BASEBALL HOBBY NEWS — Cold Rookie Cards: From Boccabella to Valo

BY MARK A. LARSON

Over the past few years we’ve heard a lot about “Hot” rookie cards in the hobby, so I think it’s only fair to give equal time to some very “Cold” rookie cards of the past.

You never know, these could be the sleepers of tomorrow when the latest rage may very well be collecting off-beat players of yesteryear.

The following 22 were chosen for their contributions – or lack thereof – to the game of baseball …

•  FRANK ZUPO (1958 Topps #229): Neat name … Zooooopo. Nicknamed “Noodles,” for what reason, who knows? Frank possesses a lifetime average of .167 over 16 big league games. Biggest claim-to-fame: He once hit a double for the Orioles.

•  MASANORI MURAKAMI (1965 Topps #282): This native of Japan pitched in 54 games for the Giants in 1964-65, posting a 5-1 record with a 3.43 ERA. Lack of Japanese restaurants in America probably made him homesick.

•  COTTON NASH (1971 Topps #391): One in a long line of young Twins dubbed the “Next Harmon Killebrew.” Cotton, however, hit 573 homers fewer than Harmon.

•  FAYE THRONEBERRY (1952 Topps #376) & MARV THRONEBERRY (1958 Topps #175): Thanks to his second career in Lite Beer commercials, most people know “Marvelous Marv.” However, few ever paid much attention to “Fabulous Faye.” The brothers from Tennessee ended up with very similar career stats.

Marv played seven seasons and compiled a .237 lifetime average. Faye played eight seasons and compiled a .236 lifetime average. But did you know that Faye is really his middle name? His first name is Maynard. … Maynard and Marvin.

•  DON MOSSI (1955 Topps #85): Ol’ elephant ears has always been a favorite of collectors. His looks have got to put him near the top of any Cold rookies list. Nicknamed “The Sphinx” – and for good reason. Not a bad pitcher, though … hitters probably felt sorry for him.

•  PUMPSIE GREEN (1960 Topps #317): Pumpsie left an indelible mark on the game. He was the first black player on the Red Sox – the last team to integrate. As an infielder, Pumpsie hit .246 over five seasons. With a name like Pumpsie, he had to be good.

•  JOE LIS (1970 Topps #56): Anyone that can fit his full name on a license plate is also deserving of a mention here. Joe boasts a lifetime average of .233 with 32 home runs – which is 32 more than Cotton Nash.

•  DARCY FAST (1972 Topps #457): The only thing fast about Darcy seems to have been his exit from the major leagues. He pitched exactly 10 innings for the Cubs in 1968 and had a 0-1 record and 6.94 ERA. Yet he didn’t make it onto a Topps card until 1972 (after spending 1971 on the voluntary retired list). Maybe that’s a record. A man having his first big league card four years after his final game in the majors.

•  ELMER VALO (1949 Bowman #66): A guy born in Czechoslovakia has to be a prime contender for a Cold rookie, especially one who holds the all-time home run record for Czech-born major leaguers.

•  RALPH GAGLIANO (1965 Topps #501): Not to be confused with his brother Phil, this slugger’s lifetime totals are … 1 game; 0 at-bats; 0 hits; 0 runs; 0 home runs; 0 RBIs; 0 walks; .000 average. Wow!

•  BILL MONBOUQUETTE (1959 Topps #173): His full name is William Charles Monbouquette. That’s 26 letters. How would you like to sign that moniker for hours at a card show? (There are some advantages to being named Joe Lis.)

•  JIM BOUTON (1962 Topps #592): He still dreams of winning the “Comeback Player of the Year” award. Known more for his literary feats than his knuckleball. Jim loved it when the ump yelled “Ball Four!” because he considered it a free plug for his book. (See Dooley Womack entry.)

•  GENE BRABENDER (1966 Topps #579): All right. Who is the winningest pitcher in Seattle Pilots history? Give up? Gene Brabender, of course. For that alone, his rookie card is vastly underpriced.

•  GEORGE BRUNET (1958 Topps #139): George’s personal anthem is the Beach Boys classic “I Get Around.” During his 15-year major league career: George started out with Kansas City in 1956; was dealt to the Braves during the 1960 season; went on to Houston prior to the ’62 season; was traded to Baltimore during the 1963 campaign; moved to the Angels before 1964; he remained there for nearly five years!; but then it was on to the Pilots in mid-1969; surfaced in Washington shortly before the 1970 season; shipped his bags to Pittsburgh later that year; and spent his last season in 1971 with the Cardinals.

•  HERB WASHINGTON (1975 Topps #407): “Hurricane Herb” – Charlie Finley’s designated baserunner for the A’s – stole 30 bases and appeared in 104 games, but never came to bat.

•  GEORGE KORINCE (1967 Topps #72? and #526?): Early in 1967, Topps issued Tigers Rookies card #72. George Korince shares the card with John Matchick. However, it isn’t really George Korince. It’s an imposter named John Brown. George Korince reappears on Tigers Rookies card #526 with Pat Dobson. The write-up on the back states: “In the first series of Topps 1967 Baseball cards, the incorrect picture of George Korince was published on card number 72. The correct photo of the Tiger rookie is printed on the front side of this card.”

Actually, for Topps to mistake John Brown for George Korince is rather amazing. You see, Brown is black and Korince is white. To top it all off, Korince only pitched 17 innings in the major leagues and then sailed into oblivion. Brown wasn’t much better. This was his one and only baseball card appearance. He never even made it to the majors. Seems like a lot of needless headaches for such an obscure pair of ballplayers …

•  CHOO CHOO COLEMAN (1961 Topps #502): OK, trivia nuts, what’s Choo Choo’s real first name? Can you say “Clarence”? (I knew you could.) This Amazin’ Met boasted a lifetime average of .197 over four seasons.

•  DOOLEY WOMACK (1966 Topps #469): According to Jim Bouton’s book “Ball Four Plus Ball Five,” an all-night disc jockey in Syracuse, New York once asked listeners, “Who or what was, or is, a Dooley Womack?” Some of the responses included: a guided missile, a computer, a famous sunken ship, a mixed drink, a New Wave rock ’n roll band, an old car like the Edsel, a former Miss America, one of Captain Hook’s pirates, a comic strip character, a type of dance, a C.B. term, a gospel singer, one of Howard Hughes airplanes.

•  BOB UECKER (1962 Topps #594): Often mistaken for Whitey Ford. Also, often mistaken for a major leaguer. In 297 games, Bob hit .200 with 14 homers. Has an outside chance of beating out Joan Rivers for host of The Tonight Show when Johnny Carson retires or extends his vacation to five nights a week – whichever comes first.

•  BUD ZIPFEL (1963 Topps #69): Bud hit .220 in 118 games for Washington in 1961-62. Since he had raised his average from .200 in 1961 to .239 in 1962, Topps must have felt he deserved a card in 1963. But having his own baseball card proved to be a jinx. He never appeared in another major league game. Not only that, but Topps must have been hard-pressed for interesting Zipfel trivia.

On the back of his rookie card the write-up said: “Bud was drafted from the Yankees chain during the American League expansion during the winter of 1960.” Then the cartoon right next to it says: “Bud was drafted from the Yanks chain in 1960.” Maybe the folks at Topps felt that vital piece of information wouldn’t sink in the first time.

• DENNY McLAIN (1965 Topps #236): Direct all mail autograph requests to his new home in Up-The-River, Florida. (Beware of forgeries.)

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• Originally Published in Aug. 1985 “Baseball Hobby News” •

THIS ARTICLE FROM “BASEBALL HOBBY NEWS” MAGAZINE IS REPRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF BOTH THE EDITOR/PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR. IT HAS BEEN RETYPED, BUT NO CONTENT HAS BEEN CHANGED (EXCEPT FOR VERY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS, CORRECTIONS TO TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND CHANGES TO GRAPHICS). COMMENTS OR INFORMATION IN THE ARTICLE MAY BE OUT-OF-DATE.

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