#117 Linus Frey - Brooklyn Dodgers

Linus Reinhard Frey

Brooklyn Dodgers

Second Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  160

Born:  August 23, 1910, St. Louis, MO

Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1933-1936; Chicago Cubs 1937; Cincinnati Reds 1938-1943, 1946; Chicago Cubs 1947; New York Yankees 1947-1948; New York Giants 1948

World Series Appearances:  Cincinnati Reds 1939-1940; New York Yankees 1947

Died:  September 13, 2009, Coeur d'Alene, ID (99)

Lonny Frey was a veteran of 14 major league seasons, finding his most success as the All-Star second baseman for the Reds in the late 1930s and early 1940s.  Frey spent his first four seasons with the Dodgers, struggling defensively at shortstop and batting as a switch-hitter.  He led the league twice in errors in 1935 and 1936.  Joining the Reds in 1939, Frey abandoned switch-hitting and moved to second base, where he proved to be one of the league's best second baseman, with the glove and the bat, of his era.  Frey was an All-Star in 1939, 1941 and 1943, leading the league with 22 stolen bases in 1940 and in fielding percentage in 1941 and 1943.  He helped lead the Reds to the World Series in 1939 and 1940, missing most of the victorious 1940 series after he had dropped the iron lid of the dugout water cooler on his foot.  Frey missed all of 1944 and 1945 while serving in the military during World War II, and upon his return in 1946 he settled in as a back-up and pinch-hitter for three more seasons.

1935-36 Diamond
Matchbooks (U3-1)

Frey collected 1,482 hits and batted .269 in 1,535 big league games.  He scored 848 runs, collected 263 doubles and 105 stolen bases.  He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1961 and was selected as the Reds' all-time best second baseman during the team's centennial celebration in 1969.

Building the Set

December 11, 2020 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards)

On the night I impulsively decided to collect the original Diamond Stars set, and I subsequently purchased the Harvey Hendrick (#41) card from Kit Young Cards, I also added the complete, and first, extended set to my cart for the very reasonable price of $7.50.  The 12 cards in this first extended set were originally issued in 1981.

In the early 1980s, a family member of a former National Chicle employee discovered an uncut sheet of 12 unused cards presumably meant as a 1937 continuation of the Diamond Stars set.  As originally advertised, and as mentioned on the back of every card issued, the company had intended for the set to contain 240 subjects.  They only produced 108 cards before production was halted, and the theory is this newly found sheet represented a "lost" continuation of the set.  Fortunately, the images of the cards made their way into the collecting world and a 12-card "what if" set was created.  (More on the uncut sheet can be found here from SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee and from this Ryan Cracknell article for Beckett.)

The Beckett online database lists the set as "1981 Diamond Stars Continuation Den's" and the set's description notes "This set was created and produced by Denny Eckes.  Hobbyist Mike Galella was involved in bringing this sheet to the the public.  These cards were originally available from the producer for $3."  The back of the cards have a 1981 copyright attributed to Den's Collectors Den, the company belonging to the aforementioned Eckes.  I found the ad shown here within the pages of the The Sport Americana Baseball Card Price Guide, published in 1982.

The 12 cards include more ambitious geometric designs than the original Diamond Stars cards,  although the overall color template remains the same as their 1934 to 1936 counterparts.

Variations Available

1 - 1981 / blue back / 1936 statistics / 1981 copyright

The Card / Dodgers Team Set

While Linus was his given first name, Frey preferred the nickname Lonny.  The photo used here was first seen back in the 1935-36 Diamond Matchbooks (U3-1) set, shown above.  The back of the card gives a tip on cheating up as a middle infielder, which speeds up potential double plays.  The text, written in the early 1980s, is somewhat incorrect in identifying Frey as a second sacker at this stage of his career, as he was still a regular shortstop.  Frey made 116 starts at shortstop and 26 starts at second base for the Dodgers in 1936.

1937 Season

On December 5, 1936, the Dodgers traded Frey to the Cubs for Woody English and Roy Henshaw.  Frey's first stint with the Cubs lasted only one season, and he filled in as a back-up at second base, shortstop, third base and left field.  He batted .278 in 78 games, with a home run and 22 RBIs.  On February 4, 1938, the Cubs sold Frey to the Reds, beginning the best stretch of his career.

1934 Goudey #89

1939 Play Ball #161

1940 Play Ball #76

1941 Double Play #5

1993 Conlon Collection TSN #812

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1934 Goudey #89

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1993 Conlon Collection TSN #812

38 - Frey non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/4/24.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #116 Rip Collins - St. Louis Cardinals

Next Card: #118 Vernon Gomez - New York Yankees

#115 Gene Moore - Boston Bees

Eugene Moore

Boston Bees

Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  August 26, 1909, Lancaster, TX

Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1931;  St. Louis Cardinals 1933-1935; Boston Bees 1936-1938; Brooklyn Dodgers 1939-1940; Boston Bees 1940; Boston Braves 1941; Washington Senators 1942-1943; St. Louis Browns 1944-1945

World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Browns 1944

Died:  March 12, 1978, Jackson, MS (68)

Slugger Gene Moore played in 14 major league seasons, finding his most success as a member of the Boston Bees between 1936 and 1938.  Moore played sparingly for the Reds and Cardinals between 1931 and 1935, finally getting a chance as an everyday player with the Bees in 1936 as their regular right fielder.  Moore batted .290 that season with 13 home runs and 67 RBIs.  A year later he'd be named to the National League All-Star team and reach career highs in both home runs (16) and RBIs (70).  Moore had a strong throwing arm and twice led all outfielders in assists in 1936 and 1937.  He continued to find regular playing time into the mid-1940s, finishing up his career with the Browns with two straight seasons of at least 50 RBIs in 1944 and 1945.  Moore saw his only World Series action in 1944 with the Browns, but his team fell to the city rival Cardinals in six games.  In 1,042 major league games, Moore collected 958 hits and batted .270, with 58 home runs and 436 RBIs.

Building the Set

December 11, 2020 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards)

On the night I impulsively decided to collect the original Diamond Stars set, and I subsequently purchased the Harvey Hendrick (#41) card from Kit Young Cards, I also added the complete, and first, extended set to my cart for the very reasonable price of $7.50.  The 12 cards in this first extended set were originally issued in 1981.

In the early 1980s, a family member of a former National Chicle employee discovered an uncut sheet of 12 unused cards presumably meant as a 1937 continuation of the Diamond Stars set.  As originally advertised, and as mentioned on the back of every card issued, the company had intended for the set to contain 240 subjects.  They only produced 108 cards before production was halted, and the theory is this newly found sheet represented a "lost" continuation of the set.  Fortunately, the images of the cards made their way into the collecting world and a 12-card "what if" set was created.  (More on the uncut sheet can be found here from SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee and from this Ryan Cracknell article for Beckett.)

Another great article was recently published to SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee website taking a closer look at these extended cards.

The Beckett online database lists the set as "1981 Diamond Stars Continuation Den's" and the set's description notes "This set was created and produced by Denny Eckes.  Hobbyist Mike Galella was involved in bringing this sheet to the the public.  These cards were originally available from the producer for $3."  The back of the cards have a 1981 copyright attributed to Den's Collectors Den, the company belonging to the aforementioned Eckes.

The 12 cards include more ambitious geometric designs than the original Diamond Stars cards,  although the overall color template remains the same as their 1934 to 1936 counterparts.

Variations Available

1 - 1981 / blue back / 1936 statistics / 1981 copyright

The Card / Bees Team Set

Boston's National League team changed its name to the Bees between 1936 and 1940, but the back of this card still refers to Moore's team as the Braves.  As has been the case with all of these extended cards from 1981, the write-up on the back stays true to the spirit of the original Diamond Stars cards.  Moore's card contains a tip for being ready, but relaxed, in the outfield, ready to react to a batted ball "with the carck of the bat."

1937 Season

As mentioned above, this was one of Moore's best seasons and he played in 148 games for the fifth place Bees.  His bWAR of 5.5 was the top among all offensive players for the Bees, and second on the team to only pitcher Jim Turner (bWAR 6.1) who was 20-11 with a 2.38 ERA.  Moore made 148 starts in right field, and interestingly enough the only games in which he wasn't the starting right fielder were the Bees' first two and last two games.  Moore was named to but didn't get into the All-Star Game.

1935 Goudey 4-in-1 (R321)

1939 Play Ball #160

1941 Double Play (R330) #122

1941 Play Ball #25

1991 Conlon Collection TSN #77

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1935 Goudey 4-in-1 (R321)

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Conlon Collection TSN #77

15 - Moore non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/31/24.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #114 Roger Cramer - Boston Red Sox

Next Card: #116 Rip Collins - St. Louis Cardinals

#30 "Heinie" Manush - Boston Red Sox (Variation)

Henry Emmett Manush

Boston Red Sox

Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  200

Born:  July 20, 1901, Tuscumbia, AL

Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1923-1927; St. Louis Browns 1928-1930; Washington Senators 1930-1935; Boston Red Sox 1936; Brooklyn Dodgers 1937-1938; Pittsburgh Pirates 1938-1939

World Series Appearances:  Washington Senators 1933

Died:  May 12, 1971, Sarasota, FL (69)

Hall of Fame Induction:  1964

Heinie Manush was one of the best contact hitters of his era, winning a batting title in 1926 with a .378 average and finishing in the top three in league MVP voting in three different seasons.  Manush was consistently among the league leaders for batting average, missing a second title in 1928 by one point to Goose Goslin (#112).  He led the league in hits in 1928 (241) and 1933 (221) and compiled 200-hit seasons four times.  Goslin led the league in doubles twice (1928 and 1929) and triples once (1933).  He helped lead the Senators to the World Series in 1933, along with shortstop Joe Cronin (#123), but the Giants defeated his team in five games.  Manush was the starting left-fielder for the American League in the 1934 All-Star Game.  Also a fine fielder, he often was among the league leaders for outfielders in defensive categories, finishing in the top ten for fielding percentage nine times.

Manush currently ranks 97th all-time for hits (2,524), 72nd all-time for doubles (491), 40th all-time for triples (160) and his career .330 batting average is 36th all-time.  Following his playing days, he managed in the minor leagues, scouted for the Boston Braves and coached with the Senators in 1953 and 1954.  Manush would also scout for the expansion Senators in 1961 and 1962.  In 1964, the Veterans Committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame granted him induction for his career accomplishments.

Building the Set

February 5, 2024 from Valley Cottage, NY - Card #103

I'm entering rarified air at this point in our Diamond Stars set build, needing just 16 more cards for my version of a master set.  This Manush card, the no "W" variation issued in 1936 after the outfielder had been traded to the Red Sox, had been on my eBay watch list for a while.  When I received an offer from seller OLDBBCARDS Vintage Sports Cards that was fair and reasonable in early February, I didn't hesitate to accept the offer and add the card.  I previously bought the Earle Averill (#35) card from the same seller, so I like to think this card is now reunited with the Averill card.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright / W on his sleeve

2 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1935 copyright / No W on his sleeve ✅

The Card / Red Sox Team Set

When National Chicle re-released this card in 1936, it used blue ink, the back reflected Manush's 1935 statistics, and most notably they removed the W from his sleeve to reflect his move to the Red Sox.  The tip on the back of the card discusses the importance of communication among fielders whenever there's a fly ball - be it in the infield, outfield or in foul territory.  The last line indicates Manush uses "his megaphone voice to direct his teammates" while on the field.

1936 Season

On December 17, 1935, Manush was traded by the Nationals to the Red Sox for Roy Johnson and Carl Reynolds.  Manush had a decent year, playing as Boston's fourth outfielder and appearing in 82 games overall.  He batted .291 with 15 doubles, no home runs and 45 RBIs as the Red Sox finished in sixth place in the American League.  Released by Boston at the end of the season, Manush signed with the Dodgers on December 8, 1936.

1933 Goudey #47

1933 Goudey #187

1934 Goudey #18

1940 Play Ball #176

1954 Topps #187

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1931 W517 #28

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1954

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Panini Cooperstown Colgan's Chips

135 - Manush non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/10/24.

Sources:

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

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #21 Johnny Vergez - Philadelphia Phillies (Variation)

Next Card: #31 "Kiki" Cuyler - Cincinnati Reds (Variation)

#97 "Al" Lopez - Boston Bees

Alfonso Ramon Lopez

Boston Bees

Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  165
Born:  August 20, 1908, Tampa, FL

Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Robins 1928, 1930-1931; Brooklyn Dodgers 1932-1935; Boston Bees 1936-1940; Pittsburgh Pirates 1940-1946; Cleveland Indians 1947

As a Manager:  Cleveland Indians 1951-1956; Chicago White Sox 1957-1965, 1968-1969
Died:  October 30, 2005, Tampa, FL (age 97)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1977

As a catcher, Al Lopez played in 19 seasons and was a two-time All-Star in 1934 with the Dodgers and 1941 with the Pirates.  Durable behind the plate, he at one time held the record for total games caught with 1,918, broken by Bob Boone in 1987 and since bested by nine other backstops.  Known more for his defense than his bat, Lopez was still a career .261 hitter and he hit 51 home runs with 652 RBIs over 1,950 games.

As a manager, Lopez built a Hall of Fame resume by leading the 1954 Indians and 1959 White Sox to the World Series, interrupting a dynasty of Yankee pennant winning teams between 1949 and 1964.  Over 17 seasons as a manager he compiled a lifetime winning percentage of .584, going 1,410-1,004.  In the years between 1951 and 1965, his teams finished in second place or won the pennant 12 out of 15 times.  The Veterans Committee elected him into the Hall of Fame in 1977.  At the age of 97, Lopez watched the White Sox win the World Series in 2005, their first title since 1917.  He passed away four days later and at the time of his death he represented the last living ballplayer who had played in the Majors in the 1920s.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set

January 6, 2024 from Tomball, TX (The Battersbox) - Card #102

Wanting to start the new year off appropriately, I impulsively took advantage of a storewide sale at The Battersbox on New Year's Day, with this Lopez card as the cornerstone of my purchase.  Lopez arrived five days later from Texas, along with three other cards from sets I'm actively collecting (1969 Topps) or soon to be collecting (1955 Bowman and 1959 Topps).

The addition of this card drops the total needed to 17 for my version of a master set, which includes eight more elusive (and expensive) third series cards.

Variations Available

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

Lopez is found earlier in the set as card #28, and he's listed as a member of the Dodgers on the back of that card.

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.  Lopez shows up again as card #97, with the same text on the back save for his 1935 statistics at the bottom replacing his 1934 statistics, and the mention that Lopez is now a member of the Boston Bees.  The ink on the back of card #97 is blue, similar to all cards from the third series.

The Card / Bees Team Set

As I wrote with the post for card #28, this is Lopez's rookie card, and it's one of the more recognizable cards in the set.  There's so much going on here and so many different elements to the action scene depicted on the front.  Lopez is shown tossing off his catcher's mask in an attempt, I think, to catch a foul pop up.  Granted, the angles and the depth perception are all wrong here, but a baseball fan would get the gist of what is supposed to be happening.  We've got shadows behind Lopez and the mystery batter, the mystery batter's hand holding the bat as he completes his backswing and four multi-color pennants in the background to fill the open yellow space beyond the outfield wall.  The back of the card gives the collector a tip on how to prepare as a catcher to throw out a would-be base stealer.  And in what is a first for me, or at least the first time I've seen it on the back of one of these cards, we have a reference to another card in the set!  The collector is directed to view Mickey Cochrane's (#9) card for further catching tips.

1936 Season

On December 12, 1935, the Dodgers dealt Lopez, Ray Benge, Tony Cuccinello and Bobby Reis to the Boston Bees in exchange for Ed Brandt and Randy Moore.  As the regular catcher for the Bees, who had changed their name temporarily from the Braves following the 1935 season, Lopez played in 128 games, batting .242 with seven home runs and 50 RBIs.

1938 Goudey Heads-Up #281

1951 Bowman #295

1960 Topps #222

1969 Topps #527

2022 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary #85

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1934-36 National Chicle Diamond Stars (R327) #28
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1960-1965, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2023 Panini Prize #267

228 - Lopez non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/31/24.

Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog

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

Previous Card:  #96 Lew Riggs - Cincinnati Reds

Next Card: #98 "Schoolboy" Rowe - Detroit Tigers