#42 Murray Wall

Dallas native Murray Wall was a standout at the University of Texas, twice being named and All American pitcher and helping the Longhorns to a pair of national titles. Signed by the Boston Braves in 1950 he actually made an appearance for the Bees that summer.But then it was off to the minors for the righthander. He spent six seasons as a starter working his way back to the majors having been traded to the Giants and then sold to the Red Sox with whom he re-emerged in 1957 as a reliever.

In 1958 he pitched in 52 games (2nd most in the A.L.) with 8 wins and 10 saves out of the pen. The Red Sox traded Wall to the Senators in June of 1959 in a deal that sent Dick Hyde to the Sox. He pitched once for the Nats before being returned to the Red Sox when the trade as voided due to a sore arm that Hyde had been enduring.

After '59 Wall never returned to the majors, spending some time in the Reds and Angels organizations and then retiring. He then went into the banking business in Dallas. Sadly he died of a self inflicted gunshot wound in 1971 at the age of 45.

One of my favorite cartoons graces the back of this card, Wall snaps away at a demonstrative ump. The photo, of course, was taken at Yankee Stadium.

#268 Tito Francona

John Patsy "Tito" Francona (yes, his middle name is 'Patsy.. I bet he grew up tough) signed with the St. Louis Browns in 1952 and spent a couple of years in their chain before Uncle Sam called and he spent a few more in the service. By the time he made the bigs the woeful Brownies had moved to Baltimore and become the woeful Orioles.

Francona stepped right in and played full-time in the O's outfield in 1956 hitting .258 with nine homers. He finished tied with Rocky Colavito for second in the Rookie of the Year balloting in the AL that season. That means he and The Rock each got a vote while Luis Aparicio got the other 22!

Despite that he spent some time in the minors early in the 1957 season and when he did return he wasn't quite able to produce consistently. He was traded to the White Sox in December of 1957 and split the '58 season between Chicago and, after a trade, the Detroit Tigers.

Another trade, in March of 1959, sent Francona to the Indians and it was in Cleveland that he finally established himself. That season he had a 'Brady Anderson' year hitting 20 homers and batting .363 for no apparent reason. Harmonic Convergence perhaps.

He continued to play well for the Indians over most of his six seasons with the club. From 1960 through 1963 he's pop up in the lists for Top Ten in various hitting categories.

After his run with the Indians Francona went on to play for the Cardinals, Phillies, A's and Brewers. For the most part he was no longer an everyday player but he did hit .286 with almost 400 plate appearances with the '68 Braves. And in 1969 he hit .319 in limited play in a season he split between the Braves and A's. His 1970 release by the Brewers marked the end of his career.

Tito Francona is, of course, the father of Terry Francona who piloted the Red Sox to much success (two titles) in the last decade, managed the Phils before that and is the new skipper in Cleveland, completing a circle of sorts.

Tito also holds a place in my heart because he wore the #44 for the Orioles which was 'my' number back when I was wearing one.

#14 Pete Whisenant

Pete Whisenant had one season of semi-regular outfield duty getting almost 350 at bats with the Cubs in 1956 and spent the rest of his eight big league seasons as a fourth outfielder. He was signed by the Braves in 1947 and debuted with them in 1952 following a year of military service. He's apprenticed for a major league spot by showing good power and a spotty batting average in the Braves system.

Whisenant spent those eight seasons with six different clubs. In addition to the Cubs and Braves he played for the Reds (obviously), the Cardinals, Indians and Senators/Twins. He had two separate runs with the Reds, the second coming in his final big league season, 1961.

He coached for the Reds for a season or so immediately after he retired as an active player and then returned nearly two decades later to manage in the A's chain. I found a sort of neat story posted by a blogger on his non-sports blog that tells a story of Whisenant giving a baseball to the then young blogger's mom. It's a quick fun read.

Another nice black framed Reds card. And another shot with San Francisco's Seals Stadium's distinctive red railings in the background. This is Whisenant's second straight cool looking card as he appeared on a black 1958 Topps the year before. Here it is as a scan I found on the 'net. I like the '59 better.

#565 Wes Covington The Sporting News All Star

This subset carries the "'59 All Star Selection" label. I wish I could uncover the process used. Wes Covington was not a member of the NL All Star Squad in 1959 (or '58 or any other year for that matter). By looking at Covington's numbers it's apparent that The Sporting News chose the players based on previous seasons. In 1958 Covington hit .330 with 24 homers. He did that in less than 300 at bats.

And I guess The Sporting News held strictly to position because Covington did have the best numbers of any left fielder who started over 75 games. So there ya go.

Coincidentally Night Owl showed off his 'new' '61 Topps Covington in a recent post. I'm sure I was aware of this card at some point but I didn't remember it. It's pure baseball card art! I saw it and just knew I had to go find myself a copy. When I pick it up I may have to add it to my 'Favorite Non-Oriole Baseball Card' page. In the meantime enjoy an image of it I found online.

The bat rack, shoulder patch, cap, stirrups, the kids in the background, Covington's pose.... great stuff. 

#102 Felipe Alou

Felipe Alou is, of course, the oldest of the three Alou brothers to make their mark in the major leagues and is credited with being the first Dominican player in the majors. The brothers played together for the Giants late in the season in 1963. After a two and a half year successful minor league tune-up Alou made the Giants' roster in 1958. 

He steadily gained playing time and by 1961 was the Giants regular rightfielder. He had a solid if not spectacular run in San Francisco and was a prt of the Giants 1962 NL title club. He made the All Star team that season and with 25 homers, 98 RBIs and a .316 average it was his best out on the west coast.  

Alou was traded to the Braves after the 1963 season and played in Milwaukee and Atlanta through 1969. He put up some outstanding numbers there while transitioning to the 1B position. He made his second and third All Star teams with the Braves and helped guide them to the first NLCS in 1969.

He played centerfield primarily for Atlanta in his final season or two there and was sent on to Oakland for the 1970 season. He had several productive season as an outfielder and firstbaseman for the A's and Yankees before landing in Montreal and then back in Milwaukee for a very brief trial with the Brewers. 

He coached for the Expos until given the manager's slot in 1992. His club took the NL East in strike interrupted 1994 and he was named NL Manager of the Year. He was dismissed in 2001, served as bench coach for the Tigers in 2002 and re-joined the Giants as their manager in 2003. His team won the West Division that season. Alou remained at the Giants helm through 2006.

His baseball family ties are well known. Brothers Matty and Jesus had notable careers in the majors and his son, Moises did as well. Moises palyed under his father for both the Expos and Giants. It doesn't stop there, Felipe Alou's cousin Jose Sosa (briefly) as well as nephew Mel Rojas were major leaguers. 

Outside of a bit of dis-colorization this is a nice '59. I like the green frame around Alou's smiling portrait. Not sure what to make of the cartoon, though. Is that a Dominican groupie?

The Alou Brothers. 

#3 Don McMahon

Don McMahon pitched in 874 major league games over 18 seasons.He made only two starts. He made his first save in 1957 and his last in 1974. His professional career ran from 1950 when he debuted with the Owensboro Oilers, the Class D Boston Braves affiliate in the K-I-T League, until he pitched a couple of innings for the Giants against the Dodgers in June of 1974. That's 25 seasons. I think that's pretty cool. 

McMahon pitched for seven clubs over the course of his career and made the post-season with three of them. As a member of the Braves he pitched in the 1957 and '58 Series' against the Yankees. He was particularly effective in the '57 Classic, pitching 5 innings over three games and finishing all three. He never got a decision of a save in the post-season but he did come away with two rings, the second with the Tigers in 1968.

For his career McMahon was 90-68 with a 2.96 ERA and 153 saves. He led the NL with 15 saves in 1959. That speaks to how different pitching roles were back then. He had been an All Star the previous year but that was his only All Star selection. I think he deserved more.

Following his retirement as an active player McMahon served a pitching coach for the Giants, Twins and Indians for many years. He was a special assignments scout for the Dodgers after that.

McMahon died of a heart attack in 1987 at the age of only 57 while pitching batting practice at Dodger Stadium. 

#60 Bob Turley

The back of Bob Turley's card hints at the remarkable 1958 season he enjoyed prior to this card being issued early in '59. 

Turley had been a St. Louis Browns signee in 1948. He made his big league debut late in 1951 and was still with the team when they moved to Baltimore for 1954. He won 14 games for a very mediocre O's club that year including the first one ever played at Memorial Stadium. 

In November of '54 he was traded to the Yankees in one of the largest trades (numbers wise) in baseball history. It was a fortunate deal for Turley who went on to pitch for five Yankee pennant winners and earned a pair of World Series wins.

His best season came in '58 as he won a career high 21 wins and 19 complete games. That led the league in both categories. He was named to the All Star team (see the last post) and won the Cy Young award. Turley's real heroics came in the Series that year versus the Braves. But it didn't seem that Turley would be a hero after his Game Two start when he was knocked around and run off in the first inning of a Braves laugher.

But he came back in Game Five to toss a fit hit shutout. After an off day he appeared in the tenth inning of Game Six and preserved a win for Ryne Duran. Then in the deciding Game Seven Turley relieved Don Larson in the third inning and held the Braves to two hits and a run to wrap up the title for the Yanks.

Although he stayed in the majors until he retired after splitting the 1963 season between the Angels and Red Sox, Turley never again approached the success he had in 1958. In fact he averaged about five wins a year after that magical season.

He spent a year coaching then went into the financial management business and was very successful. He lives in Georgia.

The orange frame on these '59s is always nice. Turley's picture, posed in pregame I assume, along the side of the Yankee Stadium batting cage is very much like the one used in his All Star Selection card. No need for Dick Tracy to see they were taken at the same session. This one is one of the better cards I have. Not mint by any means but the colors are bright and all but one corner is sharp.

#54 Mel Roach

Mel Roach was a rare duel threat, a successful athlete in two sports who looked like he didn't belong in either. In addition to being a major leaguer for eight seasons after signing a bonus contract with Milwaukee, Roach was a college quarterback at the University of Virginia. 

After he signed his Braves contract in 1953 he mostly sat on their bench and collected dust for two years. The rules at the time required a bonus signee remain on the big league roster. In two years Roach played in just eight games and came to bat six times. He did score a run once, and it was the winning run in the second game of a doubleheader against the Dodgers on August 6, 1953. Trailing 2-0 the Braves rallied in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and two on Sid Gordon drew a walk to load the bases. Mel Roach was sent in to pinch run for him. Harry Hanebrink promptly tripled to clear the bases with Roach crossing the plate to end the game.

After a couple of years in the military Roach returned to play as a utility man and pinch hitter through the 1962 season. Most of that came with the Braves. He played for the Cubs in '61 after a trade from Milwaukee and, after passing through the Indians roster during that off season via a November deal, was dealt to the Phils in the spring of 1962, That year was his last in the majors.

He finished with seven homers and a .238 average. He was part of the Braves World Series championship club in 1957 although he didn't appear in any of the Series games.

This a a nice card. Good corners and it doesn't suffer from my collections 'mis-cut' curse. Plus the pale green border is cool. Best of all is the Braves "M" cap that Roach was lucky enough to wear.

#139 Ed Sadowski The Sporting News Rookie Star

The back of Ed Sadowski's Rookie Stars card claims he'd be fighting for the regular catcher's job with the Red Sox. Fact is that Ed didn't get that chance and was in the minors in 1959. He made the Sox roster in 1960, got about 100 plate appearances, had more minor league time and was lost to the fledgling Los Angeles Angels in the expansion draft for the '61 season. 

The Pittsburgh native spent three years as a part timer with the Angels, revisited the buses in the minors, was traded to the Braves and finally finished up with a 1966 'cup of coffee' in Atlanta in 1966. 

Ed comes from a baseball family. His two brothers, Bob and Ted, were major leaguers in the '60s and his nephew, Jim played for the Pirates in 1974.

Topps did Ed Sadowski no favors with the way they cropped his photo for the '59 card. Looks like they airbrushed his hat, and chopped the side of his head. Makes him look like Frankenstein. They reused the picture for his 1960 card. This time they used the background (is that a minor league park?). 

He's half the catching duo on the 1964 'Angel Backstop' card. There is a certain charm to a pair of squatting catchers, and Bob 'Buck' Rodgers had a nice career as an Angel player, manager and broadcaster. But Ed Sadowski was back in the minors when this card was issued and never appeared in an Angel uni again.