Eyes Wide Shut (Even More)

Last week, we looked at some guys trying to stare into the sun while they patiently got their picture taken.  Seems like it was quite a popular shot.  So, with apologies to Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Stanley Kubrick, here’s some more …

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Not too bad.

I think I just like the name.  It doesn’t sound like a ballplayer, does it?  With a name like that, I’m thinking minor Edwardian poet.  I’m thinking obscure Victorian water colorist.  I’m not thinking blazing fastball.  I’m not thinking high heater under the ol’ chinsky.

Aubrey Gatewood was only up for four years, but actually had some decent stats, finishing with an ERA of 2.78.  Sounds like it might have been just another case of arm trouble, poor guy.

Like Aubrey, Camilo’s at least has got a smile going on here.  That is a smile, isn't it?  I guess it could be just your standard that’s-really-hurting-my-eyes grimace.

You’ve seen Camilo before, as himself and also under an assumed name.

I’ve already shared his stats.  Here are a couple of interesting tidbits:

·         His nickname was “Little Potato.”

·         He was one of six players who played for the original and expansion Senators.

·         He was an introductory member of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame.

Looks like Donn liked to fire up a few doobies before the game. 

Actually, Donn is the intellectual of the group.  His father was a professor, and Donn himself graduated from high school at age 15.  From there, it was off to Morehouse, where his big brother was none other Martin Luther King, Jr.!  After graduation, Clendenon taught fourth grade before being convinced to try out for the Bucs.  After his playing days were over, he got a law degree and wrote a book!

More weird looks from this guy here and here.

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I like the way Eli has combined a look of confusion with a slightly different one of being seriously peeved.  But maybe that’s just the look you get when you ask someone to stare directly into the sun for several minutes.

Eli Grba was a charter member of the Vanna White (“I’d like to buy a vowel”) Hall of Fame for Baseball Names.  Other members include Kent Hrbek, Doug Gwodsz, and Marc Rzepczynski.  Submissions for future members are being taken now.

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It’s a great look, but I seriously considered putting this guy in one of my funny-name posts. 

Why?  Well, it might not fit on the back of his card, but Cal’s full name is Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish.  Of his name, McLish once noted, “There were eight kids in the family, and I was number seven, and my dad didn't get to name one of them before me. So he evidently tried to catch up."  (LA Times obit)

Overall, Cal played for seven teams over 15 years.  He was an All Star with the Indians in ’59, when he won 19.  McLish was a coach for 16 years, from 1965 to 1982.

I’m seriously considering giving Don his own post.  He was up for a number of years, and could pretty much be counted on to deliver something goofy every year like clockwork (here, for example, another).

Don Cardwell was a Tar Heel native, pitched a no-hitter, won a 100 games lifetime, and was an important part of the Miracle Mets.  On that last point, Don recalled Tom Seaver saying, “We really looked up to you. You were the strong point of our young club.”  Cardwell went on to reason that “they probably thought that if I could do it at my age, they could do it at theirs.”  (NY Times obit)

Hey, it’s the Stig!  

Now, this guy’s got a lot more going on that the just the half-closed eyes.  The nose, the crewcut, the huge forehead, the full lips …  He kinda looks like a bad mistake from sculpture class.

Dick had a pretty average career.  He was up for only six years, finishing with a 46-54 record and a 4.03 ERA.  For some reason, he made the ’61 All Star game, even though he went 5-11 with a 4.51 ERA that year.  Good start or really bad team is my guess.

* - author owns this card