Thursday, January 21, 2010

#77 Doug Camilli

#77 Doug Camilli
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the ocean...it's another massive deposit of cards from Max! These originally arrived in my mailbox in late March of 2009, and there are some good ones yet to come. Um, not that I'm selling Doug Camilli short. I just love the odd, slightly off-center, glove-coming-at-you framing style of this photo. I also like that you can see the #35 on the front of his jersey, as well as the palm trees in the background. I was ready to say that this was Vero Beach, FL, but Doug's wearing a road jersey, so I guess he could be anywhere in Florida...

Fun facts about Doug Camilli:

-His father, Dolph Camilli, was a major league first baseman from 1933-1945, and hit .277 with 239 home runs. He spent six seasons with the Dodgers and was the 1941 N.L. MVP while manning first base in Brooklyn.

-Doug was born in Philadelphia, PA and attended Stanford University before signing with the Dodgers in 1957.

-Shares his September 22 birthday with Hall of Famers Tommy Lasorda and Bob Lemon.

-Made his major league debut on September 25, 1960, and singled off of future Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for his first career hit.

-Playing in his fifth career game on October 1, 1960, he lasted all 14 innings behind the plate and went 4-for-7 at-bat with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI. However, the Cubs outlasted L.A., 10-8.

-Was a backup for his entire career, peaking at 75 games played and 193 at-bats in 1965.

-His best season was 1962, when he hit .284 with four homers and 22 RBI in 45 games.

-Caught Sandy Koufax's third no-hitter, a 3-0 victory over the Phillies on June 4, 1964.

-Was sold to the Senators prior to the 1965 season, and hit just .195 in three seasons in Washington before retiring to become the club's bullpen coach. Was activated for a single game in 1969, and went 1-for-3 to leave his batting average tantalizingly short of the Mendoza line at .19947. Hit 18 home runs and drove in 80 over parts of nine seasons.

-Coached for the Red Sox from 1970-1973, and coached and managed in their farm system for two decades after that. From 1985-1988, he compiled a 261-291 record as the skipper at Class A Greensboro and Winter Haven.
#77 Doug Camilli (back)

2 comments:

  1. Those same trees show up in some other Dodger cards in '65 & '66, but you're right, that doesn't mean it's Vero Beach. Always thought someone should round up the Topps photographers from those years and get their stories, there had to be some tales to tell.

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  2. Doug - I read an article on ESPN.com about a Topps photographer that was indeed enlightening. I think it was on their Page 2 subsite.

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