1934-1936 Diamond Stars: August 2023

Sunday, August 27, 2023

#43 Ted Lyons - Chicago White Sox

Theodore Amar Lyons

Chicago White Sox

Pitcher

Bats: Both Throws: Right Height: 5'11" Weight: 200

Born: December 28, 1900, Lake Charles, LA

Major League Teams: Chicago White Sox 1923-1942, 1946

As a Manager: Chicago White Sox 1946-1948

Died: July 25, 1986, Sulphur, LA (85)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1955

Ted Lyons pitched in parts of 21 seasons with the White Sox, where he was a fan favorite throughout the 1920s, 1930s and the early 1940s. Lyons was a 20-game winner in three seasons, first achieving the feat in 1925 when he was 21-11 with a league leading five shutouts. He no-hit the Red Sox on August 21, 1926, at Fenway Park. In 1927, Lyons was 22-14 while leading the league in complete games (30) and innings pitched (307 2/3). He'd match up with Tigers' pitcher George Uhle on May 24, 1929, throwing a 21-inning complete game in a 6-5 loss, while Uhle threw 20 innings. Lyons peaked in 1930, going 22-15 with a 3.78 ERA while again leading the league in complete games (29) and innings pitched (297 2/3). In 1934, and in an effort to preserve his arm, the White Sox capped his pitching output to 30 games per season. Beginning in 1939, his workload was cut even further when manager Jimmy Dykes (#42) scheduled him for only Sunday afternoon games, earning Lyons the nickname, "Sunday Teddy." Lyons would make his only All-Star team in 1939.

He missed three full years while serving with the Marines during World War II, returning to pitch in five games in 1946 before retiring as a player. Lyons was 260-230 lifetime with a 3.67 ERA in 594 games pitched. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1955, he's the only pitcher in the Hall with more walks (1,121) than strikeouts (1,073). He managed the White Sox for three seasons following the dismissal of Dykes, guiding his team to a 185-245 record. Lyons was later a coach with the Tigers (1949-1953) and Dodgers (1954), and he'd serve as a scout and minor league instructor with the White Sox until retiring from baseball in 1967. The White Sox posthumously retired his #16 in 1987.

Building the Set

July 31, 2023 from Scottsdale, AZ (TONYeTRADE Enterprises) - Card #86

Long and unproductive virtual work meetings occasionally lead to me venturing over to eBay to look for Phillies team-issued photo cards I don't yet have or reasonably priced Diamond Stars cards needed for our set. In late July, I clicked Buy It Now on a pair of Diamond Stars cards, including this card of Hall of Famer Lyons from TONYeTRADE Enterprises, located in Scottsdale.

Variations Available

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

The Card / White Sox Team Set

According to the fantastic resource, Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century by Marc Okkonen, the White Sox uniform Lyons is shown wearing on this card was last worn by the club in 1929. The tip on the back explains how not to let the batter know what type of pitch is coming, by hiding the ball in your glove while setting your grip.

1935 Season

With the relatively new 30-game cap in place for Lyons' workload, the pitcher appeared in 23 games in 1935, going 15-8 with a 3.02 ERA over 190 2/3 innings pitched. Not only were his appearances limited, but manager Dykes started giving Lyons six days of rest between starts, resulting in his lowest ERA in eight years. Despite the decreased work load, Lyons compiled the highest bWAR on the club among all pitchers with a 4.9 mark. He led the staff with his 15 wins, two more than John Whitehead (#51), who made 27 starts.

1928 Exhibits (W461)

1933 Goudey #7

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #119

1961 Fleer Baseball Greats #122

2005 Upper Deck Classics #89

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card: 1928 Exhibits (W461)

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0): N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings #21

174 - Lyons non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/13/23.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card: #42 Jimmy Dykes MG - Chicago White Sox

Next Card: #44 Rogers Hornsby MG - St. Louis Browns

Sunday, August 20, 2023

#95 Luke Appling - Chicago White Sox

Lucius Benjamin Appling

Chicago White Sox

Shortstop

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'10" Weight: 183

Born: April 2, 1907, High Point, NC

Major League Teams: Chicago White Sox 1930-1943, 1945-1950

As a Manager: Kansas City Athletics 1967

Died: January 3, 1991, Cumming, GA (83)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1964

Shortstop Luke Appling played for 20 seasons with the White Sox, with his career briefly interrupted by military service during World War II. A long-time star, Appling was a consistent hitter with the White Sox throughout the 1930s and 1940s, winning batting titles in 1936 and 1943 - statistically, his two best seasons. Appling batted .388 in 1936, making his first of seven All-Star teams and finishing as runner-up in the league's MVP voting behind Lou Gehrig (#130). In 1943, Appling batted .328 while also leading the league with a .419 on-base percentage. He'd miss most of the next two seasons while serving in the U.S. Army, and he'd make two more All-Star teams later in his career, in 1946 and 1947. Known for complaining about minor ailments, Appling was given the affectionate nickname of "Old Aches and Pains." He was also adept at fouling off pitches until he received a pitch to his liking.

Upon his retirement, Appling was baseball's all-time leader for games played (2,218) and double plays turned (1,424) by a shortstop. He was also the American League leader for all-time putouts (4,398) and assists (7,218) by a shortstop, with his marks later broken by Luis Aparicio. He batted .310 for his career, with 2,749 hits (currently 57th all-time), 1,319 runs scored and 1,116 RBIs. A long-time minor league manager, Appling was named Minor League Manager of the Year in 1952. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964, and the White Sox retired his #4 in 1975. Appling briefly managed the Athletics in 1967, taking over for the departed Alvin Dark, and compiled a 10-30 record in his brief tenure. He was on the major league coaching staffs of the Tigers (1960), Indians (1960-1961), Orioles (1963), Athletics (1964-1966), White Sox (1970-1971) and Braves (1981-1984). Appling worked as a batting instructor in the Braves' organization up until 1990.

Building the Set

July 24, 2023 from Tomball, TX (The Battersbox) - Card #85

It's been a minute since I added any new cards to my growing Diamond Stars set build. In fact, all set building has taken a back seat so far this spring/summer to the non-stop activities of our two teenage sons, who have kept us busy with baseball tournaments, tennis camps, trips to and from the gym, trips to and from the batting cages, piano lessons, outings with friends, trips to the beach and other time consuming but fun endeavors. In need of vintage baseball cards, I ordered this Appling card and the Wes Ferrell (#94) card from The Battesbox in late July. As further evidence of how busy we've been, again in a good way, the cards sat on my side project table for three weeks until I found some spare time on a late Friday afternoon in mid-August to appreciate them.

As of this writing, I'm 32 cards away from my version of a complete set, which includes 11 notable variations. I have a feeling the final cards needed will be a combination of the priciest cards in the set, Lefty Grove (#1), Mel Ott (#50) and Jimmie Foxx (#64) and the hard to find cards from the third series - basically the final six cards of the set.

Variations Available

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

The Card / White Sox Team Set

Appling has a few unknown White Sox teammates making cameo appearances in the background of this card, and those teammates aren't present in the source photo, shown above. The second sentence on the back needs a little explanation. Appling played for two years with the Oglethorpe College baseball team, 1929 and 1930, and was signed by the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern League following his collegiate 1930 season. He appeared in 104 games for the Crackers during the summer of 1930, batting .326, and the White Sox purchased his contract for $20,000 on August 19th. He'd make his debut with the White Sox on September 10th, appearing in six games. Appling wouldn't return to the minor leagues for over 20 years, and then as a manager following his retirement.

The last sentence mentions White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes (#42), who managed the team until 1946. In the 20 seasons spanning Appling's playing career, the closest the White Sox ever came to a pennant was in 1937 when they finished in third place, 16 games behind the division-winning Yankees.

1936 Season

As mentioned above, this was one of Appling's best seasons. In 138 games for the White Sox, he batted .388, beating Earl Averill (#100) for the batting title by 10 points. He also turned a career-best 119 double plays at shortstop to lead the league, with his infield partner for those double plays most often second baseman Jackie Hayes. Appling had a 27-game hitting streak at one point during the season, but unfortunately his career year didn't help the White Sox get closer to a pennant as his team finished in fourth place.

1934 Goudey #27

1948-49 Leaf #59

1950 Bowman #37

1960 Topps #461

1983 Donruss Hall of Fame
Heroes #8

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card: 1932 W574

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1): 1960

Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings #14

321 - Appling non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/13/23.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card: #94 Wes Ferrell - Boston Red Sox

Next Card: #96 Lew Riggs - Cincinnati Reds

Sunday, August 13, 2023

#94 Wes Ferrell - Boston Red Sox

Wesley Cheek Ferrell

Boston Red Sox

Pitcher

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6'2" Weight: 195

Born: February 2, 1908, Greensboro, NC

Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1927-1933; Boston Red Sox 1934-1937; Washington Senators 1937-1938; New York Yankees 1938-1939; Brooklyn Dodgers 1940; Boston Braves 1941

Died: December 9, 1976, Sarasota, FL (68)

Wes Ferrell pitched in parts of 15 big league season, finding the most success in his 11 years with the Indians and Red Sox. Ferrell joined the Indians' staff for good in 1929, putting up his first of six 20-win seasons. He'd have a career year in 1930, going 25-13 with a 3.31 ERA in 43 appearances with a career best 143 strikeouts. Ferrell would win 22 games in 1931, 23 games in 1932 and be named to the first American League All-Star team in 1933. He pitched a no-hitter on April 29, 1931 against the Browns. Dealt to the Red Sox in May 1934, Ferrell would be a workhorse for Boston, leading the league in innings pitched and complete games three seasons in a row between 1935 and 1937. He'd win 25 games again in 1935 and travel to his second All-Star Game in 1937. Ferrell bounced around towards the end of his major league career, spending time with the Yankees, Dodgers and Braves.

In 374 games, he was 193-128 with a 4.04 ERA and 227 complete games, which is currently 104th all-time. He walked more (1,040) than he struck out (985). Some have argued for Hall of Fame status for Ferrell, given his impressive pitching statistics all came while pitching for mostly mediocre teams. He was a major threat at the plate too, setting records for home runs in a season (9) and over his career (37), while batting .280 overall. Ferrell is a member of both the Hall of Fames for the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox. His brother, catcher Rick Ferrell (#48), was a teammate of his with the Red Sox between 1934 and 1937, and Rick was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

Building the Set

July 24, 2023 from Tomball, TX (The Battersbox) - Card #84

It's been a minute since I added any new cards to my growing Diamond Stars set build. In fact, all set building has taken a back seat so far this spring/summer to the non-stop activities of our two teenage sons, who have kept us busy with baseball tournaments, tennis camps, trips to and from the gym, trips to and from the batting cages, piano lessons, outings with friends, trips to the beach and other time consuming but fun endeavors. In need of vintage baseball cards, I ordered this Ferrell card and the Luke Appling (#95) card from The Battesbox in late July. As further evidence of how busy we've been, again in a good way, the cards sat on my side project table for three weeks until I found some spare time on a late Friday afternoon in mid-August to appreciate them.

Variations Available

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

The Card / Red Sox Team Set

This is probably the most well-known baseball card of Ferrell's, and it's much more appealing than his 1933 Goudey rookie card, which features a somewhat eerie photo. As is the case with many third series cards, the back includes biographical and career summary information in lieu of a baseball tip. The write-up here covers all the highlights of Ferrell's career, including his no-hitter, his being named to the All-Star team in 1933, his fantastic 1935 season, his solid hitting skills and finally, the fact his current catcher is his brother Rick.

1936 Season

Ferrell led the league in starts (38), complete games (28), innings pitched (301) and hits allowed (330), while going 20-15 with a 4.19 ERA. The Red Sox finished in sixth place in the American League, spared from the basement by the Browns and Athletics. Their most frequently used starting pitchers were Ferrell, Grove, Fritz Ostermueller (#73) and Johnny Marcum.