Sunday, October 31, 2021

#72 "Tony" Piet - Chicago White Sox


Anthony Francis Piet
Chicago White Sox
Second Base-Third Base

Bats:
  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  175
Born:  December 7, 1906, Berwick, PA
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1931-1933; Cincinnati Reds 1934-1935; Chicago White Sox 1935-1937; Detroit Tigers 1938
Died:  December 1, 1981, Hinsdale, IL (74)

Tony Piet was a middle infielder who spent parts of eight seasons in the majors.  As the regular second baseman for the Pirates in 1932, he led the league in games played with 154, and drove in a career-high 85 runs.  The following season, Piet finished third in the National League in batting average with his .323 mark, finishing behind teammates Chuck Klein and Spud Davis from the Phillies, who hit .368 and .349 respectively.  He was dealt to the Reds following that season and then sold to the White Sox in June 1935.  Piet enjoyed a few solid seasons with the White Sox in 1935 and 1936, playing either second or third base for the club.  After a final season with the Tigers in 1938 as a part-time player, Piet retired from baseball.  He'd settle in Chicago, opening a car dealership.

Building the Set
October 12, 2021 from Champaign, IL (Monster Cards) - Card #32
I came across this card at some point in September, adding it to be Watch List in eBay and not immediately pulling the trigger as the photo used for the card's back in the auction listing was from the 1934-36 Batter's Up set.  But the price was reasonable ($35) and the seller's feedback was high, so I pulled the trigger on purchasing the card.  Fortunately, when it arrived a few days later from Monster Cards in Champaign, Illinois, the card's back was just as clean as the front and it did not have a Batter's Up back.  (Which would have made for an interesting story and an even more interesting inclusion in my set!)

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

The Card / White Sox Team Set
Interesting enough, the back of the card make reference to Piet as a "former Pirate infielder," but he's wearing a Reds hat, from his more recent team, in the photo used on the front of the card.  The chain link fence behind Piet is fantastic, and the yellow and blue stripes for some contrast are a nice touch too.  The tip on the back of the card implores hitters to use the "standup type" of batting stance and not the more challenging stance used by "crouch hitters."  There's quite a bit of information here about how to stand, how to hold the bat and how to swing.  Finally, National Chicle lists Piet's city of birth as Chicago, while his Baseball Reference page has him as being born in Berwick, Pennsylvania.

1935 Season
Piet began the season with the Reds and was sold to the White Sox on June 4th.  He'd make 58 starts at second base for the White Sox, trading off time at the position with Jackie Hayes through long stretches of games.  Hayes ultimately made 81 starts at second.  Piet batted a solid .298 for the White Sox, with 87 hits, 17 doubles and 27 RBIs.

1933 Goudey #228
1934 Goudey #8
1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #70
1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premiums #A84
1992 Conlon Collection TSN #524

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #228
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1992 Conlon Collection TSN #524

27 - Piet non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/13/21.

Sources:

Sunday, October 24, 2021

#28 "Al" Lopez - Brooklyn Dodgers


Alfonso Ramon Lopez
Brooklyn Dodgers
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  165
Born:  August 20, 1908, Tampa, FL
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Robins 1928, 1930-1931; Brooklyn Dodgers 1932-1935; Boston Bees 1936-1940; Pittsburgh Pirates 1940-1946; Cleveland Indians 1947
As a Manager:  Cleveland Indians 1951-1956; Chicago White Sox 1957-1965, 1968-1969
Died:  October 30, 2005, Tampa, FL (age 97)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1977

As a catcher, Al Lopez played in 19 seasons and was a two-time All-Star in 1934 with the Dodgers and 1941 with the Pirates.  Durable behind the plate, he at one time held the record for total games caught with 1,918, broken by Bob Boone in 1987 and since bested by nine other backstops.  Known more for his defense than his bat, Lopez was still a career .261 hitter and he hit 51 home runs with 652 RBIs over 1,950 games.

As a manager, Lopez built a Hall of Fame resume by leading the 1954 Indians and 1959 White Sox to the World Series, interrupting a dynasty of Yankee pennant winning teams between 1949 and 1964.  Over 17 seasons as a manager he compiled a lifetime winning percentage of .584, going 1,410-1,004.  In the years between 1951 and 1965, his teams finished in second place or won the pennant 12 out of 15 times.  The Veterans Committee elected him into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

At the age of 97, Lopez watched the White Sox win the World Series in 2005, their first title since 1917.  He passed away four days later and at the time of his death he represented the last living ballplayer who had played in the Majors in the 1920s.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set
October 7, 2021 from Groveland, MA - Card #31
This was an impulse eBay purchase, made while I was enjoying a relaxing birthday at home.  I had added this card to my watch list a while ago, and while reviewing items set to expire soon I decided to pull the trigger on its purchase.  The card arrived safely a few days later from eBay seller yankees78, nestled in a bubble mailer and wrapped in a stack of napkins.

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

The final 12 cards in the Diamond Stars set, released as part of series three in 1936, contain the exact same photos and players as earlier cards from the set.  Lopez shows up again as card #97, with the same text on the back save for his 1935 statistics at the bottom replacing his 1934 statistics and Lopez's team has been updated from the Dodgers to the Bees.  Also, the ink on the back of card #97 is blue, similar to all cards from the third series.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
This is Lopez's rookie card, and it's one of the more recognizable cards in the set.  There's so much going on here and so many different elements to the action scene depicted on the front.  Lopez is shown tossing off his catcher's mask in an attempt, I think, to catch a foul pop up.  Granted, the angles and the depth perception are all wrong here, but a baseball fan would get the gist of what is supposed to be happening here.  We've got shadows behind Lopez and the mystery batter, the mystery batter's hand holding the bat as he completes his backswing and four multi-color pennants in the background to fill the open yellow space beyond the outfield wall.  The back of the card gives the collector a tip on how to prepare as a catcher to throw out a would-be base stealer.  And in what is a first for me, or at least the first time I've seen it on the back of one of these cards, we have a reference to another card in the set!  The collector is directed to view Mickey Cochrane's (#9) card for further catching tips.

The color choices used for the Dodgers' uniforms in this set continue to confuse me, as the artist decided to color Lopez's Dodgers hat red.

1935 Season
Lopez was the opening day catcher for the Dodgers, and he'd make 116 starts behind the plate for the club.  Managed by Casey Stengel (#150), the Dodgers finished fifth in the National League with a 70-83-1 record.  Lopez had one of his worst seasons statistically, hitting .251 with three home runs and 39 RBIs.  He led the National League with 15 intentional walks, which is entirely attributable to his usually hitting eighth in the batting order, ahead of the pitcher's spot.  This was Lopez's seventh and final season in Brooklyn and on December 12th, he along with Ray Benge, Tony Cuccinello (#55) and Bobby Reis were dealt to the Boston Braves for Ed Brandt and Randy Moore.

1938 Goudey Heads-Up #281
1951 Bowman #295
1960 Topps #222
1969 Topps #527
2013 Topps Gypsy Queen #183

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934-36 National Chicle Diamond Stars (R327) #28
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1960-1965, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Topps Gypsy Queen #183

209 - Lopez non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/7/21.

Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog

Sunday, October 17, 2021

#4 "Buddy" Myer - Washington Senators


Charles Solomon Myer
Washington Senators
Second Base

Bats:
  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  163
Born:  March 16, 1904, Ellisville, MS
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1925-1927; Boston Red Sox 1927-1928; Washington Senators 1929-1941
World Series Appearances:  Washington Senators 1925, 1933
Died:  October 31, 1974, Baton Rouge, LA (70)

With the exception of a two-year detour to Boston, Buddy Myer played the bulk of his 17-year big league career with the Senators.  He served during different points of his career as the regular third baseman, shortstop and ultimately second baseman for the Senators and reached the World Series twice with the team, in 1925 and 1933.  Known for his speed early in his career, Myer led the league with 28 stolen bases in 1928.  Myer was a two-time All-Star in 1935 and 1937, and he enjoyed a career year in 1935 when he won the league's batting title with a .349 average.  He finished fourth in that year's MVP voting, behind winner Hank Greenberg (#54), Wes Ferrell (#94) and Joe Vosmik (#8).  Myer led all American League second baseman in fielding percentage in 1931 and 1938.  He retired following the 1941 season with his career statistics ranking towards the top of many all-time leader lists.  Myer collected 2,131 hits, scored 1,174 runs and batted .303 for his career with a .389 on-base percentage.  He hit 38 career home runs, with 15 of those being inside the park home runs.

September 7, 2021 - First day of school
Myer's SABR biography contains a note from baseball analyst Bill James comparing his lifetime statistics to those of future Hall of Famer and long-time National League second baseman Billy Herman (#136).  While Herman benefitted from being the best at his position in his league, Myer was perhaps unfairly overlooked as he was arguably the third best second baseman in the American League during his era, behind Charlie Gehringer (#77) and Tony Lazzeri (#74).  Despite having nearly similar career numbers, Myer received one Hall of Fame vote in 1949 and Herman was elected into the Hall by the Veteran's Committee in 1975.

Building the Set
September 7, 2021 from Sharon, MA - Card #30
The 30th card added to my Diamond Stars set came from eBay seller spicymakicombo, located in Sharon, Massachusetts.  I added this card to my Watch List, intending to save its potential purchase for a rainy day when the seller contacted me with a lower offer for the card.  I made one modest counteroffer, the seller accepted, and the card arrived a few days later, on the first day of school for our kids.

Variations Available
1 - 1934 / green back / 1933 statistics / 1934 copyright
2 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1934 copyright
3 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1934 copyright ✅

The Card / Senators Team Set
I added the blue backed version of this card to my set, released in 1936.  Myer is shown having just retired a baserunner, although the pose here would suggest he didn't follow the tip contained on the back of the card.  The tip on the back instructs the infielder to catch the ball thrown by the catcher, and hold the glove in front of the base, allowing the runner to slide right into the glove.  Then again, maybe Myer did follow the tip and he's holding his glove up following the tag to show the umpire he had the ball.

1936 Season
After winning the league's batting title, Myer suffered one of the least productive seasons of his career, as he was limited to only 51 games.  He called it a season and left the Senators in August, apparently dealing with a bad stomach ulcer.  In his absence, Ossie Bluege (#71) saw the majority of playing time at second base for Washington.  Myer batted only .269 in 1936, and he'd return to full health and his All-Star form in 1937.

1933 Goudey #153
1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #133
1939 Play Ball #100
1940 Play Ball #17
1941 Double Play #73

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1927 Playing Cards (W560) 6♣
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1992 Conlon Collection TSN #503

49 - Myer non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/15/21.

Sources:

Sunday, October 10, 2021

#69 Earl Grace - Pittsburgh Pirates


Robert Earl Grace
Pittsburgh Pirates
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  175
Born:  February 24, 1907, Barlow, KY
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1929, 1931; Pittsburgh Pirates 1931-1935; Philadelphia Phillies 1936-1937
Died:  December 22, 1980, Phoenix, AZ (73)

Earl Grace played in parts of eight seasons in the majors, mainly as a back-up catcher.  He appeared in at least 90 games for three seasons in a row with the Pirates between 1932 and 1934, and unsurprisingly those were also his best seasons.  Although he was a career .263 hitter, Grace was known more for his defense and the handling of his pitching staffs, and his .998 fielding percentage led all National League catchers in 1932.  That mark set a record for National League catchers, held until the Giants' Wes Westrum broke the record in 1950 with a .999 fielding percentage.  Grace's last two seasons in the majors were spent with the Phillies, where he split catching duties with player/manager Jimmie Wilson (#22).  He played in parts of three minor league seasons between 1938 and 1940 with the Cardinals, Red Sox and Dodgers organizations before retiring.  In 627 career games, Grace collected 493 hits, including 31 home runs and 251 RBIs.  He occasionally scouted for the Yankees following his playing days.

Building the Set
August 31, 2021 from Niwot, CO - Card #29
To close out the summer, and after adding a trio of cards from Clean Sweep Auctions, I decided to add another trio of cards, this time from eBay seller Vintage Card Company from Niwot, Colorado.  I had a few of these cards on my watch list for a good chunk of the summer and while parsing down that watch list recently I opted for the Buy It Now option in lieu of the Remove from Watch List option.  The former option is always more fun.  The trio of cards arrived the day of my Mom's back surgery so they were a welcome sight in my mailbox after a day of anxiety and waiting.  (She's doing great now, slowly but surely recovering.)

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

The Card / Pirates Team Set
That apparatus on wheels behind Grace is apparently some kind of screen stationed behind home plate during batting practice.  There's another instance of one of these screens showing up on Ducky Medwick's (#66) card.  Linked here is an entire Twitter thread with a few hobby notables weighing in on the somewhat mysterious screen.  The tip on the back of the card instructs catchers how to properly give signals to their pitchers, being mindful of a runner on second base potentially stealing signs.  As the tip points out, crossed signals could lead to passed balls, "or, worse, a smashed finger."

1935 Season
This was Grace's fifth and final season with the Pirates, and he appeared in only 77 games.  Tom Padden was the club's opening day catcher and he'd start 90 games throughout the season with Grace making 62 starts.  On May 25th, Grace was behind the plate when the Braves' Babe Ruth (#109) went 4 for 4 with three home runs, the last home runs hit by Ruth during his career.

Phillies Career
On November 12, 1935, Grace was traded by the Pirates with pitcher Claude Passeau to the Phillies for catcher Al Todd.  He settled into a platoon with player/manager Wilson, seeing time almost exclusively against right-handed pitchers.  In 1936, Grace started 53 games behind the plate with Wilson starting 54 and Bill Atwood starting the other 47 games.  Grace returned to the Phillies in 1937, his final year in the majors.  Atwood received the majority of starts behind the plate that season, with Grace receiving 55 starts.  In his two seasons in Philadelphia, Grace appeared in 166 games, batting .230 with 10 home runs and 61 RBIs.  On December 8, 1937, he was dealt to the Cardinals for catcher Cap Clark, and Grace would split the 1938 season with the top farm clubs of the Cardinals and Red Sox.

1934 Goudey #58
1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #69
1936 World Wide Gum #103
1993 Conlon Collection TSN #938

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934 Goudey #58 Grace
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1993 Conlon Collection TSN #938

13 - Grace non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/15/21.

Sources:

Sunday, October 3, 2021

#68 "Sam" Leslie - Brooklyn Dodgers


Samuel Andrew Leslie
Brooklyn Dodgers
First Base

Bats:
  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  192
Born:  July 26, 1905, Moss Point, MS
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1929-1933; Brooklyn Dodgers 1933-1935; New York Giants 1936-1938
World Series Appearances:  New York Giants 1936-1937
Died:  January 21, 1979, Pascagoula, MS (73)

Behind future Hall of Famer and first baseman Bill Terry (#14) on the Giants' depth chart, Sam Leslie spent the first four and a half seasons of his big league career seeing limited playing time.  Between 1929 and 1932, he appeared in 133 games for the Giants, with 125 of those appearances coming as a pinch-hitter.  He established a major league single-season record (since broken) of 22 pinch-hits in 1932 which is still the Giants' franchise single-season record.  On June 16, 1933, Leslie finally got his chance at regular playing time when he was dealt to the Dodgers for Watty Clark and Lefty O'Doul.  He enjoyed his finest seasons in Brooklyn, batting .332 with 102 RBIs in 1934 and following that up by batting .308 with 93 RBIs in 1935.  Both RBI totals led the club in those two years but Casey Stengel's (#150) Dodgers club couldn't crack the second division in the league.  

Leslie was sold back to the Giants before the 1936 season, and he'd play three final seasons in mostly a back-up role again, this time to Johnny McCarthy.  Leslie was a key player in the Giants' push to winning the pennant in both 1936 and 1937, unfortunately losing to the Yankees both years in the World Series.  Leslie retired with 749 hits, a .304 batting average, 36 home runs and 389 RBIs.

Building the Set
August 31, 2021 from Niwot, CO - Card #28
To close out the summer, and after adding a trio of cards from Clean Sweep Auctions, I decided to add another trio of cards, this time from eBay seller Vintage Card Company from Niwot, Colorado.  I had a few of these cards on my watch list for a good chunk of the summer and while parsing down that watch list recently I opted for the Buy It Now option in lieu of the Remove from Watch List option.  The former option is always more fun.  The trio of cards arrived the day of my Mom's back surgery so they were a welcome sight in my mailbox after a day of anxiety and waiting.  (She's doing great now, slowly but surely recovering.)

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

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
There's quite a bit of grime on this card, but I guess that's to be expected from a well-loved, 86-year-old baseball card.  I had to double check the wonderful reference book Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century by Marc Okkonen to see if the Dodgers ever had their team named spelled out on their jerseys in red.  In 1933, their road uniforms spelled out Dodgers in blue with a red outline.  Beginning in 1934 and through 1936, both their home and away uniforms spelled out Brooklyn in blue with a red outline.  I believe the artist here was taking some liberties as the source photograph most likely has Leslie in a Giants uniform and the artist needed to swap that for a Dodgers uniform.  The tip on the back of the card instructs first basemen how to take a throw at the bag, especially when needing to stretch or when there's danger of collision with the runner.

1935 Season
In his final full season with the Dodgers, Leslie was again their every day first baseman, most regularly sharing the Brooklyn infield with Tony Cuccinello (#55) at second base, Lonny Frey (#117) at shortstop and Joe Stripp (#89) at third base.  Leslie won the team's batting title (.308) and RBI title (93) and his 30 doubles were second on the club behind Frey's 35.  Leslie appeared in 142 games.  It's a shame he didn't get more regular playing time during his career as he truly excelled when given the chance.

1934 Goudey #49
1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #46
1935 Goudey 4-in-1 (R321)
1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premiums
(R314) #A64

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934 Goudey #49
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1992 Conlon Collection TSN #504

24 - Leslie non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/13/21.

Sources: