it's been almost two years since i decided to pursue the 1955 bowman set, and here we are with the last 16 cards to share. i know you're busy, so i'll get right to it...
sheet 37, cards 305-312
i am going to go through all eight of these subjects, so strap in...
frank umont, whose ethnicity is omitted on the card back, was one of the first umpires to wear glasses on the field. he was also a professional athlete before turning to umping - he was a guard for the new york football giants in the 1940's.
bob cerv is the last yankee in the set. perhaps best remembered as a roommate to mickey mantle and roger maris during the 1961 season, cerv had some power of his own as evidenced by the 38 dingers he hit for the kansas city a's in 1958. he had three different stints with the yankees, with this card being issued during his first.
r.a. "babe" pinelli was a major league infielder before switching to umpiring. he played mostly for the reds in the 1920's, but debuted with the white sox in 1918. i suppose that means he was a teammate of shoeless joe jackson's, but he debuted after jackson's 1918 season was over due to injury. pinelli's ethnicity is also left out of his card back bio, as is the fact (for obvious reasons) that he was behind the plate for don larsen's perfect game.
al lopez gives us the last manager card of the set, and he's a hall of famer to boot. the former dodger backstop took the indians to the fall classic in 1954, so it makes sense for him to be included in the set. his national league counterpart, leo durocher, did not receive the same consideration from bowman. his card back notes that he is an "expert" in managing and was an "expert" catcher as well. thesauruses were rare in the 50's i guess.
hal dixon has one of the more mug shot type cards in the set. we aren't given his ethnicity, but we are told of his extensive experience prior to joining the major league's umpiring ranks. he worked the 1959 world series, but that was his last hurrah as he resigned following the season's end due to the fact that his request for a raise was denied.
ken lehman is the last dodger (and final national leaguer) in the set, and i am sure that some kids opening packs were a bit confused. lehman hadn't pitched in the big leagues since 1952, and he didn't make any appearances in 1955 either. he did return to the dodgers in 1956 before moving on to the orioles in the summer of 1957. a seattle native, lehman eventually returned to the pacific northwest and coached udub's baseball team.
lawrence goetz went by larry and was from cincinnati. it looks like bowman punted on ethnicity for these late-set umpire cards, but that's ok and frankly less weird. we learn from goetz's card that he worked at a post office when he decided to take up umpiring which is a very faulkneresque thing to do. he was also one of the umpires featured in a norman rockwell painting entitled "tough call".
bill wight's card is the last on the page, and the back lets us know that he did not appear in the majors in 1954, thus missing the team's pennant win and world series appearance. he did, in fact, return in 1955 with the indians but finished the campaign with the orioles.
here are the backs:
i was happy to see one last non-bio back among this group.
a.j. donatelli continues the trend of ethnicity not being given for umpires, but i would guess he has some italian blood. the card back notes that he was a pow during world war ii for 15 months, and further research shows that he began umpiring softball games during this time, choosing to continue with that effort when he was liberated and returned to the states. he was also the umpire featured on the first ever issue of sports illustrated
dale mitchell spent nearly his entire career with the indians, playing for them from 1946 through partway of the 1956 season. he appeared in two world series for cleveland, but is best know for his appearance in game 5 of the 1956 fall classic when he was with the dodgers and pinch hit for sal maglie and struck out to end the game and secure don larsen's perfect game.
cal hubbard, as previously noted, was the umpire supervisor. this followed a successful umpiring career that was ended by a shotgun pellet hitting him in the eye. prior to his baseball officiating career, however, hubbard was a football star. he played in the nfl as a tackle for the giants, packers, and pirates (who became the steelers) and was elected to the pro football hall of fame in 1963. i am guessing some card collectors in 1955 recognized hubbard as a football player given his status in the game as one of the greatest tackles in league history. he's scotch-irish, by the way.
marion fricano's card features the final non-bio back of the set. his advice to youngsters is to develop character, which is solid advice no matter the times. fricano's major league career ended in 1955 with a handful of appearances for the a's, but he would continue to pitch in the minors for a few more seasons.
wm. r. summers, known as bill, is the last umpire of the set and is noted to have been a "gifted after-dinner storyteller". i am guessing that in addition to visiting troops, this refers to the offseason hot stove circuit that was commonplace until the early 1980s. i remember one hot stove i attended circa 1980 that turned into a bit of a roast of pete rose. i don't remember the stories, but i do remember rose commenting as such when it was his turn to speak. as for summers, he's the guy who called jackie robinson safe at home during the 1955 world series much to yogi berra's displeasure.
sid hudson begins the run of three red sox players to end the set. he was a 12-year veteran of the major leagues who was actually released by the red sox in april of 1955. another card for kids to be confused about, given the fact that this series was the last to be released (i am assuming there were more than two series). regardless, hudson turned to scouting and later to coaching, serving the washington senators/texas rangers franchise for 25 years following his playing career.
al schroll's card predates his major league debut by three years. he had been in the boston system since 1951, but didn't appear in a big league game until april of 1958. after the following season, he was dealt to the cubs for bobby thomson and then finished his career with the minnesota twins in their inaugural 1961 campaign.
and finally, we have george susce jr to close out the set. the back tells us that his father was a big leaguer and was coaching when this card was released. the younger susce, unlike the previous two red sox on this sheet, actually appeared in big league action in 1955, making his debut against the yankees in april. he went on to win nine games in a season highlighted by a one-hit shutout against the a's in july.
and there you have the 1955 bowman set and the last of the true bowman baseball cards, period.
if you'd like to check on any of the previous posts, here they are for your convenience:
cards 289-304
cards 273-288
cards 257-272
cards 241-256
cards 225-240
cards 209-224
cards 185-208
cards 161-184
cards 137-160
cards 121-136
cards 105-120
cards 89-104
cards 73-88
cards 65-72
cards 49-64
cards 41-48
cards 33-40
cards 17-32
cards 1-16
it's been fun, but i don't see myself chasing another vintage set. i've learned not to say never, though. thanks for following along and happy new year!
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