Friday, June 24, 2022

#208 Elston Howard - New York Yankees


Elston Gene Howard
New York Yankees
Catcher-Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  196
Born:  February 23, 1929, St. Louis, MO
Acquired:  Purchased by the Yankees from the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League, July 19, 1950
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Monarchs 1948; New York Yankees 1955-1967; Boston Red Sox 1967-1968
Died:  December 14, 1980, New York, NY (age 51)

The first African American to play for the Yankees, Elston Howard was an American League All-Star nine years in a row between 1957 and 1965.  He helped the Yankees to four World Series titles in 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962.  He enjoyed a career year in 1963, hitting .287 with 28 home runs (a career high) and 85 RBIs and winning A.L. MVP honors over Al Kaline (#20) and teammate Whitey Ford (#240).  He was a two-time Gold Glove winner and his fielding percentage of .993 is currently 51st all-time among catchers.

Bridging the catching gap between Yogi Berra (#110) in the 1950s and Thurman Munson in the 1970s, Howard appeared in 1,605 career games with all but 113 of those coming with the Yankees.  He batted .274 over 14 big league seasons, with 167 home runs and 762 RBIs.  Howard served as the Yankees first base coach between 1969 and 1979, and he added two more World Series rings to his collection in 1977 and 1978.  He passed away in December 1980 from a rare heart condition.  The Yankees wore black armbands during their 1981 season to honor their former catcher and coach, and his #32 was retired by the team in 1984.

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

Building the Set
June 17, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #297
Our first son Doug was born in December 2006, and this happy event led directly to my Dad visiting us on a more regular basis.  Dad was living by himself at this point in Mays Landing, New Jersey and he didn't enjoy the 40 minute drive north to our house.  Among all the very positive memories I have of my Dad, one of my few negative memories is the fact he absolutely seemed to loathe driving and that loathing increased exponentially if there was traffic or if it were dark.  But he made the trips anyway, sometimes staying no more than an hour, because he was so incredibly anxious and excited to spend time with his grandson.

By the time his second grandson (Ben) was born in April 2010, my Dad's health had started to fail and whatever visits we had were pre-arranged or consisted of us visiting him.  Which is why these visits during Doug's infancy and first few years are so special to me.  My Dad would show up usually unannounced, ecstatic to see Doug, there would be some small talk and we'd complain about the Phillies, and then he'd leave.  But on his way out, he'd always say he'd see us again in a few days and I'd look forward to these visits.

This background is needed to better explain how this Howard card came into our set.  (I first shared all of this a few years ago in the post for the Jack Harshman card - #29.)  In 2007, My Dad's days mostly consisted of an occasional round of golf, calls and visits to his kids - my sister and me, watching cable news, an afternoon nap and scouring eBay.  Most (but not all) of his eBay purchases benefitted me in the form of 1956 Topps cards we needed for our set.  He'd show up at our house for a visit with Doug and nonchalantly hand me one of his recent purchases.  He brought this Howard card and the Clint Courtney (#159) card on June 17, 2007, as what most likely was a Father's Day gift.  From pictures at the time, I think we were staying in a house rented in Avalon, New Jersey during this week.

Throughout 2007, I suspect he had a backlog of purchased 1956 Topps cards piled up on his desk at his house, and he'd grab one or two to deliver to me as he was heading out the door to make the 40 minute drive to visit Doug.

The Card / Yankees Team Set
Howard's rookie card can be found in the 1955 Bowman set, and this is his first Topps card.  I went down a time-consuming rabbit hole trying to identify the action shot on the front of this card, and I came up empty.  It looks as if the player crossing the plate is from the Tigers, as I think that's "Detroit" in script across the front of his jersey.  Our card has a clear blotch on the back, and I suspect at one point this card was affixed inside a scrap book?  I've had this card in my collection for 15 years and I never noticed this blemish before scanning the card for this post.  The cartoons on the back highlight his 1955 rookie campaign and his ability to switch between catcher and outfielder.

This card was reprinted for the 2001 Topps Archives and 2001 Topps Archives Reserve sets.  There's also a Topps Archives Reserve version of the reprinted card available containing a piece of game-used bat.

1956 Season
This was Howard's final season as a back-up.  He'd appear in 98 games overall, making 50 starts in left field, 19 starts behind the plate and one start in right field.  He batted .262 with five home runs and 34 RBIs.  Manager Casey Stengel opted to use Enos Slaughter (#109) in left field for the first six games of the 1956 World Series, but Howard got the start in Game 7 and went 2 for 5 with a fourth inning home run.  The Yankees would defeat the Dodgers 9-0 in that game.

1955 Bowman #68
1959 Topps #395
1962 Topps #400
1968 Topps #167
1975 Topps #201

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #68
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1956-1968, 1973, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Panini Diamond Kings Jersey Kings #JK-EH

361 - Howard non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/14/22.

 Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog
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Friday, June 17, 2022

#207 Jim Small - Detroit Tigers


James Arthur Patrick Small
Detroit Tigers
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  March 8, 1937, Portland, OR
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent, June 11, 1955
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1955-1957; Kansas City Athletics 1958

As a bonus baby signing by the Tigers, Jim Small was required to stay on the team's active roster for the 1955 and 1956 seasons.  He appeared in 12 games in 1955 and another 58 games in 1956, making only 19 starts over those two seasons, and seeing most of his playing time as a pinch-runner, pinch-hitter or late-inning defensive replacement.  Small batted .319 in 1956 with ten RBIs and was 7 for 14 as a pinch-hitter.  He appeared in 36 games for the Tigers in 1957 and was then dealt to the Athletics following the season in a massive 13-player trade.  Small's last action in the  majors came with the Athletics in 1958, as he appeared in a pair of games as a September call-up.  He'd continue to play in the Athletics' minor league system through the 1962 season, and he retired after batting .317 with 13 home runs and 82 RBIs for the Albuquerque Dukes in the Texas League.

Small appeared in 108 big league games, batting .270 with 38 hits and ten RBIs.

Building the Set
September 25, 2005 in Ft. Washington, PA - Card #264
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.

1957 Topps #33
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 / Tigers Team Set
This is Small's rookie card, and his only other mainstream baseball card can be found in the 1957 Topps set.  I don't believe Small appears as either the runner or the infielder in the action shot shown here as Small never played the infield in the majors, nor did he wear #10.  He wore #20 during his time with the Tigers.  The fielder actually appears to be wearing a Tigers hat, and if that's a White Sox player it could be catcher Sherm Lollar (#243) who wore #10 for the White Sox beginning in 1953.  The back of the card highlights the success Small had at Bellarmine College Preparatory High School in San Jose, California.  Also highlighted is his speed and ironically enough, Small never stole a base in the majors despite having 38 career appearances as a pinch-runner.  He was caught stealing twice in 1957.

1956 Season
As mentioned above, this was the season Small saw the most action in the majors, appearing in 58 games overall while making 11 starts in center field, six starts in right field and two starts in left field.  At just 19 years old, he was by far the youngest on the team.  The grizzled veteran Virgil Trucks (#117) was the oldest at 39.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #207
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1956-1957
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2006 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-JM

5 - Small non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/14/22.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, June 10, 2022

#206 Erv Palica - Baltimore Orioles


Ervin Martin Palica
Baltimore Orioles
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  February 9, 1928, Lomita, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent, January 25, 1945
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1947-1951, 1953-1954; Baltimore Orioles 1955-1956
Died:  May 29, 1982, Huntington Beach, CA (age 54)

Erv Palica pitched in parts of nine seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Brooklyn Dodgers during their golden era in the late 1940s and early 1950s.  Palica was used primarily as a reliever for the Dodgers, appearing in at least 40 games in 1948, 1949 and 1950.  He pitched two scoreless innings against the Yankees in the 1949 World Series, with the Yankees winning in five games.  Palica's best season came in 1950 when he was 13-8 in 43 appearances, including 19 starts.  He had a 3.58 ERA over 201 1/3 innings pitched, throwing ten complete games and two shutouts.  Palica found himself in manager Chuck Dressen's doghouse in 1951, and the pitcher appeared in only 19 games.  He spent one more full season in Brooklyn, pitching in 25 games for the club in 1954, after missing all of 1952 and most of 1953 while serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Dealt to the Orioles in March 1955 for first baseman Frank Kellert (#291) and cash, Palica would appear in 62 games for the second division club in 1955 and 1956.  He'd continue to pitch professionally through the 1963 season, with stops in the minor league systems of the Orioles, Red Sox, Reds and Angels.  Palica's minor league record was 107-78 over ten seasons, and he was 41-55 for his big league career in 246 games with a 4.22 ERA and 423 strikeouts.

Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #216
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 / Orioles Team Set
This is one of only two appearances by Palica in a Topps set, as he first appeared back in the 1952 Topps issue.  This is his final appearance on a mainstream baseball card during his playing career.  There appear to be a number of his Orioles teammates making cameo appearances behind his action shot, but the photo is way too dark to make out any actual uniform numbers.  The back of the card highlights his time with the Dodgers and it's worth saying, "When Oiv pitches, da boids choip," out loud so that you can get a sense of a typical Brooklyn accent.

1956 Season
In his last season in the majors, Palica appeared in 29 games for the sixth place Orioles, making 14 starts.  He was 4-11 with a 4.49 ERA in 116 1/3 innings pitched, and his best performance came on August 12th when he threw seven shutout innings, in relief, against the Yankees.  Palica would spend the entire 1957 season pitching for the Vancouver Mounties, then the Orioles' top farm team in the Pacific Coast League.

1951 Bowman #189
1952 Topps #273
1955 Bowman #195

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #189
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1952, 1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers #134

21 - Palica non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/7/22.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, June 3, 2022

#205 "Whitey" Lockman - New York Giants


Carroll Walter Lockman
New York Giants
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born:  July 25, 1926, Lowell, NC
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1943 season
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1945, 1947-1956; St. Louis Cardinals 1956; New York Giants 1957; San Francisco Giants 1958; Baltimore Orioles 1959; Cincinnati Reds 1959-1960
As a Manager:  Chicago Cubs 1972-1974
Died:  March 17, 2009, Scottsdale, AZ (age 82)

All but two of Whitey Lockman's 15 seasons in the major leagues were spent playing for the Giants.  He came up as a rookie with the Giants in 1945, a few weeks shy of his 19th birthday.  Lockman enjoyed his best seasons in the late 1940s, hitting a career-high 18 home runs in 1948 as the Giants' regular center fielder.  He batted a career-high .301 in 1949.  On October 3, 1951, Lockman doubled home Al Dark (#148) in the bottom of the ninth inning during the three-game divisional playoff series against the Dodgers.  He'd then score when Bobby Thomson (#257) hit his famous "Shot Heard 'Round the World" to send the Giants to the World Series.  Lockman led off and played first base for the National League All-Stars in 1952, but went 0 for 3 in the game.  He was a member of the World Champion Giants in 1954, playing as their every day first baseman.  He'd briefly play for the Cardinals in 1956 before returning to the Giants for their final season in New York in 1957.  Lockman served as a bat off the bench in 1958, the team's first year in San Francisco, and he'd spend the last two seasons of his playing career primarily as a pinch-hitter for the Orioles and Reds.  In 1,666 career games, Lockman batted .279 with 114 home runs and 563 RBIs.

Lockman joined the Reds' coaching staff in 1960, moving back to the Giants in 1961 as the third base coach for manager Dark.  Following the 1964 season, Lockman moved to the Cubs as a minor league manager (1965, 1967-1970) and big league coach (1966).  He managed the Cubs between 1972 and 1974 to a 157-162 record.  Following his stint as Cubs manager, Lockman worked as a scout and in the front office of the Cubs, Expos and Marlins.

Building the Set
May 21, 2000 in Raleigh, NC - Card #202
I was mostly miserable during the years I lived in Raleigh, following my graduation from college, but I remember looking forward to the monthly baseball card shows held at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.  While so much during that time was confusing to me, the familiarity of a baseball card show, along with the sights and sounds of the activity within the show building would have provided some comfort.   I attended the May 2000 show on a Sunday, and I don't remember seeing autograph guest Bob Feller (#200) there at all.  According to my records, this was the only card added to our 1956 Topps set, purchased for $6.  The bulk of my collecting budget went towards a growing 1972 Topps set, and my hand-written list shows I purchased 21 cards for that set for $51.  I'm guessing I had allotted $60 for the show in total, with $2 for admission, $6 for this Lockman card and $51 for the 1972 Topps lot.  Maybe the remaining $1 went towards a hot dog.  My big purchase was the 1972 Topps Brooks Robinson card for $15.

I would have called my Dad after this show to tell him to update his list back in New Jersey for the new Lockman card added, and the next cards added to the set wouldn't come until August.

The Card / Giants Team Set
I had always assumed Lockman was the runner in the action photo, but in researching this post, I now realize he never wore #3, and he's the first baseman partially obscured by the runner.  Assuming the Topps artist colored the photo correctly, and the number on the runner's back is supposed to be black, that could be the Pirates' George Freese being forced out.  Freese played in nine games against the Giants in 1955.

This is Lockman's first Topps set appearance since his card in the 1951 Topps Red Backs set.  The first cartoon on the back of the card highlights Lockman hitting a home run in his first big league at-bat on July 5, 1945 off Cardinals' pitcher George Dockins.  The final cartoon panel points out Lockman was a fine fielder both in the outfield and at first base.

1956 Season
Lockman began the season on the Giants' bench, occasionally starting in place of Gail Harris (#91) at first base or Dusty Rhodes (#50) in left field.  After 48 games with the Giants, he was traded to the Cardinals on June 14th with Dark, Ray Katt, Don Liddle (#325) and cash for Jackie Brandt, Dick Littlefield, Bill Sarni (#247), Red Schoendienst (#165), Bob Stephenson and Gordon Jones.  Lockman started 46 games in the outfield for the Cardinals, at all three outfield positions, and in 70 games overall he batted .249 with 10 RBIs.  During spring training in 1957, the Cardinals sent him back to the Giants in exchange for future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm (#307).

1948 Bowman #30
1951 Bowman #37
1954 Bowman #153
1960 Topps #535
1974 Topps #354

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1948 Bowman #30
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1951, 1956-1960, 1973-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2009 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-WL

71 - Lockman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/30/22.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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