The Great 1965 Topps Project

#579 Dick Smith

2012-01-19T22:14:00.000-05:00

Another card that I bought off of Ed for low, low prices. Here's an uncomfortable question: if a locksmith is a lock maker and a blacksmith makes tools and other items from iron and steel, what is a Dick Smith? Forget I asked.

Fun facts about Dick Smith:

-Dick was born in Lebanon, OR and signed with the Dodgers out of high school in 1957.

-He spent six years in the minors with the Dodgers, establishing himself as a .250-ish hitter with some pop, before the Mets purchased his contract in October 1962.

-Made his big league debut as a pinch hitter on July 20, 1963, fouling out to first base against Dallas Green of the Phillies.

-Appeared in 20 games as a rookie for New York, batting .238 with a triple and 3 RBI.

-Dick spent the first half of the 1964 season with the Mets, carrying just a .223 average with no home runs and 3 RBI in 97 trips to the plate.

-He had a memorable game vs. the Cubs on May 26, 1964, batting leadoff and igniting the Met offense in a 19-1 rout: 5-for-6 with a double, a triple, a stolen base, three runs scored and two driven in.

-The Dodgers reacquired Smith in October 1964 for pitcher Larry Miller. He played 10 games for L.A. in 1965, going hitless in 6 at-bats. It was his last stint in the majors, but he kept playing in the minors through the 1968 season.

-In parts of 3 big league seasons, Dick batted .218 with no home runs and 7 RBI. He finished his 12-year minor league career with a .265 average and 120 homers.

#415 Curt Flood

2012-01-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

Here's the second of the troika of cards I bought with Ed's assistance at the December Philly Card Show. I'm glad to finally have a vintage card of Curt Flood, whose struggles against Major League Baseball and the reserve clause helped bring a premature end to his career. His story is one of the most fascinating in all of baseball in the 20th century.

Fun facts about Curt Flood:

-Curt was born in Houston, TX, but attended high school in Oakland, CA before signing with Cincinnati in 1956.

-The teenaged outfielder was the Carolina League MVP for the High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms in 1956. He batted .340, slugged .567, and totaled 29 home runs in his first season as a pro.

-Flood got September glimpses of the big leagues in 1956 and 1957. He had only four plate appearances total, but hit his first home run off of the Cubs' Moe Drabowsky on September 25, 1957.

-He became a regular starter for the Cardinals after a December 1957 trade, but didn't settle in at the plate until 1961, when his .322 average trailed only third baseman Ken Boyer (.329) for the team lead.

-The 1963 season saw Curt earn the first of seven consecutive Gold Glove awards for his sterling play in center field. He once went 223 straight games without an error, which included a mishap-free 1966 season.

-Flood was an All-Star for the first time in 1964, when he notched a .311 average and led the National League with 211 hits. He would return to the Midsummer Classic in 1966 and 1968.

-He played in all 21 World Series games for St. Louis in 1964, 1967, and 1968, struggling at the plate (.221/.287/.267 in 94 plate appearances) but nonetheless contributing to a pair of World Championship seasons and a close call in '68.

-Curt was nearly 32 when the Cardinals informed him that he'd been traded to the sad-sack Phillies after the conclusion of the 1969 campaign. He objected to the reserve clause, which owners had been using to bind a player to their team in perpetuity, or until the owners saw fit to release or trade the player. Flood insisted that he should have some power to decide where to play, and refused to go to Philadelphia. With the support of new players' union head Marvin Miller, the outfielder eventually took his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, before losing in a 5-3 decision with one abstention. However, he paved the way for player free agency, which became a reality in 1976.

-After sitting out the entire 1970 season, he agreed to be traded to the Washington Senators. But some combination of age, rust, and the transition to the American League took a toll on Flood's performance. He retired after going 7-for-35 with no extra base hits for the Senators in 1971. He left behind a career average of .293 (especially impressive considering his career spanned the "second dead-ball era") with 85 home runs and 636 RBI.

-In his life outside baseball, Curt was dedicated to painting, owning small businesses, and international traveling. He worked for the Athletics as a broadcaster in 1978, and served as the commissioner of the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball Association in the late 1980s. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1995, and died in 1997 at age 59.

#8 NL ERA Leaders: Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale

2012-01-05T17:24:00.000-05:00

I'm back from an end-of-2011 break with three more cards for the collection, which is nearly complete! 589 down, 9 to go; I can hardly believe it! Though I wasn't able to make it to December's incarnation of the Philly Card Show, Ed once again served as my eyes and ears and found a few of my dwindling needs. He knows how to find bargains, and this card featuring the Dodgers' pair of Hall of Fame hurlers is no exception.

It's certainly no surprise that Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax finished 1-2 in the National League in earned run average in 1964, especially considering that they made their home starts at pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. The bigger shock is that Los Angeles finished in sixth place with 80 wins, but that can be chalked up to the club's humdrum offense. Koufax was in the midst of his incredible run of five straight ERA titles, clocking in with a career-low 1.74 (he then topped it with a 1.73 mark in his farewell 1966 season). However, arm woes brought an abrupt end to Sandy's standout year in mid-August; he finished 1964 with 223 innings pitched, nearly 100 less than teammate Drysdale. Don checked in with a 2.18 ERA in a league-leading 321.1 innings of work. He ran into some tough luck, accumulating an 18-16 record despite his mound mastery. The big righthander never did capture an ERA title, though he did grab three strikeout crowns earlier in his career and topped the senior circuit with 25 wins in 1962.

Upon flipping the card over, we see the same extended leaderboard as on the other league leader cards in this set. We've got the Phillies' Chris Short (2.20 ERA), Juan Marichal of the Giants (2.48), and another Phil in Jim Bunning (2.63) rounding out the top five. Because there were only ten teams in the National League, and most were working with four-man rotations, it's a pretty comprehensive list. Aging star Warren Spahn, bringing up the rear at 5.28, surely wishes it was less comprehensive! Topps also offered an interesting addendum, a list of the 13 best ERAs for pitchers who topped 75 innings but fell short of the 162 needed to qualify. As you can see, Pirates reliever Al McBean (1.90 ERA in 89.2 IP) is the only one who even comes close to Koufax's miniscule mark.

#470 Yogi Berra

2011-10-31T21:30:00.000-04:00

Yogi! This is the second card from Randy, and Yogi's iconic mug and old-school catcher's gear does a great job distracting from the defacement inflicted on the card. I guess somebody wanted it known that Berra had quit playing by then.

Fun facts about Yogi Berra:

-Yogi was born Lawrence Peter Berra in St. Louis, MO. He signed with the Yankees in 1943 as a teenager, but spent the next two years serving in the Navy. He saw combat in North Africa, Italy, and France during World War II.

-He debuted with the Yankees on September 22, 1946, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in a 4-3 win over the Athletics.

-Berra kicked off a string of 15 straight All-Star seasons in 1948, when he batted .305 with 24 doubles, 10 triples (!), 14 home runs, and 98 RBI.

-Yogi famously won three MVP awards (1951, 1954, 1955), and finished in fourth place or higher every year from 1950 through 1956.

-Under the tutelage of Yankee coach and Hall of Fame catcher Bill Dickey, Berra became a strong defensive catcher. He threw out 47.3% of would-be base stealers for his career.

-Spending most of his career with the dynastic Yanks, Yogi played in an incredible 14 World Series, coming out on the winning end 10 times. Overall he batted .274/.359/.452 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in the Fall Classic, and caught Don Larsen's perfect game against the Dodgers in Game Five of the 1956 Series.

-He originally retired as a player following the 1963 season, and was named Yankee manager in place of Ralph Houk, who moved to the front office. Houk became convinced in midseason that Berra did not have control over his players, and fired him at season's end despite 99 wins and a narrow World Series loss to the Cardinals. He was picked up by the Mets as a player-coach, but played in just four games. He stayed on as a coach until the 1972 season, when he took over as manager after Gil Hodges' sudden death. Yogi managed the Mets for parts of four seasons, winning a surprise pennant with an 82-win club in 1973 and losing another squeaker World Series to the Athletics. He returned to the Yankees as a coach in 1976, and managed the team to a third-place finish in 1984. An antsy George Steinbrenner fired him just 16 games into the next season, and Yogi held a grudge for 15 years before a public apology from the Boss smoothed things over.

-In parts of 19 seasons, Berra batted .285 with 358 home runs and 1,430 RBI. In 1972, the Yankees retired the uniform number 8 that he and Bill Dickey each wore, and in 1988 the pair received bronze plaques in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park. Yogi was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972, his second year of eligibility.

-Yogi and his wife Carmen have been married since 1949. They have three sons. Dale Berra was an infielder for the Pirates, Yankees, and Astros from 1977 to 1987. Tim Berra was a kick returner for the 1974 Baltimore Colts.

-He is famous for his "Yogiisms", malapropisms such as "It ain't over 'til it's over" and "It's like deja vu all over again". His muddled turns of phrase are so notable that many others are falsely attributed to him. This has led him to say, "I didn't really say everything I said". My favorites are: "If people don't want to come to the ballpark how are you going to stop them?", and "Always go to other people's funerals; otherwise they won't go to yours."

#160 Roberto Clemente

2011-10-28T21:11:00.000-04:00

...No, I will not be referring to him as "Bob", you xenophobic Topps person, you. Much to my surprise, this was one of two cards that arrived unannounced last weekend from all-around swell guy Randy. Only a dirty dozen left to collect!

Fun facts about Roberto Clemente:

-Roberto was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. At age 19, he signed with the Dodgers during the 1954 season.

-The Pirates claimed Clemente in the minor league draft and he made their big league roster in 1955. He hit just .255 in 124 games, but finished second on the team with 23 doubles and 11 triples, and improved his average to .311 in his sophomore season.

-Roberto was famous for his extremely powerful throws from right field. He led the National League in outfield assists five times, including a high total of 27 in 1961. For his career, his 266 assists rank 17th all-time. He also captured 12 straight Gold Glove Awards.
-Clemente was an All-Star in 12 different seasons as well, beginning in 1960. The following year he won the first of his four batting titles with a .351 average that was bolstered by his ability to reach out and hit pitches out of the strike zone.

-Roberto was named National League MVP in 1966, when he batted .317 and reached career highs of 29 home runs, 119 RBI, and 105 runs scored.

-Though he hit well in his first World Series (.310 AVG, 3 RBI in 1960), the star outfielder was nothing less than a force of nature in the 1971 Fall Classic. He batted .414 (12-for-29) and slugged .759 to help the Pirates outlast the Orioles in 7 games. He captured Series MVP honors, and homered in each of the last two games.

-Despite his increasing stature in the United States, Clemente returned to his homeland nearly every winter during his career to play (and later manage) in the winter league. He felt he owed it to the Puerto Ricans, who otherwise would not have had an opportunity to see him play.

-In December 1972, he organized a humanitarian effort to assist the people of Managua, Nicaragua, who were victims of a devastating earthquake shortly before Christmas. On New Year's Eve, a cargo plane carrying Clemente and four other men experienced technical problems and crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, killing everyone aboard. Roberto was 38 years old.

-His final career totals included a .317 average, 440 doubles, 240 home runs, 1,305 RBI, and exactly 3,000 hits in 18 seasons.

-An exception to the customary five-year waiting period was made, and Clemente posthumously became the first Latin American player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973. The Pirates retired his #21 that same year, and Major League Baseball repurposed a recently-created honor as the Roberto Clemente Award. It is given annually to a player who stands out both on the field and in the community. The most recent winner was DH David Ortiz of the Red Sox; the full list is viewable here.

#533 Mets Rookie Stars: Dan Napoleon, Ron Swoboda, Jim Bethke, and Tug McGraw

2011-10-27T21:51:00.000-04:00

Back again! I would've popped in a bit sooner, but this quad-rookie card required four times as much work as a regular card, and I'm lazy. Why lie? The good news is that there are a couple more cards to post in the coming days, and each of them features just one player. Anyhow, this one comes from Max, who emerged from wherever he'd been hiding to let me know that he'd found a duplicate in his collection (in lovely condition, no less!). He sent it off with the usual varied stack of Orioles cards, and in gratitude I sent back all of my 2011 Allen and Ginter Mets. Hey, it's what the man asked for. So let's do this thing.

Fun facts about Dan Napoleon:

-Danny was born in Claysburg, PA, in the central region of the state. He attended Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ before signing with the Mets in 1964.

-In his first pro season he set the Class A New York-Penn League on fire, batting .351 and slugging .639 with 36 home runs for Auburn.

-The talent-bereft Mets put Napoleon on their Opening Day roster in 1965. He delivered a pinch single off of Houston's Hal Woodeshick in his debut on April 14.

-Ten days later, the 23-year-old had what would prove to be the biggest hit of his career. Batting for Roy McMillan in the top of the ninth in San Francisco, he faced reliever Bob Shaw with the bases loaded, two out, and the Mets trailing by two runs. His bases-clearing triple was the game-winning blow.

-Spending most of his rookie year as a pinch hitter, Danny struggled. He had 14 hits in 97 at-bats (.144) with only 2 extra-base hits and 7 RBI.

-He was demoted to AAA Jacksonville for the 1966 season, returning to New York in September. He fared little better in his second try at the big leagues, totaling 7 hits in 33 tries (.212) with a pair of doubles, a lone walk, and 10 strikeouts.

-On April Fool's Day, 1967, Napoleon was traded to the Cardinals in a five-player deal. He didn't know it at the time, but he'd already played his last major league game.

-His abbreviated big league totals included a batting line of .162/.225/.200, 7 RBI, and 7 runs scored.

-Danny played in the St. Louis organization through the 1971 season, bowing out after a three-year stint in the AA Texas League with Arkansas.

-He passed away in Trenton, NJ at age 61 in 2003.

Fun facts about Ron Swoboda:

-A Baltimore, MD native, Ron attended Sparrows Point High School and the University of Maryland before the Mets inked him to a deal in 1963.

-Though he didn't have the eye-popping totals of Danny Napoleon, Swoboda had a strong minor league debut in his own right, batting .271 with 17 homers and 72 RBI with AA Williamsport and AAA Buffalo.

-He was a few months shy of his 20th birthday when he earned a spot in the Mets outfield in the spring of 1965. Ron started hot, going 10-for-30 (.333) in April with 4 home runs and 9 RBI.

-Though Rookie of the Year voters were scared away by his .228 season average, Ron did lead his club with 19 home runs in just 135 games. His power, when combined with a fair ability to take a walk (.291 OBP) and the lower leaguewide offensive standard, gave him a decent 102 OPS+. His consolation prize was a slot on the Topps All-Star Rookie team.

-His best all-around year was 1967, when he batted .281/.340/.419 with 13 homers and 53 RBI. He nearly paced Mets regulars in on-base percentage, finishing a couple hundredths of a point behind Tommy Davis.

-Swoboda was a standout performer for the Amazin' Mets in the 1969 World Series, as he delivered 6 hits in 15 at-bats (.400) and delivered the game-winning hit with an eighth-inning double off of the Orioles' Eddie Watt in the Game Five clincher. He also tormented his hometown team with a game-saving diving catch of a Brooks Robinson liner in the ninth inning of Game Four. It was a pretty heady play for a guy whose teammates dubbed him "Rocky" for his lack of grace in the outfield.

-Ron spent the second half of his career as a part-timer for the Expos and Yankees, retiring after the 1973 season.

-In parts of 9 big league campaigns, he hit .242/.324/.379 with 73 home runs and 344 RBI.

-Ron has had a lengthy career in sportscasting, working in New York City and then New Orleans, where he currently calls TV games for the Marlins' AAA Zephyrs club.

-A quote from Swoboda: "I'm kidded, occasionally, by folks who wonder: 'How long are you going to keep living off of one catch?'. My answer: 'How long have I got left?'."

Fun facts about Jim Bethke:

-Jim was born in Falls City, NE, and signed with the Mets as an amateur free agent in 1964.

-Despite some underwhelming minor league numbers and the fact that he was just 18, he was promoted to the majors at the start of the 1965 season. (Sensing a trend?) He was the youngest player in the league that year, and was 26 years younger than teammate Warren Spahn!

-He earned wins with scoreless relief appearances against the Astros on April 15 and the Braves on May 9. Despite walking four batters with only a single strikeout in a combined two and two-thirds innings in those games, he allowed just one hit.

-Bethke had a fine 2.86 ERA in 17 relief appearances in the first half of the year, but walked 12 men while striking out just 11. He spent July in the minors, and was not quite as lucky upon his return in August, finishing with a 2-0 record and a 4.28 ERA overall. He continued to walk more than he struck out, 22 and 19 standing as the final totals.

-Jim never made it back to the majors, plying his trade in the Mets and Royals farm systems up through the 1971 season. His pitching career ended at 24 years of age with minor league totals of 36-42 and a 3.36 ERA.

-He spent a short time with the Mets, but wore three different jersey numbers. According to the superb Mets by the Numbers, Bethke was given #41 in his season-opening stint with the club. When he returned in August, he took the #28 that had previously been worn by the since-demoted Carl Willey. Willey returned to New York in September and reclaimed his digits, and Jim switched to #36. So in less than a full season, one teenaged rookie wore the numbers later popularized by Tom Seaver, John Milner, and Jerry Koosman!

Fun facts about Tug McGraw:

-Born Frank Edwin McGraw in Martinez, CA, Tug signed with the Mets out of junior college in 1964. His older brother Hank, a catching prospect, leveraged the team into taking a flyer on the smaller pitcher.

-He debuted with the Mets in 1965 (of course!), posting a 2-7 record as a swingman with a 3.32 ERA and a single save.

-Tug's only two wins as a rookie came in consecutive starts. On August 22, he scattered 7 hits and 5 walks in a complete-game 4-2 win over the Cardinals. He then earned New York's first-ever victory over Sandy Koufax on August 26, holding the Dodgers to a pair of runs in 7.2 innings. Koufax had come in with a 13-0 record in 14 starts against the Mets (the Dodgers won the 14th game after he had departed).

-McGraw was battered in shorter big-league stints in 1966 and 1967, and spent portions of those seasons and all of 1968 in the minors. During this time, he learned a screwball from veteran pitcher Ralph Terry. It would later become his signature pitch.

-He was resurgent in 1969, when Mets manager Gil Hodges made him a full-time reliever. He finished the year 9-3 with a 2.24 ERA and 12 saves, teaming with righty Ron Taylor (13 saves) to give New York bullpen threats from both sides of the mound. Tug allowed only 2 runs in his last 38 innings, an 0.47 mark. He did not appear in the World Series, as the dominant Mets starters carried the team to victory.

-The lefty got even better with more experience, posting identical ERA marks of 1.70 in 1971 and 1972. He went 11-4 in the former season and saved 27 games in the latter, a team record broken in 1984 by Jesse Orosco. He made the first of two All-Star teams in 1972, earning the win and notching four strikeouts in two innings.

-Tug coined the phrase "You gotta believe" in 1973, which became the rallying cry for a Mets team that turned around a miserable season and eked out the National League pennant with a mere 82-79 record. McGraw himself was a part of both the nosedive and the resurgence: he followed up an 0-4 record, 6.17 ERA, and 1.73 WHIP in the first half with a 5-2 mark, a 1.64 ERA, and a 0.99 WHIP post-All-Star Game. His lack of activity in the 1969 World Series contrasted mightily to the 13.2 innings he tossed in 5 outings in the 1973 Series, which Oakland eked out in the full 7 games. Tug struck out 14 batters and allowed 4 earned runs, all of which came in a 6-inning slog in Game 2. He wound up with the win in that contest, as the Mets capitalized on a pair of Mike Andrews errors to put up four runs in the twelfth inning.

-Sent to the Phillies in a six-player swap prior to the 1975 season, McGraw was revitalized after a surgical procedure that removed accumulated deposits from his shoulder. He stayed in Philadelphia for a decade, posting a 3.10 ERA and saving 94 games total. He pitched in five postseasons in a six-year span, including the Phils' first-ever World Championship in 1980. He allowed a single run and struck out 10 Royals in 7.2 innings over 4 games that October, winning Game 5 and saving Game 1 and the Game 6 clincher.

-Tug hung up his spikes following the 1984 season, finishing his career with a 96-92 record, 180 saves, and a 3.14 ERA in parts of 19 seasons. He was chosen for the Mets Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1999.

-One of his four children was Tim McGraw, the product of a fling he had while pitching in the minors in 1966. He denied paternity for several years, but the two eventually became close and Tug helped Tim launch a successful career as a country musician. Tug was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in March 2003 and given three weeks to live. He hung on for nine months, passing away at age 59 on January 5, 2004.

#16 Astros Rookie Stars: Joe Morgan and Sonny Jackson

2011-10-03T21:43:00.000-04:00

Back again! I've knocked another of the remaining big-ticket items off of the want list thanks to Ed's bargain hunting skills. This lightly used Joe Morgan rookie set me back one cool sawbuck. Not too shabby.

Fun facts about Joe Morgan:

-Joe was born in Bonham, TX. He was 19 when he signed with Houston in 1962.

-After cups of coffee with the Colt .45s in 1963 and 1964, he became the team's starting second baseman and finished second to the Dodgers' Jim Lefebvre in 1965 Rookie of the Year voting. Morgan showed a glimpse of his valuable skill set, leading the Astros with 100 runs scored, 12 triples, 97 walks (also tops in the N.L.), and a .373 on-base percentage. He batted .271 with 14 homers and 20 steals.

-Though he made the All-Star team in 1966 and again in 1970, Joe didn't truly flourish until he was dealt to the Reds in November 1971. He was the prime attraction for Cincinnati in an eight-player deal that sent slugger Lee May to Houston.

-Morgan was an All-Star in each of his first eight seasons with the Reds. In that span, he captured four on-base titles (peaking at .466 in 1975) and twice led the league in OPS and OPS+, with marks of 1.020 and 186 in 1976 as his career highs.

-As the ignitor of Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine", Joe won back-to-back league MVP awards in 1975 and 1976. The latter was his best overall year, as he hit a personal-best 27 homers with 111 RBI. He also stole 60 bases (his fifth straight year of at least 58 SB) and led the N.L. with a .444 on-base percentage, .576 slugging, and the aforementioned OPS and adjusted OPS+. He put up a slash line of .333/.412/.733 in the four-game World Series sweep of the Yankees, hitting a home run off of Doyle Alexander in the opener.

-He was also considered a deft second baseman, reigining as the National League Gold Glover at the keystone from 1973 through 1977.

-Morgan played for five teams in the final six seasons of his career, going from the Reds back to the Astros and then to the Giants, Phillies, and Athletics. He played regularly through age 40, and his lowest on-base percentage in a full season was .347 in 1978. In his 1984 swan song, he still reached base at a .356 clip.

-Joe retired with a .271/.392/.427 batting line and a 132 OPS+ for his career. He totaled 449 doubles and 268 home runs, drove in 1,133 runs, and stole 689 bases. He is still ranked eleventh all-time in steals, and is the top home run hitter among Hall of Fame second basemen. He reached Cooperstown on his first ballot in 1990, and the Reds retired his number 8 in 1987.

-He has spent the last quarter-century broadcasting televised games for the Reds, Athletics, and Giants, as well as nationally for ABC, NBC, and most notably ESPN, where he and Jon Miller comprised the Sunday Night Baseball crew from 1990 through 2010. He has often been the target of criticism for his strident and misinformed opposition to advanced statistical analysis.

-Morgan is currently working in an advisory role with the Reds, and hosts a syndicated sports talk radio show on Sports USA.

Fun facts about Sonny Jackson:

-A Washington, DC native, Sonny signed with Houston as a teenager in 1963.

-After getting brief trials with the inexperienced Colts and Astros clubs of 1963-1965, he started at shortstop for the club in 1966. He batted .292 with 80 runs scored and a rookie-record 49 stolen bases, and finished second to Tommy Helms of the Reds in Rookie of the Year voting.

-Jackson's numbers plunged in his sophomore season (including a 106-point dip in OPS), and he found himself traded to Atlanta in the ensuing offseason.

-Sonny spent seven injury-riddled seasons with the Braves, topping out at .259/.347/.320 in 1970.

-He hung on in the minors from 1974 through 1976 before finally calling it a career.

-In parts of 12 big league seasons, Sonny batted .251 with 7 home runs and 162 RBI.

-Four of his seven career homers were of the inside-the-park variety, and all four of those were hit in the Astrodome.

-Fun with matchups! Sonny hit .400/.447/.571 in 39 career plate appearances vs. Milt Pappas, including one of those inside-the-park homers. However, he had a slash line of .145/.169/.188 in 74 meetings with Juan Marichal.

-He has been a coach and instructor in both the majors and minors since his retirement, working for the Braves, Giants, and Cubs.

#502 Don Cardwell

2011-08-19T18:44:00.000-04:00

Look at that, I'm back sooner than expected! I have Ed to thank for this one. He emailed me last week to let me know that he found Don Cardwell, and then called me on his way home Wednesday night to let me know that said card was burning a hole in his pocket and he would be by shortly. I saw him pull up and popped down to the street, where he handed me the card through his car window. As I told him, it was the first drive-by card acquisition I've ever completed!

Fun facts about Don Cardwell:

-Don was born in Winston-Salem, NC and lettered in baseball, basketball, and football in high school before signing with the Phillies in 1954.

-He debuted with the Phillies in 1957, earning a save with three innings of competent relief against the Giants in his debut. On April 26, his first big league start was also his first career win, a four-hit shutout against those same Giants. He finished the year 4-8 with a 4.91 ERA.

-After a few more uneven seasons, Cardwell was traded to the Cubs in May 1960. He got his first starting assignment in the second game of a doubleheader vs. the Cardinals in Wrigley, and became the first (and to date, only) pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his team debut! Alex Grammas, the second batter of the game, drew a walk; that was the only blemish on Don's record that day.

-He was a workhouse for a bad Chicago club in 1961, going 15-14 with a 3.82 ERA and career highs of 13 complete games and 259.1 innings pitched. The Cubbies finished with 90 losses, and no other pitcher on the team topped 10 wins.

-After losing 16 games for the second time in 3 years in 1962, Don was traded twice that offseason: from the Cubs to the Cardinals and then to the Pirates. He rebounded nicely, posting a 3.07 ERA that put the lie to his 13-15 record. (The 74-88 Pittsburghers scored 3 runs or less in 20 of his 32 starts.)

-Arm troubles sidelined the righthander for most of the 1964 season, but he returned in 1965 with a 13-10 mark and a 3.18 ERA for the Bucs. It was his second and final big league season with a positive win-loss total.

-Don spent the later years of his career as an elder statesman on the burgeoning Mets staff after the Pirates dealt him in December 1966. His contributions to the 1969 "Miracle Mets" included an 8-10 mark and a 3.01 ERA as a swingman, and he posted a career-best 121 ERA+.

-Cardwell retired after getting knocked around for both the Mets and Braves in 1970. In parts of 14 seasons, he was 102-138 with a 3.92 ERA.

-He was no slouch with the bat, totaling 15 home runs in his career. His best individual season was 1960, when he batted .208 and slugged .416 with 5 homers and 9 RBI.

-After baseball, Don made his home back in North Carolina, working for Parkway Ford and excelling at golf with a handicap that was as low as single digits at one time. He passed away in January 2008 at age 72.

#471 Billy Hoeft

2011-08-08T19:23:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, this is the LAST card I have in the hopper to post! It could be a while before I get ahold of those 17 elusive cards that stand between me and completion, so the updates are going to be less frequent than they have been in recent months. However, I'm thinking that I might go back and give the first few card posts a re-do, since it took a while for me to focus more in-depth on each individual featured player. So this isn't goodbye, it's just "smell ya later".

Anyhow, this finely rounded card comes from Ed. Billy Hoeft is hatless player number 1,345 (an approximate guess) in the set, having gone from the Braves to the Tigers in the offseason. By the time the card was in stores, it was already outdated; Detroit released Hoeft before the season started, and he joined the Cubs in May 1965. Whoops!

Fun facts about Billy Hoeft:

-Billy was born in Oshkosh, WI and signed with the Tigers out of high school in 1950.

-He was only 20 when he made it to the majors in 1952. He earned his first career save and each of his first two wins in games vs. the Yankees, and finished 2-7 with 4 saves and a 4.32 ERA.

-On September 7, 1953, he went the distance in a 4-2 win over the White Sox. He scattered eight hits and performed a rare feat by striking out the side (Jim Rivera, Mike Fornieles, and Chico Carrasquel) on just nine pitches in the top of the seventh inning!

-After taking his lumps for a few years, the light went on for Hoeft in 1955. He led the American League with 7 shutouts en route to a team-best 16-7 record, 2.99 ERA, and 133 strikeouts. He also made the only All-Star team of his career.

-Despite seeing his ERA jump to 4.06 in 1956, Billy won 20 games against 14 losses.

-He hit two of his three career home runs on July 14, 1957, driving in three runs to help his own cause in a complete game 10-2 win over Hal Brown and the Orioles.

-He was unable to build on his early successes, and found himself working mostly out of the bullpen for three teams in 1959, going from Detroit to Boston to Baltimore.

-Billy's most successful campaign as a reliever came in 1961, when he went 7-4 with 3 saves, a 2.02 ERA, and 100 strikeouts in 138 innings in 35 games (12 starts) for the Orioles.

-He also spent time with the Giants, Braves, and Cubs, retiring in 1966 after 15 years in the big leagues. He had a career record of 97-101 with 33 saves and a 3.94 ERA.

-After baseball, Hoeft sold printing equipment. He died of cancer at age 77 last year.

#282 Giants Rookie Stars: Dick Estelle and Masanori Murakami

2011-08-05T22:48:00.001-04:00

I told you this was a Giants-centric week! (Sorry, Night Owl.) Ed performed his '65 Topps wingman duties well again, picking up this fine card for $5 at a card show in Virginia back in July. Dick Estelle is another extremely airbrushed-looking player, but Masanori Murakami appears to be the real deal.

Fun facts about Dick Estelle:

-A native of Lakewood, NJ, Dick signed with the Giants at age 18 in 1960.

-In 1964, he struck out 167 batters in 152 innings at AAA Tacoma to earn a September callup to San Francisco.

-After taking a hard-luck loss while pitching into the tenth inning in his second start, Dick earned his first career win on September 22, 1964 with eight innings of one-run ball against Houston. Incidentally, Murakami earned his first career save by relieving the starter in the ninth and stranding two inherited runners.

-In 41.2 innings in 1964, Estelle went 1-2 with a 3.02 ERA. He struck out 23 and walked 23.

-After returning to AAA in 1965, he earned another look in September. Making 5 relief appearances and a start, he allowed 6 runs (5 earned) in 11.1 innings for a 3.97 ERA.

-Dick never pitched again in the big leagues. He stayed active in the minors through the 1972 season, finishing with a 102-123 record and a 3.67 ERA in parts of 13 minor league seasons.

-His career big league record was 1-2 with a 3.23 ERA.

-Estelle was inducted into the Lakewood High School Hall of Fame in 2006. In his senior year, he had gone 11-2 with an 0.38 ERA.

Fun facts about Masanori Murakami:

-Masanori was born in Otsuki, Japan. His father wanted him to become a doctor, and only permitted him to play baseball if he agreed to continue studying diligently. He appeared briefly for the Nankai Hawks in 1963 before being sent to the Giants as part of a development deal between the two clubs.

-Working out of the bullpen at Class A Fresno, Murakami appeared in 49 games in 1964, going 11-7 with an excellent 1.78 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. The Giants promoted him to the big leagues in September.

-The 20-year-old became the first Japanese player in the major leagues and endeared himself quickly to fans and teammates, bowing to his fielders when they made good plays behind him. He strung together eight scoreless appearances to begin his career. He picked up the aforementioned save in Dick Estelle's only career win, and added a win of his own with three innings of one-hit relief against Houston on September 29. He allowed his only 3 runs in his final appearance on the year, finishing with a 1.80 ERA in 15 innings.

-Though the Giants expected to have his services again in 1965, the Hawks insisted that he had only been loaned to the American club and the two teams and their respective leagues engaged in a war of words. An agreement was finally brokered that allowed Murakami to return to San Francisco in early May.

-Masanori pitched reasonably well in 45 games, going 4-1 with 5 holds, 8 saves, and a 3.75 ERA. The Giants won 95 games and finished just 2 back of the first-place Dodgers.

-At the insistence of his father, he returned to Japan and the Hawks in 1966. He struggled under high expectations and was criticized for supposed bad "American" habits. He pitched in Japan through the 1982 season, finishing his career with a 103-82 record (largely on the strength of an 18-4, 2.38 ERA season in 1968) and a 3.64 ERA.

-He attended spring training with the San Francisco Giants in 1983, but did not make the team at age 38 and chose to go back to Japan. This left his major league record at 5-1 with 9 saves and a 3.43 ERA.

-Masanori later broadcast games for the Japanese NHK network.

#4 NL Home Run Leaders: Willie Mays, Billy Williams, Johnny Callison, Orlando Cepeda, and Jim Ray Hart

2011-08-04T18:55:00.000-04:00

Wow, not only is this a crowded league leaders card, it's also continuing a very Giants-centric week here on the ol' blog. Ed picked up this card for me a few weeks back, and as you can see if you scroll down, I'm dealing with a little paper loss on the back. So I'll be looking to upgrade sooner rather than later.

In 1964, Willie Mays continued his display of sustained excellence by clouting 47 home runs, thereby winning his third of four career National League crowns. The 33-year-old Giant had won his first homer title a full decade earlier, going deep 51 times in 1955. He would surpass that previous career high in 1965, leading the Senior Circuit one last time with 52 big flies. He retired in 1973 with 660 home runs, then the third-highest total in history. He was of course bumped down to fourth by the current home run king, his godson Barry Bonds.

Sweet Swingin' Billy Williams was a distant runner-up with 33 round-trippers, a new career high for the 26-year-old Cub. It was the fourth in an impressive string of 13 consecutive 20-homer seasons for Williams. He never captured a home run title, but peaked with 42 homers in 1970. He collected 426 four-baggers in an 18-year career.

The three-man logjam on the bottom row of this card represents a three-way tie for third in homers in the National League. Johnny Callison's 31 dingers were one shy of the career high he'd establish in 1965; he never even hit 20 afterward, but wrapped up his career in 1973 with 226 total. For Orlando Cepeda, 31 was actually his lowest HR output since 1960. However, he also missed 20 games early in the season. He peaked at a league-leading 46 in 1961 and wound up with 379 in a Hall of Fame career. Jim Ray Hart's 31 longballs were the first 31 of his career, earning him a second-place Rookie of the Year finish. He topped out at 33 in 1966, but his prime was short; he played 1,125 games lifetime and accumulated 170 homers.

If you could see the card back, you'd find the top 24 power hitters of 1964 in the N.L., all the way down to Willie McCovey with 18. The grand slam rundown is also provided, with only Bob Aspromonte and league MVP Ken Boyer hitting two grannies. The two most surprising names on the list (in my opinion) are Charlie Smith with 20 HR, and Billy Cowan with 19.

#545 Jesus Alou

2011-08-03T22:36:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago (yes, weeks! I'm four cards away from being caught up!), reader George DeVerges and his father sent me this extra Jesus Alou card they found in their collection. Thanks, guys!

There's a joke based on the old Christian slogan "Jesus is the answer". It suggests that the question must be, "Who is Felipe and Matty's brother?".

Fun facts about Jesus Alou:

-Jesus was born in Bajos de Haina, in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. He signed with the Giants as a teenager in 1958.

-He was the youngest of the three baseball-playing Alou brothers, and is the uncle of Moises Alou and Mel Rojas.

-After a September 1963 callup, Alou became a regular in the San Francisco outfield in 1964. He batted .274 as a rookie, but seldom walked or hit for power. In his entire career, he would top 100 in OPS+ in only two seasons, both as a part-timer.

-On July 10, 1964, he went 6-for-6 with a home run in a 10-3 win over the Cubs.

-Jesus played in a career-high 143 games in 1965, hitting .298 with 9 home runs and 52 RBI.

-He was taken by the Expos in the 1968 expansion draft, but was traded to the Astros prior to the 1969 season. In 1970, he hit .306 with a personal-best 27 doubles for Houston.

-In his 30s, Jesus became a pinch hitter and bench player with some positive results. He batted .312 in 102 trips to the plate for the Astros in 1972.

-He was a member of the Athletics' World Series-winning clubs in 1973 and 1974.

-After spending the 1975 season with the Mets, Jesus was released the next spring and did not return to the majors until Houston resigned him for the 1978 season. The 36-year-old rewarded them with a .324 average in 152 plate appearances, including a .364 mark (16-for-44) as a pinch hitter. He retired after serving as a player-coach for the club in 1979. In parts of 15 seasons, he hit .280 with 32 home runs and 377 RBI.

-Alou worked as an Expos scout in the 1980s and 1990s, and has been director of Dominican operations for both the Marlins and Red Sox.

#176 Willie McCovey

2011-08-02T23:56:00.000-04:00

Whaddaya know, it's Stretch! This card set me back a cool five bucks, thanks to the bargain-hunting talents of Ed. If you're paying attention to the sidebar, you'll have noticed that I am now just 17 cards shy of a completed set, which brings with it several exciting signposts. For instance, I have completed the Giants team set, 30 cards in all. That's a big deal to me in itself, but especially considering that it includes five future Hall of Famers.

Fun facts about Willie McCovey:

-Willie was born in Mobile, AL and was only 17 when he signed with the Giants in 1955.

-He put up impressive numbers at every stop in the minors, and was hitting .372/.459/.759 with 29 homers and 92 RBI in 95 games at AAA Phoenix when the Giants called him up to the majors in the summer of 1959. His first game was a sign of things to come, as he went 4-for-4 with 2 triples, 2 RBI, and 3 runs scored against Robin Roberts.

-He kept up the pace in his first look at the major leagues, putting up a line of .354/.429/.656 with 13 homers and 38 RBI in just 52 games in San Francisco. He was the unanimous winner of the National League Rookie of the Year award despite playing just one-third of the season!

-Despite his prodigious power and on-base skills, McCovey found it hard to get into an everyday lineup that included Orlando Cepeda, Willie Mays, Felipe Alou, and Harvey Kuenn. He did not top 106 games in a season until 1963. That year, he made the first of 6 All-Star teams, leading the league with 44 home runs and driving in 102 runs (trailing only Mays' 103 for the team high). He also batted .280 and scored 103 runs.

-He edged out Tom Seaver in MVP voting in 1969, when he reached career highs (and league-leading totals) of 45 home runs, 126 RBI, a .453 on-base percentage, .656 slugging, and a 209 OPS+. His .320 average was also a personal best, and ranked fifth in the N.L.

-Willie batted .429 (6-for-14) with 2 home runs and 6 RBI in a losing effort in the 1971 NLCS. His two-run homer off of Steve Blass in Game One gave the Giants the eventual winning runs in their only victory over the Pirates in the Series.

-He punished fellow Hall of Famer Don Drysdale, batting .336/.437/.680 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI in 151 plate appearances lifetime. This prompted Drysdale's former teammate Don Sutton to say that Mac was the only batter who was able to physically intimidate the great pitcher.

-Willie won the Comeback Player of the Year award in 1977, when he hit .280 with 28 homers and 86 RBI and boosted his OPS by 262 points at age 39.

-McCovey stayed in the majors for an astonishing 22 seasons, retiring at age 42 in 1980. He spent 3 years late in his career with the Padres, played 11 games with the Athletics, and returned to San Francisco for his last 4 years. He had a lifetime batting line of .270/.374/.515 with 521 home runs (still 18th all-time) and 1,555 RBI.

-Among his post-retirement honors, his #44 was retired by the Giants, and the club erected a statue in his likeness across from AT&T Park. The body of water beyond the right-field fence has been named McCovey Cove, as the lefthanded slugger used to deposit home runs beyond the right field bleachers in old Candlestick Park. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1986, and he currently works as a senior advisor for the Giants.

#335 Mickey Lolich

2011-08-01T21:14:00.000-04:00

The last of the recent three-spot of cards from Ed is this gently used Mickey Lolich. I'll probably look to upgrade this one when I can. Lolich is the author of one of my favorite quotes. The overweight hurler once said, "All the fat guys watch me and say to their wives, 'See, there's a fat guy doing okay. Bring me another beer'."

Fun facts about Mickey Lolich:

-A Portland, OR native, Mickey was naturally right-handed but learned to throw lefty after breaking his left arm as a child and performing exercises to strengthen the previously immobilized muscles. He signed with the Tigers in 1958 for a $30,000 bonus.

-He finally got the call to the big leagues at age 22 in 1963, after learning to command his pitches rather than just relying on throwing hard. He earned his first win with a 3-1 decision over the Angels on May 28. He went the distance, scattering eight hits that day.

-Lolich took a great leap forward in 1964, going 18-9 with a 3.26 ERA and leading Detroit with 6 shutouts, 12 complete games, a 1.12 WHIP, and 192 strikeouts.

-After contributing to the Tigers' American League championship in 1968 with a 17-9 mark and a 3.19 ERA, Mickey practically carried them to a World Series win over the Cardinals. He hurled complete game victories in each of his three starts, outdueling Bob Gibson in a 4-1 win in the Game Seven clincher. In all, he allowed 5 earned runs in 27 innings (1.67 ERA), striking out 21 batters and walking only 6 to earn Series MVP honors. He even hit his only career home run in the third inning of Game Two to push his lead to 2-0!

-He had a pair of 16-strikeout games in 1969, baffling the Angels on May 23 and shutting down the Pilots two starts later on June 9.

-The lefty was a three-time All-Star, including a career year in 1971: 25-14, 2.92 ERA. He led the American League in wins and also led with 29 complete games, 376 innings pitched, and 308 strikeouts (the latter a team record). He finished second to Vida Blue in Cy Young voting. Blue was 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA and 301 strikeouts, but pitched 64 fewer innings.

-Mickey was excellent in 1972 as well, going 22-14 with a 2.50 ERA, 23 complete games, and 250 strikeouts in 327.1 innings. He helped the Tigers capture the A.L. East crown, but did not pick up a win in either ALCS start against the Athletics. He pitched into the 11th inning in the opener, but was pulled with a 2-1 lead after allowing a pair of singles. Reliever Chuck Seelbach allowed both runs to score on a Gonzalo Marquez single, and Lolich was saddled with the loss. In Game Four, he helped the Tigers stave off elimination with nine innings of one-run ball (leaving his career postseason ERA at 1.57), but left with the scored tied. Seelbach (that guy AGAIN) surrendered two runs in the top of the tenth, but the Tigers rallied with three of their own in the bottom of the inning. Detroit lost a 2-1 heartbreaker in Game Five to miss out on the World Series.

-Detroit's fortunes plummeted in the mid-1970s, and Lolich was saddled with 39 losses in 1974 and 1975. The Tigers swapped him to the Mets in December 1975 for Rusty Staub, but his fortunes were no better: he went 8-13 in 1976 despite a 3.22 ERA. He butted heads with his trainer and pitching coach, and sat out the second year of his contract in 1977.

-Mickey ended his career with a two-year stint in San Diego, retiring in 1979 with a career record of 217-191 in parts of 16 seasons. He had a 3.44 lifetime ERA, and struck out 2,832 batters, still 18th-most in history.

-He ran a donut shop in the suburbs of Detroit for several years before selling his business and retiring with his wife Joyce. He splits his time between Oregon and Michigan, and his hobbies include biking, archery, shooting, and ham radios. He remained on the Hall of Fame ballot for the full 15 years of eligibility, peaking with 25.5% of the vote in 1988. He has been a Veterans' Committee finalist three times in recent years, but failed to draw enough votes for enshrinement.

#297 Dave DeBusschere

2011-07-29T22:01:00.000-04:00

Here's another card from Ed, and it's one I'd wanted for a long time. Either it's just random chance that it took so long for me to obtain it, or there are a lot of Knicks fans out there who are hoarding Dave DeBusschere. He joins a list of two-sport athletes in my collection that includes Dick Groat, Steve Hamilton, Ron Reed, Danny Ainge, Bo Jackson, Brian Jordan, Mark Hendrickson, and Deion Sanders. In addition to the preceding list of MLB players with either NBA or NFL experience, I can't forget former Harlem Globetrotter Bob Gibson!

Fun facts about Dave DeBusschere:

-Dave was born in Detroit, MI, and attended the University of Detroit Mercy before signing with the White Sox in 1962 for a $75,000 bonus. He had also been drafted by the NBA's Detroit Pistons, and chose the Sox over the hometown Tigers because they permitted him to pursue a career in pro basketball in addition to pitching.

-At age 21, he spent a portion of his first pro season in the major leagues. Despite walking 23 batters in 18 innings, he allowed only 7 runs (4 earned) for a 2.00 ERA.

-The 6'6" righthander had a much easier time of things in the minors, going 10-1 with a 2.49 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 94 innings at Class A Savannah/Lynchburg in 1962.

-Dave had an impressive rookie campaign for the Pistons in 1962-63, averaging 12.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and making the All-Rookie Team.

-DeBusschere was up in the majors for the duration in 1963, working as both a starter and reliever. In 24 games (10 starts), he had a 3-4 record with a 3.09 ERA. He also improved his control significantly, dropping from 11.5 walks per 9 innings to 3.6.

-He tossed his first and only career shutout on August 13, 1963, holding the Indians to six hits (all singles) and a walk. He did not allow a hit after the fifth inning, and retired the final ten Cleveland batters in order.

-Dave spent the 1964 and 1965 baseball seasons at AAA Indianapolis, winning 15 games in each year. However, both the White Sox and the Pistons pressured him to limit himself to one sport or the other, figuring that he would not reach his full potential otherwise.

-When the Pistons named him as player-coach in 1964, it hastened his exit from baseball. He hung up his spikes for good in 1965, leaving with a 3-4 record and a 2.90 ERA in parts of two big league seasons.

-DeBusschere lasted only three seasons as Detroit's coach (with a .356 win percentage), but remained a star player for a decade. He was an eight-time All-Star at forward and guard for the Pistons and Knicks, and had six first-team All-Defensive player honors. He was a key contributor for the championship Knicks teams in 1970 and 1973, and retired with career averages of 16 points and 11 rebounds per game. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.

-He joined the front office of the ABA's New York (later New Jersey) Nets after retiring, and for a brief period served as the commissioner of the NBA's rival league. Later he rejoined the Knicks as an assistant coach and director of basketball operations. During his tenure in New York, he drafted Patrick Ewing. DeBusschere suffered a fatal heart attack at age 62, collapsing on a Manhattan street on May 14, 2003.

#132 World Series Game One: Cards Take Opener

2011-07-28T21:37:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy week, but I found time today to check back in with this awesome card from Ed.What you see here is an action shot depicting Mike Shannon's two-run homer off of Whitey Ford in the sixth inning of the opening game of the 1964 World Series. Is that cool, or what?

As noted, this is the first of the seven cards commemorating the Cardinals' thrilling seven-game World Series triumph over the Yankees. Although New York (99-63) had the superior regular season record, the series opened in St. Louis (93-69), as the two leagues alternated home-field advantage each year. 35-year-old Whitey Ford (17-6, 2.13 ERA), appearing in his final Fall Classic, started for the Yanks. Opposing him was Ray Sadecki (20-11, 3.68 ERA), a surprising wins leader for the Cards at age 23.

The Busch Stadium crowd was treated to some first-inning action, with Curt Flood singling, moving to third on a Lou Brock hit, and scoring the first run on a Ken Boyer sacrifice fly. But the visitors took the lead in their next at-bat via a two-run homer from Tom Tresh and an RBI single by Ford. Sadecki got revenge with a run-scoring single of his own in the bottom of the inning, making it 3-2 New York after two innings.

Each team put a runner on base in both the third and fourth innings, but had nothing to show for it. Three straight two-out hits brought home another Yankee run in the fifth, with Tresh's double plating Mickey Mantle. It was 4-2 in favor of the road team when Mike Shannon hit his game-tying clout in the home half of the sixth (pictured above). Tim McCarver following with a double, ending Whitey's day in disappointing fashion. Al Downing offered little relief, surrendering the go-ahead run on a pinch single by Carl Warwick. Flood picked up Julian Javier (who ran for Warwick) with a triple to give the Redbirds a 6-4 advantage.

St. Louis pitchers continued walking a tightrope in the late innings, with Barney Schultz working out of a two-on, two-out spot in the seventh and yielding a run-scoring single to Bobby Richardson an inning later but stranding another pair on the bases. With the lead shaved down to one run, the Cards pulled away in the last half of the eighth. Rollie Sheldon took the mound for the Yankees and was betrayed by a Clete Boyer error that allowed Shannon to reach. He walked McCarver and got a line drive double play off the bat of Schultz, who Johnny Keane allowed to hit for himself. With first base now open, pinch hitter Bob Skinner was given a free pass and young Pete Mikkelsen was summoned to face Curt Flood. Once again Flood delivered, singling to left to plate Shannon. Brock put the final nail in the coffin, doubling home a pair to push the margin to 9-5. Schultz earned the save with a perfect ninth inning, and the first game went to the National League champs. Sadecki got the win despite allowing four runs in six innings. Ford, who was charged with five runs in five and one-third innings, took the loss. It was the highest-scoring game in the 1964 Series, and the most runs scored by either team.

#390 Bill Freehan

2011-07-25T22:56:00.000-04:00

Today's entry wraps up the donation made by Greg Mader. Thanks again!

As you can see, Bill Freehan sets a great target, even though he's not making eye contact with the pitcher. That's a good way to get your fingers broken, kiddos.

Fun facts about Bill Freehan:

-Bill was a Detroit native and briefly attended the University of Michigan before signing with the Tigers in 1961.

-He debuted with the Tigers in September 1961 after hitting .289 in 77 minor league games. A few months shy of his 20th birthday, he went 4-for-10 with 4 RBI and a walk in his first taste of the bigs.

-Freehan became Detroit's everyday catcher in 1964 and made the first of 11 All-Star teams. He led the club with an even .300 average and 8 triples, and also contributed 18 home runs and 80 RBI. He placed seventh in MVP voting.

-Though his average dipped to .234 in 1965, his defense didn't suffer. Bill won the first of five straight Gold Gloves behind the plate.

-He was runner-up to batterymate Denny McLain in 1968's MVP vote. Freehan caught for a talented staff that included McLain (31-6, 1.96 ERA) and Mickey Lolich (17-9, 3.19 ERA) and also posted career highs in slugging (.454), home runs (25), and RBI (84). His .366 on-base percentage was nearly 70 points above the league average.

-Though he collected only two hits and four walks in the 1968 World Series (.083 AVG, .214 OBP), his defensive play was crucial. In Game Five, he threw out Lou Brock on an attempted steal of second base in the third inning and blocked the plate and tagged Brock out attempting to score in the fifth. The Tigers won the game 5-3 to stave off elimination, and rallied to win the next two games as well and capture the championship.

-Freehan gave fans an inside look at his 1969 season with the book Behind the Mask, with Steve Gelman and Dick Schaap collaborating on the effort.

-On August 9, 1971, he belted three home runs in a wild road game against Boston. All three were solo shots, as the Tigers blew a 7-2 lead and lost 12-11.

-Bill spent his entire career with the Tigers, retiring at the end of the 1976 season. In parts of 15 seasons, he batted .262 with 200 home runs and 758 RBI. Due to the depressed offensive environment of his era, he posted an OPS+ of 112.

-After retiring, he did broadcast work for the Mariners and Tigers, and also returned to the University of Michigan to coach the baseball team from 1989 to 1995.

#354 Cubs Rookie Stars: Billy Ott and Jack Warner

2011-07-22T20:15:00.000-04:00

Wow, this is another one of those two-player rookie cards in which one player looks old enough to be the other's father. For your information, the baby-faced Billy Ott was actually 23 in 1964, when this photo was likely taken. Warner, who looks a little more world-weary, was also 23 at that time, and is only 4 months older than Ott.

Fun facts about Billy Ott:

-A native of New York City, Billy attended St. John's University before signing with the Cubs in 1960.

-He got off to a fast start in the minors, hitting .307 for Class C St. Cloud in 1961 and jumping to AA San Antonio the following year. There, he hit .281 and slugged .521, with 33 doubles, 23 home runs, and 88 RBI.

-Chicago made Ott a September callup in 1962. Just 21 years old, he appeared in 12 games as a pinch hitter and right fielder. He struggled in 30 trips to the plate, managing 4 hits and 2 walks for a .143 average and .200 on-base percentage.

-Billy did hit his first and only big league homer on September 17, 1962, a seventh-inning solo shot against Ray Washburn of the Cardinals.

-His bat went cold after being promoted to AAA Salt Lake City in 1963. He batted .234/.326/.331 for the season, and improved only marginally to .249/.359/.371 the next year.

-Despite his subpar numbers at AAA, the Cubs promoted Billy to the big leagues again in June 1964. He stayed for a month, appearing in 20 games and batting .179 with a single RBI in 39 at-bats.

-Ott got a rare start on June 21, 1964, and celebrated by singling and doubling in four trips to the plate against hard-throwing Bob Veale of the Pirates. He scored both Cubs runs in a 2-1 victory; it was the only multi-hit game of his career.

-The Orioles acquired him prior to the 1965 season. He played 88 games for AAA Rochester, hitting .264 with 2 home runs. It was his final season as a pro.

-In parts of 2 big league seasons, Billy hit .164 with a home run and 3 RBI.

-Had a post-baseball career as a police officer and professional locksmith back in New York City.

Fun facts about Jack Warner:

-Jack was born in Brandywine, WV. He attended high school in Alliance, OH, then signed with the Cubs in 1958.

-He made Chicago's Opening Day roster in 1962, in his fifth professional season. His big league career started with five straight scoreless relief appearances, but he allowed seven runs total in his next two outings and was sent back to the minors with a 7.71 ERA in seven innings.

-Warner fared better in a few cups of coffee at the major league level in 1963, posting a 2.78 ERA in 8 appearances totaling 22.2 innings.

-He was saddled with a tough loss on July 21, 1963. He entered a Cubs-Pirates game in the bottom of the eleventh inning in relief of Jim Brewer, who had allowed back-to-back one-out singles. Jack wriggled out of the jam by striking out Donn Clendenon and inducing a popup off the bat of Bob Bailey. He kept Pittsburgh off the scoreboard with perfect frames in the twelfth and thirteenth innings, and even singled against Don Cardwell in the top of the fourteenth for his only big league hit. But he was stranded at first base, and the Bucs finally solved him in the bottom of the fourteenth with three singles to win the game.

-Jack kept riding the Salt Lake City-to-Wrigley Field shuttle in 1964, allowing three earned runs in nine and one-third innings of big league work (2.89 ERA). He was up with the Cubs in late May, again in mid-June, and once more in September.

-Though he spent most of the first half of the 1965 season with the Cubbies, Warner was used sparingly and with terrible results. He allowed runs in 8 of his 11 appearances, leaving him with an 8.62 ERA in 15.2 innings. The Cubs shipped him out at the end of June, and he caught on with the Mets' AAA Buffalo squad for the rest of the season.

-He spent one more year at AAA, splitting time with Seattle and Phoenix before hanging up his spikes at age 25. In parts of 9 minor league seasons, he was 51-30 with a 3.21 ERA.

-In parts of 4 seasons with the Cubs, Jack was 0-2 with a 5.10 ERA.

#133 World Series Game Two: Stottlemyre Wins

2011-07-20T21:08:00.000-04:00

How's that for a headline that's short, sweet, and to the point? Here we get a great view of the #30 jersey that Mel Stottlemyre wore for his entire 11-year career with the Yankees. His son Todd also wore #30 for much of his career with the Blue Jays, Athletics, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks. If you're keeping score, I have six of the seven World Series highlight cards from this set. Go figure, the only one I need features Mickey Mantle.

After the Cardinals outslugged the Yanks 9-5 in Game One of the Series, the 22-year-old Stottlemyre put the brakes on the St. Louis offense at Busch Stadium on Thursday, October 8, 1964. The game was a stalemate early, with the Cards breaking out on top with a pair of singles, a sac bunt, and a Curt Flood groundout to bring home Mike Shannon in the home half of the third. The Yankees tied it a half-inning later with back-to-back doubles by Elston Howard and Joe Pepitone, proceeded by a Clete Boyer sacrifice fly. Though the Yankees had put six men on base in four innings, the score was knotted 1-1.

In the sixth and seventh innings, New York gained the upper hand against an unusually sloppy Gibson. Mickey Mantle led off the sixth with a walk, and Gibson plunked Pepitone two batters later. Tom Tresh followed with the go-ahead single. A two-run rally in the seventh started with Phil Linz singling, taking second on a wild pitch, and scoring on a Bobby Richardson hit. Roger Maris singled, and Richardson crossed the dish on a Mantle groundout. It was 4-1 Yankees, and Stottlemyre was cruising. He allowed three singles and a walk through seven innings, but had to bear down in the eighth. St. Louis got a pinch single from Carl Warwick and a pinch double from Bob Skinner, but scored just one run. Mel induced consecutive ground ball outs from Curt Flood and Lou Brock, and followed up a wild pitch and a walk to Bill White by getting Ken Boyer on a fielder's choice grounder. 4-2 Yankees.

In the ninth inning, the Yankees put the game away against the Redbirds bullpen. Phil Linz greeted Barney Schultz with a home run, and Maris hit a one-out single to chase the new pitcher. Gordie Richardson had even less luck, allowing an RBI double to Mantle, then giving a free pass to Elston Howard, a run-scoring single to Pepitone, and a sac fly to Tom Tresh. Suddenly the Yankees had an 8-2 advantage, and Stottlemyre had all the rope he needed to finish what he started. A Dick Groat leadoff triple and an RBI single by Tim McCarver were too little, too late. Shannon hit into a double play and pinch hitter Charlie James struck out, accounting for the 8-3 final. The Series was tied at a game apiece, and young Stottlemyre had a complete game victory (7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) in his postseason debut.

#115 Bobby Richardson

2011-07-19T20:25:00.000-04:00

One pleasant surprise in the nearly four years that I've been doing this blog has been the boundless creativity of my readers. Greg Mader sent me a "pack" of five cards back in April, this Bobby Richardson card being one of them. There were three other 1965 cards (to be posted later this week), an autographed 1960 Topps of Walt "Moose" Dropo for my Orioles collection, and an individually-wrapped stick of gum! Much fresher than the chalky crap that usually comes with Topps cards, too. Thanks, Greg!

Fun facts about Bobby Richardson:

-A native of Sumter, SC, Bobby signed with the Yankees out of high school in 1953.

-He stormed through the minors, hitting .313 in four seasons and earning brief big league callups in 1955 and 1956.

-Became part of a second base platoon at age 21 in 1957, and made the All-Star team despite modest stats of .269/.281/.316 in 54 games in the first half.

-Richardson led all New York players with a .301 average in 1959.

-Had the unique honor of being named MVP of the 1960 World Series despite being on the losing team. He went 11-for-30 (.367) with 8 runs scored, 2 doubles, 2 triples, a home run, and a Series-record 12 RBI in the Fall Classic.

-Bobby won five consecutive Gold Gloves at the keystone from 1961 through 1965.

-He led the American League with 209 hits in 1962, finishing with 99 runs scored, 38 doubles, 8 home runs, 59 RBI, and a .302/.337/.406 batting line, all career highs. He was a surprising runner-up to teammate Mickey Mantle in MVP voting.

-On June 29, 1966, he went 5-for-5 with a home run and a double to help the Yankees eke out a 6-5 win over Boston.

-Bobby was only 30 when he retired at the end of the 1966 season to stay home with his family. He had intended to retire a year sooner, but Tony Kubek was forced to quit due to injuries, and the Yankees didn't want to lose both at once. Richardson finished his 12-year career as a 7-time All-Star, carrying a lifetime average of .266 with 34 home runs and 390 RBI.

-Richardson got into college athletics after retiring, coaching baseball at the University of South Carolina, Coastal Carolina College, and Liberty University between 1970 and 1990.

#217 Walt Alston

2011-07-18T21:04:00.000-04:00

Hey, it's another card I bought with my own hard-earned money! This one was actually an upgrade. Max sent me a well-used copy a few years back, mostly as a lark. As you can see, some bored young card owner made some cosmetic improvements to poor ol' Walt!

So when I went to the Philly Card Show with Ed this past March, I found a boring ol' clean copy of the Alston card and picked it up for a scant dollar. Likewise, I got a new Vada Pinson to replace the previous one, which was missing half a face. Don't worry, I still have the original Tiptonized copies of both in my possession.

Fun facts about Walter Alston:

-Walter "Smokey" Alston was born in Venice, OH. He attended Miami University (Ohio), and worked as a teacher in the offseason. He signed with the Cardinals in 1935.

-After hitting .326 with 35 home runs at Class C Huntington, he got a September 1936 cup of coffee in the majors. Alston struck out against Lon Warneke of the Cubs in his only big league at-bat.

-In all, he played minor league ball for 13 seasons, never surpassing AA. Playing chiefly at first base, he was a career .295 hitter with 176 career homers.

-Walter started managing in the minors in 1940 while still an active player. He put in a total of 12 seasons as a skipper in the farm systems of the Cardinals and Dodgers, and had a 544-373 record (.593 win percentage) in 6 seasons at the AAA level for the Dodgers. There he managed future big league names like Tommy Lasorda, Jim Gilliam, and Johnny Podres.

-He replaced Chuck Dressen as the Dodger manager prior to the 1954 season. The club won 92 games in his debut year, the first of 10 seasons in which Alston led them to 90 or more wins.

-He helped deliver Brooklyn's first (and only) world championship in 1955, when the Bums finally knocked off the hated Yankees in a seven-game World Series.

-Walter stayed on as Dodger manager for an incredible 23 years, famously being retained on a series of one-year contracts. In his tenure, the team won seven National League pennants and four World Series (1955, 1959, 1963, and 1965). He was named Manager of the Year six times. He won 2,040 games and lost 1,613, a .558 winning percentage. He still ranks ninth all-time in managerial wins.

-When Alston retired, he handed the reins over to longtime player and coach Tommy Lasorda, who kept the post for another 20 years and won 1,599 games and a pair of championships himself.

-The Veterans Committee voted Walter into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

-He passed away in 1984 at age 72.

#170 Hank Aaron

2011-07-16T14:36:00.000-04:00

Are you ready for this bad boy? I've tried to complete most of this set by trade, but as we get down to the big-ticket cards I've got to be on the lookout for good deals. Ed was out at the Baseball Card Outlet nearby in Baltimore when he saw this Hank Aaron card on clearance for $15. That's right, 90% off book value just because of an eensy weensy crease. It took me about two seconds to ask him to be my proxy buyer. It's always good to have extra eyes and ears in the community.

Fun facts about Hank Aaron:

-Hank was born in Mobile, AL. As a teenager he played in the Negro Leagues with the Mobile Black Bears and Indianapolis Clowns. He signed with the Braves at age 18 in 1952, choosing them over the Giants because Boston offered $50 more per month.

-He broke in with the Braves in 1954 after regular left fielder Bobby Thomson fractured an ankle. The young outfielder adjusted well, and was hitting .280 with 27 doubles, 13 home runs, and 69 RBI when a fractured ankle ended his season on September 5. He still finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, with Wally Moon winning out over Ernie Banks, Gene Conley, and Hank.

-After leading the N.L. with 34 doubles, 200 hits, 340 total bases, and a .328 average in 1956, he won the MVP award in 1957. He topped the Senior Circuit that year with 118 runs scored, 44 homers, 132 RBI, and 369 total bases. He was also fourth in batting average at .322, as Stan Musial (.351) put some distance between the Hammer and the Triple Crown. He was also the driving offensive force behind Milwaukee's seven-game World Series victory over the Yankees: .393 AVG (11-for-28), .786 SLG, 3 HR, 7 RBI. Of course Lew Burdette gave up only two runs total in three complete-game victories and bested Hank for Series MVP.

-Hank also won three Gold Gloves in left field, 1958-1960, and is tied for the most years on the All-Star team. He took part in every Midsummer Classic for 21 straight years, 1955-1975.

-His younger brother Tommie played alongside him for parts of seven seasons in Milwaukee and Atlanta, beginning in 1962 and ending in 1971, but totaled just 13 home runs. In 1969, they became the first pair of brothers to team up in a League Championship Series.

-It's hard to summarize a career as outstanding as Hank's, but here are his three greatest seasons by OPS+ (with 100 being league-average), with league-leading totals in bold: 1959 (116 R, 223 H, 46 2B, 39 HR, 123 RBI, .355/.401/.636, 181 OPS+), 1963 (121 R, 44 HR, 130 RBI, 31 SB, .319/.391/.586, 179 OPS+), and 1971 (47 HR, 118 RBI, .327/.410/.669, 194 OPS+). That 1963 season was his closest miss in the Triple Crown race, as he was third in average behind Willie Davis (.326) and Roberto Clemente (.320). Incredibly, he finished third in MVP balloting in all three seasons.

-In 1970, Aaron became the first player in big league history with both 500 career home runs and 3,000 hits. He continued chasing history, enduring racist hate mail and death threats as he closed in on Babe Ruth's home run record in the early 1970s. He quietly endured these attacks and finally became the home rung king with #715, a two-run shot off of the Dodgers' Al Downing on April 8, 1974.

-His career came full circle with a November 1974 trade to the Milwaukee Brewers, with whom he finished his career with a two-year stint as a designated hitter. His career spanned 23 seasons, in which he hit .305/.374/.555 with 2,174 runs scored (4th all-time), 3,771 hits (3rd), 624 doubles (10th), 755 home runs (2nd to Barry Bonds' 762), 2,297 RBI (1st), and 6,856 total bases (1st).

-Home run minutiae: Hank hit 97 homers against the Reds, his most against any team. He victimized 310 different pitchers, with Don Drysdale (17 HR) his favorite target. He went deep in 31 different parks, and his highest total as a visitor was 50 HR at Wrigley Field. This one's my favorite: he hit 258 homers in the first three innings, 261 in the middle innings, and 236 from the seventh inning onward. That's pretty good distribution!

-He was of course a first-ballot Hall of Famer, garnering 97.8% percent of the vote. I'll withhold comment on the nincompoops that left him off of their ballot because "Babe Ruth/Honus Wagner/Walter Johnson/etc. didn't get 100%". The Braves and Brewers each retired his #44 and dedicate a statue in his likeness at their ballparks, and he has been a member of the Braves' front office for more than three decades. In 1999, MLB established the Hank Aaron Award, given annually to the top offensive player in each league. He has received the Presidential Citizens Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And, in a little touch that I enjoyed, he voiced both himself and his fictitious descendant Hank Aaron XXIV in a 2002 episode of Futurama.

#437 Chico Cardenas

2011-07-14T21:27:00.000-04:00

And now we come to the end of another handful of cards provided by Ed. Thanks again, pal! Looking back at Chico Cardenas' uniform vest, those fat black stripes around the armholes seem kind of clunky up against the thin red pinstripes. But what do I know? You may have noticed a little handwritten augmentation on the front of the card. It's funny to imagine that "Good" is supposed to denote the condition of the card.

Fun facts about Chico Cardenas:

-A native of Matanzas, Cuba, Leo "Chico" Cardenas was acquired by the Reds after hitting .316 and slugging .551 for the Tucson Cowboys of the Class C Arizona-Mexico League at age 17 in 1956.

-He debuted with Cincinnati on July 25, 1960, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in a 6-5 win over the Cubs. His leadoff single in the ninth inning sparked the game-winning two-run rally against Don Elston. The Reds made him their starting shortstop, a role he would maintain for nearly a decade.

-Cardenas appeared in just 74 games in 1961, but helped the Reds' pennant drive with a .308 average in 198 at-bats. He doubled once in three pinch-hit at-bats vs. the Yankees in the World Series.

-Though he made the All-Star team for the first of three straight seasons in 1964, it was statistically not one of his stronger seasons: .251 AVG, 32 doubles, 9 home runs, 69 RBI. The following year was his best all-around effort, though. In 1965, he batted .287 with a career-high .355 on-base percentage and socked 25 doubles, 11 triples, 11 home runs, and 57 RBI. He led the N.L. with 25 intentional walks, as he spent much of the year batting eighth in front of the pitcher. Chico also won the Gold Glove at shortstop, as is to be expected for a player nicknamed "Mr. Automatic" for his dependable defense.

-In 1966 his average slipped to .255, but he swatted a career-best 20 home runs. His 81 RBI tied him with Deron Johnson for the team lead.

-In a doubleheader vs. the Cubs on June 5, 1966, Chico went 6-for-8 with 4 home runs, a double, 4 runs scored, and 8 RBI. He was 3-for-4 with a pair of homers in each game, victimizing pitchers Bill Hands and Ernie Broglio twice each.

-Following a trade to the Twins in November 1968, Chico strung together three productive seasons in Minnesota. He was an All-Star for the fifth and final time in 1971, when he hit .264 with 18 homers and 75 RBI.

-An ugly batting line of .223/.272/.283 with the Angels in 1972 signaled the end of his days as a full-timer. He hung around as a reserve infielder for a few years with the Indians and Rangers before retiring in 1975.

-In parts of 16 seasons, Cardenas was a career .257 hitter with 118 home runs and 689 RBI.

-He still lives in Cincinnati, and was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1981.

#408 Larry Sherry

2011-07-13T23:07:00.000-04:00

As far as rhyming baseball names go, Larry Sherry is funnier than Don Hahn, but not quite as funny as Greg Legg. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Fun facts about Larry Sherry:

-Larry was born in Los Angeles and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers out of high school in 1953.

-He began the 1958 season, his sixth in pro ball, on the major league roster but was hit hard in five appearances and demoted. But he continued to tinker with a slider taught to him by his older brother Norm, a catcher in the Dodger organization.

-Sherry returned to the big leagues in July 1959, and became a surprise contributor down the stretch. His overall record that season was 7-2 with a 2.19 ERA and 3 saves. He seemed to improve as the year went along, with his ERA dropping from 3.62 in July to 1.85 in August and all the way down to 1.36 in September.

-Larry truly shined in a relief role in the 1959 World Series. The rookie appeared in four of the six games against the White Sox, earning saves in the first pair of Dodger wins and wins in the other two. He allowed a single earned run in 12.2 innings (0.71 ERA), yielding 8 hits and 2 walks. L.A. jumped out to an early 8-0 lead in Game Six, but manager Walter Alston didn't take any chances, yanking Johnny Podres after a fourth-inning homer by Ted Kluszewski narrowed the margin to 8-3. Sherry kept Chicago off of the scoreboard for the rest of the game, clinching the Series for the Dodgers and the MVP honors for himself.

-Big brother Norm joined him as a teammate in Los Angeles for parts of the 1959 through 1962 seasons, making them the first (and to date, only) battery of Jewish brothers in big league annals. On May 7, 1960, Norm even hit a walkoff homer against Ruben Gomez of the Phillies to deliver a win for his brother! Another brother, George, was a minor-league pitcher for the Pirates in 1951.

-Despite a middling 3.79 ERA in 1960, he posted a 14-10 record with 7 saves in 57 games (3 starts).

-Larry posted four seasons of double-digit saves in his career, including a career-high 20 with the Tigers in 1966 (third-most in the American League).

-He spent parts of six seasons as a Dodger, another three-plus in Detroit, and also had brief runs in Houston and with the Angels before retiring in 1968. In parts of 11 seasons he was 53-44 with 82 saves and a 3.67 ERA.

-Sherry served as a pitching coach for the Pirates (1977-1978) and Angels (1979-1980). He later became a minor league pitching instructor for the Dodgers.

-He was a golf enthusiast and lived for many years with his wife Sally in Mission Viejo, CA. He passed away at age 71 in 2006 after a long bout with cancer.

#370 Tommy Davis

2011-07-12T19:57:00.000-04:00

That's an interesting expression on Tommy Davis' face. He looks like he's halfway between a grin and a grimace, doesn't he?

Fun facts about Tommy Davis:

-A native of Brooklyn and a high school basketball teammate of NBA Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, Tommy was 17 when he signed with the hometown Dodgers in 1956 at the urging of star Jackie Robinson. Of course, the team moved across the country the following year, and Robinson retired rather than accept a trade to the rival Giants.

-After a one-game glimpse with Los Angeles in September 1959, he started about half of the team's games in the outfield in 1960. Despite his part-time status, he placed fourth on the club with 11 home runs and 44 RBI while batting .276.

-His career year came in 1962, when he led the National League with a .346 average, 230 hits, and 153 RBI. He is still the Dodgers' single-season RBI record holder. He also achieved personal bests with 120 runs scored, 9 triples, 27 home runs, and a .535 slugging percentage. He made the All-Star team for the first time, and finished third in MVP voting behind teammate Maury Wills and Willie Mays.

-On June 18, 1962, Tommy faced Bob Gibson with one out in the bottom of the ninth and the score tied 0-0. His walkoff home run was just the third hit that Gibson allowed that day, and it made a winner of Sandy Koufax, who yielded only five hits himself.

-Though his power figures dipped in 1963, Davis repeated as an All-Star and successfully defended his batting crown with a .326 mark. He also paced the Dodgers with 88 RBI, and batted .400 (6-for-15) with a pair of triples in the team's World Series sweep of the Yankees.

-A broken ankle cost Tommy most of the 1965 season and seemed to hinder his power for the duration of his career. He also became something of a journeyman, going from L.A. to the Mets, White Sox, Pilots, Astros, Athletics, Cubs, A's again, Cubs again, Orioles, Angels, and finally the Royals in the span of 11 years.

-Other than his time with the Dodgers, Davis' longest tenure with one team was his three-plus years with the Orioles (August 1972-October 1975). He was Baltimore's first designated hitter, and was a vital part of their A.L. East championships in 1973 (.306 with a team-high 89 RBI) and 1974 (.289, team-high 84 RBI). He later admitted that when he was DHing, he would retire to the clubhouse between at-bats to read or even to shave.

-Tommy excelled when called upon as a pinch hitter. He had a career .307 average (62-for-202) in those situations.

-He retired after the 1976 season as a career .294 hitter with 153 home runs and 1,052 RBI in parts of 18 seasons.

-Davis had a short turn as Mariners hitting coach under manager Maury Wills, and has also worked for the Dodgers as a minor league instructor and a community relations employee.

#145 Luis Tiant

2011-07-11T21:43:00.000-04:00

El Tiante! As you can see here, Luis has always been 50 years old. He was born with a stogie in his teeth.

Fun facts about Luis Tiant:

-Luis was born in Marianao, Cuba. He pitched in Mexico in his late teens and early twenties before signing with the Indians in 1962.

-His father, Luis Sr., was a star pitcher in the Negro Leagues and in his native Cuba in the 1930s and 1940s. Due to the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Fidel Castro, the elder Tiant did not get to attend any of his son's pro games until the 1975 World Series.

-Luis debuted with Cleveland in grand fashion, striking out 11 Yankees in a 4-hit shutout on July 19, 1964. He would finish the season 10-4 with a 2.83 ERA and a WHIP of 1.11.

-In 1968, "The Year of the Pitcher", Tiant stood among the best. He went 21-9 with league-best marks of 9 shutouts (including 4 in a row, April 28-May 12), a 1.60 ERA, and 5.3 hits allowed per 9 innings. He made the first of three career trips to the All-Star Game and finished fifth in MVP voting.

-It was a far fall from 1968 to 1969, when he went 9-20 with a much higher 3.71 ERA. Amid concerns that he was pitching hurt, the Cuban fireballer was traded to the Twins. He missed a big chunk of the 1970 campaign, and was released by Minnesota the following spring.

-Catching on with the Red Sox during the 1971 season, Luis won just 1 of his 8 decisions in the majors. He then reinvented himself as a junkballer, relying on a variety of deception-based arm slots and an elaborate, back-to-the-plate windup to frustrate hitters. Working as a swingman for the 1972 Boston club, he went 15-6 with a league-low 1.91 ERA and got top-ten vote totals for both the Cy Young and the MVP.

-The tricky righthander had a notable stretch from 1973-1976, winning 20 games 3 times (81-52 overall) with a 3.31 ERA. He captured his third shutout crown in 1974, when he had 7 whitewashes among his career-best 22 wins.

-After going the distance in three of his four September 1975 starts, Luis had a memorable postseason. He allowed three hits and a single unearned run in a Game One ALCS victory over Oakland, then won two of his three starts against the Reds in the World Series. His five-hit shutout delivered a Game One victory for the Red Sox, and he gutted out a 5-4 complete game win in Game Four. Rain caused a postponement of Game Six, allowing him to take the ball again on five days' rest. He allowed six runs in seven innings, but an eighth-inning rally by Boston took him off the hook, setting the stage for Carlton Fisk's extra-inning heroics in one of the most talked-about games in history.

-He closed out his career with a two-year stint with the Yankees, followed by single seasons as a Pirate and an Angel. He retired in 1982 with a 19-year mark of 229-172, 49 shutouts, 15 saves, and a 3.30 ERA. He has the most major league wins of any Cuban-born pitcher.

-Tiant remained on the Hall of Fame ballot for the full 15 years before exhausting his eligibility. He drew 31% of the vote in 1988, his first year eligible, but his next-highest percentage was 18 in 2002, his last year. He played pro ball in Mexico in 1983-1984 and with the Gold Coast Suns and St. Lucie Legends of the Senior Professional Baseball League in 1989. He has worked for the Red Sox as a pitching advisor, and coached the Savannah College of Art and Design's baseball team from 1998-2001. He was inducted to the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2002.

#35 Ed Charles

2011-07-07T22:50:00.000-04:00

This card gives us a really close-up look at the Athletics' kelly green undershirt/gray vest/yellow insignia combination. It's easy to forget, given the explosion of gold and green polyester that the A's wore in the 1970s, but this early incarnation was a pretty sharp design.

Fun facts about Ed Charles:

-Ed was born in Daytona Beach, FL, and signed with the Braves as a teenager in 1952.

-His ascent to the major leagues was delayed by two years of military service and the presence of stalwart Milwaukee third baseman Eddie Mathews. After four consecutive seasons at AAA, he was finally freed up by a trade to the Athletics in December 1961.

-Installed as the regular third baseman in Kansas City in 1962, Ed hit .288 with 17 home runs and 74 RBI, was second on the club with a .454 slugging percentage, and stole a team-high 20 bases. He was named to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team.

-Charles was solid again in 1963, with a .267 average, 15 homers, 15 steals, and career highs of 28 doubles and 79 RBI. The following year he delivered 16 home runs and 63 RBI, but a backwards shift of the fences in K.C. sapped his power thereafter.

-He began writing poetry during his time in the minors, and was later dubbed "The Poet Laureate of Baseball".

-Ed was traded to the Mets early in the 1967 season, leaving the A's as the team's leader in games played (726) and total bases (1,065) during their short-lived Kansas City era.

-On May 20, 1968, he had a memorable game. His two solo home runs accounted for the only runs allowed by Pirates hurler Bob Veale. The second longball led off the bottom of the ninth inning and sealed a 2-1 walkoff win for the Mets. Overall, he was 3-for-3 with a walk on the day.

-Though he hit just .207 in 61 games for the Mets in his final season (1969), Charles did go out as a champion. He played in four of the five World Series games that year, singling and scoring the winning run off of Dave McNally in the ninth inning of Game Two.

-He retired with a .263 average, 86 home runs, and 421 RBI in 8 seasons.

-Among his later pursuits, Ed did some promotional work for Buddha Records (known for novelty releases and bubblegum pop), spent nine seasons as a scout and instructor with the Mets (notably signing reliever Neil Allen), and eventually settling into a life in New York's Washington Heights. There he has spent decades offering guidance to juvenile offenders while working with the Department of Juvenile Justice and Youth Options Unlimited.

#12 NL Strikeout Leaders: Bob Veale, Bob Gibson, and Don Drysdale

2011-07-06T20:48:00.000-04:00

When I opened up my queue last night to see which card was next, there were only 16 left to write up. I can't tell you how energizing that is; I thought I would never catch up! The next six cards all came from recurring character Ed, who I can't possibly thank enough for his help with this set. This card in particular is a favorite, with two Hall of Famers being dwarfed by the looming figure of the becspectacled and bevested Bob Veale.

1964 was Bob Veale's first full season as a starter, and also marked his only strikeout crown. He whiffed 250 batters in 279.2 innings spread over 40 games (38 starts). He had only 5 games with double-digit K's, but did have a high-water mark of 16 in 12.1 shutout innings against the Reds on September 30. 8 days prior, he turned in his best 9-inning effort by fanning 15 Braves in a hard-luck 2-0 loss. The 1964 race to the top with Bob Gibson was neck and neck. On September 26, Veale's 5 K's in 5 IP left him with 229 total. "Hoot" had 232, and added 4 more in 8 innings on the 28th to give him some breathing room. But Veale's next start was the 16-K game, and Gibson nabbed 7 in his final start on October 2. Interestingly, both men pitched in relief on October 4: working on 3 days' rest, Veale whiffed 5 in 2 innings. Gibson had only a day of rest and added just a pair of strikeouts in 4 innings to finish with 245. Though the Pirates southpaw never topped the league in punchouts again, he established a career high in 1965 with 276, finishing well behind Sandy Koufax's record-shattering 382 K's. Veale is still 32nd-best all-time with 7.96 K/9 IP.

No need to cry for Bob Gibson, who had better years to come. 1964 marked his third straight year with 200+ strikeouts, and he too set a new career best the following year with 270. He too hit double digits in K's 5 times in 1964, topping out at 12 thrice. In his dominant Cy Young season of 1968, he captured his only strikeout title with 268 to go along with a league-best 1.12 ERA and 13 shutouts. He fanned 269 the next year and a career-high 274 the year after that, and retired in 1975 with 3,117 K's - 14th-best all-time.

Don Drysdale already had 3 strikeout crowns to his name by 1964. He got the honors in 1959 (242), 1960 (246), and 1962 (2.32). His 251 whiffs in 1963 were actually his personal best, but that year he trailed both teammate Koufax (306) and Cincinnati's Jim Maloney (265). In '64, he racked up 4 double-digit strikeout games, peaking with a dozen in a 9-inning win over the Cardinals on August 31. Despite a relatively short 13.5-season career, his total of 2,486 K's is still 30th-most in MLB history.

Going on down the line, Topps lists the 51 "top" strikeout men in the National League for 1964. By the time they get down to double digits near the top of the second column it starts getting silly, but it did allow them to squeeze in 43-year-old Warren Spahn at the very bottom. Besides, some 9-year-old who was president of the Don Nottebart Fan Club was probably thrilled to see his hero make it onto a league leaders card.

#468 Larry Brown

2011-07-05T20:36:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm back from vacation. Did you miss me? No need to answer. This card wraps up the fiver from John Reid. Thanks again, John!

Fun facts about Larry Brown:

-Larry was born in Shinnston, WV and signed with the Indians at age 18 in 1958.

-His older brother Dick was a catcher for four American League clubs (primarily the Tigers and Orioles) from 1957-1965. His career was cut short by a brain tumor that ultimately claimed his life in 1970.

-Brown debuted with the Indians on July 6, 1963, collecting a single off of Al Downing and a walk in three trips to the plate.

-He saw action in 74 games as a rookie, batting .255 with 5 home runs and 18 RBI. One of his homers was a walkoff shot with two outs in the ninth inning against Detroit's Terry Fox.

-In 1964, Larry received 87 starts at second base for the Tribe and had career highs of 12 home runs and 40 RBI. However, he batted only .230 for the season.

-His best all-around season was 1965, when he matched his previous year's RBI total of 40 and added 52 runs scored and 22 doubles while batting .253. He also led American League shortstops with a .977 fielding percentage.

-A nasty collision with Indians outfielder Leon Wagner in 1966 left him with fractures to the skull, nose, and cheekbone. His power stroke seemed to be lessened after his recovery.

-In the late 1960s, he was Cleveland's everyday shortstop. During that time, he ranked among the league leaders for most at-bats between strikeouts. He whiffed once per every 10.8 trips to the plate in 1968, and once per 10.9 at-bats the next season.

-Larry spent time as a backup with the Athletics (1971-1972), Orioles (1973), and Rangers (1974). He finished his career with a .233 average, 47 home runs, and 254 RBI.

-Both his final career home run (May 13, 1973) and his final career hit (a single on September 22, 1974) came against pitcher Lindy McDaniel!

#457 Bob Kennedy

2011-06-24T17:23:00.000-04:00

Housekeeping Update: This is probably the last update before July 4, as I'm going on a much-anticipated vacation. Enjoy the holiday!

Ah, it's been a while since we've had a truly well-worn card to enjoy. The condition of this card also complements the weary, befuddled expression on Bob Kennedy's face. It's as if he's saying, "What's this 'head coach' malarkey?"

Fun facts about Bob Kennedy:

-Bob signed with his hometown Chicago White Sox in 1937, when he was only 16! Previously he had worked as a vendor at Comiskey Park.

-After a 3-game taste of the majors in 1939, the 19-year-old third baseman played 154 games with the Pale Hose in 1940, making him the first teenager in 40 years to top 150 games in a season. He hit .252 with 74 runs scored and 52 driven in, but slugged only .315.

-During World War II, he served first in Naval Aviation, and later in the Marines.

-In June 1948, Kennedy was traded to the Indians, and hit .301 in limited duty for the duration of the season. There are no specific pinch-hit stats available for that season, but we do know that he hit .395 (17-for-43) as a sub. He appeared in three World Series games, collecting an RBI single in one of his two at-bats as Cleveland won their last championship to date.

-In an expanded role in 1949 and 1950, he hit a cumulative .284 with 50 doubles, 10 triples, 18 home runs, and 111 RBI in 267 games with the Indians.

-He spent most of the 1954 season with the Orioles, who had just moved east from St. Louis. On July 30, his grand slam off of Yankee hurler Allie Reynolds was the first bases-loaded homer for any Oriole.

-Bob also played for the Tigers and Dodgers, and retired in 1957 with a .254 career average, 63 home runs, and 514 RBI in parts of 16 seasons.

-About that "Head Coach" thing: after the Cubs lost 94 games in 1960, owner Phillip K. Wrigley decided to institute a "College of Coaches" in place of a traditional manager. Basically, a small group of coaches from within the organization would rotate in the manager's position with the major league club, ensuring that there was a uniformity of instruction from the minors to the majors. I'm sure you predict a few problems. Players complained that each manager shuffled player roles as he saw fit, and the results were certainly poor: the Cubbies lost 90 games under four coaches in 1961, and plummeted to 103 losses the following year with three men sharing the helm. Kennedy was hired as the man at the top in 1963, but was still saddled with the title of "Head Coach". He oversaw a big improvement to 82-80 that year, though it was still only good for seventh place in the National League. Chicago slipped to 76-86 in 1964, and the Head Coach was cashiered early the next season with a 24-32 record. Leo Durocher was hired prior to the 1966 season, and unequivocably stated in his introductory press conference that his title would be "Manager". So that's that.

-Bob was hired as the Athletics' manager for their first year in Oakland in 1968, and again steered a significant turnaround, from 62-99 to 82-80. Seeking a contract extension at the end of his first season in charge of the A's, he was instead fired by fickle owner Charles O. Finley. He never managed again, but held front office jobs with the Cardinals (Director of Player Development and then Assistant GM), Cubs (GM), Astros (Assistant GM), and Giants (Assistant GM). He passed away in 2005 at the age of 84.

-A pair of his sons played pro ball. Bob Jr. was a seventh-round pick of the Cardinals in 1971, and never reached beyond Class A in five seasons. He later spent a decade scouting for the Mariners, Cubs, and Astros. Terry was also a Cards' draft pick, taken sixth overall in the first round in 1977. He was a catcher for 14 years in the majors with St. Louis, San Diego, Baltimore, and San Francisco. He was a four-time All-Star with a .264 average and 113 career home runs. He has managed in the minors for 11 seasons, and is currently the skipper for San Diego's AAA Tucson club.

#245 Joe Pepitone

2011-06-22T21:37:00.000-04:00

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the umpire ruled Joe Pepitone off of the bag whenever he caught the throw. You can't just set up shop smack in the middle of the infield grass, Joe!

Fun facts about Joe Pepitone:

-Joe was a Brooklyn boy who signed with the Yankees out of high school in 1958. He supposedly spent his $20,000 to $25,000 bonus on a Ford Thunderbird and a speed boat.

-After hitting .239 with 7 home runs and 17 RBI as a rookie in 1962, he took over as New York's starting first baseman the following year and made the first of three consecutive All-Star teams. His .271 average and 27 home runs trailed only Elston Howard for the team lead, and he topped all Yankees with 89 RBI. However, "Pepi" went just 2-for-13 (.154) in the World Series and made a crucial error in Game 4 that set up the Series-clinching run for the Dodgers.

-On August 29, 1964, he drove in seven runs via a first-inning grand slam and an eighth-inning three-run homer. The Yankees pounded Boston 10-2.

-Pepitone rebounded in 1964 to swat 28 home runs and a career-high 100 runs as the Yankees captured another pennant. They fell in the World Series again, with their young first baseman again managing a scant .154 average (4-for-26). However, his eighth-inning grand slam in Game 6 did fuel a series-tying Yankee win.

-Joe was recognized three times as the top-fielding first baseman in the American League, winning Gold Gloves in 1965, 1966, and 1969.

-He was famous for his hard-partying ways and vanity. According to Jim Bouton in Ball Four, Pepi had two different toupees: one for everyday wear and a "game piece", the latter to be worn only on the diamond. One of the famous anecdotes in the book had Bouton and Fritz Peterson sneaking into the clubhouse during a game to sprinkle talcum powder in Joe's hair dryer. After the game (a Yankee loss), Joe applied his "everyday" rug and turned on the dryer to straighten his actual hair, and WHOOOOSH...as Bouton told it, "he looked like an Italian George Washington". So did Pepi actually wear a rug? You tell me.

-Though he usually did not hit for a high average, his power and the lower offensive standards of his era made Pepitone a valuable player throughout the 1960s. For instance, a .255 average and .290 on-base percentage in 1966 are mitigated when you consider that the Yanks hit .235 with a .299 OBP overall that season. He also hit a personal-and-team-best 31 home runs, and finished with an 118 OPS+ (again, 100 would be league average).

-Between 1970 and 1973, Joe played for the Astros, Cubs, and Braves before heading to Japan. In a dozen big league seasons, he hit .258 with 219 homers and 721 RBI.

-He did not adjust well to Japan. He hit only .167 in 14 games for the Yakult Atoms, blew off games to go to night clubs, and soon jumped the team.

-He briefly served as Yankee hitting coach in 1982, and has spent the last decade and change employed in the club's front office. He is currently in their public relations area.

-Pepitone has run afoul of the law several times in his post-playing days. In 1985, he and two others were arrested in Brooklyn after their car ran a red light. The car contained drugs and paraphrenalia, a pistol, and $6,300 in cash. He wound up serving four months at Rikers Island and was freed for a work-release program when George Steinbrenner offered him a minor-league player development position. In 1992, he was charged with a misdemeanor assault and released on bail. Four years later, he lost control of his car in the Queens-Midtown Tunnel and charged with driving under the influence.

#208 Tommy John

2011-06-21T23:08:00.000-04:00

Tommy John's name is synonymous with the elbow ligament replacement surgery that was patented by Dr. Frank Jobe. I realize that Dr. Jobe has benefited financially from his medical breakthrough, but I can't help but wonder whether he's bitter over it. Wouldn't you think they'd call it Frank Jobe surgery?

Fun facts about Tommy John:

-Tommy was born in Terre Haute, IN. He was a star basketball player in high school, but signed with the Indians in 1961 because he thought his career prospects in baseball were better.

-He was only 20 when he debuted with Cleveland in September 1963. The following May 3, he earned his first career win by shutting out the Orioles on three hits.

-A three-team trade sent John to the White Sox in 1965. To reacquire slugger Rocky Colavito, the Tribe gave up John, Tommie Agee, and Johnny Romano. The young southpaw went 14-7 with a 3.09 ERA in his first season in Chicago.

-In all, Tommy won 82 games with a 2.95 ERA in seven seasons with the Pale Hose. He went to his first All-Star Game in 1968, when he posted a 10-5 record and a 1.98 ERA in an injury-shortened season.

-In December 1971, Chicago dealt him to the Dodgers for slugger Dick Allen. He benefited greatly from pitching for a contender, winning 73 percent of his decisions (40-25) in his first three years in L.A. However, his career looked to be over on July 17, 1974. Pitching against the Expos, he allowed the first two batters to reach in the third inning before blowing out the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow while facing Hal Breeden. In a revolutionary procedure, Dr. Frank Jobe replaced the torn UCL with a ligament from John's right forearm. The rest, as they say, is history.

-Following more than a year of rehabilitation (assisted by teammate and physical fitness guru Mike Marshall), Tommy returned to the Dodger rotation in 1976 and went 10-10 with a 3.09 ERA and a league-best 0.3 home runs allowed per nine innings. He was named N.L. Comeback Player of the Year, and went on to pitch in the big leagues for 14 years post-surgery.

-He had his greatest stretch of success from 1977-1980. He won 20, 17, 21, and 22 games in those four seasons, went to three All-Star Games, and had a pair of second-place finishes in Cy Young voting. He also signed a lucrative free-agent deal with the Yankees prior to the 1979 campaign.

-Tommy managed to be on the losing end of three Yankees-Dodgers World Series: 1977-1978 (LA), and 1981 (NY). But he did his part, with a career 6-3 record and a 2.67 ERA in 14 postseason games.

-Throughout the 1980s, he pitched for the Yankees, Angels, Athletics, and Yankees once again. He retired in 1989 after tying the major league record with 26 seasons played. He had a 288-231 record and a 3.34 ERA, and 2,245 strikeouts.

-Since hanging up his spikes, Tommy has broadcast games for the Twins and done some managing and coaching. He was a pitching coach in the Expos organization in 2002-03 and managed the New York-Penn League's Staten Island Yankees in 2004. From 2007-09, he managed the independent Bridgeport Bluefish. He is not currently in the Hall of Fame, having garnered just 31.7% of the vote in 2009, his final year on the ballot.

#20 Jim Bunning

2011-06-20T20:30:00.000-04:00

I'm chugging towards the finish line, and this is the first card in a batch of five that John Reid sent me back in February. I believe Jim Bunning is the only U.S. Senator in this set.

Fun facts about Jim Bunning:

-A native of Southgate, KY, Jim was a teenager when he signed with the Tigers in 1950. He later completed a bachelor's degree in economics at Xavier University.

-He was 23 when he debuted with Detroit in July 1955. However, he didn't spend a full season in the majors until 1957, his eighth year as a pro.

-Bunning was worth the wait for the Tigers, going 20-8 with a 2.69 ERA in 1957 and leading the American League in wins and innings pitched (267.1). He made the first of seven All-Star teams.

-On July 20, 1958, he no-hit the Red Sox, allowing just two walks while striking out a dozen Boston batters.

-After seven straight seasons of double-digit wins for the Tigers and a couple of strikeout crowns (201 each in 1959 and 1960), Jim was traded to the Phillies prior to the 1964 season.

-The righthander accomplished a rare feat on June 21, 1964, hurling a perfect game against the Mets. He struck out 10 batters in becoming one of the few men to pitch no-hitters in both the American and National Leagues.

-Though he won 19 games in each of his first three seasons with the Phils, Bunning's career year came in 1967, when he was just 17-15 for a mediocre squad. He had a career-best 2.29 ERA and 16 complete games, and was the league leader with 40 starts, 6 shutouts, 302.1 innings pitched, and 253 strikeouts. He finished a distant second in Cy Young voting to the Giants' Mike McCormick, who had a gaudy 22-10 record but inferior peripherals (2.85 ERA, 150 strikeouts).

-Late in his career, Jim had brief stints with the Pirates and Dodgers before returning to the Phillies and retiring in 1971. In parts of 17 seasons, he was 224-184 with 151 complete games, 40 shutouts, and a 3.27 ERA. His 2,855 strikeouts were second only to Walter Johnson at the time, and he currently ranks 17th in batters whiffed. He was the second pitcher (following Cy Young) to ever record 100 wins and 1,000 strikeouts in both the American and National Leagues.

-He managed in the Phillies farm system from 1972-1976, making stops in Reading, Eugene, Toledo, and Oklahoma City. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996 as a Veteran's Committee selection, and the Phillies retired his #14 in 2001.

-As mentioned above, Bunning went into a successful career in politics. He represented Kentucky in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987-1999 and went on to serve two terms in the U.S. Senate, finally bidding Congress farewell earlier this year after choosing not to run for reelection.

#344 Wes Parker

2011-06-18T00:46:00.000-04:00

Here's the other card that I obtained through Topps' Million Card Giveaway thingamajig. Using one of my code cards, I unlocked a 1963 Jerry Kindall. First I swapped it for a 1963 Billy O'Dell, and after careful consideration, I traded the O'Dell for Wes Parker here.

Fun facts about Wes Parker:

-Wes was born in Evanston, IL and attended Claremont McKenna College and the University of Southern California before signing with the Dodgers in 1963.

-He hit .315 in his first pro season, and jumped from AA to the Dodgers to begin the 1964 season. As a rookie he hit .257 in 214 at-bats.

-Parker took over at first base for L.A. in 1965 and showed value beyond his .238 average. He walked 75 times to boost his on-base percentage to .334, and scored 80 runs.

-In the 1965 World Series, Wes hit .304 (7-for-23) with 3 walks, a hit-by-pitch, a triple, a homer, and 2 RBI as the Dodgers bested the Twins. His run-scoring single off of Jim Kaat in Game 7 was crucial, as the clincher ended in a 2-0 final.

-Known as a particularly smooth defender, he won six consecutive Gold Gloves at first base (1967-1972).

-Wes had a banner year in 1970, leading the Dodgers with a .319 average and 111 RBI despite totaling only 10 home runs. His league-high 47 doubles were a contributing factor. He finished fifth in MVP voting.

-Parker hit for the cycle on May 7, 1970 in a 7-4 win over the Mets. He drove in three runs, including a game-winning two-run triple off of Jim McAndrew in the tenth inning.

-He was only 33 when he retired in 1972. In 10 seasons he'd hit .267 with an 111 OPS+. He totaled 64 home runs and 470 RBI, and had a .996 fielding percentage.

-After broadcasting Reds games in 1973, he played one more season with the Nankai Hawks in Japan. He batted .301 with 14 home runs and won the Diamond Glove Award.

-Wes also called games for NBC and USA in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and did some acting as well. He had guest spots on shows like The Brady Bunch and MacMillan and Wife. You can see his full filmography here.

#340 Tony Oliva

2011-06-16T20:17:00.000-04:00

Okay, one last card from December's "pack" from Randy. You may have noticed that all five of these players were very good at baseball. If you were a kid in 1965 and you got a pack with Tony Oliva, Hoyt Wilhelm, Joe Torre, Norm Cash, and Gil Hodges, you probably would have passed out. Thanks again, pal!

Fun facts about Tony Oliva:

-A native of Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Tony signed with the Twins in 1961.

-He made his major league debut in 1962 at age 24. In his first start, on September 14, 1962, he went 2-for-3 with a double, 2 walks, and 3 RBI.

-After short stints in the majors in 1962 and 1963, Tony became the Twins' everyday right fielder in 1964 and captured American League Rookie of the Year honors. He also made the first of eight straight All-Star teams, and led the league with 109 runs scored, 217 hits, 43 doubles (the first of four career doubles crowns), a .323 average, and 374 total bases. In addition, his 9 triples, 32 home runs, and .557 slugging percentage would all prove to be career highs.

-He repeated as batting champ in 1965 with a .321 mark, doubled 40 times, and drove in 98 runs in helping the Twins capture the pennant. He finished second to teammate Zoilo Versalles in MVP voting.

-Oliva won his only Gold Glove in 1966, a year in which he committed 10 errors (the most by any outfielder) but also ranked highly in advanced metrics like range factor, total zone runs, and defensive wins above replacement (WAR). Maybe the voters were ahead of their time, but I suspect that his .307 average and 25 homers had more to do with it.

-In a June 29, 1969 doubleheader at Kansas City, the outfielder collected hits in eight straight at-bats. He went 3-for-4 in the opener, stroking three singles after a flyout in his initial trip to the plate. In the nightcap, he went 5-for-5 with a pair of home runs, a double, and 5 RBI as the Twins romped 12-2 to salvage a split.

-Despite his .440 average (11-for-25) and .840 slugging percentage in the 1969 and 1970 playoffs, the Twins lost all six postseason games over those two seasons to the Orioles.

-Tony's last great season was 1971, when he was the top batter (.337) and slugger (.546) in the league and totaled 22 homers and 81 RBI in only 126 games.

-Knee problems seriously curtailed Oliva's career, and he retired at age 37 in 1976 with 1,917 hits in only 1,676 games. His lifetime average was .304 with 220 home runs and 947 RBI.

-He coached with the Twins from 1976-1978 and 1985-1991. He has been a minor league hitting instructor ever since. The Twins retired his #6 in 1991 and selected him as a charter member for the club's Hall of Fame in 2000. Just last April, they unveiled a statue in his likeness at Target Field.

#276 Hoyt Wilhelm

2011-06-15T22:46:00.000-04:00

This is a card that I'm particularly excited to have. I wonder if Hoyt Wilhelm ever got tired of posing for photos while exhibiting his knuckleball grip. I mean, it is the pitch that made him famous.

Fun facts about Hoyt Wilhelm:

-Hoyt was born in Huntersville, NC. After graduating from high school, he pitched for Mooresville of the independent North Carolina State League in 1942. He was then drafted into the U.S. Army and served three years in World War II, earning a Purple Heart for being wounded in the Battle of the Bulge.

-In 1946, he returned to Mooresville and won 41 games in two seasons. The Braves acquired him, but lost him in a minor league draft to the Giants a month later.

-Wilhelm was 29 by the time he made the Giants' big league club in 1952, but he came equipped with a great knuckleball. He'd learned the pitch in his youth by emulating former Senators moundsman Dutch Leonard. Hoyt used the knuckler to go 15-3, leading the National League in winning percentage, ERA (2.43), and games pitched (71). He also compiled 11 saves, but finished a distant second to Dodgers reliever Joe Black, who put up comparable numbers but had the added benefit of playing for the pennant winner.

-Far from a skilled hitter (.088/.139/.106 career AVG/OBP/SLG), he hit his first and only career home run in his first at-bat! It came off of Braves pitcher Dick Hoover on April 23, 1952.

-He went to the first of five career All-Star Games in 1953, but had his best year as a Giant in 1954. That season, he went 12-4 with 7 saves and a 2.10 ERA (194 ERA+). He appeared twice in the club's four-game World Series sweep of the Indians, allowing a single hit in two and a third scoreless innings and picking up a save in Game Three.

-After his performance slipped in the ensuing seasons, the Giants traded him to the Cardinals in February 1957. He was then waived twice within a year, going first to Cleveland and then to Baltimore. It's somewhat surprising that the Tribe put him on waivers, as he had a 2.49 ERA in 90.1 innings to that point, but it wound up paying almost instant dividends. On September 20, 1958, he no-hit the Yankees in just the ninth start of his career.

-In 1959, O's manager Paul Richards converted Hoyt to a full-time starter. In 32 games (27 starts), he went 15-11 with 13 complete games and a league-best 2.19 ERA.

-By mid-1960, Wilhelm was back in the bullpen. Over the next three seasons, he won 27 games and saved 40 more for the Orioles with a 2.63 ERA. Prior to the 1963 campaign, he was traded to the White Sox in a six-player deal that brought legendary shortstop Luis Aparicio to Baltimore.

-Though he was 40 when he arrived in Chicago, the cagey veteran (I've always wanted to say that) saved 92 games in six seasons with the team, compiling a 1.92 ERA in 675.2 innings. He seemed to be improving with age.

-As the 1960s lapsed into the 1970s, Hoyt passed through the clubhouses of the Angels, Braves, Cubs, and Dodgers, finally retiring after Los Angeles released him in mid-1972 at age 49. Amazingly, he made his last All-Star team in 1970 as a 47-year-old (6-5, 13 SV, 3.40 ERA). In parts of 21 seasons, he was 143-122 with 227 saves and a 2.52 ERA. His record of 1,070 games pitched stood until Dennis Eckersley broke it in 1998.

-He managed in the low minors for the Braves organization in 1973 and 1975. Wilhelm was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985, which was his eighth year on the ballot. He was 80 when he died of heart failure in Sarasota, FL in 2002.

#200 Joe Torre

2011-06-14T21:39:00.000-04:00

Hey Joe, whaddaya know? For the younger fans out there, let this card serve as proof that Joe Torre didn't lose his good looks with age.

Fun facts about Joe Torre:

-Joe was born in Brooklyn, NY and signed with the Braves as a teenager in 1960. His father Joe Sr. was a New York City police detective as well as a scout for the Braves (1955-1961) and Orioles (1962-1971).

-His brother Frank was a first baseman for the Braves (1956-1960) and Phillies (1962-1963), but the siblings never played on the same team in the majors.

-After a cup of coffee in 1960, Joe took over the Braves' starting catcher job in 1961. He hit .278 with 21 doubles, 10 home runs, and 42 RBI in 113 games and earned a runner-up finish to Billy Williams in N.L. Rookie of the Year voting.

-Was an All-Star for five straight seasons with the Braves, peaking in 1966 with a .315/.382/.560 line, 36 home runs, and 101 RBI. Also won a Gold Glove at catcher in 1965.

-In March 1969, Atlanta traded him to the Cardinals even-up for Orlando Cepeda. The Cards already had Tim McCarver (and eventually Ted Simmons) at catcher, so they primarily used Torre at the corner infield positions, which likely prolonged his career. He added four more All-Star nods to his resume (1970-1973), and won the N.L. MVP in 1971 with league-best totals of 230 hits, 137 RBI, a .363 average, and 352 total bases. He also belted 34 doubles, 8 triples, and 24 homers that year.

-He hit for the cycle on June 27, 1973. He hit an RBI double in the first, solo homer in the third, and leadoff triple in the fourth, but grounded into a double play in the fifth. He led off the eighth inning with a walk, and asked to be pinch-run for with St. Louis already up 11-4 on the Pirates. But manager Red Schoendienst left him in, and he completed the cycle with a two-out RBI single in the ninth.

-He returned to New York in 1975 via a trade to the Mets. He manned third base until June 1977, when he retired as a player shortly after being named the club's manager. In parts of 18 seasons, he batted .297 with 252 home runs and 1,185 RBI.

-Joe's managerial career did not go smoothly, though few truly do. He won only 40.5% of his games as Mets skipper before leaving to take the Braves' post for the 1982 season. Atlanta won the N.L. West in his first season at the helm, but fell in the playoffs to the Cardinals. He was fired after slipping to third place in 1984, and spent several seasons broadcasting Angels games. He got another shot at managing with St. Louis in 1990, but had a losing record (351-354) when the club axed him after a quarter of the 1995 season.

-When George Steinbrenner hired him as the Yankees' manager prior to the 1996 season, the decision was widely ridiculed. But "Clueless Joe", as the headlines called him, seemed to have the right disposition for the job. New York won the World Series in four of his first five seasons on the job after a 15-year "drought", and collected 10 A.L. East pennants and a pair of Wild Cards in his 12 years on the job. He ultimately walked away after the 2007 season, and won two more division crowns in three years as Dodgers manager before retiring at the end of the 2010 season. He finished with 2,326 wins in 29 years, fifth-best all-time. It's widely expected that he will be selected for the Hall of Fame before long. The rest of the top 10 in managerial wins are already in Cooperstown with the exceptions of Tony LaRussa, who is still active, and Bobby Cox, who also just retired.

-Joe is still active in baseball, serving Bud Selig as MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations. He oversees the umpires, disciplinary measures, and more.

#153 Norm Cash

2011-06-13T22:24:00.000-04:00

Norm Cash appears to be posing in front of his parents' country home. I guess spring training facilities have changed a lot over the last 50 years.

Fun facts about Norm Cash:

-A native of Justiceburg, TX, Norm starred in both football and baseball at Sul Ross State University. He turned down a contract offer from the NFL's Bears and signed with the White Sox in 1955.

-He debuted with Chicago in 1958, seeing action in 13 games in June and July. His first hit was a single off of Hall of Famer Jim Bunning on July 6, 1958.

-Cash was traded twice between end of the 1959 season and the beginning of the following season. First he went to the Indians in a seven-player deal that brought Minnie Minoso back to the White Sox. Then he was dealt from Cleveland to Detroit in early April 1960 for Steve Demeter, who would play only four games with the Tribe.

-Norm practically came out of nowhere in 1961, leading the American League with 193 hits, a .361 average, a .487 on-base percentage, and a 1.148 OPS. He also ranked highly with 119 runs scored, 41 home runs, 132 RBI, and a .662 slugging percentage. He earned the first of four career All-Star nods, and finished fourth in MVP voting behind Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, and Jim Gentile.

-Though he never again reached the lofty numbers of that 1961 season, Cash topped 20 homers 10 times in an 11-year span, and was league runner-up 3 times (39 in 1962, 30 in 1965, and 32 in 1971).

-He acquitted himself well in the 1968 World Series, batting .385 (10-for-26) with 5 runs scored, a home run, and 5 RBI. He drove in a pair of runs in Game 5 and another pair in Game 6 - both Tigers wins.

-Norm was known for his sense of humor. He and the Tigers were on the other end of Nolan Ryan's second career no-hitter on July 15, 1973. The powerful first baseman struck out twice in his first three at-bats, and he was due up with two outs in the ninth inning. He strode to the plate with a table leg from the clubhouse (mistakenly called a piano leg by Ernie Harwell) instead of a bat. Umpire Ron Luciano told him he couldn't use it, and Cash responded that it didn't matter, because he wouldn't hit him anyway. He grabbed his bat, and popped out to shortstop Rudy Meoli to seal the no-hitter.

-Detroit released him in August 1974, bringing an end to his career. In parts of 17 seasons, he hit .271 with a .374 on-base percentage. He hit 377 home runs and drove in 1,103 runs. Incredibly, he never hit a walkoff home run, though 117 of his longballs gave his team the lead.

-Cash spent time broadcasting games for ABC and for the Tigers, and won two championships with the Detroit Caesars slow-pitch softball team. The club was owned by future Tigers boss Mike Ilitch, and Cash's former teammate Jim Northrup was also a part-time player.

-Not-so-fun fact: Norm was riding in a boat off Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan in October 1986 when he slipped, struck his head, and drowned. He was 51 years old. He was posthumously inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

#99 Gil Hodges

2011-06-10T23:59:00.000-04:00

We are zooming right through the backlog of posts, and now we come to Christmas 2010. I filled some 2010 Topps needs for Randy, and asked for a few 1965 Topps in return. To my surprise, he sent a "pack" of 1965 Topps: five cards from my want list and a Boog Powell gold embossed insert, all wrapped in a replica '65 Topps wrapper! The collectors I've come to know online never cease to amaze me. Thanks, Randy!

I'm reasonably sure that this is my first Gil Hodges card; it's certainly my first vintage card of the slugger. He just seems like one of the cooler players of his era, though I tend to be a sucker for hulking slugging first basemen: Jimmie Foxx, Frank Howard, Boog Powell, Ted Kluszewski, you name it.

Fun facts about Gil Hodges:

-Gil was born in Princeton, IN, and starred in track, baseball, football, and basketball at Petersburg High School. He attended St. Joseph's College in Indiana before signing with the Dodgers in 1943.

-He played a single game with Brooklyn in 1943, but missed the next few seasons to serve as an anti-aircraft gunner with the Marines in World War II. He participated in battles at Okinawa and Tinian and received a Bronze Star for his efforts.

-After struggling in 1947 and putting things together in 1948, he truly flourished in 1949. Manager Leo Durocher switched him from catcher to first base, and Gil responded with a .285 average, 23 home runs, 115 RBI, and 94 runs scored in the first of his 8 All-Star seasons. He tied with Duke Snider for the team lead in homers, and trailed only Jackie Robinson's 124 runs batted in. He would top 20 home runs in 11 straight seasons.

-On August 31, 1950, he keyed a 19-3 Dodgers romp over the Braves with 4 home runs and 9 RBI. Each of his longballs came with men on base, and he finished the day 5-for-6 with 5 runs scored.

-In 1954, he set career highs in several categories, batting .304, slugging .579, and belting 42 homers with 130 RBI.

-Hodges was no lumbering giant: he won three straight Gold Gloves at first base, 1957-1959.

-Playing most of his career with the Dodgers afforded Gil the opportunity to play in seven World Series, of which the team won two. In 39 Fall Classic games, he hit .267 (35-for-131) with 5 home runs and 21 RBI. In Game 4 of the 1955 Series, he went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI, and his 2-run homer off of Don Larsen gave Brooklyn a lead it would not relinquish. He drove in the only pair of runs in that year's Game 7 clincher, completing a comeback from a 2-0 Series deficit against the Yankees.

-He spent parts of 16 seasons in Dodger Blue before ending his career with 65 games for the Mets in the 1962 and 1963 seasons. He retired as a player after the Senators traded Jimmy Piersall to acquire him as their manager in May 1963. For his career, he batted .273 with a .359 on-base percentage, 370 home runs, and 1,274 RBI. His 361 homers and 1,254 RBI as a Dodger are second in franchise history to Duke Snider (389 HR and 1,271 RBI).

-In four-plus seasons at the helm in Washington, his clubs never posted a winning record, but did improve by a few games per year. They went from 56-106 in 1963 to 76-85 in 1967. The following year, he returned to the Mets, replacing interim skipper Salty Parker. After guiding the club to a new franchise-best of 73 wins in 1968, he oversaw their transformation into the Amazin' Mets of 1969. They came out of nowhere to win 100 games, roaring from behind to beat out the Cubs for the National League pennant. New York then stunned the heavily-favored Orioles in a five-game World Series with timely hitting, spectacular defensive plays, and superlative pitching from the likes of Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, and Tom Seaver. Hodges was named Manager of the Year. His Mets slipped back to third place in both the 1970 and 1971 seasons.

-He had suffered a heart attack during the 1968 season, and another cardiac episode during spring training in 1972 caused his untimely death at age 47. The Mets retired his number 14 the following year, and inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 1982. He was also inducted into the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and several locations and facilities both in Brooklyn and in his hometown in Indiana bear his name today.

#205 Warren Spahn

2011-06-08T23:07:00.000-04:00

Hey, here's a rarity for this set: a card that I outright bought. Last September I was performing in a play at my alma mater, and I went on a stroll through historic downtown Chestertown with my friends. There was a secondhand/gift shop selling all matter of things. I spotted a couple of nine-card binder sheets with 1950s-1970s cards in them selling for ten bucks each. So essentially, I got this card for $1.12! As for this featured card, Spahnie couldn't have been overly thrilled to see his shiny bald head put on display like that. Topps could've been merciful to an aging legend and just airbrushed the Braves logo off of his cap.

Fun facts about Warren Spahn:

-Buffalo, NY native Warren Spahn was a teenager when he signed with the Boston Bees (a.k.a. Braves) in 1940.

-He had a brief and inauspicious taste of the major leagues in April and September 1942, allowing 25 hits and 11 walks in 15.2 innings. He also drew the ire of Boston manager Casey Stengel for refusing to throw at Pee Wee Reese in an exhibition game. As the legendary skipper later said, "You can't say I don't miss 'em when I miss 'em."

-It took Spahn four years to make it back to the big leagues. In between, he earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his heroic service in the U.S. Army during World War II.

-In 1947, Warren was an All-Star in his first full season. That year he went 21-10 for the first of his 13 20-win seasons. He paced the National League with a 2.33 ERA, 7 shutouts, and 289.2 innings pitched. He would be named to 14 All-Star teams in his career.

-You've likely heard the phrase "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain" to describe the old Braves' pitching staff. It came into being after the pair won eight games in a ten-game span of the schedule from September 6-18, 1948. Scheduled off days and rainouts helped make the duo's run possible. It was part of a 14-1 stretch that sewed up the National League pennant for Boston. They went on to lose to the Indians in a six-game World Series, with Spahn losing a Game Two start before earning a win with 5.2 innings of one-hit relief in Game Five. He came back the next day to toss two more innings of relief, but allowed a crucial run in the top of the eighth to give the Tribe a 4-1 lead. The Braves rallied for a pair in the bottom half of the inning, but got no closer. For the Series, the lefty allowed 4 runs in 12 innings, striking out 12 and walking 3.

-Some other league-leading feats for Warren included three total ERA titles (with a low of 2.10 in 1953), nine complete game crowns (including seven straight, 1957-1963 - his age 36-42 seasons!), four straight strikeout titles (1949-1952), and four Pitcher of the Year awards from The Sporting News.

-He won his only Cy Young Award in 1957, when he topped the N.L. in wins (21-11) and complete games (18) and sported a team-low 2.69 ERA. He took the loss in Game One of the World Series (3 ER in 5.1 IP), but gutted out a 10-inning, 5-earned-run complete game win in Game Four. His rotation-mate Lew Burdette earned three complete game victories of his own, giving Spahn his only championship.

-Warren twirled a pair of no-hitters. On September 16, 1960 he struck out 15 Phillies and walked 2 to earn his 20th win in style. He got his second no-no on April 28, 1961, shutting down the Giants.

-The 1965 season, which the 44-year-old Spahn split between the Mets and Giants, was his last. In parts of 21 seasons, he went 363-245 with 382 complete games, 63 shutouts, and 29 saves. He struck out 2,583 batters and had a 3.09 ERA. He still ranks sixth all-time in wins, and first among lefthanders.

-He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1973, and the Braves have retired his #21. There is a statue depicting him in mid-windup on the grounds of Atlanta's Turner Field. He was present for the dedication in 2003, a few months before his death of natural causes at age 82.

#62 Jim Kaat

2011-06-07T15:31:00.000-04:00

Wait a minute..."Katt"? Yep, this is one of the most glaring errors in the set. I'd be willing to give Topps a pass if "Kitty" wasn't already an All-Star and a three-time Gold Glover when this card was made. Oh well, nobody's perfect.

Fun facts about Jim Kaat:

-Jim was born in Zeeland, MI, and signed with the Senators at age 18 in 1957.

-He debuted in 1959, but was hit around in a handful of appearances. Earned his first career win on April 27, 1960, allowing four runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks in a 5-4 final over the Yankees.

-Kaat earned an All-Star selection in his second full season, going 18-14 with a team-best 3.14 ERA, as well as 16 complete games and a league-high 5 shutouts for the Twins in 1962. He also won the first of 16 Gold Gloves, a record later surpassed by Greg Maddux.

-He was a crucial member of the pennant-winning Minnesota team in 1965, going 18-11 with a 2.83 ERA and an American League-leading 42 starts. He outdueled Sandy Koufax in Game 2 of the World Series, going the distance in a 5-1 victory. However, he was knocked out early in subsequent starts in the fifth and decisive seventh games, taking the loss in each instance. Considering that Koufax pitched shutouts in both of those games, there's probably not much that Kaat could have done anyhow.

-Jim had a career year in 1966, going 25-13 with a 2.75 ERA and leading the A.L. in wins, games started (41), complete games (19), innings (304.2), fewest walks per nine innings (1.6), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.73). He was named the Sporting News A.L. Pitcher of the Year, as only one Cy Young Award was given out at the time and it went to Koufax.

-As play began on Friday, September 1, 1967, the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox were clinging to a half-game lead over the the Twins for the pennant. Kaat, whose record was a mere 9-13 at the time, earned his tenth win that evening with a complete-game effort against Detroit. It was the first of seven straight starts that the southpaw would win. He went 7-0 with a 1.51 ERA in September, but things finished on a sour note. The Twins had taken a one-game lead on Boston entering a season-ending two-game series between the clubs at Fenway. Kaat started the opener on three days' rest, and tossed two scoreless innings before injuring his arm in the third. Ron Kline took the loss in relief, a 6-4 final. Boston prevailed 5-3 in the finale to advance to the World Series.

-The White Sox claimed him off waivers in August 1973, bringing an end to his Twins tenure after 13 years and a team-record 189 wins. Reunited with pitching coach Johnny Sain, the veteran posted back-to-back 20-win seasons in Chicago: 21-13, 2.92 ERA in 1974, 20-14, 3.11 ERA in 1975.

-After a three-year stint with the Phillies, the fortysomething Kaat finished his career as a reliever with the Yankees (1979-1980) and Cardinals (1980-1983). He pitched in relief in each of the first four games of St Louis' World Series win over the Brewers in 1982, allowing one run in two and one-third innings.

-Kaat was the last active member of the original Washington Senators, as well as the last active player whose career began in the 1950s. He and Nolan Ryan are the only two men to play in the major leagues during seven different Presidential administrations - for Kaat, it was Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan. In parts of 25 seasons (a record later broken by Tommy John and Ryan), Jim was 283-237 with 18 saves, 130 complete games, a 3.45 ERA, and 2,461 strikeouts.

-Jim seems to be ensconced firmly in the "Hall of Very Good", having earned enough votes to stay on the Hall of Fame ballot for the full 15 years but topping out at 29.6%. He fared better in Veterans Committee votes in 2005 and 2007, but still came up short. He served as Pete Rose's pitching coach for the Reds in 1984-1985, and has spent most of the proceeding 26 years as a TV analyst for the Twins and Yankees. He has also done national broadcasts of both amateur and pro games for NBC, ESPN, CBS, and ABC. He is now calling games for the MLB Network.

#10 NL Pitching Leaders: Larry Jackson, Juan Marichal, and Ray Sadecki

2011-06-06T20:55:00.000-04:00

We're starting this week with a couple of cards that I got from Ed, the only reader of this blog who has hand-delivered cards to my front door. Talk about service!

For some reason, Topps always used to label the league leaders in wins as "pitching leaders". Seems needlessly vague. In this case, the winningest pitcher in the National League, and in all of the major leagues, was righthanded veteran Larry Jackson of the Cubs. He posted a 24-11 record for a Chicago team that won just 76 games all season, making him responsible for nearly a third of all of their victories. But it wasn't enough to earn him the Cy Young Award; only one trophy was given out for the entire MLB in 1964, and it went to Dean Chance of the Angels. The young Los Angeles pitcher was 20-9 with a 1.65 ERA that was nearly half of Jackson's 3.14 mark. I'm sure it didn't put much of a damper on a career year for the Cubbie ace, whose second-highest win total in a 14-year career was 18. He finished strong in 1964, reeling off 9 straight W's from August 22 through September 27 to boost his record from 14-10 to 23-10 before splitting his final two decisions of the year. He might have had an even better season if he didn't call breezy Wrigley Field home: Larry was 10-6 with a 3.83 ERA at home and 14-5 with a 2.55 mark on the road. A little run support never hurts, either. The Cubbies scored 6 runs or more in 11 of Jackson's starts in 1964, and he had 10 wins and a single no-decision in those games. He also won the games he was expected to, posting an overall 9-0 mark against the young Colt .45s and Mets.

The runner-up in 1964 was another right-hander, but that's where the similarities end. Juan Marichal was 21-8 that year for the Giants, one of six times that he topped 20 wins in a season. He had topped the loop with 25 W's in 1963, and would do it again with 26 in 1968. He posted a sparkling 2.48 ERA and led the league with 22 complete games, yet got no votes for Cy Young. If that happened today, we'd never hear the end of it! He averaged 8.75 innings pitched per start in September and October, going 8 strong innings in the only game he did not finish. (There was also an 8-inning CG road loss.) He only made one start in August, which held down his win total, but came back with that great September/October (6-2, 2.19 ERA). He was a Colt and Dodger killer, winning four apiece against those two clubs.

Cardinals southpaw Ray Sadecki was already in his fifth big league season in 1964 when he went 20-11 with a 3.68 ERA at age 23. He would hang around for 13 more, but never had more than a dozen victories in any subsequent season. He had the dubious honor of leading the N.L. with 18 losses for a second-place Giants squad in 1968, and was a swingman and eventually a full-time reliever as his career progressed. Coincidentally, Ray won exactly four games in every month of the 1964 campaign except for April, when he lost his only start. He did the most damage against the Phillies, with a 4-1 record and a 1.91 ERA in four starts against Gene Mauch's men. Sadecki added a 21st win in Game 1 of the World Series, allowing four Yankee runs in six innings and benefiting from a St. Louis offense that hit Whitey Ford even harder.

The expanded leaderboard on the back gives a full rundown all the way down to seven wins. You'll notice that three Hall of Famers (Jim Bunning, Bob Gibson, and Sandy Koufax) just missed the big 2-0, with Tony Cloninger joining them as an oddball. Every team had at least a single 15-game winner with the exception of (who else?) the Mets, whose top W-man was Al Jackson with his gaudy 11-16 mark. Notably absent is Warren Spahn, who went 6-13 with an ugly 5.29 ERA at age 43. It was his last season with the Braves, and the first since 1946 (when he went 8-5 in 24 gamesin which he failed to post at least 14 victories. But we'll deal more with him later.

#405 John Roseboro

2011-06-03T23:27:00.000-04:00

Let's end Rick Rodriguez Week with Johnny Roseboro. Thanks again, Rick!

Fun facts about John Roseboro:

-John was born in Ashland, OH and signed with the Dodgers out of high school in 1952.

-The Dodgers called him up in June 1957, and he backed up Roy Campanella for the rest of the year. He hit just .145 (10-for-69) as a rookie, but had a walkoff three-run homer off of the Cubs' Turk Lown for his first career longball. The clout came in the tenth inning on July 19, 1957; John had pinch-run for Campanella in the seventh inning and stayed on to catch.

-After an offseason car accident paralyzed Campanella, bringing his career to a tragic and premature end, Roseboro was chosen as the Dodgers' new starting catcher. Living up to the tall order, he made the first of four All-Star teams in 1958. He hit .271 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI, and even led the club with 9 triples!

-He set career highs with 18 homers and 59 RBI in 1961. His home run total led Los Angeles, and only Wally Moon drove in more runs for the team. The catcher also won the first of two Gold Gloves.

-Twice he led the league in caught stealing percentage. In 1959, he threw out 59.5% (17 SB/25 CS). In 1964, he gunned down 60.4% of runners (19 SB/29 CS).

-John caught two of Sandy Koufax's four no-hitters: his 13-strikeout gem against the Mets on June 30, 1962 and a May 11, 1963 rout of the Giants in which Koufax faced one batter over the minimum.

-He struggled in World Series play, batting .157 (11-for-70) in four Fall Classics. However, his three-run homer off of Whitey Ford in Game 1 of the 1963 Series keyed a Dodger victory. It was the only round-tripper that Ford allowed to a lefty batter that season.

-Roseboro is best known for being the victim of Juan Marichal's bat attack on August 22, 1965. I covered the incident in some depth when I featured Marichal about six weeks ago; you can read more here.

-John finished his career in the American League, spending a few seasons with the Twins before retiring as a Washington Senator in 1970. In parts of 14 seasons, he hit .249 with 104 home runs and 548 RBI.

-He coached for the Senators (1971) and Angels (1972-1974), and later served as an instructor in the Dodgers organization. He and his wife Barbara owned a public relations firm in Beverly Hills, and their son Jaime was a minor league outfielder for the Mets and Expos (1986-1992). Late in his life, he suffered from heart trouble, strokes, and prostate cancer, and died at age 69 in August 2002.

#402 Joe Amalfitano

2011-06-02T22:20:00.000-04:00

I know I'm the guy who's supposed to provide the facts around here, but I find myself wondering what the inscription "A102" on Joe Amalfitano's bat means. Anyone?

Fun facts about Joe Amalfitano:

-Joe was born in San Pedro, CA and attended Loyola Marymount University before signing with the Giants for a $40,000 bonus in 1954.

-At age 20, he found himself on the big league roster due to the bonus baby rules. He went hitless in five at-bats, but still received a full share of bonus money when New York won the World Series that fall.

-After seeing action in 36 games in 1955, he was finally eligible to be sent to the minors. He hit for high averages over the next four years, and returned to the Giants in 1960.

-Amalfitano played regularly for San Francisco in 1960, seeing time at second and third base. He hit a career-high .277 in 106 games, with a home run and 27 RBI.

-On April 30, 1961, he was indirectly involved in a rare feat. The infielder did not play that day, but teammate Willie Mays borrowed one of his bats and used it to hit four homers and drive in eight runs against the Braves!

-With increased playing time for the Giants in 1961 and Houston in 1962, his offensive production slipped.

-He hit only nine career home runs, but his solo shot off of Roger Craig on May 17, 1963 gave the Giants a 4-3 walkoff victory over the Mets in 11 innings. It capped a day in which he went 3-for-4 with a walk.

-Joey joined the Cubs in 1964 and had his best all-around year. Despite hitting only .241, he drew 40 walks to boost his on-base percentage to .331 and his OPS+ to a near-average 96. (The N.L. averages that year were .254 batting and .311 OBP.) He had career highs of 19 doubles, 6 triples, 4 home runs, and 27 RBI, and led the National League in range factor per nine innings at second base.

-Chicago released him in mid-1967, bringing an end to his playing career. In parts of 10 seasons he batted .244 with 9 homers and 123 RBI.

-Joey is still active in baseball nearly sixty years after his debut with the Giants. He coached for the Cubs, Giants, and Padres in the decade following his retirement, and then managed the Cubs on an interim basis for the last week of the 1979 season. Preston Gomez was hired to the post in the offseason, but Amalfitano replaced him in midseason. He helmed the team through the rest of 1980 and 1981, but was fired after running up a 66-116 record. He spent the following season coaching the Reds, and then was hired as Tommy Lasorda's third base coach for the Dodgers, a post he held from 1983-1998. Since then, he's worked for the Dodgers and Giants in front office and instructional capacities.

#329 Hawk Taylor

2011-06-01T23:21:00.000-04:00

Does anyone know why they called Robert Dale Taylor "Hawk"? An inquiring mind wants to know.

Fun facts about Hawk Taylor:

-A native of Metropolis, IL, Hawk received a $100,000 signing bonus from the Braves in 1957.

-Forced by bonus baby rules to remain on the major league roster, the 18-year-old appeared in only seven games and received a single at-bat. The following year, he got eight at-bats in four games.

-The young catcher showed power potential in the minors with 23 home runs in 1958 and 17 a couple years later, but continued to languish behind Joe Torre and other Milwaukee starters. He received only 117 plate appearances in parts of 5 seasons with the Braves.

-His first big league homer came on October 1, 1961. With the Braves trailing the Giants 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Taylor pinch hit for Roy McMillan and tied the game by taking Mike McCormick deep. Milwaukee won it in the tenth with a walkoff single by Al Spangler.

-Hawk was sent to the Mets prior to the 1964 season and hit .240 with 4 homers and 23 RBI as a reserve.

-On June 20, 1964, he replaced injured catcher Chris Cannizzaro in the second inning of a game vs. the Phillies and went wild. His 4-for-5 day included a pair of two-run home runs as New York won 7-3.

-For someone who didn't play regularly, Taylor had his share of memorable home runs. On August 17, 1966, his fourth-inning clout off of Pirates pitcher Bob Veale was the first pinch-hit grand slam in Mets history. It keyed a comeback from a 7-1 deficit as the Mets went on to win 8-7.

-He failed to even hit his weight in 1965 and 1966, but rebounded to post a .281 average in limited duty with the Mets and Angels in 1967.

-With the Royals in 1969, Hawk appeared in 64 games, including a league-high 52 as a pinch hitter. He batted .270 with 3 homers and 21 RBI. Each of his home runs was a three-run shot that gave Kansas City the lead.

-After hitting just .164 with the Royals in 1970, he was traded to the Red Sox, but did not play in the majors after that. In parts of 11 seasons he hit .218 with 16 home runs and 82 RBI.

#22 Charlie Smith

2011-06-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

I'm back from a short getaway to my family's cottage in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and I'm diving into a four-card package from Rick Rodriguez. Last August, Rick sent me these cards as thanks for allowing him to use some excerpts from this blog on his own site. Always glad to help! Looking at this particular card, it's hard to tell whether the photographer was more interested in capturing Charlie Smith's likeness or a detailed close-up of the 1964 World's Fair patch on his sleeve. It is a great logo, if you ask me. Topps strikes again, by the way; most other sources list the spelling of his first name as "Charley".

Fun facts about Charley Smith:

-Charley was born in Charleston, SC, and signed with the Dodgers at age 19 in 1957.

-In his first look at AAA, he hit .322 with 35 doubles, 20 home runs, and 106 RBI for Spokane in 1960. The Dodgers gave him an 18-game look that September, and he batted .167 (10-for-60) with 5 RBI. Two of those RBI came in his debut on September 8 in a 7-4 win over the Reds.

-Just a month into the 1961 season, Smith was traded to the Phillies, who made him their regular third baseman. Overall, he hit .248 with 11 homers and 50 RBI, earning a spot on the Topps All-Star Rookie team.

-After appearing in only 71 games in parts of three seasons with the White Sox, he was dealt to the Mets in April 1964. He batted .239 with 20 home runs and 58 RBI, leading the New Yorkers in longballs. However, he struck out 101 times and walked just 19 times.

-Charley had a pair of two-homer games in his career. On August 17, 1964, he took Bob Veale and John Gelnar deep to account for four runs in the Mets' 5-0 win over Pittsburgh. Three years later, he again drove in four runs in a 5-0 victory for a New York team; this time it was for the Yankees, and the opposing pitchers were Tommy John and Hoyt Wilhelm of the White Sox.

-Playing regularly for another anemic Mets team in 1965, Smith hit .244 with 16 homers and a team-high 62 RBI.

-He started 100 games at third base for St. Louis in 1966 and hit a personal-best .266 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI.

-To the consternation of Bronx fans, Charley was traded to the Yankees straight-up for a declining Roger Maris in 1967. He carried a paltry .224/.278/.336 batting line in New York that season, scraping across 27 extra-base hits in 425 at-bats.

-After playing sparingly for the Yanks in 1968, he appeared in two games with the Cubs the following season, bringing his career to a close. In parts of 10 seasons, he hit .239 with 69 home runs and 281 RBI.

-Following a knee surgery in 1994, Charley died in hospital care. He was only 57 years old.

#30 Jim Bouton

2011-05-27T23:48:00.000-04:00

This is the first of two 1965 Topps cards that I acquired via trades on Topps' Million Card Giveaway site, last year's version of the Diamond Giveaway. I entered a code card that was pulled from a pack of 2010 Topps, and was awarded a 1964 Topps Wade Blasingame. Since I already had Wade's 1965 card and the drab '64 design is one of my least favorite, I offered it up for trade for various 1965s that I needed. Someone took the bait, and I got Jim Bouton in return! I waited until the March 2011 deadline to order shipping on the batch of cards that I had unlocked and/or traded for, and they arrived six weeks later. As you can see, this one isn't in great shape, but it's certainly not the worst-kept specimen in my set.

Fun facts about Jim Bouton:

-Jim was born in Newark, NJ and attended Western Michigan University before signing with the Yankees in 1959.

-The young pitcher, known as "Bulldog", went 13-7 with a 2.97 ERA at AA Amarillo in 1961 and earned a spot on the big league team the following spring. As a rookie, he made 16 starts and 20 relief appearances, going 7-7 with a 3.99 ERA and 2 saves. He did not appear in the World Series vs. San Francisco.

-1963 was a breakout year for the sophomore, as he went 21-7 with 12 complete games and team bests in ERA (2.53) and shutouts (6). He took a hard-luck loss in Game 3 of the World Series, dropping a 1-0 decision to Dodger star Don Drysdale.

-Bouton followed up with an 18-13 mark and a 3.02 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 1964. He dazzled in the World Series, winning both of his starts and allowing 4 runs (3 earned) in 17.1 innings for a 1.56 ERA.

-His intellectual, sarcastic, and iconoclastic behavior frequently made him conspicuous in the clubhouse, and arm troubles in the mid-1960s made him expendable in the eyes of the Yankees. While pitching for AAA Seattle in 1968, he began throwing a knuckleball in order to be effective. He was to spend much of the 1969 season in the Pacific Northwest, but this time with the Pilots, a first-year club in the American League. Used mostly in relief, he went 2-1 with a save and a 3.91 ERA. He was traded to Houston for the stretch run and had a 4.11 ERA in 30.2 innings for the Astros.

-Of course, Bouton kept a running diary of that 1969 season, and it was published as "Ball Four". It was a best-seller and a groundbreaking look inside major league clubhouses. The "old-boys" network in baseball was furious, with players and executives alike feeling that he had abused trust and privacy and painted the sport and its people in an unflattering light. He put up a 5.40 ERA in 29 games with the Astros in 1970, and following the publication of his book, could not latch on with another team.

-Throughout the 1970s, Jim continued pitching in semipro ball. He got a minor league deal from Bill Veeck in 1977, and the following year the similarly free-thinking Ted Turner signed the knuckleballer. He made it all the way back to the big leagues in September 1978, making 5 starts for a bad Braves team. The 39-year-old went 1-3 with a 4.97 ERA, earning his only win with a single unearned run allowed in 6 innings on September 14 against the Giants.

-In parts of 10 seasons, he was 62-63 with 6 saves and a 3.57 ERA.

-He's had a varied and fascinating life outside of the lines. He wrote several more books, both fiction and non-fiction, and during the 1970s he dabbled in acting, co-starring in the 1973 film The Long Goodbye and co-writing and appearing in a short-lived 1976 sitcom based on "Ball Four". He also spent a few years as a sportscaster in New York and invented several products including Big League Chew, bubble gum that was shaped and packaged like chewing tobacco.

-You can read more about Jim at his official website. By the way, he reconciled with Mickey Mantle shortly before the slugger's death in 1995, and the Yankees finally welcomed him back to Old Timers' Day in 1998.

#266 Bert Campaneris

2011-05-26T22:12:00.000-04:00

Campy! Rookie Trophy! Did you know that his birth name is "Dagoberto"? That's pretty awesome. This sharp-looking card comes from Pirates fan Dan M. He also sent me some unmarked checklists as upgrades, and a few vintage Orioles to fill some needs. Thank you muchly, Dan!

Fun facts about Bert Campaneris:

-A native of Pueblo Nuevo, Cuba, Bert was a teenager when he signed with the Athletics in 1961.

-Bert had quite a debut on July 23, 1964, homering off of Jim Kaat in his first and fourth at-bats to become the second player ever to go deep twice in his first major league game. He finished 3-for-4 with 3 RBI, a steal, and a walk.

-The young Campaneris made a stronger impact in his sophomore season, hitting .270 and leading the American League with 12 triples and 51 steals. It was the first of 6 stolen base crowns for him, and the first of 11 seasons with at least 34 swipes.

-On September 8, 1965, he became the first player to see time at all nine positions in a single game, as part of an attendance stunt. He pitched the eighth inning, alternating throwing lefty and righty depending on the handedness of the batter. He allowed a run on one hit and two walks and struck out Bobby Knoop. In the ninth, he moved to catcher with the A's trailing 3-1. Ed Kirkpatrick walked, stole second on Campy, and advanced to third on a fly ball. With two outs, Kirkpatrick and Tom Egan tried a double steal. On the relay back home, the ersatz catcher tagged the runner out, but was banged up in the resulting collision and left the game. K.C. rallied to tie the game, but lost 5-3 in 13 innings. Overall, Bert recorded putouts at first base, catcher, left field, and center field, muffed a flyball in right field, and walked, stole a base, and scored a run in four trips to the plate.

-Made the first of six All-Star teams in 1968, when he achieved career highs and league-best totals of 177 hits and 62 steals.

-In Game Two of the 1972 ALCS, he had three hits, two steals, and two runs. Detroit pitcher Lerrin LaGrow hit him on the ankle with a pitch in the seventh inning, and he responded by throwing his bat at LaGrow. Campy was ejected, and tussled with Tigers manager Billy Martin in the ensuing melee. He was fined and suspended for the duration of the series as well as the first seven games of the following season, but was permitted to play in the 1972 World Series.

-He surprisingly stole only 6 bases in 37 career postseason games. Was a part of the "Swingin' A's" that won three straight World Series, 1972-1974. In the 1972 Series win over the Mets, he batted .290 (9-for-31) with 6 runs scored, a triple, a homer, 3 RBI, and 3 steals.

-Bert spent a few seasons each with the Rangers and Angels late in his career, and retired after batting .322 in a reserve role with the Yankees in 1983. In parts of 19 seasons, he hit .259 with 79 home runs and 646 RBI. He once ranked 7th with 649 career steals, and is still 14th all-time today.

-He coached in Japan for the Seibu Lions in 1987 and 1988, and the club won championships in both seasons. He returned to the U.S. and played for the Gold Coast Suns of the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989-1990, batting .291 with 16 steals in 60 games in his mid-40s.

-Bert now lives in Scottsdale, AZ, enjoys golf, and remains active with the MLB Players Alumni Association.

#207 Pete Rose

2011-05-25T22:46:00.000-04:00

Uh-oh, Mad Max is back with another Hall of Famer! Frankly, I'm just happy to get back to one player per card. I've been stretching myself awfully thin, don't ya know. If you're keeping track of my progress in posting, this card arrived from Max in November 2009. But I really am closing the gap.

Fun facts about Pete Rose:

-Pete signed with his hometown Cincinnati Reds as a teenager in 1960.

-He won the Reds' starting second base job to begin the 1963 season and was named NL Rookie of the Year despite a somewhat tepid stat line: .273/.334/.371 (101 OPS+), 6 HR, 41 RBI, 13 of 28 success rate on steals. He did score 101 runs, and that was enough to beat out an underwhelming rookie crop headed by Ron Hunt (.272/.334/.396, 10 HR, 42 RBI).

-Nicknamed "Charlie Hustle" for his all-out style of play, he soon established himself as one the premier contact hitters in the game. In 1965 he batted .312/.382/.446 with 35 doubles, 11 triples, 11 homers, and 81 RBI and led the league with 209 hits, the first of seven hit titles in his career. He was also named to the All-Star Game for the first of 17 times.

-Other league-leading totals for Pete included runs scored (4x), doubles (5x), batting average (3x), and on-base percentage (2x). He even won a couple of Gold Gloves for his play in right field in 1969 and 1970. He also tied Wee Willie Keeler's National League record with a 44-game hitting streak in 1978.

-His most famous (and infamous) on-field escapade came in the 1970 All-Star Game, when he raced around the bases on a Jim Hickman single and plowed into Indians catcher Ray Fosse to jar the ball loose and score the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning. Many fans and pundits hyperbolically claim that this incident stunted the 23-year-old Fosse's career, but that seems a bit much. Though he never again matched his numbers from that year (.307/.361/.469, 18 HR, 61 RBI), he did play for the rest of the decade and even picked up another All-Star nod and Gold Glove in 1971.

-Rose had five top-five finishes in MVP voting, and won the award outright in 1973 when he hit a league-best .338 with 115 runs scored for the National League West champs.

-He was a member of six World Series teams, ending up on the losing side in 1970 and 1972 with the Reds and 1983 with the Phillies. His teams won it all in 1975 and 1976 (Reds) and 1980 (Phillies). He had a career postseason average of .321, which includes a .370 mark in the 1975 Fall Classic. He also reached base in that Series at a .485 clip and earned MVP honors.

-Pete joined the Expos in 1984, but an August trade allowed him to return to the Reds as a player-manager. While writing himself into the lineup on a regular basis, he was able to catch and pass Ty Cobb for the all-time hits record, breaking through with #4,192 on September 11, 1985 - a single off of San Diego's Eric Show. He retired as a player in 1986, having racked up 4,256 hits in parts of 24 seasons. He batted .303/.375/.409 with 160 home runs and 1,314 RBI, and his 746 doubles are second all-time to Tris Speaker's total of 792. His managerial record was 412-373 (.525) in parts of 6 seasons.

-Rose's son, Pete Jr., played pro baseball for an astonishing 21 years, finally retiring in 2009 with 1,877 hits and a .271 average in the minor leagues. However, his entire major league career consisted of an 11-game stint with the Reds in 1997. He went 2-for-14 with a pair of walks.

-Pete continued managing the Reds until being suspended by commissioner Bart Giamatti in 1989. A lengthy investigation (the Dowd Report) had revealed that Rose had been gambling on several sports, including baseball. He accepted a lifetime ban from the game in exchange for MLB not formally finding him guilty. He remains banned to this day, and is therefore ineligible for the Hall of Fame. Even his confessions of guilt in subsequent years have been conditional (i.e., he's never admitted to betting on his own team, despite evidence to the contrary) and have been dismissed by many as self-serving and insincere. However, the WWE inducted him into the celebrity wing of their Hall of Fame in 2004, in recognition of his recurring appearances as a sacrificial lamb to hulking wrestler Kane at various Wrestlemania events. So he's got that going for him.

#3 AL Home Run Leaders: Harmon Killebrew, Boog Powell, and Mickey Mantle

2011-05-23T21:47:00.000-04:00

I received this card as part of a generous gift from Dean of Dean's Cards. He also sent along some vintage Orioles that I needed, and all he asked for in return was a link exchange. You can check out his blog here. Thanks, Dean!

This is a bittersweet posting, coming the week after Harmon Killebrew's cancer-related death. But at least it allows us to celebrate his skills as a power hitter. In 1964, Harmon led the American League for the fourth time in his great career and the third straight season. He set a career high with 49 longballs, 30 of them coming before the All-Star break. He was hottest in May (12 HR in 26 games) and June (14 HR in 30 games). With 24 homers coming with runners on base, nearly half of his total four-baggers put crooked numbers on the board. He feasted on Boston pitchers, victimizing them 9 times in 18 games. Before all was said and done, he would win a fifth home run crown in 1967 (44) and a sixth in his MVP year, 1969 (49), retiring in 1975 with 573 career HR.

Orioles slugger Boog Powell was a distant runner-up with 39 homers, but that total represented a career high. He did lead the American League with a .606 slugging percentage in 1964, and probably would have given Harmon a run for his money if he hadn't missed 28 games with injuries in mid-June and late August. He made the most of the 21 games he did play in June, going deep 12 times that month. He drove in other runners with 18 of his homers, but somehow went hitless in 10 at-bats with the bases loaded. He feasted on the arms of the lowly Senators, clouting 10 round-trippers in 18 games against Washington. Boog retired after failing to hit a home run in 1977 with the Dodgers; still, he amassed 339 HR in his career. He reached double digits in homers in 14 straight seasons - every year in which he played at least 100 games.

The third-place finisher was Mickey Mantle with 35 homers; it was the last time he topped 30 in his legendary stint with the Yankees. With years of wear and tear beginning to take their toll, the 32-year-old played in 143 games, finishing with 115 less plate appearances than Killebrew. A four-time home run king, Mantle was remarkably consistent in 1964. He hit 16 balls over the fence at Yankee Stadium and 19 on the road. 17 came in the first half and 18 in the second half. After going homerless in eight April games, his totals for the following months were eight, seven, five, eight, and seven. 17 longballs came with the bases empty, and 18 with men on. His most frequent whipping boys were the Kansas City Athletics, whom he clobbered 7 times in 16 games. The Mick retired in 1968 with 536 career home runs, but there's no telling how many he would have hit with better health.

Topps did something neat with the leaderboard on the back, listing each of the 25 American Leaguers who hit at least 20 home runs, and then accounting for all of the grand slams hit in 1964. As you can see, Boston's Dick Stuart and Chicago's Pete Ward tied for the lead with three grannies apiece. Surprisingly, Red Sox catcher Bob Tillman and A's center fielder Nelson Mathews were the only others to hit more than one grand slam.

#597 Twins Rookie Stars: Joe Nossek, Dick Reese, and John Sevcik

2011-05-20T21:30:00.000-04:00

And so we come to the penultimate card in the 1965 Topps set, which also happens to be the last card in the awesome bundle sent by Max. Thanks again, Max! Looking forward, I have less than 40 cards waiting in the queue to be posted. Believe it or not, that's a great deal of progress! I might even be caught up by the end of the summer...

Fun facts about Joe Nossek:

-A Cleveland native, Joe attended Ohio University and signed with the Twins in 1961.

-His Minnesota teammates called him "Coffee and Juice" because he ate so sparingly.

-Made the Twins' Opening Day roster in 1964 at age 23, but was sent back to the minors in May after seeing action in seven games, with six coming as a pinch runner or defensive replacement.

-Joe spent the entire 1965 season in the big leagues, hitting .218 in 87 games as a reserve with 2 home runs and 16 RBI.

-He started five out of seven World Series games for the Twins in 1965, manning center field in place of All-Star Jimmie Hall. Went 4-for-20 (.200), which includes a pinch single off of Don Drysdale in Game Four.

-Nossek was traded to the Athletics in May 1966 and appeared in 87 games for K.C., hitting .261 with a home run and 27 RBI.

-His average fell to .205 in 1967, and he played only 22 big league games afterward, including one final at-bat in 1970 for the Cardinals. In parts of 6 seasons he hit .228 with 3 home runs and 53 RBI.

-After hanging up his spikes, Joe managed the Brewers' Class A Danville Warriors in 1972. The club went 73-52 and won the Midwest League championship.

-He spent a few decades coaching for the Brewers (1973-1975), Twins (1976), Indians (1977-1981), Royals (1982-1983), and White Sox (1984-1986, 1990-2003). He has also done scouting for the Astros.

-Also got a brief run as interim manager of the White Sox in early 2000 when regular skipper Jerry Manuel was indisposed.

Fun facts about Dick Reese:

-Better known as "Rich", Reese was born in Leipsic, OH and signed with the Tigers in 1962.

-Debuted with the Twins in September 1964, weeks shy of his 23rd birthday. Totaled only 27 games in his first three major league seasons.

-Set personal bests in 1969 with a .322 average, .513 slugging percentage, 24 doubles, 16 home runs, and 69 RBI.

-Had five different games with four hits in 1969. Went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs on August 13 in a 5-2 win over the Yankees, and followed with singles in each of his first three at-bats in the next game before flying out to center field in his final trip to the plate.

-Also reached double-digit homers in 1970 and 1971, but his peripheral numbers slipped, with his average plunging to .219 in the latter year.

-Tied a big league record with three pinch hit grand slams in his career. The first of these came on August 3, 1969 in the bottom of the seventh against Baltimore's Dave McNally. It came with the Twins trailing 1-0, and was the decisive blow in halting McNally's 17-game winning streak.

-He was on the other end of history as well. On May 8, 1968, he struck out looking as a pinch hitter for the last out of Catfish Hunter's perfect game. On September 27, 1973, he was the record-breaking 383rd strikeout victim of Nolan Ryan in the Angel hurler's final appearance of the season.

Split the 1973 season, his last, between the Tigers and Twins. In parts of 10 seasons he hit .253 with 52 home runs and 245 RBI.

-His birthday is September 29. The only two players born on that day with more career home runs are Rob Deer (230) and Warren Cromartie (61).

-Got into the distilling business, retiring in 2003 as CEO of Jim Beam Brands, headquartered in the Chicago area.

Fun facts about John Sevcik:

-A native of Oak Park, IL, John attended the University of Missouri before signing with the Twins in 1964.

-His twin brother James was an outfielder who also signed with the Twins in 1964. He played pro ball for four seasons, never rising above Single A.

-After batting .284 with a .385 on-base percentage at Class A Wisconsin Rapids in his first pro season, John made the big leagues as Minnesota's third catcher. He appeared in a dozen games, collecting a single hit in 16 at-bats (.063).

-That lone big-league hit was a double off of the Orioles' Wally Bunker on September 28, 1965.

-Sevcik played out the rest of his pro career in the minor leagues, hanging on for six more years and finishing with a minor league average of .266 and 22 homers and 196 RBI.

-As of 2005, he was living in San Antonio and working as an executive for Jim Beam. I wonder if Rich Reese got him in?

#577 American League Rookie Stars: Darold Knowles, Richie Scheinblum, and Don Buschhorn

2011-05-19T22:16:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty sure this is the only three-team rookie card in the set. Topps was clearly trying to fill out the set by the time they got to the seventh and final series.

Fun facts about Darold Knowles:

-Darold was born in Brunswick, MO and attended the University of Missouri before signing with the Orioles in 1961.

-He appeared in five games with Baltimore in 1965, but was hit hard. Was vastly improved in 1966, when he went 6-5 with a 3.05 ERA and a team-leading 69 appearances and 13 saves for the Phillies.

-Knowles was traded to the Senators prior to the 1967 season. In four full seasons in Washington, he never posted an ERA higher than 2.70.

-Made his only All-Star team in 1969, when he went 9-2 with a 2.24 ERA and 13 saves in 53 relief appearances.

-Had an odd statistical season in 1970, posting a 2-14 record out of the bullpen with a 2.04 ERA. He ranked third in the American League with 27 saves, a career high.

-Posted a personal-best 1.37 ERA for the 1972 Athletics while serving as a setup man for Rollie Fingers, and also notched 11 saves. A late-season thumb injury kept him out of the World Series.

-Despite starting only eight games in his career, he did hurl a shutout: on August 14, 1973 he scattered six hits and five walks to blank the Red Sox despite striking out just one batter. The A's won 1-0 on a sixth-inning squeeze by Dick Green that was mishandled by hard-luck Boston starter Bill Lee.

-Pitched in his only Fall Classic in 1973, but made it count. He became the only pitcher in major league history to appear in seven games in a single World Series, notching two saves and only allowing one unearned run in six and one-third innings as the A's outlasted the Mets.

-Also pitched for the Cubs, Rangers, Expos, and Cardinals in the late 1970s. He retired after being released by St. Louis in May 1980. In parts of 16 seasons he was 66-74 with 143 saves and a 3.12 ERA.

-Darold has coached for the Cardinals (1983) and Phillies (1989-1990). In recent years, he's been a minor league pitching instructor in the Pirates and Blue Jays organizations.

Fun facts about Richie Scheinblum:

-A native of New York City, Richie attended Long Island University's C.W. Post Campus and signed with the Indians in 1964.

-Had a very brief cup of coffee with the Indians at age 22 in 1965, and also had short stints with the Tribe in 1967 and 1968.

-Began the 1969 season on the Cleveland roster, but endured an 0-for-34 start to the year. He finished the season with a .186 average and 13 RBI, spending most of the year as a pinch hitter.

-Spending most of the 1971 season at AAA Denver, Richie was named the American Association MVP. He hit .388/.490/.725 with 25 home runs and 108 RBI.

-Joined the Royals in 1972 and became the team's everyday right fielder. It was his only season as a regular, and he made the All-Star team by hitting .300 with a .383 on-base percentage.

-He began the 1973 season relegated to the Reds bench, but gained the Angels' starting right field job following a June trade and hit .328 with a .417 on-base percentage in 77 games in California.

-Reached base all six times he came to the plate on July 28, 1973, going 5-for-5 with an intentional walk, a double, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBI as the Angels romped to a 19-8 win over the Royals.

-Scheinblum split the 1974 season between the Angels and Royals, and finished with a six-game run with the Cardinals. He hit only .183 in what would prove to be his final big league season. In parts of 8 seasons, he batted .263 with a .343 on-base percentage, 13 home runs, and 127 RBI.

-Capped his career with a two-year stint with the Hiroshima Carp in Japan, batting .295/.349/.468. He was the first player to homer from both sides of the plate in one game in the Japanese league.

-After his baseball career ended, Richie opened a jewelry store in Anaheim. Eventually he settled in Palm Harbor, FL and worked for a company that applied logos to clothing items.

Fun facts about Don Buschhorn:

-Don was born in Independence, MO and signed with the Athletics out of high school in 1964.

-After pitching only 15 minor league games, he was promoted to the big leagues, making his debut on May 15, 1965 against the Twins. He got the start, gave up two runs in five innings, and was saddled with the loss in a 2-0 game.

-Buschhorn stayed in the majors until early August, appearing in 12 games with a 4.35 ERA in 31 innings. It was his only exposure to the major leagues.

-He pitched in the minors for the Athletics through 1969, going 21-27 with a 4.11 ERA.

#574 Roy Sievers

2011-05-18T23:39:00.000-04:00

There's a little snow on the mountain for venerable veteran Roy Sievers, who would have been 37 when this photo was taken. Bonus fun fact: Roy was only two and a half years younger than his manager in Washington, Gil Hodges!

Fun facts about Roy Sievers:

-A St. Louis, MO native, Roy signed with the hometown Browns as a teenager in 1944.

-Made the major leagues in 1949 at age 22, and won Rookie of the Year honors with a team-best .306/.398/.471 batting line and 91 RBI. He also belted 16 home runs.

-He struggled mightily in his sophomore season, later claiming that Browns coaches had tried to tinker with his swing. He barely played over the next two seasons due to injury, and was traded to the Senators after hitting .270 with 8 home runs in 92 games in 1953.

-Though Sievers batted just .232 in 1954, he walked 80 times and paced the Senators with 24 home runs and 102 RBI. It was the first of nine consecutive 20-homer seasons for him.

-Had his career year in 1957, batting .301/.388/.579 with a league-leading 42 home runs and 114 RBI. He made the second of his four All-Star teams, and was third in MVP voting. He later joked to Ted Williams that the "Splendid Splinter" had cost him the Triple Crown; Williams had outhit him by a mere 87 points.

-Roy hit 10 walk-off home runs in his career; only six players have ever had more.

-Among his brushes with fame: He was Tab Hunter's batting double in the movie version of "Damn Yankees", and during his time with the Senators was then-Vice President Richard Nixon's favorite player.

-He is one of four players to hit pinch grand slams in both the American and National Leagues. Went deep off of Cleveland's Johnny Antonelli on June 21, 1961 in a 15-3 White Sox rout; two years later, he victimized Cincinnati's Bill Henry in a 10-4 Phillies victory. The rest of the unlikely list: Jimmie Foxx, Kurt Bevacqua, and Glenallen Hill.

-Was also a member of the White Sox and Phillies in the second half of his career, and returned to Washington late in 1964. The Sens released him the following year. In parts of 17 seasons, he hit .267 with a .354 OBP, 318 home runs, and 1,147 RBI.

-Spent the 1966 season coaching for the Reds, and then managed for four seasons in the minors for the Mets and Athletics. He later worked for Yellow Freight Company in St. Louis, and has been enjoying retirement since 1986. He wore a Browns uniform in old-timers' games for several years.

#570 Claude Osteen

2011-05-17T22:36:00.000-04:00

You don't see many Claudes in baseball. The last was Claude Jayhawk Owens, a catcher for the Rockies in the mid-1990s. However, he went by Jayhawk, or simply "J". It's the same story for Blue Jays pitcher Claude Lee "Butch" Edge (1979), and Mets and Brewers pitcher Claude Edward "Skip" Lockwood (1969-1980). In fact, Claude Osteen was the most recent major leaguer to go by that name. This has been "Know Your Claudes".

Fun facts about Claude Osteen:

-Claude was born in Caney Springs, TN. He signed with Cincinnati in 1957 before his 18th birthday.

-The Redlegs gave him a couple cups of coffee in his first pro season, and he allowed one run in three relief appearances.

-Osteen never did crack the Cincinnati rotation, and was traded to the Senators in late 1961. Still in his early twenties, he became a dependable starter for the bottom-dwelling Washington club. In three-plus seasons in D.C., he went 33-41 with a 3.46 ERA; that included a team-leading 15-13 record with a 3.33 ERA and 13 complete games in 1964.

-He was dealt to the Dodgers prior to the 1965 season, with Frank Howard heading to the Senators. The lefty wasted no time entrenching himself in the L.A. rotation, putting up sub-3.00 ERAs (2.79, 2.85) and a total of 34 wins in his first two years with the club. He would ultimately post double-digit wins in each of his nine seasons as a Dodger.

-Claude one-hit the Giants on June 17, 1965, permitting only a Jack Hiatt single in the second inning. He did walk 5 batters, but retired 11 in a row to end the game.

-Was a hard-luck pitcher in World Series play. In Game Three of the 1965 Series, he blanked the Twins on five hits to help Los Angeles begin its climb from a 2-0 Fall Classic deficit. Three days later, he had a chance to clinch the title, but exited after five innings trailing 2-0, with one run unearned as a result of a Dick Tracewski error. He was tagged with a loss, as the final was 5-1 Twins. A year later, he again got the ball in Game Three with the Dodgers in a 2-0 hole. This time he allowed only three Orioles hits in seven innings, but one of those was a solo home run by Paul Blair. It was the only run of the game, with the O's winning 1-0 en route to a sweep. So Osteen has a 1-2 Series record with a 0.86 ERA!

-Claude was a three-time All-Star: 1967 (17-17, 3.22 ERA), 1970 (16-14, 3.83), and 1973 (16-11, 3.31).

-His finest season was 1969, when he went 20-15 with a 2.66 ERA and career highs of 16 complete games and 7 shutouts.

-The Dodgers traded him to the Astros prior to the 1974 season in exchange for Jimmy Wynn, who powered L.A. to the World Series in '74. Osteen split the year between Houston and St. Louis, and concluded his career with the White Sox in 1975. In parts of 18 seasons, he was 196-195 with a 3.30 ERA.

-After retiring, he served as a pitching coach for several major and minor league teams, including the Cardinals, Phillies, Rangers, and Dodgers.

#553 Astros Rookie Stars: Dan Coombs, Jack McClure, and Gene Ratliff

2011-05-16T21:41:00.000-04:00

Yipes, it's a three-for-one! That's what I get for waiting around while Blogger righted itself over the weekend. Worth noting: I believe this is the first appearance of the Astros' cap logo in this set.

Fun facts about Dan Coombs:

-Dan was born in Lincoln, ME and starred in baseball and basketball at Seton Hall University. He signed with the Colt .45s in 1963.

-Houston called the 6'5" lefty up to the big leagues in September 1963 after he won 10 games in Single-A. He appeared in one game, giving up a run in one-third of an inning.

-After six appearances as a long reliever with the Colts in 1964, Coombs started a game during the team's final series of the season in Los Angeles. On October 2, he scattered 6 hits and 2 walks in 5 scoreless innings to earn his first career win.

-Had a so-so season out of the Houston bullpen in 1965, putting up a 4.79 ERA in 26 games. Appeared in only eight games total over the following two seasons.

-Dan appeared in a career-high 40 games for the Astros in 1968, going 4-3 with 2 saves and a deceptive 3.28 ERA. It was the famous "Year of the Pitcher", so he actually came in higher than the leaguewide mark of 2.99. While he didn't give up many runs, he allowed 10 hits per 9 nine innings and had an underwhelming 1.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

-After getting hit hard in an eight-game cameo in 1969, the southpaw was dealt to the Padres. San Diego utilized him chiefly as a starter, giving him 27 turns in the rotation in 1970. He had a career year, going 10-14 with a team-low 3.30 ERA (121 ERA+) and completing 5 games. He allowed 12 home runs in 188.1 innings.

-Twirled his only career shutout on May 9, 1970, two-hitting the host Expos in a 6-0 Friars win. In that game, he did not allow a hit over the final five innings.

-He was not much of a hitter, averaging .140 at the plate in the majors. He struck out six times in seven at-bats against Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, but made the last one count. On April 16, 1971, he doubled in his team's only run against Gibson. Unfortunately, St. Louis touched up Coombs for 6 runs in less than 3 innings and he took the loss.

-The Padres shipped Coombs back to the minors in 1971 after a rocky start, and it ultimately marked the end of his big league career. In parts of 9 MLB seasons, he was 19-27 with a 4.08 ERA.

-After his playing days, Dan coached baseball at G.C. Scarborough High School in Houston, TX.

Fun facts about Jack McClure:

-This one's a quickie; Jack played three minor league seasons and never made the majors.

-He was born in Asher, OK, and as near as I can tell, he signed with Houston in 1964 at age 18.

-His nickname was "Kid".

-McClure split his first pro season between Single-A Modesto and AA San Antonio, hitting .258 in 66 games with a .342 slugging mark.

-At Single-A Durham and AA Amarillo in 1965, he hit a cumulative .267, again with little power (2 HR, 2 3B, 12 2B). However, he was boosted to .284 with a .401 OBP in 58 games at Amarillo.

-The last record of Jack as a pro is a 10-game stint at Class A Cocoa in 1966; he went 2-for-32 (.063).

-In parts of 3 seasons, he hit .252 and slugged .322 in 176 games.

Fun facts about Gene Ratliff:

-A native of Macon, GA, Gene signed with the Colt .45s in 1964 out of high school.

-Believe it or not, Gene played even fewer pro games than Jack McClure, totaling 106 in the minors and 4 in the majors.

-In 3 seasons of Rookie and Class A ball, Ratliff batted .199 and slugged an anemic .268.

-Improbably, he did have two cups of coffee with the Astros in 1965. In two pinch-hit appearances in May and another two in August, he was 0-for-4 with a golden sombrero: four strikeouts. He can take heart in knowing that he's not even close to the career hitless record for a non-pitcher: that goes to ex-Indian Larry Littleton (1981) and former Cardinal Mike Potter (1976-1977), each of whom went 0-for-23 in the big show.

-However, Gene is believed to hold the record for most at-bats by a non-pitcher, all resulting in a strikeout.

#527 Jeff Torborg

2011-05-12T22:27:00.000-04:00

I scheduled this card to post on Thursday, but it got lost in the ether during the Terrible Blogger Outage. Please excuse its lateness...I'm sure it's just an optical illusion, but the left side of Jeff Torborg's chest protector looks much wider than the right.

Fun facts about Jeff Torborg:

-Jeff was born in Plainfield, NJ and attended Rutgers University, then signed with the Dodgers in 1963. It's been reported that his signing bonus was a lofty $100,000.

-His .537 batting average and 1.032 slugging percentage in 1963 set Rutgers school records. They retired his #10 in 1992.

-He played only 64 minor league games before debuting with Los Angeles in May 1964. He saw action in only 28 games as a rookie third-string catcher behind Doug Camilli and starter Johnny Roseboro, and hit .233 with 4 RBI.

-He was best-known as a player for catching three no-hitters: Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965, Bill Singer's 10-strikeout gem in 1970, and Nolan Ryan's first career no-no in 1973. Only current Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek (with four) has caught more in major league history.

-Jeff drove in a career-high four runs on July 30, 1970, fueling a 7-3 win over the Expos. His three-run homer off of Dan McGinn was the only round-tripper the catcher hit that year, and he added a run-scoring single later in the game.

-He probably didn't mind riding the bench when Jim Kaat was pitching, having gone 0-for-12 against the 283-game winner.

-Torborg spent seven seasons as a part-timer in L.A., and another three years with the Angels. He batted only .214 for his ten-year career (1964-1973), never topping .240 in a season. He totaled 8 home runs and 101 RBI.

-He got into coaching, serving on the big league staffs of the Indians and Yankees. More recently, he was a TV analyst for MLB games on FOX and the Braves' regional broadcasts.

-Jeff got his first crack at managing when he was tapped to replace Frank Robinson as Indians skipper in 1977. He went 157-201 in parts of three seasons before being supplanted by Dave Garcia in July 1979. After spending a decade as a Yankee coach, he took the helm of the White Sox in 1989. A year later, he oversaw a huge turnaround from 69-92 to 94-68, finishing in second place behind the juggernaut Athletics. Jeff was named 1990's American League Manager of the Year. Chicago slipped to 87 wins in 1991, after which the Mets lured the manager to the N.L. He lasted little more than a year, as "The Worst Team Money Could Buy" lost 90 games in 1992 and dropped 25 of their first 38 the next season before the ax fell. He also posted losing records as the Expos' interim manager in 2001 (47-62) and in a brief tenure with the Marlins in 2002-2003 (79-83, 16-22). Overall his managerial record was 634-718, a .469 winning percentage.

-His son Dale has the most interesting resume in the family. He played first base at Northwestern University and for parts of two seasons (1994-1995) in the low minors with the Mets. He spent the rest of the decade as a professional wrestler with the encouragment of Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage, and was best known for a stint in the now-defunct WCW as the Kiss Demon. After suffering a knee injury, he returned to baseball as a trainer for his father's teams in Montreal and Florida, and has been the minor league conditioning coordinator for the White Sox since 2004.

#497 Giants Rookie Stars: Ken Henderson and Jack Hiatt

2011-05-11T13:35:00.000-04:00

As I rifle through my baseball card collection, I find a very different-looking Ken Henderson another decade or so down the line from his rookie card. 1970s cards really are the gift that keeps on giving.

Fun facts about Ken Henderson:

-Ken was born in Carroll, IA, but attended high school in San Diego before signing with the Giants in 1964.

-Despite struggling greatly in his first pro season (.191 AVG/.268 SLG), he was jumped from Rookie ball to A to AAA in short order that year.

-San Francisco was sufficiently enamored with Henderson to keep him on the big league roster for the whole 1965 campaign, but used the 19-year-old sparingly. He batted .191 with a .277 on-base percentage in 83 trips to the plate. In a rare start on August 17, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a two-run double to account for all of the Giants' runs in a 3-2 victory over the Mets.

-In 1970, he became a regular in the San Fran outfield and hit .294 with 17 home runs and 88 RBI. He achieved career highs of 104 runs scored, 35 doubles, 20 steals, 87 walks, and a .394 on-base percentage.

-Joined the White Sox (along with Steve Stone) in a deal for pitcher Tom Bradley. Injuries cost him half of the 1973 season, but he rebounded to play all 162 games a year later. Ken hit .292 that year with 20 homers and a team-high 95 RBI while leading the American League in putouts by a center fielder.

-A switch-hitter, Henderson homered from both sides of the plate in a 4-2 victory over the Orioles on August 29, 1975. He got to lefty Ross Grimsley in the first inning, and victimized righty Wayne Garland in the eighth.

-He became a journeyman in the later period of his career, suiting up for the Braves, Rangers, Mets, Reds, and Cubs from 1976-1980. He retired as a .257 hitter in parts of 16 seasons, with a .343 on-base percentage, 122 home runs, and 576 RBI.

-On September 2, 1978, he hit a three-run pinch home run in the top of the 12th inning to lead the Reds to a 6-3 win over the Cardinals. It was one of five pinch homers in Ken's career.

-His cousin Kerry Dineen was an outfielder who played 16 games with the Yankees and Phillies, 1975-1978.

-Ken has worked in sales and marketing since hanging up his spikes, rejoining the Giants last year to sell luxury box suites at AT&T Park. He is married with four children and five grandchildren.

Fun facts about Jack Hiatt:

-Jack was a Bakersfield, CA native who signed with the Angels as a teenager in 1961.

-He was a very strong minor league hitter, compiling a career average of .299 and routinely reaching base above a 40% clip.

-The Angels called him up for the first time in September 1964, on the heels of a 23-homer season at AAA Hawaii. He notched 6 hits and 2 walks in 18 trips to the plate, including a walkoff pinch single off of Boston's Bob Heffner in his debut on September 7.

-Was traded prior to the 1965 season, going to the Giants in exchange for Jose Cardenal. Got very little playing time in San Francisco, totaling 290 plate appearances in 131 games from 1965-1967. Performed well in those limited opportunities, with a .280 average and .390 on-base percentage.

-Assumed the starting catcher's role in 1969 when Dick Dietz suffered a hand injury from a foul tip. In a four-game stretch from April 24-27, he hit .313/.421/1.063 (5-for-16) with 4 home runs and 12 RBI. He had the game of his life in a wild extra-inning affair April 25 vs. the Astros: a two-run homer in the first inning to give the Giants the lead, an RBI single in the eighth to tie it, and a walk-off grand slam in the 13th! That's 3-for-7 with 3 runs scored and 7 RBI if you're counting. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep it up and finished the year at .196 with 7 homers and 34 RBI.

-Jack spent the last three years of his big league career (1970-1972) as a part-timer with the Expos, Cubs, Astros, and Angels, finishing with a .251 average and .374 on-base percentage in parts of 9 seasons. He totaled 22 home runs and 154 RBI.

-Had a good track record against Claude Osteen (.371/.463/.486 in 41 PA) and Steve Carlton (.333 AVG, .394 OBP in 34 PA). Struggled against Gary Nolan (.111/.190/.167 in 21 PA).

-Hiatt was a talented pinch hitter, batting .296/.402/.426 in 127 tries over his career.

-Continued playing in the minors through the 1974 season.

-Worked in baseball for several decades after he quit playing. Was a minor-league manager for the Cubs (1975-1980), Angels (1982), Astros (1983), and Giants (1988). Also served as a big-league coach for the Cubs in 1981 and spent a number of years in the Giants front office, retiring as Director of Player Development in 2007.

#481 Cleveland Indians Team

2011-05-10T21:29:00.000-04:00

We have a team card! Man, as aesthetically pleasing as the rest of this set is, these team cards with their loud single-color backgrounds and grainy photos are the pits. This one looks like the Indians are being engulfed by a giant marshmallow Peep, like the Stay-Puft Man coated in yellow granulated sugar. Mmmm...

So yes. The 1964 Cleveland Indians. They were a perfectly ho-hum 79-83, good for a sixth place tie with the Twins in the 10-team American League, 20 games in the rear view of the pennant-winning Yankees. It extended a remarkable run of mediocrity for the Tribe, whose won-lost records since 1957 went as follows: 76-77, 77-76, 89-65 (the one outlier), 76-78, 78-83, 80-82, 79-83, 79-83. In '64, the Indians won and lost at about the expected pace: their Pythagorean record (based on runs scored and allowed) was 81-81 for the second straight year. This sort of win-one, lose-one pace did not electrify the local fans, as Cleveland Stadium housed only 653,293 spectators all year for an eighth-place rank in the A.L. Manager Birdie Tebbetts suffered a heart attack in April, and George Strickland posted a 33-39 record in his stead. Tebbetts returned in midseason, faring slightly better at 46-44.

The Tribe bats were thoroughly middle-of-the-pack: fourth in runs scored (689), sixth in batting average (.247), seventh in on-base percentage (.312), sixth in slugging (.380), fourth in home runs (164). Seven players reached double digits in home runs, with left fielder Leon Wagner leading the way with 31 homers and 100 RBI. He batted just .253, however, and reached base at a .316 clip. First baseman Bob Chance led the regulars with a .279 average and drove in 75 runs in 120 games. Catcher Johnny Romano topped the team with an .806 OPS, partially due to his 19 home runs. Utility man Chico Salmon chipped in with a .307 average in 286 at-bats. The Indians did lead the league in stolen bases with a total of 79, as Dick Howser (20 SB) and Vic Davalillo (22 SB) did most of the work.

The Cleveland pitchers were uninspiring on the whole, totaling 693 runs allowed to place seventh in the league. Their 3.75 ERA was sixth-best, and the only category they topped was strikeouts, with 1,162. The bright spots were 21-year-old flamethrower "Sudden Sam" McDowell, who went 11-6 with a 2.70 ERA and a team-best 177 punchouts, and 29-year-old Jack Kralick, who was the team's only All-Star with his 12-7 mark and 3.21 ERA. Luis Tiant made his debut in midseason and went 10-4 with a 2.83 ERA. More impressively, he completed 9 of 16 starts and fanned 105 batters in 127 innings. The bullpen was anchored by veteran Don McMahon: 6-4, 2.41 ERA, 16 saves. He struck out 92 batters in 101 innings across his 70 appearances.

Sadly, the Indians are still looking for their first World Series championship since 1948, having lost in the Fall Classic in 1954, 1995, and 1997.They endured a frustrating stretch from 1995 through 2001 that saw them win 6 out of 7 A.L. Central titles without a single Commissioner's Trophy to show for it all. Of course they've come out of nowhere to win 22 of their first 33 games in 2011, taking command of a lackluster division. Is it finally "next year" in Cleveland? Time will tell.

#453 Dodgers Rookie Stars: Willie Crawford and John Werhas

2011-05-09T20:38:00.000-04:00

The two-for-one rookie cards that feature one guy who made it in the big leagues and another who never gained a foothold are a bit cosmically cruel. I guess it serves as a reminder that prospecting is a crap shoot.

Fun facts about Willie Crawford:

-Willie was a Los Angeles native who signed with the Dodgers out of high school in 1964. The scout who signed him was none other than Tommy Lasorda, and Crawford signed for a $100,000 bonus.

-Due to bonus baby rules, he debuted with L.A. in 1964, a week after his 18th birthday. In limited action, he hit .313 (5-for-16).

-After four years of very little playing time, Crawford saw action in 61 games in 1968. He batted .251 with a .335 on-base percentage, 12 doubles, 4 home runs, and 14 RBI.

-On May 16, 1969, he batted in the bottom of the ninth inning against Pittsburgh's Ron Kline. With one out, a runner on first, and the Dodgers trailing 3-2, Willie hit a game-winning home run.

-In 1973, he set a career high by playing in 145 games. It also proved to be his most productive year, as he achieved personal bests with 75 runs scored, 26 doubles, 14 home runs, 66 RBI, a .295 average, .396 OBP, and .453 SLG.

-Willie repeated his .295 batting average in 1974, and produced similar power numbers: 23 doubles, 11 homers, 61 RBI.

-He went 2-for-6 in the 1974 World Series, including a ninth-inning home run off of Rollie Fingers in Game 3. His blast narrowed Oakland's lead to 3-2, but the Dodgers could get no closer.

-After spending parts of a dozen seasons in Los Angeles, Crawford was dealt to the Cardinals for the 1976 season. He responded with a .304 average, 9 home runs, and 50 RBI in 120 games.

-He retired after splitting the 1977 campaign between Houston and Oakland. In parts of 14 seasons, he hit .268 with 86 home runs and 419 RBI.

-Willie was only 57 years old when he died of kidney disease in 2004.

Fun facts about John Werhas:

-John was born in Highland Park, MI but attended high school in San Pedro, CA. He went on to the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American third baseman, and signed with the Dodgers in 1960.

-Had a breakout season with AAA Spokane in 1963, hitting .295 with 17 home runs and 96 RBI.

-John earned the Dodgers' starting third base job in the spring of 1964, and singled off of Ernie Broglio in his first career at-bat on April 14.

-Unfortunately, the hits proved to be few and far between. He was demoted to Spokane in early June with a .193 average, no home runs, and 8 RBI in 29 games.

-Werhas had only a September cup of coffee with L.A. in 1965, going hitless with one walk in four plate appearances.

-Spent a fifth consecutive year at AAA in 1966, batting .306 with a .403 on-base percentage, 15 home runs, and 80 RBI at Spokane.

-Began the 1967 season in the big leagues, and was traded from the Dodgers to the Angels in early May for former college teammate Len Gabrielson.

-John batted a miserable .159 in 56 games that year, with a pair of home runs and 6 RBI. He was through as a major leaguer, with a cumulative .173 average and .276 on-base percentage in parts of three seasons.

-He continued playing in the minors through the 1973 season, spending most of his time at AAA Hawaii - not bad work if you can get it! He also spent the 1971 season in Japan with the Taiyo Whales, and was traded back to Hawaii for Clete Boyer. It was said to have been the first trade between an American team and a Japanese team.

-After retiring, John became a pastor, spending several years at Yorba Linda (CA) Friends Church.

#377 Willie Stargell

2011-05-05T23:30:00.000-04:00

Okay, one last Hall of Famer in this great batch from Max! Being a younger collector, it's always a neat contrast to see much older cards of players whose primary image comes from their veteran years, like Willie Stargell or Gaylord Perry. After all, Willie was popularly known as "Pops".

Fun facts about Willie Stargell:

-A native of Earlsboro, OK, Willie attended high school in California before signing with the Pirates in 1958.

-He debuted with Pittsburgh in September 1962, and made the National League All-Star team for the first of seven times in 1964, his first season as a regular starter. He hit .273 that year and led all Pirates with 21 home runs. His 78 RBI trailed only Roberto Clemente (87) for the team lead.

-Stargell hit a career-high .315 in 1966 with 30 doubles, 33 home runs, and 102 RBI. Overall, he drove in 100 or more runs in five different seasons.

-Finished second to Joe Torre in 1971 MVP balloting despite a batting line of .295/.398/.628 with personal bests of 48 homers (most in the N.L.) and 125 RBI for the World Champion Pirates.

-Willie's career year was 1973, when he paced the Senior Circuit with 43 doubles and 44 home runs (the first player to lead his league in both categories since Hank Greenberg in 1940), as well as 119 RBI, a .646 slugging percentage, a 1.038 OPS and a 186 OPS+. All that, and he still got edged out for the MVP by Pete Rose. Rose outhit him .338 to .299, but had only an .838 OPS.

-Late in his career, the outgoing Stargell became "Pops", the key on-field leader of the strong Pittsburgh clubs of the late 1970s. He gave out small yellow star patches to reward teammates for good play, and the stars were affixed to the team's black pillbox caps. He was also responsible for the adoption of Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" as the team's rallying song in the 1979 championship season. (As an Orioles fan, I'm glad I wasn't around for that.)

-He finally won his MVP award in 1979, sharing the honor with Cardinals first baseman Keith Hernandez. Willie hit .281 that year with 32 homers and 82 RBI. Ironically, it was one of his least impressive seasons statistically. Of course, he was undoubtedly rewarded for his role as a team captain, and for producing those numbers at age 39. He capped the year off with a .455 average (5-for-11) with two homers, two doubles and six RBI in an NLCS sweep of the Reds, followed by a .400 mark (12-for-30) with four doubles, three homers, and seven RBI in the seven-game World Series victory over the Orioles. He was named NLCS MVP and Series MVP, with his Game Seven performance (4-for-5, 2 2B, the eventual game-winning 2-run HR) cinching his Fall Classic honors.

-He retired after the 1982 season, his 21st in a Pirates uniform. The team immediately retired his #8 jersey. His career totals included a .282 average, .360 on-base percentage, .529 slugging percentage, 475 home runs, and 1,540 RBI. He is Pittsburgh's all-time leader in career home runs and RBI.

-He was famous for not just the frequency of his home runs, but also the sheer magnitude. He hit 7 of the 16 balls to ever leave Forbes Field, and often reached the upper deck in Three Rivers Stadium. He holds the distance records at Dodger Stadium (507 feet), Veterans Stadium (unknown), and Olympic Stadium (535 feet). As Don Sutton once said, "He doesn't just hit pitchers, he takes away their dignity."

-Stargell spent several years as a Braves coach, and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1988. Later in life, he suffered from kidney trouble, and died at age 61 on April 9, 2001. That same day, the Pirates opened their new stadium, PNC Park, and dedicated a statue in his likeness on the premises.

#361 Checklist 5th Series

2011-05-04T22:33:00.000-04:00

Ooh, the ever-elusive unmarked checklist! At first glance, a checklist would seem to be as far removed from our recent run of Hall of Famers as you could get. However, you'll notice that there are actually SIX Hall of Famers featured on this card: Orlando Cepeda, Willie Stargell, Carl Yastrzemski, Harmon Killebrew, Luis Aparicio, and Al Lopez. What do you mean it's not the same?

This is the sixth checklist I've featured (out of seven total), and it encompasses the fifth series of 1965 Topps: cards #353-429. Of course "Killer" gets the hero number of 400. In addition to the Cooperstown enshrinees listed above, other notables in this series include Vada Pinson, Tommy Davis, Rocky Colavito, and Curt Flood. How many Series Five cards do I have? Holy cow...76 of 77! That's 98.7%! Flood is the only card missing. He can run, but he can't hide...

#260 Don Drysdale

2011-05-03T22:40:00.001-04:00

Do you believe it? Another Hall of Famer! I hope you don't mind going back to the Gary Geigers and Ron Brands next week.

Fun facts about Don Drysdale:

-Don was born in Van Nuys, CA. A high school teammate of actor Robert Redford, Drysdale signed with the Dodgers as a 17-year-old in 1954.

-He held his own as a rookie with the 1956 Brooklyners, going 5-5 with a 2.64 ERA. He earned a complete game victory in his first start, a 6-1 win over the Phillies on April 23.

-The first of his eight All-Star seasons was 1959, when he went 17-13 with a 3.46 ERA and topped the National League with 4 shutouts and 242 strikeouts.

-Drysdale won the 1962 Cy Young Award with a 2.83 ERA and league-best numbers in wins (25-9) and strikeouts (232).

-He pitched in five total World Series in his career, going 3-3 with a 2.95 ERA in 7 games, striking out 36 and walking 12 in 39.2 innings. The standout performance of his postseason career came in 1962, as he held the Yankees to three hits and struck out nine in a 1-0 win in Game Three of the World Series.

-He was one of the better-hitting pitchers of his era, batting .186 with 29 home runs. In 1965, he hit .300 (39-for-130) and slugged .508 with 4 doubles, a triple, 7 home runs, and 19 RBI. His homer output that season tied Don Newcombe for the National League's single-season record for pitchers. Amazingly, none of his position player teammates batted above .286 that year!

-In 1968, Don set a record with six straight shutouts from May 14-June 4. His run of 58.2 straight scoreless innings was also a record until fellow Dodger Orel Hershiser blanked the opposition for the last 59 innings of the 1988 season. Despite the streak and an overall ERA of 2.15, "Big D" was only 14-12 in 1968.

-A shoulder injury caused Drysdale to retire in August 1969 just weeks after his 33rd birthday. In parts of 14 seasons he was 209-166 with a 2.95 ERA and 2,486 strikeouts.

-Don was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984, enduring a ten-year wait on the ballot most likely due to his relatively short career. That season, the Dodgers retired his #53. It's been said that the title character/car from Disney's "Herbie the Love Bug" was given #53 in honor of the great pitcher.

-He had a lengthy career in broadcasting, doing team broadcasts for the Expos, Rangers, Angels, White Sox, and Dodgers. He also spent nearly a decade doing national work for ABC and dabbled in Rams football games in the mid-1970s. Drysdale's love of the camera also led him to guest roles on a number of TV shows, including The Brady Bunch, The Greatest American Hero, The Donna Reed Show, Leave It To Beaver, The Rifleman, The Millionaire, and You Bet Your Life.

-In July 1993, he was found dead of a heart attack in his hotel room in Montreal, where the Dodgers were playing a road series. He was 56 when he died.

#220 Billy Williams

2011-05-02T22:29:00.000-04:00

Just like that, we're back to the Hall of Famers. As a younger(ish) baseball fan, Billy Williams seems to be a great player who's become overshadowed. Even on his own team, he was dwarfed by larger-than-life personalities like Ernie Banks and Ron Santo. Thoughts?

Fun facts about Billy Williams:

-A native of Whistler, AL, Billy was a teenager when he signed with the Cubs in 1956.

-He had brief trials in Chicago in 1959 and 1960 before earning the regular left field job in 1961. That year he became Rookie of the Year thanks to a .278 average, 25 home runs, and 86 RBI. More impressively, his 115 OPS+ would turn out to be the second-lowest of his long career.

-Williams earned his first All-Star nod in 1962, when he batted .298 and was second on the Cubs with 22 home runs and 91 RBI. He also led the team with 94 runs scored and 70 walks.

-He set a National League record by playing in 1,117 consecutive games between 1962 and 1971. Steve Garvey eventually surpassed his mark in 1983.

-Claimed another Senior Circuit record by hitting five home runs over the span of two games, Sept 8 and Sept 10, 1968. Remarkably, Leo Durocher replaced him in left field with Jose Arcia in the eighth inning of the latter game; it became moot, as Williams' spot in the batting order did not come up again before the end of the contest.

-In 1970, Billy led the National League with 137 runs scored and 205 hits. He batted .322 and set personal bests with 42 home runs and 139 RBI, but was a distant second to Johnny Bench in MVP voting.

-April 6, 1971 saw the Cubs and Cardinals put on an Opening Day classic. Fergie Jenkins and Bob Gibson dueled into the tenth inning with the score tied 1-1. In the bottom of the tenth, Williams won the game with a solo home run off of Gibson, one of ten career homers he hit off of the St. Louis ace.

-His greatest all-around year was 1972, when he topped the N.L. with a .333 average, .606 slugging percentage, and 348 total bases. He also clubbed 37 homers and drove in 122. Once again, Bench bested him in the MVP race, but by a closer margin (263 points to 211).

-Williams spent the final two years of his career as a designated hitter in Oakland, participating in the 1975 ALCS for his only postseason experience. He retired in 1976 with a .290 average, .361 on-base percentage, and .492 slugging. He totaled 426 home runs and 1,475 RBI.

-Billy coached for the Cubs (1980-1982, 1986-1987, 1992-2001) and Athletics (1983-1985). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987, having to wait until his sixth year on the ballot to gain entry. The Cubs retired his #26 that same year.

#213 Jim Davenport

2011-04-30T19:52:00.000-04:00

One problem I've had as a collector is that I have a hard time narrowing my focus. As it is, I've got at least a dozen sets that I'm actively trying to complete. In addition, I generally grab up any vintage Topps that catches my eye. And of course, I want as many Orioles cards as I can get. But I really admire the creativity of some collectors. For instance, Matthew Glidden collects any and all Number Five cards. If I ever did that, I'd likely go for card #213. 13 is one of my favorite numbers, and my alma mater is located on Maryland's Route 213. But I probably have my hands full as it is!

Fun facts about Jim Davenport:

-Jim was born in Siluria, AL and attended Mississippi State University before signing with the Giants in 1955.

-He made the big league team as its starting third baseman in 1958, going 2-for-4 with a sacrifice fly and a run scored in his debut. His first career hit was a single off of Don Drysdale.

-Had a strong season in 1961, batting .278 with 12 home runs. He achieved career highs with 28 doubles and 65 RBI.

-Davenport was a key member of the 1962 Giants squad that took the National League pennant. In addition to winning the Gold Glove for his play at the hot corner, he earned an All-Star selection. He batted a personal-best .297 with 14 homers, 58 RBI, and 83 runs scored.

-Lost his starting gig with the emergence of Jim Ray Hart in 1964, but contributed in a bench role for the remainder of the decade.

-Jim hit his only walk-off home run on May 16, 1964, a two-out, two-run shot off of the Mets' Galen Cisco in the bottom of the 15th inning. The game lasted 4 hours, 12 minutes, or roughly as long as your average 9-inning Yankees vs. Red Sox game these days.

-San Francisco gave him his release in mid-July 1970, ending his playing career. In parts of 13 seasons, all with the Giants, he hit .258 with 77 home runs and 456 RBI.

-He became a minor-league manager in the Giants farm system, managing their AAA Phoenix club from 1971-1973. He joined the Padres' major league staff in 1974, and returned to the Giants as a big league coach in 1976. Later, he would also coach for the Phillies and Giants.

-Jim was named the manager of the Giants before the 1985 season. However, the club replaced him in September with Roger Craig. He had a grisly 56-88 record in his only shot at helming a big league team.

-Davenport is back with the Giants, currently in a front office role. He had an interim stint as manager back at Phoenix in 1995, and skippered the Fresno Grizzlies in 1998. His son Gary was drafted by San Francisco in 1981, and has been a coach in the organization for many years. Gary is now the San Jose hitting coach.

#193 Gaylord Perry

2011-04-28T19:43:00.000-04:00

Unsurprising baseball fact: Gaylord Perry is the only major leaguer in history with "Gaylord" as a first or last name. Gale Staley, who played seven games for the 1925 Cubs, was born George Gaylord Staley. I'm guessing that Perry didn't get teased much, since he stood 6'4" and weighed over 200 pounds!

Fun facts about Gaylord Perry:

-A native of Williamston, NC, Gaylord signed with the Giants in 1958.

-His older brother Jim was also a successful pitcher, as previously mentioned. His lifetime record of 215-174 would be dwarfed by the accomplishments of his younger sibling.

-Perry was 23 when he debuted with the Giants in April 1962. He pitched sparingly, going 3-1 with a 5.23 ERA in 43 innings. One of his three wins was a complete game four-hitter, as San Francisco downed the Pirates 4-1 on April 30.

-He was a first-time All-Star in 1966, sporting a 21-8 record and a 2.99 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. He also had 201 strikeouts, topping 200 for the first of eight times. However, he was overshadowed by teammate Juan Marichal (25-6, 2.23 ERA, 222K, 0.86 WHIP).

-Gaylord led the N.L. in wins in 1970, going 23-13 with a 3.20 ERA. He also topped the Senior Circuit with 5 shutouts, 41 games started, and 328.2 innings. Still, he finished a distant second to Bob Gibson in Cy Young voting.

-Was traded to the Indians for "Sudden" Sam McDowell prior to the 1972 season. Popular opinion had the Giants getting the best of the trade, as McDowell was four years younger than the 33-year-old Perry. Of course hindsight shows that Sam declined rapidly, whereas Perry remained effective for another decade. He also won the Cy Young in his first season in Cleveland, going 24-16 with a 1.92 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and a league-leading 29 complete games for a bad team (72-84 overall).

-From Cleveland he was dealt to Texas in mid-1975, and he anchored the Rangers staff for two and a half years before being given away to San Diego for spotty reliever Dave Tomlin and cash. Now pushing 40, Perry won his second Cy Young with a 21-6 record and a 2.73 ERA. It was the third time he led his league in wins.

-Split the 1980 season between the Rangers and Yankees, and planned to retire after a mediocre 1981 season in Atlanta (8-9, 3.94 ERA). However, the players' strike left him three wins short of 300, so he caught on win the Mariners and notched the big three-double-oh on May 6, 1982 with a complete-game 7-3 decision over the Yankees. Though he was infamous for his supposed use of the spitball, he was only ejected for doctoring the ball once: August 23, 1982. So either he was very good at cheating, or he was a psychological mastermind. Maybe both.

-Gaylord finally hung up his spikes at the conclusion of the 1983 season, when he was 44 years old. He had a lifetime record of 314-265 with 303 complete games, 53 shutouts, and a 3.11 ERA. He was a five-time All-Star, and ranks 16th all-time in wins and 17th in shutouts. His total of 3,534 strikeouts is eighth-best.

-He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991, his third year of eligibility. He has appeared in some old-timer's games, and famously wears a jersey depicting the wordmarks of all eight of his big league teams.

#150 Brooks Robinson

2011-04-27T22:09:00.000-04:00

Brooksie! It's hard to beat back-to-back Hall of Fame contemporaries with Baltimore ties who played their entire 20-plus year careers in one city.

Fun facts about Brooks Robinson:

-Brooks was born in Little Rock, AR and signed with the Orioles in 1955.

-He hit .331 with a .489 slugging percentage for the Class B York (PA) White Roses to earn a September callup to the majors in his first pro season. He's fond of telling the story of his debut on September 17, 1955. Getting the start at third base, the 18-year-old went 2-for-4 with an RBI in a 3-1 win over the Senators. He called home and bragged to his parents that he didn't know why the O's hadn't promoted him sooner. He then proceeded to go 0-for-18 with 10 strikeouts for the remainder of the season!

-After injuries, offensive struggles, and a few returns to the minor leagues, Brooks finally enjoyed a measure of success in 1960. He batted .294 with 27 doubles, 9 triples, 14 home runs and 88 RBI. He led the Orioles in doubles, triples, and batting average, as well as runs scored (74). That year he made the first couple of his 18 career All-Star appearances, and won the first of his record 16 Gold Gloves for his extraordinary play at third base.

-His best single-season performance came in 1964, when he set career highs with a .317 average, .368 on-base percentage, .521 slugging percentage, 145 OPS+, 28 home runs, and an American League-best 118 RBI. He breezed by Mickey Mantle in MVP voting, becoming the first Oriole to win the honor.

-Over the years, Robinson participated in nine postseason series with the Birds, accumulating a .303 average in 39 games. He totaled 17 runs scored, 8 doubles, 5 home runs, and 22 RBI. One of those homers came off of Don Drysdale in Game 1 of the 1966 World Series, and gave the O's a 3-0 lead in a game they won 5-2.

-Brooksie's 1970 postseason gets its own bullet point. He went 7-for-12 (.583) with a couple doubles and a pair of RBI in Baltimore's 3-game ALCS sweep over the Twins. For an encore, he was named MVP of the World Series. He was 9-for-21 (.429) with 5 runs scored, 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 6 RBI, and frustrated the Reds with a number of acrobatic plays at the hot corner. He earned the nickname "Hoover" for his glovework, and prompted Johnny Bench to quip, "If we had known he wanted a new car that bad, we'd have chipped in and bought him one".

-He set a big league record (tied by Carl Yastrzemski) by playing his entire 23-year career with one team. Though his bat faltered in his last few seasons, he gave Oriole fans one last thrill with a pinch-hit, walk-off three-run homer off of Cleveland's Dave LaRoche on April 19, 1977. It was his first walk-off home run in five years, and the final four-bagger of his career.

-Brooks retired in August 1977 with a .267 career average, 482 doubles, 268 home runs, and 1,357 RBI. He is still the career leader at third base in games played, putouts, total zone runs, assists, and range factor per nine innings. Of course, he also holds a record for grounding into triple plays, having managed the regrettable feat four times.

-The Orioles retired his #5 at the end of the 1977 season, and he and Frank Robinson are the charter members of the Orioles Hall of Fame. He was a first-ballot inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

-Robinson has stayed active. He spent several years as a color analyst on Orioles' TV broadcasts, and is currently the president of the MLB Players Alumni Association, which promotes interaction between retired players and fans as well as assisting former major leaguers financially and legally. He is also an investor in Opening Day Partners, which owns four independent minor league clubs in the Atlantic League. One of those teams, the York Revolution, named a plaza at the entrance to their stadium in his honor. There is also a statue there depicting Brooks as a member of the York White Roses.

#130 Al Kaline

2011-04-26T23:50:00.000-04:00

See? I promised big names this week, and I was true to my word, though we'll call Commish Bob's tongue-in-cheek guess of Frank Bertaina close but no cigar. Al Kaline is the only Baseball Hall of Famer (that I know of) who has a pH value higher than 7.3. Correct me if I'm wrong, baseball/chemistry nerds.

Fun facts about Al Kaline:

-A native of Baltimore, MD, Al went from Southern High School to the major leagues as a $35,000 bonus baby.

-As an 18-year-old rookie in 1953, he appeared in 30 games as a late-inning replacement, collecting 7 hits in 28 at-bats (.250) with 9 runs scored, a home run, and a pair of RBI.

-Kaline was Detroit's starting right fielder in a sophomore, but took a quantum leap the following season at age 20 (1955). He batted .340 to become the youngest player to win a batting title, beating out fellow Tiger great Ty Cobb by a single day. He also paced the A.L. with 200 hits and 321 total bases. He led his team with 121 runs scored, 8 triples, 27 home runs, 82 walks, and a .421 OBP and .546 SLG. His 102 RBI ranked second on the club to Ray Boone. The young slugger made the first of 15 All-Star teams, and was narrowly edged out by Yogi Berra for MVP honors.

-That 1955 campaign started with a bang, as he went 4-for-5 with 3 homers and 6 RBI in a 16-0 romp over the A's on April 17. It was Detroit's sixth game of the year.

-He never did win an MVP, though he was a top-ten finisher nine times. Another second-place finish came in 1963, when he batted .312/.375/.514 with 27 homers and 101 RBI. The numbers show that there were no standout candidates that year, but Elston Howard benefited from putting up a .287/.342/.528 line with 28 home runs and 85 RBI while catching 132 games for the American League Champion Yankees. He won the award in a rout.

-His greatest virtue as an outfielder was his strong and accurate throwing arm, which helped him collect 10 Gold Gloves in his career.

-When the Tigers finally reached the World Series in 1968, Al was 33, but he didn't show his age. The veteran batted .379 (11-for-29) with 2 home runs and 8 RBI to help deliver the Motor City's first baseball championship since 1945. A two-run single off of Nelson Briles in the seventh inning of Game 5 gave the Tigers the lead for good.

-Even in his late thirties, Kaline remained near the league-average in production. He was able to play 147 games in his farewell season of 1974 while DHing full-time, batting .262 with 65 walks, 13 home runs, and 64 RBI. He collected his 3,000th career hit off of Baltimore's Dave McNally in a road game on September 24, a fourth-inning double. Even though he didn't accomplish the feat in front of a home crowd, he was at least able to do it in his home town.

-He spent his entire 22-year career with the Tigers, batting .297 with 498 doubles, 399 home runs, and 1,583 RBI.

-Al had his #6 retired by the Tigers in 1980, the same year in which he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a first-year honoree. He has remained a part of the Detroit organization ever since, serving as a color commentator on TV broadcasts until 2002. He's been a front office consultant and an instructor since then.

#54 Joe Gibbon

2011-04-25T23:05:00.000-04:00

Before we get down to brass tacks, I'd like to apologize to Joe Gibbon. I just looked over the list of upcoming posts on this blog, and Ol' Joe is about to be overshadowed in a big way. Have I tantalized you? Stay tuned!

Fun facts about Joe Gibbon:

-Joe was born in Hickory, MS and attended the University of Mississippi, where the 6'4" youngster was an All-American basketball player. The Pirates signed him in 1957.

-He spent three seasons in the minors, going 16-9 with a 2.60 ERA at AAA Indianapolis in 1959 to earn a spot in the big leagues the following year.

-Gibbon earned wins in each of his first two big league games: April 17 and April 23, 1960. He totaled five scoreless innings of relief in the two contests. Overall he went 4-2 with a 4.03 ERA for the World Champs. He also allowed three runs in three innings of relief in the World Series.

-Starting a career-high 29 games in his sophomore season, Joe went 13-10, one win shy of Bob Friend's team lead. He had a tidy 3.32 ERA and led the Pirates with 3 shutouts. He ranked sixth in the N.L. in ERA and WHIP (1.23), third in shutouts, and tenth in strikeouts (145).

-The southpaw was at his best on September 26, 1961, blanking the Dodgers on one hit and three walks and striking out seven. A Bob Aspromonte pinch single to lead off the sixth inning spoiled the no-hit bid, but Gibbon promptly picked off the runner.

-He sported a sub-4.00 ERA in four consecutive seasons, including a hard-luck 1962 in which he had a 5-12 record.

-Joe was traded to the Giants along with Ozzie Virgil for Matty Alou after the 1965 season, and soon became a relief specialist. In 1968 he allowed only 7 earned runs in 40 innings for a 1.58 ERA.

-He totaled 11 saves each in the 1969 and 1971 seasons. He split the former between the Giants and Pirates, pitching to a 1.93 ERA in 35 games after his return to Pittsburgh. The latter season was spent with the Reds.

-Cincinnati and Houston both released Gibbon over the course of the 1972 season, bringing his career to an abrupt halt. In parts of 13 seasons he was 61-65 with a 3.52 ERA and 32 saves.

-His cousin was Don Castle, the Senators' 1st-round draft pick in 1968. Don peaked in 1973, when he hit .325 with 31 doubles and 88 RBI at AAA Spokane to earn a cup of coffee with the Rangers.

#52 Ed Roebuck

2011-04-22T23:22:00.000-04:00

I couldn't tell from pictures of his other cards if Ed Roebuck actually had red hair, but it looks like it on this one. I hereby dub him "The Ginger Fog".

Fun facts about Ed Roebuck:

-A native of East Millsboro, PA, Ed was a teenager when he signed with the Dodgers in 1949.

-He made Brooklyn's Opening Day roster in 1955 after totaling 45 wins in three seasons at AAA Montreal. As a 23-year-old rookie he appeared in 47 games with mixed results, going 5-6 with a 4.71 ERA and leading the club with 12 saves.

-Roebuck pitched in back-to-back World Series in 1955 and 1956, totaling 6.1 innings with a single run allowed on a pair of hits. He struck out five and did not surrender a walk.

-1957 was a fine year for the righty: he went 8-2 with 8 saves and a 2.71 ERA and allowed 70 hits in 96.1 innings.

-Won both ends of a July 31, 1957 doubleheader against the Cubs, totaling three scoreless innings of relief. He was also the last Brooklyn Dodger pitcher to win a game, earning the decision in the team's penultimate game of the season.

-Rebounded from a shoulder injury that robbed him of his 1959 season. Healthy again in 1960, Ed went 8-3 with 8 saves and a 2.78 ERA in 58 games out of the Los Angeles bullpen.

-Was traded to the Senators and then the Phillies in consecutive seasons. In 1964, he went 5-3 with 12 saves and a 2.21 ERA in 60 relief appearances for the Phils.

-His major league career ended when the Phillies released him in the summer of 1966, but he pitched with the minor league club in San Diego for another year and a half. In parts of 11 big league seasons he was 52-31 with 62 saves and a 3.35 ERA.

-Roebuck had a reputation as a powerful and skillful fungo hitter, often clearing the fences at various National League ballparks.
-Ed served as a scout for several major league teams, including the Dodgers, Phillies, Braves, Reds, Pirates, and Red Sox; he retired in 2004.

#50 Juan Marichal

2011-04-21T23:50:00.000-04:00

Well lookie here! It's our first solo Hall of Famer since Yaz cropped up a few weeks ago. Juan Marichal is showing off his best yearbook smile.

Fun facts about Juan Marichal:

-Juan was born in Laguna Verde, Monte Cristi in the Dominican Republic. The Giants signed him at age 19 in 1957.

-He made his big league debut in the summer of 1960, earning three consecutive complete game victories to begin his career. This included a 1-hit, 12-strikeout domination of the Phillies in his first game on July 19.

-He made the All-Star Game for the first of eight consecutive seasons (and nine total) in 1962, when he went 18-11 with a 3.36 ERA and 18 complete games. Juan baffled hitters with his delivery, which began with a trademark sky-high leg kick. He started Game Four of the World Series and shut out the Yankees for four innings before being relieved by Bobby Bolin with a 2-0 lead; the Giants won the game 7-3.

-Marichal truly became an elite pitcher in 1963, when he went 25-8 with a 2.41 ERA, 18 complete games, and a career-high 248 strikeouts. He also no-hit Houston on June 15. Despite his league-leading wins total, he lost out to Sandy Koufax in the Cy Young voting, and never would win the award despite two more 25-win seasons. In 1966, Koufax bested him again; in 1968, it was Bob Gibson who had the superlative numbers.

-He gained infamy in a game against the Dodgers on August 22, 1965. After brushing back opposing leadoff hitter Maury Wills twice, the pitcher batted against Sandy Koufax in the bottom of the third inning. L.A. catcher Johnny Roseboro began buzzing his return throws to the mound dangerously close to Marichal's head. The two began arguing, and when Roseboro stood up and removed his mask and helmet to escalate the confrontation, Marichal began clubbing the unprotected catcher in the head with his bat. This touched off a 15-minute bench-clearing brawl. The pitcher was ejected, fined a then-record $1,750, and suspended for nine days. Roseboro, who was escorted to the clubhouse by Willie Mays, required 14 stitches to close a head wound but was able to return to the field a few days later. The victim filed a lawsuit against his attacker, and they eventually settled out of court for $7,000. Years later, the pair reconciled and became good friends.

-He had several standout seasons, but the best may have been 1966: 25-6 (his fourth straight 20-win season), 2.23 ERA, 25 complete games, and league-best numbers in WHIP (0.86), hits per nine innings (6.7), walks per nine (1.1), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.17!).

-On September 21, 1966, he hit a walkoff home run off of Pittsburgh's Roy Face, breaking a 5-5 tie with one out in the bottom of the ninth. It was one of four career homers for Juan.

-In 1968, he went 26-9, setting a career high and leading the N.L. in wins. He also paced the senior circuit with 30 complete games, 325.2 innings pitched, and a 4.74-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His 2.41 ERA was nothing to sneeze at either.

-Retired after stints with the Red Sox in 1974 and Dodgers in 1975. In parts of 16 seasons he was 243-142 with a 2.89 ERA, 244 complete games, 52 shutouts, 2,303 strikeouts, and a 1.10 WHIP (18th-lowest all-time). He was the winningest Latin American pitcher in major league history until Dennis Martinez surpassed him in 1998.

-Juan was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. That same year, he began scouting for the Athletics. In 1996, Dominican President Leonel Fernandez named him to the cabinet as Minister of Sports.

#46 Bob Lee

2011-04-20T21:30:00.000-04:00

Observations:

1. The photographer was really intent on capturing Bob Lee's chest hair.
2. Bob wears/wore a Rawlings glove.
3. I'm a big fan of the "Los Angeles" road jersey. I think all teams should wear their city name on the grays, and I was thrilled when my Orioles went back to "Baltimore" on their away threads a few years ago.
4. Bob Lee's name is a nonsense adverb.

Fun facts about Bob Lee:

-A native of Ottumwa, IA, Bob signed with the Pirates in 1956, several months before his 19th birthday.

-His progress through the minors was slow; he didn't reach A-ball until 1960, his fifth pro season.

-In 1963, he spent much of the year with the New York-Penn League (Class A) Batavia Pirates, going 20-2 with a 1.70 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. Late that summer, Pittsburgh dealt him to the Angels.

-Known as either "Moose" or "Horse" due to his 6'3", 230-pound frame, Bob broke camp with the Angels in 1964. The 26-year-old rookie had a great year out of the L.A. bullpen, going 6-5 with a 1.51 ERA and a team-leading 19 saves. He also struck out 111 batters in 137 innings.

-Though he made his mark in relief, he started five games for Los Angeles in his first big league season. The first start was an April 25, 1964 gem against Cleveland; he allowed one run and struck out eight in ten innings but did not earn a decision as the Indians won in the eleventh. His first career win came in his next start, as he one-hit the Senators for seven innings in a 5-1 Angels victory. However, Lee totaled 9.2 innings over his next 3 starts while allowing 11 runs, convincing the team to keep him in the 'pen.

-He was the Halos' lone All-Star in 1965, when he vultured 9 wins in relief to go along with 23 saves and a 1.92 ERA.

-Though his 2.74 ERA and 16 saves were both the best marks on the team for the third year running, Lee's strikeout rate dropped precipitously in 1966 (4.1 K/9 IP). It would prove to be his last effective season.

-He split the 1967 season between the Dodgers and Reds, compiling a 4.55 ERA in 31 appearances and saving only 2 games.

-The end of the road came in 1968, when he walked more batters than he fanned and put up a 5.15 ERA in 44 games for Cincinnati. In 5 seasons, he was 25-23 with a 2.71 ERA and 63 saves.

-Lee later opened a barber shop near Anaheim Stadium, home to the Angels.

#34 Cal Koonce

2011-04-19T20:26:00.000-04:00

Not only can you make out the #34 on the back of Cal Koonce's jersey, but that's also the card number! I might be the only one who thinks that's neat, but it's my blog, so nyah.

Fun facts about Cal Koonce:

-Cal was born in Fayetteville, NC and attended nearby Campbell College (later to become a university). He signed with the Cubs in 1961.

-He was just 21 when he made Chicago's Opening Day roster in 1962. He allowed only one run in a complete game victory in his first start on April 22 vs. the Cardinals. The rookie pitched around nine St. Louis hits and four walks, with a bases-loaded walk to Stan Musial spoiling the shutout with two outs in the ninth inning.

-Koonce finished second on the staff in wins, going 10-10 with a 3.97 ERA despite 84 strikeouts and 86 walks.

-His next full big league season was 1965, when he started 23 games and relieved in 15 others for the Cubs. His record was 7-9 with a 3.69 ERA and a career-high 88 strikeouts.

-Beginning with the 1966 campaign, Cal was used primarily in relief. After being acquired by the Mets in mid-1967, he pitched his best ball, putting up a 2.80 ERA in 45 innings for the remainder of that season. The following year, he went 6-4 with a 2.42 ERA and his 11 saves were two less than Ron Taylor's team-leading total.

-Despite spending the entire 1969 season with the Mets, he had a down year, with a 4.99 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. New York did not call upon him once in the postseason en route to their first World Series win.

-Cal was dealt to Boston during the 1970 campaign, and retired after the Red Sox released him in August 1971. In parts of 10 seasons he was 47-49 with a 3.78 ERA and 24 saves.

-His younger brother Don was a minor league relief pitcher in the Mets, Braves, and Tigers organizations (1968-1974). Despite a 2.63 career ERA and a good deal of success at AAA, he never did reach the majors.

-He was inducted into the Campbell Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. Other honorees include Gaylord and Jim Perry, as well as Koonce's other brother Charles.

-Cal returned to Campbell University as head baseball coach from 1980-1986. He went on to become the first general manager of the South Atlantic League's Fayetteville Generals, who were a single-A affiliate of the Tigers from 1987-1996. Cal spent the last few years of his life battling lymphoma before succumbing to the disease in 1993 at age 52.

#33 Jackie Brandt

2011-04-18T22:23:00.000-04:00

Alright! Seems like a while since I've posted one of my Orioles. This is one of three O's in the batch that allowed me to complete the team set. In searching for information about Jackie Brandt, I found this great cover photo from the April 10, 1961 issue of Sports Illustrated. I love the Internet.

Fun facts about Jackie Brandt:

-A native of Omaha, NE, Jackie signed with the Cardinals at age 18 in 1953.

-He breezed through the St. Louis farm system in three years, making the major league roster in the spring of 1956 after hitting .305 with 62 extra-base hits at AAA Rochester. He held his own in limited playing time, batting .286 for the first two months of the season. Frank Lane, the notoriously deal-happy Cards' GM, traded him to the Giants that June as part of a nine-player deal. Given a larger opportunity to play, he hit .299 with 11 home runs in 98 games with San Francisco.

-Brandt missed 1957 and most of the 1958 season thanks to military duty. He hit .270 with a dozen home runs as the Giants' left fielder in 1959 and won a Gold Glove.

-He found himself in new environs again in 1960 following a trade to Baltimore. He would be an everyday player for five of his six seasons as an Oriole, and enjoyed a career year in 1961: .297 AVG, .371 OBP, 93 R, 16 HR, 72 RBI. He was selected to the All-Star Games that summer.

-Jackie set personal bests with 29 doubles, 19 homers, and 75 RBI in 1962.

-His teammates called him "Flakey". Popular anecdotes abound: once in New York he claims to have convinced some of his pals to take an hourlong cab ride to an ice cream parlor so he could get a more exotic flavor than the standard hotel fare. Once he got there, he couldn't decide, so he got vanilla. Other examples can be found in this article.

-As his production dipped around age 30, the O's replaced Brandt with the younger Paul Blair. Jackie finished his big league career with short stints in Philadelphia and Houston in 1966-1967. In parts of 11 big league seasons he hit .262 with 112 home runs and 485 RBI.

-He dabbled in the Astros' minor league system through the 1970 season, even pitching in a few games. From 1971-1974 he was a minor league manager for Houston and San Diego.

-After his baseball career ended, he returned home to Omaha and became a driver for UPS.

-Jackie claimed in an interview that he once played 36 holes of golf with some friends who were visiting from out-of-town, and proceeded to go 7-for-8 in a doubleheader that same evening (2 2B, 2 HR, 3 1B)! This sounds like a case for the Baseball-Reference game logs. I checked his home run log to see which home runs came in doubleheaders. He hit a homer in each end of a doubleheader on August 7, 1960, but went "only" 4-for-11. Likewise, there was a two-homer game in the nightcap of an April 22, 1961 twinbill against the Yankees, but overall he was 4-for-8 on that day. An August 8, 1961 two-fer against the A's looks promising: 2-for-2 with a pair of longballs and a pair of walks in the second game. The first brings us a 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, and a sac fly. Overall: 4-for-5, but he reached base 7 times in 9 trips with 4 runs scored and 4 RBI. These are the only three occasions in which he had two homers in a doubleheader. If the story has any merit, the August 8 games against Kansas City would be our best match.

#29 Felix Mantilla

2011-04-15T23:59:00.000-04:00

Hmm, not much to say about this photo of "El Gato". It does call attention to the thin red piping on the Red Sox' jersey sleeves, which is a nice understated touch.

Fun facts about Felix Mantilla:

-Felix is a native of Isabella, Puerto Rico. He signed with the Braves as an 18-year-old in 1952.

-He made his major league debut in June 1956, and hit .283 in 53 at-bats spanning 35 games.

-He appeared in four games in the 1957 World Series and went 0-for-10 with a walk. Still, the Braves bested the Yankees in seven games.

-Mantilla hit only seven home runs in 1958, but two of them came off of a young Sandy Koufax.

-On May 26, 1959, he "broke up" Harvey Haddix's perfect game in the 13th inning, leading off with a ground ball that third baseman Don Hoak threw away. He scored the winning run three batters later on Joe Adcock's home run, which was subsequently ruled a double when fellow baserunner Hank Aaron misjudged the situation and allowed Adcock to pass him on the bases.

-After six and a half underwhelming seasons as a backup in Milwaukee, he was taken by the Mets in the expansion draft. In 1962, he got the majority of the new club's starts at third base and hit .275 (trailing only Richie Ashburn for the team lead) with 11 home runs and 59 RBI. Only Frank Thomas drove in more runs for New York.

-Felix was traded to Boston in 1963, and grew to enjoy playing in Fenway Park. In 1964 he hit a career-high 30 home runs, batted .289, and slugged .553. (His career total entering the season was just 35 HR). He paced the Red Sox with a 144 OPS+ while playing six positions, primarily second base and left field.

-He received his only All-Star selection in 1964, when his home run total dropped to 18 but he achieved personal bests of 92 RBI (tops on the BoSox) and a .374 on-base percentage.

-Mantilla was dealt to the Astros for the 1966 season, but struggled in a part-time role, hitting .219 with 6 home runs in 151 at-bats. He was released that November and signed with the Cubs, who released him before he ever took the field for them.

-In parts of 11 seasons, he hit .261 with 89 home runs and 330 RBI.

#6 NL RBI Leaders: Ken Boyer, Ron Santo, and Willie Mays

2011-04-14T22:05:00.000-04:00

Here comes another heapin' helpin' of cards from our old buddy Max! We'll kick things off with the first National League leaders card that I received in my quest to complete this set. Even as things stand today, I have all of the American League leaders but I'm missing out on three NL cards.

This one celebrates the top RBI men of the senior circuit, led by 1964 MVP Ken Boyer of the World Champion Cardinals. He spent most of the season in the cleanup spot and did just that, driving in a personal-best 119 runs. Interestingly enough, it was the only time he ever led the league in any offensive category. He had some help from the talented hitters who reached base in front of him. He drove in Curt Flood 26 times and Lou Brock 24 times to account for 42% of his RBI.

Next we have the too-recently-departed Ron Santo, always an RBI crown bridesmaid. His 114 RBI in 1964 were his second-best total, behind his 123 driven in in 1969. The third baseman was in the midst of eight consecutive top-ten finishes in this category, peaking at #2 on three different occasions. He did pace the NL in this particular season with 13 triples, 86 walks, and a .398 on-base percentage. Santo was the #4 hitter in 160 of his 161 games in '64, and plated himself 30 times and Billy Williams 27 times.

The Say Hey Kid was the second runner-up in '64 with 111 RBI. Incredibly, this was the fifth-highest single-season total for Willie, and he never topped the NL in this category. His career high came in 1962, when his 141 ranked second to Tommie Davis' 153! As a consolation prize, Mays took home four home run crowns, which includes his league-high total of 47 in 1964. He spent most of the year in the three-hole for the Giants, and shared his largesse: aside from the 47 times he drove himself in, his most frequent collaborator was Harvey Kuenn (17 times).

A glance at the expanded leader board on the back shows that just six men total topped 100 RBI in the National League in 1964, with the others being Joe Torre, Johnny Callison, and Bill White. Everyone with 46 or more runs batted in made the cut, allowing lesser lights like Clay Dalrymple and Gene Oliver to take their bows.

#567 Tommie Aaron

2011-04-13T21:56:00.000-04:00

Tommie Aaron (another player who shares my birthday) is the last card in the batch I've been posting from Ed. Thanks again, Ed! Oh, and if you have any doubts about the laziness of Topps in the late 1960s, please note that they used the exact same photo for his 1963 and 1969 cards. That's pretty weak sauce.

Fun facts about Tommie Aaron:

-A native of Mobile, AL, Tommie was 18 when he signed with the Braves in 1958.

-You may know his older brother Hank, who hit 755 home runs in the major leagues and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. We'll get to him later.

-Tommie joined Hank on the big league club in 1962, playing in a career-high 141 games and playing first base and left field. He hit .231 with 20 doubles, 8 home runs, and 38 RBI.

-In a game against the Phillies on August 4, 1962, he came to bat in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and the bases loaded. The score was tied 3-3, and he slugged a walkoff grand slam off of Jack Baldschun. One of the baserunners that he drove in was his brother.

-Aaron seems to have been tabbed as a "AAAA" player, spending at least half of each season from 1963-1967 in the minors, and returning to AAA (and eventually AA) from 1971-1973. He made the most of it, though, hitting 147 homers in parts of 12 minor league seasons with a .285 average.

-In 1967, he won the International League MVP with a .309 average, 11 home runs, and 56 RBI. Richmond later named their team MVP award in his honor.

-Tommie returned to the Braves in 1968, serving as a part-time player through the 1971 season. His pinch-hit appearance in Game 2 of the 1969 NLCS made the Aarons the first pair of brothers to team up in a League Championship Series.

-In parts of 7 big league seasons, he batted .229 with 13 home runs and 94 RBI. Naturally, he and Hank hold the record for the most total home runs by a pair of brothers, with 768 between them. Eddie (504) and Rich Murray (4) are the only other duo containing a member of the 500 HR club.

-After his retirement, he managed the AA Savannah Braves (1973-1976) and AAA Richmond Braves (1977-1978). After his 1978 club won the International League championship, he served on the big league team's coaching staff for six seasons under Bobby Cox and Joe Torre.

-Tommie died of leukemia at age 45 in 1984. He was posthumously inducted into the International League Hall of Fame in 2008.

#331 Dodgers Rookie Stars: Al Ferrara and John Purdin

2011-04-12T20:48:00.000-04:00

Whoa. Is that a creepy portrait of John Purdin or what? It's like one of those paintings where the eyes follow you. It seems like even Al Ferrara is getting the willies.

Fun facts about Al Ferrara:

-Al "The Bull" Ferrara was born in Brooklyn, and played high school ball with Joe Torre and Joe Pepitone. He signed with the Dodgers in 1959.

-He once played piano at Carnegie Hall.

-He hit .321 and slugging .548 at AAA Spokane in 1963, earning a late summer callup to the majors at age 23. He struggled, compiling a .159 average and driving in a single run in 44 at-bats.

-On May 15, 1965, Ferrara spoiled a Dick Ellsworth no-hit bid with an eighth-inning pinch three-run homer. The Dodgers would beat the Cubs 3-1.

-Al was a valuable pinch hitter and occasional outfielder for the Dodgers in 1966, hitting .270 with 5 home runs and 23 RBI in 115 at-bats. He delivered a pinch single off of Dave McNally in his only World Series at-bat, representing the tying run in the ninth inning of Game Four. He would be stranded at second base as the Orioles completed the sweep.

-He started 87 games for L.A. in 1967, batting .277 with a team-leading 16 home runs, a personal best. He was selected as the Dodgers' player of the year.

-After a broken ankle limited Ferrara to two games in 1968, he was claimed by the Padres in the expansion draft. As San Diego's first starting left fielder, he carried a .260 average with 14 home runs and a career-high 56 RBI and paced the club with 22 doubles and a .349 on-base percentage.

-1970 was another productive year for Al, as he compiled a .277 average, 13 home runs, and 51 RBI.

-He split the 1971 season between the Padres and Reds and retired after collecting only 8 hits in 50 at-bats (.160). In parts of 8 seasons he hit .259 with 51 home runs and 198 RBI.

-He appeared on several TV shows, including Gilligan's Island, Batman, and Match Game '74.

Fun facts about John Purdin:

-John was born in Lynx, OH. The Dodgers discovered him while he was serving in the military, and they signed him at age 21 in 1964.

-He had a rapid ascent, going 14-3 with a 1.91 ERA and pitching a no-hitter at Class A Salisbury to earn a promotion to AAA Spokane. After two strong games there, he was summoned to the majors.

-Purdin tossed two scoreless innings of relief in his debut, and made his first start on September 30, 1964. He blanked the Cubs that day, allowing just two singles and one walk.

-His second time around didn't go so smoothly. In 11 games in 1965, the righty put up a 6.75 ERA. He allowed 8 home runs in just 22 innings, accounting for 13 of the 17 earned runs he yielded!

-John did not return to the majors until 1968, when he had a 3.07 ERA as a reliever for the Dodgers with 2 wins, 3 losses, and 2 saves.

-He last pitched in the majors with Los Angeles in 1969, compiling a .606 ERA in 9 games. He spent the next three seasons at AAA Spokane and Hawaii before walking away from the game.

-In parts of 4 seasons, Purdin was 6-4 with a 3.90 ERA.

-He batted only 16 times in the majors, but collected 4 hits (.250).

-John died in Charleston, SC, in March 2010 at age 67.

#238 Joe Moeller

2011-04-11T21:12:00.000-04:00

To the best of my knowledge, Joe is not related to any of the other ex-major-league Moellers: Chad, Danny, Dennis, or Ron. Baseball Reference tells me that none of the five Moellers are related to one another. How do you like that?

Fun facts about Joe Moeller:

-Joe was born in Blue Island, IL and attended high school in California before signing with the Dodgers in 1960.

-He won 20 games in his first pro season with a 2.39 cumulative ERA, jumping from Class C Reno to Class A Greenville to AAA Spokane.

-Moeller became the youngest starting pitcher in L.A. Dodgers history when he made his first start at age 19 (plus two months) on April 18, 1962.

-Despite being sent down in July with a 6-5 record, a 5.25 ERA, and 58 walks and 46 strikeouts in 85.2 innings, he did have a couple bright moments. His first big league win was a complete game effort on April 23 in which he topped the Braves 5-2.

-Joe started a career-high 24 games in 1964, a season that was bookended by full seasons at AAA Spokane in 1963 and 1965. He cut down his walk total to 31 in 145.1 innings, but still had a forgettable 7-13 record and 4.21 ERA.

-His best big league season was 1966, when he went 2-4 with a 2.52 ERA while working chiefly as a reliever. He relieved Don Drysdale in the third inning of that year's World Series opener, allowing one run in two innings.

-After abbrievated stints with Los Angeles in the three preceding seasons, Moeller appeared in 31 games in 1970, starting 19 of those. He went 7-9 with a 3.92 ERA overall, but allowed just a pair of earned runs in 21.2 innings of relief (0.83 ERA) and saved four games out of the bullpen.

-Tossed his only career shutout on June 24, 1970, six-hitting the Braves in a 7-0 Dodger win.

-Joe was only 28 when he last pitched in the majors in 1971. He hung on in the minors for two more seasons before retiring. In parts of 8 major league seasons, he was 26-36 with a 4.01 ERA.

-He has been an advance scout for the Marlins since 2002.

#36 Bobby Wine

2011-04-08T21:00:00.000-04:00

Here we see shortstop Bobby Wine showing off his fastball grip. For all of his success as a hitter, maybe he should've tried pitching.

Fun facts about Bobby Wine:

-A native of New York City, Bobby signed with the Phillies as a teen in 1957.

-He debuted with the Phils in September 1960, days after turning 21. He had spent the season at AAA Buffalo, hitting .269 with 28 doubles.

-Bobby's first full season in the bigs was 1962, when he hit a career-high .244 with 4 home runs and 25 RBI. Impressively, his home runs came against Stan Williams, Don Drysdale, Juan Marichal, and Harvey Haddix.

-He won his only career Gold Glove for his play at shortstop in 1963, but was regarded as a strong-armed infielder.

-Back problems hounded Wine throughout his career, costing him the majority of the 1966 and 1968 seasons.

-He was drafted by the Expos prior to their inaugural 1969 season and spent the next three years as the club's primary shortstop. In 1970, he appeared in 159 games and set a record (since broken) by turning 137 double plays.

-Bobby lost his starting job to Tim Foli in 1972 and collected only 18 plate appearances before Montreal released him at midseason. In parts of 12 seasons, he batted .215 with 30 home runs and 268 RBI.

-He got into coaching, spending several years with the Phillies (1972-1983), Braves (1985, 1988-1990), and Mets (1993-1996). After Eddie Haas' firing in August 1985, Wine served as Atlanta's interim manager. The club finished with a 16-25 record in his brief tenure.

-He still works for the Braves as a major league advance scout and was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

-His son Robbie was a catcher who played 23 games for the Astros (1986-1987). He is currently the head baseball coach at Penn State University.

#19 Gates Brown

2011-04-07T22:32:00.000-04:00

Oops, I forgot about Gates Brown when I was talking about my more well-loved 1965 Topps cards. This one is practically bisected! Should you be curious, "Gates" was born William James Brown, and is the only major leaguer to go by Gates.

Fun facts about Gates Brown:

-Gates was born in Crestline, OH and signed with the Tigers at age 20 in 1960.

-Though he wasn't considered a complete enough player to be an everyday starter, he established his credentials as a pinch hitter by homering in his first career at bat on June 19, 1963. He took Boston's Bob Heffner deep in the fifth inning while batting for pitcher Don Mossi.

-Brown started 101 games in left field in 1964, by far his highest total in any season. He hit .272 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI, and even stole 11 bases.

-He excelled in emergency duty in 1968, hitting .370 (34-for-92) with 15 extra-base hits, a .442 on-base percentage, and a .685 slugging percentage. In 48 pinch-hit appearances, he was 18-for-40 (.450) with 5 doubles, a triple, 3 home runs, 7 RBI, and 8 walks (.542 OBP, .850 SLG!). This was the third-best single-season average for a pinch hitter (35+ AB), and he played a significant role in Detroit's championship season.

-The most memorable anecdote of Gates' career came from a 1968 game. He wasn't in the starting lineup, so he slipped away to the clubhouse and returned with a couple of hot dogs covered in condiments. Before he could tuck in, manager Mayo Smith ordered him to pinch hit. Having no time to destroy the evidence, Brown stuffed the hot dogs into his jersey and went to bat hoping for once that he wouldn't get a hit. Sure enough, he found a gap between two outfielders and had to dive headfirst into second base to beat the throw. Supposedly he stood up with telltale ketchup and mustard stains - as well as bits of frank and bun - all over his uniform. The opposing fielders doubled over with laughter, and Smith fined his player $100.

-In a standout 1971 season, the pinch hitter and left fielder batted .338 (66-for-195) with 11 home runs and 29 RBI. He started 55 games and subbed in 31 times.

-Gates played in Detroit for all 13 of his big league seasons, retiring in 1975 with a .257 average, 84 home runs, and 322 RBI. His 16 pinch-hit home runs and 107 base hits as a pinch hitter are both American League records.

-Of his 16 pinch homers, 3 were walkoff shots. His solo shot off of Boston's Lee Stange ended a 14-inning affair on August 11, 1968.

-Brown served as the Tigers' hitting coach from 1978 through the championship season of 1984. In 1989, he managed the Orlando Juice of the Senior Professional Baseball League. For several years, he has been a coach at the Tiger Fantasy Camp in Lakeland, FL.

#17 Johnny Romano

2011-04-06T16:44:00.000-04:00

Here's Johnny! Romano, that is, the catcher with a lounge singer name. This card introduces a batch of '65s from partner in crime Ed. I would recommend trading with Ed if you get the chance; his want list is up at OBC.

Fun facts about Johnny Romano:

-Johnny was born in Hoboken, NJ. He signed with the White Sox in 1954.

-After clouting 98 home runs in three-plus minor league seasons, he debuted with Chicago in September 1958 at age 24.

-Despite posting an .875 OPS in 53 games as a rookie, Romano was dealt to the Indians in December 1959 as part of a seven-player deal in which the White Sox reacquired 34-year-old Minnie Minoso. The South Siders also gave up a young Norm Cash in the short-sighted deal.

-Tabbed as the primary catcher in Cleveland, he hit .272 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI in 1960.

-1961 was Johnny's breakout year, with 21 home runs and 80 RBI, as well as career highs in doubles (29) and AVG/OBP/SLG (.299/.377/.483). He was an All-Star for the first time.

-He repeated as an All-Star in 1962, and led the Tribe with personal bests of 25 homers and 81 RBI.

-His only two walkoff home runs came in the same week. A two-out, two-run shot off of Kansas City's Diego Segui on May 16, 1962 erased a 9-8 deficit in the ninth inning. Five days later, he again stepped to the plate with two out in the bottom of the ninth. This time, his three-run shot against Baltimore's Billy Hoeft broke a 7-7 tie.

-A broken finger incurred in a home-plate collision cut into his production and playing time in 1963, but he rebounded to have three more effective years as a regular with the Indians and the White Sox. Chicago reacquired him in 1965, and this time Cleveland paid a great price. Romano, Tommie Agee, and Tommy John all went from the Indians to the ChiSox in a three-team deal that saw Rocky Colavito jump from the A's to the Indians.

-He hit two home runs in the same game nine different times over the course of his career.

-He retired after hitting an anemic .121 in 25 games as Tim McCarver's backup with the 1967 Cardinals. In parts of 10 seasons, Johnny hit .255 with a .354 on base percentage, 129 home runs, and 417 RBI.

#27 Dick Bertell

2011-04-05T22:18:00.000-04:00

Just to clarify, this is catcher Dick Bertell, not 1930s and 1940s shortstop Dick Bartell, a.k.a. "Rowdy Richard". In fact, this Dick looks quite pleasant and unassuming.

Fun facts about Dick Bertell:

-A native of Oak Park, IL, Dick attended Iowa State University before signing with the Cubs in 1957.

-In his fourth pro season, he received a September callup to Chicago. He debuted on September 22, 1960, driving in a run on a sacrifice fly in his first trip to the plate.

-In 1961, he split catching duties with Sammy Taylor and hit .273 with 33 RBI in 92 games. He also threw out 43.5% of attempted base stealers.

-On August 26, 1961, he led off the ninth inning with a game-tying home run against Pittsburgh fireman Roy Face, sparking a five-run rally that ensured a 7-3 Cubs road win.

-Dick batted a career-high .302 in 1962 while sharing the load behind the plate with Cuno Barragan and Moe Thacker (yes, I just wanted an excuse to drop the names of Cuno Barragan and Moe Thacker).

-He led the National League with a 60.8% caught stealing percentage in 1963, gunning down 45 of 74 would-be thieves!

-Bertell was traded to the Giants during the 1965 season and played sparingly behind starting catcher Tom Haller. He spent all of 1966 at AAA Phoenix.

-He was traded back to the Cubs in April 1967, but played in only two games before returning to the minors. Chicago released him a month later, ending his playing career.

-In parts of 7 seasons, Dick batted .250 with 10 home runs and 112 RBI. He had a 47.6% caught stealing rate for his career.

-He passed away at age 64 in 1999.

#26 Bobby Knoop

2011-04-04T21:38:00.000-04:00

Here are the fruits of a short and sweet trade with MattR of A Giant Blog and Project Baseball 1976. He sent me Bobby Knoop and #27 Dick Bertell (to be posted tomorrow) as well as a couple of 1967 Topps Orioles that I needed. In return, I cobbled together some various and sundry Giants cards from his want list. Thanks Matt!

I always thought that Bobby Knoop's name was pretty odd. I assumed it was pronounced "Nupe" (rhymes with loop) on account of the double-o. But analysts and announcers seem to pronounce it "Nopp" (rhymes with cop). Oh well.

Fun facts about Bobby Knoop:

-Bobby was born in Sioux City, IA but attended high school in Montebello, CA before signing with the Braves in 1956.

-He was stuck in the minors for eight years before the Angels claimed him in the Rule 5 draft, ensuring him a spot on the major league roster in 1964. Though he batted just .216 with a .289 on-base percentage, 7 home runs, and 38 RBI, he saw action in all 162 games as a 25-year-old rookie.

-Knoop achieved personal bests in 1965 with a .269 average and 24 doubles.

-His most productive season was 1966, when he socked 17 home runs, drove in a team-high 72 runs, and led the American League with 11 triples. He was named to his only All-Star team.

-Bobby was a gifted defensive second baseman, nicknamed "Nureyev" by sportswriters who compared his dexterity and grace to the Russian ballet dancer. He partnered with shortstop Jim Fregosi to give the Angels a successful double-play combo and won three straight Gold Gloves (1966-1968).

-He was traded to the White Sox in May 1969 when his offense began to slip. However, he remained a top defender during his two seasons in Chicago.

-Though he hit just seven home runs in 1969, two came in a May 30 loss to the Senators.

-Knoop finished his career with the Royals, where he backed up Cookie Rojas in 1971-1972. In parts of 9 big league seasons he batted .236 with 56 home runs and 331 RBI.

-Loved to face: Camilo Pascual (.415/.442/.683 in 43 plate appearances). Hated to face: Steve Barber (.065/.137/.065 in 51 PA).

-He spent nearly a quarter-century coaching for the White Sox, Angels, and Blue Jays. Today he is an assistant coach at Seton Catholic High in Arizona.

#508 Checklist 7th Series

2011-04-01T17:53:00.000-04:00

So we end another shipment from Max with...a checklist? Seems like an anti-climax. Oh well, I appreciate the breather, anyway. Thanks Max!

This checklist corresponds to the 7th and final series of 1965 Topps. It encompasses cards #507-598, meaning that there's no hundred-level hero number. #550 goes to young Yankee star Mel Stottlemyre. The other big names here are Ernie Banks, Lou Brock, and Boog Powell (said the biased Orioles fan). Not quite as star-heavy as the other series...Topps seems to have front-loaded the set. Of course, if we check the cards that are simply labeled as "Rookies" we'll find a few more familiar faces: Catfish Hunter, Tug McGraw, and Tony Perez are lurking there. Believe it or don't, I have 84 of the 92 cards featured on this checklist! That's 91.3%, slightly less than my overall set completion of 95.3%. It won't be long now!

#463 Manny Mota

2011-03-31T23:38:00.000-04:00

"Now batting for Pedro Borbon...Manny Mota...Mota."

Fun facts about Manny Mota:

-A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Manny was 19 when he signed with the Giants in 1957.

-He never batted lower than .289 in a minor league season, and made it to the majors in 1962 with San Francisco. He appeared in 47 games, batting .176 before returning to the minors at the end of July.

-Mota was traded twice in the following offseason, going from San Francisco to Houston to Pittsburgh. He would stay with the Pirates for seven seasons, though.

-He broke out in 1966 with career highs of .332 AVG/.383 OBP/.472 SLG.

-Manny developed a reputation as a player who could lash line-drive singles with regularity; his batting average topped .300 in seven seasons (minimum 100 AB).

-After a two-month stint in Montreal, he was dealt to the Dodgers; he would spend the rest of his career there, encompassing 13 seasons. In L.A. he became a pinch-hit specialist, breaking Smoky Burgess' record for career pinch hits when notching #146 in 1979. Fellow longtime Dodger Lenny Harris passed Mota in 2001.

-He made his lone All-Star team in 1973, when he batted .351 in the first half at age 35.

-Manny joined the Dodgers' coaching staff in 1980, and remained the team's batting instructor for ten seasons. The club even activated him briefly during the 1980 and 1982 seasons!

-In parts of 20 big league seasons, he batted .304 with 31 home runs and 438 RBI.

-Four sons played professional baseball, with two making it to the majors; Andy played in 27 games for the Astros in 1991, and Jose played briefly for the Padres (1991) and Royals (1995).

#431 Cardinals Rookie Stars: Nelson Briles and Wayne Spiezio

2011-03-30T23:51:00.000-04:00

Hey, wouldja lookit that? In Nellie Briles, we have yet another ballplayer who shares my birthday. As happenstance goes, Night Owl just wrote about Nelson in his 1975 Topps blog. Small world, eh?

Fun facts about Nelson Briles:

-Nelson was born in Dorris, CA and attended Santa Clara University before signing with the Cardinals in 1963.

-He went from college to AA to the majors in the span of two years, going north with the Redbirds in 1965 at age 21. He put up a 3.50 ERA while working out of the Cards bullpen in his rookie year.

-The righthander took his lumps as a sophomore, going 4-15 with 6 saves despite a fine 3.21 ERA. Notably, he had drastically different results home vs. road. In 21 games at Busch Stadium, he was 4-5 with a 1.79 ERA. Compare that to an 0-10 mark with a 5.55 ERA in 28 road games!

-When Bob Gibson broke his leg in 1967, Briles took his place in the St. Louis rotation and picked up the slack. He won his final nine decisions of the season, pitching to a 1.49 ERA in that span. Overall he was 14-5 with 6 saves and a scant 2.43 ERA. His .737 winning percentage topped the National League.

-Beginning in 1967, he established himself as a strong postseason pitcher, earning a complete-game win in the third game of the World Series by holding Boston to two runs on seven hits. In six career postseason games encompassing 37.1 innings, he compiled a 2.65 ERA. It's also worth mentioning that he sang the National Anthem before a game in the 1973 Fall Classic!

-1968 represented Nellie's first full season as a starting pitcher, and he set career highs with 19 wins, 13 complete games, and 4 shutouts.

-He spent three seasons with the Pirates (1971-1973) following a trade from the Cardinals, and amassed a 36-28 record and a 2.98 ERA in Pittsburgh. His most notable game as a Pirate came in Game Five of the 1971 World Series, as he shut out the Orioles on two hits to give the Bucs a 3-2 series lead.

-Briles spent the last five years of his career in the American League with the Royals, Rangers, and Orioles, finishing up in Baltimore in 1978. In parts of 14 seasons, he was 129-112 with a 3.44 ERA.

-Nellie worked in the Pirates' organization as a broadcaster, a sales director, and the director of the annual fantasy camp. He also did some broadcasting work for the Mariners.

-Sadly, he suffered a fatal heart attack during the Pirates' annual alumni golf tournament in Orlando in February 2005. He was 61 years old.

Fun facts about Wayne Spiezio:

-You probably know him better as Ed Spiezio (Wayne was his middle name). He was born in Joliet, IL and attended the University of Illinois as well as Lewis University (Romeoville, IL) before inking a deal with the Cardinals in 1963.

-He was 22 years old when he debuted with St. Louis in July 1964. He collected 4 hits in 12 big-league at-bats that year, including a single off of Lew Burdette for his first career hit on August 4.

-In parts of five seasons with the Cards, Ed played sparingly, topping out at 55 games and 113 plate appearances in 1967. He hit only .210 that year.

-He was traded to the fledgling Padres prior to the 1969 season, and was the club's primary third baseman for their first three years of existence. In his initial season in San Diego, he batted just .234 but set career highs with 13 home runs and 43 RBI. He also finished first in the National League in range factor at his position.

-On April 8, 1969, he had the first hit, home run, and run scored in Padres history. All three came on a fifth-inning solo home run against the Astros' Don Wilson.

-Another notable home run came on August 6, 1969. He led off the bottom of the ninth with a tie-breaking shot off of Steve Carlton, allowing San Diego to walk off a winner.

-In 1970, Ed hit a personal-best .285 and paced the Pods with a .373 on-base percentage.

-His career ended abruptly in 1972 when he was 30 years old. He split that season between the Padres and White Sox, hitting .229 with only two home runs.

-In parts of 9 seasons, Spiezio batted .238 with 39 home runs and 174 RBI.

-His son Scott was an infielder for the Athletics, Angels, Mariners, and Cardinals, 1996-2007.

#421 Twins Rookie Stars: Gary Dotter and Jay Ward

2011-03-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

MORE Twins rookies? What is this madness?

Fun facts about Gary Dotter:

-Gary was born in St. Louis, MO and signed with the hometown Cardinals in 1960. He was 17 at the time.

-After his first pro season, he was claimed by the Twins in the minor league draft.

-The youngster went 14-8 with a 3.08 ERA at Class B Wilson in 1961.

-Dotter got a September callup from the Twins and was the fourth-youngest player in the American League in 1961. He was hit hard (6 ER in 4 IP) in a mop-up relief appearance in his debut, but turned in a couple of scoreless innings in his second try.

-He returned to the minors for the next two years and had strong numbers at Class A Charlotte (9-13, 2.95 ERA) and AAA Dallas-Fort Worth (9-7, 3.58).

-In another cup of coffee with Minnesota in September 1963, he added two more scoreless innings of relief to his resume.

-The Twins summoned him for the third and final time in September 1964, and he appeared in three more games, allowing a single run in four and one-third innings pitched.

-In parts of three big league seasons he did not factor in any decisions. His lifetime ERA was 5.11 in 12.1 total innings, and he walked 7 batters and struck out 10.

-Gary continued to pitch in the minors through 1967, finishing with a 55-40 record and a 3.33 ERA in parts of seven seasons.

Fun facts about Jay Ward:

-A native of Brookfield, MO, Jay signed with the Yankees at age 17 in 1956.

-Much like Dotter, Ward changed teams via the first-year minor league draft, going from the Yankee organization to the Athletics.

-After jumping from Class C to AA in 1959, he showed decent power; in three different seasons he achieved a personal best of 22 home runs. However, he did not hit for high averages and didn't walk frequently in most years.

-He continued moving, via a 1961 trade to the Dodgers and another swap in 1962 to the Twins.

-Minnesota promoted Jay to the majors in May 1963. He was apparently overmatched, as a two-run double on May 10 was his only hit in 15 at-bats that year.

-He performed a bit better in a September 1964 trial, batting .226 (7-for-31) with a .351 on-base percentage. But most of that production came in his first two games, when he reached base six times in eight trips to the plate against the Orioles.

-Ward spent the 1966 season in Japan playing for the Chunichi Dragons.

-He returned to the U.S. in 1967 and played out the string with a five-year tour of AAA ballparks. In parts of 15 minor league seasons he batted .259 with 241 home runs and 741 RBI.

-Jay did have a final glimpse of the bigs in May 1970, when he appeared in six games and went 0-for-3 with a pair of walks for the Reds.

-In parts of three big league seasons he batted .163 with a .293 on-base percentage and 4 RBI.