Mail Day: Suckers for 63s

     On this edition of Mail Day, we bring you a couple more Listia finds. These arrived in the bird box courtesy of SultanofSleaze. They were offered at a price we couldn't refuse. What can we say? We're suckers for 63s.

1963 Topps #22

1963 Topps #172

Binder Pages--Cardinals Hall of Fame Edition: Lou Brock

Lou Brock aka "The Franchise"

     Louis Clark Brock was born on June 18, 1939 in El Dorado, Arkansas. His parents, Maud and Paralee Brock, were sharecroppers. When Brock was two years old, his father, Maud, abandoned the family. Lou's mother, Paralee, moved Lou and his eight siblings to Collinston, Louisiana where she worked as a field hand and housekeeper.  

     As a youth, Lou showed athletic and academic talent. He attended Union High School in Monroe, Louisiana where he played baseball and basketball. Despite the fact Brock was not scouted by collegiate baseball or basketball teams, Brock earned a scholarship to Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA based on his academic record. 

     According to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Brock worked as a janitor and mowed lawns until baseball season began. He tried out for the team, but wasn't getting much attention from the coach. One day, he collapsed in the outfield while shagging fly balls and it caught the attention of coach, Emory Hines. Brock asserted that he wanted to play baseball and Hines asked him to hit. Lou got five swings and hit four balls over the fence. Brock had a lackluster freshman year, but, as a sophomore, led the Southern University Jaguars to a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship. On August 22, 1960, Lou was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and was offered a $30,000 signing bonus. For a young man who had grown up in poverty, it was more than enough to coax Lou out of returning to school for his senior year.

Chicago Cubs (1961-1964)

     Lou spent the 1961 season in St. Cloud, Minnesota playing for the Rox, a Class C affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. He posted a .361 batting average, scored 118 runs, and stole 38 bases. It earned him a late-season call-up. Brock experienced little success with the major league club, only acquiring one hit in eleven at bats over four games. 

     Despite his dismal debut in 1961, Lou earned a spot on the Cubs roster out of spring training in 1962 and, subsequently, cracked the starting lineup. He struggled with the Cubs, establishing himself as a .250 hitter and only stealing fifty bases over the course of two and a half seasons. On June 15, 1964, the Cubs traded Brock, along with Jack Springer and Paul Toth, to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ernie Broglio, Bobby Shantz, and Doug Clemens. It seemed like a good deal for the Cubs at the time. Broglio won 18 games in 1963, but wasn't able to match his prior production with the Cardinals. He won only seven games during his time with the Cubs from 1964-1966. By the end of the '66 season, Broglio's major league career was over. Brock, on the other hand, was just hitting his stride.

St. Louis Cardinals (1964-1979)

1966 Topps #125

     Brock made an immediate impact after he joined the Cardinals in 1964 by posting a .348 batting average, scoring 81 runs, and stealing 33 bases. According to The Encyclopedia of Arkansas, the Cubs limited his baserunning, but when he reached St. Louis he was turned loose and told to take as many bags as he could. The advice paid dividends for Lou and St. Louis. The Cardinals bested the New York Yankees in the 1964 World Series. In seven games, Lou batted .300, scored two runs, and drove in five.

     1965 marked a couple firsts in Lou's career. It was the first time that he scored 100 runs with one team (Brock scored 100 runs in 1964 with the Cubs and Cardinals) and it was also the first time that he stole 50 bases in one season. 

     In 1966, he grabbed 74 bags, the best in the National League and began a four-year stretch of leading the league in stolen bases.

1968 Topps #520

     Brock became an All-Star in 1967, his first of six All-Star appearances. Lou batted .299 that year while blasting 21 home runs, scoring 113 runs, and stealing 52 bases. Lou and the Cardinals found themselves, once again, in the World Series--this time against the Boston Red Sox. Brock batted .415, scoring 8 runs, and stealing 7 bases as the Cardinals defeated the Red Sox in 7 games.

     Brock improved upon his 1967 World Series performance by batting .464 while belting two home runs and, once again, stealing 7 bases in the 1968 World Series. Despite Lou's heroic performance, the Cardinals fell to the Detroit Tigers in seven games.

1970 Topps #330

     Brock continued to steal 50+ bases per season in the early 70s and batted over .300 in each season from 1970 to 1972. Lou returned to the All-Star Game in 1971 and 1972 when he recorded his final two 200+ hit seasons.

1972 Topps #200

 Brock put up strong numbers in 1973 by hitting .297 and scoring over 100 runs for the fifth time in his career while stealing 63 bases, but in 1974, Lou did what some thought would be impossible. He broke Maury Will's single-season stolen base record of 104 bags by nabbing 118 bases.

1973 Topps #320

   

1974 Topps #60

1975 Topps #2

     Lou's record stood untouched for eight years before it was surpassed by Rickey Henderson in 1982.

   

1975 Topps #309

In addition, Brock made his fifth All-Star appearance.

To Be Continued

1975 Topps #540

Card of the Day: 3/22/16

1959 Topps #162 Bobby G. Smith

     Bobby Gene Smith was born on May 28, 1934 in Hood River, Oregon. He was signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 1952. Bobby made his debut for the Cardinals on April 16, 1957. From 1957-59, Smith compiled a .231 batting average with little run production. As a result, the Cardinals traded him to the Phillies in exchange for Carl Sawatski after the 1959 season. 

     Bobby found himself in a Cardinals uniform, once again, after the Cardinals acquired him in a trade with the Chicago Cubs halfway through the 1962 season. The Cardinals received Smith along with Daryl Robertson in exchange for Alex Grammas and Don Landrum. Consequently, Smith failed to impress; batting .231 with little run production. The Cardinals sold him to the Boston Red Sox after the season ended.

     

Card of the Day: 3/15/16

1954 Topps #158 Peanuts Lowrey

     Harry Lee Lowrey was born on August 27, 1917 in Culver City, California. In 1937, Peanuts was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent. The Cardinals bought Lowrey's contract from the Cincinnati Reds on September 7, 1950. He played 4+ seasons with the Cardinals, logging 441 games. During that time, Lowrey batted .278 for the club.

     The origin of Peanuts' nickname is something of a mystery, but it is thought to be derived from events on his grandfather's ranch. When Lowrey was a child, he spent time at his grandfather's ranch where several episodes of Our Gang were filmed. Peanuts served as an extra in some of the episodes. It is rumored that actress Thelma Todd offered to buy Harry a bag of peanuts if he behaved properly while on set. Another theory is: Lowrey's grandfather once described Harry "as small as a peanut." It is unclear how Lowrey came about the nickname, but it's abundantly clear that Peanuts Lowrey has one of the coolest monikers in baseball history.

Card of the Day: 3/8/16

1954 Red Man #NL10 Red Schoendienst

     We at Cardinal Sauce are particularly excited to share this card. Pictures don't do justice to these Red Man cards. They are some of the most vibrant-colored cards of the 1950s. They came in packages of Red Man chewing tobacco and, thus, this is the first tobacco card in the Cardinal Sauce collection. Collectors had to cut these out of the package so condition depends on how skillfully the acquirer wielded the scissors or, in many cases, pocket knife. As a result, top condition cards are rare. In addition, these came with a coupon tab on the bottom. Fifty tabs could be exchanged for a baseball cap featuring the redeemer's team of choice. It's relatively difficult to find cards still containing the tab and that also affects the values of these cards. This particular card is missing the tab and has some minor wear. We think it would grade out at Very Good (VG). Regardless, it quickly became the favorite oddball in the Cardinal Sauce collection.

Card of the Day: 3/1/16

1953 Topps #189 Ray Jablonski

     Ray Jablonski was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 17, 1926. The Cardinals acquired Ray from the Boston Red Sox in the 1948 Minor League draft. Jablonski played for the Cardinals in 1953 and 1954, posting a .282 batting average while with the team, knocking in 261 runs, and scoring 144 runs. The Cardinals traded Ray along with Gerry Staley to the Cincinnati Redlegs in exchange for Frank Smith on December 8, 1954. Jablonski passed away on November 25, 1985 in Chicago, Illinois; less than a month shy of his 60th birthday.

Card of the Day: 2/23/16

1959 Topps #137 Dick Ricketts RC

     Richard James Ricketts, Jr. was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania on December 4, 1933. The Cardinals signed Ricketts as an amateur free agent in 1955. Subsequently, he was also drafted #1 overall by the St. Louis Hawks in the 1955 NBA draft. Dick played three years in the NBA before retiring from the sport due to witnessing the injury of a teammate. 

     He made his debut for the Cardinals on June 14, 1959 and pitched in twelve games for the Cardinals during that season. Unfortunately, Dick didn't have much luck as a Major League pitcher. His rookie season was his last season as a big leaguer, posting a 1-6 win-loss record and compiling a career 5.82 ERA. Mr. Ricketts passed away in Rochester, New York on March 6, 1988 as a result of renal cancer.

     

Card of the Day: 2/16/16

1959 Topps #135 Gene Oliver RC

     Eugene George Oliver was born in Moline, Illinois on March 22, 1935. In 1956, he signed with the Cardinals as an amateur free agent. Oliver spent 3+ seasons (1959-1963) with the Cardinals. 1962 was his best season when he played in 122 games, batting .258 while hitting 14 home runs, posting 45 RBI and scoring 42 runs. The Cardinals traded Gene to the Milwaukee Braves on June 15, 1963 along with Bob Sadowski in exchange for Lew Burdette. He played six more seasons in the Major Leagues with minor success. Mr. Oliver passed away in Rock Island, Illinois on March 3, 2007 at the age of 72. 

Card of the Day: 2/9/16

1959 Topps #75 Sam Jones

     Sam Jones was born Daniel Pore Franklin on December 14, 1925 in Stewartsville, Ohio. He played three seasons (1957, 1958, and 1963) with the Cardinals. Sam compiled a 28-22 win-loss record during his time as a Cardinal and struck out 417 batters. 

     On a side-note, Sam became the first African-American player to throw a no-hitter in 1958 while he was with the Cubs. The Cubs traded him two seasons later to the Cardinals for a handful of whoz-its. 

     Jones led the National League in strikeouts during the 1958 campaign with 225. The Cardinals traded him the following off-season to the San Francisco Giants for Bill White and Ray Jablonski. Sam passed away on November 5, 1971 in Morgantown, West Virginia. 

     

Card of the Day: 2/2/16

1959 Topps #37 Gene Green

     Gene Leroy Green was born in Los Angeles California on June 26, 1933. He played three seasons for the Cardinals from 1957 through 1959. In 1958, Green's best season as a big league ballplayer, he batted .281 with 13 home runs, 55 RBI, and 47 runs scored. Gene was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Bob Nieman after the 1959 season. Mr. Green passed away on May 23, 1981 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Card of the Day: 1/26/16

1959 Topps #26 Chuck Stobbs

     Charles Klein Stobbs was born in Wheeling, West Virginia on July 2, 1929. In 1947, the Boston Red Sox signed Chuck as an amateur free agent. He spent fifteen seasons in the Major Leagues.

     During that time, Chuck spent part of a season pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals claimed Chuck off of waives from the Washington Senators on July 9, 1958. He pitched seventeen games for the Cardinals, winning one, losing three, and compiling a 3.63 ERA while with the club. The Cardinals released him after the season ended.

Card of the Day: 1/19/16

1959 Topps #6 Alex Grammas

     Alexander Peter Grammas was born on April 3, 1926 in Birmingham, Alabama. He made his rookie debut for the Cardinals on April 13, 1954.

     Alex spent ten seasons in Major League Baseball, posting a career .247 Batting Average. Alex is still living in Birmingham, Alabama and has a great reputation for completing through-the-mail autograph requests.

     

Card of the Day: 1/12/16

1958 Topps #476 Stan Musial All-Star

          Topps dedicated the final 21 cards in the 1958 set to the All-Stars. It is one of the best All-Star subsets ever produced. The design is beautiful and the checklist is amazing. Besides Musial, it includes Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Casey Stengel, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Frank Robinson, Warren Spahn, Eddie Mathews, Nellie Fox, and Luis Aparicio. It's almost as spectacular as an induction-day mixer.

Card of the Day: 1/5/16

1957 Topps #380 Walker Cooper

     William Walker Cooper was born on January 8, 1915 in Atherton, Missouri. He was signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 1935. 

    

      Cooper served two tours with the Cardinals during his career. The first spanned from 1940-1945. During that time, he was a three-time All-Star(1942, 1943, and 1944), three-time NL Pennant winner(1942, 1943 and 1944), and two-time World Series champion (1942 and 1944). The Cardinals sold Walker to the Giants for $175,000 on January 5, 1946.

     Cooper played for the Giants, Reds, Braves, Pirates, and Cubs before returning home to St. Louis in 1956. He made three more All-Star appearances with the Giants in 1946, 1947, and 1948. Walker retired from baseball after playing the 1956 and 1957 seasons with the Cardinals. He passed away on April 11, 1991 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

      

Card of the Day: 12/29/15

1957 Topps #359 Tom Cheney

     Cheney pitched eight seasons in the Major Leagues. His two seasons (1956 and 1958) with the Cardinals were unspectacular. We did uncover an interesting statistic achieved by Tom. In 1961, he appeared in one game for the Pirates before being traded to the Senators. In that game, Tom gave up four runs while recording no outs, giving him an ERA of infinity while with the Pirates in 1961. Perhaps Tom was the real-life inspiration for Buzz Lightyear.