1963 Topps Phillies

1963 Topps #434, #283, #32 and #341

If 1962 Topps beget 1987 Topps, then 1963 Topps beget 1983 Topps.  I didn't know much about this set growing up other than it's the set with Pete Rose's rookie card in it.  If you had asked 10-year-old me if I could have any baseball card in the entire world, I wouldn't have hesitated with my pick - the Rose rookie card.  Maybe one day.

The Set

1963 Topps #366 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  The complete set consists of 576 cards, down from the 598 total cards found in the 1962 Topps set.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  The folks at Topps must have wanted to mix things up in 1963 after a soothing, wood-grained design in 1962.  The '63 Topps set is very colorful, with blues, yellows, oranges, reds and greens used no matter the team.

Notable competition:  Post and the Salada coins were around again in 1963, but it was the 66-card Fleer set that gave Topps its biggest competition since Bowman departed the scene in 1955.  The Standard Catalog mentions that a "lawsuit by Topps stopped Fleer's 1963 set at one series of 66 cards."  The complete Phillies team set from 1963 Fleer consists of five cards.

1963 Phillies

Record and finish:  The Phillies finished with a record of 87-75, their highest win total since also winning 87 games in 1952.  They still finished fourth in the National League behind the Giants, Cardinals and pennant winning Dodgers.  Things were looking up and they would almost reach the promised land in 1964.  Almost.

Key players:  Johnny Callison (.284, 26 home runs and 78 RBIs) and Wes Covington (.303, 17 home runs and 64 RBIs) paced the offense.  Roy Sievers' average dropped to .240, but he still hit 19 home runs and drove in 82 runs.  Tony Gonzalez hit .306 in another steady year for the Phillies.  With Art Mahaffey missing a chunk of the season with a bad ankle, starters Cal McLish (13-11, 3.26 ERA) and Ray Culp (14-11, 2.97 ERA) led the pitching staff.  Jack Baldschun was great out of the bullpen, saving 16 games and pitching to an 11-7 record with a 2.30 ERA.  Johnny Klippstein contributed a 1.93 ERA in 49 appearances.

Key events:  Shortstop Bobby Wine won his first and only Gold Glove.  Richie Allen was a September call-up, making his Major League debut on September 3rd.

1963 Topps #366, #318, #71 and #385

1963 Phillies in 1963 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 29 cards in a 1963 Topps Phillies team set.  The cumulative tally is 121 cards from the '60s (so far) and 294 Topps Phillies cards dating back to 1951.  (Turns out there are actually 30 Phillies cards in a complete team set - see the comments to this post.  I'll update the overall tally if I ever get to a 1951 to whenever Topps Phillies retrospective post.)

Who’s in:  22 players who actually played with the Phillies in 1963 made it into the set - on their own cards.  On three other cards, rookies Marcelino Lopez, Culp, John Boozer and John Herrnstein had to share their rookie cards with several other players on Topps' multi-player Rookie Stars cards.  Mahaffey became the first Phillie to appear on a League Leader card, as he was featured along with the other 1962 victory leaders on card #7.  Rounding out the team set is a card for manager Gene Mauch, a team card, and a card for reliever Billy Smith, who spent the season playing for the Phillies' AAA team in Arkansas.

Who’s out:  Just starting pitcher Chris Short.  And Allen would have to wait for the 1964 Topps set for his rookie card.

1963 Topps #268, #455, #91 and #192

Phillies on other teams:  Ryne Duren (#17) pitched in 33 games for the Phillies after being sold from the Angels in March.  Outfielder Jim Lemon (#369) was purchased from the Twins in May.

What’s he doing here:  I have no arguments with any of the Phillies players featured.  Even Smith, who should have had a card in the 1962 Topps set, was a logical inclusion as he had pitched in 24 games in the prior year.

Cards that never were candidates:  Short and Allen.  The fine Dick Allen Hall of Fame blog has already created a great looking 1963 Topps Richie Allen card.

Favorite Phillies card:  Similar to the 1962 Topps Phillies cards, there aren't any cards that really stand out to me.  I'll pick Bobby Wine's card, although I could be swayed by the smiling Mahaffey or the Cookie Rojas rookie card.

1963 Topps #7 and #221, 2006 Topps Wal-Mart #WM17 and 2001 Upper Deck Vintage #298

Other Stuff

Recycled:  If Topps produces a Heritage set in 2012 (and why wouldn't they?) this will be the design used.  Back in 2001, Upper Deck used a design that looked suspiciously like the 1963 Topps set for its Vintage offering.  And in 2006, Topps failed with a 1963-style Chase Utley card - the circle is too small and the font is all wrong.

Blogs/Websites:  Here's a terrific post on the 1963 Topps set from Dean's Cards.

Did You Know?:  It could be a while before I complete this team set.  John Hernstein's rookie card, #553 in the set, typically sells for a few hundred dollars.  He shares the card with three other Rookie Stars - Brock Davis, Jim Gosger and Willie Stargell.

2011 Topps Heritage #434 Carlos Ruiz

Phillies 10, Braves 2
Game 8 - Saturday Afternoon, April 9th in Atlanta

One Sentence Summary:  Catchers Brian Schneider and Carlos Ruiz provided the power this afternoon in Atlanta, as Roy Oswalt earned his first career victory against the Braves.

What It Means:  The Phillies improved to 6-2, and they go for the series win tomorrow afternoon behind Cole Hamels.

What Went Right:  Ruiz didn't even come into the game until the seventh, when he pinch-hit for Oswalt, but he finished the day with a grand slam and an RBI-double.  It was Ruiz' first career grand slam and the five RBIs set a career high.  Not bad for three innings of work!  Schneider had hit a two-run home run in the fourth to give the Phils a 3-2 lead.  Four of the team's fifteen hits came courtesy of Shane Victorino.

Oswalt pitched six innings for his second win of 2011, allowing an earned run on five hits.  He worked out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth by getting slugger Jason Heyward to pop out to third for the final out of the inning.

Featured Card:  This is one of those elusive short-prints from 2011 Topps Heritage.

Other Stuff:  The Phillies had three more pinch-hits on Saturday, including Chooch's slam, and Phillies pinch-hitters are now 10 for 16 (.625) so far this season.

Transaction:  On Friday, the Braves optioned pitcher Mike Minor to AAA Gwinnett and recalled catcher J.C. Boscan.

2011 Chachi #3 Jimmy Rollins

#11

James Calvin Rollins

Shortstop

Bats: Switch  Throws: Right  Height: 5'8"  Weight: 172

Born: November 27, 1978, Oakland, CA

Home: Alameda, CA

Drafted: Selected by Phillies in 2nd round of June 1996 draft

Teams: Phillies 2000-

Acquired: Via draft

Contract Status: Signed through the 2011 season

Complete Topps Base Set Checklist:

2001 Topps Traded #T66 - Phillies

2002 Topps #164 - Phillies

2003 Topps #3 - Phillies

2004 Topps #76 - Phillies

2005 Topps #76 - Phillies

2006 Topps #205 - Phillies

2007 Topps #265 - Phillies

2007 Topps #658 - Phillies - Classic Combo (with Aaron Rowand)

2008 Topps #30 - Phillies

2008 Topps #233 - Phillies - N.L. MVP

2009 Topps #525 - Phillies

2009 Topps #601 - Phillies - Classic Combos (with Ryan Howard)

2010 Topps #134 - Phillies - Team Card (with Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard)

2010 Topps #403 - Phillies

2011 Topps #199 - Phillies

2011 Chachi #2 Placido Polanco

#27

Placido Enrique Polanco

Third Base

Bats: Right  Throws: Right  Height: 5'10"  Weight: 189

Born: October 10, 1975, Santo Domingo, DR

Home: Miami, FL

Drafted: Selected by St. Louis Cardinals in 19th round of June 1994 draft

Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1998-2002, Phillies 2002-2005, Detroit Tigers 2005-2009, Phillies 2010-

Acquired: Signed as a free agent formerly with the Detroit Tigers, December 3, 2009

Contract Status: Signed through the 2012 season

Complete Topps Base Set Checklist:

2001 Topps #696 - Cardinals

2002 Topps #268 - Cardinals

2002 Topps Traded #T62 - Phillies

2003 Topps #531 - Phillies

2004 Topps #117 - Phillies

2005 Topps #2 - Phillies

2005 Topps Update #33 - Tigers

2006 Topps #461 - Tigers

2006 Topps Update #191 - Tigers - Postseason Highlights (with Jeff Suppan)

2007 Topps #386 - Tigers

2007 Topps #653 - Tigers - Classic Combos (with Sean Casey and Albert Pujols)

2007 Topps Update #217 - Tigers - All-Star

2008 Topps #15 - Tigers - Batting Leaders (with Magglio Ordonez and Ichiro Suzuki)

2008 Topps #512 - Tigers

2009 Topps #599 - Tigers

2010 Topps #263 - Tigers

2010 Topps Update #US245 - Phillies

2011 Topps #89 - Phillies

2010 Chachi #71 Shane Victorino HL

Braves 6, Phillies 3
Game 7 - Friday Night, April 8th in Atlanta

One Sentence Summary:  The Braves got to Cliff Lee, knocking him out in the fourth and tagging him for six runs as the Phillies lost in Atlanta.

What It Means:  Lee had his worst start since September 4, 2009 (against the Astros) when he surrendered six runs in three innings of work.  Tonight, he allowed six runs on ten hits, a walk and a hit batter in 3 1/3 innings.  The Phillies fall to 5-2, maintaining a one-game lead over the Marlins in the N.L. East.

What Went Wrong:  The Braves offense jumped on Lee's pitches early as the lefty suffered from a lack of command tonight.  Two key at-bats doomed the Phillies.  First, Shane Victorino should have caught the ball hit by Chipper Jones in the fourth that resulted in a bases-clearing double, breaking a 3-3 tie.  Second, with the bases loaded and one out, slugger Ryan Howard bounced weakly back to pitcher Tim Hudson, resulting in a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning.

What Went Right:  The long relievers at least looked good.  Kyle Kendrick wriggled out of trouble following Lee's departure, stranding two Braves base runners in the fourth.  Antonio Bastardo struck out six straight Braves in his two innings of work, tying a franchise record for consecutive strikeouts by a reliever.  Jack Meyer (1958) and Willie Hernandez (1983) had both previously performed the feat.

Featured Card:  Victorino will probably be the first guy to tell you he should have caught Chipper's ball.  This 2010 Chachi Highlight card celebrates the Flyin' Hawaiian's defense in an attempt to cleanse the palette following the botched play in tonight's game.  Ironically, the photo I used for this card is from a game against the Braves last year in which Victorino made a spectacular, leaping catch to take away a Troy Glaus home run.

Other Stuff:  Chipper collected his 2,500th career hit in the sixth inning off Bastardo . . . Cool piece of trivia from Todd Zolecki's blog - "[Wilson] Valdez went 4 for 4 with three runs scored in yesterday's 11-0 victory over the Mets. He is the first No. 8 hitter to have four or more hits and score three or more runs for the Phillies since Steve Lake on June 30, 1991, against the Mets."

Phillies at Braves: April 8th through April 10th

Turner Field - Atlanta, GA
Friday 7:35, Saturday 1:10, Sunday 1:35

Records: Phillies 5-1, 1st Place in NL East (2 games ahead of the Marlins and Mets); Braves 3-4, 4th Place in NL East (2 1/2 games behind the Phillies)

First Game: Back on May 4, 1883, the Boston Beaneaters defeated the Philadelphia Quakers by a score of 11-10 at Philadelphia's Recreation Park. Details of this first game between the franchises that would eventually become the Braves and the Phillies have been lost to time. However, starting for the Phillies that day was 20-year-old John Coleman who would post a record of 12-48 in 1883. The 48 losses represent a single season loss record that stands to this day.

Know Your Enemy: Manager - Fredi Gonzalez, in his first week as manager of the Braves
Starters - Brian McCann (c), Freddie Freeman (1b), Dan Uggla (2b), Chipper Jones (3b), Alex Gonzalez (ss), Martin Prado (lf), Nate McLouth (cf), Jason Heyward (rf)
Rotation - Derek Lowe (rhp), Tommy Hanson (rhp), Tim Hudson (rhp), Brandon Beachy (rhp), Mike Minor (lhp)
Bench - David Ross (c), Brooks Conrad (inf), Brandon Hicks (inf), Eric Hinske (of), Matt Young (of)
Closer - Craig Kimbrel
Bullpen - Scott Linebrink (rhp), Christhian Martinez (rhp), Peter Moylan (rhp), Eric O'Flaherty (lhp), George Sherrill (lhp), Jonny Venters (lhp)
Disabled List - Jair Jurrjens (rhp), Kris Medlen (rhp)

At the Ballpark:  It's Opening Day at Turner Field today and there's a whole host of activities planned for the weekend.  Fans will receive a Braves schedule magnet tonight and Saturday and fireworks follow tonight's game.  Kids can run the bases following Saturday afternoon's game.  And on Sunday, not only is it Alumni Sunday, where former Braves will sign autographs before the game, The Avett Brothers are performing a free post-game concert on the field.  Pretty cool.

Phillies Probables: Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels
Braves Probables: Tim Hudson, Brandon Beachy, Derek Lowe

2008 Chachi #CNP Chachi Passaro

It boggles my mind that our puppy Chachi is already 7 years old today.  This is his special edition card from the 2008 Chachi set, available as an extremely rare insert.

Happy birthday Chachi!  And please stop eating Cheerios when Ben drops them on the floor.  You're allergic and it makes you all itchy.

2011 Topps Phillies #PHI11 Wilson Valdez

Phillies 11, Mets 0
Game 6 - Thursday Afternoon, April 7th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  The bats exploded for 16 hits and Roy Halladay pitched masterfully as the Phils put the Mets in their place and decisively won the series finale, 11-0.

What It Means:  Manager Charlie Manuel preaches winning the series, which is exactly what the Phillies have done against the second tier Astros and Mets clubs.  The first real test of the 2011 season will come this weekend as the Phils faces off against the Braves on the road.

What Went Right:  Just about everything went right.  Wilson Valdez collected a career-high four hits, including two doubles, with three RBIs, Placido Polanco drove in four runs and Raul Ibanez hit his first home run of the season.  Roy Halladay pitched seven shutout innings for his first win of the season, striking out seven along the way.  The only difficult part of his afternoon came in the third when the Mets loaded the bases on three singles.  Halladay struck out David Wright on four pitches and induced a ground-out from Ike Davis and the wind completely went out of the Mets' sails.  After two games, Halladay's ERA is now 0.69.

Featured Card:  I knew I'd get a chance to show off Valdez' Phillies Topps card at some point.  There's a definite chance this could be his only mainstream baseball card of 2011.  This card is especially fitting for this game summary post, as the picture looks as if it could have been taken during this afternoon's game.  Valdez is sporting the team's alternate home day game uniform.

Field Report:  As a person, and specifically as a person of business, I thought it my duty to accept the free ticket offered to me for this afternoon's Business Person's Special.  We sat in Section 137, along the third base line.  The seats are close to the field, but the mega-HD score board is obscured from view from where we were sitting.  Other than that very minor complaint, it was a wonderful afternoon of baseball, and it sure beat sitting in front of a computer screen all afternoon.  The Phillies are now 2-0 in games I've attended this year.

2011 Phillies Team Issue Set

2011 Phillies Team
Issue #12

Since the mid-80's, the Phillies have released a postcard-size (sometimes larger) set of baseball cards, for sale exclusively at the ballpark.  I picked up this year's set on Saturday night, and I'll feature a lot of the cards from the set in game summary posts throughout the season.

There are 36 postcards this year, and the front of the cards features a clean picture with a small Phillies script logo in one of the top corners.  The bottom of the cards feature the player's name, position and number.  I like the clean look this year, but I don't quite follow what the designer was hoping to accomplish with the modern-ish jagged blue stripe above each player's name.  I guess it's edgy?  Backs contain the requisite biographical statistics and full career statistics.

The set does a great job with player selection, although Pete Orr's inclusion on the team's Opening Day roster caught the checklist's designer off guard.  Reliever David Herndon also got the shaft.  Here's the break-down of the set:

Manager (1) - Charlie Manuel
Coaches (6) - Sam Perlozzo, Juan Samuel, Mick Billmeyer, Greg Gross, Pete Mackanin and Rich Dubee
Active Players (23) - Ryan Howard, Ross Gload, Shane Victorino, Ben Francisco, Jimmy Rollins, John Mayberry, Jr., J.C. Romero, Michael Martinez, Wilson Valdez, Brian Schneider, Placido Polanco, Raul Ibanez, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick, Roy Oswalt, Ryan Madson, Carlos Ruiz, Jose Contreras, Danys Baez, Joe Blanton and Antonio Bastardo
Disabled List (3) - Domonic Brown, Chase Utley and Brad Lidge
In the Minors (1) - Delwyn Young
Broadcasters (1) - Chris Wheeler, Larry Andersen, Scott Franzke, Gary Matthews, Tom McCarthy and Jim Jackson
Best Mascot in Baseball (1) - Phillie Phanatic

The set is notable for the first "official" Phillies cards in my collection for Michael Martinez and Juan Samuel as a coach.  If the Phillies release an update set, similar to last year, I'm hoping that Herndon and Orr both make appearances.

2011 Topps Heritage #220 Ryan Howard

Phillies 10, Mets 7
Game 5 - Wednesday Night, April 6th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Behind the mighty bat of Ryan Howard, the Phillies hung on to win a wild one against the Mets, 10-7.

What It Means:  The hope of going 161-1 is still alive.  It wasn't pretty at times, but the offense pounded out 16 hits against Mets pitching and the bullpen pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings.  The Phillies go for the series win tomorrow afternoon behind Roy Halladay.

What Went Right:  Howard is smoking crazy red hot.  He went 4 for 4 with two doubles, a solo home run, and two RBIs.  He's hitting .524 on the young season, and he is just flat raking the ball.  Placido Polanco joined the hit parade with three hits and three RBIs.  Shane Victorino, Raul Ibanez and Pete Orr (starting at second) all enjoyed multi-hit games, while Ben Francisco added his second home run of the year - a bomb in the 6th inning.

The bullpen bailed out Joe Blanton, starting with Antonio Bastardo (who scored the win despite allowing the tying run to score in the fifth) and followed by J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras.  Contreras recorded his first save in his new role as the team's closer.

What Went Wrong:  Blanton got into trouble in the fifth and couldn't escape.  When the inning was over, the Mets had tied things up at 7-7 and Blanton's night was done.

Featured Card:  This is the look Mets starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey will see in his nightmares tonight.

Former Phillie Alert:  Taylor Buccholz allowed three inherited runners to score in the third, but he settled in and struck out five Phillies in his two innings of work.  Buccholz was one the prospects the Phillies traded to the Houston Astros back in November 2003 for Billy Wagner.

Other Stuff:  It's great to see former Phillie Chris Coste on the Phillies post-game show along with Ricky Bottalico.  You can't help but root for a guy like Coste, no matter what he's doing.

2011 Chachi #1 Shane Victorino

#8

Shane Patrick Victorino

Center Field

Bats: Switch  Throws: Right  Height: 5'9"  Weight: 190

Born: November 30, 1980, Wailuku, HI

Home: Las Vegas, NV

Drafted: Selected by Los Angeles Dodgers in 6th round of June 1999 draft

Teams: San Diego Padres 2003, Phillies 2005-

Acquired: Selected in Rule 5 draft from the San Diego Padres, December 13, 2004

Contract Status: Signed through the 2012 season

Complete Topps Base Set Checklist:

2003 Topps Traded #T242 - Dodgers

2007 Topps #372 - Phillies

2008 Topps #238 - Phillies

2009 Topps #73 - Phillies

2009 Topps #134 - Phillies - Team Card (with Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard)
2009 Topps #191 - Phillies - Postseason Highlights

2009 Topps Update #UH122 - Team USA - Classic Combos (with Kevin Youklis, David Wright and Derek Jeter)

2009 Topps Update #UH129 - Phillies - All-Star

2010 Topps #23 - Phillies

2011 Topps Phillies Set

2011 Topps Phillies #PHI6

Each year when I attend my first Phillies game of the season, there are certain items I'm sure to pick up:

- Game program, which is now technically an "Official Magazine"
- Media Guide, which comes free with our 17-game partial season ticket plan
- Phillies Photo Card set - this is the postcard size set featuring players, coaches, Charlie Manual, the Phanatic and the broadcasters
- Phillies Yearbook, which hasn't been available until May or so in recent years

In recent years, I've also started purchasing the Topps Phillies team set.  Every year, there are cards in this set that can't be found in the regular Topps set and this year is no exception.  There are 17 cards in the 2011 Topps Phillies set, broken down as follows:

Repeats from Topps Series 1 (7 cards) - Roy Halladay, Chase Utley, Roy Oswalt, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz, Brad Lidge and Placido Polanco

These cards match up with their Series 1 counterparts except for the number on the back and the cool little line of text on the back of the card listing a counterpart card from an earlier Topps set.

Repeats from Topps Opening Day (1 card) - Cliff Lee

Lee is featured as a Ranger in Series 1, but his Opening Day card features him as a Phillie.

Possible Previews from Topps Series 2 (7 cards) - Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Domonic Brown, Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Ben Francisco and Ryan Madson

These are cards for players not featured in Series 1, but I would imagine will find their way into Series 2.

Phillies Topps Potential Exclusives (2 cards) - Wilson Valdez and Citizens Bank Park

Nothing against Valdez, but given Topps' history of player selection in recent years, I don't see him making the cut for Series 2.  I hope I'm wrong.

2011 Topps Opening Day Blue #155 Cole Hamels

Mets 7, Phillies 1
Game 4 - Tuesday Night, April 5th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels couldn't escape the third inning as the Mets and pitcher Chris Young embarrassed the Phils, 7-1.

What It Means:  It was destined to happen eventually.  The Phillies lost their first game of 2011, thwarting my hope they'd go 162-0.

What Went Wrong:  It all comes down to Hamels' third inning.  He allowed six singles, two walks and six runs before getting pulled with two outs for long man Kyle Kendrick.  A Carlos Ruiz passed ball didn't help matters much either.  And the offense just never got going, failing to string together timely hits and stranding nine runners on base.  At one point in the game, Mets' pitcher Chris Young, with three singles, was outhitting the entire Phillies line-up.

What Went Right:  Other than a run surrendered by David Herndon in the sixth, the bullpen shut down the Mets the rest of the way.  Kendrick was especially effective in his 2 2/3 innings.

Featured Card:  This is another card received from Section 36.  It's fitting because Hamels' pitching performance this evening made me kind of blue.  This particular card is numbered on the back and it's number 880 of just 2011 in existence.

Other Stuff:  General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. reported before the game that while Chase Utley is still doing drills at second, he has yet to start jogging.

Mets at Phillies: April 5th through April 7th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 3:05

Records:  Mets 2-1, 3rd Place in the NL East, 1 game behind the Phillies; Phillies 3-0, 1st Place in the NL East, 1/2 game ahead of the Braves.

First Game:  The expansion New York Mets faced off against the Phillies for the first time on April 27, 1962 at the Polo Grounds.  The Phillies won a slugfest, 11-9, as Johnny Callison went 4 for 5 with three runs scored and two RBIs.  Cal McLish was the winning pitcher for the Phils, lasting six innings and giving up four runs on eight hits.  Former Phillie great Richie Ashburn led off and played center field for the Mets, but he had a rough day at the plate.  Whitey went 0 for 5.

Meet the Mess: Manager - Terry Collins, managing his fourth game with the Mets
Starters - Josh Thole (c), Ike Davis (1b), Brad Emaus (2b), David Wright (3b), Jose Reyes (ss), Willie Harris (lf), Angel Pagan (cf), Carlos Beltran (rf)
Rotation - Mike Pelfrey (rhp), Jon Niese (lhp), R.A. Dickey (rhp), Chris Young (rhp), Chris Capuano (lhp)
Bench - Mike Nickeas (c), Chin-lung Hu (inf), Daniel Murphy (inf), Lucas Duda (of), Scott Hairston (of)
Closer - Francisco Rodriguez (rhp)
Bullpen - Pedro Beato (rhp), Blaine Boyer (rhp), Taylor Buchholz (rhp), Tim Byrdak (lhp), D.J. Carrasco (rhp), Bobby Parnell (rhp)
Disabled List - Jason Bay, Ronny Paulino (restricted list), Johan Santana

At the Ballpark:  All adult fans get a McDonald's Opening Week t-shirt on Tuesday night and Thursday is the first Business Person's Special of the season.

Mets Probables:  Chris Young, Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese
Phillies Probables:  Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Roy Halladay

2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary #174 Roy Oswalt

As far as I know, no Yankees fan has ever sent me baseball cards through the mail.  However and once again, a die-hard Red Sox fan, seated in Section 36, has sent me a nice little package of Phillies baseball cards.  Because of this, I'm able to cross off several more cards from my 2011 Wantlist.  I'm (foolishly?) trying to collect parallels from this year's Topps releases and this super shiny diamond-y card of Roy Oswalt gets me one card closer to the Diamond Anniversary Phillies team set.

Thanks again, Section 36, and best of luck this year!

Except for the last week of June and last week of October.

2010 Chachi #58 ERA Leaders - Roy Halladay & Cole Hamels

If you (or anyone else) had said to me in June last year that Cole Hamels would be the Phillies' fourth starter to start the 2011 season, I would have been very confused.  Maybe an injury pushed back his first start?  Maybe he had an awful spring and Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick had jumped him in the rotation?

I would not have guessed that Hamels was the team's fourth starter because of their acquisition of Roy Oswalt in July and the signing of free agent Cliff Lee in December.  And that's where we are today.  Following an off-day today, the Phillies face off against the Mets for three games with Hamels - their number four starter - pitching the series opener on Tuesday night.

Halladay and Hamels finished one-two in most major pitching categories in 2010, and ERA was no exception.  Using a qualifying mark of 162 innings or more, the four pitchers qualifying last year for the Phillies were Halladay (2.44 in 250.2 innings), Hamels (3.06 in 208.2 innings), Kendrick (4.73 in 180.2 innings) and Blanton (4.82 in 175.2 innings).

2011 Topps Opening Day #218 Ryan Howard

Phillies 7, Astros 3
Game 3 - Sunday Afternoon, April 3rd in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Behind the big bat of Ryan Howard and the pitching of Roy Oswalt, the Phillies continued their march towards 162-0 with a decisive 7-3 victory over the Astros.

What It Means:  The Phillies swept a season opening series for the first time since 1994 and it's the first time they've started a season with a 3-0 record at home since 1970.  And it's way, way, way too early for this to have any kind of meaning, but it's nice to be in first place so early in the season.

What Went Right:  The Phils led early and never looked back.  Howard hit a three-run home run in the first, which was followed shortly by a Ben Francisco solo home run.  Howard added an RBI-double in the third for his fourth RBI of the day, giving the Phils a 5-0 lead.  (The double just missed going over the wall.)  Howard finished the day 3 for 4 with four RBIs and Francisco went 3 for 5.  Placido Polanco added two doubles.  Oswalt pitched six innings in his first ever pitching appearance against his former team, striking out six while allowing two runs on five hits.

Featured Card:  I've got to get these Topps Opening Day cards featured in early posts.  It just seems weird to use one of these cards for a game in June . . . or May for that matter.

Other Stuff:  Michael Martinez made his Major League debut this afternoon, batting lead-off and playing center field in place of Shane Victorino.  He tallied his first hit and RBI in the sixth . . . Victorino is nursing a tender calf, although he added a pinch-hit RBI-single in the sixth.

1962 Topps Phillies

1962 Topps #146, #17, #220 and #453

We're now up to the design used for this year's Topps Heritage set, the original wood-grained wonder.  Way before there was 1987 Topps, there was the 1962 Topps set.

The Set

1962 Topps #146 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  Topps added eleven more cards to its baseball card set in 1962, increasing the complete set size to 598 cards.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  I've always liked this set.  Way back in my early days of collecting, my Dad bought me a Tim McCarver 1962 Topps card and my first thought was that the card looked so old.  The design and feel of the set is reminiscent of your grandparents' basement, peeling posters on the wall and all.  It's familiar and comfortable.

Notable competition:  There was an abundance of regional and food-issued sets released.  Post again issued  a 200-card set available on its cereal boxes (9 Phillies in the set) and a set of 221 coins were released with Salada Tea and Junket Pudding mix (12 Phillies coins).

1962 Phillies

Record and finish: Thanks in part to two expansion teams - the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45's - the Phillies finished with a record of 81-80, in seventh place in the new ten-team National League.

Key players:  The offense showed signs of life, as led by third baseman Don Demeter (.307, 29 home runs and 107 RBIs), right fielder Johnny Callison (.300, 23, 83) and first baseman Roy Sievers (.262, 21, 80).  Demeter moved to third to make room for Sievers, acquired in an off-season trade with the White Sox.  Tony Gonzalez (.300, 20, 63, 17 stolen bases) had another consistent year.  All-Star Art Mahaffey led the pitching staff (19-14, 3.94 ERA) followed by Cal McLish and Chris Short with eleven wins each.  Jack Baldschun won 12 games and saved 13 out of the bullpen.

Key events:  Things were starting to look up for the Phillies after a dismal 1961 season.

1962 Topps #77, #434, #104 and #374

1962 Phillies in 1962 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 27 cards in the 1962 Topps Phillies team set, down three from 1961 most likely as a result of the team's awful performance in the prior year.  That makes 92 cards from 1960 to 1962, and 265 total Phillies Topps cards dating back to 1951.  I have most of the '62 Topps cards, but I still need to track down the high numbers.

Who’s in:  24 of the 27 cards feature players who actually played with the Phillies in 1962.  The other three cards are a team card, a card for manager Gene Mauch and a card for Ken Walters, who had been sold to the Reds in February.  Also of note is the first appearance of a Phillie on a multi-player "rookie" card.  Pitcher Jack Hamilton appears on a "Rookie Parade" card (#593) along with four other pitching prospects.

Who’s out:  Regular shortstop Bobby Wine was omitted, as was the team's number three starter, Dennis Bennett.  In the bullpen, Chris Short (again) is missing despite pitching in 47 games, as is Bill Smith, who appeared in 24 games.

1962 Topps #111, #157, #284 and #303

Phillies on other teams:  Pitcher Don Ferrerese appeared in five games with the '62 Phillies before being shipped to the Reds on April 28th for Bobby Locke.  Ferrarese appears on card #547 with the Cardinals and Locke, who had been traded by the Cubs to the Cardinals earlier that April, appears on card #359 with the Cubs.

What’s he doing here:  The inclusion of Walters doesn't make much sense, given that Topps had to have known about his sale to the Reds by the time his card (#328) made its appearance in the set's fourth series.  In fact, upon further review, Topps actually makes mention of the pre-season sale on the back of Walters' card.  The plot thickens.

Cards that never were candidates: Wine, Bennett, Short and Smith.

Favorite Phillies card:  There aren't any real eye-popping cards in the bunch, but I narrowed it down to Clay Dalrymple's squat pose with a bunch of Phillies milling about behind him and Tony Taylor's first baseball card to feature him in an actual Phillies uniform with billboards from Connie Mack Stadium in the background.  I'll give the nod to the Taylor card.

1962 Topps #46, #212, #328 and #269

Other Stuff

Recycled:  You'll see a whole lot of 2011 Topps Heritage throughout the season as I'll feature the Phillies cards from this set in my game summary posts.

Blogs/Websites:  It's been quiet recently, but there's plenty of good stuff to read in the archives over at Project '62.

Did You Know?:  Early printings of the cards in series two (cards 110 to 196) were inadvertently printed with extra green ink, giving the cards a greenish tint.  Topps intentionally recreated this printing gaffe with its 2011 Heritage set, and cards 110 to 196 can be found in short-printed "green tint" variations.

2011 Topps Opening Day #55 Cliff Lee

Phillies 9, Astros 4
Game 2 - Saturday Night, April 2nd in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee struck out 11 on the way to winning his first game with the Phillies since Game 5 of the 2009 World Series.

What It Means:  The Phillies are 2-0 to start the 2011 season.  The last time the Phillies opened the season at home and won their first two games was 1980.

What Went Right:  Clifton Phifer Lee.  The lefty pitched seven innings and allowed three runs on four hits.  The Phillies scored early and often, and it was nice to seemingly have one in the bag almost from the start of the game.  The one through eight hitters all had at least one hit with Placido Polanco leading the way with his three hits.  Shane Victorino, Ben Francisco and Raul Ibanez contributed two RBIs each.

What Went Wrong:  Not much.  Lee allowed a two-run home run to Carlos Lee in the sixth.

Featured Card:  This is Lee's 2011 Topps Opening Day card, the first 2011 release to feature him back in a Phillies uniform.

Steve Bedrosian with Roy Halladay

Other Stuff:  Victorino left the game in the fifth with a sore left calf . . . Before the game, Steve Bedrosian, the 1987 National League Cy Young Award winner, presented Roy Halladay with his 2010 National League Cy Young Award.  Bedrock looked pretty good . . . Victorino also received his Gold Glove prior to the game.

Field Report:  What an electric night at the ballpark, despite the fact my extremities were numb from the cold.  Jenna and I enjoyed Phillies Franks, a bag of peanuts and a soft pretzel to break in the season.  We were very impressed with the new and improved HD Phanavision, and I was impressed with the new jumbo 2011 Topps cards hanging just outside Ashburn Alley and presenting the starting line-up.

I picked up the 2011 Topps Phillies team set, as well as the annual team-issued set of player postcards.  I'll have more on these sets as the season progresses.

2010 Chachi #54 Home Run Leaders - Ryan Howard & Jayson Werth

For the Phillies to be successful this year, they'll need to piece together innings similar to yesterday's ninth inning.  Without the benefit of an extra base hit, the team scored three times to win the game.  Too often in recent years, the Phillies seem to sit back and wait for one of its big boppers to come up with a long ball.  I'd like to see more bunting, more stolen bases and more station to station baseball this year.

Of course, I'd also like to see a ton of Phillies home runs.  I kind of want it all.

Last year, Ryan Howard (31) and Jayson Werth (27) led the team in homers, as memorialized on this 2010 Chachi Leaders card.  (It's actually one of the scariest-looking Chachi cards I've ever made.  I wouldn't want to bump into either of these guys in a dark ally.)  Werth is gone, so either someone else is going to have to pick up the power production this year, or the Phils will need to rely a little more on small ball.

Rounding out the Phillies top 10 home run hitters last year - Shane Victorino (18), Chase Utley (16), Raul Ibanez (16), Carlos Ruiz (8), Jimmy Rollins (8), Placido Polanco (6), Ben Francisco (6) and Ross Gload (6).

2011 Chachi Super Veteran #1 Jamie Moyer

The output has been fast and furious at the Chachi factory, and I'm pleased to report the first 26 cards in the 2011 Chachi set have been completed.  I'll wait for the appropriate occasions throughout the season to post each player's card.  I'm happy with the cards so far, and I was pleasantly surprised to easily find pictures of who I thought would be the hardest subjects - Michael Martinez and Pete Orr.

Strangely enough, the guy that gave me the most trouble was Ben Francisco.  There just aren't that many good pictures out there of the team's new regular right fielder.  I actually ended up scanning in a picture from last year's NLCS Program to use for Francisco's card.

Featured here is the first of hopefully many 2011 Chachi Super Veteran cards, featuring the ageless wonder himself, Jamie Moyer.  I used the picture from Moyer's 1987 Topps rookie card for the "then" side of the card.  Moyer was recently hired to work the night shift of ESPN's Baseball Tonight while he recovers from Tommy John surgery.  He makes no bones about the fact he fully intends to make a comeback in the spring of 2012, at the age of 49.  Super veteran, indeed.

2010 Chachi #49 John Mayberry, Jr.

Phillies 5, Astros 4
Game 1 - Friday Afternoon, April 1st in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Capped by John Mayberry, Jr.'s drive to center, the Phillies strung together six singles in the bottom of the ninth, scoring three times and walking off with a 5-4 opening day win.

What It Means:  It means it's a great way to start a season!  Before the heroics from Mayberry and Wilson Valdez, the story was going to be how former Phillies Brett Myers (7 innings, allowing two runs on three hits) and Michael Bourn (2-run triple in the seventh) exacted revenge on their original team.  Valdez' single in the ninth tied it and Mayberry's won it.

What Went Right:  In the ninth, the Astros brought in closer Brandon Lyon to hold a 4-2 lead.  Lyon would retire just one batter as Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Ben Francisco, Carlos Ruiz, Valdez and finally, Mayberry, all reached on singles.  Roy Halladay only pitched six innings as the Astros showed a knack for working deep counts and fouling off a ton of pitches.  He left after 102 pitches having allowed a run on five hits while striking out six.

What Went Wrong:  The offense managed just four hits through the first eight innings.  In the seventh, J.C. Romero failed to retire the one batter he came in to face and then David Herndon coughed up a single, Bourn's triple and a sacrifice fly to give the Astros their 4-2 lead.

Featured Card:  I'm still putting the finishing touches on Mayberry's 2011 Chachi card, so here's his 2010 Chachi card, which I failed to post during the 2010 season.

Other Stuff:  Ryan Madson pied Mayberry during the latter's post-game interview. . . The Phillies wore a black "B" on the front of their jerseys in honor of brothers Jim and Whip Buck, two long-time owners who passed away this past winter.

Astros at Phillies: April 1st through April 3rd

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Friday 1:05, Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35

Records:  Phillies 0-0, Tied for 2nd Place in NL East, 1/2 game behind the Braves; Astros 0-0, Tied for 2nd Place in NL Central, 1/2 game behind the Reds

First Game:  The Phillies defeated the Houston Colt .45's by a score of 3-2 back on April 13, 1962, in the first meeting of these two franchises.  Phillies pitcher Jack Hamilton pitched a complete game for the win, scattering seven hits while striking out six.  Former Phillie Turk Farrell took the loss for the Colts.  Tony Gonzalez tripled and homered in the victory.

Know Your Astros:  Manager - Brad Mills, in his second year as manager
Starters - Humberto Quintero (c), Brett Wallace (1b), Bill Hall (2b), Chris Johnson (3b), Angel Sanchez (ss), Carlos Lee (lf), Michael Bourn (cf) and Hunter Pence (rf)
Rotation - Brett Myers (rhp), Wandy Rodriguez (lhp), J.A. Happ (lhp), Bud Norris (rhp), Nelson Figueroa (rhp)
Bench - J.R. Towles (c), Matt Downs (inf), Jason Bourgeois (of), Joe Inglett (of), Jason Michaels (of)
Closer - Brandon Lyon (rhp)
Bullpen - Fernando Abad (lhp), Enerio Del Rosario (rhp), Jell Fulchino (rhp), Wilton Lopez (rhp), Mark Melancon (rhp), Aneury Rodriguez (rhp)
Disabled List - Alberto Arias (rhp), Clint Barmes (inf), Jason Castro (c) and Jeff Keppinger (inf)

At the Ballpark:  There's good swag to be had this weekend.  On Friday, all fans receive a 2010 National League East Champions pennant.  Kids receive a Roy Halladay baseball and collectible tin on Saturday and Sunday is schedule magnet day.

And yes, I've updated the old, beloved Fleer team hat stickers for each series preview post this season.

Astros Probables:  Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, J.A. Happ
Phillies Probables:  Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt

1990 Donruss Phillies

1990 Donruss #194, #278, #160 and #251

As I had feared, I've grown incredibly bored with the retrospection posts chronicling the Phillies Topps cards over the past sixty years.  I'm not getting nearly as many page views as I had hoped for, and I've had only a few new followers since I started the series.  So I'm scrapping the entire idea.  Besides, I've recently decided to package up all my vintage baseball cards and have them professionally graded.

Going forward, I'll be focusing on cards from mega-rare sets few collectors have ever seen, let alone dared to collect.  I'm kicking off this new series with one of the most universally beloved baseball card sets of all time - 1990 Donruss.

The Set

Number of cards in the set:  716 glorious cards.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  The reddish-orangeish borders, the reckless (but classy) paint-splattered sides, the cursive name at the top and the unmatched player selection - it's all here.

Notable competition:  None.

1990 Donruss #21, #133, #643 and #168

1990 Phillies

Record and finish:  Nick Leyva's squad finished 77-85 and in fourth place in the National League East.

Key players:  Darren Daulton, Von Hayes, Pat Combs and Roger McDowell.

Key events:  1990 Donruss was released.  Everything else was secondary.

1990 Phillies in 1990 Donruss

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 24 cards in the 1990 Donruss Phillies team set.

Who’s in:  24 very, very lucky Phillies players.

Who’s out:  Bruce Ruffin does not appear in the set, although it's been rumored for years that a collector in Des Moines has a Ruffin proof card, which would have been number 717 in the set.

Phillies on other teams:  Dale Murphy (#168), Joe Boever (#357) and Tommy Greene (#576) all appear with the Braves, while Carmelo Martinez (#482) appears with the Pirates.

What’s he doing here:  Sadly, the Steve Jeltz era came to an end when the Phillies traded him to the Royals in March.  He's featured on card #133 - easily one of the more sought after cards in the set.

Cards that never were candidates:  The thought of Dale Murphy in a Phillies uniform on a 1990 Donruss card almost brings tears of joy.

Favorite Phillies card:  Who doesn't remember the magical summer of '90, searching in vain for unopened packs of 1990 Donruss, trying to complete the elusive Combs Rainbow?  Behold, for the first time ever, all three cards presented together - 

1990 Donruss #44, 1990 Donruss NL Best #49, 1990 Donruss Rookies #3

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Unbelievably, not one baseball card company has re-used this majestic design for any retro-based sets.

Blogs/Websites:  To date, there isn't one blog out there detailing each and every card from the 1990 Donruss set, until now.  I've just launched a new blog that will display each and every one of these 716 cards and the stories that go with them.

Did You Know?:  I probably have too much free time on my hands.