Friday, August 25, 2023

#260 "Pee Wee" Reese - Brooklyn Dodgers


Harold Henry Reese
Brooklyn Dodgers
Shortstop



Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  160
Born:  July 23, 1918, Ekron, KY
Acquired:  Obtained by the Boston Red Sox from the Louisville Colonels (American Association) as part of a minor league working agreement
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1940-1942, 1946-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958
Hall of Fame Induction:  1984
Died:  August 14, 1999, Louisville, KY (age 81)

Pee Wee Reese was one of the biggest stars and the captain of the Dodgers throughout the 1940s and 1950s, earning 10 All-Star Game nods and helping his team to seven National League pennants.  Reese came up with the Dodgers in 1940 and he'd make his first All-Star team in 1942.  After missing three full seasons while serving during World War II, Reese returned in 1946 and enjoyed nine straight All-Star seasons with the Dodgers, culminating with a World Series win over the Yankees in 1955.  While playing steady defense at shortstop, he led the league in runs scored with 132 in 1949, in walks with 104 in 1947 and in stolen bases with 30 in 1952.  Reese batted .272 in 44 World Series games, and finished in the Top 10 of National League MVP voting eight times.  Reese showed unwavering support for his teammate Jackie Robinson (#30) during Robinson's early days in the majors.  With racial slurs from spectators and opposing players, along with teammates initially refusing to play with Robinson, it was Reese who accepted and welcomed Robinson, putting his arm around him during pregame warm-ups before a game in Cincinnati.  

The popular Reese played one season with the Dodgers in Los Angeles following their move west, retiring after the 1958 season.  He batted .269 with 2,170 hits and 1,338 runs scored and with Robinson at second, comprised one of the finest double play combinations of his era.  Reese still ranks among the top of all shortstops in games played (19th with 2,014), putouts (12th with 4,040) and assists (26th with 5,891).  The Dodgers retired his #1 in 1984, the same year the Veteran's Committee inducted him into the Hall of Fame.  Reese was a long-time announcer for nationally televised games throughout the 1960s.

Building the Set
December 28, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchase - Card #332
I last shared this full story with the Whitey Ford (#240) post, but I'll repeat myself, in an edited version, here.  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.  This Reese card was one of the final 29.  Normally, this would have been considered a marquee card to add, but some of the other cards included within that final 29 haul were Roberto Clemente (#33), Whitey Ford (#240) and a spotless Checklist card for the 1st and 3rd Series.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Reese was exclusively with Bowman in 1954 and 1955, and this marks his first Topps card since 1953.  The first cartoon on the back celebrate Reese's status as one of the Dodgers' all-time greats.  The final cartoon panel explains he received his nickname by playing marbles and not entirely because of his short stature.  The card was reprinted as part of the 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set, and again in the 2019 Topps Update Iconic Card Reprint insert set.

I'm almost positive the action shot on the card is from a photo taken on October 4, 1955, during Game 6 of the World Series, and I found the photo (shown above) from Getty Images.  A Topps artist must have been tasked with moving the ball from in front of Reese's face to a foot or so to the side of him.  The play happened in the bottom of the seventh.  With Billy Martin (#181) on first, Yogi Berra (#110) grounded to first base, with Gil Hodges (#145) throwing to Reese to force out Martin.  Reese's throw back to first would be late, with the Yankees avoiding the double play.  The Yankees would win the game, 5-1, but Johnny Podres (#173) pitched a shutout in Game 7 to give Brooklyn their lone World Championship title.

1956 Season
Reese and the Dodgers enjoyed one last hurrah in Brooklyn, winning the National League pennant, but this time falling to the Yankees in seven games in the World Series.  Now 37 years old, Reese was still the club's regular shortstop, playing in 147 games and batting .257 with nine home runs and 46 RBIs.  It was to be his last year as a regular, with Charlie Neal (#299) getting the bulk of playing time at shortstop for the Dodgers in 1957.

1941 Play Ball #54
1951 Bowman #80
1952 Topps #333
1953 Bowman Color #33
1958 Topps #375

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1941 Play Ball #54
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1952-1953, 1956-1958
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary #341

702 - Reese non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/20/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Sunday, August 20, 2023

#259 Sam Jones - Chicago Cubs


Samuel Jones
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  192
Born:  December 4, 1925, Stewartsville, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Buckeyes 1947-1948; Cleveland Indians 1951-1952; Chicago Cubs 1955-1956; St. Louis Cardinals 1957-1958; San Francisco Giants 1959-1961; Detroit Tigers 1962; St. Louis Cardinals 1963; Baltimore Orioles 1964
Died:  November 5, 1971, Morgantown, WV (age 45)

On the strength of one of the better curve balls of his era, Sam Jones pitched in 14 big league seasons, earning spots on two All-Star teams and winning 21 games in 1959.  Jones first pitched professionally in the Negro Leagues before briefly joining the Indians in 1951 and 1952.  On May 3, 1952, with catcher Quincy Trouppe behind the plate, Jones and Trouppe became the first African American battery in major league history.  Prior to the 1955 season, Jones was dealt to the Cubs in exchange for Ralph Kiner.  Jones would pitch a no-hitter on May 12, 1955 against the Pirates, again making history as the first African American to throw a no-hitter.  He'd lead the league with 198 strikeouts that season, a feat he'd repeat in 1956 (176) and 1958 (225).

Jones' career year came in 1959 with the Giants when he was 21-15 with a league leading 2.83 ERA with 16 complete games and four shutouts.  He'd finish in second place in the Cy Young voting that season behind Early Wynn (#187).  Jones last pitched in the majors in 1964, but he'd pitch three more seasons for the Pirates' top farm team in Columbus before retiring following the 1967 season.  In 322 games after his Negro League career, Jones was 102-101 with a 3.59 ERA with 76 complete games, 17 shutouts and 1,376 strikeouts over 1,643 1/3 innings pitched.

July 21, 2007
Building the Set
July 21, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #300
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 Jones card came into our set.  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 Jones card, by itself, on July 21, 2007.  From pictures at the time, this was a sunny day we spent in the shade of our back yard.

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 / Cubs Team Set
Jones was absent from all baseball card sets in 1954 and 1955, and this marks his return to Topps for the first time since 1953.  The back of the card covers all the highlights of his career to date, including his league-leading strikeout effort and his 1955 no-hitter.

1956 Season
Jones had an off year and while he lead the league in strikeouts, he also led the league in walks with 115.  He was 9-14 with a 3.91 ERA for the eighth place Cubs, with only Bob Rush (#214) making more starts than Jones.  On December 11th, Jones, Jim Davis (#102), Hobie Landrith (#314) and Eddie Miksis (#285) were traded to the Cardinals for Wally Lammers, Jackie Callum, Ray Katt and Tom Poholsky (#196).

1952 Topps #382
1957 Topps #287
1959 Topps #75
1961 Topps #555
1962 Topps #92

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Topps #382
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1952-1953, 1956-1962
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2008 Topps Heritage Then & Now High Numbers #TN10

46 - Jones non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/20/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, August 11, 2023

#258 Art Ditmar - Kansas City Athletics


Arthur John Ditmar
Kansas City Athletics
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  185
Born:  April 3, 1929, Winthrop, MA
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Athletics 1954; Kansas City Athletics 1955-1956; New York Yankees 1957-1961; Kansas City Athletics 1961-1962
Died:  June 11, 2021, Myrtle Beach, SC (age 92)

Art Ditmar pitched in nine seasons in the majors, all with the Athletics or Yankees.  He was the Athletics' starting pitcher on September 19, 1954, the franchise's final home game at Philadelphia's Shine Park before their move to Kansas City in 1955.  He'd lead the league with 22 losses in 1956, a year in which he pitched a career-high 254 1/3 innings.  Ditmar was dealt to the Yankees in February 1957 in a massive 13-player deal that saw the Yankees also add Bobby Shantz (#261) and Clete Boyer.  With the Yankees, Ditmar settled in as a swingman and fifth starter, winning 13 games in 1959 and 15 games in 1960.  He appeared in the World Series with the Yankees in 1957, 1958 and 1960, starting Games 1 and 5 in 1960 against the Pirates.  Ditmar was hit hard in both starts, not lasting through the first inning in Game 1 and getting pulled in the second inning of Game 5, as the Pirates would win the Series in seven games.

Ditmar returned to the Athletics for the final two seasons of his career, and he'd retire in early 1963 after not making the Yankees' squad as a non-roster invitee in spring training.  In 287 games pitched, including 156 starts, Ditmar was 72-77 with a 3.98 ERA and 552 strikeouts over 1,268 innings pitched.

Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #219
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 / Athletics Team Set
Ditmar's rookie card can be found in the 1955 Bowman set, and this is his first Topps card.  The first cartoon panel on the back of the card refers to Ditmar as the "No. 2 man on the A's pitching staff in '55," and I'm assuming the top pitcher was Alex Kellner (#176).  Ditmar was 12-12 with a 5.03 ERA in 1955 over 22 starts.  Kellner made 24 starts and was 11-8 with a 4.20 ERA.  The final cartoon panel references his education at American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Ditmar would receive his bachelor's degree in 1962 and would later return to the school as their basketball and baseball coach.

1956 Season
Ditmar was a workhorse for the Athletics, and as mentioned above, he threw 254 1/3 innings in 44 appearances, including 34 starts.  He was 12-22 with a 4.42 ERA for the last place Athletics, making 14 more starts than the next closest starting pitcher - Lou Kretlow, who started 20 games.  He threw 14 complete games, including a pair of shutouts, which made him the key to the 13-player deal the Yankees swung with the Athletics following the season.

1955 Bowman #90
1957 Topps #132
1959 Topps #374
1961 Topps #510
1962 Topps #246

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #90
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1956-1962
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2011 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AD

50 - Ditmar non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/11/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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