1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #71 "Ossie" Bluege

Sunday, January 9, 2022

#71 "Ossie" Bluege - Washington Senators

Oswald Louis Bluege

Washington Senators

Third Base

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'11" Weight: 162

Born: October 24, 1900, Chicago, IL

Major League Teams: Washington Senators 1922-1939

World Series Appearances: Washington Senators 1924-1925, 1933

As a Manager: Washington Senators 1943-1947

Died: October 14, 1985, Edina, MN (84)

Ossie Bluege spent decades as a player, coach, manager and front office executive for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins franchise, retiring in 1971 after 50 years with the organization. An accountant on the side when not playing for the Senators, Bluege was the starting third baseman for the teams that went to the World Series in 1924, 1925 and 1933. The Senators won the Championship in 1924, the franchise's only title before winning again as the Twins in 1987. He led the league in assists by a third baseman in four different seasons and in double plays turned by a third baseman in two seasons. Bluege was known more for his defense than his bat, and he hit a career high .297 in 1928, while attaining career highs in home runs (8) and RBIs (98) in 1931. He earned MVP votes in both 1925 and 1926, and was a member of the American League All-Star team in 1935, replacing Jimmie Foxx (#64) at third base for the final half inning of the game. Bluege appeared in 1,867 games with the Senators, which is fifth on the franchise's all-time list behind other Senators/Twins notables Sam Rice (#32) and Harmon Killebrew. Bluege collected 1,751 career hits and 848 RBIs while batting .272.

Bluege retired as a player following the 1939 season and was a coach for the Senators until 1942, taking over as manager beginning in 1943. He guided the club to a 375-394 record over five seasons, including two second place finishes. Bluege began a stint as the Senators' farm system director in 1948 and was responsible for signing Killebrew in 1954. In 1958, given his talents as an accountant, Bluege was named the team's chief accountant, their comptroller, moving with the club to Minnesota in 1961. After ten more years with the Twins in that role, Bluege retired from baseball.

Building the Set

December 26, 2021, Christmas Present from Mom - Card #37

This was one of two cards my Mom gifted me the day after Christmas, noting both cards were an early payment for her upcoming tax return preparation services. Along with this Bluege card was the card for Rice (#32). We've enjoyed a tradition over the past decade or so of driving to my Mom's house the day after Christmas to spend a day with her and my sister's family eating, laughing and opening way too many presents. This year was even a little more enjoyable as we were able to go maskless, having all been double or triple vaccinated depending on age.

The two Diamond Stars cards acquired came with an added surprise of a vintage yellow wrapper from the set, carefully preserved inside an oversized top loader. I'm still trying to figure out how I want to display the wrapper and whether or not I'll risk taking it out and unfolding it*. I posted a complete summary of this year's gifts from my Mom over at The Phillies Room. This card was housed in a top loader with a sticker on the back with the identifier, "50093 martyspsagradedcards.com."

*I did end up unfolding it and moving it to a larger top loader. I added the wrapper to an 8 1/2" x 11" protective page and it's now at the front of my Diamond Stars set binder.

Variations Available

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

The Card / Senators Team Set

The baseball tip on the back is a little odd as it discusses the size of infielder's hands, noting that Bluege's are among "the largest pair of hands in baseball." It also warns not to loan your glove to other fielders so as not to "alter the pocket and spoil its effect for your needs."

1935 Season

This was Bluege's sole All-Star season, and he finished the year with a .263 average in 100 games played. At 34 years old, he was a back-up at this point, starting 77 games total, with 54 starts at shortstop, 21 starts at third base and a pair of starts at second base.