#300 Sandy Koufax - Los Angeles Dodgers

Sanford Koufax
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  210
Born:  December 30, 1935, Brooklyn, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent, December 14, 1954
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1955-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958-1966
Hall of Fame Induction:  1972

On Sandy Koufax's biography page on the National Baseball Hall of Fame website, the first quote about the all-time great lefty comes from former Phillies great Richie Ashburn:  "Either he throws the fastest ball I've ever seen, or I'm going blind."

In a 12-year career shortened by arthritis in his left arm and Koufax's desire to retire at the top of his game, the Hall of Famer won the N.L. Cy Young Award in 1963, 1965 and in his final season, 1966.  He also won N.L. MVP honors in 1963, a season in which he went 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA, 20 complete games, 11 shutouts and led the league with 306 strikeouts.  Koufax was a six-time All-Star and helped the Dodgers to three World Series titles in 1959, 1963 and 1965.

October 14, 1965 - World Series Game 7

He threw four no-hitters including a perfect game on September 9, 1965.  Despite a relatively short career, his 2,396 strikeouts at the time of his retirement ranked seventh all-time, second only to Warren Spahn's (#205) 2,583 among left-handers.  One of the top Jewish athletes in American sports, Koufax's decision to not pitch in Game 1 of the 1965 World Series on Yom Kippur brought attention to the conflict between the sport and his personal religious beliefs.

Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972, his first year of eligibility, Koufax became the youngest player enshrined at the age of 36.  His #32 was retired by the Dodgers that same year.  Following his playing days, Koufax continued to work for the Dodgers as a minor league coach, a pitching instructor and an overall goodwill ambassador for the game.

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

Building the Set
October 17, 2022 from Tomball, TX - Card #594
I'm composing this post on a cloudy day in mid-November, appreciating that for the first time since March, I'm about to be completely caught up with posting cards we've added to our 1965 Topps set.  We had added 102 cards at The Philly Show in early March, and creating posts for each of those cards had taken me until mid-October.  There were eight more cards added piecemeal between April and September, reducing the number of cards needed for our complete set down to five.

In early October, with the Phillies improbably in the postseason and about to go on a month-long journey that would culminate with a trip to the World Series, I received an e-mail announcing a sale in the online store for The Battersbox, located in Tomball, Texas.  I had had my eye on this Koufax card for quite some time, and I had assumed this would be the second to last card added to our set, with just the Mickey Mantle (#350) card remaining.  Riding the high of the good vibes brought on by the Phillies, and realizing it had been over a month since I had added any vintage cards, I happily added this card to my cart along with two cards to be added to my not-yet-collecting 1969 Topps set.

I had intended for this Koufax card to be a Christmas present to myself from my family.  But impatience won here, and rather than see this card sit by itself on my project table for the next month, it's entering the collection and its spot in the set's binder a little over a month sooner.  In early December, Doug and I will attend the next Philly Show, and I'll be laser focused on the final four cards needed - Mantle, the Tony Perez rookie card (#581), Orlando Cepeda (#360) and the surprise of the quartet, Gordy Coleman (#289).

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
All of Koufax's Topps flagship cards are iconic, including this one.  This is his second appearance in the set, as he shares a 1964 National League ERA Leaders card (#8) with Don Drysdale (#260).  The card has been reproduced a few times, first within the 1990 Topps set (see below) as part of the Turn Back the Clock subset.

1965 Season
In his penultimate season, at the age of just 29, Koufax enjoyed one of his three best seasons to go along with his Cy Young/MVP winning season of 1963 and his final season of 1966.  Koufax was 26-8 with a 2.04 ERA in 43 appearances, leading the league in wins, ERA, complete games (27), innings pitched (335 2/3) and strikeouts (382).  He won his second of three Cy Young awards and finished second in the MVP voting behind Willie Mays.

His 382 strikeouts blew past the modern-era record of 349, held by Rube Waddell since 1904, and Koufax's mark would be broken in 1973 by Nolan Ryan (383).  As mentioned above, Koufax threw a perfect game on September 9th against the Cubs, striking out 14 batters.  It was the eighth perfect game in major league history, and Koufax's fourth no-hitter.  He famously declined to pitch Game 1 of the World Series in order to observe the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur.  Pitching in Games 2, 5 and 7, Koufax threw two complete game shutouts as his Dodgers won the Series, and Koufax would take World Series MVP honors.

1955 Topps #123

1959 Topps #163

1963 Topps #210

1966 Topps #100

1990 Topps #665

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Topps #123
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1955-1967, 1975, 1990
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Panini Diamond Kings #71

1,735 - Koufax non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/13/22.

Sources:  
1956 Topps Blog

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

Previous Card:  #299 Jerry Zimmerman - Minnesota Twins

Next Card:  #301 Birdie Tebbetts MG - Cleveland Indians

#527 Jeff Torborg - Los Angeles Dodgers

Jeffrey Allen Torborg
Los Angeles Dodgers
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  195
Born:  November 26, 1941, Plainfield, NJ
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1964-1970; California Angels 1971-1973
As a Manager:  Cleveland Indians 1977-1979; Chicago White Sox 1989-1991; New York Mets 1992-1993; Montreal Expos 2001; Florida Marlins 2002-2003

A light-hitting back-up catcher, Jeff Torborg spent a decade as a player in the majors and another 11 years as a big league manager, winning American League Manager of the Year honors in 1990.  Torborg came up with the Dodgers in 1964, and he'd remain with the club through the 1970 season as the back-up for John Roseboro (#405) and later Tom Haller (#465).  He was behind the plate for Sandy Koufax's (#300) perfect game on September 9, 1965, and he'd later catch Bill Singer's no-hitter on July 20, 1970 and Nolan Ryan's first no-hitter on May 15, 1973.  He was a career .214 hitter with eight home runs and 101 RBIs, and never appeared in more than 100 games a season until his final year in the majors with the Angels in 1973.

Torborg retired as a player, coaching (1975-1977) and then managing the Indians (1977-1979).  He served as a long-time coach with the Yankees (1980-1988) and took over as manager for the White Sox in 1989.  Torborg won Manager of the Year honors in 1990 after guiding the team to a 94-win season.  He'd later manage the Mets, Expos and Marlins, but never finished above fourth place with any of those clubs.  His lifetime managerial record was 634-718.  When not managing, Torborg worked in the broadcast booth for CBS, Fox and FSN South through the mid-2000s.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #526

This is the 42nd 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 Torborg card was $8 and was one of 49 commons and semi-stars 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
Torborg's rookie card can be found in the 1964 Topps set, as he shares a Rookie Stars card with outfielder Al Ferrara (#331).  This is his first solo Topps card.  The back of the card explains who Torborg is for those baseball and Dodgers fans who didn't realize he was on the team's roster the entire 1964 season.  Roseboro started 116 games at catcher for the Dodgers in 1964, with Doug Camilli (#77) starting 36 and Torborg starting 12.  The cartoon celebrates his successful collegiate career, as Torborg batted .537 for Rutgers University in 1963, and had his #10 retired by the college in 1992.

1965 Season
Torborg made his debut with the Dodgers on May 10, 1964, and never returned to the minor leagues.  With the Dodgers in 1965, he appeared in 56 games, making 42 starts behind the plate, and batting .240 for the National League pennant winners.  The Dodgers defeated the Twins in seven games to win the World Championship, with Roseboro catching every inning of every game.

1964 Topps #337

1973 Topps #154

1978 Topps #351

1990 Topps #21

2003 Topps #273

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #337
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (19):  1964-1973, 1978-1979, 1989-1993, 2002-2003
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2004 Fleer Greats of the Game #73

72 - Torborg non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/20/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #526 Athletics Rookie Stars

Next Card:  #528 George Altman - Chicago Cubs

#561 Dodgers Rookie Stars - Daboll / Kekich / Lefebvre / Valle

Dennis Edward Daboll
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  190
Born:  November 5, 1946, Los Angeles, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Died:  January 2, 1974, Grand Canyon, AZ (age 27)



James Kenneth Lefebvre
Los Angeles Dodgers
Second Base

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  January 7, 1942, Inglewood, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1965-1972
As a Manager:  Seattle Mariners 1989-1991; Chicago Cubs 1992-1993; Milwaukee Brewers 1999

Michael Dennis Kekich
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  196
Born:  April 2, 1945, San Diego, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1965, 1968; New York Yankees 1969-1973; Cleveland Indians 1973; Texas Rangers 1975; Seattle Mariners 1977

Hector Jose Valle
Los Angeles Dodgers
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  180
Born:  October 27, 1940, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1965

Dennis Daboll pitched for seven seasons in the Dodgers, Reds and Cardinals minor league systems, losing a year in 1968 while serving in the military.  He never made it to the majors.  Daboll's best minor league season came in 1970 when he went 11-6 with a 2.12 ERA in 45 games while pitching for two teams within the Cardinals' system.  Daboll last pitched in the minors in 1971, and tragically died as a result of a fall at the Grand Canyon.  The blog, "1978, The Year it all began" has a few posts on Daboll here and here.

Mike Kekich pitched in nine different seasons, primarily with the Yankees, and he's best known for swapping wives and kids with fellow Yankees pitcher Fritz Peterson.  Kekich was a 10-game winner for the Yankees in 1971 and 1972, throwing at least 170 innings in both seasons.  He hung on through the 1977 season as one of the more frequently used veteran relievers for the expansion Mariners.  Kekich also pitched in Japan and Mexico along the way.  In 235 career games, Kekich was 39-51 with a 4.59 ERA and 497 strikeouts.

Jim Lefebvre was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1965, and hit .400 (4 for 10) in the World Series as the Dodgers defeated the Twins in seven games.  Lefebvre's best season came in 1966 when he was the starting second baseman for the National League All-Star Team.  He hit .274 with 24 home runs and 74 RBIs that season - all career highs.  Lefebvre played for the Dodgers through the 1972 season and when the team released him, he began a successful four-season stint with the Lotte Orions in Japan.  In his eight major league seasons, he batted .251 with 74 home runs and 404 RBIs.  Lefebvre would later manage in the majors, guiding the Mariners, Cubs and Brewers to a 417-442 record over six seasons.

1966 Topps #314

Hector Valle appeared in nine games for the Dodgers in 1965, making his major league debut on June 6th against the Braves, starting behind the plate in the second game of a double header.  He'd make just two more starts in the majors, including the final regular season game of the season.  Valle continued to play in the minor league systems of the Dodgers, Mets, Tigers and Royals through the 1971 season, and he then played for several seasons in the Mexican League.  His last action as an active player came in 1981 when Valle was 40 years old and serving as the player-manager for the Dorados de Chihuahua.

Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #474
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show.  If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May.  If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July.  Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time.  I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.

After securing Doug's Jim Thome autograph, I returned to Uncle Dick's and their neon green shirts, pulled up a chair, and settled in.  Over the course of 45 minutes or so, I found 79 cards needed for our set, including this Rookie Stars card which was less than $7 after the dealer discount.  I was surrounded by six or seven other seated collectors, all who looked similar to me, with a touch of gray, focused on their individual quests.  I wiped out Uncle Dick's two 1965 Topps commons binders, paid for my haul and then retreated to a table with Doug to update our checklist.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
For the set's seventh and final series, Topps must have realized it needed to squeeze a bunch more players onto its Rookie Stars cards but it was quickly running out of room within the checklist.  This is one of five cards in the high series featuring four players on one Rookie Stars card.  There are also six Rookie Stars cards featuring three players in the set's seventh and final series.

This is the first and last Topps baseball card for Daboll, and Valle would appear once more in the 1966 Topps set.

1965 Season - Daboll
Just 18 years old, Daboll had already moved on to the Reds organization after spending one season within the Dodgers organization.  With the Single-A Tampa Tarpons in the Florida State League, Daboll was 8-10 with a 4.86 ERA in 21 games, including 20 starts.

1965 Season - Kekich
Kekich appeared in five games for the Dodgers, making his major league debut with a start against the Phillies on June 9th.  He was hit hard in his first outing, giving up four runs on a pair of hits and five walks.  Tony Taylor (#296) hit a three-run home run off him in the third inning.  With the Dodgers, Kekich was 0-1 with a 9.58 ERA in 10 1/3 innings pitched.  He didn't pitch anywhere else in game action during the regular season, leading me to believe he was active with the Dodgers and just not used or he was working throughout the season at the team's spring training facility.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Daboll
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #561

2 - Daboll non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.

Sources - Daboll:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Kekich
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1965, 1969-1974, 1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1990 Pacific Senior League #73

33 - Kekich non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.

Sources - Kekich:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

1969 Topps #262

1971 Topps #703

1973 Topps #371

1974 Topps #199

1976 Topps #582

1965 Season - Lefebvre
Lefebvre made his big league debut on opening day 1965 as the Dodgers' regular second baseman.  With Maury Wills as his double play partner at shortstop, Lefebvre would start 154 games on his way to Rookie of the Year honors.  In 157 games overall, he batted .250 with 12 home runs and 69 RBIs.  He tied Lou Johnson for the team lead in home runs and was one short of Ron Fairly's (#196) team-leading 70 RBIs.  Lefebvre started at second in the first three games of the World Series, but missed the final four games with a heel injury.

In the Rookie of the Year voting, Lefebvre received 65% of the votes, with Joe Morgan (#16) and Frank Linzy (#589) finishing as runners up.

1965 Season - Valle
Valle appeared in 45 games for the Spokane Indians, batting just .159 (23 for 145) with three doubles.  He was one of only three catchers used by the Dodgers during their entire 1965 season, with Jeff Torborg (#527) serving as back-up to regular catcher John Roseboro (#405).

1966 Topps #57

1969 Topps #140

1972 Topps #369

1990 Topps #459

1992 Topps Traded #63T

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Lefebvre
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1965-1972, 1989-1993
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 BBM Legendary Foreigners #9

82 - Lefebvre non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.

Sources - Lefebvre:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Valle
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1965-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #314

8 - Valle non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.

Sources - Valle:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #560 Boog Powell - Baltimore Orioles

Next Card:  #562 Billy Moran - Cleveland Indians

#556 Red Schoendienst MG - St. Louis Cardinals

Albert Fred Schoendienst
St. Louis Cardinals
Manager

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  February 2, 1923, Germantown, IL
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1942 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1945-1956; New York Giants 1956-1957; Milwaukee Braves 1957-1960; St. Louis Cardinals 1961-1963
As a Manager:  St. Louis Cardinals 1965-1976, 1980, 1990
Hall of Fame Induction:  1989
Died:  June 6, 2018, Town and Country, MO (age 95)

Amazingly, 67 of Red Schoendienst's 76 years in baseball were spent as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals organization.  Schoendienst was a 10-time All-Star, a steady hitter and an above-average defender who led all National League second basemen in fielding percentage in six different seasons.  He enjoyed his finest seasons in the early 1950s, batting over .300 three seasons in a row and hitting a career-high .342 in 1953.  He won his first World Series ring with the Cardinals in 1946 and he won the All-Star game for his league in 1950 with a 14th inning home run.  Schoendienst departed St. Louis in a highly unpopular trade with the Giants in June 1956.  A year later, he was dealt to the Braves and he won his second World Series ring when Milwaukee defeated the Yankees in seven games in the 1957 series.  Schoendienst led the league that season with 200 hits.

After three seasons as a back-up infielder and pinch-hitter back with the Cardinals in the early 1960s, he retired as a player and began his lengthy coaching and managing career.  In 2,216 career games, Schoendienst collected 2,449 hits while batting .289.  He'd manage his Cardinals in parts of 14 different seasons, over four different decades, winning the National League pennants in 1967 and 1968.  His lifetime managerial record was 1,041-955 with a World Series title in 1967.  He served as a coach for the Cardinals (1961-1964, 1979-1995) and Athletics (1977-1978) and won two more World Series rings as a member of the Cardinals coaching staff in 1964 and 1982.  Schoendienst was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Cardinals retired his #2 in 1996.

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

Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #338
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, this Schoendienst card, to give us 30 new cards total.  I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Schoendienst card was by far the most expensive at $20.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set

This post gives me the opportunity to tell my Mr. Mint story.  In the mid-1980s, my Dad and I became familiar with Al Rosen, Mr. Mint, as we'd see him every year at the Ocean City Baseball Card Show.  He'd sit at his table, with nothing on it but his business cards, looking somewhat bored and very smug.  Before one of these shows, a friend of my Dad's brought him a vintage, game-used Schoendienst jersey and asked my Dad to try to sell it for him at the upcoming show.  My Dad's friend was hoping to get at least $100 for the jersey, and I think his floor was maybe $50.  (These prices may not be accurate, given this is a 35-year-old story, but you get the gist.)  My Dad carried around the Schoendienst jersey, which was gorgeous and from the 1950s with two Cardinals sitting on a bat and bearing Schoendienst's #2.  His name was written on the tag sown into the jersey.

After an hour or so of walking around with the jersey, and asking dealers if they were interested in buying it, we came to the conclusion there was only one dealer present who would probably buy it from us - Mr. Mint.  We weren't fans of the guy, but my Dad didn't want to disappoint his friend, so we approached Rosen's table.  My Dad asked him if he'd be interested in buying the Schoendienst jersey and I don't think Rosen ever said hello.  There was no small talk.  Rosen looked it over begrudgingly and said, "$300" to my Dad.  My Dad agreed on the spot and Rosen tossed the jersey over his shoulder onto the table behind him.  He then opened his briefcase and counted out three crisp $100 bills into my Dad's hand and that was it.  No thank you, no conversation, no joy whatsoever.  And that was our first and last experience with Mr. Mint.  We'd see him at future shows and we'd occasionally joke about asking him if he still had the Schoendienst jersey.

As a postscript, my Dad's friend was thrilled.  My Dad made an elaborate show of handing over the proceeds, pretending as if he only received $100 but then telling a tale of exaggerated and lengthy negotiations that ultimately netted the $300 sales price.  He told his Mr. Mint story for years.

1965 Season
As the back of the card indicates, this was Schoendienst's first season as a manager, replacing the departed Johnny Keane (#131) who took the team to the World Series the year before.  The Cardinals struggled, finishing in seventh place in the league with a record of 80-81-1.  They'd slowly rebound, winning the World Series again in 1967 and winning the National League pennant in 1968.

1948 Bowman #38

1952 Topps #91

1957 Topps #154

1967 Topps #512

1990 Topps Traded #113T

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1948 Bowman #38
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (24):  1951-1953, 1956-1962, 1965-1976, 1988, 1990
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2019 Topps Update Iconic Card Reprints #ICR-41

652 - Schoendienst non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/10/21.

Sources:  
1956 Topps Blog

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

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #555 Jack Baldschun - Philadelphia Phillies

Next Card:  #557 Jose Santiago - Kansas City Athletics

#243 Reds Rookie Stars - Ted Davidson / Tommy Helms

Thomas Eugene Davidson
Cincinnati Reds
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  192
Born:  October 4, 1939, Las Vegas, NV
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1965-1968; Atlanta Braves 1968
Died:  September 1, 2006, Bullhead City, AZ (age 66)

Tommy Vann Helms
Cincinnati Reds
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  165
Born:  May 5, 1941, Charlotte, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1964-1971; Houston Astros 1972-1975; Pittsburgh Pirates 1976-1977; Boston Red Sox 1977
As a Manager:  Cincinnati Reds 1988, 1989

I didn't find a lot about Ted Davidson when researching for this post, but I did find an interesting fact and a horrifying fact.  First, the interesting fact is that Davidson received his "Ted" nickname based on his initials.  And next, from the horrifying department, Davidson was shot and nearly killed by his estranged wife in March 1967.  He was coming off a career year out of the Reds' bullpen, having appeared in 54 games and going 5-4 with a 3.90 ERA and four saves.  His wife shot him outside a bar in Tampa following an argument, and while Davidson recovered from his wounds he was never the same pitcher.  In 114 career games, he went 11-7 with a 3.69 ERA and five saves.

After brief appearances with the Reds in 1964 and 1965, Tommy Helms won the every day third base job and won National League Rookie of the Year honors in 1966.  He'd go to the All-Star Game in 1967 and 1968 and win Gold Gloves at second base in 1970 and 1971.  Helms reached the World Series with the Reds in 1970, but his team lost to the Orioles in five games.  He was one of the key players swapped to Houston in November 1971 that brought Joe Morgan (#16) and several other key members of the future Big Red Machine to Cincinnati.  Helms was an above average defender, leading the league in double plays turned three times and fielding percentage among second basemen three times.  In 1,435 career games, he accumulated 1,342 hits while batting .269.

Helms served as a major league coach with the Rangers (1981-1982) and the Reds (1983-1989).  He twice stepped in as interim manager for the Reds, going 12-15 when Pete Rose (#207) was suspended in 1988 for pushing umpire Dave Pallone.  Helms stepped in again in 1989 following the accusations against Rose for betting on baseball.  He guided the Reds to a 16-21 record and was replaced by Lou Piniella following the season. 

Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #320
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 Reds Rookie Stars card was about $3.25.

The Card / Reds Team Set
Given the write-up on the back, and the fact that Davidson didn't debut with the Reds until the end of July, does that mean the set's third series didn't come out until that late in the summer?  I was a bit surprised that neither his 1967 or 1968 Topps cards made mention of the shooting incident in 1967.

Helms repeated on a Rookie Stars card in 1966, appearing with Dick Simpson (#374), before he earned his first solo card, complete with All-Star Rookie trophy, in 1967.

1965 Season - Davidson
Davidson began the season with the Triple-A San Diego Padres, where he went 6-5 with a 3.62 ERA over 35 appearances and 92 innings pitched.  He made his big league debut on July 24th against the Astros, and he'd appear in 24 games for the Reds, making one start.  Davidson's rookie campaign was impressive as he finished with a 4-3 record and a 2.23 ERA over 68 2/3 innings pitched.

1965 Season - Helms
Helms appeared in 21 games for the Reds, with most of those appearances coming as a September call-up.  He batted .381 (16 for 42) with six RBIs and earned himself a longer look in spring training 1966.  With the Padres, Helms appeared in 96 games and batted .319 as their regular shortstop.

1966 Topps #89

1967 Topps #519

1968 Topps #48

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Davidson
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #243
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1965-1968
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1968 Topps #48

16 - Davidson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/29/21.

Sources - Davidson:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Helms
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #243
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1965-1978, 1990
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1990 Topps #110

90 - Helms non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/29/21.

Sources - Helms:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

1967 Topps #505

1970 Topps #159

1976 Topps #583

1978 Topps #618

1990 Topps #110

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