My Favorite 1967 Cards

I started collecting baseball cards in 1967 - not at the start of the season, but sometime in May as I recall. I think Topps was into their 2nd or 3rd series by that time, but through trading with other kids, I was able to play catch-up and get all the earlier cards I missed (except for the Cardinals team).

 

Before I started collecting cards in 1967, I only knew who 3 of the players were: Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Harmon Killebrew. I had heard the name "Johnny Callison", but didn't know who he was. I don't think I had ever heard of Willie Mays though.

 

As best as I can remember, these were my favorite 1967 cards at that time:

The top row of players is self-explanatory. 

 

In 1967, Topps made 13 multi-player cards. These 3 were my favorites. (I was a Phillies' fan, but I'm not sure why I liked the other two cards over all the rest.) 

 

Chris Short and Johnny Callison were my two favorite Phillies players. I started following that team the same month I began collecting cards. 

 

 

Jim Palmer's card came along in the 4th or 5th series, as I recall. I became a big Palmer fan when I got this card. I don't remember why - he missed almost all of the 1967 season, and I wasn't following the Orioles. Maybe it was because the Orioles had just won the World Series in '66, and here was a good, young pitcher named "Jim"? 

 

Anyway, on one of the T-shirts I had bought from a local discount store (those surplus high school gym shirts with various schools' names on the front, that you could pick up for a dollar or so) I had written a big number "22" with a Magic Marker. (As I'm typing this, I am remembering the kid in the Vince Papale movie "Invincible", who made the number "83" on his shirt with bits of duct tape.) 

 

One of my friends who was a Cowboys' fan just assumed it was in reference to Bob Hayes. Ha!

 

So I had become a Jim Palmer fan before his great comeback in 1969. For that, I feel like I got in on the ground floor. LOL

Denis Menke (#518)

Denis Menke was primarily a shortstop for the Braves and Astros from 1962-71, then was the Reds' 3rd baseman in their early "Big Red Machine" days.

I recall this card being issued late in 1967, maybe in the 5th series. I kept my cards grouped (and rubber-banded) by teams, and by then I already had most of the Braves’ lineup (Aaron, Carty, Torre, Boyer, Jones, Oliver).

Menke played 4 seasons in the minors (1958-61), and made his debut with the Braves in April 1962. He divided his time that season between Milwaukee and their AAA team in Toronto, backing up at 2B, SS, and 3B while with the Braves.

In 1963 he split the shortstop position with veteran Roy McMillan, and also started 47 games at 3rd base in August and September, while Eddie Mathews was moved out to left field.

After the first week of the 1964 season, Menke took over the shortstop job on an everyday basis (with McMillan soon traded to the Mets). He started 124 of the first 143 games at short, then moved to 2nd base for the season’s final 2 weeks while rookie Sandy Alomar got a tryout at shortstop.

Denis was back at shortstop for the first 23 games in 1965, but was out of the lineup for a month. When he returned in late-June, he was mostly used as a defensive replacement, pinch-hitter, and backup at shortstop, 3rd base, and 2nd base.

Menke was reinstated as the regular shortstop for 1966 and 1967, although he started 47 games at 3rd base in 1966 when Mathews was out of the lineup.

After the 1967 season, Menke was traded to the Astros with pitcher Denny Lemaster for shortstop Sonny Jackson and 1st baseman Chuck Harrison. Denis played 2nd base for most of 1968 (due to Joe Morgan’s injury), then spent the next 2 seasons as the Astros’ everyday shortstop. He made the All-Star team in ’69 and ‘70.

He was moved to 1st base for the 1971 season, replacing the Joe Pepitone/John Mayberry/Bob Watson tandem.

Menke was part of the big Reds/Astros trade after the 1971 season that saw him, Joe Morgan, pitcher Jack Billingham, and outfielders Cesar Geronimo and Ed Armbrister shipped to Cincinnati for Lee May, Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart. Denis was the Reds’ 3rd baseman for the next 1 ½ seasons.

By June 1973, Dan Driessen had replaced him in the lineup, limiting Menke’s playing time for the remainder of the season. He returned to the Astros before the 1974 season, and played 30 games through mid-July.

After his playing career, Menke was a minor-league manager from 1977-79, and coached for the Blue Jays, Astros, Phillies, and Reds from 1980-2000.


He also appeared on the Braves' multi-player card in 1967.
(I thought it was odd that a non-pitcher was referred to as an "ace".)

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1967 Topps Card Set Vying for the Final Four

Robert over at the $30 a Week Habit blog has been running a 16-set tournament, where bloggers vote for which set he should complete next. Last week, the 1969 set fell short by a few votes, so I'm hitting the campaign trail again, this time for the 1967 set.


This set includes the final baseball card for Hall of Fame catcher broadcaster Bob Uecker!

Wait, what? That's not enough for you? I suppose you could continue reading then...


There's also the final card for 76 other players, including Whitey Ford, Curt Simmons, Lou/Lew Burdette, Joe Nuxhall, Smoky Burgess, and Jim Piersall.

The final Topps appearance for Sandy Koufax:

41 future Hall of Famers are in the set, including Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Don Drysdale, Ernie Banks, Harmon Killebrew, and Eddie Mathews, none of who are in the 1976 set.

THIRTEEN multi-player cards, the most for any year in that era:

In addition to the well-known high-number rookie cards for Tom Seaver and Rod Carew, the set also includes the rookie cards for Chris Short and Maury Wills (both 8-year veterans by then) and Ken Holtzman. Also, there are more than 40 Rookie Stars cards, the most in any set.

Here are some other guys in the set:

.                            (That's one heck of a sunrise behind Tony C.!)


Vote now! Don't let Robert have to deal with hanging chads at the last minute.

Bengal Belters (#216)

Here is another of the 13 multi-player cards that Topps included in their 1967 set - the Detroit Tigers' "Bengal Belters". (I always pictured Norm Cash as your typical burly, slugging 1st baseman, but here he looks smallish next to Al Kaline.)

Norm Cash was signed by the White Sox in 1955, and after appearing briefly with Chicago in '58 and '59 (including the 1959 World Series), he was traded to the Indians in a 7-player deal that included Minnie Minoso returning to the Sox. A week before the 1960 season started, Cash was flipped to the Tigers.

After sharing the starting 1st base job in 1960, Norm had a break-out season in 1961, starting 157 games and leading the AL in hits (193), batting average (.361), and intentional walks (19). Cash held the starting 1B job until June 7th, 1974, when catcher Bill Freehan moved out to 1st base, sending Cash to the bench for the rest of the season.

Al Kaline joined the Tigers as a bonus baby in 1953 at age 18, having never played in the minors. He appeared in 30 games that season (mostly as a pinch-hitter) then was a regular outfielder for the Tigers for the next 19 seasons (1954-72).

He led the AL in hits (200) and batting average (.340) in 1955, and hit over .300 eight other times. He also hit .379 in the 1968 World Series, and played in the 1972 ALCS.

Normally the team's right fielder, he was the regular center fielder in '59, '60, and parts of '65 and '66. Kaline was a part-time RF/1B in 1973, and the full-time DH in his final season (1974).

Cards Clubbers (#63)

Here's another of the 13 multi-player cards in the 1967 set. I think this was one of the last cards I got in 1967, as before the year was out, I completed the first 6 series (a/k/a low numbers), except for the Cardinals Team card.

I began collecting baseball cards in May 1967, and by that time the 3rd series was probably in the stores, so I had to trade with friends and otherwise scramble to complete the first 2 series.


Lou Brock and Curt Flood were 2/3 of the Cardinals' outfield during the mid-to-late 1960s. In 1967, they would be joined by Roger Maris, as the Cardinals made 2 consecutive World Series appearances (winning in 1967).

Curt Flood was the Cardinals' regular center fielder from 1958-1969, and won a Gold Glove every season from 1963-69. He was also the team's leadoff batter from 8/31/61 to 6/6/65, when Lou Brock took over the top slot in the order.

Lou Brock came to the Cardinals in June 1964, and played through the 1979 season. He was the teams' starting left fielder during that entire time, except for the first 23 games of the 1966 season, when he moved to right field as the Cards tried out the newly-acquired Alex Johnson in left.

From 1966 to 1974, Lou led the NL in stolen bases every season except 1970. He stole a career-high 118 bases in 1974. He also led the NL in runs scored in '66 and '71.

Both Brock and Flood finished with a .293 career batting average.

Hurlers Beware (#309)

Here's another of the 13 multi-player cards issued by Topps in the 1967 set. For some reason, 9 teams didn't get one of these cards (Red Sox, Yankees, Senators, Athletics, Angels, Cubs, Reds, Astros, Dodgers), while 2 teams (Orioles, Indians) got 2 such cards.

Johnny Callison and Richie Allen were the Phillies' top two sluggers in the mid-1960s.

The left-handed Callison played for the Phillies from 1960-69, and had big homerun totals from 1962-65. He also won the 1964 all-star game with a walk-off homer.

Right-handed Allen won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1964, and was the team's top slugger for 6 seasons, before being traded to the Cardinals after the 1969 season. He had some monster years for the White Sox in the early 1970s, before returning to the Phillies for the '75 and '76 seasons.

The Phillies also had a multi-player card in the 1966 set, titled "Power Plus" and featuring Callison and Wes Covington. (no Allen?)

Fence Busters (#423)

How great is this card?

In 1967, Topps produced a multi-player card like this for 11 of the 20 teams (with the Indians and Orioles getting 2 each). Why were the other teams left out? Who knows! The following year, there would only be 3 such cards, and two of them would feature players from multiple teams.

Mays and McCovey were the backbone of the Giants' team during the 1960s, with both among the league leaders in home runs and RBI for many seasons.



I always liked this card. This now reminds me that when I was a kid, I also had the plastic model of Willie Mays making "the catch". (And I wasn't even a Giants fan!)

Indians' Multi-player Cards

In 1967, Topps made multi-player cards for some teams, where 2 stars were featured. For some reason, only 11 teams were included in this subset. Given that 9 teams had no card, it seems a bit odd that the Cleveland Indians would get two cards:

Tribe Thumpers (#109) featured the Indians' two sluggers Rocky Colavito and Leon Wagner. However, Colavito was traded to the White Sox 63 games into the 1967 season. For Wagner, his power years were 1961 - 1966, as he finished 1967 with only 15 homers in 135 games.




Tribe Hill Aces (#463) featured two of the Indians' fine 4-man pitching rotation. Sam McDowell led the AL in strikeouts for 1965-1966, and 1968-1970.

Topps forgets their own team color scheme

In 1967, Topps departed from the team color scheme they used in 1966 (and would repeat in 1968 and 1969). In 1967, the new scheme included green for the Twins and Giants, purple for the Pirates and White Sox, and orange for the Cubs and Red Sox. However, for some unexplained reason, three cards deviate from that color scheme:

Harmon Killebrew was Minnesota's own Sultan of Swat. According to his card, he spent 2 years with the old (pre-1961) Washington Senators before ever playing MINOR league ball. (Cynics would say "How could you tell the difference?"). After clouting 29 homers for Chattanooga in his 4th pro season, it still took him 2 years to reach the majors to stay. Although I didn't follow MLB until 1967, I was aware of the Twins and Harmon Killebrew in particular, because in the early '60s, my next-door neighbor's grandchildren (Lori & Todd) would visit from Minnesota every summer. Guess who their favorite player was?



Hmm... Here's the THIRD color used for a Twins card. Maybe there was some extra purple ink laying around, since it wouldn't be used for the third card below:




Orange was the color used for all Red Sox cards, while purple was used for the White Sox cards. Maybe Topps forgot which "Sox" were on this card, as there was no multi-player card for the Red Sox in 1967.

Another point to make on this card is, one typically thinks of power hitters when a card is labeled "Sockers". Here, Pete Ward and Don Buford are pictured, along with tales of how Ward hit 22 and 23 home runs 3 to 4 years ago. For Buford, the narration focuses on his batting average and stolen base stats. Not exactly in the same category as Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison!