#162 "Gus" Bell - Cincinnati Redlegs

David Russell Bell
Cincinnati Redlegs
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  190
Born:  November 15, 1928, Louisville, KY
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1950-1952; Cincinnati Reds 1953-1961; New York Mets 1962; Milwaukee Braves 1962-1964
Died:  May 7, 1995, Montgomery, OH (age 66)

Gus Bell was a four-time All-Star for the Reds and a steading hitting, fine fielding outfielder for 15 big league seasons.  He'd leave a legacy in the major leagues that continues today with his grandson David as the current manager of the Reds.  His son Buddy was a five-time All-Star primarily with the Indians and Rangers throughout the 1970s and 1980s.  Before managing the Reds, his grandson David played for 12 seasons with six different teams and another grandson, Mike, appeared briefly in the majors with the Reds in 2000.

Gus' most productive seasons came in the mid-1950s as the regular center fielder for the Reds.  He batted .290 or higher in five straight seasons between 1953 and 1957, and he drove in at least 100 runs in four seasons.  His best season was perhaps 1953 when he batted .300 with 30 home runs (a career high) and 105 RBIs.  A back-up in 1961, Bell saw his only postseason play in that year's World Series, going hitless in three pinch-hitting appearances against the Yankees.  Following the series, Bell was selected as the 8th pick by the Mets in the 1961 expansion draft.  He'd play sparingly for the Mets and Braves over the final seasons of his career, retiring following the 1964 season.  In 1,741 career games, Bell batted .281 with 1,823 hits, 206 home runs and 942 RBIs.  He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1964.

Building the Set

July 30, 1994 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #130
My Dad and I bought this card at the annual Ocean City baseball card show held within the famous Music Pier during the summer between my sophomore and junior years in college.  We spent $41 on six cards for our 1956 Topps set at this show, with the most expensive card being (for some reason) Rip Repulski's (#201) card for $9.  This Bell card cost us $7.

From the flyer (right), it looks as if The Eastern Pennsylvania Sports Collectors Club (EPSCC) had abandoned its sponsorship of this baseball card show by 1994.  Honestly after they pulled out, the show was never quite the same and the quality definitely suffered.  My Dad would have grumbled at the fact that comic books were now encroaching on the floor space of his beloved baseball card show.  1994 and 1995 were strange years for the baseball card hobby as the player's strike that prematurely ended the 1994 season chased a lot of fans away from the hobby, and some of them have never come back.

Johnny Callison was back signing autographs though, and the former Phillies player was ubiquitous at these events back in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The Card / Redlegs Team Set
Bell's #25 is on display in the action shot as he makes an acrobatic catch in center field.  His son Buddy and grandson David would wear #25 whenever possible in honor of Gus.  Like many of the subjects so far in this set's second series, Bell was absent from Topps sets in 1954 and 1955, as he appeared exclusively with Bowman.  I found the highlight from the first cartoon panel on the back incredible to believe, but Bell is in fact the first Reds player to drive in over 100 runs in a season.  The final cartoon panel shows that Bell attributed his hitting success to choking up on the bat.  They just don't make baseball card cartoons like they used to!

1956 Season

Bell was at the pinnacle of his career in 1956, making his third All-Star Game and playing in 150 games for the third place Reds.  As the team's regular center fielder, he patrolled the outfield with Frank Robinson in left and Wally Post (#158) in right.  Bell batted .292 with 29 home runs and 84 RBIs, and was one of five Reds players with at least 25 home runs, joining team leader Robinson, Post, Ted Kluszewski (#25) and Ed Bailey.

1951 Bowman #40

1952 Topps #170

1957 Topps #180

1964 Topps #534

1976 Topps #66

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #40
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1951-1953, 1956-1964, 1976, 1985
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2001 Topps Archives #119

87 - Bell non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/24/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #161 Joe DeMaestri - Kansas City Athletics / #163 Gene Woodling - Cleveland Indians

Order Collected: #123 Roy McMillan - Cincinnati Redlegs / #201 "Rip" Repulski - St. Louis Cardinals

#141 Joe Frazier - St. Louis Cardinals

Joseph Filmore Frazier
St. Louis Cardinals
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  October 6, 1922, Liberty, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1941 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1947; St. Louis Cardinals 1954-1956; Cincinnati Reds 1956; Baltimore Orioles 1956
As a Manager:  New York Mets 1976-1977
Died:  February 15, 2011, Broken Arrow, OK (age 88)

Joe Frazier spent parts of four seasons in the major leagues, being used as a pinch-hitter in 171 of his 217 total games played.  After a brief stint with the Indians in 1947, and making his big league debut on August 31st of that season, he was traded to the St. Louis Browns.  He'd spend six seasons playing in the minor league systems of the Browns and White Sox, before finally making it back to the majors with the Cardinals in 1954.  Frazier appeared in 81 games with the Cardinals in 1954, another 58 games with the club in 1955, and then spent 1956 in the uniforms of the Cardinals, Reds and Orioles.

He retired after four more seasons in the minors with a career major league batting average of .241.  Frazier took a job as a scout for the expansion Houston Colt .45s in 1961, and was elevated to the manager of the Bradenton Astros in 1965.  He joined the Mets organization in 1968, finding success at each level of their minor league system.  In 1975, he guided the Triple-A Tidewater Tides to the International League pennant and was named The Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year.  Frazier was hired as the Mets' new manager to start their 1976 season and he guided the club to an improved 86-76 record and a third place finish.  The 1977 season started poorly though, with Frazier fired after the Mets began the season at 15-30.  His final managerial job came with the Triple-A Louisville Cardinals in 1982, and he remained with the Cardinals' organization as a scout through the mid-1980s.

Building the Set

February 9, 2002 in Cooperstown, NY - Card #233
This is one of only four cards I purchased in 2002, which was one of the tougher years for me personally.  I made a solo unscheduled and unplanned trip to Cooperstown in early 2002 in an attempt to clear my mind one weekend.  It was an escape.  Thinking back on that time now 19 years later, I realize Cooperstown was a logical choice for me to make my escape as I could leave my present worries behind and live in the past for a few days.  I spent a lot of time walking around the Hall of Fame, taking my time and actually relaxing.

I didn't have a lot of money for this trip, but I visited Baseball Nostalgia that Saturday afternoon and purchased four cards for our 1956 Topps set, including this Frazier card.  The other three cards purchased were Jim Davis (#102), Don Kaiser (#124) and Tom Gorman (#246) and the four cards together cost me $18.50.  That's a fairly low price to pay for some much needed baseball card therapy.

I'm happy to see Baseball Nostalgia is still open.  My wife and I have discussed taking a trip back to Cooperstown when everything gets back to normal as neither of our boys have ever visited before.  Whenever that trip happens, I'll be sure to pay a visit to Baseball Nostalgia.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
The main photo of Frazier is repeated from his 1955 Topps rookie card, and the action photo shows the edge of his #24, the number he wore with the Cardinals for three seasons.  His pinch-hitting skills are highlighted on the back of the card.  For his career, Frazier was a .221 pinch-hitter (31 for 140) with 7 doubles, 1 triple and 3 home runs.  The power threat mentioned in the final panel is from his minor league days.  While he hit just 10 home runs in the majors, he hit 144 in the minor leagues with a career high 22 home runs in 1953 with the Oklahoma City Indians.

1956 Season

This was a busy year for Frazier.  He began the season with the Cardinals, appearing in 14 games, and then was traded to the Reds with Alex Grammas (#37) on May 16th for Chuck Harmon (#308).  He was with the Reds for a little over a month, appearing in 10 games, and then was sold to the Orioles on June 26th.  He finished out the year with the Orioles, appearing in 45 games.  For the season, he batted .245 over 69 games with the three different teams.  His final major league game came on September 30th when he started in right field for the Orioles, batting clean-up.  In his final big league at-bat, Frazier hit a solo home run to deep right field off Senators' pitcher Ted Abernathy.

1955 Topps #89

1976 SSPC #610

1976 Topps #531

1977 Topps #259

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Topps #89
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1955-1956, 1976-1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1977 Topps #259

17 - Frazier non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/10/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #140 Herb Score - Cleveland Indians / #142 Gene Baker - Chicago Cubs

Order Collected: #124 Don Kaiser - Chicago Cubs / #246 Tom Gorman - Kansas City Athletics

#48 Jim Hegan - Cleveland Indians

James Edward Hegan
Cleveland Indians
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  August 3, 1920, Lynn, MA
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1938 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1941-1942, 1946-1957; Detroit Tigers 1958; Philadelphia Phillies 1958-1959; San Francisco Giants 1959; Chicago Cubs 1960
Died:  June 17, 1984, Lynn, MA (age 63)

Interrupted by three years of military service during World War II, Jim Hegan played 17 seasons in the big leagues as an All-Star catcher and then as a dependable back-up catcher in his later years.  With the Indians in the late 1940s and early 1950s, he was named to five All-Star Games and received A.L. MVP votes in 1948 and 1954, the two seasons in which the Indians advanced to the World Series.  His best season came in 1948, helping the Indians to a World Series ring, and hitting career highs in both home runs (14) and RBIs (61).

Hegan appeared in 1,666 games and was a career .228 hitter.  He more than compensated for his low average with his work behind the plate, expertly handling the early 1950s Indians starting pitching rotation consisting of Bob Feller (#200), Bob Lemon (#255), Early Wynn (#187) and Mike Garcia (#210).

Following his playing days, Hegan served as a Yankees coach for 16 seasons from 1960 to 1973 and then again from 1979 to 1980.  His son Mike Hegan made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 1964, and the two Hegan's were together for parts of four seasons with the team.

Building the Set
July 31, 1993 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #116
This is one of five 1956 Topps cards I purchased at the Ocean City baseball card show during the summer of '93.  My notes indicate we paid $9 for the card, and like the other 1956 Topps cards we purchased that day this card is flawless.

I wrote about the summer of '93 and the first of five cards purchased in my post for Frank House (#32).

The Card
That's Hegan, wearing #4 and coming in spikes high at a play at second base.  Given where the fielder's glove is, I'm assuming the umpire was about to call Hegan safe.  The portrait photo is the same photo used on Hegan's 1954 and 1955 Topps cards.

The back of his card pays tribute to his status as one of the best defensive catchers in the league.  Hegan's record of having caught three no-hitters was later broken by Jason Varitek and Carlos Ruiz, who both caught four no-hitters.  (I commemorated Ruiz's record here over at The Phillies Room.)  Hegan was on the receiving end of no-hitters from Don Black in 1947, Lemon in 1948 and Feller in 1951.

1956 Season
1956 was to be Hegan's final year as a regular catcher, appearing in 122 games for the Indians at the age of 36.  He hit .222 with 6 home runs that season.  Prior to the 1958 season, with rookie Russ Nixon ready to take over regular catching duties for the Indians, Hegan was traded to the Tigers.

Phillies Career
On July 27, 1958, the Tigers traded Hegan to the Phillies for minor leaguer John Turk and cash.  The 1958 Phillies were going nowhere fast and they'd ultimately finish 8th in the National League with a record of 69-85.  Hegan appeared in 25 games for the Phillies, serving as a back-up to Stan Lopata (#183) along with fellow catchers Joe Lonnett and Jimmie Coker.  Hegan appeared in 25 more games for the Phillies in 1959 before being sold to the Giants on June 14th.  His Phillies career consisted of 50 games, where he hit .209 (23 for 110) with no home runs and 14 RBIs.

His 1959 Topps card features him with the Phillies, and the card holds a special place in my collection.  I wrote about it here, and this was my first truly "vintage" Phillies baseball card.  At the time of its acquisition, I remember marveling that something this old was now in my small but growing collection.  This is Hegan's one and only Phillies baseball card, and his last card as an active player.

1949 Leaf #28

1951 Topps Red Backs #12

1959 Topps #372

1973 Topps #116

1976 Topps #69

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Leaf #28
First Topps Card:  1951 Topps Red Backs #12
Representative Phillies Card:  1959 Topps #372
Last Topps Card (as a player):  1959 Topps #372
First Topps Card (as a coach):  1973 Topps #116
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #29
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1951-1959, 1973, 1976

92 - Hegan non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/13/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #47 Art Fowler - Cincinnati Redlegs / #49 Pedro Ramos - Washington Nationals

Order Collected: #46 Gene Freese - Pittsburgh Pirates / #55 Wally Moon - St. Louis Cardinals

#37 Alex Grammas - St. Louis Cardinals

Alexander Peter Grammas
St. Louis Cardinals
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  175
Born:  April 3, 1926, Birmingham, AL
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1949 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1954-1956; Cincinnati Reds 1956-1958; St. Louis Cardinals 1959-1962; Chicago Cubs 1962-1963
As a Manager:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1969; Milwaukee Brewers 1976-1977

Known mainly for his glove, Alex Grammas was a steady National League shortstop for 10 seasons between 1954 and 1963.  In 913 games with the Cardinals, Reds and Cubs, he hit .247 and was in the top 3 for fielding percentage among shortstops in 1954, 1955 and 1959.

Following his playing days, Grammas served as a coach or manager between 1965 and 1991 for the Pirates (1965-1969), Reds (1970-1975), Brewers (1976-1977), Reds again (1978), Braves (1979) and Tigers (1980-1991).  He was known as one of the best third base coaches in the game for over two decades.  One of Sparky Anderson's main lieutenants, Grammas was part of the success of the Big Red Machine in the early 1970s, and the 1984 World Champion Tigers, winning three World Series rings with Anderson.

Building the Set
January 8, 2000 in Raleigh, NC - Card #193
Having survived Y2K, I was back in Raleigh for the new year and I acquired this card for $3 at the Raleigh Sportscard & Memorabilia Show.  I bought two other cards that day - Dale Long (#56) and Frank Sullivan (#71).  I have no doubt I would have attended this show by myself, as my Dad was still working and back in Millville.

The Card
That's definitely Grammas making the back-handed stab at shortstop, as he wore #4 for the Cardinals during his first stint with the club between 1954 and 1956.  Topps is two years off on his birth year, as Grammas was born in 1926 and not 1928 as the back of his card states.  Referenced in the middle panel on the back of the card, Grammas was traded by the Reds to the Cardinals for Jack Crimian (#319) and $100,000 on December 2, 1953.

1956 Season
On May 16th, Grammas continued his pattern of bouncing back and forth between the Reds and Cardinals.  Originally acquired by the Reds in 1951, he was traded to the Cardinals in 1953, back to the Reds in 1956 and one more time to the Cardinals in 1958.  In the 1956 trade, he was sent with Joe Frazier (#141) to the Reds for Chuck Harmon (#308).  In 83 games for the two clubs, Grammas hit .243 and drove in 17 runs.

1954 Topps #151

1963 Topps #416

1976 Topps #606

2012 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AGR

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #151
First Topps Card:  1954 Topps #151
Last Topps Card (as a player):  1963 Topps #416
First Topps Card (as a manager):  1976 Topps #606
Last Topps Card (as a manager):  1977 Topps #51
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2012 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AGR
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1954-1963, 1973-1974, 1976-1977

As a coach for the Reds, Grammas also appears on Sparky Anderson's card in the 1973 Topps (#296) and 1974 Topps (#326) sets.

62 - Grammas non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/12/19.

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

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #36 Rudy Minarcin - Cincinnati Redlegs / #38 Bob Kennedy - Chicago White Sox

Order Collected: #79 Sandy Koufax - Brooklyn Dodgers / #56 Dale Long - Pittsburgh Pirates

#31 Hank Aaron - Milwaukee Braves

Henry Louis Aaron
Milwaukee Braves
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  February 5, 1934, Mobile, AL
Signed:  Signed as a free agent with the Boston Braves, June 14, 1952
Major League Teams:  Milwuakee Braves 1954-1965; Atlanta Braves 1966-1974; Milwaukee Brewers 1975-1976
Hall of Fame Induction:  1982

Henry Aaron was one of the best players of his era, and was baseball's career home run leader between the years 1974 and 2006.  Playing for 23 seasons from 1954 to 1976, Aaron was a National League All-Star 21 times making the squad in all but his first and last seasons.  He tallied a career .305 average with 755 home runs and 2,297 RBIs, which is still more RBIs than anyone in Major League history.  He was the National League MVP in 1957, which is also the only year his Braves won the World Series.

On Aaron's page on the Hall of Fame's website, there's this quote from former Phillies pitcher Curt Simmons - "Trying to throw a fastball by Hank Aaron is like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster."

Following his retirement as an active player in 1976, Aaron has continually served as one of the game's best ambassadors.

Building the Set
December 25, 2006 from Mays Landing, NJ - Card #278
This was the last "big" card my Dad and I needed to complete the set, and the second most expensive purchase next to the Mickey Mantle card (#135).  I was officially given the card on Christmas day 2006, but my Dad had purchased it several weeks (months?) before at a baseball card show held at the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing, NJ.

This was one of nine cards I received that Christmas from my Dad, and he spent a total of $210 on all nine cards with the Aaron costing $150.  Like all of his purchases, he was extremely proud of the card's condition and I'm sure there was a negotiation story that went along with the acquisition.

Our first son Doug was born a few weeks before Christmas in 2006 and we brought him home just in time for the big day.  He obviously doesn't remember much from his first Christmas, but he spent the holidays being held and loved by his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.  The picture shown here is from Christmas Day 2006, shortly after I had added those nine cards to our (and one day Doug's) 1956 Topps set.  Evidenced by the gift tag attached to the package holding the Aaron card (and the other 8 cards) my Dad fully intended for this card to be a part of Doug's collection all along.

One of the great joys of my life was seeing how proud my Dad was to have a grandson.

The Card
In a case of once you see it, you can't unsee it, that's actually Willie Mays in an airbrushed Braves hat sliding into home in the action shot.  In defense of Topps, Aaron was still early on in his career and I suppose they didn't yet have a good action shot of the young slugger.  The portrait of Aaron is the same found on both his 1954 and 1955 Topps cards.

If you don't count Minnie Minoso (#125), who came back for pinch-hitting appearances in 1976 and 1980, Aaron was the last active player to appear in the 1956 Topps set.

1956 Season
Aaron was only 22 and enjoying his second full season in the Majors in 1956.  He'd make the All-Star team for the second time and he'd win his first of two batting titles by hitting .328.  He hit 26 home runs, collected 92 RBIs and led the league in doubles with 34.

1954 Topps #128

1976 Topps #550

2001 Topps #385

2019 Topps 150 Years Greatest Moments #150-35

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #128
First Topps Card:  1954 Topps #128
Last Topps Card:  1976 Topps #550
Most Recent Topps Card (post-career):  2001 Topps #385
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2019 Topps - 13 different insert cards
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (28):  1954-1976, 1979, 1989, 1994, 2000-2001

In 1974, Topps gave Aaron the honor of having the first six cards in the set, with card #1 celebrating the new home run king and cards #2 through #6 showcasing Aaron's base cards from the Topps flagship sets between 1954 and 1973.

2,090 - Aaron non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/30/19.

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

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #30 Jackie Robinson - Brooklyn Dodgers / #32 Frank House - Detroit Tigers

Order Collected: #309 Don Blasingame - St. Louis Cardinals / #142 Gene Baker - Chicago Cubs

#8 Walter Alston MG - Brooklyn Dodgers

Walter Emmons Alston
Brooklyn Dodgers
Manager

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  December 1, 1911, Venice, OH
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 1935
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1936
As a Manager:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1954-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958-1976
Died:  October 1, 1984, Oxford, OH (age 72)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1983

As a player, Walter Alston had one at-bat with the 1936 Cardinals, striking out against Cubs pitcher Lon Warneke.

In his 23 seasons managing the Dodgers, Alston led the team to seven National League pennants and four World Championships in 1955, 1959, 1963 and 1965.  Alston's Dodgers finished with winning records in 19 of those 23 seasons and his 2,040 wins as a manager led to his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1983.  The three-time National League Manager of the Year (1955, 1959 and 1963) was known for his use of statistical analysis and for signing 23 one-year contracts, eschewing any long-term deals with the Dodgers.

With a few games left in the 1976 season, Alston stepped down as the Dodgers manager, handing over the job to Tommy Lasorda who would manage the team until 1995.  Alston's #24 was retired by the Dodgers in 1977.

Building the Set
February 14, 1999 in Raleigh, NC - Card #178
I feel as if I probably overpaid for this card, paying $20 to a dealer at the Raleigh Sports Card & Memorabilia Show back in early 1999.  This was the only card from the 1956 Topps set I bought that day and I would have called back home to my Dad after the show to inform him of the purchase so that he could update his copy of our checklist.

I lived in Raleigh for a few years in the late '90s/early '00s, and the fact that I was attending a baseball card show on Valentine's Day speaks volumes as to my situation in 1999.

The Card
This is one of only two manager cards in the 1956 Topps set, with the other manager card belonging to the Phillies' Mayo Smith (#60).  Strangely enough, Topps saw fit to include one card for a coach, featuring Orioles coach Harry Brecheen (#229) in Series 3.  Here's a list of all the managers who could have had cards in the 1956 Topps set, in order of each team's finish in the 1955 season:

Dodgers - Walter Alston Braves - Charlie Grimm (1955-56) or Fred Haney (1956) Giants - Leo Durocher (1955) or Bill Rigney (1956) Phillies - Mayo Smith  Reds - Birdie Tebbetts Cubs - Stan Hack Cardinals - Eddie Stanky (1955), Harry Walker (1955) or Fred Hutchinson (1956) Pirates - Fred Haney (1955) or Bobby Bragan (1956)

Yankees - Casey Stengel Indians - Al Lopez White Sox - Marty Marion Red Sox - Pinky Higgins Tigers - Bucky Harris Athletics - Lou Boudreau Orioles - Paul Richards Senators - Chuck Dressen

There's an uncorrected error on the back of Alston's card, stating he had never played in a big league game as Topps overlooked his one game with the '36 Cardinals.  Alston's 1956 Topps card has been reprinted in both the 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set (#141) and the 2001 Topps Archives set (#201).

1956 Season
At 44 years old, Alston was entering his third full season as manager of the Dodgers and his first season as the manager of a defending World Champion.  The Dodgers went 93-61 in 1956, winning the National League pennant but falling to the Yankees in the World Series in seven games.

1976 Topps #46

2001 Topps Archives #201

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #8
First Topps Card:  1956 Topps #8
Last Topps Card:  1976 Topps #46
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2015 Diamond Kings #139
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (19):  1956, 1958, 1960-1976

191 - Alston non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/16/15

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

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Not a bad looking first page!

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #7 Ron Negray - Philadelphia Phillies / #9 Ruben Gomez - New York Giants

Order Collected: #337 Bobby Morgan - Philadelphia Phillies / #109 Enos Slaughter - Kansas City Athletics

#6 Ray Boone - Detroit Tigers

Raymond Otis Boone
Detroit Tigers
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  172
Born:  July 27, 1923, San Diego, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent in 1942
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1948-1953; Detroit Tigers 1953-1958; Chicago White Sox 1958-1959; Kansas City Athletics 1959; Milwaukee Braves 1959-1960; Boston Red Sox 1960
Died:  October 17, 2004, San Diego, CA (age 81)

I'll admit that I know Ray Boone more because he's Bob Boone's Dad and not because of his 13 seasons in the big leagues.  But the elder Boone was a two-time All-Star and garnered A.L. MVP consideration in 1953, 1954 and 1955 when he tied for the league lead in RBIs with 116.  Playing most of his career with the Indians and Tigers, Boone starred on the Tigers teams of the mid-1950s along with Harvey Kuenn (#155) and Al Kaline (#20).

After his playing career ended, Boone served as a long-time scout for the Red Sox and two of his more notable Phillies-related signings were Curt Schilling and Todd Pratt.  Boone was in attendance at the 2003 All-Star Game in Chicago which featured his grandsons, Aaron and Bret Boone.

Building the Set
July 19, 1997 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #150
My Dad and I purchased this card along with the Warren Giles (#2) card and 9 others at the 1997 Ocean City baseball card show held on the boardwalk in the Music Pier.  My records show we paid $5 for this card and it was the second most expensive card we purchased that day behind the $10 paid for the Giles card.

The Card
I knew about Boone prior to purchasing this card as he appeared with his son Bob on the awesome Father & Son cards in both the 1976 and 1985 Topps sets.  I'm assuming the action photo on the front of the card is supposed to represent Boone sliding hard into second base.  The cartoon in the center panel references Briggs Stadium which was what Tiger Stadium was called between 1938 and 1960.

I'm going to start keeping track of this, as Boone joins the other first four player cards in the 1956 Topps set that feature portrait photos recycled from the 1954 and 1955 Topps sets.  I should also mention that this is the "white" backed Boone card and the first 180 cards from the set are available in either a white backed or gray backed version.  My Dad and I didn't realize this until we were well into collecting the set, and we came to the mutual agreement that we didn't really care if we added a white-backed or gray-backed card to our set.

Our only criteria was that the card had be in great shape - well-centered with sharp-ish corners and no front or back major surface blemishes.  This was more my Dad's rule than my rule, but looking at our set today I'm glad he set this standard.

1956 Season
Boone made his second All-Star team with the Tigers in 1956, and he'd finish the season with a .308 average, 25 home runs and 81 RBIs.  This season was to be his last as a starting third baseman, as he'd move over to first base to start the 1957 season.

Phillies Connection
Boone's son Bob began his 19-year Major League career with the Phillies in 1972, and he was behind the plate when Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson to give the Phillies their first World Championship title in 1980.  I believe the image to the right was taken during an Old Timers game in the late 1970s at Veterans Stadium and it features the three generations of Boone's who had or would play in the Majors.  (I think I first saw this photo in a Phillies Yearbook, and I was definitely confused by the older guy wearing a Phillies hat with a Red Sox jersey.)

1951 Bowman #54

1951 Topps Red Backs #23

1960 Topps #281

1976 Topps #67

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #54
First Topps Card:  1951 Topps Red Backs #23
Last Topps Card (as a player):  1960 Topps #281
Representative Phillies Card:  1976 Topps #67 (with Bob Boone)
Most Recent Topps Card (post-career):  1985 Topps #133 (with Bob Boone)
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2006 SP Legendary Cuts #94
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1951-1960, 1976, 1985

I'm also going to be keeping track of players in the 1956 set who appear in Topps flagship sets following their playing careers.  Boone is the first player so far to make it into a Topps set from the 1980s.

71 - Boone non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/5/15

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

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Set Order: #5 Ted Williams - Boston Red Sox / #7 Ron Negray - Philadelphia Phillies

Order Collected: #2 Warren Giles - N.L. President / #16 Hector Lopez - Kansas City Athletics