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William Jennings Bryan Herman
Boston Red Sox
Manager
Born: July 7, 1909, New Albany, IN
Acquired: Purchased by the Chicago Cubs from Louisville (American Association) for $50,000, August 4, 1931
Major League Teams: Chicago Cubs 1931-1941; Brooklyn Dodgers 1941-1943, 1946; Boston Braves 1946; Pittsburgh Pirates 1947
As a Manager: Pittsburgh Pirates 1947; Boston Red Sox 1964-1966
Died: September 5, 1992, West Palm Beach, FL (age 83)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1975
Named for the three-time Presidential candidate and long-time politician, Billy Herman was an All-Star second baseman for the Cubs throughout the 1930s and into the early 1940s. He earned a spot on the All-Star Game roster ten times, including his career year of 1935 when he led the league with 227 hits and 57 doubles. Herman helped his teams win four pennants (1932, 1935 and 1938 with the Cubs and 1941 with the Dodgers) but he was never a World Series winner as a player. He missed all of the 1944 and 1945 seasons while serving during World War II and he'd play his final years with the Dodgers, Braves and Pirates. Herman's managerial career began in 1947 as the player-manager for the Pirates, but his team struggled to a 61-92-2 record and seventh place in the National League. A consistent and steady fielder, Herman led all second baseman in fielding percentage three times and finished in the top ten for the mark 12 times. Over 1,922 games he collected 2,345 hits while batting .304.
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| 1933 Goudey #227 |
Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #322
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show. Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall. The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes. It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced. I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total. I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Herman card was about $3.25. Not bad for a vintage card of a Hall of Famer!
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #322
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show. Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall. The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes. It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced. I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total. I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Herman card was about $3.25. Not bad for a vintage card of a Hall of Famer!
The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Most likely due to his status as a former All-Star, Herman appeared on three cards in Topps flagship sets in the early 1950s as a coach for the Dodgers. How I wish Topps would bring back a random coach card every once in a while. (Maybe Fanatics will?) In any event, this is Herman's fifth appearance in a Topps flagship set and he'd have one more appearance in 1966. Whoever wrote the back of the card must not have been aware of the 155 games Herman managed for the Pirates in 1947, or the two games he managed to close out the 1964 season, as it notes he's making his debut as a manager in 1965.
1965 Season
This was to be Herman's only full season at the helm for the Red Sox, and they went 62-100 under his watch. His coaching staff consisted of Mace Brown (pitching), Billy Gardner (third base), Len Okrie (bullpen) and Runnels (first base). Dick Williams would take over as manager of the Red Sox for their 1967 season, leading the club to an improbable (some would say impossible) World Series appearance.
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First Mainstream Card: 1933 Goudey #227
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1952, 1954-1955, 1960, 1965-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings #35
292 - Herman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/31/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
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