Showing posts with label First Mainstream Card. Show all posts
Showing posts with label First Mainstream Card. Show all posts

Sunday, December 31, 2023

#66 "Ducky" Medwick - St. Louis Cardinals


Joseph Michael Medwick
St. Louis Cardinals
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  187
Born:  November 24, 1911, Carteret, NJ
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1932-1940; Brooklyn Dodgers 1940-1943; New York Giants 1943-1945; Boston Braves 1945; Brooklyn Dodgers 1946; St. Louis Cardinals 1947-1948
World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Cardinals 1934; Brooklyn Dodgers 1941
Died:  March 21, 1975, St. Petersburg, FL (63)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1968

A fierce competitor and by some accounts difficult to get along with in the clubhouse, Joe Medwick compiled a Hall of Fame career over 17 seasons and is the last National League player to have won the Triple Crown.  Medwick became a regular with the Gashouse Gang in 1933, and as the club's everyday left fielder between 1934 and 1940, he made seven All-Star Games and helped propel the Cardinals to a World Series title in 1934.  It was during Game 7 of that 1934 World Series that Medwick was ejected from the game for his own safety, when play had been interupted as Detroit fans threw garbage and other objects onto the playing field.  Medwick had slid hard into Tigers' third baseman Marv Owen (#67), sparking the fans' revolt.  He led the league three years in a row between 1936 and 1938 in doubles and RBIs, with his 64 doubles in 1936 still a National League record.  Medwick's career year came in 1937 when his .374 average, to go along with 31 home runs and 154 RBIs, won him the Triple Crown and league MVP honors.

Dealt to the Dodgers in June 1940, his former Cardinals teammate Bob Bowman beaned him in just his sixth game with Brooklyn, knocking him unconscious and landing Medwick in the hospital.  The beaning caused bad blood between the two teams and an investigation, with Bowman insisting he never meant to hurt Medwick.  Medwick made two All-Star teams with the Dodgers in 1941 and 1942, and made his final All-Star Game appearance with the Giants in 1944.  He was a 10-time All-Star for his career.  His last action in the majors came in 1948 with his old Cardinals' team and he retired as a player after attempting a minor league comeback in the early 1950s.  Medwick batted .324with 2,471 hits, 540 doubles, 205 home runs and 1,383 RBIs.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968 in his final year of eligibility.

Building the Set
December 3, 2023 from Oaks, PA (The Philly Show -  Bagger's Auctions) - Card #96
I wrote a full write-up of The Philly Show from December over at The Phillies Room.  Having added another 145 commons to our 1969 Topps set build, and then securing autographs from Tom Herr and Bobby Wine, Doug and I were ready to call it a day.  

On our way out, I stopped at a table near the exit when I noticed a display with baseball cards from the 1930s, including a few Diamond Stars cards.  I've been watching the Carl Hubbell (#39) card for a while on a few eBay auctions, and given the reasonable price tag on this card for $110, I started a short negotiation with the dealer.  He pointed out there were some other Diamond Stars cards in a bargain bin next to the case, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this extremely reasonably priced Medwick card to pair with the Hubbell purchase.  Both cards joined my Diamond Stars set build and we quickly exited the show soon afterwards, given my now completely empty wallet.

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

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
As discussed in this SABR article, there's some interesting action going on behind Medwick as the slugger takes his swing.  This thread from the social media site formerly known as Twitter has some good theories as to what's going on, and it does appear as if two players and (inexplicably) an umpire are standing around an early batting cage.  The write-up on the back of the card is fantastic.  The author refers to Medwick as "aggressive" and "spirited" and several of his Gashouse Gang teammates are name dropped.  Dizzy (#124) and Paul Dean (#125), Frankie Frisch (#17), Pepper Martin (#26), Leo Durocher (#127) and Bill DeLancey (#81) are all mentioned.  Only Frisch, Martin and DeLancey appear in the original Diamond Stars set with Medwick.

The back also refers to the "sensational" 1934 World Series against the Tigers, and refers to the War, which at the time was World War I.  The world had no idea what was coming in less than a decade.

1935 Season
In his third full season in the majors, Medwick started all 154 games in left field for the Cardinals.  The team's top offensive force, he batted .353 with 23 home runs and 126 RBIs, clinching the club's Triple Crown.  First baseman Ripper Collins (#116) tied Medwick for the team lead in home runs.  The Cardinals finished in second place in the National League, four games behind the Cubs.

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #145
1938 Goudey Heads-Up #286
1941 Double Play #21-22
1961 Fleer Baseball Greats #61
1980-87 SSPC HOF #110

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1935 National Chicle Diamond Stars #66
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Panini Golden Age 5x7 Box Toppers #8

261 - Medwick non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/15/23.

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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.

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Sunday, March 5, 2023

#88 Geo. Selkirk - New York Yankees


George Alexander Selkirk
New York Yankees
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  182
Born:  January 4, 1908, Huntsville, Canada
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1934-1942
World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1936-1939, 1941-1942
Died:  January 19, 1987, Fort Lauderdale, FL (79)

In 1935, George Selkirk had the unenviable task of taking over regular right field duties from Babe Ruth (#109) and he also assumed Ruth's uniform number, #3.  He more than held his own, batting over .300 in five seasons and making the American League All-Star teams in 1936 and 1939.  Selkirk was also a regular for the Yankees team that won four straight pennants and World Series titles between 1936 and 1939.  Selkirk's best two seasons coincided with his All-Star seasons.  He batted .308 with 18 home and a career-high 107 RBIs in 1936, and followed that up in 1939 by batting .306 with 21 home runs and 101 RBIs.  In six different World Series he batted .265 (18 for 68) with a pair of home runs.  For his career, Selkirk batted .290 with 810 hits, 108 home runs and 576 RBIs.  

His playing career was cut short due to his military service in World War II, and when he returned from the war he began a long minor league managerial career.  Selkirk managed in the Yankees and Braves systems until the mid-1950s, winning American Association Manager of the Year honors in 1953.  He worked in the front offices of the Athletics and Orioles before becoming the second general manager in the history of the expansion Washington Senators in 1962.  He was fired from the team prior to their transition to become the Texas Rangers.  Selkirk returned to the Yankees as a scout for his final act in baseball, and he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

Building the Set
February 27, 2023 from New Wilmington, PA - Card #74
On Wednesday night, February 22nd, I sat in the parking lot outside my oldest son Doug's baseball practice between 8:30 and 10pm, too tired to read and bored by what I was scrolling through on my Twitter feed.  As is usually the case in these circumstances, and with no other options to pass the time, I turned to eBay and did some shopping for our growing Diamond Stars set.  We're nearly two-thirds of the way through the set, as I'm focused on my version of a master set - the 108 base cards and 11 notable variations.  I know the set-building is going to slow down considerably once I get down to needing 30 cards or so as the last remaining cards will be expensive, hard to find or both.

By the time the night was over, and Doug and his teammates lumbered outside to find their rides home, I had ordered three more cards for our set, including this Selkirk card from eBay seller Hall of Hobbies, located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.

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

Gehrig, DiMaggio, Dickey and Selkirk
The Card / Yankees Team Set
Honestly, this might be the best card we've added to our set in terms of overall condition and if the card didn't measure up perfectly with other cards from the set I'd seriously suspect this card of being trimmed.  The corners are sharp, there's zero surface wear on the front or back and the card is incredibly crisp.  If I was the kind of collector who was in to having cards graded (I'm not), this would be an excellent candidate.

This is the only card in the set where the player's name is abbreviated on the front, and National Chicle could have easily fit George had they wanted to cover the red support column holding up the grandstand roof.  Two Yankees teammates are making tiny cameos on the bottom left of the card.  This is also Selkirk's first mainstream baseball card appearance, although his 1939 Play Ball card is cited as his rookie card.

The back of the card contains all you need to know about Selkirk, including his task of attempting to replace Ruth.  He fared better than Ben Chapman (#38) and Roy Johnson (not Johnston), both name checked as Selkirk's outfield mates.  Chapman was an All-Star between 1933 and 1936, but then fell off sharply beginning in 1936 when he was dealt to the Senators.  Johnson played in 75 games for the Yankees between 1936 and 1937, batting .273 with one home run.  Selkirk was good, but the trio of Selkirk, Chapman and Johnson wouldn't come close to Murderer's Row.  The Yankees greats named at the end of the write-up are Earle Combs, Tony Lazzeri (#74), Lou Gehrig (#130), Ruth and Bob Meusel (not Muesel), all members of the famed 1927 squad.

Random thought as I'm finishing up this post . . . Selkirk's profile here looks a lot like Gehrig, and both were left-handed hitters.  I wonder if National Chicle had started down the path of trying to get Gehrig into the set and then pivoted to Selkirk instead?

1936 Season
As mentioned above, this was one of Selkirk's finest seasons, and among Yankee regulars only Gehrig, Bill Dickey (#11) and Joe DiMaggio (#126) had higher bWARs than he did at 9.7, 5.9 and 4.8, respectively.  Selkirk's bWAR was 4.2.  He made 109 starts in right field and 21 starts in left field.  In the World Series, won by the Yankees in six games over the Giants, Selkirk played every inning in right field and batted .333 (9 for 26) with three doubles and three RBIs.

1936 World Wide Gum #11
1939 Play Ball #25
1940 Play Ball #8
1992 Conlon Collection TSN #388

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934-36 National Chicle Diamond Stars #88
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1992 Conlon Collection TSN #388

45 - Selkirk non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/23.

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Sunday, February 19, 2023

#65 "Zeke" Bonura - Chicago White Sox


Henry John Bonura
Chicago White Sox
First Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  210
Born:  September 20, 1908, New Orleans, LA
Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 1934-1937; Washington Senators 1938; New York Giants 1939; Washington Senators 1940; Chicago Cubs 1940
Died:  March 9, 1987, New Orleans, LA (78)

Zeke Bonura was an above-average first baseman for seven seasons in the majors, but it was his off field exploits that gained him the most fame in the baseball world.  Way before the beginning of his baseball career, in 1925, Bonura became the youngest male athlete to win an event at the National Track and Field Championships when he set a record with a 68.18 meter javelin throw.  He was just 16 at the time.  Bonura possessed the ability to both hit for average and power, batting above .300 in four of his seven seasons, and driving in at least 100 runs four times as well.  His rookie season in 1934 was one of his best, as he hit .302 with a career-high 27 home runs and 110 RBIs.  He earned MVP votes in both 1935 and 1936, driving in a career-high 138 runs in 1936.  In 1937, his final season with the White Sox, Bonura batted .345, finishing fourth in the league behind Charlie Gehringer (#77), Lou Gehrig (#130) and Joe DiMaggio (#126).

In 1941, Bonura prematurely ended his baseball career and joined the army.  He was stationed in Oran, Algeria on the coast of Northern Africa in 1943, assuming the role of the U.S. Army's athletic director in Algeria.  Bonura organized a huge baseball league, consisting of 150 teams in six leagues and culminating in playoffs and eventually the 1943 North African World Series.  The winning team, the Casablanca Yankees, were presented with baseballs autographed by General Eisenhower.  In 1944, he worked to organize military baseball teams in the south of France.  Bonura was discharged in 1945 and he'd be awarded the Legion of Merit medal for his service.  Upon his return to the states, he'd play and manage in the minor leagues through the early 1950s.

Bonura hit .307 in 917 big league games, with 119 home runs and 704 RBIs.

Building the Set
February 13, 2023 from Pembroke, MA - Card #72
In early February, I came across a few auctions from eBay seller vg-grego with reasonably set Buy It Now prices, and also with Make Offer options.  There were two cards I needed, this Bonura card and the Irving Burns (#75) card, so I submitted reasonable offers for both cards simultaneously and both offers were quickly accepted.  That in itself was the boring part of the story.  The fun part of the story is how the cards arrived.  On February 13th, while working from home, I checked our mailbox mid-afternoon and was surprised to see two identical bubble-wrapped cylinders stuffed in our mailbox from Pembroke, Massachusetts.  The packages were light and addressed to me, and I had absolutely no idea what could be inside.  Coffee mugs?  Something fragile I had ordered and forgotten about?  I usually wait until after my work day to open and admire mailday treasures, but I had to see what was in these packages.

I carefully cut open the top of the first bubble wrapped package, which had been tightly wound with packing tape.  Inside was a tube of bubble wrap, with "Zeke" written in Sharpie on it, and once I unwound the tube, I found this Bonura card in a sandwich bag in a thick screw-down plastic holder.  It was the most impressively packaged, and protected, eBay mailings I had ever received.  If you ever purchase anything from eBay seller vg-grego, rest assured your parcel will arrive safe and secure.

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

The Card / White Sox Team Set
This is another classic baseball card that I remember seeing at baseball card shows and in baseball card books throughout the years, never knowing anything about Bonura.  His 1938 Goudey Heads-Up card is also a card that is very familiar to me too for some reason, and I think maybe I owned a reprinted version of this card?  There's an uncredited White Sox player making a cameo behind Bonura here, picking out his lumber.  

The write-up on the back offers biographical information in lieu of a tip.  His collegiate career is mentioned, but Bonura didn't play baseball at Loyola New Orleans as the school didn't have a baseball team.  Instead, he was a star in basketball, football, and track and field.  Three Italian-American baseball stars are name-checked - Tony Cuccinello (#55), Tony Lazzeri (#74) and Ernie Lombardi (#36) - all of whom had cards in the Diamond Stars set.  I'm going to tag this as a First Mainstream Card, as Bonura's 1934-36 Batter-Up card would have been released right around the same time as this card.

1935 Season
The White Sox would finish in fifth place in 1935 with a 74-78-1 record under manager Jimmy Dykes (#42).  Bonura was again the club's regular first baseman, and his 21 home runs and 92 RBIs were best on the team.  He batted .295 overall in 138 games.  Per his SABR biography, it was around this time Bonura was voted the  most popular Chicago baseball player by Chicago fans, topping all his White Sox teammates and all Cubs players.

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #141
1936 Goudey (R322)
1938 Goudey Heads-Up #252
1939 Play Ball #144
1940 Play Ball #131

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934-36 Batter-Up ($318) #65
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1993 Conlon Collection TSN #738

53 - Bonura non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/19/23.

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Sunday, November 27, 2022

#67 Marvin Owen - Detroit Tigers


Marvin James Owen
Detroit Tigers
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born:  March 22, 1906, Agnew, CA
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1931, 1933-1937; Chicago White Sox 1938-1939; Boston Red Sox 1940
World Series Appearances:  Detroit Tigers 1934-1935
Died:  June 22, 1991, Mountain View, CA (85)

Marv Owen spent nine seasons in the majors, helping the Tigers reach the World Series in 1934 and 1935. Originally called up to the Tigers in 1931, he spent all of 1932 in the International League batting a combined .317 and winning league MVP honors.  He'd return as a regular with the Tigers in 1933 and was the third baseman in one of the strongest infields of the era, along with Hank Greenberg (#54) at first base, Charlie Gehringer (#77) at second base and Billy Rogell (#76) at shortstop.  Owen batted a career-best .317 in 1934 with 98 RBIs, with his Tigers team falling to the Cardinals in the seven game World Series.  During the final game of that series, Owen and Cardinals' slugger Ducky Medwick (#66) were involved in a fight that led to Medwick having to leave the game when Tigers fans wouldn't stop throwing debris his way as he stood in left field.

In 1935, Owen and the Tigers returned to the World Series, this time defeating the Cubs in six games.  The following season, Owen's last great year, he batted .295 with 105 RBIs.  Dealt to the White Sox following the 1937 season, he'd play in parts of three more seasons before retiring as a player.  Owen then began a decade-long career as a minor league manager between 1944 and 1954.  He'd also serve as a scout for the Tigers until the 1970s.  In 1,011 games, Owen batted .275 with 1,040 hits, 167 doubles and 499 RBIs.

Building the Set
November 18, 2022 from Newtown, NJ - Card #67
In a case of pure coincidence, the 67th card added to my Diamond Stars set is card #67 in the set.  This was a somewhat surprising addition, as I didn't expect to be the high bidder on this particular eBay auction.  Seller bcards79 from Newton, New Jersey listed a few Diamond Stars cards for sale, including this Owen card, and I set a relatively low opening bid and ultimately won the card for only $18.50.  Of the 67 cards added so far, this is the fourth least expensive added to date.

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

The Card / Tigers Team Set
I'm going to imagine those are Owen's legendary Tigers infield teammates behind him on this card.  I've heard third base often referred to as the hot corner, but never as the "red light" spot as noted on the back of the card.  Owen was a steady defender at third, leading the league in putouts twice (1934 and 1936) and finishing in the top four for assists in four different seasons.

1935 Season
Owen started 131 of the Tigers' 152 games at third base, batting .263 with a pair of home runs and 72 RBIs.  He slumped in the World Series, batting just 1 for 20 (.050), but he filled in admirably at first base over the final four games of the series when Greenberg went down with an injury.

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #168
1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premiums #A81
1938 Goudey Heads-Up #287
1993 Conlon Collection TSN #941

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934-36 National Chicle Diamond Stars #67
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1993 Conlon Collection TSN #941

23 - Owen non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/20/22.

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Sunday, June 5, 2022

#81 Bill Delancey - St. Louis Cardinals


William Pinkney DeLancey
St. Louis Cardinals
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  185
Born:  November 28, 1911, Greensboro, NC
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1932, 1934-1935, 1940
World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Cardinals 1934
Died:  November 28, 1946, Phoenix, AZ (35)

Bill DeLancey was a key member of the Gashouse Gang Cardinals team that won the World Series in 1934.  Platooning behind the plate with veteran Spud Davis, DeLancey made 65 starts to Davis' 89.  DeLancey batted .316 overall in 93 games, with 18 doubles, 13 home runs and 40 RBIs.  His home run total was third on the club behind Ripper Collins (#116) with 35 and Joe Medwick (#66) with 18.  The Cardinals faced off against the Tigers in the 1934 World Series, with the Tigers featuring an all right-handed starting pitching rotation.  As such, DeLancey caught every inning of the seven game series and contributed a home run with four RBIs.  He received the bulk of the playing time at catcher in 1935, appearing in a career-high 103 games and starting 77 times to Davis' 76 starts.

He slumped throughout the 1935 season and was diagnosed with tuberculosis following the campaign.  DeLancey voluntarily retired as a player in 1936 and a year later took a job managing the Cardinals' Class D farm team in Albuquerque.  He managed the team for three seasons and returned to the Cardinals briefly in 1940 as their third-string catcher.  DeLancey returned to the minor leagues to manage in 1942.  Inactive during the war years, he tragically passed away from tuberculosis on his 35th birthday.

Building the Set
May 3, 2022 from Wenonah, NJ (Gar Miller Cards) - Card #54
Growing up in South Jersey, I'd look forward to the Ocean City Baseball Card show every summer, saving my precious birthday or gas mowing money so that I could spend it all during one glorious afternoon inside the Ocean City Music Pier among dozens of tables of vintage baseball cards.  When my wife Jenna texted me that there was a baseball card show coming up in Ocean City on April 30th, I admittedly got giddy.  We needed 11 cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, I had plans to begin collecting a 1969 Topps set, and I figured I'd add a Diamond Stars card or two to that growing set.  We loaded the family in the car, trekked down to Ocean City, and I stepped inside the Music Pier for the first time in over 20 years.

The memories came flooding back, but none of the former baseball card dealers from my youth did.  There were maybe 15 tables scattered on the lower portion of the Music Pier floor and I immediately scanned mostly shiny slabbed cards, bobble heads, signed jerseys, and nary a vintage baseball card in sight.  It was a little depressing.  Determined to come away with something, anything for my collection, I scoured a "3 for $20" box and came away with a few cards for Doug's collection, namely Alec Bohm relic cards, and six cards from sets I'm not even collecting yet.

All of this is meant as a prelude to how this DeLancey card ended up in my collection.  My budgeted show money burning a hole in my pocket, I navigated over to Gar Miller Cards' online store when we got home and held my own virtual baseball card show.  I added four cards to our Diamond Cards set, crossed off three more cards for our 1965 Topps set and threw in a few cool cards to add to the 1969 Topps pile I've started.

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 DeLancey card for my set is the third of the three variations available, issued in 1936.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
This is DeLancey's first mainstream baseball card, and one of the very few cards issued of the catcher during his brief playing career.  That could be player-manager Frankie Frisch (#17) making a cameo in the background as one of two players apparently having a pre-game conversation.  The tip on the back of the card concerns keeping your ungloved hand curled into a fist when catching, to avoid any unwanted broken fingers.  

1936 Season
With his condition worsening, and having moved to Arizona as the hope was the state's dry air would aid in his recovery, DeLancey voluntarily retired from baseball on February 12, 1936.  With the help of the Cardinals and their General Manager, Branch Rickey, DeLancey did recover enough to return to baseball in 1937 as the manager of the Class-D Albuquerque Cardinals.

1935 Wheaties (BB1) #10
1936 World Wide Gum
(V355) #15
1992 Conlon Collection
TSN #625

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934-36 National Chicle Diamond Stars #81
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1992 Conlon Collection TSN #625

5 - DeLancey non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/12/22.

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Sunday, January 23, 2022

#80 Louis Chiozza - Philadelphia Phillies


Louis Peo Chiozza
Philadelphia Phillies
Second Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  172
Born:  May 17, 1910, Tallulah, LA
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1934-1936; New York Giants 1937-1939
World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1937
Died:  February 28, 1971, Memphis, TN (60)

Lou Chiozza was a regular for the Phillies between 1934 and 1936, playing second base, third base and all three outfield positions.  Selected from the Memphis Chicks in the 1933 rule 5 draft, Chiozza was the Phillies opening day third baseman in 1934 although he'd spend most of that season playing second base.  He'd appear in no less than 124 games during his three seasons with the Phillies, knocking in no less than 44 runs in each of those seasons as well.  For the basement-dwelling Phillies of that era, he was a consistent and steady presence in the line-up.  1936 would see him play in a career-high 144 games, and his versatility allowed him to start 80 games in center field, 27 games at second base, 23 games at shortstop and five games in left field.  Chiozza was traded to the Giants following the 1936 season and he'd play three more seasons in the majors, reaching the World Series with the Giants in 1937.  He suffered a career-ending injury in 1939, colliding with Giants' outfielder Jo-Jo Moore in a game and suffering a compound leg fracture.

Chiozza would attempt a comeback in 1941 back in Memphis, but the leg injury proved too difficult to overcome.  In 616 major league games, Chiozza batted .277 with 633 hits, 14 home runs and 197 RBIs.

Building the Set
January 18, 2022 from Los Angeles, CA (Greg Morris Cards) - Card #39
I was somewhat surprised to win the auction for this card, as my winning bid was lower than I thought the card would ultimately go for.  I had bid on maybe a dozen cards, all ending around the same time, from the same dealer, ultimately losing every auction except this one.  I've won quite a few auctions from Greg Morris Cards while building our 1965 Topps set, but this is the first Diamond Stars card I've won from them.  I usually have a story to go along with a purchase or an addition to my sets, but in this case I just wanted to bid on a bunch of Diamond Stars cards and hope for the best.  

The addition of this Chiozza card gets me to just two cards away from a Phillies team set.  I still need the difficult to find Dick Bartell (#15) card that lists his team as the Philadelphia Nationals on the back, and the third series Ethan Allen (#92) card.  I thought I had the Bartell Phillies card in hand, but I had actually purchased the Bartell Giants card, posted here.

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 Chiozza card for my set is the first of the three variations available.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
I've always felt this is one of the creepiest Phillies baseball cards ever.  As the baserunner barrels towards Chiozza, he's paused to give a sinister looking smile to the camera.  It's just a bizarre picture.  I've included the picture above of Chiozza to demonstrate he didn't always appear to be smiling while hatching evil plans.  Flipping to the back, the reader gets a tip on how to approach hard hit and softly hit ground balls.  This is an ironic tip to use for Chiozza's card, as he'd struggle defensively in the field during his first few seasons with the Phillies.

1935 Season / Phillies Career
As mentioned above, Chiozza joined the Phillies for their 1934 season and was immediately inserted into the line-up as an every day player.  His bat was consistent and in three seasons with the Phillies he averaged .295 over 402 games.  Chiozza struggled in the field, perhaps leading to his frequent position shifts, as he led the league in errors by a second baseman in both 1934 and 1935.  On May 24, 1935, he was the first lead-off batter in the first major league night game, stepping up to the plate at Crosley Field in Cincinnati against Reds' pitcher Paul Derringer.  Chiozza grounded out to short in that first at-bat.

A few days later, on May 29th, Chiozza's base hit against the Braves at the Baker Bowl indirectly led to the end of Babe Ruth's (#109) career.  In the bottom of the fifth inning, Chiozza looped a ball down the left field line that landed in front of Ruth.  As Ruth struggled to reach the ball, Chiozza swiftly rounded the bases and was safe at home.  The home plate umpire called him out though, with the story going that the umpire felt badly for the aging Ruth.  Ruth would bat in the top of the next inning, striking out in his penultimate major league at-bat against the Phillies' Syl Johnson.  Hal Lee replaced Ruth in left field in the bottom of the sixth and the 40-year-old Ruth would announce his retirement from baseball a few days later.

Chiozza's brother, Dino Chiozza, appeared in two games for the Phillies in 1935, making them one of the first combinations of brothers to play together on the same team.  Lou Chiozza's time with the Phillies came to an end on December 8, 1936, when the team dealt him to the Giants for infielder George Scharein and cash.

1934 Diamond
Matchbooks
1939 Play Ball #58
1940 Play Ball #157
1941 Goudey (R324) #3

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934-36 National Chicle Diamond Stars #80
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Conlon Collection TSN #1074

13 - Chiozza non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/21/22.

Sources:

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