Baseball Cards

Roy Campanella<br /><br />Roy "Campy" Campanella is considered to have been one of the great catchers in the game's history. Beginning in the Negro Leagues, Campanella played for the Brooklyn Dodgers beginning in 1948 and through 1957. <br /><br />Campanella played in the All-Star Game every year from 1949 through 1956. His first appearance in 1949 made him one of the first four African-American players so honored. (Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe and Larry Doby were also selected for the ’49 game.) <br /><br />Campanella won the National League’s MVP Award in 1951, 1953, and again in 1955. In ’53, Campanella broke the franchise record for RBI’s in a single season with 142. It was in '55 that “Campy” helped lead the Dodgers to its first-ever World Series Championship. His timely home runs in games 3 and 4 brought the Dodgers from a two game deficit to winning the Series in seven.<br /><br />After the 1957 season, the Brooklyn Dodgers broke the hearts of many New Yorkers by relocating to Los Angeles. Campanella’s career was cut short in 1958 when he was paralyzed as a result of an auto accident. He never got the chance to play in Los Angeles.<br /><br />Hall of Fame inductee in 1969, Campanella was the second African American to earn the honor. In 1999 he was ranked 50th on the list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was nominated for the Major League All-Century Team.<br /><br />It was as recently as 2006 that the Los Angeles Dodgers created the Roy Campanella Award. Voted on by the team’s players and coaches, it is given to the player best exemplifying the spirit and leadership of “Campy”.
Joe DiMaggio<br /><br />Giuseppe “Joe” Paolo DiMaggio, Jr. was but one of three DiMaggio brothers to become MLB center fielders. Vince and Dom were the other two DiMaggio brothers to take the field. Joe spent his entire career (13 seasons) with the New York Yankees and was named to the All-Star Team each of the seasons he played. He remains the only player to this day to accomplish that feat. <br /><br />Making his major league debut in 1936 batting ahead of Lou Gehrig. Joe was touted by sportswriters to be Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson rolled into one. The talented rookie went on to help lead the Yankees to their first World Series appearance after a four year “drought”. They won that World Series as well as the next three. In fact, the “Yankee Clipper” led the Yankees to nine titles in the 13 seasons he played between 1936 and 1949. There might have been more had not DiMaggio enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943. He rejoined the team after being discharged in 1945. <br /><br />During the '41 season, DiMaggio posted what some say is “the most enduring record in sports” with his 56-game hitting streak. His record still stands today.<br /><br />In ’49 Joe became the first MLB player to break the $100,000 earning mark for a single season. Despite being plagued by injuries, DiMaggio was considered one of the game’s best and certainly one of the hardest working players. It was after a sub-par season in 1951 followed by an unflattering scouting report that led him to announce his retirement in December of ’51. Though at the time of his retirement DiMaggio had the fifth-most career home runs, he should have had more. Ironically Yankee Stadium, with its deep left and center fields, did not favor the right handed power hitter. In any other stadium many of DiMaggio’s blasts would have been home runs instead of long outs. <br /><br />Joe DiMaggio was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955. In 1999 (the year he died) DiMaggio was ranked 11th on the list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and elected by fans to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Whitey Ford<br /><br />Born just miles from Yankee Stadium, Edward Charles “Whitey” Ford spent his entire 18 year career as a Yankee. “Whitey” signed on as an amateur free agent in 1947 and made his major league debut in 1950. And what an auspicious debut it was! “Whitey” won his first 9 decisions without a single loss and was voted AL Rookie of the Year. <br /><br />Serving in the Korean War with the U.S. Army during 1951 and 1952, “Whitey” rejoined the Yankees in ’53 and earned a second nickname, “Chairman of the Board”. He was named so for his ability to remain calm and in command in high presure situations. <br /><br />“Whitey” had 10 career World Series victories, more than any other pitcher, and was selected to 8 All-Star Teams. <br /><br />After undergoing surgery on his pitching arm, “Whitey” retired in 1967 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Leo Durocher<br /><br />Leo Ernest Durocher was probably best known for controversy and volatility as much as he was for playing and managing in MLB and earning the nickname, “Leo the Lip”. <br /><br />Durocher played briefly for the New York Yankees before moving to the National League (Cincinnati and St. Louis) from 1930 to 1937 playing primarily as a shortstop. <br /><br />In 1937 he was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers where he remained until 1945. It was after the ’38 season that new Dodger President and General Manager, Larry MacPhail, appointed Durocher as player-manager. In his capacity as manager, Leo had countless toe to toe argumants with umpires resulting in a career record of 95 ejections. Durocher’s ongoing tempestuous relationship with MacPhail resulted in his suspension for the 1947 season for what MacPhail cited as Durocher’s “association with known gamblers”. <br /><br />Prior to the suspension, Durocher is credited with helping erase baseball’s “color line” making it known to his players that he would not tolerate dissension with regard to Jackie Robinson joining the club. <br /><br />From 1948 to 1955 Durocher managed the New York Giants and then returned to baseball to manage the Chicago Cubs in 1966. Fired halfway through the ’72 season, Durocher went on to manage the Astros through 1973. <br /><br />Durocher was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1994.
Johnny Evers<br /><br />John Joseph Evers, or Johnny as he was known, made it to the big leagues in 1902. <br /><br />He began his career as a second baseman with the Chicago Cubs. Evers played for the Cubs through 1913 having appeared`in three World’s Series and winning two. In 1914, Evers was traded to the Boston Braves winning yet another World’s Series. He remained with Boston until his retirement from playing in 1917. <br /><br />Evers also managed the 1913 and the 1921 Cubs as well as the 1924 White Sox. <br /><br />Evers is best known as the pivot man in the “Tinker to Evers to Chance” double play combo. He is also known as one of the smallest men ever to play the game. Breaking into the majors weighing less than 100 pounds, Evers generally played at less than 130 pounds. <br /><br />Showing that talent will trump size, Evers was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.
Willie Mays<br /><br />Arguably one of the greatest players in the history of the game, William Howard "Willie" Mays, Jr. played the majority of his career with the New York and San Francisco Giants.<br /><br />His career began in 1947, playing in the Negro American League. MLB scout, Bud Maughn, referred Mays to the Boston Braves but they declined. Maughn then tipped a scout for the New York Giants, signing Mays in 1950 and calling him up to the majors in '51. Mays won Rookie of the Year and the Giants beat the Yankees in the World Series. Mays was part of the first all-black outfield in major league history, along with Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson. <br /><br />Drafted into the U.S. Army, Mays missed part of the 1952 season and all of the 1953 season. He returned to the Giants in 1954 winning the National League MVP and the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year. In addition, the Giants won the NL pennant and the 1954 World Series. <br /><br />Mays went on to win the first of twelve consecutive Gold Glove Awards in 1957. After the '57 season, the Giants relocated to San Francisco and won the NL pennant in 1962. Mays led the team in eight offensive categories. Mays won his second MVP award in 1965 behind a career-high 52 home runs. In 1970, the Sporting News named Mays as the "Player of the Decade" for the 1960s.<br /><br />At 41, Mays was traded to the New York Mets in '72. Mays remained popular in New York long after the Giants moved to San Francisco. The trade was seen as a public relations coup for the Mets. In his debut, Mays put New York ahead to stay with a 5th-inning homer against his former team, the Giants.<br /><br />Mays retired after the '73 Series with a lifetime batting average of .302 and 660 home runs. He won two MVP awards and tied a record with 24 All-Star Game appearances.Ted Williams once said "They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays." <br /><br />Mays remained with the Mets as their hitting instructor until the end of the 1979 season. In1979, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility with roughly 95% of the vote. In 1999, Mays placed second on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. Later that year, he was also elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Frank Robinson<br /><br />During his 21-season career, outfielder Frank Robinson played most notably with the Cincinnati Reds (where he won Rookie of the Year) and the Baltimore Orioles (where he won the Triple Crown.) <br /><br />Prior to the 1966 season, Reds owner Bill DeWitt sent Robinson to Baltimore in what is now considered among the most lopsided deals in baseball history.<br /><br />Robinson’s later career was spent with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1972), California Angels (1973–1974) and Cleveland Indians (1974 - 1976). He is the only player to win League MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues (in 1961 with the Reds and in 1966 with the Orioles.) Robinson also was a member of two teams that won the World Series (the 1966 and 1970 Baltimore Orioles.) He won the Series MVP in ’66.<br /><br />During the last two years of his playing career, he served as the first black manager in Major League history, managing the Cleveland Indians to a 186–189 record. He went on to manage the San Francisco Giants (1981-84) the Baltimore Orioles where he won 1989 Manager of the Year (1988-91), the Montreal Expos and the Washington Nationals (2002-06.)<br /><br />In 1982, Frank Robinson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a Baltimore Oriole.1999 found Robinson ranked number 22 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Stan Musial <br /><br />Born Stanisław “Stan” Franciszek Musiał he played 22 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals (1941 to 1963. Signed as a pitcher in 1938, Musial was brought up for the last two weeks of the ’41 season. Musial was used in left field beginning in 1942 and earned his first MVP award in 1943. He was named to the All-Star team when he led the National League in six different offensive categories <br /><br />Musial entered the U.S. Navy in 1945 and was granted emergency leave to see his ailing father in 1946. Honorably discharged, he rejoined the Cardinals at first base and acquired his nickname, "Stan the Man." In ’46, the Cardinals won the Series and Musial won his second MVP award.<br /><br />Health problems plagued Musial in '47, but came back in '48 to record his 1,000 career hit and lead the Major Leagues in batting average (.376), hits (230), doubles (46), triples (18), total bases (429), and slugging percentage (.702). Musial became the first player to win the N.L. MVP award three times.<br /><br />In 1949, Musial earned his sixth consecutive All-Star Game selection, and led the NL in hits (207) while playing in every game. Musial began the 1950’s by posting a .350 batting average and participating in the 1950 All-Star Game.<br /><br />The Cardinals were up for sale in early 1953, and Musial and Red Schoendienst advised their friend Gussie Busch to buy the team. The 1953 season marked Musial's tenth All-Star selection, and the twelfth consecutive season with a batting average above .300.<br /><br />1956 Musial broke the record for extra-base hits and in '57 set the NL mark for consecutive games with 895. The following January, Musial signed the first $100,000 contract in NL history. He requested a pay cut in '60, citing his own drop in performance. At the age of 42, Musial experienced a resurgence batting .330 with 19 homers and 82 RBI's. Musial sparkled as a pinch-hitter in '62, going 14 for 19 (.615) <br /><br />1963 was Musial’s last year as a player. He became the Cardinals' General Manager in '66, overseeing the club's Series win in '67 before stepping down. A 24-time All-Star selection, Musial was named National League MVP three times and accumulated 3,630 hits and 475 home runs.<br /><br />Musial was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1969, his first year of eligibility. Thirty years later Musial was added to the MLB All-Century Team and was ranked tenth on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. Musial was also one of 30 players selected to the MLB All-Century Team.
Yogi Berra<br /><br />Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history playing almost his entire career for the New York Yankees.<br /><br />He served in the U.S. Navy as a Gunner's Mate in the D-Day invasion before playing in the minors. He was called up for seven games in '46. In the 1947 World Series, Berra hit the first pinch-hit home run in Series history.<br /><br />A fifteen-time All-Star, Berra was named MVP three times (one of only four to do so.) He appeared in fourteen World Series and won ten championships. Between '49 and '55, on a team with stars like Mantle and DiMaggio, it was Berra who led the Yanks in RBI's for seven consecutive seasons.<br /><br />As a fielder, Berra was outstanding... quick, mobile, and a great handler of pitchers. He caught Don Larsen's perfect game in the ‘56 World Series, the only no-hitter ever thrown in post season play. One of only four catchers to ever field 1.000 for a season, he played 88 errorless games in '58. After Berra's Yankee playing career ended with the ‘63 Series, he was hired as manager of the Yankees and was fired after losing the Series in seven to the Cardinals. <br /><br />Berra briefly returned to the field as a player-coach for the crosstown Mets, playing in just four games. Yogi coached the Metsfor the next eight seasons, including their '69 World Championship season. He was named manager in 1972. Midway through the '73 season the Mets were in last place but in a tight divisional race. When asked if the season was finished, Yogi replied, "It ain't over till it's over". A late surge allowed the Mets to win the NL Eastern division. Yogi's Mets defeated the highly favored Cincinatti "Big Red Machine" to capture the N.L. pennant. Berra was fired in '75. <br /><br />In '76, he rejoined the Yankees as a coach. They won the first of three consecutive AL titles, as well as the '77 and '78 World Series. Named Yankee manager before the '84 season, Berra was assured he would not be fired. Steinbrenner did fire Berra after the 16th game of the season causing a rift that would not be mended for almost 15 years. <br /><br />Berra joined the Houston Astros in '86 as bench coach and once again made it to the NLCS. The Astros lost the series in six games to the New York Mets. He remained in Houston until '89. Berra was one of only six managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series.<br /><br />Berra was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 and in 1999 appeared at No. 40 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
Ted Williams<br /><br />Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams played 21 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, twice interrupted by military service as a Marine Corps pilot. Nicknamed “The Kid”, “The Splendid Splinter”, “Teddy Ballgame”, and “The Thumper”, he is generally considered one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game. <br /> <br />Williams moved up to the major league Red Sox in '39, and led the AL in RBI's finishing 4th in MVP balloting. In 1941 Williams became the last player in MLB to bat over .400 in a single season (.406). At the time, Williams' achievement was overshadowed by Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in the same season. Ted Williams won the Triple Crown not once, but twice - in 1942, and again in '47 after missing three years to WWII as a naval aviator.. <br /><br />In ‘49, Williams reached base for 84 consecutive games, the most ever. Williams led the league in home runs (with 43) and RBI's, but lost the batting race by the narrowest of margins.<br /><br />In 1952, at the age of 34, Williams was recalled to active duty in the Korean War. His military service, which took five years out of the heart of a great career, significantly limited Williams’career totals, but he never publicly complained.<br /><br />Ted Williams retired from the game in 1960 in dramatic fashion. He hit a home run in his final at-bat, on September 28, in front of fans at Fenway Park. After retiring, Williams tutored new left fielder Carl Yastrzemski in hitting. Williams then served as manager of the Washington Senators, from 1969-1971, then when they became the Texas Rangers after the 1971 season. He was chosen "Manager of the Year" after the 1969 season. <br /><br />Williams was a two-time American League MVP, led the league in batting six times, and won the Triple Crown twice. He had a career batting average of .344, with 521 home runs, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966. <br /><br />In his induction speech, Williams called for the recognition of the great Negro Leagues players: "I've been a very lucky guy to have worn a baseball uniform, and I hope some day the names of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson in some way can be added as a symbol of the great Negro players who are not here only because they weren't given a chance." Williams was referring to two of the most famous names in the Negro Leagues never given the opportunity to play in the Major Leagues before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. Gibson died early in 1947 and never played in the majors; Paige's brief major league stint came long past his prime. This powerful and unprecedented statement from the Hall of Fame podium was "a first crack in the door that ultimately would open and include Paige and Gibson and other Negro League stars in the shrine." Paige was the first inducted, in '71, Gibson and others followed starting in 1972.<br /><br />In 1999, Williams was ranked as Number 8 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, where he was the highest-ranking left fielder. That year he was also named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
"Sluggers" Jim Rice and George Foster<br /><br />James Edward “Jim” Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox (1974-89. continuing the tradition of his predecessors Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski as a power-hitting left fielder who also played their entire careers for the Red Sox.<br /><br />Rice led the AL in home runs three times (1977, 1978, 1983), in RBI’s twice (1978, 1983), in slugging average twice (1977, 1978), and in total bases four times (1977-1979, 1983). Rice hit at least 39 home runs in a season four times, had eight 100-RBI seasons and four seasons with 200+ hits, and batted over .300 seven times. He was an American League All-Star eight times (1977-1980, 1983-1986) and won the American League MVP award in 1978. Rice led the Red Sox to the World Series (for the second time in his career) in 1986. They went on to lose the Series to the New York Mets, 4 games to 3.<br /><br />Rice could hit for both power and average, and currently only nine other retired players rank ahead of him in both career home runs and batting average. Rice was an accomplished left fielder, finishing his career with a fielding percentage of .980 and had 137 outfield assists (comparable to Ted Williams' figures of .974 and 140). <br /><br />While Rice was generally regarded as one of the better hitters of his era based upon the statistics used to evaluate players' Hall of Fame qualifications, he was not elected until his 15th and final year of eligibility, netting 76.4% of the votes. Rice was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2009<br /><br />George Arthur Foster began his career with the San Francisco Giants, but they already had a promising young outfielder named Bobby Bonds. Figuring Foster was expendable, the Giants dealt him early in the ‘71 season to the Reds. Foster became their starting center fielder and showed his power early on by hitting 10 home runs and driving in 50 runs. The next two seasons Foster was “platooned” in the outfield.<br /><br />Early in the 1975 season, Reds manager Sparky Anderson made the moved Pete Rose to third base to save his aging legs and to get Foster's powerful bat in the lineup every day. Foster hit 23 homers that year and became a vital cog in the "Big Red Machine" for the next six years. He received a unanimous MVP vote in ’77 after hitting 52 home runs.<br /><br />A 5-time All-Star (1976-79, 1981), Foster was a member of the 1970s Big Red Machine, leading the league in home runs in 1977-78, runs batted in from 1976-78, and OPS in 1977.<br /><br />After being traded by the Reds to the New York Mets in early ‘82, Foster was given a five-year, $10 million contract. However, he failed to deliver and was a huge disappointment during his 4½-year tenure in New York. Foster was released in August 1986 and was picked up by the Chicago White Sox He saw action in 15 games -- his last being on September 6, 1986 before being released the following day.
Jackie Robinson<br /><br />Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson is best known as the first African-American Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the mid-1940s. <br /><br />Apart from his cultural impact, Robinson had an exceptional baseball career. In ten seasons, he played in six World Series, contributing to a World Championship for the Dodgers in ‘55. He was selected for six consecutive All-Star Games from 1949 to 1954, was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in ‘47, and won the National League MVP Award in 1949 – the first black player so honored. <br /><br />In the mid-1940s, after Robinson’s military service, Branch Rickey (Brooklyn Dodger president and GM) scouted the Negro Leagues. Rickey asked Robinson if he could face the racial animus without reacting angrily. Robinson was aghast: "Are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?" Rickey replied that he needed a Negro player "with guts enough not to fight back." Obtaining a commitment from Robinson to "turn the other cheek", Rickey signed him to a contract for $600 a month. <br /><br />After racially charged time in the International League, Robinson was called up to the majors for the ‘47 season. Some Dodger players insinuated they would sit out rather than play alongside Robinson. The brewing mutiny ended when Dodgers management took a stand for Robinson. Manager Leo Durocher informed the team, "I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a (bleep) zebra. I'm the manager of this team, and I say he plays.”<br /><br />Some opposing teams threatened to strike if Robinson played. He finished the ’47 season by earning the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award .Racial pressure eased in ‘48 as other black players entered the majors. Robinson was voted MVP for the National League. Fans also voted Robinson in for the 1949 All-Star Game – the first to include black players. That same year the Dodgers won the NL pennant, but lost Series. <br /><br />In 1950 and 1951, Robinson led the NL in double plays and his salary was the highest of any Dodger.He single-handedly kept the Dodgers in the ‘51 pennant race. During the final game of the season he made a defensive play in the 12th inning and hit a game-winning home run in the 14th forcing a three-game playoff against the Giants. The Dodgers lost the pennant on Bobby Thomson's home run, “The Shot Heard 'Round the World”. In ’52 and ’53 Robinson led them to a NL pennant, but lost the World Series each year. <br /><br />Despite ’55 being the worst year of his career, Robinson won his only championship when the Dodgers beat the Yankees. He was traded to the rival New York Giants. The trade was never completed. Robinson retired from baseball on January 5, 1957. In his first year of eligibility, Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962. <br /><br />MLB has honored Robinson many times since his death in 1972. In 1987, both the National and American League Rookie of the Year Awards were renamed the "Jackie Robinson Award" in honor of the first recipient. In ‘97, Robinson's number, 42, was retired by Major League Baseball. In 1999, he was named by TIME magazine on its list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Also in ‘99, he ranked number 44 on the Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was elected to the MLB All-Century Team.
Rube Marquard<br /><br />Richard William "Rube" Marquard was a left-handed pitcher who achieved his greatest success with the New York Giants during the 1910’s and the 1920’s.<br />Marquard’s playing rights were acquired for $13,000 (a then unheard-of sum to pay.) His lack of success early on led to his being tagged "the $13,000 lemon". <br /><br />Later, however, he was to make baseball history by winning nineteen decisions in a row. It is thought that Marquard celebrated his achievement by purchasing an opal stickpin. Once he was told that opals were a jinx, he threw the pin into a river. Unfortunately, the curse had already done its work. Marquard lost his next decision.<br /><br />He retired in ‘25 with a record of 201-177 and a 3.08 ERA. At the time, his 1,593 strikeouts ranked 3rd in major league history among left-handers. It stood as the NL record for southpaws until surpassed by Carl Hubbell in 1942. <br /><br />Marquard was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1971. <br /><br />Marquard was described as "probably the worst starting pitcher in the Hall of Fame." His selection has often been since Marquard's career adjusted ERA+ was only slightly better than league average. <br /><br />Marquard was interviewed for the popular baseball book, The Glory of Their Times, in the early ‘60s, and his historical recounts were thought to be one of the primary reasons for his election. In years to come, most of the stories that he "recounted" were later found to be false.
Don Newcombe<br /><br />Donald “Newk” Newcombe was the first outstanding black pitcher in major league history. Beginning his career with the Newark Eagles in the Negro Leagues, Newcombe signed with the Dodgers. With catcher Roy Campanella, Newcombe played for the first racially integrated baseball team, the 1946 Nashua Dodgers of the New England League. He continued to play in the minor leagues until his debut with Brooklyn in 1949. <br /><br />Helping the Dodgers to a league pennant, he earned 17 wins, led the league in shutouts, and pitched 32 consecutive scoreless innings. He was among the first four black players named to the All-Star Team, along with teammates Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella and the Indians' Larry Doby.<br /><br />A fireball thrower, Newcombe is the only player to have won the Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards. In fact, he was awarded the first-ever Cy Young Award. <br /><br />A right handed pitcher, Newcombe was also an excellent hitting pitcher. Batting lefty he was one of a few pitchers to be used as a pinch hitter. <br /><br />From 1949 until 1951 and then from 1954 to 1958, “Newk” played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. (Newcombe spent two years serving in the Korean War.) In 1949, he became the first African-American pitcher to start a World Series game. Newcombe, in 1955, became the first black pitcher to win twenty games in one season. The next season, he was the first pitcher to win the National League MVP and the Cy Young Award in the same season. <br /><br />Following the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles in '58, "Newk" got off to a slow start and was traded to the Reds midseason. He posted a record of 24-21 with Cincinnati until they sold his contract to Cleveland in 1960. In '62, Newcombe signed with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. <br /><br />He rejoined the Dodger organization in the late 1970s as the team's Director of Community Affairs. In March 2009 he was named special adviser to the chairman of the team.
Casey Stengel<br /><br />Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel, born in Kansas City of German descent, sported the nicknames of “Dutch” and “K.C.” which morphed into “Casey”. Later on he earned the nickname of "The Old Perfessor" for his sharp wit and ability to talk at length on anything baseball.<br /><br />Between playing and managing, he was connected with all four of New York's major league clubs. <br /><br />Drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers, he spent most of the 1912 season playing for their Montgomery, Alabama club until brought up late in the season. <br /><br />Stengel was an outfielder on several teams beginning in 1912: the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1912-17; the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1918 and 1919; the Philadelphia Phillies in 1920 and part of 1921; the New York Giants from 1921 to 1923; and the Boston Braves in 1924 and 1925. He played in three World Series: in 1916 for the Dodgers and in 1922 and 1923 for the Giants.<br /><br />Stengel became better known for managing than for playing. His first managerial positions were with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1934-1936) and Boston Braves (1938-1943), where he was not very successful. In 1944, Stengel was hired as the manager of the minor league Milwaukee Brewers, over the strenuous objections of club owner Bill Veeck who was later proven wrong as Stengel led the Brewers to the American Association pennant. In ‘48 Stengel managed the Oakland Oaks to the Pacific Coast League championship. <br /><br />Despite skepticism in the press, Stengel was hired as skipper of the Yankees in '49. The Yankees became a juggernaut under Stengel who became the only person to manage a team to five consecutive World Series championships. <br /><br />“Casey” gained a reputation as one of the game's sharpest tacticians and was also a master publicist, promoter and raconteur. After losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1960 World Series, Stengel was involuntarily retired from the Yankees, because he was believed to be too old to manage. <br /><br />Stengel was talked out of retirement in ‘62 to manage the New York Mets. "Come see my "Amazin' Mets," Stengel said. The Mets finished last all four years, but Stengel remained a popular figure until his retirement in 1965. <br /><br />He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966.
George Brett<br /><br />George Howard Brett was the youngest of four sons including Ken, a major-league pitcher who had pitched in the World Series in 1967 at 19 years old. Brothers John and Bobby had brief careers in the minor leagues. <br /><br />Brett began his professional baseball career as a shortstop, but had trouble going to his right defensively and was soon shifted to third base. As a third baseman for the Kansas City Royals, Brett’s powerful arm remained an asset, and he remained at that spot for more than 15 years. <br /><br />Brett began emerging as a power hitter in 1976 leading the Royals to the first of three straight AL West Division titles. Batting at least .300 in all but one season from 1976 through 1983, Brett’s best season was arguably 1980 when he won the American League MVP and batted .390, a modern record for a third baseman. The country closely followed his quest to bat .400 for an entire season, a feat which has not been accomplished since Ted Williams in 1941. <br /><br />In the 1980 post-season, Brett led the Royals to their first AL pennant, sweeping the playoffs in three games. Brett then hit .375 in the 1980 World Series, but the Royals lost in six games to the Philadelphia Phillies. <br /><br />In 1985, Brett led the Royals to their second AL Championship. He finished in the top 10 of the league in 10 different offensive categories and defensively, he won his only Gold Glove. MVP of the 1985 playoffs, Brett batted .370 in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals including a four-hit performance in Game 7 allowing the Royals to rally from a 3–1 deficit to become World Series Champions for the only time in Royals history. <br /><br />Brett moved to first base in '88 and had another MVP season. He got off to a terrible start in 1990 and even considered retirement. The slump ended and Brett batted .386 to capture his third batting title. This feat made Brett the only major league player to win batting titles in three different decades. <br /><br />He played three more seasons for the Royals retiring after the 1993 season. Brett's 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 15th all-time. Brett is one of four players in MLB history to accumulate 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, and a career .300 batting average with the others being Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial. <br /><br />With a 98.2 voting percentage, Brett was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.
Roy Campanella

Roy "Campy" Campanella is considered to have been one of the great catchers in the game's history. Beginning in the Negro Leagues, Campanella played for the Brooklyn Dodgers beginning in 1948 and through 1957.

Campanella played in the All-Star Game every year from 1949 through 1956. His first appearance in 1949 made him one of the first four African-American players so honored. (Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe and Larry Doby were also selected for the ’49 game.)

Campanella won the National League’s MVP Award in 1951, 1953, and again in 1955. In ’53, Campanella broke the franchise record for RBI’s in a single season with 142. It was in '55 that “Campy” helped lead the Dodgers to its first-ever World Series Championship. His timely home runs in games 3 and 4 brought the Dodgers from a two game deficit to winning the Series in seven.

After the 1957 season, the Brooklyn Dodgers broke the hearts of many New Yorkers by relocating to Los Angeles. Campanella’s career was cut short in 1958 when he was paralyzed as a result of an auto accident. He never got the chance to play in Los Angeles.

Hall of Fame inductee in 1969, Campanella was the second African American to earn the honor. In 1999 he was ranked 50th on the list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was nominated for the Major League All-Century Team.

It was as recently as 2006 that the Los Angeles Dodgers created the Roy Campanella Award. Voted on by the team’s players and coaches, it is given to the player best exemplifying the spirit and leadership of “Campy”.

Visitors to the Elliott Museum are impressed and enthralled with the vast collection of signed baseball cards. Most of the pieces within the collection have been signed by the player, manager or coach.

 

These pages offer but a glimpse of the museum's extraordinary collection. We encourage baseball fans to visit the Elliott Museum and see the largest collection of signed baseball memorabilia outside Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In the New Elliott Museum, both sides of the cards will be able to be viewed allowing fans to see player stats and information.