Showing posts with label 1969. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1969. Show all posts

Sunday, March 3, 2024

#127 Leo Durocher - St. Louis Cardinals


Leo Ernest Durocher
St. Louis Cardinals
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  160
Born:  July 27, 1905, West Springfield, MA
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1925, 1928-1929; Cincinnati Reds 1930-1933; St. Louis Cardinals 1933-1937; Brooklyn Dodgers 1938-1941, 1943, 1945
World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1928; St. Louis Cardinals 1934; New York Giants 1951, 1954
As a Manager:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1939-1946, 1948; New York Giants 1948-1955; Chicago Cubs 1966-1972; Houston Astros 1972-1973
Died:  October 7, 1991, Palm Springs, CA (age 86)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1994

As a player, Leo Durocher relied on his confidence, his cockiness and his fine fielding skills to put together a career that spanned two decades.  He was a member of the Yankees squad that won the World Series in 1928, and the regular shortstop for the Bronx Bombers in the early 1930s.  He won another World Series title with the Cardinals in 1934, and he'd find regular work as the starting shortstop for the Cardinals and the Dodgers throughout the 1930s.  Durocher was named to three All-Star teams, including in 1936 when he batted a career-best .286 for the Cardinals.  A light hitter throughout his career, he finished his playing days with 1,320 hits and a .247 lifetime average.

As a manager, Durocher, nicknamed "The Lip," was credited with the phrase, "Nice guys finish last."  He skippered the Dodgers from 1939 to 1946 and was set to welcome Jackie Robinson to the majors when then Commissioner Happy Chandler suspended him for associating with gamblers.  Durocher returned in 1948 as the manager of the Giants, leading the team to pennants in 1951 and 1954.  The Giants swept the Indians in the 1954 World Series, giving Durocher his third World Series ring.  He'd win a fourth ring in 1963 as a coach with the Dodgers.  Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among major league managers with 2,008 wins.  His 100 career ejections trailed only John McGraw upon his retirement, and has since been surpassed by Bobby Cox, who was ejected 162 times.  Durocher was inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame in 1994.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1969 Topps blog.

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 #120, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

As I slowly collect the originals from the 1930s, I'll also highlight each of the cards from these extension sets with their own posts.

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

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
That's Dizzy Dean (#124) and manager Frankie Frisch (#17) flanking Durocher in a great pose showing the "All-American Out" exiting the dugout.  Durocher appears to be a victim of a hot foot, likely executed by Dean, and he's moments away from wondering why his sock is suddenly so hot.  The scene may have been inspired by the photo shown above with Dean and Frisch standing on either side of Cardinals' general manager Branch Rickey in 1934.  The write-up on the back of the card is fantastic and covers all the highlights of Durocher's career to date.  It also presciently points toward his future as a big league manager.

1936 Season
This was to be one of Durocher's strongest seasons at the plate.  In 136 games, including 135 starts at shortstop, he batted .286 with 22 doubles and 58 RBIs.  He was the starting shortstop for the National League All-Stars, going 1 for 3 in the game with a single off Lefty Grove (#1).  Durocher was thrown out at second by American League center fielder Earl Averill (#35), trying to stretch the single into a double.

1933 Goudey #147
1939 Play Ball #6
1952 Topps #315
1969 Topps #147
1973 Topps #624

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #147
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1952, 1967-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Panini Diamond Kings #31

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

Sources:

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Sunday, February 4, 2024

#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.


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Sunday, October 24, 2021

#28 "Al" Lopez - Brooklyn Dodgers


Alfonso Ramon Lopez
Brooklyn Dodgers
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
October 7, 2021 from Groveland, MA - Card #31
This was an impulse eBay purchase, made while I was enjoying a relaxing birthday at home.  I had added this card to my watch list a while ago, and while reviewing items set to expire soon I decided to pull the trigger on its purchase.  The card arrived safely a few days later from eBay seller yankees78, nestled in a bubble mailer and wrapped in a stack of napkins.

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

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 Lopez's team has been updated from the Dodgers to the Bees.  Also, the ink on the back of card #97 is blue, similar to all cards from the third series.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
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 here.  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.

The color choices used for the Dodgers' uniforms in this set continue to confuse me, as the artist decided to color Lopez's Dodgers hat red.

1935 Season
Lopez was the opening day catcher for the Dodgers, and he'd make 116 starts behind the plate for the club.  Managed by Casey Stengel (#150), the Dodgers finished fifth in the National League with a 70-83-1 record.  Lopez had one of his worst seasons statistically, hitting .251 with three home runs and 39 RBIs.  He led the National League with 15 intentional walks, which is entirely attributable to his usually hitting eighth in the batting order, ahead of the pitcher's spot.  This was Lopez's seventh and final season in Brooklyn and on December 12th, he along with Ray Benge, Tony Cuccinello (#55) and Bobby Reis were dealt to the Boston Braves for Ed Brandt and Randy Moore.

1938 Goudey Heads-Up #281
1951 Bowman #295
1960 Topps #222
1969 Topps #527
2013 Topps Gypsy Queen #183

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:  2013 Topps Gypsy Queen #183

209 - Lopez non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/7/21.

Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog

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