Skip to main content

Card #226 - Frank Secory: Umpire

Let's take a look at the first card in my 1955 collection that deals with the most controversial inclusion: the umpires. Now, 1955 Bowman was not the first set to ever include umpire cards, but it was the only one in what's considered the modern card era. There were 31 umpire cards in the set. I think the fact that they don't put umpire cards in sets anymore tells you just how popular these cards were. 


Secory was a major league baseball player before he became an umpire. He spent 1 game with the Detroit Tigers in 1940 and 2 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1942. He did not register a single hit in his 9 plate appearances during those two stints.

In 1943 he joined the Chicago Cubs where he was largely a pinch hitter for the next 3 seasons. In 3 seasons with the Cubs he played in 90 games and had 156 at bats. He was a .237 hitter for his career. 

After his playing career, he became an umpire in the West-Texas League from 1948 until 1952 when his contract was bought by the Major Leagues. From 1952 until 1970, he was a National League umpire that worked four World Series' (crew chief in 1964). He also was an umpire during 6 All-Star Games.


Not a whole lot to say about the back of the card. No funny anecdotes or anything. Maybe that's why these cards didn't find favor in the hobby.

That's not to say Secory wasn't part of some historic moments. During his playing career, he scored the winning run in Game 6 of the 1945 World Series (sadly, the Cubs lost the series in 7 games). As an umpire, he was on 2nd base during what has been called the "Greatest pitching performance ever" when Harvey Haddix threw a perfect game for 12 innings, unfortunately giving up a run in the 13th and losing the game. I read once that a player on the other team admitted that they were stealing his signs the entire game, they just couldn't hit him. 

He was also on 2nd during Jim Bunning's perfect game in 1964, the first since 1922. He was on the field for 9 no-hitters in his career including the very first "combined" (multiple pitchers) no-hitter thrown by the Cincinnati Reds in 1956. 

I couldn't find much information about what he did after retiring in 1970. I do know he lived in Port Huron, Michigan (a town I coincidentally love visiting). He passed away in 1995 at the age of 82.

He is buried next to his wife Vonda in Armada, Michigan at Willow Grove Cemetery. They have an unmistakable headstone (picture borrowed from his Findagrave page).

  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Card #49 - Jim Greengrass - Outfield: Cincinnati Redlegs

 Jim Greengrass' card is our first encounter with one of the more notable printing irregularities Bowman had with the 1955 set.  This is one of the "Light Wood" cards which make up the first 64 cards of the 320 card set. If you look at the Bill Klaus card I shared before, you can clearly see the difference. There has never been a reason I've found for the color shift. Jim Greengrass was first signed by the New York Yankees at the age of 16 in 1944. He spent the next 7 seasons bouncing around in the Yankees farm system (mostly in A level ball) as well as spending two years in the military. It would seem that it was challenging to break into an outfield that had Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle.  Finally, in 1952, he got his break. He was traded with three other players and $35,000 to the Cincinnati Reds (going by Redlegs at this time to ease fears during the "Red Scare") for Ewell Blackwell. Considering Blackwell only pitched in 13 games over the two seasons he ...

Card #147 - Sam Mele - Outfield: Boston Red Sox

Sam Mele's career story could be boiled down to one saying: "Don't mess with a good thing." In his youth, he played with various local teams, as his high school dumped baseball after his freshman year. He went to NYU and was a great hitter there. Hitting .405 in 1941 and .369 in 1942. As was the standard of the day: World War II called, and Mele signed up for the Marines. He was sent to the Pacific theater in 1943 as part of the V-12 Navy College Program. This program's goal was to produce officers.  While in the program, he played baseball for the Navy alongside Joe DiMaggio. Mele led the Navy league with a .358 batting average. When he came back, he had a contract with the Boston Red Sox waiting for him. He didn't take long in making it to the major leagues. In 1947 as a rookie, Mele hit an impressive .302 with 12 home runs. Then in 1948, the Red Sox changed managers and Mele's fate changed as well. Joe McCarthy was a great manager, winning 7 World Serie...