#200 Bob Feller - Cleveland Indians

Robert William Andrew Feller
Cleveland Indians
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185

Born:  November 3, 1918, Van Meter, IA

Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1936-1941, 1945-1956

Hall of Fame Induction:  1962
Died:  December 15, 2010, Cleveland, OH (92)

Bob Feller made his debut with the Indians in 1936 at 17 years old, and over the next six seasons he'd establish himself as one of the best young pitchers of his era.  He missed almost four full seasons while serving in the Navy during World War II, and upon his return he picked up where he had left off, ultimately leading the Indians to a World Championship in 1948.  Feller was an eight-time American League All-Star, and finished in the top three for the league's MVP voting in 1939, 1940 and 1941.  He won a career-high 27 games in 1940, one of six seasons he won at least 20.  A workhorse, Feller led the league in complete games three times, in shutouts four times and in innings pitched five times.  He won the league's ERA title in 1940 with a 2.61 mark.  Amazingly enough, his best season statistically was 1946 after he had been away from the game for three full years.  Feller went 26-15 that season with a 2.68 ERA and led the league in complete games (36), shutouts (10) and strikeouts (348).  He threw three no-hitters in 1940, 1946 and 1951, and he shares the record of 12 one-hitters along with Nolan Ryan.

Feller retired following the 1956 season and had his #19 retired by the Indians that same year.  At the time of his retirement, his 2,581 career strikeouts were third all-time behind Walter Johnson and Cy Young.  His lifetime record was 266-162, with a 3.25 ERA in 570 games pitched, including 279 complete games and 44 shutouts.  Feller and Jackie Robinson (#30) were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, both on their first ballots.

In 2002, while journeying cross country from Chicago to Denver and back, I spent a pleasant hour inside the Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter, Iowa, located in the house where Feller was born in 1918.  In 2015, the house was donated to the city of Van Meter and is now the town's city hall.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1934-1936 Diamond Stars blog.

October 7, 2007 - Birthday celebration with family

Building the Set
October 7, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #309
This is one of five cards I received from my Dad for my 34th birthday, with each card belonging to a fairly well-known player and being a star or semi-star card needed for our set.  Along with this Feller card, I received Roger Craig (#63), Bill Bruton (#185), Don Newcombe (#235) and Don Larsen (#332).  My Dad never told me how much he had paid for the cards, where they came from or how long he had stashed them away before my birthday.  

My family celebrated together that year at Blue Eyes in Washington Township, which has since gone on to changes hands (and names) a few time and is now currently The Village Pub.

The Card / Indians Team Set
This is Feller's final baseball card appearance as an active player and it marks his return to Topps following a two-year absence.  It's a fitting final card for one of the all-time greats, and the cartoon panels on the back summarize three of his top accomplishments.  Feller signed reprints of this card for the 2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.

1956 Season

Feller began his final season in the majors as the Indians' fifth starter, but he was moved to the bullpen after a few rough starts.  He was used sparingly throughout the season, appearing in only 19 games and making only four starts.  Most of his relief appearances came during mop-up roles when Indians manager Al Lopez needed someone to eat innings.  Feller's final appearance came on September 30th, in which he pitched a complete game against the Tigers in a losing effort.  He allowed eight runs on 14 hits and didn't strike out a batter.  Feller was 0-4 on the season with a 4.97 ERA in 58 innings pitched.  He met with Indians general manager Hank Greenberg on December 28th to discuss his future, and following that meeting Feller announced his retirement from baseball.

1937 Goudey Premiums Type 4

1938 Goudey Heads-Up #288

1948 Bowman #5

1951 Bowman #30

1953 Topps #54

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premiums (R314) #C9

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1951-1953, 1956

Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2021 Topps Update Topps Platinum Players Die Cuts #PDC-64

1,166 - Feller non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/29/22.

Sources:

1934-1936 Diamond Stars Blog

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

#199 Hank Thompson - New York Giants

Henry Curtis Thompson
New York Giants
Third Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  174
Born:  December 8, 1925, Oklahoma City, OK
Signed:  Signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Browns, July 17, 1947
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Monarchs 1943, 1946-1947; St. Louis Browns 1947; Kansas City Monarchs 1948; New York Giants 1949-1956
Died:  September 30, 1969, Fresno, CA (age 43)

Hank Thompson was a star for the Kansas City Monarchs, batting over .300 for the club as a 17-year-old in 1943.  He missed two full years of playing time while serving in the Army during World War II, seeing action at the Battle of the Bulge.  Thompson was discharged in June 1946, and returned to the Monarchs where he'd play in parts of three more seasons.  Signed by the Browns in July 1947, Thompson was the first black player for that franchise and on July 20, 1947, he and right fielder Willard Brown became the first black teammates to play in the league.  Thompson signed with the Giants before the 1949 season, with he and Monte Irvin (#194) becoming the first black players for that team, giving Thompson the distinction of having integrated two different franchises.

His best season in the National League came in 1950 when he batted .289 with a career-high 91 RBIs.  As the Giants' regular third baseman, Thompson clubbed 24 home runs in 1953 and 26 home runs in 1954 with his team winning the National League pennant.  Thompson batted .364 (4 for 11) in the 1954 World Series as the Giants swept the Indians in four games, and he set a four-game Series record with seven walks.  Although his Negro League records are incomplete, Thompson's career records currently show him with a .275 average in 1,087 games, with 983 hits, 144 home runs and 568 RBIs.

Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #215
I went nuts and bought 16 cards for our 1956 Topps set on this day at the Sports Card & NASCAR Collectibles Show in Raleigh.  My records show the 16 cards set me back $55 which I would have considered to be a small fortune back then.  I hadn't yet moved back north yet, so I was still living in Raleigh at this time planning for my eventual escape.  I would have provided my Dad with an updated checklist following this show as he was back in New Jersey.

The Card / Giants Team Set
Thompson was exclusively with Bowman in 1955, and this marks his return to Topps after a one year absence.  The main picture used here is different than the picture used for his 1954 Topps card.  In the action shot, Thompson ranges to his left to field a ground ball and I'm going to go ahead and call the batter out on this play.

On the back, the first cartoon panels notes Thompson holds the record for double plays by a third baseman.  He turned 43 at the position in 1950, and Graig Nettles holds the record now with 54 double plays turned in 1971 while playing third base with the Indians.  Thompson's starring role in the 1954 World Series is highlighted in the middle panel.

1956 Season

In his final season in the majors, Thompson was once again the Giants' opening day third baseman.  However, Foster Castleman (#271) would receive most of the starts at third for the team as the season progressed.  Thompson appeared in 83 games overall, batting .235 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs.  His final appearance came on September 30th in the second game of a double header agains the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium.  Thompson pinch-hit for pitcher Steve Ridzik in the seventh inning, and he popped out to first against Phillies pitcher Curt Simmons (#290).  He'd play part of the 1957 season with the Giants' Triple-A team in Minneapolis before retiring from the game.

1950 Bowman #174

1952 Topps #3

1954 Topps #64

1955 Bowman #94

1957 Topps #109

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #174
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1951-1954, 1956-1957
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #64

36 - Thompson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/22/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

#198 Ed FitzGerald - Washington Nationals

Edward Raymond FitzGerald
Washington Nationals
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  May 21, 1924, Santa Ynez, CA
Acquired:  Traded by Sacramento (PCL) to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later, plus cash, plus 3 players, plus 2 players on option, September 7, 1947
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1948-1953; Washington Senators 1953-1959; Cleveland Indians 1959
Died:  June 14, 2020, Folsom, CA (age 96)

Ed FitzGerald began his professional baseball career after serving in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II.  A hot prospect for the Sacramento Solons in the Pacific Coast League, the Pirates acquired FitzGerald following the 1947 season.  With new partial owner Bing Crosby providing extra cash, the Pirates acquired FitzGerald for a reported $65,000 and three additional players.  FitzGerald and Clyde Kluttz split catching duties for the Pirates in 1948, and FitzGerald would settle in as Pittsburgh's back-up backstop for four more seasons.  He caught the no-hitter thrown by Pirates' pitcher Cliff Chambers on May 6, 1951.  In May 1953, he was sold to the Senators and he'd put together his best season the following year.  In 1954, FitzGerald appeared in a career-high 115 games, batting .289 with four home runs and 40 doubles.

He'd revert to a back-up role for the remaining years of his career, playing through the 1959 season.  On June 27, 1958, FitzGerald broke up White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce's (#160) perfect game with a two-out double in the ninth inning.  FitzGerald played in 807 big league games, batting .260 with 19 home runs and 217 RBIs.  He coached for the Indians (1960), Athletics (1961) and Twins (1962-1964) and managed the Single-A Fresno Giants in 1965 and 1966.

Building the Set

Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #22
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Early Wynn (#187) post, back in January.  Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and this is the fourth of 16 from series three.  The first card from series three was the Billy Martin (#181) card, recently covered in last week's post.

The Card / Nationals Team Set
As a youngster, looking at this card for the first time, I distinctly remember thinking, "This guy has an almost perfectly oval face."  I'm using the Baseball Reference spelling of his name (FitzGerald) for this post, as opposed to the Wikipedia spelling (Fitz Gerald) or the spelling used by Topps (Fitzgerald).  His facsimile autograph would seem to show he preferred the Fitz Gerald spelling.  In what I believe to be a first for this set, the action shot completely obscures FitzGerald.  Unless he's the batter here, he's being completely blocked from the shot by the home plate umpire.  My guess?  That could be anyone.  Topps needed an action shot for the card and someone opted to get creative and hope collectors didn't question the photo choice.  This is FitzGerald's first appearance in a Topps set since their 1952 release.

The Topps cartoonist should be given credit here for coming up with three panels' worth of semi-interesting facts on the back of the card about FitzGerald's career.

1956 Season

FitzGerald was once of three catchers used by the Senators throughout the 1956 season, with both Clint Courtney (#159 - 66 starts) and Lou Berberet (#329 - 54 starts), receiving more playing time than him (35 starts).  FitzGerald appeared in 64 games overall, batting .304 with a pair of home runs and 12 RBIs.  He made 18 pinch-hit appearances, batting .188 (3 for 16) in that role.

1949 Bowman #109

1952 Topps #236

1954 Bowman #168

1958 Topps #236

1960 Topps #423

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #109
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1952, 1956-1960
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1983 Topps 1952 Reprint Series #236

29 - FitzGerald non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/14/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

#197 Granny Hamner - Philadelphia Phillies

Granville Wilbur Hamner
Philadelphia Phillies
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  163
Born:  April 26, 1927, Richmond, VA
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent, September 1944
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1944-1959; Cleveland Indians 1959; Kansas City Athletics 1962
Died:  September 12, 1993, Philadelphia, PA (age 66)

Granny Hamner made his debut with the Phillies as a 17-year-old in the middle of World War II, when player shortages pushed teens such as himself into the big leagues.  He played in parts of 16 seasons with the Phillies, serving as the shortstop for the 1950 National League Champion Whiz Kids and earning his way onto three All-Star teams between 1952 and 1954.  Those were his three best seasons.  Manager Eddie Sawyer named Hamner team captain of the Phillies in spring training 1952.  Hamner had at least 30 doubles in each of those three seasons, hitting career highs in home runs (21) and RBIs (92) in 1953.  He batted a career high .299 in 1954.  His production tailed off following the 1955 season and Hamner was dealt to the Indians in May 1959 for Humberto Robinson.  He'd last appear in the majors in 1962, as a pitcher, making three relief appearances with the Athletics.

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

Hamner had a lifetime average of .262 in 1,531 games, collecting 1,529 hits, 104 home runs and 708 RBIs.  Following his playing days, he returned to the Phillies organization working as a manager and instructor in the team's minor league system throughout the 1970s and 1980s.  He was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1987.  Hamner's older brother Garvin, a second baseman, appeared in 32 games for the Phillies in 1945.

Building the Set
May 21, 1989 in Millville, NJ - Card #74
My notes indicate we purchased two cards at the "Millville Baseball Card Show IV" on this day - this Hamner card for $10 and the Willie Jones (#127) card for $7.50.  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 at the school about to finish up 9th grade at the time.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
I spent a little bit of time trying to identify the catcher presumably tagging Hamner out at the plate in the action photo, but I came up empty.  That appears to be a #6 on the catcher's back and there were two catchers in 1955 who were that number, both with the Reds - Ed Bailey and Matt Batts.  Hamner scored seven runs against the Reds in 1955, and each time the catcher was either Smoky Burgess (#192) or Hobie Landrith (#314).  So I can rule out Bailey and Batts, and the number would appear to be blue anyway, most likely ruling out the Reds altogether too.  The identify of the catcher remains a mystery (for now).

This marks Hamner's return to Topps following a one-year absence.  The cartoon panels on the back highlight his veteran status, despite being only 30 years old, his World Series batting average, and his  league-leading 101 double plays from 1949.

1956 Season

Hamner was once again the opening day shortstop, and he had a new regular double play partner with Ted Kazanski at second base.  Hamner started 101 games at short, losing playing time as the season went on to Roy Smalley, who made 53 starts.  The Phillies were a disappointing 71-83, with Hamner's season-long slump not helping matters much.  He batted .224 with four home runs and 42 RBIs, and a lingering left shoulder injury convinced Hamner to try to resurrect his career as a pitcher.  On July 22nd, Hamner pitched a scoreless inning of mop-up relief, striking out two Braves batters.  He'd pitch three innings of relief on August 26th, and was called upon to make an emergency start on August 31st when scheduled starter Harvey Haddix (#77) went down with an injury.  In his only career start as a pitcher, Hamner threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits against the Pirates.

Phillies Career
Even though the Yankees swept the Phillies in the 1950 World Series, Hamner cemented his popularity in Philadelphia by batting .429 (6 for 14) with a pair of doubles and triple in the postseason.  Unfortunately, he also had a critical error in the series, with his mishandling of a ground ball in the eighth inning of Game 3 ultimately leading to a Yankees win.  Hamner played 924 games at shortstop for the Phillies, fourth on the all-time franchise list behind Jimmy Rollins (2,058), Larry Bowa (1,730) and Mickey Doolan (1,297).

1950 Bowman #204

1952 Topps #221

1954 Topps #24

1957 Topps #335

1959 Topps #436

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #204
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1951-1954, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #24

56 - Hamner non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/5/22.

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

Wikipedia

#196 Tom Poholsky - St. Louis Cardinals

Thomas George Poholsky
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  205
Born:  August 26, 1929, Detroit, MI
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1945 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1950-1951, 1954-1956; Chicago Cubs 1957
Died:  January 6, 2001, Kirkwood, MO (age 71)

With the rosters of professional baseball teams decimated by World War II in the early 1940s, players like Tom Poholsky were given a chance to play.  Poholsky made his debut in the Red Sox system at the age of 15 in 1945, and he'd enjoy his best seasons in the minor leagues.  He was a 16-game winner in 1947 and an 18-game winner in 1950 with a 2.17 ERA for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.  He'd earn a promotion to the Cardinals in 1950 and win the International League's Most Valuable Player honors.  On August 13, 1950, Poholsky earned the win in a game in which he pitched 20 scoreless innings against the Jersey City Giants.

He was a member of the Cardinals starting pitching rotation for parts of four seasons, but he could never repeat the success he had found in the minors.  Poholsky's best season with the Cardinals came in 1955 when he went 9-11 with a 3.81 ERA in 30 appearances.  For his career, Poholsky was 31-52 with a 3.93 ERA in 753 2/3 innings pitched, collecting 316 strikeouts.  He was inducted into the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame in 1990.

Building the Set
September 25, 2005 in Ft. Washington, PA - Card #263
This was a late edition to our set and one of 11 cards we purchased at the 92nd Philadelphia Sports Card Show held at the convention center in Ft. Washington.  My records show we paid $5 for this card. With the Ocean City baseball card shows long gone by now, our only options for local baseball card shows were the "Philly Shows" held in Ft. Washington at the time or the occasional mall baseball card show.

August 14, 2005 - Dad and me at Yankee Stadium

My Dad didn't like the drive to Ft. Washington, and this would have been one of only a few shows we attended together in this location.  Our next show together was a few months later in December, also in Ft. Washington.  Looking at my records of when and where we purchased our cards, a full year would go by before we'd add any more cards to the set after that December show.

The year-long hiatus in collecting the set came at a time my wife and I were expecting our first son and as we moved into our first real house, so we had a pretty good excuse not to be purchasing baseball cards at the time.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
Poholsky was omitted from the 1955 Topps set, but the photo used here is the same used for his 1954 Topps card.  The cartoon panels on the back celebrate his career year in 1950 with Rochester and mentions his offseason pursuit of an engineering degree.

1956 Season

Poholsky started the season as the third pitcher in the Cardinals' starting rotation, behind Vinegar Bend Mizell (#193) and Harvey Haddix (#77).  With Haddix dealt to the Phillies in May, Poholsky slid into the number two spot in the rotation behind Mizell.  He appeared in 33 games overall, making 29 starts, and was 9-14 with a 3.59 ERA.  Poholsky tallied 203 innings pitched - a career-high.  He threw seven complete games, including two shutouts, in his final season with the Cardinals.

On December 11th, Poholsky, Jackie Collum, Ray Katt and minor leaguer Wally Lammers were traded to the Cubs for Jim Davis (#102), Sam Jones (#259), Hobie Landrith (#314) and Eddie Miksis (#285).

1952 Topps #242

1954 Topps #142

1955 Bowman #76

1957 Topps #235

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #242
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1952, 1954, 1956-1957
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #142

11 - Poholsky non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/30/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia