He Managed His Way Into My Collection

The list I have compiled and go off of for my collection includes managers as well as players. When I saw a Hank Bauer autographed Orioles card at the National I couldn't resist. Oh, did I mention it was only a couple bucks?

TCMA produced cards for more than a decade but ceased production in 1987. The sets they produced in 1986 may have led to their demise as they produced more than twice as many sets as the previous five years combined. The cards themselves are very basic, like many other designs for that era. There's not a ton of information on the cards, making them glorified picture cards, but perfect for signing.

Hank Bauer 1986 Orioles Greats TCMA #2

Bauer ended his playing career with the Kansas City Athletics as a player manager in 1961 and managed their club the following season. 1964 brought him to Baltimore and just two seasons later brought home a World Championship. Bauer did a great job with the club, posting 407 wins over his five seasons, but a losing season in 1967 and near .500 record in 68 ended his stay in Baltimore.

He managed a final season with the Athletics, this time in Oakland before retiring from baseball. During his 14 year playing career he appeared in nine World Series', winning seven with the New York Yankees. That's not a bad run. Bauer succumbed to cancer on February 9, 2007.