At the show, I looked at some boxes of one dollar cards was able to find two nice cards from the Topps 1968 set.
Topps 1968
1967 World Series - Game 2 Card #152 & Topps Game Al Kaline Card #27
I got a card of Game 2 from the 1967 World Series when Carl Yaztremski hit two homers in the Red Sox 5-0 victory over the Cardinals. The victory even the series at a game a piece. Jim Lonborg pitched a one-hitter hurling 8 2/3 innings without allowing a hit until Julian Javier doubled with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.
I was also able to find a game card of Al Kaline. I can still remember my little league days sitting in the dugout playing a game with this set of cards as they could possibly be the best baseball card game ever.
At the show I was fortunate to find a table where a dealer had over a thousand cards from the 50s and 60s and he selling them for a dollar a piece.
Here are some of the cards I got.
Topps 1958 Pitchers
I got cards of a couple of pitchers who started their careers in the 50s, and pitched into the 60s and the early 70s.
Camilo Pascal #219 & Milt Pappas #457
Camilo Pascual, a 18 year veteran, played for the Senators, who became the Twins in 1961 (1954-1966), then for the second Senators franchise (1967-1969), Reds (1969), Dodgers (1970), and Indians (1971). Pascal was a 20-game winner twice, in 1962–63, while pitching for the Twins. Pascual led the American League in strikeouts in 1961 (221), 1962 (206), and 1963 (202). He was selected to the American League All-Star team 5 times.
Milt Pappas, a 17-year veteran, pitched for the Orioles (1957-1965), Reds (1966-1968), Braves (1968-1970) and Cubs (1970–1973). Pappas was named an American League All-Star in 1962, pitching in both All-Star games (from 1959 to 1962, Major League Baseball had two All-Star games). Although, Pappas never won 20 games during any single season, he did win 10 or more games in every season between 1958 and 1972. On September 2, 1972 he pitched a no-hitter against the Padres in the Cubs 8-0 victory. He retired the first 26 batters in the game and loss his perfect game when he walked pinch hitter Larry Stahl.
A couple of Mets
Topps 1964 Rusty Staub 109 and Topps 1966 Ed Kranepool 212
Ed Kranepool played 19 seasons for the Mets. He begun his career as a 17 year old playing with the Mets in their inaugural season during 1962. Rusty Staub, who played 23 seasons in the major leagues, was also teenager when debuted as a young 19 year old in 1963 with the Colt 45s. Staub played in his first game on April 9, 1963 and his birthday in on April 1, 1944 (no fooling).
Kranepool and Staub played together on the Mets during 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1975. The Mets won the National League pennant in 1973, losing the World Series to the A's in seven games. During that season, Staub was the Mets regular right fielder and Kranepool shared time at first base with John Milner. In December 1975, Staub was traded to the Tigers in a deal that netted the Mets pitcher Mickey Lolich and he returned and ended his career with the Mets, playing between 1981 and 1985 in New York.
World Series Champion Managers
Topps 1965 Dick Howser #92 and Topps 1967 Dave Johnson #363
Here are a couple of cards of infielders who would later become the managers of teams that won the World Series in successive years during the 1980s. Dick Howser was the manager of the 1985 World Champion Royals and Dave Johnson lead the Mets to their second World Championship in 1986.
The Announcers
Topps 1965 Mike Shannon #43 and Topps 1967 Ken Harrelson #188
Here are a couple of major league players who continued careers in major league baseball becoming announcers.
Mike Shannon was born July 15, 1939 in St. Louis. He played nine seasons with the Cardinals beginning in 1962. He was a part of the 1964, 1967, and 1968 teams that appeared in the World Series, winning World Series Championships in 1964 and 1967.
Upon completing his playing career, Shannon moved to the broadcast booth in 1972. He worked three decades with Jack Buck and has been broadcasting Cardinal games for the last 44 years.
Ken Harrelson played for four teams: the Athletics (1963–66, 1967), Senators (1966–67), Red Sox (1967–69), and Indians (1969–71). In 1971, Harrelson retired at midseason to pursue a professional golf career. He played in the 1967 World Series for the Red Sox, against Shannon's Cardinals.
Harrelson turned to a broadcasting career beginning in 1975 with the Red Sox when he partnered with Dick Stockton. However, after being publicly critical of player personnel decisions made by Boston co-owner Haywood Sullivan, he was fired at the close of the 1981 season. Harrelson then served as a White Sox announcer from 1982 to 1985 and briefly left broadcasting in 1986 to become the White Sox's General Manager.
During the 1987–1988 seasons, Harrelson was the television play-by-play man for Yankees and he served as a backup color commentator on NBC's Game of the Week broadcasts from 1984–1989. Harrelson returned to the White Sox in 1990 as their play-by-play announcer during television broadcasts, teaming up with Tom Paciorek until 2000 and then working with Darrin Jackson from 2000 to 2008. In 2009, he began broadcasting with former Chicago Cubs color analyst Steve Stone and today they continue to broadcast White Sox games.
Harrelson is often credited with inventing the batting glove by wearing a golf glove while at bat with the A's.
Pitchers who are a part of making Yankee History
Topps 1961 Don Larsen #177 and Tracy Stallard #81
Don Larsen will always have a part in Yankee lore (although this card pictures him with the Kansas City A's) for the perfect game he pitched against the Dodgers in the 1956 World Series. Tracy Stallard was never a Yankees, but he will be remembered as the starting pitcher on October 1, 1961, when the Yankees played the Red Sox. In the fourth inning of the game, Stallard faced off against Yankee right fielder Roger Maris. Maris homered to right field which was his 61st home run of the year, breaking Babe Ruth's single season home run record when in 1927, he hit 60 home runs. Maris' home run was the only run of the game.
Bo Belinsky
Topps 1966 Bo Belinsky #506 & Topps 1967 Bo Belinsky #447
Bo Belinsky was a major league pitcher who made the most out of his 28 victories. Belinsky major league debut was on April 18, 1962, and he became an instant southern California celebrity when he opened the season with four straight wins including a May 5 no-hitter against the Orioles. Later Belinsky was romantically linked to such women as Ann Margret, Connie Stevens, Tina Louise, and Mamie Van Dore. Van Dore was his fiancée for a year.
Ann Margret Connie Stevens
Tina Louise Bo with Mamie Van Dore
Alou Brothers
Topps 1964 Felipe Alou #65, Topps 1965 Matty Alou #318 and Topps 1964 Jesus Alou #47
The Alou brothers played together with the 1963 Giants. The brothers did play together in eight games, when Felipe, then 28, was a regular outfielder for the San Francisco Giants; Matty, 24, was a defensive replacement (he started only six games) and pinch hitter; and Jesus, 21, was a September call-up. They never started a game together but they did play in the same outfield for a few innings in September of that year. These were the only times in major league history that three brothers were in the same lineup, and playing together in the outfield.
When Jesus made his debut on September 10, Manager Al Dark had the Alou brothers bat consecutively in the eighth inning, Jesus and Matty as pinch hitters before Felipe came up. The Alous went 0 for 3 against the Mets’ Carlton Willey. On September 15, Felipe played all three outfield positions, and Matty and Jesus joined him in the outfield as late-inning substitutes. Jesus entered the game in the 7th inning playing right field, and Matty entered the game in left field in the 8th inning, as Felipe moved to center field. This was the first time in major league history that three brothers played in a game together in the same outfield.
