Welcome to the fifth installment of my series featuring players from the 1955 Bowman set that would have turned 100 this year. Players featured thus far:
- Red Schoendienst - February 2
- Jim Hughes - March 21
- Solly Hemus - April 17
- Bob Kuzava - May 28
Today's featured player is Marion Fricano (card #316), who I'm spotlighting on what would have been his 100th birthday.
My actual 1955 Bowman card of Marion Fricano:
Date of Birth:
July 15, 1923First Year in Organized Baseball:
1947 with the Johnstown (PA) Johnnies, a Class C affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Link to a Really Old Baseball Guy:
Fricano's manager on the 1951 St. Paul Saints (AAA - Dodgers) was Clay Hopper, who was born in 1902 and whose first year in organized baseball was 1926.
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| 1952 Mother's Cookies #52 - Clay Hopper (MGR) |
Link to a Much Younger Baseball Guy:
In his last year in organized baseball (1961), Fricano played for the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers (AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels). One of his teammates was Jim Fregosi, who interestingly retired as a player during the 1978 season, and two days later, became the manager of the California Angels.
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| 1978 Topps #323 - Jim Fregosi |
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| 1979 Topps #424 - California Angels/Jim Fregosi |
Other interesting facts about Marion Fricano:
- Served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, beginning in 1943 and completing his service after the war, in 1947.
- Spent five full years in the minor leagues before his major league debut, and six full years in the minors after his final major league appearance in 1955.
- Died May 18, 1976.
Cool post. You wrote about the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers and I always knew them as the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs. I had to go look it up and the Spurs came about when the Rangers moved to Vancouver in 1965. Learn something new everyday!
ReplyDeleteThat Clay Hopper is on my want list, but isn't one that I seriously think that I'll ever get -- I waited too long!
ReplyDelete