postcards from paradise

a funny thing happened on the way to this post.  i misplaced all of my dodger postcards.  i had scanned them, some of which are shown below, but i had planned to further investigate and try to determine the exact years that they were issued using the information on their backs and some of the very scattered data available on the interwebs.  oh well, i'll have to tackle that task another time.  in the meantime, it's summer, and i assume some traveling folks are still sending postcards to the poor saps that are stuck back at home working.  in that vein, here are some dodger postcards that i will classify as 1962 (circa) to 1971 (circa) dodger team issue postcards.

big d!

i chose 1962 because that is the season that dodger stadium opened, and beautiful chavez ravine is the backdrop for many of these.  some, including the don drysdale postcard above, the ron perranoski postcard below,

this larry sherry postcard

and this maury wills postcard

all feature the three sisters palm trees closed up as they were first installed.

these next two are certainly from 1967, as that was the only season that ron hunt

and gene michael suited up for the dodgers.

plus, the palm trees have opened up!

i figure that these wes parker

and jeff torborg postcards

are from 1966, but that's only based on the relative youthfulness of torborg and this website.

sadly, the postcards moved out of dodger stadium later in the decade to what i assume to be vero beach.  these al ferrara

and bill singer postcards

are assumed to be from 1968 based on the fact that the singer photo is essentially the same as this mudcat grant photo

and this zoilo versalles postcard (i think) has the same info on the back

i wish i could find these things to confirm.  anyway, grant and versalles were only dodgers in 1968, so it's pretty easy to figure those, just like the hunt and michael.  same goes for these next couple - maybe - as long as the dodgers didn't wait to use these photos several years after they were taken.

billy grabarkewitz

and bill sudakis

are both wearing the mlb 100th anniversary patch from 1969, so i figure these to be 1970 postcards, although they could also be 1969 items if the dodgers were really on the ball and published these right after the photos were taken during spring training.

i'm not quite as sure of this tom haller postcard

since he was a dodger from 1968 through 1971, but this dick/richie allen postcard is certainly from 1971 (his lone year with the team)

and it's back in paradise - dodger stadium.

i may get back there yet this season, and if i do, maybe i'll drop a postcard in the mail...

i went for blue on black friday

it's been well over seven months since black friday, so i am a bit unsure why it has taken so long for me to post about some of the cards i purchased that day.  especially since one of the cards i bought on ebay that day was this 1952 bowman duke snider card

it was cheap, thanks to some rounded corners, scuffing, and a bit of paper loss, but to me it looks the way vintage ought to look.  that is a pretty card.

i have been on the lookout for a 1972 topps venezuelan steve garvey card for a long time, but have only seen one come up for sale in that time. it was prohibitively expensive.  on the other hand, i picked up this 1977 topps venezuelan davey lopes card

for what i thought was a reasonable price.  these cards are really thin, with nothing on the back, by the way.

most of my black friday shopping was done on comc, where i picked up a 1950 bowman bruce edwards card

along with a 1951 topps blue back

ralph branca card

this was my first blue back - there are only three dodgers in the blue back set, and they seem to be a bit tougher to find than the red backs.

i found some post cards - 1961 post john roseboro

1961 post larry sherry

and 1962 post stan williams

that weren't butchered too badly by the scissor wielding children of the 60's and gladly added them to my cart.

it wasn't all vintage, however, as i purchased a couple of 1983 permagraphics cards of pedro guerrero

and fernando valenzuela

along with a 1983 topps glossy send-in valenzuela

i am pretty sure i have this card already, as i sent in wrappers for these sets pretty regularly, but i bought it anyway because it didn't look familiar.  i still haven't checked to see if it's a double or not.

the last couple of cards are blue and shiny.  from 2012 bowman, i grabbed the matt kemp

and duke snider

blue sapphire rookie reprint cards.  my black friday duke purchases spanned 60 years, now that i think about it.

this was money well spent without getting up early and fighting the crowds - i think i'll make a habit of 'blue' friday...

sunday morning target dodgers - reese, reis, and reuss

i don't know how target assembled the set as far as which players appeared on which sheet, but there are a couple of common threads on this week's sheet - by name and by way many of the players came to be a part of the franchise.

this week's sheet of players from the 1990 target dodger 100th anniversary set starts off with number 1.

pee wee reese

reese was the dodger shortstop from 1940 through 1956 except for three seasons (1943-1945) during which time he served in the armed forces.  he was a 10-time all-star and a 7-time world series participant who sits atop the dodger all-time career leaderboard in war, walks, and runs scored, and is second to zack wheat in a number of other categories.

bobby reis

as a robin/dodger, reis played everywhere but catcher and shortstop.  his big league career began with the robins in 1931, and he played exclusively third base at that time, hitting .294 over six games.  he was back up in 1932, but played in just one game going 1 for 4 at third.  reis returned to the big leagues in 1935 with the dodgers, but this time he found himself on the mound 14 times, including 2 starts.  reis put together a record of 3-2 with 2 saves, a 2.83 era and an 11-inning complete game to boot.  he also played in the field in about three dozen other games that year.  reis was traded to the boston braves for the 1936 season, where he maintained his two-way play for three seasons.  his photo, by the way, comes from 1932 when he played for the jersey city skeeters.

jerry reuss

reuss came to the dodgers at the start of the 1979 season from the pirates in exchange for rick rhoden.  i was a fan of rhoden, and so i wasn't too excited with this development especially when reuss went 7-14 in his first season with the dodgers.  then came his 1980 season, complete with an 18-6 record, 2.51 era,  all-star berth, league-leading six shutouts, complete game victory in must-win game 161 against the astros, and most importantly his no-hit performance against the giants.  i was a reuss convert.  reuss also pitched well in 1981, helping the dodgers win the division series against the astros and eventually the world series over the yankees with complete game clinchers in each series, and he stayed with the team into the 1987 season.  don't forget to check out his website for some cool photos and other stuff.

bob bailey

bailey was a hot prospect for the pirates in the early 1960's, but he failed to live up to the lofty expectations, later becoming half of the haul (gene michael was the other half) that the dodgers received from the pirates in the maury wills trade prior to the 1967 season.  he played for the dodgers for two seasons, hitting .227 (73 for 322) in both 1967 and 1968, and his contract was purchased by the expos following the 1968 season. bailey was the first baseman in their inaugural game, and became the first expo to get a hit and the first to drive in runs.  in fact, bailey had his best offensive years with the expos as he realized some of the potential that the pirates had hoped for.  after several seasons in montreal, bailey eventually found his way to the reds, where he was a member of their 1976 world championship team, although he did not play in the postseason.

mark bradley

bradley was a late-season call up for the dodgers in 1981 and 1982. he was their first round pick in 1975, and appeared in a total of 17 games for them in those two aforementioned seasons.  bradley's last game as a dodger was their final game of the 1982 season, when joe morgan and the giants dashed their postseason hopes.  he was traded to the mets prior to the following season.

augie galan

galan was acquired by the dodgers from the cubs during the 1941 season.  he remained a dodger through the 1946 season, playing mostly outfield, and was a national league all-star in 1943 and 1944.  it appears that he enjoyed a crossword puzzle as well as playing baseball.

ray lamb

lamb was a reliever who pitched for the dodgers in 1969 and 1970.  he even found his way on to a topps card in 1970, sharing space with bob stinson.  he was 0-1 with a save and a 1.80 era in 10 games during his debut season, and then 6-1 with a 3.79 era in 35 games the following year.  lamb was traded to the indians in the duke sims deal after the 1970 season, and he spent three seasons in cleveland working as a reliever and a sometimes starter.  he is the only dodger to wear number 42 after jackie robinson, doing so in the 1969 season.

vic lombardi

lombardi pitched for the dodgers from 1945 through 1947.  he won 10, 13, and 12 games in those seasons with his era consistently around 3.00.  following the 1947 world series, in which lombardi made two starts, he was traded to the pirates in the dixie walker deal that netted the dodgers, among others, preacher roe.

al mamaux

mamaux was part of the trade between the robins and pirates prior to the 1918 season that saw casey stengel head to pittsburgh with burleigh grimes going to brooklyn.  mamaux had won 21 games twice for the pirates, but his high during his six seasons with the robins was 12 in their pennant-winning 1920 season.

norm sherry

norm was the older brother of larry sherry, the dodger pitcher.  together they formed a rare fraternal battery from 1959 to 1962 - the span of norm's dodger career.  norm is probably best known as the guy who suggested to sandy koufax that he relax and not try to throw so hard prior to the 1961 season.  koufax took his advice and went on to dominate the league for the remainder of his career, while norm wound up with the mets in 1963.

eddie stack

stack pitched for the dodgers and superbas in 1912 and 1913.  he was 11-9 with a 2.99 era in that span, but was traded to the cubs during the 1913 campaign.

jigger statz

arnold john 'jigger' statz played in the major leagues for eight seasons beginning in 1919, the last two of which he spent in brooklyn with the robins.  while he hit .264 over those two seasons, bringing an end to his major league career, he found tremendous success in the pacific coast league with the los angeles angels.  statz had spent time with the angels while bouncing up and down from the big leagues, but he returned to the club for good in 1929 and wound up setting pcl records in a number of categories.  as such, statz is a member of the pcl hall of fame.

chuck templeton

templeton debuted for the dodgers on september 9, 1955 in chicago.  he retired all six of the cub batters he faced that day, but the dodgers lost despite his perfect relief effort.  he appeared in three more games during that midwestern road trip, allowing runs in each of those appearances while taking the loss in his last appearance of the season thanks to the fact that he walked the only batter he faced (stan musial) to lead of the bottom of the 12th innning.  templeton returned to the majors in 1956, taking the second loss of his career in his first start of the season which just happened to take place in saint louis.  he finally got to pitch in brooklyn his second time out in 1956, going four innings as the starter in what turned out to be a 7-5 dodger win over the cards.  he was sent down to the dodgers' saint paul affiliate in the summer of '56, and did not return to the majors.

chuck ward

ward was part of the trade i referenced earlier between the pirates and dodgers.  not the bob bailey/maury wills trade nor the preacher roe/dixie walker trade nor the jerry reuss/rick rhoden trade, but rather the burleigh grimes/casey stengel trade.  ward, who had succeeded honus wagner as the pirates' shortstop, accompanied grimes and mamaux to the dodgers in january of 1918, and appeared in 111 games as a backup shortstop and third baseman over the next 5 seasons.  he apparently has some connection to rutgers university, but i failed to uncover exactly what that connection was.

the fifteenth brooklyn-ite on the sheet is john anderson, who double dipped with the franchise and so gets his own post later today.

sunday morning target dodgers

there is an obscure rule here at garvey cey russell lopes that anytime an older gentleman with suspenders appears on a baseball card, he leads the post.  that rule is in full effect today, as we review another sheet of cards from the 1990 target dodger sga set.

mickey o'neil

o'neil was a catcher who appeared in 75 games for the 1926 brooklyn robins, hitting .209.  he had previously spent seven seasons with the boston braves, and finished his career in 1927 with the senators and new york giants.  he later coached for the indians, scouted for the pirates, and for many years managed in the minor leagues.

orel hershiser

the bulldog had some great seasons for the dodgers (1985, 1988), and some great postseasons for the blue and the indians, too.  he was 7-0 in postseason play before losing game 1 of the 1995 world series to greg maddux and the braves, but got some redemption in game 5 as he outdueled maddux for the win. as a dodger in the postseason, hershiser was 4-0 in 8 games (7 starts) with a save and an era of 1.71.  he threw 4 complete games for the dodgers in the postseason, two of which were shutouts.  he was a dodger double dipper, too.

george hildebrand

hildebrand's big league career consisted of 11 games played for the superbas in 1902 in which he hit .220, as well as 22 years spent as an american league umpire, from 1913 through 1934.

ron hunt  

hunt was one of the players the dodgers received from the mets in the tommy davis deal prior to the 1967 season, but was dealt to the giants for tom haller after just one season in la.  he is best known for his prowess in being hit by pitches, having led the league in that category in each of his final 7 seasons.  with the dodgers in 1967, he was hit by a pitch 10 times, good enough for second in the league.  when hunt retired, he held the modern record for hbp (243) until don baylor passed him in the late 1980's.

fred ivy johnston

johnston appeared in four games for the 1924 robins, and was 1 for 4 at the plate.  that is the sum total of his major league career.

earl mattingly

like johnston, mattingly's big league career was quite brief - he pitched in 8 games for the 1931 robins, going 0-1 despite a 2.51 era in those appearances.

lew mccarty

mccarty began his big league career in 1913 as a member of the brooklyn superbas.  he stayed with the team until he was traded to the new york giants during the 1916 season, amassing a .260 average in 238 games for the franchise prior to the trade.  who did brooklyn receive from the giants in exchange for mccarty you might ask?  none other than fred merkle.

ray moss

moss spent the first 5+ seasons of his career with brooklyn, from 1926 to 1931.  he pitched in 100 games for the team, posting a record of 21-15 with a 5.00 era.  he finished his career in 1931 with 12 games pitched for the boston braves, and after retiring he founded the golden gallon chain of convenience stores.

george pinckney

pinckney (or pinkney as baseball reference knows him) was an original national league brooklyn bridegroom player.  he was with the club for a few seasons prior to their joining the national league in 1890 as well.  as the franchise's 'first' third baseman, he hit .309 and scored 115 runs in 126 games for the club in 1890.  known as somewhat of an 'iron man', pinckney once played in 5,152 consecutive innings for brooklyn, a record eventually broken by cal ripken, jr.

stan rojek

rojek made it into one game for the dodgers in 1942 (he pinch ran in the bottom of the 9th in a game against the giants and scored the tying run to force extra innings) before serving in the military during world war ii.  following his service, he returned to the dodgers for the 1946 and 1947 seasons, playing shortstop behind pee wee reese.  the pirates purchased his contract following the 1947 season, and rojek went on to have his best season, hitting .290 while leading the league in games played and at bats.  he finished his career with short stints in saint louis - with the cardinals for part of 1951 and the browns in 1952, and was dealt back to brooklyn following the '52 season.   unfortunately, rojek never made it out of the dodgers' minor league system after his return to the franchise and retired as a player after the 1955 season.

larry see

see was the dodgers' third round pick in 1980, and he reached the majors as a september call-up in 1986.  in 13 games with the dodgers that year, he hit .250 with a pair of doubles and two rbi.  he had began his professional career as a third baseman, but played only first base when in the field for the dodgers, who really could have used a third baseman back then.  see was back in the minors in 1987 when the dodgers traded him to the rangers for jose mota, manny's son.  see made it back to the big leagues in 1988 for 13 games with texas, but hit just .167.

larry sherry

back-to-back larrys!  this half of the sherry brothers spent six seasons in the dodger bullpen, posting a record of 34-25 with 39 'saves' from 1958 through 1963.  he was, of course, the mvp of the 1959 world series, winning 2 games in relief while 'saving' the other two dodger victories.  following the dodgers' world series win in 1963 (sherry did not pitch in the series), he was dealt to the tigers for sweet lou johnson.

dave stewart

stew made his big league debut in 1978 for the dodgers, and struck out the first batter (jim beswick) that he faced.  he didn't return to the majors until 1981, however, but went 4-3 with 6 saves and helped the team reach the postseason.  he did not pitch well in the division series against the astros that year (he was 0-2 with a 40.50 era) but did make two scoreless appearances against the yankees in the world series.  in 1982, the team used stewart as a starter for a while, but ultimately decided to keep him in the bullpen.  he was pitching well again for the dodgers in 1983 (5-2, 2.96 era) when he was traded to the rangers for rick honeycutt.  the rangers made him a starter, and he responded with a 5-2 record and a 2.14 era in his 8 starts that year.  unfortunately, he struggled for them in 1984 and 1985 and was traded to the phillies.  he eventually wound up in oakland where everything came together.  all told, stewart is a three-time world series champion.

al todd

todd didn't reach the big leagues until 1932 when he was 30 years old, however, he went on to have several productive seasons as a catcher with the phillies, pirates, dodgers, and cubs.  he spent one year with the brooklyn dodgers, 1939, and hit .278 in 86 games while sharing time behind the plate with babe phelps.  his 86 rbi for the pirates in 1937 still stands as that franchise's highest total from a backstop.

so that was 14 cards from the 1990 target set.  the 15th card on the sheet is coming up a bit later, thanks to the double dipper status of its subject and his heretofore untold tale...