#402 Joe Amalfitano - Chicago Cubs

John Joseph Amalfitano
Chicago Cubs
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  January 23, 1934, San Pedro, CA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent (bonus baby), February 2, 1954
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1954-1955; San Francisco Giants 1960-1961; Houson Colt .45s 1962; San Francisco Giants 1963; Chicago Cubs 1964-1967
As a Manager:  Chicago Cubs 1979-1981

Signed as a bonus baby by the Giants shortly after his 20th birthday, Joey Amalfitano spent two seasons on the Giants' active roster, rarely seeing playing time.  He appeared in nine regular season games with the Giants team that won the 1954 World Series, but he didn't appear in the postseason.  After filling his bonus baby requirements, Amalfitano spent four full seasons in the minors and returned to the Giants in 1960 as a back-up infielder.  His first full season was also his best as he batted .277 with 27 RBIs.  As the first ever and then regular second baseman for the Colt .45s in 1962, he appeared in a career-high 117 games.  Amalfitano would finish out his playing days with the Cubs, spending four seasons as a back-up infielder and pinch-hitter, retiring with a .244 average and 418 hits.

Following his final game as a player on June 27, 1967, Amalfitano immediately stepped into a coaching role with the Cubs.  He'd spend 31 seasons coaching in the majors with the Cubs (1967-1971, 1978-1980), Giants (1972-1975), Padres (1976-1977), Reds (1982) and finally the Dodgers (1983-1998), where he'd win a World Series ring with the club in 1988.  Amalfitano had two different brief stints as the Cubs manager between 1979 and 1981, leading the team to a 66-116 record during a few of the team's leaner years.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Sports Cards Plus - Cooper City, FL) - Card #566

This is the 82nd 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 Amalfitano 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 / Cubs Team Set
This is Amalfitano's final Topps flagship appearance as a player, and he'd appear in three more sets as a coach or manager.  The cartoon on the back celebrates his first grand slam home run, hit off the Pirates' Roy Face (#347) on June 12, 1964 at Wrigley Field.  The three runners in front of him, represented here in cartoon Cub form, were Billy Williams (#220), Ron Santo (#110) and Ernie Banks (#510).  That's an impressive trio of Cubs!

1965 Season
Amalfitano was with the Cubs all season, appearing in 67 games overall and batting .271 with nary a home run and eight RBIs.  Settling into his pinch-hitting role, he'd make just 12 starts and appear as a pinch-hitter 43 times.  He batted .211 (8 for 38) as a pinch-hitter during the season, with three RBIs.

1955 Bowman #269

1961 Topps #87

1962 Topps #456

1974 Topps #78

1981 Topps #676

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #269
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1955, 1960-1965, 1973-1974, 1981
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 Topps #676

70 - Amalfitano non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/19/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #401 Carl Willey - New York Mets

Next Card:  #403 Boston Red Sox Team Card

#398 Reds Rookie Stars - Dan Neville / Art Shamsky

Daniel Anthony Neville
Cincinnati Reds
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  202
Born:  April 6, 1941, Covington, KY
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1960 season

Arthur Louis Shamsky
Cincinnati Reds
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  168
Born:  October 14, 1941, St. Louis, MO
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent, September 9, 1959
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1965-1967; New York Mets 1968-1971; Chicago Cubs 1972; Oakland Athletics 1972

Dan Neville pitched for eight seasons in the Reds' minor league system, never playing in the major leagues.  His best professional season came in 1961 for the Class D Tampa Tarpons when he was 15-4 with a 1.94 ERA in 20 starts.  Neville was a 13-game winner in 1963, and a 14-game winner in 1964 with the Triple-A San Diego Padres, most likely leading Topps to predict he'd be pitching for the Reds at some point during the 1965 season.  In 227 minor league games, Neville was 67-54 with a 3.35 ERA and 744 strikeouts over 1,066 2/3 innings pitched.

Art Shamsky started his career as a back-up outfielder and pinch-hitter for the Reds, but enjoyed the best three seasons of his career with the Mets, helping the club reach and win the 1969 World Series.  Shamsky platooned with Ron Swoboda (#533) in right field that season, batting .300 with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs.  He shined in the postseason, batting .538 (7 for 13) in the NLCS against the Braves.  Shamsky had another fine season in 1970, batting .293 with a career-high 49 RBIs, but then injuries limited him to just two more seasons with the Mets, Cubs and Athletics.  In 665 career games, Shamsky batted .253 with 426 hits, 68 home runs and 233 RBIs.  He'd later serve as a broadcaster for the Mets.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Sports Cards Plus - Cooper City, FL) - Card #565

This is the 81st 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 Reds Rookie Stars 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 / Reds Team Set
This is Neville's only baseball card appearance, unless you count the buyback version of the card, stamped by Topps and included in packs of 2014 Topps Heritage.  Also Shamsky's rookie card, he'd get his first solo card in the 1966 Topps set.

1965 Season - Neville
Back in San Diego with the Padres all year, Neville appeared in 36 games, making seven starts.  He was 4-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 74 innings pitched.

1965 Season - Shamsky
Shamsky spent the entire season with the Reds, appearing in 64 games and batting .260 with a pair of home runs and 10 RBIs.  He started just 12 games, making nine starts in right field, and was used as pinch-hitter by manager Dick Sisler (#158) 50 times.  Shamsky was successful off the bench, batting .289 (13 for 45) as a pinch-hitter with both of his home runs coming in that role.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Neville
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #398
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #398

2 - Neville non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/16/22.

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

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Shamsky
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #398
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1965-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #278

60 - Shamsky non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/16/22.

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

1966 Topps #119

1969 Topps #221

1970 Topps #137

1971 Topps #445

1972 Topps #353

Previous Card:  #397 Jerry Buchek - St. Louis Cardinals

Next Card:  #399 Ray Herbert - Philadelphia Phillies

#390 Bill Freehan - Detroit Tigers

William Ashley Freehan
Detroit Tigers
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  203
Born:  November 29, 1941, Detroit, MI
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1961, 1963-1976
Died:  August 19, 2021, Petoskey, MI (age 79)

Playing his entire career for his hometown Tigers, Bill Freehan was a perennial All-Star, a five-time Gold Glove winner and one of the best catchers of his era.  Freehan played baseball and football at the University of Michigan before signing his first contract with the Tigers in 1961.  Assuming regular catching duties for the team in 1964, he made his first of ten straight All-Star teams while batting .300 for the season with 18 home runs and 80 RBIs.  A year later, his offensive output would slip but he'd win the first of five consecutive Gold Gloves.  Freehan's career year helped win the Tigers win the pennant in 1968, as he batted .263 with 25 home runs 84 RBIs.  He didn't do much in the World Series at the plate, but he caught every inning of all seven games as his Tigers defeated the Cardinals.

Freehan had several steady seasons after that championship season, continuing as the Tigers' regular catcher through the 1975 season.  He'd later instruct Lance Parrish, his heir behind the plate for Detroit, while also doing some broadcasting work and returning to the Tigers for several seasons as a catching instructor.  Freehan had 1,591 career hits, batting .262 with 200 home runs and 758 RBIs.  He led the league in being hit by pitch three times and had a career mark of 114 HBPs.  He ranked among the top of just about every defensive catching category when he retired, and he's currently 17th in putouts (9,941), 26th in games (1,581), 88th in runners caught stealing (433) and 40th in fielding percentage (.993). 

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Sports Cards Plus - Cooper City, FL) - Card #564

This is the 80th 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 Freehan 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 / Tigers Team Set
The back of the card references his league-leading eight hit by pitches in 1964, and he'd go on to lead the league in the same category in 1967 (20) and 1968 (24).  The blurb on the back mentions Freehan was sixth in batting, behind league leader Tony Oliva (#340).  His .993 fielding percentage was second behind Elston Howard's (#450) .998 mark.  Freehan made seven errors in 991 chances, with Howard making just two errors in 1,008 chances.

1965 Season
Freehan was nagged by constant injuries during the season, leading to his temporary offensive decline.  He appeared in 130 games, making 120 starts at catcher, while batting .234 with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs.  Freehan was named to his second All-Star team and won his first Gold Glove.

1963 Topps #466

1968 Topps #470

1970 Topps #465

1973 Topps #460

1977 Topps #22

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #466
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1963-1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Panini Golden Age #96

197 - Freehan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/16/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #389 Don Larsen - Houston Astros

Next Card:  #391 Mel McGaha MG - Kansas City Athletics

#395 Jim Hart - San Francisco Giants

James Ray Hart
San Francisco Giants
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  185
Born:  October 30, 1941, Hookerton, NC
Signed:  Signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  San Francisco Giants 1963-1973; New York Yankees 1973-1974
Died:  May 19, 2016, Acampo, CA (age 74)

Slugger Jim Ray Hart spent a decade playing for the Giants, hitting at least 23 home runs five consecutive seasons between 1964 and 1968.  Hart finished as the Rookie of the Year ruuner-up (tied with Rico Carty - #305) behind Dick Allen (#460) in 1964, when as the Giants' everyday third baseman he batted .286 with 31 home runs and 81 RBIs.  His numbers would improve in 1965 and in 1966 Hart was named to his only All-Star team.  That was to be his career year as he batted .285 with a career-high 33 home runs and 93 RBIs.  He'd drive in 99 runs in 1967, splitting time between third base and left field.  Hart struggled defensively and he'd move to a reserve role with the Giants in 1969.  After a few more seasons with the club, which included multiple stints in the minor leagues, Hart was sold to the Yankees before the 1973 season.  He'd DH for the Yankees in his last full season in the majors, batting .254 with 13 home runs and 52 RBIs.

Hart would play parts of three seasons in the Mexican League before retiring in 1976.  For his big league career, Hart batted .278 with 1,052 hits, 170 home runs and 578 RBIs.  He was one of several inaugural inductees into the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame in 2008.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Sports Cards Plus - Cooper City, FL) - Card #563

This is the 79th 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 Hart 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 / Giants Team Set
Hart's rookie card is found in the 1964 Topps set, on a Rookie Stars card shared with Gil Garrido.  He shows up early in this set on the Home Run Leaders (#4) card.  His Topps flagship set cards don't acknowledge his middle name on the front of his cards until his very last appearance in 1974.  Strangely enough, his 1965 Topps Embossed card lists him as "Jim Ray Hart" on the front.  His Baseball Reference page confirms the .418 average against the Braves in 1964, as Hart went 23 for 55, including two doubles, a triple and five home runs.

1965 Season
The Giants would finish in second place behind the Dodgers, with Hart as the regular third baseman.  He appeared in 160 games, with only Willie McCovey (#176) appearing in that many games with him.  Hart batted .299 with 23 home runs and 96 RBIs, behind Willie Mays (#250) in both categories.  Mays gave Hart $500 out of his own pocket at the end of the season for playing in all but two of the team's games.  While his bat was sound, his glove was not, and Hart led all National League third baseman with 32 errors.

1964 Topps #452

1966 Topps #295

1968 Topps #73

1972 Topps #733

1974 Topps #159

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #452
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1964-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #269

44 - Hart non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/16/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #394 Jim Hannan - Washington Senators

Next Card:  #396 Frank Bertaina - Baltimore Orioles

#386 Cubs Rookie Stars - Paul Jaeckel / Fred Norman

Paul Henry Jaeckel
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  170
Born:  April 1, 1942, East Los Angeles, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, June 20, 1960
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1964
Died:  March 31, 2019, Pomona, CA (age 76)

Fredie Hubert Norman
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'8"  Weight:  155
Born:  August 20, 1942, San Antonio, TX
Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent, June 19, 1961
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1962-1963; Chicago Cubs 1964, 1966-1967; Los Angeles Dodgers 1970; St. Louis Cardinals 1970-1971; San Diego Padres 1971-1973; Cincinnati Reds 1973-1979; Montreal Expos 1980

Paul "Jake" Jaeckel pitched in parts of five seasons in the Cubs minor league system before earning a September call-up in 1964.  He appeared in four games, throwing eight scoreless innings and earning a win and a save.  Jaeckel's major league output consisted of four hits allowed, three walks and strikeouts of Sandy Alomar (#82) and Willie Crawford (#453).  A rotator cuff injury precluded him making the Cubs out of spring training in 1965, and he'd spend the next three seasons attempting to make a come back.  Jaeckel ultimately retired in 1967 following seven games with the Double-A affiliate of the Cardinals in Arkansas.

Fred Norman bounced around quite a bit in the early part of his big league career, finally getting regular work in 1970 with the Dodgers and Cardinals.  But it wasn't until the Reds acquired him in June 1973 that he found a more permanent home as a steady starting pitcher and a lesser known member of the Big Red Machine.  Norman won at least 11 games in seven straight seasons between 1973 and 1979, topping out with a 14-win season in 1977.  He crossed the 200-innings pitched plateau in three different seasons, setting a personal best with 240 1/3 innings pitched in 1973.  Norman started games in the 1975 and 1976 World Series, and while he didn't fare well personally, his Reds team won back-to-back World Championship titles.  His best season came in 1977 when he was 14-13 with a 3.38 ERA, with 160 strikeouts in 221 1/3 innings pitched.  Norman retired with a career record of 104-103 and a 3.64 ERA in 403 total games, and he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2018.

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Sports Cards Plus - Cooper City, FL) - Card #562

This is the 78th 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 Cubs Rookie Stars 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 / Cubs Team Set
This is the only baseball card appearance for Jaeckel, and if you're a Jaeckel super-collector you could also track down a buyback version of the card included in packs of 2014 Topps Heritage.  Norman had previously appeared on a Rookie Stars card in the 1964 Topps set, sharing the card with Sterling Slaughter (#314).  Neither Jaeckel or Norman would appear in the majors in 1965, and Norman wouldn't return to a Topps set until 1970.

1965 Season - Jaeckel
Jaeckel was limited to 28 games, including 22 starts, with the Double-A Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs.  He was 7-5 with a 3.40 ERA in 143 innings pitched for the Spurs.

1965 Season - Norman
Norman split the season between the Spurs and the Class-A Wenatchee Cubs in the Northern League.  He was 4-5 overall, with a 5.73 ERA in 29 games pitched, including 17 starts.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Jaeckel
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #386
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #386

2 - Jaeckel non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/16/22.

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

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Norman
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #469
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1964-1965, 1970-1981
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 Topps #497

50 - Norman non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/16/22.

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

1964 Topps #469

1970 Topps #427

1973 Topps #32

1976 Topps #609

1981 Topps #497

Previous Card:  #385 Carl Yastrzemski - Boston Red Sox

Next Card:  #387 Johnny Podres - Los Angeles Dodgers

#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