#539 Herm Starrette - Baltimore Orioles

Herman Paul Starrette
Baltimore Orioles
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  175
Born:  November 20, 1936, Statesville, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent, June 13, 1958
Major League Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 1963-1965
Died:  June 2, 2017, Statesville, NC (age 80)

Herm Starrette pitched for nine seasons in the Orioles' system between 1958 and 1966, getting a call to the majors three different times between 1963 and 1965.  He was a 17 game winner in 1959 with the Class C Aberdeen Pheasants in the Northern League.  His longest stint with the Orioles was his first one, when Starrette appeared in 18 games for the club between July and September 1963.  He'd get recalled briefly in 1964 for five games and again in 1965 for four games.  In 27 big league games, all in relief, Starrette was 1-1 with a 2.54 ERA and one save in 46 innings pitched.

1980 Phillies Photocards

His true calling was as a pitching coach, and Starrette began a coaching career in 1967 that would last 35 years.  At the big league level, Starrette was the pitching or bullpen coach for the Braves (1974-1976), Giants (1977-1978; 1983-1984), Phillies (1979-1981), Brewers (1985-1986), Cubs (1987), Orioles (1988) and Red Sox (1995-1997).  He also served with various organizations as a minor league instructor.

Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #469
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 Starrette card which was less than $4 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 / Orioles Team Set
Starrette appears in the 1964 and 1965 Topps cards as a player, and then one more time in the 1974 Topps set as a Braves coach on the Eddie Mathews (#500) card.  His uniform #24 is partially visible on the front of his Orioles jersey here.  By the time this card was issued, Starrette had pitched in his final major league game on May 10th, as his option to the minors on May 11th is noted on the back.  The reference to Syracuse is an uncorrected error, as the Syracuse Chiefs were the Triple-A team of the Tigers in 1965.  Topps reprinted the card in 2014 with Starrette signing copies for the 2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.

1965 Season
Starrette's final big league action came early in the season when he appeared in four games for the Orioles in April and early May.  He had no record with a 1.00 ERA in nine innings pitched, so it's somewhat surprising the Orioles couldn't find a use for his services.  He spent the bulk of the season pitching once again for the Rochester Red Wings, not Syracuse, and he was 3-3 with a 2.88 ERA in 44 relief appearances.

Phillies Career
Starrette began his three-year stint as the Phillies pitching coach in 1979, taking over for the departed Ray Rippelmeyer who had held that position since 1970.  He was the team's pitching coach in 1980 when they won the first World Series title in franchise history, and he departed following the 1981 season following the ouster of manager Dallas Green (#203).  

He has a black and white photo card in the 1979, 1980 and 1981 team-issued sets and he always struck me as one of the team's happier coaches given he never seemed to be photographed without a smile.

1964 Topps #239

1974 Topps #634

2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-HS

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #239
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1964-1965, 1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-HS

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

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #538 Chuck Dressen MG - Detroit Tigers

Next Card:  #540 Lou Brock - St. Louis Cardinals

#531 Chuck Hiller - San Francisco Giants

Charles Joseph Hiller
San Francisco Giants
Second Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  170
Born:  October 1, 1934, Johnsburg, IL
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams:  San Francisco Giants 1961-1965; New York Mets 1965-1967; Philadelphia Phillies 1967; Pittsburgh Pirates 1968
Died:  October 20, 2004, St. Pete Beach, FL (age 70)

Chuck Hiller played in parts of eight seasons in the National League, and he's perhaps best known for being the first player from the league to hit a grand slam in the World Series.  Hiller spent four seasons in the minors before winning the Giants' starting job at second base coming out of spring training in 1961.  A low batting average sent him back to the minors in July, but he'd come back to stay that September.  Hiller enjoyed a career year in 1962, appearing in 161 games and batting .276 while driving in a career-high 48 runs.  In that year's World Series, the Giants faced off against the Yankees with Hiller playing second base for every inning of all seven games.  His historic grand slam came in Game 4 off Yankees' reliever Marshall Bridges in the seventh inning, breaking a 2-2 tie.  The Yankees would prevail in Game 7 on the strength of Ralph Terry's (#406) complete game shutout.

1963 Topps #145

Hiller would never play in as many games as he did in 1962, coming closest with 108 games for the 1966 Mets, with 50 of those appearances as a pinch-hitter.  That season was his last year of sustained success in the majors, as he batted .280 overall and .348 (16 for 46) as a pinch-hitter.  He'd appear briefly with the Mets, Phillies and Pirates in 1967 and 1968 before retiring as a player.  He batted .243 in 704 career games with 516 hits.  Hiller would return to the majors as a coach with the Rangers (1973), Royals (1976-1979), Cardinals (1981-1983), Giants (1985) and Mets (1990), spending the bulk of his coaching career serving under manager Whitey Herzog with the Rangers, Royals and Cardinals.  Between coaching stints, Hiller served as a minor league infield instructor with the Mets and Cardinals.

Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #468
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 Hiller card which was less than $4 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 / Giants Team Set
I'd imagine the highlight Topps used on all Hiller's cards after 1962 was his World Series grand slam.  It took me a few seconds to figure out what was going on in the cartoon, but Hiller is shown as a literal giant for his huge grand slam.  There's an uncorrected error in the narrative on the back as Hiller was sold to the Mets (see below) and not the Nats, which was the nickname Topps occasionally used for the Senators.

1965 Season
Hiller began the season with the Giants, but was sold to the Mets on May 11th when the Mets lost their All-Star second baseman Ron Hunt (#285) to a shoulder injury.  Hiller played in 100 games for the Mets, batting .238 with five home runs and 21 RBIs.  He struggled defensively, at one point committing errors in three consecutive games, but he provided marginally better offense than the other second base option, the light-hitting Bobby Klaus (#227).

Phillies Career
The Phillies acquired Hiller on July 11, 1967 from the Mets for infielder Phil Linz (#369), with the trade seemingly orchestrated by Mets' coach Yogi Berra (#470) in order for Berra to be reunited with his former Yankees teammate.  Cookie Rojas (#474) and Tony Taylor (#296) already provided an effective platoon at second base, and Hiller received minimal playing time.  Of his 31 appearances with the Phillies between mid-July and the end of the season, 27 of them were for pinch-hitting duties.  He made only four starts for the Phillies at second base.  Still, Hiller had a decent average of .302 (13 for 43) but the fifth place team just didn't have a place for him on their roster.  He was assigned to the minors following the season and selected by the Pirates on November 28, 1967 in the annual rule 5 draft.

1961 Topps #538

1962 Topps #188

1966 Topps #154

1968 Topps #461

1973 Topps #549

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1961 Topps #538
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1961-1968, 1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1980 Fleer Team Stickers (1962 World Series on back)

43 - Hiller non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/3/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #530 Jim Maloney - Cincinnati Reds

Next Card:  #532 Hector Lopez - New York Yankees

#528 George Altman - Chicago Cubs

George Lee Altman
Chicago Cubs
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  200
Born:  March 20, 1933, Goldsboro, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, August 19, 1955
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1959-1962; St. Louis Cardinals 1963; New York Mets 1964; Chicago Cubs 1965-1967

George Altman played for almost 20 seasons professionally, first as an All-Star outfielder for the Cubs and then as a slugger in Japan.  Altman originally came up with the Cubs in 1959 and was the team's regular center fielder for a few seasons before moving to right field.  His best seasons came in 1961 and 1962 when he made all three All-Star teams.  Altman led the league in triples with 12 in 1961 while hitting his major league career highs with 27 home runs and 96 RBIs.  He repeated that success in 1962, batting .318 for a Cubs team that lost 103 games.  After a season with the Cardinals and another with the Mets, Altman returned to Chicago in 1965 where he'd finish up his career stateside with three seasons as mostly a back-up outfielder and pinch-hitter.

At 35 years old, Altman then began his Japanese baseball career, driving in 100 runs and hitting 34 home runs for the Tokyo Orions in 1968.  He'd play eight seasons in Japan, hitting at least 20 home runs in his first seven seasons and enjoying a career year in 1971 with the Lotte Orions.  That season, Altman batted .320 with 39 home runs and 103 RBIs.  Altman batted .269 in nine major league seasons, with 101 home runs and 403 RBIs.  His Japan totals over eight seasons were much better as he batted .310 with 205 home runs and 656 RBIs.

Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #467
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 Altman card which was less than $4 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 / Cubs Team Set
Given Altman spent the entire 1964 season with the Mets, this photo most likely dates from his first stint with the Cubs between 1959 and 1962.  On the back, his All-Star season in 1961 is referenced twice, including the cartoon highlighting his league leading triples total that year.

1965 Season
On January 15th, the Cubs reacquired Altman, dealing Billy Cowan (#186) to the Mets.  While he was the club's opening day left fielder, injuries slowed him all season and he'd appear in only 90 games, batting .235 with four home runs and 23 RBIs.

1959 Topps #512

1961 Topps #551

1964 Topps #95

1967 Topps #87

2013 BBM Legendary Foreigners #6

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1959 Topps #512
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1959-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2016 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-GA

56 - Altman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/3/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #527 Jeff Torborg - Los Angeles Dodgers

Next Card:  #529 Jerry Fosnow - Minnesota Twins

#525 Eddie Bressoud - Boston Red Sox

Edward Francis Bressoud
Boston Red Sox
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Born:  May 2, 1932, Los Angeles, CA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1956-1957; San Francisco Giants 1958-1961; Boston Red Sox 1962-1965; New York Mets 1966; St. Louis Cardinals 1967

The beginning of Eddie Bressoud's big league career was delayed by his two years serving in the  military in 1953 and 1954.  Making his debut in 1956, He was a back-up infielder for the New York Giants for two seasons and moved west with the team to San Francisco in 1958.  Bressoud was given the chance to play regularly beginning in 1959 and 1960, but his struggles at the plate led the Giants to leave him unprotected in the 1961 expansion draft.  Bressoud was the first pick in the draft by the Houston Colt .45s, with Houston dealing him a month later to the Red Sox for Don Buddin.  With the rebuilding Red Sox, Bressoud enjoyed his best years.  He attained a career high in RBIs in 1962 with 68 while batting .270, and hit a career-high 20 home runs in 1963.  Bressoud's best season came in 1964 when he batted .293 and was named to the American League All-Star team.

Bressoud slumped again in 1965, joined the Mets for a season in 1966 and finished his career with the Cardinals in 1967.  He was on the Cardinals' World Series roster as his team defeated his former team, the Red Sox, in seven games.  Bressoud was a late-inning defensive replacement in two games, but never came to bat.  He scouted and managed in the minor leagues for the Angels for a few seasons before retiring from baseball.  Bressoud batted .252 in 1,186 career games, collecting 925 hits, 94 home runs and 365 RBIs.

Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #466
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 Bressoud card which was less than $4 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 / Red Sox Team Set
It seems as if the Red Sox cards in this set have more blue sky in the background than the cards from any other team, and this Bressoud card is no exception.  He's referred to as a "well-travelled veteran" on the back by Topps, but I wouldn't consider playing for two franchises over a nine-year span as "well-travelled."  The cartoon on the back highlights his team-leading 41 doubles in 1964, and Carl Yastrzemski (#385) finished second on the team with 29.  At 4.6, Bressoud had the highest WAR among position players on the eighth-place Red Sox in 1964.  He's Eddie on the front of this card, but the more formal Ed on the back.

1965 Season
In his final season in Boston, Bressoud and Rico Petrocelli (#74) traded starts at shortstop, with Petrocelli starting 93 games to Bressoud's 69.  Bressoud batted .226 overall with eight home runs and 25 RBIs.  On November 30th, with Petrocelli ready to assume everyday shortstop duties, Bressoud was dealt to the Mets for outfielder Joe Christopher (#495).

1958 Topps #263

1961 Topps #203

1963 Topps #188

1964 Topps #352

1967 Topps #121

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1958 Topps #263
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1958-1967
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2016 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-EB

46 - Bressoud non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/3/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #524 Dave Giusti - Houston Astros

Next Card:  #526 Athletics Rookie Stars

#522 Hank Aguirre - Detroit Tigers

Henry John Aguirre
Detroit Tigers
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  205
Born:  January 31, 1931, Azusa, CA
Acquired:  Sent from Duluth (Northern) to the Cleveland Indians in an unknown transaction before 1952 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1955-1957; Detroit Tigers 1958-1967; Los Angeles Dodgers 1968; Chicago Cubs 1969-1970
Died:  September 5, 1994, Bloomfield Hills, MI (age 63)

Lefty pitcher Hank Aguirre appeared in 16 big league seasons, mostly with the Tigers, and he peaked in 1962 when he was named to both All-Star teams and won the American League ERA title with a 2.21 mark.  Of Mexican descent, his last name was pronounced ah-GEAR-ee, and not as I had assumed, rhyming with Mark McGwire.  As a rookie pitcher for the Indians, Aguirre struck out Ted Williams in a game against the Red Sox on July 15, 1956.  Aguirre asked Williams to sign the ball following the game, with Williams reluctantly agreeing.  Legend has it Williams homered off Aguirre a few weeks later and as he was circling the bases, the slugger yelled, "Get that ball, and I'll sign it too."  However, and I hate to ruin a great story, checking the records Williams didn't homer off Aguirre until July 19, 1958.

Aguirre was dealt to the Tigers before the 1958 season, and he'd settle into their pitching rotation for the next decade.  He was a 16-game winner in 1962, his finest season, and won 14 games each in 1963 and 1965.  Aguirre would retire after two seasons with the Cubs in 1969 and 1970, but he'd join the Cubs' coaching staff in 1972, where he'd stay until 1974.  He'd manage in the Athletics' organization in 1975 and 1976.  Aguirre had a lifetime record of 75-72 in 447 games pitched, with a 3.25 ERA and 856 strikeouts over 1,375 1/3 innings.  He'd go on to found and preside over Mexican Industries, Inc., an automobile parts supplier, creating hundreds of jobs in Michigan for Hispanic workers.  In 1987 he was named "Businessman of the Year" by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #465
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 Aguirre card which was less than $4 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 / Tigers Team Set
Aguirre wore #37 with the Tigers between 1960 and 1967, with his uniform number prominently displayed on his right sleeve here.  The cartoon on the back highlights the complete game, three-hitter he threw against the Indians on July 1, 1964.  The notes on the back mention his down year in 1964 when he went 5-10 with a 3.79 ERA in 32 starts, along with his league-leading ERA in 1962.

1965 Season
Aguirre was in the Tigers' starting pitching rotation all season, along with Mickey Lolich (#335), Denny McLain (#236), Dave Wickersham (#375) and Joe Sparma (#587).  Aguirre was 14-10 with a 3.59 ERA in 32 starts, pitching ten complete games, including two shutouts.  Along with Lolich and McLain, he was one of three Tigers pitchers to cross the 200 innings pitched plateau.

1957 Topps #96

1962 Topps #407

1963 Topps #257

1970 Topps #699

1974 Topps #354

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #96
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16):  1957-1970, 1973-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #225

65 - Aguirre non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/3/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #521 Phillies Rookie Stars

Next Card:  #523 Mike Brumley - Washington Senators

#517 Angels Rookie Stars - Paul Schaal / Jack Warner

Paul Schaal
Los Angeles Angels
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  165
Born:  March 3, 1943, Pittsburgh, PA

Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Angels as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Angels 1964-1965; California Angels 1965-1968; Kansas City Royals 1969-1974; California Angels 1974

Died:  September 1, 2017, Waikoloa, HI (age 74)

John Joseph Warner
Los Angeles Angels
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  August 1, 1943, Monrovia, CA

Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Angels as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams:  California Angels 1966

Paul Schaal was a solid fielding, light hitting third baseman who was one of the first standout players for the expansion Royals.  Schaal was the Angels' regular third baseman in 1965 and 1966, but his troubles at the plate forced him into a platoon with Aurelio Rodriguez towards the late 1960s.  Left unprotected for the 1968 expansion draft, Schaal was the 27th pick by the Royals and he'd serve as a back-up infielder for the club in their inaugural season, most frequently filling in for regular third baseman Joe Foy.  Schaal earned the starting job in 1971 and enjoyed a career year, batting .274 with 11 home runs and 63 RBIs.  He'd play a few more seasons with the Royals, but the arrival of a young George Brett led to his trade back to the Angels in 1974.  In 1,128 career games, Schaal batted .244 with 57 home runs and 323 RBIs.

1966 Topps #553

Jackie Warner had a meteoric rise over the first few weeks of the 1966 season with the Angels and a swift fall a few weeks later.  The club's opening day right fielder in 1966, he batted .346 with five home runs and 13 RBIs over the first 15 games of the season.  He then went 0 for 29 over the next 16 games, while also suffering a ligament injury in his hand from a check swing.  Warner was sent back to the minor leagues in late July with his average down to .213, and he'd not return to the majors.  He played through the 1971 season in the Mets, Royals, Athletics and Astros systems and also spent time in Mexico before retiring.

Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #464
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 a little over $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 / Angels Team Set
This is the rookie card for both Schaal and Warner, and Warner would appear on another Rookie Stars card in the 1966 Topps set along with the Braves' Pat Garrett.  The prediction on the back was correct for Schaal, as he'd win the Angels' third base job.  Warner spent the season in the minors and his appearance here is due to his fantastic season with the Single-A Tri-City Angels in 1964.  Warner batted .279 with 37 home runs and 106 RBIs with his home run total leading the league.

Warner is the second Jack Warner to appear in the set, with Cubs pitcher Jack Warner appearing on a Rookie Stars card (#354) earlier.

1965 Season - Schaal
Schaal was the Angels' opening day third baseman and he'd appear in 155 games overall.  He won the job out of spring training while competing with eight other potential third baseman, according to his SABR biography.  Schaal batted just .224 with nine home runs and 45 RBIs.  He was third among all American League third baseman in assists (321) behind the Yankees' Clete Boyer (#475) and the Tigers' Don Wert (#271).

There must not have been much rookie competition at third base during 1965, as Schaal was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie team for his efforts and the gold trophy is prominent on his 1966 Topps card.

1965 Season - Warner
Warner appeared in only 55 games between Double-A and Triple-A, batting .218 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs.  The Los Angeles Times article linked below mentions Warner had all but made the Angels opening day roster, but a pulled hamstring in late March landed him in the minor leagues.  The injury along with a double hernia operation later in the season severely limited his playing time.

1966 Topps #376

1967 Topps #58

1971 Topps #487

1973 Topps #416

1974 Topps #514

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Schaal
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #517
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1965-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1974 Topps #514

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

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

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Warner
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #517
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1965-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #553

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

Sources - Warner:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Los Angeles Times

Previous Card:  #516 Al Weis - Chicago White Sox

Next Card:  #518 Ken Rowe - Baltimore Orioles