Sunday, December 31, 2023

#66 "Ducky" Medwick - St. Louis Cardinals


Joseph Michael Medwick
St. Louis Cardinals
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  187
Born:  November 24, 1911, Carteret, NJ
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1932-1940; Brooklyn Dodgers 1940-1943; New York Giants 1943-1945; Boston Braves 1945; Brooklyn Dodgers 1946; St. Louis Cardinals 1947-1948
World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Cardinals 1934; Brooklyn Dodgers 1941
Died:  March 21, 1975, St. Petersburg, FL (63)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1968

A fierce competitor and by some accounts difficult to get along with in the clubhouse, Joe Medwick compiled a Hall of Fame career over 17 seasons and is the last National League player to have won the Triple Crown.  Medwick became a regular with the Gashouse Gang in 1933, and as the club's everyday left fielder between 1934 and 1940, he made seven All-Star Games and helped propel the Cardinals to a World Series title in 1934.  It was during Game 7 of that 1934 World Series that Medwick was ejected from the game for his own safety, when play had been interupted as Detroit fans threw garbage and other objects onto the playing field.  Medwick had slid hard into Tigers' third baseman Marv Owen (#67), sparking the fans' revolt.  He led the league three years in a row between 1936 and 1938 in doubles and RBIs, with his 64 doubles in 1936 still a National League record.  Medwick's career year came in 1937 when his .374 average, to go along with 31 home runs and 154 RBIs, won him the Triple Crown and league MVP honors.

Dealt to the Dodgers in June 1940, his former Cardinals teammate Bob Bowman beaned him in just his sixth game with Brooklyn, knocking him unconscious and landing Medwick in the hospital.  The beaning caused bad blood between the two teams and an investigation, with Bowman insisting he never meant to hurt Medwick.  Medwick made two All-Star teams with the Dodgers in 1941 and 1942, and made his final All-Star Game appearance with the Giants in 1944.  He was a 10-time All-Star for his career.  His last action in the majors came in 1948 with his old Cardinals' team and he retired as a player after attempting a minor league comeback in the early 1950s.  Medwick batted .324with 2,471 hits, 540 doubles, 205 home runs and 1,383 RBIs.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968 in his final year of eligibility.

Building the Set
December 3, 2023 from Oaks, PA (The Philly Show -  Bagger's Auctions) - Card #96
I wrote a full write-up of The Philly Show from December over at The Phillies Room.  Having added another 145 commons to our 1969 Topps set build, and then securing autographs from Tom Herr and Bobby Wine, Doug and I were ready to call it a day.  

On our way out, I stopped at a table near the exit when I noticed a display with baseball cards from the 1930s, including a few Diamond Stars cards.  I've been watching the Carl Hubbell (#39) card for a while on a few eBay auctions, and given the reasonable price tag on this card for $110, I started a short negotiation with the dealer.  He pointed out there were some other Diamond Stars cards in a bargain bin next to the case, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this extremely reasonably priced Medwick card to pair with the Hubbell purchase.  Both cards joined my Diamond Stars set build and we quickly exited the show soon afterwards, given my now completely empty wallet.

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

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
As discussed in this SABR article, there's some interesting action going on behind Medwick as the slugger takes his swing.  This thread from the social media site formerly known as Twitter has some good theories as to what's going on, and it does appear as if two players and (inexplicably) an umpire are standing around an early batting cage.  The write-up on the back of the card is fantastic.  The author refers to Medwick as "aggressive" and "spirited" and several of his Gashouse Gang teammates are name dropped.  Dizzy (#124) and Paul Dean (#125), Frankie Frisch (#17), Pepper Martin (#26), Leo Durocher (#127) and Bill DeLancey (#81) are all mentioned.  Only Frisch, Martin and DeLancey appear in the original Diamond Stars set with Medwick.

The back also refers to the "sensational" 1934 World Series against the Tigers, and refers to the War, which at the time was World War I.  The world had no idea what was coming in less than a decade.

1935 Season
In his third full season in the majors, Medwick started all 154 games in left field for the Cardinals.  The team's top offensive force, he batted .353 with 23 home runs and 126 RBIs, clinching the club's Triple Crown.  First baseman Ripper Collins (#116) tied Medwick for the team lead in home runs.  The Cardinals finished in second place in the National League, four games behind the Cubs.

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #145
1938 Goudey Heads-Up #286
1941 Double Play #21-22
1961 Fleer Baseball Greats #61
1980-87 SSPC HOF #110

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1935 National Chicle Diamond Stars #66
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Panini Golden Age 5x7 Box Toppers #8

261 - Medwick non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/15/23.

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Sunday, December 24, 2023

#39 Carl Hubbell - New York Giants


Carl Owen Hubbell
New York Giants
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  June 22, 1903, Carthage, MO
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1928-1943
World Series Appearances:  New York Giants 1933, 1936-1937
Died:  November 21, 1988, Scottsdale, AZ (85)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1947

Carl Hubbell's fantastic 16-year career as a pitcher for the Giants is occasionally overshadowed by what he accomplished over the first two innings in the 1934 All-Star Game.  Hubbell struck out five future Hall of Famers in a row - Babe Ruth (#109), Lou Gehrig (#130), Jimmie Foxx (#64), Al Simmons (#2) and Joe Cronin (#123) - relying on his nearly unhittable screwball to accomplish the impressive feat.  Hubbell first gained national prominence in 1933, going 23-12 with a league-leading 1.66 ERA and 10 shutouts on his way to National League MVP honors.  He won two games in that year's World Series, as the Giants defeated the Nationals in five games.  Hubbell won a career-best 26 games in 1936 while leading the league for the third time with a 2.31 ERA and winning his second league MVP.  He was the league's first unanimous pick for MVP honors that season.  Hubbell would accomplish his fifth and final 20-win season in 1937.

Hubbell retired following the 1943 season with a lifetime record of 253-154, a 2.98 ERA and 1,677 strikeouts in 3,590 1/3 innings pitched.  He threw 260 complete games, including 36 shutouts.  Hubbell continued to work with the Giants' organization as the club's farm system director and later as a scout until his death in 1988.  The Giants retired Hubbell's #11 in 1944, the first number retired by the team, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947.

Building the Set
December 3, 2023 from Oaks, PA (The Philly Show -  Bagger's Auctions) - Card #96
I wrote a full write-up of The Philly Show from December over at The Phillies Room.  Having added another 145 commons to our 1969 Topps set build, and then securing autographs from Tom Herr and Bobby Wine, Doug and I were ready to call it a day.  

On our way out, I stopped at a table near the exit when I noticed a display with baseball cards from the 1930s, including a few Diamond Stars cards.  I've been watching this Hubbell card for a while on a few eBay auctions, and given the reasonable price tag on this card for $110, I started a short negotiation with the dealer.  He pointed out there were some other Diamond Stars cards in a bargain bin next to the case, and I was pleasantly surprised to find an extremely reasonably priced Ducky Medwick (#66) card to pair with the Hubbell purchase.  Both cards joined my Diamond Stars set build and we quickly exited the show soon afterwards, given my now completely empty wallet.

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

The Card / Giants Team Set
I'd consider this an iconic Diamond Stars card, and I've been seeing this card at baseball card shows and in baseball card publications for over four decades.  I'm excited to finally have a version of the card in our collection.  The write-up on the back discusses the advantages left-handed pitchers (or portsiders) have over their right-handed counterparts.

1935 Season
Hubbell dominated the league's batters for a third season in a row, going 23-12 with a 3.27 ERA in 42 games.  His 302 2/3 innings pitched were second in the league behind Dizzy Dean (#124), who threw 325 1/3 innings.  Hubbell's 24 complete games were also second in the league, again behind Dean who had 29.  The Giants were the frontrunners in the league until late August, when the Cubs and their 21-game winning streak overtook them, eventually winning the pennant.

1933 Goudey #230
 
1933 Sport Kings #42
 
1934 Goudey #12
 
1941 Play Ball #6
 
1983 Donruss Hall of Fame
Heroes #33

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #230
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Panini Diamond Kings #15

337 - Hubbell non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/15/23.

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Sunday, December 17, 2023

#23 Bill Hallahan - St. Louis Cardinals


William Anthony Hallahan
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  170
Born:  August 4, 1902, Binghamton, NY
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1925-1926, 1929-1936; Cincinnati Reds 1936-1937; Philadelphia Phillies 1938
World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Cardinals 1926, 1930-1931, 1934
Died:  July 8, 1981, Binghamton, NY (78)

Given the nickname "Wild Bill" due to his penchant for walks, Bill Hallahan pitched for 10 seasons with the Cardinals, helping his club to four World Series appearances and three World Championships.  Hallahan had a few brief stints with the Cardinals in 1925 and 1926, before coming up for good in 1929 and becoming one of the workhorses of the Gashouse Gang's pitching staff.  He led the league in both strikeouts and walks in 1930 and 1931, and was a 19-game winner in 1931 with a 3.29 ERA.  Hallahan was stellar in most of his World Series appearances, going 3-1 with a 1.36 ERA in seven games, five starts and 39 2/3 innings pitched.  He was the winning pitcher in Games 2 and 5 of the 1931 World Series, and recorded the final out in Game 7 to earn the save.  Hallahan pitched in at least 162 innings for seven straight seasons between 1930 and 1936.

Hallahan was the National League's starting pitcher in the first ever All-Star Game in 1933, held in Chicago's Comiskey Park.  He'd win another World Series title in 1934, and won 15 games in 1935, his fourth and final season claiming as many wins.  His Cardinals' career came to an end on May 31, 1936, when he was sold to the Reds.  After 2 1/2 seasons of mediocre pitching performances, Hallahan retired, seeing his last action with the Phillies in 1938.  He was 102-94 lifetime, with a 4.03 ERA in 324 games pitched.  Hallahan had 856 strikeouts to 779 walks in 1,740 1/3 career innings pitched.

Building the Set
December 3, 2023 from Oaks, PA (The Philly Show - Clean Sweep Auctions) - Card #95
This was the only Diamond Stars card I thought I'd add from the recent Philly Show, but I'd end up adding two more.  Hallahan has eluded me over the nearly three years I've collected this set, which is odd given he's a non-Hall of Famer, non-high number and non-Yankees player.  Most of the cards featuring players similar to Hallahan have been available in multiple eBay auctions or at The Philly Show over the past three years, with Hallahan and the card for Max Bishop (#6) being somewhat difficult to track down.  As of this writing, I need 26 more cards with Bishop and a variation of the Dixie Walker card (#12) being the only two non-Hall of Famer, non-high number cards remaining.

I found this Hallahan card in a stack of "commons" at the Clean Sweep Auction table, and given I had rarely seen a copy of this card available for sale, I gladly paid the $30 being asked for it.  I wrote a full report of the December Philly Show over at The Phillies Room.

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

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
The tip on the back of the card concerns how to stand on the mound without embarrassing yourself.  And I learned something here too.  The tip advises young pitchers to "read the thirteen ways that a balk can be made and school yourself to avoid them."  To this day, nearly 100 years later, there are 13 different ways a pitcher might commit a balk.  I honestly had no idea there were that many, and lists are readily available online.

1934 Season
Hallahan was the veteran on the Cardinals' pitching staff, and he struggled following his successful 1933 campaign.  The typical rotation for the eventual World Champions consisted of Dizzy Dean (#124), Paul Dean (#125), Tex Carleton, Bill Walker and Hallahan.  Hallahan was 8-12 with a 4.26 ERA, throwing 10 complete games and a pair of shutouts.  He started Game 4 of the World Series, facing off against the Tigers' Schoolboy Rowe (#33).  Hallahan departed the game with one out in the ninth, with the score tied 2-2.  Walker would lose the game in the 12th on an RBI single by Goose Goslin (#112) to score Charlie Gehringer (#77).  Rowe pitched a complete game, lasting all 12 innings.

Phillies Career
The Phillies were terrible in the 1930s, and Hallahan's former teammate Jimmie Wilson (#22) was their player-manager.  Wilson brought Hallahan on board, signing the pitcher on February 7, 1938, and giving him a front row seat to the Phillies' 105-loss season.  His last great pitching performance came on August 25th against the Pirates, when he threw an 11-inning complete game victory, and gave up only a run on five hits.  Hallahan was 1-8 with a 5.46 ERA in 21 games, including 10 starts.  He pitched 89 innings in his final big league season, striking out 22 and walking 45.

He was released on December 19, 1938, and he'd attempt a comeback in 1939 with the minor league Minneapolis Millers before retiring from baseball.  There's one Hallahan Phillies baseball card available, from the 1974 TCMA Nicknames set, and I've added that card to my want list.

1933 Goudey #200
1933 Tattoo Orbit (R305)
1934 Goudey #82
1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #121
1991 Conlon Collection TSN #214

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #200
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1993 Conlon Collection TSN #685

51 - Hallahan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/4/23.

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Sunday, December 10, 2023

#12 "Dixie" Walker - New York Yankees


Fred Walker
New York Yankees
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born: September 24, 1910, Villa Rica, GA
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1931, 1933-1936; Chicago White Sox 1936-1937; Detroit Tigers 1938-1939; Brooklyn Dodgers 1939-1947; Pittsburgh Pirates 1948-1949
World Series Appearances:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1941, 1947
Died:  May 17, 1982, Birmingham, AL (71)

Dixie Walker played in parts of 18 seasons in the majors, earning his way onto five All-Star teams while with the Dodgers and winning the N.L. batting title in 1944 when he hit .357.  He ended the 1946 season as the most popular player in Brooklyn history, according to legendary broadcaster Red Barber, but he'd later become better known as the player who tried to thwart Jackie Robinson from joining the Dodgers in 1947.  Walker initiated a player petition asking that Robinson not be permitted to join the team and then later requested that Dodgers owner Branch Rickey trade him.  Later in life, he told author Roger Kahn the petition was "the stupidest thing he'd ever done."

Rickey honored Walker's request and traded him to the Pirates on December 8, 1947, where he played the final two years of his career.  In his nine seasons with the Dodgers, Walker enjoyed the best years of his career, batting .311 with 67 home runs and 725 RBIs.  He was dubbed "The People's Cherce," in reference to the way the word "choice" sounds when said in a Brooklyn accent.  In 1,905 career games, Walker had a .306 average with 2,064 hits.  Following his playing days, he served as a coach for the Cardinals (1953, 1955), Braves (1963-1965) and Dodgers (1970-1974). 

Updated back from 1935
Building the Set
November 27, 2023 from Los Angels, CA (Greg Morris Cards) - Card #94
Surprisingly one of the least expensive cards I've added to our set, this is the second of three Walker cards I plan to add to my version of a master set - see below.  I don't think there were many other bids on this eBay auction, as I sent through my opening bid at a fairly low price and surprisingly won the auction a few days later.  Everyone once in a while I find myself getting lucky on eBay, and this was one of those instances.

Variations Available
1 - 1934 / green back / 1933 statistics / 1934 copyright / mentions Babe Ruth retiring ✅
2 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1934 copyright / mentions Babe Ruth to Braves
3 - 1936 / blue back / no statistics / 1934 copyright / no mention of Babe Ruth

The Card / Yankees Team Set
The first version of this card I added back in January 2021 was the variation version issued in 1935, noting that Walker "is expected to help fill the gap left by Babe Ruth moving to Boston (Braves)."  This version of this card, issued in 1934, notes that Walker "is expected to fill Babe Ruth's shoes when the great Yankee slugger retires."  Ruth (#109b) was released by the Yankees on February 26, 1935 and signed with the Braves that very same day so the card I now own was issued after that date.

Walker's father, also Dixie Walker, is mentioned on the back of the card and the elder Walker pitched for four seasons with the Senators between 1909 and 1912.  His brother, Harry Walker, was a two-time All-Star for the Cardinals and played for 11 seasons in the majors.  The batting tip on the back encourages batters to relax and step out if needed "until the nervousness has disappeared."

1934 Season
Walker was expected to play a big role with the Yankees in 1934, but he developed an arm injury in spring training that would limit him to just 17 games throughout early August.  By mid-August, unable to help the team at all, Walker was put on the voluntarily retired list, missing the rest of the season.  Of his 17 games, only one was a start.  On July 28th, he started in left field against the Athletics, going 0 for 5.  The rest of his 16 appearances were as a pinch-hitter or a pinch-runner, so it was truly a wasted season.  Walker batted just .118 (2 for 17) for the year.

1934 Goudey #39
1941 Double Play #21
1953 Topps #190
1961 Fleer Baseball Greats #151
1992 Conlon Collection TSN #506

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934 Goudey #39
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1953
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1995 Conlon Collection TSN #1387

51 - Walker non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/2/23.

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Sunday, December 3, 2023

#86 Frank Crosetti - New York Yankees


Frank Peter Joseph Crosetti
New York Yankees
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  165
Born:  October 4, 1910, San Francisco, CA
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1932-1948
World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1932, 1936-1939, 1942-1943
Died:  February 11, 2002, Stockton, CA (91)

Frankie Crosetti, nicknamed The Crow, spent nearly four decades working in the infield for the Yankees, between 1932 and 1946 as a player, and then until 1968 as the team's third base coach.  Crosetti was a two-time All-Star and won seven World Series rings with the Yankees between 1932 and 1943.  He'd win another 10 rings as a coach between 1947 and 1962.  Occasionally accused of being the weak link in a powerful Yankees' line-up, Crosetti made up for his light hitting with steady fielding up the middle.  Offensively, his best season came in 1936 when he reached career highs in all three Triple Crown categories, batting .288 with 15 home runs and 78 RBIs.  He led the league with 27 stolen bases in 1938, and he also had a penchant for getting hit by pitches, leading the league in that category in eight different seasons.  He batted .245 during his career with the Yankees, with 1,541 hits, 98 home runs and 649 RBIs.

Crosetti took on a player-coach role in 1947, and switched to full time coaching in 1949.  He'd stay with the Yankees through the 1968 season, leaving to join the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969 in order to be closer to his West Coast home.  When the Pilots moved to Milwaukee in 1970, Crosetti joined the Twins, where he'd coach for two more seasons, finally retiring in 1971.

October 20, 2023 - Brown University
Building the Set
October 23, 2023 from Old Saybrook, CT - Card #93
On Friday, October 20th, Doug and I made a four-hour drive for a campus visit at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut.  Following the tour, we drove a few more hours to Providence, Rhode Island, as he was participating in a baseball camp at Brown University that Saturday.  These are exciting times, and I'm excited to be making these trips with him as he whittles down his college choices.  The camp at Brown was all indoors, as it was pouring rain outside, and there were long stretches of time I couldn't see what he was doing whenever his group was stationed at the far end of Brown's indoor facility.  

I scrolled social media, I did several New York Times crossword puzzles, and I browsed eBay for baseball cards.  I clicked Buy It Now on this card at some point that Saturday, as Doug was in the midst of fielding drills, and the card arrived at our house a few days later.  Ironically enough, the seller (ehazuka) is located in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, which is between Providence and New Haven.  Had I known, I could have picked up the card on our way home!

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

The Card / Yankees Team Set
I found this great SABR article covering background cameo appearances in the Diamond Stars set, in which there's a loose theory put forward that the two Yankees behind Crosetti are none other than Lou Gehrig (#130) and Babe Ruth (#109).  The source photo can be found on a 1933 Worch Cigar card of Crosetti - shown below.  As is the case with these later series cards, the baseball tips have been replaced with some short background information on the player.  The back of the card observes how Crosetti is among many young Italian-Americans who have recently entered the majors.  Crosetti's double play partner, Tony Lazzeri (#74) also gets recognized as a fellow Italian-American.  Everett Scott gets mentioned as well, and Scott was a shortstop who played for the Yankees between 1922 and 1925.

Finally, the double play combination of Crosetti-Lazzeri is compared to the Tigers' current double play combo of Bill Rogell (#76) and Charlie Gehringer (#77).

1936 Season
As mentioned above, this was Crosetti's strongest year offensively.  He played in 151 games for the Yankees, starting at shortstop in all but four games in late August.  In the World Series, won by the Yankees over the Giants in six games, Crosetti batted .269 (7 for 26).

1933 Goudey #217
1933 Worch Cigar
1952 Topps #384
1960 Topps #465
1990 Pacific Legends #19

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #217
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1952, 1960
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2016 Panini Diamond Kings #28

219 - Crosetti non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/19/23.

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Sunday, October 15, 2023

#9 "Mickey" Cochrane MG - Detroit Tigers


Gordon Stanley Cochrane
Detroit Tigers
Catcher-Manager

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  April 6, 1903, Bridgewater, MA
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Athletics 1925-1933; Detroit Tigers 1934-1937
World Series Appearances:  Philadelphia Athletics 1929-1931; Detroit Tigers 1934-1935
As a Manager:  Detroit Tigers 1934-1937, 1938
Died:  June 28, 1962, Lake Forest, IL (59)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1947

One of the greatest catchers of his era, Mickey Cochrane spent his 13-year career with the Athletics and Tigers, winning MVP honors in 1928 and 1934 and leading his teams to three World Series titles.  As the backstop for Connie Mack's (#142) Athletics, Cochrane batted .331 in his rookie season of 1925 and his MVP title in 1928 was mainly due to his defensive skills.  In 1929, with a line-up including Al Simmons (#2) and Jimmie Foxx (#64), Cochrane helped the Athletics reach and win the World Series, batting .331 with 37 doubles and 95 RBIs.  Philadelphia would repeat in 1930, as Cochrane's .357 average was second on the team to only Simmons, who batted .381.  In 1931, the Athletics fell short of their attempted three-peat, with many attributing some of the blame for the loss on Cochrane's inability to control the Cardinals' running game.

Cochrane was dealt to the Tigers following the 1933 season, and as the team's player-manager he'd win his second MVP award in 1934, again mainly on the strength of his solid work defensively.  As a rookie manager in 1934, Cochrane guided the Tigers to a 101-win season, but they fell in the World Series to the Cardinals in seven games.  He'd lead his club back to the World Series in 1935, with the Tigers downing the Cubs in six games.  He was an All-Star in 1934 and 1935.  On May 25, 1937, Cochrane was drilled in the head with a pitch from Yankees' pitcher Bump Hadley (#131), eventually leading to his early retirement.  He batted .320 for his career and his .419 on-base percentage currently ranks 21st all-time.  Cochrane was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947 and onto the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 1982.

Building the Set
October 10, 2023 from Los Angeles, CA (Greg Morris Cards) - Card #92
I stumbled upon this card while taking a break during the work day, looking for reasonable eBay prices for the remaining 28 cards needed for our set.  I've given Greg Morris Cards, from Los Angeles, quite a bit of my money over the past few years, but I feel what I paid for this card was a steal.  The auction description labeled this card as being LOW GRADE, but honestly for a card that's nearly 90 years old it looks pretty good to me.  This auction was bid on while attending one of my final work seminars in Dallas, won shortly after I came home and the card arrived the day following the Phillies' painful Game 2 loss to the Braves in the NLDS.

And now I'm writing this the day after the Phillies came back to win Games 3 and 4 against the Braves, sending them to the NLCS to face off against the Diamondbacks.  We have souvenirs from our recent Wild Card series and NLDS visits still scattered about our kitchen area, and I thought I'd take a picture of Cochrane's card along with a few recent additions to our Phillies collections.

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 / Tigers Team Set
I'd consider this another iconic card from the Diamond Stars set, as it's a card I've seen for years in publications, under glass at baseball card shows and as an example of one of the key baseball cards from the 1930s.  The tip on the back of the card addresses the catcher's throw when aiming to throw out would be base stealers.  Cochrane led the league in runners caught stealing in 1926 (42) and 1932 (47) and he'd finish in the top five in nine different seasons.  The back of catcher Al Lopez's card (#28) refers collectors to the tip on the back of Cochrane's card.

1935 Season
In his second season as Tigers' manager, Cochrane made 108 starts behind the plate and batted .319 with five home runs and 46 RBIs.  His team was 93-58-1, finishing three games ahead of the Yankees for the pennant, and they'd defeat the Cubs in six games in the World Series.  It was the first World Series title in Tigers' franchise history.  This was to be his final full season as a player, as Cochrane would play in only 44 games in 1936 and 27 games in 1937 before retiring.

1931 W517 #54
1933 DeLong Gum #6
1933 Goudey #76
1940 Play Ball #180
1976 Topps #348

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1928 Exhibits (W461)
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Panini Diamond Kings #106

280 - Cochrane non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/13/23.

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