A few nights ago, I bought a 1965 Topps Casey Stengel. I like the look on his face- like "What do you want from me? I'm an old man! Leave me alone."

It got me thinking- he's in the T210 set, and there he is in the '65 topps set. 55 years apart. Wow. Granted, he wasn't a player in any of the '40s-60's sets, but he was active in baseball.

Several players from the 1910's are in the '61 Fleer Greats or Callahan sets, but they were long dead.
Who else has presence like Casey?

I can't think of anyone at all. I thought maybe Bob Feller might have appeared on a team card as a coach in the 70s, but it looks like I was mistaken.

I love Casey Stengel, BTW.





-Al

He is more modern but Red Schoendienst covers a lot of decades.

Connie Mack? If we count his 1950 Callahan (last year he managed) that's 67 years from his OJ.

Off the top of my head...Jimmy Dykes has an Exhibit in 1921 and then a 1961 Topps card as a manager, so that is a 40 year span. It doesn't approach Casey but that is the closest that I can think of.

I would guess Mack would be one of the longest if not the longest...

Mack spent 66 years in the majors, so he would have to be the longest.

Had cards as player or manager in five decades from the 30s through the 70s.

Started as Catcher for Washington in 1886

He's in the OLD JUDGE (N172) to 1961 FLEER....and perhaps other sets after this.


TED Z

Ted, I think the idea was active in baseball at time of issue.

Matt, I think 1887-1950 is 63 years, not 67 years.

Reese was on a 1925 Zeenut and a 1991 Bowman, both as active participant in the game, which would be 66 years.

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Bob Feller appeared on his first card in 1936 or 1937, depending upon who you believe. His last non-commemorative card was a 1981 TCMA card showing him as a coach.

I believe the record goes to Mack. He appeared in the 1887 Old Judge set as a player and the 1948 Topps Magic Photo set as a manager. He also appeared in the tiny R423 set in 1950, when he was still active as a manager. And he appeared in the 51 Topps Connie Mack All Star set. He's not quite an active manager there, but it is a "contemporaneous" card of him in the same sense as a 1969 Mantle.

So Mack has cards at least 61 years apart, 63 if you count the R423, and 64 if you count the 51 Topps.

I wouldn't count the 61 Fleer, since he was retired. I don't think I'd count the Callahan either, because it mentions on the back that he retired a couple of years earlier. So I don't think it was really issued in 1950.

Reese seems to be the longest...his 1991 Bowman card was when he was still an Angels coach

Oops - my bad - 63 years for Mack is correct. What kind of coach was Reese in 1991?

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Not sure exactly what coach, but he was known for his skill at hitting fungos

Jimmie Reese was a long time friend of Gene Autry and served as a special coach with the California Angels. I believe he was still a master with the fungo bat even in his late eigthies (perhaps into his early nineties?)

Brian

Hmmm....do we count that? I think I'd even stretch the limit to a 3B coach, but a fungo special coach? Not sure...

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Wags has the 49 Leaf, but that still doesn't match Stengel

Durocher might be close too, but no cigar.

Reese was so skilled at using a fungo bat, he could play catch using the bat instead of a glove. In lieu of catching the ball, he'd just hit it back to the other person, delivering the ball to the guy's chest every time.

I'm pretty sure he learned that from our own Barry Sloate.

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Jimmie Reese was the Angels' conditioning coach until he died. He also led the team's pre-game fielding practice until then.


Steve

Who knows Tommy Lasorda may pass them all up. He was a rookie in 1954 and after the sale of the team to Frank McCourt, Lasorda took on his current position of "Special Advisor to the Chairman" His duties include "scouting, evaluating and teaching minor league players, acting as an advisor and ambassador for the Dodgers international affiliations, and representing the franchise at more than 100 speaking engagements and appearances to various charities, private groups and military personnel each year." So from 1954 to 2009 is 55 years.

Started in the minors in 1949, was still coaching in 2008.

Lasorda was first pictured in the 1950 V362 World Wide Gum "Big League Stars" set.
-Rhett

Here is one you don't see of him every day. I guess this is a "war" card as it's not pre or post....I was cataloging it as I still needed a 1944 and 1945 (have the 1943) of a Grand Studio type card so figured I would post it where it makes some sense. I was alerted to this one in the BST and on ebay. This Stengel happens to be the key card (only HOF'er) from any of the 3 yrs besides Hawaiin Henry Oana of the Texas League. regards

If we're going to bend the rules that much, how about Johnny Pesky, as he appeared in the 1948 Leaf set and he's still associated with the Red Sox today. He has cards currently being produced but they are all in throwback sets of all retired players, I think.

He was in mainstream issues both ends (Zeenut and Bowman) and working on a team at both times in an on-field capacity in which he was depicted on the cards. I would not count anyone who is "associated" with a team and in a tribute set pertaining to his old career. Only an issue depicting the player/person in their then-current capacity with the team in question. otherwise, whoever is the earliest born HOFer wins every time due to HOF tribute sets like the HOF plaques sold at Cooperstown.

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I've enjoyed this thread.

As I understand it, to fine tune the constraints, we're talking about who was the baseball player who has a cards from sets with the greatest number of years between set issue, depicting the player while he was either a player, coach, or manager.

I'd like it to be Stengel. I think I have one of his 1965 cards. It would be neat to post both the 1910 and 1965 card at the same time.



Connie Mack had a bunch of years between cards. Maybe he doesn't count because he didn't wear a uniform... We need a list of the 5 longest.

Jimmy Reese may well be the fellow with the greatest span. I think I have him on a Zee-Nut, don't know if it was his first one. I'll dig those out this week. I do have a 1956 4 page PCL contract that was signed both by Mr. Reese, and by Ralph Kiner. Here are 2 of the pages.

Can't think of too many. If his T206 is 1909, Jack Quinn. Ted Williams. Nolan Ryan. Others?

Minnie Minoso

What 40s and 70s issues does he have? I thought his last card was 64 Topps.

Mike Morgan? Not sure if he had a '78 or '79 card but I remember seeing some Topps issue from the early 2000s that had his career stats squeezed onto the back of the card and thinking...sheesh he has played a long time.

Joshua

Lou Piniella has cards in five decades, starting in the 1960's as a player into the sets from this year as a manager.

Orestes Minoso's Major Lge. career started in 1949 and into the 1960's.

In 1976 he batted 3 times.

In 1980 he batted 2 times.

It's a stretch....but, he can boast that his career spanned 5 decades.


TED Z

Satch pitched a couple of innings in 1965, so that makes 5 decades for him too.

joe torre 1st card 1962 topps and has a 2009 topps card

Is the answer to a well-known Trivia quiz......

"Who is the only active ballplayer that is in the 1910 T206 set and the 1933 Goudey set ?"


Quinn was one of many Major Leaguers that came from the coal-mining region of Pennsylvania.
His W-L pitching record was 247-218

Quinn Quiz.....he holds a record that still stands.....what is it ?



TED Z

1945 Caramelo Deportivo Cuban League
1947 Exhibits

1977 Topps (Record Breaker card)

Ted, isn't Quinn the oldest pitcher to win a game?

Tony LaRussa is another five decade guy, with his first card in 1964

If memory serves, oldest guy to pitch in a WS game.

I believe he is.

But, the answer I'm looking for is another record that Quinn still holds.


TED Z

I think you are correct on that one.

However, it's not the answer I'm looking for.

TED Z

OK an educated guess, since he was so old -- oldest guy to hit a HR.

PETER

I think he was 47 when he did it in 1930.


TED Z

Did Julio Franco break that record?

Yes...Franco broke that record when he hit one at 47 years old for the Mets

At the risk of being a nit-picker what was the exact age of Franco ?

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCI/is_6_65/ai_n16533474/

By the way, this was not Franco's last HR as he also hit one in 2007. I'll try to find that exact date, but he is the record holder.


His last HR was 05/04/07. His DOB is 08/23/58.

Clark Griffith is probably up there somewhere as a member of the Old Judge set and the Callahan set as well. I thought he had a team issue from the 1950's as owner but I cant remember if that is correct or not.

Rhys

Griffith is in the 1948 Safe-T-Set, as well as the 1950 Callahan set. I have the Callahan card and he is described as the current owner of the Senators on the back of the card. So, with his Old Judge card, he's got to be in the top 5. I think he falls short of Mack because his Old Judge probably in son an 1887.