1934-1936 Diamond Stars: May 2024

Sunday, May 12, 2024

#74 Tony Lazzeri - New York Yankees

Anthony Michael Lazzeri

New York Yankees

Second Base

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'11" Weight: 170

Born: December 6, 1903, San Francisco, CA

Major League Teams: New York Yankees 1926-1937; Chicago Cubs 1938; Brooklyn Dodgers 1939; New York Giants 1939

World Series Appearances: New York Yankees 1926-1928, 1932, 1936-1937; Chicago Cubs 1938

Died: August 6, 1946, San Francisco, CA (42)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1991

A member of the Yankees' "Murderer's Row," and a slugging, good-fielding second baseman, Tony Lazzeri spent 14 seasons in the majors, winning five World Series rings between 1927 and 1937. Lazzeri secured the everyday second baseman's job with the Yankees in 1926, holding that position for a dozen years. In 1927, he batted .309 with 102 RBIs, finishing third in the league with 18 home runs, behind his teammates Babe Ruth (#109) and Lou Gehrig (#130). He batted a career-best .354 in 1929, while tying his career high with 18 home runs. Lazzeri would hit exactly 18 home runs in four different seasons, and he'd eclipse the 100 RBI plateau in seven seasons. He set an American League record with 11 RBIs on May 24, 1936, becoming the first player to hit two grand slams in one game.

Lazzeri finished up his major league career with brief stints with the Cubs, Dodgers and Giants. He collected 1,840 hits, batting .292 with 178 home runs and 1,194 RBIs. Between 1940 and 1943, he was a player-manager in the minor leagues. Lazzeri was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1991, and despite being overshadowed by his superstar teammates, he's considered one of the best second basemen of his era.

Building the Set

April 25, 2024 from Bayville, NY (Johnny Hustle Card Co.) - Card #107

I added this card to my eBay watch list in April, and shortly thereafter received a $50 off offer from the seller, jhustle1. I'm now 12 cards away from my version of a Diamond Stars master set. The elusive cards needed include five pricey Hall of Famers and seven cards from the hard-to-find (and also pricey) third series. I still have 16 cards to feature from the 1993 and 2014 extended sets, but this blog could go dormant from time to time as I continue the search for the last 12 cards.

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 Lazzeri card for my set is the second of the three variations available.

The Card / Yankees Team Set

I'd consider this one of the more iconic cards in the set, as I've long seen this card as a representation of key baseball cards from the 1930s. The colors, the art deco geometry and the two waving flags behind Lazzeri are a nice touch by National Chicle. The back of the card credits Lazzeri for being "one of the best taggers in the game," and explains the proper way to prepare for a catcher's throw to catch a would-be base stealer.

To date, and with his induction in 1991, Lazzeri is the 37th and final player in the set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

1935 Season

Lazzeri played in 130 games for the Yankees, batting .273 with 13 home runs and 83 RBIs. His RBI tally was third on the team behind Gehrig, who had 120, and George Selkirk (#88), who had 94. The Yankees finished in second place in the American League, three games behind the pennant-winning Tigers.

1926 Exhibits (W461)

1928 W513 #79

1933 Goudey #31

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #45

1940 Play Ball #238

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card: 1926 Exhibits (W461)

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0): N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2022 Panini Absolute - Retail #8

367 - Lazzeri non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/12/24.

Sources:

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

Wikipedia

Previous Card: #73 "Fritz" Ostermueller - Boston Red Sox

Next Card: #75 Irving Burns - St. Louis Browns

Sunday, May 5, 2024

#125 Paul Dean - St. Louis Cardinals

Paul Dee Dean

St. Louis Cardinals

Pitcher

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6'0" Weight: 175
Born: August 14, 1912, Lucas, AR
Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1934-1939; New York Giants 1940-1941; St. Louis Browns 1943

World Series Appearances: St. Louis Cardinals 1934

Died: March 17, 1981, Springdale, AR (68)

The younger brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean (#124), Paul Dean was given the nickname Daffy by the press, despite his relatively quiet demeanor. Dean was one of the best pitchers in the league his rookie and sophomore seasons, winning 19 games each year. Dean was 19-11 in 1934 with a 3.43 ERA and 16 complete games. In the second game of a double header on September 21, 1934 against the Dodgers, Dean pitched a no-hitter after Dizzy had thrown a three-hit shutout in the first game. The Dean brothers led the Cardinals to the World Series and an eventual Championship, recording all four wins needed to defeat the Tigers in seven games. He topped that output in 1935, going 19-12 with a 3.37 ERA and 19 complete games in a career high 269 2/3 innings pitched. The Dean brothers capitalized on their popularity with a traveling vaudeville act and even a Dizzy and Daffy short film with future Three Stooges member Shemp Howard.

Feeling the wear and tear of a non-stop schedule, Dean's arm was constantly ailing, and following his stellar 1935 season he'd never throw more than a 100 innings in a season. Dean hung on through 1943, having a brief resurgence with the Giants in 1940 when he pitched in 27 games and was 4-4. For his career, Dean was 50-34 with a 3.75 ERA in 159 games pitched.

Building the Set

December 16, 2020 from Albion, NY

Within days of officially deciding to collect the Diamond Stars set, I found myself searching for the 1993 extension set consisting of 36 more "what if" cards this time issued by the Chicle Fantasy Company. Individual cards from this set are very prevalent on eBay, but I wanted to buy a complete set to save myself some time and money. Given this is a relatively modern set, I was somewhat surprised at the closing auction prices for previously sold complete sets and I was happy to win my set at a lower price. These cards are gorgeous, and I can tell a lot of hard work and love for the originals went into making this tribute set. What's more, the set's creators were smart enough to start the numbering with card #121, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

Variations Available

1 - 1993 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1993 copyright

The Card / Cardinals Team Set

The back of the card alludes to Dean's troubles following the 1935 season. Likely exhausted from his barmstorming tours with his brother, not receiving proper care for what was a serious arm injury, and reporting to spring training heavier than usual in 1936, all contributed to the gradual end of his baseball dominance.

1936 Season

This was the beginning of the end for Dean. His shoulder injury now diagnosed as a pulled tendon, Dean was essentially shut down for the season by mid-June, making only three appearances in July and August. He was 5-5 for the season with a 4.60 ERA in 17 games pitched, throwing five complete games. Only 23 years old at the start of the season, Dean requested voluntary retirement on August 25th, returning to his farm in Texas to rest.