Wondrous Seasons of the Past: Dick Groat in 1960

(Note: I know this is a 1956 Topps card and not a 1960 Topps card, but they're both horizontally oriented)

Which team was probably the most unlikely World Series winner of the 1960s?  The 1960 Pirates might qualify (if it weren't for those Miracle Mets of '69).  Imagine, you know you are a good team; you did just win the NL pennant after all, and yet your opponent is the Yankees.

I'm sure just coming out of the '50s that the Yankees were considered a version of baseball royalty.  They had won championships 6 times in the last 10 years, and made it to the World Series 8 of the last 10 years.  They had the top star in the AL in Mickey Mantle, a tour de force who had not had a season with a less than 150 OPS+ since 1953.  They had the reigning AL MVP in Roger Maris and also Yogi Berra lurking as a utility player.

We know the rest of the story.  The Yankees outscore the Pirates something like 55-27 in the World Series and lose the a crazy back and forth 7th game until Bill Mazeroski led off the bottom of the 9th with a home run off Ralph Terry.  This was the first World Series in which someone from the losing squad won MVP honors (Bobby Richardson with a then-Series record 12 hits).

Dick Groat was a not a major participant during this World Series.  He only had a .500 OPS overall....the Yankees did beat the Pirates with two shutouts after all.  He did score the tying run in the bottom of the 8th on Hal Smith's 3 run home run, ultimately putting the Pirates ahead 9-7 in the 7th game, the play that had the highest change in win probability.  His single that inning originally decreased the deficit from 7-4 to 7-5 before all the theatrics really ensued.

But that's not really what Dick Groat is remembered for that year.  He was the NL MVP after all.  He did not lead the Pirates in any major categories except sacrifice hits and batting average, but he had an all-around spectacular year.  He hit .325/.371//.394 (115 OPS+) with 2 HR and 50 RBI.  That batting line seems sparse, but for a shortstop during that time period, it was pretty big.

Statistically, he finished 8th in overall Wins above Replacement (WAR), 1st in Defensive WAR,  1st in batting average, 3rd in hits, 1st in range factor/game, and 2nd in fielding percentage for a shortstop.

Intangibly, he was the captain of the team with the best record of the NL.  He also was the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award winner as baseball man of the year.

Here is what Dick Groat said about that magical year of 1960. “We had such a phenomenal year, we didn’t think anyone could beat us,” he said. “We’d come from behind 40-some times from the seventh inning on. That becomes contagious. You pretty much believe you’re not supposed to lose.”( Reference: www.baseballsavvy.com).

 So, as one of the statistical leaders and the ultimate intangible leader and tablesetter on the winning team of 1960, he truly had a wondrous season.

Two Random Vintage Phillies: A Look into New Players

I do love when vintage Phillies worm their way into my collection. Whether by land, sea, or air, the gray, creased versions of bygone players bring to life the nostalgic voice inside my head. Remember when? Can you see the filtered sunlight?  Why are there palm trees in Philadelphia?  How many splinters can you pick up by sitting in the bleachers?

The ironic part I wasn't alive for any of that.  I've always considered myself a person that had baseball history interest first and that expanded into card collecting.  My first exposure to the deep inner workings of baseball was through a book my dad bought for me in Cooperstown when I was 8.  I don't remember the name, but it was edited by Donald Honig.

It had one or two pages for every year's happenings and photos from every decade of baseball history.  It was amazing.  I read that book so much that the pages started falling out.  This is where I learned the names of Ferris Fain, Stan Coveleski, Fred Clarke, Karl Spooner, Jim Lonborg, Sandy Amoros, Rube Waddell, and more.  I also learned that the most impressive accomplishments were to win 20 games in the season and win the batting title.  Things have changed a bit since when that book was written in 1989 or 1990.

Even with the comprehensive overview of baseball history (since 1900) under my belt, there are always players that are not as recalled.  Even for one's favorite team, is it really possible to name all those players during your lifetime?  The answer is no,  So it's not surprising, that there are Phillies from the '50s that I'm not familiar with....especially pitchers.

Jim Owens was a Phillie from 1955-1962.  Oddly, he took a year off for military service in 1957.  It's only odd because the majority of major leaguers that were off for military service were during the Korean War in the early '50s.  The highlights of his career with the Phillies were few, but the 1959 season was one.  He reached .500 on the awful teams from that era, had 11 complete games, and a career best 135 K.

Ron Negray had a short Phillies career spanning 1955-1956 and 130 innings or so.  He did have 3 saves in 1956 in a time when saves weren't the stat chaser that we all know and love today.  He also went 3 for 7 with a .929 OPS, leading the team, but.....sample size. Still a fun fact.

Amazing, these two only crossed paths for two months over these two years.  But we cross paths with players as we sort through cards to create memories of players we have never seen play.

A Couple More 1956 Topps Phillies

The accumulation of vintage Phillies cards continues unabated by time, space, and orbs of glowing glucose.   Today's presentation is from the majestic 1956 Topps set, in which I was able to acquire two more cards for the team set.  These cards are so big that they don't even fit into standard 9 pocket pages; this must have been done on purpose....(yes, the standard size wasn't set until 1957; with this fact, I'm surprised there's not more border-trimmed 1956 cards out there)

In any case, first on the list is Murry Dickson.  He had a fascinating career.  He served in WWII.  He won World Series rings with the Cardinals twice while in his 20s and with the Yankees while in his 40s.  He led the league in losses 3 consecutive years, and the first of those years was a 20 loss season following a 20 win season.  He also finished 9th in MVP voting that selfsame year.  As a Phillie, he had one full season, experiencing a renaissance year at the age of 38, finishing 12-11 with a 3.50 ERA.   For reference, the list of pitchers with a 20 loss season directly following a 20 win season is Steve Carlton, Wilbur Wood, Jerry Koosman, Mel Stottlemyre, Larry Jackson, Bobo Newsom, Hooks Dauss, and Eppa Rixey among possible others.

This is the first Phillies team card issued in a major issue set.  I love how they're called Coach xxx and Manager Smith in case you couldn't tell from the absolute clarity of the picture.  Is Del Ennis really wearing a suit in this team photo?  And who's the guy in the polo? It's unclear if the list at the bottom only includes players and coaches.  Were those the trainer and manager?  Inquiring minds need to know these things.

I definitely need more of these cards.

Card Spotlight: 1956 Topps Del Ennis

Why is Del Ennis smiling?  It could be

1. because he's on an awesome and artistic 1956 Topps card.
2. because he knows exactly how many home runs to hit in 1956 to pass Chuck Klein for 1st on the Phillies all-time home run list.
3. because he started an all-star game in 1955 for the 2nd time in his career (though Stan Musial pinch hit for him after only 1 at-bat)
4.  because Andy Seminick came back to the Phillies.
5. because there's no better feeling in the world than jumping in the air to catch a fly ball.

Have a great weekend!

The Wonders of Coffee

At this point, late nights are a common occurrence in life. I don't actually drink coffee, but I heard it does wonders for the late night seeker or the not-yet-morning person. Caffeine is something that baseball players really must have drank a lot of in the 1950s. Performance enhancing drugs at that time was booze and cigarettes, so any energy boost at that time would have been welcomed. Right now, I'm running on one of those adrenaline highs you get after something exciting happens to you, you know? The problem is nothing actually happened, so my brain has convinced my mind (these are not the same) that I should be amped....

So here I am, absolutely hyper for no reason. I've spent hours rifling through cards ("everybody shufflin'") and realizing that 2011 was the year of collection overload. It looked like my cabinet decided to swallow all the coffee I don't drink and dedicate itself to running around and filling itself with cards that I haven't seen before. Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike autonomous furniture? First, they surreptitiously undermine your authority and then they convince the other furniture to join their cause. As I write this, my dining room table has decided to fill itself up with cards without my knowledge as well....

Here's to some of the 1956 Topps cards I have, the first of which is definitely coffee stained (or it at least better be coffee).  This card is of my second favorite catcher from before I was born, Andy Seminick.

It was a calling to old glory for Andy, as he returned to the scene of his power hitting younger days after a 3+ year exile in Cincinnati.  On second thought, that could have been a Skyline chili stain....

Jim Owen was too young to appreciate the drinks of the older gentlemen of the club, having only just turned 21 during the 1955 season. But there must have been some sort of "giddyup juice" in his water bottle because the ball jumped out of his hand in any which direction. He issued over 130 BB between the minors and majors.

He finally settled down to a less than 6.0 BB/9 in 1959 when he could rent a car on his own. I wonder if drive-through coffee places were invented yet?

So to all nighttime coffee drinkers out there, I have two pleas (of semi-ignorance), stop allowing your furniture to take sips when you're not looking and only drink it when you're in need of vintage cards because they will appear in all their stained glory.

All-Time Phillies Shortstop List: Granny Hamner 1956 Topps Representing

For a long time, I remember the single season HR record for a SS by a Phillie was held by Granny Hamner. This is really only in my memory because Dickie Thon was trying to break that record back in the not so glorious year of 1989. I was lucky enough to purchase this card from Check out My Cards for a decent price, so I thought it would be a compelling starting point for a new series: "All-time Phillies by Position"

All-Time Phillies Shortstops According to Me With No Prior Research (name/years at SS on Phillies)

1. Jimmy Rollins (2001-present)
2. Granny Hamner (1949-1958)
3. Larry Bowa (1970-1981)
4. Dave Bancroft (1915-1919)
5. Dick Bartell (1931-1934)
6. Kevin Stocker (1993-1997)
7. Doc Doolan (1905-1913)
8. Bobby Wine (1962-1967)
9. Dickie Thon (1989-1991)
10. Heinie Sand (1923-1928)
11. Don Money (1969)
499. Ivan DeJesus (1982-1984)
500. Steve Jeltz (1985-1988)
501. Juan Bell (1992-1993)