#377 Willie Stargell - Pittsburgh Pirates

Wilver Dornel Stargell
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  188
Born:  March 6, 1940, Earlsboro, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, August 7, 1958
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1962-1982
Died:  April 9, 2001, Wilmington, NC (age 61)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1988

Willie Stargell spent his entire 21-year career with the Pirates, and was one of the most feared power hitters of his generation.  As the club's regular left fielder throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Stargell made his first of seven All-Star teams in 1964.  In 1971, he helped lead the Pirates to a World Championship title over the Orioles, batting .295 during the season with a league leading 48 home runs and 125 RBIs.  He'd continue to slug home runs throughout the 1970s, with his tally of 296 home runs leading all players during the decade.  His blasts were often moonshots, and he holds the distinction of hitting the longest home run in Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium history.  In 1973, he crossed the 100-RBI plateau for the fifth and final time, leading the league with 119 RBIs, and also leading the league in home runs (44), doubles (23) and slugging percentage (.646).

Moving to first base in the mid-1970s, he emerged as a veteran team leader, earning his affectionate nickname of "Pops."  In 1979, he again won the N.L. MVP, to go along with NLCS MVP and World Series MVP honors as his Pirates again defeated the Orioles in the World Series.  He retired following the 1982 season with a career average of .282, 2,232 hits, 475 home runs and 1,540 RBIs.  The Pirates had retired his #8 a month before his final game, and Stargell was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1988.

Stargell briefly served as the first base coach for the Braves (1986-1988) following his retirement, and he'd also later work in the Pirates front office.  Two days before he passed away, the Pirates unveiled a statute of Stargell at their new PNC Park.

Building the Set

August 4, 2022 from Fremont, CA - Card #591

I got an itch for some vintage baseball cards in late July, as I hadn't added any new cards to our 1965 Topps set since May or my Diamond Stars set since June.  Taking advantage of some discounts offered at The Battersbox online store, I settled on a relatively pricey Ernie Lombardi card along with the card of former Phillies manager Steve O'Neill.  Also arriving in early August was this Stargell card, purchased from eBay seller gmw422 from Fremont, California.  Adding this Stargell card gets us down to needing only seven cards before our set is completed and I thought the card was a bargain at $27.

These cards arrived during the Phillies' Alumni Weekend, one of the best weekends of the year for Phillies fans.  I wrote about Doug's success in adding autographs from several returning alumni over at this post at The Phillies Room.  Following the game of August 5th, the Phillies were 58-48 and in third place in the division, nine games behind the Mets.  Writing this post nearly three months later on October 28th, I'm killing time getting ready for World Series Game 1 in Houston, with the Phillies facing off against the Astros.  This whole postseason experience has been surreal to me, with the Phillies now just four wins away from clinching the franchise's third championship title.  Hard to believe, Harry.

The Card / Pirates Team Set
This is Stargell's third appearance in a Topps flagship set and his second solo card, as his 1963 Topps appearance came on a multi-player, floating heads Rookie Stars card.  The back of the card highlights his high school basketball career, as well as his 1964 break-out season.

1965 Season
Stargell was the Pirates' regular left fielder, with Bill Virdon (#69) in center and Roberto Clemente (#160) in right.  He made his second All-Star team and drove in over 100 runs (107) for the first time in his career.  Stargell started in left field for the National League All-Stars, hitting a two-run second inning home run off Mudcat Grant (#432).  In 144 games overall, he batted .272 with 27 home runs, leading the Pirates.

1963 Topps #553

1971 Topps #230

1975 Topps #100

1979 Topps #55

1982 Topps #715

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #553
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20):  1963-1982
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Pristine #163

1,287 - Stargell non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/28/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #376 Jim Landis - Kansas City Athletics

Next Card:  #378 Chuck Estrada - Baltimore Orioles

#470 Yogi Berra - New York Mets

Lawrence Peter Berra
New York Mets
Catcher-Coach

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'7"  Weight:  185
Born:  May 12, 1925, St. Louis, MO
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1943 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1946-1963, New York Mets 1965
As a Manager:  New York Yankees 1964; New York Mets 1972-1975; New York Yankees 1984-1985
Hall of Fame Induction:  1972
Died:  September 22, 2015, West Caldwell, NJ (age 90)

1982 Donruss #387

One of the best, if not the best, catchers of his era, Yogi Berra was an All-Star every year between 1948 and 1962, won MVP honors in 1951, 1954 and 1955, and was a key component in bringing 10 World Championship titles to the Yankees.  Berra is one of the most recognizable and beloved baseball figures in history.

Signed by the Yankees in 1943, Berra didn't make his debut until 1946 as he was serving in the Navy during World War II.  He earned a Purple Heart taking part in the Normandy landings.  At the end of the war, Berra quickly established himself as one of the best power hitters and defensive catchers in the majors.  Over 19 seasons, he hit .285 with 2,150 hits, 358 home runs and 1,430 RBIs.  Upon his retirement, he held the records for most plate appearances (8,359), hits, home runs, runs (1,175) and RBIs among all catchers.

Following his playing days, Berra didn't stray far from baseball, keeping busy with both the Yankees and the Mets.  He briefly managed the Yankees in 1964 before moving to the Mets as a coach between 1965 and 1971, and then as manager between 1972 and 1975.  He returned to the Yankees as a coach between 1976 and 1983, and again as manager in 1984 and 1985.  His final coaching job came with the Astros between 1986 and 1989.  The Yankees retired Berra's #8 in 1972, the same year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Berra and Johnny Bench were named as catchers on MLB's All-Century team in 1999.

The Donruss card above is the first card of Berra's I ever owned, and I remember thinking to myself when I pulled it from a pack back then, "Is this a real person?"

Some text for this post originally appeared on  my 1956 Topps blog.

Building the Set
April 25, 2022 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #587
Nearly two months passed between us adding 102 cards at the March Philly Show, and the next card added to the set, this iconic Berra card.  I placed opening bids on several Greg Morris Cards auctions on eBay at some point in mid-April and walked away.  Greg Morris Cards seemingly has a set break every other week, and the prices on some of the auctions often get out of control in my opinion.  But as I often do, I probably bid on 10 or 15 cards at the auctions' outset and then walked away until the auctions concluded.  This Berra was the only one of the cards I bid on that made it through to me at what I thought was a relatively low bid.  Once the card arrived in late April, we were down to needing just 11 more cards for the set.

In April 2022 we were attending our first Phillies games of the season.  Doug was busy with high school baseball and Ben had started to run track for his middle school.  Ben celebrated his 12th birthday, complete with a new ping pong table.  There was quite a lot going on, but I was thankful for all of it.

April 11, 2022 - Doug at the plate

April 8, 2022 - Home Opener

April 21, 2022 - Ben on the track

The Card / Mets Team Set
This is such a strange card when you fully consider the circumstances during which it was issued.  It's also the third and final player-coach card in the set, joining Warren Spahn (#205) and Nellie Fox (#485).  Berra had managed the Yankees in 1964 to the World Series, and he was dismissed following the team's loss to the Cardinals in seven games.  The Mets signed him as a player-coach on April 27, 1965, meaning Topps had to rush to get this card into packs within the set's sixth series.  Berra is clearly in Yankee pinstripes here, and the back of the card shows his full career statistics while with the Bronx Bombers.  There's a final line included for 1964, telling collectors he had been the "N.Y. Mgr." and therefore "DID NOT PLAY."  This was Berra's last appearance in a Topps flagship set until he appeared on a card in the 1973 Topps set as the Mets' manager.

1965 Season
Berra made four cameo appearances with the Mets as a player, pinch-hitting twice and catching two full and final games on May 4th against the Phillies and May 9th against the Braves.  He caught Al Jackson's (#381) complete game victory in the start against the Phillies, going 2 for 3 at the plate.  Berra was again behind the plate for Jackson's start on May 9th, but the pitcher didn't escape the third inning, allowing five runs on nine hits.  Tom Parsons (#308) was the last pitcher to throw to Berra in the ninth inning of the 8-2 loss.  He batted .222 (2 for 9) in his brief return as a player before settling in to a full time coach's job.

1948 Bowman #6

1952 Topps #191

1961 Topps #425

1974 Topps #179

1987 Topps #531

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1948 Bowman #6
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (21):  1951-1965, 1973-1975, 1984-1985, 1987
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Now #746

2,212 - Berra non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/10/22.

Sources:  
1956 Topps Blog

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #469 Don Nottebart - Houston Astros

Next Card:  #471 Billy Hoeft - Detroit Tigers

#383 Felipe Alou - Milwaukee Braves

Felipe Rojas Alou
Milwaukee Braves
First Base-Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  195
Born:  May 12, 1935, Bajos de Haina, Dominican Republic
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent, November 14, 1955
Major League Teams:  San Francisco Giants 1958-1963; Milwaukee Braves 1964-1965; Atlanta Braves 1966-1969; Oakland Athletics 1970-1971; New York Yankees 1971-1973; Montreal Expos 1973; Milwaukee Brewers 1974
As a Manager:  Montreal Expos 1992-2001; San Francisco Giants 2003-2006

The oldest of the three Alou brothers, Felipe Alou enjoyed a 17-year big league career, playing primarily with the Giants and Braves, and then went on to be a successful manager for the Expos and Giants.  Alou came up with the Giants in 1958, and was named to his first of three All-Star Games in 1963.  On September 15, 1963, the three Alou brothers played in the Giants' outfield for the first time together with Felipe in center, Jesus (#545) in right and Matty (#318) in left.  The brothers' time together didn't last long, as Felipe Alou was traded to the Braves in December 1963 as part of a seven-player trade.  He'd enjoy his best seasons as a player on the Braves, making the 1966 and 1968 All-Star teams while leading the league in hits both those seasons (218 and 210, respectively.)  Alou also led the league with 122 runs scored in 1966, finished second for the batting title behind his brother Matty with a .327 average, and finished fifth in the year's MVP voting.  Alou spent the early 1970s as a reserve and pinch-hitter before retiring as a player following the 1974 season.

1982 Donruss #650

He joined the Expos' organization in 1976 as a minor league coach, and he'd stay with the franchise for 25 years.  Alou served as a coach for the team between 1979 and 1992 before taking over as their manager on May 22, 1992, replacing Tom Runnells.  He guided the Expos to their most successful stretch in their short franchise history, including a 74-40 record in the strike-shortened 1994 season, in which he was named National League Manager of the Year.  He'd later guide the Giants into the playoffs in 2003 when his team won 100 games.  As a player, Alou played in 2,082 games and collected 2,101 hits while batting .286 with 206 home runs and 852 RBIs.  As a manager, he oversaw 2,055 games and had a record of 1,033 and 1,021.  Alou is one of just three players in major league history to have 2,000 hits, 200 home runs and win 1,000 games a manager, along with Joe Torre (#200) and Frank Robinson (#120).

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Sports Cards Plus - Cooper City, FL) - Card #561

This is the 77th of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March.  We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room.  After our 51 card haul from Uncle Dick's, and with more card spending budget still in place, I set out to find another dealer with a binder of 1965 Topps cards with reasonable prices.  I had purchased cards from Sports Cards Plus before, finding the last few cards needed for our 1971 Topps set from this dealer back in December 2019.

Settling in, we found 37 cards needed for our set with an average price per card working out to around $6.  The lot, including this Alou card, consisted mostly of semi-stars and team cards.  After paying for this mini haul, we were officially 13 cards away from a complete set, with one more purchase coming to end the day.

The Card / Braves Team Set
This is Alou's second Braves card in a Topps set, but the first to feature him actually wearing a Braves uniform.  His 1964 Topps card has him in a Giants uniform, and this was before Topps started the practice of blacking out cap logos or airbrushing in new logos.  The cartoon on the back makes the obligatory note of his two brothers who were still with the Giants at the time.

1965 Season
This was to be Alou's second season in Milwaukee, and while he appeared in 143 games he never had a regular position.  He started 132 games - 55 in left field, 47 at first base, 24 in center field and six in right field.  His frequent defensive moves didn't seem to effect his hitting as his .297 average was second on the team behind Henry Aaron (#170), who hit .318.  Alou hit 23 home runs and drove in 78 runs.

1959 Topps #102

1969 Topps #300

1974 Topps #485

1992 Topps Traded #3T

2006 Topps #289

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1959 Topps #102
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (23):  1959-1974, 1992-1993, 2001, 2003-2006
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps x Aaron Judge #67

186 - Alou non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/14/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #382 J.C. Martin - Chicago White Sox

Next Card:  #384 Johnny Klippstein - Minnesota Twins

#370 Tommy Davis - Los Angeles Dodgers

Herman Thomas Davis
Los Angeles Dodgers
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  March 21, 1939, Brooklyn, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1959-1966; New York Mets 1967; Chicago White Sox 1968; Seattle Pilots 1969; Houston Astros 1969-1970; Oakland Athletics 1970; Chicago Cubs 1970; Oakland Athletics 1971; Chicago Cubs 1972; Baltimore Orioles 1973-1975; California Angels 1976; Kansas City Royals 1976
Died:  April 3, 2022, Phoenix, AZ (age 83)

He'd ultimately spend time playing for ten different franchises, but Tommy Davis is best remembered as a two-time batting champion with the Dodgers and a catalyst for the team's 1963 World Series victory.  Davis spent only eight seasons with the Dodgers, but those were the most productive of his career.  He was a three-time All-Star in 1962 and 1963, and won the league's batting title in both those seasons with .346 and .326 marks respectively.  Davis also led the league in hits (230) and RBIs (153) in 1962, finishing in third place for league MVP honors behind Willie Mays (#250) and teammate Maury Wills.  In November 1966 he was dealt to the Mets, beginning an odyssey that would take him to nine different teams over the next decade.  He was the opening day left fielder for the 1969 expansion Pilots in their one and only year playing in Seattle.

1982 Donruss #648

Davis would find success late in his career as a designated hitter for the Orioles.  He drove in 89 and 84 runs respectively in 1973 and 1974, earning MVP votes at the end of each season.  Davis would retire as a player following the 1976 season and he'd return briefly to baseball in 1981 as the hitting coach for the Mariners.  He'd frequent Dodgers alumni events and work as a minor league instructor for the team over the next few decades.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #507

This is the 23rd of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March.  We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room.  Having wandered aimlessly among the dealer tables looking for binders with vintage commons, I decided to check to see if Uncle Dick's had refreshed their inventory following the December show, during which I had wiped out both their 1965 Topps binders.  Much to my pleasant surprise, they had.  This Davis card was a surprisingly low $4 and was one of 49 commons purchased in my triumphant return to Uncle Dick's and his replenished neon green binders.

Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up on this blog by mid-October.  It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Due to the lack of new photos of Davis from the 1965 season (see below), Topps used this exact same photo for Davis' 1966 Topps card.  The cartoon highlight on the back justifiably celebrates his two batting titles from 1962 and 1963.

1965 Season
This was to be a forgotten season for Davis as he broke his ankle in a game against the Giants on May 1st as a result of an awkward slide into second base.  He'd miss the bulk of the season and the World Series, returning in the final regular season game on October 3rd as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning.  Davis had to watch from the sidelines as the Dodgers went on to win the World Series in seven games against the Twins.  His replacement in left field, Lou Johnson, had a career year and Johnson was apparently forever grateful to Davis for breaking his ankle.

1960 Topps #509

1962 Topps #358

1969 Topps #135

1975 Topps #564

1977 Topps #362

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #509
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17):  1960-1972, 1974-1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Panini Golden Age #95

152 - Davis non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/2/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #369 Phil Linz - New York Yankees

Next Card:  #371 Frank Kreutzer - Washington Senators

#250 Willie Mays - San Francisco Giants

Willie Howard Mays
San Francisco Giants
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  170
Born:  May 6, 1931, Westfield, AL
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent, June 20, 1950
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1951-1952, 1954-1957; San Francisco Giants 1958-1972; New York Mets 1972-1973
Hall of Fame Induction:  1979

In many ways, these posts covering the cards of well-known Hall of Famers are much harder to compose than the posts for the cards of short-time, little known players.  What could I possibly write here about Willie Mays, the "Say Hey Kid," that hasn't already been written or that properly pays tribute to one of the greatest baseball players of all time?

The first line of Mays' Hall of Fame plaque sums up his career fairly well:  "One of baseball's most colorful and exciting stars, excelled in all phases of the game."  Mays was the 1951 Rookie of the Year, the National League's MVP in 1954 and 1965, a 24-time All-Star (a record), a 12-time Gold Glove winner, and the batting champ in 1954, the same season he led the Giants to their first World Series title since 1933.  His Baseball Reference WAR of 156.2 is third all-time for position players behind his godson Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth.  Upon his retirement, he ranked third all-time in home runs (660), runs (2,062) and total bases (6,066).  Mays' #24 was retired by the Giants in 1972, and the World Series MVP trophy was renamed for him in 2017.

He played the game with joyful abandon, and I would have loved to have seen him play live.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.

Building the SetDecember 25, 2021 from Lake Havasu City, AZ - Card #484

Acquired from Kyle's Sports Cards from Lake Havasu City, Arizona in early December, Doug's "big" baseball card Christmas present from Santa was this Mays card.  While he was way more into the PS5 found under the Christmas tree, I like the idea of continuing the tradition started by my Dad and then continued by my Mom of Santa bringing one blockbuster card each Christmas.  Last year it was the Steve Carlton (#477) rookie card, and this year it was the arguably the second or third priciest card needed for our set behind Sandy Koufax (#300) and well behind the Mickey Mantle (#350) card.  To Doug's credit, he of course realize this was an expensive card and I'm proud of him for knowing how important Mays was to the game.

With everyone vaccinated and the pandemic hopefully in our rear-view mirror, this past Christmas was marked by a return to large family gatherings, a ton of food and a lot of laughs.  I wrote about my Mom's baseball-related gifts to me over at The Phillies Room.

1975 Topps #203

1982 Topps Kmart 20th Anniversary #8

1997 Topps Willie Mays Reprints #19

1997 Topps Willie Mays Finest Reprints #19

2016 Topps Berger's Best #B2-1965

The Card / Giants Team Set
I'd consider this a fairly iconic baseball card and it's been reprinted several times over the years when celebrating Mays' second league MVP win in 1965.  Personally, I first saw the card as part of the 1982 Topps Kmart 20th Anniversary set, and then again a few years later on the MVP subset found within the 1975 Topps set my Dad and I were collecting.  The back of the card contains a brief summary of some of Mays' accolades, and then just lines of glorious statistics. 

1965 Season
Mays had an amazing season, and arguably the best of his career.  In 157 games, he batted .317 with 52 home runs (to lead the league) and 112 RBIs.  He led the National League in on-base percentage (.398), slugging percentage (.645), and OPS (1.043).  Mays led off and played center field for the National League All-Stars, playing the entire game and going 1 for 3 with a lead-off home run and a pair of walks.  He won his ninth Gold Glove in a row.  Mays hit his 500th career home run on September 13th in the Astrodome off Astros' pitcher Don Nottebart (#469), joining a club that consisted of only four other players at the time - Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott and Ted Williams.  Following the season, with the Giants missing the World Series when they finished two games behind the Dodgers, Mays won his second MVP award by besting Dodgers' teammates Koufax and Maury Wills.

1951 Bowman #305

1954 Topps #90

1959 Topps #464

1961 Topps #579

1973 Topps #305

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #305
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (25):  1952-1975, 1986
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Opening Day Bomb Squad #BS-6

2,256 - Mays non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/12/22.

Sources:  
1956 Topps Blog

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Previous Card:  #249 Dave McNally - Baltimore Orioles

Next Card:  #251 Billy Herman MG - Boston Red Sox