#38 Bob Kennedy - Chicago White Sox

Robert Daniel Kennedy
Chicago White Sox
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  193
Born:  August 18, 1920, Chicago, IL
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1937 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 1939-1942, 1946-1948; Cleveland Indians 1948-1954; Baltimore Orioles 1954-1955; Chicago White Sox 1955-1956; Detroit Tigers 1956; Chicago White Sox 1957; Brooklyn Dodgers 1957
As a Manager:  Chicago Cubs 1963-1965; Oakland Athletics 1968
Died:  April 7, 2005, Mesa, AZ (age 84)

Bob Kennedy played 16 years in the Major Leagues, missing three full seasons while serving in the military between 1943 and 1945.  Most of his career was spent with the White Sox, with whom he had three different stints, and he won a World Series ring with the Indians in 1948.  Kennedy is one of only three players, along with Ted Williams (#5) and Jerry Coleman (#316), who served in both World War II and the Korean War.  He's also the last player to bat for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957 before the team moved to Los Angeles.

Kennedy played every position except catcher and pitcher during his career, accumulating the most playing time in right field.  He was a career .254 hitter with 63 home runs.  Following his playing days, Kennedy served as a head coach for the Cubs' College of Coaches experiment between 1963 and 1965 and he was the first manager of the Oakland Athletics in 1968, following their move from Kansas City.  He also spent time in the front office for the Cardinals (1970-1975), Mariners (1976, prior to their debut), Cubs (1977-1981, as their General Manager), Astros (1982-1985) and Giants (1986-1992) where he worked with his former teammate Al Rosen (#35).

His son Terry Kennedy enjoyed a 14-year career of his own, earning four All-Star Game appearances.

Building the Set
December 25, 2004 from San Diego, CA - Card #254
This is one of six 1956 Topps cards my Dad gave to me for Christmas in 2004, and I never asked him how much he paid for the lot.  He ordered the six cards from Kit Young's Cards in San Diego.  The first of the six cards was Andy Carey (#12) and I wrote about that card here.

The Card
The same head shot is used for Kennedy's Topps' cards in 1954, 1955 and 1956, but each year Topps had to change the logo on his hat.  1954 shows him with the Indians, he's an Oriole in 1955 and by 1956 he was back with the White Sox.

That looks like Yogi Berra (#110) making a cameo appearance in the action shot, and it sure looks as if Kennedy is out at the plate.  Given that his son Terry would go on to be an All-Star catcher, it's somewhat ironic that the senior Kennedy never appeared behind the plate as the first panel on the back of the card points out.

1956 Season
Kennedy was a veteran and 35-years-old during the 1956 season, starting the season with the White Sox.  He'd play only 8 games for the team before he was dealt on May 15th with Jim Brideweser and Harry Byrd to the Tigers for Jim Delsing (#338) and Fred Hatfield (#318).  With the Tigers, he'd appear in 70 games and hit .232 seeing time at third base and both corner outfield spots.  He was released by the Tigers right before opening day in 1957, and signed back with the White Sox.

1951 Bowman #296

1955 Topps #48

1964 Topps #486

1985 Topps #135

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #296
First Topps Card:  1951 Topps Red Backs #29
Last Topps Card (as a player):  1957 Topps #149
First Topps Card (as a manager):  1964 Topps #486
Last Topps Card (as a manager):  1968 Topps #183
Most Recent Topps Card (post-career):  1985 Topps #135 (with Terry Kennedy)
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #155
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1951-1957, 1964-1965, 1968, 1985

48 - Kennedy non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/25/15.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #37 Alex Grammas - St. Louis Cardinals / #39 Don Mossi - Cleveland Indians

Order Collected: #12 Andy Carey - New York Yankees / #44 "Windy" McCall - New York Giants

#37 Alex Grammas - St. Louis Cardinals

Alexander Peter Grammas
St. Louis Cardinals
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  175
Born:  April 3, 1926, Birmingham, AL
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1949 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1954-1956; Cincinnati Reds 1956-1958; St. Louis Cardinals 1959-1962; Chicago Cubs 1962-1963
As a Manager:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1969; Milwaukee Brewers 1976-1977

Known mainly for his glove, Alex Grammas was a steady National League shortstop for 10 seasons between 1954 and 1963.  In 913 games with the Cardinals, Reds and Cubs, he hit .247 and was in the top 3 for fielding percentage among shortstops in 1954, 1955 and 1959.

Following his playing days, Grammas served as a coach or manager between 1965 and 1991 for the Pirates (1965-1969), Reds (1970-1975), Brewers (1976-1977), Reds again (1978), Braves (1979) and Tigers (1980-1991).  He was known as one of the best third base coaches in the game for over two decades.  One of Sparky Anderson's main lieutenants, Grammas was part of the success of the Big Red Machine in the early 1970s, and the 1984 World Champion Tigers, winning three World Series rings with Anderson.

Building the Set
January 8, 2000 in Raleigh, NC - Card #193
Having survived Y2K, I was back in Raleigh for the new year and I acquired this card for $3 at the Raleigh Sportscard & Memorabilia Show.  I bought two other cards that day - Dale Long (#56) and Frank Sullivan (#71).  I have no doubt I would have attended this show by myself, as my Dad was still working and back in Millville.

The Card
That's definitely Grammas making the back-handed stab at shortstop, as he wore #4 for the Cardinals during his first stint with the club between 1954 and 1956.  Topps is two years off on his birth year, as Grammas was born in 1926 and not 1928 as the back of his card states.  Referenced in the middle panel on the back of the card, Grammas was traded by the Reds to the Cardinals for Jack Crimian (#319) and $100,000 on December 2, 1953.

1956 Season
On May 16th, Grammas continued his pattern of bouncing back and forth between the Reds and Cardinals.  Originally acquired by the Reds in 1951, he was traded to the Cardinals in 1953, back to the Reds in 1956 and one more time to the Cardinals in 1958.  In the 1956 trade, he was sent with Joe Frazier (#141) to the Reds for Chuck Harmon (#308).  In 83 games for the two clubs, Grammas hit .243 and drove in 17 runs.

1954 Topps #151

1963 Topps #416

1976 Topps #606

2012 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AGR

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #151
First Topps Card:  1954 Topps #151
Last Topps Card (as a player):  1963 Topps #416
First Topps Card (as a manager):  1976 Topps #606
Last Topps Card (as a manager):  1977 Topps #51
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2012 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AGR
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1954-1963, 1973-1974, 1976-1977

As a coach for the Reds, Grammas also appears on Sparky Anderson's card in the 1973 Topps (#296) and 1974 Topps (#326) sets.

62 - Grammas non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/12/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

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Set Order: #36 Rudy Minarcin - Cincinnati Redlegs / #38 Bob Kennedy - Chicago White Sox

Order Collected: #79 Sandy Koufax - Brooklyn Dodgers / #56 Dale Long - Pittsburgh Pirates

#36 Rudy Minarcin - Cincinnati Redlegs

Rudy Anthony Minarcin
Cincinnati Redlegs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  195
Born:  March 25, 1930, North Vandergrift, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before the 1948 season
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1955; Boston Red Sox 1956-1957
Died:  October 15, 2013, Cabot, PA (age 83)

Rudy Minarcin was a multi-sport star for Vandergrift high school, leading the Phillies to sign him and place him with their Class C minor league team conveniently also located in Vandergrift.  Left unprotected in the 1949 Rule 5 draft, the Reds selected him from the Phillies and he'd make his big league debut with the club in 1955.  Minarcin had missed a few years serving in the military, where he suffered a knee injury that may have contributed to his shortened playing career.

In parts of three seasons, Minarcin made 70 appearances, mostly in relief, and compiled a 6-9 record and a 4.66 ERA.  He'd play professionally in the minor leagues through 1959 before retiring from baseball at the age of 29.

Building the Set
October 10, 1998 in Winston-Salem, NC - Card #161
In what had to have been a post-birthday purchase, I spent $52 in the Season Ticket baseball card store in Winston-Salem for 10 1956 Topps cards.  This Minarcin card cost me $4.  I say it had to have been a post-birthday purchase as I didn't have a lot of disposable income back then, but I made sure that any birthday money from my parents went towards something fun and not towards something practical.

I spent 5 years living in Winston-Salem, but I still managed to get lost driving around in those pre-GPS days quite frequently.  Season Ticket was one of the few locations in the city that I memorized and I could drive to without having to ask someone to remind me of the directions.  I mean no disrespect to the former owners, but the place was a glorious dump.  Baseball cards were stacked precariously and haphazardly throughout the store, there was hardly any flat surface without something piled on it, nothing was ever in order and if you asked for something specific the owners may or may not remember the generally direction of where they had last seen it.

And I loved it in there.  I took my Dad a few times when my parents visited me, and he couldn't wait to get out of the store and back into some fresh air.  Sadly, a recent Google Maps search shows that Season Ticket has gone the way of a lot of hobby shops, and there's now something called Beauty Touch in its place.  But I bet there are still random stacks of baseball cards hiding in a nook or crevice somewhere in the shop.

The Card
I've not been keeping track of this (yet), but Minarcin only appeared in 3 games in 1956 which has to be the least amount of games played that season for a player in the set.  Or at least it has to be close.

1956 Season
Minarcin spent most of the 1956 season pitching for the Havana Sugar Kings, the top farm team for the Reds and located in Cuba.  He had a record of 15-12 and an impressive 2.92 ERA over 40 games (30 starts) before the Reds sold him to the Red Sox on September 9th.  He pitched in 3 games for the Red Sox, getting a win in relief against the Yankees on September 29th.

Phillies Connection
As mentioned above, and on the card's back, Minarcin was originally signed by the Phillies and his SABR biography notes his signing bonus was thought to be $6,000.  Playing for the Class C Vandergrift Pioneers as an 18-year-old, Minarcin went 7-7 with a 3.44 ERA.  Of the 21 players on the 1948 Pioneers squad, Minarcin was the only one to ever reach the Majors.  The Pioneers franchise lasted only four seasons, fielding a team between 1947 and 1950.

(Postcard above from Worth Point.)

1955 Topps #174

2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-RM

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Topps #174
First Topps Card:  1955 Topps #174
Last Topps Card (as a player):  1956 Topps #36
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-RM
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1955-1956

6 - Minarcin non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/11/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #35 Al Rosen - Cleveland Indians / #37 Alex Grammas - St. Louis Cardinals

Order Collected: #15 Ernie Banks - Chicago Cubs / #50 "Dusty" Rhodes - New York Giants

#35 Al Rosen - Cleveland Indians

Albert Leonard Rosen
Cleveland Indians
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  February 29, 1924, Spartanburg, SC
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before the 1942 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1947-1956
Died:  March 13, 2015, Rancho Mirage, CA (age 91)

Al Rosen enjoyed six full, solid seasons with the Indians before back and leg injuries shortened his playing career.  Rosen was one of the most feared sluggers in the American League in the early 1950s, and his monster season in 1953 earned him unanimous MVP honors.  That season Rosen hit .336 with 43 home runs and 145 RBIs, both totals topping the league.  He missed winning the triple crown by a percentage point as Mickey Vernon hit .337 for the Senators.  Rosen was named to four All-Star teams and played in two World Series with the Indians - beating the Dodgers in 1948 and losing to the Giants in 1954.

Following his playing days, Rosen served in the front offices for the Yankees (1978-1979), Astros (1980-1985) and Giants (1985-1992), winning Executive of the Year honors in 1989.

Building the Set
December 6, 1998 in Raleigh, NC - Card #171

Exposition Center at N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh

I paid $8 for this card at a Sports Card & Memorabilia Show held in Raleigh, NC.  I have only a few good memories of my short time living in Raleigh, and attending baseball card shows is one of them.  I believe this show was held at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.

The Card
This is the first card to appear for the Cleveland Indians, the last team to make an appearance in the 1956 Topps set.  Rosen includes his nickname "Flip" within his facsimile autograph on the front of the card.

The back of the card states that Rosen's birth date is March 1, 1925, when in actuality his birth date was February 29, 1924.  He's one of 14 players in Major League history to have been born on Leap Day, the latest of whom was Stefan Crichton, born in 1992.  Crichton pitched in 8 games for the 2017 Orioles.

1956 Season
Rosen was only 32 years old in 1956, but this was to be his last season in the Majors.  He was limited to 121 games due to injuries, hitting .267 with 15 home runs and 61 RBIs.  Al Smith (#105) took over at third base for Rosen in 1957.

Phillies Connection
In 1989, as General Manager of the Giants, Rosen helped engineer the trade that sent Steve Bedrosian to the Giants from the Phillies in exchange for Dennis Cook, Charlie Hayes and Terry Mulholland.  Mulholland would go on to be a key starting pitcher for the Phillies' improbable N.L. championship team in 1993.

1950 Bowman #232

1951 Topps Red Backs #35

1975 Topps #191

2010 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AR

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #232
First Topps Card:  1951 Topps Red Backs #35
Last Topps Card (as a player):  1956 Topps #35
Most Recent Topps Card (post-career):  1975 Topps #191 (with Roy Campanella)
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2010 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AR
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1951-1956, 1961, 1975

143 - Rosen non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/10/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #34 Tom Brewer - Boston Red Sox / #36 Rudy Minarcin - Cincinnati Redlegs

Order Collected: #236 Kansas City Athletics Team Card / #45 Gus Zernial - Kansas City Athletics

#34 Tom Brewer - Boston Red Sox

Thomas Austin Brewer, Jr.
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born:  September 3, 1931, Wadesboro, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1951 season
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1954-1961
Died:  February 15, 2018, Cheraw, SC (age 86)

Tom Brewer played college ball at Elon College, was named to the All-Army team in 1952, and went on to pitch in parts of eight seasons with the Red Sox.  He won 19 games in 1956 and 16 games in 1957, the two best seasons of his career.  Slowed by arm troubles, Brewer retired following the 1961 season at 29 years old.

Building the Set
August 29, 1988 in Millville, NJ - Card #61

1988 Topps #8

We were about a year in to officially collecting the 1956 Topps set when I added four cards to the set through a trade with a friend of mine.  Now my friend probably has no recollection of this, but I'm going to omit his name to protect the innocent.  In the summer of 1988, I was aware of a few different baseball card collectors from my school.  Most of them were busy accumulating as many "Future Stars" cards from the 1988 Topps set as possible, convinced these cards would be worth hundreds of dollars in a matter of a few short years.  The Kevin Elster card was a particularly hot commodity, as was anything with a Topps Rookie Cup on it such as the cards for Mark McGwire, Mike Greenwell, Ellis Burks and Casey Candaele.

My friend had four 1956 Topps cards set aside in an "oldies" pile, and I'm guessing he had added these to his collection by accident or maybe through an older relative.  In any event, I went over to his house this late summer day in August, equipped with my 1988 Topps doubles, and ready to deal.  I don't remember the specifics of the trade, but I ended up with four 1956 Topps commons and he ended up with a small stack of 1988 Topps rookies.  We were both happy with our respective hauls, so in our minds it was a fair deal.

I've lost track of this friend over the years, but his name lives on in my official records of how each card in our 1956 Topps set was obtained.

The Card
I'm embarrassingly bad at identifying old ballparks, but I believe the facade visible right below the blue position/team box indicates this picture was taken at Yankee Stadium.  It looks like infielder Milt Bolling (#315) is loitering in the background of the card, as Bolling wore #2 for the Red Sox between 1953 and 1957.  There's a man in what looks to be in street clothes (a member of the grounds crew?) also standing behind Brewer.

The "Hi-Tom" referenced in the middle panel on the back of the card is the Class D High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms, which would have been a Rookie level equivalent in the minor league system today.  Brewer pitched in Rookie-level baseball in 1951, went into military service in 1952 and 1953, and made the Red Sox club in 1954.  That's incredibly impressive.  Granted, he played baseball while in the military, but that would be like someone today spending a year with the Williamsport Crosscutters, entering the military for two years, and then joining the Phillies starting pitching rotation in year four.

1956 Season
Brewer enjoyed a career year in 1956, earning a place on the A.L. All-Star team and finishing the season with a 19-9 record and a 3.50 ERA.  His big year netted him some A.L. MVP votes, and he finished 22nd overall in the voting.  He was the ace of the Red Sox pitching staff that season, with only Ted Williams (#5) having a higher WAR on the club.

1955 Bowman #178

1955 Topps #83

1961 Topps #434

2010 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-TB

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #178
First Topps Card:  1955 Topps #83
Last Topps Card (as a player):  1961 Topps #434
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2010 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-TB
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1955-1961

33 - Brewer non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/10/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #33 Roberto Clemente - Pittsburgh Pirates / #35 Al Rosen - Cleveland Indians

Order Collected: #174 Glen Gorbous - Philadelphia Phillies / #58 Ed Roebuck - Brooklyn Dodgers