Random Topps Card of the Day: 1965 Topps #474 Cookie Rojas

(Happy Mother's Day to all Moms, Moms-to-Be, Grandmothers, Great Grandmothers, Foster Moms, Stepmoms, and Just-Like-Moms out there.)

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, May 12, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1965 Topps #474.
• Player Name, position, team: Cookie Rojas, infielder-outfielder, Philadelphia Phillies.
• Major League Debut: April 10, 1962.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1964 stats (Phillies): 109 G, 340 AB, 58 R, 99 H, 19 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 31 RBI, .291 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Redlegs as a Free Agent before the 1956 season. Traded by the Reds to the Phillies 11/27/1962. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 16. This is his third Topps card and first as a coach.
• Blurb on the back: "Last season, Cookie played 70 games in the outfield, 20 at second base, 18 at shortstop and 1 game at third and one behind plate!"
• Commentary: I would love to see how next year's Topps Heritage will figure out how to add long team names (or will they even do it) like Diamondbacks. Or will they just be D-Backs? I like the pennant element in the 1965 design. It really hasn't been used since (although ribbons have made constant appearances over the years). I'm trying to figure this out. Maybe it was a nickname he gained in his youth. Maybe his family back in Cuba were in the baking industry or owned a bakery. But I can't seem to find any articles that explain how Octavio Victor Rojas was gifted the nickname "Cookie." He isn't the first "Cookie" that I'm aware of (Harry Arthur Lavagetto, Arthur Joseph Cuccurullo...okay, that last one makes sense). Rojas became the Phillies regular second baseman in 1965 and made the head honchos of the Phillies organization look good by hitting what would eventually be a career high batting average of .303 with 3 home runs and 42 rbi's. He would also be named to the first of five All-Star Teams, but the only time he'd be on the NL squad as a Phillie (he was named to the AL All-Star team four years in a row 1971-74 with the Royals). You know how the blurb on the back says that Rojas played all those positions in 1964? Well, in 1965, he was inserted in all positions except third and pitcher. It would be in 1967 that Rojas would appear in at least one game where he played everywhere, including pitching against the Giants on June 30, 1967. In seven seasons with the Phils, he appeared in 880 games, hit a cumulative .262, with 29 home runs and 252 rbi's and 27 stolen bases. After being traded at the end of the 1969 season to the Cardinals (in the infamous Curt Flood trade that would eventually lead to free agency), Rojas struggled as a Cardinal, hitting a low .106 (5-47) in 23 games. He was traded to the Royals to provide a much needed veteran presence on such a young team. With the Royals, Rojas himself became rejuvenated. As with the aforementioned four All-Star appearances, in his eight years with KC, he appeared in 880 games (just as many as he did in Philly), hit 25 home runs, drove in 332 rbi's, stole 46 bases, and hit for a .268 average and .660 OPS. He was released by the Royals after the 1977 season, and even though he signed with the Cubs in September the following year, did not get into a game and opted to retire as a player. After a long and prosperous coaching career (including managing the Angles in 1988...hence appearing in the 1988 Topps Traded set, my lone Cookie Rojas card), he is now the Spanish language commentator for the Miami Marlins.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $6.00-$15.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 1.

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: 1994 Topps #548. 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

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1965 Topps #1 1964 AL Batting Average Leaders

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, February 10, 2013:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1965 Topps #1.
• Player Name, position, team: Tony Oliva, outfielder, Minnesota Twins; Brooks Robinson, third baseman, Baltimore Orioles; Elston Howard, catcher, New York Yankees.
• Special: 1964 AL Batting Average Leaders
• Commentary: Nothing too fancy about the card above other than it features three All-Stars from the mid 1960's who led the American League in batting average in 1964. The back of the card not just lists the top 10 players in the batting category, but the top 50 qualifiers for the AL batting title. From Oliva (who led the league with .323), Robinson (.317) and Howard (.313), all the way down to Tom Tresh of the Yankees (.246). The rest of the top 10 includes Mickey Mantle of the Yankees (.303), Floyd Robinson of the White Sox (.301), Bill Freehan of the Tigers (.300), Eddie Bressoud of the Red Sox (.293), Al Kaline of the Tigers (.293), Boog Powell of the Orioles (.290), and Tony Conigliaro of the Red Sox (.290). Other team leaders in batting average include Wayne Causey of the Royals (.281), Jim Fregosi of the Angels (.277), Chuck Hinton of the Senators (.274), and Vic Davalillo of the Indians (.270).
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $8.00-$20.00.

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: 1984 Topps #537. 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

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1965 Topps #490 Earl Battey

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, December 23, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1965 Topps #490.
• Player Name, position, team: Earl Battey, catcher, Minnesota Twins.
• Major League Debut: September 10, 1955.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1964 stats (Twins): 131 G, 405 AB, 33 R, 110 H, 17 2B, 1 3B, 12 HR, 52 RBI, .272 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the White Sox as a Free Agent before the 1953 season. Traded by the White Sox to the Senators 04/04/1960.  Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 11. This is his ninth Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Wears Little League head protector at bat because of frequent injuries.  Earl caught over 100 games for last five seasons."
• Commentary: For the second Retro Sunday in a row, the Randomizer selects a card from the pennant-happy 1965 Topps set.  After playing parts of five seasons with the Chicago White Sox (which included their 1959 AL Pennant-winning season), Battey was traded to the Senators and became their primary catcher.   As captioned on the back of his Topps card (next to a drawing of a catcher using a basket to catch a popup, Battey was a three-time Gold Glove winner with the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins.  He also appeared on four AL All-Star teams and was a three-time MVP candidate.  He was no slouch at the plate either, hitting a .277 clip (.354/.412/.766 in the OBP/SLG/OPS percentages) in his eight seasons with the franchise.  In 1965, Battey (and did I mention that he has a name that was just suited for baseball headline writers), drove opposing pitchers nuts (you thought I was going to say batty didn't you...).  Sure his 6 home runs was lower than expected (he averaged 16.2 runs in his previous five seasons), but he only struck out 23 times, walked 50 times (7 intentionally) and had 117 hits in 394 at bats.  He was a factor in getting the Twins to World Series in 1965.  Battey retired from MLB in 1967, and had a fulfilling life after baseball.  He earned his undergraduate degree in education (Summa Cum Laude), was a high school teacher and baseball coach.  Earl Battey passed away on November 15, 2003 in Ocala, Florida from cancer.  He was 68 years old. The following year, Battey was posthumously inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame. In 2010, he was named one of the Twins top 50 players of all time.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $3.00-$8.00.
• 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: 2000 Topps Traded and Rookies #T64. 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

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1965 Topps #105 Chico Salmon

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, December 16, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1965 Topps #105.
• Player Name, position, team: Chico Salmon, outfielder, Cleveland Indians.
• Major League Debut: June 28, 1964.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1964 stats (Indians): 86 G, 283 AB, 43 R, 87 H, 17 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 25 RBI, .307 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Senators as a Free Agent before the 1959 season. Traded by the Braves to the Indians in October, 1963.  Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 9. This is his second Topps card.
• Blurb on the back: "Chico made a favorable impression upon Cleveland's fans in 1964.  The young rookie had the Tribe's top batting mark, though he only appeared in 86 ballgames.  In 1960, Chico's first year (as a professional), the outfielder led the Pioneer League with 182 hits."
• Commentary: The 1965 Topps set utilized pennants as the main design element, holding the team name of each player.  The colored borders also made it easy to sort cards by teams.  Looking back, it would have been fun to try and combine players into "fantasy teams" based on the colored border of the cards, regardless of team affiliation.  Although I guess there may have been some colors more used than others, it would make it a bit of a challenge.  Ruthford Eduardo Salmon was a fairly good hitter who played during the mid 60's through the mid 70's for both the Indians and Orioles.  He could, and did, play any position in the infield or outfield, earning himself the nickname of "Super Sub." Although he did not hit for power (31 home runs and 149 rbi's in 9 seasons), he was always able to hit and get on base.  In 1965, Salmon appeared in 79 games for the Tribe, hitting .242 with 3 home runs and 12 runs driven in.  He was selected by the Seattle Pilots in the expansion draft after the 1968 season, but was traded before the 1969 season to the Orioles.  With the Orioles, he appeared in two consecutive World Series, and was on hand as the O's won the 1970 championship.  Chico Salmon passed away on September 17, 2000 in Panama from a heart attack.  He was 59 years old.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.75-$2.00.
• 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 #2. 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

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1965 Topps #298 Jim Stewart

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, October 21, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1965 Topps #298.
• Player Name, position, team: Jim Stewart, shortstop-second baseman, Chicago Cubs.
• Major League Debut: September 3, 1963.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1964 stats (Cubs): 132 G, 415 AB, 59 R, 105 H, 17 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 33 RBI, .253 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed by the Chicago Cubs as a Free Agent 06/02/1961. Bats: both. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 8. This is his second card.
• Blurb on the back: "The Cubs first were impressed by Jim during the winter of 1963 when he hit .312 in the Arizona Instructional League.  In his second season in the minors, Jim finished among the top three batters in the Northern League with his .307 average in 1962.  A daring baserunner, Jim stole 10 bases for the Cubs last season."
• Commentary: The 1965 Topps set is a classic in its own right.  The team name in pennants is the key design element to the set, which fits nicely with the curved borders used to frame the picture.  Jim Stewart was primarily used as a backup for either Joey Amalfitano or Andre Rogers in 1964, starting at either second or shortstop when either man was given the day off.  Versatile was he that he sometimes was placed in the outfield as well.  This was the most productive season of his career.  Above the blurb and his statistics was a cartoon that noted that Jim "was a track star at college (Austin Peay State University). In 1965, he appeared in 116 games, starting games as either the left fielder or shortstop.  But while his most of his hitting numbers were down, he did steal three more bases.  He was later traded to the other team in Chicago (1967), and after a year off due to injury, found himself in Cincinnati thanks to the Rule 5 draft, contributing to the Reds' NL pennant.  Stewart was eventually traded to Houston in an eight-player deal that included future HOF Joe Morgan.  By 1973, he was out of baseball as a player.  He was named a special assignment scout for the Phillies in 1991.  
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $1.50-$4.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: none.

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: 1997 Topps #15. 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

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1965 Topps #525 Eddie Bressoud

It's a brand new year, and I finally got the infamous Topps Card Randomizer up and running again. Now adding 2011 Topps and Update Series cards (990 cards) to the spreadsheet.



It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, January 1, 2012:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1965 Topps #525.
• Player Name, position, team: Eddie Bressoud, shortstop, Boston Red Sox.
• Major League Debut: June 14, 1956.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1964 stats (Red Sox): 158 G, 566 AB, 86 R, 166 H, 41 2B, 3 3B, 15 HR, 55 RBI, .293 AVG.
• Any special information about players: Signed by the New York Giants as a Free Agent before the 1950 season. Traded by the Houston Colt .45's to the Red Sox 11/26/1961. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 10. This is his eighth card.
• Blurb on the back: "A well-travelled veteran, Ed blossomed into an ll-Star player with the Boston Red Sox. The shortstop broke in at Springfield in '50."
• Commentary: To celebrate the return of the Randomizer, it is only fitting that there be a few changes to the way the posts will be presented. This is the part where I talk about the player or make a comment about the card. This set, known for the pennant holding the player's name, is one classic design that we will see in a couple of years when 2014 Heritage comes around.  The card appears in the fourth and final series in the 1965 Topps set.  Bressoud made his lone All-Star Game appearance in 1964.  Prior to his four year stint with the Red Sox, Bressoud manned the infield for the New York and San Francisco Giants (he made the move to the west coast with the team in 1958).  He continued his career with the Mets and Cardinals and upon retirement, he was a minor league manager and scout for the Angels. Ironically, while he was a rather decent defender, the cartoon above his stats shows a fielder shielding himself from a number of baseball. Fortunately, the caption reads "Ed led the Sox in doubles in 1964" so hopefully, the fielder is from the opposing team.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $3.00-$8.00.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 0 cards.

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: 2000 Topps #91. 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.

Happy New Year Everybody!!!



Sincerely,



JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1965 Topps #133 1964 World Series Game #2

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, September 19, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1965 Topps #133.
• Player Name, position, team: Mel Stottlemyre, pitcher, New York Yankees.
• Special: World Series Game 2, New York 8, St. Louis 3.
• Any special information about this specific card: Simply put, this is the card that highlights Game 2 of the 1964 World Series between the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals. Stottlemyre, just a rookie during the 1964 season, was tasked to face the intimidating Bob Gibson in Game 2 of the Series. The Cards won the first game handily 9-5, and having Gibson on the mound certainly gave the Redbirds confidence heading into that Thursday tilt. But Stottlemyre outpitched Gibson that day, allowing only three runs in a complete game effort. It would be Mel's only World Series win. He started games 5 and 7, losing both decisions as the Cardinals won the whole thing. 
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $2.50-$6.00.

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. (You have to stop by and visit them now. They just announced that they are allowing more people to enter the museum at one time.)

Well, it's back to normal on Monday. Tomorrow's card will be: 1984 Topps #187 . 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

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1965 Topps #170 Hank Aaron

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, August 15, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1965 Topps #170.
• Player Name, position, team: Hank Aaron, outfielder, Atlanta Braves.
• Major League Debut: April 13, 1954.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1964 stats (Braves): 145 G, 570 AB, 103 R, 187 H, 30 2B, 2 3B, 24 HR, 95 RBI, .328 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Braves as a Free Agent 07/14/1952. Bats: left, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Aaron's twelfth regular Topps card (total includes regular cards only, not including any record breakers, all-star, or other combo cards). The 1965 Topps set utilized for its design element, a pennant that features the team logo and team name on the lower left corner of a rounded-rectangular frame that housed the player's picture. So relevant was this design that once again, a rival card company used it for one of their "vintage" brands. The bright blue card backs, while susceptible to wear, made the stats and text easy to read. Hank Aaron, for many, many years, was first in many different statistical categories. He led the league in almost every single one at one point or another at season's end. No bigger statistic than career home runs. Since I was born in 1976, I have absolutely no idea, short of reading about it, about what it must have been like during Aaron's era. It almost has a romantic quality to it. We still think about the players during Aaron's day as some of the greatest all time, and the fact that he had great success against the best of the best the NL had to offer is astounding. The struggles he had to endure would have broken a weaker man. But Hank Aaron is not a weak man. What a relief he must have felt when he finally hit #715. But that's in the future. This is 1965. By the time this card came out, Hammerin' Hank was a perennial MVP candidate (ten seasons straight, winning the big one in 1957), a perennial All-Star (ten seasons straight), a three-time Gold Glove winner, and, at 366 HR's going into the 1965 season, halfway to the record. This card must have meant something special to Topps because not only did they reprint it (along with all of Hank's other cards in 2000), but for the big 2001 Topps Through the Years reprint set, the first one that got me hooked on reprints and inserts, Aaron's card represented the 1965 season. Even though he hit 24 home runs, the fact that he still maintained a .328 average, and an OPS of .907, meant that he was still a hitting machine. There wasn't a doubt that this man would become a HOF in his first year of eligibility. When it was announced that he and Frank Robinson were going into the Hall, there were 415 ballots cast. Aaron's name was on 406 of them. What nine guys thought that he wasn't worthy of HOF induction??! I know we scream about it now when bonafide Hall of Famers get in and not unanimously. But back then, there should have been an uproar. Regardless, Aaron is one of the greatest hitters in the game. And probably one of its biggest heroes.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $75.00-$150.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 58 cards.

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 #225. 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