#569 Bob Friend The Sporting News All Star

Poor miscut, badly scanned Bob Friend. Seems his '59 All Star card can't catch a break. This is his third and final appearance in this set. He had his regular card featured here in 2011 and then he showed up on a special multi-player card, Buc Hill Aces, with Ron Kline, Vern Law and Roy Face last year.

Friend made the NL All Star team in 1956, '58 and '60. He started in 1956 and 1960 (first of two games) and got the win both times. He didn't allow a run in either of those games going three inning both times. In 1958 he came out of the bullpen and went 2 1/3, allowed four hits and two walks taking the loss.

I hadn't realized that he started the fateful ninth inning in Game 7 of the 1960 Series. He came in with a shot to close it out but quickly allowed two hits before he was replaced by Harvey Haddix. Haddix allowed those runners to score and the Yanks to tie the game at 9-9. We all know what happened in the bottom of that inning. The card of the central figure in that dramatic game is queued to post in a few days.

As is the case with most of the Pirates photographed around this time, Friend is shown wearing a batting helmet. The batting helmet was designed by Charlie Muse, an executive of Branch Rickey's company and Rickey, at the time the Pirates' president, decided that all his players would wear one both at bat and in the field.

#428 Buc Hill Aces

Ok, if Topps wants to call Ron Kline an 'Ace', who am I to argue? But when stacked up against the other three guys on this card his stats look sort of pale.

Kline was coming off a 13-16 record in 1958 for a Pirates club that finished 14 games over .500. He went 54-83 in six seasons with the Pirates. He hit his stride, though, with the Nats in the mid 60s as a reliever. He led the league with 29 saves in 1965.

Bob Friend won 22 games for the '58 Buccos and Vern Law chipped in 14. Elroy Face was coming off a season where he led the league in saves and was in the midst of one that saw him go 18-1 with 10 saves.

I look at these special multi-player cards and wonder why Topps didn't just use the same format as their regular 59s (have I whined about this before?). A stadium backdrop or scoreboard or just blue sky would have been so much nicer than the horribly cropped photo on a yellow circle. 

This is the third copy I have acquired of this card. The first one had scribbling on the front that didn't seem to sink in when I pulled it from a fifty cent bin at a card show. The second one was an emergency replacement that had very soft corners. This one is a keeper, Ron Kline or no Ron Kline.

#460 Bob Friend

Bob Friend spent 15 of his 16 seasons with the Pirates, went to three All Star games, and retired in 1966 with a 197-230 record. When this card was issued in 1959 he was coming off his one twenty win season. He was the first pitcher to lead his league in ERA for a last place club.

After his playing days Friend went into politics in the Pittsburgh area serving two terms as the Allegheny County comptroller. He also was a delegate to the Republican party conventions in those years and became friends with Richard Nixon. An avid golfer he passed along the love of the game to his son Bob Friend Jr. who was a competitor on the PGA's Nationwide tour.

After his playing days Bob sold insurance until he retired in 2002.

This card shows Bob wearing a Pirates batting helmet as will many other cards of Pirates in the 50's sets. Branch Rickey was a firm believer in helmets and made them mandatory for his Pirates teams beginning in 1952. He encouraged their use in the field as well so even pitchers were wearing them on the mound.