Friday, July 26, 2019

#55 Wally Moon - St. Louis Cardinals


Wallace Wade Moon
St. Louis Cardinals
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  169
Born:  April 3, 1930, Bay, AR
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1954-1958; Los Angeles Dodgers 1959-1965
Died:  February 9, 2018, Bryan, TX (age 87)

One of the most recognizable players from the '50s and early '60s, Wally Moon was a steady hitting outfielder who made two All-Star teams and won a pair of World Series rings with the 1959 and 1965 Dodgers.  He was the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 1954 and won a Gold Glove in 1960.  Moon spent his entire 12-year big league career in the National League playing for the Cardinals and the Dodgers, compiling a lifetime batting average of .289.

As a rookie in 1954, Moon had the unenviable task of replacing fan favorite and long-time Cardinal Enos Slaughter (#109), who had been traded to the Yankees on April 11th.  Moon delivered with an award winning rookie season, hitting .304 with 12 home runs and 76 RBIs.  In 1959, Moon's 19 home runs and league leading 11 triples helped guide the Dodgers to an eventual World Series Championship.  He led the league with a .434 on base percentage in 1961 while hitting a career high .328.  He retired as an active player following the 1965 season, but he'd come back to the Majors in 1969 as the first hitting coach of the expansion San Diego Padres.

Building the Set
Nana's Sea Isle house - partially painted in Summer '93

July 31, 1993 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #117
This is one of five 1956 Topps cards I purchased at the Ocean City baseball card show during the summer of '93.  My notes indicate we paid $6 for the card, and it's in absolutely pristine shape.

I already wrote about the summer of '93 with the Frank House (#32) post back in February, but it's worth repeating here.  After missing much of my freshman spring semester with a bad case of mono, I spent the summer mostly resting at home and taking make-up classes at nearby Rowan College of New Jersey (now Rowan University).  Looking back now, it's strange to me that I have so few memories or pictures from that summer.  I found pictures I took from an Orioles-Twins game at Camden Yards with shots of Fernando Valenzuela pitching to Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett, and another picture of Cal Ripken at bat.  There were also pictures of my Nana's house in Sea Isle, which I think I spent part of that summer painting (again).  But that's it.

I know it was just another summer day at the time, but I'd love to have one picture of my Dad and me as we were about to attend this baseball card show that Saturday afternoon in Ocean City.

The Card
That could be Dodgers' catcher Roy Campanella (#101) applying the tag to Moon in a play at the plate.

Kudos to the Topps artist for showcasing Moon's most unique facial feature, his majestic unibrow, in the center panel on the back of the card.  The first panel mentions Moon's time at Texas A&M, where he attended on a split baseball/basketball scholarship.  Following his junior year, the Cardinals signed him for a $6,000 bonus, but his father insisted he only play ball part time while he focused on completing his college courses.

Moon's base running trailed off after his first few seasons.  He stole 18 bases in 1954, had 15 stolen bases in 1959 and never had another season after that with more than seven steals.

1956 Season
In his third full season, Moon hit .298 with 16 home runs and 68 RBIs as the starting right fielder for the Cardinals.  Rip Repulski (#201) in left field and Bobby Del Greco in center kept him company that season.  Led by Ken Boyer (#14) and Stan Musial, the Cardinals finished third in the National League.

1954 Topps #137
 
1957 Topps #65
 
1959 Topps #530
 
1965 Topps #247
 
2017 Topps Archives
Snapshots #AS-WM
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #137
First Topps Card:  1954 Topps #137
Last Topps Card:  1965 Topps #247
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2017 Topps Archives Snapshots #AS-WM
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1954-1965

102 - Moon non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/13/19.

 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.

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Friday, July 19, 2019

#54 Bob Keegan - Chicago White Sox


Robert Charles Keegan
Chicago White Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  207
Born:  August 4, 1920, Rochester, NY
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 1953-1958
Died:  June 20, 2001, Rochester, NY (age 80)

A popular and long-time minor leaguer, Bob Keegan made his debut with the White Sox in May 1953 at the age of 32.  He'd be a steady starter and reliever for the White Sox for six seasons, posting a career record of 40-36 and a 3.66 ERA over 135 games.  Keegan was an All-Star in 1954 and pitched a no-hitter against the Senators in 1957.  His best season was also his All-Star season, in which he went 16-9 with a 3.09 ERA with 14 complete games and two shutouts.

His final season in the Majors was 1958, but he returned to the minor leagues with the Rochester Red Wings (the Cardinals' top affiliate) in 1959, winning 18 games as a 38-year-old.  His stellar season with the Red Wings and an appearance with the Cardinals in their 1960 spring camp earned him a Cardinals baseball card in the 1960 Topps set, even though he never suited up with the team during the regular season.

Building the Set
College graduation, May 1997

July 19, 1997 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #152
Exactly 22 years ago today and for $2, my Dad and I added this card to our set at the Ocean City baseball card show held inside the Music Pier.  We purchased 11 cards that July day - Keegan and eight other commons, along with the Warren Giles (#2) card for $10 and the Ray Boone (#6) card for $5.

I graduated college in the spring of 1997, and that summer was a good one as I worked on the Sea Isle Promenade at a few t-shirt stores.  My days were spent jogging, barely working, reading and sitting on the beach.  Dinner would usually come from Phil's on 37th and Landis Avenue, and ice cream was consumed nightly.

Dad was still working in Millville at the time, and we probably met up in front of the Music Pier prior to his show.  The baseball card collecting landscape changed drastically in the ten year period between 1987 and 1997, with autographed cards making their way into packs and multiple parallel versions of the same card confusing us as "old school" collectors.  Still, I'd give anything to be back inside the Music Pier with my Dad searching for the next 1956 Topps card to add to our set.  I'm sure he was thrilled to find a dealer selling a bunch of '56s in good shape and at just $2 a card.

The Card
It doesn't appear as if Keegan is standing in Chicago's Comiskey Park, as that ballpark had two decks in the outfield.  Keegan's card is notable (for me at least) as it introduces the first card with a blue-red color combination for the player name and team bars on the front of the card.  Blue-red joins eight other color combinations to appear so far in the set.

The back of the card references his time as a college star for Bucknell University and the seven seasons he spent toiling in the Yankees farm system before the White Sox purchased his contract on October 13, 1952.  His bad leg referenced in the final panel was only a pulled leg muscle, and not a broken foot as the cartoon depicts.  And a 20-win season in 1954 would have been tough as Keegan was only 15-7 as of August 21st.

1956 Season
Keegan made the White Sox out of spring training, but wouldn't appear in a game until May 6th as he was used sparingly by manager Marty Marion.  Keegan manned the back-end of the White Sox rotation with fellow veterans Gerry Staley and Jim Wilson (#171), appearing in eight more games through mid-June and pitching to a 4-4 record and a 3.04 ERA.  On July 4th, Keegan was hospitalized with what his official SABR biography describes as a "severe case of hemorrhoids," and the pitcher lost 20 pounds in the process.  He'd appear in just 11 more games that season following his hospitalization.

1953 Topps #196
1954 Topps #100
1957 Topps #99
1960 Topps #291
1977 Topps #436
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1953 Topps #196
First Topps Card:  1953 Topps #196
Last Topps Card:  1960 Topps #291
Most Recent Topps Card (post-career):  1977 Topps #436
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #100
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1953-1960, 1977

18 - Keegan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/1/19.

 I've always been a huge fan of the Turn Back the Clock cards Topps inserted into its sets in the 1970s and 1980s, and I've looked at Keegan's 1977 Topps cards hundreds of times without knowing who he was.  It's cool that I can now connect his 1956 Topps card, and his career, with his card from 19 years later celebrating his best moment in the game.

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.

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Friday, July 12, 2019

#53 Arnold Portocarrero - Kansas City Athletics


Arnold Mario Portocarrero
Kansas City Athletics
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  196
Born:  July 5, 1931, New York, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as an amateur free agent, August 1, 1949
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Athletics 1954; Kansas City Athletics 1955-1957; Baltimore Orioles 1958-1960
Died:  June 21, 1986, Mesa, AZ (age 54)

Arnold or "Arnie" Portocarrero was a reliable starting pitcher for seven seasons, appearing mostly for teams that would finish towards the bottom of the American League standings.  In 166 career appearances, he made 117 starts and compiled a 38-57 record with a career ERA of 4.32.  A highly touted pitching prospect, Portocarrero suffered an injury playing winter ball in Puerto Rico following the 1954 season and he never reached his full potential as a result.  He last pitched for the Orioles in 1960 and started the 1961 season with their top farm club before retiring at the start of the season at the age of 29.

Building the Set
March 31, 1994 in Vineland, NJ - Card #125
This is one of two cards my Dad and I purchased at the Cumberland Mall Baseball Card Show held in late March, 1994.  I would have been home on spring break during my sophomore year of college, and the proximity of this baseball card show would have been too tempting to pass up.  We paid $6 for this card.

The Card
Our version of this card looks as if it could have just come out of fresh pack of 1956 Topps cards.  This is Portocarrero's third Topps card and his final card featuring him with the Philadelphia or Kansas City Athletics.  The first panel on the back references his status as one of New York's top prospects, and his SABR biography mentions the New York Giants had given him a standing invitation to come and practice at their ballpark whenever he wanted.  To the chagrin of the Giants, and the other New York teams, Portocarrero ultimately signed with the Philadelphia A's.

I'm not sure if this has happened before, but Portocarrero's long name on the back means his middle name (Mario) is shortened to just a middle initial.

1956 Season
Portocarrero appeared in three games for the Athletics in 1956, getting hit around in two of those three appearances.  He spent the bulk of the season pitching for the Birmingham Barons in the Southern Association, a Yankees affiliate with which the Athletics had a player sharing arrangement.  With the Barons, Portocarrero went 10-10 with a 3.47 ERA in 29 games, pitching 192 innings.

1954 Topps #214
1955 Topps #77
1959 Topps #98
1960 Topps #254
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #214
First Topps Card:  1954 Topps #214
Last Topps Card:  1960 Topps #254
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #214
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1954-1956, 1958-1960

20 - Portocarrero non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/26/19.

 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.

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Friday, July 5, 2019

#52 Bob Grim - New York Yankees


Robert Anton Grim
New York Yankees
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born:  March 8, 1930, New York, NY
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1954-1958; Kansas City Athletics 1958-1959; Cleveland Indians 1960; Cincinnati Reds 1960; St. Louis Cardinals 1960; Kansas City Athletics 1962
Died:  October 23, 1996, Shawnee, KS (age 66)

Brooklyn's own Bob Grim dazzled as a rookie in 1954, winning 20 games and A.L. Rookie of the Year honors.  He'd pitch for parts of seven more seasons in the Majors, but he'd never reach the career highs he set in 1954 in wins, innings pitched (199), strikeouts (108) and complete games (8).  Converted to a full-time reliever a few years later, Grim saved 19 games in 1957 and was named to the All-Star team.  Grim recorded the final out of the 1957 All-Star Game, getting Gil Hodges (#145) to fly out to secure a 6-5 American League win.

He appeared in two World Series with the Yankees, in 1955 and 1957, but the Bronx Bombers lost both times to the Dodgers and Braves, respectively.  Traded to Kansas City in 1958, Grim was a reliable reliever for a relatively bad Athletics team.  He spent time with three teams in 1960 - Indians, Reds and Cardinals - and came back briefly for 12 games with the 1962 Athletics before calling it a career.

Building the Set
September 20, 2003 in Ft. Washington, PA - Card #243
I purchased only one card for our 1956 Topps set at the 83rd Philadelphia Sports Card Show held in Ft. Washington, PA in September 2003.  This Grim card set me back $5, which is a really good price considering Grim is a Yankee and the card is in great shape.  I had the checklist at right with me at the show, and it looks like this was a one-and-done checklist given that Grim is the only card crossed off.  I don't know when exactly I came to this realization, but when collecting the 1956 Topps set, I soon determined it was easier to have an alphabetical checklist than a numerical one.  Dealers seemed to have stacks of random 1956 Topps cards at baseball card shows, and these stacks would rarely be in number order.  Knowing the team was also important since Yankees, Dodgers and Phillies cards were going to cost us more than say Senators, Braves or Indians cards.

This card represented a small milestone for us as it meant we were less than 100 cards away from completing the set.

I can't recall for certain, but I don't think Dad would have made the trip to Ft. Washington and it was probably just Jenna and me attending this show.  We had recently moved into our first house and I have vague memories of us trying to complete a few early Topps Heritage sets at this show.

A few weeks later, my Dad and I attended the last Phillies games at Veterans Stadium during what was dubbed the Final Weekend.  We sat through the rain on September 27th as the All Veterans Stadium Team was announced, waving to Mike Schmidt as he was driven around the warning track, and we watched the final game on September 28th with 60,000 other fans.  Jenna and my sister Carol came with us to that final game and the post-game ceremony delivered by the Phillies was one of the best things I've ever experienced live at a sporting event.  Dozens of Phillies alumni were introduced with Tug McGraw throwing the final "pitch" and all alumni congregating at home plate one last time.

The Card
The head shot of Grim is the same used on his 1955 Topps rookie card.  That might be Yankee Stadium in the background, although we can't see the famous arched facade hanging over the top deck.  You can barely make out the Gem Razor Blade advertisement behind the right field foul pole, and there was a similar sign in pictures of Yankee Stadium I found from the 1950s.

The last panel on the back references Grim's 20-win season, making him the first Yankee rookie in 44 years to accomplish that feat.  The pitcher referenced is Russ Ford who went 26-6 for the 1910 Yankees in his rookie season.  To date, Ford and Grim are the only two Yankees pitchers to have won 20 games in their rookie seasons.

1956 Season
Grim was 26 years old in 1956, and he appeared in 26 games for the Yankees team that would eventually win the World Series against the Dodgers.  Although he was left off the team's postseason roster, he had a fairly successful season, throwing 74 2/3 innings and compiling a 6-1 record with a 2.77 ERA.

1955 Bowman #167
1955 Topps #80
1962 Topps #564
1994 Topps Archives 1954 #252
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #167
First Topps Card:  1955 Topps #80
Last Topps Card:  1962 Topps #564
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #252
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1955-1960, 1962

Topps produced a 1954 Topps-style card for Grim in its 1994 Topps Archives 1954 release, and I always appreciate when they produce these cards that never were.

34 - Grim non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/18/19.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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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