Phils Name Joe Girardi as New Manager

2019 Chachi #69

On Thursday, October 24th, the news broke that the Phillies would be hiring Joe Girardi to manage the team in 2020.  He's the 55th manager in franchise history and he was signed to a three-year contract with a club option for 2023.  He's the fifth manager for the Phillies in the 6 years and 3 months since Charlie Manuel was dismissed in August 2013.  Phillies fans will best remember Girardi for leading the 2009 Yankees to a World Series victory againsts Manuel's club who were looking to repeat.  I found it interesting that the last time the Phillies hired a manager who had already won a World Series was 1952 when they brought in Steve O'Neill.  O'Neill managed the Tigers in 1945 when they won it all.

1991 Topps Archives 1953 #307

Wearing #25, which means reliever Jared Hughes will need a new number if he returns, Girardi said all the right things during his introductory press conference on Monday afternoon.  He's here to win now and to provide more structure in the clubhouse than his predecessor Gabe Kapler was able to provide.  His first order of business will be to find a hitting coach and a pitching coach, and then the club will turn their attention to luring one (or two or three) high profile free agents.

During his half-hour press conference, Girardi name dropped Larry Bowa, Gary Matthews, John Vukovich, Charlie Manuel, John Kruk and The Phillies Room favorite Bob Dernier.  Dernier was Girardi's first victim in the caught stealing department when the speedy outfielder tried to steal second in the 1989 season opener at Wrigley Field.

Looking at Girardi's baseball card history, his rookie cards can be found in the 1989 Donruss Rookies, Fleer, Score Rookie & Traded and Upper Deck sets.  His first Topps card can be found in the 1990 set, and he'd go on to appear in most every Topps flagship set until 2003 with the Cubs, Rockies, Yankees, Cubs again and Cardinals.  (He was omitted from the 1999 set.)  He's appeared on manager cards in sets since 2008 with his most recent mainstream card found in the 2016 Topps Heritage set.

Personally, I'm a big fan of this hiring and I feel way more optimistic than I did following Kapler's hiring in November 2017.  Girardi has a proven track record and he brings instant credibility to the job.  Hopefully he'll also bring a few more World Series trophies along the way as well.

Pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater in 107 days.

1954 Topps Phillies - Only 1 Card Remains

I've previously established on this blog that my Mom rocks.  However, if you're new to the blog or if you'd like a quick recap of the reasons for this sentiment:

1.  She is unconditionally supportive and loving and has had my back since the day I was born.
2.  She checks my want lists and finds me old Phillies baseball cards for Christmas, my birthday or other special occasions.
3.  See statement 1.

I recently celebrated a birthday and my Mom's gift selection abilities amazed me yet again.  Thanks to her, I'm now just one card away from a complete 1954 Topps Phillies team set.  The 10 cards featured here have been added to my collection, courtesy of my Mom's continued awesomeness.

(Yes, the Herman Wehmeier card is a Reds card, but he pitched part of the 1954 season with the Phillies, so into the 1950s Phillies binder it goes.)

#41

#51

#104

#108

#127

#162

#174

#183

#196

#236

1954 Topps Phillies

1994 Topps 1954 Archives #24, #41, #45, #78

The battle between Topps and Bowman for players' rights intensified in 1954, as player selection in both baseball card sets continued to suffer.

1954 Topps #247

The Set

Number of cards in the set:  There are 250 cards in the complete set.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  For the first time, collectors got two photos on the front of the card - one color portrait-type shot of the player and another miniature black and white action shot.  I've always liked the use of the full color backgrounds too.  And I'm a sucker for baseball cards with the team logo featured on the front, especially since Topps started using the correct Phillies logo this year.

Notable competition:  Bowman issued its penultimate set in 1954, featuring 224 cards.

1954 Phillies

Record and finish:  The Phils finished in 4th place with a record of 75-79.  A steady decline was beginning and the team wouldn't finish above .500 again until 1962.

1954 Topps #247 (Back)

Key players:  The key player summary could begin and end with Robin Roberts.  The future Hall of Famer started the All-Star Game, pitched two one-hitters, went 23-15 with a 2.97 ERA, and led the league in wins, strikeouts (185), innings pitched (337) and complete games (29).  Richie Ashburn had another solid year, hitting .313.  Catcher Smoky Burgess (.368 average while splitting duties with Stan Lopata), left fielder Del Ennis (.261, 25 home runs and 119 RBIs) and second baseman Granny Hamner (.299, 13 home runs, 89 RBIs) were the top offensive performers for the club.

Key events:  New general manager Roy Hamey surprisingly fired manager Steve O'Neill in July when the Phils were in third place with a 40-37 record.  Terry Moore was hired to replace O'Neill and the team went 35-42 for the remainder of the season.  Moore was fired after the season ended.  Murry Dickson, acquired before the season from the Pirates, led the league with 20 losses.

1994 Topps 1954 Archives #127, #183, #236, #196

1954 Phillies in 1954 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 14 Phillies cards in the '54 Topps set, bringing the cumulative 1951-1954 total to an even 50.

Who’s in:  Proving that Topps' lackluster player selection is not a recent trend in its sets, here's the break-down of the Phillies cards kids could expect to find in packs of '54 Topps - Just three regulars (second baseman Hamner, third baseman Puddin' Head Jones and center fielder Ashburn), one bench guy (shortstop Ted Kazanski), five guys who appeared in 13 games or less with the Phillies (Johnny Lindell, Mickey Micelotta, Stan Jok, Paul Penson and Thornton Kipper), two players who didn't suit up with the team that year (Mike Sandlock and Tom Qualters), and a manager card for O'Neill and two coaches' cards for Earle Combs and Eddie Mayo.  That's lousy player selection.

Who’s out:  Pretty much everyone, but the notable omissions are catcher Burgess, first baseman Earl Torgeson, shortstop Bobby Morgan, outfielders Ennis and Johnny Wyrostek, pitchers Roberts, Curt Simmons, Dickson, Herm Wehmeier and Jim Konstanty.

Phillies on other teams:  Wehmeier was purchased from the Reds on June 12th and he's featured on card #162 with his former team.

What’s he doing here:  The five guys appearing in 13 games or less, as listed above.  Stan Jok had 3 at-bats with the '54 Phils, striking out twice.

Cards that never were candidates:  Roberts, Ennis, Burgess, Simmons and short-time manager Moore.

Favorite Phillies card:  Ashburn's card, by default, and because I own a beat up copy of the original.

2000 Fleer Tradition #423, 2000 Fleer Tradition Update #U93
2003 Topps Heritage #127 and #190

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Topps reprinted the set in 1994, shrinking the cards and doing away with the full bleed tops, opting for a clean white border surrounding the entire card instead.  Fleer borrowed heavily from the design for its 2000 Fleer Tradition set, a set that pre-dated the 2003 Topps Heritage set by three years.  I liked both sets so much that I put together hand-collated sets of both back in the day.

Blogs/Websites:  Want to view the entire 1954 Topps set?  Head over to the Virtual Card Collection and enjoy.

Did You Know?:  Here are just a few "Inside Baseball" tidbits that can be found on the back of the Phillies' cards:

• Mickey is a rug-measurer during the off-season!  (#212 Mickey Micelotta)
• When only 12, Steve worked in the coal mines at Scranton!  (#127 Steve O'Neill)
• Richie broke into baseball as a catcher in 1945.  (#45 Richie Ashburn)
• In high school, Tom dreamed of playing for the Phils!  (#174 Tom Qualters)

1953 Topps Phillies

1991 Topps 1953 Archives #10, #146, #88, #79

I've always preferred Topps' "sophomore" effort over its inaugural freshman set.  (I'm not ignoring the '51 sets, but it's hard to hold them in the same class as the '52 and '53 sets.)  The 1953 Topps set is gorgeous.  It uses beautifully painted portraits of its subjects as Topps continued to battle Bowman for the hard-earned allowances of young baseball fans across the nation.  The '53 Bowman Color set is a classic in its own right, but there's something about the '53 Topps set that appeals to me a little more.  It's a shame Topps hasn't dipped back into this well more, as it's only reproduced the design in its 2002 Topps Heritage set.  I wouldn't mind seeing a Topps 53 set, showcasing portraits of the rookie classes of 2011 or 2012.

The Set
Number of cards in the set:  Although the set numbers to 280, there are only 274 cards in the set as six cards were never issued.
My very brief thoughts on the set:  When I'm rich and famous, I'd love to collect this set.  The only drawback is the lack of notable Phillies players in the set, which I'll get to in a a little bit.  The write-up in the Standard Catalog notes this is the first time the back of baseball cards featured a trivia question.
Notable competition:  Bowman issued two sets in 1953 - a 160-card color set and a 64-card black and white set.  Trying to keep up with Topps, both Bowman sets contained a line of prior year and career statistics on the back.

1991 Topps 1953 Archives #102, #140, #59, #136

1953 Phillies
Record and finish:  After winning 87 games and finishing in fourth in 1952, the record slipped to 83-71, but the finish improved to third place in the National League.  The Phils had finished the '52 season as one of the hottest teams in baseball, and they were primed to compete in the Senior Circuit in '53.  But it wasn't to be, as injuries and a red hot Brooklyn Dodgers team couldn't be overcome.
Key players:  Robin Roberts led the league in wins (23), strikeouts (198) and complete games (33) on his way to being named The Sporting News' pitcher of the year for the second consecutive year.  Richie Ashburn led the league in hits (205) while hitting .330 for the year.  Lefty Curt Simmons (16-13, 3.21) had another successful year and Jim Konstanty, who started 19 games for the Phils, made a nice comeback with a 14-10 record.  Left fielder Del Ennis (.285, 29 home runs, 125 RBIs) had another solid year.  Granny Hamner (.276, 21 home runs, 92 RBIs) was the starting shortstop for the National League in the All-Star Game, but he was moved to second over the summer to make room for rising prospect Ted Kazanski.
Key events:  Simmons cut off the end of one of his big toes in June, missing a month of the season.  Second baseman Connie Ryan had six hits in a game against the Pirates on April 16th.

1991 Topps 1953 Archives #311, #288, #318, #307

1953 Phillies in 1953 Topps
Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are only 9 Phillies cards in the '53 Topps set, which is well below the average for the 16 existing teams at the time.  Even worse, two of the nine Phillies featured didn't play a game for the team in 1953 - Howie Fox, who played for the AAA Baltimore Orioles all season, and Ken Heintzelman, who was released by the Phils on April 4th.  We're up to 36 total Phillies cards in Topps' first three years.

1991 Topps
1953 Archives #88 (Back)

Who’s in:  The Topps Company's ongoing disputes with Bowman over player contracts meant that not many Phillies were in.  There's only four of the regular position players - catcher Smoky Burgess, Hamner, third baseman Puddin' Head Jones and right fielder Johnny Wyrostek.  There's also two bench players (Ryan and infielder Tommy Glaviano) and just one lone pitcher who actually pitched for the Phils in '53 - Karl Drews.
Who’s out:  Just about everybody else - first baseman Earl Torgeson, shortstop Kazanski, outfielders Ennis and Ashburn, pitchers Roberts, Simmons and Konstanty and the entire bullpen.
Phillies on other teams:  Pitcher Johnny Lindell was purchased from Pittsburgh in August and he appeared in 11 games for the Phillies.  He appears on card #230 as a Pirate.
What’s he doing here?:  Fox and Heintzelman, as mentioned above.
Cards that never were candidates:  Ennis, Ashburn, Roberts, Simmons and Konstanty.
Favorite Phillies card:  I'm going with Willie Jones' card with its blue sky background with white fluffy clouds.  Although it would have been cool had Topps crammed in "Puddin' Head" on the front of the card instead of "Willie."

2002 Topps Heritage #30, #179, #246, #288

Other Stuff
Recycled:  Topps reprinted the '53 set in 1991, dubbing it 1991 Topps Archives, "The Ultimate 1953 Set."  Topps included 57 "cards that never were" featuring black and white photos and colored backgrounds, which completely failed to capture the look and feel of the original.  What could have been a cool concept was botched as the cards that never were looked absolutely nothing like the cards that actually were, save for the colored black or red box and team logo.  Had they done it right, the 1953 Topps Ashburn card would have looked like this.  As mentioned above, Topps used the design for its second Heritage set in 2002.

Blogs:  Check out this excellent entry on the '53 Topps set over at The Golden Age of Baseball Cards.

Did You Know?:  The Phillies logo used by Topps on its '52 and '53 baseball cards was never actually an official logo of the club.  The correct "official" logo in use at the time by the team on its publications and advertising materials was the logo featured here.  I've always wondered why the people at Topps generated their own Phillies logo for its earliest baseball cards instead of using the official logo.  Perhaps the thin blue line circling the Phillies' cap was too hard to replicate on a baseball card?  The official logo makes its long-awaited debut in the '54 Topps set.