#224 "Bud" Podbielan - Cincinnati Redlegs

Clarence Anthony Podbielan
Cincinnati Redlegs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  170
Born:  March 6, 1924, Curlew, WA
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1949-1952; Cincinnati Reds 1952-1955, 1957; Cleveland Indians 1959

Died:  October 26, 1982, Syracuse, NY (age 58)

Hampered by wildness throughout his pitching career, Bud Podbielan spent parts of nine seasons in the majors, primarily with the Dodgers and Reds.  As a swingman for the Dodgers in early 1950s, Podbielan went 7-7 in 57 games, making 16 starts.  He was dealt to the Reds in June 1952 for Bud Byerly and cash, with the Reds using him almost equally as either a starter or reliever.  Podbielan appeared in a career-high 36 games in 1953, making 24 starts, and was 6-16 with a 4.73 ERA in 186 1/3 innings pitched, also a career high.  He walked 13 batters in a 10-inning game on May 18, 1953 against his former team, the Dodgers.  Back for more in 1954, Podbielan appeared in 27 games for the Reds, going 7-10 with a 5.36 ERA.

He appeared in just 11 big league games between 1957 and 1959, pitching in the minor leagues through the 1961 season before retiring.  In 172 career major league games, Podbielan was 25-42 with a 4.49 ERA in 641 innings pitched, with 242 strikeouts and 245 walks.

Building the Set

December 25, 2006 from Mays Landing, NJ - Card #284
I was officially given this card on Christmas Day in 2006, but my Dad had purchased it several weeks (months?) earlier at a baseball card show held at the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing, New Jersey.

This was one of nine cards I received that Christmas from my Dad, and he spent a total of $210 on all nine cards with the Hank Aaron (#31) card being the big ticket item at $150.  Like all his purchases, he was extremely proud of this card's condition and I'm sure there was a negotiation story that went along with the acquisition.

Our first son Doug was born a few weeks before Christmas that year and we brought him home just in time for the big day.  He obviously doesn't remember much from his first Christmas, but he spent the holidays being held and loved by his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.  One of the great joys of my life was seeing how proud my Dad was to have a grandson.

The Card / Redlegs Team Set
In a rarity for the set's third series, Podbielan had appeared in both the 1954 and 1955 Topps sets, and Topps re-used the same main photo for all three of his cards in those sets.  This is his fifth and final appearance in a Topps flagship set.  The cartoons on the back highlight his successful high school career, his start in the majors with the Dodgers and his "blazing fastball and good curve."

1956 Season

Podbielan spent the entire season in the minor leagues, pitching for the Seattle Rainiers in the Pacific Coast League.  As one of the team's primary starting pitchers, he appeared in 34 games, making 25 starts, and was 13-11 with a 3.30 ERA.  Over 199 innings pitched, Podbielan threw 12 complete games, including a pair of shutouts.

Phillies Connection
Podbielan spent part of the 1960 season pitching for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, then the Phillies' top minor league affiliate.  He appeared in 12 games for the Bisons, making nine starts, and was 2-2 with a 5.11 ERA in 44 innings pitched.

1952 Topps #188

1953 Topps #237

1954 Topps #69

1955 Topps #224

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #188
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1952-1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers #10

23 - Podbielan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/28/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #223 Randy Jackson - Brooklyn Dodgers / #225 Gil McDougald - New York Yankees

Order Collected: #212 Johnny Temple - Cincinnati Redlegs / #241 Don Mueller - New York Giants

#223 Randy Jackson - Brooklyn Dodgers

Ransom Joseph Jackson
Brooklyn Dodgers
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  February 10, 1926, Little Rock, AR
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, October 9, 1947
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1950-1955; Brooklyn Dodgers 1956-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958; Cleveland Indians 1958-1959; Chicago Cubs 1959

Died:  March 20, 2019, Athens, GA (age 93)

Randy Jackson played most of his 10-year major league career with the Cubs, heading to two All-Star Games in 1954 and 1955 on the strength of his bat and steady defense at third base.  He was the everyday third baseman for the Cubs between 1951 and 1955, hitting a career-high .285 in 1953 and clubbing a career best 21 home runs in 1955.  He also led all third baseman with double plays turned in 1955 with 26.  With the Dodgers looking to replace their aging star Jackie Robinson (#30) at third, the Cubs sent Jackson and Don Elston to Brooklyn for Don Hoak (#335), Russ Meyer (#227) and Walt Moryn on December 9, 1955.  Jackson spent the 1956 season as Robinson's back-up at third, hitting a solid .274 over 101 games.  In 1957, he was the Dodgers' opening day second baseman but a knee injury in late April cut his season to just 48 games.  On September 28, 1957, Jackson hit the final home run in Brooklyn Dodgers history, a three-run home run off Phillies' pitcher Don Cardwell at Connie Mack Stadium.

Jackson's knee injury relegated him to a bench role for the next two seasons with the Dodgers, Indians and Cubs.  In 955 major league games, Jackson batted .261 with 103 home runs and 415 RBIs, and if not for his knee injury in 1956, those numbers would have undoubtedly been higher.

Building the Set
April 22, 2000 in Raleigh, NC - Card #200
This Jackson card has the distinction of being the milestone 200th card we added to the set, and I paid $5 for it at the Sports Card & NASCAR Collectibles Show held in Raleigh, North Carolina a week after tax deadline day and the day before Easter.  I bought six cards that day, paying a grand total of $20.  Pictures from this time in my life are few and far between, but it looks as if my parents paid a visit to Raleigh for Easter weekend as I have photos of them dressed for what has to be for a church service.  We're standing outside the apartment complex where I was living at the time.  And it's quite possible my Dad attended this baseball card show in Raleigh with me, which would have been a rarity in those days.

This day is also notable as it's almost 10 years to the day before our youngest son Ben was born.  There were some bumpy roads coming up for a few years, but eventually things got back on track.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
This marks Jackson's first Topps set appearance since 1952.  Topps made a valiant effort to replace the Cubs' C logo on Jackson's hat with the Dodgers' B logo.  That action shot could be anyone, and it may not be Jackson given Topps wouldn't have a picture of him yet in action in a Dodgers uniform.  It looks as if the runner is being called out after a slide into third base against the Phillies.  The back of the card highlights his college football career while at Texas Christian University in 1945 and the University of Texas at Austin in 1946.  The final cartoon panel explains his trade to the Dodgers for any confused Cubs fans obtaining this card.

Along with all the Dodgers' cards in the set, this card was reprinted for the 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set.

1956 Season

With his new club, Jackson made only one start at third base before May 29th.  Manager Walter Alston (#8) inserted him into the starting line-up in late May for the slumping Robinson, with Jackson seeing the bulk of the playing time at third throughout the summer.  Overall, Jackson started 74 games at third to Robinson's 71, but the veteran Robinson would get the nod over Jackson for all seven games of the World Series against the Yankees.  Jackson made three pinch-hitting appearances in the Series, going 0 for 3 with a pair of strikeouts.  For the season, he collected 84 hits, including 15 doubles, seven triples and eight home runs.

1952 Topps #322

1954 Bowman #189

1957 Topps #190

1958 Topps #301

1959 Topps #394

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Bowman #175
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1952, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2011 Topps Lineage Autographs #RA-RJ

28 - Jackson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/18/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #222 Dave Philley - Baltimore Orioles / #224 "Bud" Podbielan - Cincinnati Redlegs

Order Collected: #149 "Dixie" Howell - Chicago White Sox / #234 "Pete" Runnels - Washington Nationals

#222 Dave Philley - Baltimore Orioles

David Earl Philley
Baltimore Orioles
Outfield

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  188
Born:  May 16, 1920, Paris, TX
Acquired:  Purchased by the Chicago White Sox from the Shreveport Sports of the Texas League, July 18, 1941
Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 1941, 1946-1951; Philadelphia Athletics 1951-1953; Cleveland Indians 1954-1955; Baltimore Orioles 1955-1956; Chicago White Sox 1957; Detroit Tigers 1957; Philadelphia Phillies 1958-1960; San Francisco Giants 1960; Baltimore Orioles 1960-1961; Boston Red Sox 1962

Died:  March 15, 2012, Paris, TX (age 91)

Journeyman outfielder Dave Philley spent part of 18 seasons in the majors with eight different teams, and that's after having missed three full years while serving during World War II.  With a strong outfield arm, Philley led all outfielders in assists three times (1948, 1949, 1953).  His best seasons came in the early 1950s as he reached career highs in home runs (14) and RBIs (80) with the White Sox in 1950, and strung together seven consecutive seasons between 1947 and 1953 with at least 20 doubles.  With the Athletics in 1953, he reached career highs in batting average (.303), hits (188) and doubles (30).  Philley's sole postseason appearance came in the 1954 World Series with the Indians, where he was used mostly as a late inning defensive replacement.  With the Orioles in 1955, Philley won the team's batting title with a .299 mark and was named the club's MVP.

1958 Hires #12

Philley continued to move around during the final phase of his career, playing for seven different teams between 1956 and 1962, including second stints with the White Sox and Orioles.  He developed into an excellent pinch-hitter, collecting 18 pinch-hits for the Phillies in 1958, including eight in a row at the end of the season.  Philley earned a lifetime average of .300 as a pinch-hitter, collecting 92 pinch-hits in 307 at-bats.  He retired following the 1962 season with a .270 average in 1,904 games, exactly 1,700 hits and 101 stolen bases.  Philley briefly managed in the Houston system following his retirement, and also spent time with the Red Sox as a scout.

Building the Set

Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #27
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 Philley card is the ninth of 16 from series three.

The Card / Orioles Team Set
Philley appeared in both Bowman and Topps sets in 1954, and then was completely left out of both sets in 1955.  He's shown here swinging a bat in Yankee Stadium, and it's possible he's wearing an Indians uniform that had been updated by a Topps artist to look like an Orioles uniform.  On the back, his team-leading average from 1955 is highlighted, and Topps is incorrect in their prediction that the frequently moving Philley was in Baltimore to stay.  By the time collectors were finding this card in packs, he was most likely already back with the White Sox.

1956 Season

Philley began the year with the Orioles and was their opening day right fielder.  He'd play in just 32 games for Baltimore before the team swapped him to the White Sox with Jim Wilson (#171) for Mike Fornieles, Connie Johnson (#326), George Kell (#195) and Bob Nieman (#267).  In his second stint with Chicago, Philley appeared in 86 games overall, seeing time at first base, right field and left field.  He batted .265 with four home runs and 47 RBIs for the White Sox as the team finished in third place in the American League.

Phillies Career
On December 11, 1957, the Tigers sold Philley to the Phillies, finally bringing together the player and the team that bore the same name.  He was acquired specifically to be a veteran bat off the bench, although he did make 17 starts at first base and 24 starts in right field, occasionally backing up Ed Bouchee or Wally Post (#158).  He broke his nose on May 17th after diving into the stands while playing first base and trying to catch a foul ball.  He spent all of 1959 with the club in the same pinch-hitting and back-up role, and returned for 14 games in 1960 before being sold to the Giants on May 12, 1960.  In 1959, his average as a pinch-hitter was an incredible .395 (15 for 38) and he drove in 11 runs.

With the Phillies, Philley appeared in 204 games overall, batting .300 with 10 home runs and 72 RBIs.  He collected 37 pinch-hits and his 18 pinch-hits from the 1958 season are the fourth most in a season by a Phillies player behind Greg Dobbs (22 in 2008), Doc Miller (20 in 1913) and Greg Gross (19 in 1982).

1948-49 Leaf #85

1952 Topps #226

1954 Topps #159

1959 Topps #92

1962 Topps #542

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1948-49 Leaf #85
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1952-1954, 1956-1962
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #159

61 - Philley non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/11/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

The Phillies Room

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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Set Order: #221 Bob Friend - Pittsburgh Pirates / #223 Randy Jackson - Brooklyn Dodgers

Order Collected: #218 Joe Nuxhall - Cincinnati Redlegs / #231 Bob Hale - Baltimore Orioles

#221 Bob Friend - Pittsburgh Pirates

Robert Bartmess Friend
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
Born:  November 24, 1930, Lafayette, IN
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1951-1965; New York Yankees 1966; New York Mets 1966
Died:  February 3, 2019, O'Hara Township, PA (age 88)

Nicknamed "The Warrior," Bob Friend was a mainstay in the Pirates starting pitching rotation for 15 seasons, playing a key role in the team's advancement to the 1960 World Series.  Friend made the Pirates out of spring training in 1951, and he'd never return to the minor leagues.  He led the National League with a 2.83 ERA in 1955, becoming the first leader in the category to come from a last place team.  He made his first of four All-Star teams in 1956, while leading the league with 42 starts.  Playing for a second division Pirates team, he only crossed the 20-win plateau once, leading the league with 22 wins in 1958.  In 1960, Friend and Vern Law (#252) combined for one of the best two top of the rotation starters from their era, helping propel the Pirates into the World Series.  Friend struggled against the Yankees in the Series, but the Pirates prevailed in seven games thanks to Bill Mazeroski's dramatic walk-off home run.

Friend pitched with the Pirates through the 1965 season, and then played a final year with the Yankees and Mets.  He retired with a 197-230 record, a 3.58 ERA and 1,734 strikeouts in 3,611 innings pitched.  His 36 career shutouts are 63rd all-time.  He ranks high in several main pitching categories on the Pirates' all-time franchise leader board, including fourth in wins, third in games pitched, first (with 477) in games started, first in innings pitched and first in strikeouts.

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

Building the Set
September 25, 2005 in Ft. Washington, PA - Card #265
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 $6 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 / Pirates Team Set
Like a lot of the cards to be found in this set's third series, this represents Friend's return to Topps after a three-year absence.  The cartoon panels on the back celebrate his 2.83 ERA title in 1955, and the one-hitter thrown against the Cubs on September 7th.  Frank Baumholtz (#274) had the only hit for the Cubs, a fourth inning single.  The final cartoon panel points out Friend made 44 appearances in 1955, with only 20 of those as starts.

1956 Season

Friend was 17-17 with a 3.46 ERA in 49 games for the Pirates, including 42 starts.  His 314 1/3 innings pitched led the league and his 19 complete games were third in the league.  (Robin Roberts - #180 - led the league with 22 complete games.)  Friend started the 1956 All-Star Game, earning the win with three scoreless innings.  He had three strikeouts in the start, including Ted Williams (#5).  Among his 19 complete games was an 11-inning shutout pitched against the Cardinals on June 8th.  Friend allowed six hits in that game, out-dueling Cardinals' starting pitcher Murry Dickson (#211), who also pitched all 11 innings.

1952 Topps #233

1955 Bowman #57

1961 Topps #270

1963 Topps #450

1966 Topps #519

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Bowman #191
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1952, 1956-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-BF

139 - Friend non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/3/22.

Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #220 Del Ennis - Philadelphia Phillies / #222 Dave Philley - Baltimore Orioles

Order Collected: #207 Jim Small - Detroit Tigers / #228 "Mickey" Vernon - Boston Red Sox

#220 Del Ennis - Philadelphia Phillies

Delmer Ennis
Philadelphia Phillies
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  195
Born:  June 8, 1925, Philadelphia, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1943 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1946-1956; St. Louis Cardinals 1957-1958; Cincinnati Reds 1959; Chicago White Sox 1959

Died:  February 8, 1996, Huntingdon Valley, PA (age 70)

Slugger Del Ennis was one of the bright spots for the Phillies in the 1950s, helping to lead the Whiz Kids to the 1950 National League pennant, and earning a spot on three All-Star teams.  A popular player, especially for a kid growing up in Millville, New Jersey (see below), Ennis hit for power, ran the bases with speed and provided steady defense in the outfield, aided by a strong throwing arm.  Ennis was at his peak between 1948 and 1950, driving in 95, 110 and a league leading 126 runs in each of those three years, and clubbing a career-high 31 home runs in 1950.  He collected MVP votes in eight different season, finishing fourth in 1950.  His last great season with the Phillies came in 1955 when he was named to his final All-Star team, and he finished the season with a .295 average.  Ennis drove in at least 100 runs in seven different seasons, and hit at least 20 home runs in nine different seasons.

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

Dealt to the Cardinals following in late 1956, Ennis would play two and half more seasons before retiring.  In 1,903 career games, he batted .284 with 288 home runs and 1,284 RBIs.  He operated a bowling alley in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania following his retirement, and the Phillies inducted him into their Wall of Fame in 1982.  Ennis was named as an outfielder on the Phillies' Centennial Team in 1983, and he was a frequent autograph signer at area baseball card shows throughout the 1980s.

Building the Set
December 25, 1996 from Deptford Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #148
It's appropriate this card would have been considered a major Christmas present in 1996, as Del Ennis was one of my Dad's favorite players growing up, along with Ennis' former Phillies teammate Dick Sisler.  The baseball card show held inside the Deptford Mall most likely took place that November or December, and my Dad stashed this card away to be revealed on Christmas morning.  He must have told me how much it cost as I have in my notes the card cost a whopping $9.

1996 was a transitional year for my Dad and me.  He required open heart surgery earlier in the year, and I was set to graduate college.  Although nerve-wracking, his surgery was a success and I opted to stay one more year in school to complete my Masters degree.  My best friends from my first four years of college were preparing to move on, and I was preparing to stick around, albeit with a new group of friends and in somewhat unfamiliar territory.  This Ennis card would have showed up as I was making the transition from student to adult, and it would have seen a confused kid making questionable decisions and looking for any port in the storm.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
I've always loved this card.  This is Ennis' first Topps card since 1952, as he had been under exclusive contract with Bowman between 1953 and 1955.  The back of the card highlights his impressive consistency with his yearly home run and RBI totals.  The final cartoon panel shows Ennis on the way to his big league debut in 1946.  He might have been up sooner if not for a two and half year stint in the U.S. Navy, which began in 1943 and ended on April 5, 1946, just a few short weeks before his first action with the Phillies.

Phillies Career / 1956 Season
Ennis made his debut with the Phillies on April 28, 1946, and became the first rookie in team history to make the All-Star team.  As mentioned above, he was a member of the storied Whiz Kids team that won the National League pennant in 1950, becoming the first Phillies team in the postseason since 1915.  The team was swept by the Yankees in the World Series, but much like the 1993 Phillies team, the legacy of that club and the good memories from that season endure among many lifelong Phillies fans.  He passed Chuck Klein in 1956 as the team's all-time home run leader, and he held that spot until passed by Mike Schmidt in 1980.  He also broke the games played record in 1956, held by Ed Delahanty who had appeared in 1,544 games with the Phillies.  He's currently third on the Phillies all-time home run leader board with 259, behind Schmidt and Ryan Howard.  Ennis now ranks sixth in games played (1,630), fifth in hits (1,812), third in RBIs (1,124) and eighth in doubles (310).

In 1956, his final season with the Phillies, Ennis was again the team's opening day left fielder and he'd start all but one of the team's 154 games at the position.  He batted .260 with 26 home runs and 95 RBIs, as the Phillies finished in fifth place.  On November 19th, the Phillies traded Ennis to the Cardinals for Bobby Morgan (#337) and Rip Repulski (#201).

1948-49 Leaf #49

1950 Bowman #31

1952 Topps #223

1953 Bowman Color #103

1959 Topps #255

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Leaf #49
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1951-1952, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #32

68 - Ennis non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/3/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database

The Phillies Room

SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #219 Lew Burdette - Milwaukee Braves / #221 Bob Friend - Pittsburgh Pirates

Order Collected: #77 Harvey Haddix - St. Louis Cardinals / #2 Warren Giles - N.L. President