#265 Rip Repulski

Rip Repulski  Los Angeles Dodgers

Career: Eldon 'Rip' Repulski was signed by the Cardinals after a top-notch career as a baseball and football player at his Minnesota high school and St. Cloud State University. He spent six seasons moving up the Cards' chain. That wasn't unusual given the depth of talent some franchises held in those days.

Repulski made the St. Louis roster in 1953 and laid claim to the starting centerfield job. He had a solid season and got some Rookie of the Year consideration. He played four seasons for the Redbirds and hit .276 over that span. He had a reputation as a good defensive player, too. He made his only All-Star squad in 1956 and them was promptly traded to the Phils after the season.

In Philly, Ripulski hit 20 homers in 1957 but had a sub-par '58 and was traded again, this time to the Dodgers. His days as a regular were over and Repulski spent a couple of seasons in both LA and Boston coming off the bench as a pinch-hitter and spare outfield glove. The Sox released him mid-year in '61 and he caught on with the Twins AAA club. He retired after that and returned to his hometown to operate his bar.

In 1960: In May, after just a handful of at-bats with the Dodgers, Repulski was traded to the Red Sox. He hit .243 as their primary right-handed pinch-hitter and occasional starter in left. BTW... Repulski hit a grand slam at Fenway Park in his first American League at-bat. He hit it in the bottom of the eighth on May 10 against the White Sox. Ted Williams had drawn an intentional walk to load 'em up for Repulski who was batting for Gary Geiger who'd been announced as a pinch hitter before a pitching change by Chicago. His blast broke open a 5-5 game. The Red Sox hung on for a 9-7 win.

Off The Charts: Rip drew an intentional walk in his only at-bat in the 1959 World Series. In the bottom of the eighth inning of Game Five, after Ron Fairly was announced as a pinch-hitter for Don Demeter with Chicago up 1-0, the Sox countered by bringing Billy Pierce in from the bullpen. Repulski was then sent in for Fairly and drew his pass. Dick Donavan relieved Pierce and got out of the inning. The Dodgers would have to wait until Game Six in Chicago to wrap up the title.

According to his SABR bio, Repulski owned and operated a bar in St. Cloud, Minnesota, not far from where he was raised and where he went to college. A couple of paragraphs pretty much sum up his persona:

Repulski was a “hands-on” owner of his liquor establishment, frequently coming out from behind the bar to share tales of his baseball career with anyone who might have even a dim connection with the sport.

Never one to allow anything to get in the way of a good story, Rip regaled his audiences with tales of his ball-field exploits: how he escaped death in plane and bus crashes, that he could still hit left-handed pitching, that the Cardinals kept him in the minors too long, and that his lifetime batting average was the same as Yogi Berra’s (it wasn’t). The stories went on and on until closing time.

Rip did a VW Wagon commercial. No date available for this. Clever stuff.

#263 Darrell Johnson

Darrell Johnson  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: Johnson's major league career came in bits and pieces spread over a decade for six different teams. He came out of Nebraska-Kearney and he caught in the St. Louis Browns' system beginning in 1949. He made their roster in 1952 but from there it was a journey through Chicago (Sox), New York (Yankees), back to St. Louis (Cardinals), Philly, Cincinnati, and Baltimore.

Johnson's numbers through all that don't add up to full seasons worth of games but he learned a lot and it came in handy when he managed three teams later in life. He logged nearly a thousand games in the minors, was a player/coach for the Cardinals, and went on to manage the Red Sox (winning the '75 pennant), the Mariners (he was their first), and finally, briefly, the Rangers.

He was a career .234 hitter with one homer off Virgil Trucks and another one off Johnny Podres.

In 1960: Johnson started the season as a spare catcher and coach. When the Cards recalled top prospect Tim McCarver they took Johnson off the active roster and he was officially a coach for the rest of the year. He'd had just twenty-six at-bats over eight games hitting .154 with an RBI.

Off The Charts: Johnson ended his playing days with the Orioles and then began managing in their chain. He was pushed aside by the Rochester owner in favor of Earl Weaver and he moved on to scouting with the Yanks and then got back into managing. He took over the Red Sox job in 1974, finished third, and then took them to the Series.

#250 Stan Musial

Stan Musial  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: Stan Musial, Hall of Famer and St. Louis institution. Hell, in many ways Stan Musial IS St. Louis.

I'll list his career accomplishments but a couple of things that jump out at me when I look at his stat page: 1) he was either an All-Star or received MVP votes in every full season he played, and 2) he hit .315 in 1942 at the age of 20 and hit .330 in 1962 at the age of 41! And yes, he played damn near every day in that '62 season.

Notable Achievements

• 20-time NL All-Star (1943, 1944 & 1946-1963)
• 3-time NL MVP (1943, 1946 & 1948)
• 7-time NL Batting Average Leader (1943, 1946, 1948, 1950-1952 & 1957)
• 6-time NL On-Base Percentage Leader (1943, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1953 & 1957)
• 6-time NL Slugging Percentage Leader (1943, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1950 & 1952)
• 7-time NL OPS Leader (1943, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1952 & 1957)
• NL At Bats Leader (1946)
• 5-time NL Runs Scored Leader (1946, 1948, 1951, 1952 & 1954)
• 6-time NL Hits Leader (1943, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1949 & 1952)
• 6-time NL Total Bases Leader (1943, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1951 & 1952)
• NL Singles Leader (1946)
• 8-time NL Doubles Leader (1943, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1949 & 1952-1954)
• 5-time NL Triples Leader (1943, 1946, 1948, 1949 & 1951)
• 2-time NL RBI Leader (1948 & 1956)
• NL Bases on Balls Leader (1953)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 10 (1948-1957)
• 30-Home Run Seasons: 6 (1948, 1949, 1951 & 1953-1955)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 10 (1946, 1948-1951 & 1953-1957)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 11 (1943, 1944 & 1946-1954)
• 200 Hits Seasons: 6 (1943, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1951 & 1953)
• Won three World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (1942, 1944 & 1946)
• Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1969 His page there

In 1960: Musial hit .275, sixty below his career average but twenty points better than he hit the previous year. His 387 plate appearances were the lowest of his career, and age had sapped some of his power as he totaled 17 homers. But anyone who thought he was done was mistaken.

He was an All-Star, and while he wasn't in the starting lineup for either game, he got a pinch-hitting shot in both. The results? A single in the Jully 11 game, and a homer in the on on the 13th.

Off The Charts: Stan's brother, Ed Musial, played four seasons of minor league ball between 1946 and 1950. He was, at least for part of that, in the Cubs' chain.

Some quotes from the Donora Pa. native's BullPen Wiki page at Baseball-Reference:

"I could always hit. It's not something I ever had to think too much about. A lot of guys are very scientific about it. It just seemed to come naturally, even when I was growing up." - Musial

"How good was Stan Musial? He was good enough to take your breath away." - Vin Scully

"Here stands baseball's happy warrior; here stands baseball's perfect knight." - Ford Frick dedicating the Stan Musial statue outside Busch Stadium

The Card: This combo (orange/green/yellow/white/black) seems to work well with some photos and not with others. It's standard for the Tigers and shows up 18 times in the set.

I like the cartoon here. It references The Man's seven batting crowns.

The photo, though, is a bit of a mystery. That's Seals Stadium in San Francisco, one of the more common photo locales for NLers in the '60 Topps set. That nails down the years of the pic to 1958 or 1959. What is strange is that there looks to be some sort of patch(?) on Musial's left sleeve.

St. Louis hadn't worn the 'script-front/bird sleeve patch' jerseys since the one year run in 1956. From the Hall of Fame's Uniform database:

Their 1958 and 1959 look was this:

So what's that on Stan's sleeve? That same Hall site has a listing of all memorial sleeve patches. Nothing noted for the Cards in that timeframe.

Looking closer at that section of the cards shows that there is something red on his sleeve. And that is the head of a 'Bird on a Bat' on his chest. (Hard to see on the card in hand).

So, I don't know what to think. Stray ink blob? Bloodstain? The card isn't obviously airbrushed or otherwise altered so that possibility is pretty remote. Plus, Topps did plenty of  'editing' on the b&w 'action' pics but next to nothing on the color, main photos. I don't know the answer and nobody else cares so it'll remain one of life's little mysteries.

Also noteworthy is that Seasons Highlights section that contains, not just big game production, but some super career milestones for Musial...400 dingers, 3200 hits, and the then-record 652 doubles. He finished with 725, 21 behind Pete Rose for the NL lead, and third all-time behind Rose and Tris Speaker's 792.

Cardinals Team Trio #242 #218 #468

The 1960 Cardinals finished third in the NL behind the Pirates. They were in the second division (now, there's a term that dates me) for the first half of the season and then climbed as high as second, three games back, on August 12. That was the middle of a four-game series in Pittsburgh in which they'd won the first two. Then the Bucs came back to win the next two and the Cards dropped back, never to be that close again.

They were led by Ken Boyer who was more-or-less a one-man wrecking crew. He led the team in almost all offensive categories. Many by a significant margin. He was even third on the team in steals.

This was before Bob Gibson became Bob Gibson and the Cards' staff was anchored by 18-game winner Larry Jackson. Ernie Broglio won 21 games while appearing in 52, starting 24 and relieving in the rest. It was a different game back then. Lindy McDaniel was the team's closer.

Partially checked checklist back. I have no problem with checked checklists.

From my 5 Tool blog: Solly was in the second of three years (2.5 actually) as Cardinals' manager. A long time Cardinal, he had returned to St. Louis from a stint with the Phils and gave the role of player/manager a shot in 1959. He didn't play much, just getting 26 at-bats, but after finishing in 7th place he came back in 1960 solely as the skipper. His team finished third. He was let go as manager mid-way through 1961 with the Cards in fifth.

In his 1960 card, he props himself on the railing and gazes off into the middle distance. He's probably hoping Stan Musial will play a few more years.

Topps with the nice cartoon back as usual. Hemus is yelling at himself in his previous player-manager role. Clever.

The coaches' card has a couple of future managers and a couple of former Cardinals players.

Howie Pollet was the ace of the '46 Cardinals World Series-winning club. He also won a ring as the pitching coach for the '64 Cards. Harry Walker was the 1947 NL batting champ. He played for eleven seasons in the NL for the cards and three other clubs. He had managed the Cards for part of the 1955 season prior to being on the staff for this card. He later managed the Pirates and Astros as well as serving as UAB's first head baseball coach.

Johnny Keane never played in the majors thanks in no small part to a serious head injury he suffered as a player in the Cards' chain in 1935. He was on the club's staff as a coach beginning in 1959 and took over as manager midway through 1961. He put together back-to-back 93-win seasons on 1963/64, culminating in a World Series title. For that, he was shown the door but landed in New York as the Yankees manager. He was replacing his Series opposite, Yogi Berra, who was similarly fired after a pennant.

Ray Katt was a backup catcher for the cards and Giants throughout the 1950s. Despite what the card blub claims, Katt played in 15 games in 1959. He was a player/coach in that final year. Katt, a Texas native, went back to Texas in the early 60s and coached high school ball then became an acclaimed college coach over 22 years at Texas Lutheran.

#236 Dick Ricketts

Dick Ricketts  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: Dick Ricketts (and fellow big leaguer brother Dave) were basketball and baseball stars from Pottstown, Pa. Dick went on to excel in hoops at Duchesne University and was the #1 overall pick in the 1955 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks. For a few years, Ricketts spread his talents over two pro sports. He pitched in the Cards' chain while also playing in the NBA. Ricketts played three seasons for the Hawks and Royals before turning to baseball fulltime.

Ricketts had a decade-long minor league career as a pitcher in the systems of the Cards and Phils. He made the majors with St. Louis in the middle of 1959 and appeared in a dozen games, nine being starts. He went 1-6 and his other numbers were no better. That six-week run was the extent of his big league career.

In 1960: Ricketts had spent his last days as a major league player at this point. He spent the season with Rochester of the International League, a Cardinals' AAA club. In 30 starts he went 9-13 with an ERA over 4.30 and was pitching his way out of the Cards' organization.

Off The Charts: While his brother Dave was a catcher for the Cardinals, the two were never a battery for the team. In fact, Dave was serving in the military during Dick's brief St. Louis run. But they were both in Rochester with the AAA RedWings in 1957 and 1960. Dave, newly signed and arriving in June of that '57 season, was behind the plate for Dick's near no-hitter on the 12th. In that game, Dick had a two-out, two-strike situation in the ninth when he allowed that one hit. Dave Ricketts reached the majors in 1963.

Wikipedia tells us that "[Dick] Ricketts is one of 13 athletes to play in both the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. The 13 are: Danny Ainge, Frank Baumholtz, Gene Conley, Chuck Connors, Michael Jordan, Dave DeBusschere, Dick Groat, Steve Hamilton, Mark Hendrickson, Cotton Nash, Ron Reed, Dick Ricketts and Howie Schultz."

The Card: Dick Ricketts had his rookie baseball card in 1959:

But prior to that, he had a card in the Topps hoops set from 1957:

#197 Ron Kline

Ron Kline  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: Ron Kline was a Western Pa. kid who was signed by the Pirates after a try-out in Forbes Field in 1950. He went on to pitch for 17 major league seasons, eight of them for the Bucs. He made the roster in 1952 and stayed busy for half the season but was 0-7 and did some minor league time that year as well. Kline served two years in the Army and returned to the Pirates in 1955.

Kline was primarily a starter at this point and remained one for the rest of the decade with mixed results. He had some decent numbers but pitching for bad teams caused him to lead the NL in losses twice. After a year with the Cardinals, Kline made himself over as a reliever. Other than a four-year run with the Senators, he bounced around the majors with short stays with the Angels, Tigers, Red Sox, Pirates (again), Twins, Giants, and Braves.

In 1960: His only year in St. Louis proved to be a disaster. He made 17 starts (all before July 4) and an equal number of relief appearances to the tune of a 6+ ERA. The Cards cashed out by selling him to the fledgling Angels just before Opening Day, 1961.

Off The Charts: Kline returned to his beloved Callery, Pennsylvania after his playing days. He was a car salesman (he had earlier co-owned a dealership), ran a bar, and served as a baseball coach and the mayor.

The Card: A second Cardinal pitcher within a couple of spots in the checklist is a sure sign of a guy who was traded too late to finagle the list. Topps was able to include the trade on the back of the card. I will sometimes try to figure out what '59 'Season's Highlight' was bumped to include the trade notation. In Kline's case, I'd bet on an 11-inning complete-game five-hit win over the Reds on July 5. A notoriously bad hitter, Kline even had a hit and two RBIs in that game!

#195 Lindy McDaniel

Lindy McDaniel  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: Lindy McDaniel pitched 21 seasons in the majors in a career that lasted from 1955 to 1975. He worked in 987 games, 913 in relief. He pitched only eight games in the minors and those came after a rough patch in 1958 and the demotion marked the end of his time as a starter. That period came primarily in 1957. He was back in the bigs after that short 'cooling-off' and found a home in the bullpen.

The Oklahoma native played for the Cardinals through 1962. Having seen his effectiveness decrease after twice leading the league in saves, they dealt him to the Cubs, and he rebounded nicely. In '63 he won his second Top Reliever Award and again led the NL in saves. He called Wrigley home for three years, spent a couple of seasons with the Giants, and then was an effective middle innings guy (and sometimes stopper) for the Yankees for six more. McDaniel finished up with two years in KC as a Royal.

In his career, he won 141 games against 199 losses and racked up 174 saves. It's almost hard to believe that he spent so much time playing in the majors for teams with so many combined league titles, and yet he never once pitched in a post-season game.

Baseball-Reference lists every player's 'Similarity Scores', a list of guys who have numbers that are close to the numbers of the player being profiled. On the list they have for Lindy McDaniel the top five are Ron Reed, Hoyt Wilhelm, Tom Gordon, Goose Gossage, and Stu Miller. Wilhelm and Gossage are in the Hall. I'm not saying McDaniel was a Hall of Fame-caliber pitcher, but I would have thought he'd have picked up more than the couple of votes he got in the two years he was on the ballot.

In 1960: In a long and accomplished career, this season stands out as McDaniel's best. Cards manager Solly Hemus called on him 65 times, all but two in relief. McDaniel responded with brilliance. Pitching 116 innings he allowed only 85 hits and fanned 105. He made the NL All-Star team (surprisingly for the only time) and picked up the save in the 2nd of the two ASGs. He was 12-4 with a 2.09 ERA, led the league with 27 saves, had a WHIP below 1.0, and finished third in the Cy Young race and fifth in the MVP voting. McDaniel won the very first Fireman Of The Year Award as well. Hell, I have no idea what Win Probability Added is, but he led the league in that, too!

Off The Charts: I usually don't port over chunks from my other blogs but I thought I'd do so for this one. Here is part of what I wrote for McDaniel's post on my 1958 blog. It contains some links to McDaniel mentions on my Five Tool blog.

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I've collected most if not all of McDaniel's Topps cards. He's been a favorite of mine for a long time. I've related several times the two 1970 games in which he participated that are among my most memorable ever. I wrote to him a few years ago and asked him about both games. Here is the letter with his responses:

 
He also sent along several of his own signed items with the cards I sent. He remains a good TTM signer and accepts donations to his Christian ministry.

Finally, a few tidbits about Lindy McDaniel. He had two brothers who played pro baseball. One of them, Von McDaniel, has a card in this 1958 set. His cousin is longtime University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal. He homered for the Yankees in 1972 and that's the last home run hit by a Yankee pitcher. When he retired in 1975 his 987 appearances were second all-time only to Hoyt Wilhelm. He's since been bypassed in that category by many others and currently ranks 17th. (Wilhelm is now 6th). 2020 edit: those numbers hold true.

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And when I posted his '59 card on that set's blog I included this account of the game I mentioned in that letter:

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One of the best regular-season games I ever saw involved Lindy McDaniel. I watched the Orioles and Yankees on July 8 of 1970 with my Dad on t.v. My O's were starting to put the Yanks in their rearview mirror and were coming off a dramatic 10th inning win the previous night. Brooks Robinson's bottom of the 10th grand slam had beaten, yup, Lindy McDaniel. I'd listened to that one on the Orioles radio network which, if I turned my portable Panasonic the right way, came in pretty darn clear in the kitchen of our house on the central New Jersey coast.

But the game in question was even better. The Orioles jumped out to an early lead with a three-run first in Memorial Stadium. Don Buford had led the game off with a homer and Frank Robinson had driven in a run with the first of what would be four hits on the night.

The Yanks tied it and took a lead of 4-3 quickly enough, the highlight of the comeback a three-run shot by Thurman Munson off Dave McNally. But the seesaw tilted back when Boog Powell and Frank Robinson blasted back-to-back shots in the bottom of the fourth! Jump ahead to the top of the 8th and the Yanks had edged back to trail only 6-5 and then broke out with homers from John Ellis and ex-Bird Curt Blefary. Now it's 8-6 New York in front and I'm pissed.

Lindy McDaniel is working his second inning on his second straight night in a tight game. Frank Robinson, never one to let a tense situation slip away without doing something special, drills his second homer of the evening to lead off the 9th and it's a one-run game again. Then Brooks Robinson and Dave Johnson single and I remember that I cannot sit down any longer. With Bobby Grich running for Brooks, Andy Etchebarren walks to load 'em up!

Now Terry Crowley steps up to pinch-hit and McDaniel buckles down. He fans Cro on three pitches. Ellie Hendricks pinch hits for the pitcher and McDaniel FANS HIM ON 3 PITCHES! So Don Buford steps up hoping to end the game just like he started it, with a bang. McDaniel gets him down 0-2 and now has gone from a bases-loaded jam to just needing one damn strike with 8 straight strikes. Holy crap. Then, dramatically, Buford strokes the next pitch into right field, Grich and Etch score and the neighbors can't figure out why I'm screaming. Birds win, 9-8.

That's a long, involved story but one I love telling. I brought the game up to Earl Weaver in a conversation I once had with him and after about a sentence and a half Earl took over the re-telling in his unique and colorful style. Good times.

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Now, in 2020, re-reading my letter and his responses I realize I asked him to comment on two tough losses. Maybe I should have asked about a win or two!

McDaniel is now 85 and, at last report, is still signing thru the mail via his webpage for a small fee. 

The Card: The orange/green/yellow/white works fine together, especially when it has the help of the great Cardinals' jersey and the Seals Stadium background. This is a favorite of mine.

#133 Manuel Javier Sport Rookie Star

Manuel Javier  Pittsburgh Pirates

Career: Manuel (better known as Julian) Javier, a native of the Dominican Republic, never played an inning for Pittsburgh despite being depicted as a Pirate on his rookie card. He was traded to the Cardinals after moving up the Bucs' system since 1956. He had been deemed expendable because the Pirates had Bill Mazeroski ahead of him. He went on to a 13-year career that included a couple of All-Star squads and two World Series rings. His glovework and speed made him a valuable member of the Cardinals through the 1960s.

In 1960: He began the year as he had the previous four, playing for a Pirates' farm club. But a month into the season he was dealt to the Cards, stepped into the starting second baseman's job, and didn't let go of it until 1971. Playing in 119 games he led the team in stolen bases and was fifth in hits and runs scored.

Off The Charts: The stadium in his hometown of San Francisco de Macoris is named in his honor.

The Card: Javier's birth date on the back of this card is listed as August 9, 1937. Every source I checked gives the year as 1936. It wasn't uncommon for players coming from Latin America to 'fudge' their age a bit. His 1961 card also has the '37 date but after that Topps corrected it to 1936. This is also the only card (of any kind as far as I can find) that has him depicted A) as a Pirate; B) without glasses; and C) as 'Manuel', at least on the front of the card. Topps' 1970 card gives his name as Manuel Julian Javier on the back.

#168 Alex Grammas

Alex Grammas  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: An Alabama native and WWII vet, Grammas spent most of his life in baseball. Originally signed by the White Sox, he played 10 seasons with a variety of NL clubs, mostly in St. Louis. Of his ten seasons he spent three as a regular but was most often filling a utility infielder's role. His versatility and defensive skills kept him in the majors more than his erratic bat. After the 1963 season he stayed in the game as a coach and manager. He took over the Pirates for a few games at the end of the 1969 season and then managed the Brewers, without much success, in '76/'77.

In 1960: This was his second tour with the Cardinals and, after holding down the starting shortstop job in 1959, he gave way to Daryl Spencer. It was his last year to play in as many as a hundred games. He played at short, second, and third as a the spare infielder and hit .245, but he did have a career-high four homers.

Off The Charts: From his SABR bio...After retiring, he was a third-base coach for a quarter-century, mainly for teams managed by Sparky Anderson. Forever proud of his ancestry, Grammas in 1976 became the first Greek-American ever to manage a major-league team for a full season.

His father ran the Magic City Candy Co., and during his early baseball career he would go back to Birmingham and pack candy during the off season. Alex Grammas died last September at the age of 93.

#124 Jim Donohue Sport Rookie Star

Jim Donohue  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: Donohue pitched in 70 games over the course of two major league seasons for three different teams, none of which were the St. Louis Cardinals. After four and a half seasons in the Cards' chain, he was traded to the Dodgers in 1960 and was subsequently taken in the Rule 5 draft by the Tigers, traded to the Angels and then on to the Twins. All within 23 months. He made nine starts over those two seasons and put up a 4.29 ERA with a 6-8 record.

In 1960: Traded mid-year from the Cards to the Dodgers, Donohue went from the Rochester Red Wings to the St. Paul Saints. Both the Cardinals and Dodgers had huge, loaded farm systems. 33 players with Rochester in 1960 had, or would have big-league experience. 18 players with St. Paul fell into the same category. Donohue went 9-7 in 38 games (11 starts) between the two AAA teams.

Off The Charts: Donohue was a St. Louis native and graduate of Christian Brothers College High School where one of his teammates was Mike Shannon, future Cardinal infielder and broadcaster. He was also the son of a St. Louis policeman. He was once asked why he didn't follow his father into law enforcement. He replied: "I'd rather pitch than get shot at." Fair enough.

The Card: His cap got an oversized airbrush job on that '60 card. Topps reused the photo in 1961 with a different airbrush. Now it showed Donohue with the Tigers. Still not very well done.

#149 Bob Nieman

Bob Nieman  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: Bob Nieman's bat, not his glove, kept him in the majors for 12 years for six different teams. He started his career with the Browns after originally being signed by the Reds. He spent more time with the Orioles than any of his other clubs and twice hit over .320 for them. Nieman had a .295 career average and was seventh in the AL MVP voting in 1956.

Nieman's only post-season experience was also his big league swansong. His final at-bat was a pinch-hitting appearance for the Giants in Game Four of the 1962 World Series. He hit for Ed Bailey and drew a walk. He was replaced by a pinch-runner and called it a career that winter.

In 1960: As shown on the card he was back in St. Louis, this time with the Cardinals. His career was winding down, and he was a platoon outfielder playing in 81 games, mostly against right-handed pitching. The Cards had struggled against lefties the year prior so they made a trade with the Orioles for him. He got quite the endorsement from former teammate Marty Marion: “He’s only a mediocre outfielder and he’s a hypochondriac, but, man, he can whale that ball.” Nieman supplied a solid bat that year, hitting .285.


Off The Charts: Nieman is one of two players in MLB history to homer in each of his first two big-league at-bats. Keith McDonald, in 2000, is the other. He did it for the Browns in September 1951 at Fenway Park. He hit both dingers off Mickey McDermott.

#101 Bob Miller

Bob Miller  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: Miller pitched for 10 different big league teams over 17 seasons. He began his career with his hometown Cardinals in 1957 and finished up with the Mets in 1974. He had previously been a member of the inaugural Mets club in 1962. Along the way, he pitched in World Series' with the Dodgers in 1965/66 and in 1971 with the Pirates. He won two rings. His career record was 69-81 with a very respectable 3.37 ERA in almost 700 games, almost 100 of them being starts. He was the NL's busiest pitcher in 1964 having 74 appearances. 

In 1960: He pitched in only 15 games for the Cardinals and three minor league games. I'm assuming he was hurt during the season but I can't find any record of that.

Off The Charts: During that 1962 Mets' season, one of his roommates was Bob G. Miller, another bonus baby pitcher who played from 1953 through 1962 for the Tigers, Reds, and Mets. I'd imagine Casey Stengel had fun with that. This Bob Miller's name at birth was Robert Lane Gemeinweiser. A third Bob Miller, also a pitcher, was with the Phillies in the late 40s through 1958. Their careers overlapped but for various reasons, it seems the three were not all active at the same time.

The Card: Seals Stadium always provides a nice backdrop. I was a Rawlings guy when I was playing baseball and I always like seeing big leaguers who were also.


If you are scoring at home Topps threw a curve in 1959 by airbrushing the long-time Phils' Miller into Cardinal gear ....here is the 1958 card of Bob Miller of the Phillies.

Then in 1959, they issued this card for that same Bob Miller as a Cardinal. Technically he was a Cardinal after coming over in a conditional trade in February. But he was returned to the Phils in April and never appeared in a regular game for St. Louis (or anyone else for that matter) in '59. Back with the Phils he did some minor league work and moved on to a Dodger farm club and then was out of the game.

This had me scratching my head for a bit until I figured out the comings and goings of the Miller Boys. So it seems that this post's Bob Miller was indeed teammates of both the other Bob Millers during his career if we count Spring Training of 1959. 

#84 Hal Smith

Hal Smith  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: Not to be confused with the OTHER Hal Smith whose card (#48) was posted at the end of January. THIS Hal Smith played from 1956 through 1961 with the Cardinals. He was their starting catcher for much of that time. He was a two-time NL All-Star. His best season was 1959 when he had career-highs in homers and RBI. He got into a few games with the Pirates in 1965 when he was activated for a bit while serving as a coach for the club. He was a coach and scout for many years after his playing days. He is usually differentiated from his namesake by his middle initial, 'R'.

In 1960: Coming off an All-Star season he slid from 13/50/.270/.295 to 2/28/.228/.291 and lost some playing time to Carl Sawatski and several others.
Off The Charts: Even Baseball Reference has problems keeping it's Hal Smiths straight. On various pages, it names BOTH as the uncle of former Padre player Tim Flannery. I believe this Hal Smith is Flannery's relative.

The Card: It's not often you get two photos of a catcher in his gear on a card one of these sets. Having the catcher wearing his mask is even more of an oddity. I really like this one with Smith squatting in Seals Stadium.

#74 Walt Moryn

Walt Moryn   Chicago Cubs

Career: Moryn played eight years in the Dodgers' chain before getting his ticket punched for a ride to Wrigley and an everyday spot in the Cubs' outfield. He had home run power and a big arm which led to league-leading assist numbers. He made the All-Star squad in 1958. After his time with the Cubs, he played part-time roles for a few seasons for the Cards and Pirates and retired in 1961.

In 1960: Moryn was hitting almost .300 when he was dealt at the trade deadline to the Cardinals. This came a month after his shoestring catch was the last and biggest out of Don (This Is My First Cub Start) Caldwell's no-hitter. He didn't maintain his average in St. Louis but he did end up with 13 homers and hit .264 for the season.

Off The Charts: SABR sez: "...Moryn will be remembered best for one outstanding moment in a Chicago uniform. It came on Sunday, May 15, 1960, when Moose made “the catch” that preserved a no-hitter for teammate Don Cardwell."

Also worth noting....he is another Navy vet who saw action in the Pacific. 

The Card: Has that Wrigley Field vibe even though the background in the photo is obscured. Sometimes four colors are one too many. That's the case here. Highlights list shows he had a big September in '59 and the cartoon is a good one.

#58 Gino Cimoli

Gino Cimoli   Pittsburgh Pirates

Career: He had an impressive minor league career in the Dodgers' chain but it was hard to move up in that stocked system. He debuted in Brooklyn in 1956 and went on to play for seven clubs over ten seasons. A .265 career hitter, he led the AL in triples in 1962 and in assists by an outfielder in '63. He made the NL All-Star team in 1956 and played in one game of that year's World Series.

In 1960: He was with his third club in as many years but was just in time to help the Bucs win the Series. As the team's fourth outfielder (behind Skinner, Virdon and Clemente) he hit .267 but his biggest moment came in Game Seven of the Series. He got a pinch single to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning that started the rally which put the Pirates in the lead (which they soon blew before they celebrated Mazeroski's famous homer).

Off The Charts: From Wikipedia...After retiring from baseball, Cimoli worked as a delivery driver for United Parcel Service where, in 1990, the company honored Cimoli for completing 21 years of service without a traffic accident. Cimoli, then 60 years old and still working for the company, was now referred to as "The Lou Gehrig of UPS."

He was the first player to bat in a major league game in California when he stepped into the box for the Dodgers at Seals Stadium on April 15, 1958, against Ruben Gomez and the Giants. He fanned, btw.

The Card: The picture is from 1959 and was taken in the park where he had made that first-in-history West Coast at-bat, Seals Stadium in San Francisco. Cimoli's card comes just a few numbers after Bill Mazeroski's and tells us that it was revised after the trade that winter.

Also revised was the last entry in his highlights list...The December 21 trade is shown and the font is just a bit lighter than the lines above it. I crawled down the rabbit hole and I've decided that the trade entry replaced one for his game on July 12 when he went 3 for five, homered, and then drove in the eventual winning run in the top of the tenth with a single to beat the Pirates. The single actually occurred a month later since the game (the second half of a doubleheader) had been suspended in the top of the ninth. So I'm guessing that the last entry originally looked like this:

• July 12: Gets 3 hits, homer, and clutch single in extras to beat Bucs.
  

#40 Joe Cunningham

Joe Cunningham  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: Spent several years climbing thru the stacked Cardinals' system with an Army sting thrown in. His .284 average as a part-time starter in 1954 wasn't enough to earn his spot going forward and he returned to the majors in 1957 with a solid year. Had four more seasons with the Cards before being dealt to the White Sox in 1962. After one good year, his playing time decreased and he moved on to the Senators, retiring after a handful of 1966 at-bats. In 7 years with the Cards, he had a .304 average and made the All-Star team in 1959. That season he finished 2nd to Hank Aaron for the batting crown and led the NL in OBP.

In 1960: His average slipped from .345 in 1959 to a still respectable .280 to go along with 6 homers and 39 RBI.

Off The Charts: Wikipedia reports that "Cunningham's big league career started with a bang. He homered once off Art Fowler of the Cincinnati Redlegs in his big league debut on June 30, 1954, and then hit two off Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves the next day, July 1st, to set the record for most home runs in a player's first two major league games"

The Card: That's Wrigley in the photo and the building over Cunningham's shoulder now has a set of bleachers on top of it. That may well be #6, Stan The Man, bending over in the background. Don Blasingame wore #8 in 1958 so that's another possibility.

#24 Dick Gray

Dick Gray  St. Louis Cardinals

Career: He was highly touted as he worked his way up the overstocked Dodgers' chain and finally broke through when the club moved west. He was sidetracked by injuries early in the 1958 season and never really recovered his hitting prowess. He never played a full season in the majors finishing with a .239 average and six homers. Four of those homers came in the first nine games ever played by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In 1960: He had five at-bats for the Cardinals before he was traded to the Pirates in May in a deal that sent Julian Javier to St. Louis. The Pirates kept him at AAA for the season where he struggled at the plate hitting .255.  He never returned to the majors.

Off The Chart: Baseball Reference tells us that... 

From the time the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, CA in 1958 until Ron Cey took hold of the third base position for a decade starting in 1973, over three dozen different players where used at the hot corner. But the very first one in that 1958 season was 27-year-old rookie Dick Gray, who arrived in the majors after his big year with St. Paul in 1957.

And from Wikipedia...

Gray was the regular third baseman for the Dodgers in their opening series against the San Francisco Giants at Seals Stadium. On April 16, 1958, in the second game of the series, the Dodgers crushed the Giants, 13–1. In the second inning of that game, Gray belted a two-run homer off Ramón Monzant, to become the first player to hit a home run in Los Angeles Dodgers history.

The Card: Plenty of pink in this first series so far. This is my original copy of this card but I have since upgraded it (along with a few dozen others) thanks to the vintage bins at the local hotel show.

#120 Duke Carmel

Duke Carmel St. Louis Cardinals

Career: New York City native Duke Carmel played in 124 big league games between 1959 and 1965 for the Cards, Mets and Yankees. He was also passed through the Dodgers and Indians organizations along the way. He showed lots of power in the minors but hit only four dingers in the bigs. The most interesting thing about Carmel is his transaction log...

June 15, 1960: Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals with Jim Donohue to the Los Angeles Dodgers for John Glenn.
September 19, 1960: Purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
May 16, 1961: Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Joe Koppe.
Before 1962 Season: Sent from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the St. Louis Cardinals in an unknown transaction.
March, 1962: Purchased by the Cleveland Indians from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Before 1963 Season: Sent from the Cleveland Indians to the St. Louis Cardinals in an unknown transaction.
July 29, 1963: Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the New York Mets for Jacke Davis and cash.
November 30, 1964: Drafted by the New York Yankees from the New York Mets in the 1964 rule 5 draft.

So he went from the Dodgers to the Cardinals to the Dodgers to the Cardinals to the Indians to the Cardinals to the Mets and to the Yankees. The Cardinals bought him, sold him, traded him (3 times!) and acquired him (twice) in unknown transactions.  All righty then.

In 1960: He spent most of the season at the AAA level for St. Louis and LA.

WikiFact: From his Wikimedia page: With his name he might have been a natural for having a candy bar named after himself. But he probably would have had a better chance had he put up numbers in the majors like the .324 batting average, 29 homers and 121 RBIs he had in 1957 when he led the Billings Mustangs to the Pioneer League pennant, or the 35 home runs he hit for Buffalo in 1964.

The Card: I love these orange Rookie Team cards. The back of this one was plenty faded,