#253 Eddie Bressoud

Eddie Bressoud  San Francisco Giants

Career: Bressoud, a Los Angeles product, played twelve seasons in the majors, mostly with the Giants and Red Sox. He signed in 1950, played a few years in their system, did two years in the military, returned to the minors, and then broke through to the Giants in 1956. During the club's last two seasons in New York Bressoud was up and down between the Polo Grounds and AAA. He had a reputation as a versatile infielder with a good glove anywhere he was stationed.

But he wasn't an automatic out at the plate, either. At least in most years. In 1964 for the Red Sox he hit .293 and made the AL All-Star team. His career average was .252 which is better than a lot of the infielders of the era.

Bressouud had a couple of seasons with the Giants in which he was a near-everyday player. But when he reached the Red Sox in 1962 he took over as their shortstop and had a nice three-year run. He had good power for a middle infielder and put up double-digit homers for several seasons in a row. His numbers fell off in 1965 and he found himself with the Mets in 1966 where he enjoyed one final season as a starter, and with the Cards in 1967 where he was a spare part.

Bressoud worked as a minor league manager and scout once his playing days were done.

In 1960: This was his second year as the Giants' starter at short (he got into 116 games with over 430 plate appearances) but he didn't hit well enough to hold the job. His .225 average was the lowest of his career. He'd soon give way to Jose Pagan at short for the Giants.

Off The Charts: Bressoud's move from San Francisco to Boston came with a detour. He was taken by Houston in the December '61 expansion draft and then traded to the Sox for Don Buddin. SABR has this to say about the deal:

Bressoud never played for Houston. In fact, he was earmarked for the Boston Red Sox even before the Colt .45s drafted him. In discussions during the World Series, Mike Higgins of the Red Sox talked with GM Paul Richards of Houston. The Sox had tried to obtain Bressoud from the Giants, but failed, and so a deal was struck whereby Houston would draft Bressoud and then swap him to the Red Sox for Boston shortstop Don Buddin. Buddin was no fan favorite in Boston, and Higgins was looking for someone steadier in the field. Columnist Dan Daniel quoted an unnamed Boston writer: “Mike Higgins would not have dared to open the 1962 season with Buddin still on his club. The fans hooted Don all last summer.”

The Card: See, this is what a good headshot looks like. Shows him leaning on the cage, Wrigley scoreboard, and players in the background. Nice colors as well. Good effort by the Topps crew here.

#252 Ray Herbert

Ray Herbert  Kansas City Athletics

Career: Herbert's career, which began in the Tigers' chain in 1949, was a series of peaks and valleys. Starting at the AAA level, he had a terrible first year. But the Tigers must have seen potential because he remained at the top rung of the ladder and was more impressive at Toledo his second time around.

Herbert earned a spot on the Tigers' staff and sandwiched three and a third seasons around nearly two years spent with Uncle Sam. His record in Detroit, where he was mostly a mop-up reliever, ranged from 'not bad' to terrible. He was traded to the Athletics in May of 1955 and spent the rest of that season pitching batting practice (in real games to opponents). Two years of seasoning in the minors transformed Herbert into a much better pitcher. He grabbed the role of a starter and won 36 games for the A's. He had enough value to be a key part of a deal that sent him to the White Sox in June of 1961.

Hebert's best years came on the South Side. He won 20 in 1962, made the All-Star team (he pitched three innings and got the win in the second of that years' ASGs), and even got a look from MVP voters. After a 13-win '63 season and a 6-win 1964 (diminishing returns), he was dealt to the Phils. There he had decent numbers as a starter one year, not-so-good as a reliever the next and retired after being released in December of 1966.


In 1960: Herbert had a really good season with a 3.28 ERA and a 14-15 record on a team that finished last and 38 games below .500.  It's not surprising that he was dealt off the next year. What IS surprising is that it was to the White Sox and not the Yankees.

Off The Charts: His SABR bio tells us about his post-playing days...

"Herbert and his family continued to live in the Detroit area. Herbert had been employed by Montgomery Ward as a sporting goods department manager during the offseason, and now this became his full-time occupation. Herbert continued to be involved with baseball, working as batting practice pitcher for the Tigers from 1967 to 1992 when the team was at home. He was also president of the Detroit Tigers Alumni Association. The Tigers appreciated Herbert enough to include him with their traveling group for playoff games, and for the World Series in 1968 and 1984."

Since he's from the upper Midwest and not Louisiana I'm assuming we were correct as kids when we called him Ray "Her-burt". Now that I'm in Texas and near Cajun country, I slip into thinking it's 'ā-bear". Thought you should know.

The Card: I don't hate headshot cards as much as some do but this just isn't a good one. Cropping it differently, maybe showing more uni, would have made a difference. I always like that Athletics' logo though.

3251 Bobby Malkmus

Bobby Malkmus  Philadelphia Phillies

Career: Bobby Malkmus was a good glove, bad bat infielder for three big-league clubs over bits and pieces of six seasons. He broke in with the '57 Braves and went on to play for the Senators and Phils. His busiest time came in 1960 and '61 when he played in a total of  200 games for Philadelphia over both years.

When he got nearly 400 plate appearances in '61 he responded with his best hitting. He had a .231 average that year while also launching seven of his eight career homers. 

His time with the Braves in their title season of 1957 came in June so he wasn't around to watch the Series from the bench.

Malkmus was, as they say, a baseball 'lifer'. His last seasons as a pro were spent as a player/coach in the Phils organization. He went on to manage in the minors for them, the Expos, and the Orioles.  He was involved in scouting for the Giants as late as 2013 and has been active in baseball schools and camps.

In 1960: Malkmus played in 79 games, 32 as a starter. He was the clubs utility guy and divided his time between second, third, and short. He hit just .211 but had his first home run, a grand slam against the Giants. Details below.

This nugget from his SABR bio is a 1960 story: On September 15 at Connie Mack Stadium, Malkmus clubbed his first big-league home run, a grand slam off the San Francisco Giants’ Sam Jones to tie the score in the sixth inning of an eventual extra-inning loss. Starting at second base the following evening in Milwaukee, he was involved in a memorable game. With two outs in the ninth inning facing Warren Spahn, Malkmus hit a screeching liner back to the mound. Spahn reached for the ball reflexively, but it ricocheted off his glove, only to be scooped up by shortstop Logan, who threw to Adcock at first to record the final out in Spahn’s first career no-hitter.

Off The Charts: Recycled from my post of his 1958 card... On September 16, 1960, 39-year-old former teammate Warren Spahn threw the first no-hitter of his illustrious career against the Phils, striking out 15. He struck out every player in the starting lineup except Malkmus.

Malkmus was a product of Newark N.J.'s South Side High School and played football and baseball there. I'm from nearby Nutley and NSS was one of my home town's football rivals. He was before my time though.

The Card: This photo was taken in the same session as the one used on his '59 card. That 'P' they drew on his cap for the 'action' shot would have been visible from Delaware.

#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.

#248 Del Rice

Del Rice  Chicago Cubs

Career: Rice joined the Cardinals in 1945 after four seasons in the minors and spent half a decade as a platoon/semi-regular catcher. In 1950 he claimed their fulltime job behind the plate and held it four seasons. He was Roy Campanella's backup in the 1953 All-Star Game but Campy played all nine innings.

Rice was dealt to the Braves in 1955 and spent five seasons there riding the pine behind Del Crandall. Then he toured both leagues, playing with the Cubs, Cardinals (again), Orioles, and the expansion Angels in 1961, his last stop in the bigs.

In the end, Rice had fashioned a 17 season career, largely due to his defensive skills. 

He played in two World Series and was on the winning side both times. While earning rings in '46 and '57, he went four for twelve in five total games. He was a member of the NL champion Braves in 1958 but didn't get into a game in that Series.

After retiring as a player he worked as a coach and minor league manager for many years, primarily with the Angels' organization. He had one year as the Angels manager, 1872, but the team finished fifth and Rice was given a scouting job and replaced in the dugout by Bobby Winkles. He later scouted for the Yanks and Giants.

In 1960: He began the year with the Cubs but was let go in June after playing in 18 games. He signed with the Cardinals, got into one game in August after spending time at AAA, then was released again. He signed with the Orioles and made it into one game with the Birds that September.

He hit .218 in 54 at-bats with the three clubs.

Off The Charts: Rice is credited as being the very first Los Angeles Angel. He signed with Gene Autry as a player/coach on December 12, 1960. The expansion draft that filled their roster was held two days later.

#247 Gil McDougald

Gil McDougald   New York Yankees

Career: After three red-hot minor-league seasons McDougald made the '51 Yanks starting at third and some at second, and proceeded to win the Rookie of the Year award.

He went on to play ten seasons in the Bronx, hit .276 with decent power for an infielder (he moved to short and then second before returning to third), was a five-time All-Star, and had several Top Ten MVP totals.

The 50s Yankees being what they were, McDougald played in eight World Series, winning five rings. He didn't hit particularly well in the post-season as far as average goes, but he homered in the first four he participated in and had two dingers (and a .321 average) in the '58 Classic against the Braves.

McDougald turned down an offer to play for the expansion Angels in 1961 to go into retirement. He scouted for the Yanks for some years and lived his last years on the middle Jersey Shore, passing away at 82.

In 1960: This was the end of the trail for McDougald. He played the fewest games and had the fewest at-bats of his career but he still played in nearly 120 games alternating and third and second with Clete Boyer and Bobby Richardson. Casey Stengel was pulling a boat-load of strings between naps. His numbers were actually as good or better than his previous season in fewer at-bats. You could look it up! 😉

His last big-league appearance came in Game Seven of the 1960 World Series. He entered the game in the top of the ninth as a pinch-runner for Dale Long who had singled a couple of batters earlier and had advanced to third on Mantle's hit. (Why Casey waited to put a runner in for Long until he'd been advanced to third is beyond me. I was watching but I'm sure it went over my 8-year-old head. Anyone?) Anyway, McDougald came home on Yogi Berra's grounder and that run tied up the game at 9-9 and set up what happened in the bottom of that crazy inning. McDougald, btw, had gone in to play third so he had a decent view of Maz' homer sailing over his left shoulder and into history.

Off The Charts: I'm generally not a fan of the Bleacher Report site but the link to this came up in my McDougald search and I thought it was interesting.

Gil McDougald: [...] Line Drive Tragedy

In Aug. 1955, Bob Cerv, who had almost as much power as Mickey Mantle, hit a line drive during batting practice. McDougald, who was otherwise engaged, was standing near second base when the liner struck him in the ear. It eventually cost him his hearing.

McDougald kept his deafness a secret until 1994 when he revealed it to Ira Berkow of the New York Times. A group of physicians read the article and told McDougald that a cochlear implant might restore his hearing. It did.

The other line drive was hit on May 7, 1957 in Cleveland. It struck Cleveland Indians left-hander Herb Score in the eye. Score remained on the ground for several minutes before being carried off the field. Neither Score nor McDougald was ever the same.

From 1951-56, McDougald hit .284/.369/.419, averaging 15 home runs and 77 RBIs over a 162-game season. After the "Herb Score incident," McDougald batted .264/.336/.394, averaging 13 home runs and 61 RBIs.

The Card: Another mystery is why McDougald is pictured capless. It not like he just came over to the Yanks from another club.

#246 Lee Maye

Lee Maye  Milwaukee Braves (and The Crowns)

Career(s):  Lee Maye played pro baseball for 18 seasons, 13 in the majors with the Braves, Astros, Senators, White Sox, and Indians. He was never an All-Star, missed out on post-season play, and is relatively unknown despite a career .274 average and nearly a hundred homers.

After his minor league climb, he played for the Braves from 1959 thru early in the 1965 season. In 1964 his 44 doubles (twice his next best total) led the NL. That year his .304 average was good for 12th in the NL, just a few points outside the Top Ten.

He was traded to the Astros early in the 1965 season and later toured the AL before finishing with more minor-league duty and a 1972 retirement.

Running parallel to his baseball career was a music career that saw Maye make doo-wop records for several labels beginning in the mid-50s. He'd been singing since his days at Jefferson High in South Central L.A. The bulk of his music came from his time as lead singer for The Crowns. He signed his first professional contract at 19. Much more about his musical career can be found below.

Lee Maye died at 67 in 2002. Certainly a life well-lived.

In 1960: Maye was with the Braves to start the season but played sparingly through early May when he was sent to AAA Louisville. There he played well, was back in the bigs in July, and was handed an everyday spot in the Braves' outfield. He responded by hitting .301 in nearly a hundred at-bats.

Off The Charts (literally): This was one of the most fun posts I've had the pleasure to research. This is his 'rookie' card so I didn't get to dive down the rabbit hole of his music for my other set blogs. There are so many neat little items about his life that I think I'll just post some links here and let you explore if you wish.

Highly recommended is this page that has extensive photos, playlists of Maye's music, interview excerpts, and more.

Another extensive interview and background site is here. Bunches of photos, a complete(?) discography, and much more.

If you do Spotify, here is a Maye playlist.

Marv Goldberg's Rock and Roll Notebook is another fun site with a lot of stuff on Maye and his music.

This Astros Daily interview focuses on his baseball career and shows him to have been very outspoken in many ways. It's a good one.

The Card: The cartoon references his singing career. His '61, '63, '65, and '68 Topps cards also had cartoons that mentioned his 'side job'. This oldies/pop-oriented site has a great bio that focuses on his dual career and shows some of the cartoons.

The card itself is pretty cool. The blue/orange/red/white/black combo isn't unique but it is one of only six found in the 1960 set. And the Braves' sweet unis make it even more colorful. Add in that super cartoon and you have a great baseball card.

Here are a few music videos of The Crowns from YouTube: