The Quest For '60: #465 N.Y. Yankees Coaches

It's been too long since I had an update on my progress with completing my Dad's 1960 Topps set - but this is a great way to dive back into the fold!

For just a few dollars, I was able to cross this one off the 'want list' and it's a beauty.   Sure, a banana yellow doesn't necessarily enhance the floating Yankee heads......but they are Yankee floating heads so there is a lot for me to enjoy here.

This is a great collection of Yankee royalty!   As the card back points out, Crosetti was a 2x All-Star shortstop and won......wait for it......17 World Series titles while playing on teams with Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio.   Did you know he hit ONE home run in all of his World Series' appearances?   Sure did - and he belted it off of the Cubs' Dizzy Dean to give the Yanks a lead in Game 2 of the '38 Series.   Bill Dickey, a Navy man in World War II, was an 11x All-Star catcher that set the standard for golden-age catchers.   He was elected to the Hall of Fame, but he only won 14 Series titles.   Womp, womp.

(sarcasm)

Ralph Houk was an Army hero during World War II and returned home to both successfully play and manage the game for many years.   He kept the troops together during that magical summer of '61 and later relinquished the reigns to his catcher, Yogi Berra after the '63 season.   Ed Lopat won 5 titles with the Yanks and was an All-Star in 1951.   He was considered one of the "Big Three" for the Bombers' rotation, along with Allie Reynolds and Vic Raschi. 

Considering all of this, I'd have to say that this collection of floating heads might be immune to ANY color Topps might have splashed around them!

And the back:

A great card and this one was in really good shape, too.   I'm thrilled to be that much closer to finishing my Quest for '60.

Thanks for reading!

My Yankee Collection - 1971 Topps #146 Ralph Houk

Ralph Houk was one impressive man.

He was a national hero, entering the service during World War 2 as he was making his way through the Yankees farm system as a backstop.   He made his way to the rank of Major as an Army Ranger, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and Bastogne.   He was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Silver Star (with oak leaf clusters) for his service.

Amazing!

He then returned to baseball, playing for the Yankees in a limited role as a backup catcher behind the likes of Yogi Berra.   He only played in 91 games from '47 to '54 but finished with a respectable .270 batting average.

Major Houk is best known for his success as a manager.   Tommy Lasorda played for Houk at the Yank's AAA affiliate in Denver and would later describe Ralph as the finest 'leader of men' he ever knew.   Lasorda would, in fact, style his own managerial style after him - and we know what that garnered.

Houk would bring titles to the Bronx during their epic seasons in '61 and '62.   They would fall just short tot he Dodgers in '63 before Houk made the move to the front office, replaced by Yogi Berra as the Yankee skipper. 

From there, Houk would end up firing Berra in '64 and taking over as the Yankee Manager again from '66 to '73.   Like so many others,  Major Houk butted heads with The Boss towards the end of his time in New York.   His time int he game was not finished, however - he would go on to assist with team building efforts in both Detroit and Boston (nobody's perfect) before retiring from managing in 1984.   His influence in both of those towns ushered in the eras of Whitaker/Trammell/Morris and Boggs/Clemens/Hurst, respectively.

The Card

I was able to snag this '71 card of Houk for about the price of a coke.   I have always loved the '71 design and will one day try to build the complete set.   I don't own very many of them but you can bet there's one in particular that is HIGH on this Yankees fan's list!   Any vintage card is a great addition, though, and for now, this card will hold a special place in my Yankee collection - my first card of Ralph Houk.

Would you mess with this guy?

Any shot of Yankee Stadium is always a plus!   As always, here's the back of the card.   Were you expecting a smile?

Lasorda confirmed: Leader of Men

Thanks for reading!