Wednesday's Wish List - 1965

Having begun collecting baseball cards when I was just turning 5, in 1970, I recently have

begun not only filling in the gaps for that year and the nearly 40 years that have followed, but also the many seasons before 1970. With this first Wednesday's Wish List entry, I can think of no better year to start with than my birth year, 1965. Though sometimes research into the past can be a rude awakening.

Knowing little about how the 1965 Red Sox fared, I was aghast to learn that they endured a 100-loss season, something they've done, I believe, only once in the last 75 years or so. I had been hoping that there would have been some secret karma between a successful season and my birth year. Alas, it was not to be. That said, in a funny way, maybe similar to the joy Cub fans had over the years with the "lovable losers," similarly I decided to embrace the 1965 Red Sox as well.

Not to mention, I love the look of the cards from that season.

I've managed in the past few months to slowly collect my first ones from that set, with the count now at seven, including Earl Wilson, Roman Mejias, Lee Thomas, Chuck Schilling, Dalton Jones, Felix Mantilla, and Bob Tillman. Not many from the entire set but not a bad start to reaching the modest goal for each year of at least getting the starting nine (either starting pitcher included or, after the early 1970s, the DH, if that person was a prominent one) and then possibly some of the key reserves and primary starting pitchers and relievers. In so doing, I can line up that starting nine nicely in the nine-sleeve sheets that we collectors use to store and present our cards, and then the reserves and other pitchers and manager or team nicely on a second sheet. On that first sheet, I place the three outfielders along the top row, the shortstop, SP, and second baseman along the middle row, and the third baseman, catcher, and first baseman along the bottom row, much like you'd view them in the field if standing behind home plate.

Thus, my immediate wishes for cards to obtain from that 1965 season are:

Rico Petrocelli - SS

Frank Malzone - 3B

Carl Yastrzemski - LF

Lenny Green - CF

Tony Conigliaro - RF

Jim Gosger - OF

Eddie Bressoud - IF

Bill Monbouquette - SP

Dave Morehead - SP

Jim Lonborg -SP

Dick Radatz - RP

Arnold Early - RP

My research into the cards of these players is incomplete, since I still need to confirm they all have cards for that year, and they are Red Sox cards rather than from the set of another team (in the event any came over or up to the Red Sox in the '65 season).

Update: The birth-year collection will be growing by two, as 1965 Topps cards of Bill Monbouquette and Lenny Green will be en route shortly. Total cost, including shipping/packaging, was about $3.70. One 9-sleeve sheet is now full.