#134 St. Louis Cardinals Team Card

Topps included full team photos in its baseball card set for the first time in 1956, having previously experimented with team cards in a limited edition 1951 stand-alone set.

Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #13
This was one of the Original 44, and I recently re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Ed Mathews (#107) post.  One of the first three team cards from the set we added to our collection, and I remember being impressed with how Topps included the names of everyone in the picture on the front of the card.  The back of the card was just as cool, with a diagram of the team's stadium complete with dimensions, a brief history of the club and a listing of the team's all-time season records and pennant wins.  

When I originally came across this card, Topps had stopped including team cards in their sets, having last produced a subset of 26 team cards in its 1981 set.  Team cards made a re-appearance in Topps sets beginning in 2001 and through the 2000s, but Topps had to remove or block those people who hadn't signed a contract with the company - most notably batboys and non-player personnel.  That led to weird walls appearing on some cards to hide any non-consenting subjects.  This problem didn't exist in 1956, which is why we're treated to the inclusion of the Cardinals' batboy and the team trainer.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
Our version of this card has seen some love, as it's a little more scruffy than most of the cards in our set.  Stan Musial is noticeably absent from the 1956 Topps set, given the future Hall of Famer did not sign a contract with Topps until a few years later, but he's present on this team card and mentioned in the write-up on the back.  The Gas House Gang of the 1930s gets mentioned too with specific call-outs to Dizzy Dean, Rip Collins, Ducky Medwick, Johnny Mize and Frankie Frisch.

Listed below are the subjects featured in the team photo, including a listing of their 1956 Topps card if they had one.  This team photo was taken after June 3rd, the day Pete Whisenant was acquired from the Braves for Del Rice.  Whisenant is in the second row with his new teammates.

Front Row Tom Poholsky (#196) Red Schoendienst (#165) Bob Stephenson Coach Lou Kahn Batboy Jerry Schroer Manager Harry Walker Coach Bill Posedel Coach John Riddle Wally Moon (#55) Alex Grammas (#37) Stan Musial

2nd Row Mel Wright Rip Repulski (#201) Bobby Tiefenauer Floyd Wooldridge Brooks Lawrence (#305, Reds) Frank Smith Larry Jackson (#119) Pete Whisenant Gordon Jones Ken Boyer (#14) Trainer Bob Bauman

Back Row Bill Virdon (#170) Harvey Haddix (#77) Paul LaPalme Nelson Burbrink (#27) Harry Elliott Bill Sarni (#247) Joe Frazier (#141) Solly Hemus Luis Arroyo (#64)

That's Busch Stadium I on the back of the card, the home of the Cardinals between 1920 and 1966, and formerly known as Sportman's Park before changing the name for its new sponsor in 1953.  The Cardinals played in the cookie-cutter Busch Stadium II, or Busch Memorial Stadium, between 1966 and 2005 before moving into their current home, Busch Stadium III.  Flipping to the back, here are the updated categories:

Most Home Runs - 235 in 2000

Most Stolen Bases - 314 in 1985

Most Double Plays - 196 in 2005
Additional Pennant Winning Teams - 1964, 1967, 1968, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019
Additional Championship Teams - 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006

1956 Season
The Cardinals finished in the middle of the pack in the National League in 1956, going 76-78 for a fourth place finish.  Manager Fred Hutchinson was in his first season at the helm, replacing Harry Walker.  Third baseman Ken Boyer and first baseman Stan Musial paced the offense with Musial winning the team's triple crown.  He batted .310 with 27 home runs and 109 RBIs.

Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell (#193) led the pitching staff with 14 wins, followed by Murry Dickson's (#211) 13 and Herm Wehmeier's (#78) 12.  Dickson and Wehmeier had been acquired from the Phillies on May 11th in a five-player deal.  Larry Jackson was the top reliever, appearing in 51 games and converting 10 saves.

On June 14th, the Cardinals and Giants were involved in a 10-player trade that saw future Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst head to New York.

Cardinals Cards That Never Were
If I were put in charge of a fifth series for the 1956 Topps set, here are the Cardinals cards I'd include:

• Stan Musial (first base) - The biggest omission from the 1956 Topps set is perennial All-Star and three-time N.L. MVP Musial.  He'd first appear in the 1958 Topps set after holding out on signing a contract with the baseball card company.  Topps created a 1956 Topps-style card for The Man in 2011 as part of its 2011 Topps 60 Years of Topps: The Lost Cards insert set.  It's a nice card (shown below) but I prefer the creation of the late, great Bob Lemke, linked here.
• Bobby Del Greco (outfield) - Del Greco appeared in the 1952 and 1953 Topps sets, but spent three seasons in the minor leagues before returning to the majors with the Pirates and Cardinals in 1956.  He was the Cardinals' regular center fielder, starting 87 games there.
• Fred Hutchinson (manager) - This was the first of three seasons Hutchinson managed in St. Louis.
• Lindy McDaniel (relief pitcher) - McDaniel was a September call-up in 1955 and he'd pitch in 21 seasons up through his time with the Royals in 1974 and 1975.  In 1956 he appeared in 39 games with the Cardinals and received his rookie card in the 1957 Topps set.
• Jackie Collum (relief pitcher) - Collum appeared in 38 games for the Cardinals in 1956, securing 7 saves and finishing second on the team in the category behind Jackson.
• Ray Katt (catcher) - Finally, Katt was one of the 10 players who changed teams in the big June 14th trade with the Giants.  He appeared in 47 games for the Cardinals, becoming the team's primary catcher over the final months of the season.

Sources
Baseball Reference