#581 NL Rookie Stars: Tony Perez, Kevin Collins, and Dave Ricketts

As you can see from the status of my set counter on the left side of the blog, I have completed this set, in a bit under five years! That means I've got some catching up to do. As has been the case on a few occasions, Ed tipped me off to a dealer selling this Tony Perez (and company) rookie card for a song...or ten songs, if you will. It's a very worthwhile investment, not just for Big Doggie's mischievous grin, but for the impenetrable thickness of Dave Ricketts' Coke-bottle glasses. Anyhow, let's push forward with this trio of mismatched National League rookies. After that, it's on with the Final Four of The Great 1965 Topps Project...huzzah!

Fun facts about Tony Perez:

-Tony was born in Ciego De Avila, Cuba. The Reds signed him prior to his 18th birthday in 1960.

-He debuted in late 1964, but did not become a full-time starter until 1967. That year Perez made the first of 7 All-Star Teams, hitting .290 with a team-best 26 home runs and 102 RBI as the regular third baseman. He hit the game-winning home run for the National League in the All-Star Game, a fifteenth-inning shot off of Catfish Hunter that helped wrap up the longest Midsummer Classic game ever.

-Tony had his best overall season in 1970, finishing third in MVP voting on the strength of career highs in nearly every offensive category: runs scored (107), homers (40), RBI (129), and AVG/OBP/SLG (.317/.401/.589). He slugged .750 in the Reds' three-game NLCS sweep of the Pirates, but had only one single in a five-game World Series loss to the Orioles.

-Though Perez's Cincinnati team of the 1970s was known as "The Big Red Machine", they had to wait until 1975 to get their first taste of championship glory. The slugger was instrumental in their thrilling seven-game World Series win over Boston, delivering a pair of homers and four RBI in a Game Five victory and his sixth-inning two-round homer keyed the Reds' Game Seven comeback from a three-run deficit.

-He had remarkable longevity, playing in the majors until age 44. He spent the last decade of his career with the Expos, Red Sox, and Phillies, and finally returned to the Reds in the mid-1980s as a part-timer.

-When Tony did hang up his spikes in 1986, he had totaled 379 home runs, 1,652 RBI, and 505 doubles in parts of 23 seasons. He batted .279/.341/.463.

-After a long wait, Perez was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000, joining former teammates such as Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench. That same year, the Reds retired his number 24 jersey.

-He was hired to manage the Reds in 1993, but was fired just 44 games into the season with the team struggling at 20-24. Eight years later, he was on the other side of the coin, replacing John Boles as the Marlins' interim manager when that club got off to a 22-26 start. Under Perez, the Fish finished in fourth place in the N.L. East at 54-60 (76-86 overall).

-His son Eduardo played for several big league teams from 1993 through 2006, manning all four corner infield and outfield positions and batting .247 with 79 home runs. Another son, Victor, briefly played minor league ball in the Reds organization.

-Tony currently serves as special assistant to the general manager of the Marlins.

Fun facts about Kevin Collins:

-A native of Springfield, MA, Kevin signed with the Mets out of high school in 1964 for a $25,000 bonus.

-After shoulder surgery spoiled his selection to the Opening Day roster, New York called up the 18-year-old in September 1965, making him the fourth-youngest player in the league that season. His first hit was a single off of the Pirates' Bob Friend on September 22.

-After cups of coffee in 1965 and 1967, Collins spent much of the 1968 season on the Mets' bench, batting .201 with 13 RBI in 154 at-bats.

-He made his first big-league home run count, delivering a tie-breaking three-run shot in the ninth inning of a 4-1 win in Houston on August 6, 1968.

-In June 1969, Kevin was one of four players sent to the Expos in exchange for Donn Clendenon. On July 17, he hit the first pinch homer in Montreal team history, a three-run bomb off of future Hall of Famer Jim Bunning.

-Collins finished his major league career with two seasons of pinch-hit duty in Detroit, batting a career-high .268 in 1971 (albeit in 41 at-bats).

-In parts of 6 seasons, Kevin batted .209 with 6 homers and 34 RBI.

-He spent another three years playing in the minors for the Tigers and Indians before retiring from baseball at age 27.

-Collins worked for two decades for Mexican Industries, an automotive supply company started by former Tigers pitcher Hank Aguirre.

-Kevin is now retired and living in Sand Point, MI with his wife Linda. He has two children and three grandchildren, according to an article by Jon Springer.

Fun facts about Dave Ricketts:

-Dave was born in Pottstown, PA, which was also the birthplace of Bobby Shantz and Buck Weaver.
-After attending Duquesne University, where he also played basketball, he signed with the Cardinals in 1957.

-His older brother Dick played in the NBA for three seasons and pitched for the Cardinals in 1959, going 1-6 with a 5.82 ERA.

-Dave missed the 1958 and 1959 seasons due to military service.

-At age 27, Ricketts made his big league debut, going 2-for-4 against the Cubs on September 25, 1963.

-After another brief look at the majors in 1965, Dave finally settled in as Tim McCarver's backup in 1967. Playing in a career-high 52 games, he batted .273 with his only career home run and 14 RBI.

-He appeared in back-to-back World Series for the Cards, going 0-for-3 in the team's 1967 triumph over Boston and stroking a pinch single in his only at-bat in the 1968 loss to the Tigers.

-Ricketts was traded to the Pirates prior to the 1970 season, his final year in the big leagues.

-In parts of 6 seasons, he batted .249 with a home run and 20 RBI.

-Dave coached for the Pirates and Cardinals for two decades. He died of renal cancer on July 13, 2008, a day after his 73rd birthday.

#470 Yogi Berra

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."

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

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.

#205 Warren Spahn

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.

#329 Hawk Taylor

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

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.

#308 Mets Rookie Stars: Cleon Jones and Tom Parsons

Firstly, sorry for the absence of a post yesterday. I've been in a good groove in recent months of posting every weekday, but I'm juggling a lot of things right now and had to skip. But today we jump to another handful of cards sent my way by Max. This first one features his favorite team, the Mets. Tom Parsons is presumably airbrushed out of a Pirates cap.

Fun facts about Cleon Jones:

-Cleon was born in Plateau, AL. He played both baseball and football at Alabama A&M University and signed with the Mets in 1963.

-He debuted with New York in September of 1963, skipping AA and AAA, but had only 2 hits in fifteen at-bats. One of those hits was a single off of Sandy Koufax.

-In 1966, his first full season in the majors, Cleon batted .275 and led the team with 74 runs scored and 16 steals. He finished fourth in N.L. Rookie of the Year voting.

-Was the Mets' leading hitter in 1968 with a .297 average and .452 slugging. Also hit a team-best 29 doubles, scored 63 runs, and swiped 23 bags. His 14 homers and 55 RBI were both second-best in a lean offensive season.

-Jones followed up that strong year with a career-best effort in 1969. He was tabbed for the All-Star Game after batting .341 with 10 homers and 56 RBI in the first half. Injuries sidelined him for most of the season's final month, but he still finished with personal highs in AVG/OBP/SLG (.340/.422/.482), runs (92), and RBI (75). No other Met would top his batting average until John Olerud hit .354 in 1998.

-After posting a .429 average (6-for-14) in the NLCS sweep over the Braves, Cleon struggled against the Orioles in the 1969 World Series, batting just .158 (3-for-19). But his fingerprints and shoeprints were all over the clinching Game 5. He led off the bottom of the sixth with the O's leading 3-0. A Dave McNally pitch skipped into the dirt at home plate and skittered away, and umpire Lou DiMuro denied Jones' claim that the ball hit him. But manager Gil Hodges retrieved what was allegedly the ball in question and showed DiMuro that there was a shoe polish stain on the surface. The outfielder was awarded first base and scored one batter later on a Donn Clendenon home run. The Mets tied it in the seventh, and Jones set the table again in the eighth with a leadoff double off of reliever Eddie Watt. He scored the go-ahead run on a Ron Swoboda double, and capped the Series the following inning by snaring a Davey Johnson fly ball.

-1971 was his last truly healthy season. He led the Mets in practically every offensive category: .319/.382/.473, 63 R, 6 3B, 14 HR, 69 RBI. His 24 doubles trailed team leader Jerry Grote by one.

-Renowned for his strong throwing arm, he totaled 64 career outfield assists, including 10 each in 1966 and 1970.

-The Mets released him halfway through the 1975 campaign. The combination of a knee injury, disagreements with manager Yogi Berra, and an arrest for indecent exposure combined to exhaust the team's patience with him. He caught on with the White Sox the following year, but saw action in just a dozen games before receiving his release on April 30. In parts of 13 seasons he batted .281 with 93 home runs and 524 RBI.

-He was chosen for the Mets Hall of Fame in 1991, and has also been honored by the Alabama and Mobile Sports Halls of Fame.

Fun facts about Tom Parsons:

-Tom hails from Lakeville, CT. He signed with the Pirates in 1957 out of high school.

-His best minor league season was likely 1960, when he was 12-7 with a 3.19 ERA for AAA Salt Lake City. He led the Bees in wins, ERA, and innings pitched.

-Parsons debuted in Pittsburgh with a start on September 5, 1963. The 23-year-old was chased in the fifth inning, allowing six runs (four earned) to the Braves on seven hits and two walks. He was saddled with the loss as Milwaukee's Bob Sadowski blanked the Bucs. The crucial blow was a three-run homer by future Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews.

-A June 1964 trade to Houston was dissolved that September, after which the Pirates sold Tom to the Mets. He spent the rest of the season in the big leagues and earned his first win on October 3. He relieved Dennis Ribant in the fourth inning with the Mets leading 8-4 and the Cardinals having loaded the bases. He snuffed out that rally and allowed a single run for the remainder of the game. New York piled on the runs and took it by a 15-5 final.

-Though he spend the entire 1965 season in the majors, the righthander probably wished he hadn't. Appearing in 35 games (including 11 starts) for the 50-112 Mets, he went 1-10 with a 4.67 ERA.

-His only 1965 win also happened to be the only shutout of his career, a six-hitter against the Cubs on July 5. As coincidence would have it, he also singled in his first at-bat that day for his lone big league hit!

-Tom never pitched in the majors again after 1965, finishing his MLB tenure with a 2-13 record and a save in parts of three seasons. His ERA was 4.72.

-Of the 19 home runs he allowed, 7 were to Hall of Famers. Eddie Mathews hit three. Much like Cooperstown enshrinee Jim Palmer, Parsons never surrendered a grand slam.

-The Astros acquired him for catcher Jerry Grote in the 1965-1966 offseason, and he spent the next three seasons at AAA Oklahoma City before concluding his career with the AA Pittsfield Red Sox in 1969. He was 95-98 with a 3.97 ERA in 12 minor league seasons.

#495 Joe Christopher

Maybe it's a trick of perspective, but my goodness that bat looks tiny. Was Joe hitting fungoes?

Fun facts about Joe Christopher:

-Joe was born in Frederiksted in the Virgin Islands. He signed with the Pirates in 1955.

-Became the first native-born Virgin Islander to play in the majors when he debuted at age 23 on May 26, 1959. That game became famous for Harvey Haddix's 12-inning perfect game.

-On September 27, 1960, Joe played all 16 innings of a 4-3 win over the Reds, going 5-for-7 with a walk and a run scored.

-After three seasons as a backup to the likes of Bob Skinner, Bill Virdon, and Roberto Clemente, he was the fifth selection of the Mets in the expansion draft prior to the 1962 season.

-Played 119 games for the miserable 1962 Mets. Though he hit only .244, his .338 on-base percentage was topped only by Elio Chacon (.338) and Richie Ashburn (.424) among regulars.

-A famous anecdote has the bilingual Christopher teaching center fielder Ashburn to say "Yo la tengo" ("I got it") to call off shortstop Chacon on fly balls. The first time Ashburn uttered the phrase in a game situation, burly left fielder Frank Thomas ran him over. Thomas got up and said, "What the heck is a yellow tango?".

-Became the first everyday Mets player to bat .300 when he did so in 1964. Also set career highs that year with 78 runs scored, 26 doubles, 8 triples, 16 home runs, and 76 RBI. Got on base at a .360 clip.

-His final major league season was 1966, when he appeared in a dozen games for the Red Sox. In parts of eight seasons he hit .260 with 29 home runs and 173 RBI.

-Played in the minors through 1968, retiring with an average close to .300.

-Joe worked in an ad agency in New York for some time, and later moved to Baltimore. His passion is drawing.

#144 Ed Kranepool

I'm going to start this post with a reminder that you can track my progress in completing this set by peering at the left sidebar. Now that I'm so close to the finish line, I've decided to take matters into my own hands. If I see a card that I still need and the price is right, I'll plunk down some cash for it. With a few such purchases over the weekend and another small trade, I now have 570 of the 598 cards. This puts me over the 95% mark...I can barely believe it! Thanks to everyone who's helped out, even if you just stopped by to read my words and offer a few remarks of encouragement.

Fun facts about Ed Kranepool:

-Ed was born in New York City and signed with the fledgling Mets at age 17 in 1962.

-He bolted through three levels of the farm system and debuted in New York on September 22, 1962; he was the youngest player in the majors at the time.

-Despite a couple of midseason demotions to AAA Buffalo, Kranepool was the Mets' most frequent starter at first base in 1964. He batted .257 with a .310 on-base percentage and .393 slugging. Among starters, only Ron Hunt and Joe Christopher topped his 100 OPS+ for the lowly club.

-A great first half in 1965 (.287, 18 2B) earned Ed his only All-Star selection. However, a second-half slump dropped his average to .253.

-In 1966, his team-leading 16 home runs represented a career high. Ken Boyer (61 RBI) was the only Met to surpass the first baseman's 57 runs driven in.

-He was not one of the stronger hitters on the 1969 "Miracle Mets" club, and Donn Clendenon got most of the starts at first base in that year's World Series. However, Ed's solo home run capped the scoring in a 5-0 victory over the Orioles in Game Three of the Fall Classic.

-After a disastrous 1970 season (.170 AVG, no extra-base hits in 43 games, a demotion to AAA), Kranepool rebounded the following year with a line of .280/.340/.447, 14 homers, and a personal-best 58 RBI.

-Near the end of his career, he settled into more of a supporting role. From 1974-1977, he batted .299/.349/.419 overall and had a .447 average (42-for-94) as a pinch hitter. His 17-for-35 performance (.486) in 1974 was the best-ever mark for a pinch hitter with 30 or more at-bats.

-Ed retired after the 1979 season having played for the Mets in each of their first 18 seasons of existence. He had a .261 career average, 118 home runs, and 614 RBI. His 1,853 games played are still a franchise record. David Wright currently stands at 1,004, and will have to remain healthy and stay in New York for six more years at least to top Kranepool.

-He has been a stockbroker and restaurateur in his post-baseball days, and was selected to the Mets Hall of Fame in 1990.

#449 Mets Rookie Stars: Jerry Hinsley and Gary Kroll

Could there be a bigger difference in appearance between these two guys? Jerry Hinsley looks like he's posing for his middle school yearbook photo, and Gary Kroll doesn't look a day over 40.

Fun facts about Jerry Hinsley:

-Jerry was born in Hugo, OK and went to high school in Las Cruces, NM before signing with the Pirates in 1963.

-As noted on the card back, the Mets claimed Jerry in the first-year player draft in December 1963.

-He opened the 1964 season on the major league roster, making his big league debut at age 19 on April 18. He allowed two runs in relief, followed up with back-to-back scoreless appearances, and then allowed multiple runs in five of six games to leave him with an 8.22 ERA. He was sent to AAA at the end of May.

-Hinsley spent the rest of that year and the following three seasons in the minors, resurfacing for a September callup in 1967. He gave up two runs in two relief innings in his first appearance, and salvaged things with three scoreless innings in his next game, which would prove to be his last in the majors.

-His MLB totals, such as they were, included an 0-2 record and a 7.08 ERA.

-He continued pitching in the minors until the 1971 season, finally calling it a career with a 44-61 record and a 3.95 ERA in eight minor league seasons.

-If you're looking for a silver lining in Jerry's brief big league career, he struck out four future Hall of Famers: Orlando Cepeda, Lou Brock, and pitchers Juan Marichal and Bob Gibson.

Fun facts about Gary Kroll:

-A native of Culver City, CA, Gary signed with the Phillies in 1959.

-He was an imposing presence on the mound, standing 6'6" and weighing 220 pounds. He pitched two no-hitters in the minors and struck out scores of batters, including 309 in 257 innings in the California League in 1960.

-Kroll debuted with Philadelphia in July 1964, but pitched only two games before being traded to the Mets in the deal that brought Frank Thomas to the Phils.

-In his first start for New York, Gary set a career high with eight strikeouts in six innings, but dropped a 3-2 decision to the Cubs.

-He pitched in 32 games in 1965, going 6-6 with a 4.45 ERA and a save.

-His only career game was a rain-shortened 7-1 win over the Giants on April 18, 1965. Gary pitched seven innings, striking out eight and allowing only four hits.

-Following a January 1966 trade, Kroll made ten relief appearances for the Astros, compiling a 3.80 ERA and striking out 22 in 23.2 innings.

-He did not return to the majors until 1969, when he put up a 4.13 ERA in 19 games for the Indians. He allowed earned runs in only five of those games, including a whopping five runs in one inning in his final appearance on July 12. Unfortunately, that was the final big league game of his career.

-In parts of four seasons, Gary was 6-7 with a 4.24 ERA. He struck out 138 runs in 159.1 innings.

-Like Jerry Hinsley, Kroll continued pitching in the minors until 1971, finishing with a 72-67 record and a 3.61 ERA.

#401 Carl Willey

I wonder what reason Carl Willey could have for looking so glum. As the palm tree in the background indicates, he's in the tropical climate of Florida!

Fun facts about Carl Willey:

-Born in Cherryfield, ME, Carl signed with the Boston Braves in 1951.

-Like many players of his generation, Willey's pro career was interrupted by military service. In 1957, his third year back, he got untracked and won the AAA American Association's MVP award. He was 21-6 for the Wichita Braves, leading the league in victories, and completed 17 of his 32 starts with a 3.24 ERA.

-There was a lot of buzz surrounding the 27-year-old righthander as he began the 1958 season in the Braves bullpen, but he pitched sparingly and was sent back to the minors in May. He returned to Milwaukee several weeks later and shut out the Giants in his first career start, holding them to six hits while striking out seven.

-Remaining in the rotation for the rest of the season, Carl compiled a 9-7 record and a 2.70 ERA, buoyed by a league-leading four shutouts. He added one flawless inning of relief in the World Series, striking out Moose Skowron and Gil McDougald and inducing a flyout from Tony Kubek.

-He spent four more seasons with the Braves but failed to duplicate his early success and never received more than 22 starts in a season. His best year of the four was 1961, and even then his ERA was a mediocre 3.83 and his .333 winning percentage (6-12) was worst on the team.

-Traded to the Mets in 1963, Willey showed improvement during a season that was far from dull (more on that later). He matched his career high with nine wins (but lost 14) and turned in a team-best 3.10 ERA and four shutouts.

-Carl pitched the game of his life on June 23, 1963, holding the Phillies to three base runners (two hits and a hit batter) in a 5-0 victory. However, he was upstaged by eccentric teammate Jimmy Piersall, who celebrated his 100th career home run by circling the bases backward!

-He hit two home runs in his career, and the second one helped to earn him a win. On July 15, 1963, Carl faced Houston and gave up two runs in the top of the second inning to put the Mets in a hole. They mounted a rally in their next at-bat, and Joe Hicks' one-out double made it a 2-1 game. With one out and two runners in scoring position, the Colt .45s chose to intentionally walk shortstop Larry Burright to bring Willey (who would hit .099 for his career) to the plate. He tagged opposing starter Ken Johnson for a grand slam to give himself a 5-2 lead! The unlikely slugger ended up making it through just five innings while allowing four runs, but the Mets broke the game open and triumphed 14-5.

-Carl lasted only three seasons with the Mets, pitching in 27 games total during his final two years. He was hampered by a sore arm and also lost time due to a Gates Brown line drive that fractured his jaw in the spring of 1964. In parts of eight seasons he was 38-58 with a 3.76 ERA and 11 shutouts.

-He returned home to Maine after retiring, and later scouted for the Phillies. He died of lung cancer in July 2009 at age 78.

#381 Al Jackson

Wikipedia told me that Al Jackson was "warmly called" Little Al because of his small frame. I wonder how warm he felt about the whole thing.

Fun facts about Al Jackson:

-Born in Waco, TX, Al signed with the Pirates in 1955 after attending Wiley College in Marshall, TX.

-He had short stints with Pittsburgh in 1959 and 1961. In the latter year, he beat the Reds 11-6 in a complete game effort on September 30 (hey, that's today's date!) for his first big league win.

-Drafted by the Mets, Jackson had the misfortune of spending the entire 1962 season in the Mets' rotation. His 4.40 ERA was the lowest on the squad, and he had 12 complete games as well as the only four shutouts for the entire staff. His record, however, was 8-20, which at least put him four losses behind teammate Roger Craig for the most in the National League.

-He set a career high with 13 wins in 1963 and lowered his ERA to 3.96, but he was still a Met, and therefore he lost 17 games.

-After an 11-16 mark in 1964, Al nearly duplicated his 1962 stat line in 1965 (8-20, 4.34 ERA). This time, he was a mere third in the N.L. in losses, behind another New York teammate (Jack Fisher, 24), and the Cubs' Larry Jackson (21).

-On the plus side, he owned New York's only two wins over Bob Gibson during the first five years of their existence. Both were 1-0 shutouts: the first came on July 27, 1962 and the other was a five-hit gem on October 2, 1964.

-The Mets showed mercy to their long-suffering starter by swapping him to the Cardinals for Ken Boyer the following year. Jackson was excellent in his new digs, finishing sixth in the league with a 2.51 ERA and tenth with a 1.148 WHIP. Naturally, the Cards scored less than three runs per start for him and he lost at least 15 games for a fifth consecutive season, going 13-15 overall.

-Al finally posted a winning record in 1967, as he was moved to the bullpen and had a 9-4 mark. While the Cardinals won the World Series, he did not see action in the postseason.

-He returned to the Mets the following year and stayed for a little over a season before the Reds purchased his contract. He was lit up in Cincinnati and did not catch on with another team after they released him in the spring of 1970. In parts of 10 seasons he was 67-99 with a 3.98 ERA.

-Al spent time as a pitching coach with the Red Sox (1977-1979), Orioles (1989-1991), and Mets (1999-2000).

#364 Galen Cisco

Does "Galen Cisco" sound more like a 1970s funk musician, or an Old West gunfighter? I don't know, but what I can tell you is that he's the only Galen in major league history. Surprisingly, there have been 17 other Galens who played minor league ball.

Fun facts about Galen Cisco:

-Born in St. Marys, OH, Galen attended Ohio State University, where he was an All-American and All-Big Ten fullback for the 1957 National Champion Buckeyes. He was also a team captain. Moonlighting as a pitcher, he won 12 of his 14 collegiate decisions.

-He signed with the Red Sox in 1958 and made his major league debut four years later. He struggled mightily (2-4, 6.71 ERA) in 17 games.

-Cisco continued to take his lumps in 1962, walking more batters than he struck out, and Boston waived him in September as his earned run average was again near seven. The Mets claimed him and he pitched marginally better in a brief audition that month.

-Working out of the rotation and the bullpen, Galen saw action in 51 games in 1963. His 7-15 record was an eyesore, but he was just one of six New York pitchers to lose at least 14 games that year. Besides, his 4.34 ERA and 1.27 strikeout-to-walk ratio qualified as significant improvements.

-It seems counter-intuitive, but his best season was the 1964 campaign, in which he posted a 6-19 record. He was fortunate enough to avoid leading the league in losses (teammate Tracy Stallard dropped 20 decisions), and his 3.62 ERA indicated that he deserved much better. He even notched the first two shutouts of his career.

-In the nightcap of a doubleheader on May 31, 1964, the Giants and the host Mets played the longest game (by time) in MLB history, a 23-inning affair that dragged on for 7 hours, 23 minutes. The New York pitching staff was especially taxed, as three pitchers had combined to allow six runs in the first three innings. The Mets rallied for five runs in the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game at six, and the clubs traded zeroes for the next 15 innings! Larry Bearnearth came in for the home team in the eighth and threw seven scoreless frames, despite having pitched the last two innings of the early game. He was replaced in the 15th by Galen Cisco, who had taken a hard loss three days earlier (1 ER in 7 IP). The righthander shut the Giants out for eight innings, but surrendered two runs in his ninth inning of work and was saddled with another heartbreaking loss. The winner was Gaylord Perry, who logged ten scoreless innings one day after blanking the Mets in a two-inning relief stint! in 1984, a 25-inning marathon between the Brewers and White Sox surpassed this incredible game by 43 minutes.

-After another mediocre season as a Met, Cisco spent much of the last five years of his career in the minor leagues, popping up for 11 games with the Red Sox in 1967 and another 15 with the Royals two years later. He finished his career 25-56 with a 4.56 ERA in parts of seven seasons.

-Galen made a name for himself as a major league pitching coach, spending three decades instructing hurlers for the Royals, Expos, Padres, Blue Jays, and Phillies. He was a member of Toronto's coaching staff for their back-to-back World Series wins in 1992 and 1993.

-In 1995, he was inducted into the Ohio State Buckeyes Athletic Hall of Fame.

-For the past 45 years, his hometown of St Marys has presented an annual award in his honor to the most exemplary Little League player.

#349 Larry Miller

Before I saw this card, the only Larry Miller I knew was the comedian and actor. You may know him from films like The Aristrocrats, 10 Things I Hate About You, or Best in Show. Hopefully this Larry Miller never threatened to gouge a child's eye out with his thumb.

Fun facts about Larry Miller:

-Born in Topeka, KS, Larry stayed local and attended the University of Kansas before signing with the Dodgers in 1959.

-He missed two years (1962-1963) due to military service.

-After beginning the 1964 season 8-0 with a 1.68 ERA at AA Albuquerque, the 27-year-old was summoned to the big leagues in June.

-His best effort that year was a complete game seven-hitter over the Phillies on August 2. He allowed one run, striking out five and walking one.

-Funnily enough, the pitcher started his major-league career 5-for-6 at the plate, with hits in each of his first four at-bats. From that point forward, he was 5-for-33. Still, he goes in the books as a .256 career hitter!

-Miller won only four of his 12 decisions as a rookie with a 4.18 ERA.

-Traded to the Mets in 1965, he went 6-1 at AAA Buffalo but sported a 5.02 ERA as a reliever in the majors.

-His sole win for New York came on June 20, 1965. After coming on in relief of Frank Lary in the sixth inning, he allowed an inherited, game-tying run to score on a sacrifice fly. He then blanked the Dodgers for the rest of the game. The Mets scored the winning run off of Don Drysdale with a Roy McMillan squeeze bunt in the eighth to earn a 3-2 victory.

-Three abysmal games (and one good one) in September 1966 represented the last MLB exposure for Larry. He finished his career 5-14 in parts of three seasons with a 4.71 ERA.

-He stayed active in the minor leagues through the 1969 season, retiring with an overall 3.42 ERA on the farm.

#285 Ron Hunt

Is that Yogi Berra standing behind Ron Hunt at the batting cage? Nope - Yogi didn't join the Mets as a player-coach until 1965. According to this fine website, that's probably catcher Chris Cannizzaro. If Chris isn't careful, he could get brained by Ron's backswing!

Fun facts about Ron Hunt:

-A St. Louis, MO native, Ron signed with the Braves as a teenager in 1959.

-The Mets purchased his contract from Milwaukee before the 1963 season and made him their starting second baseman. He responded by hitting .272 and leading the team with 64 runs scored and 28 doubles to finish second in Rookie of the Year balloting to Pete Rose.

-In 1964, Hunt avoided the sophomore jinx by being tabbed as the Mets' first All-Star Game starter. He batted a team-high .303.

-After a second All-Star selection in 1966 (.288 AVG), Ron was shocked when the Mets traded him to the Dodgers. He spent a single year in L.A. before moving on to the Giants.

-Chances are good that you only know the name "Ron Hunt" in conjunction with being hit by pitches. Indeed, he led the league in HBP for seven consecutive years, including a modern record of 50 in 1971! He was quoted as saying, “Some people give their bodies to science; I give mine to baseball". He retired with a modern-record 243 plunks, though Don Baylor, Craig Biggio, and Jason Kendall have since passed him.

-Hunt spent nearly four years at the end of his career with the Expos, peaking with a .309 average and .418 on-base percentage in 1973, his penultimate season.

-He struck out very seldomly - 382 times in 6,158 plate appearances and never more than 50 times in a year. His 19 whiffs in 486 trips to the plate in 1963 set a record low for the Expos franchise.

-Though he was just 33 in 1974, the end came quickly for Ron. He was waived by Montreal in September despite a .268 average (he hadn't hit a single home run in three years) and claimed by his hometown Cardinals, but hit just .174 for them in a dozen games. The following spring, the Cardinals released him before breaking camp.

-In parts of twelve seasons, he was a .273 hitter with a .368 on-base percentage, 39 homers, and 370 RBI.

-Ron's post-baseball career took him back to the St. Louis area, where he became a rancher.

#277 Johnny Lewis

Ohhhh, Johnny. You know the drill. No hat = Mets logo, Cardinals uniform. I think I'm going to start creating shoddy MS Paint hats for these guys.

Fun facts about Johnny Lewis:

-Hailing from Greenville, AL, Johnny signed with the Tigers in 1959 at age 19. He was acquired by St. Louis shortly thereafter.

-He was a slugger in the minors, topping 20 home runs in three straight seasons (1960-1962).

-Played in 40 games for the Cardinals as a rookie in 1964, hitting .234, but did not make the postseason roster.

-Was dealt to the Mets that offseason, and his 15 home runs were only four off the team lead in 1965. He led the club with 59 walks, boosting his low .245 batting average to a healthier .331 on-base percentage. This allowed him to pace the team in OPS+ as well (105).

-On June 14, 1965 he famously broke up a no-hitter by Cincinnati's Jim Maloney with an eleventh-inning home run. The Mets would win 1-0.

-His career may have lasted longer if he could've faced Maloney more often. In 34 plate appearances against the Reds pitcher, Lewis slugged .643 with three homers and two doubles among his seven hits!

-He played only 65 games the following year, as his average dipped below .200.

-A miserable 13-game stint (4-for-34, 0 HR) in 1967 ended Johnny's big league career. In parts of four seasons he hit .227 with 22 home runs and 74 RBI.

-After continuing to play in the minors through the 1968 season, Lewis rejoined the Cardinals organization in 1970 and stayed on for almost three decades as a scout, coach, and manager. He even coached at the major league level from 1973-1976 and 1985-1989.

-Since 1999, Lewis has instructed minor league hitters for the Houston Astros.

#227 Bobby Klaus

So much for our respite from the hatless. I have several cards of Bobby's brother Billy, a former Oriole. Those suave good looks run in the family, let me tell you.

Fun facts about Bobby Klaus:

-A native of Spring Grove, IL, Bobby attended the University of Illinois before signing with Cincinnati in 1959.

-He finally reached the big leagues in his sixth pro season but struggled, managing just 17 hits in 93 at-bats with the Reds for a .183 average.

-The Mets purchased his contract in July 1964 and the second half of his rookie season was less rocky. Receiving more regular playing time all around the infield, he hit .244 in 56 games with New York to bring his cumulative average to .225.

-Bobby's saving grace as a hitter was his ability to draw a walk. In 1965, he walked almost as often as he struck out (45 BB/49 K) to eke out a .302 on-base percentage despite hitting only .191.

-His moment in the sun was a walk-off home run on April 15, 1965, as he took Claude Raymond deep in the bottom of the tenth inning to defeat the Astros 5-4.

-The following February, he was traded to the Phillies. He spent all of the next three seasons at AAA San Diego, where he had previously played in 1962-1963 (it was a Reds affiliate back then). Ironically, he was then drafted by the new National League franchise in...San Diego, but flipped to the Pirates months later. An unsuccessful 1969 season with Pittsburgh's AAA Columbus club spelled the end of his baseball career at age 31.

-In two seasons in the majors, Bobby hit .208 with a .297 on-base percentage, six home runs, and 29 RBI.

-He was beaten by the best: in 87 at-bats against future Hall of Famers, Bobby scraped out 14 hits (.161 AVG).

-As previously mentioned, his older brother was Billy Klaus, an infielder for the Braves, Red Sox, Orioles, Senators, and Phillies (1952-1963). He was the runner-up to Herb Score in Rookie of the Year balloting in 1955.

#551 New York Mets Team

Ah, the New York Mess. Sure, it’s an old and lame joke, but those first few Mets teams were pretty bedraggled, and they certainly look a mess with the orange and lime green color scheme that Topps chose for their team card.

In just their third year of existence, the Mets occupied a familiar slot: dead last in the National League. Their 53-109 record was a two-game improvement over the previous year, at least. Still, Casey Stengel’s boys finished 40 games off the pace of the pennant-winning Cardinals and a full 13 games behind ninth-place Houston. They allowed over 200 runs more than they scored (776 RA, 569 RS) and were at the bottom of the league in both counts. However, the grand opening of Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY allowed the large-market Mets to place second in the National League in total attendance with 1,732,597 visitors. You certainly couldn’t say that New York wasn’t big enough for two baseball teams!

Met hitters as a whole placed in the bottom three among NL teams in every significant category except doubles (they were fourth-worst with 195). They hit .246 with a .296 on-base percentage and slugged .348. The leading batsmen in the New York attack were 23-year-old second baseman Ron Hunt (.303, 6 HR, 42 RBI) and right fielder Joe Christopher (.300 with a team-leading 50 extra-base hits and 76 RBI). Third baseman Charley Smith was the only player to hit 20 home runs but mustered only a .275 on-base percentage.

The pitchers were even worse than the hitters, bringing up the rear in statistical categories such as ERA (4.25), saves (15), hits allowed (1511), and runs and earned runs allowed (776 and 680). They were also last in wins, obviously. The four primary starters each lost between 16 and 20 games, though none was exceptionally awful. Tracy Stallard in particular gave the club 225.2 innings with a 3.79 ERA, but you would’ve had to cut that number in half to come out ahead on that team. No Mets reliever topped five saves, but Bill Wakefield appeared in 62 games with a solid 3.61 ERA.

You probably know the rest of the story. The Mets lost 100 games five times in their first seven seasons, and set a team record with a 73-89 mark in their seventh year of existence. Then they stunned the baseball world by winning 100 the following year (1969), catching the Cubs down the stretch to capture the NL East crown. They rolled over the Braves in the NLCS and upset the 109-win Orioles in the World Series to earn the nickname “the Amazin’ Mets”. Of course, the 1973 New York squad took the dominant Oakland Athletics to seven games before losing the World Series, despite winning only 83 games in the regular season; if that’s not amazing, I don’t know what is!

#114 Jim Hickman

I'm not sure of the reason for Jim Hickman's anguished look in this photo. Maybe someone just called him "Piano Legs". Then again, maybe it's just the general sort of anguish that came with playing for the Mets in the 1960s. Jim had a fascinating, trivia-rich career, which I never would have expected. It's days like this that I'm happy to be doing this blog!

Fun facts about Jim Hickman:

-A proud son of Henning, TN, Jim signed with the Cardinals in 1956 as an amateur free agent.

-Languished in the St. Louis organization for six years before being claimed by the Mets in the Expansion Draft.

-Was a fairly average player as a Met, hitting double-digit home runs for four straight seasons and batting .241.

-Did have several landmark performances in New York, including the first cycle in team history. It was a natural cycle, in that he hit in order: single, then double, then triple, then home run. Walloped the last home run in the Polo Grounds on Sept. 18, 1963. On Sept. 3, 1965 he became the first Met to hit three home runs in a game (all off of Ray Sadecki).

-Was the last of the original Mets to leave the team when he was traded to the Dodgers in December 1966 with Ron Hunt for Tommy Davis and Derrell Griffith. Had a terrible year in L.A., but did pitch two decent innings on June 23, allowing only a solo home run to Willie Mays.

-Received more regular playing time after being traded to the Cubs, and hit 89 home runs in a four-year span from 1969-1972. This included a monster year in 1970, when he posted career highs across the board (102 R, 33 2B, 32 HR, 115 RBI, .315/.419/.582). He delivered the hit that allowed Pete Rose to pancake Ray Fosse and win that year's All-Star game. For his efforts, Hickman (who had hit .237 in 1969) was the 1970 N.L. Comeback Player of the Year.

-Had a flair for the dramatic, hitting seven walk-off home runs in total. One of these was a grand slam against the Cubs on Aug. 9, 1963, and it snapped Mets pitcher Roger Craig's record 18-game losing streak!

-Wore out future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton. In 69 trips to the plate against "Lefty", Jim hit .293 with two triples and four home runs and racked up a .975 OPS.

-Retired in 1974 as a career .252 hitter with 159 HR and 560 RBI in a 13-year career.

-Served as a coach for the 1999 Clinton Lumber Kings, a Class A affiliate of the Reds.

#93 Jack Fisher

This is a visually interesting card, as we see "Fat Jack" Fisher checking the imaginary runner at first base from the set position. Nice to have some variation in the old "arms over head" and "just finished delivery" pitching poses that are all over this set. Also noteworthy is the patch on Jack's left sleeve, which commemorates the World's Fair that was held at Shea Stadium. It features the Unisphere structure that was built for the event, and it's rendered in the Mets' blue and orange color scheme.

Fun facts about Jack Fisher:

-Originally from Frostburg, MD, signed with the Orioles at age eighteen in 1957.

-Debuted with the O's at age 20, going 1-6 in 27 games (seven starts) despite a 3.05 ERA. He made his first win count, though; on September 11, he retired the first nineteen White Sox batters before Nellie Fox singled with one out in the seventh. Fisher completed the shutout, allowing three hits in total and beating the eventual American League champs 3-0.

-His sophomore year was his best all-around effort, as he posted his only winning record (12-11) with a 3.41 ERA. He relieved in 20 games, and started 20 others (completing eight).

-Jack had a penchant for surrendering milestone home runs. In 1960, he served up the 521st and final longball of Ted Williams' career, in the latter's farewell game. The following year, Roger Maris tied Babe Ruth's single-season record with his 60th homer, also off of Fisher. Finally, in 1964 the righty was taken deep by Willie Stargell for the first home run ever hit in Shea Stadium.

-Fisher was twice traded in deals that greatly helped the team he was leaving: in 1962, the Orioles sent him and two others to the Giants and received Stu Miller (their relief ace for several seasons) and John Orsino (19 HR in 1963). Five years later, the Mets sent him to the White Sox in a six-player deal that netted them Tommie Agee and Al Weis, both of whom were instrumental in the 1969 World Series upset over Baltimore.

-As previously mentioned, Jack had the misfortune of toiling for the Mets in the "lovable losers" era. He pitched four full seasons in Flushing, going 38-73 despite a passable 4.12 ERA. He led the N.L. with 24 losses in 1965 and 18 in 1967.

-Despite an 8-13 record with the White Sox in 1968, his 2.99 ERA was a career best.

-Held Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda to a .171 average (7-for-41, 1 2B, 0 HR).

-A 5.50 mark with the Reds in 1969 ended his career. In eleven seasons he was 86-139 with a 4.06 ERA. Incidentally, he allowed less than one HR per nine innings (0.9).

-Fisher spent some time coaching before opening Fat Jack's, a sports bar in Easton, PA.