#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

#327 Denis Menke - Milwaukee Braves

Denis John Menke
Milwaukee Braves
Shortstop-Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 21, 1940, Bancroft, IA
Signed:  Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent, May 27, 1958
Major League Teams:  Milwaukee Braves 1962-1965; Atlanta Braves 1966-1967; Houston Astros 1968-1971; Cincinnati Reds 1972-1973; Houston Astros 1974
Died:  December 1, 2020, Tarpon Springs, FL (age 80)

Denis Menke used his versatility in the infield to his benefit in 13 big league seasons.  Primarily a shortstop, Menke also spent a significant amount of time at third, second and first base.  His best season statistically came early in his career when he batted .283 with a career-high 20 home runs in 1964 as the every day shortstop for the Braves.  Menke would follow the Braves to Atlanta in 1966 and depart for Houston following the 1967 season.  He was named to the 1969 and 1970 National League All-Star teams while the regular shortstop for the Astros.  In November 1971, Menke was part of the eight-player blockbuster deal that sent him, along with Joe Morgan (#16), to the Reds.  Menke would see his only postseason action as a player with the Reds, as his team clinched the National League West pennant in 1972 and 1973.  He'd return to Houston for a final season in 1974 before retiring as a player with a .250 lifetime average, 1,270 hits, 101 home runs and 606 RBIs.

1992 Medford Phillies #14

Menke began his second career as a minor and major league coach in 1977.  At the big league level, he was the first base coach for the Blue Jays (1980-1981), the hitting and third base coach for the Astros (1983-1988), the hitting coach for the Phillies (1989-1996) and the bench coach for the Reds (1997-2000).

Building the Set
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #503

This is the 19th 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.  Having wandered aimlessly among the dealer tables looking for binders with vintage commons, I decided to check to see if Uncle Dick's had refreshed their inventory following the December show, during which I had wiped out both their 1965 Topps binders.  Much to my pleasant surprise, they had.  This Menke card was $2 and was one of 49 commons purchased in my triumphant return to Uncle Dick's and his replenished neon green binders.

Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up on this blog by mid-October.  It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.

The Card / Braves Team Set
This is the third "SS-2B" position combo I've added to our set, along with Jim Davenport (#213) and Jim Stewart (#298).  The cartoon on the back highlights the five positions - second base, third base, shortstop, first base and left field - Menke played as a rookie in 1962.  The narrative below the cartoon highlights his improved 1964 statistics.  His 20 home runs were behind Henry Aaron (#170) who had 24, Eddie Mathews (#500) with 23 and Rico Carty (#305) with 22.  Joe Torre (#200) tied Menke for fourth place on the club with 20.

1965 Season
Menke missed significant playing time in 1965 due to injuries, including side effects from a violent home plate collision on May 13th against the Pirates in which he collided with catcher Jim Pagliaroni (#265).  He appeared in only 71 games, a career-low for him with the exception of his first and last seasons in the majors.  Menke made only 42 starts at shortstop with Woody Woodward (#487) getting most of the starts in his absence.  Menke batted .243 for the season with four home runs and 18 RBIs.

Phillies Career
Menke was named new Phillies manager Nick Leyva's hitting coach in November 1988, a month after Leyva had been hired by the club.  Menke would outlast Leyva, who was fired in April 1991 and replaced by Jim Fregosi (#210).  With Fregosi at the helm, the Phillies struggled mightily for a few seasons but then shockingly won the National League pennant in 1993.  The team would ultimately fall to Joe Carter and the Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series, but Menke was the hitting coach who oversaw a potent Phillies line-up with the likes of Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra and Dave Hollins.  Menke's tenure as Phillies' hitting coach came to an end when Fregosi was ultimately fired following the 1996 season.

1962 Topps #597

1964 Topps #53

1970 Topps #155

1973 Topps #52

1974 Topps #134

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #597
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1962-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #58

100 - Menke non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/1/22.

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

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #326 Dwight Siebler - Minnesota Twins

Next Card:  #328 Eddie Fisher - Chicago White Sox

#561 Dodgers Rookie Stars - Daboll / Kekich / Lefebvre / Valle

Dennis Edward Daboll
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  190
Born:  November 5, 1946, Los Angeles, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Died:  January 2, 1974, Grand Canyon, AZ (age 27)



James Kenneth Lefebvre
Los Angeles Dodgers
Second Base

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  January 7, 1942, Inglewood, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1965-1972
As a Manager:  Seattle Mariners 1989-1991; Chicago Cubs 1992-1993; Milwaukee Brewers 1999

Michael Dennis Kekich
Los Angeles Dodgers
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  196
Born:  April 2, 1945, San Diego, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1965, 1968; New York Yankees 1969-1973; Cleveland Indians 1973; Texas Rangers 1975; Seattle Mariners 1977

Hector Jose Valle
Los Angeles Dodgers
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  180
Born:  October 27, 1940, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1965

Dennis Daboll pitched for seven seasons in the Dodgers, Reds and Cardinals minor league systems, losing a year in 1968 while serving in the military.  He never made it to the majors.  Daboll's best minor league season came in 1970 when he went 11-6 with a 2.12 ERA in 45 games while pitching for two teams within the Cardinals' system.  Daboll last pitched in the minors in 1971, and tragically died as a result of a fall at the Grand Canyon.  The blog, "1978, The Year it all began" has a few posts on Daboll here and here.

Mike Kekich pitched in nine different seasons, primarily with the Yankees, and he's best known for swapping wives and kids with fellow Yankees pitcher Fritz Peterson.  Kekich was a 10-game winner for the Yankees in 1971 and 1972, throwing at least 170 innings in both seasons.  He hung on through the 1977 season as one of the more frequently used veteran relievers for the expansion Mariners.  Kekich also pitched in Japan and Mexico along the way.  In 235 career games, Kekich was 39-51 with a 4.59 ERA and 497 strikeouts.

Jim Lefebvre was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1965, and hit .400 (4 for 10) in the World Series as the Dodgers defeated the Twins in seven games.  Lefebvre's best season came in 1966 when he was the starting second baseman for the National League All-Star Team.  He hit .274 with 24 home runs and 74 RBIs that season - all career highs.  Lefebvre played for the Dodgers through the 1972 season and when the team released him, he began a successful four-season stint with the Lotte Orions in Japan.  In his eight major league seasons, he batted .251 with 74 home runs and 404 RBIs.  Lefebvre would later manage in the majors, guiding the Mariners, Cubs and Brewers to a 417-442 record over six seasons.

1966 Topps #314

Hector Valle appeared in nine games for the Dodgers in 1965, making his major league debut on June 6th against the Braves, starting behind the plate in the second game of a double header.  He'd make just two more starts in the majors, including the final regular season game of the season.  Valle continued to play in the minor league systems of the Dodgers, Mets, Tigers and Royals through the 1971 season, and he then played for several seasons in the Mexican League.  His last action as an active player came in 1981 when Valle was 40 years old and serving as the player-manager for the Dorados de Chihuahua.

Building the Set
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY) - Card #474
You'll be seeing this particular passage on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time as we added a whopping 97 cards to our set during the December Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show.  If I'm ambitious and compose posts for five cards a week, I should be completely caught up by the end of May.  If I'm not as ambitious, I might still be going through this stack by the time we hit July.  Either way, I'll enjoy the process and I'm looking forward to taking my time.  I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room.

After securing Doug's Jim Thome autograph, I returned to Uncle Dick's and their neon green shirts, pulled up a chair, and settled in.  Over the course of 45 minutes or so, I found 79 cards needed for our set, including this Rookie Stars card which was less than $7 after the dealer discount.  I was surrounded by six or seven other seated collectors, all who looked similar to me, with a touch of gray, focused on their individual quests.  I wiped out Uncle Dick's two 1965 Topps commons binders, paid for my haul and then retreated to a table with Doug to update our checklist.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
For the set's seventh and final series, Topps must have realized it needed to squeeze a bunch more players onto its Rookie Stars cards but it was quickly running out of room within the checklist.  This is one of five cards in the high series featuring four players on one Rookie Stars card.  There are also six Rookie Stars cards featuring three players in the set's seventh and final series.

This is the first and last Topps baseball card for Daboll, and Valle would appear once more in the 1966 Topps set.

1965 Season - Daboll
Just 18 years old, Daboll had already moved on to the Reds organization after spending one season within the Dodgers organization.  With the Single-A Tampa Tarpons in the Florida State League, Daboll was 8-10 with a 4.86 ERA in 21 games, including 20 starts.

1965 Season - Kekich
Kekich appeared in five games for the Dodgers, making his major league debut with a start against the Phillies on June 9th.  He was hit hard in his first outing, giving up four runs on a pair of hits and five walks.  Tony Taylor (#296) hit a three-run home run off him in the third inning.  With the Dodgers, Kekich was 0-1 with a 9.58 ERA in 10 1/3 innings pitched.  He didn't pitch anywhere else in game action during the regular season, leading me to believe he was active with the Dodgers and just not used or he was working throughout the season at the team's spring training facility.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Daboll
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #561

2 - Daboll non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.

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

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Kekich
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1965, 1969-1974, 1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1990 Pacific Senior League #73

33 - Kekich non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.

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

1969 Topps #262

1971 Topps #703

1973 Topps #371

1974 Topps #199

1976 Topps #582

1965 Season - Lefebvre
Lefebvre made his big league debut on opening day 1965 as the Dodgers' regular second baseman.  With Maury Wills as his double play partner at shortstop, Lefebvre would start 154 games on his way to Rookie of the Year honors.  In 157 games overall, he batted .250 with 12 home runs and 69 RBIs.  He tied Lou Johnson for the team lead in home runs and was one short of Ron Fairly's (#196) team-leading 70 RBIs.  Lefebvre started at second in the first three games of the World Series, but missed the final four games with a heel injury.

In the Rookie of the Year voting, Lefebvre received 65% of the votes, with Joe Morgan (#16) and Frank Linzy (#589) finishing as runners up.

1965 Season - Valle
Valle appeared in 45 games for the Spokane Indians, batting just .159 (23 for 145) with three doubles.  He was one of only three catchers used by the Dodgers during their entire 1965 season, with Jeff Torborg (#527) serving as back-up to regular catcher John Roseboro (#405).

1966 Topps #57

1969 Topps #140

1972 Topps #369

1990 Topps #459

1992 Topps Traded #63T

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Lefebvre
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1965-1972, 1989-1993
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 BBM Legendary Foreigners #9

82 - Lefebvre non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.

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

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Valle
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #561
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1965-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #314

8 - Valle non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/5/22.

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

Previous Card:  #560 Boog Powell - Baltimore Orioles

Next Card:  #562 Billy Moran - Cleveland Indians

#379 San Francisco Giants Team Card

Beginning in 1956 and going all the way through to 1981, with a one year absence in 1969, Topps included team cards in its flagship sets.

Building the Set

October 12, 2021 from Valley Cottage, NY - Card #377

This Giants team card along with three other cards needed for our set were bonus additions to a large purchase I made from OLDBBCards Vintage Sports Cards from Valley Cottage, New York on my birthday.  The bubble envelope containing the cards arrived a little over a week later.  I'm also slowly collecting the 1934-36 Diamond Stars set, and I took advantage of the seller's 20% off sale being offered in their eBay store to add the Earl Averill card, the most expensive card I've purchased for that set to date.  Before checking out, I browsed the seller's other cards for sale and found four reasonably priced cards needed for our 1965 Topps set.  This team card was $5.60 after applying the discount.

I spent a relatively low-key birthday watching our oldest son Doug help his team win a travel baseball game in the morning, receiving the Pete Rose (#207) card for our set, and then walking over to my sister's house for a cook-out with family that afternoon.  It was a wonderful day!

 

The Card / Giants Team Set

Topps uses a black border for this card while every other Giants card in the set uses a purple border.  This team photo is actually from 1964.  In 1992, what appears to be a team-issued stadium giveaway postcard set was created, featuring Giants team photos from 1958 to 1992.  I've included the postcard for 1964 above, and the the back of the postcard has a handy reference guide, listing everyone included in the photo.  Duke Snider makes his final appearance in a Topps flagship set as he's in the back row, sixth from the right.  Don Larsen (#389), however, is not in the photo, meaning the picture could have been taken after May 20th, when Larsen was sold to the Colt .45s.  Strangely enough, Topps went back to an older photo of the team for the Giants' team card in the 1966 set.

1963 Topps #417

1964 Topps #257

1966 Topps #19

1967 Topps #516

1965 Season

In his first season leading the team, manager Herman Franks (#32) guided the Giants to a second place finish, just two games behind the Dodgers with a 95-67 record.  The Giants missing the playoffs could be attributable to the nine-game suspension received by pitching ace Juan Marichal (#50) for striking Dodgers' catcher John Roseboro (#405) with his bat on August 22nd.  While batting, Marichal believed Roseboro was coming too close to him when throwing the ball back to the pitcher and an argument ensued.  Roseboro removed his catching helmet and Marichal struck him in the head with his bat.  Marichal's resulting suspension cost him two starts, and perhaps cost the Giants the pennant.  Roseboro and Marichal would reconcile in later years.

Marichal was the team's top starting pitcher with 22 wins and a 2.13 ERA, and closer Frank Linzy (#589) was their top reliever with 20 saves.  Willie Mays (#250) had an incredible season on the way to winning his second league MVP award.  He batted .317, led the league in slugging, on-base percentage and home runs (a career high 52) while driving in 112 runs.  Willie McCovey (#176 - 39 home runs, 92 RBIs) and Jim Ray Hart (#395 - 23 home runs, 96 RBIs) also had impressive seasons.

Update Cards

For each team card featured, I'll be building a checklist of cards that could have been included in a 1965 Topps update set.  I'm trying to come up with six potential cards for each team, and for the Giants, this exercise was easy given how active they were during the season with transactions.

• Dick Schofield - The team's regular shortstop has a card in the set with the Pirates (#218), but he played in 101 games for the Giants after his acquisition on May 22nd.
• Len Gabrielson - Regular left fielder Gabrielson is in the set with the Cubs (#14), but the Giants acquired him on May 29th.
• Warren Spahn - The future Hall of Famer was in his last lap around the National League.  He was released by the Mets on July 17th and signed by the Giants a few days later, eventually appearing in 19 games.  He has a "pitcher-coach" card with the Mets earlier in the set (#205).
• Frank Linzy - The team's closer shares a Rookie Stars card with infielder Bob Schroder (#589), but I'd give him a solo card.
• Masanori Murakami - Same thing goes for Murakami, the first Japanese-born player in the majors, who shared a Rookie Stars card with Dick Estelle (#282).
• Bill Henry - Finally, reliever Henry is in the set with the Reds (#456) but he made 35 appearances with the Giants after a May 4th trade.

Sources
Baseball Reference

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #378 Chuck Estrada - Baltimore Orioles

Next Card:  #380 Rocky Colavito - Cleveland Indians

#342 Bob Rodgers - Los Angeles Angels

Robert Leroy Rodgers
Los Angeles Angels
Catcher

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  190
Born:  August 16, 1938, Delaware, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Angels 1961-1965; California Angels 1966-1969
As a Manager:  Milwaukee Brewers 1980-1982; Montreal Expos 1985-1991; California Angels 1991-1994

After being selected from the Tigers in the 1960 expansion draft, Buck Rodgers assumed regular catching duties for the Angels in the early 1960s, finishing as runner-up for A.L. Rookie of the Year honors in 1962 behind the Yankees' Tom Tresh (#440).  He was a light-hitting switch-hitter, known for his defense, and he led the league in runners caught stealing three times (1962, 1964 and 1967).  Rodgers caught Bo Belinsky's (#225) no-hitter on May 5, 1962.  He spent his entire big league playing career with the Angels, batting .232 over 932 games with 31 home runs and 288 RBIs.

1982 Donruss #232

Rodgers served as a coach with the Twins (1970-1974), Giants (1976) and Brewers (1978-1980) before getting his shot managing.  He took over on an interim basis for George Bamberger in 1980 when Bamberger suffered a heart attack.  Bamberger briefly returned, but resigned on September 9th.  Rodgers guided the Brewers to the best A.L. record during the first half of the strike-shortened 1981 season, but the team lost to the Yankees in the divisional playoffs.  He managed the Expos next for 6 1/2 seasons, winning 1987 N.L. Manager of the Year honors when his team improved to 91-71.  Rodgers' final managerial job saw him return to the Angels, but he was injured in a highway bus accident in 1992 missing the bulk of the season.  Rodgers was fired 40 games into the 1994 season, and his lifetime managerial record was 784-774 over 13 seasons.

Building the Set
February 13, 2021 from Edmonds, WA - Card #221
Busy with my chosen profession, rarely leaving the house and anxiously awaiting the return of live baseball, I turned to eBay in early February for some cardboard therapy.  After another largely unsuccessful bidding exercise on a 1965 Topps set break hosted by Greg Morris Cards, I went the Buy It Now route with 10 cards from Mitchell's Cards located in Edmonds, Washington.  As we've been completely unable to find packs of 2021 Topps locally, the much-needed package of baseball cards was a welcome sight in our mailbox on February 13th.  I spent $34 on the 10 cards from Mitchell's, with this Rodgers card costing $1.50.

The Card / Angels Team Set
The back of the card shows all Rodgers' minor league statistics, and he played in the Tigers' system for five seasons before getting a shot with the Angels.  The Tigers went with Dick Brown and Mike Roarke behind the plate in 1961 and 1962, and it would seem they missed the boat by leaving Rodgers unprotected in the expansion draft.  Rodgers did in fact set an Angels' record with 8 sacrifice flies in 1962, the team's second year of existence.  Dan Ford holds the franchise record currently, hitting 13 sacrifice flies in 1979.

Rodgers is in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set, but he's not in the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set.

1965 Season
Rodgers' playing time was limited in 1965 due to an ankle injury.  The team's opening day and regular catcher, he appeared in 132 games, hitting .209 with 1 home run and 32 RBIs.  Rodgers made 112 starts at catcher, with Merritt Ranew serving as his primary back-up.

Phillies Connection
Following his firing from the Angels, Rodgers' SABR biography notes he was hired as a West Coast scout for the Phillies, reuniting with his former teammate and friend Jim Fregosi (#210), who was managing the Phillies at the time.  I had never known this, and I checked the team's Media Guides for 1995 and 1996 but couldn't find any mention of Rodgers or his role with the club.

1962 Topps #431

1969 Topps #157

1974 Topps #447

1987 Topps #293

1992 Topps #21

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #431
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20):  1962-1969, 1973-1974, 1981, 1985-1993
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-BRO

85 - Rodgers non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/18/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #341 Bobby Bolin - San Francisco Giants

Next Card:  #343 Mike McCormick - Baltimore Orioles