Final Card: Bud Zipfel

According to my Topps book, this is the only baseball card for Marion Sylvester "Bud" Zipfel (#69). I thought he would be the last person listed in the index, but Richie Zisk and Frank Zupo (1958) are after him.

Bud was signed by the Yankees in 1956, and spent 5 seasons in their farm system before the Los Angeles Angels selected him in the expansion draft prior to the 1961 season. The same day, the Angels traded him to the Senators for shortstop Ken Hamlin (who was also selected in the expansion draft, from Kansas City).



After starting 1961 in the minors, Zipfel made his major-league debut on July 26th, and started 44 of the final 66 games at 1B for the Senators, taking over from Dale Long. Apparently, that wasn't enough to impress, because he was back in triple-A in 1962. Zipfel didn't get extended playing time at 1B until September 8th, although he saw some action in left field earlier in the season.

Bud's only major-league playing time came in 1961 and 1962. After the '62 season, he kicked around the minors for 4 more seasons, playing for the Reds', Tigers', Cardinals', and Phillies' organizations.

Bubba Phillips (#177)

John Melvin "Bubba" Phillips had a 10-year career during the 1950s and 1960s, playing for the Tigers, White Sox, and Indians. (It seems like almost all the players on this blog have played for those 3 teams!)

Phillips began his career in 1948 as an outfielder with the unaffiliated class-D Stroudsburg (PA) Poconos, in the North Atlantic League. The following season, he joined the Tigers' organization, and played 4 seasons in their farm system before spending 1953-54 in military service. He returned to baseball in 1955, and spent the next 10 seasons as a fulltime major-leaguer.

After his rookie season as a backup outfielder with the Tigers, Bubba was traded to the White Sox for pitcher Virgil Trucks. Although he was again a backup outfielder in 1956, the following season found Bubba as the Sox' regular 3rd baseman. His new status was short-lived, as he was relegated to backup 3rd baseman/6th outfielder in 1958. Phillips did an about-face in '59, playing 100 games as the regular 3rd baseman, along with 23 games in the outfield. It would be his last season in Chicago.



On December 6th, Bubba was traded to the Indians (along with catcher John Romano and 1st baseman Norm Cash) for outfielder Minnie Minoso, catcher Dick Brown, and 2 others. Phillips spent 3 seasons in Cleveland, the last 2 as their regular 3rd baseman, starting over 140 games there each season.

After the 1962 season, Bubba was traded back to the Tigers for pitcher Ron Nischwitz. He played the final 2 big-league seasons there, appearing in 128 games (mostly at 3B) in 1963, but only 46 games in his final season.

Phillips was released by the Tigers in February 1965, and spent that season playing for Milwaukee's AAA team in Atlanta, before retiring.

Al Smith (#16)

Here's another player I never heard of until getting this card a few months ago, in a gift-pack from DeansCards.com. I'm instituting a new label (New to Me) for these cards. It will apply to most of the 1963 cards, as well as a few on my 1966 and 1970 blogs.

After playing in the Negro Leagues in 1947, Al Smith was signed by the Indians in 1948, and made his big-league debut in July 1953. As a rookie, he started every game in centerfield for a month during July and August. Over the next 3 seasons, Smith was one of the Indians' top outfielders, switching positions from one season to the next. In 1955, Al led the league in games, plate appearances, and runs scored. In his last season in Cleveland (1957) he was the team's 4th outfielder, once Roger Maris joined the team.



After the season, he and pitcher Early Wynn were traded to the White Sox for outfielder Minnie Minoso and 3rd baseman Fred Hatfield. Al spent the next 5 seasons as a regular in Chicago, the first 3 as a corner outfielder, then transitioning to 3rd base during 1961, and finally playing fulltime at 3rd base during the 1962 season.

By the time this card was issued, Smith had left Chicago. In January 1963, he and shortstop Luis Aparicio were traded to the Orioles for pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, shortstop Ron Hansen, 3rd baseman Pete Ward, and outfielder Dave Nicholson. Al wasn't there long, as the Indians re-acquired his services after the 1963 season for outfielder Willie Kirkland.

Released by Cleveland in August 1964, Al wrapped up his career with a 2-month stint with the Red Sox.

Ed Rakow (#82)

Here's another card donated by the fine folks at Dean's Cards. It's also another from the Athletics' pre-green-and-gold era.

Ed Rakow was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957, and had a 4-year tour of their minor-league outposts, including the Green Bay Bluejays and the Montreal Royals. Ed's major-league debut with the Dodgers came in April 1960, but he only played 9 games with them that season, while spending the bulk his time with their triple-A Spokane Indians.

In March 1961, Rakow was traded to the Athletics for pitcher Howie Reed (who will be found next week in my 1970 blog). Ed spent 3 full seasons with Kansas City. In 1961 he was primarily a reliever, compiling a 2-8 record in 45 games (34 in relief).

The following season he moved to the starting rotation, and was the team's ace (if a team that finishes in 9th place has an "ace"). He led the staff in wins (14), losses (a league-high 17), starts (35), innings (235), and strikeouts (159).



1963 was Ed's last season with the Athletics. His 9-10 record put him in the team's 2nd-tier of starters (along with Moe Drabowsky and Diego Segui), behind 12-game winners Orlando Pena (who lost 20 games) and Dave Wickersham. Rakow pitched in 34 games, but made only 26 starts.

In November, Ed was traded to the Tigers (along with Wickersham and 2nd baseman Jerry Lumpe) for slugging outfielder Rocky Colavito, pitcher Bob Anderson (who never played in the majors again), and cash. Rakow had one solid season (1964) in the Tigers bullpen, then spent most of 1965 and all of 1966 in the minors. He was released by the Tigers in May 1966, and picked up by the Red Sox the same month, but remained in triple-A.

After the 1966 season, Rakow was traded to the Braves. He pitched for their AAA Richmond club in 1967 and 1968, and pitched 17 games for the parent club in 1967, his last on September 28th. Ed's final card was in the 1965 set.

Extremely rare, short-printed card found!

Recently, a rare 1963 card thought to be extinct has surfaced. This highly-sought-after card appears to be in good condition, considering its age. This late-inning reliever no doubt spent several seasons with the Spokane Lumberjacks and Minot Red Roosters, before hooking on with Team Coco.