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Beginning in 1956 and going all the way through to 1981, with a one year absence in 1969, Topps included team cards in its flagship sets.
February 13, 2020 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #52
The Card
I wanted to go ahead and get this card out of the way, since it's perhaps one of the most painful cards for a Phillies fan in the entire 1965 set. I wasn't even born in 1964, but I clearly remember the melancholy the season caused and the sadness and anger my older relatives always displayed whenever they'd discuss the Phillies collapse in September 1964.
The photo used was taken at some point during the 1962 season, after May 7th, and presented above is that photo with the subjects listed underneath. May 7th was the date the Cardinals acquired Bobby Shantz from the Colt .45s and he's in the back row, next to Bob Gibson (#320). By the time the 1965 season arrived, Shantz had retired, having since played for the Cubs and Phillies. Topps used the same photo for the Cardinals' team card in their 1963, 1964 and 1965 sets, finally updating the photo in 1966.
Flipping to the back, Lou Brock (#540) did in fact lead the team in hitting, but the average shown on the card (.315) includes his 52 games with the Cubs. With the Cardinals, Brock hit .348 after his acquisition on June 15th.
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1965 Season
The Cardinals came back down to Earth in 1965 under new manager Red Schoendienst (#556), finishing in 7th place in the N.L. with a record of 80-81. Still a talented team, the core Cardinals players were aging and new general manager Bob Howsam made a number of trades following the season in an attempt to get younger. Ken Boyer (#100), Dick Groat (#275), Bob Uecker (#519) and Bill White (#190) were all dealt in October after the disappointing season. This was also the final full season the Cardinals played in the original Busch Stadium, a ballpark that had first seen game action in 1920.
During the season, White, Curt Flood (#415) and Brock paced the offense. White led the team with 24 home runs while Flood's 83 RBIs were tops. Brock hit .288 while stealing 63 bases, second in the league behind the Dodgers' Maury Wills. Gibson went 20-12 with a 3.07 ERA, but the only other members of the pitching staff with at least 10 wins were Tracy Stallard (#491) with 11 and Bob Purkey (#214) with 10. Hal Woodeshick (#179) led the bullpen with 51 appearances, 15 saves and a 1.81 ERA.
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| 1996 FanFest Steve Carlton #4 |
For each team card featured, I'll be building a checklist of cards that could have been included in a 1965 Topps update set. The Cardinals are extremely well represented in the 1965 Topps set, so I didn't have a lot of choices here.
- Hal Woodeshick - The team's closer, Woodeshick was acquired from the Astros on June 15th.
- Ted Savage - Savage appeared in 30 games for the Cardinals, hitting only .159. The former Phillies prospect had a two-year gap in Topps set appearances, missing both the 1965 and 1966 sets.
- Nelson Briles - Reliever Briles appears on a Rookie Stars card (#431), but his 37 games deserve a solo card in my imagined update set.
- Don Dennis - The 23-year-old Dennis appeared in 41 games, had 6 saves and a 2.29 ERA. He'd earn his rookie card in the 1966 Topps set.
- Steve Carlton - The future Hall of Famer appears on one half of a Rookie Stars card (#477), but he should have his own card as well. Topps produced a solo 1965 Topps card for him during the 1996 FanFest held before that year's All-Star Game in Philadelphia.
Baseball Reference
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Next Card: #58 Fred Talbot - Chicago White Sox
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