#362 Dolan Nichols

If you are Dolan Nichols and you were out of the majors by the time this card was issued, and you have to suffer the indignity of having your demotion to the minors plastered on the back for the world to see, then you may as well be immortalized on a cool, black-bordered '59. Right? Look at Dolan, he's all bidness. I just love this card, btw. 

As noted this is both his rookie and final card. The right-hander had pitched for the Cubs in 1958 and went 0-4 in 24 relief appearances. The card-back notes that he allowed only one homer in 41 innings. Any port in a storm I suppose. 

Nichols had been in the Indians' organisation since his signing in 1952. He pitched pretty well overall as he worked his way up the Indians' chain as a starter but was dealt to the Cubs late in the 1957 season. He made the Cubs' roster out of camp in '58 but from the looks of his '58 game logs he was demoted in July and brought back for one last game in September. 

Nichols was out of Tishomingo, Mississippi. His nickname was 'Nick'. Hell, EVERYONE who's last name is Nichols goes by 'Nick' (or Nic). He sold furniture after his days as a ballplayer

That's all there is to say about Dolan Nichols, except his middle name is 'Levon'. So in his honor here is Elton John's Levon. One of the most iconic pop songs of all time and one I never tire of, even after 40+ years.. It's from the classic, timeless Madman Across The Water album.

#296 Ernie Broglio

Poor Ernie Broglio. Won 77 big league games, had some really good years with the Cardinals, finished third in the 1960 Cy Young voting... and all he's remembered for is being "the bum who the Cubs got in the Lou Brock trade."

Broglio began pitching with the Oakland Oaks in the old PCL in 1953 and was acquired by the Reds for 1954. He was back in independent ball in '55 and then was purchased by the Giants and traded to the Cardinals before he finally made his debut in 1959. He won 7 games, lost 12 and only his three shutouts that season gave a clue as to what would occur in 1960.

That season Broglio went 21-9, posted an ERA of 2.74 and was a Top Ten MVP vote getter. Although he never could duplicate that magical season and having suffered through a sub-par '61, he did come back to go 30-17 over the course of 1962/'63.

In June of 1964 he was the main part of a trade that sent him to the Cubs and brought a young but struggling Lou Brock to the Cardinals. Brock, of course, went on to the Hall of Fame and glory in St. Louis while Broglio went 7-19 on the North Side before he was out of the big leagues after 1966. Many years later Broglio revealed that he had been experiencing arm problems and believes the Cardinals knew that before the trade. He discusses that and many other aspects on his career in a great ESPN web story.

Cub fans never have gotten over that trade and Broglio was still boo'd at Old Timers' events there. Ironically he and Brock became friends and have remained so over the years.

Odds and ends: This is Broglio's rookie card. It's got that 're-touched minor league picture' kind of vibe. Pretty sweet nevertheless. At least it's not a Yankee Stadium or Seals Stadium shot.... Broglio's name is pronounced BRO-lee-oh, silent 'G'. At least his is one name I pronounced correctly back in the day.... he was such a phenom in his early career that he made a Sports Illustrated cover in 1961. The cover was shot in Candlestick Park (I know those trees) likely at this game on the first of June. He had 27 wins in under a season and a half when the magazine was published.

#498 Dick Hyde

Dick Hyde's career, short as it was, is a testament to perseverance and drive. Signed by the Senators in 1949 the small framed right-hander struggled through six minor league seasons and served two years in the U.S. Army before he made any impact in the major leagues. This after grade problems cost him a chance at college success. Along the way he suffered rejection, arm misery, being mocked because of his unusual 'submarine' pitching style and lack of control of his pitches.

In 1957 he righted himself and went 4-3 for the Nats in 52 appearances, all but two out of the bullpen. In 1958 he appeared in 53 games and had a 10-3 record, an ERA of 1.75 and 18 saves, 2nd in the AL. Dick Hyde had arrived! But it was a short lived bit of glory. In 1960 he struggled and was traded in June to the Red Sox. He was quickly returned to the Senators and the deal cancelled because he had a sore arm and was sold to the Orioles a month later.

His time with the O's was brief and after some addition minor league work he was out of the game after 1961. Hyde worked as a stock broker, managed a gas station and worked for Illinois Power after retiring.

This 1958 feature in Sports Illustrated uncovers much of Hyde's back-story. It's a quick, interesting read.

Pictured on this card is Hyde and a baleful gaze towards the home team's dugout. I bet he's wondering how different his life would be if he had had that 1958 success here in the 'City That Never Sleeps'. He'd probably be rubbing elbows with Frank Sinatra at Toots Shor's club along with chums like Hank Bauer and Mickey Mantle.

On second thought, no way.

#405 Roy McMillan

Slick fielding shortstop Roy McMillan who, as the card-back notes, was known as 'Mr. Shortstop',  signed with the Reds out of Texas A&M in 1947. He had one good hitting season in the Reds' system but mostly used his glovework to move up to the Reds in 1951. He held down their shortstop spot for 10 seasons while winning three Gold Gloves and making a couple of NL All Star teams.

He was so respected for his defense that he finished sixth in MVP voting in 1956 despite a .263 batting average. He led the NL in assists at SS four times, putouts three times, DPs three times and fielding percentage three times. Veteran player and manager Jimmy Dykes called McMillan the best shortstop he'd ever seen. McMillan earned himself a Sports Illustrated cover appearance and called it the greatest honor of his career. He's a member of the Reds' Hall of Fame.

He was traded to the Braves for the 1961 season so he missed both the Red's title (gone too soon) and the Braves pair of titles (there too late). After three plus seasons in Milwaukee he was dealt to the Mets where he finished out his career. After retiring as a player he coached and managed and had brief stints as manger of the Mets and Brewers.

Roy McMillan died in 1997. His '59 card is a Seals Stadium shot with the seafoam green frame. Good stuff.

Here is his Sports Illustrated cover:

#443 Daryl Spencer

After coming out of Wichita State hard hitting infielder Daryl Spencer spent a year in independent ball before being acquired by the New York Giants in 1950. After a 'cup of coffee' in 1952 he broke into the Giants everyday lineup in 1953 and slugged 20 homers with 56 RBI. His .208 average was a career low although his career average was only .244 in 10 seasons.

After that rookie year Spencer spent two seasons in the military and led his army team to an armed services baseball title. Back in the bigs in 1956 he spent the next four seasons as a Giants' starting middle infielder. He was a solid if unspectacular player and was dealt to the Cardinals for 1960 and he played there for a season and a quarter as their shortstop. Then it was on to the Dodgers and Reds in a platoon role.

After he retired from the majors he spent another seven seasons in Japan where he played on four pennant winner with the Hankyu Braves. He slugged 74 homers over his first two seasons there. His aggressive style, especially on the base paths was a revelation to the Japanese and he was a very popular player there. He retired at one point, returned to Wichita to open a restaurant but was drawn back to Japan and served as a player coach before retiring for good after the 1972 season.

After returning to the States for good he managed in amateur ball and worked for Wichita's AA club.

This is a nice clean card with an action pose. I like it a lot for that reason. I'd guess it was taken at Seals Stadium because there were many in the set that were shot there. Plus, Spencer has on the Giants' home uni.

Informative interview done while Spencer was still in Japan can be found here. And as usual his SABR page is the go-to spot for his backstory.

Found this card image on the web. Spencer on a Japanese card.

#336 Billy Loes

Billy Loes won 80 games in 11 seasons with the Dodgers, Orioles and Giants but he left behind a much bigger legacy as a character and 'eccentric'. The Long Island native was a Brooklyn Dodger signee in 1948 Loes had an impressive minor league season the next year and got a taste of the majors in 1950.

He spent '51 in the service and returned for begin a string of successful seasons in Brooklyn, going 50-25 in the course of four seasons. He pitched in three World Series for the Boys of Summer, winning a ring in 1955.

Sold to the Orioles in May of '56 he won 12 games in 1957 but never saw much success while hanging on through 1961 with the Giants. But as noted, Loes is remembered for his colorful and generally odd personality.

From a New York Daily News story published after Loes' death in 2010:

Dodgers Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella once said of Loes: "How can I say why he doesn't win 20 when I can't even tell what he's going to do from pitch to pitch."That was never more evident than in Game 2 of the 1955 World Series against the Yankees when Loes hurled three innings of shutout ball, striking out five and inducing three double play balls - only to suddenly get kayoed on five hits and four runs in the fourth. Said Campy: "He started thinking. He had 'em going on fastballs and curves for three innings when he suddenly decided to throw change-ups."Before the 1952 Series, Loes reportedly predicted the Yankees would beat the Dodgers in six games. Years later, however, he said he was misquoted. "I never said that," he insisted. "What I said was they'd beat us in seven games." Which they did.But perhaps the most infamous Loes episode occurred in Game 6 of the '52 Series at Ebbets Field when he claimed to have lost a ground ball in the sun. What happened was Yankee starting pitcher Vic Raschi hit a ball off Loes' leg that caromed into right field, scoring Gene Woodling from second and sending the Yanks to a 3-2 victory that tied the Series 3-3. They won it the next day. Everyone laughed when Loes insisted he'd lost Raschi's grounder in the sun, but as Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine later explained: "That's exactly what happened. At that time of the afternoon in Ebbets Field, the sun came through a space in the grandstand behind the plate and could blind you."

Billy Loes and his dog in 1954. 

#347 Bob Buhl

Bob Buhl was the perfect #3 starter for the tough Braves teams of the later 1950s. He pitched well while eating innings and matched the competitive nature of Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette. He spent a year in the White Sox chain after signing in 1947. The next year Buhl was granted free agency (free agency in 1948, who knew?) and signed with the Boston Braves. He pitched erratically for three minor league seasons then spent two years in the service.

He debuted as a rookie in 1953 and proceeded to win 13 games with 18 complete games and three shutouts. An suffered the 'sophomore jinx' in '54 but regained his form and won nearly a hundred games for the Braves during the rest of the decade  He made two starts for the Braves in the 1957 World Series and, although he was chanced early in both, he picked up a ring as a crown jewel on a nice career. An injury kept him out of the '58 Series.

Traded to the Cubs early in the 1962 season Buhl won double digit games and had respectable ERA's for Chicago teams that regularly finished at or near the bottom of the NL. He was later dealt to the Phillies in the trade that sent Fergie Jenkins to the Cubs. He pitched about a year in Philly before retiring in 1967 after he was released.

Buhl was known as one of the worst hitting pitchers of all time and went 0 fer 70 in 1962 which set a record for at bats without a hit. He tried hitting left-handed at one point but didn't have any better results.

Bob Buhl died in 2001 within two days of the death of his Braves roommate and friend, Ed Mathews. That's the sett Braves uni Buhl is wearing in front of the Seals Stadium grandstand. Add in the yellow frame and it adds up to a nice card.