#160 - Brooks Robinson

So Blogger was just down for a day plus, which means this is the third time I'm typing this. That's my only complaint, though, since Blogger's free and looks great. On to more noteworthy things, I have always really liked this card. Like the other Robinson with whom he once played, Brooks' card is pretty regal. He appears pensive and looks much younger than his years; so young, in fact, that he bears a striking resemblance to Tim Matheson, who played Otter in "Animal House." Brooks was in the midst of a general decline in his offense in '73 but he still had some great moments during the season, like setting a record for lifetime homers by a third baseman and hitting nearly .300 from August on, when the O's went on their big surge to reclaim the division title.

Brooks Robinson is a Hall-of-Famer requiring no introduction. He grew up in Arkansas and went to a high school that did not have a baseball team. He was actually a very good basketball player and had imagined he would go to Arkansas on a hoops scholarship. But a local former minor-leaguer saw him play summer ball after he graduated and wrote a letter to his old teammate who just happened to be Paul Richards, the Baltimore GM and manager of the mid-'50s. Richards sent over a scout and Brooks was signed in '55 for the maximum non-bonus baby amount, $4,000. He then kicked off his career pretty handily, hitting .332 in B ball before seeing some late action in Baltimore. In ' 56 he hit .272 in Double A before another September call-up. Brooks didn't hit too well in his limited time but he did get  to hang out with his eventual predecessor, George Kell, who tutored him on third base and some off-field stuff. Brooks then started the '57 season as the regular guy at third but after a couple months of sub-.200 hitting was returned to Double A where he hit .266 over most of the summer. He returned to Baltimore in August and though it took him a while to get his offense churning, he hit over .400 the final three weeks. That gave the Birds the impetus to trade Kell and the next season that looked like an excellent move when Brooks came out of the box strong and was hitting north of .300 through early June. But he then cooled off significantly, showed not too much power, and split starts the balance of the season. Then '59 was nearly an exact replica of '57 but this time he was sent down to Triple A where he killed the ball, and when he returned in the summer, he claimed his spot at last with a .292 average the rest of the way.

When the Sixties arrived, so too did the reign of Robinson as an institution at third base. In 1960, his first uncontested season as a regular, he was an All-Star and a Gold Glove winner. He would retain the former honor the next 14 seasons and the latter one the next 15. Five of the next six seasons his average wouldn't dip below .284 and outside of '61, when he was moved to the leadoff spot, and '63, when the whole team offense sort of imploded, he averaged 95 RBI's. In the meantime the Orioles, a pretty terrible team when his career began, were riding some excellent young arms, some strong power, and defense to contender-dom. In '64 Brooks had his big MVP season and two years later he would play in his first post-season, fresh off the acquisition of his fellow Mr. Robinson, former Reds slugger Frank. That year the Birds won the Series in a roll over LA as Brooks put up his second 100-RBI season. In '67 both Jim Palmer and Dave McNally went down with big injuries so a title defense wasn't happening and Brooks' offense saw a discount. It remained there in the tough year of '68 and though his average bottomed out in '69, his power sure didn't as he closed the decade the top side of 20 homers and 80 RBI's to help his team return to The Series. But that time around they were the upset losers.

Robinson saw a nice offensive upswing in '70 and '71, both pennant-winning seasons for the Orioles. That first year he pretty much won The Series for Baltimore with his huge bat and an unprecedented defensive show. Then following that second season the O's sent Frank Robinson to LA and Brooks' numbers tumbled pretty hard as Baltimore missed the playoffs. He would then post a .288 average in '74, but that would be his last good one as he only hit .201 in '75, his final year as a regular, and his last as a Gold Glove winner. In '76 he split starts at third with new guy Doug Decinces and in '77 he did some reserve work at the hot corner in his final season. Brooks finished with a .267 average in 23 seasons (a record for seasons with one club) with 2,848 hits, 268 homers, and 1,357 RBIs. On top of the MVP, All-Star games, and Gold Gloves, he is still first in games, chances, putouts, and assists at third base, as well as second in fielding average. In the post-season he hit .303 with five homers and 22 RBIs in 39 games. He made the Hall in '83, voted in on his first shot.

Robinson, about whom nobody has written a bad word, got into some financial problems before he retired that would dog him for a bunch of years. In 1978 he got a job as the color guy for Orioles broadcasts which he did through '93. During that time and thereafter he has been a fixture at many autograph shows. Despite his financial issues, he has done a bunch of work raising money for charities, as well as other work in support of MLB. He sounds like a great guy.

Here's another card for which there is no room for the star-bullets. I'll add one. For the baseball centennial celebrated in '76 - I've mentioned this on other posts - each team was asked to submit its most special moment. For the O's it was the '70 Series win and Brooks' performance in it. He was a pretty modest guy. For almost every interview I found researching this post he would always bring up one record: he hit into five triple plays. I guess he has a pretty good sense of humor as well.

The thing with playing for one team is that these things get tough:

1. Robinson and Luis Aparicio '63 to '67 Orioles;
2. Aparicio and Sparky Lyle '71 Red Sox;
3. Lyle and Jim Ray Hart '73 to '74 Yankees.

#159 - Jim Ray Hart

This is one of the posts I have been looking forward to because I never understood what happened to this guy. Five good seasons and then - boom! - right off a cliff. Plus I think I may have been the only guy around that actually liked the Yankees back then, so it gives me some nostalgic closure. Away from all that, this is Jim Ray Hart's final card, taken during his only active season as a Yankee. Jim is a little shy of over-the-top happy in this photo. Maybe he's confused, like me, by whatever's going on behind him at first base. It looks like Mike Hegan back there, but what are those things surrounding him? Jim is sporting the patch the Yankees wore that season honoring the 50th anniversary of Yankee Stadium. The stadium would experience a renovation in '74 and '75 and the Yankees had to move to Shea. Jim wouldn't be joining them for long.

Jim Ray Hart was from North Carolina, where his dad reportedly made a living manufacturing and selling bootleg alcohol. After finishing high school in Hookerton, he was signed by the Giants in 1960 and finished the year in the developmental (D) leagues where he hit pretty well. In '61 he moved up to C ball, splitting time between the outfield and shortstop, and killed there: .355 with 22 homers, 123 RBIs, and a .419 OBA. He continued along that path in A ball in '62 and Triple A in '63, those two seasons playing only third base. In the latter year his numbers came in a little, although he still hit above .300 and had an OBA above .370. In '63 he also got some time in SF, very little time unfortunately, since in his first game Bob Gibson hit him in the shoulder, breaking his scapula, which is really hard to do with a baseball. or anything for that matter. After Jim returned, he was in for six games when he got beaned by Curt Simmons, putting him in the hospital and ending his season. Tough way to start.

Hart returned in '64 and had an awfully good rookie year, nearly aping the one Dick Allen had in Philly, who he lost out to in ROY voting. He played primarily third base, of which he was not really a fan. He preferred the outfield, but when he came up it was stocked with .300 hitters Mays, McCovey, and Alou. His defense numbers were not so hot, but over his first five seasons, Jim would average .285 with 28 homers and 92 RBIs, earning an All-Star nod in '66. In '69 Jim hurt his shoulder again, limiting his playing time. By the time he was moderately healthy again, Jim Davenport and then Alan "Dirt" Gallagher had taken over third and a significant part of Jim Ray's time in the majors was spent in the outfield. He also played a bunch at Triple A from '70 to '72, all at third, putting up excellent numbers including a .320 average and a .420 OBA. But his power came in a bit and his range was declining and those factors, combined with his now chronic shoulder problem, led to an early '73 sale to the Yankees, where he put in a season splitting DH Time with Ron Blomberg.

Much later in an interview with Baseball Digest, Hart indicated his decline was also due to what was more or less an open secret while he was playing: he had a serious drinking problem. Beginning in the late '60's he was basically mailing it in, and his demotion to the minors was more about alcohol than his playing abilities. When the '74 season began, after a slow start, the Yankees sent him to Triple A as well, where he played a few games. He then asked if they would pay him his full salary if he quit. The answer was yes, so he did. Only 32, Jim finished with a .278 average, 170 homers, and 573 RBIs in 1,125 games, which worked out to significantly better averages than most third basemen of his time. After leaving MLB, Jim played two seasons in Mexico as well as in in some old-timers games. He also generally went into a downward trajectory, losing his home to foreclosure and scrounging for loose change in local stores. He put himself into rehab in the '80s and eventually got a job working in a warehouse for Safeway in a couple cities in California. At the time of the interview - '91 - he was living in Sacramento and he would finish in Newark, California in 2006 when he retired. Since then he has again gone radio silent.

Jim gets a star bullet for his rare feel-good moment from the early '70s. He also hit for the cycle in that game. If you Google Jim there is some confusion as to his whereabouts. One site indicates he is homeless in Newark, NJ but he was actually employed in Newark, California.

All NL West for this hookup:

1. Hart and Jesus Alou '64 to '68 Giants;
2. Alou and Jack Billingham '69 to '71 Astros.

#158 - Jack Billingham

This is a great action shot. Yeah, it's quite blurry and seems to focus on Jack Billingham's butt, but check out his face and its intensity. It is taken at Shea, which means there's a pretty good shot it is a post-season photo, since the stands seem full. It's of a guy on the hated Reds, who may have been the most consistent starter on those Seventies monster teams. In '73 Jack was the only Reds starter not to miss time to injury and he began the season with an 8-2 record, important because during that time both the rest of the pitching and the bats were cold. As things heated up and the Reds went after the division title, Jack proved to be the staff's ace starter. It was his best season and he would get an All-Star nod, lead the league in shutouts, and grab some Cy votes, finishing fourth. This photo also has a level of personal resonance, but I'll get to that later. And it probably has Tony Perez' ankle in the photo as well.

Jack Billingham was signed by the Dodgers in '61, just out of high school in Florida. He stayed close to home his first two seasons in D ball, but it didn't help much as his numbers were pretty terrible (a combined 2-11 with an ERA over 5.00). But in his defense he missed a ton of time to his military commitment. In '63 he moved to Single A ball and threw pretty well, going 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA and a huge reduction in his walk totals. All three of those first seasons he mostly worked out of the rotation. In '64 he moved to the bullpen and the results were significant: that year he went 8-4/1.70 with 157 K's in 127 innings. He continued that good work in a '65 split between Double and Triple A, going 7-3 with a 2.12 ERA. He then spent all of '66 and '67 at Spokane, LA's top Triple A franchise, as its top reliever, going 13-13/3.35. He finally made it to LA in '68, got into 50 games out of the bullpen and recorded eight saves in a very nice rookie year.

Things then moved pretty quickly for Billingham. In the winter of '68-'69 he was taken in the expansion draft by the Expos. Then right before the '69 season started, Jack was sent to Houston as part of a make-up trade in which the Astros sent Rusty Staub to Montreal for Donn Clendenon, who refused to report to to the Astros. After a serviceable year out of the pen in '69 the Astros got smart and midway through '70 put Jack in the rotation where he won 13 and knocked his ERA down 40 points. In '71 the ERA came down hard again, but he got zero run support (the Astros averaged less than two runs in his losses). He also had to have some varicose veins removed at the beginning of the season which put the damper on his value to other teams since that type of procedure was deemed a sign of being over the hill. So when the Reds gave up the right side of their infield for Joe Morgan, Dennis Menke, and a couple young outfielders, Jack was widely seen as a throw-in in the deal. And when the '72 Astros came strong out of the gate while Jack started 0-5, his value seemed dubious. But the Reds' bats picked up and he went 12-7 the rest of the way. He was strongest in the Series that year, blanking Oakland for a combined 13 innings.

While Billingham's ERA popped a run in '74 he would again win 19, followed by 15 wins in '75. That second year he again saved the best for last, giving up one earned run in nine Series innings. He would win 22 games the next two years but his ERA continued to spiral upward (it was above 5.00 in '77) and in the '76 Series he only threw relief. In '78 Jack went to Detroit for a couple minor leaguers and he had an excellent season, winning 15 as his ERA floated down to league levels. He won ten in '79, splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. His last season was '80 which he split between Detroit and Boston. For his career, Jack went 145-113 with a 3.83 ERA, 74 complete games, 27 shutouts, and 15 saves. His numbers in the post-season were awfully good: 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA in ten games.

 After playing, Billingham would do some coaching at various levels for the Astros, retiring in 2006.

Jack gets props for his '72 post-season and '73 regular season work. He is another guy who opted for a formal signature. And, yes, the Billinghams and the Mathewsons were related. This brings up the personal aspect I indicated above.



So what's this above? A baseball, obviously, perhaps a historically important one. When I bought this ball I was told it was authenticated. As it was my first serious foray into sports collectibles, I was not aware that the person who authenticated the ball would be the same guy who sold it to me. Lesson learned. It is the game ball from Christy Mathewson's first major league win in 1900. Or it's a ball from 1970 that someone ran over with his truck a couple times. Who knows? Anyway the authentication stated that it was purchased in a Mathewson/Billingham family auction in '72. So even if the ball isn't authentic, at least the relationship is. I like to think it's the real thing. At least it's a great conversation starter when guests come over.

Back to cousin Jack, he gets with Mr. Harris thusly:

1. Billingham and Jesus Alou '69 to '71 Astros;
2. Alou and Willie McCovey '63 to '68 Giants;
3. McCovey and Vic Harris '77 to '78 Giants.

#157 - Vic Harris

Here we have another California kid, another sophomore card, and another guy I can find almost nothing about. That he shares a name with a higher-profile Negro Leaguer isn't much help either. I'm actually glad Vic Harris here has a non-Traded traded card because I don't think I'd be able to fill up the space for two cards. But here he is, looking like a dazzled teenager at Oakland in his airbrushed hat. At least Vic's got his uniform on which gives him a significant step above Fergie Jenkins' card. And that card is an appropriate reference since at the end of '73 Vic was part of the deal that brought the Rangers Jenkins, going to the Cubs with Bill Madlock. During the season Texas gave Vic the chance to show them what he had, moving him for most of the season to center field, replacing Joe Lovitto. He wasn't terrible, but he struck out a bit much for a slap hitter and his vaunted stolen base skills only resulted in thirteen (vs. being caught twelve times). He did make some nice plays to help preserve Jim Bibby's no-hitter and it would be by far his busiest MLB season.

Like Roy White, Vic Harris grew up in Compton. He went to high school in LA and then attended Los Angeles Valley Junior College where he set the school's stolen base record and led the team in hitting his senior (sophomore? - I never know what the second year is at two-year schools) season. He was then drafted by Oakland and had a good season up in Coos Bay, Oregon, sort of a Rookie league team. That guy Charlie Chant was on his team. In '71 he moved up to regular Single A and put up another real good season grabbing a .395 OBA. He split early '72 between Double and Triple A for the A's who then in July sent him with Marty Martinez to the Rangers for Ted Kubiak and Don Mincher. It was an ironic trade since Vic had been exclusively a second baseman until then and Oakland made the trade partly to get Kubiak to fill the gap left by an injured Dick Green, himself a second baseman. Also the A's had Manny Trillo ahead of Vic in the minors. Texas immediately made Vic their starter at second - where he replaced Lenny Randle - and he rewarded them by going 0 for 36 (pretty tough). He would hit above .200 the rest of the way but wasn't making anyone's pulse jump.

Vic got another chance with the Cubs as Chicago's long-time second baseman Glenn Beckert was sent to San Diego. Given the job, Vic again responded pretty poorly and his average slipped back below .200 and the Cubbies had to scramble to get someone to fill the gap. In '75 they acquired - who else - Manny Trillo, who was just not going to sit, and Vic played a tiny bit splitting time between the outfield and infield. In '76 Vic moved to the Cards for Mick Kelleher to do his utility thing and then for the next two seasons to San Francisco in a big trade. '77 wasn't bad but by now Vic was striking out too much and was just getting nowhere on the basepaths. He also put in some time at Triple A those two years. After the '78 season the Giants didn't re-sign him.

For '79 Vic hooked up with Milwaukee and had a nice season at their Triple A club in Vancouver (he played well way up north), hitting .275 with a .361 OBA and 82 runs. He then made it up top for a bit in '80, did OK, and was not signed for the next season. He then did the next best thing, hopping over to Japan to play there for three seasons, he for the Kintetsu Buffaloes. His first year would be his best in pro ball - .268 with 22 homers and 74 RBIs - and he had a decent follow-up in '82 - posting a .368 OBA - although his power numbers tanked. '83 was pretty bad and he returned to the States and one more partial season for Louisville, the Cards' Triple A team in '84. That was it for Vic as he finished with a .217 average. He hit .253 overall in Japan and .280 in the minors.

The Japanese Wikipedia page for Harris is pretty funny. It has some interesting translated stat columns ("Number of Kills" being my favorite). There is an allusion there to Vic returning to Compton and doing something in Japanese-American baseball but I can't tell what it is. Since 2006 his media profile has risen considerably. Since then he has been affiliated as an instructor with the Urban Youth Academy, an MLB-sponsored baseball training school in Compton. He has also been admitted to his school's hall of fame.

Well he started off pretty well in the stolen base department according to his star-bullets. I like the cartoon. It would be interesting to know how many hits he got that way. Vic was a JUCO All-American his second year at LA Valley. He also gets some props in the "Seasons in Hell" book as being a nice guy.

Another easy hookup via the Giants:

1. Harris and Randy Moffitt '77 to '78 Giants.

#156 - Randy Moffitt

Sticking to the west coast we cross the bay to Candlestick and Randy Moffitt during year two of his generally efficient major league career. While at San Francisco, Randy essentially was half of a tandem of closers, first Elias Sosa and then Gary Lavelle. Randy had a nice sophomore season in '73, leveling out his record while dropping over a run from his ERA and posting 14 saves. While things were going pretty well for him on the mound, it would also be a memorable year for something having nothing to do with baseball.

Randy Moffitt was drafted by the Giants in 1970 out of the University of California, Long Beach. He grew up in Long Beach and while at school set records in innings and strikeouts. He had an excellent start to his career at Single A Fresno and jumped to Triple A in '71. After a tough time in the rotation he was moved to the pen where he remained for all of '72. He came up the latter part of that season, unfortunately during the annual Giants swoon and had a decent, but not spectacular, rookie season, garnering four saves. '73 would be one of the better seasons and was also a good year for his sister - Billie Jean King - who beat Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match. His ERA bloated a couple runs in '74 but he topped out in saves that season with 15. After a prosaic '75 he had his best year in '76, topping out in innings while posting 14 saves and a 2.27 ERA. He had two more good seasons in '77 and '78; overall from '73 through '78 he did good work, averaging 61 games, five wins, and 13 saves over that period.

In '79 Randy's numbers tanked as he developed a stomach ailment that restricted his pitching to 28 games, many of them in extreme pain. It turned out the ailment was an intestinal parasite called cryptosporidia enteritis that took nearly two years to diagnose. The parasite is common in horses but in the few cases to that time it had been recorded in humans, it was almost always fatal. For the next two seasons '80 and '81, Randy pitched only 27 innings while dealing with his ailment. The Giants cut him in August of '81, leaving him to deal with the rest of his recovery on his own. For the '82 season he hooked up with Houston and threw pretty well, going 2-4 with three saves and a 3.02 ERA in 30 games. In '83 he signed with the Blue Jays and had a rocking beginning to his season, going 3-0 with six saves and a 1.59 ERA in his first 18 games, usurping the role of team closer. He cooled off significantly, though still posting the best numbers of any Blue Jay reliever that season, finishing 6-2 with a 3.77 ERA and ten saves. But Toronto didn't pick up his contract and after a one-game shot with the Brewers' Triple A club, he was through. Randy finished with a record of 43-52, 96 saves, and a 3.65 ERA He did some nice work at the plate, too, recording a .313 average in '75 and a .214 the following year, and didn't strike out terribly much. In the minors he was 16-17 with a 3.22 ERA. 

Moffitt has gone radio silent since playing. I can find the odd photo and he is an advisor for the Gay and Lesbian Athletic Foundation but I have no idea what he has done for any of the past 37 years. He was very interested in horses and had a grooming license at one point but I cannot find out if he pursued that path. But his sister is still pretty high-profile.

The card back is pretty unassuming. I guess Randy was also, since the fishing angle was a dead end as well.The guy who won that ERA title in '70 was a Bakerfield Dodger by the name of Al Dawson who went 17-6 that year but flamed out quickly after that and never made The Show.

These two get connected by a big trade:

1. Moffitt and Vida Blue '78 to '81 Giants;
2. Blue and Bert Campaneris '69 to '76 A's.

#155 - Bert Campaneris

This is a pretty prosaic card after all the great A's action shots but I guess we were due. Before I get into Campy here I have to give props to some of the recent commentators, particularly Clay, who has educated me on the Expos' spring training sites and carlsonjok on photography. With this card we are back to the A's following or leading the Mets by a card or two. Bert had a pretty typical season for him in '73. After missing the first week for a suspension - see below - he worked his way out of an early slump to get another All-Star nod based on his mid-season .300 average. That cooled off a bit over the balance of the season but more good defense numbers preceded his best offensive post-season that all contributed to his second straight ring.

Bert Campaneris was yet another player born and raised in Cuba. There Bert was primarily a catcher and after he was signed by Kansas City in '61 it was the position at which he first played in the minor leagues. In a '62 season split between D and Single A ball he also played the outfield, shortstop, and first base. He even pitched a couple games and in one he did so ambidextrously. His offense at both levels was quite good as his combined numbers included a .300 average with a .390 OBA. In '63 he graduated to Double A for a short season - perhaps he was injured - and he stayed there for the bulk of '64, both seasons hitting above .300 while concentrating primarily on shortstop. He came up to KC later that second season and in his first game hit two homers off Jim Kaat. While Bert was not without power, that game was not indicative of the type of player he would be. What he would be was a slightly above average hitter for a shortstop at the time with a not too great OBA, but who could steal bases, run intelligently, provide very good range defensively, and have a great attitude. From late '64 through '76 Bert would be the regular A's shortstop, accumulating five All-Star nods during that time. In '65 he showed his versatility by playing an inning at each position. That experiment ended badly when he was steamrolled at the plate by Angel Ed Kirkpatrick and then missed a couple games with a dislocated shoulder. In '66 he showed his base-running skill by scoring four times in a win without the benefit of another player's RBI. From '65 to '68 he took over from Luis Aparicio and led the AL in stolen bases each year, which he would do again in '70 and '72. During the '68 season he also led the AL in hits. In '70 he became a power hitter for a season, knocking 22 homers with 64 RBIs, both personal bests by wide margins. In '71 the solid play began paying off as Oakland won its first of five straight division titles. In '72 Campy only played a couple playoff games against Detroit; he was suspended for the rest of them because he threw his bat at Tiger reliever Lerrin LaGrow after the pitcher threw at him. He was suspended ten games for that, but Bowie Kuhn allowed him to play in the Series and the remaining suspension was pushed forward to the '73 season.

In both '74 and '75 Campaneris would again be an All-Star and have two of his best offensive seasons. The first year he topped out in average and OBA, with a .290 and .347, respectively. Then in '76 he put up his last big stolen base total of 54 - the most he'd had in seven seasons - as the A's set a team record. Following that season he was part of the big exodus and signed with the Rangers as a free agent. While on paper his offensive and defensive numbers held and he was again an All-Star, at 35 his range was being compromised. In '78 his numbers tumbled hard and early in the '79 season he was traded to the Angels for Dave Chalk. For California he was a part-timer for the balance of '79 through '81. The Angels did not re-sign him after that last season and the following year he played in Mexico. In '83 he came back to play some games for the Yankees and hit .322. He also played some minor league ball for those guys and after the season left as a free agent. That was it for Campy and his totals would include a .259 average with nearly 1,200 runs, 313 doubles, 86 triples, and 79 homers. He also stole 649 bases and is currently 14th all-time in that category. He does lead lifetime in playing in the most no-hit games at eleven. In the post-season he hit .243 with eleven RBI's and ten steals in 37 games. He is still the A's leader in games played.

When done playing Campy settled in Arizona. He did some coaching in spring training for a couple clubs and coached in Japan from '88 to '89, but while there had two of his World Series rings stolen. He played in the Senior Baseball League in the late '80s and holds local baseball camps around AZ. He is also a regular at lots of MLB fund raising events.

Most of this stuff I covered up top. In the early '90s Bert had a young daughter and it turned out that one of her classmates in Scottsdale was the daughter of Lerrin LaGrow, the pitcher at whom he'd thrown the bat in the '72 playoffs.

I'm going to opt for some power guys on the hookup:

1. Campaneris and Reggie Jackson '68 to '75 A's;
2. Jackson and Lee May '76 Orioles;
3. May was on the '73 Astros.

#154 - Houston Astros Team Card

Here are the 1973 Houston Astros and they are the early '73 version because Jesus Alou and Tommie Agee are still on the team. (They are both in the second row to the right of the guy that looks like Eddie Munster in a suit). '73 was supposed to be a big year for these guys. They were fresh off their best season in '72, which was oddly enough ignited by their side of the big bad trade before that season.

There were some early bright spots as Jerry Reuss began the '73 season by going 6-1 and the team used a 14-3 surge to go into first place right after the All-Star break. But too much would go wrong in '73: manager Leo Durocher labeled Jim Wynn and Bob Watson - Bob Watson?! - troublemakers; Wynn had to move to the leadoff spot 'cause nobody else could get on base from there so his power numbers tanked; Larry Dierker got hurt; Don Wilson broke his hand; and at one point in the season they had no catcher. All contributed to an inability to keep up with the Reds and the Dodgers as the Astros finished in fourth place at 82-80. For Durocher the last straw was new phenom JR Richard getting hurt in a motorcycle accident; at the end of September Leo quit. He would be replaced by the guy at his left in the team photo, Preston Gomez. Here they are photographed in what looks like somebody's basement, but it would be a couple years before the team got that low.

The team checklist card is fine; just another of my bad scans. Nothing too telling on the front. The biggest signature - Milt May's - is by a guy not even on the team yet. Cesar Cedeno's is the most interesting with the little symbols above it. Jimmy Wynn's has the most character. No Hall of Famers though JR may have been headed that way before things went horribly wrong. But this is a happy group so let's keep things light.

Time to delve into some team records. Not a lot to post here because almost all these guys had cards in this set. If this blog was about just about any other set in the early Seventies, though, I'd have to do a Rusty Staub bio because he went a pretty long streak without a Topps card. Pretty wiggy.

 Fred Gladding had just finished his last season in '73 and is actually on this card (second from right on the top row). Fred was a reliever who signed out of Michigan (the state, not the university) in '56 with Detroit after playing semi-pro ball following high school. After a couple very successful seasons in the low minors, he swam around from '58 to '60 at all three top minor league levels for Detroit, putting up respectable numbers as a starter. From '61 to '64 he would be primarily a reliever - at the top exclusively so - as he shuttled between Triple A and Detroit, all pretty good years for the Tigers. By '64 he was entrenched in the Detroit bullpen. The next three years were all good for Fred as he moved from setup guy to closer, peaking with 12 saves - with a 1.99 ERA - in '67. But Fred's timing sucked and just as the Tigers were on the way to winning it all, he was traded to Houston for Eddie Matthews. He got hurt in '68 but returned in '69 to lead the NL in saves with 29. He would remain the team's number one reliever through '72. He finished with a record of 48-34, a 3.13 ERA, and 109 saves. He still has the best all-time record among Detroit pitchers with over 20 decisions. After he played he coached in the Detroit system until pulled up top as the Tigers pitching coach from '76 to '78. He then moved to the Cleveland system in the same role through at least the early Nineties and at some point retired to the Georgia area.


Turk Farrell was one of baseball's colorful guys. Signed by Philadelphia out of Boston in '53, Turk put up some pretty good years while moving up through the system the next four seasons. By '57 he was up in Philly and he had an excellent rookie year, going 10-2 with a 2.38 ERA and ten saves out of the bullpen. For the Phillies, Turk was strictly a reliever and he had a good follow up year (8-9 with eleven saves) but a poor '59 season. By then he had also developed a reputation as a hard partyer as part of a group called the Dalton Gang with whom he would get into some trouble. So even though he had his best season in '60 - 10-6/2.70/11 saves - after a poor start in '61 he was sent to the Dodgers where his bad year continued. Before the team's initial '62 season he was drafted by the Colt .45's and was moved into the rotation. In '62 he had an ERA just above 3.00 but poor run support led to his 10-20 record. He put up three more seasons of good ERA's and managed to eke out a winning record, going 36-34 during that time. In '66 the ERA shot up and the losing record came back and early in the '67 season Turk returned to the Phillies, again as a reliever. He put up a great partial season with his new team - 10-6 with a 2.34 ERA and 12 saves - and continued to work out of the Philly bullpen through the '69 season. After a couple stops at some minor league teams and Mexico, he was done after the '71 season. Lifetime Turk went 106-111 with a 3.45 ERA and 83 saves. He turned his back on baseball and moved to the UK to work on offshore oil rigs. It was there that he died in a car accident in '77. He was 43.

So how does the '74 set do representing the '73 Astros? Not too badly. Of the everyday players, Tommie Agee had a card with the Cards, and the two most prominent players without cards in the set were Jimmy Stewart and Hector Torres, both backup infielders. Neither had more than 68 at bats. Both are in the team picture, Stewart fifth in from the right next to Cesar Cedeno in the third row and Torres is the last guy in the back row. On the pitching side, eight wins, eight losses, and seven saves aren't represented. Those belonged to Jim York (3-4 with six saves and a 4.42 ERA in the middle of his career); Juan Pizzarro (2-2/6.56 in his second-to-last season); Gladding (2-0/4.50/one save and discussed above); and rookie Mike Cosgrove (1-1/1.80). Another rookie, Doug Konieczny, actually has a rookie card in this set, but for some reason doesn't make the cut for the checklist. York is the third guy in the last row and Cosgrove is the baby-faced guy to the left of Don Wilson in the back row.


Matlack spent a bunch of time in Texas and this is pretty easy:

1. Tommie Agee on the '73 Astros;
2. Agee and Jon Matlack '72 Mets.