#645 - Ken Boswell

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As a contrast to the former hook-up this one’s pretty easy:

1. Boswell and Wayne Granger ’75 Astros.

#356 - Jerry Koosman

Jerry Koosman is another Met who had a roller-coaster ride of a season in '73. Jerry began the year by going 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA and was a big reason the Mets were able to play .500 ball with zero hitting. Then came a horrible 3-14 run that lasted through mid-August and the team in sixth place, nine games back. But from then on Jerry went on a 6-1 tear that included almost 32 straight shutout innings. Judging by his expression here, this photo was probably snapped at Shea during the bad middle streak. Maybe if he pitched from the mound instead of just off the on-deck circle he'd have done better. From wherever he pitched he would go on to have a pretty good post-season and in the end nearly win the whole thing.

Jerry Koosman was a farm boy from Minnesota who took a long road to the majors. A pitcher since a young kid he was playing semi-pro ball while still in high school. He then briefly attended the University of Minnesota but left when he realized the school didn't have a baseball team and transferred to a school in North Dakota called the State School of Science. At both schools he worked toward a degree in engineering. Then before the season began he was drafted into the Army in '62 and was stuck on a stateside base the next two years. When he got a chance to play on an Army team he was spotted by a Mets scout and signed with them in late '64. He had a big fastball and his first season in '65, split between A and Double A, he fanned over a batter an inning but otherwise went 5-11 with a high ERA. Prior to the '66 season he was taught a slider which he picked up fast and back in A ball that year he went 12-7 with a 1.38 ERA and again over a strikeout an inning. In '67 he moved back up to Double A, went 11-10 with a 2.43 ERA, and got in a couple games in NY with less than impressive results.

Koosman kicked off the '68 season by getting a Topps rookie card on which he was pictured with Nolan Ryan. I have not checked but I have to believe that the pair's 544 career wins are the most represented on a rookie card ever. The card would be a good omen for Jerry as his 19 wins and 2.08 ERA got him a spot on the All-Star roster and named TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year. The next season was pretty much just as good and was punctuated by an excellent Series in which he won both starts. In '70 he missed a few starts after getting whacked in the face with a line drive but still had a nice record and in '71 a back muscle tear put him on the DL for a while also. In the '72 season the loss of manager Gil Hodges hit Jerry hard and he needed to spend some time in the pen to get his rhythm back. Then after his up-and-down '73 he won 15 for a pretty poor team and 14 the next year, both seasons posting very good ERAs. Then in '76 he had maybe his best season, going 21-10 with 200 strikeouts and a 2.69 ERA, finishing second in NL Cy Young voting to San Diego's Randy Jones. But then things hit the skids. Fast, the Mets got horrible, and though Jerry would post a pretty good ERA the next two years his combined record over that time was 11-35. After the '78 season he went to the Twins for Greg Fields and Jesse Orosco. He was the last player traded away from the '69 Series team (Ed Kranepool would retire the following year).

Back home in Minnesota Kranepool experienced a revival, going 20-13 with a 3.38 ERA in '79. He won 16 in '80 and then between some back pain and down time from the strike was off to a 3-9 start in '81 when he was traded to the White Sox that August for Randy Johnson - no, not THAT one - and a couple minor leaguers. He then went only 1-4 the rest of that year but did pull his ERA down nearly a run. In '82 and '83 he went 11-7 both seasons for Chicago before he was traded prior to the '84 season for fellow old guy - and '69 playoff opponent - Ron Reed. Jerry went 14-15 with a 3.25 ERA for Philly his first year and then 6-4 his second after which he was released. At 42 he was done and he finished with a 220-209 record, a 3.36 ERA, 140 complete games, 33 shutouts, over 2,500 strikeouts, and 17 saves. In the post-season he was 4-0 with a 3.79 ERA in seven games. He has a great bio on the SABR site.

Shortly after Koosman retired he founded an organization called America's Best that was intended to represent young baseball players but was never given authorization by MLB, which was to be the group's selling point. When that failed he became more active at an engineering company in which he bought a stake while playing, Mesa Technologies. Eventually he bought out a bunch of other investors and moved the company to Wisconsin. He has remained affiliated with the firm ever since and worked there through 2008, except for parts of 1991 and '92 when he did some pitching coach work for the Mets organization. In 2009 shortly after appearing at Citi Field for a '69 reunion he served six months for tax evasion after he got caught up in the big anti-tax movement that also nailed actor Wesley Snipes.


Jerry gets some props for his Series work in his star bullets. Regarding the cartoon, his catcher in service ball was a Queens native whose dad was head usher at Shea. The dad had a good relationship with Mets management and turned them on to Jerry. When a scout went down to see him they offered him $4,000 on the spot. Jerry shot the guy down after his friends told him to hold out for more money. The Mets ended up signing him for about $1,900. That experience should have kept him away from the advice of those anti-tax guys.

This one uses an ex-Pirate to help:

1. Koosman and Gene Clines '75 Mets;
2. Clines and Jeff Burroughs '76 Rangers;
3. Burroughs and Dave Nelson '71 to '75 Senators/Rangers.

#355 - Dave Nelson

Dave Nelson brings us back to the action shots as he looks heavenward in the on-deck circle in what may be Oakland. Dave had a pretty nice season in '73. He hit around .300 in the first half of the season even though he was fighting for playing time with five other guys at third including a rookie named Bill Madlock. Later in the season he pretty much took over second and would accumulate 43 stolen bases as well as his first and only All-Star appearance. It would be his best season as an ankle injury would restrict him a bit in the big turnaround by the Rangers in '74.

Dave Nelson was born on an army base at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His dad was a sergeant and Dave moved around pretty much as a kid, finally settling in Gardena, California where he was a baseball and track - 9.7 in the 100-yard dash - star. After graduating he stayed local and attended Compton Junior College where he was an All-American JUCO player. In '64 he was drafted by the Indians where he immediately established himself as a base-stealing second baseman, posting decent averages while advancing through the system. He stole 58 bases and 41 bases his first two seasons in A ball, 59 in '66 in Double A, and 30 in Triple A in '67 when he missed some time due to an injury. Dave was a bit more suspect on defense, having an understandably good range but also high error totals. In his off-seasons back then he continued his education at California State College, eventually earning a degree in sociology which he used in his other off-season activity, working with inner-city kids.

In '68 Nelson came up to Cleveland and got enough time in at second and shortstop to steal 23 bases and get a nod for the Topps Rookie Team that year which he split with Ken Boswell of the Mets. In '69 his average took a tumble as he was again one of four guys to get serious starting time at second. Following the season he was traded to the Senators with Horacio Pina in a pretty good deal for the Nats since the two guys they lost barely played up top. Dave spent a significant amount of the next two seasons at Triple A Denver where he hit .369 and .307 respectively while putting in far more time at third. His average up top wasn't too hot the first year but in '71 he was eventually able to wrangle the third base gig from flop Joe Foy and did a nice job offensively, also stealing 17 bases in half a season. That got him an uncontested shot at third in '72 where he got some props from manager Ted Williams. His average took a hit as the team hit a new low offensively but his speed sure didn't as he stole 51 bases to narrowly miss leading the league. After his big '73 season he was again slated to take over second as a perfect Billy Martin-type player. But early in the '74 season he hurt his ankle, robbing him of his speed and pulling his average down 50 points. Things didn't get better in '75 as he re-injured the ankle and hit .213 in only 80 at bats. Before the '76 season he was traded to the Royals for Nelson Briles. With KC Dave did back-up work at second and DH the next two seasons before being released during spring training in '78. That finished up his playing career and he exited with a .244 average, 340 runs and 187 stolen bases. He went o-fer in his only at bat in the post-season.

Nelson wasted little time in reviving his baseball career once his playing days were over. By 1980 he was coaching for TCU and he then joined the White Sox staff from '81 to '84. In '85 he was a roving minor league coach for the Sox then moved to director of instruction for the A's ('86-'87), color commentator for the Cubs ('88-'89), and minor league instructor for the Expos ('90-'91). He then returned to Cleveland for the rest of the Nineties, first on the admin side ('92-'97) and then back in the booth ('98-'99). He then hooked up with the Brewers, again making the rounds from admin (2000-'02), coaching ('03-'06), and broadcasting ('07-present). He is also still using his sociology degree, being actively involved in a foundation he co-founded that helps kids whose parents have AIDS in South Africa.


Dave's card back gives us the dirt on his stolen bases and - surprisingly - his defense in the minors. His cartoon refers to his time in the minors with Cleveland when he picked up switch hitting but then dropped it around 1970 when it wasn't doing anything good for his average.

Dave gets to partake in the double exercise as well. First for Whitey Lockman as a manager:

1. Nelson and Fergie Jenkins '74 to '75 Rangers;
2. Jenkins was managed by Whitey Lockman from '72 to '73.

Then for Whitey as a player:

1. Nelson and Jeff Burroughs '71 to '75 Senators/Rangers;
2. Burroughs and Gaylord Perry '75 to '76 Rangers;
3. Perry and Willie Mays '62 to '71 Giants;
4. Mays and Whitey Lockman '51 to '52 and '54 to '58 Giants.

#254 - Stan Bahnsen

Stan Bahnsen was probably pretty tired when this photo was taken. In '72 and '73 Stan and Wilbur Wood started over half of Chicago's games. But Wilbur threw a knuckler while Stan - the "Bahnsen Burner" - threw a mid-90's fastball and a curve so the experience affected him a bunch more and within a couple seasons of winning 20 he was pitching out of the pen, his fastball basically gone. Here he poses in Oakland, a future home to both him and his manager. If that is number 24 in the background then it is outfielder Ken Henderson who has the posture of a much older guy. I know '73 was a bit of a disappointment for the Sox after their performance the prior year, but it wasn't that bad.

Stan Bahnsen grew up in Iowa and was a small forward in basketball and pitcher in high school. He then pitched at the University of Nebraska where he was a third team All-American before being drafted and signed by the Yankees his junior year of '65. He had a good start that year in Double A - 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA - before going 10-7 with a 2.91 ERA in the rotation at Triple A in '66. Late that season he got a few starts in which he pitched well. In '67 he returned to Triple A where he won nine and after the season began his military hitch which forced him to miss the following season's spring training. It seemed to not matter as now up in NY, Stan won 17 with a superb 2.05 ERA. Those numbers got Stan the AL Rookie of the Year title. His follow-up year was pretty disappointing as the lowering of the mound contributed to a reversal of his record and an almost two-run jump in ERA. The next two seasons he put up good numbers as the team's third starter behind Mel Stottlemyre and Fritz Peterson. After the '71 season the Yankees, desperate for a third baseman, sent Stan to the Sox for Rich McKinney in a trade that was a bust for NY but worked out pretty well for Chicago.

In 1972 manager Chuck Tanner decided to streamline his rotation and so Bahnsen, Wood, and Tom Bradley started 130 of the team's 154 games. Each guy put up quite good numbers as they combined for 60 wins and the Sox nearly won the division. In '73 Bradley was traded to the Giants but Tanner threw Wilbur and Stan out there for over 90 starts and even though they combined for 42 wins they also each lost 20 as the Sox slipped to fifth when Dick Allen went down mid-season. In '74 Tanner got his new third guy in Jim Kaat and the trio started 122 games but although Wood and Kaat had nice seasons, Stan's numbers fell to 12-15 and his ERA ballooned to 4.70. After a poor kick-off to '75 the Sox sent him to Oakland that June with Skip Pitlock for Dave Hamilton and Chet Lemon. There he recovered well enough to go 6-7 with a 3.24 ERA and help the A's to their fifth straight division title.

In '76 Bahnsen was reunited with Tanner in Oakland but this time in a supporting role as he pitched spot starts and long relief. Early the following season he would go to the Expos for Mike Jorgensen where he would get 22 starts while winning eight but with a high ERA. The next season he settled in as the Montreal middle reliever for a three-year run during which he went 11-12 with a 3.31 ERA and 16 saves. His pitching time would decline significantly in '81 although he did grab his first post-season experience that season. After being released following spring training in '82 Stan would sign first with the Angels and then the Phillies for whom he would spend most of the season in Triple A. After an abbreviated season at that level in '83 he was done. He finished with a 146-149 record, 16 shutouts, 20 saves, and a 3.60 ERA.

In the late '80s Bahnsen would play in the Senior League both seasons but he has spent most of his professional time since playing as a representative for cruise ships that offer tours with former major leaguers.


These are some pretty good star bullets. Stan was a sought-after property because of his fastball. He also nearly had a no-hitter in '73 against Cleveland, former teammate Walt Williams breaking it up with a late-inning single.

On the cultural relevance stuff, on this date in '73 David Crosby, Steven Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young reunited for a long session at Winterland. Later this month there would be reports that Young had passed away in Europe. That one was obviously wrong.

A fellow rookie honors pitcher hooks these two up:

1. Bahnsen and Steve Rogers '77 to '81 Expos;
2. Rogers and John Boccabella '73 Expos.

#69 - Del Unser

Here is Del Unser behind the batting cage at what appears to be Candlestick. This shot is taken during his first stint with the Phillies and boy, Del's first season in Philly was sure a big uptick to his '72 in Cleveland. Each of his stays in Philly were memorable for different reasons and I am pretty sure that Del, a thoughtful man, appreciated the ironic arc taken by his career.

Del's father Al - not the race car driver - was a big league backup catcher during the WWII years. He then coached and managed in the minors and the younger Unser was a batboy for some of those teams. After being a star in the big three sports in HS - in baseball he was a pitcher and first baseman - Del then went to Mississippi State and after being selected by the Twins and the Pirates, respectively, in earlier drafts passed on those teams. He wanted to get his degree and in '66 he did just that - in Mathematics - and that year hit .343 to be both a President's Scholar and TSN All-American outfielder. During his college summers he also played ball in the Basin League. Del was again drafted and finally signed for real in the first round of the '66 secondary draft by the Senators. The next two years were spent in Double A and were nothing special offensively since he averaged about .226 but he did establish himself as an excellent defensive outfielder and after a big Fall IL season in '67 followed by a good spring in '68, Del made the DC cut.

Unser came up in '68 with a reputation for speed and outfield grace. He moved right into the Senators' starting lineup as center fielder. '68 was a tough year to break in as a hitter and even though he hit only .230 with 30 RBI's in over 600 at bats, Unser came in second in Rookie of the Year voting. In '69 he nearly doubled his RBI total and raised his average nearly 60 points. On top of the effects of the expansion year and lowering of the mound, Del attributed the improvement to delayed effects from time spent with Harry Walker, then the Astros hitting coach (Houston and Washington shared a spring training site) and having another hitting guru, Ted Williams, as his manager. An injury early in the '70 season robbed him of significant field time and pulled Del's average down a bit. In '71 the playing time bounced but the average didn't and following that year he went to Cleveland in a trade for which another ROY runner-up, Roy Foster, was the primary piece on the other side. For the Indians Del had a horrible year and he came to the NL in a trade for Oscar Gamble after one year.

With Philadelphia Unser prospered, settling into an up and coming outfield and in '73 putting up numbers to rival '69's. In '74 he upped his RBI total to 61, his lifetime high, and continued his stellar work in center. By the end of that season, the Phillies were well-stocked in the outfield and sent Del to the Mets with others for Tug McGraw. In '75 Del flirted most of the season with the NL Batting title and finished with his lifetime high as a regular, .294. But in '76 after a strong start his average took a nosedive and mid-season he went to the Expos for Pepe Mangual. Those late-'70's Expos were developing a formidable outfield themselves (Andre Dawson, Ellis Valentine, and Warren Cromartie) and even though Del's numbers had a nice resurgence in '77 his playing time diminished. By '78 he had settled into his role as a defensive replacement and the one that would characterize his next few seasons, pinch hitter. Following '78 he signed with the Phillies as a free agent.

Unser's second coming in Philadelphia saw him become a fan favorite even though his field time was almost non-existent. In '79 his numbers were excellent in the pinch - a .322/4/14 line with a .385 OBA in 45 at bats - and he set a record with three straight pinch hit homers. In '80 his line was again impressive - .333/0/7/.413 in 39 pinch at bats - and he forever endeared himself to Phillies fans with amazing clutch performances in both the NL playoffs and the Series. He would hang out there until midway through the '82 season, when he was released. His career numbers were a .258 average, with 87 homers and 481 RBI's. In that one post-season, he hit .455 with 3 doubles and 3 RBI's in 11 at bats. Defensively Del ranks 80th all-time in center field putouts and is in the top 50 in assists and double plays.

After working with relatives away from baseball for a bit over a year, Unser returned to the Phillies fold in '84. Initially he was the team's director of minor league hitting before moving up as hitting coach after that season. He did that through '88 and then was returned to his minor league gig ('88-'89), was director of player development ('89-'98), and scout ('98-present).

The star bullets appropriately indicate Del's defense and his speed. He has a nice flowing signature; I'll leave the lean thing alone. Not only did Del get a degree in mathematics but by the time he came up he had already completed his first year in a masters program.

Again we have a couple guys who missed being teammates by a few seasons:

1. Unser and Larry Bowa '73 to '74 and '79 to '81 Phillies;
2. Bowa and Grant Jackson '70 Phillies.

#30 - Bobby Bonds

Yes this guy had a famous kid, but Bobby Bonds was a hell of a ballplayer in his own right. The knock on him was all the strikeouts, but he was an exciting player who added power and speed at the top of a lineup for ten good years that pretty much encompassed the '70's and then some. This would be the last of the Bonds Giant cards since his '75 card has him airbrushed - horribly I might say - into a Yankee uniform. While he did set two records in his one NY season, he arguably had his best years in San Francisco. And '73 was no exception as Bobby led the NL in runs scored with 131 while also doing his speed/power thing with his 39 homers and 43 stolen bases. He was also an All-Star and a Gold Glove winner, both for the second time. This photo of Bobby is taken at Candlestick and I want to say it's from some time in '72 because that looks like Fran Healy catching and Jim Ray Hart taking batting practice in the background (both were elsewhere in '73). But what do I know.

The Giants signed Bobby Bonds in '64 out of his California high school. Bobby came from an athletic family - his sister was an Olympian that year - and he was a track All-American on top of his feats in the big three sports. He played some local ball that summer so didn't get rolling professionally until '65 but had a big year in A ball that year with a .316/26/88 line with 34 stolen bases and 109 runs scored. '66 was another A season that was a small discount - .262/26/91/18/19 - but was followed by some pretty good IL ball. His numbers fell a bit more in a Double A '67 season but his IL season was a big uptick and in '68 Bobby was in Triple A where his .370/8/47 line in just 60 games got him to San Francisco before that summer started.

Despite the mid-season call-up Bonds showed enough potential to be named to the Topps Rookie team in '68. Bobby was already being compared to Willie Mays so that whole "potential" thing would be the millstone around his neck for his whole career. A big sophomore year followed in '69 when he stole 45 in his first 30/30 season, led the NL with 120 runs, and on the downside set a record with his 187 strikeouts. '70 was generally better as Bobby topped out in hits, runs (with 134), doubles, triples, and average. He also added two K's to that strikeout record. In '71 he had his first All-Star and Gold Glove year, dropped the K's a bit, but also the steals as a bruised rib cage hit him late in the season, making it difficult to slide, and actually kept him out of some playoff time. By then Bobby had become the team's first multi-year starter in right field for a long time. He initially played alongside Willie Mays - Barry's godfather - and then was part of an excellent young outfield that included Gary Matthews and Garry Maddox. That second Garry arrived in '72 and the first in '73. '74 was a bit of a discount to the prior year, though he got his third Gold Glove, and after that season Bobby left the Giants in a deal for another All-Star, going to the Yankees for Bobby Murcer.

Bonds' only NY season was a bit tough. Bobby Murcer was super popular in NY and was probably the team's best player still when he departed. The Yankees picked up this Bobby because they just missed out on a division title in '74 and thought his speed at the top of the line-up was the piece that would get them there. But though he had a good year - Bobby set two records with his third 30/30 season and most lead-off home runs - he got hurt in June, played through his injury, and his .270/32/85 season was viewed as disappointing. So after that season he was on the move again, this time to California in the deal that got the Yanks Ed Figueroa and Mickey Rivers, two key players on the Yankees successive three pennant teams. With the Angels, Bobby was again bedeviled by injuries, missing nearly half of the '76 season. But '77 was a nice bounce as he recorded a line of .264/37/115 with 103 runs and 41 stolen bases. After that season he was sent to the White Sox in the deal that moved Brian Downing to Anaheim and shortly into the '78 season he went to Texas for Claudell Washington. Combined he put up his final 30/30 season - number five - and then for '79 he went to Cleveland with Len Barker for Larvell Blanks and Jim Kern. With the Tribe Bobby would have his last big season with a .275/25/85 line but with a telling 23 times caught stealing - against 34 successes - that led the AL.

Bonds was a big smoker throughout his career as well as a reportedly big drinker. By the end of the Seventies his wheels were fried, as was most of his power. In '80 he returned to the NL for St.Louis for whom he did outfield reserve work. He was released after the season, picked back up by Texas, for whom he played a bit in Triple A, and then was sold to the Cubs. That got him through '81 when his speed left him at 35 but the strikeouts did not. After a year with the Yankees Triple A team in '82 he was done. Bobby finished with a .268 average with 332 homers and 1,024 RBI's, 1,256 runs, and 461 stolen bases, in what amounted to about twelve full seasons. In the post-season he hit .250 with a .400 OBA in his three games. Defensively he is 25th all time in right field putouts, 36th in assists, and twelfth in double plays.

After a year off in '83 Bonds returned to baseball as the Tribe's hitting coach for four years ('84-'87). He then took some time to work on his sons' careers; besides Barry, Bobby Jr. played as well, putting in ten years in the minors. This Bobby did the Senior League thing in '89 as both a player and manager. He then returned to Frisco as a coach from '93 to '96 before then doing some admin work for the team. But his hard living caught up to him and he passed away in 2003 at only 59 years old from lung cancer and heart problems.

Bonds had a great '73 and it should be remembered that he got those RBI totals batting lead-off. He finished his career with five 30-30 seasons which helped get him fifth place all-time on the power/speed list on baseballreference.com. I like the incorporation of his middle name in his signature.

Linking Bonds to his fellow All-Star happens thusly:

1. Bonds and Gary Matthews '72 to '74 Giants;
2. Matthews and Phil Niekro '77 to '80 Braves.

#10 - Johnny Bench

This is the first "honor" card of the set and its subject is already the third Hall of Famer of the set, an All-Star catcher who was at the top of his game when this shot was taken. This is part of the opening trend of action shots; including the Aaron card, three of the first ten shots qualify. Johnny Bench was cranking then but entered the '73 season as a question mark since he'd just had off-season lung surgery to remove a tumor that was happily benign. But he was able to then produce a typically excellent season during which he threw out 49% of base runners who tried to steal on him (vs a league average of 36%); did a great job pulling an ailing pitching staff together; and had a fifth consecutive year of 25 or more homers while also going over the century mark for the third time in RBI's. He was a guiding force in getting Cincinnati to its third post-season in four years. A lot of people seem interested in the geography of the shots: which stadium and who else resides in the shot, etc. That is not really my bag, but given the Mets uniforms in the dugout in the back, it is definitely Shea. That may be Tom Seaver to the right. I do not know if the shot was taken during the '73 playoffs, but it would add to the drama if it was.

Johnny Bench grew up in Oklahoma, where of course Mickey Mantle was his idol. He played the big three sports - football, basketball, and baseball - and was widely recruited by schools in all three while at Binder HS. But Cincinnati made him a second round pick in the '65 draft so Johnny went that way and right off the bat that summer in A ball showed his skill behind the plate and in working with pitchers while hitting not too badly for a 17 year old. In '66 at that level he improved his offense substantially to hit .294 with 22 homers and 68 RBI's in only 98 games when he was pushed up to Triple A. But there he got hit by a foul tip, breaking his hand, and missed the rest of the season. To top that off, on his way home after the season he was in a bad car accident. He came back strong in '67 though, when he started at the higher level and put up a line of .259/23/68 again in 98 games before he was called up to Cincy at the end of August. For his work that year he won The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year.

Bench's month up top didn't produce great offense in '67 but he sure did impress people with his work behind the plate, challenging veteran pitchers on pitch selection and even realigning the infield defense. In '68 the Reds traded incumbent starting catcher Johnny Edwards to St. Louis and this Johnny was made a starter out of the gate. He didn't disappoint, winning a Gold Glove, being named an All-Star, and winning the NL Rookie of the Year award. Most impressive was his stat line which was exceptional in a year everyone else's was challenged. A founding member of the Big Red Machine, Johnny's power numbers were pretty awesome his first few seasons. He picked things up in '69 and then sandwiched two huge MVP seasons around the very discounted '71 when the team couldn't get anyone on base ahead of him. While '72 went very well, he may have experienced his pro ball nadir in the Series that year when he struck out on an intentional walk (to be fair Gene Tenace snuck his mitt back over the plate after having Johnny pitched way outside for the prior three pitches and Johnny was caught looking). His Reds would tear up the NL in '73 and then lose in a huge upset to the Mets in the playoffs.

In '74 Bench upped his offense again to a .283/33/129 line, leading the NL in RBI's for his third and final time, though Cincinnati lost the division to LA. But in '75 and '76 the Reds came back strong, winning that dramatic Series over Boston in '75 and crushing everyone in the post-season by going 7-0 in '76. That first year Johnny put up a typical line of .283/28/110 but in '76 he would have his worst season since '71 due to a bad back. But he atoned by having a monster post-season, hitting .333 against the Phillies and a sick .533 with two homers and six RBI's in the four-game sweep of the Yankees. Johnny would follow that up with his a very nice '77 during which he had a .275/31/109 line and then over the next three seasons average 23 homers and 74 RBI's as he missed time each year to knee and other injuries, though catching was still his primary position. In '81 Johnny hit .309 in an abbreviated season and that year began playing mostly at the infield corners. He stuck around through '83 and then retired. Johnny finished with a .267 average with 389 homers, 1,376 RBI's, and a .342 OBA. When he retired he set the record for most homers by a catcher. He may have been even better defensively, finishing in the top 20 all-time for putouts and double plays for catchers and in the top 70 for assists. He caught 43% of attempted base stealers against an NL-average 35%. He was an All-Star 14 times and won ten Gold Gloves. In the post-season he hit .266 with ten homers and 20 RBI's in 45 games. He made the Hall on his first shot in '89.

Bench kept an active profile while playing, making frequent television appearances. He continued that when he retired, doing sportscasting, hosting theme-based shows, and making commercials. He has been an avid golfer and is an active speaker, many times on behalf of baseball.

The back of the card has a lot of stars, which is appropriate. As mentioned above, the homer mentioned in the last star was his only RBI of that series. He would make up for that in spades in '76 in another Series against a New York team. As far as the cartoon goes, it highlights Bench's wide range of skills. I remember seeing him on a variety show when I was a kid. He was also a very good bowler, which I believe was mentioned in a cartoon on another one of his cards. Johnny has a SABR page.

For the degrees of separation, this one gets a little trickier:

1. Bench and Bobby Tolan, '70 to '73 Reds;
2. Tolan and Nate Colbert, '74 San Diego Padres;
3. Colbert and Mickey Lolich, '75 Detroit Tigers.

That ties for the longest list so far.