#487 Denis Menke - Houston Astros

Denis John Menke
Houston Astros
Shortstop-Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 21, 1940, Bancroft, IA
Signed:  Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent, May 27, 1958
Major League Teams:  Milwaukee Braves 1962-65; Atlanta Braves 1966-67; Houston Astros 1968-71; Cincinnati Reds 1972-73; Houston Astros 1974

World Series Appearances:  Cincinnati Reds 1972
Died:  December 1, 2020, Tarpon Springs, FL (age 80)

Denis Menke used his versatility in the infield to his benefit in 13 big league seasons.  Primarily a shortstop, Menke also spent a significant amount of time at third, second and first base.  His best season statistically came early in his career when he batted .283 with a career-high 20 home runs in 1964 as the every day shortstop for the Braves.  Menke would follow the Braves to Atlanta in 1966 and depart for Houston following the 1967 season.  He was named to the 1969 and 1970 National League All-Star teams while the regular shortstop for the Astros.  In November 1971, Menke was part of the eight-player blockbuster deal that sent him, along with Joe Morgan (#35), to the Reds.  Menke would see his only postseason action as a player with the Reds, as his team clinched the National League West pennant in 1972 and 1973.  He'd return to Houston for a final season in 1974 before retiring as a player with a .250 lifetime average, 1,270 hits, 101 home runs and 606 RBIs.

Menke began his second career as a minor and major league coach in 1977.  At the big league level, he was the first base coach for the Blue Jays (1980-81), the hitting and third base coach for the Astros (1983-88), the hitting coach for the Phillies (1989-96) and the bench coach for the Reds (1997-00).

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

1995 Philadelphia Phillies Photocards

Building the Set / Card #426
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 134th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little less than a dollar.

The Card / Astros Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

Menke is wearing a Braves uniform here, an exceedingly rare example of Topps not having a current photo for a player this late in the set's run.  The cartoon on the back highlights his team-leading six triples in 1968, while the write-up points to his three intentional walks in a game on May 23, 1964 against the Cardinals.  Menke batted eighth in that game, and each walk forced the pitcher's spot up to bat.

Accuracy Index:  Menke's card scores a -8.

1969 Season
Menke had a solid season with the Astros, batting .269 with 10 home runs and 90 RBIs in 154 games.  He led his team in both RBIs and hits (149).  Menke made starts at all four infield positions and was named to his first of two All-Star teams.  Highlights from his season include turning seven double plays in one game on May 4th, and hitting a grand slam in the same inning as teammate Jim Wynn (#360) on July 30th.

Phillies Career
Menke was named new Phillies manager Nick Leyva's hitting coach in November 1988, a month after Leyva had been hired by the club.  Menke would outlast Leyva, who was fired in April 1991 and replaced by Jim Fregosi (#365).  With Fregosi at the helm, the Phillies struggled mightily for a few seasons but then shockingly won the National League pennant in 1993.  The team would ultimately fall to Joe Carter and the Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series, but Menke was the hitting coach who oversaw a potent Phillies line-up with the likes of Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra and Dave Hollins.  Menke's tenure as Phillies' hitting coach came to an end when Fregosi was ultimately fired following the 1996 season.

1962 Topps #597

1964 Topps #53

1970 Topps #155

1973 Topps #52

1974 Topps #134

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #597
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1962-74
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #58
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  101 in the Beckett online database as of 11/30/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog / The Phillies Room

#486 Paul Casanova - Washington Senators / #488 Joe Sparma - Detroit Tigers

#484 Joe Gordon MG - Kansas City Royals

Joseph Lowell Gordon
Kansas City Royals
Manager

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  February 18, 1915, Los Angeles, CA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1936 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1938-43, 1946; Cleveland Indians 1947-50

World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1938-39, 1940-43, 1948
As a Manager:  Cleveland Indians 1958-60; Detroit Tigers 1960; Kansas City Athletics 1961; Kansas City Royals 1969
Died:  April 14, 1978, Sacramento, CA (age 63)
Hall of Fame Induction:  2009

Joe Gordon starred as one his era's best second baseman throughout the 1940s, possessing a unique combination of power and outstanding defensive skill.  He helped the Yankees reach the World Series five times between 1938 and 1943, winning championships four times, in 1938, 1939, 1941 and 1943.  Gordon was the American League MVP in 1942, his career year, when he batted .322 with 29 doubles, 18 home runs and 103 RBIs.  He reached double digits in home runs every year he played in the majors, and exceeded the 20 home run plateau in seven different seasons.  Gordon would later lead the Indians to a World Series title in 1948, leading that club in home runs (32) and RBIs (124).  He was a nine-time All-Star and upon his retirement was among the leaders in just about every major offensive and defensive category for second baseman.

Gordon became a player-manager with the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League in 1951.  He'd scout for the Tigers between 1953 and 1955, before returning as a minor league manager for the San Francisco Seals in 1956 and 1957.  Gordon managed the Indians between 1958 and the middle of the 1960 season, when he was traded to the Tigers in exchange for their manager, Jimmy Dykes.  He briefly managed the Athletics in 1961 and was named the first manager in Royals' franchise history before the start of their 1969 season.  Gordon was 305-308 as a big league manager.  He was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2009.

Building the Set / Card #425
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 133rd of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little over a dollar.  Not bad for a former Yankee Hall of Famer.

The Card / Royals Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

Gordon is clearly not wearing a Royals' uniform, but it's hard for me to tell what team's uniform he is wearing.  Maybe it's an Angels uniform, where he served as a scout between 1962 and 1968?  On the back, Topps short-changed Gordon four All-Star Game appearances, as he was a nine-time All-Star.

Accuracy Index:  Gordon's card scores a -8 for the mystery jersey and logo-less hat.

1969 Season
Gordon was hired to guide the expansion Royals in their inaugural season.  He managed the team to a fourth place finish in the American League West, finishing ahead of the White Sox and Pilots with a 69-93 record.  Gordon had had enough of managing though, and following the season he'd return to the scouting ranks for a few more years.

Left fielder Lou Piniella (#394) led the Royals with a .282 average, and Piniella fell a few RBIs short for the team lead in that category too.  Piniella had 68 RBIs, while third baseman Joe Foy (#93) had 71.  Center fielder Bob Oliver (#662) led the club with only 13 home runs.  Pitching was the strength of the 1969 Royals, with Wally Bunker (#137) and Dick Drago (#662) winning 12 and 11 games, respectively, while both threw more than 200 innings.  Moe Drabowsky (#508) led the club with 11 saves.

1941 Play Ball #67

1949 Bowman #210

1950 Bowman #129

1960 Topps #216

1961 Topps #224

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1939 Goudey Premiums
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1960-61, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2008 Upper Deck Yankee Stadium Legacy #1629
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  166 in the Beckett online database as of 11/29/24.

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.  There are four Rookie Stars cards for the Royals in the set, featuring 10 different players, and I had to limit which players received solo cards in my update set.  Still, I went a few cards over my limit here.

• Lou Piniella (lf) - Piniella is on a Pilots Rookie Stars card, but I'd give him a Royals solo card in my update set.
• Bob Oliver (cf) - Oliver gets his own card in my set too.
• Pat Kelly (rf) - Rounding out the starting outfield, right fielder Pat Kelly (#619) is deserving of his own card.
• Ellie Rodriguez (c) - Catcher Ellie Rodriguez (#49) and first baseman Mike Fiore (#376) are the fourth, fifth and final of the starting eight who appeared on Rookie Stars cards in the regular set.
• Mike Fiore (1b)
• Buck Martinez (c) - Back-up catcher Buck Martinez is the only one listed here not already in the main set in some form.  He'd get his rookie card in the 1970 Topps set.
• Dick Drago (rhp) - Drago is the only pitcher I'm giving a solo card to, although Bill Butler (#619) and Jim Rooker (#376) are both deserving candidates.
  

Sources:  
Baseball Reference - Gordon / Baseball Reference - 1969 Royals / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#483 Ted Abernathy - Chicago Cubs / #485 Gaylord Perry - San Francisco Giants

#483 Ted Abernathy - Chicago Cubs

Theodore Wade Abernathy
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  215
Born:  March 6, 1933, Stanley, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1952 season
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1955-57, 1960; Cleveland Indians 1963-64; Chicago Cubs 1965-66; Atlanta Braves 1966; Cincinnati Reds 1967-68; Chicago Cubs 1969-70; St. Louis Cardinals 1970; Kansas City Royals 1970-72

Died:  December 16, 2014, Gastonia, NC (age 71)

Ted Abernathy was a durable reliever who spent 14 years in the majors, topping the league in relief appearances three times and leading the league in saves twice.  Abernathy developed an effective submarine pitching motion following right shoulder surgery in 1959.  After pitching sporadically with the Senators in the late 1950s and 1960, Abernathy began a string of ten consecutive seasons between 1963 and 1972 in which he'd relieve in at least 40 games.  He developed into one of the game's top closers, making 84 appearances in 1965 with the Cubs and saving a league leading 31 games.  Abernathy enjoyed a career year in 1967 with the Reds, pitching to a 1.27 ERA in 70 games and 106 1/3 innings pitched while leading the league with 28 saves.  He'd finish his career as one of the first closers in Royals' franchise history, appearing in his final major league games in 1972.

Abernathy owned a lifetime record of 63-69 in 681 games pitched, with a 3.46 ERA and 149 saves.  His saves total is still within the top one hundred of all-time as of this writing.

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

Building the Set / Card #424
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 132nd of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost less than a dollar.

The Card / Cubs Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Topps had the benefit of Abernathy having pitched for the Cubs once before, so this photo is from the pitcher's first stint with the team in 1965 or 1966.  The Cubs' road jerseys bore the same design between 1962 and 1968, dropping the red outline around the word mark and the piping at the bottom of the sleeves for the 1969 season.  The back of the card touches on Abernathy's success as a late-inning reliever and mentions his submarine-style of pitching.

Accuracy Index:  It's a +5, but only because Topps had the benefit of Abernathy's prior stint with the Cubs.

1969 Season
On January 9th, the Reds traded Abernathy to the Cubs for Clarence Jones, Bill Plummer and minor leaguer Kennth Myette.  It was Abernathy's second stint with the Cubs, and he had one of his best seasons with the team back in 1965.  Abernathy was an effective set-up man for closer Phil Regan (#535), appearing in 56 games and going 4-3 with a 3.16 ERA in 85 1/3 innings pitched.  He had three saves for the Cubs, while Regan led the team with 17.

1957 Topps #293

1964 Topps #64

1968 Topps #264

1970 Topps #562

1973 Topps #22

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #293
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1957, 1959-1960, 1964-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1973 Topps #22
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  49 in the Beckett online database as of 11/29/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#482 Jim Gosger - Seattle Pilots / #484 Joe Gordon MG - Kansas City Royals

#481 Bill Melton - Chicago White Sox

William Edwin Melton
Chicago White Sox
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Born:  July 7, 1945, Gulfport, MS
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 1968-75; California Angels 1976; Cleveland Indians 1977

Slugger Bill Melton played eight seasons with the White Sox and ten seasons in the majors overall.  Melton earned Chicago's regular third baseman's job in 1969, and he'd become known for his power numbers and for his adventures in fielding at third base.  He hit 33 home runs and had a career-high 96 RBIs in 1970, and then had a career year in 1971.  Melton batted .269 with 33 home runs and 86 RBIs, being named to his sole All-Star team and finishing 13th in the league's MVP voting.  He was the first White Sox player to lead the league in home runs, beating out Norm Cash (#80) and Reggie Jackson (#260) with a single home run.  An offseason back injury suffered while falling off his roof cut his 1972 season short and diminished his power numbers over the remainder of his playing days.

Melton settled into more of a designated hitter role later in his career, playing a final two seasons with the Angels and Indians.  Upon his retirement, he was the all-time home run leader for the White Sox with 154.  Melton batted .253 with 160 home runs overall and 591 RBIs.  He'd return to the White Sox in 1992 in a community relations role, and he was a member of the team's broadcast booth between 1998 and 2020.

Building the Set / Card #423
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 131st of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little over a dollar.

The Card / White Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

I don't think Melton is wearing a White Sox uniform here, despite the fact he hadn't yet played for another big league team.  The picture seems to be taken inside a clubhouse and is similar to the photo used for his 1970 Topps card, where the hat logo is blacked out.  If you squint, and use a little imagination, the sign behind him possibly says Hawaii Islanders, which is where Melton spent the bulk of the 1968 season.  The Islanders were then the top farm team for the White Sox.

This is Melton's rookie card.  The back of the card mentions Melton got his shot when regular third baseman Pete Ward (#155) was injured in 1968.  Ward would serve as a super utility player in 1969 and then get dealt to the Yankees once Melton proved he could handle the everyday third base job.  I love how Topps depicts any offseason activity in cartoon form with falling snow.

Accuracy Index:  I'm making the call that Melton isn't actually wearing a White Sox jersey here, dropping his score to -8.

1969 Season
Melton's first full season in the majors, he batted .255 with 23 home runs and 87 RBIs, leading the team in both power categories.  This was the first of seven consecutive seasons Melton was the team's opening day third baseman.  Melton hit three home runs agains the Pilots June 24th.

1970 Topps #518

1972 Topps #184

1973 Topps #455

1975 Topps #11

1977 Topps #107

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #481
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1969-77
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1977 Topps #107
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  65 in the Beckett online database as of 11/29/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#480 Tom Seaver - New York Mets / #482 Jim Gosger - Seattle Pilots

#479 Richie Scheinblum - Cleveland Indians

Richard Alan Scheinblum
Cleveland Indians
Outfield

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  November 5, 1942, New York, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1965, 1967-69; Washington Senators 1971; Kansas City Royals 1972; Cincinnati Reds 1973; California Angels 1973-74; Kansas City Royals 1974; St. Louis Cardinals 1974

Died:  May 10, 2021, Palm Harbor, FL (age 78)

Richie Scheinblum toiled with the Indians for parts of four big league seasons as a reserve outfielder and pinch-hitter, before enjoying his best seasons in 1971 and 1972.  He was named the 1971 American Association MVP after batting .388 to lead the league, to go along with 25 home runs and 108 RBIs for the Denver Bears, then the Senators' top farm team.  Sold to the Royals following the season, Scheinblum would craft an All-Star season in 1972 as the team's regular right fielder.  In 134 games, he batted .300 with eight home runs and 66 RBIs.  He'd play the next two seasons with four different clubs, and then depart to Japan for two seasons with the Hiroshima Carp.  Scheinblum batted .263 in 462 big league games, with 13 home runs and 127 RBIs.

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

Building the Set / Card #422
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 130th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little less than a dollar.

The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Scheinblum's first solo card after he appeared on Rookie Stars cards in 1965 and 1968.  This photo seems to date from the same session as the photo used on his 1968 Topps card, shared with Lou Piniella (#394).  The back of the card touts his minor league accomplishments.  Scheinblum had won the regular right fielder's job out of spring training, but on April 19th, the Indians acquired Ken Harrelson (#240) from the Red Sox in somewhat controversial six-player deal.  Harrelson initially refused to report to Cleveland, but he'd eventually accept the deal, returning Scheinblum to a back-up role.

Accuracy Index:  Scheinblum's card scores a solid +5.

1969 Season
This was Scheinblum's first, and one of only a few, full season in the majors.  In 102 games with the Indians, he batted .186 with a home run and 13 RBIs.  He was Cleveland's opening day right fielder, but the arrival of Harrelson from the Red Sox cost him significant playing time.  Scheinblum made 37 starts throughout the regular season - 25 in left field, 11 in right field and one in center field.  He did find some success as a pinch-hitter, batting .259 (14 for 54) with four doubles and his lone home run for the year.

1965 Topps #577

1970 Topps #161

1972 Topps #468

1973 Topps #78

1974 Topps #323

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #577
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1965, 1968-74
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2015 BBM Carp Legends #59
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  35 in the Beckett online database as of 11/28/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#478 Don Buford - Baltimore Orioles / #480 Tom Seaver - New York Mets

Merry Christmas!

#478 Don Buford - Baltimore Orioles

Don Alvin Buford
Baltimore Orioles
Second Base-Outfield

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'7"  Weight:  160
Born:  February 2, 1937, Linden, TX
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent, November 1959
Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 1963-67; Baltimore Orioles 1968-72

World Series Appearances:  Baltimore Orioles 1969-71

Don Buford started his 10-year big league career as a speedy infielder for the White Sox and ended as a World Series hero and left fielder for the Orioles.  With the White Sox, he stole a career high 51 bases in 1966, a year in which he also led the league in sacrifices with 17.  After establishing himself as one of the best lead-off hitters in the league, the White Sox traded him along with Bruce Howard (#226) and Roger Nelson (#279) to the Orioles for Luis Aparicio (#75), John Matias and Russ Snyder (#201) on November 29, 1967.  

With the Orioles, Buford was atop a line-up that went to the World Series three years in a row between 1969 and 1971, winning it all against the Reds in 1970.  In 1969, he became the first player to lead-off Game 1 of the World Series with a home run, hitting it off future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver (#480).  Buford was an All-Star in 1971 and led the league with 99 runs scored.  He departed for Japan for the 1973 season and batted .270 over four seasons, retiring after 1976.

Buford returned to baseball in 1981 as a coach for the Giants, managed by his former Orioles teammate, Frank Robinson (#250).  He stayed with Robinson in San Francisco through 1984, then followed him briefly to Baltimore in 1988 and 1994, and again to Washington in 2005.  His son Damon Buford played with the Orioles, Mets, Rangers, Red Sox and Cubs between 1993 and 2001.

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

Building the Set / Card #421
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 129th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little less than a dollar.

The Card / Orioles Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is the first Topps card to feature Buford actually wearing an Orioles uniform.  The cartoon on the back celebrates the grand slam Buford hit off Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg (#109) on September 9, 1968.  Buford had hit one grand slam before that in 1967, and he'd connect for the third and final grand slam of his career in 1970.

Accuracy Index:  Buford's card earns a +5.

1969 Season
Buford had another solid season for the Orioles as their regular left fielder, batting .291 in 144 games, with 31 doubles, 11 home runs and 64 RBIs.  His average was a career high.  The Orioles swept the Twins in the ALCS, with Buford batting .286 (4 for 14), but then lost to the Mets in the World Series.  As mentioned above, Buford led off the series with a home run and also doubled in Game 1.  Unfortunately, he'd go 0 for 16 in the next four games, as the Mets stunned the Orioles, winning Games 2 through 5.

1964 Topps #368

1967 Topps #143

1970 Topps #305

1971 Topps #29

1973 Topps #183

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #368
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1964-73
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2002 Topps Super Teams #107
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  84 in the Beckett online database as of 11/27/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#477 Jeff James - Philadelphia Phillies / #479 Richie Scheinblum - Cleveland Indians