March 12

1960 Topps #17 - Johnny Callison

Johnny was drafted out of high school by the Chicago White Sox in 1957. Callison spent 1958 and 1959 splitting time between the majors and minors. He was left off of the roster, when the White Sox went to the World Series against the Dodgers in 1959. While Johnny's small sample size showed promise in 1958, his numbers had dipped with more exposure to major league pitching. After the 1959 season, Callison was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Gene Freese. Gene would spend only one year in Chicago, while Johnny went on to achieve cult status in Philadelphia.

The 1960 Topps card features an annoying habit used by card companies to rush product, but usually keeps the team collectors on their toes and pretty busy. In the effort to get the players on their new teams as quickly as possibly, sometimes a blatantly obvious attempt is made by using a picture of the player in his former team's uniform, with all the logos visible, even though the player is listed with his new team. Another example of this is on Ted Kluszewski's 1961 Topps card, where he is still in his Chicago White Sox hat and uniform, but is listed on the newly formed Los Angeles Angels. This was excusable back then, but it is just lazy when done in today's hobby landscape.


White Sox March 12th birthdays:

1880 - Babe Towne
1882 - Johnny Beall
1887 - Wally Mattick
1889 - Reb Russell
1939 - Johnny Callison