Random Topps Card of the Day: 1952 Topps #345 Sam White

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, February 17, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1952 Topps #345.
• Player Name, position, team: Sam White, catcher, Boston Red Sox.
• Major League Debut: September 26, 1951.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1951 stats (Red Sox): 4 G, 11 At Bat, 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Home Runs, 0 RBI, .182 Batting Average, 15 Putouts, 1 Assists, 0 Errors, 1.000 Fielding Avg.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Red Sox as a Free Agent before the 1949 season. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 8. This is his first Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Sammy still attends the University of Washington, where he starred in Basketball as well as Baseball before he turned pro. In his first time at bat for Seattle in 1949, Sam slammed out a Homer. He played for Roanoke in '50 where he made the Piedmont League All Star team. In '51, he was promoted to Scranton and was brought up by the Red Sox late in the season for a brief trial. Sam served in World War II"
• Commentary: It must have been a successful trial for Sammy White (his full name is Sammy Charles White). Because the Red Sox made him their primary starting catcher from 1952 to 1959. In his first full season in Boston, White hit a good .281 with 10 home runs and 49 runs batted in. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting, and was considered in the MVP voting. He made his lone All-Star team the following year. During his nine year career in Boston, he hit 63 home runs, drove in 404 rbi's, and hit a good .264 with an OPS of .689 in 981 games. He became known for his defense, committing 76 errors in 5016 chances (for a .984 fielding percentage). He must have liked playing for the Red Sox because when he was traded off to the Indians in March of 1960, he refused to report to Cleveland. The trade would be subsequently voided and White did not play that year, opting to "retire." His contract was purchased by the Milwaukee Braves and he joined the team for 21 games. He was eventually released by the Braves after the 1961 season and signed with the Phillies in 1962, reuniting with teammate Gene Mauch, who was now manager of the Phils. He retired from the game after being released by the team after the 1962 season. A great athlete, he was courted by the Minneapolis Lakers to play in the NBA (the Red Sox didn't like the idea).  He had bought a bowling alley during his stay in Boston and became a professional bowler. When he left the mainland and relocated to Hawaii, he became a pro golfer. Sammy White passed away on August 5, 1991 at the age of 64 years old in Princeville, Hawaii.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $150.00-$250.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 0.

In case you're actually wondering, I don't own this card, but was able to get a crystal clean copy of the image from the from the Baseball Card Cyber Museum. So thank you Joe McAnally and the folks at the BCCM.

Well, it's back to normal on Monday. Tomorrow's card will be: 1985 Topps #108. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Come on back then to see what the Topps Card Randomizer gets us to look at then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama