Celebrity Skin

Alright, alright, I know this is cruel.  These guys can’t help it, at least not in those days before Accutane.  And, heck, some of them were probably just teenagers anyway.  All in all, they’ve already suffered enough, without me piling on here.

So, let’s jump right in!

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No zits.  Instead, we’ve got something else.  This reminds me of that scene in This Is Spinal Tap, where David and Nigel do an interview with very prominent er, um … things – like Billy here.

Billy O’Dell had a 13-year career and went 105-100, with a 3.29 ERA, over 1000 Ks, and two All-Star berths. Not too shabby.

And, yes, you have seen him before.

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No zits.  But aren’t those the most prominent freckles you’ve ever seen?  No, no.  I mean the guy on the left.

Jim McGlothlin pitched for nine years, mostly with the Angels and Reds.  He got in an All Star game with the former and two World Series with the latter.  Tragically, he died of leukemia at the extremely young age of 32, a little over two years after his final game.

 Okay, zits.

Billy Hoeft must have been doing something right.  He was up for 15 seasons, with six different teams.  He was a one-time All Star and one-time 20-game winner.   Billy once struck out the side on nine pitches – only the ninth player to ever do that.   

More zits.  As if it wasn’t enough to be named “Zoilo.”

Zoilo Versalles may have been the most obscure MVP in the history of MLB.  Though Zoilo did lead the league in runs, doubles, and triples, he did it with a league-leading 666 at bats.  He also led the league in strikeouts.  His .272 average didn’t even make the top ten.

He may actually not have been the best player even on the Twins.  Teammate Tony Oliva finished first in the league in average and hits.

More Zoilo right here.

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Zits plus a rather unusual skin tone.  With the latter oddly matching the shirt.

Dave Wickersham was up for 10 seasons, mostly as a starter.  He had one great year, where he went 19-12 for the Tigers.  He could have won his 20^th, but got ejected from the game, the only time in his career that ever happened.

And here's our Dave in a little happier moment.

Zits, definitely of the teenager variety.

Bob Nelson, known more commonly as “Tex” (and also called the “Babe Ruth of Texas”), was a classic bonus baby gone bad.  Starting at age 19, he was on the O’s roster for three seasons – batting .205 in 122 at-bats – before they could send him down.

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Another teenager.

Fred Newman is an actor, a basketball player, a Marxist-Leninist philosopher – and a baseball player.  Oh, wait a minute.  I think these might be separate guys.

Our Fred was in the majors at 20, and out of the majors at 25.  Arm trouble.  In the interim, he went 33-39 with a 3.41 ERA over 610 innings.

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All I can say is, “poor guy.”

John was one of the original Colt .45s, and actually led them their first year in HRs (a measly 10 though) and RBIs (a miserable 59).  He also caught two no-hitters, the first one for both the Astros and Expos (he was an original Expo as well).

Poor John. It doesn't get any better. Click here for more.

* - author has this card