#78 Bob Grim

Bob Grim  Kansas City Athletics

Career: Grim was signed by the Yankees and spent four seasons in their system before serving two years in the military. He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1954 winning 20 games for the Yankees. He developed arm issues but managed a brief comeback in 1957 when he won 12, led the AL with 19 saves, and made the All-Star team. After that, he was never the same pitcher. He bounced around with several other teams and ended his career back with the A's (briefly) in 1962.

In 1960: He started the year with KC but had his contract sold twice, first to the Indians and then to the Reds. He went 3-3 in 44 games overall.

Off The Charts: Wikipedia reports that [Grim] took the loss in Game 4 of the 1957 World Series when he allowed a walk-off home run to Milwaukee Braves third baseman Eddie Mathews.

The Card: Love the first entry on the highlights list. Topps could get a touch snarky when they wanted to. This is the second consecutive KC player on the set checklist following Hank Foiles who also played for three clubs that season. My copy is a bit the worse for wear but it may not be quite upgrade worthy.

#77 Hank Foiles

Hank Foiles  Kansas City Athletics

Career: Foiles is one of the most interesting guys I've come across while researching these team sets from the late 50s/early 60s. He was a career back-up catcher for seven teams and, while he only had 300+ at bats twice, made the 1957 All-Star squad. He was also a bit of a renaissance man having authored a book, done a lot of public speaking and sued the Orioles (booo!) for using his photo without permission in a stadium giveaway card set. The link a bit lower that goes to my '59 set blog will lead you to much more on this interesting (and very much alive) character. 

In 1960: Foiles played in 56 games for three clubs in 1960 but only six were in the A's uniform. As a back up in Cleveland and Detroit as well as KC he hit .282 with a homer.

Off The Charts: From my 1959 Topps blog posting of his card that season: "He was on the roster of four clubs during the 1960 season. Traded after the '59 campaign by the Pirates to the A's he was traded back to the Pirates in June of '60. But Foiles was to be assigned to the minors and he refused. The Pirates allowed him to engineer his own trade so the next day he was dealt to the Indians. In late July Foiles was traded again, this time to the Tigers. To add to the fun he was drafted after the season by the Orioles. So, to sum it up... between December of 1959 and November of 1960 Foiles followed this path: Pirates->Athletics->Pirates-Indians-Tigers-Orioles!!!"

The Card: Foiles is pictured in his Pirates gear in Wrigley Field but, as noted above, he was on tour within the American League when this card was new. But, in any case, it's a beauty. I love the color combo and the posed shot with Wrigley and pregame activities as a backdrop. His trade to the A's is noted in the write-up.

#76 Bill Fischer

Bill Fischer  Washington Senators

Career: (In a weird coincidence Fischer popped up in the rotation here the same day I posted his card on my 1958 blog. Crazy!) As noted in my other set blog, Fischer was a lifelong baseball guy who pitched for 20 years in pro ball and then turned to every other job in the game after thet. He was an occasional starter in the bigs for four AL clubs, none of which ever got him a post-season shot.

In 1960: He struggled during the first half of the season for the Senators but a late July trade to the Tigers (his second go-round in Detroit) changed his luck and he improved his numbers. He finished 8-8 in 40 games, 20 with each team.

Off The Charts: When he passed away last year at the age of 88 he had just completed his 71st year in pro baseball in a career that began in 1948 as a 17-year old in the White Sox organization.

The Card: That's the old Comiskey behind him. And seeing that Nats logo reminds me of how much I always liked it.

#75 Vic Power

Vic Power  Cleveland Indians

Career: Owner of one of the great names in baseball history, Vic Power emerged from Puerto Rico (as Victor Pellot) to become a versatile, dependable big league star for a dozen years. He was first signed by the Yankees but dealt to the Athletics in 1953, supposedly because of who he chose to associate with (i.e. he dated white women). Power was a four-time All-Star, seven-time Gold Glove winner, and frequent gatherer of MVP votes. In his years with the A's, Indians, Angels, Twins, and (very briefly) the Phils, he hit .284 with 126 homers. Power was primarily a first-baseman but Dodgers general manager Al Campanis once remarked that he was also the best second baseman he had ever seen. Power never had a shot to show his talents in a World Series.

In 1960: He had a career-high 84 RBIs to go with his 10 homers and .288 average. He was inserted into the 2nd of two All-Star contests and had a pair of fly-outs and made five putouts at first.

Off The Charts: Luis Mayoral, Power's friend, and a blogger for the Hall of Fame wrote: I asked Vic if he enjoyed reading and he responded, “Reading is my hobby. Books are my best friends. I take pride in my career in baseball, but I’m also very proud of being a good photographer.”

The Card: Nice color combo on this one. Not many 'long sacrifice fly' references among the highlights lists in the 1960 set. Final thought...I wish I had a buck for every time Topps used the 'Stop Thief' bit in a card cartoon!

#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.

Tigers Team Trio #72, #214 & #461

The Tigers finished sixth in the AL in 1960. They were 26 games back of the Yankees and knotted in a bunch with the Indians and Senators. They were mid-pack at best in hitting, fielding, and pitching overall ratings as well.

Frank Lary, Jim Bunning and Don Mossi were the top of the rotation with Hank Aguirre serving as what passed for a 'closer' in those days. He had 10 saves.

The Tigers had plenty of power and finished second to the Yankees in homers but were at or near the bottom in runs, RBIs and average. They had some speed as they were #2 in stolen bases. This wasn't one of Al Kaline's best years and the homer and RBI team crowns went to Rocky Colivito.

Sharp design on the team cards and, as usual, I got off cheap by buying one that has a marked up checklist reverse. 

I know for sure what Jimmie/Jimmy Dykes is doing. He's composing a letter asking Topps to at least spell his name the same way on both sides of his cards.

Jimmy/Jimmie managed for twenty one years in the big leagues, mostly with the White Sox. He was a player/manager for his first six seasons in Chicago. He later had stints with the Athletics, Reds, Orioles, Tigers and Indians. His three year run with the A's was the longest of any with those clubs. He averaged a fifth place finish in his long managerial career and three 3rd place finishes with the ChiSox were the best he could muster.

He had 21 seasons as a player and hit .280 for his career. He played in three World Series and won two of them. All that time in a dugout certainly helped him perfect the 'foot up on the dugout looking thoughtful' step thing. - 5 Tool Collector, May 2013,

In a weird transaction, he was part of the only manager-for-manager trade in baseball history.  He switched jobs with  Joe Gordon of the Indians in August. If that wasn't odd enough, two coaches were swapped as well.

Luke Appling was a Hall of Fame player and Billy Hitchcock was a baseball lifer who spent time as a college and pro player, coach, manager and front office-type. Tom Ferrick was a relief pitcher for six different AL clubs in the 40s and 50s and served in the Pacific with the Navy in WWII. He was coached and scouted. 

#71 Marty Keough

Marty Keough  Boston Red Sox

Career: He spent six seasons in the minors and hit well everywhere he stopped but he never could sustain that in the majors. He carved out a long (11 seasons) career as a defensive late-inning replacement and/or fourth outfielder. The only year he approached full-time starter status was in 1961 with the new Washington franchise. He played for the Reds, White Sox, and Braves, Red Sox, Nats, and Indians. He was a scout for the Cardinals until recently.

In 1960: After 38 games and a bit over 100 at-bats, Keough was hitting .248 and maybe in need of a change. In mid-June, he was traded with Ted Bowsfield to the Cleveland Indians for Carroll Hardy and Russ Nixon. Over the rest of the season with the Indians, he hit .248 proving that he was nothing if not consistent. Nixon, meanwhile, hit .298 for the year and solidified the Sox' catching situation. The Indians allowed him to be taken by the Senators in the expansion draft after the season.

Off The Charts: "He comes from a baseball family: he is the older brother of Joe Keough, a former MLB outfielder, and father of Matt Keough, a right-handed pitcher who was a 16-game-winner for Billy Martin's 1980 Oakland A's. Matt also played in Japan, making them one of the few American father-son duos to both play there." -Wikipedia

The Card: The seafoam green isn't really common in this set. It was more popular in Topps' '59 set. Mixed with the orange/black/white...not doing much for me. Nice Comiskey background though. The write-up really sings his praises