Herman Franks (#116)

It’s been awhile since I’ve featured a manager’s card. This is one of the last managers from 1966-70 that I haven’t posted yet, and the last who was managing a team during the 1967 season.

Herman Franks was the Giants’ manager from 1965 to 1968. Oddly enough, the team finished in 2nd place every season during his tenure, but after 4 years of that he was given the boot.

He was replaced by Clyde King for the 1969 season, and they finished in 2nd place again! Franks later managed the Cubs from 1977-79.

Prior to managing, Franks was a catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Philadelphia Athletics, and others from 1939-48.

He began his pro career playing for the Hollywood Stars in the PCL from 1932-33. After a few more seasons in the Cardinals’ organization he made his major-league debut with the Cards in 1939.

Traded to the Dodgers in 1940, he played for Brooklyn in ’40 and part of ’41, then spent the rest of 1941 and all of 1942 with their AAA team in Montreal.

He was out of baseball from 1943-45 while serving as a lieutenant in the Navy, fighting in the South Pacific.

Herman returned to Montreal in 1946, and resurfaced in the majors with the Philadelphia Athletics from 1947-48.

He was a Giants’ coach under Leo Durocher from 1949-55, and again in ’58 and ’64. He also scouted for the Giants from 1956-63.

Franks passed away in 2009 at age 95.

Hank Bauer (#534)

Hank Bauer managed the Orioles for 4 ½ years. Hired prior to the 1964 season, he piloted the team to two 3rd-place finishes before steering them to the team's first World Championship in 1966.

The O's fell to 7th place in 1967, due to multiple injured starting pitchers and Frank Robinson’s absence from the lineup for a while due to injury. After 80 games into the 1968 season, Bauer was replaced by Earl Weaver.

As the manager of the defending World Champs, Bauer also appeared on 2 other cards in the 1967 set.

Card #1:

With game #4 winner Dave McNally:

Bauer also managed the 1969 Oakland Athletics, but was fired by the ever-intelligent Charley Finley after the A’s finished in SECOND place. (Bauer had also managed the Athletics in 1961 and 1962, when they were in Kansas City. The team finished in 9th place both times.)

---

Prior to his baseball career, Bauer was in the Marines during World War II.  He was awarded 2 Bronze Stars and 2 Purple Hearts while stationed in Guadalcanal and Okinawa.

Bauer had a 14-year career as an outfielder for the Yankees and Athletics. After making his major-league debut in September 1948, he was the Yankees’ regular right fielder from 1949 through the 1959 season. Hank was a 3-time All-Star (1952-54) and passed the 20-homer mark twice (’55, ’56).

Traded to Kansas City in December 1959 (with pitcher Don Larsen, OF/1B Norm Siebern, and 1st baseman Marv Throneberry) for outfielder Roger Maris and shortstop Joe DeMaestri, Hank shared the right field job with Russ Snyder in 1960 and was a player/manager in 1961.

Bauer passed away in 2007 at age 84.

Bill Rigney (#494)

I like the 1967 manager cards because there is a long summary of their playing and managing career on the backs (unlike the 1969 cards with their dopey caricature filling the entire back).

Before his managing career, Bill Rigney was an infielder for the New York Giants from 1946 to 1953.  He later managed the Giants from 1956 to mid-1960.

Bill was the Angels' manager from their inception in 1961 until early 1969, replaced with the team sporting an 11-28 record (despite having TWO expansion teams to beat up on in their division).

In 1970 he was hired by the Twins to replace Billy Martin.  (Bill previously managed in Minneapolis when the Giants had an AAA team there in 1954-55.) Rigney piloted the Twins to 98 wins and the AL West title in 1970, but it was downhill from there.  He was let go midway through the 1972 season.

His final managerial post was back with the Giants for one season (1976). Bill also broadcast games for the Oakland Athketics in the 1980s.

Rigney passed away in 2001 at age 83.

Ralph Houk (#468)

Ralph Houk was the man who replaced the legendary Casey Stengel as the Yankees' manager in 1961.

Houk was signed by the Yankees in 1939 as a catcher, and played 3 seasons in the minors before missing 1942-1945 while in the Army.

He was an Army Ranger, rising to the rank of Major (also his nickname while in baseball). Houk fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and was awarded the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart.

He returned to the minors for the 1946 season, then spent the 1947 season as the 3rd string catcher behind Aaron Robinson and Yogi Berra. (Although Houk and Berra were both rookies, at age 27 Houk was 5 years older than Yogi, having missed 4 seasons.)

Ralph shuttled between the Yankees’ AAA team in Kansas City for the ’48 and ’49 seasons (spending most of that time in the minors), then was the Yankees’ 3rd-string catcher (behind Berra and Charlie Silvera) for all of 1950-53. His final season with the Yanks was 1954, where he was limited to 1 pinch-hitting appearance in May, but was also the team’s bullpen coach.

He was a player/manager for the Yankees’ AAA team in Denver during the 1955-57 seasons, then was Stengel’s 1st base coach from 1958-60.

Houk assumed the Yankees’ helm for the 1961 season. The team responded with 3 consecutive AL pennants (as was the Yankees’ custom back then), and winning the World Series in his first 2 years.

After the 1963 season, Houk was kicked upstairs to the GM role, with Berra taking over as manager. The Yankees went to the World Series in ’64 but lost, costing Berra his job after only 1 season. Next up was Johnny Keane, who lasted only 1 month into his 2nd year, whereby Houk returned to the manager’s chair on May 7th, 1966 with the team at 4-16.

Ralph managed the Yankees through the 1973 season, but never finished higher than 2nd place during his 2nd stint. He also managed the Tigers (1974-78) and Red Sox (1981-84).

After his managing days were over, he worked in the Twins’ front office from 1987-89.

“The Major” passed away in 2010 at age 90.

Red Schoendienst (#512)

Continuing the theme from the last post, today we have 91-year-old Albert “Red” Schoendienst, a baseball lifer, first as a player for several teams from 1942 to 1963, then as a manager and coach for the Cardinals since his retirement as a player.

Red was signed by the Cardinals in 1942, and was a shortstop in their farm system from 1942-44. He made the Cardinals at the start of 1945, and was the team’s regular left fielder during his rookie season. He also led the league with 26 stolen bases that year.

From 1946 to 1956 Red was the Cardinals’ 2nd baseman. He was also their lead-off hitter for his first 4 seasons, before dropping to the #2 slot for the duration of his Cardinals’ tenure. He led the NL with 43 doubles in 1950, and made the all-star team every season from 1946-55 (except for 1947). He also played in the 1946 World Series.

Red began the 1956 as the 2nd baseman, then was traded to the New York Giants in mid-June for shortstop Al Dark (who we just looked at in the last post). Seven other players were involved in the deal, including outfielder Jackie Brandt going to the Giants.

A year and a day later, Red moved on to the Milwaukee Braves in exchange for 3 players, including Bobby Thomson, slugger of 1951’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World”. He manned the 2nd base post for the Braves in ’57 and ’58, and the team played the Yankees in the World Series both years, winning it in 1957. Schoendienst hit .278 and .300 in those two post-seasons.

Red missed almost the entire 1959 season with tuberculosis. He returned at the start of 1960, and started most games through July 1st. The Cardinals started Chuck Cottier in the 2nd game of the doubleheader that day, and stuck with him for the rest of the season, relegating Schoendienst to the bench for the rest of the season. He was released in October.

The Cardinals picked him up during spring training in 1961, and used him as coach and part-time player for the next 3 seasons. His final game as a player was in July 1963.

After the Cardinals’ 1964 World Series victory, manager Johnny Keane resigned to manage the Yankees, and Schoendienst was elevated to manager. The team went to the World Series in ’67 and ’68, winning in 1967. Red continued to manage the Cards through the 1976 season, then coached for the Athletics from 1977-78.

Red returned to the Cardinals in 1979, as a coach and later a special advisor to the GM. He also managed the team for a few dozen games at the end of the 1980 and 1990 seasons.

Schoendienst was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989 by the Veterans Committee. Soon afterwards, the Cardinals retired his #2 uniform.

Al Dark (#389)

Last week, I was browsing the Baseball-Almanac.com site, and came across a list of the 100 oldest living ex-players. (The oldest name I recognized was Alex Monchak (age 97), who was a major-league coach for manager Chuck Tanner's teams in the 1970s and '80s.)

Also on the list are Al Dark, Sam Mele, and Red Schoendienst. Although they are #39, #41, and #53 on the list, they are the only three who had cards in the 1967 Topps set. Dark and Mele are both 92, while Schoendienst is 91. As such, I have moved Al and Red to the top of the to-be-blogged schedule.


This card shows Al wearing the white cap that was worn by the Athletics’ coaching staff, while the players wore green caps. Dark's nickname was "Blackie".  Give him an unfiltered cigarette, and it looks like Blackie would fit right in on an old Western movie, chasing down Clint Eastwood.

Alvin Dark was a shortstop (and later 3rd baseman) for several teams including the Boston Braves (1946, 48-49), New York Giants (1950-56), Cardinals (1956-58), and Cubs (1958-59), before wrapping up his playing career in 1960 as a sub for the Phillies and Milwaukee Braves.

Dark played in the minors only during the 1947 season, then was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1948, and led the league with 41 doubles in 1951. He was his team’s starting shortstop from 1948-57, and 3rd baseman from 1958-59).


Dark began his major-league managing career immediately after retiring as a player. He managed the Giants for 4 seasons (1961-64), including a trip to the 1962 World Series.

Al managed the Athletics during their final 2 seasons in Kansas City (1966-67), then moved on to the Indians (1968-71). He returned to the Athletics for the 1974-75 seasons, winning the World Series in 1974.

Dark wrapped up his managing career in 1977 with the Padres.

Final Card: Sam Mele

Sam Mele (#418) had a 7-year managing career, all with the Minnesota Twins.

In the Twins' first season in Minnesota (1961), Mele (then a Twins' coach) filled in for 7 games during manager Cookie Lavagetto's mid-June leave of absence. Ten days after Cookie returned, he was out, and Mele was elevated to manager.

 
Although the Twins finished in 7th place that season, Sam was retained, and brought the team to 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the next 2 seasons. A 6th-place finish in 1964 almost cost him his job (in favor of one of his coaches - Billy Martin).

1965 was the Twins' best season to date. They won 102 games, and went to the World Series, losing to the Dodgers in 7 games. The team finished in 2nd place for the next 2 seasons, but that was not enough for Mele to keep his job. The Twins added pitcher Dean Chance and rookie 2nd baseman Rod Carew, so expectations were high. After 50 games, they were 25-25, so Mele got the boot, replaced by Cal Ermer. (Ermer lasted through the '68 season, when he was replaced by Billy Martin.)

Mele never managed again, but spent 25 years as a scout for the Red Sox. In his playing days, Sam was an outfielder for several teams from 1947-56, primarily the Red Sox, Senators, and White Sox.


Well team, that's it for the "Final card" series: 77 players and 3 managers. If you missed any, you can browse through the "final card" label below (or wait for an upcoming re-cap of all 80 cards).

Wes Westrum (#593)

I always thought that the name "Wes" was a nickname derived from Westrum's last name, but his first name really is Wesley! By the time this card appeared in the 7th series in 1967, Wes was about to be fired.

Westrum was a catcher for the New York Giants from 1947 to 1957, with most of his playing time coming between 1950 and 1953.

Wes managed the Mets from 1965 to 1967. After 95 games in 1965, he took over the reins from Casey Stengel. Westrum was dismissed 151 games into the 1967 with the team in last place. In the team's first 6 seasons, they finished 10th, 10th, 10th, 10th, 9th (thanks to the Cubs!), and 10th. Westrum should have gotten a honeymoon after bringing them in 9th in 1966!



The Mets carried on with an interim manager (Salty Parker, if I recall correctly) and then brought in Gil Hodges in 1968.

Westrum also managed the Giants for the 2nd half of 1974 and all of 1975. He appeared on a manager's inset photo on the 1975 Giants Team card.

Final Card: Billy Hitchcock

This is the last card for Billy Hitchcock (#199). Billy was an infielder for several American League teams in the 1940s. After managing in the minors and coaching in the big leagues, Billy managed the Orioles for 2 full seasons (1962 and 1963).

His 2nd (and final) stint as a major-league manager came midway through the 1966 season, when he took over the Braves.



Hitchcock almost made it to the end of the 1967 season, but was fired with 3 games remaining.

(I never understand why teams do that. Why not let a guy finish out the string? There's no way the interim guy can do anything in the last 3 games, with the team in 7th place!)

After scouting for the Expos for a few seasons, Billy was the president of the Southern League from 1971-80.

Gene Mauch (#248)

Gene Mauch managed the Phillies for most of the 1960s. He was hired after Eddie Sawyer resigned following the first game of the 1960 season. (Sawyer said something to the effect of: "I'm 50 years old, and want to see 51!")

Mauch presided over the Phillies' collapse in September 1964, and was with the team until mid-1968, when tensions with slugger Richie Allen forced Mauch's firing.



Gene wasn't unemployed for long, as he was soon selected to be the Montreal Expos first manager, starting in 1969. After managing the Expos for 7 full seasons, he moved on to the Twins (1976-80) and the Angels (1981-82, 85-87).

Final Card: Joe Adcock

This is Joe Adcock's first and last manager card (#563). Joe retired as a player at the end of 1966, and was immediately hired to be the Indians' manager, without any previous major or minor league coaching or managerial experience. (!?!) He finished the season with the Indians, but was replaced for 1968 by Al Dark, fresh off Dark's firing by the Athletics the previous August.

I'm posting Joe's manager card here because his last card as a player was in 1963, even though he was the Angels' regular first baseman from 1964 to 1966. It's a mystery why he didn't have a card for those years. (None of the usual reasons, like diminished playing time, an extended trip to the minors, or a late-season release apply in this case.) While browsing the internet yesterday for possible reasons, I found none, but also learned that Orioles' pitcher Dick Hall didn't have a card from 1964 to 1966 either. If anyone knows why these players didn't have a card, please comment below.



You can view his stats here: minor-league major-league

Joe began his pro career in 1947 in the Reds system. After 3 seasons, he made the Reds team in 1950, and played for 3 seasons in Cincinnati, primarily as an outfielder.

Prior to the 1953 season, Adcock was traded to the Milwaukee Braves in a 4-team deal that also included the Phillies and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Once with the Braves, he switched to first base, staying there for the rest of his career. Joe hit 35 or more homers twice while with the Braves. He also played in 2 World Series with the Braves, both times against the Yankees (winning in '57, losing in '58).

Following the 1962 season, Joe was traded to the Indians. He only played one season in Cleveland, as after the season he was sent to the Angels for slugging outfielder Leon Wagner. Adcock was the team's full-time first baseman for his first 2 seasons with the Angels, and shared the position with Norm Siebern in 1966. He was released after the season, ending a 17-year playing career.

After managing the Indians in 1967, he managed the Angels' triple-A team in Seattle for the 1968 season.

Adventures in Airbrushing

I was leafing through my 1967 card album, and contrary to my previous assumptions, there are almost no airbrushed cards in the 1967 set. (I guess Topps didn't hire a fleet of airbrushers until 1968, when the Athletics moved to Oakland, and the "Astros" name became taboo!)
Only 4 cards from the 1967 set have been airbrushed. All other traded players have the "no-hat" look (or in some cases, the "chin-so-far-up-that-you-can't-see-the-front-of-the-hat" look).


Leo Durocher (#481)
Here, Leo the Lip is no doubt sporting his old Dodgers cap. It's a close enough match to the Cubs that we're not supposed to notice the difference. (And why spoil it with a hand-drawn "C"!)




Mayo Smith (#321)
On this card, we are expected to believe that this is the closest that Topps could come to simulating a BLACK Detroit Tigers cap! To me, this cap always looked like it was glowing, with a translucent green bill.



Tom Egan (#147)
Here we see backup catcher Tom Egan in his Los Angeles Angels uniform. After going 0-for-11 in 1966, I guess old Tom (and Topps) thought he was in line to handle the 3rd-string catching duties (behind starter Bob Rodgers and INF-C Tom Satriano). Not so fast! The Angels purchased catcher Orlando McFarlane from the Tigers the day before the season started. McFarlane only played 6 games before he was replaced by Hawk Taylor. Meanwhile, Tom Egan played a grand total of 1 major-league game in 1967.




(The 4th airbrushed card was the Dodgers Rookies, with SS Gene Michael wearing a Pirates uniform.)