#142 Connie Mack MG - Philadelphia Athletics

Cornelius Alexander Mack

Philadelphia Athletics

Manager

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  150

Born:  December 22, 1862, East Brookfield, MA

Major League Teams:  Washington Nationals 1886-1889; Buffalo Bisons 1890; Pittsburgh Pirates 1891-1896

World Series Appearances:  XX

As a Manager:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1894-1896; Philadelphia Athletics 1901-1950

Died:  February 8, 1956, Philadelphia, PA (93)

Hall of Fame Induction:  1937

Connie Mack had a decent playing career as an above-average defensive catcher for 11 seasons, appearing in 724 games and batting .244 with five home runs.  He led the league twice in runners caught stealing (1890 and 1892) and was one of the most regularly used backstops of the late 1890s.  After his playing career was over, Mack embarked on a 53-year odyssey as a big league manager, with 50 of those seasons spent with the Philadelphia Athletics.  He's the longest serving manager in Major League Baseball history with his tallies for wins (3,731), losses (3,948) and overall games managed (7,755) not likely to ever be surpassed.  Mack won World Series titles with his Athletics in 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929 and 1930, and he won the American League pennant nine times.  As part-owner of the Athletics, he was constantly battling financial troubles which led to the selling off and rebuilding of the team several times throughout his 50 years at the helm.

Mack, known as "the Tall Tactician" is best known for wearing a full suit and usual a hat in the dugout, scorecard ever at the ready.  He created a code of conduct for his teams and according to baseball historian Bill James he looked for seven characteristics in his players - "physical ability, intelligence, courage, disposition, will power, general alertness and personal habits."  He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937, and then managed 13 more seasons.  Nearing bankruptcy, Mack was forced to sell his team in November 1954, with Arnold Johnson being awarded the franchise for $1.5 million.  Johnson promptly moved the team to Kansas City, and the Athletics sold their ballpark to the Phillies.  the ballpark, originally called Shibe Park, had been renamed Connie Mack Stadium in 1953.  Mack, along with Robin Roberts, was in the inaugural class of inductees to the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 1978 and a statute of the former Athletics manager still stands outside the entrance of Citizens Bank Park.

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 / no statistics / 1993 copyright

The Card / Athletics Team Set

This is actually the first card of Mack's in my collection and it's a welcome addition.  A quick story on the origin of the Athletics' elephant logo in case you've not heard it before.  In 1905, New York Giants manager John McGraw remarked that Mack's team had "a big white elephant on his hands," implying no one else wanted any of their players.  Mack, showing he had a sense of humor and a slightly ornery side, adopted the white elephant as an unofficial logo and the team still uses it today.  As I compose this post, news emerged this week the Athletics are again exploring a potential move with Las Vegas mentioned as a possible landing site.  The team spent only 13 seasons in Kansas City (1955-1967) before moving to Oakland in 1968.

1936 Season

Mack's Athletics were awful, going 53-100 and finishing dead last in the American League.  This was during one of their many rebuilding periods and they wouldn't have a winning record again until 1947.  Harry Kelley was their top pitcher, going 15-12 with a 3.86 ERA over 35 appearances.  Wally Moses led the team in hitting with a .345 average while Bob Johnson (#138) led the team in home runs (25) and RBIs (121).

1887-90 Old Judge (N172)

1910 E98 Set of 30 #29

1914 Cracker Jack #12

1933 Tattoo Orbit

1940 Play Ball #132

1960 Fleer Baseball Greats #14

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1887-90 Old Judge (N172) - 4 different variations

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Panini Golden Age #31

256 - Mack non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/17/21.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #141 Fred Lindstrom - Brooklyn Dodgers

Next Card: #143 Joe McCarthy MG - New York Yankees

#133 "Bad News" Hale - Cleveland Indians

Arvel Ordell Hale

Cleveland Indians

Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  175

Born:  August 10, 1908, Hosston, LA

Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1931, 1933-1940; Boston Red Sox 1941; New York Giants 1941

Died:  June 9, 1980, El Dorado, AR (71)

Odell "Bad News" Hale was an infielder for the Indians throughout the 1930s, hitting .300 or better in four different seasons.  He also drove in 101 runs in both 1934 and 1935 and hit 10 home runs or more in four straight seasons between 1933 and 1936.  Hale was given his shot as a big league starter by Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson, who managed the Tribe between 1933 and 1935.  He was a reliable second baseman his first few seasons and moved to third when the need arose.  Hale was also speedy for his era, stealing a career high 15 bases in 1935, but also leading the league in times caught stealing with 13.

On September 7, 1935, Hale took place in the play he's best remembered for as he was able to use his head in starting an Indians' triple play.  With runners on first and second, the Red Sox' Joe Cronin (#123) hit a line drive to third that caromed off Hale's head into the glove of shortstop Bill Knickerbocker.  Knickerbocker threw to second baseman Roy Hughes who stepped on the bag and relayed the throw to first baseman Hal Trosky (#70) for the 5-6-4-3 triple play.  Hale last played in the majors in 1941 and spent part of a season with the Double-A Milwaukee Brewers in the Cubs' system before retiring as a player.  In 1,062 career games, he batted .289 with 1,071 hits, 73 home runs and 573 RBIs.

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 / no statistics / 1993 copyright

The Card / Indians Team Set

Having never heard of "Bad News" Hale before, I wanted to feature this card solely to learn why he was given that nickname.  The card itself is mysterious with ominous looking spectators over Hale's left shoulder and a fan reading a newspaper over his right shoulder.  The newspaper's headlines are, "Skeletons Found in Park" and "Yanks Hit Harder - Tribe Loses."  The fan holding the newspaper looks to be straight out of central casting for 1930s bad guy.  But I found Hale earned the nickname solely on the merit of his clutch hitting being bad news for opposing pitchers.  The artist for this card took the liberty of adding the bad news headlines to the newspaper, taking Hale's nickname for its literal meaning.  What I thought would be dark and mysterious story around the nickname's origin is actually just a simple story of Hale coming through with timely hits.

The back of the card discusses Hale's move from second to third and his involvement in the unusual 1935 triple play.

1936 Season

This was Steve O'Neil's (#87) first full season as manager of the Indians, and Cleveland finished with a 80-74 record and in fifth place in the American League.  Hale had been the subject of offseason trade rumors as both the Red Sox and Yankees tried to pry him away from the Indians.  He missed the first few games of the season, but then resumed his status as the club's everyday second baseman, starting 152 of their 157 games at the position.  He batted .316 with 14 home runs and 87 RBIs for an Indians team heavy on offense but short on pitching.

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #112

1936 National Chicle Fine Pen Premiums (R313) #54

1938 Exhibits Four-in-One #11

1940 Play Ball #203

1992 Conlon Collection TSN #415

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #112

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1992 Conlon Collection TSN #415

16 - Hale non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/17/21.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #132 Jesse Haines - St. Louis Cardinals

Next Card: #134 "Gabby" Hartnett - Chicago Cubs

#38 Ben Chapman - New York Yankees

William Benjamin Chapman

New York Yankees

Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190

Born:  December 25, 1908, Nashville, TN

Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1930-1936; Washington Senators 1936-1937; Boston Red Sox 1937-1938; Cleveland Indians 1939-1940; Washington Senators 1941; Chicago White Sox 1941; Brooklyn Dodgers 1944-1945; Philadelphia Phillies 1945-1946

World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1932

As a Manager:  Philadelphia Phillies 1945-1948

Died:  July 7, 1993, Hoover, AL (84)

The speedy Ben Chapman was a four-time All-Star with the Yankees between 1933 and 1936, serving as their regular center fielder.  He had more stolen bases than any other player between 1926 and 1943, leading the league four times and setting a career-high mark with 61 in 1931.  That was to be his career year as he batted .315 with career highs in home runs (17) and RBIs (122).  Chapman bounced around a bit following his Yankees years, after New York dealt him to the Senators to make way for the arrival of rookie Joe DiMaggio (#126).  His racist, anti-semitic and overall bullying tendencies, which would later lead to his ouster from the sport, were first displayed during his Yankees years and may have led to his frequent trades in the years that followed.

May 9, 1947 - Pregame

Chapman returned to the majors in 1944 as a pitcher/pinch-hitter and he'd be named player/manager for the Phillies in 1945.  It was in 1947 while manager of the Phillies that Chapman cemented his legacy for the racist taunts he continually directed towards the Dodgers' Jackie Robinson during the star's rookie season - see below.  Chapman was fired as the Phillies manager in July 1948 and except for a stint as a Reds coach in 1952, he never again worked in baseball.

Building the Set

April 28, 2021 from Rockford, MI - Card #17

This was a spur of the moment eBay purchase from seller rare_stock101 from Rockford, Michigan.  I had been browsing Diamond Stars cards, sorted by least expensive, when I came across this card for a very reasonable price.

Variations Available

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

The Card / Yankees Team Set

We get an action shot here, with Chapman following through on a swing as an anonymous catcher looks on.  The back of the card explains the importance of "coachers" at first base to let baserunners know whenever the opposing first baseman is sneaking in behind the runner for a pick-off throw.

1935 Season

Serving once again as the Yankees' every day center fielder, Chapman appeared in 140 games while batting .289 with eight home runs, 74 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  He was named to his third All-Star team, and the Yankees finished second in the American League, three games behind the Tigers.

Phillies Career

Chapman was dealt to the Phillies from the Dodgers on June 15, 1945 for catcher Johnny Peacock.  Now a full-time pitcher, Chapman took over as the team's player/manager on June 30th following the resignation of Freddie Fitzsimmons.  Fitzsimmons had guided the team to a 18-51 mark thus far into the season, and I suppose out of desperation the Phillies turned to Chapman.  Chapman had previously managed in the Class B Piedmont League in 1942 and 1944, missing the 1943 season due to his year-long suspension for punching an umpire.

As a player, Chapman appeared in 24 games in 1945, batting .314 (16 for 51) while pitching in three games to a 7.71 ERA over seven innings pitched.  He made one appearance in 1946 before retiring as a player and switching to full-time manager.  As mentioned above, during Robinson's first year with the Dodgers in 1947, Chapman, along with several other Phillies players, frequently and repeated shouted racial slurs at Robinson when the two teams first faced off.  The ugly incidents were featured prominently in the 2013 film, 42.

When the Dodgers visited Philadelphia in early May that season, Chapman was pressured into apologizing for his behavior and Robinson reluctantly posed for a pre-game photo with the Phillies manager.  In 2013, 69 years after the incident, Philadelphia City Council issued a formal apology to Robinson for the "racism he faced as a player while visiting Philadelphia."

Chapman was fired 79 games into the 1948 season and replaced by Eddie Sawyer who would guide the team to the 1950 National League pennant.  Chapman's managerial record with the Phillies was 196-276 with his teams never finishing above fifth place.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.

1933 Goudey #191

1934 Goudey #9

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #62

1941 Double Play #73

1952 Topps #391

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #191

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1952

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Conlon Collection TSN #1081

Chapman's role as a Reds coach in 1952 earned him a card in the 1952 Topps set.  However, Topps used a picture of Sam Chapman, who had played for the Indians in 1951, instead of Ben.

52 - Chapman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/2/21.

Sources:

1956 Topps Blog

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #37 "Billie" Urbanski - Boston Braves

Next Card: #39 Carl Hubbell - New York Giants

#55 Tony Cuccinello - Brooklyn Dodgers

Anthony Francis Cuccinello

Brooklyn Dodgers

Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'7"  Weight:  160

Born:  November 8, 1907, Long Island City, NY

Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1930-1931; Brooklyn Dodgers 1932-1935; Boston Bees 1936-1940; New York Giants 1940; Boston Braves 1942-1943; Chicago White Sox 1943-1945

Died:  September 21, 1995, Tampa, FL (87)

Tony Cuccinello played 15 seasons in the big leagues as an infielder primarily with the Dodgers and Bees/Braves.  He was a National League All-Star in 1933 and 1938, and he finished in the top ten in the league for RBIs in 1931, 1934 and 1937.  A fine defender, Cuccinello led all second baseman with assists in three different seasons and finished in the top ten for fielding percentage at the position in six seasons.  He retired temporarily following the 1940 season, managing the Jersey City Giants in the International League in 1941.  He returned as a player-coach in 1942 for Casey Stengel's (#150) Braves, and signed with the White Sox in 1943 when the team found its roster severely depleted due to the military service of most of its players.

In 1945, Cuccinello was the regular third baseman for the White Sox and he was on the losing end of the closing batting title race in major league history.  He hit .308 (124 for 402), losing the title by .000087 to the Yankees' George "Stuffy" Stirnweiss who batted .309 (195 for 632).  With enlisted men returning from the War, Cuccinello was released following his successful 1945 season and retired for good.  He then began a long-time career as a minor league manager and major league coach, spending 21 years with the Reds (1949-1951), Indians (1952-1956), White Sox (1957-1966, 1969) and Tigers (1967-1968).  Coaching third base for the Tigers in 1968, Cuccinello earned a World Series ring when Detroit defeated the Cardinals in seven games.

Building the Set

April 17, 2021 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards) - Card #16

With no in-person baseball card shows scheduled until at least June in my area, I've fallen into a pattern with my 1965 Topps set building.  After adding a group of commons (say 10 to 20 cards) I then feel the need to add a few star cards as well.  Back in the 1980s and 1990s when my Dad and I were actively building Topps sets, we'd follow a similar pattern when attending baseball card shows.  I'd spend time hunched over a common box, picking out a stack of 1974 or 1976 or 1973 commons while my Dad would scour the showroom floor for deals on a few star cards.  After adding 18 common and semi-star cards to our 1965 Topps set through eBay auctions in late March, I went directly to Kit Young Cards to offset those purchases with a few minor star card additions.  This Cuccinello card found its way into my shopping cart along with four 1965 Topps semi-star cards, and the five cards arrived from San Diego in mid-April.

Variations Available

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

The Card / Dodgers Team Set

I may choose to upgrade this card down the line, as now that it's in hand it seems to have quite a bit of grime to it, especially around the edges.  It's rare to see a player on a card wearing a warm-up jacket, so it's a nice touch to see Cuccinello in the varsity-style Dodgers jacket here.  Three unidentified Dodgers teammates look on from behind the second baseman.  The back of the card explains how best to field a drag bunt attempt by a batter.

1935 Season

This was to be Cuccinello's last season in Brooklyn, as he was dealt to the Bees with Ray Benge, Al Lopez (#28) and Bobby Reis for Ed Brandt and Randy Moore on December 12, 1935.  Cuccinello was the Dodgers' opening day second baseman, and he'd start 66 games there and 31 games at third base.  He batted .292 with eight home runs (second on the team to Lonny Frey's - #117 - 11 homers) and 53 RBIs.

His younger brother Al made his debut in 1935 with the cross-town New York Giants, appearing in 54 games, his only year in the majors.  On July 5th, both brothers homered in a game won by the Dodgers, 14-4.

1933 Goudey #99

1939 Play Ball #61

1940 Play Ball #61

1960 Topps #458

1989 Pacific Legends II #170

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #99

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1960

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1995 Conlon Collection TSN #1391

46 - Cuccinello non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/2/21.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #54 "Hank" Greenberg - Detroit Tigers

Next Card: #56 "Gus" Suhr - Pittsburgh Pirates