#129 "Jake" Martin - Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Charles Martin
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'6"  Weight:  235
Born:  March 9, 1932, Brownstown, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, June 28, 1955
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1955
Died:  October 11, 2011, San Diego, CA (age 79)

Paul "Jake" Martin was a big right-handed pitcher singed as a bonus baby in 1955.  He appeared in only seven games for the Pirates in 1955 before suffering a career-ending arm injury.  Martin made his big league debut on July 2, 1955 against the future World Champion Brooklyn Dodgers.  He pitched two shutout innings, striking out three batters - Don Zimmer (#99) and Jackie Robinson (#30) twice.  Martin's next six outings all resulted in at least one run scored with his final appearance on August 16th leading to five runs scored by the Phillies in two innings of work.  His career line was 0-1 with a 14.14 ERA with 3 strikeouts and 17 walks.  Martin was released by the Pirates on April 27, 1956.

Building the Set
October 3, 1988 in Millville, NJ - Card #67
This was one of three 1956 Topps cards my parents gave me for my 15th birthday, the others being Ray Moore (#43) and Dean Stone (#87).  I'm 95% certain my Dad purchased these cards at a baseball card show held at our local YMCA in August and then gave them to me a few months later.  I have in my records that this card cost him $3.  I was more focused on building our 1973 Topps set in the summer of '88, as those cards were more readily available and much cheaper.  My allowance from mowing lawns only went so far.

We didn't get autographs from either of the show's guests, Spook Jacobs or Chris Short and I included the front and back of the show's flyer in previous posts.  I'm kicking myself now, over 30 years later, for not spending the $2 it would have cost me for an autograph and a picture with Short.  

I worked at the Millville YMCA in the summer of 1990 before it closed its doors for good that August.  In 1997, the building was repurposed as an apartment complex with the pool and gym renovated and updated and it's now operated as The Holly City Family Center.

The Card / Pirates Team Set
This is the one and only baseball card issued for Martin during his playing days, given his professional career lasted 7 games.  The card was reprinted for Martin to sign as part of the 2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.  Topps had to act quickly to get pictures of the big righty, as he was only active between early July and mid-August.  This is the first full on profile photo used in the set and Martin's nickname "Jake" is present in his signature.

Flipping to the back, the first two cartoon panels tell the story of Martin's arrival and big league debut against the Dodgers.  The third panel shows Martin's goal of becoming a minister.  I found his obituary, where it mentions he did attend Nyack Theological Seminary in New York and he served as a minister for a short time.  His true calling was has a long-time chiropractor in San Diego, where he lived for nearly 50 years.  As a respected chiropractor, he apparently traded his "Jake" nickname for "Doc."

1956 Season

There's nothing to report here.  Martin was released by the Pirates in April and would never again play professional baseball.  He's the third player to have a card in the set who had already appeared in his final game, joining Nelson Burbrink (#27) and Karl Spooner (#83).

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #129
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #129

4 - Martin non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/27/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

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Set Order: #128 Eddie Yost - Washington Nationals / #130 Willie Mays - New York Giants

Order Collected: #87 Dean Stone - Washington Nationals / #117 Virgil Trucks - Detroit Tigers

#128 Eddie Yost - Washington Nationals

Edward Frederick Yost
Washington Nationals
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  170
Born:  October 13, 1926, Brooklyn, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1944 season
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1944, 1946-1958; Detroit Tigers 1959-1960; Los Angeles Angels 1961-1962
As a Manager:  Washington Senators 1963
Died:  October 16, 2012, Weston, MA (age 86)

As the long-time regular third baseman and lead-off man for the Washington Senators, Eddie Yost earned the nickname "The Walking Man" by topping the American League in walks in six different seasons.  His 1,614 career walks still ranks him 11th on baseball's all-time list.  Yost led the league in doubles in 1951 with 36 and was an All-Star in 1952.  After 14 seasons with the basement-dwelling Senators, Yost was traded to the Tigers in December 1958 to make room for the up and coming Harmon Killebrew (#164).  With the Tigers, Yost enjoyed two of his best seasons, leading the league in runs scored (115) in 1959 and on-base percentage in both 1959 and 1960.  He was selected by the Angels in the 1960 expansion draft and holds the distinction of being the first ever Angel to appear in a game as he was their lead-off hitter in the franchise's first game on April 11, 1961.  Yost retired after 18 seasons with a career .254 batting average, 139 home runs and a .394 on-base percentage.  A fine fielder too, he owned a lifetime fielding percentage of .957.  His 28 lead-off home runs were the most ever until Bobby Bonds broke in his record in the 1970s.

After his playing career, Yost began a 23-year career as a coach.  He briefly served as a player-coach with the 1962 Angels and then began a five-year stint as a Senators coach in 1963.  When his former teammate Mickey Vernon (#228) was fired as Senators manager, Yost served as an interim manager for one game (a loss) before Gil Hodges (#145) took over.  Yost followed Hodges to the Mets where he served as a coach between 1968 and 1976, and he earned his only World Series ring as the third base coach for the 1969 "Miracle Mets" team.  His final coaching job came with the Red Sox under managers Don Zimmer (#99) and Ralph Houk between 1977 and 1984.

Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #11
One of the Original 44, I recently re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Ed Mathews (#107) post.  Given how many times I handled those 44 cards throughout the 1980s, it's amazing this card is still in the great shape it's in.

The Card / Nationals Team Set
In order to be able to spell out Yost's "third base" position, Topps shortened the team name to just "Nats" for the first time in this set.  Presumably under exclusive contract with Bowman, this card marks Yost's return to Topps sets for the first time since 1952.  The back of the card highlights his fine play at third base and his ability to draw walks.  The last cartoon panel mentions his degree from New York University.  I'm assuming he earned his undergraduate degree in 1950, as his Wikipedia biography states he earned his Master's degree in physical education in 1953.

1956 Season

Yost appeared in 152 games for the Senators, leading the league in walks with 151 and earning an on-base percentage of .412 despite a batting average of only .231.  To date, that's the lowest batting average for any player with an on-base percentage over .400 in any season.  Late in the summer, it appeared as if Yost may be on track to break Babe Ruth's record for most walks in a season (170).  However, Yost's 151 walks fell short but still easily lead the league with Mickey Mantle (#135) finishing a distant second with 39 fewer walks.  In mid-September, Yost was replaced at third base by Killebrew for the Senators' final 18 games - a sign of things to come.

1949 Bowman #32

1952 Topps #123

1959 Topps #2

1962 Topps #176 (Batting)

1974 Topps #179

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #32
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1951-1952, 1956-1962, 1973-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2011 Topps Lineage Autographs #RA-EY

77 - Yost non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/27/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #127 Willie Jones - Philadelphia Phillies / #129 "Jake" Martin - Pittsburgh Pirates

Order Collected: #126 Jim Brady - Detroit Tigers / #130 Willie Mays - New York Giants

#127 Willie Jones - Philadelphia Phillies

Willie Edward Jones
Philadelphia Phillies
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  188
Born:  August 16, 1925, Dillon, SC
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1947-1959; Cleveland Indians 1959; Cincinnati Reds 1959-1961
Died:  October 18, 1983, Cincinnati, OH (age 58)

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones was an All-Star for the Whiz Kids, and before Mike Schmidt came along was considered the best third basemen in Phillies franchise history.  Following his time serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Jones was the regular third baseman for the Phillies between 1949 and 1958, accumulating 180 home runs with the club while batting .258.  He was the top defensive third baseman in the National League in the 1950s, leading the league in fielding percentage at that position six times and currently sitting at 49th on the all-time list.  He topped the league in putouts seven times (11th all-time), assists twice and double plays turned twice.  Jones' best season came in 1950 with the pennant-winning Whiz Kids when he batted .267 while hitting his career highs in home runs (25) and RBIs (88).

Jones retired after 15 seasons with 1,502 career hits and he was inducted posthumously into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1995.

According to his SABR biography, his "Puddin' Head" nickname allegedly came from a 1933 song performed by Rudy Valllee and his Connecticut Yankees:  "Oh Puddin' Head Jones was fat and funny / Dumber than sticks and stones. / Now that is just why the kids all called him / Wooden head, puddin' head Jones."

Building the Set
May 21, 1989 in Millville, NJ - Card #73
My notes indicate we purchased two cards at the "Millville Baseball Card Show IV" on this day - this Jones card for $7.50 and the Granny Hamner (#197) card for $10.  My memory is hazy here, but I think this was a very small show (maybe 12 tables?) held inside the cafeteria at Millville Memorial Junior High School on Broad Street.  My Dad was a guidance counselor there for 30-plus years, and I would have been a student there at the time about to finish up 9th grade.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
Jones embraced his nickname, as evidenced by the facsimile autograph here including his Puddin' Head nickname and not Willie.  In the action shot, it doesn't look as if the home plate umpire has made the call yet so I'm declaring Jones safe at home.  The main head shot is slightly different than what Topps used on Jones' 1954 Topps card.

Two of the three cartoon panels on the back of the card rightfully focus on Jones' defensive skills.  The middle panel mentions his four-double game in 1949.  He accomplished that feat on April 20, 1949 against the Boston Braves, driving in three runs in the process, but with the Phillies still losing to the Braves, 6-5.  Jones hit his doubles off Braves' pitchers Bill Voiselle (3 times) and Nels Potter.

1956 Season

A veteran with the Phillies at this point in his career, Jones appeared in 149 games while batting .277 with 17 home runs and 78 RBIs.  Both home run and RBI marks were third on the club behind catcher Stan Lopata (#183) and left fielder Del Ennis (#220).  Jones started all but five games at third for the Phillies in 1956, missing four games at the start of the season and with Bobby Morgan (#337) filling in for him.

Phillies Career
In 13 seasons with the Phillies, Jones appeared in 1,520 games and his 1,495 games at third base for the team are second only to Schmidt and his 2,212 games.  His RBI total of 753 is currently 10th among all Phillies, and he's also in the franchise top 10 for walks (8th with 694).

As told here in a wonderful article that appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer several years ago, Jones also sold Christmas trees during the offseason.

He was somewhat unexpectedly traded to the Indians on June 6, 1959 for Jim Bolger and cash, and less than a month later the Indians swapped him to the Reds.

1949 Bowman #92

1951 Bowman #112

1953 Topps #88

1959 Topps #208

1961 Topps #497

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #92
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1951-1954, 1956-1961
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #41

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

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

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Set Order: #126 Jim Brady - Detroit Tigers / #128 Eddie Yost - Washington Nationals

Order Collected: #294 Ernie Johnson - Milwaukee Braves / #197 Granny Hamner - Philadelphia Phillies

#126 Jim Brady - Detroit Tigers

James Joseph Brady
Detroit Tigers
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  185
Born:  March 2, 1936, Jersey City, NJ
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent, June 9, 1955
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1956

Jim Brady was signed as a bonus baby by the Detroit Tigers while attending college at Notre Dame.  Under the bonus baby rules at the time, the Tigers were required to keep Brady on their big league roster for two years.  He missed all of 1955 due to injury and appeared in only 6 games in relief in 1956.  Brady then played for four seasons in the Tigers' minor league system, missing the 1959 season, before retiring in 1961.  Following his playing career, Brady obtained his doctorate and went on to a distinguished career in college academics, serving on the economics faculty at Notre Dame, holding the department chair of economics at Old Dominion University and finally serving as the president of Jacksonville University between 1989 and 1996.

Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #10
One of the Original 44, I recently re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Ed Mathews (#107) post.  Given how many times I handled those 44 cards throughout the 1980s, it's amazing this card is still in the great shape it's in.

The Card / Tigers Team Set
I'm assuming young collectors would have been confused upon finding Brady's card in a pack of 1956 Topps cards.  He hadn't yet appeared in a game prior to the card's issuance and unless you were a die-hard Tigers fan, you had probably never heard of the young pitcher.  The cartoon panels on the back do a good job of filling in the blanks, given the line where statistics would normally be of, "NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN ORGANIZED BASEBALL."  Brady's contract with the Tigers was for $37,500, and as noted above he had a much more successful career in collegiate academics than he did in baseball.  Topps shaved a month off Brady's age, as his Baseball Reference page gives his birthday as March 2nd, and not February 2nd.

This is Brady's one and only baseball card, and Topps reprinted the card for him to sign as part of their 2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.

1956 Season

On the Tigers roster the entire season, Brady made only six appearances, all in relief.  He made his debut on May 12th, pitching a scoreless inning against the White Sox.  A scoreless inning against the Orioles followed a week later, but then his next four appearances resulted in no less than four runs being scored upon him in each outing.  He finished the season with a 28.42 ERA over 6 1/3 innings pitched, having allowed 21 runs (20 earned) on 15 hits and 11 walks.

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #126
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #RO-JB

4 - Brady non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/19/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #125 "Minnie" Minoso - Chicago White Sox / #127 Willie Jones - Philadelphia Phillies

Order Collected: #110 Yogi Berra - New York Yankees / #128 Eddie Yost - Washington Nationals

#125 "Minnie" Minoso - Chicago White Sox

Saturnino Orestes Armas Minoso
Chicago White Sox
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  175
Born:  November 29, 1925, La Habana, Cuba
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before the 1948 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1949, 1951; Chicago White Sox 1951-1957; Cleveland Indians 1958-1959; Chicago White Sox 1960-1961; St. Louis Cardinals 1962; Washington Senators 1964; Chicago White Sox 1976, 1980
Died:  March 1, 2015, Chicago, IL (age 89)

Hall of Fame Induction:  2022

Minnie Minoso spent a lifetime in baseball, beginning his professional career as an All-Star third baseman for the New York Cubans in the Negro Leagues and ending his career five decades later as a 54-year-old pinch-hitter for his Chicago White Sox in 1980.  In between, Minoso was a nine-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glover, spending the bulk of his 17 different seasons in the Majors with the White Sox.  Minoso led the American League in triples three times (1952, 1954, 1956) and stolen bases three times (1951, 1952, 1953).  He received American League MVP votes in eight different seasons but he never played in a postseason game.  His best season was perhaps 1954 when he led the American League in WAR (of course this wasn't tracked at the time) while hitting .320 with 18 triples, 19 home runs and 116 RBIs.  At one point he was the White Sox franchise leader in home runs (135) and the American League all-time leader in being hit by a pitch (189).  Those records were broken by Bill Melton in 1974 and Don Baylor in 1985, respectively.

Minoso served as a coach with the White Sox between 1976 and 1978, and again in 1980.  He was activated by the White Sox in September 1976 and picked up a single on September 12th at the age of 50 becoming the fourth oldest player to collect a big league hit.  He was activated again in October 1980, but went 0 for 2 in two pinch-hitting appearances.  His #9 was retired by the White Sox in 1983.

Postscript - Minnie Minoso was elected into the Hall of Fame in December 2021 by the Golden Days Era Committee, and he'll be inducted posthumously in July 2022.

Building the Set

June 22, 1990 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #94
I paid $13 for this card and the Don Mossi (#39) card at the annual baseball card show held within the Ocean City Music Pier.  The years 1990 and 1991 saw my Dad and I add the fewest 1956 Topps cards to our set.  I believe this was due to a combination of me being in high school and the fact that we were more actively collecting Topps sets from the early 1970s.

All while slowly collecting the 1956 Topps set, Dad and I first put together a complete 1975 set, followed in quick succession by the 1974 and 1976 sets.  We then began the 1973 set followed by the 1970 set.  We hand collated these five sets during our "golden era" of collecting together between 1987 and 1997.  I finished off the 1972 Topps set on my own in the early 2010s and I added the final card for my 1971 Topps set in December 2019.

The autograph guests at this show were Andy Seminick (#296) and Gene Mauch, neither of whom we stood in line for up on the Music Pier's stage to meet.  Looking back, it strikes me as strange now that neither my Dad or I never really spent much time tracking down autographs from the show's signers and I kind of wish we had.  I'm sure the cost of an autograph from Seminick or Mauch wasn't that much, and it would have been nice to have those memories and those autographs in our collection.

Then again, Seminick and Mauch were signing at night between 6 and 9pm.  This would help explain why we didn't stick around as we would have been long gone from the show by then.

The Card / White Sox Team Set
That sure looks like the Yankees' Phil Rizzuto (#113) manning second base as Minoso is about to slide in.  This is Minoso's first appearance in a Topps set since 1953, as it would appear he was under contract to Bowman at the time.  Topps is off by two years on Minoso's birth year, this time making him older than he actually was instead of going the other way as was more typical back then.  Minoso's nickname of "The Cuban Comet" is referenced in the first panel of the cartoon on the back of the card.  The other two panels focus on his speed and his frequent All-Star Game appearances.

1956 Season

As the every day left fielder for the White Sox, and arguably the team's most valuable player, Minoso appeared in 151 games and hit .316 with 29 doubles, 11 triples, 21 home runs and 88 RBIs.  He was most regularly joined in the outfield by Larry Doby (#250) in center and Jim Rivera (#70) in right.  On September 2nd, Minoso hit his 80th home run with the White Sox, breaking Zeke Bonura's franchise record.

1952 Bowman #5

1954 Bowman #38

1959 Topps #80

1964 Topps #538

1977 Topps #232

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Bowman #5
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1952-1953, 1956-1964, 1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-MMI

196 - Minoso non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/14/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #124 Don Kaiser - Chicago Cubs / #126 Jim Brady - Detroit Tigers

Order Collected: #39 Don Mossi - Cleveland Indians / #10 Warren Spahn - Milwaukee Braves

#124 Don Kaiser - Chicago Cubs

Clyde Donald Kaiser
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  195
Born:  February 3, 1935, Byng, OK
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, February 8, 1955
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1955-1957

The first bonus baby signed by the Cubs, Don Kaiser then had to spend the first two years of his professional baseball career on the Cubs active roster.  He appeared in 11 games in 1955, pitching in just 18 1/3 innings but then became a semi-regular starting pitcher with the Cubs in 1956.  Kaiser appeared in parts of three seasons with the Cubs, making 58 appearances and going 6-15 with a 4.15 ERA over 240 2/3 innings pitched.  Kaiser appeared in his final Cubs game in September 1957.  He was traded to the Braves in December 1957 and then the Tigers in October 1959, but never made it back to the Major Leagues.  He pitched in the minor leagues through the 1961 season, retiring following that season at the age of 26.

Building the Set
February 9, 2002 in Cooperstown, NY - Card #232
This is one of only four cards I purchased in 2002, which was one of the tougher years for me personally.  I made a solo unscheduled and unplanned trip to Cooperstown in early 2002 in an attempt to clear my mind one weekend.  It was an escape.  Thinking back on that time now 18 years later, I realize Cooperstown was a logical choice for me to make my escape as I could leave my present worries behind and live in the past for a few days.  I spent a lot of time walking around the Hall of Fame, taking my time and actually relaxing.

I didn't have a lot of money for this trip, but I visited Baseball Nostalgia that Saturday afternoon and purchased four cards for our 1956 Topps set, including this Kaiser card.  The other three cards purchased were Jim Davis (#102), Joe Frazier (#141) and Tom Gorman (#246) and the four cards together cost me $18.50.  That's a fairly low price to pay for some much needed baseball card therapy.

I'm happy to see Baseball Nostalgia is still open.  My wife and I have discussed taking a trip back to Cooperstown when everything gets back to normal as neither of our boys have ever visited before.  Whenever that trip happens, I'll be sure to pay a visit to Baseball Nostalgia.

The Card / Cubs Team Set
This is Kaiser's rookie card, and the first of only two mainstream baseball cards he'd receive.  I had assumed his action photo was taken at Wrigley Field, but he's wearing a Cubs road uniform here.  Wherever he is, an early arriving fan, wearing a tannish suit, makes a cameo appearance in the background.  On the back of the card, Topps highlights his $50,000 bonus baby contract as well as his successful high school baseball exploits.

Kaiser signed reprints of his 1957 Topps card for inclusion in the 2006 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.

1956 Season

Kaiser spent the entire 1956 season on the Cubs roster, appearing in 27 games and making 22 starts.  He went 4-9 with a 3.59 ERA over 150 1/3 innings pitched, a career high for him over his seven professional seasons.  Kaiser threw his one and only career complete game shutout against the Braves on July 1st, allowing six hits and striking out five.

1957 Topps #134

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #124
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1956-1957
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2006 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-DK

4 - Kaiser non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/14/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #123 Roy McMillan - Cincinnati Redlegs / #125 "Minnie" Minoso - Chicago White Sox

Order Collected: #102 Jim Davis - Chicago Cubs / #141 Joe Frazier - St. Louis Cardinals

#123 Roy McMillan - Cincinnati Redlegs

Roy David McMillan
Cincinnati Redlegs
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  170
Born:  July 17, 1929, Bonham, TX
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1951-1960; Milwaukee Braves 1961-1964; New York Mets 1964-1966
As a Manager:  Milwaukee Brewers 1972; New York Mets 1975
Died:  November 2, 1997, Bonham, TX (age 68)

I first learned about Roy McMillan when researching the long-time shortstop for my 1965 Topps blog.  He's one of those somewhat rare players from this era that up until recently had completely missed my radar, but I'm glad I know more about him now.  

McMillan played for 16 years in the majors, winning three Gold Gloves for his defense at shortstop and earning two All-Star Game berths.  He was never much of a hitter but his stellar defense, his durability and his patience at the plate earned him MVP votes in five different seasons.  He found himself on the cover of Sports Illustrated for its September 9, 1957 issue.

McMillan was the regular shortstop for the Reds throughout the 1950s, appearing in 1,348 games for Cincinnati.  Traded to the Braves in December 1960 for Joey Jay and Juan Pizarro, McMillan's defense never let up as he played for three seasons in Milwaukee.  He wrapped up his playing career as the starting shortstop for the Mets in 1964 and 1965.

He served as a coach for the Brewers (1970-1972) and Mets (1973-1976), managing both teams briefly on an interim basis.  McMillan managed in the Twins system from 1977 to 1980 and served as a Texas area scout for the Expos from his hometown of Bonham between 1982 and 1997.  He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1971.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set

July 30, 1994 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #129
My Dad and I bought this card at the annual Ocean City baseball card show held within the famous Music Pier during the summer between my sophomore and junior years in college.  We spent $41 on six cards for our 1956 Topps set at this show, with the most expensive card being (for some reason) Rip Repulski's (#201) card for $9.  This McMillan card cost us $7.

From the flyer (right), it looks as if The Eastern Pennsylvania Sports Collectors Club (EPSCC) had abandoned its sponsorship of this baseball card show by 1994.  Honestly after they pulled out, the show was never quite the same and the quality definitely suffered.  My Dad would have grumbled at the fact that comic books were now encroaching on the floor space of his beloved baseball card show.  1994 and 1995 were strange years for the baseball card hobby as the player's strike that prematurely ended the 1994 season chased a lot of fans away from the hobby, and some of them have never come back.

Johnny Callison was back signing autographs though, and the former Phillies player was ubiquitous at these events back in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The Card / Redlegs Team Set
That's McMillan and his #11 sliding safely (?) into second base on a play against the Dodgers.  McMillan wore #11 throughout his entire 16-year career with each of the three teams he played for.  And that's second baseman Jim Gilliam (#280) making a cameo here, as you can clearly make out Gilliam's #19.  The back of the card highlights McMillan's defensive skills and rising batting average.  Unfortunately, Topps missed the mark with that one as McMillan was a career .243 hitter.  The head shot is the same as used for his 1955 Topps card, but different from the photo used for his 1954 Topps card.

His SABR biography goes into more detail about his Reds try-out, noting he had played baseball only once in his life - when he was 10.  Still, scout Hack Miller liked what he saw and McMillan was signed to a contract.

1956 Season

This was to be the first of two seasons McMillan would make the All-Star team.  In 150 games with the Reds, he hit .263 with a career-high 62 RBIs.  But it was his superb defense that won him accolades, and at season's end the Cincinnati Baseball Writers Association named him the team's MVP over notable sluggers Frank Robinson and Ted Kluszewski (#25).  He led all National League shortstops in assists, putouts, double plays turned and fielding percentage.  It wasn't measured at the time, but he was also tops in the league in Defensive WAR and his 21.7 career mark is currently 39th all-time.

1952 Topps #137

1957 Topps #69

1963 Topps #156

1966 Topps #421

1974 Topps #179

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Bowman #238
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17):  1952-1966, 1973-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #RO-WW

107 - McMillan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/23/20.

Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #122 Willard Nixon - Boston Red Sox / #124 Don Kaiser - Chicago Cubs

Order Collected: #112 Dee Fondy - Chicago Cubs / #162 "Gus" Bell - Cincinnati Redlegs

#122 Willard Nixon - Boston Red Sox

Willard Lee Nixon
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  June 17, 1928, Taylorsville, GA
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, June 7, 1948
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1950-1958
Died:  December 10, 2000, Rome, GA (age 72)

Willard Nixon spent his entire nine-year big league career as a reliable starting pitcher for the Red Sox.  He compiled a lifetime record of 69-72 with a 4.39 ERA, winning at least 10 games in 1954, 1955 and 1957.  His best season was most likely 1955 when he went 12-10 with a 4.07 ERA and topped 200 innings pitched for the only time in his career.  Known as a "Yankee Killer," four of Nixon's 1955 wins came against New York.  Nixon was also proficient at the plate, as he was a lifetime .242 batter with a pair of home runs and 41 RBIs.  He retired following the 1958 season and served as a scout for the Red Sox until 1963.

Reading Nixon's SABR biography, I found it interesting that one of his lasting contributions to Red Sox collectors was his ability to convincingly forge Ted Williams' (#5) signature.  Clubhouse attendant Don Fitzpatrick told how boxes of baseballs would be brought to Williams to sign and the slugger would give the instruction to, "Give it to Willard."  According to Fitzpatrick, hundreds of baseballs thought to be signed by Williams were actually signed by Nixon.

Building the Set
December 28, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchase - Card #316
I first shared this story with the Roberto Clemente (#33) post, but I'll repeat myself here.  The way my Dad and I finished the 1956 Topps set was somewhat anti-climatic but nevertheless a joyful memory.  Leading up to the Christmas of 2007, my Dad (with the help of my Mom) scoured eBay and other online baseball card stores for the remaining 29 cards we needed to complete the set.  Throughout the weeks and months leading up to the holidays, he knew we had completed the set but he kept it quiet, wanting to surprise me on Christmas morning.  I have no idea, and I'll never know, what the true last card was that he acquired to finish off the set.  And I have no record, nor was he able to tell me, how much they had paid for any of these final 29 cards.

Doug and Dad on Christmas Eve, 2007

Our son Doug had just turned one, and on Christmas morning 2007, we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our families to our house to celebrate the day.  I've had a few rough Christmases, but this was one of the worst as my Dad ended up in the hospital that day and it was the beginning of his health struggles that would continue until he passed away in late 2011.  He was discharged from the hospital three days later, and it was only then we celebrated Christmas together, on December 28th, and I opened the package containing the last of the cards needed for our 1956 Topps set.

Dad was understandably distraught that Christmas, but not solely because of his own health issues.  Because of his unselfish nature, he was worried that he had ruined Christmas for everyone since we had spent the holidays in a hospital.  He was also upset that his surprise package containing those last 29 baseball cards sat in the back seat of his car for three days until he recovered enough to come home.  I was just happy to have him out of the hospital, but I do remember feeling confused and somewhat hopeless as we weren't quite sure yet what was wrong with him.

I don't have any pictures from December 28th, which is unusual for me.  I'm assuming I was just happy that Dad was out of the hospital and taking pictures never crossed my mind.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
I can't tell if that's a 21 or a 15 peaking through on the back of Nixon's jersey.  He wore #21 for most of his career, wearing #15 for only parts of the 1955 and 1956 seasons.  This is Nixon's first Topps appearance since 1953, as he was most likely under an exclusive contract with Bowman in 1954 and 1955.  On the back, his success against the Yankees is noted as is his 1947 and 1948 college record at Alabama Polytechnic Institute.  Alabama Poly updated its name to Auburn University in 1960.

1956 Season

Nixon served as the Red Sox' third starting pitcher for most of the season, behind Tom Brewer (#34) and Frank Sullivan (#71).  He missed time battling both arm and back injuries.  In 22 starts, he went 9-8 with a 4.21 ERA, including 9 complete games and one 11-inning shutout against the Yankees on August 7th.  He out dueled Don Larsen (#332) in that game, as Larsen allowed an unearned run in the 11th to give Nixon and the Red Sox a 1-0 victory.  His season ended prematurely when he exited his September 16th start after just an inning with a sore arm.

1951 Bowman #270

1952 Topps #269

1953 Topps #30

1957 Topps #189

1959 Topps #361

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #270
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1952-1953, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Topps Archives 1953 #30

21 - Nixon non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/23/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

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Set Order: #121 Pittsburgh Pirates Team Card / #123 Roy McMillan - Cincinnati Redlegs

Order Collected: #61 Bill Skowron - New York Yankees / #146 Washington Nationals Team Card