1967 Topps Walter Alston Los Angeles Dodgers

Today's entry in the 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball card collection is about a gentleman who played 1 major league game and then went on to manage a team for 23 years. It is Walter Alston, Hall of Fame Manager of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Card number 294 in the 1967 Topps Baseball card set of 609 subjects.

This autograph was obtained through a reputable autograph dealer on ebay.com on December 9, 2009. Mr. Alston had passed away in 1984 at the age of 72 and upon inspection of this card, I feel strongly it is the legitimate autograph of Walt Alston signed in blue ink.

Walter Alston came up to the Major Leagues on September 27, 1936 as a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals and struck out in his only at-bat. He never made it back to the major leagues mainly because the Cardinals had a first baseman who was a future Hall of Famer himself, Johnny "Big Cat" Mize. Walter Alston played and managed in the minor league for several years until he was named manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954. He remained manager of the Dodgers for 23 seasons, each year signing a one-year contract. I guess he was confident in his ability to lead and did not need the security of a long-term contract. Walter was the manager of the Dodgers during both the Brooklyn years and subsequently with the Los Angeles Dodgers after their move west in 1958.

During his 23 seasons as manager, Walter Alston led the Dodgers to seven pennants and 4 World Series Championships, 1955 with Brooklyn, 1959, 1963 and 1965 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Alston managed 3658 games, winning 2040 while losing 1618 given him a .558 winning percentage. Walter was given the Manager of the Year Award six seasons and managed the All-Star team in seven seasons. Mr. Alston retired in 1976 and gave over the reins of the Dodgers to Tommy Lasorda who managed the Dodgers for 20 seasons himself until 1996. Always a developer of talent, Walter Alston managed several future Hall of Famers such as Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Duke Snider and Don Newcombe.

Walter Alston number 24 was retired by the Dodgers in 1977 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.


To learn more about Walter Alston, read his biography at wikipedia.org.

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1967 Topps Larry Jansen San Francisco Giants

Today's entry is the first team card that I added to my collection of autographed 1967 Topps baseball cards. It is the San Francisco Giants Team card, #516 and it is signed by their pitching coach, Larry Jansen.

This autograph was obtained with a through the mail request that was sent to Larry Jansen's home in Oregon on September 21, 2009 and he quickly returned the card autographed 7 days later. This was one of Mr. Jansen's last autographs, he passed away on October 10, 2009 at age 89. I feel very fortunate to have this card in my collection. Thank you Mr. Jansen.

Larry Jansen's career lasted 10 seasons from 1947 to 1956. He pitched for the New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds. Larry's career statistics included 122 wins, a career 3.58 earned run average and 842 strikeouts. Larry Jansen participated in two All-Star games in 1950 and 1951. As a rookie in 1947, Larry won 21 games versus 5 losses and finished 2nd in the Rookie of the Year to future Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson. In 1951, Larry Jansen won 23 games for the New York Giants and was a vital part in the comeback against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was the winning pitcher in a playoff game against the Dodgers, the game known as the "Shot heard 'round the world." In that game, Bobby Thompson hit the game winning home run to send the Giants into the World Series.

After Larry Jansen's playing days were over, he remained close to the game by coaching and managing teams in the minors before becoming the  San Francisco Giants' pitching coach in 1961. Larry Jansen was vital in the development of two future Hall of Famers, Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry. He was elected to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.

As interesting facts, Larry Jansen allowed Mickey Mantle's first World Series hit -- a bunt single in Game 2 of the 1951 Series -- and gave up a double to Joe DiMaggio in the eighth inning of Game 6, the final at-bat of the Hall of Famer's career.
Looking for great Sports memorabilia, apparel and collectibles, check out Dugoutdug Sports Collectibles for your favorite players and teams.

1967 Topps Bill McCool Cincinnati Reds

The mailbox was unkind today as there were no new additions to my collection. Nevertheless, I went back into my of collection of 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball cards and found a "cool" card to share. It is Bill "Billy" McCool, left handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. Card number 353 out of the set of 609.

I added this card to my collection by sending it to Billy McCool at his address in Florida on January 6, 2009 and received it back 6 days later with a very nice blue signature. Billy also added his #42, a number now retired by all Major League Baseball teams to honor Jackie Robinson, and "Best Wishes" on the card. Very nice surprise and super fast turnaround.

Bill McCool's career lasted 7 years and played for the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, and the San Diego Padres in 1969, their first season as an expansion team. He won 32 games, saved 58 games, and a career 3.59 earned run average and struck out 475 batters. He was named to the 1966 National League All-Star team. To learn more Bill's career go to wikipedia.org.

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