#168 Sammy White - Boston Red Sox

Sammy Charles White
Boston Red Sox
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  195
Born:  July 7, 1927, Wenatchee, WA

Acquired:  Traded by Seattle (PCL) to the Boston Red Sox for 3 players to be named later and optional assignment of Windy McCall and John Hoffman, May 16, 1949
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1951-1959; Milwaukee Braves 1961; Philadelphia Phillies 1962

Died:  August 4, 1991, Princeville, HI (age 64)

An all-around athlete, Sammy White could have signed to play professional basketball with the Minneapolis Lakers, but was forbidden to do so by the team holding his baseball contract - the Red Sox.  With the Red Sox, White was the club's regular catcher and a fan favorite between 1952 and 1959, enjoying an All-Star season in 1953.  His best season came in 1954 when he batted .282 with career highs in both home runs (14) and RBIs (75).  White was known as a good fielding catcher with a strong arm.  He led all American League catchers with baserunners caught stealing in 1955 and 1956.  After nine seasons with the Red Sox, White was traded to the Indians on March 16, 1960, but he refused to report, opting to retire instead, and the three-player trade was voided.  White sat out the 1960 season, returning after a year off to play parts of the next two seasons as a back-up with the Braves and Phillies.

In 1,043 major league games, White batted .262 with 916 hits, 66 home runs and 421 RBIs.  His caught stealing percentage of 47.2% is currently 57th all-time.  White would go on to become a professional bowler and then a professional golfer, spending the last years of his life living in Hawaii close to his friend and former teammate Frank Sullivan (#71).

Building the Set

Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #18
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.  There were a lot of these Original 44 cards bunched together, meaning the original owner must have opened a few Series Two packs.  Seven of the Original 44 came from Series One, with 11 coming from Series Two.  This is the last of those 11, and first ten covered were Mathews, Yogi Berra (#110), Jim Brady (#126), Eddie Yost (#128), Willie Mays (#130), the Cardinals team card (#134), Johnny Logan (#136), Johnny Antonelli (#138), Harvey Kuenn (#155) and Red Schoendienst (#165).

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
At first, I assumed the catcher in the action shot was White but it appears to be yet another cameo by Yankees catcher Berra and White is the runner doing the face plant at home plate.  This card marks White's return to Topps sets after a two-year absence and exclusive appearances with Bowman in 1954 and 1955.  The cartoon panels on the back highlight his collegiate basketball career and his strong throwing arm.  The middle panel shows White scoring three times in one inning - a feat he accomplished on June 18, 1953, when the Red Sox scored 17 runs in the seventh inning at Fenway Park against the Tigers, and they'd go on to a 23-3 win.

If you're keeping score at home, this is the fifth card in the set with the red-orange color bar combination on the front.  Preceding White were Hal Smith (#62), Babe Birrer (#84), Jim Davis (#102) and Jake Martin (#129).

1956 Season

White was the Red Sox' opening day catcher, and he'd make 112 starts behind the plate during the season.  He batted .245 with five home runs and 44 RBIs, and he caught the no-hitter thrown by Mel Parnell on July 14th.

I first wrote about White's appearance in the Norman Rockwell painting The Rookie, back when I posted Sullivan's card.  On an off-day during the 1956 season, White, Sullivan and Jackie Jensen (#115) were told to take a drive to meet with who they were told was a photographer.  The photographer, who was actually famous painter Norman Rockwell, used the photographs he took that day as the basis of his painting, The Rookie, which appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in March 1957.  Sullivan, who actually wore #18 at the time, is the player with the #8 peaking through on his back and White is shown to the far left holding a catcher's mitt.  In 2014, the original Rockwell painting sold for $22.5 million.

Phillies Career
White and Sullivan reunited briefly with the Phillies during the 1962 season.  White was signed prior to the season to serve as a veteran back-up to Clay Dalrymple.  White made 31 starts at catcher, and would ultimately lose additional playing time to Bob Oldis who served as Dalrymple's back-up during the final months of the season.  In 41 games, White batted .216 and appeared in his final big league game on August 23, 1962.  He was released by the Phillies following the season.

1952 Topps #345

1953 Topps #139

1954 Bowman #34

1957 Topps #163

1962 Topps #494

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #345
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1952-1953, 1956-1960, 1962
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Topps Archives 1953 #139

34 - White non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/19/21.

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

Wikipedia

#167 Harry Dorish - Baltimore Orioles

Harry Dorish
Baltimore Orioles
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  204
Born:  July 13, 1921, Swoyersville, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1941 season
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1947-1949; St. Louis Browns 1950; Chicago White Sox 1951-1955; Baltimore Orioles 1955-1956; Boston Red Sox 1956
Died:  December 31, 2000, Wilkes-Barre, PA (age 79)

Harry Dorish, more commonly known by his nickname, Fritz, pitched for 10 seasons in the American League after missing three years in the minors while serving during World War II.  Dorish was primarily a reliever throughout his career and his best seasons came in the early 1950s while a member of the White Sox bullpen.  During his 5 1/2 years with the White Sox, he went 31-20 over 176 appearances with a 3.02 ERA and 39 saves.  He led the league with 11 saves in 1952 and followed that up by saving 17 games in 1953.  Dorish was dealt to the Orioles on June 6, 1955 for catcher Les Moss as the White Sox were in need of more offense.  He pitched well for the Orioles for the remainder of 1955, reunited with his former mentor and now Orioles manager Paul Richards.  Dorish missed time in 1956 after being spiked by the Senators' Clint Courtney (#159) and requiring 12 stitches in his heel and on June 25th that year he was sold back to his original team, the Red Sox.  His last action in the majors came with the Red Sox in 1956, and he'd then attempt to play three more seasons in the minors before retiring.

Dorish earned a lifetime record of 45-43 over 323 games with 48 saves.  He stayed in baseball through the 1988 season as a minor and major league coach and long-time scout spending time in the organizations of the Red Sox, Astros and Indians.  Dorish served as the pitching coach for the Red Sox (1963) and Braves (1968-1971).

Building the Set
December 28, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchase - Card #318

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.

December 24, 2007 - Dad with his first grandson

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 / Orioles Team Set
I'm not convinced that's Dorish at all in the action photo.  The #7 appears to be on the back of the runner's jersey and Dorish wore a uniform number ending in 7 once in his career, with the 1949 Red Sox team.  He wore #12 while with the White Sox in 1955, and took #23 when he joined the Orioles.  #7 on the Orioles in 1955 was shortstop Willie Miranda (#103).  The head shot used for Dorish is the same as his 1954 Topps card, with Topps replacing the White Sox logo on his cap with an Orioles logo.  Flipping to the back, the three cartoons celebrate his success as a reliever, his best pitch - the sinker, and his role as the Orioles' top "reliefer" in 1955.  Topps shaves a year off his birth date too, as Dorish was actually born in 1921.

1956 Season

In his final year in the majors, Dorish began the season with the Orioles, appearing in 13 games.  As mentioned above, Dorish was spiked by Courtney in a game, leading to an ankle injury.  On April 22nd, in the top of the seventh inning of an Orioles-Senators game, Courtney pinch-hit for shortstop Jerry Snyder and was retired with a ground ball fielded by Orioles first baseman Gus Triandos (#80) and fed to Dorish, covering first.  I'm guessing this is when Dorish suffered the spiking injury, as he wouldn't pitch again until May 3rd.  He'd join the Red Sox in early July, appearing in 15 more games.  In total, between the two teams, Dorish appeared in 28 games, going 0-2 with a 3.83 ERA over 42 1/3 innings pitched.

1951 Bowman #266

1952 Topps #303

1953 Topps #145

1954 Topps #110

1955 Bowman #248

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #266
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1952-1954, 1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #110

23 - Dorish non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/11/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

#166 Brooklyn Dodgers 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
December 25, 2003 from Turnersville, NJ (TemDee) - Card #244

How my Dad came to purchase this particular card is a bit of a mystery.  My notes show he/Santa brought me nine cards for our set for Christmas 2003, with all but this card coming from Kit Young Cards in San Diego.  TemDee was a baseball card store formerly located on the Black Horse Pike in Turnersville, New Jersey, originally behind the plaza where there's a current-day Arby's and later moving to the plaza next to White Glove Car Wash.  Sadly, it's now a Domino's Pizza.  Back in the day, it was a glorious mess in there.  

December 12, 2003 - My family at the Buena Tavern

Throughout the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, we'd often take a Saturday drive to TemDee and spend a good chuck of time browsing through the piles of baseball cards scattered throughout the store that mainly housed comic books, toys and other collectibles.  There were boxes upon boxes of vintage baseball cards, but most of them were fairly beat up and we'd often leave the shop with just a few packs of newer cards and maybe a couple of commons from whatever Topps set we were collecting at the time.  But we rarely, with the exception of this card apparently, made any major purchases from the store.  I have no memory of how or why this card entered our collection from TemDee or how much we paid for it.  In later years, after our oldest son Doug started showing an interest in Star Wars men, we'd visit the store in search of an action figure he didn't yet have.  The place was still a complete and total mess, but it was wonderful.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set

This card is one of the priciest team cards to be found in Topps' run of its flagship sets, given the overall popularity of the team and the overall nostalgia collectors feel today towards the Brooklyn Dodgers.  This card, featuring the 1955 World Champions, would have been particularly popular among kids of the day.  It's a same the Topps artist who colorized the photo chose to use blue for the numbers on the fronts of everyone's jerseys instead of the correct color, red.  Listed below are the players, coaches, batboy and club personnel featured on the card and the team photo was taken at some point during the 1955 season.  Frank Kellert, shown on the second row, was claimed off waivers by the Cubs on October 11, 1955.

The card was reprinted and included in the 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set.

Front Row Batboy Charlie DiGiovanna in front George Shuba Don Zimmer (#99) Coach Joe Becker Coach Jake Pitler Manager Walter Alston (#8) Coach Billy Herman Pee Wee Reese (#260) Dixie Howell Sandy Amoros (#42) Roy Campanella (#101)

2nd Row Custodian John Griffin Carl Erskine (#233) Sandy Koufax (#79) Secretary Lee Scott Roger Craig (#63) Don Newcombe (#235) Karl Spooner (#83) Don Hoak (#335, Cubs) Carl Furillo (#190) Frank Kellert (#291, Cubs) Trainer Doc Wendler

Back Row Russ Meyer (#227, Cubs) Jim Gilliam (#280) Billy Loes (#270) Clem Labine (#295) Gil Hodges (#145) Ed Roebuck (#58) Don Bessent (#184) Duke Snider (#150) Johnny Podres (#173) Rube Walker (#333) Jackie Robinson (#30)

I found a color version of the photo with a quick internet search, shown below, and Topps opted to go with a photo without the batboy holding up the "1955" year markers.  I think it's great that club custodian John Griffin made it into the team picture, and that's Griffin on the far left on the second row in the white t-shirt.  The man in the suit is traveling secretary Lee Scott.

Flipping to the back, here are the updated categories through the 2020 season:

Most Home Runs - 279 in 2019

Most Double Plays - 198 in 1958

Most Games Won - 106 in 2019

Most Runs Scored in One Game - 24 in 1996
Additional Pennant Winning Teams - 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Additional Championship Teams - 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988, 2020

The Dodgers of course left Ebbets Field following the 1957 season, moving west to Los Angeles.

2021 Topps Throwback Thursday #24

1956 Season
The Dodgers repeated as National League Champions in 1956, but fell in seven games to the Yankees in the World Series.  All of the major players from the 1955 club returned and the club made only a few roster adjustments.  On December 9, 1955, Don Hoak, Russ Meyer and Walt Moryn were all traded to the Cubs with Don Elston and Randy Jackson (#223) going to Brooklyn.  Jackson took over as the team's regular third baseman as Jackie Robinson was in the midst of his final season.  Duke Snider was the team's top slugger with 43 home runs and 101 RBIs while Jim Gilliam won the Dodgers' batting title with a .300 average.  Don Newcombe went 27-7 with a 3.06 ERA on his way to winning the National League MVP Award and the Major League Cy Young Award.  Clem Labine led the bullpen with 19 saves.  In the memorable World Series, Don Larsen (#332) pitched a perfect game for the Yankees in Game 5 and the Dodgers momentarily held the Yankees off from victory when Labine pitched a 10-inning complete game shutout in Game 6.

Dodgers Cards That Never Were
The Dodgers are very well represented in the 1956 Topps set, but If I were put in charge of a fifth series, here are the Dodgers cards I'd include:

• Don Drysdale (pitcher) - The future Hall of Famer would receive his rookie card in the 1957 Topps set.  Topps produced a "what-if" card for Drysdale this year as part of its 2021 Throwback Thursday online offering.
• Gino Cimoli (outfield) - Cimoli also had to wait for the 1957 Topps set for his rookie card.  Among all Dodgers players in 1956, Cimoli appeared in the most games (73) without earning a card in the set.
• Rocky Nelson (first base) - Nelson bounced around quite a bit, originally playing for the Dodgers back in 1952.  He was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals on July 30, 1956, making it into 31 games for the eventual National League Champions.
• Sal Maglie (pitcher) - Former Giants All-Star and Dodger nemesis Maglie was sold by the Indians to the Dodgers on May 15, 1956.  He went 13-5 with a 2.89 ERA in 30 games for Brooklyn.
• Billy Herman (coach) - Hall of Famer Herman coached for the Dodgers between 1952 and 1957.
• Charlie DiGiovanna (batboy) - Why not?  Charlie "the Brow" DiGiovanna was a long-time batboy for the Dodgers who was widely known to have forged hundreds of player signatures on baseballs and other memorabilia throughout the 1950s at the request of the Dodgers and on behalf of star players too busy to sign.  There's a PSA article, linked here, detailing DiGiovanna's signing habits.

Sources

Baseball Reference

#165 "Red" Schoendienst - St. Louis Cardinals

Albert Fred Schoendienst
St. Louis Cardinals
Second Base

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  February 2, 1923, Germantown, IL
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1942 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1945-1956; New York Giants 1956-1957; Milwaukee Braves 1957-1960; St. Louis Cardinals 1961-1963
As a Manager:  St. Louis Cardinals 1965-1976, 1980, 1990
Hall of Fame Induction:  1989
Died:  June 6, 2018, Town and Country, MO (age 95)

Amazingly, 67 of Red Schoendienst's 76 years in baseball were spent as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals organization.  Schoendienst was a 10-time All-Star, a steady hitter and an above-average defender who led all National League second basemen in fielding percentage in six different seasons.  He enjoyed his finest seasons in the early 1950s, batting over .300 three seasons in a row and hitting a career-high .342 in 1953.  He won his first World Series ring with the Cardinals in 1946 and he won the All-Star game for his league in 1950 with a 14th inning home run.  Schoendienst departed St. Louis in a highly unpopular trade with the Giants in June 1956.  A year later, he was dealt to the Braves and he won his second World Series ring when Milwaukee defeated the Yankees in seven games in the 1957 series.  Schoendienst led the league that season with 200 hits.

After three seasons as a back-up infielder and pinch-hitter back with the Cardinals in the early 1960s, he retired as a player and began his lengthy coaching and managing career.  In 2,216 career games, Schoendienst collected 2,449 hits while batting .289.  He'd manage his Cardinals in parts of 14 different seasons, over four different decades, winning the National League pennants in 1967 and 1968.  His lifetime managerial record was 1,041-955 with a World Series title in 1967.  He served as a coach for the Cardinals (1961-1964, 1979-1995) and Athletics (1977-1978) and won two more World Series rings as a member of the Cardinals coaching staff in 1964 and 1982.  Schoendienst was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Cardinals retired his #2 in 1996.

Building the Set

Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #17
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-posted the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Ed Mathews (#107) post last July.  There are eight Hall of Famers found within the Original 44, although Schoendienst and Larry Doby (#250) hadn't yet been inducted when I first handled these cards.  The other six Hall of Famers are Ed Mathews (#107), Yogi Berra (#110), Willie Mays (#130), Early Wynn (#187), Bob Lemon (#255) and Hoyt Wilhelm (#307).

This post gives me the opportunity to tell my Mr. Mint story.  In the mid-1980s, my Dad and I became familiar with Al Rosen, Mr. Mint, as we'd see him every year at the Ocean City Baseball Card Show.  He'd sit at his table, with nothing on it but his business cards, looking somewhat bored and very smug.  Before one of these shows, a friend of my Dad's brought him a vintage, game-used Schoendienst jersey and asked my Dad to try to sell it for him at the upcoming show.  My Dad's friend was hoping to get at least $100 for the jersey, and I think his floor was maybe $50.  (These prices may not be accurate, given this is a 35-year-old story, but you get the gist.)  My Dad carried around the Schoendienst jersey, which was gorgeous and from the 1950s with two Cardinals sitting on a bat and bearing Schoendienst's #2.  His name was written on the tag sown into the jersey.

After an hour or so of walking around with the jersey, and asking dealers if they were interested in buying it, we came to the conclusion there was only one dealer present who would probably buy it from us - Mr. Mint.  We weren't fans of the guy, but my Dad didn't want to disappoint his friend, so we approached Rosen's table.  My Dad asked him if he'd be interested in buying the Schoendienst jersey and I don't think Rosen ever said hello.  There was no small talk.  Rosen looked it over begrudgingly and said, "$300" to my Dad.  My Dad agreed on the spot and Rosen tossed the jersey over his shoulder onto the table behind him.  He then opened his briefcase and counted out three crisp $100 bills into my Dad's hand and that was it.  No thank you, no conversation, no joy whatsoever.  And that was our first and last experience with Mr. Mint.  We'd see him at future shows and we'd occasionally joke about asking him if he still had the Schoendienst jersey.

As a postscript, my Dad's friend was thrilled.  My Dad made an elaborate show of handing over the proceeds, pretending as if he only received $100 but then telling a tale of exaggerated and lengthy negotiations that ultimately netted the $300 sales price.  He told his Mr. Mint story for years.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
It looks as if Schoendienst and all of his 170 pounds have completely taken out the catcher here, safe at home with the ball trickling out of the mitt.  He returned to Topps with this card after a two-year absence and exclusive appearances in the Bowman sets.  The cartoon panels on the back nicely sum up Schoendienst's career highlights to date - his ability to hit well from both sides of the plate, his fine fielding and his heroics in the 1950 All-Star Game.  With the score tied 3-3 at Comiskey Park after 13 innings, Schoendienst connected off the Tigers' Ted Gray to give the National League a 4-3 lead.

1956 Season

Like all recent seasons before this, Schoendienst was the Cardinals' opening day second baseman.  He appeared in 40 games for the club, batting .314 before the aforementioned highly unpopular trade to the Giants on June 14th.  Schoendienst, along with Jackie Brandt, Dick Littlefield, Bill Sarni (#247), Bob Stephenson and Gordon Jones, were sent to New York for Al Dark (#148), Ray Katt, Don Liddle (#325), Whitey Lockman (#205) and cash.  Schoendienst took over at second base for Daryl Spencer (#277), appearing in 92 games for the Giants and batting .302.  His league record .993 fielding percentage was the top mark all-time for second baseman until Ryne Sandberg broke the record in 1986 with a .994 percentage.

1948 Bowman #38

1952 Topps #91

1957 Topps #154

1967 Topps #512

1990 Topps Traded #113T

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1948 Bowman #38
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (24):  1951-1953, 1956-1962, 1965-1976, 1988, 1990
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2019 Topps Update Iconic Card Reprints #ICR-41

652 - Schoendienst non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/29/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia