tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89813922550136572602024-03-13T20:32:27.030-07:001974 Topps - Pennant FeverA rambling narrative from a scrambled mind.wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.comBlogger670125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-87750937808938872742014-06-27T08:28:00.001-07:002014-06-27T08:28:58.956-07:00#660 - Larry Dierker<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m6bAAxCKNwk/U62NXXYvLtI/AAAAAAAAEsE/GdXQqoueYU0/s1600/660f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m6bAAxCKNwk/U62NXXYvLtI/AAAAAAAAEsE/GdXQqoueYU0/s1600/660f.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">And the final card of the ’74
set belongs to... Larry Dierker, showing his pitching form in spring training
on that huge complex. Larry broke his hand right before the season opened in
’73 so this shot is taken earlier that season or is from a prior one. The
season didn’t get much better. After returning in June for a couple starts
Larry hurt his shoulder and wouldn’t return from that injury for another month,
and then didn’t throw too well the balance of the season, nearly all of it in
middle relief. It was pretty much a season to forget for him, but not for Topps
apparently, since it gave Larry a pretty distinctive card number. Larry was an
optimist, though, and things would turn around for him shortly and get way
better down the road, except for that short run in ’99 that must have made ’73
look like a picnic.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Larry Dierker grew up in
southern California and would get to be a big
sought-after pitcher, already 6’4” and 200 pounds by his senior year at Taft High
School. Though he went only 4-6 that season of
’64 he reportedly had 18 teams interested in him. That number was reduced to a
bidding war of two: the Cubs and the Colt .45’s and Larry signed with the
latter team for a $55,000 bonus. He was only 17 but he kicked off things pretty
well that summer in Rookie ball, going 2-3 in nine starts with a 3.23 ERA and
61 strikeouts in his 39 innings. The Colt .45’s were always looking for a media
event and so that late September Larry was pulled up to Houston to make his first MLB start on his 18<sup>th</sup>
birthday. He took a loss, but he struck out Willie Mays in that game and would
never return to the minors.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Dierker immediately joined
the rotation in ’65 and that season and the next he would have a tough time
getting decisions. In ’65 the now Astros would hold Larry to a 110 pitch count
timit per game which kept him from completing too many but in ’66 he went deep
in pretty much every start though<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>by the
end of May he only had two decisions. Still, both years he posted strong second
halves and overall threw well, cementing his rotation spot. He was enjoying a
nice run in ’67 when in mid-June he was called to his military obligation and
missed the rest of the year. Back on the mound in ’68 was a bit different and
Larry would get a decision in all but five of his games that season. In both
’66 and ’68 he spent some short time on the DL in late July. In ’69 he used an
early-season 10-3 run to become the first Houston
pitcher to win 20, supporting it with an excellent ERA and his lifetime high in
strikeouts as he made his first All-Star appearance. In ’70 his ERA got bloated
a bit by a few too many gopher balls – he gave up 31 homers vs. only 18 in ’69
– and in ’71 his 10-4 start got him another All-Star nod before he suffered his
first serious shoulder ailment and missed the season from early August on. It
was, he would later claim, the beginning of his rotator cuff issues that would
haunt his career going forward. Still, the rest he received in ’71 helped him
produce another very good year in ’72 before everything sort of blew up in ’73.
“74 would be much better and though Larry again pitched well, decisions would
be elusive, especially early in the year. He finished with a record of 11-10
with a 2.90 ERA and followed that up in ’75 that resembled his ’70 season: 14-16
with a 4.00 ERA on a few too many homers. In ’76 another relatively fat ERA
followed until a July game in which he no-hit the Expos set him on a 6-6/2.83
pace the rest of the way as he finished the season 13-14/3.69, his final one in
Houston as a
player. He was traded to St. Louis
with Jerry DaVanon for catcher Joe Ferguson but by that time his shoulder was
toast and after a 2-6/4.58 run in only 40 innings he retired with a record of
139-123 with a 3.31 ERA, 106 complete games, 25 shutouts, and a save.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Before 1977 ended, Dierker
was back in Houston
where he got a front office PR and sales job. In ’79 he began a long run as a
color commentator on Astros broadcasts which would last through ’96 when he was
talked into taking over as the Houston
manager. The Astros had had three straight second-place finishes and though
Larry had no experience on the coaching side, he would be the right guy to get
the team over the hump. His first and second years Houston won its division. In ’99 the team was
enjoying another nice run when Larry went down in the dugout with what would be
called a grand mal seizure, from which he would require surgery to deal with a
blood clot in his brain. He would return to lead the Astros to another first
place finish. 2000 would be tough as a big injury bug decimated his team but in
2001 the Astros would win the division again. Despite the regular season
successes, though, the Astros would go down fast in the playoffs each year and
following the ’01 campaign – in which Larry won the second of his Manager of
the Year titles – he would be either dismissed or resigned, depending on the
source of the information. He finished with a record of 435-348. Since then he
has written a couple books, contributed as a writer to a few sites, and had a
loose community affiliation with the Astros. That changed in May of 2013 when
he was hired as a full-time special assistant to the president, a title he
still holds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w8l4YEtA02Q/U62NgKhp9nI/AAAAAAAAEsI/FKsZLgEGNKM/s1600/660b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w8l4YEtA02Q/U62NgKhp9nI/AAAAAAAAEsI/FKsZLgEGNKM/s1600/660b.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Larry’s star bullets are
no-brainers and he has also been a big fan of golf according to his cartoons. He
gets some great props in “Ball Four” since he was teammate of Jim Bouton’s
after Bouton’s second-half trade to Houston.
Bouton loved his arsenal of pitches: a great fastball and curve, and a money
hard slider which Bouton said it hurt just to watch (and would later hurt
Dierker as well). He was also very impressed with a no-no Larry took into the
ninth, continued to pitch shutout ball to the 12<sup>th</sup>, and then had to
watch as the bullpen blew in the 13<sup>th</sup> against the division-winning
Braves. He just calmly took the loss and blamed nobody. Pretty classy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">For the final hook-up we stay
all-NL:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Dierker and Jose Cruz ’75
to ’76 Astros;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Cruz and Tim McCarver ’73
to ’74 Cardinals;</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">3. McCarver and Joe Lis ’70 to ’72 Phillies.</span>wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-82109620367912302522014-06-23T10:38:00.000-07:002014-06-23T10:38:05.349-07:00#659 - Joe Lis<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4rRl4VSWrPM/U6hls5wc_pI/AAAAAAAAEro/_imtNq_3Oqs/s1600/659f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4rRl4VSWrPM/U6hls5wc_pI/AAAAAAAAEro/_imtNq_3Oqs/s1600/659f.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">This mutton-chopped guy
finally gets his first solo card, nearly ten years after being signed in ’64.
Joe Lis had rookie cards in both the ’70 and ’71 set and then switched teams
before reappearing on a sunny day in Oakland during batting practice. He got
his first serious chunk of playing time in ’73 partly as a result of Harmon
Killebrew’s injury, and put up some decent numbers while filling in at first
base. Joe could hit, as some of the numbers on his card back attest, but up top
he’d suffer from too little field time and way too many strikeouts and shortly
after this card’s appearance he’d be on the move again. But he loved baseball
and while it didn’t always love him back, he would parlay that love into a long
career in a different venue.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Joe Lis was a big three
sports star in New Jersey
in the early Sixties and would end his high school baseball career with a .521
average and a total of 17 homers his junior and senior years before being
signed by the Phillies in June of ’64. That summer and the next in A ball were
a bit tough at the plate but the latter season he was one of his league’s
best-fielding third basemen and in ’66 around some military time he got back
his power stroke with 16 homers and 62 RBI’s in just 332 at bats. He remained
at that level in ’67 and really cranked the power that season. Despite his
improved numbers he remained in A ball in ’68, added 40 points to his average,
and began putting in some serious outfield time. He made the big jump to Triple
A in ’69, just in time for his first significant loss of time to injury via
some hamstring and wrist problems, but still put up OK numbers. By then he was
pretty much exclusively an outfielder and his ’70 season would be far better
than OK as he seriously crushed the ball in Triple A and made his MLB debut in
September with a few games in left field. In ’71 the Phillies didn’t have much
of a team – they’d record 95 losses that season – but they had a bunch of young
outfielders coming off excellent ’70 minor league seasons in Willie Montanez,
Greg Luzinski, Roger Freed, Mike Anderson, and Joe. That competition was
escalated by the presence of incumbent Larry Hisle, who was only 24, and the
move of Don Money to the outfield. So despite making the Phillies out of camp
and getting some early season starts in left, when Joe went into a bit of a
slump marred by pretty high K totals, there was no shortage of guys to step in
and his at bats declined as the season aged. He began the ’72 season back in
Triple A where his monster stats included a .473 OBA and prompted his return to
Philly in June. Now moved to first base, he improved his offensive numbers
significantly, reducing his K totals and moving his OBA up to .380. But with Willie
Montanez scheduled to take over first full-time, Joe and pitchers Ken Sanders
and Ken Reynolds went to Minnesota
for everyman Cesar Tovar.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Lis began the ’74 season on
the Twins roster, but moved to third in the depth chart at first base behind
The Killer and new kid Craig Kusick. Hitting .195 with zero power during his
little plate time didn’t help things and early in June he was sold to Cleveland where he got
some initial work subbing at third base for the injured Buddy Bell, but again
played primarily at first. He added some RBI numbers but his offense overall
wasn’t so hot as he posted a ’74 line of .200/6/19 in his 150 at bats. He then
spent most of ’75 and ’76 in Triple A for the Tribe where he averaged lines of
.290/24/86 with an OBA of .424 while playing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>mostly first. He brought some of that magic to Cleveland as during that
time he posted a .312 average with 15 RBI’s and a .420 OBA in his 64 at bats.
That winter he was selected by Seattle in the expansion draft and for the
Mariners he put in some early time at DH before he returned to Cleveland and
Triple A and hit .267 with a .388 OBA for a couple teams. In ’78 he went to Japan – a
common theme for recent post subjects – where he posted a disappointing
.206/6/30 line in 262 at bats as a first baseman/DH. Then it was back to The
States and one final shot for Detroit's Triple A club for whom he posted a ’79
line of .292/16/80/.384 in his final season. Joe closed things out with an MLB
line of .233/32/92/.332 in his 709 at bats and a minor league line of
.277/238/614/.382. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Lis remained with the Detroit organization a
couple additional years as a minor league coach, leaving pro ball following the
’81 season. He had begun doing the guest speaker route while in Cleveland which he
continued after playing. He also set up a hitting school in his garage back in Indiana which eventually
morphed into a business. His son Joe Jr. would be drafted by the Blue Jays and reach Triple A in the mid-Nineties before helping out at his dad’s school. This
Joe continued to operate his hitting school until he was laid low by prostate
cancer, from which he passed away in 2010. He was 64.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n4tzKfaIU_I/U6hlz-u6HII/AAAAAAAAErw/vbYror0SAzs/s1600/659b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n4tzKfaIU_I/U6hlz-u6HII/AAAAAAAAErw/vbYror0SAzs/s1600/659b.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Joe’s card back shows off
most of his better minor league work and showcases his slugging and defense in
’67. He had much better season as a slugger though, topping his .522 slugging
average that year in ’70 (.616) and ’72 (.775). That second year he seemed an
even money bet to break Tony Lazzeri’s PCL record home run total of 60 when he
was called back to Philly. Joe had 26 homers with about two-thirds of the
season still left. He has a pretty good SABR bio.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The colors are almost the
same but the leagues aren’t so let’s see how we get these guys together:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Lis and Bill Robinson ’72
Phillies;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Robinson and Lee Lacy ’79
to ’82 Pirates.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-6879228449022511682014-06-17T08:40:00.000-07:002016-09-27T08:05:21.232-07:00#658 - Lee Lacy<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rbf-IuBpPxM/U6Bg7W8A4HI/AAAAAAAAErQ/w1qk8EHumUc/s1600/658f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rbf-IuBpPxM/U6Bg7W8A4HI/AAAAAAAAErQ/w1qk8EHumUc/s1600/658f.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">I really am stretching this
thing out but, trust me, it’s not intentional. Too much work and other stuff.
For our third-to-last card we get Lee Lacy at Shea looking very serious. That
face could have something to do with what was going on at the time in the LA
infield, then Lee’s professional stomping ground. ’73 saw the initiation of
that long-lasting combo of Garvey/Lopes/Russell/Cey which meant that Lee’s
playing time contracted considerably from his rookie season. For a while things
would stay that way and barring injury it would be tough for Lee to get any
field time. But his versatility would prove to be his saving grace and that
ability to play just about anywhere in the field would help him have a long
fruitful career.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Lee Lacy was born in Texas and relocated to Oakland before high school. He did the
multi-sport thing and then went to nearby Laney College
where he played both hoops and baseball. He was drafted midway through his
second year there in January ’69 and then played mostly third while producing
some pretty good offense that included a .402 OBA. In ’70 he moved up to A ball
and over to shortstop where he produced more good plate numbers but had a super
tough time in the field. His offense got him to Double A in ’71 where on top of
another good offensive season he improved at both shortstop and third but
actually spent most of his time at second, which seems to have been a better
fit. Lee remained at that level and position for ’72 where he banged the ball
super well, putting up a .417 OBA, continued to improve his defense, and got
his call up in June.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The late Sixties and the
early Seventies were sort of a transitional mess for the Dodgers outside of
first base. There were lots of crash and burns at third – Bob Bailey, Bill
Sudakis, and Billy Grabarkewitz – and for a little bit Ted Sizemore seemed to
be the man at second after his ROY
season in ’69. But he went to St.
Louis to get Dick Allen, Jim Lefebvre got hurt and was
needed to fill the gap at third, fellow young guy Bobby Valentine played
everywhere, and converted outfielder Bill Russell eventually settled at
shortstop. Into this stew came Lacy in the summer of ’72 to pretty much take
over the regular job the rest of the way.while plugging the gap on defense and
doing an OK job at the plate. He then began ’73 in the same role, got hurt in
mid-May while hitting .195, and returned to see his spot taken by Davey Lopes,
who wouldn’t give it up until Lee was long gone. In ’74 his at bats fell even
further during the championship season though he hit .282 and got a bit of
post-season time. In ’75 LA got hit big by the injury bug which killed their
playoff chances but worked nicely for Lee, who posted a .314/7/40 line in 306
at bats while filling in at second and for the first time in the outfield.
After that season he joined rapidly-aging Jimmy Wynn, Tom Paciorek, and Jerry
Royster in a trade to Atlanta
for Dusty Baker and Ed Goodson. With the Braves, Lee took over regular duties
at second before a hitting slump and then an injury took him out of action a
couple weeks. But he got his average up to .272 before he was traded again,
this time back to LA with reliever Elias Sosa for Mike Marshall. The rest of
the way for the Dodgers he spent the bulk of his time in center and hit .266
overall, with a .385 average as a pinch hitter in what would be his busiest
year for a while. In both ’77 and ’78 he did his back-up thing in both the
infield and outfield, averaging in the mid-.260’s. That first year he hit very
well in a return to the post-season and in that second year he added some
power, with a .261/13/40 line in 245 at bats. That winter he left LA as a free
agent and signed with the Pirates.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">In Pittsburgh Lacy again
assumed a back-up role, but this time exclusively in the outfield and there
nearly all the time in left. His stats – a .249 average with 15 RBI’s in 182 at
bats – weren’t anything special but his timing sure was as he joined a Series
champion. He then moved into a platoon role in left and hit a ton better in ’80
with a .335/7/33 line with 18 stolen bases and 45 runs in just 278 at bats.
After an off season in the strike year of ’81 he hit his stride in ’82 with
.312/5/31/40/66 numbers in 359 at bats. Then followed a ..302/4/13/31/40 ’82 in
288 at bats; and a .321/12/70/21/66 ’84 in 474 at bats in his final season in Pittsburgh. After that it
was another departure via free agency, this time to Baltimore where he became the regular right
fielder, averaging .290/10/48 seasons in ’85 and ’86 before ending things in
’87 when he was 39. Lee finished with a .286 average with 91 homers, 458 RBI’s,
185 stole bases, and a .340 OBA. In the post season he hit .241 in his 17
games.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Lacy got into a bit of
trouble when he was named late in his playing career as one of the
cocaine-using players during the Pittsburgh drug trials. By then he’d had his
daughter Jennifer, who would grow up to be a star hoops player at Pepperdine
and is still playing in the WNBA. Lee did the year-plus in the Senior League in
’89 –’90 and appears to have remained in the Southern
California area since playing for LA. He is a regular at autograph
and other events for the Dodgers though I haven’t been able to nail down what
he’s done professionally since playing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UY9fcb9BzPs/U6BhGL9nFEI/AAAAAAAAErY/cGRVRR4ZDJE/s1600/658b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UY9fcb9BzPs/U6BhGL9nFEI/AAAAAAAAErY/cGRVRR4ZDJE/s1600/658b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Lee’s star bullets give us a
look at some of his achievements in high school and at Laney. His is also the
final card that gives us a look at what he did during the off-season via the
cartoon.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Getting these two together is
relatively lengthy:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Lacy and Jerry Royster ’76
Braves;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Royster and Jeff Burroughs ’77
to ’80 Braves;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">3. Burroughs and Jim
Shellenback ’70 to ’73 Senators/Rangers. </span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-17587424482704493382014-05-21T23:59:00.000-07:002015-07-13T07:20:08.761-07:00#657 - Jim Shellenback<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0PSrzkEvcEA/U335zUDP7HI/AAAAAAAAEq4/8NdD3Srwprs/s1600/657f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0PSrzkEvcEA/U335zUDP7HI/AAAAAAAAEq4/8NdD3Srwprs/s1600/657f.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">The book “Seasons in Hell”
describes the Texas Rangers spring training site in Pompano Beach as about the ugliest complex
ever ringed with palm trees covered with fungus. That looks about right in this
final card shot of Jim Shellenback on what may be the mound. Jim has an
impossibly long face which gets even more elongated by the placement of his
eyes which are scrunched up way on his forehead (check out his ’70 card). ’73
wasn’t much of an MLB season for Jim, about whom we get no color in the above
book. Pretty much all of it was spent in Triple A where, given the team’s
dynamics, one would think his 13-7 season in the rotation and four shutouts would
have made someone excited. But Jim was 29 then and his ERA was a bit fat at
4.31 and since Texas
was in the midst of a youth movement for its rotation – both Jim Bibby and
David Clyde were rookies – this Jim seems not to have had too many chips on his
table. He’d get another couple shots up top, neither of which went too well. But
like the former post subject, Adrian Garrett, Jim would come off his
seldom-used MLB time into a super long coaching stretch. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Jim Shellenback was signed by
the Yankees upon graduating Ramona High School in California
– a school also attended by Steve Barber and Tom Hall in this set – in ’62.
After a summer of D and C ball during which he went 1-5 with a 4.04 ERA but 57
K’s in 49 innings, Jim was selected by Pittsburgh
in the first year draft. The Pirates moved Jim up to A ball where he had a very
nice ’63: 17-3 with a 2.03 ERA and nearly a strikeout an inning. He continued
pitching well the next few years, going 8-14/3.53 in Double A in ’64; 14-6/3.33
in a ’65 split between Double A and Triple A; and 11-13/3.09 with four shutouts
in Triple A in ’66, the year he debuted for a few innings in Pittsburgh. He got
his first rookie card in ’67, had a 7-10/3.16 season in Triple A and returned
to a nice couple games in September, one being a complete game eleven-inning
win over the Dodgers. But he then spent all of ’68 back in Triple A, partly as
a recovery from a nasty car accident that broke his leg right after the prior
season. He still had a pretty good half season, going 9-8 with a 2.85 ERA and a
couple shutouts. In ’69 he got his second rookie card, started the season as a
reliever for the Pirates, and knocked off some pretty good innings before a May
trade had him in DC for pitcher Frank Kreutzer, by then a minor leaguer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Shellenback joined the
Senators and the team’s manager Ted Williams in what was a bit of an ironic
twist. Years earlier Jim’s uncle Frank was Ted’s player-coach on the San Diego
PCL team. Frank got props from Ted in Ted’s autobiography, “My Turn at Bat” and
it had also been suggested that Frank was responsible for turning The Splendid
Splinter from a pitcher into an outfielder during his PCL time, which may or
may not have been the case. Either way, Jim would become more of a spot guy
with Washington,
getting eleven starts and a save the rest of the ’69 season for DC. In ’70 he
had probably his best MLB season as he started 14 games and recorded a shutout.
In ’71 all Jim’s numbers were pretty comparable to his prior season’s except
his won/loss record which tumbled pretty hard. In ’72 he was pitching pretty
effectively but with some bad luck when a shoulder injury took him out of
action in early July for the rest of the year. '74 would work a lot like ’73
except his numbers weren’t nearly as good: a 5.48 ERA in 25 innings for the
Rangers and a 4-4/3.78 season in Triple A. After that season he was sold to San Diego where he would
spend a considerable amount of time the next two seasons in the Padres Triple A
rotation, going a combined 17-11 with a 4.25 ERA and five saves. Then in ’77 he
moved to Minnesota
where he got some light work in Triple A – 2-1/3.90 with a save in 30 innings –
and his final MLB work where he posted a high ERA in a few innings. That was
his final season and Jim finished with an MLB line of 16-30 with a 3.81 ERA,
eight complete games, two shutouts, and two saves. In the minors he went 103-82
with a 3.42 ERA.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Shellenback remained in the Minnesota system after
playing as a pitching coach. In ’83 he served that role in Minnesota. He had an 18-year run for the
team’s Class A franchise in Elizabethtown
that ended with his retirement following the 2011 season.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C51yCVnR7B8/U3356VD90yI/AAAAAAAAErE/k9Fhb9hjmeE/s1600/657b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C51yCVnR7B8/U3356VD90yI/AAAAAAAAErE/k9Fhb9hjmeE/s1600/657b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Jim has a nice signature,
especially for such a long surname. His career came very close to ending after
that ’67 car crash. Those two wins from the second star bullet were successive
and took nearly a run off Jim’s ERA that season: He gave up six hits and two
earned runs against Milwaukee
and threw a two-hit shutout against the Angels. The info regarding his uncle
Frank’s guidance in Ted Williams’ career came from Jim’s ’70 card. His uncle
has a SABR page and was born in 1898, the youngest in his family. So Jim’s dad
was up there when Jim was born, at least in his late Forties. It’s too bad he
got no notice in the “Seasons in Hell” book since his surname minus the S
dovetails nicely with the title: Jim had been to Hell and back. But that’s just
a bad joke.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">A Canadian helps big with
this hook-up:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">1. Shellenback and Dave
Nelson ’70 to ’74 Senators/Rangers;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">2. Nelson and Fergie Jenkins
’74 to ’75 Rangers;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">3. Jenkins and Adrian Garrett
’70 and ’73 Cubs.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-14019142649649211392014-05-16T23:59:00.000-07:002015-07-13T07:20:43.615-07:00#656 - Adrian Garrett<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hjpqbfwfFoA/U3oMuxL2TCI/AAAAAAAAEqc/Oh-brGZszxs/s1600/656f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hjpqbfwfFoA/U3oMuxL2TCI/AAAAAAAAEqc/Oh-brGZszxs/s1600/656f.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Technically, this is the
third rookie card for Adrian Garrett, big brother to the Mets’ Wayne. Adrian
had a rookie card in the ’71 set and also back in ’66, when he had one under
his nickname, Pat. That’s a mighty long gap and I would bet that Adrian had about the
longest one between his initial rookie card and his first solo one – eight years
– but I have not the time to research that one. This card commemorates his
busiest MLB season to date during his second go-round in Chicago. After returning via a sale from Oakland late in ’72, Adrian
had a short .377/8/20 line with a .515 OBA in just 53 at bats in Triple A and
was recalled for some back-up work. Despite his card’s designation most of his
plate time came as either a catcher or pinch hitter; his best offensive work
was in the latter role in which he hit .286. Despite the minimal plate
appearances to date Adrian was in the midst of a very long baseball career at
the time of this card, in which he appears to be squirreled away somewhere in
Candlestick. He wouldn’t see another card until ’76 when he would get his final
MLB one on a different team and plate appearance-wise he was still a rookie.
That, too, has gotta be about the longest run for anyone with that many cards.
So in his own way Adrian
helps get to the end of the set with some record-type tidbits.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Adrian Garrett was a big deal
halfback and baseball player at Sarasota
High School when he was
signed by the Braves in ’61 and began his career that summer in D ball, hitting
.242 for a couple teams. After ramping that up the following year to a
.254/19/87 line with a .385 OBA, he would begin a long run at stops with an A
at the beginning. He split ’63 between A and Double A, recording a .249/13/60
line in his 277 at bats while missing half the season for his military
commitment. ’64 was spent entirely at the higher level where his power was
reduced a bunch but his average moved higher in a .280/7/48/.355 season in 477
at bats. In ’65 he moved up to Triple A and earned his first rookie card on the
basis of his .224/20/63/.319 season in which he was one of the Braves’ system’s
biggest homer producers. But that year, despite his debut in Atlanta, he slumped pretty hard - .196/16/40
in 342 at bats – and he spent most of ’67 in Double A. That year he put up much
better numbers with a .257/28/92/.350 line and hit .310 in his few games up in
Triple A and also began playing third base in addition to his outfield duties.
’68 was a bit messy as his line slid to .212/12/37 in 363 at bats at both
levels. But he enjoyed a big bounce in a ’69 spent primarily in Double A,
putting up a .254/24/77/.382 line. After the season he was released by the
Braves, picked up and released by the Phillies, and picked up by the Cubs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">With Chicago in ’70 Garrett would get some more
MLB at bats and would spend most of his time in Double A where he had a
.277/29/86/.365 line while leading his league in homers. He then moved up to
Triple A, where he enjoyed his biggest season, posting a .289/43/119/.406 line
that drew attention from the vastly improving Oakland A’s. Late that August they picked up
Adrian for catcher Frank Fernandez and Adrian spent the balance of the season
doing some left field and pinch hitting work for the division champs. He also
spent a bit of the summer with the team as well in ’72 but most of the year was
spent in Triple A where he posted a .277/12/32.372 line in his 220 at bats.
Then came the September sale to Chicago and after his work in ’73 he got a few
more at bats up top but spent most of ’74 back in Triple A where he had another
big season, in just 318 at bats posting a .280/26/83/.414 line. He pretty much
mirrored that success in ’75 when he put up .321/12/48/.380 numbers in half a
season before a sale to California, where he finished the year with his best
MLB totals by far: a .262 average with six homers and 18 RBI’s in 107 at bats,
nearly all at first base or DH. In ’76 he caught a few games for the Angels
before a sale to San Diego landed him back in Triple A where he again hit well,
with a .310/9/31/.360 line in 126 at bats. That would be it for his time in The
States and Adrian finished with MLB totals of a .185 average, eleven homers and
37 RBI’s in his 276 at bats. He also had 87 strikeouts which helps explain why
he never stuck. In the minors he hit .259 with 280 homers, 961 RBI’s, and a
.360 OBA.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">As has been a recent trend,
Garrett moved on to Japan after his US playing time ended and had a pretty good
run there, pretty much parallel with Gail Hopkins from a few posts back. He
spent three seasons with Hiroshima
where his first two were by far his best: a .279/35/91/.358 line in ’77; and a
.271/40/97/.378 line in ’78. In ’79 his numbers fell to .225/27/59/.326 but
that was the year he helped the Carp take the Japanese Series, a fitting way to
go out as a player. He then returned to the US, spending a few years in the
White Sox system, as a coach (’80-’81); minor league hitting instructor (’85);
and manager (’82-’84), going a combined 169-150. After a year off he moved to
the Kansas City system where he coached a season
in the minors (’87) and then five in Kansas
City (’88-’92). Then it was on to the Marlins where he
was a minor league hitting coach (’93-’98) and hitting coordinator (’99-2001).
After another year off he hooked up with Cincinnati
where from 2003 through 2011 he served as the Triple A hitting coach. Since
2012 he has been employed by the Reds as a part time coach. Busy boy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KRBFFt0RSSE/U3oM2aVc5MI/AAAAAAAAEqk/T282kHZK9Ss/s1600/656b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KRBFFt0RSSE/U3oM2aVc5MI/AAAAAAAAEqk/T282kHZK9Ss/s1600/656b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">This being Adrian’s first solo card, he has yet another
tidbit of never having his annual minor league stats appear on a Topps card.
Expanding on the star bullets, he led four leagues in homers in the US and did so once in Japan. He got into catching in
spring training of ’73 when Pete Reiser, a Cubs coach at the time, suggested he
give it a shot to help him stick. So he did tons of bullpen and batting
practice catching and it would be his primary position in three MLB seasons.
Another brother Charlie also played pro ball but he only got as high as Double
A as his career was interrupted by two full years of military duty. Adrian has a very
expansive “Bullpen” tab on baseball-reference.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Sometimes for these guys with
limited at bats these paths can be pretty long:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">1. Garrett and Joe Lahoud ’75
to ’76 Angels;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">2. Lahoud and Reggie Smith
’68 to ’71 Red Sox;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">3. Smith and Mike Tyson ’74
to ’76 Cardinals.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-6541630201540259962014-05-14T23:59:00.000-07:002015-02-28T18:42:34.878-08:00#655 - Mike Tyson<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gm0nHhvaoDc/U3SkhZl7hvI/AAAAAAAAEqE/INlU-evILHo/s1600/655f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gm0nHhvaoDc/U3SkhZl7hvI/AAAAAAAAEqE/INlU-evILHo/s1600/655f.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">See how different this guy
looked before that face tat? Before there was the ear-chewing Mike Tyson there
was this guy, who gets a rookie card in this set partly due to good timing. The
Dal Maxvill shortstop era had ended during the ’72 season as Dal finished up
that year in Oakland
as one of the many fill-ins for the injured Dick Green. In his wake came Ed
Crosby, who didn’t have enough stick (that’s tough when you’re following a guy
with a .217 lifetime average); and Dwain Anderson, who got a spot on that
year’s Topps Rookie team on the basis of his .267 average (on only 134 at bats)
but had a tough time in the field. Anderson went
to San Diego early in ’73, Crosby had been sent
to Cincinnati,
and the Cards pinned their shortstop hopes on a kid they picked up from Houston,
Ray Busse. Busse had hit pretty well in the minors but always had played shortstop as if he was doing so in a minefield so he was an interesting choice
to inherit the reins from a Gold Glover. He imploded pretty quickly – the rumor
was because of bad nerves – and St.
Louis brought up a second baseman to take his place.
It was a difficult progression but this Mike Tyson didn’t do that badly, posting
some solid D while hitting way better that Dal ever had. Since in the early
Seventies Ted Sizemore was pretty much a rock at second, Mike’s ability to move
over worked out pretty well for him as well. Here he strikes a pose at
Candlestick, letting us know that little guys with a bat – he was 5’9” – can be
fearsome also.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Mike Tyson came out of Rocky Mount, North
Carolina, where he was a serious deal middle infielder
at Nash High, where a few sites out there have him graduating in ’70, when he
would have been 20. That couldn’t have been the case, especially since he went
to Indian River Community
College, a JUCO baseball powerhouse in Florida (that’s redundant) from which he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i> graduate in ’70 after being selected
in the January draft by the Cards. There was an overlap because Mike got in a
full season that year in A ball as a shortstop. He stuck at that level the next
year through some military time and a move to second base before jumping to
Triple A in ’72, posting some nice defensive numbers, and then making his MLB
debut in September. In ’74 he was hanging out at Mendoza levels most of the
season before a late summer push got him up to his final average of .223. He
did lead the NL in double plays at his position though. In ’75 he reported to
camp overweight, lost his starting gig in spring training to pick-up Ed
Brinkman, and rode the bench the first month-plus. But Brinkman wasn’t the
answer and by early June Mike had re-obtained his starting shortstop role,
posting a much improved line of .266/4/39 in his 368 at bats. In the last
couple weeks he got a bunch of starts at second due to a Ted Sizemore injury.
Those games proved harbingers since after Sizemore’s trade back to LA for the
’76 season Mike moved over permanently. The move worked, at least offensively,
but it would be a frustrating year for him as two injuries – one in April and
one in July – caused him to miss over two months of the season. That was too
bad since he had by far his best offensive run: a .286/3/28 line in his 245 at
bats. In ’77 he remained healthy and reported his best full-year power numbers
but after some early season hitting challenges his average sunk a bit as his
line came in at .246/7/57. He retained the starting job in ’78 but further
compression of his numbers - .233/3/26 in 377 at bats – meant some lost
starting time to Mike Phillips and new kid Ken Oberkfell. In ’79 Oberkfell took
over with his .301 average, Mike fell to a reserve role - .221/5/20 in 190 at
bats, and after the season he went to the Cubs for reliever Donnie Moore.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">In Chicago Tyson reclaimed his
starting role at second (ironically from Ted Sizemore) but barely, as he eked
out Steve Dillard for playing time there. But the recently departed Manny
Trillo had set a pretty high bar for offense at the position and Mike’s line of
.238/3/23 in his 341 at bats wasn’t the answer. Neither was Dillard or new guy
Pat Tabler in ’81, but Mike moved to a back-up role anyway and was done after
the season. He finished with a .241 average with 27 homers and 269 RBI’s. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Trying to find dirt on the
web regarding a guy named Mike Tyson who wasn’t a boxer has been nearly
impossible. Two of Mike’s sons have played minor league ball and both were born
in Kansas City
so apparently this Mike spent some time there after baseball but I have found
nothing else out there regarding him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOFxal-LylU/U3SlCk_cBFI/AAAAAAAAEqM/zpbtKlbdhgM/s1600/655b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOFxal-LylU/U3SlCk_cBFI/AAAAAAAAEqM/zpbtKlbdhgM/s1600/655b.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Mike certainly had the right nickname for sharing a name with a heavyweight champ. But Mike got his by virtue of his place of origin. He really could be a streaky hitter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">At one time the Cruz family
was seemingly headed in the direction of the Alou one (four brothers made it to
the MLB level) so this is a fitting hook-up:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Tyson and Jose Cruz ’72 to
’74 Cardinals;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Cruz and Jesus Alou ’79 to
’80 Astros.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-75436697374618005162014-05-09T23:59:00.000-07:002015-03-03T15:30:15.828-08:00#654 - Jesus Alou<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FJdDhKM-cR8/U3FfGVwdJCI/AAAAAAAAEpw/YZwLPCc9Vio/s1600/654f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FJdDhKM-cR8/U3FfGVwdJCI/AAAAAAAAEpw/YZwLPCc9Vio/s1600/654f.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The next card shows a placid
guy in a placid setting – Yankee Stadium during early August, the only time Oakland was in town after
Jesus Alou’s mid-season trade from the Astros. Jesus’ playing time had been in
decline mode since early ’72 and most of his plate time during early ’73 was in
the pinch. He started well enough in his limited role – he was hitting .409 by
the end of May – but a June and July slump nearly halved his average and in
early August he was sold to the A’s. In the AL his timing was actually quite good
since he got lots of starts in left field the next month-plus due to an injury
to regular Joe Rudi. Jesus did a nice job, too, posting a .300 average though he
would continue to be the opposite of “the Walking Man” by putting up only two
BB’s in his 100-plus at bats. Then Billy North got hurt right before the
playoffs and Jesus took his spot in center, getting serious post-season time
for the Series winners. That little smile on his face in the photo was there
for a reason.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Jeses Alou was the youngest
of the baseball-playing brothers and Jesus wasn’t really a fan of the game,
much preferring soccer back in the DR. But he would be big, topping out at 6’2”
and he got talked into giving pitching a shot by the guy that signed his
brothers and he did well enough to get signed in late ’58 by the Giants, again
following his brothers, Felipe and Matty. His first year he remained in the DR
and threw batting practice for the Escogido team in winter ball – he was only
16 – before he got a short look in D ball in the summer of ’59. He didn’t throw
too well and later he hurt his arm so that pitching career ended pretty fast.
But the kid could hit and in D ball the next summer he did just that, posting a
.352/11/91 line with 102 runs and 18 stolen bases before posting the same
average a few games in B ball. In ’61 he stuck at the higher level and produced
a .336/10/71 line. While he was hitting well his arm was still a bit of a
liability from the injury and he would have some tough times in the outfield,
regularly being near the top in errors. But he did continue to hit: in ’62 his
line was .343/11/68 in Double A with 24 steals and his personal best .376 OBA;
in ’63 in Triple A he put up a .324/11/69 line while stealing 18. Late that
summer he made his debut in San
Francisco.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">That little bit of time Jesus
Alou had up top in ’63 would be his only shot at playing stateside with his two
brothers. Prior to the ’64 season, Felipe was traded to the Braves, and Jesus
took over his spot in right field. There he cut down on his errors
significantly and had a pretty good rookie year offensively, though it ended
early when he got spiked and missed the last month of the season. He had a
marked upgrade in ’65 but then in ’66 an early-season slump had him on the
bench and then back in Triple A for a couple weeks in June. It seemed to have
done the job as he raised his average over 30 points the rest of the way and
then had a ’67 very similar to his ’65. In ’66 he began moving between both
outfield corners which he would continue doing the next few seasons. In ’68
Jesus had a tough follow-up year while posting only nine walks and dropping
some points off his average though it was still well ahead of the NL norm. After
seeing the success of his brothers after departing Candlestick he’d been asking
– quietly – for a trade as well the past couple seasons. Following the ’68
season he got his wish, soft of, when Montreal
took him in the expansion draft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Alou’s time with the new
Expos was quite short and in January of ’69 he left via a trade with Donn
Clendenon to Houston for Rusty Staub which got controversial when Clendenon
refused to report to his new club (he didn’t want to play again for Astros
manager Harry “The Hat” Walker). Eventually Donn was replaced by Jack
Billingham and Skip Guinn and Jesus proceeded to sort of bottom out
offense-wise with his new club that really hit the skids after he busted his
jaw in a collision with shortstop Hector Torres and missed six weeks in the
summer. The bright spot, though, was that much like ’66 he returned with better
numbers, hitting .285 the rest of the way. In ’70 Jesus rode the pines a bit to
start the season as new kid Cesar Cedeno pushed other guys around in the
outfield. But Jesus got back his corner spots with some nice hitting and by
year-end posted his best full season average. He retained his spots in ’71 on a
hot start that cooled off a bit. By ’72 Bob Watson was getting too good to leave
out of a regular spot and so Jesus became a bench guy though he did an awfully
nice job in that role that year. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Alou remained in Oakland in
’74, spending most of his plate time in the DH role, and posting a .268/2/15
line in 220 at bats. He got limited post-season action that year but did pick
up another ring. In spring training of ’75 he was released and picked up
shortly thereafter by the Mets. With NY he did some reserve outfield work and
pinch hitting and had a .265 average with eleven RBI’s in just over 100 at
bats. Again released in spring training, this time Jesus decamped full-time to
the DR where he played winter ball and tried to start a business manufacturing
watches. When that enterprise didn’t get off the ground he returned to The
States and Houston and in ’78 had a nice little comeback season, posting a
.324/2/19 in 139 at bats as a reserve left fielder and pinch hitter. After a
reduced role in the same spots in ’79 he was done. Jesus finished with a .280
average with 32 homers and 377 RBI’s. In the post-season he hit .222 with four
RBI’s in 13 games.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Alou continued to play winter
ball in his home country through the ’80 season and finished a 20-year run
there with a .302 average. He then managed a bit, but in ’82 returned to MLB
land as a scout for the Expos. He then moved on to the Marlins in the same role
and in 2002 he became the director of Dominican League scouting for the Red
Sox.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8NCw1Jz3Xg0/U3FfOBB7dOI/AAAAAAAAEp0/YVycqzYUmcc/s1600/654b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8NCw1Jz3Xg0/U3FfOBB7dOI/AAAAAAAAEp0/YVycqzYUmcc/s1600/654b.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The Alous were unusual in
that they didn’t have that parenthetical thing going with their name. Had they,
the Alou would have been the name in parentheses since that was actually their
mom’s family name. The true family name was Rojas. That was a pretty big game
for a rookie. Jesus only had a .305 OBA which is pretty much the smallest
differential I have seen in this set. He really almost never walked. Good
trivia question: outside of San Francisco, for which team did all three Alou
brothers play? See the front of the card. Jesus has a SABR bio.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">These guys were Astros
together in ’72 but neither had enough at bats that year:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Alou and Glenn Abbott ’73
to ’74 A’s;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Abbott and Bob Stinson ’77
to ’80 Mariners.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-76528967611227410592014-05-02T23:59:00.000-07:002016-09-27T08:33:05.781-07:00#653 - Bob Stinson<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MO2Y1BUgsXA/U2bhCuhLwzI/AAAAAAAAEpU/J3stvJqX7F0/s1600/653f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MO2Y1BUgsXA/U2bhCuhLwzI/AAAAAAAAEpU/J3stvJqX7F0/s1600/653f.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">I’m certainly stretching
things out here – work is still a monster and uses up all my computer time. For
the for real last action card in the ’74 set we get Bob Stinson who appears to
be jawing with either an umpire or a pitching coach at an away field that looks
eerily empty. ’73 was more-or-less Bob’s rookie year though I believe he put
enough bench time for either St. Louis or Houston to not be a true
rookie. He stepped into the running menage of Expos catchers, most of whose
surnames until then began with a B – Bateman, Boccabella, Brand – after being
purchased by them late in spring training from the Astros. He pretty much split
back-up time to Boccabella with Terry Humphrey, who was a bit of a better
fielder but couldn’t touch Bob’s stick. Bob did a nice offensive job in limited
work, adding a .374 OBA to his published stats. He had an interesting early
Topps history with three rookie cards from ’70 to ’72, each with a different
team (he’s up there with Lou Piniella). What’s going on here is hard to tell,
but he sure does look concerned. He’d make up for that on his ’77 card when he
seemed full of whimsy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Bob Stinson was born in North
Carolina and had relocated to Miami where in high school he was all-county as
an outfielder his junior (.303) and senior (.402) years. Both Charlie Hough and
Kurt Bevacqua were teammates on that county team. After graduating he was drafted by Kansas City but stayed local and switched to catcher for Miami-Dade for
whom he played fall ball – and then was drafted in the first round by
Washington but again passed – and then had a big season in spring ball. He was
then taken by LA in the first round and this time he signed. He then spent most
of that summer in Rookie ball as an outfielder hitting .282 with a little
power. In ’67 he moved up to Double A where his average fell a bit to .243 and
his strikeouts ratcheted up but he did a pretty good job in his first work
behind the plate. Around his military time in ’68 he boosted his average at the
same level to .285 and also upped his catching time considerably. He then moved
up to Triple A in ’69 where he hit .281 with much better power, stole twelve
bases, and for the first time put up more walks than strikeouts. He also made
his debut in LA. After spending most of that season in the outfield he returned
to Triple A and catching in ’70, putting up a .298/6/53 line in his 315 at bats
but was now having to contend with fellow young guys Joe Ferguson and Steve
Yeager. After the season he joined Ted Sizemore in going to St. Louis for Dick Allen.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">For the Cardinals Stinson
again spent most of the year in Triple A, where he had a nice line of .324/7/46
with a .438 OBA in 300 at bats. He did a little time up top but didn’t get into
many games and after the season was on the road again, this time to Houston for infielder
Marty Martinez. Bob then spent the whole season with the Astros but again got
very little work, and then at the end of ’73 spring training was sold to the
Expos. In ’74 John Boccabella went to San Francisco for his final season but
new kid Barry Foote kept Bob back in the depth chart and he only got 87 at bats
that year. In another spring training deal, Bob went to Kansas City for speedster Rodney Scott.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">When Stinson got to KC the
Royals had two incumbent catchers in Fran Healy and Buck Martinez so again
Bob’s time was limited. But in ’75 he began a pretty consistent run of hitting
in the .260’s with a pretty good OBA which was more offense than either of
those guys would generally put up and after hitting .265 in 147 at bats that
year he got 61 starts behind the plate in ’76 and upped his line to .263/2/25
in 209 at bats before seeing his only post-season action. That November he got
nabbed by the new Mariners in the expansion draft and for the next three
seasons Bob was the regular Seattle catcher, peaking in ’78 with a .258/11/55
line and a .346 OBA in 364 at bats. In ’79 he began losing starting time to
Larry Cox, who was a better defender and a couple years younger. Then in ’80 new
guy Jerry Narron showed up and Bob again became third in line in his final
season. He finished with a .250 average with 33 homers, 120 RBI’s, and a .337
OBA. In the post-season he went hitless in his only at bat and in the minors he
hit .279 with a .350 OBA.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">After playing Stinson
remained in the Northwest, working for Boeing a bunch of years as a mechanic
and also playing in local leagues until the late Nineties when he was hurt at
work and in a car accident. He remained with Boeing until his kids finished
school and then relocated to Florida where he has been doing private
instruction in hitting and golf ever since.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gF-wYF2z61A/U2bhJr9mFdI/AAAAAAAAEpc/IoIgqqnZ3Mk/s1600/653b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gF-wYF2z61A/U2bhJr9mFdI/AAAAAAAAEpc/IoIgqqnZ3Mk/s1600/653b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Bob got a lot of notoriety
from that JUCO tournament and was a rarity: a catcher who switch-hit. On his
cards in which he is in a hitting pose, the pose is always as a lefty. His card
in ’80 looks like it was taken a couple seconds after this one. His given first
name is pretty cool; this card was the last one on which he’d use it in his
signature.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">These guys missed being
Royals together by just over a season:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Stinson and Amos Otis ’75
to ’76 Royals;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Otis and Gail Hopkins ’71
to ’73 Royals.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-44871340325019575512014-04-17T23:59:00.001-07:002021-02-21T00:58:32.652-08:00#652- Gail Hopkins<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zrrpWB7-6Uk/U1Gppb9EkCI/AAAAAAAAEo8/73Wc0QjBO0Y/s1600/652f.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zrrpWB7-6Uk/U1Gppb9EkCI/AAAAAAAAEo8/73Wc0QjBO0Y/s1600/652f.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">In another final card post we
get Gail Hopkins, who shares a couple career paths with the last post subject,
Leron Lee. Like Leron, Gail would be in another league by the time of this
card’s issuance; would spend his last MLB time with the Dodgers; and would play
with a degree of success in Japan
following his MLB career. Gail would then go on to bigger and better things
back in the States, but at card time he is just enjoying a sunny day in Oakland while some
teammates take infield behind him. Gail was in the midst of his third season in
KC when this photo was shot, and his second since the acquisition of John
Mayberry, who would play nearly every day at Gail’s favored position of first
base. That meant that he – Gail – only had moderate playing time those two
seasons. In ’73 the arrival of the DH doubled his plate time as he hit .209
with a .342 OBA in that role and did better as a pinch hitter with a .370
average with a .485 OBA. But KC was building itself through its system and the
following spring Gail would be released and then do some brief pinch hitting
work for LA in ’74. Then things got interesting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Gail Hopkins was born in Oklahoma and as a kid relocated to Long Beach, California,
where in high school he played the big three sports and was a catcher in
baseball. He then got a hoops scholarship to Pepperdine where he eventually
gave up that sport – too may shots to the head – but continued catching and was
an All-American in ’63. He graduated the following year, played ball that
summer in Canada,
and then signed with the White Sox in ’65. He got off to a good start that year
in A ball, leading his league’s catchers in pretty much all fielding stats
while hitting .272 with 54 RBI’s. In ’66 he hit the crap out of the ball at
that level with a .358/12/66 line in just 312 at bats, though why he wasn’t
moved up is a mystery. In ’67, still in A ball, he hit well again, posting a
.312/20/79 line with a .439 OBA while splitting time now between catching and
first base, his new spot. In ’68 he finally moved up, hitting .324 in Double A
and the same level in Triple A around a few at bats during his mid-year debut
in Chicago. At
both spots his OBA was above .400. Somehow during that season he also coached
ball at his alma mater.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">In ’69 Hopkins made the cut in spring training and
as a rookie split time at first base with Tommy McCraw. Gail hit pretty well
and put up a .351 OBA while providing some pretty good fielding. In ’70 he
occupied the same role and boosted his average 20 points but missed some time
with an injury. After that season he went to Kansas City with outfielder John Matias for
Pat Kelly. With KC in ’71 Gail had his best offensive season as he split time
at first again, now with Bob Oliver and Chuck Harrison. He actually began the
season as a pinch hitter and performed well in that role, hitting .312 with a
.500 OBA. That was good training for his future with the Royals because once
they stole John Mayberry from Houston,
Gail’s plate time declined significantly. In ’72 half his at bats came in the
pinch - .219 with a .308 OBA – and per the above he had a nice ’73 in that
role. By the time of this card’s issuance Gail had been released in late spring
training and he hooked up with San Diego for some Triple A ball in Hawaii where
he hit super well with a .308/12/54 line in 330 at bats. That got him a
mid-season purchase by the Dodgers, who pulled him up to LA for some more pinch
work that summer. After Gail hit .333 with a .429 OBA in that role he was
released in late October. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">In ’75 Hopkins
did a Leron Lee – a year earlier than Lee did actually – and took his bat to Japan. There he
hooked up with Hiroshima,
where he became a slugger his first year (a line of .256/31/91) and a
high-average guy his second (.329/20/69). In ’77 he moved to Nankai where he had
a .266/16/69 line in his final season. Gail finished with an MLB average of
.266 with 25 homers, 145 RBI’s, a .352 OBA, and about one strikeout per 16
plate appearances. He got shut out of any playoff time with LA but hit .312
with a .384 OBA in the minors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Hopkins</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> was a busy guy in academia during and after his
playing career, earning a graduate degree in biology while playing and then
four post-graduate degrees after baseball. One of those degrees was an MD and
since the mid-Eighties he has been an orthopedic surgeon in both California and West
Virginia, where he currently resides. He was inducted
in Pepperdine’s hall of fame during his playing career and the Western
Collegiate Conference one a couple years ago. He has also served on his alma
mater’s Board of Regents for nearly twenty years. This is his final card.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YyxCjb5C2O4/U1GpyudBOxI/AAAAAAAAEpE/2Kf04ZBnyUA/s1600/652b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YyxCjb5C2O4/U1GpyudBOxI/AAAAAAAAEpE/2Kf04ZBnyUA/s1600/652b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Gail did some nice work in
the minors and seemed capable of doing more up top if given more playing time.
He earned undergrad degrees in biology and theology at Pepperdine and is a big
bible guy. I have been super busy with work which is why there’s been such a
delay between posts. Only eight more to go.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">I can’t go through Japan for these
two so let’s try this:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">1. Hopkins and Rich Morales ’68 to ’70 White Sox;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">2. Morales and Leron Lee ’73
Padres. </span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-75585127972765556862014-03-24T23:59:00.000-07:002014-03-30T02:56:38.791-07:00#651 - Leron Lee<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NKv2ONEh3vs/Uzfp9GMaq-I/AAAAAAAAEok/-uIfX9YsC-g/s1600/651f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NKv2ONEh3vs/Uzfp9GMaq-I/AAAAAAAAEok/-uIfX9YsC-g/s1600/651f.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Leron Lee casts a noble
glance somewhere and if that somewhere is across that big pond just west of his
home base in San Diego
then that is an appropriate destination for his gaze. But that second career
was still a few seasons away at the time of this card and ’73 was a
transitional time for Leron but not in a good way. He began the season as the
everyday San Diego
left fielder and was doing well enough offensively with a .290 average through
mid-May. But then a protracted slump led to shared starts with Gene Locklear
and Jerry Morales who both had relatively hot bats. By the end of the season
Leron was used mostly as a pinch hitter, a role in which he did pretty well
with a .405 OBA, as new kid Dave Winfield took over left. By the time of this
card’s arrival Leron was in another league with a moderately better team but
still not in a great state career-wise. That would take a much bigger move.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Leron Lee was a big deal
fullback and outfielder at his Sacramento
high school and from there was a first round pick by the Cardinals in ’66.
After hitting over .400 each of his varsity seasons in HS he remained in Sacramento that summer to
play in the town’s Metropolitan League where he hit .457. In ’67 he began his
pro career outright with a .297/22/67 line in A ball and then in ’68 moved up
to Double A Arkansas where he hit OK - .266/13/65 – but had a tough time with
his first experience of overt racism. He demanded to play elsewhere and the
next season St. Louis
obliged by sticking him in Triple A where he thrived with a .303/17/96 season
with 92 runs that got him a late look up top. He remained there in ’70 and
split time in right field with Carl Taylor where a few too many K’s kept him
from matching his numbers at the lower levels. By the end of that season fellow
rookie Jose Cruz was seen as a big comer and early the next June after losing
his platoon spot Leron and Fred Norman went to San Diego for pitcher Al Santorini.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Things improved considerably
for Lee with the Padres. He took over the starting role in left field, upped
his average by nearly 100 points, and cut down on his strikeouts a bunch as his
.273 average tied Ollie Brown’s for the best among regulars on the team. In ’72
he was going great guns until an injury took him out for over six weeks in the
summer. Still, his .300 average led the team, and he seemed to be the first
ever Padre not prone to elongated batting slumps. That lasted all of a year and
after the ’73 season Leron went to Cleveland
off waivers. With the Tribe he got off to a slow start as a pinch hitter before
in mid-May taking over left field for John Lowenstein while he filled in other
outfield spots. Leroy had a nice run and was hitting over .300 by mid-June when
he cooled off and then didn’t get any appreciable starts until late in the
year. His final numbers that season unfortunately mirrored his ’73 ones as he
put up a .233/5/25 line in his 232 at bats. He then kicked off ’75 as a
seldom-used outfielder and pinch hitter, was released, and then picked up by
the Dodgers for whom he did pinch work the rest of the way, finishing the
season with a .212 average in only 66 at bats. Around a similarly miserable
time up top with LA in ’76 Leron spent most of his season in Mexico where he
ended his North American career. He finished with a .250 average with 31 homers
and 152 RBI’s and hit .303 in the minors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Late in the ’76 season Lee
was contacted by Jim Lefebvre, the former LA Rookie of the Year who had moved
to Japan
to play ball and then coach. Lefebvre was one of the few Americans who was able
to work well in the disciplined Japanese system and he was able to hook Leron
up with the Lotte Orions and give him useful tips on surviving professionally
in Japanese baseball. Leron did a lot better than that and would become the
most successful American player there. He would put in a total of eleven
seasons all with the same club and by the time he finished he had a lifetime
stat line of .320/283/912 with a .382 OBA. His average is the best for a career
over there for anyone with over 4,000 at bats and his power numbers rank pretty
highly also. After a while his brother Leon – dad to future MLB'er Derrek -
joined him and did nearly as well, hitting .308 in his ten seasons. Since Leron
retired following the ’87 season he has done some coaching and then lots of
scouting both in the States and in Japan.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AB5psy8Fks8/UzfqDhE5BQI/AAAAAAAAEos/hGogFBTF4_s/s1600/651b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AB5psy8Fks8/UzfqDhE5BQI/AAAAAAAAEos/hGogFBTF4_s/s1600/651b.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Leron got that fat bonus and
had early success in the minors. In ’71 he set a San Diego record with five hits in a game. He
was also a fan of model trains.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Here we hook up two Cali kids who played in
different leagues:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Lee and Dick Bosman ’74 to
’75 Indians;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Bosman and Mike Epstein
’67 to ’71 and ’73 Senators/Rangers.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-51824868233465137592014-03-20T23:59:00.000-07:002019-07-29T22:37:59.897-07:00#650 - Mike Epstein<div abp="4064">
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<div abp="4066" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="4067" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vDaBiwpgBbQ/UzcLaT9KfMI/AAAAAAAAEoU/tLjPkOHG4Og/s1600/650f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="4068" border="0" height="227" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vDaBiwpgBbQ/UzcLaT9KfMI/AAAAAAAAEoU/tLjPkOHG4Og/s1600/650f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div abp="4069" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4070">
<span abp="4071" style="font-size: 10pt;">And the penultimate action shot
belongs to .... Mike Epstein on his last Topps card swinging away at Yankee
Stadium and apparently connecting since it looks like Thurman Munson’s glove is
empty. Mike got back to California
the hard way – through the Texas Rangers – and by the time this card came out
was pretty much done emotionally with his first go in baseball. According to
the book “Seasons in Hell” Mike was admittedly mailing it in and was more
interested in getting his pilot’s license than in anything going on on the
field. Looking at this photo, though, he still seemed to have the ability to
uncork a huge swing every now and then. This shot was taken in either early
June or September since those were the only two times since Epstein’s
acquisition he played in NY for California
and I believe this shot is from the same game as the one of Vada Pinson. Mike
got with the Angels via a May trade that moved him, Rick Stelmaszek, and Rich
Hand for Jim Spencer and Lloyd Allen. That was after the trade that got him out
of Oakland initially, when he was sent to Texas rather cheaply for
reliever Horacio Pina. That trade was initiated by one of two events, depending
on the source: Mike’s o-fer performance in the ’72 Series (A’s owner Charlie
O); or Mike’s laying out of Reggie Jackson in the locker room (Epstein). Either
way it led to a pretty fast decline for Mike who would go from getting some MVP
votes for his ’72 work to being out of the game less tan two years later. But
he wouldn’t stay away for too long...</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="4072" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4073">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="4074" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4075">
<span abp="4076" style="font-size: 10pt;">Mike Epstein was a big kid
born in the Bronx, NYC. Sometime after he was
bar mitzvahed his family relocated to the west coast and Mike went to high
school in LA where he was all-area as both a fullback and a first baseman. He
then went to Berkeley
where he continued to play both sports and after hitting .375 his sophomore
year was wooed by the Dodgers via Tommy Lasorda but remained in school at his
dad’s insistence. In ’64 he upped his average to nearly .400, made
All-American, and was selected to the first ever US Olympic baseball team. He
then signed with the Orioles, put in some IL time, and returned to Berkeley to finish his
studies. In ’65 he broke in with a bang, putting up a .338/30/109 line in A
ball while playing first. In ’66 he jumped to Triple A where his line of
.302/29/102 earned him TSN’s Minor League Player of the Year and a brief end of
season look in Baltimore.
Around then Boog Powell had settled in at first base so Baltimore wanted to turn Mike into an
outfielder, which would require more time in the minors. Mike balked and early
in June of the ’67 season after barely playing he was sent to DC for pitcher
Pete Richert.<span abp="4077" style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He immediately took over
first but he was putting up too many K’s and not enough power so by the end of
the season he was splitting starts with Dick Nen. After winter ball and a good
spring training Mike was back in as the regular guy in ’68 but by mid-May his
average was still below .100 so he returned to Triple A for some hitting work
where he put up a .400/5/13 line in just eleven games. He was back up top in
June and hit .276 with twelve homers and 31 RBI’s the rest of the way.</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="4078" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4079">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="4080" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4081">
<span abp="4082" style="font-size: 10pt;">In ’69 Washington named a new manager in Ted
Williams and Epstein would become one of Ted’s star pupils. Pretty much all of
Mike’s offensive numbers would rise significantly and that season he sported a
.414 OBA as the Nats put up their first winning season in this rendition.
Expansion probably contributed to those numbers, though, and the next year Mike
fell back to earth a bit. The next year Oakland
was looking for a power guy at first and Mike went to the A’s with reliever
Darold Knowles for catcher Frank Fernandez, first baseman Don Mincher, and
reliever Paul Lindblad that May. He got the lion’s share of work at first the
rest of the way, continued to have pretty good OBA numbers, and got his first
post-season action. Then in ’72 he led Oakland
in homers and got his Series win though he didn’t have such a great time
offensively. That November he was sent to Texas
and he then finished things early in the ’74 season with California. For his career Mike hit .244
with 130 homers, 380 RBI’s, and a .358 OBA. In the post-season he hit .108 with
a homer in his 13 games and in just over two minor league seasons he hit .325
with 64 homers and 224 RBI’s.</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="4083" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4084">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="4085" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4086">
<span abp="4087" style="font-size: 10pt;">As mentioned above, Epstein
had sort of moved away emotionally from baseball by the time he retired. He
would relocate to Colorado
where he had his own ranch and also his own precious metals company for a few
years. But the baseball bug never left him entirely. By the early Nineties he
was in the San Diego area and coaching, first
for a big deal amateur team and then in the Milwaukee
system (’93, when he also went 4-7 as an interim manager), for some independent teams (’96-’99), and in the San
Diego system (2000). He also coached at San Diego High School in ’95. Since about ’94 he
has also run his own hitting school which by now has a sort of national network
and has developed a system called rotational hitting. Both Mike and his son are
busily involved in the school and if that photo on the site is recent Mike
looks damn good.</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="4088" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4089">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="4090" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="4091" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ax5BJz-sCQg/UzcLVZddPYI/AAAAAAAAEoQ/2ZXqLrVqmM4/s1600/650b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="4092" border="0" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ax5BJz-sCQg/UzcLVZddPYI/AAAAAAAAEoQ/2ZXqLrVqmM4/s1600/650b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div abp="4093" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4094">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="4095" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4096">
<span abp="4097" style="font-size: 10pt;">This is a good swan song card
and has some serious star bullets. Per the cartoon, Mike was no Ron Hunt, but
every season from ’68 to ’72 he was in the top four in the AL for HBP. After coming across the “Seasons
in Hell” book for the Joe Lovitto post I had to hunt it down. It’s a hilarious
book with lots of behind the scenes dope of the Rangers from ’73 to ’75. Though
Epstein was barely there at the time, he gets lots of mention, especially in a
bit in which he pissed off some former teammates after being traded to California by indicating
none of them was incentivized to win. Texas
then won its next three games against California
to kick off its only real winning streak that year.</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="4098" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4099">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="4100" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4101">
<span abp="4102" style="font-size: 10pt;">Another hook-up that takes us
through the AL:</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="4103" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4104">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="4105" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4106">
<span abp="4107" style="font-size: 10pt;">1. Epstein and Bernie Allen
’67 to ’71 Senators;</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="4108" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4109">
<span abp="4110" style="font-size: 10pt;">2. Allen and Roy White ’72 to
’73 Yankees;</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="4111" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="4112">
<span abp="4113" style="font-size: 10pt;">3. White and Fernando
Gonzolez ’74 Yankees.</span></div>
</div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-25570528198184786272014-03-18T23:59:00.000-07:002014-12-04T07:23:30.816-08:00#649 - Fernando Gonzalez<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-StCP2jmYNUQ/UzNEQ6dGXzI/AAAAAAAAEnk/D61ABPpTWS0/s1600/649f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-StCP2jmYNUQ/UzNEQ6dGXzI/AAAAAAAAEnk/D61ABPpTWS0/s1600/649f.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">I know we’re coming down to
the wire here and sometimes when that happened Topps was fishing for guys to
put on the cards. But two cards for a guy with 51 MLB at bats? That’s a little
crazy. In the ’76 set Topps gave rookie Willie Randolph a Traded card but that
was actually pretty cool, plus Willie was an integral part of a pennant winner
that year. Not so for Fernando here, though his path would sort of follow
Willie’s in that he’d get with the Yankees eventually. Here he’s sort of
hanging out in Pittsburgh
as a seldom-used back-up at third base and a pinch hitter. Unlike Terry Crowley
from the previous post Fernando wouldn’t develop into a franchise in that
latter role but he would get some time as a regular elsewhere in the infield.
Here he poses at Shea, most likely in September since that was the only series
in which he played there. He was up top nearly the whole season except for a
couple mid-summer months back in Triple A where he put up a nice average with
zero power. On his Traded card he looks plain nasty, like he's ready to be cast
in one of those Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns. This one’s a spring training
shot with Al Oliver in the background when hopes should have been high for
Fernando since he was probably coming off a pretty good season when this shot was
taken but I guess he’s showing his poker face. I think if I saw that mug in a
game I’d just fold.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ig9wu3-vqOc/UzNEW-6qWCI/AAAAAAAAEnw/qzMGxKD7ldk/s1600/649t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ig9wu3-vqOc/UzNEW-6qWCI/AAAAAAAAEnw/qzMGxKD7ldk/s1600/649t.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Fernando Gonzalez was signed
out of Puerto Rico by the new Seattle Pilots
in late ’68. For them he seemed to have hit well enough in A ball but his fielding
at his primary middle infield positions was pretty awful and he was released.
He spent ’70 playing semi-pro ball in Canada,
returned to PR for winter ball where he was managed by Roberto Clemente, and
did well enough to get signed by Pittsburgh
at the star’s recommendation. Back in A ball he hit a ton and more importantly
fielded significantly better while playing primarily shortstop. In ’72 he moved
up to Double A where he had another big offensive year and moved to the hot
corner on defense before making his debut with the Pirates. After the trade
shown here he moved to Kansas City
where he got some nominal field time before being sold to the Yankees in May. NY
was sort of in a transition mode that year at second base as longtime regular
Horace Clarke had been sent to San Diego and
Sandy Alomar had yet to arrive from California.
So Fernando got his first regular MLB gig at second before his low average
allowed Alomar to take over the spot and get Fernando sent back to Triple A
where his past offensive success at that level was elusive. During spring
training in ’75 he was released.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Gonzalez hooked up with the
Poza Rica team in the Mexican League the first half of the ’75 season and in
July was re-acquired by Pittsburgh to finish out the season in Triple A, where
he hit at a .279 clip while returning to third base. He remained there for all
of ’76 where he posted a .321/13/70 line as the regular corner guy. He then
returned to the big club in ’77 where he did back-up work at third and in the
outfield and put up some respectable offensive numbers with a .276/4/27 line in
his 181 at bats. He began ’78 in the same role but wasn’t getting nearly as
much work before he was plucked off waivers by San Diego. The Padres were also in a bit of a
jam at second as high profile kid Mike Champion didn’t work out and Fernando
immediately stepped into the starting role, hitting .250 the rest of the way
while providing some pretty good defense. In ’79 he was the starter early in
the year and he started strongly with a .300 average the first month-plus but
when his streak ran out it did so hard and by the end of the year displaced
shortstop – by Ozzie Smith – Billy Almon moved over as the starting guy. Prior
to the ’80 season the Padres picked up Dave Cash to take over second full time
and Fernando was released. He hooked up with California and that year had a .311/16/70
line in Triple A while splitting time between second and third but didn’t get
any call. In ’81 he began the season hitting .274 in the same role but was
released and then returned to Mexico
to play. He did that the next four years and then in mid-’84 returned to the
States to coach and play for the Yankees Double A franchise, hitting .257 in 60
games. That was his final work as a player and Fernando finished with a .235
MLB average on top of his .297 minor league one. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Gonzalez played Senior League
ball in ’89 and seems to have worked a bit in Mexico
and Puerto Rico as a coach after he played but
nothing specific is out there.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dixNGnqU3qo/UzNEgSOBexI/AAAAAAAAEn4/26_qY3-EbpA/s1600/649b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dixNGnqU3qo/UzNEgSOBexI/AAAAAAAAEn4/26_qY3-EbpA/s1600/649b.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Maybe that big ’72 warranted
the rookie double card thing. The cartoon was a big help for the bio since
everywhere else it just said he was out of pro ball. Despite what I said above
Fernando actually had some nice numbers as a pinch hitter. In ’77 he hit .370
in that role with a .429 OBA and nine RBI’s in his 27 pinch at bats and in ’78
he hit .444 with a .500 OBA in his ten plate appearances.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J2tg_kMyJq8/UzNEnzQud5I/AAAAAAAAEn8/Rofr0edWXbs/s1600/649tb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J2tg_kMyJq8/UzNEnzQud5I/AAAAAAAAEn8/Rofr0edWXbs/s1600/649tb.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Fernando was part of a pretty
big trade and all the other principals have the double cards as well.
“Originally drafted by the A’s”, huh? That may be a typo because I have found
no relationship between Fernando and Oakland
in my research. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">These two sure aren’t going
to get linked by the teams on their Traded cards:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Gonzalez and Rick Dempsey
’74 Yankees;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Dempsey and Terry Crowley ’76
to ’82 Orioles.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-73639195675388209672014-03-17T23:59:00.000-07:002016-07-17T18:19:15.084-07:00#648 - Terry Crowley<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pLalV84yyoI/UzJOAhtpnPI/AAAAAAAAEm8/hhd-4Qpa1C8/s1600/648f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pLalV84yyoI/UzJOAhtpnPI/AAAAAAAAEm8/hhd-4Qpa1C8/s1600/648f.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Here we have the subject of
the penultimate Traded card in the set in Terry Crowley, who actually looks
relieved in the hatless photo of the Traded card, which is usually why those
photos were taken in the first place. Terry was actually itching for a trade as
his usage in ’73 was way less than he thought was warranted. After being Baltimore’s Opening Day DH – and going 2 for 4 – he was
pretty quickly supplanted by Tommie Davis after Terry’s average moved down to Mendoza levels by
mid-April and never really recovered. The rest of the season he got a little
outfield and first base work and also some as DH and pinch hitter. That last
role would become sort of a double-edged sword for Terry since he would gain
some notoriety for his performance in that position, but his degree of skill at it
would limit his usage elsewhere. But all that wouldn’t happen until his second
go-around in Baltimore.
Regarding the trade – actually a sale – like some recent subjects, Terry
wouldn’t actually play a regular season game for his new team and by the time
these cards came out he’d be with a whole other team in a whole other league.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Terry Crowley grew up on Staten Island in NYC where he was a Yankees fan and a
pitcher. He had acquired lots of MLB interest in that role in high school until
he was injured his senior year and he had to leave pitching behind. When
interest abated he decided to go to Long
Island University
where he relocated to the outfield and his sophomore year was an All-American.
That performance got the scouts interested again and Baltimore drafted him that spring of ’66, but
he took so long to sign that he only got some IL ball that year. In ’67 he
played mostly first base in A ball where he hit .262 with some good power – ten
triples - and stole 21 bases. He then split ’68 between Double A and Triple A,
hitting a combined .265 while playing mostly outfield at the lower level and
first base the latter part of the season. In ’69 he had a big year at the
higher level with a .282/28/83 line before a September call-up got him in the
middle of some division-run action. In ’70 he stayed with Baltimore as a reserve outfielder/first
baseman and hit pretty well in his limited work, posting a .394 OBA. In ’71 he
hurt his leg during spring training, missed some time, and was sent to Triple A
for rehab. He had a big year, posting a .282/19/63 line with a .399 OBA in just
259 at bats while playing first, though his short time back up wasn’t too
productive. But in ’72 a hot start got him a bunch of starts in right field in
the wake of Frank Robinson’s trade to LA. By the end of May his average was at
.378, but a sub-.200 the rest of the way would contribute to his return to the
minors in ’73. In the meantime, though, he had a pretty good action card in
that ’73 set.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4DJkG9T0vYI/UzJOIdacNzI/AAAAAAAAEnE/bJuo4CcSDNE/s1600/648tf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4DJkG9T0vYI/UzJOIdacNzI/AAAAAAAAEnE/bJuo4CcSDNE/s1600/648tf.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Crowley</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> did not make it out of spring training with Texas in ’74 and went to Cincinnati in a sale. In a prelude of things
to come, he would get some outfield work, but the majority of his time was
spent in the pinch. In ’74 he put up a .204/0/7 line in 59 plate appearances in
that role and in the Series year of ’75 he upped it to .280/0/4 with a .357 OBA
in 56 appearances. Following that year he went to Atlanta in a trade for pitcher Mike Thompson,
but after just a couple games he was released. Shortly thereafter he was picked
up by the Orioles and he initially put in some games at Triple A, where he hit
.261, before returning to Baltimore for some games at DH but lots more in the
pinch, hitting .246 overall in 61 at bats. In ’77 he was back in Triple A where
he had another big year with a .308/30/80 line in just over 400 at bats before
he made some late appearances with the O’s and hit .467 with nine RBI’s in just
15 at bats. That success pretty much sealed his fate the next few years as he
rejoined the Earl Weaver platoon system as a sometime left-handed DH and mostly
pinch hitter. He especially delivered the next two seasons with a line of
.368/0/9 with a .372 OBA in 38 ’78 at bats and in ’79 of .302/1/7/.426 in 43 at
bats. He became a fan favorite and was the subject of a pretty hilarious
foul-mouthed Earl Weaver diatribe that can be heard on YouTube. That second
year he helped Baltimore
to its final pennant of the Seventies. In ’80 he got his most time at DH,
putting up a line of .288/12/50 in just 233 at bats. His average came down a
bit in the ’81 strike season, though his line of .246/4/25 with a .376 OBA was
still impressive for just 134 at bats. He closed things out with another year
as a pinch guy in ’82 before doing some time with Montreal in the same role in ’83. Terry
finished with a .250 average, 42 homers, and 229 RBI’s and a pretty good .345
OBA. In the post-season he hit .273 with three RBI’s in 13 games.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">After playing Crowley turned
immediately to coaching for what would turn into a long run in that role. In
’84 he became Baltimore’s minor league hitting coach before joining the Orioles
from ’85 to ’88. He then spent ’89 to ’90 in the Boston system as its hitting
coordinator before joining Minnesota for a long successful run from ’91 to ’98.
He then returned to the Orioles as the team’s hitting coach from ’99 to 2010
before giving up that role to become the system hitting evaluator, a position
he still holds. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L_8jYgOTcuw/UzJOQaK7AiI/AAAAAAAAEnM/fqcarbCn0qM/s1600/648b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L_8jYgOTcuw/UzJOQaK7AiI/AAAAAAAAEnM/fqcarbCn0qM/s1600/648b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">There are lots of one-liners
in the star bullets. In ’70 Terry hit .310 as a pinch hitter with a .429 OBA. Regarding
the homer, it won the game in the 10<sup>th</sup> inning to put the O’s only a
game back. Unfortunately some under-.500 ball the rest of the way kept them in
third place.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aqqsjIwyW5w/UzJOXgouxzI/AAAAAAAAEnU/hL9aXwCiMiQ/s1600/648t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aqqsjIwyW5w/UzJOXgouxzI/AAAAAAAAEnU/hL9aXwCiMiQ/s1600/648t.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Well, that’s a nice headline.
It makes Terry seem like a box of fruit. He was sold to Texas for $100,000, not a bad price back
then. This post goes up on St. Patrick's Day; I gotta believe this guy has at least a little Irish in him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The connection here could
have been Texas,
had things gone a bit differently:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Crowley and Bobby Grich ’70 to ’73 and ’76
Orioles;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Grich and Juan Beniquez ’81
to ’85 Angels.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-15066338967713210232014-03-14T23:59:00.001-07:002021-02-19T20:19:42.514-08:00#647 - Juan Beniquez<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3rnYG2ZohMM/UzA0pEXLVUI/AAAAAAAAEmo/wspQbU7Gn0A/s1600/647f.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3rnYG2ZohMM/UzA0pEXLVUI/AAAAAAAAEmo/wspQbU7Gn0A/s1600/647f.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Yes, this guy used to be a
shortstop. And on his rookie card he strikes a very shortstop-y pose in front
of some spring training batting practice. Back then Juan Beniquez was being
groomed as the heir apparent to Luis Aparicio, but by the time of this card’s
arrival the switch had been made to the outfield. Seeds of that change had
already been sown in a ’73 spent exclusively in Triple A where Juan had a nice
season offensively, leading his league in hitting and recording 25 stolen
bases. Defensively most of his time was spent in center field after some rough
recent numbers at his listed position – see cartoon – as well as short runs at
second and third. The shift worked and would help contribute to a nice long
career for Juan, though position-wise his timing wasn’t too hot and most of
that time would be spent elsewhere.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Juan Beniquez was signed by Boston out of a local
Puerto Rican team in ’68, when he was 18. In A ball his first season he put up
some good offensive and defensive numbers while playing exclusively at short,
which would be his position the next few years as well. He then split ’70
between that level and Double A, topping out with a combined 43 stolen bases in
the minors. In ’71 he kept his offense rocking with a big triples number and 30
steals in Triple A before his successful debut in Boston late that season. In ’72 he began the
season in Triple A and after hitting nearly .300 with 20 steals in half a
season he was pulled up to the Sox where he did some light duty while spelling
Little Looie at short. After moving to the outfield in ’73 Juan returned to Boston full-time in ’74
where he hit .267 with 19 stolen bases while sharing time in center with Rick
Miller. While he did well in that role and would seem to have had a future
there, he was quickly trumped the next season when the arrival of
all-everything rookie Fred Lynn pushed Juan into a reserve role that included
time at the outfield corners, DH, and even third base. He hit .291 in that role
and then worked regularly in the post-season after an injury laid other rookie
phenom Jim Rice incapacitated. But the presence of those two plus other young
outfielders Dwight Evans, Miller, and Bernie Carbo meant that playing time
would be scarce for Juan, so following the season he went to Texas in the deal that made Fergie Jenkins a
Red Sox.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">With the Rangers the next
three seasons Beniquez became the regular guy in center where he would supply
very capable defense and won a Gold Glove in ’77. But his offense was sort of unspectacular
with a .261 average, a high of 50 RBI’s, and middling stolen base numbers.
After the ’78 season he was involved in another trade with a (future) big deal
pitcher, this time joining Dave Righetti in going to the Yankees in a populated
swap. With NY Juan suffered through a season of back-up work in which he hit
.254 in only 142 at bats. Then it was on the road again, this time to Seattle in the deal that brought another soon-to-be disappointed Yankee outfielder to NY in Ruppert
Jones. Juan’s numbers weren’t any better with the Mariners - .228 in 237 at
bats – in another short stay. After the season he departed for California as a free
agent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Beniquez would enjoy his most
successful MLB time with the Angels, though it sure didn’t start off that way.
In the strike year of ’81 he bottomed out offensively with a .181 average in
just 166 at bats. He was then moved to the outfield corners which seemed to
contribute to an offensive revival as his average jumped to .265, his highest
since ’77. Then in ’83 he surprised probably everyone by starting a three-year
run of hitting over .300 while getting plenty of work as the California fourth outfielder. He topped out
with a .336 in ’84 which got him some MVP votes, and in ’85 expanded his field
work to first base. Then, in another example of bad timing, he left Anaheim for
Baltimore as a free agent where in his one season he reprised his role as a
fourth outfielder while hitting an even .300. He then went to Kansas
City for a couple minor leaguers after that season and finished
things up as a reserve outfielder and pinch hitter in ’88 with Toronto, hitting .293. So 17 years in, Juan
finished with a .274 average with 79 homers, 476 RBI’s, and over 100 stolen
bases. In the post-season he hit .200 with a couple RBI’s in his eight games. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Beniquez had played winter ball back in his native PR during his whole stateside career and for a bit thereafter, where he also did some coaching and managing. Outside of an ’89 spent in the Senior League, though, there is no specific information out there regarding what he did professionally after baseball. That’s almost always the case with the Latin guys.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JWakBLcypl4/UzA0wiOjPAI/AAAAAAAAEms/cbCaP8BmVfc/s1600/647b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JWakBLcypl4/UzA0wiOjPAI/AAAAAAAAEms/cbCaP8BmVfc/s1600/647b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Juan gets some star bullet
props for his glove and hitting work, but that cartoon is a killer. Those
couple games were instrumental in that shift to the outfield.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">So these two faced each other
in that immortal ’75 Series:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">1. Beniquez and Ellis
Valentine ’83 Angels;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">2. Valentine and George
Foster ’82 Mets. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-47889890194891240632014-03-12T23:59:00.000-07:002017-02-28T09:55:24.029-08:00#646 - George Foster<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FjmIZXoK3UA/UytAt3f6vkI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/DtRy17jvzoQ/s1600/646f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FjmIZXoK3UA/UytAt3f6vkI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/DtRy17jvzoQ/s1600/646f.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">What we have here is a
high-hatted George Foster looking concerned about something, perhaps his
career? Two years after coming to Cincinnati
to replace the injured Bobby Tolan in center George, bedeviled by a low average
and many strikeouts, was in the minors for most of the ’73 season. While his
Triple A numbers were by no means eye-popping – a .262 average with 15 homers,
60 RBI’s, and 109 K’s in 496 at bats – his time there certainly seemed to have
done the trick. While those K totals weren’t exactly low they were a long way
better than his ratio up until then in MLB at bats, which was more than one in
four. After about a year-plus of settling in time George would become the
biggest slugger in the mid- to late-Seventies version of the Big Red Machine
and eventually earn himself a fat payday on the free agent market. So no need
for concern, at least not for another decade.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">George Foster was born in Alabama but had relocated to California by the time he was in high school.
Cut from his freshman team he started lifting weights and made the roster the
rest of his HS time and played football and ran track as well. After graduating
in ’67 he tried out for the Dodgers but didn’t make the cut and instead went to
nearby El Camino College, where he continued to participate in all three
sports. In the meantime he’d been selected in the January ’68 draft by the
Giants and once his college season ended he signed and hit .277 in A ball with
not too much power. In ’69 he put up much better numbers at that level with a
.321/14/85 line and a .381 OBA before his successful September debut in a
couple games. In ’70 he played nearly the whole season in Triple A where his
line was .308/8/66 before he again hit well in some short time in San Francisco. Back then
the Giants were awash in young outfielders, fielding two spots on the ’68 Topps
Rookie team in Bobby Bonds and Dave Marshall, and also sporting a franchise
roster that included Ken Henderson, Bernie Williams, Garry Maddox, and Gary
Matthews. In ’71 George was pulled up to San Francisco as one of the bunch and
while he hit OK while playing the outfield corners, the Giants decided they
needed more help in the infield and traded George that May to Cincinnati for
shortstop Frank Duffy and minor league pitcher Vern Geishert. Eventually it
would turn into another monster deal for the Reds but at the time they were
desperate for a center fielder to fill the spot made open by Bobby Tolan’s
pre-season injury. George did not so bad defensively: he had a big arm and
covered enough ground but he wasn’t the most accurate thrower. And offensively
his power wasn’t too bad but he at times seemed overmatched at the plate and he
wasn’t the offensive catalyst Bobby was in ’70. When Tolan returned in ’72 and
the Machine made that big deal with Houston, the presence of Tolan and new guy
Cesar Geronimo pushed George to a back-up role which didn’t really suit him as
his average floundered and he struck out once every three at bats.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">After the transitional year
of ’73 Foster was back up for good. Tolan was gone, having experienced his own
funk in ’73, and the outfield was populated by Pete Rose, off-season acquirees
Merv Rettenmund and Terry Crowley, and a bunch of young guys including Geronimo,
Ken Griffey, Dan Driessen, and George. For the ’74 season George shared time at
the corner spots with Driessen and Griffey while Geronimo took over center
field. George hit well enough, posting a .264/7/41 line in his 276 at bats. The
Reds continued that system to start the ’75 season but then blew it up a bit in
a good way by moving Rose to third base and giving Griffey and George the regular
corner spots, Foster taking over left field. His numbers improved markedly to a
.300/23/78 line, and he followed up his year with a nice post-season. In ’76,
now a regular from day one, he became an All-Star by putting up a line of
.306/29/121 while keeping the K’s relatively low and leading the NL in RBI’s
which he would also do the next two years. ‘77 was his big MVP season with his
.320/52/149 line with 124 runs and a .382 OBA. He led the NL with his totals in
runs, homers, and RBI’s, becoming the first NL guy to post over 50 homers since
Willie Mays in ’65 and the first NLer with that many RBI’s since Tommie Davis
in ’62. In ’78 he again led the league in homers and RBI’s while recording a
.281/40/120 line as he continued to do well despite the loss the last two
seasons of Tony Perez behind him in the line-up. The next few seasons George
would continue to post excellent numbers though they would be discounts to his
big three seasons due to various factors: .302/30/98 despite missing over a
month in the summer of ’79 due to injury; .273/25/93 after the departure of Joe
Morgan and Johnny Bench’s injury meant lots less protection in the line-up; and
.295/22/90 while missing about a third of the season due to the strike. By then
George was looking for the big bucks and though he departed Cincy in a trade to
the Mets for Jim Kern, Alex Trevino, and Greg Harris, it was really sort of his
departure to free agency.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The Mets of the late
Seventies and early Eighties were a pretty sorry bunch and the acquisition of
Foster was hailed as the beginning of a turnaround. But even the post-Morgan,
Rose, and Perez line-up of the recent Reds teams was vastly superior to the one
George joined in ’82. Young outfielder Mookie Wilson and third baseman Hubie
Brooks showed promise but the rest of the batting order was nothing special and
the dynamic mound staff was a thing of the past. George had a pretty terrible
first year as he put up a line of .247/13/70 while overswinging helped pile up
the strikeouts. That didn’t make too many NY fans happy and poor George was christened
with the new last name of Flopster. He would recover a bit the next two years
to lines of .241/28/90 in ’83 and .269/24/86 in ’84 as some key acquisitions
and the development of the young guys put the Mets in the right direction. In
’85 he had a line of .263/21/77 as the Mets moved to the cusp of the playoffs
with the acquisition of Gary Carter. Early in the ’86 season George was still
getting starts in left but he began to be pushed for time by kids Lenny Dykstra
and Kevin Mitchell. When his complaint about playing time – either on his own
behalf or that of Mookie Wilson’s, depending on the source – took perceived
racial overtones he was released and missed the post-season. After playing a
couple weeks with the White Sox he was done. George finished with a .274
average with 348 homers and 1,239 RBI’s. He made five All-Star teams, was a
Silver Slugger once, and in 23 post-season games hit .289 with three homers and
twelve RBI’s. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Despite the tough times in NY
after Foster retired he made the area his home and settled in Connecticut.
There he began a ministry and worked with various levels of kids in team and
private baseball coaching. He initially ran a non-profit in the Dayton area and since has
started his own group that benefits children of military personnel. He
continues to coach privately and also does motivational speaking.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IAEpFgJWZG4/UytA2uTb3rI/AAAAAAAAEmU/wb8V9KCNoXg/s1600/646b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IAEpFgJWZG4/UytA2uTb3rI/AAAAAAAAEmU/wb8V9KCNoXg/s1600/646b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">An early playoff highlight
occupies one star bullet and those four homers are pretty impressive for only
39 ’73 at bats.This card is really off center.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">These two were a decade apart
as Mets:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Foster and Tom Seaver ’83
Mets;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Seaver and Ken Boswell ’67
to ’74 Mets.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-89578294039677889002014-03-11T23:59:00.000-07:002014-12-04T06:56:30.019-08:00#645 - Ken Boswell<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vQBkYwNWUag/UyVq7Tob8nI/AAAAAAAAEl0/fV7VVFLAopQ/s1600/645f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vQBkYwNWUag/UyVq7Tob8nI/AAAAAAAAEl0/fV7VVFLAopQ/s1600/645f.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">In one of the set’s final
action shots we get Ken Boswell somewhere in the infield at Shea. This would
have been pretty rare moment for Ken in ’73: of his 110 at bats during the year
about half of them were in the pinch and his playing time was seriously
squeezed by the acquisition of everyday second baseman Felix Millan before the
beginning of the season. That acquisition was made necessary, in part, due to
Ken’s fragility as he’d missed parts of three seasons due to injury. So just
about all Ken’s games in the field in ’73 were at third base, and those after
Jim Fregosi was traded away. Like many of his teammates his offensive
contributions were uneven throughout most of the season until crunch time; the
last two months of the season he hit .389 with a .522 OBA as a pinch hitter. He
would then carry that hot streak into the post-season with a record-setting
performance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Ken Boswell grew up in Austin, Texas,
where in high school he was a point guard and middle infielder. There was a
considerable amount of interest in him by MLB teams his senior year after he
led his HS team to go deep in a national tournament but he opted to go to
nearby Sam Houston College on a baseball scholarship at his parents’
insistence. But Ken wasn’t much of a student and after some renewed interest
from the Mets during his first year he decided he’d had enough of college, did
a deep dive on his grades, and became eligible for the initial ’65 draft, in
which he was taken in the fourth round. He then had a pretty fortuitous start
to his career in A ball – see cartoon – and hit .285 with a bit of power though
his defensive performance at second wasn’t too hot. He continued hitting well
after moving up to Double A in ’66 with a .299 average and .374 OBA and
improved things a bit defensively which earned him a mid-season call-up to
Triple A where he split time between second and third while hitting .255. In ’67
he pulled his Army hitch missing all of spring training and most of the season.
He hit .249 when he returned in Triple A and then got his call-up in September
to NY for whom his first homer would be the only Mets one in LA that year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Boswell was up for good after
his debut but had a rough start his first season. He injured some ribs just
before spring training and so missed most of his games. But he was pretty much
ready when his rookie season began and got things rolling at a decent enough
clip to win a split spot at second base with Dave Nelson on the Topps Rookie
Team. That honor was received even though he missed a considerable part of the
summer with a broken finger. During that time manager Gil Hodges began
employing a platoon system for most of his infielders and Ken, a lefty hitter,
would see most of the action since he hit against righties. So in ’69 he would
begin a run getting the lion’s share of work at second while providing some
pretty good offense. He had probably his best season in that category in ’69 as
he split time with veteran Al Weiss and rookie Wayne Garrett at second. He then
had an excellent playoff against Atlanta but
then only got one start in the Series since Baltimore threw mostly lefties at the Mets. In
’70 his average fell a bit but Ken surprised just about everyone by reeling off
a record streak of 85 straight games at second without an error, only recording
two all year. Now that the handle of being defensively-challenged had been
removed, he retained his spot through ’71 and into ’72 although that last
season he was hindered by a season-long injury that contributed to a big
hitting slump – he didn’t break .200 until mid-September – and a bit of a
fallout in his defense. That performance was a big part of the rationale behind
the trade that brought Felix Millan to the team the next year. Now a reserve,
Ken split field time in ’74 between third and second, where he got some starts
while Millan was injured. But the irregular work took its toll on his hitting
as he punched in with a .216 average his final year in NY. After the season he
was traded to Houston
for outfielder Bob Gallagher.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Back close to his home base,
Boswell would preserve his role he had his last couple seasons in NY, as a
reserve guy at second and third. In ’75 he revived his average a bit to .242
and his OBA a lot more to .350 in a transitional year for the Houston infield. In ’76 Enos Cabell took over
third base and Rob Andrews second and most of Ken’s time was at the former
position, which meant less field time. So more than half his plate time was as
a pinch hitter and he did well in that role, hitting .318 with a .387 OBA while
setting a team record with 20 pinch hits. He would round things out with the
Astros in ’77 at second and in the pinch, finishing his career by firmly
shaking off the initial “good hit no field” tag by recording only one error his
final four years at second base. Ken also finished with a .248 average with 31
homers and 244 RBI’s. In the post-season he was a bit of a monster, hitting .421
with two homers and five RBI’s in his eight games.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">After playing Boswell
returned full-time to the Austin
area where he initially sold trucks for the Cliff Peck dealership there. He
then turned to specializing in antique cars which he did for many years before
retiring to his ranch, which he’d also built up and ran as a working one for
many years.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-svqg2orKfVk/UyVrBn1dI8I/AAAAAAAAEmA/7v3AShIBESQ/s1600/645b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-svqg2orKfVk/UyVrBn1dI8I/AAAAAAAAEmA/7v3AShIBESQ/s1600/645b.jpg" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">These are some pretty good
highlights and I like that Topps puts in the recent one of his Series work in ’73.
Per the narrative on those cards way back he got those hits in three at bats
for a perfect average. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">As a contrast to the former
hook-up this one’s pretty easy:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Boswell and Wayne Granger ’75
Astros.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-67801323147094196392014-03-10T23:59:00.000-07:002014-12-04T06:51:06.377-08:00#644 - Wayne Granger<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w9jq3yBZ4q8/UyLd7KaivmI/AAAAAAAAElc/fMEv8y64lLo/s1600/644f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w9jq3yBZ4q8/UyLd7KaivmI/AAAAAAAAElc/fMEv8y64lLo/s1600/644f.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">I’d always thought this was a
legit shot of Wayne
in his new uniform. Those pinstripes are sure real but on closer inspection
that “NY” on the cap is not and the setting sure isn’t Yankee Stadium. This, I
think, is a spring training shot in one of the old Minnesota pinstriped shirts. That means that
might be Joe Decker in the background if that’s a 23 on that uniform. All
conjecture of course but if correct this puts him back in ’72, which would
represent pretty much the last year of the first good part of his MLB career. ’73
began with his trade back to St. Louis for an
outfielder who seemed mired in the minors but would strike gold in Minnesota, Larry Hisle.
Oops. Then he and the Cards got off to a horrid start, the team opening the
season 3-22 and Wayne
going a month-plus before pitching in a game the team won. While he would
finish May strongly he threw uneven ball the rest of the way, recording only
five saves through early August. By then it was apparent he was no longer the
stopper he had been and he was sent to the Yankees for minor league pitcher Ken
Crosby. He would pitch better the rest of the way for NY but suffered some
porous defense behind him – twice as many runs as earned ones – and by the time
this card came out he was released. Just before the ’74 season tipped off he
was signed by the White Sox so he would remain in a version of pinstripes but
by then arm pain would dictate his career path and he wouldn’t get another card
until ’76 when he popped back in the NL with a perm and a new team. But with
his serious mien Wayne
seemed ready for anything.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Wayne Granger grew up in Huntington, Massachusetts,
where he was apparently always skinny but played hoops and baseball before
going to nearby Springfield
College after graduating
in ’63. After a year of ball there he signed with St. Louis as a free agent early in ’65 and
after a rough start in Double A got things going in A ball, going a combined
11-12 with a 3.10 ERA in the rotation. Wayne
could throw heat but he also had a pretty wicked sinker that he could throw
anywhere from full overhand to sidearm. Those pitches would become his out
pitches from then on. In ’66 he moved back to Double A and the pen and had a
big season, going 11-2 with a 1.80 ERA while helping his club to the league
title. In ’67 he moved to a spot role in Triple A with an 8-7/3.03 line and
then the next year returned exclusively to the pen where a 4-3/2.16 start to
the season had him in St. Louis
by early summer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Granger got called up in June
of ’68 right into a pennant race in the wake of injuries to reliever Ron Willis
and some ineffective pitching by starter Dick Hughes, two guys who were big
contributors to the ’67 title. Wayne
responded well with a nice record and four saves as he gradually moved into a
closer role before throwing a couple of Series innings. But after the season
the Cards needed to fill a hole with Roger Maris’ retirement so Wayne and
outfielder Bobby Tolan were sent to Cincinnati for Vada Pinson. It was a very
good trade for the Reds as Wayne
pretty much immediately took over the closer role, setting a record with his 90
games and recording 27 saves to win TSN’s Fireman of the Year award. He kept
things going in ’70 when he set another record with his 35 saves to win his
second straight FOY and help take Cincy to the post-season for the first time
in a decade. Things got a bit sloppy there, though, when he gave up a grand
slam to Baltimore
pitcher Dave McNally. Still, Wayne
returned in ’71 to a team that would be greatly diminished by injuries, though
he was able to again lead the NL in games pitched with 70. But the saves were
harder to come by and late in the season his ERA got elevated a bit as he lost
closing time to Pedro Borbon. Wayne finished
with eleven saves and after the season he was sent to Minnesota for another slight reliever –
though leftie – Tom Hall.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">With the Twins in ’72 Granger
put together a pretty good season, lowering his ERA a bit and nearly doubling
his saves total to 19. But a lot of that good work was front-loaded – by late
June he had a 0.70 ERA and 13 saves - and some tough summer outings led to losing
lots of late closing time to Dave LaRoche. After the series of moves he landed
in Chicago
early in ’74 and spent nearly all of that season in Triple A where he went 10-3
as a spot guy with a 3.24 ERA and five saves. He then signed as a free agent
with Houston for whom he returned to the MLB level, doing mostly set-up work
while going 2-5/3.65 with five saves. After being released following the season he signed with Montreal
and split ’76 between Jarry
Park – 1-0/3.66 with two
saves in 27 games – and Triple A where he went 3-1/2.45 with six saves in 26
games. After then signing with and being released by the Braves Wayne relocated
to Mexico where he pitched
the next two seasons, primarily for Durango.
In ’79 he threw for three leagues – Inter-American; Mexican; and in Triple A – in
what would be his final season. He finished with an MLB mark of 35-35 with nary
a start, a 3.14 ERA and 108 saves. In the post-season that grand slam killed
him as he had an 11.25 ERA in his four games. In the minors he was 49-32 with a
3.01 ERA.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">After his playing career
ended Granger made his home in Florida,
where he worked in sporting goods, at a boat dealership, and then for 15 years
ran his own billiards business. In ’82 he was inducted into the Cincinnati hall of fame.
After selling the billiards shop he returned to Massachusetts where he is retired.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FS7BhRH1QW8/UyLeB56QlcI/AAAAAAAAElk/AbFQxmLIbrY/s1600/644b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FS7BhRH1QW8/UyLeB56QlcI/AAAAAAAAElk/AbFQxmLIbrY/s1600/644b.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">There is no shortage of star
bullets for Wayne here with his two big seasons
in Cincinnati.
On the back of his ’69 card Topps made a big typo, indicating that he helped
his Reds team to the Series when it was actually St. Louis.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">I sure didn’t see this
hook-up coming but here goes:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Granger and Dave LaRoche
’72 Twins;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. LaRoche and Ken Landreaux
’77 to ’78 Angels;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">3. Landreaux and Steve Garvey
– or a few other guys – ’81 to ’82 Dodgers;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">4. Garvey was on the ’73
Dodgers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">When Ken Landreaux went to
the Twins as part of the deal for Rod Carew he said it should have been even up
and that he’d make the Minnesota
fans forget Carew. That guy had balls.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-10804763587666227572014-03-06T23:59:00.000-08:002019-07-23T13:40:55.800-07:00#643 (cont) - LosAngeles Dodgers/Dodgers Team Records<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JTen8zLUrqk/Ux7tHXSR05I/AAAAAAAAElI/SUHe3pM10dw/s1600/643cf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JTen8zLUrqk/Ux7tHXSR05I/AAAAAAAAElI/SUHe3pM10dw/s1600/643cf.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">On the Dodgers team checklist
front we get a first: a team card in which every signature belongs to someone
actually on the team in ’73. Two signatures – those of Willie Davis and Claude
Osteen – belong to members of that team who would leave but contribute
significantly to the ’74 NL pennant won by LA. Davis brought reliever Mike Marshall and
Osteen brought outfielder Jimmy Wynn, both new faces contributing mightily to
that ’74 success. There is one Hall of Famer in Don Sutton and a couple cusp
guys in Tommy John and Bill Buckner as well as an NBA Hall guy in Bill Russell
(oops, wrong one). OK, enough drivel. Time to get to the bios.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">So of course the first of
these is about a guy for whom there is almost no media presence at all, which
is too bad because he sounds damn interesting. Oscar Jones came out of Missouri farm country
and presumably played some baseball while in school. But he left his education
like lots of guys from that era to – no, not play semi-pro or factory ball, but
... – join a circus. He seems to have specialized in riding a bicycle on a high
wire and other tricks and during down time relaxed by playing a bit and was
discovered by a scout doing that in 1901, when he was 21. He’d already earned
his nickname “Flip Flap”, which was somehow related to his circus act (back
then “flip flap” was synonymous with a “loop the loop” on a roller-coaster).
That scout seemed to be right because Oscar’s first two seasons for LA, a
California League A team, he won 29 and 36 games, each year pitching well over
400 innings. After a couple starts in ’03 he was sold to Brooklyn
and then went 19-14 with a 2.94 ERA as a rookie, throwing four shutouts. In ’04
his ERA improved to 2.75 but his record fell to 17-25 and his loss total led
the NL. Despite his 377 innings up top he somehow also managed to go 6-3 with a
2.02 ERA in almost 100 innings of A ball. In ’05 things took another backward
step when his ERA inflated to 4.66 and his record fell to 8-15 before he fell
back to the minors, where he went 2-5. From then on it was all lower level stuff
as now in the PCL Oscar won 60 games the next two seasons, both with excellent
ERA’s. That first year of ’06 he threw 500 innings. In ’08 he fell to 10-26
though his ERA was still good at 2.76. From ’09 to ’13 he pitched for D level
teams but only stats from ’10 (16-8) and ’13 (24-8) are available. He finished
things out by winning ten in B ball in ’14 and was done. Oscar went 44-54 with
a 3.22 ERA, 83 complete games, and a save during just three seasons of MLB
work. In the minors he went 194-159 with a lifetime ERA around 2.00. On both
levels he hit pretty well, including a .211 average up top and nearly that in
the minors. And then? He passed away in ’53 at age 73 in Fort Worth. It’s really too bad there’s
nothing else out there on him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Iron Man Joe McGinnity has a
bio on the Giants post.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Farmer George Bell is another
turn of the last century guy on whom much information does not exist. Born in
upstate NY, he began playing pro ball in the NY State League in ’04 – according
to his card back then of which I have a reprint – when he was already 29 years
old. In ’06 he went 23-16 for an A level team in the Tri-State League and was
then sold to Brooklyn. George wouldn’t have
too much luck up top, starting with his Rookie year in ’07 – he was 32 – when
despite an excellent 2.25 ERA he went 8-16. The next year his ERA moved up to
3.59 and his wins halved. In ’06 he had perhaps his best season with a 16-15
record and a 2.71 ERA. Then came 1910, when he arguably pitched the best
baseball of his career, putting up a 2.64 ERA with four shutouts but only
posting a 10-27 record (his WAR that year was nearly a five). That was followed
by an elevated ERA in ’11 that got him returned to the minors after going 5-6.
George would win ten each of the next two seasons in Double A, get injured in
’14, and close things out with twelve wins in a ’15 season split between B and
D ball. He went only 43-79 for his MLB time with a slightly under-average 2.85
ERA, 92 complete games, 17 shutouts, and four saves. In the minors he was 56-42
for years his stats are available. After playing he apparently settled in NYC
where he passed away on Christmas of ’41 when he was 67.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Freddie Fitzsimmons was
raised in Mishawaka, Indiana, not too far from Notre Dame. He
signed to a B team in ’20 when he was 18 and went a combined 33-33 at that
level the next two-plus seasons before moving up to Double A late in ’22. He
stuck with Indianapolis
the next four seasons where he posted a record of 40-31 despite a generally
high ERA. It was during this time that he perfected his knuckle curve, which
would be his out pitch. Sold to the Giants in ’25 after winning 14 in the
minors, he finished the season going 6-3 with a 2.65 ERA in the rotation.
Though his ERA would expand each of the five years in that hit-happy time,
Freddie put up some nice numbers, escalating his wins from 14 to 17 to 20 in
’28, his highest MLB total. He was also an excellent fielder and would
regularly lead NL pitchers in putouts and double plays. In ’29 he went 15-11
and in ’30 19-7 to lead the NL the first time in win percentage. He had an off
’32 but surrounded that year with win totals of 18, 16, and 18 through ’34,
before he got hurt in ’35, missing pretty much the whole summer. His numbers
tailed off significantly after his injury as he won only 14 over the next two
seasons before a June ’37 trade to the Dodgers. After a poor finish to that
year he rebounded to win eleven in ’38 and seven as a spot guy in ’39 before
going 16-2 in the same role in ’40 to again lead the NL in win percentage. In
’41 he went 6-1 in limited starts with a 2.07 ERA and returned to the Series
where he was nailed in the knee by a comebacker. He missed pretty much all the
’42 season but served as a coach and then was traded early in the ’43 season to
the Phillies. But at 41 his knees were shot and Philadelphia named Freddie its manager. His
pitching career was done with a record of 217-146 with a 3.51 ERA – way better
than the norm then – with 186 complete games, 30 shutouts, and 13 saves. He was
a pretty good hitter, batting .200 with over 100 RBI’s, and went 0-3 in four
Series games with a 3.86 ERA while hitting .375. He managed the Phillies
through ’45 when he gave way to Ben Chapman, who everyone now knows via the
“42” movie. Freddie went 105-181 for that sorry club and then became a coach
for the Braves (’48), Giants (’49-’55), Cubs (’57-’59 and ’66), and Kansas City (’60). He also
managed in the minors for the Giants (’53), Yankees (’56), and Cleveland (’61), going a combined 219-217 at
that level. He also coached in the Boston (’47)
and Chicago
(’62-’65) systems and even held a gig as the GM for the Brooklyn Dodgers AAFC
team in the mid-Forties. He retired to California
in the late Sixties and passed away there from a heart attack in ’79 when he was
78.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Wild Bill Donovan has a bio
on the Tigers post.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Sandy Koufax grew up in Brooklyn where he played basketball and baseball and went
to the same high school as future Mets owner Fred Wilpon. He went to the University of Cincinnati on a hoops scholarship but
before he got to play his hometown Dodgers finally signed him to a bonus baby
contract. So Sandy never pitched in the minors and his first couple years he
suffered the bonus baby stigma of not playing too much, posting just 100
innings while exhibiting not great control and being shut out of any Series
work. In ’57 he did spot work and improved to 5-4 with a 3.88 ERA and better
than a strikeout an inning. In ’58 the Dodgers moved to LA and there Sandy’s control issues
reappeared as his ERA shot up in a hitter’s park. That first year he led the NL
with 17 wild pitches and it was generally regarded that he was overthrowing his
awesome heater. After going a combined 16-19 in ’59 and ’60 – though both years
he put up more than a K an inning - he worked with catcher Norm Sherry in ’61 spring
training to just throw strikes, velocity be damned, and the results were pretty
amazing. That year he went 18-13 with a 3.52 ERA – his best since his rookie
year – and an NL-leading 269 strikeouts. He made the first of what would be six
successive All-Star teams. In ’62 he went 14-7 with 216 K’s in 184 innings and
led the NL with his 2.54 ERA, his first of five successive titles in that
category. He did that despite missing most of the summer to injury. His MVP
year of ’63 he won pitching’s Triple Crown with a 25-5/1.88/306 K line with
eleven shutouts and led LA to a Series win. In ’64 another injury meant lost
time as his line was 19-5/1.74/223/7. In ’65 he went 26-8/2.04/382/8 for
another Triple Crown as he set the K record and also led the NL with 27
complete games and won another Series. Finally in ’66 he went 27-9/1.73/317/5
with another 27 complete games and another Triple Crown. But by then the
arthritis that had initially flared in his pitching elbow in ’64 had taken its
toll and Sandy
retired after the ’66 season at only 30 years old. He finished with a record of
165-87 with a 2.76 ERA, 137 complete games, 40 shutouts, and 2,396 strikeouts.
In the post-season he was 4-3 with a 0.95 ERA and 61 strikeouts in his eight
games. He made the Hall his first shot in ’72. He’d made some good change
during his career and did even better investing his earnings and spent the next
23 years as a Dodgers spring training and special pitching coach, leaving when
Rupert Murdoch bought the club in ’89. He then served in that same capacity
with the Mets with his old buddy Wilpon before returning to LA for the 2012
season. While with the Mets he unfortunately threw a lot of his investment
money at Bernie Madoff at Wilpon’s suggestion so his time back in NY wasn’t all
good. But he was smart enough to stay diversified and he is back at spring
training for LA.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Rube Marquard was born and
raised in Cleveland
where he became a big deal pitcher as a kid and then in local factory and
semi-pro ball. In ’06 when he was 19 he threw in a couple games for a C level
team but that didn’t go too well and he returned to Cleveland. He tried again the next year, this
time at the B level, and went 20-13 with a 2.01 ERA and then in ’08 in A ball
put up a 28-19/1.69 line with 250 strikeouts. That year he led Indianapolis to its league title and garnered
lots of interest at the MLB level, eventually signing with the Giants that
September for $11,000, a then-record sum. Initially things didn’t go too well
for him and after his first couple seasons he was only a combined 9-18 with a
high ERA and was thought to be a bust. But in 1911 Wilbert Robinson became a
Giants coach and made Rube his project and the pitcher went 24-7 with a 2.50
ERA and an NL-leading 237 K’s. In ’12 he set his record by opening the season
19-0 and finishing 26-11/2.57 before going 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA in the Series
with two complete games. A 23-10/2.50 year in ’13 was followed by a
disappointing 12-22/3.06 season in ’14. By then Rube had met and married
Blossom Seeley, a big NY stage star, and they’d put together an off-season
variety act that played to packed houses in NY and elsewhere. In ’15 he began
the season with a no-hitter but was only 9-8 when that August he was sold to Brooklyn, now managed by Robinson. The rest of that year
was pretty sloppy but he had a nice bounce as a spot guy in ’16 by going 13-6
with his 1.58 ERA. In ’17 he went 19-12/2.55 before falling to 9-18 the next
year, leading the NL in losses despite a 2.64 ERA. He pitched well in ’19 as
well but missed nearly the whole season to a broken leg. He won ten in ’20 and
then went to Cincinnati
for Dutch Ruether where in ’21 he went 17-14 for his old roommate Christy
Mathewson who was now managing the Reds before he got sick. He was then traded
to the Braves for whom he pitched four mediocre seasons. Rube was done after ’25
and finished 201-177 with a 3.08 ERA, 197 complete games, 30 shutouts, and 19
saves. In the post-season he was 2-5 with a 3.07 ERA. By the time his MLB career
ended Rube and Blossom were divorced and the next bunch of seasons – through ’33
– he either managed or coached in the minors, playing a bit through that final
year. By that time he’d also become heavily involved in horse racing and from
about ’31 through the late Forties worked at a pari-mutuel track in Baltimore. He had
remarried but his second wife passed away in the early Fifties and shortly
thereafter Rube remarried a third time, this time to a wealthy widow. From
about the mid-Fifties on he did lots of traveling and leisure activities and his
name and career were revived a bunch with the publication of “The Glory of
Their Times” in ’67, a book in which he was a feature subject. The book
elevated his profile and helped get him elected to the Hall in ’71. Rube hung
out until 1980 when he passed away at 93.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JA9ZDVXIAB0/Ux7tZYjYDXI/AAAAAAAAElM/hTwfymIHQac/s1600/643cb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JA9ZDVXIAB0/Ux7tZYjYDXI/AAAAAAAAElM/hTwfymIHQac/s1600/643cb.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">So my expectation is that
Topps did pretty well by the ’73 Dodgers, giving the cohesive unit they were
becoming. That’s a good expectation because nobody with over 25 at bats is
missing. On the pitching side only Geoff Zahn, who was 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in
his 13 innings is missing, but he’d have plenty of cards down the road. That is
for sure the best we’ve seen which is a nice way to end these team cards.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Now for the hook-up. Who’s on
the other side of this again?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Don Sutton was on the ’73 Dodgers;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Sutton and Dick Allen ’71 Dodgers;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">3. Allen and Terry Harmon ’67
and ’69 Phillies.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-87472812797476681112014-02-26T23:59:00.001-08:002021-02-15T10:18:58.395-08:00#643 - Los Angeles Dodgers/Dodgers Team Records<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5s8Hu1cp5_o/UxiTahGg5vI/AAAAAAAAEks/YxS6omvPxbo/s1600/643f.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5s8Hu1cp5_o/UxiTahGg5vI/AAAAAAAAEks/YxS6omvPxbo/s1600/643f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">The final team card of the
set highlights the LA Dodgers. It’s a pretty crappy photo and seems amateurish,
with blackness encroaching at the sides. And I haven’t been able to find a
better copy of this card online so it seems the blurriness was a part of the
original shot as well. That’s too bad because these guys deserved more. The
Dodgers had finally fixed a long-standing flaw at third base with rookie Ron
Cey and the rest of that storied infield began its long time together
during the ’73 season as well. The pitching was as solid as ever and the team
nicknamed the “Little Blue Bicycle” (in contrast to Cincinnati’s Big Red
Machine) hung tough pretty much the whole season, riding an excellent late
spring run to get to first place which it held onto for 72 days before pitching
injuries derailed that run and the Reds came charging ahead. LA finished with
95 wins, only 3 ½ games back, and had definitely set the foundation for its
long successful run that would last through the Eighties. It seems sunny the
day of the photo but it’s hard to tell. Some of these guys are recognizable and
the team keeps up its habit of having Willie Davis sit among the coaches in
what would be his last season in Los
Angeles. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YDuoM0E0z8A/UxiTirB-LTI/AAAAAAAAEk0/TI-Mh0DYGu0/s1600/643b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YDuoM0E0z8A/UxiTirB-LTI/AAAAAAAAEk0/TI-Mh0DYGu0/s1600/643b.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">On the card back the Dodgers
have pretty much the most post-season appearances this side of the Yankees, a
team which they faced seven straight times in the Series. No wonder they were
so elated in ’55.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Maury Wills played hoops,
quarterbacked, and pitched during his time at his DC high school. Signed by Brooklyn after he graduated in ’50, he began his career
the following spring in D ball. Maury would hit well in the minors while
playing middle infield but since his two favored positions away from the mound
were second and short, he wouldn’t be moving to Brooklyn
for a while since they were manned by Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese. In ’57
he went to Cincinnati in the minor league draft but LA got him back after the
season and then promoted him midway through the ’59 season after he finished
his minors run with a .276 average and lots of steals. He did pretty well the
rest of the way and in the Series and then the next year became starting
shortstop, hitting .295 with 50 stolen bases, which led the NL. He led the
league again with 35 in ’61 while hitting .282 and then exploded in his MVP
year of ’62 when he hit .299 while leading the NL with ten triples and a new
mark of 104 steals (against only 13 picks). He also won his second consecutive
Gold Glove that year and made his second of what would be five All-Star teams.
He continued to hit awfully well for a shortstop the next few seasons while
leading the NL in steals each of the next three years, peaking in ’65 with 94.
By ’66 he had to tape his legs because he was 33 and they were getting pretty
banged up and that season he stole only 38 bases against 24 pickoffs. So LA
sent him to Pittsburgh
for two left side guys in Bob Bailey and Gene Michael. It wouldn’t be a great
trade for LA and Maury hit .302 and .278 in two seasons of playing mostly third
base. In late ’68 he got selected by Montreal
in the expansion draft where he returned to short but didn’t hit too well. That
changed with a mid-season return to LA with Manny Mota as Maury hit .297 the
rest of the way. He posted good averages in ’70 and ’71 before finally giving
way to old knees and Bill Russell in ’72, his last season. Maury finished with
a .281 average, 2,134 hits, 1,067 runs, and 586 stolen bases. In the
post-season he hit .244 in 21 games. After playing he did some commentary work
on national television from ’73 to ’77 and managed a few years in Mexico during
the winter, winning a championship. After some coaching he was named manager of
the Mariners in ’80 but his tenure was very flawed and he only lasted until
early in ’81, going 26-56, before settling into a cocaine-induced depression
that lasted a few years. The Dodgers would pay for his rehab, get him a
community relations gig and then sign him as a coach in ’85. Maury also coached
with the Japanese Osaka Braves for four years and with Toronto before returning to LA where he has
done lots of spring training and other work since. He didn’t get his first
Topps card until ’67.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Babe Herman was born in Buffalo, NY, and
relocated to Glendale, CA, in time to be a big star athlete at its
high school. In ’21 he signed with a B league team in Canada and hit
.330 while playing first. Though he was a challenged fielder he hit well the
next few seasons in the minors, putting up averages ranging from .316 to .418
while playing in systems that included Detroit’s and Boston’s. After a ’25
season in the PCL he was traded to Brooklyn
prior to the following year and in ’26 had a .319/11/81 rookie year while
playing first. After cooling off a bit in ’27 he was deemed to be too much of a
defensive liability at first and was moved to the outfield. The next two
seasons he put up lines of .340/12/91 with a .390 OBA and then
.381/21/113/.436. His big year was ’30 with his .393/35/130/.455 season that
set team marks in all Triple Crown categories. His last season in Brooklyn for that run in ’31 he hit .313/18/97 before a
trade with Ernie Lombardi to the Reds. With Cincy Babe hit .326 while leading
the NL with 19 triples before departing for two seasons with the Cubs where his
average slipped just under .300 for a couple seasons. After a quick ’35 stop in
Pittsburgh Babe returned to the Reds where he hit .335 to round out that year,
put in another as a regular, and then spent a bit of time with Detroit in ’37
before being released. He returned to the minors and by ’39 was back close to
home in the PCL, where he played through ’44 and hit well over .300. In ’45 he
returned to Brooklyn at age 42 to do some
pinch hitting work in his last season. He finished with an MLB average of .324
with 181 homers and almost 1,000 RBI’s and hit over .333 in the minors. He
spent over 22 seasons scouting for various teams and managed a year of C ball
in the Cubs system, going 64-75 in ’57. He then retired to Glendale where he passed away in ’87 when he
was 84.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Wee Willie Keeler was a Brooklyn, NY, kid who had left school to play semi-pro
and factory ball by the time he was 16. That was in 1888 and in ’92, after
hitting .376 for his semi-pro team, he was signed to an A team in Binghamton where he hit
.373 as a shortstop but made lots of errors. He was purchased by the Giants
late that season and hit .321 in a handful of at bats in NY but his fielding
was still pretty awful. In ’93 he was moved to third but barely played before
he broke his leg, missed two months, and was sold to Brooklyn
before spending a bunch of the rest of the season back in A ball. Brooklyn then
traded Willie to Baltimore
where the Orioles got smart, moved him to the outfield, and made him a regular.
Willie became part of a pre-20<sup>th</sup> century dynasty as he hit the crap
out of the ball by choking up huge, hitting lots of Baltimore Chops (or Texas
Leaguers), and rarely striking out. For the next five seasons he would average
219 hits and 150 runs while hitting .388 and striking out only 38 times! His
biggest season was ’97 when he hit .424 with 239 hits (and five K’s) and a .464
OBA. After the ’98 season the team would be split up and Willie returned to Brooklyn where he hit nearly as well, averaging .354 the
next four seasons and in ’99 struck out twice in 633 plate appearances. Then
after a two-season delay he jumped the NL ship for the Yankees where he
continued to plug away at an over .300 level the next four years before his
legs gave out during ’07 when he was 35. He remained in NY for two more seasons
with the Yankees before finishing things up back with the Giants in a few games
in 1910 with a .341 average on 2,932 hits, 495 stolen bases, and only 136 K’s. He
also put up a huge .415 OBA. After a season of minor league ball in ’11 he
coached with Brooklyn (’12-’13), the Federal
League’s Tip Tops (’14), and then scouted for the Braves (’15). Initially
successful with his investments, he also bought a gas station that he ran until
he got tuberculosis just before WW I. While he was laid up the gas station
failed and a bunch of his real estate investments crashed after the war ended.
By ’20 he was having heart problems and pretty much living hand to mouth and
the following year was bailed out by a fund raiser held by the Dodgers. But his
health was going south fast and by late ’22 he had also picked up endocarditis,
and he passed away shortly after New Year’s Eve of ’23 when he was 50. He made
the Hall in ’39. Willie has a lengthy SABR bio.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Johnny Frederick was born in Denver and by the time he was 19 was playing B ball in Canada as an
outfielder. After a couple seasons at that level he hooked up with Salt Lake
City of the PCL for whom he played three years before moving on to Hollywood
for a couple seasons in the same league. Despite hitting well over .300 with
some good power during that time he was unable to hook up with any MLB club until
’29 when he was 27 and the Dodgers purchased him on the recommendation of the
Stars owner, though by then he was playing in the Southern Association, an A
level league. He had an excellent rookie year, busting for all those doubles
and a .328/24/75 stat line with a .372 OBA. He followed that up with a similar
line in ’30 - .334/17/76 with 44 doubles and a .383 OBA – but then hurt his leg
at the end of the season. That injury would nag him the rest of his MLB career
as his doubles power and other offense dipped a bunch and he had to move from
his regular center field spot to the corners. In ’32 he set a mark with six
pinch hit homers in a season. He would finish with Brooklyn
during the ’34 season when he was only 32 and leave behind a .308 average with
200 doubles and a .357 OBA in his six seasons. Then it was back to the PCL
where the warm air or the long seasons must have revived him because he again
hit well over .300 for six seasons, the last five with Portland, where he also managed his final
year of 1940, going 56-122. That ended Johnny’s time in baseball, but not in Oregon. During the
earlier part of his playing career, Johnny’s mom, originally from Oregon, relocated there
and began buying up some land near Tigard, eventually acquiring over 400 acres.
After Johnny finished with baseball he joined her and the family turned her
acreage into a river-front park named Avalon which became a big local and
tourist destination. Johnny, his mom, and his descendents ran the park for
about 30 years until a highway bypass and the expansion of the free National
Park System pretty much rendered it obsolete. He then worked a few years with
his brother at his butcher shop before retiring. He passed away in Tigard in
’77 when he was 75.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Hi Myers was a farm kid from Ohio who after playing some local ball signed in ’09 with
a D league team for whom he hit .304, generating enough interest to get
purchased by Brooklyn and get in a few games
late that year. But Hi had a habit of tagging up every time he was on base and
that frustrated the team so they sent him back to the minors. Over the next
five seasons he would get a couple more looks from the Superbas but he spent
most of that time in the minors in both A and Double A ball, hitting well at
both spots. He made it back to Brooklyn for
good the second half of ’14 and staked out the regular spot in center. A
hustling slap hitter, he had good triples power and had his best seasons in ’19
with a .307/5/73 line when his RBI total and 14 triples led the NL; and in ’20
with a .304/4/80 line and his triples total led both leagues. He remained in
center the next two seasons and left behind a .282 average when traded
following the ’22 season to St. Louis
for Jack Fournier. He hit .300 his first year as a semi-regular but tailed off
pretty quickly with ’25 being his final season. He finished with a .281 average
with 100 triples and hit .208 in twelve post-season games. He returned to
farming in Ohio
full-time after he retired and also had his own car dealership. That was
followed by stints as a security guard at a steel mill and as a bank teller. He
passed away from a heart attack in ’65 at age 76. He also has a SABR bio.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Duke Snider grew up in Compton, CA,
and was a four-sport HS star there when signed by the Dodgers in ’44 at 17. He apparently
had a bit of a temper and though he hit pretty well that year in B ball, struck
out a bit much and got frustrated enough that he joined the service, which
meant he missed all of the next season and half the ’46 one. He returned that
year to post some middling offensive stats in Double A but then had two
successive good seasons in Triple A and was an excellent center fielder. By the
end of the ’48 season he was in Brooklyn and
would begin a long run there in the center spot. In his first full season of
’49 Duke put up a .292/23/92 line and pretty much improved from there, peaking
during a three-year run from ’53 to ’55 when his line averaged .329/41/131 with
126 runs and a .420 OBA. That last year he led Brooklyn
to finally defeat the Yankees in the Series. In ’56 a .292/43/101 line hid what
was becoming extensive knee damage and with the move to LA Duke’s time in the
field had to be compromised as did most of his power, though in ’59 his line
of .308/23/88 was achieved in only 370 at bats for another Series winner. By
the early Sixties he was in right field to cut down on his running in the field
and only getting in about half the games. He was sold to the Mets for the ’63
season and then to the Giants for ’64 after which he retired with a .295 average,
407 homers, 1,333 RBI’s, 1,259 runs, and a .380 OBA. He made seven All-Star
teams and in the post-season hit .286 with eleven homers and 26 RBI’s in 36
games. As a fielder he is in the top 50 in putouts and assists in center. He
made the Hall in ’80. In the meantime after he played he managed in the LA
chain (’65-’67) and coached for the Dodgers (’68). He then left to take the
same position with the new Padres (’69-’71) before managing in their chain
(’72), finishing with a record of 246-185 in that role. In ’73 he moved to the Montreal franchise where
he coached a bit but was mostly a broadcaster though the ’86 season. He then was
a regular attendee at card shows, mostly on the west coast. He passed away
there in 2011 at age 84. Duke is another Dodger with an SABR page.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">The hook-up will be on the
next post.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-76732574919108621652014-02-11T23:59:00.000-08:002019-07-18T08:42:54.175-07:00#642 - Terry Harmon<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PrHSK0LZFmw/Uwr9uwZUHyI/AAAAAAAAEkU/cQ4SttCKiaI/s1600/642f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PrHSK0LZFmw/Uwr9uwZUHyI/AAAAAAAAEkU/cQ4SttCKiaI/s1600/642f.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Next up is Terry Harmon, who
looks a little glum at Shea Terry had nine Topps cards during his career and in
seven of them – he had a big smile in ’73 and kind of one in ’77 – he was super
serious. His at bats and his average declined a bit in ’73 so maybe that
explains the expression on his card; but his defense was at its norm high
achievement-wise. If he had any forecasting abilities when this photo was shot,
his look to the very near future may have caused some concern. In ’74 each of
the three positions occupied by Terry were handled by regulars – Dave Cash at
second; Larry Bowa at short, and Mike Schmidt at third – who each played in
every game in ’74. Poor Terry saw action in only 26 innings that year as a
result and he would never get over 100 at bats in a season again. Still, he put
in a pretty good run for an infield back-up guy and he would use that acquired
profile to leverage a longer run elsewhere once done. He just wasn’t up to
putting his TV face on any of his cards yet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Terry Harmon, like the
subject of the last post, was born and raised in Ohio and then attended college there. Unlike
Chuck Brinkman, though, Terry has a more fully-bodied bio. A big three sport
athlete in his Toledo high school, he went to Ohio University
after he graduated in ’62 and his first varsity baseball year in ’64 hit .420
followed by a .378 in ’65, both years leading his team to conference titles.
The Phillies then drafted him following his junior year, but on the advice of
his college coach Terry held out for more money and that summer hit .322 while
playing for a local semi-pro team. He signed shortly thereafter and looked
pretty good the next year as he kicked off with a .289 season in A ball while
playing shortstop. He remained at that level and position the next year where
his average slipped to .241 but his OBA wasn’t too bad at .342 and he snuck in
a couple defensive innings in Philly that summer. In ’68 he moved up to Triple
A where he added some work at second and raised his average to .257 but missed
over two months to a separated shoulder. But he did well enough to get promoted
for good – except for a short stint in autumn IL ball in ’69.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">By the late Sixties the
Phillies had descended to the bottom half of the new NL East division. Dick
Allen was still smacking the crap out of the ball but nobody else was and
Philadelphia was looking to replace its aging – and troubled – stars with some
home grown new blood. Veteran shortstop Bobby Wine had just been sent to Montreal when Harmon was
called up to spell new kid Don Money at short and older guy Cookie Rojas at
second. Terry turned in some nice D at both positions his rookie year and did
OK at the plate for a middle infielder back then. Then in ’70 the infield got
younger as Money was moved to third and Rojas was sent to St. Louis to make way for rookies Larry Bowa
and Denny Doyle, respectively. Bowa was always an innings hog so Terry’s plate
time declined a bunch as he continued to play mostly at short. But the next
year between the trade of veteran utility guy Tony Taylor to Detroit and the tendency of Doyle to be a bit
less sturdy than his successor – Cash – at second, Terry got a lot more at bats
as his primary position moved to second. That season he set a record with 18
chances there in one game. In ’72 he amped things up by adding 80 points to his
average and turned in a real nice .372 OBA which may explain that big smile on
his ’73 card. After the step back in ’73 offensively and the 15 at bat season
the next year he got more work in ’75 when Bowa was hurt for a brief spell,
though his average stayed below .200. In ’76 he hit .295 in 61 at bats and in ’77
moved back to filling in at second after Cash left to go to Montreal as a free
agent. That was Terry’s final season and he finished with a .233 average. He
scored a run as a pinch runner in his only post-season appearance and hit .259
in the minors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">As noted above Harmon
remained in front of the camera as a pitch guy for various products, first on
the big Philly Prism cable channel and then went national on QVC, where he
specialized in selling jewelry. He’s been retired in southern Jersey
for a couple years now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AsLS4MzqzcM/Uwr94SAR-UI/AAAAAAAAEkg/mEPS1rHpLpE/s1600/642b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AsLS4MzqzcM/Uwr94SAR-UI/AAAAAAAAEkg/mEPS1rHpLpE/s1600/642b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Again we get another batch of
star bullets with defensive props. It looks like Terry could have had another
one for his excellent college stats. Hunting in central and southern Jersey back in the Seventies must have been a little
nasty. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Watergate is all done so all
that’s left is the hook-up:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Harmon and Dick Allen ’67,
69, and ’75-’76 Phillies;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Allen and Chuck Brinkman ’72
to ’74 White Sox.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Winter break is up and so is
a team card so the next post won’t be for a bit.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-24968481417812143482014-02-10T23:59:00.001-08:002021-02-15T10:30:35.137-08:00#641 - Chuck Brinkman<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vErTQ3QD8sc/Uwld8wqr6CI/AAAAAAAAEj8/SUv9qfTZwiI/s1600/641f.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vErTQ3QD8sc/Uwld8wqr6CI/AAAAAAAAEj8/SUv9qfTZwiI/s1600/641f.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Well, this one’s gonna be
quick. Due to the apparently permanent demise of Google news searches, there is
next to nothing in the websphere or elsewhere about this guy. Yeah, he was a
catcher, and yeah, he had a more successful brother play for many more years
than he, but that stuff is all obvious. Here Chuck Brinkman demonstrates more
than a passing resemblance to brother Ed while taking a cut at Yankee Stadium.
’73 was by far Chuck’s busiest year at the MLB level as prior Number Two guy in
Chicago Tom Egan spent the whole year in Triple A before returning to
California. Then newbie Brian Downing got hurt on his very first play in Chicago so Chuck elevated
his plate time by more than a double over any of his other seasons. Unfortunately
that was all he elevated offensively as his average stayed at well below Mendoza levels, though he
did – as the card back points out – hit his first and only MLB home run that
season. It came off Rudy May in a home game won by the Sox 6-2 (in May no less)
and since it scored the third run was the game-winner, appropriately enough for
a one-time event. Like Milt Pappas on the last post, this card represents
Chuck’s last.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Chuck Brinkman followed his
brother Ed as a baseball star at Cincinnati’s Western Hills High School
by a year, graduating in ’62. Chuck then moved on to Ohio State where as a
senior he was on the all-CWS tournament team as his guys won the Series, the
last Big Ten team to do so. That year of ’66 the biggest name on the Ohio State
roster was that of Steve Arlin from many posts ago who was that year’s mvp.
Chuck was then selected by the ChiSox in that June’s draft and got things going
that summer with a light-hitting great defense year in A ball. He hit .260 at
that level in ’67 but then fell to .204 the next year. In ’69 he moved up to
.237 in a season split between Double A and Triple A. In not one of those
seasons did he have exactly a full year, topping out at 339 at bats in ’67 but
averaging only 235 at bats the last three seasons. Usually that meant military
time but that wasn’t the norm for college graduates so maybe Chuck’s time was
just depressed because of his average. That changed in ’70 when he got 415 at
bats in Triple A, hitting .231 while topping out in RBI’s with 30. In both ’69
and ’70 he got some late summer looks in Chicago
but didn’t show too much at the plate. Still he had a good arm, and a great
knack for blocking low pitches, definitely a plus for a staff full of
knuckleballers. So from ’71 to ’73 Chuck stayed up all season, never seeing too much
plate time but making damn few errors either. In ’74 he had his normal amount
of at bats in Chicago before a July sale to Pittsburgh in what would
be his final year. He hit .143 for both teams and finished his MLB work with a .172
average. Despite very little field time he threw runners out at a 38% clip, on
par with the league. He hit .226 in the minors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Pretty spare, right? Too bad
because that’s it. At least he had some cards to memorialize his baseball time
but I can’t find anything for what he did away from it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jU1z-NOO-yM/UwleD5TdDXI/AAAAAAAAEkI/BDvjq2a2Gqc/s1600/641b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jU1z-NOO-yM/UwleD5TdDXI/AAAAAAAAEkI/BDvjq2a2Gqc/s1600/641b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Not too surprisingly all of
Chuck’s star bullets regard his defense. And then there’s that May homer off
May. Sticking to name stuff umpire Joe Brinkman was not related to the
brothers. Yeah, that’s filler.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">So when your party abandons
you like the Republicans did in August of ’74, what’s next?:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">8/7/74 – Three senior
Republican congessmen meet with President Nixon and advise him that his
prospects for now avoiding impeachment are pretty bleak. Nixon apparently
agrees because:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">8/8/74 – President Nixon,
citing a deteriorating support base within Congress, announces his resignation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">For Chuck only the ’73 season
really got him significant MLB playing time, so the hook-up has to begin there:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">1. Brinkman and Ed Herrmann
’72 to ’74 White Sox;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">2. Herrmann and Don Pavletich
’69 White Sox (all catchers!);</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">3. Pavletich and Milt Pappas
’66 to ’68 Reds.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-81354825492968021642014-02-07T23:59:00.000-08:002019-07-18T08:59:04.458-07:00#640 - Milt Pappas<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JOfD8IgOHZQ/UwjL7LwY80I/AAAAAAAAEjo/5AJ45WhUhgI/s1600/640f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JOfD8IgOHZQ/UwjL7LwY80I/AAAAAAAAEjo/5AJ45WhUhgI/s1600/640f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">After a few card hiatus we
get back to the final cards with this panoramic action shot of Milt Pappas on
the mound at Wrigley Field. Judging by the guys in the bullpen behind him it
looks like Milt is facing either Atlanta or Houston, so that the crowd is huge is a big testament to
the durability of Chicago
fans. I think these panoramic action cards are among the best in the set since
there can be lots of interesting background noise but there’s no way I’ll be
able to get a handle on the bullpen members in the background. There is also a
shot this photo isn’t even from ’73 since other Chicago action shots have been quite dated.
If this shot <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> from ’73 and that
warm-up jacket towards the end <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> a Houston one, then this
game is from May 30 and was a loss for Milt. That means it was a sadly typical
effort for him that season since his record more than reversed it self from the
dynamic one from ’72. Run support was a bit of an issue for the Cubbies in ’73
but Milt too had issues: too many hits, particularly homers, and too few
strikeouts led to an unusually elevated ERA his final year in Chicago. Towards the end of spring training
in ’74 he was released and the only team that showed any interest was San Diego, pretty ironic
after what happened in ’72, which gets covered below. Milt was a loudly
opinionated guy, which did not make him friends in management but which could
be glossed over when he won but impeded his hooking up with anyone after this
season. So a guy who once seemed a shoo-in for the Hall was done at age 34. But
he left behind quite a legacy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Milt Pappas grew up in Detroit where he attracted
tons of looks from MLB teams due to his pretty awesome fastball and excellent
control. His senior year at Cooley
High School he went 7-0
with a 0.50 ERA and during the season Milt and his dad reviewed all the AL and
NL pitching staffs to see which one was oldest and therefore had better
potential to open up a roster spot to him. The winner was Baltimore and that spring of ’57 Milt signed
for a $4,000 bonus, finished his American Legion season, and then joined the
Orioles for whom he made his debut in August, throwing a couple shutout innings
at the Yankees and calling out Mickey Mantle in the process. He threw another
inning against NY, got three starts in A ball which would be his only time in
the minors, and finished the season back in Baltimore. In ’58 he stayed there as a spot
guy until he missed some games in May due to an injured shoulder. He came back
to go 7-3 with a decent ERA through mid-year but then reversed that record the
rest of the way as his ERA fattened. In ’59 he joined the rotation full-time
with his new pitch, a slider, which would help his control considerably as he
became the first official member of the Orioles “Kiddie Korps.” In ’61 he again
missed most of May to an injury but then in ’62 rode a fast 9-4 start to his
first All-Star game before cooling off the rest of the way. He bounced to
record his best seasons in Baltimore
in ’63 and ’64 and then in ’65 took another fast start – 9-3 with a 1.74 ERA –
to another All-Star game though he missed some more time to injury, of course
in May. By the end of that year he was only 26 with 110 wins under his belt
with an excellent ERA and great control numbers on a team that seemed on the
cusp of greatness. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">By the end of ’65 Baltimore had a pretty
impressive team with an excellent infield anchored by Brooks Robinson and a new
bunch of young starting pitchers developed in the highly-touted farm system.
The only missing ingredient, it was generally agreed, was another big power
guy, preferably an outfielder. And one of those was on the market in Cincinnati’s “aging”
Frank Robinson. Unfortunately for Pappas he would be the main piece of the big
trade that hooked Robinson and in December he, Dick Simpson, and Jack Baldschun
went over to the Reds in what would become one of the most lopsided trades ever.
Milt’s ’66 started off well enough but he would have a hard time finishing
games and a lousy summer moved his ERA to nearly two runs higher than the prior
year. His numbers improved substantially in ’67 but after a slow start to the
’68 season the Reds decided to cut their losses and sent Milt to Atlanta in June with Ted
Davidson and Bob Johnson for Tony Cloninger, Clay Carroll, and Woody Woodward.
For the Braves Milt had a pretty rocking second half, shaving over three runs
off his ERA. His good fortune did not carry into ’69, though, as some nagging
injuries restricted his mound time late in the season and his record
deteriorated followed by a not great post-season. Then, as in ’68, his ’70
season kicked off with a bad run in limited use before a June trade to a new
home in Chicago,
this time in a sale. Again, Milt went 10-8 in the second half while posting
another excellent ERA for a new club. This time he remained on track with two
successive 17-win seasons. In ’71 he led the NL with his five shutouts and in
’72 he had arguably his best season, certainly his best August-on run as he won
his eleven games in a row. Game number six of that run was pretty special: a
no-hitter against San Diego
that was only spoiled by a two-out walk in the ninth inning about which –
according to many sites – Pappas still fumes. After his discounted ’73 season
he was done. Milt finished with the record on his card back supplemented with
129 complete games, 43 shutouts, and four saves. In the post-season he put up
an 11.57 ERA in a few innings. As a hitter he wasn’t so hot with a .123 average
but he did clout 20 homers, including two in one game (though they were
gimme’s). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">In off-seasons Pappas had
returned to Baltimore
in a business sense to open and run his restaurant. After playing he also
returned to the Midwest where he was a
distributor and salesman for a wholesale beverage company. Then in ’83 he
became a salesman and then officer at Prime Source, a building supplies
company, with which he is still affiliated. He has done some pitching coaching
work as well and does the card show circuit. There are a few recent interviews
with him around the web.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JWDFE_gc6a0/UwjMCVi3HyI/AAAAAAAAEjw/v8KUbTG7EAE/s1600/640b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JWDFE_gc6a0/UwjMCVi3HyI/AAAAAAAAEjw/v8KUbTG7EAE/s1600/640b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Milt has zero space for star
bullets so he only gets the cartoon. As usual the player rep gig was the kiss of
death career-wise.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The big Watergate-related
news is coming to a climax in the summer of ’74 now:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">7/29-7/30/74 – The last two
Articles of Impeachment are adopted by the House Judiciary Committee on these
dates (I erroneously said they were all adopted July 27 on my earlier post). On
the 29<sup>th</sup>, the Committee adopted the Article charging President Nixon
with misuse of power and violation of his oath of office. On the 30<sup>th</sup>,
the Committee adopted the Article charging Nixon with failure to comply with
House subpoenas. The Committee was made up of 21 Democrats and 17 Republicans.
On each of the first two charges all Democrats and six Republicans voted for
the Articles; on the last one all Democrats and two Republicans voted for the
articles.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">8/4/74 – in a last ditch
effort to appease the Committee and the Special Prosecutor, President Nixon
released six specific tapes he’d withheld until then in spite of the subpoenas
and later the decision by the Supreme Court. All six were made shortly after
the ’72 break-in and the subject matter was nearly exclusively the break-in and
its aftermath. One tape, from June 23, 1972 – which would earn the nickname the
Smoking Gun tape – includes a specific discussion regarding the FBI
investigation into the break-in. H.R. Haldeman suggests, and Nixon then
reinforces, the notion of having the CIA tell the FBI to back off the
investigation with the implication that those orders came from the White House.
Once details of the tape are made public, all Republican members of the
Committee who’d voted against the first two Articles of Impeachment indicated
they would now change their votes to for as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Another kid and old guy
hook-up, though Pappas was only 34 when his card came out:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Pappas and Fergie Jenkins
’70 to ’72 Cubs;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2, Jenkins and Joe Lovitto
’74 to ’75 Rangers.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-9991752575757742592014-02-06T23:09:00.000-08:002014-12-03T12:38:29.642-08:00#639 - Joe Lovitto<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EyKVk26jpxs/UveOFhJlMMI/AAAAAAAAEjM/sDTk1OqsEpQ/s1600/639f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EyKVk26jpxs/UveOFhJlMMI/AAAAAAAAEjM/sDTk1OqsEpQ/s1600/639f.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">This appears to be a spring
training shot of Joe Lovitto at home, which I believe would back then make it Pompano Beach. If I am
correct in the time then Joe here should have a more hopeful countenance than he
shows since he had a good enough spring to be named the Rangers starting third
baseman. Granted that status didn’t last too long and after hitting .152 in
that role in April Joe suffered a back injury that took him out of the line-up
a couple weeks and then after a month or so of back-up work contributed to a
return to Triple A where he spent time at both third and center, hence his card
designation. Joe was the first in what would ultimately be six guys who had
significant third base time for the Rangers in ’73, just another one of a list
of elements that would lead to another horrible finish in Whitey Herzog’s only
(partial) year of managing the club. Whitey was an optimist, which was hard to
be for this team back then and it looks like Joe agrees with that assessment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Joe Lovitto was a San Pedro, California
kid who attended a couple high schools and was a football and baseball star at
both of them. He was good enough in the latter sport to get drafted as a first
rounder by the Senators in ’69 and that summer got off to a bit of a slow start
in A ball, though he did steal 22 bases while splitting time between the
outfield and catcher. He picked up his average significantly at that level the
following year when he moved to second base supplemented with a bit of outfield
time. In ’71 he lost time to his reserve military hitch but when around did well
in Double A and even better at Triple A Denver, where he put up an OBA of .414
while again playing second and center. In ’72 he came up in time for the team’s
move to Texas
and to be managed by Ted Williams in his last season. Joe won the starting gig
in center but had a tough time cracking Mendoza
levels the first half of the season and would give up some at bats to Elliott
Maddox. But Joe put up a .254 average with twelve stolen bases in the second
half which looked real good next to that team average of .217 and he seemed to
be on the way to some good stuff until ’73 stepped in. In ’74 he returned to
the regular spot in center but nagging shoulder and back injuries kept his
average low and reduced his playing time just when the team was making a real
run for the division title. He would pretty much split time in center that year
with the rejuvenated Cesar Tovar and the next year give way to Lenny Randle and
David Moates when the low average and a summer missed to injury really crimped
his playing time. In December he was traded to the Mets for Gene Clines but his
injuries were pretty debilitating by then and he was released before spring
training was over. Joe finished with a .216 MLB average and hit .266 in the
minors.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">I am not clear at all as to
what Joe Lovitto did after playing but it appears that whatever it was he did
it in the Arlington
area. I want to say it was something related to sports fishing because I have
seen photos of him in that activity. Unfortunately one activity that took up a
large chunk of Joe’s time in the Nineties was his battles against various
cancers. Initially nailed by testicular cancer in ’91 Joe spent the better part
of that decade fighting that and successive diseases, battles he ultimately lost
when in 2001 he passed away at age 50.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IUsa8KMcgpI/UveOMwp4dyI/AAAAAAAAEjU/AVGdrggk6Y0/s1600/639b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IUsa8KMcgpI/UveOMwp4dyI/AAAAAAAAEjU/AVGdrggk6Y0/s1600/639b.jpg" height="221" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Joe is another seemingly warm
weather guy who liked to hit the slopes. He seems to have received a bit of
face time in a book called “Seasons in Hell” by Mike Shropshire which may be excerpted in a few sites on the web. The book appears to be pretty hilarious and
in one instance during his ’72 rookie season Joe is told by manager Ted
Williams that he could be a great hitter if he worked harder. Joe politely
responded to Ted to “F___ off” and slammed the door on him. He certainly had
guts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Watergate goings on were
happening miles from Arlington,
but they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">were</i> happening:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">7/24/74 – The Supreme Court
finally handed down its decision in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">United States v Nixon</i> and ordered the President to turn over all the requested
White House tapes. “The Court held that neither the doctrine of separation of
powers nor the generalized need for confidentiality of high-level
communications, without more, can sustain an absolute, unqualified,
presidential privilege. While there was a limited executive privilege in
areas of military or diplomatic affairs, preference must be given to the
fundamental demands of due process of law in the fair administration of
justice. The President must obey the subpoena and produce the tapes and
documents.” Nixon reluctantly complied.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">7/27/74 – Partly emboldened
by the Supreme Court decision, over the next three days the House Judiciary
Committee adopted three Articles of Impeachment against President Nixon. The
three were: obstructing the Watergate investigation; misuse of power and
violating the oath of office; and failure to comply with House subpoenas. The
Committee’s vote this day was televised and the call was actually quite
stirring, particularly that of Committee Chairman Peter Rodino who looked close
to tears when voicing a quavering “Aye.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Sanders didn’t have any Texas time but he was an AL guy, which helps here:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Lovitto and Clyde Wright ’75 Rangers;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Wright and Dave May ’74
Brewers;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">3. May and Ken Sanders ’70 to
’72 Brewers.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-66811472474701311022014-02-05T23:59:00.000-08:002014-02-07T07:11:52.576-08:00#638 - Ken Sanders<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OHdy5orBva8/UvT2rc4eDDI/AAAAAAAAEi0/2CjdRfC9rFs/s1600/638f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OHdy5orBva8/UvT2rc4eDDI/AAAAAAAAEi0/2CjdRfC9rFs/s1600/638f.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">This is one of the rare cards
photographed at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium and boy, does it make that place
look huge. And dreary. Ken Sanders seems to be channeling the weather with an
expression that lives up to his “Bulldog” nickname. 1973 was about as bi-polar a
season as Ken had experienced. It began in Minnesota and his first four games he got
three saves and a win, though his ERA was around 6.00. By the end of May he had
eight saves though his ERA didn’t move too much. By the end of July his record
sort of stalled and he wasn’t getting used too much and after a couple painful
outings – ironically against Cleveland
- the Twins placed him on waivers. Then the Tribe grabbed him and in his 15
games the rest of the way Ken pitched awfully well, adding five more saves to
his record. So though he looks pretty lonely here in stormy weather he probably
didn’t feel that way on the mound.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Ken Sanders graduated St. Louis University High School
in that city in ’59 after a pretty robust athletic career in soccer, football,
and baseball. He then gave the university itself a shot but was signed by Kansas City the next
spring before he got to play an inning. He went 19-10 with a 3.21 ERA in D ball
and the next year 13-8 in A ball with a similar ERA. But ’62 was tough as he
went a combined 3-18/5.26 between three levels, at none of which he pitched
terribly well. In ’63 he moved to more of a spot role and improved a bunch in A
and Double A, going a combined 6-7/3.65. In ’64 he moved to the bullpen pretty
much exclusively and there he posted some nice numbers at the higher level,
going 9-1 with a 2.28 ERA and nearly a K an inning before getting called up to
KC in August where he threw pretty well from the pen, adding a save to his
stats. But ’65 was all Triple A where Ken put together another good season,
going 8-6 with a 2.74 ERA in 57 games of relief. After that season he was
selected by Boston
in the Rule 5 draft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">In ’66 Sanders made the cut
out of training camp and got his first Topps card. With the Sox all that year
he again threw pretty well in middle relief and put up a couple saves before a
mid-June trade back to KC in which the Sox picked up Jose Tartabull – Danny’s
dad – and John Wyatt, two guys who would be instrumental in the ’67 pennant
run. With the A’s Ken continued to throw pretty well in the same role, adding
another save. But he would get scarce work up top the next few seasons and
wouldn’t see another Topps card until ’71. He spent nearly that whole time in
Triple A. In ’67 he was 9-6/2.04 in 50 games and in ’68 2-4/3.41 in 35 games as
he spent some time in Oakland
but was rarely used. In ’69 he moved back to a swing role, going 6-7 with a
3.39 ERA in ten starts among his 29 games. Following that season he was
involved in another big trade, going to the Seattle Pilots with Mike
Hershberger, Lew Krausse, and Phil Roof for Ron Clark and Don Mincher. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">The Pilots were in the midst
of some financial difficulties when Sanders got there early in ’70 and would
relocate to Milwaukee
before the season started. Ken relocated as well, back to Triple A, and put on
a nice show, going 4-1 with a 1.06 ERA and a couple saves in the pen before
being recalled in late May. Finally allowed to get some regular work he
continued his excellent Triple A run, adding twelve saves as he moved to a
closer role from a setup guy as the season progressed. Ken didn’t really have a
curve and his two out pitches were a cut fastball and a slider. In ’71 he
occupied the stopper role all season and delivered, putting up seven wins and
31 saves as he won the AL Fireman of the Year award. After the strike ’72
started off pretty well for Ken and he didn’t give up an earned run until May.
But he went into a bit of a cold streak just when the Milwaukee batters stopped
hitting and the poor run support and higher ERA pulled down his record, though
he did record 17 saves and so still had a hand in nearly a third of the team’s
wins. But his relationship with new manager Del Crandall wasn’t great and after
the season Ken went to Philadelphia
with Ken Brett, Jim Lonborg, and Earl Stephenson for Don Money, Billy Champion,
and John Vukovich. His ’73 Topps card would have him in an air-brushed Phillies
cap even though a month after that trade he was off again to the Twins with Joe
Lis and Ken Reynolds for Cesar Tovar.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Sanders remained with Cleveland to start the
’74 season but once again got off to a poor start in very little use and after
going 0-1 with a couple saves in just 14 games he was released that June. He
was picked up nearly immediately by California
and the Angels sent him to Triple A where Ken went 3-1/3.44 with a couple saves
in 19 games, including a couple starts. By mid-August he was up in Anaheim where he again
pitched sparingly but well, putting up a 2.79 ERA with a save in his nine
games. The next March he was on the move again, going to the Mets for catcher
Ike Hampton. Ken again returned to Triple A and dazzled there, going 6-1 with a
1.34 ERA and nine saves before coming up to NY in late June. With the Mets he
continued his good work as part of a trio of stoppers with Bob Apodaca and Skip
Lockwood, a former teammate with the Brewers. Ken went 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA and
five saves in his 29 games and then in ’76 was 1-2 with a 2.87 ERA and a save
before a late sale to Kansas City
for the Royals stretch run during which he threw three shutout innings. In ’77
he signed back with Milwaukee
as a free agent and spent his final season in Triple A. Ken finished with an
MLB record of 29-45 with a 2.97 ERA and 86 saves. In the minors he was 90-76
with a 3.39 ERA.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">By the time Sanders was done
with baseball he’d established himself as a real estate agent in the Midwest with his home base in the Milwaukee area. He was
an executive VP for a long time for Coldwell Banker and GMAC and was the
selling representative for the “Field of Dreams” property a few years back. In
the Nineties he ran his own fantasy camp on that farm for a few years and he
has been actively involved in fund raising for the Baseball Assistance team and
other charities. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vCN9IllTyF0/UvT2xDMKlKI/AAAAAAAAEjA/h7Rof9lXPxw/s1600/638b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vCN9IllTyF0/UvT2xDMKlKI/AAAAAAAAEjA/h7Rof9lXPxw/s1600/638b.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Ken’s big ’71 season absorbs
all the star bullets and that year he led the AL in games as well. One winter while
pitching in Venezuela
he handled 13 chances in one game. There is a pretty good “Where are they now”
type interview with Ken that I have linked to <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/ken-sanders-left-his-mark-as-a-brewers-reliever-b9948031z1-214325381.html">here</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Sanders seems to be a guy
interested in a good fight so lets get to that with the Watergate standoff:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">4/30/74 – A day after his
televised speech President Nixon formally releases 1,200 pages of transcripts
to the Special Prosecutor and the House Judiciary Committee. He also released
transcripts he’d made available to those recipients earlier to the public.
Ironically most people were more concerned with the amounts of “expletive
deleted”’s in those transcripts than with anything concerning Watergate. Still,
neither release did much to assuage anyone’s desire to see unfiltered
documentation of the White House tapes and both the Prosecutor and the
Committee demanded the actual – by now – 64 tapes originally requested instead
of the redacted transcripts. The President continued to refuse.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">5/9/74 – the House Judiciary
Committee begins impeachment hearings in the wake of President Nixon’s
continued refusal to submit tapes for which he’d been subpoenaed. It is only
the second time in history – the first being for Andrew Johnson – in which
impeachment proceedings against a sitting President had been initiated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Skipping the checklist card,
Ken needs to get hooked up with fellow pitched Dave Goltz. This one’s easy:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. Sanders and Dave Goltz ’73
Twins.</span></div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8981392255013657260.post-42727179802959442562014-02-04T23:59:00.000-08:002019-06-18T06:46:22.012-07:00#637 - Checklist: Cards 529-660<div abp="6019">
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<div abp="6021" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="6022" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WSlP-wT1gM/UvO6yqlHfbI/AAAAAAAAEig/1maUkdAoUOk/s1600/637f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img abp="6023" border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WSlP-wT1gM/UvO6yqlHfbI/AAAAAAAAEig/1maUkdAoUOk/s1600/637f.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<div abp="6024" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6025">
<span abp="6026" style="font-size: 10pt;">The final regular checklist
of the set is topped off a bit but other than that nothing jumps out at you
about the front. This checklist happens to be much closer to the end of its
card range than the beginning so it doesn’t offer much of a preview. There are
quite a lot of guys whose names don’t fit. But it is the back of the card where
things get pretty interesting.</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="6027" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6028">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="6029" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6030">
<span abp="6031" style="font-size: 10pt;">About three quarters of the
way down the left side things get a little wiggy. Card 613 is completely
obliterated and in its place goes card 618. In the latter card’s normal spot
goes card 681 which of course doesn’t even exist in this set and at the end of
the column Topps does another transposition with card 632 following card 622.
It was this whole snafu that made it a bit arduous to track down the true 613
card – it belonged to Dan Monzon – which was mentioned on that card’s post. We
have seen this checklist’s special set, the Rookie cards, and are now coming
down to the wire on the set as a whole. On the back the Pirates Team Photo card is unchecked but I always had that one. I guess I got a bit lazy.</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="6032" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6033">
<span abp="6034" style="font-size: 10pt;"><br abp="6035" /></span></div>
</div>
<div abp="6036" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a abp="6037" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0-xe29-fMIU/UvO7VSh0JkI/AAAAAAAAEik/PSZKiOHHaL0/s1600/637b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img abp="6038" border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0-xe29-fMIU/UvO7VSh0JkI/AAAAAAAAEik/PSZKiOHHaL0/s1600/637b.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
<div abp="6039" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6040">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="6041" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6042">
<span abp="6043" style="font-size: 10pt;">On to the Watergate recap,
late April would be a busy time:</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="6044" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6045">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="6046" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6047">
<span abp="6048" style="font-size: 10pt;">4/16/74 – Special Prosecutor
Leon Jaworski issues a subpoena for 42 additional White House tapes. To date portions
of 19 tapes and nearly 700 pages of transcripts had been turned over.</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="6049" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6050">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="6051" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6052">
<span abp="6053" style="font-size: 10pt;">4/29/74 – President Nixon
makes his third nationally televised speech regarding Watergate. The immediate
theme of the speech is his response to the subpoenas which is that he has
prepared roughly 1,200 pages of transcripts from the requested tapes but he
will not be turning over those tapes themselves. Instead he invited House Judiciary
Committee Chairman Peter Rodino and ranking minority member Edward Hutchinson
to the White House to personally review the tapes. Nixon also reiterated the
sensitive security-related nature of the tape contents as his primary reason
for not releasing the tapes themselves. He reiterated his innocence of any
knowledge regarding the break-in’s significance to his inner circle or the
cover-up until a March 21, 1973 meeting with then White House attorney John
Dean, contrary to Dean’s testimony from that same year. Nixon then opined that
the tapes, while potentially embarrassing to him and his staff and subject to
various subjective interpretations, would validate his stance that he was not
involved in the planning or subsequent cover-up on the break-in.</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="6054" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6055">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div abp="6056" class="MsoNormal">
<div abp="6057">
<span abp="6058" style="font-size: 10pt;">No hook-up for the checklist
cards.</span></div>
</div>
wobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01305879328812721699noreply@blogger.com0