Final Card: Dick Nen

Here's the last we saw of Dick Nen (#591). It's also the last time most of us thought about Nen, until years later when Robb Nen began pitching for the Marlins in the early 1990s. "I wonder if he...?" (Yes, he is.)

Dick Nen was signed by the Dodgers in 1961 and played 1st base in their farm system from 1961-64, while getting a 7-game cup of coffee with LA in September 1963.

After the 1964 season, Nen was one of FIVE players (along with pitchers Phil Ortega and Pete Richert, 3rd baseman Ken McMullen, and 1960 NL Rookie of the Year Frank Howard) traded to the Senators for pitcher Claude Osteen and infielder John Kennedy.

Dick played 82 games in the minors in 1965, but still managed to start more games at 1st base for Washington than their other 1st basemen (Bob Chance and Joe Cunningham). He shared the 1st base job for the next 2 seasons with Ken Harrelson (1966) and rookie Mike Epstein (1967), but played slightly less than either of them.

Nen was sold to the Cubs on April 3rd, 1968 and became Ernie Banks' backup for that season, starting 15 games at 1st, while giving Banks a late-inning rest in another 3 dozen games. He was sold back to the Senators after the season, and spent the next 4 seasons playing for their AAA team, although he returned to the big club for 6 games in June 1970.

Bobby Wine (#396)

I can still remember getting this card in 1968, and how I really liked it. Why? I wasn't really a Bobby Wine fan. I think maybe it was the fact that the photo was so crisp, and because there were many hatless Phillies' cards in 1he 1968 set, this one just stood out as a nice card.

This is Bobby's last card as a Phillie. After the season, the Montreal Expos selected pitcher Larry Jackson in the expansion draft. When he chose to retire, the Phillies sent Wine to the Expos as compensation. It wasn't a great loss for the Phillies. Wine has missed all but 27 games of the 1968 season with a back injury, and the Phils had rookie Don Money waiting in the wings to take over in 1969.

This photo is from 1965, as that is the only season that Wine didn't wear his familiar #7 uniform. He had switched to #13 for that season in deference to veteran Dick Stuart.



The Phillies signed Bobby in 1957, and after 5 seasons in the minors, Wine made the team in 1962. He shared the shortstop job with Ruben Amaro Sr that first season, but was the clear #1 shortstop from 1963-65, although Amaro continued to start many games at short.

After losing his starting job to veteran Dick Groat in 1966, Wine regained the position for the 1967 season. It was to be his last signifcant time with the Phillies. The 1968 season began with rookie Don Money being handed the SS job. When he faltered in early April, Wine took over for a few weeks until being sidelined for the season with his ailing back.

Moving to Montreal in 1969, Wine was the Expos' starting shortstop for their first 3 seasons. His playing time began to diminish in the final weeks of the 1971 season, and for 1972 he had lost the starting job to Tim Foli. After only 18 at-bats over 34 games, Wine was released on July 10th.

He went on to a long coaching career with the Phillies and Braves, and also scouted for the Braves.

Bob Kennedy (#183)

Bob Kennedy was the first manager of the Oakland Athletics. In the A's final season in Kansas City (1967), manager Alvin Dark was given the boot with 40 games remaining. He was replaced on an interim basis by Luke Appling, with Kennedy making a fresh start in 1968 in Oakland.

Bob's tenure at the A's helm only lasted one season. After finishing 82-80, the Athletics brought in former Orioles' skipper Hank Bauer for 1969. (Bauer' stint was even shorter than Kennedy's, lasting only 149 games in 1969.)



Unlike almost all of his players' cards, Kennedy didn't get the "black cap" treatment from Topps. Here we see him in his Cubs' uniform, in a semi-recent picture. Bob served as the Cubs "head coach" from 1961 to 1965.

(From 1961 to 1965, instead of hiring a manager like all teams have done since baseball was invented, the Cubs got the bright idea of using a "manager-by-committee" approach. This College of Coaches included Kennedy and at least 5 other guys. Amazingly, this management strategy did not put an end to the Cubs decades-long record of futility. [/sarc] What the Cubs did do was put an end to this ridiculous arrangement in 1966 by hiring Leo Durocher as their manager.)

Back on Topps' Radar: Diego Segui

I haven't posted any of these recently. Diego Segui (#517) had baseball cards in every season from 1963 to 1975 except for 1967.

Segui was signed by the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 1958 season, but released in early April. He caught on with the Tucson Cowboys, an independent team in the class-C Arizona-Mexico league. At the end of the 1958 season, he was acquired by the Kansas City Athletics.

Diego spent the next 3 seasons in the Athletics' farm system before making his major-league debut in April 1962. For his first 2 seasons, he was a starter and reliever. In 1964, he was primarily a starter. His 35 starts led the Athletics staff. Unfortunately, his 17 losses was the most in the American League. In 1965, he returned to a combined starting/relieving role.

(at least Topps used green to airbrush his cap!)

Two days after the 1966 opener, Segui was sold to the Washington Senators. By the end of July (after 21 appearances), the Nats traded him back to Kansas City for pitcher Jim Duckworth. However, he was relegated to triple-A for the rest of the season (hence, no 1967 baseball card!)

In 1967 Diego started 7 games in triple-A, and appeared in 36 games for Kansas City (only 3 starts). Segui was strictly a reliever in 1968, making 52 appearances as the #2 man in the bullpen behind "closer" Jack Aker.

Segui was selected by the Seattle Pilots in the 1969 expansion draft. (Later in the draft, the Pilots also plucked Aker from the A's bullpen.) Segui led the Pilots in saves (12), games (66), winning percentage (.667), was second in wins (12) and 1st among relievers in innings (142). His fine performance earned him a ticket out of Expansionville as he was traded back to the Athletics in December 1969 (along with shortstop Ray Oyler) for infielder Ted Kubiak and pitcher (and frequent Topps' "Rookie Star") George Lauzerique.

After winning 10 games for the Athletics in each of 1970 and 1971, Segui was shipped to the Cardinals midway through the 1972 season. After 1 1/2 seasons in St. Louis, Diego moved on to Boston in a 6-player deal.

He spent the 1974 and 1975 seasons in the Red Sox' bullpen, and was released in spring training in 1976. The Padres signed him, but kept him in triple-A all season.

Segui wrapped up his 15-year career in 1977 with the Mariners.

His son David played for the Orioles and other teams from 1990-2004.