1934-1936 Diamond Stars: April 2023

Sunday, April 30, 2023

#96 Lew Riggs - Cincinnati Reds

Lewis Sidney Riggs

Cincinnati Reds

Third Base

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 6'0" Weight: 175

Born: April 22, 1910, Mebane, NC

Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1934; Cincinnati Reds 1935-1940; Brooklyn Dodgers 1941-1942, 1946

World Series Appearances: Cincinnati Reds 1939-1940; Brooklyn Dodgers 1941

Died: August 12, 1975, Durham, NC (65)

Lew Riggs played in parts of 10 seasons in the majors, reaching the World Series three times and having his career interrupted while he served between 1943 and 1945 in the military during World War II. His best seasons came in 1935 and 1936 with the Reds as the team's regular third baseman. Riggs batted .278 with 26 doubles and 46 RBIs in 1935 and .257 with 20 doubles and 57 RBIs in 1936, while being named to the National League All-Star Team. For his fielding, he'd lead all National League third baseman in both assists and errors in 1935. (Riggs would lead in assists again in 1936, and in errors again in 1937.) He had at least 17 doubles and 45 RBIs in each season between 1935 and 1938. In 1939, the Reds acquired Billy Werber (#61) to take over at third base and Riggs' playing time decreased to just 22 games as a bench player and pinch-hitter. Riggs went hitless in three pinch-hitting appearances during the 1940 World Series as his Reds team defeated the Tigers in seven games.

Finding success as a pinch-hitter, Riggs was dealt to the Dodgers in December 1940, and he'd lead the National League with 10 pinch hit in 29 at bats in 1941. Riggs was back in the World Series in 1941, batting .250 (2 for 8) as the Dodgers fell to the Yankees in five games. Following the 1942 season, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, serving in the Pacific for three years. He'd return to the Dodgers in 1946, going 0 for 4 on opening day, resulting in a prompt release. Riggs would continue to play in the minor leagues from 1946 to 1950, within the Dodgers, Indians, Yankees and Browns organizations. In 760 major league games, Riggs batted .262 with 650 hits, 110 doubles, 43 triples, 28 home runs and 271 RBIs.

Building the Set

March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Dean's House of Cards - Midlothian, VA) - Card #79

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set. That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon. I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here. When I wasn't making bulk 1969 Topps commons purchases, I was on the look out for more Diamond Stars cards to add to our set.

I was happy to again find quite a few dealers with Diamond Stars cards for sale. I visited three separate dealers, purchasing a total of five cards, and getting the number of cards needed for my version of a master set down to an attainable 38. This Riggs card was one of two cards purchased from Dean's House of Cards, and I've purchased cards from this dealer before. (And probably will again.)

Variations Available

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

The Card / Reds Team Set

I'd consider this Riggs' rookie card, as it's his first mainstream baseball card, and it came out three years before his hobby-designated rookie card in the 1939 Play Ball set. This is another great action shot, and as Riggs doesn't have the ball in his hand or his glove, it looks as if the sliding runner is about to be called safe by the umpire. The back of the card foregoes a tip and provides a summary of the Reds' 1935 season. It name-checks fellow Reds' teammates second baseman Alex Kampouris, right fielder Ival Goodman, shortstop Billy Myers, starting pitcher Gene Schott and late inning reliever Don Brennan. None of those five players actually received a card in the Diamond Stars set.

1936 Season

Playing alongside future Hall of Famers Ernie Lombardi (#36) and Kiki Cuyler (#31), Riggs was the Reds everyday third baseman, appearing in 141 games overall. Only Cuyler appeared in more games with 144. In the All-Star Game, hosted at Braves Field in Boston, Riggs pinch-hit for the Phillies' Pinky Whitney in the eighth inning, striking out looking against the Indians' Mel Harder (#113). He'd play the top of the ninth at third base, as the National League defeated the American League, 4-3.

1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premiums #A88

1939 Play Ball #77

1940 Play Ball #78

1941 Double Play #141

1992 Conlon Collection TSN #567

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card: 1934-36 National Chicle Diamond Stars #96

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0): N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1992 Conlon Collection TSN #567

24 - Riggs non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/19/23.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card: #95 Luke Appling - Chicago White Sox

Next Card: #97 "Al" Lopez - Boston Bees

Sunday, April 23, 2023

#70 "Hal" Trosky - Cleveland Indians

Harold Arthur Trosky

Cleveland Indians

First Base

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 6'2" Weight: 207

Born: November 11, 1912, Norway, IA

Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1933-1941; Chicago White Sox 1944, 1946

Died: June 18, 1979, Cedar Rapids, IA (66)

Hal Trosky was the regular first baseman for the Indians for nearly a decade, starting almost every game for the team between 1934 and 1938. The slugging Trosky connected for over 100 RBIs each season between 1934 and 1939, with a league-leading 162 in 1936. His most impressive seasons came in 1934 when he batted .330 with 35 home runs and 142 RBIs, and 1936 when he batted .343 with 42 home runs and the aforementioned 162 RBIs. Trosky is considered to be one of the best players to have never made an All-Star Game, as he was blocked by fellow American League first basemen Lou Gehrig (#130), Jimmie Foxx (#64) and Hank Greenberg (#54) during the best years of his career.

Unfortunately, his career was cut short when he began experiencing painful migraine headaches, and he'd step away from the game in 1941. Trosky made a few brief comebacks with the White Sox during the war years, and he retired from the game for good following the 1946 season. In 1,347 major league games, Trosky batted .302 with 1,561 hits, 228 home runs and 1,012 RBIs. He still sits atop a number of major offensive categories on the Cleveland Indias/Guardians leaderboard. Trosky's career OPS of .892 is currently 75th all-time and he was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 1951.

Building the Set

March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Dean's House of Cards - Midlothian, VA) - Card #78

I was happy to again find quite a few dealers with Diamond Stars cards for sale. I visited three separate dealers, purchasing a total of five cards, and getting the number of cards needed for my version of a master set down to an attainable 38. This Trosky card was one of two cards purchased from Dean's House of Cards, and I've purchased cards from this dealer before. (And probably will again.)

Variations Available

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

The Card / Indians Team Set

We get both the opposing catcher and home plate umpire making a cameo appearance here, as Trosky admires what appears to be a line drive single to right field. The tip on the back of the card attempts to help first baseman manage bad hops when trying to corral an errant throw from an infielder. It's interesting the back of this card refers to Trosky as a "guardian," 87 years before the Indians would change their identity to the Guardians.

1935 Season

A down season compared to the two years bookending this year, Trosky appeared in 154 of 156 total Indians games, batting .271 with 26 home runs and 113 RBIs. When mired in a September slump, coach Steve O'Neill (#87) suggested Trosky try hitting from the right-hand side. The slugger gave it a try for a brief series against the Senators, connecting for three singles and a home run from the right side. Seemingly out of his slump, Trosky never tried switch-hitting again.

1934 Goudey #76

1935 Goudey 4-in-1 (R321)

1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premiums #A102

1941 Play Ball #16

1961 Fleer Baseball Greats #145

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card: 1934 Goudey #76

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0): N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1992 Conlon Collection TSN #385

55 - Trosky non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/17/23.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card: #69 Earl Grace - Pittsburgh Pirates

Next Card: #71 "Ossie" Bluege - Washington Senators

Sunday, April 16, 2023

#24 "Sparky" Adams - Cincinnati Reds

Earl John Adams

Cincinnati Reds

Third Base

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'5" Weight: 151

Born: August 26, 1894, Zerbe, PA

Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1922-1927; Pittsburgh Pirates 1928-1929; St. Louis Cardinals 1930-1933; Cincinnati Reds 1933-1934

World Series Appearances: St. Louis Cardinals 1930-1931

Died: February 24, 1989, Pottsville, PA (94)

Standing just 5'5" inches tall, Sparky Adams was the shortest major leaguer of his era. He earned an opportunity to become the regular second baseman for the Cubs in 1925, and he'd provide steady play at that position for the next three seasons, leading the National League in 1925, 1926 and 1927 in at-bats. His personal best season came in 1926 when Adams batted .309 with 35 doubles, 27 stolen bases (second in the league) and 39 RBIs. Adams was dealt to the Pirates following the 1927 season for future Hall of Famer Kiki Cuyler (#31), and he'd spend two mediocre seasons in Pittsburgh before being sold to the Cardinals in November 1929. With St. Louis, Adams joined the Gashouse Gang, serving as the team's third baseman as Frankie Frisch (#17) was manning second. Adams, now a 36-year-old veteran, would lead the league in doubles in 1931 with 46 as his Cardinals team would go on to win the World Series in seven games over the Athletics.

In May 1933, Adams was part of a six-player trade with the Reds that included Leo Durocher (#127) as one of the players received by the Cardinals. On the tail-end of his career, Adams appeared in 137 games as the Reds' starting third baseman in 1933, batting .262. He appeared in 87 games with the club in 1934 and he would refuse to resign with the Reds in 1935, given what he considered a low-ball offer. Adams, now 40, would play one last season in the minors back with the Cardinals' organization before retiring. In 1,424 big league games, he batted .286 with 1,588 hits and 154 stolen bases. A fine fielder as well, Adams had the top fielding percentage for second basemen in 1925, and for third basemen in 1930 and 1931. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

Building the Set

March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (America's Pastime - Fair Lawn, NJ) - Card #77

I was happy to again find quite a few dealers with Diamond Stars cards for sale. I visited three separate dealers, purchasing a total of five cards, and getting the number of cards needed for my version of a master set down to an attainable 38. This Adams card came from America's Pastime, located in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and I've purchased cards from this dealer before. This was the first and least expensive of the five Diamond Stars cards added, costing me $32.

Variations Available

1 - 1934 / green back / 1933 statistics / 1934 copyright

2 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1934 copyright ✅

The Card / Reds Team Set

Reviewing the fantastic uniform resource, Marc Okkonen's Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century, Adams wouldn't have worn the pinstriped and white hat combination shown here during his time with the Reds in 1933 and 1934. A version of this Reds uniform was last worn by the club in 1925, when Adams was with the Cubs. The tip on the back of the card explains how to properly anticipate the direction of a ground ball, noting one of the best pieces of advice ever for infielders: "Play the ball, never let it play you."

Within the biographical information on the bottom of the back of the card, National Chicle carves a half inch of Adams' height and lists him at just 5' 4 1/2".

1935 Season

Adams' big league career was over by the time this card was issued. He signed with the Rochester Red Wings, a Cardinals' farm team, on April 27, 1935. Adams would play 12 games with the Red Wings before being transferred to the Columbus Red Birds in the American Association. With the Red Birds, and as the team's regular second baseman, Adams batted .286 with 20 doubles in 110 games.