#131 Chris Cannizzaro - Pittsburgh Pirates

Christopher John Cannizzaro
Pittsburgh Pirates
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
Born:  May 3, 1938, Oakland, CA
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent, June 21, 1956
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1960-1961; New York Mets 1962-1965; Pittsburgh Pirates 1968; San Diego Padres 1969-1971; Chicago Cubs 1971; Los Angeles Dodgers 1972-1973; San Diego Padres 1974

Died:  December 29, 2016, San Diego, CA (age 78)

An original Met and an original Padre, Chris Cannizzaro built a 13-year career serving as a reliable, journeyman backup catcher.  His longest two stops came with the Mets and Padres and he was the first All-Star Game selection in Padres' franchise history in 1969.  In 740 career games, Cannizzaro hit .235 with 18 home runs and 169 RBIs.

Following his playing career, he served as the bullpen coach for the Braves between 1976 and 1978, and then he coached or managed in the Angels system in the early 1980s.  His son, also Chris Cannizzaro, played in the Red Sox minor league system for seven seasons between 1983 and 1989.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #165
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 88th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing less than a dollar.

The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index -10

Cannizzaro is wearing a Mets jersey here, and the photo is from as late as 1964.  It's from the same photo session as the photo used for his 1965 Topps card.  The cartoon pulls an obscure statistic - Cannizzaro tying the record for unassisted double plays.  He turned eight double plays overall in 1965, and another eight in 1969.

Accuracy Index:  Cannizzaro is shown in a Mets uniform (-5), with a blacked out front of his hat (-3) and he didn't actually play for the Pirates in 1969 (-2).

1969 Season
On March 28th, the Pirates dealt Cannizzaro and reliever Tommie Sisk (#152) to the Padres for Ron Davis (#553) and Bobby Klaus (#387).  Cannizzaro was the Padres' opening day catcher, and he'd make 128 starts behind the plate in one of his stronger seasons.  He got off to a hot start, and his .281 average through early June led to his selection as the first All-Star representative for the Padres.  The third National League catcher on the team behind Johnny Bench (#95) and Randy Hundley (#347), Cannizzaro didn't get into the game.  He slumped during the season's second half, but he finished with career highs in games played (134), at-bats (418) and doubles (14).  Cannizzaro batted .220 with four home runs and 33 RBIs.

1961 Topps #118

1965 Topps #61

1970 Topps #329

1972 Topps #759

1975 Topps #355

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1961 Topps #118
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1961-1962, 1965-1966, 1969-1972, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1975 Topps #355
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  42 in the Beckett online database as of 11/5/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#130 Carl Yastrzemski - Boston Red Sox / #132 Dave Baldwin - Washington Senators

#129 Bill McCool - San Diego Padres

William John McCool
San Diego Padres
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  July 14, 1944, Batesville, IN
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1964-1968; San Diego Padres 1969; St. Louis Cardinals 1970

Died:  June 8, 2014, Summerfield, FL (age 69)

Billy McCool was a successful closer for the Reds for three seasons at the start of his career, and served as one of the more reliable relievers for the expansion Padres in their first season towards the end of his career.  He pitched for seven seasons, compiling a lifetime record of 32-42 over 292 games, with a 3.59 ERA and 58 career saves.  He was named The Sporting News N.L. Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 1964, the same year he was named the left-handed pitcher on the Topps All-Star Rookie Team.  His best season came in his All-Star season of 1966 when he saved 18 games and had a 2.48 ERA.  He finished in second place for saves among N.L. relievers in both 1965 and 1966.

McCool was an original Padre, and the franchise's first closer, selected from the Reds in the 1968 expansion draft.  He played in the Cardinals, Twins and Royals systems in 1970 and 1971 before retiring from baseball at the age of 26.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #164
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 87th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing less than a dollar.

The Card / Padres Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

McCool is wearing a Reds uniform here, and the photo is likely from the same session as the photo used for his 1968 Topps card.  His Rookie Pitcher of the Year win is commemorated in cartoon form on the back of the card.  I like that Topps refers to him as a "portside flamethrower."

Accuracy Index:  McCool's card loses points for the Reds' jersey (-5) and the lack of a hat (-3).

1969 Season
McCool was left unprotected by the Reds and was the 46th pick in the 1968 expansion draft by the Padres.  As mentioned above, he was the franchise's first regular closer, although the honor of recording the first save in Padres' history went to Tommie Sisk (#152) who recorded a save on April 9th.  McCool would record the first of his team-leading seven saves the following day, on April 10th.  Lefty McCool and righty Sisk were used interchangeable by manager Preston Gomez (#74) to close out games, until towards the end of the season when Sisk was used more as a starting pitcher.

1964 Topps #356

1965 Topps #18

1967 Topps #353

1968 Topps #597

1970 Topps #314

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #356
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1964-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 TCMA The 1960s I #351
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  42 in the Beckett online database as of 11/5/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#128 Tommie Aaron - Atlanta Braves / #130 Carl Yastrzemski - Boston Red Sox

#128 Tommie Aaron - Atlanta Braves

Tommie Lee Aaron
Atlanta Braves
First Base-Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  190
Born:  August 5, 1939, Mobile, AL
Signed:  Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent, May 28, 1958
Major League Teams:  Milwaukee Braves 1962-1963, 1965; Atlanta Braves 1968-1971

Died:  August 16, 1984, Atlanta, GA (age 45)

The younger brother of Henry (#100), Tommie Aaron played in parts of seven seasons with the Braves, appearing in 437 games and hitting .229 with 13 career home runs.  His best season in the majors was his first, as he appeared in 141 games for the Braves in 1962 hitting .231.  He started 39 games at first base and 35 games in left field that season while his brother Hank patrolled center field.

Aaron was the International League MVP in 1967 for the Richmond Braves, where he hit .309 with 11 home runs and 56 RBIs.  The Aaron brothers hold the distinction of having the top home run total in the majors for two brothers with 768, with older brother Hank contributing 755 of that total.  Following his playing days, the younger Aaron managed in the Braves minor league system between 1974 and 1978 compiling a record of 354-337.  He was a coach for the Braves between 1979 and 1984 for managers Bobby Cox (#237) and Joe Torre (#460).  Aaron passed away from leukemia in August 1984 at the age of 45.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #163
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 86th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me $1.25.

The Card / Braves Team Set / Accuracy Index +1

Topps went way back into the archives for the photo used here, which was first seen on Aaron's rookie card in the 1963 Topps set.  The photo dates back to 1962 when the Braves were still playing in Milwaukee.  Aaron wore #28 with the Braves between 1962 and 1965, switching to #18 in 1968.  He likely spent his entire life in the shadow of his big brother Henry, and the last line on the back of the card is further evidence of that.  The write-up focuses on his MVP season on 1967, his best professionally.

Accuracy Index:  Again, I'm thinking I could have taken off more points if the photo was used before and was more than five years old.  Since I didn't go that route, this Aaron card scores a +1 - five points for the accurate photo, but minus four points since it had been seen before.

1969 Season
Aaron spent all season in Atlanta, appearing in 49 games and making only eight starts, all in left field.  He didn't fare well as a pinch-hitter, batting .174 (4 for 23).  Overall, he batted .250 with a home run and five RBIs.  He'd have one pinch-hit at-bat in the 1969 NLCS, grounding out to the pitcher in the lone postseason appearance for his career.

1963 Topps #46

1964 Topps #454

1968 Topps #394

1970 Topps #278

1971 Topps #717

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #46
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1963-1965, 1968-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2010 Tristar Obak #61
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  34 in the Beckett online database as of 11/5/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#127 Kevin Collins - New York Mets / #129 Bill McCool - San Diego Padres

#126 Dick Tracewski - Detroit Tigers

Richard Joseph Tracewski
Detroit Tigers
Infield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  160
Born:  February 3, 1935, Eynon, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1953 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1962-1965; Detroit Tigers 1966-1969

World Series Appearances:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1963, 1965; Detroit Tigers 1968
As a Manager:  Detroit Tigers 1979

A light-hitting back-up infielder, Dick Tracewski won four World Series rings over a baseball career that spanned five decades.  Tracewski played in at least 100 games twice during his playing career, in 1963 and 1964.  He was the starting second baseman in all four games of the 1963 World Series, when the Dodgers swept the Yankees.  Tracewski was at second base for the Dodgers on September 9, 1965 when Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game against the Cubs, and he also started four of the seven games at second for the Dodgers in the 1965 World Series when his club prevailed over the Twins.  On December 15, 1965, Tracewski was dealt to the Tigers for pitcher Phil Regan (#535), and his long-time connection with Detroit began.  He appeared in 90 games for the Tigers team that defeated the Cardinals in seven games in the 1968 World Series.  In parts of eight seasons, Tracewski batted .213 with 262 hits.

After managing in the Tigers' minor league system for two seasons (1970-1971), he began a 24-year stint as the first or third base coach with the big league Tigers.  He briefly served as their interim manager in 1979 before the arrival of Sparky Anderson.  Both Tracewski and Anderson retired together following the 1995 season, having won the 1984 World Series.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #162
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 85th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing less than a dollar.

The Card / Tigers Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The uniform number Tracewski wore throughout his big league career, #44, is visible here on his right sleeve.  Topps reprinted this card in 2018 as part of its Topps Heritage release, with Tracewski adding his autograph to the cards.  And while this is his last Topps flagship appearance as a player, he shows up in the 1973 Topps set as a coach on Billy Martin's (#547) manager card.  The back of the card provides a lengthy summary of his minor league career, and the cartoon tells collectors how he found himself in Detroit.

Accuracy Index:  It's another +5 for this card, as Tracewski is shown wearing a Tigers uniform in a photo not seen before.

1969 Season
Tracewski played in his final big league games in 1969, and in 66 games for the Tigers he batted .139 (11 for 79).  He started only 18 times all season at shortstop (10), second base (6) and third base (2).  Following the season, Detroit offered him a minor league coaching job, which he quickly accepted.

1964 Topps #154

1965 Topps #279

1966 Topps #378

1968 Topps #488

1973 Topps #323

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #154
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1964-1969, 1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-DT
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  45 in the Beckett online database as of 11/1/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#125 Ray Sadecki - San Francisco Giants / #127 Kevin Collins - New York Mets

#125 Ray Sadecki - San Francisco Giants

Raymond Michael Sadecki
San Francisco Giants
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  180
Born:  December 26, 1940, Kansas City, KS
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1960-1966; San Francisco Giants 1966-1969; New York Mets 1970-1974; St. Louis Cardinals 1975; Atlanta Braves 1975; Kansas City Royals 1975-1976; Milwaukee Brewers 1976; New York Mets 1977

World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Cardinals 1964; New York Mets 1973
Died:  November 17, 2014, Mesa, AZ (age 73)

A 20-game winner for the World Champion Cardinals in 1964, Ray Sadecki would pitch in parts of 18 big league seasons, primarily with the Cardinals, Giants and Mets.  His second season in the majors was perhaps his best as he made 31 starts in 1961, going 14-10 with a 3.72 ERA and 114 strikeouts.  After helping the Cardinals reach the World Series, Sadecki pitched with the club for another season and a half before being dealt to the Giants on May 8, 1966 for Orlando Cepeda (#385).  He lost 18 games for the Giants in 1968, leading the league in that category and before the 1970 season he was dealt again, this time to the Mets.  Sadecki had his most consistent years with the Mets, and he was used as both a starter and a reliever.  Behind Tug McGraw (#601), he was the Mets' most reliable relief pitcher in 1973 and although the Mets lost the World Series in seven games to the Athletics, Sadecki pitched well in the postseason.  In four World Series games, Sadecki allowed just a run over 4 2/3 innings pitched.

Sadecki was traded back to his original team, the Cardinals, on October 13, 1974 for Joe Torre (#460).  He spent the next three seasons with five different teams, wrapping up his big league career with four games for the Mets in 1977.  Sadecki returned to baseball in the early 1990s as a minor league coach for the Cubs and Giants.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #161
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 84th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing less than a dollar.

The Card / Giants Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The photo used here could be from the same session as the photos used for Sadecki's 1967 and 1968 Topps cards, which means it could date back to 1966, his first season with the Giants.  The cartoon on the back celebrates his World Series victory in Game 1 of the 1964 series against the Yankees.  Sadecki matched up against Whitey Ford, barely outlasting the future Hall of Famer.  In six innings of work, he allowed four runs on eight hits, in a game ultimately won by the Cardinals, 9-5.  He had one more shutout, six, in 1968 than Juan Marichal (#370), who had five.  Marichal blew past Sadecki for the team lead in complete games with 30.

Accuracy Index:  Sadecki scores a solid +5 for the photo not seen before.

1969 Season
Sadecki pitched two shutouts in his first three starts of the 1969 season, but slumped badly in his next eight appearances, pitching to a 5.84 ERA over 37 innings pitched.  Demoted to long relief, Sadecki would make a few more spot starts throughout the season, and he'd pitch one more shutout, against the expansion Expos in late August.  Overall, he was 5-8 with a 4.23 ERA in 29 games, including 17 starts.  On December 12th, Sadecki with traded with Dave Marshall (#464) to the Mets for Jim Gosger (#482) and Bob Heise.

1960 Topps #327

1964 Topps #147

1968 Topps #494

1972 Topps #563

1977 Topps #26

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #327
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17):  1960-1975, 1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2001 Upper Deck Legends of New York #74
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  71 in the Beckett online database as of 10/30/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#124 Hank Bauer MG - Oakland Athletics / #126 Dick Tracewski - Detroit Tigers

#124 Hank Bauer MG - Oakland Athletics

Henry Albert Bauer
Oakland Athletics
Manager

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  192
Born:  July 31, 1922, St. Louis, IL
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1948-1959; Kansas City Athletics 1960-1961

World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1949-1953, 1955-1958; Baltimore Orioles 1966
As a Manager:  Kansas City Athletics 1961-1962; Baltimore Orioles 1964-1968; Oakland Athletics 1969
Died:  February 9, 2007, Lenexa, KS (age 84)

Hank Bauer was a hero during World War II before joining the Yankees and winning seven World Series rings with the club as their regular right fielder.  Bauer was consistently dependable throughout his Yankees tenure, and between 1950 and 1959 he batted .279 with an average of 15 home runs and 60 RBIs per season.  Bauer owned a 17-game World Series hitting streak, still a record today as tied by Derek Jeter, and contributed a three-run triple in the decisive Game 6 fo the 1951 World Series.  He slugged four home runs in the 1958 World Series, his final postseason action as a player.  Bauer was a three-time All-Star between 1952 and 1954, and earned MVP votes each year between 1952 and 1956.  He was dealt to the Athletics in December 1959 as part of the deal that brought Roger Maris (#164) to the Bronx.  While Maris went on to set the single-season home run record, Bauer played in parts of two seasons with the Athletics, becoming their player-manager in June 1961, before retiring as a player and focusing on his managing career.  Bauer retired with 1,424 hits, 164 home runs, 703 RBIs and a .277 career average.

His first managerial stint with the Athletics lasted only through the 1962 season.  He joined the Orioles as a first base coach in 1963, and was promoted to their manager following the season.  Bauer guided the Orioles to their first ever World Series title in 1966, sweeping the heavily favored Dodgers in four games.  His success with the Orioles waned after a few years and he was fired on July 10, 1968, to be replaced by Orioles' first base coach Earl Weaver (#516).  Bauer managed one last time, returning to the Athletics, now in Oakland, for the 1969 season.  His lifetime managerial record was 594-544-1.  Bauer managed the Mets' top farm team in Tidewater in 1971 and 1972, before leaving the dugout for good.  He was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 1990.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #160
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 83rd of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing less than $2.

The Card / Athletics Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

This is Bauer's 18th and final appearance in a Topps flagship set.  The photo is likely from 1964, as it seems similar to the photo used for his 1965 Topps card, except Bauer is hatless here.  His impressive 17-game World Series hitting streak is highlighted on the back of the card.

Accuracy Index:  Bauer is hatless (-3) and wearing an Orioles uniform (-5).

1969 Season
In his only season as manager of the Athletics while the team was in Oakland, Bauer had the A's in first place at various times between mid-May and early July.  They would fall behind the surging Twins, ultimately finishing in second place, nine games behind the pennant winners in the new A.L. West division.  The summer swoon cost Bauer his job, and owner Charles Finley replaced him with John McNamara for the season's final 13 games.  The Athletics were building a nucleus of young stars around future Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson (#260), Catfish Hunter (#235) and Rollie Fingers (#597).  Bauer's hitting coach was former Yankee teammate Joe DiMaggio.

Jackson was the top player on the club, batting .275 while leading the team in home runs (47) and RBIs (118).  Third baseman Sal Bando (#371) had a great season at the plate too, batting .281 with 31 home runs and 113 RBIs.  Chuck Dobson (#397) and Blue Moon Odom (#195) were 15-game winners, while Fingers led the bullpen with 12 saves.  The Athletics would win three World Series titles in a row between 1972 and 1974.

1950 Bowman #219

1954 Topps #130

1959 Topps #240

1965 Topps #323

1967 Topps #1

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #219
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (18):  1951-1952, 1954-1962, 1964-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2010 Topps New York Yankees 27 World Series Championships #YC13
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  298 in the Beckett online database as of 10/29/23.

Update Cards

For my 1965 Topps blog, I used the team card posts to come up with five or six candidates per team for an imaginary update series.  With no team cards in the 1969 Topps set, I'll use each manager card for this exercise, and come up with a list of deserving cards to be included in an 8th/update series.

• Joe DiMaggio (coach) - This is a favorite target of custom card makers, as DiMaggio was the Athletics' hitting coach in 1968 and 1969.
• Rollie Fingers (rhp) - Fingers shares a Rookie Stars card with two other American League pitchers, and I'd give him his own solo card here.
• Jose Tartabull (of) - Tartabull appears in the set with the Red Sox (#287).  Sold to the Athletics in early May, he'd be a regular outfielder for the club over the summer.
• Jim Roland (lhp) - Reliever Roland is in the set with the Twins (#336), but he was acquired by the Athletics during spring training.
• Bobby Brooks (of) - Brooks shares Rookies Stars cards with other prospects in the 1970 and 1971 Topps set, and he's the only player on the club with at least 100 plate appearances who didn't appear in the 1969 Topps set.
• Marcel Lachemann (rhp) - Lachemann's rookie card wouldn't come until the 1971 Topps set, but he relieved in 28 games for the Athletics in 1969.
• Gene Tenace (c) - Tenace and pitcher Vida Blue share a Rookie Stars card in the 1970 Topps set.

If additional cards were needed to fill out the update set's checklist, I'd add a card for Tony LaRussa, who appeared in eight games for the Athletics.  Blue would also get an honorary mention card, as the young pitcher appeared in 12 games for the Athletics.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference - Bauer / Baseball Reference - 1969 Athletics / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1956 Topps Blog / 1965 Topps Blog

#123 Wilbur Wood - Chicago White Sox / #125 Ray Sadecki - San Francisco Giants