It's been a while since I've mentioned where these cards are coming from, and that's because there have been a ton from one source. It's probably a good time to remind you that Jamie Whyte filled some huge holes in my set. Thanks again, Jamie!
Fun facts about Ed Rakow:
-Pittsburgh native Ed "Rock" Rakow played semipro football for the Bloomfield Rams after high school, but lost his quarterback job to Johnny Unitas, who had just been cut by the Steelers! Ed switched to semipro baseball, and made enough of an impression to sign with the Dodgers in 1957.
-He won 55 games in his first four minor league seasons.
-At age 25, Ed debuted with Los Angeles in 1960. Appearing in nine games (two starts), he allowed 18 earned runs in 22 innings for a 7.36 ERA.
-He was traded to the Athletics on the eve of the 1961 season and pitched in 45 games, primarily in relief. Though his 4.76 ERA was subpar, he did have a few standout games. Most notable was his first complete game, an 8-3 win over the Senators on July 14.
-In 1962, Rakow started a career-high 35 games for Kansas City and led the American League with 17 losses. However, he did top all A's pitchers with 14 wins, 11 complete games, 2 shutouts, and 159 strikeouts. His 4.25 ERA was close to league-average.
-The following year, he continued to show improvement with a 9-10 record (for a K.C. team that was just 73-89 overall) and a 3.92 ERA. His first start of the year was his best, as he two-hit the Twins on April 12.
-A trade to the Tigers in 1964 coincided with a shift back to relief work; Ed posted an 8-9 record and a career-best 3.72 ERA that season.
-After putting up a 6.08 ERA in six games in 1965, he was demoted to the minors, where he would spend most of the next four seasons. He returned to the majors for one last time with the Braves in the second half of 1967, allowing 23 runs in 39.1 innings for a 5.26 ERA.
-In parts of seven big league seasons he was 36-47 with a 4.33 ERA.
-Ed passed away in August of 2000 at age 65 in West Palm Beach, FL.
Kevin, every once in awhile you throw up a '65 that I have no memory of, and I collected them all.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those cards.
Bob - This guy was new to me as well.
ReplyDeleteI imagine he grumbled about losing his QB job to some upstart names Unitas.
ReplyDeleteMarc - Hey, semipro football is a cutthroat business.
ReplyDeleteHey just woundering who you are.How do you know this about him.He was my cousin,he was the oldest Im the youngest.My father also played football with them.We were very close when I was young!Him and my father were always together growing up.
ReplyDelete