Sunday, February 27, 2022

#93 Alvin Crowder - Detroit Tigers


Alvin Floyd Crowder
Detroit Tigers
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  170
Born:  January 11, 1899, Winston-Salem, NC
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1926-1927; St. Louis Browns 1927-1930; Washington Senators 1930-1934; Detroit Tigers 1934-1936
World Series Appearances:  Washington Senators 1933; Detroit Tigers 1934-1935
Died:  April 3, 1972, Winston-Salem, NC (73)

Alvin Crowder spent three years in the army during World War I with assignments in the Philippines and Siberia.  He was given the nickname General, as he shared the last name of the actual General Enoch Crowder, who designed and implemented the first military draft system in the U.S.  Crowder, the pitcher, was a late bloomer, in part because of his military service.  He debuted with the Senators in 1926 at the age of 27, and would notch his first 20-win season in 1928 as a member of the Browns.  In June 1930, he was traded by the Browns with future Hall of Famer Heinie Manush (#30) back to the Senators for another future Hall of Famer, Goose Goslin (#112).  Crowder would enjoy his best seasons in 1932 and 1933, going 26-13 and 24-15 respectively, leading the American League in wins both seasons.  He pitched in the first All-Star Game in 1933, relieving starter Lefty Gomez (#118).

1936 National Chicle Pastels (R312)
Crowder helped the Senators reach the World Series in 1933, but they fell to the Giants in five games.  Selected off waivers by the Tigers in August 1934, he helped that club reach the World Series in both 1934 and 1935, winning a ring with the club in 1935 when the Tigers downed the Cubs in six games.  In Game 4 of the 1935 World Series, Crowder pitched a complete game, giving up only one run in the Tigers win.  Arm problems cut his career short and he retired following the 1936 season.  In 402 career major league games, Crowder was 167-115 with a 4.12 ERA and 799 strikeouts over 2,344 1/3 innings pitched.  He threw 150 complete games.

In retirement, Crowder was instrumental in bringing a professional baseball team to his hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  (Also my home for a number of years in the 1990s.)  Today, the Winston-Salem Dash, founded in 1945, are a High-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

Building the Set
January 21, 2022 from Key West, FL (Quality Baseball Cards) - Card #44
Mid-January is never a fun time for me, and needing a break during a long work day I found myself on eBay looking for the remaining Dick Bartell (#15 and #101) variations I needed.  I had recently added his most commonly found card from the set, noting his team as the Giants on the back, but I wanted to try to find his other two cards from the set as well.  

In my travels, I found what I considered to be extremely unusual for this pandemic-induced collecting age - a large group of auctions from seller quality*cards from the Diamond Stars set with no bids, including the elusive Bartell card from the set's third series.  I set my opening bids, and waited a few days for the auctions to close.  Again, much to my surprise, there was little to no action on the auctions until their closing minutes.  I lost a few auctions as the seconds ticked away, but I came away with six new cards overall, including this Crowder card for less than $40.

Variations Available
1 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1936 copyright

The Card / Tigers Team Set
National Chicle most likely used a picture of Crowder from his Senators days for this card, as you can see the number 5 on the back of his jersey.  Crowder wore #15 with the Senators in 1931, but switched to #18 when he joined the Tigers.  The back of the card foregoes a tip and instead recaps Crowder's career to date.  His World Series victory features prominently.

1936 Season
In his final season, a right shoulder injury limited Crowder to nine games and he struggled mightily.  He was 4-3 with a 8.39 ERA in 44 innings pitched in April, May and June before the Tigers placed him on the voluntarily retired list.  It was thought he might come back in 1937, but he stayed in Winston-Salem and the Tigers officially released him on February 5, 1937.

1933 Goudey #95
1933 Goudey #122
1934 Goudey #15
1961 Fleer Baseball Greats #102
1993 Conlon Collection TSN #682

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #95
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Conlon Collection TSN #1277

51 - Crowder non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/30/22.

Sources:

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Sunday, February 20, 2022

#73 "Fritz" Ostermueller - Boston Red Sox


Frederick Raymond Ostermueller
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  September 15, 1907, Quincy, IL
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1934-1940; St. Louis Browns 1941-1943; Brooklyn Dodgers 1943-1944; Pittsburgh Pirates 1944-1948
Died:  December 17, 1957, Quincy, IL (50)

A starting pitcher for most of his career, Fritz Ostermueller spent 15 seasons in the majors, winning at least ten games in seven of those seasons.  He came up with the Red Sox at the age of 26, pitching as part of that team's starting rotation for seven seasons.  One of his best seasons in the majors was also his first as Ostermueller was 10-13 with a 3.49 ERA for the 1934 Red Sox, pitching 198 2/3 innings.  He'd move to the Browns in 1941, then briefly to the Dodgers in 1943, before settling in with the Pirates for the final five years of his big league career.  He threw a career-high 246 1/3 innings in 1944 with the Dodgers and Pirates, and was again a 13 game winner.  Ostermueller would win 13 games one more time in 1946 and he'd pitch until the age of 40 in 1948.  His quote, "Home run hitters drive Cadillacs, singles hitters drive Fords," has been often mis-attributed to Pirates' teammate Ralph Kiner.

Ostermueller was portrayed in the movie 42 as the Pirates pitcher who hit Dodgers' star Jackie Robinson in the head during a game on May 17, 1947 at Forbes Field, sparking a bench-clearing brawl.  In reality, the pitch hit Robinson in the wrist and newspaper accounts from the day contain no mention of a brawl.  The movie also incorrectly portrayed Ostermueller as a right-handed pitcher.  In 390 career games, Ostermueller was 114-115 with a 3.99 ERA in 2,066 2/3 innings pitched.

Building the Set
January 21, 2022 from Key West, FL (Quality Baseball Cards) - Card #43
Mid-January is never a fun time for me, and needing a break during a long work day I found myself on eBay looking for the remaining Dick Bartell (#15 and #101) variations I needed.  I had recently added his most commonly found card from the set, noting his team as the Giants on the back, but I wanted to try to find his other two cards from the set as well.  

In my travels, I found what I considered to be extremely unusual for this pandemic-induced collecting age - a large group of auctions from seller quality*cards from the Diamond Stars set with no bids, including the elusive Bartell card from the set's third series.  I set my opening bids, and waited a few days for the auctions to close.  Again, much to my surprise, there was little to no action on the auctions until their closing minutes.  I lost a few auctions as the seconds ticked away, but I came away with six new cards overall, including this Ostermueller card for less than $40.

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

Cards 73 through 84 were issued in 1935 with either green or blue ink on the back and statistics from 1934.  These same 12 cards were issued again in 1936 with blue ink on the back and statistics from 1935.  The Ostermueller card for my set is the first of the three variations available.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
There's so much to appreciate with the design of this card.  I think National Chicle went the horizontal route in order to have room for Ostermueller's lengthy name.  We get a shot of the bleachers in front of a city skyline and a first baseman in the background waiting for a potential play.  I'm going to pretend that it's Ed Morgan making a cameo, as he was the Red Sox primary first baseman during the 1934 season.  The tip on the back of the card is a bit ironic, given Ostermueller struggled with control his entire career.  He often had more walks than strikeouts in any given season, and his career totals were 774 strikeouts to 835 walks.

1935 Season
This was Ostermueller's sophomore season in the majors, and he'd appear in only 22 games for the Red Sox, making 19 starts.  He went 7-8 with a 3.92 ERA for the fourth place team.  Injuries took a toll on the lefty as he injured is knee in spring training and then was hit in the face with a line drive off the bat of the Tigers' Hank Greenberg (#54) on May 25th.  After recovering from that, he was struck again by a batted ball, this time off the bat of the Browns' Moose Solters (#85) on August 18th, breaking Ostermueller's fibula.  He somehow managed to make four more appearances that season with the broken fibula, including pitching a complete game against the Indians on August 25th.

1934 Goudey #93
1939 Play Ball #27
1940 Play Ball #33
1949 Bowman #227
1991 Conlon Collection TSN #99

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934 Goudey #93
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Conlon Collection TSN #99

24 - Ostermueller non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/22.

Sources:

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Sunday, February 13, 2022

#49 "Buck" Jordan - Boston Braves


Baxter Byerly Jordan
Boston Braves
First Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  January 16, 1907, Cooleemee, NC
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1927, 1929; Washington Senators 1931; Boston Braves 1932-1935; Boston Bees 1936-1937; Cincinnati Reds 1937-1938; Philadelphia Phillies 1938
Died:  March 18, 1993, Salisbury, NC (86)

Buck Jordan played in parts of ten seasons in the majors, finding steady work between 1933 and 1936 as the Braves'/Bees' regular first baseman.  With little power, Jordan focused on singles and doubles, hitting at least .300 in five different seasons, including a career-high .323 in 1936.  That was Jordan's best season, as he led the sixth place Bees in batting average and with 179 hits.  He was a solid defender, leading the National League in putouts in 1933 and in double plays turned as a first baseman (with 137) in 1936.  In 811 major league games, Jordan collected 890 hits, including 153 doubles, while batting .299.  His career fielding percentage at first base was an impressive .990 as he made just 68 errors in 6,678 chances.

Building the Set
January 21, 2022 from Key West, FL (Quality Baseball Cards) - Card #42
Mid-January is never a fun time for me, and needing a break during a long work day I found myself on eBay looking for the remaining Dick Bartell (#15 and #101) variations I needed.  I had recently added his most commonly found card from the set, noting his team as the Giants on the back, but I wanted to try to find his other two cards from the set as well.  

In my travels, I found what I considered to be extremely unusual for this pandemic-induced collecting age - a large group of auctions from seller quality*cards from the Diamond Stars set with no bids, including the elusive Bartell card from the set's third series.  I set my opening bids, and waited a few days for the auctions to close.  Again, much to my surprise, there was little to no action on the auctions until their closing minutes.  I lost a few auctions as the seconds ticked away, but I came away with six new cards overall, including this Jordan card for less than $25.

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

The Card / Braves Team Set
The first thing I noticed about this card was the text on the back.  National Chicle usually shrinks the text spacing down in order to squeeze as much narrative as possible on the backs of these cards.  With Jordan's card, they've spread out the text as the tip, encouraging a batter to hustle to first base, is much shorter than usual.  Jordan appeared on very few mainstream baseball cards during his playing days, with this card and his 1934 Goudey card being the most readily available for him.

1935 Season
The Braves were a bad team in 1935, losing 115 games and finishing in last place, 61 1/2 games behind the pennant-winning Cubs.  Jordan was the Braves opening day first baseman, and he'd ultimately start 95 games at the position, losing playing time to either Randy Moore or Elbie Fletcher as the season wore on.  His appearances over the final months of the season were limited to pinch-hitting or serving as a late inning defensive replacement.  Overall, Jordan batted a respectable .279 for the Braves with five home runs (a career-high) and 35 RBIs.

Phillies Career
On June 10, 1938, the Phillies acquired the 31-year-old Jordan from the Reds for infielder Justin Stein.  In his last action in the majors, Jordan would play in 87 games for the Phillies, batting an even .300 (93 for 310) with 18 RBIs.  With Phil Weintraub as the Phillies' regular first baseman, starts were scarce at that position, but Jordan shifted over to third, making 55 starts there in place of Pinky Whitney.  

On June 26th, just a few weeks after being acquired from the Reds, Jordan banged out eight hits against his former team in a double header at the Baker Bowl.  On March 29, 1939, the Phillies sold Jordan's contract to the Syracuse Chiefs in the then Double-A International League.  Jordan would continue to play in the minor leagues in 1939, 1940 and part of 1942 before retiring.

1934 Goudey #31
1936 Diamond
Matchbooks
1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premiums
(R314) #A58

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934 Goudey #31
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1979 TCMA Diamond Greats #203

12 - Jordan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/29/22.

Sources:

Next Card: #50 "Mel" Ott - New York Giants
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Sunday, February 6, 2022

#34 Stanley Hack - Chicago Cubs


Stanley Camfield Hack
Chicago Cubs
Third Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  December 6, 1909, Sacramento, CA
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1932-1947
World Series Appearances:  Chicago Cubs 1932, 1935, 1938, 1945
As a Manager:  Chicago Cubs 1954-1956; St. Louis Cardinals 1958
Died:  December 15, 1979, Dixon, IL (70)

The popular Stan Hack, nicknamed "Smiling Sam," played his entire 16-year big league career with the Cubs and was regarded as one of the best third baseman of his era.  Hack was a mainstay in the Cubs line-up between 1934 and his retirement in 1947, and he seemed to get better as he aged.  He led the league in hits twice (1940 and 1941) and was a five-time All-Star, leading off and starting at third base for the National League squad in 1938, 1939, 1941 and 1943.  Hack earned MVP votes in seven straight seasons between 1938 and 1945, finishing as high as seventh place in 1938.  He helped lead the Cubs to four different World Series during his playing days, and while the Cubs would be defeated in each of those series, Hack batted .348 (24 for  69) in 18 total postseason games.  He tallied over 100 runs scored in seven seasons and led the league in stolen bases in 1938 and 1939.

Hack was also a solid defensive third baseman, leading the league in putouts five times, assists twice and fielding percentage twice.  He retired with a lifetime .301 average, 2,193 hits and 165 stolen bases.  Hack's 1,944 putouts at third base are currently 15th all-time.  Following his playing days, Hack was a minor league manager with several stops in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.  He managed the Cubs for three years, beginning in 1954, but they finished with losing records each season.  Hack served as a batting coach for the Cardinals in 1957 and 1958, and took over the club for the final ten games of the 1958 season when manager Fred Hutchinson was fired.  Hack was among the many members of the inaugural Cubs Hall of Fame class in 2021.

Building the Set
January 21, 2022 from Key West, FL (Quality Baseball Cards) - Card #41
Mid-January is never a fun time for me, and needing a break during a long work day I found myself on eBay looking for the remaining Dick Bartell (#15 and #101) variations I needed.  I had recently added his most commonly found card from the set, noting his team as the Giants on the back, but I wanted to try to find his other two cards from the set as well.  

In my travels, I found what I considered to be extremely unusual for this pandemic-induced collecting age - a large group of auctions from seller quality*cards from the Diamond Stars set with no bids, including the elusive Bartell card from the set's third series.  I set my opening bids, and waited a few days for the auctions to close.  Again, much to my surprise, there was little to no action on the auctions until their closing minutes.  I lost a few auctions as the seconds ticked away, but I came away with six new cards overall, including this Hack card for $44.

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.  Hack shows up again as card #107, with the same text on the back save for his 1935 statistics at the bottom replacing his 1934 statistics.  Also, the ink on the back of card #107 is blue, similar to all cards from the third series.

The Card / Cubs Team Set
I probably don't spend enough time in these posts discussing the background of each card, but I'll take time here to appreciate the fantastic background on Hack's card.  The yellow cloud, blue sky and reddish city scape make this truly a wonderful looking baseball card.  There's a strangely chosen tip on the back of this card for Hack, as we're taught how a first baseman should position himself at the bag in order to make sure he catches all throws from his infielders.  Hack played 1,879 games on defense during his career, appearing at first base a grand total of 47 times, including 11 times in 1936 and 18 times in 1944.  When this card came out, he had not yet played an inning at the position.

1935 Season
In his fourth season in the majors, Hack would appear in a then career-high 124 games, batting .311 with 133 hits.  He drew 65 walks to only 17 strikeouts, the lowest total of the Cubs regulars.  He was one of the Cubs' most productive hitters, along with catcher Gabby Hartnett (#134), second baseman Billy Herman (#136) and outfielder Augie Galan.  Chicago would win 21 games in a row to stun the front-running Cardinals and Giants and capture the National League pennant.  They'd fall to the Tigers in the 1935 World Series in six games, and Hack slumped in the series, hitting only .227 (5 for 22).

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #137
1941 Double Play #3
1955 Topps #6
1961 Fleer Baseball Greats #110
1991 Conlon Collection TSN #126

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #137
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1955
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Conlon Collection TSN #126

58 - Hack non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/23/22.

Sources:

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