leaders in assists and double plays in the four full seasons he played Major League ball. Tony Lupien was the Phillies regular third baseman in 1944 where he hit .283 in 153 games and got off to a good start in 1945 before serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Like many baseball players and people with other occupations, Lupien lost his regular job while serving in the military. Because of this, Lupien raised the question of whether the GI Bill covered baseball players. In 1946 and 1946, he played with the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League where he received a salary equal to that of what the Phillies would have paid. Lupien loved the climate and in 1947, he had the best year of his professional career - winning the MVP of the Pacific Coast League, leading the league in hits with 237, batting .341, and even stroking 21 homeruns. This led to Lupien getting a call from the Chicago White Sox where he was the regular first baseman, playing in all 154 games. Lupine was the teammate of catcher Mike Tresh, who was born in Hazleton and was the father of Yankee player Tom Tresh. Lupien hit .246, his career low. The White Sox traded Lupien to Detroit, but he did not make the 1949 roster, although he does appear on a 1949 baseball card. Lupien did play for Toledo in the American Association League in 1949 and spent a few years as a playing manager with Jamestown and Corning, New York in the Pony League. Although Lupien had a solid Major League career, it was as a baseball coach and writer that he would make his greatest contribution to the game of baseball. From 1951-56, Tony Lupien coached basketball for Middlebury College in Vermont, where he archived a 60-49 record. Former Major League player and manager Red Rolfe, Dartmouth’s athletic director, got Lupien back into baseball by hiring him to coach Dartmouth’s team in 1956, a position he held until his retirement in 1977. In addition, Lupien coached Dartmouth’s freshman basketball team from 1956-68. His career baseball coaching record at Dartmouth was slightly above .500 with an appearance in the College World Series. Four Dartmouth pitchers from Lupien’s teams made it to the Majors: Art Quirk, Pete Broberg, Chuck Seelbach, and Jim Beattie. Beattie, who came up to the Majors as a Yankee, also served as GM of the Baltimore Orioles. Lupien was highly regarded by the baseball coaching fraternity, well-liked by his players, and regarded as an old school, no nonsense manager. After retiring from coaching, Tony Lupien worked as a stockbroker. In 1980, Tony Lupien penned The Imperfect Diamond with Lee Lowenfish. This fine book traces baseball management-employee
relations from 1879 to 1980. Lupien stresses the tyranny of the early baseball moguls that continued into the modern era. Many specific issues and players are treated in the book with reflection on baseball for the 1980s and beyond. I recently purchased the book and have read several sections of it to date. The hardback edition is a 249-page work which I found very interesting and scholarly. In addition to Tony Lupien’s book The Imperfect Diamond, I have his 1949 Bowman card which can be obtained very easily, a rare Signal Oil card from the late 1940s Pacific Coast League, a 1977 TCMA card from The War Years set in which TCMA depicted players who did not appear on cards from 1942-47. Don Manno, the father of Fr. John Manno, also appears in the set. A 1949 Bowman card of Lupien in Ex-Mt condition can be purchased in the area of $12 - $20. Signal Oil cards are basically not available. Lupien also appears in Red Sox and White Sox team photo packs from the 1940s. The photo of Lupien as a Red Sox or White Sox player runs about $15 but often cannot be purchased individually. Tony Lupien Rawlings model baseball gloves occasionally appear on eBay in the $25 range. Autographs of Lupien on 3x5 index cards or government postcards can be obtained in the $10 range. Certified autographed single signed baseballs of Lupien are
not common and much more expensive. I thank Rev. Hugh Lupien for sharing a conversation with me about his uncle and for providing a program from Tony and Millie Lupien Night. Note: Wrestling superstar John Cena is the son of Tony Lupien’s third daughter, Carol Lupien Cena. References: SABR article by Charles Bevis, Baseball Almanac, Baseball Encyclopedia, Baseball-Reference.com, My own knowledge of baseball cards and memorabilia Rev. McHugh can be reached at Good Shepherd Church, Drums at 570-788-3141 or at 570-454-5058, or by his new email address at revmchugh@ptd.net. SPONSORED BY BRAND
July 2013 • 73