Gambo and T_Wil1 Photopack

[rrb77]

a little clearer

[baseball-birthdays.com]

.

[FatJack]

Former Phillies bonus baby and member of the Bill Sharman Society Tom Casagrande passed away September 4.

A star at Fordham University, the Phillies gave Tom a $40,000 bonus to sign in 1950. Though he was sought as a pitcher by other teams in the bidding, the Phils wanted him as a first baseman. Throughout his 7 year pro career, he did both as teams sought to keep his bat in the lineup when he wasn't pitching. The Phils had Eddie Waitkus teach him first base in the spring of 1951, which worked out well for Eddie (who believed teaching Casagrande made him a sharper player), but Casagrande never showed the power the Phils were hoping to see from the 6'3" 225 pound player.

In 1955, Tom broke camp and headed north with the Phils. This was during the era when the first month of the season had the extra roster room as September does. Tom never got into a game with the Phillies and was sent down after a week or so on the major league roster. But he did get a Topps card for his trouble.

Speaking of trouble, Tom suffered an arm injury that year--which he attributed to the two-way play--and he was out of baseball following the 1957 season. After baseball, Tom worked for Amtrak for 30 years.

The image featuring a pitching pose is from Mainline Autographs while the picture of Tom posing as a first baseman with Eddie Waitkus looking on is a news clipping from 1951 from a completed eBay auction. On the latter, I did a light perspective fix and switched to grayscale.

[dennis_keith]

Casagrande is one of those few Phillies players that Topps issued a major league card for that never actually appeared for the team, and in fact, never actually appeared for any major league team.
Teams were allowed to carry 28 men for the first 31 days of the season from 1953 to 1967. It's a shame that Casagrande was one of the season-opening 28 Phillies players in 1955, but never got into a game in his best opportunity to reach the majors. It was a "So close, but yet so far" situation.
Certainly, opening the season with 28 men for the first month of the season before cutting back to 25 had it's advantages and a manager could really shape a team's roster with that rule in effect. He could test his 'marginal' players and rookies under real competition that counted in the standings and in statistics, unlike Spring Training competition. Then when mid-May rolled around and the rosters had to be reduced managers could make informed decisions on who to keep for the final 25 man roster.
I liked that rule and you have to wonder was this practice was allowed to die out.

[dennis_keith]

Tom Casagrande's story reminds me of a much more recent Phillies farmhand that barely missed getting a shot to prove what he could do in the majors.
Lefthander, Brian Mazone, originally signed by the Braves, had knocked about in the minors for eight years before having a great 2006 season for the Phillies AAA team of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He finished the regular season at 13-3, with a 2.03 earned run average. He was an unspectacular, pitch-to-contact pitcher who only averaged 5 to 6 strikeouts per 9 innings.
He had just turned 30 that July when in the middle of the (AAA) International League playoffs he was called up to pitch a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 5, 2006. Unfortunately a deluge hit that ballpark that day and the rainout cost the San Diegan his only opportunity to pitch in the majors. He was returned to Scranton-Wilkes Barre where he had a rare off-day pitching poorly in the game that eliminated Scranton/Wilkes-Barre from the playoffs. That poor performance, which was rare for Mazone that season, may have sealed his fate, as he was not offered a call up by the Phillies for the remainder of the season. That playoff elimination game also turned out to be the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons final game as a Phillies affiliate, with the Phillies then ending an 18-year relationship with that North Eastern Pennsylvania franchise and region.
The team, including Mazone, was moved to Ottawa for the 2007 season, where he pitched in another "last situation" as that year's Ottawa Lynx are to this day the last Canadian baseball team with a major league affiliation. The move to Ottawa was a temporary move while Coca-Cola Park was being built by the Phillies in Allentown, PA, a bit closer to their home base of Philadelphia. In 2008 Mazone pitched for the new Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, based in Allentown, and continued to pitch for the Iron Pigs through part of 2010, at which point he was released, but he pitched the remainder of the year for Mexicali of the Mexican League. That stint in Mexico ended his career at age 34 without him ever reaching the majors.
Photos of Brian Mazone would be welcome. Thanks!

[baseball-birthdays.com]

Jim Baskette, 1911 Cleveland Naps, on offer at RMY Auctions

[Pinetarpress]

John Balaz made the big leagues in my 1976 replay after injuries depleted the big league OF in Boston. Until now, he played in my game with an Angels hat. Now, the one year member of the Red Sox organization has some pics in his Boston gear.

John made his debut with the Angles in 1974 batting .238 with a HR in 42 AB. He was back in the big leagues in 1975 with the Angels batting .242 with a HR in 120 AB.

Balaz went to Boston on March 3rd 1976 when he, Dave Machemer, and Dick Sharon were traded for Dick Drago. Balaz spent all of 1976 at AAA Rhode Island batting .238 with 24 HR. He spent 1977 playing with the AAA clubs of both San Diego and Los Angeles before closing out his professional career with 3 seasons in Mexico

[Rainmaker]

Thanks to today's Topps Vault release, I caught another checklist correction.

In FOLDER GR,.

593-594 is lefty White Sox minor leaguer Mike Baldwin. Previously posted as Rick Baldwin, who is RHP

Mike Baldwin is also in today's batch: KD874-875

[Oriole1952]

I could be wrong, but I thi nk this was an owner reaction to the union. The union made demands and the owners countered by chopping off the 3 extra roster spots for the first month. I remember those times well and it was almost like a June 15th time when 3 guys had to go. Lots of deals around the cut date and June 15th.

[Rainmaker]

Brian Mazone images posted on the minor league page.

[Rainmaker]

The California Angels were the sixth of Steve Barber's seven major league stops, spending an effective season-plus working out of their bullpen in 1973-74. In '74, his final full season in the majors, he appeared in a career-high 50 games and logged four saves.
Earlier in his career, as a starter with the Orioles, he was a two-time all-star and led the AL with eight shutouts as part of an 18-win season in 1961.



Wednesday's Vault items:
FOLDER KD
856-857 Chris Bando; 858-859 Sal Bando; 860-861 Terry Banderas (Reds minor leaguer); 862-863 George Bamberger; 864-865 Jeff Ballard; 866-867 Tony Balsamo; 868-869 Mark Ballinger; 870-871 Lee Bales; 872-873 RIck Baldwin; 874-875 MIke Baldwin (CWS minors); 876-877 Jack Baldschun; 878-879 John Balaz; 880-881 Steve Baker; 882-883 Jack Baker; 884-889 Steve Barber; 890-891 Alan Bannister; 892-893 Eddie Bane; 894-895 George Banks.

[dennis_keith]

Originally Posted by Rainmaker

Brian Mazone images posted on the minor league page.

Link to minor league page?

[dennis_keith]

Originally Posted by Oriole1952

I could be wrong, but I thi nk this was an owner reaction to the union. The union made demands and the owners countered by chopping off the 3 extra roster spots for the first month. I remember those times well and it was almost like a June 15th time when 3 guys had to go. Lots of deals around the cut date and June 15th.

May 15 (31st day of the season) or there abouts was the cut down date.
June 15 back then was the Trading Deadline (subsequently moved to
July 31 (usual date), but sometimes August 1).

[Rainmaker]

All relevant links are at the bottom of every tnfoto's posting.

Here is minor league link:

LINK

[hobbs11]

Hello all,

I'm aware that a few of us are still hoping to find a larger color pic of Pitcher Juan Pizarro in his last season with the 1974 Pirates. I was simply following up to see if anything sprang up this past year, or was shaken loose in someone's net. Thanks in advance!

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...ml#post3967183

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...ml#post3967123

[cheech411]

[cheech411]

a

[cheech411]

[hobbs11]

Originally Posted by cheech411

Attachment 480331

Thanks cheech but let me further clarify my request: I'm looking for the unis worn by the 1974 Pirate squad with the yellow hats.

[SDL]

Originally Posted by Rainmaker

Matching gaps in numbers with Topps' tendancy to alphabetize things as much as possible, we have been able to logically place 21 of the "orphan" Topps Vault images in Folder AE.

These additions include Frank Thomas (6), Lenny Greeen (6), Jim Gosger (6), Billy Goodman (2), Gary Gentry (1), Phil Gagliano (1), John Gabler (1) and Willie Davis (1).

These additions have been placed in the Folder AE checklist at Chop Country. Folder AE, which now has 199 items, can be sent out on request on a private message. None of these images will be posted here.

I just looked at the checklist and I don't see the listings for Thomas and Gentry.in the revised AE folder