#11 Norm Siebern

Norm Siebern, Kansas City Athletics

Career: Siebern played 12 seasons in the majors, all except a partial year with the Giants were in the AL. He won a Gold Glove as an outfielder for the Yankees early in his career but spent the majority of his time as a first baseman. He was a three time All Star and he won World Series rings as a part of the 1956 and 1958 Yankees. He also played for the Red Sox in the '67 Series against the Cardinals.

Notable Achievements:

• 1957 Minor League Player of the Year, Denver Bears, American Association
• 3-time AL All-Star (1962-1964)
• AL Gold Glove Winner (1958/LF)
• AL Bases on Balls Leader (1964)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1962)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1962)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1962)
• Won two World Series with the New York Yankees (1956 & 1958)

In 1960: Traded the previous winter to the A's in the deal that sent Roger Maris to New York Siebern was an every day player with about equal time spent in left and at first. He hit 19 homers to go with a .279 average. He was two years away from his best year. In 1962 he finished #7 in MVP voting.

WikiFacts: "Siebern and fellow Yankee farmhand Jerry Lumpe played basketball at Southwest Missouri State Teachers College (later Southwest Missouri State University and now Missouri State University) and helped the Bears win the 1952 and 1953 NAIA National Championship Tournaments. Southwest Missouri State posted a 10-0 record in the national tourney over the two seasons, including wins over Indiana State, Murray State, and Gonzaga, though both Siebern and Lumpe headed to spring training prior to the title games."- from Siebern's SABR bio

The Card: This one is in pretty rough shape. If I decide to make an 'upgrade' list I'll put this card on it. One reason I'd like a nicer copy is that I like the color scheme and another is that Siebern played for the Orioles and I'm partial to him for that. I also hate to see the wonderful colors of the back of the card marred as they are by stains.

Obviously Topps didn't bother airbrushing the 'NY' off Siebern's cap. This is a Series One card and maybe they didn't have the time.

#565 Roger Maris Sport Magazine All Star

Roger Maris, Sport Magazine '60 All Star Selection

As an All Star: Maris was selected to the AL squad four straight seasons, 1959 thru 1962. He played in seven ASG but didn't accomplish much as he collected only two hits in 19 at bats.

In the 1960 ASGs: Maris started both games in RF that year. He was 0-6 with a walk and the AL lost them both.

The card: This is the first 1960 All Star card I've posted. I think these rank behind only the 1958 All Star cards as favorites of mine. The design seems ahead of it's time for Topps. This subset comes at the end of the 7th Series. They were produced about a month into the 1960 season as the text references Maris' production in the first three weeks of the 1960 season.

The condition of this card pretty much reflects the low price I won it at. Maybe one day I'll look to upgrade it but for now it's perfectly fine.