastered this, according to the write-up, which is part of the reason he had become a successful fielder.

1935 Season
This was to be Rolfe's first full season as the Yankees' regular third baseman, as he had taken over from Jack Saltzgaver towards the end of the 1934 season.  The rest of the infield consisted of Lou Gehrig (#130) at first, Tony Lazzeri (#74) at second and Frankie Crosetti (#86) at shortstop.  His SABR biography notes that Rolfe took meticulous notes to prepare himself better in the field, and his diligence resulted in an early version of an infield shift for certain batters.  In 149 games, Rolfe hit .300 with 108 runs scored (third on the team) and 67 RBIs.

1934 Goudey #94
1941 Double Play #65
1951 Bowman #319
1952 Topps #296
1973 Fleer Famous Feats #22

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934 Goudey #94
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1952
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2010 Topps New York Yankees 27 World Series Championships #YC8

I'm curious to learn how many of the subjects of these Diamond Stars card made it into Topps flagship sets, beginning almost 20 years later.  Rolfe is the first, as his stint as a Tigers manager resulted in his first and only Topps card in the 1952 set.

120 - Rolfe non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/21/20.

Sources:

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