tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31756430127205620942024-02-18T21:12:55.599-08:00really bad baseball cardsGoofy looking baseball cards - unibrows, odd names, weird poses, bad hair, Don Mossi, Wally Moon, and more.Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-62660281110769884822015-01-23T13:52:00.004-08:002021-04-30T19:36:58.823-07:00Baseball Cards: A Love Story<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I fell in love with baseball cards at the <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Scituate</city>, <state w:st="on">MA</state></place> town dump.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A little background … When I was a boy, my family traveled to <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Scituate</city></place> a couple of years running for summer vacation. At that time, <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Scituate</place></city> didn’t have trash pickup. You had to take your trash to the town dump yourself.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Now, that dump was a fascinating place for a 10-year-old. There were trails all over the place, winding around sandy hummocks. And around each turn, there seemed to be something incredible – an old refrigerator, an antique chest, a broken-down engine. I never wanted to leave.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">What does this have to do with baseball cards? Well, on one visit to the dump, I found that someone had gotten rid of a small collection of cards. They were brand new and in perfect condition. It was like finding buried treasure. I was hooked.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.vintagecardprices.com/pics/1838/166327.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.vintagecardprices.com/pics/1838/166327.jpg" width="224" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A card from the dump *</span></i></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The following Spring, my family moved – again. I was a corporate brat, so this was something I was used to. Still, I was in junior high school, so the move was a little harder than it had been before. Interestingly, one of the things that helped break the ice was a shared interest in cards with some of the neighborhood nerds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I remember, in particular, lusting after Stuart Karp’s collection. In fact, Stuart’s collection really got me in high gear. Somehow, I managed to collect all but a handful of the 1971 series merely by buying individual packs. That’s a <i>lot</i> of duplicates.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9wCTE2eLGHlddNhGPcrzKDc3G_Y15pkC-mf_SVBNr0mwsiNcm3YC2EfVBRorklPLtwbQb3CTfjLZP2si1JFczxztm_NmYFvUFaelr36a3AGl636awYKqD2rNdKTi7vYzkRqqYuHdwrU/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="213" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9wCTE2eLGHlddNhGPcrzKDc3G_Y15pkC-mf_SVBNr0mwsiNcm3YC2EfVBRorklPLtwbQb3CTfjLZP2si1JFczxztm_NmYFvUFaelr36a3AGl636awYKqD2rNdKTi7vYzkRqqYuHdwrU/w228-h320/image.png" width="228" /></a></div></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">One of Stuart's cards **</span></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">That
was also a lot of bubble gum. (Yup, that was back when packs had gum
in them.) So, not only did I have almost the complete collection, but I
also had a mouthful of cavities. I’ll never forget how my dentist
always made sure I was buying those cards and keeping him in business.
You were such a wag, Dr. Leeson!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcUzfvaDRJOY86jumTLcJ56xxYZTlOx_JoNTXpZ-w2bw7KTeEJ9zsd-YJT9Og2mqiVz8AQkv0UVmqMBPtpEpLhDabr4CveUyefWaG27R9kVQo8Dm2AKrzhYmKZwQXeHDpuSvm5iCi-7g/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="273" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcUzfvaDRJOY86jumTLcJ56xxYZTlOx_JoNTXpZ-w2bw7KTeEJ9zsd-YJT9Og2mqiVz8AQkv0UVmqMBPtpEpLhDabr4CveUyefWaG27R9kVQo8Dm2AKrzhYmKZwQXeHDpuSvm5iCi-7g/w227-h320/image.png" width="227" /></a></div></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I had about 25 of these **</span></i></span><br />
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In addition to buying new packs and getting a mouth full of silver, I also started looking around for older cards. Now, this was before the great card boom, so there really weren’t any shops around – and there certainly weren’t any websites. What I mostly did was hang out at flea markets. I used to get early 50s Hall of Famers in excellent condition for a buck or two. Man, those were the days.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://www.vintagecardprices.com/pics/380/243/68823.jpg" width="222" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I knew back then he'd make it to the Hall **</span></i></span></div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Baseball cards lost their appeal, however, when I hit puberty and discovered sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll. Yup, I sold them all. And, needless to say, I did that right before the card market really took off. I got a couple of hundred for them even back then. They’d literally be worth tens of thousands today.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I pretty much completely lost interest in cards until, as a middle-aged dad, my youngest son started playing baseball. One of his coaches liked to hand out cards after practices and games as little rewards. Now, these weren’t ordinary cards. The guy’s father-in-law happened to have owned a card wholesale business before he retired. My kid actually got a ‘61 Koufax. I kid you not. Dad was hooked again.</span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.vintagecardprices.com/pics/1799/344/163455.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://www.vintagecardprices.com/pics/1799/344/163455.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Said Koufax *</span></i></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
So, my sons and I found a local shop and started patronizing it regularly. I concentrated mostly on reliving my youth, buying minor stars or beat-up majors. It all stayed in that low gear until I found the following book at a library sale:</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66HcFBx0MsdOQ6hwTpm49utndPhaXpxADFKbEd6Uw71mVDdrWb7zpCY5NcAcc3SKHQdeSZmVuzcTFLog9LAM8hr1SqaLlpF7EuViIokqAaS-WADxPtXSEer_r-0-aE_THNRrUdOU7Gj0/s400/Topps+baseball+card+book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66HcFBx0MsdOQ6hwTpm49utndPhaXpxADFKbEd6Uw71mVDdrWb7zpCY5NcAcc3SKHQdeSZmVuzcTFLog9LAM8hr1SqaLlpF7EuViIokqAaS-WADxPtXSEer_r-0-aE_THNRrUdOU7Gj0/s1600/Topps+baseball+card+book.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This baby shows the front of every baseball card Topps ever made (up to 1990). Let me repeat that. It … shows … the … front … of … every … baseball … card … Topps … ever … made. You can’t find that on the Internet. The book weighs ten pounds and is two inches thick. It costs $160 in mint condition. I got my mint condition copy for $15.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Spending hours leafing through it, I found I was particularly drawn to some cards that I really hadn’t been drawn to before. It just seemed like there were so many guys with eyes closed, goofy grins, really bad hair, unibrows, unbelievable names, and lots more. I’d always been attracted to unintentional humor, and this was a very rich trove indeed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But why the blog? Other than becoming rich and famous and being asked to write books and appear on talk shows? You know, I’m not sure. I just thought it would be fun.<br />
<br />
So, where to begin (sorry, but I'm limiting this only to the years I actually collected)?<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2011/10/are-you-sure-thats-you-50s-version.html">Start me at the beginning (the 50s)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2012/10/are-you-sure-youre-ballplayer-60s.html">I like the 60s</a></li>
<li><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/07/are-you-sure-youre-ballplayer-70s.html">Let's try the 1970s for $100, Alex</a> </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<i>* - author has this card</i><br />
<i>** - author </i>had <i>this card</i> </div>
Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-25085249015636972412015-01-17T15:00:00.001-08:002021-04-30T19:39:55.839-07:00Behind Blue Eyes<span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">I thought I was <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2015/01/a-70s-miscellany-real-action-shots.html">done with this blog</a>, then I found this old post …</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Maybe it was something in the film. There’s something about those pale blue eyes, though. Something scary. Something evil. Here, let me show you what I mean …<br /><br />
</span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9z-KC13faLu05xFYQXaSV8iU8kW-lij8e_DC7om2_4PdNb6LgKzpBAfwEOov7pxdKxwtB90g3k2eaF7YQ32CZJ6rYOlTG9XzZVDbIWMODvGdpdcH7iX5Bl9S_e1VFlHmdF5Ij7wJohi8/s1600/niekro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9z-KC13faLu05xFYQXaSV8iU8kW-lij8e_DC7om2_4PdNb6LgKzpBAfwEOov7pxdKxwtB90g3k2eaF7YQ32CZJ6rYOlTG9XzZVDbIWMODvGdpdcH7iX5Bl9S_e1VFlHmdF5Ij7wJohi8/s1600/niekro.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">
<br />Oh so subtle.<br /><br />You’ve met Joe Niekro before, where I made fun of <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/03/fun-with-dentistry-60s-version.html">his dentition</a>. There, I also shared some stats and also the great video of him and his emery board. Some things I didn’t mention:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">He’s the father of major leaguer Lance Niekro</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">He hit only one homer in almost 1000 at bats – against his brother Phil!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">It took him 20 years to make his first World Series appearance – a record</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">He’s in the National Polish Sports Hall of Fame</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">He could hypnotize people with his eyes</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiSRyS44Ffwuz1jXX-rWd3A_dvR015eqAqyJWiMIn1QWM53nrDorr2jV4C2Ji5OqnhFqTKxm6mj94qxKKCda7V7Yg8zYNBsrI_U_38oAmv29hdV68DRWCdOZ17rpUuGsZ6rmq87GqtEI/s1600/hoerner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiSRyS44Ffwuz1jXX-rWd3A_dvR015eqAqyJWiMIn1QWM53nrDorr2jV4C2Ji5OqnhFqTKxm6mj94qxKKCda7V7Yg8zYNBsrI_U_38oAmv29hdV68DRWCdOZ17rpUuGsZ6rmq87GqtEI/s1600/hoerner.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><br />Starting to look a little alien like.<br /><br />Joe Hoerner was a pretty decent reliever who seems mostly forgotten today. Over a 14-year career, he finished 39-34, with 99 saves and a sparkling 2.99 ERA. He was an All Star in 1970. Joe did bounce around quite a bit, though, playing for seven different teams. <br /><br />Some Hoernerian trivia:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">He was given the last rights after collapsing on the mound during a minor league game</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">His first hit was a homer – off Fergie Jenkins, no less – the only homer he would ever hit</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">He was the starter in an all-rookie lineup for the Houston Colt .45s.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">As the Cardinals celebrated their ‘67 World Series victory, he severed a tendon when a champagne bottle he was holding exploded </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">He's been in this blog <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/search?q=hoerner">before</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">He was a space alien</span></span></li>
</ul><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgK7cC4ck_7xgXe1QZ3UmCeNa_m_tbata8GdZEun4zqR6KIeuOlq87eCDwuFkoBwJDJd1wsNzddcQUBOZE-CzAEYeXM5beW4g8zfO2qaRaWtXsckriaKyBhTFeKMexFJFEG6ejBPKwThs/s1600/nyman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgK7cC4ck_7xgXe1QZ3UmCeNa_m_tbata8GdZEun4zqR6KIeuOlq87eCDwuFkoBwJDJd1wsNzddcQUBOZE-CzAEYeXM5beW4g8zfO2qaRaWtXsckriaKyBhTFeKMexFJFEG6ejBPKwThs/s1600/nyman.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><br />This guy is so gone.<br /><br />Gerry Nyman was up for a couple of forgettable years with the White Sox and the Pads. Things started out pretty well, as Gerry went 2-1 with a 2.01 ERA in eight games his rookie year. After that, though, it was all downhill. I’m talking a 5.29 ERA the next year and a 15.19 ERA the year after that. <br /><br />After hanging up his spikes, Gerry began a long career as a minor league pitching coach, advising such powerhouses as the Eugene Emeralds, Burlington Bees, and Idaho Falls Chukars. Gerry is also a skilled carpenter in his spare time, and can bore holes through wood with his eyes.</span></span><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6pGzpktSpU8oD0kETdsQvMQhsxwG7y8BVr1FesbrvS880BYQq__SSkF2pNlkps7d7umKiY51egJpaqGLjwjfYh4JK2mLOZcAQ0exZB66ZqMlIE-lfqhdDJ4qig62-6XhN9Lm43gG6FU/s1600/hilgendorf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6pGzpktSpU8oD0kETdsQvMQhsxwG7y8BVr1FesbrvS880BYQq__SSkF2pNlkps7d7umKiY51egJpaqGLjwjfYh4JK2mLOZcAQ0exZB66ZqMlIE-lfqhdDJ4qig62-6XhN9Lm43gG6FU/s1600/hilgendorf.jpg" width="228" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">
<br />Bad sunburn? Or has the mother ship landed in right field?<br /><br />Tom Hilgendorf’s main claim to fame to may be getting hit on the head with a folding chair during the White Sox’s infamous disco demolition night. Despite a concussion, he went on to pitch the next night and earn a save.<br /><br />Career-wise, Tom was up for six years, and managed to post a decent 19-14 record and 3.04 ERA. Some people like to think of him as the poor man’s Joe Hoerner.<br /><br />Something just occurred to me … You know, another alternative explanation here is that the photographer captured poor Tom right in the middle of witnessing a nuclear explosion. Don’t forget to duck and cover, Tom! Those things can cause a really bad sunburn.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8jfyVxFZPNZ0CE_05tXdemBmNQCA_jUWdzcgkAZeUCZ6HybrdsZ2TOeeRcP7xI1kT9mfH7aGyWCi8FVDrhKE2nNZ55rwGLdMH9r8zRq3zO5qGYUCmnmUl09eLzh9wwR8xIe3215eZVs/s1600/hopkins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8jfyVxFZPNZ0CE_05tXdemBmNQCA_jUWdzcgkAZeUCZ6HybrdsZ2TOeeRcP7xI1kT9mfH7aGyWCi8FVDrhKE2nNZ55rwGLdMH9r8zRq3zO5qGYUCmnmUl09eLzh9wwR8xIe3215eZVs/s1600/hopkins.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">
<br />Run for your lives! The zombies have taken over.<br /><br />In spite of being given a girl’s name, Gail Hopkins somehow managed to make it to the major leagues. In fact, Gail was up for seven years, finishing with over 1000 at bats and a .266 average. Unfortunately, he also hit only 25 homers – not something you’d want on your resume if you were a first baseman. Gail wrapped up his career overseas with the Nankai Hawks and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.<br /><br />After returning from Japan, Gail went on to earn a Masters in theology, a PhD in biology, and an MD. Holy crap! He’s an orthopedic surgeon, a professor, and on the board of a college. Man, I really shouldn’t be making fun of this guy, should I? Sheesh!<br /><br />But would you believe there’s another major league Gail <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2012/02/painting-101-50s.html">out there</a>? </span></span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-75010892411966058752015-01-10T13:06:00.004-08:002015-01-12T13:32:59.763-08:00The Incredible Floating Coach Heads<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I thought I was finished with this blog (see <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2015/01/a-70s-miscellany-real-action-shots.html">last week</a>), then I discovered these beauties. Not only did someone come up with the brilliant idea of showing a card with the grumpy old guys that make up a team’s coaching staff, but they also decided to cut out their heads and stick them on an incredibly ugly yellow-orange background. To top it all off, they separated the floating heads by off-skew lines that practically shout, “I am a hip and happening graphic designer in the year 1960.”<br />
<br />Needless to say, none of these ideas were ever used again. Enjoy!<br /><br />
</span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQ_6a3dyZTu4ZVcgFGaX9fwD1Qd0us3-bWWxkzaAq4CBgz6WgncBxccor2Un0o3jiLhL8c1ZaNL1UmYdb5SwWU9DdxxG_x0QI5OcPEd27aXr7i-hImZUH_bEPGG0RDTTJtZ5JxgPiOJs/s1600/tigers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQ_6a3dyZTu4ZVcgFGaX9fwD1Qd0us3-bWWxkzaAq4CBgz6WgncBxccor2Un0o3jiLhL8c1ZaNL1UmYdb5SwWU9DdxxG_x0QI5OcPEd27aXr7i-hImZUH_bEPGG0RDTTJtZ5JxgPiOJs/s1600/tigers.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />Luke Appling was actually a Hall of Famer. Billy Hitchcock was a baseball lifer, playing for nine years, managing for three, and serving as coach, scout, and minor league president. Tom Ferrick was the pitching coach, and was in the bigs for nine years as well. Interestingly, for four years he both studied for the priesthood and played minor league ball at the same time.<br /><br />
</span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWqKJjKmGkusVOTbTyTEhIj_GwpTTyR7vPKfG4olqM-_q2-rlgrZr_i_Az9kpn-pZIgApey869N34MHX5w3XtyaIF7L6u0XuMC5VjzwXQrWbZTiIXbDb3Uyma4k6UuF-Nq_oYfYmUwFE/s1600/indians.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWqKJjKmGkusVOTbTyTEhIj_GwpTTyR7vPKfG4olqM-_q2-rlgrZr_i_Az9kpn-pZIgApey869N34MHX5w3XtyaIF7L6u0XuMC5VjzwXQrWbZTiIXbDb3Uyma4k6UuF-Nq_oYfYmUwFE/s1600/indians.jpg" height="320" width="233" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />Bob Lemon’s another Hall of Famer. Mel Harder was another good pitcher, but no Hall of Famer. Jo-Jo White was an African-American basketball player who starred for the Celtics in the ‘70s. Red Kress is the name of a salad green.<br /><br />
</span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-Yf_VZ0TcTVJX1awoPumT44oohBbxUZvpIU8ekzWVMthQLFHy9Ykdi-UaF-cWaIl36m6WcrGgTYej78uxoIJWD7PYloIcz9UMVA4SQ8YxlQDECuw96z1p3MgC0nCNb_SqV5fwf5yCwQ/s1600/kc+as.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-Yf_VZ0TcTVJX1awoPumT44oohBbxUZvpIU8ekzWVMthQLFHy9Ykdi-UaF-cWaIl36m6WcrGgTYej78uxoIJWD7PYloIcz9UMVA4SQ8YxlQDECuw96z1p3MgC0nCNb_SqV5fwf5yCwQ/s1600/kc+as.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
“Fat Freddie” Fitzsimmons was another decent major league pitcher, with a 19-year career and a sparkling 217-146 record. Walker Cooper was a pretty decent catcher, getting in the All Star game no less than eight times. Don Heffner was <i>not </i>the brother of Hugh.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHqNvhKwrClADY4FnmEJQ6ntsbceoULdlOwBXv0eckmkkKJCfgJw-09rxEeud6hlk9l9KS_i1mLpXocs5cX1wP_rf2ZWUqC1-n8OzlEVy2FkznpsvJZi1eIxO4TAUKKtrJ_C1vPNclBM/s1600/yanks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHqNvhKwrClADY4FnmEJQ6ntsbceoULdlOwBXv0eckmkkKJCfgJw-09rxEeud6hlk9l9KS_i1mLpXocs5cX1wP_rf2ZWUqC1-n8OzlEVy2FkznpsvJZi1eIxO4TAUKKtrJ_C1vPNclBM/s1600/yanks.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<br />
You may actually know all four of these guys. Bill Dickey and Frank Crosetti were both lifetime Yankees, with Dickey making it to Cooperstown. Eddie Lopat played most of his career with the Yanks, and was the pitching coach. Ralph Houk would go on to skipper the Yankees, winning two Series for them. Overall, he would manage for 20 years and win over 1600 games.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkjjcVWG1lt-g1E9MunnSv6JxkJgjsjy1HtUN-7t4mwdBCWUVI0gYDWEe7MKfKo4Yb8344SDoST1B66vZ4JJipAWMqHj8w4JHcID1OBothOlyN48ntuCOrS54JlqdGatIUTWpLY0Ca5k/s1600/bucs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkjjcVWG1lt-g1E9MunnSv6JxkJgjsjy1HtUN-7t4mwdBCWUVI0gYDWEe7MKfKo4Yb8344SDoST1B66vZ4JJipAWMqHj8w4JHcID1OBothOlyN48ntuCOrS54JlqdGatIUTWpLY0Ca5k/s1600/bucs.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
Mickey Vernon was an excellent hitter, coached first, and has <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2012/02/painting-101-50s.html">graced this blog before</a>. Bill Burwell was the pitching coach, and won an incredible 239 minor league games. Sam Narron was another career minor leaguer and was the bullpen coach. He comes from quite the baseball family, with two nephews and one grandson making the bigs. Our final minor league veteran is Frank Oceak. He’s most famous for being the third base coach who celebrates with Mazeroski as Maz rounds third after hitting his Series-winning homer.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTtteVuXkowf0MmkjLQpszXjM4gW-z-s7yLr9jI16nhJHdBj8k-4iUUCjwkPA2TkRTxO7ggSQKTaXPyenAJ25uCFkCPHekFiv6K-knh0IAGlbWEj1LVVFglQPinRYpBzTzboat2WKIDE/s1600/chisox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTtteVuXkowf0MmkjLQpszXjM4gW-z-s7yLr9jI16nhJHdBj8k-4iUUCjwkPA2TkRTxO7ggSQKTaXPyenAJ25uCFkCPHekFiv6K-knh0IAGlbWEj1LVVFglQPinRYpBzTzboat2WKIDE/s1600/chisox.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
Ray Berres, a backup catcher for 11 years in the bigs, was the White Sox pitching coach for almost 20. He lived to be 99. Don Gutteridge, a 12-year major leaguer, would manage the Chisox for two years. He lived to be 96. Tony Cuccinello and Johnny Cooney lived to ages 87 and 86 respectively. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeFKVaRZsG8L8avKgzSqHJWySm5c1y3_ZbQ-u1tzaO-CO_2aAxGIJA9h3LAlDcv53wzTkEgrwL6JAatDL9pHLYh4E-mJOYcELQwX1l_zzGA_9UkSi4pLREOjYpoUMmF5PnGfnw37PNRg/s1600/giants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeFKVaRZsG8L8avKgzSqHJWySm5c1y3_ZbQ-u1tzaO-CO_2aAxGIJA9h3LAlDcv53wzTkEgrwL6JAatDL9pHLYh4E-mJOYcELQwX1l_zzGA_9UkSi4pLREOjYpoUMmF5PnGfnw37PNRg/s1600/giants.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
Wes Westrum’s been in this blog <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/03/hey-skip.html">before</a>, where we caught him as manager of the early Mets (poor guy). The wonderfully named Salty Parker spent one month in the bigs, 23 years in the minors, and 11 years as a major league coach. The equally wonderfully nicknamed “Barnacle Bill” Posedel was a major-league pitching coach for 18 years.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1F2_oWhvN82RHGfUpqj1QH8_fu9DmmuXStjAoNLjnfUIhW7AdVVaf-wTsFrjWuJfJwtz0JIGa-O-lMWSQ7dZqO6714mtDCxSSjyi5xl0KLb5EV6b4wjS_j4FisVMss9tZv5j8u4BD9BQ/s1600/w+sox.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1F2_oWhvN82RHGfUpqj1QH8_fu9DmmuXStjAoNLjnfUIhW7AdVVaf-wTsFrjWuJfJwtz0JIGa-O-lMWSQ7dZqO6714mtDCxSSjyi5xl0KLb5EV6b4wjS_j4FisVMss9tZv5j8u4BD9BQ/s1600/w+sox.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
Wait a minute. Someone did use this idea again. Now, I just can’t decide if this was done in the spirit of serious nostalgia or simply as a joke.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzFMwPra79lIukwpDMe5aNhGEKrtJDMvJCfTUWO6TnFVBBlKm4QlO3fzpMAMAgvVoS0ByDPs9dSqonAmwmdgJEBZpALbECnfRAqXVEubbPSyyaJwPbxFZfma0KtzLSpi-av7kBknYGtQ/s1600/1960+Jedi+Coaches.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzFMwPra79lIukwpDMe5aNhGEKrtJDMvJCfTUWO6TnFVBBlKm4QlO3fzpMAMAgvVoS0ByDPs9dSqonAmwmdgJEBZpALbECnfRAqXVEubbPSyyaJwPbxFZfma0KtzLSpi-av7kBknYGtQ/s1600/1960+Jedi+Coaches.JPG" height="320" width="230" /></a></div>
<br />
I think it’s safe to say <i>this </i>one was a joke.Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-64532499142307737362015-01-04T10:22:00.001-08:002015-03-01T07:00:05.880-08:00A '70s Miscellany - Real Action Shots<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Okay, so <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-70s-miscellany-action-shots.html">last week’s</a> “action shots” really weren’t. This week, however …<br /><br />
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbwIwC5zOLtSfCwJ0kHNLKIksW0C8869sHz4ltRyI6JfdxKwJ05E2qO1UyTbRKE3tnAvbK-lSKCVC-jHRF2idIs8qrLE-1wE5mIObkqWlSCNCHZ48GpiYfHKF2JD53Hu24yFB7ENGgJs/s1600/boog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbwIwC5zOLtSfCwJ0kHNLKIksW0C8869sHz4ltRyI6JfdxKwJ05E2qO1UyTbRKE3tnAvbK-lSKCVC-jHRF2idIs8qrLE-1wE5mIObkqWlSCNCHZ48GpiYfHKF2JD53Hu24yFB7ENGgJs/s1600/boog.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />I was always so proud when my Little Leaguers used their “big guy” voices.<br /><br />
In addition to having one of the greatest nicknames of all time, John Wesley “Boog” Powell was also a pretty decent ballplayer. Over a 17-year career, he totaled 339 homers and 1187 RBIs. He was a one-time MVP and a four-time All Star as well. Boog’s kept busy in retirement, starring in Miller Lite commercials, operating a marina, and running a BBQ stand at Camden Yards.<br /><br />
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVIjOvGOUU8CgGtn_trfEBBB9MMQHGk0XLM4xQOQz6YpdqAeBnVL7SJ7vJYP2qw-cDomsHLMsQA6d8bphhympuF8FYpL9OvsJiZDOaMvNS9dPCl988bVjVlsG5Ht9tanoX_heQO4qrTA/s1600/brooks3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVIjOvGOUU8CgGtn_trfEBBB9MMQHGk0XLM4xQOQz6YpdqAeBnVL7SJ7vJYP2qw-cDomsHLMsQA6d8bphhympuF8FYpL9OvsJiZDOaMvNS9dPCl988bVjVlsG5Ht9tanoX_heQO4qrTA/s1600/brooks3.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />I always had to tell my Little Leaguers to warm up perpendicular to the sun, not with it. (Then I had to explain what “perpendicular” meant.)<br /><br />
A particular favorite of mine, Brooks can also be found <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2011/10/are-you-sure-thats-you-50s-version.html">here</a>, <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/05/hiding-in-plain-sight.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/07/action-action-we-want-action.html">here</a>.<br /><br />
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0wmy_f7EljPMRugSqVE8UwQCwyKvWT09kh8faBshx40fL-plh5_gNbR7x9_qF0HGaK5wZWmYyp1JrqRh087mcQuirImpj_sIjuDmNQxd76WIn_eXz6CId7japWYCJoLKIP26BE88xd4/s1600/Norman_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0wmy_f7EljPMRugSqVE8UwQCwyKvWT09kh8faBshx40fL-plh5_gNbR7x9_qF0HGaK5wZWmYyp1JrqRh087mcQuirImpj_sIjuDmNQxd76WIn_eXz6CId7japWYCJoLKIP26BE88xd4/s1600/Norman_thumb.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />Few know it, but the San Diego fans once boycotted the team for a whole home stand to protest those horrible uniforms<br /><br />
This card represents Fred Norman’s last year with the Pads – he would be traded to the Big Red Machine in the offseason. He would, thus, go from a team where he had records of 3-12 and 1-7 to one where he would compile records of 12-4, 12-6, and 12-7 … and there would actually be fans in the stands.<br /><br />
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYQHrI9viShAHLsBQwcAbUQOwMOSOQbOhpMEiVYDnwZcCJU6RcRXvRU-sJmUi-MmxOEBWtaLeU3Ixo0ke7Bquml8hofp5vbqXlO8s6jxo4nBwAYS1-RfjlmmFwCl6yAnVG_aVfocTNRY/s1600/wise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYQHrI9viShAHLsBQwcAbUQOwMOSOQbOhpMEiVYDnwZcCJU6RcRXvRU-sJmUi-MmxOEBWtaLeU3Ixo0ke7Bquml8hofp5vbqXlO8s6jxo4nBwAYS1-RfjlmmFwCl6yAnVG_aVfocTNRY/s1600/wise.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />Rick liked to give himself a little hug when things weren’t going so well on the mound.<br /><br />
Rick Wise was once traded straight up for Steve Carlton, in pretty much the middle of their careers.<br />
<table cellpadding="10">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></th>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rick</span></th>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve</span></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Years played</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">18</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">24</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wins</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">188</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">329</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">K's</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1647</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4136</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ERA</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3.69</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3.22</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20-win seasons</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Years leading league in wins</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Years leading league in losses</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cy Young awards</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Star appearances</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No hitters</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hall of Fame?</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br />
Aw … Give yourself a hug, Rick!<br /><br />
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSJIgdOAjNsCkKzuJmUmGW1Ly_Bq9PeYW3oRPVL8oZ7ojSNx6Mar_Tr5om43c9qCv9Uv1jFWBn1Mp1J9aUx__o4MxJ_zZ3wdV-6lmBpdVpfWm8waOzOrEgKAKNBXyFJ46rrgGUmnYi1c/s1600/nelson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSJIgdOAjNsCkKzuJmUmGW1Ly_Bq9PeYW3oRPVL8oZ7ojSNx6Mar_Tr5om43c9qCv9Uv1jFWBn1Mp1J9aUx__o4MxJ_zZ3wdV-6lmBpdVpfWm8waOzOrEgKAKNBXyFJ46rrgGUmnYi1c/s1600/nelson.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />“Uh, you’re on my base.”<br /><br />
Dave Nelson was very fast. He once stole 51 bases despite hitting only .226. He also once stole second, third, and home in one inning. Life after baseball included coaching and announcing.<br /><br />
Great post <a href="http://www.hardballtimes.com/tht-live/a-baseball-card-mystery-dave-nelson/">here </a>where the blogger and some commenters narrowed this shot down to the seventh inning of the second game of a doubleheader that took place on July 30, 1972. The glum-looking infielder is Ted Kubiak, by the way. (And the pitcher is Steve Hamilton, in case you haven’t already guessed that yourself.)<br /><br />
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideSjQ9GQp13NDAC1F4xf9zyJ2S5le05QXjtaJMiJZ5hc9zGLA9zfkiyKENSboC0BciibpJansv0vsm5HRlapuKNDDsJhYXRKA8_4oc1js2Bd7qLi9FAqgfdBwayJCOaEHBWUotaMtey0/s1600/Len_Randle_78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideSjQ9GQp13NDAC1F4xf9zyJ2S5le05QXjtaJMiJZ5hc9zGLA9zfkiyKENSboC0BciibpJansv0vsm5HRlapuKNDDsJhYXRKA8_4oc1js2Bd7qLi9FAqgfdBwayJCOaEHBWUotaMtey0/s1600/Len_Randle_78.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />“Hey, get your hand off my butt!”<br /><br />
Lenny Randle was another speed burner. He was also a somewhat better hitter than Nelson, having batted over .300 twice. Interestingly, though, he also finished under the Mendoza line no less than three times in 12 years. (More Lenny right <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-little-touched.html">here</a>.)<br /><br />
As far as I can tell, this is July 31, 1977. It’s the 3rd inning and Randle has just been picked off at 1st by pitcher Dave Wehrmeister and first baseman Gene Richards. The ball gets away, however, and Randle will end up at 3rd. Now, here’s how I figured it out:
</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s 1977 – Topps’ 1978 cards (of which this is one) were shot during the 1977 season
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mets are playing Pads at home – Pads wore dark shirts on the road
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They played in NY only 6 times
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Randle got in only 4 of those games
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He didn’t get in base in one of those games
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In only 1 of those 3 games did the Pads have an African-American Padre infielder
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That crazy play took place in the 3rd </span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Just call me Sherlock … Sherlock Holmes.<br /><br />
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6wVZN83DgTyWaiexmexGggBeof2oSTp17QR7BbWdoZUkNH-SeTq4E0OyRrqr12USWf9fgkderynV3yUFOY_NToOoGh8KZCvT2ybpmjpq2xQ2dyMR8QgqYSlT7zooAs-9-zIRopm0-wE/s1600/cowan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6wVZN83DgTyWaiexmexGggBeof2oSTp17QR7BbWdoZUkNH-SeTq4E0OyRrqr12USWf9fgkderynV3yUFOY_NToOoGh8KZCvT2ybpmjpq2xQ2dyMR8QgqYSlT7zooAs-9-zIRopm0-wE/s1600/cowan.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />Yes, this was done on purpose. <br /><br />
And it’s also a great way to wrap things up with this blog. Yeah, I do make fun of these guys and their cards. At the same time, though, I’m like Annie Savoy – a card carrying member of the church of baseball. They’re all all stars in my book (er, blog).<br /><br />
Oh, Billy Cowan? He was pretty much a nobody (click <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/05/be-afraid-be-very-afraid.html">here</a> for more, if you must), but at least he had a great sense of humor.</span></span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-4292199102985448552014-12-27T10:02:00.004-08:002018-05-31T13:04:34.497-07:00A '70s Miscellany - "Action Shots"<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lemme tell ya, there’s a lotta leftover stuff at the end of a decade. In fact, there were so many leftovers for the ‘70s that I had to create three whole posts. <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/12/just-plain-weird-70s-miscellany.html">Last week</a>, we concentrated on head shots. This week … "action"!<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9bX9Cs9mDxEoVCtKDHtUFNQPLf1RrMo5sxm-dZP2kihP8x8NLOy3h082Bo6YkxAemhkjPm78tfJKejAbHRH4mPxEGx8pmk11JC_1IObsk3iejhyEE_8iZ0xSIPo53XvE2zb6-IOzQdw/s1600/lindblad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9bX9Cs9mDxEoVCtKDHtUFNQPLf1RrMo5sxm-dZP2kihP8x8NLOy3h082Bo6YkxAemhkjPm78tfJKejAbHRH4mPxEGx8pmk11JC_1IObsk3iejhyEE_8iZ0xSIPo53XvE2zb6-IOzQdw/s1600/lindblad.jpg" width="224" /></a>*</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />Let go, Paul! Let go!<br /><br />Paul Lindblad’s been here before, looking like a <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/08/before-there-was-photoshop-ii.html">school art project gone bad</a>. I shared his stats there, but I’ll bet you didn’t know that Paul once set a record by going nine years (385 games) without making an error.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhs-0DgfL1QYJuC1sdD84tEEZeVViz05WMv1yeJioDNqDv55l4SFBYzAIYngaGYRoSXce4HZvVbRrYMBNfTACjsddLf_LTP1bAs_h1sRxhgcY0SE7M4YxLyeyflzLa7NTZfj_18Yfp4g/s1600/hunter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhs-0DgfL1QYJuC1sdD84tEEZeVViz05WMv1yeJioDNqDv55l4SFBYzAIYngaGYRoSXce4HZvVbRrYMBNfTACjsddLf_LTP1bAs_h1sRxhgcY0SE7M4YxLyeyflzLa7NTZfj_18Yfp4g/s1600/hunter.jpg" width="227" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />Let go, Catfish … er, I mean, Jim … Let go!<br /><br />Everybody knows this guy. I’ll bet you didn’t know, though, that:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His middle name was Augustus</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He was the youngest of eight children</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He lost a toe in a hunting accident as a teen</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His nickname was solely an invention of Charlie Finley’s</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He never played in the minors</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bob Dylan wrote a song about him</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Click <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2012/11/are-you-sure-youre-famous-60s-version.html">here</a> for a shot of Catfish looking a little different at the very beginning of his career.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ttFIp6YX6G2oRuQcd1Zd82A08Z6PQJTkLi98NiR_1qMiyPArZN-q-qwUAmqKL5AfX8nve_wu-anSIrw84JVkCFOl7JdNXfcwsxACI0EYWh4RJJy8SOQzzSk_HrdqpZz89ZQKO1AZwEc/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ttFIp6YX6G2oRuQcd1Zd82A08Z6PQJTkLi98NiR_1qMiyPArZN-q-qwUAmqKL5AfX8nve_wu-anSIrw84JVkCFOl7JdNXfcwsxACI0EYWh4RJJy8SOQzzSk_HrdqpZz89ZQKO1AZwEc/s1600/house.jpg" width="232" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />Oh my God! It’s like the ball is coming right at me. Duck!<br /><br />Tom House is another repeat offender – and quite an interesting guy. Check out this <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-eyes-have-it.html">link</a>, and this <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/04/perms.html">link</a>, to learn more about his stats, coaching career, PhD, and many publications.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTLPJVM-o6Ok92sFfX3s7vfGVshTDreKut7VIXxzVOOkKbakwpahg4v1dfdUhseduR6pUQSbuF2o5pXzF96FgDXxBRUfxbBVOu05ZibmPEYQYAi0qH_dYpvV5sQ5ZX3NlhWD7hOwP66Q/s1600/browne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTLPJVM-o6Ok92sFfX3s7vfGVshTDreKut7VIXxzVOOkKbakwpahg4v1dfdUhseduR6pUQSbuF2o5pXzF96FgDXxBRUfxbBVOu05ZibmPEYQYAi0qH_dYpvV5sQ5ZX3NlhWD7hOwP66Q/s1600/browne.jpg" width="228" /></a>*</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />Byron, over here! Look at the camera. Byron!<br /><br />Well, when you’ve got a blog with 164 posts, I guess everybody’s going to be a repeat, aren’t they? So, if you’d like to see a shot of Byron smiling at the camera – but still managing somehow to avoid eye contact – well then, click right <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/09/say-cheesy.html">here</a>.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_Ax8XClpOGlwAJfmIfeWprwrC_ALnc0C3ulTv64LZUAa4jYZXRzMEajf6vnLOgm48fWEZWVoElsKG4A4ZBUkwt5rBBokAqT4uUn4nZF_SRN9GHGhN02Hr5KyTmH6EXoZZ5c_6WZFIKo/s1600/sharon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_Ax8XClpOGlwAJfmIfeWprwrC_ALnc0C3ulTv64LZUAa4jYZXRzMEajf6vnLOgm48fWEZWVoElsKG4A4ZBUkwt5rBBokAqT4uUn4nZF_SRN9GHGhN02Hr5KyTmH6EXoZZ5c_6WZFIKo/s1600/sharon.jpg" width="225" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />“Pow! Take that. I’m talkin’ to you, Mr. Pitcher.”<br /><br />Another blogger took 1,700 words to speculate on Dick’s pose, finally coming to the conclusion that Dick is fly fishing! Dick himself then weighs in. Don’t miss it! Click right <a href="http://blog.detroitathletic.com/2014/02/26/outspoken-tigers-outfielder-dick-sharon-went-fly-chasing-fly-fishing/">here</a>.<br /><br />Amazingly, Dick Sharon has <i>not </i>been in this blog before. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsn7rngNiKSR-ARvgupP7X2c8gF7BBNDyNISPobRIua6las1hfkSWUXmaKdfMqa1Q11CqRMrao7p0POsq_dl2THsKr_wr9sB5LufNUQ8U2jdAI-C7QTZJOO1x53IJvAzcJtatyQZhVdU/s1600/nettles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsn7rngNiKSR-ARvgupP7X2c8gF7BBNDyNISPobRIua6las1hfkSWUXmaKdfMqa1Q11CqRMrao7p0POsq_dl2THsKr_wr9sB5LufNUQ8U2jdAI-C7QTZJOO1x53IJvAzcJtatyQZhVdU/s1600/nettles.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I don’t need no stinkin’ cap. C’mon, hit me a pop up!”<br /><br />Graig Nettles was not a bad third baseman. Over 22 years, he totaled 390 homers, 1314 RBIs, 1193 runs, and 2225 hits. He was a six-time All Star and a two-time Gold Glover as well.<br /><br />He also has never appeared before in this particular blog!<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtC2aCgZeOtC0Dk930jtJZ7rzxxEtGPsoL4g_QW2ABVVCPNggtp8AiWvG1ACD7_KYYzO-wzAo5nIhmwDdBxUDievffk35GsvJRuGa9LQ8KYIazj1p97Q0DKYXOhgknT7n-tZxYf7NIVjo/s1600/jutze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtC2aCgZeOtC0Dk930jtJZ7rzxxEtGPsoL4g_QW2ABVVCPNggtp8AiWvG1ACD7_KYYzO-wzAo5nIhmwDdBxUDievffk35GsvJRuGa9LQ8KYIazj1p97Q0DKYXOhgknT7n-tZxYf7NIVjo/s1600/jutze.jpg" width="228" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />Skip was a big KISS fan. At home, he liked to paint his face with eye black and pretend he was one of the band.<br /><br />A backup catcher, Skip Jutze managed to stick in the bigs for six years somehow. All that ever amounted to, though, was a .215 average and three homers in 656 at bats. Like Dick Sharon, Skip was Jewish.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorvAFbP3FGvNyAAPaAZe04hzxO68A3ell3tGyI_xyrHrjqIkOXBkodsVavnBbPrjWdQTjgpeuZs1Eii6EBWBw_TbBBdiBmqXBI0qmLqA1se8Zac1vnqu19mE8zSJ1qmoujXfJkEGm0Go/s1600/mauch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorvAFbP3FGvNyAAPaAZe04hzxO68A3ell3tGyI_xyrHrjqIkOXBkodsVavnBbPrjWdQTjgpeuZs1Eii6EBWBw_TbBBdiBmqXBI0qmLqA1se8Zac1vnqu19mE8zSJ1qmoujXfJkEGm0Go/s1600/mauch.jpg" width="227" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />No mistaking what Gene’s up to here. “Have a seat, son. I mean you!”<br /><br />I’ve listed Gene Mauch’s not unimpressive managerial stats <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/03/hey-skip.html">elsewhere</a> in this blog. Few people know it, but Gene was a player as well. He was nowhere near as accomplished however. As a player, Gene bounced around for nine years, getting only 737 at bats and five homers, and finishing with a .237 average.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGtztk48KM56T7l8q-VUQW0kUeBGutSaSfbq4ZrgVVyej0NQ-U5rpuqIIoSjht7Pg-ZgKtFS98KeMPpidqfQccIXLNF8LMd3G2WkFcPdyaVprspSMVHHKAqEFJUBLS4nVy69Qv4IhWGc/s1600/alston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGtztk48KM56T7l8q-VUQW0kUeBGutSaSfbq4ZrgVVyej0NQ-U5rpuqIIoSjht7Pg-ZgKtFS98KeMPpidqfQccIXLNF8LMd3G2WkFcPdyaVprspSMVHHKAqEFJUBLS4nVy69Qv4IhWGc/s1600/alston.jpg" width="227" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />One away? Or is Walter remembering an old tune from the ‘20s? "Ink, a dink, a dink, a dink doo …"<br /><br />Walt Alston is kind of like Gene Mauch on steroids. Here, let me explain …<br /><br />Alston’s managerial career is legendary. I’m talking 23 years (all at the helm of the Dodgers), 2000 wins, seven pennants, four World Series titles, and a spot at Cooperstown.<br /><br />As for his playing career? He was up once. Once! Not only that, but he struck out! Honestly, I can’t make this stuff up.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDf9WjyK5uERXCm-H-NoKlYuHBLnuU4vBc5cIdR0XvUhOQgrLdgVDwKzOXMjS8_zm-K-OMty3jo4rWFDTeY_hHsv67oeSVRnHu3aACBjZy8GfGSifmSjo2q077JSRQakmkXvHLUndQe2s/s1600/martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDf9WjyK5uERXCm-H-NoKlYuHBLnuU4vBc5cIdR0XvUhOQgrLdgVDwKzOXMjS8_zm-K-OMty3jo4rWFDTeY_hHsv67oeSVRnHu3aACBjZy8GfGSifmSjo2q077JSRQakmkXvHLUndQe2s/s1600/martin.jpg" width="227" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />Continuing our finger theme, I do believe (look closely).<br /><br />Another player/manager, Billy Martin was actually pretty decent at both. As a player, he was up for 11 years, about eight of those as a starter, and including one as an All Star. He was a better manager. Over 16 years, he finished 1253-1013, with two pennants and one World Series title. Oh, he was also a major a$$hole.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>* - author has this card</i></span></span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-49324222778087643152014-12-20T06:54:00.001-08:002021-04-30T19:46:01.003-07:00Just Plain Weird: A '70s Miscellany<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">“One of a kind” is usually a good thing, right? But, then again, not all the time. I mean, like with these guys here …</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUmSuCs1epO8wsJ6uKp89mvfHekXGhjm1wwUMUee7IoRCQbpvcMQjfZlhyphenhyphenlaO-8v1Jbxe2tIEQt2fAvbWYQbS6wN4MjRqWbqph34J9-D4ceN61dFeTQ5o2U6Q5Mo1QYjYwjhWl317hJ0/s1600/harry-rasmussen-76.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUmSuCs1epO8wsJ6uKp89mvfHekXGhjm1wwUMUee7IoRCQbpvcMQjfZlhyphenhyphenlaO-8v1Jbxe2tIEQt2fAvbWYQbS6wN4MjRqWbqph34J9-D4ceN61dFeTQ5o2U6Q5Mo1QYjYwjhWl317hJ0/s1600/harry-rasmussen-76.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The original player to be named later, Harry’s been in this blog before, but as <i>Eric</i> (<a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/09/say-cheesy.html">here</a> and <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/10/expressions-of-weirdness-later-years.html">here</a>). Yup, he legally changed his name after the 1976 season. I have no idea why.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Now, it is true that his ’76 season was something that might make you want to change your identity (6-12 record), but it honestly really wasn’t all that different from the rest of his career. I’d love to know the story on this one.</span><br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnemyvUUzUBvPBHWkvKLd22RTbRVvwKzCNURq_YLQwp0ZBOnRedisFnLm5Y9mmRVoWyf6hpAazvoJbXCcmuDHKgAuR7IX9lMBT25MAVUMISwdHtEdxE2WSMVm8Ln7_JZdqy9P73C59_g/s1600/1970Topps_CarlTaylor_front.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnemyvUUzUBvPBHWkvKLd22RTbRVvwKzCNURq_YLQwp0ZBOnRedisFnLm5Y9mmRVoWyf6hpAazvoJbXCcmuDHKgAuR7IX9lMBT25MAVUMISwdHtEdxE2WSMVm8Ln7_JZdqy9P73C59_g/s1600/1970Topps_CarlTaylor_front.jpg" width="225" /></a>*</div>
<br /></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Carl, you’re supposed to put the lipstick on <i>both</i> lips. Yeah, the upper one too.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Carl Taylor has also been here <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/01/cap-backwards-60s-version.html">before</a>. I shared his stats in that post, but didn’t mention this great story about how he left baseball ... </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Well, it just so happened that, while playing for the Royals in Baltimore, Taylor took himself out of the game, told manager Bob Lemon “I quit,” then burnt his uniform and baseball equipment in the locker room before going AWOL. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And who hasn’t dreamed of doing just that?</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpbEGvFel0aynq1-jwT4oqGM_W5db3TYNFOC5NjNx102MIc_TKURCV_OliHfr4vYTOroZGUzZDxZcasJzVoh1OPLsoqym1_-aE9Dvr_KbM9MUa4U4md8kR2XSxs9K1IvM9gNA8Loncyg/s1600/moe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpbEGvFel0aynq1-jwT4oqGM_W5db3TYNFOC5NjNx102MIc_TKURCV_OliHfr4vYTOroZGUzZDxZcasJzVoh1OPLsoqym1_-aE9Dvr_KbM9MUa4U4md8kR2XSxs9K1IvM9gNA8Loncyg/s320/moe.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Nice tan, Moe. Did you fall asleep at the pool again? After that fifth margarita? Don’t you <i>hate </i>when that happens?</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Moe is one of only 4 major leaguers who were born in Poland. Nap Kloza, Henry Peploski, and Johnny Redder were no Moe Drabowsky however. Moe was up in the bigs for 17 years to their 4, and was in 589 games to their 45.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Primarily a setup man, Moe bounced around quite a bit, playing with 8 different teams. His other main claim to fame is being one of only 4 players who played with both the Kansas City A's and the Kansas City Royals.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Moe was a big-time character. Some of his many antics include:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Giving a hotfoot to Bowie Kuhn</li>
<li>Getting wheeled to 1st base in after being hit by a pitch</li>
<li>Faking a call to the opponent team's bullpen and getting a reliever to start warming up</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjiVFcoJwUHQi7tKLvbtDppEWVlWuvz6Wq6D0gfozXk6sg9bhWqH1xbLLPFV1q0J7kfrnNQFzcfRs_8juMUAStCdoSEjsT2vSggUVUHDu9RK4FQN4jHi8b4Xr66H2bQHkWlZRR4kuoRo/s1600/murph+red.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjiVFcoJwUHQi7tKLvbtDppEWVlWuvz6Wq6D0gfozXk6sg9bhWqH1xbLLPFV1q0J7kfrnNQFzcfRs_8juMUAStCdoSEjsT2vSggUVUHDu9RK4FQN4jHi8b4Xr66H2bQHkWlZRR4kuoRo/s1600/murph+red.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
</div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">You’ve heard of Walt “No Neck” Williams, right? Well, Tom was known as “Cold Neck.” Tom “Cold Neck” Murphy. I am not making this up. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu37iUoovrlK8NtvbGayic8OkHKgXySb7fxi4KIdhHuHAqHyiPQxb1z65mlO6-6rToWAh5BtXSVwd7cacFHzuCtism6K4ZTnUK1flv6_ku9qR9ZQxLniUYhPXsIZxz7Nl4Tb9HtN7s_yo/s1600/murph+blue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu37iUoovrlK8NtvbGayic8OkHKgXySb7fxi4KIdhHuHAqHyiPQxb1z65mlO6-6rToWAh5BtXSVwd7cacFHzuCtism6K4ZTnUK1flv6_ku9qR9ZQxLniUYhPXsIZxz7Nl4Tb9HtN7s_yo/s1600/murph+blue.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Alright, I’m making this up.</span><br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku9CE0aaE2FnIR4YHvlv3e82QplgpCUW4wwvkEMfgby4ndvOSXfQYvXtaxgcOQwlGZydJE60Qc5e0RDbwKTN0wJLoCWDhnxR3IbsypCyBuLmdkAfJ8Y9UnMbVl5K6wL0B3oQtaIzGB5E/s1600/vintage-killebrew.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku9CE0aaE2FnIR4YHvlv3e82QplgpCUW4wwvkEMfgby4ndvOSXfQYvXtaxgcOQwlGZydJE60Qc5e0RDbwKTN0wJLoCWDhnxR3IbsypCyBuLmdkAfJ8Y9UnMbVl5K6wL0B3oQtaIzGB5E/s1600/vintage-killebrew.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
</div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Sign program? Catch pop up? Sign program? Catch pop up?"</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Everybody knows this guy. The great name. The monster blasts. The 573 homers. The bald pate.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I’ll bet you didn’t know, though, that:</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<ul>
<li>He was under 6’ tall</li>
<li>He was a high-school All-American quarterback</li>
<li>His dad was a college All-American in football as well</li>
<li>He was the youngest player in the majors when called up</li>
<li>He was the first player elected to the All Star game from three different positions (3B, OF & 1B)</li>
<li>He is the only Idahoan ever elected to the Hall of Fame (and only one of 28 Idahoans to even play)</li>
<li>He was a Mormon</li>
</ul>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">He's also known as one of the nicest guys to ever play the game.</span>
<br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRXZ963NgZ4j0XHW4LfvoUf4JufG75Hv0Mo-KYY1pQFfFl0hxHW5OMR2RbZXKitLJ0B0ODnlwYxsxXhxrM3k9-Ws4GKXCPP_RB2GqD4TQPJWzBNgYBS14JtdiEU2-xtO8_ZhAP3oZCUw/s1600/jones.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRXZ963NgZ4j0XHW4LfvoUf4JufG75Hv0Mo-KYY1pQFfFl0hxHW5OMR2RbZXKitLJ0B0ODnlwYxsxXhxrM3k9-Ws4GKXCPP_RB2GqD4TQPJWzBNgYBS14JtdiEU2-xtO8_ZhAP3oZCUw/s1600/jones.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I believe someone might have painted this one.</span></div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Well, we’ve got our choices for this guy. According to Wikipedia, he could be:</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<ul><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
<li>“A superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics and acts as a sidekick to the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Rom the Spaceknight, and Captain Marvel”</li>
<li>A Michigan state senator</li>
<li>“Author of the Vatican Knights series and Tombs of Eden!”</li>
<li>“The proprietor of the largest, coolest used piano store on Earth!”</li>
<li>The previous head coach of the Tulane Green Wave baseball team</li>
<li>A left-handed pitcher who was up for 3 years in the late ‘70s, finishing with a 6-9 record and a 4.02 ERA</li>
</span></ul>
<br />
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Yeah, it's the last one. He’s the <i>last</i> one.</span></div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtyX0qRrFrvbrUvmb_FnB2TMiiJzUWhA6Sj2Qsh8ceflB7jOcNXLbNCuD2QFnAnIqWuKGu_3JdtVrEDfdngoDeNcjdG-k_jtDmTiXbtD8Gqr1AeGFucIuClEvcUZT-uyLYAq4XOr510E/s1600/1977+George+Scott.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtyX0qRrFrvbrUvmb_FnB2TMiiJzUWhA6Sj2Qsh8ceflB7jOcNXLbNCuD2QFnAnIqWuKGu_3JdtVrEDfdngoDeNcjdG-k_jtDmTiXbtD8Gqr1AeGFucIuClEvcUZT-uyLYAq4XOr510E/s1600/1977+George+Scott.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Jewelry violation! Jewelry violation! This obviously isn’t something that comes up in the majors, but when I was coaching youth baseball (as well as playing co-rec softball), there was such a thing as a jewelry violation. This is when some necklace, on male or female, threatened to put the health and safety of both teams at risk. I was never sure how that would actually come about, but hey …</span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">BTW, George used to say this necklace was made out of the teeth of second basemen.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">More George right <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/09/just-plain-ugly-70s-version.html">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqj6FPPJL7UyXSkNlrN6p7WO7_fiJR2pnFsrKIP2HUdmpuNE20ZJJ1K971Qq6-Ka4Z2nuh76iZE4GmSGVOgpUzpIT_O05tikbwINN64WykGvdqY5d7QO31qVwYE1iEjri_tP9F08hprg/s1600/fregosi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqj6FPPJL7UyXSkNlrN6p7WO7_fiJR2pnFsrKIP2HUdmpuNE20ZJJ1K971Qq6-Ka4Z2nuh76iZE4GmSGVOgpUzpIT_O05tikbwINN64WykGvdqY5d7QO31qVwYE1iEjri_tP9F08hprg/s1600/fregosi.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And everyone wondered why this particular idea wasn’t repeated the next year …</span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In addition to being a world-famous accordion player, Jim Fregosi was also a pretty decent baseball player. He was arguably the first real star for the brand-new Los Angeles Angels, and was a six-time All Star for them. He also managed for 15 years, and finished with over 1000 wins.</span><br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUE9rIlguiqypJDMA-zhRcAKWqjFR3ssKKmqQhzdHtDoXxc7tPIPzZf69j63CWhUjdKn3nHE5Rw2yOE8onuNF62BFV8d8wCzKcp2oK9tV7O__hfvK4kL_B-bnhwzpHoK2hKa5__CY-t4/s1600/bobbymurcerbhp_a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUE9rIlguiqypJDMA-zhRcAKWqjFR3ssKKmqQhzdHtDoXxc7tPIPzZf69j63CWhUjdKn3nHE5Rw2yOE8onuNF62BFV8d8wCzKcp2oK9tV7O__hfvK4kL_B-bnhwzpHoK2hKa5__CY-t4/s1600/bobbymurcerbhp_a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This is just so damn cute. Bobby “Alfalfa” Murcer. Possibly my favorite card of all time. </span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Bobby Murcer just also happened to be one of my favorite players when I was growing up. For some reason, I was a bit of a Yankees fan back then. Being the huge history fan that I am, I’m sure it had something to with their storied past. You’ll be happy to know, though, that when Steinbrenner, and Martin, and Reggie, and all the gang came along a few years later, I dropped them like a hot potato.</span><br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4rj7M_j6z0uY6ZTUIdbBE8dRC7KeOhpPyJgwET1N7yOz2aUDRCyDosVJA0kyWkSQQy8rJuldiOklaLWNu60mOC1AqDGisjwqg8GJHpn7BqsbPEF5FtgM7KwaLWyc1Pswgsh48LR6ebQ/s1600/schmidt-mike.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4rj7M_j6z0uY6ZTUIdbBE8dRC7KeOhpPyJgwET1N7yOz2aUDRCyDosVJA0kyWkSQQy8rJuldiOklaLWNu60mOC1AqDGisjwqg8GJHpn7BqsbPEF5FtgM7KwaLWyc1Pswgsh48LR6ebQ/s1600/schmidt-mike.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>One of these things is not like the other / One of these things just doesn’t belong / One of these things is not like the other / Can you guess which one before I finish my song?</i></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Yup, it’s John Hilton. Here, let’s see why:</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="10">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></th>
<th><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Mike</span></th>
<th><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Ron</span></th>
<th><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">John</span></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Years</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">18</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">17</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">4</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">HRs</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">548</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">316</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">6</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">MVPs</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">3</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">0</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">All Star appearances</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">12</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">6</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Gold Gloves</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">10</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">0</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Hall of Fame</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Yes</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Rookie of the Year</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Dorky specs</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No</span></td>
<td><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Yes</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8iJkiMM7VfGbXYtlUEcjl8H6AIQubeG-2lfdljp4t3bjZabC5RNEMrHBNUxT5l_zaS4OZmh7-c-K47bm6Dxd6vHMraE6HpBgQcmzFdtpQlAZNAganWY0QrkPpakARXO_nGe8rDLFREo/s1600/1978-topps-701-larry-landreth-78-rookie-pitchers-with-tom-hume-steve-mccatty-and-bruce-taylor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8iJkiMM7VfGbXYtlUEcjl8H6AIQubeG-2lfdljp4t3bjZabC5RNEMrHBNUxT5l_zaS4OZmh7-c-K47bm6Dxd6vHMraE6HpBgQcmzFdtpQlAZNAganWY0QrkPpakARXO_nGe8rDLFREo/s1600/1978-topps-701-larry-landreth-78-rookie-pitchers-with-tom-hume-steve-mccatty-and-bruce-taylor.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Quadruple threat! We’ve got (clockwise from top left) too-dark shades, a hairdo that would look nice on a girl, a super lame fu Manchu, and eyes half-closed.</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Tom Hume and Steve McCatty actually were real, live legitimate major-league baseball players. Hume was up for 11 years, finishing just short of 100 saves and garnering one All-Star berth. McCatty was up for nine years, and once led the AL in wins and ERA. Okay, okay, it was for strike-shortened 1981, but still …</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Larry Landreth and Bruce Taylor? I’ve got Larry down for 20 innings over two years, with a 1-4 record and a 6.46 ERA. He was a real, live Canadian though. Bruce? How about three years, with a 3.86 ERA and a 2-2 record? He was from Massachusetts, by the way.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>* - author has this card</i></span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-8602908055361422392014-12-15T15:23:00.001-08:002014-12-15T16:05:30.639-08:00Those Hip & Happenin' Reuschel Twins<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I’m figurin’ these two were raised by wolves in the Ozark Mountains. Probably Mormon wolves. How else to explain two guys so out of touch with the times.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Pa_jRA2BQyNCnZ2O1pBTUfwFJRuI-Ux9WTpg5BGE01nmfhspFFZLwWwZcpw-oR-KnzInUa1ifc1VmFU1qc6hqBFB3buNqX6PC1FrKj4NLsDHyZLcglANNI2wNitllSKzylGFRP8BHgU/s1600/paul+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Pa_jRA2BQyNCnZ2O1pBTUfwFJRuI-Ux9WTpg5BGE01nmfhspFFZLwWwZcpw-oR-KnzInUa1ifc1VmFU1qc6hqBFB3buNqX6PC1FrKj4NLsDHyZLcglANNI2wNitllSKzylGFRP8BHgU/s1600/paul+1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is Paul. He’s the one with the glasses.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdTrZLlO80g20NwkE1uaKwS_kbbM0TJJq0nFAXKsHU2onO268MB71ldMVZUl5baBlYw22kAJfkOT34E0vahHmyw_i4uwbuX3w3_dpXiYIloqn_k6HID7MHX_AJ0KxlO9XfJTaoYUshMA/s1600/helmet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdTrZLlO80g20NwkE1uaKwS_kbbM0TJJq0nFAXKsHU2onO268MB71ldMVZUl5baBlYw22kAJfkOT34E0vahHmyw_i4uwbuX3w3_dpXiYIloqn_k6HID7MHX_AJ0KxlO9XfJTaoYUshMA/s1600/helmet.JPG" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is Rick. He’s the one without the glasses.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It also appears he likes to wear his batting helmet on the mound. Oh no, Rick – everybody does that. I see it all the time.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K9SrxUspYmom1BVKCAleYEapQxu0HwFVK5hTEwiy38CqU_NFGj042yj45ecd7getd57ZbnSGrcFV2DqoJk_BDz4hEphp5XMcP8XGFj3MkuhVrGAt-U6IBZlpwnW4YK5BX6F3XCe1M_U/s1600/form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_K9SrxUspYmom1BVKCAleYEapQxu0HwFVK5hTEwiy38CqU_NFGj042yj45ecd7getd57ZbnSGrcFV2DqoJk_BDz4hEphp5XMcP8XGFj3MkuhVrGAt-U6IBZlpwnW4YK5BX6F3XCe1M_U/s1600/form.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rick again. Nice form!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTFWY8BOF32dTt-VyIt94WQlaG0awXk98iraCIfZt2p5ObjWKoFwh6lYONO77YzurNRUUiJ24RGzeRasC7Ha64Gn4L5alaBV9f441O6-_CJvU4Dd_xyYuo6aZMghrpFF3C6QQZZwfHp4/s1600/nerds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTFWY8BOF32dTt-VyIt94WQlaG0awXk98iraCIfZt2p5ObjWKoFwh6lYONO77YzurNRUUiJ24RGzeRasC7Ha64Gn4L5alaBV9f441O6-_CJvU4Dd_xyYuo6aZMghrpFF3C6QQZZwfHp4/s1600/nerds.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Big league nerds, if you ask me. Both of ‘em.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjo10XrFKBtK19DBxKApc3yIIa4qRhcvW6H41CP1IaT-F-jlfHm5NJwPn1DiglukpsAL5Z8j7tNiyvR12hwLnDLnWy4qWNt8F3YEjVZ8Y7NJHcHCwnV7YxnjBSt01YNrpg2jR7GV4hhNA/s1600/hostess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjo10XrFKBtK19DBxKApc3yIIa4qRhcvW6H41CP1IaT-F-jlfHm5NJwPn1DiglukpsAL5Z8j7tNiyvR12hwLnDLnWy4qWNt8F3YEjVZ8Y7NJHcHCwnV7YxnjBSt01YNrpg2jR7GV4hhNA/s1600/hostess.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rick, what happened to the ‘stache? I tell ya, the guy is like a chameleon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BTW, love the chaw!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1aPEeKuv_tRzebqnww5LTG2HlQU9JkZUspwjxTZO-KwS_mohDL7RfA9gxCZRnftiFKSC4-a-zWv9zBGXQmhOlFrTzaapKAMFjXW8hkgth8S9x5twa4NtgubkOa47uYvLuITINmMQ6ms/s1600/bowman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1aPEeKuv_tRzebqnww5LTG2HlQU9JkZUspwjxTZO-KwS_mohDL7RfA9gxCZRnftiFKSC4-a-zWv9zBGXQmhOlFrTzaapKAMFjXW8hkgth8S9x5twa4NtgubkOa47uYvLuITINmMQ6ms/s1600/bowman.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah, that's more like it. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiC-hKZ_ErTDTRyK-wv_J86OrrPVGRmcky8zhopZeRDOLE13LfApSVR1yzPhLhLRjEPyqcnZD63tjDaMwVhtTxON2XqRnow-81GfV9mfbGx-28via32oyIXQzA4XvxsDR2oZjp8AXWi4/s1600/paul+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiC-hKZ_ErTDTRyK-wv_J86OrrPVGRmcky8zhopZeRDOLE13LfApSVR1yzPhLhLRjEPyqcnZD63tjDaMwVhtTxON2XqRnow-81GfV9mfbGx-28via32oyIXQzA4XvxsDR2oZjp8AXWi4/s1600/paul+2.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paul, is that you? What happened to the chunky, black, and nerdy style? I thought that was your brand.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEW5d0kljG4_WxtOPOSisYS5dFhDFGxCwoI3kw3iSgDjXQGNR_7r7JjQJ7OSfCICUa8Bj-OmOa_AdRITr72f8B6MSOETGAN6PnMS0pQsxAQcC4pbsYtGJeGZk8itRh_eNCQBrd4OCCNc/s1600/paul+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEW5d0kljG4_WxtOPOSisYS5dFhDFGxCwoI3kw3iSgDjXQGNR_7r7JjQJ7OSfCICUa8Bj-OmOa_AdRITr72f8B6MSOETGAN6PnMS0pQsxAQcC4pbsYtGJeGZk8itRh_eNCQBrd4OCCNc/s1600/paul+3.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There, that’s better.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaUqUxq54qYyThdf1E0FkTDiAcF76CDpLCIFBv6pId0lwF2B0r_Neg2jL5KoE04kwiyfpyCv7eVjKO9oUTXUrGe1bkiz8Skk375svx1HpS7jmtwovPxTS0NEEWq_Mrog_vw5pwKD2d8U/s1600/johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaUqUxq54qYyThdf1E0FkTDiAcF76CDpLCIFBv6pId0lwF2B0r_Neg2jL5KoE04kwiyfpyCv7eVjKO9oUTXUrGe1bkiz8Skk375svx1HpS7jmtwovPxTS0NEEWq_Mrog_vw5pwKD2d8U/s1600/johnson.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Doing our best Walter Johnson imitation. Oh, if Walter Johnson weighed 250, that is.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpqVcZQT-f-Hpm4QIROD2Ka1ZrimJ18bwqMGWczWJYhhEI9IGekA5mxo7PzoIwxFU6M0pFYZ5PkX6sgaRhedrzrf_syCb0MpK-S0wuaFOhzgMbcY68uNbkO0XV7jXdsh4YzZPZtMpgYQ/s1600/fat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpqVcZQT-f-Hpm4QIROD2Ka1ZrimJ18bwqMGWczWJYhhEI9IGekA5mxo7PzoIwxFU6M0pFYZ5PkX6sgaRhedrzrf_syCb0MpK-S0wuaFOhzgMbcY68uNbkO0XV7jXdsh4YzZPZtMpgYQ/s1600/fat.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">260? More??</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, if you’re still having a hard time telling these two apart:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="5">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></th>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rick</span></th>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paul</span></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Embarrassing 1st name</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ricky</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">N/A</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Embarrassing middle name</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eugene</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">N/A</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Embarrassing nickname</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Big Daddy</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">N/A</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Embarrassing weight</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">225 (yeah, right)</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">225</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Years active</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1972-1991</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1975-1979</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Record</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">214-191</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16-16</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20-win seasons</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Strikeouts</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2,015</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">188</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ERA</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3.37</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4.51</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Star appearances</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gold Gloves</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Comeback Player of the Year</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Years leading league in WHIP</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Years leading league in losses</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Years leading league in hits allowed</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Glasses</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, did that help any?</span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-15867795728227305232014-12-09T15:40:00.002-08:002014-12-09T15:46:08.849-08:00John Stearns: Just a Little out of Focus<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Hey, it's early in
the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Out havin’ a little fun
last night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thass all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lossa fun.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Drunk?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, I’m not
still drunk!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a coupla hours a
sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Les play ball!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C’mon, iss lotta fun!”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja68eKR70c551n8kiDFgJX3eamDuHVNj4i04mza753sismpjUKNfSwwid0bbIRtF50jJKJevw-viGqca9fguwdhb0jbKe79miF1hn2Dc-QZuHSnoVghdK5z9vAoDOhY6uHOib_1C9uMqU/s1600/77.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja68eKR70c551n8kiDFgJX3eamDuHVNj4i04mza753sismpjUKNfSwwid0bbIRtF50jJKJevw-viGqca9fguwdhb0jbKe79miF1hn2Dc-QZuHSnoVghdK5z9vAoDOhY6uHOib_1C9uMqU/s1600/77.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1977. John’s first card, as far as I can tell. He was
actually drafted by the Phillies – in fact, as the second overall pick in ‘73.
Interestingly, he was also drafted by the Buffalo Bills that same year, as a
defensive back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not a bad year at all. Stearns would become the Mets regular
catcher and actually make it onto the All Star squad. He was the woeful Mets’
sole representative.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_cXrmJiPTdCMq0gukP9Iu8eCLctv1BG6nm5RnS17Jxr680LQpS9_1w0ux97jQk5TZkCcOhxZOASdhKCBxMEfoIlUBMVPCJjaVmE7aulFlu0w9ZzaQHtVA-ehWPy3sJJtE3YhAi_Z4uk/s1600/steals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_cXrmJiPTdCMq0gukP9Iu8eCLctv1BG6nm5RnS17Jxr680LQpS9_1w0ux97jQk5TZkCcOhxZOASdhKCBxMEfoIlUBMVPCJjaVmE7aulFlu0w9ZzaQHtVA-ehWPy3sJJtE3YhAi_Z4uk/s1600/steals.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1978. Another good year. In addition to the steals (25),
Stearns would also set career highs in homers (15) and RBIs (73).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXrVhBKBQbEFRGQ4r3zNDK9QZBqT6QEE6247z5qZLZ-7wxpmKT3oWonEU83Vx8RxfZDjG5pc-i3pkYwyO0dgHIaaavAs0DASh2tipV41uNKxvyHi5yGt8TCEoDVNVA_KbXuvbi9j5TKo/s1600/hostess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXrVhBKBQbEFRGQ4r3zNDK9QZBqT6QEE6247z5qZLZ-7wxpmKT3oWonEU83Vx8RxfZDjG5pc-i3pkYwyO0dgHIaaavAs0DASh2tipV41uNKxvyHi5yGt8TCEoDVNVA_KbXuvbi9j5TKo/s1600/hostess.jpg" height="320" width="205" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1979, Hostess. Back to the All Star game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A healthy Stearns would also set a career
high for at bats, with 538.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKH-fuQncRBpIeq7IClyttXuJM1HKW7PZlAXjsA9f2OIzTaQhtH4Dd7aGT0u9JV4yL2ynGWC8-SlOxgNSSjdWiQO8a3wDSGNsiIE3cVoStVLa470u8BIPiRHcXeY5VvST_h-owVFzinY/s1600/82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKH-fuQncRBpIeq7IClyttXuJM1HKW7PZlAXjsA9f2OIzTaQhtH4Dd7aGT0u9JV4yL2ynGWC8-SlOxgNSSjdWiQO8a3wDSGNsiIE3cVoStVLa470u8BIPiRHcXeY5VvST_h-owVFzinY/s1600/82.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1982, Donruss. The last year John would be a regular. He
also sets a career-high batting average, with a .293 mark. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnUT1SKo4x1C5om5jnCppczR2FUpkdR6bGj3VCreN4zGyjJHQASUaVcTeLV1KI6bM4yi61GIaRkDtOVRw3j9__RDz8sBXY_Ko5ui26QIrXlghVorES6S8SCZkhu5ouJrmr6t8QidsDMk/s1600/fleer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnUT1SKo4x1C5om5jnCppczR2FUpkdR6bGj3VCreN4zGyjJHQASUaVcTeLV1KI6bM4yi61GIaRkDtOVRw3j9__RDz8sBXY_Ko5ui26QIrXlghVorES6S8SCZkhu5ouJrmr6t8QidsDMk/s1600/fleer.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1982, Fleer. Stearns is also back to the All-Star game, for
the fourth time.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><br/>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdh5kBFkDxuPdrA05giiysFlac_68Aw8spgkrKwTCxXPMNje2gSPDAG1vLZfEHAHv_iGJxmU1X5LoJzDfq4j8596eLOBhGqJWQ-3kI4Zj_Kx02RyRJfaf8Ee4u2QaRj1iqIzk3RPkA30o/s1600/last.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdh5kBFkDxuPdrA05giiysFlac_68Aw8spgkrKwTCxXPMNje2gSPDAG1vLZfEHAHv_iGJxmU1X5LoJzDfq4j8596eLOBhGqJWQ-3kI4Zj_Kx02RyRJfaf8Ee4u2QaRj1iqIzk3RPkA30o/s1600/last.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1984. Stearns’ last year in the bigs. He gets 17 at bats and
hits .176. Oddly, he does not make the All Star game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcE8GeOdtGDijuhLbcexJsnpqS0sn4niXron2cHgScvBXhZ_6dyeb2cTmsCTKhTnngzC0_i2rGiAWvk3wfLfetrsS_GgHTkJ-Jxr8_bFztluBdoQbj6bvHgr3QsxndqrbWDsP4L2yL0kw/s1600/mgr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcE8GeOdtGDijuhLbcexJsnpqS0sn4niXron2cHgScvBXhZ_6dyeb2cTmsCTKhTnngzC0_i2rGiAWvk3wfLfetrsS_GgHTkJ-Jxr8_bFztluBdoQbj6bvHgr3QsxndqrbWDsP4L2yL0kw/s1600/mgr.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2003, Choice. John’s the manager of the Norfolk Tides now,
but do I still detect a slight … you know … a certain … Oh, I don’t know … a
certain look returning?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yup, it’s definitely there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to minor-league manager, Stearns has kept in
baseball as a major-league coach, scout, and ESPN broadcaster as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lets’ end with a little Stearnsian trivia I thought you
might enjoy:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His brother Bill played in the Yankees organization</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<li>He had one game with the Phils before being traded</li>
<li>He once became irritated with the Atlanta mascot Chief Noc-a-Homa and chased him off the field</li>
<li>His nickname was “Bad Dude”<o:p></o:p></li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-20200847896030356142014-11-29T11:58:00.002-08:002014-11-29T12:03:08.835-08:00The Story of Little Tito and His Famous Headband<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s a kid’s story. Seriously, I’ve got a publisher all lined up, and an illustrator … Caldecott Medal – here we come!<br />
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_VWfSvDFwwf3XRX7ym0DtbbiJ_JEREQt1IH5FCX5WstJDDWq4haS6CRi3wv7xvxDpTCP4XUwdUhzK4Mq9_rSE14HFeU-HZ8nTeKRZhAZ50jyY-EPVZOia3GbAuQ0L2Ej___PdCK8ocs/s1600/66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_VWfSvDFwwf3XRX7ym0DtbbiJ_JEREQt1IH5FCX5WstJDDWq4haS6CRi3wv7xvxDpTCP4XUwdUhzK4Mq9_rSE14HFeU-HZ8nTeKRZhAZ50jyY-EPVZOia3GbAuQ0L2Ej___PdCK8ocs/s1600/66.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Tito, before he discovered the magic power of the headband.<br />
<br />1966. Tito Fuentes comes in third in Rookie of the Year voting. Never much of a slugger, he also set a career record for homers … with nine big ones.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AzvMMfvQBOt3BDZfAuzse_WrAAWWj5paUBPPejX9Rd-6mQJco8CBmo8QT8X0i9mjWYAOeat4uLbtzCCzAcy_P4b3OOlYcWXeRSVGyajsS5tnBIYt13xG1wEL4CWs2wki_HFBsxjB71M/s1600/72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AzvMMfvQBOt3BDZfAuzse_WrAAWWj5paUBPPejX9Rd-6mQJco8CBmo8QT8X0i9mjWYAOeat4uLbtzCCzAcy_P4b3OOlYcWXeRSVGyajsS5tnBIYt13xG1wEL4CWs2wki_HFBsxjB71M/s1600/72.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
If indeed looking like an uncoordinated dork constitutes action.<br />
<br />
1971. Tito is a steady regular with the Giants, actually getting 630 at bats for them this year. Amazingly, he gets only 18 walks. His OBP is under .300!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYwUT0zOUYy84ylxY4IjUMhXYz5ID_SUQdsJYXhg_b7By3b2vdjZbW8Y-l4sg0YXqZJZPfxn2rRLjLhZQz29Fap7Fl6Lj1n6-yM5xX0PlrJXIzXQ7xcanP-5eHT08YXrE6Qd52Q4vE7Y/s1600/73.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYwUT0zOUYy84ylxY4IjUMhXYz5ID_SUQdsJYXhg_b7By3b2vdjZbW8Y-l4sg0YXqZJZPfxn2rRLjLhZQz29Fap7Fl6Lj1n6-yM5xX0PlrJXIzXQ7xcanP-5eHT08YXrE6Qd52Q4vE7Y/s1600/73.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />I’ve got to assume he’s wearing the hatband under the batting helmet – though it’s a little hard to tell at this distance. Heck, I’m not even sure what team he plays on, or which guy he might actually be.<br /><br />1972. Another steady season, but with a drop in at bats, to 572.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlHIxe9U0HT8Cp5IhE40u_By99QG-Ht5g3urpCm408EkK515F3rEBeCaEhyphenhyphenjug43uZXB1SMob2NQtpXK-xkI4xFFwPsMaQp35KulQBM02wePv0Qt1XptRODNFUz_dzFEZm8kF0vfHstg/s1600/74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlHIxe9U0HT8Cp5IhE40u_By99QG-Ht5g3urpCm408EkK515F3rEBeCaEhyphenhyphenjug43uZXB1SMob2NQtpXK-xkI4xFFwPsMaQp35KulQBM02wePv0Qt1XptRODNFUz_dzFEZm8kF0vfHstg/s1600/74.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />No, no, Tito. It goes <i>under</i> the hat.<br />
<br />1973. Tito gets 656 at bats! And that’s good enough for third in the NL that year.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoF45GaddLVYtl1JhZwjwPiiC_VbPImJQ2ljQQ8pXXiUBp0kSBPN53BGTCN2aI19uDGCK_GOHU_rJCuBmKgoVdpUsJN6wo9uQERAGepG-lUGk4HsB5XdnkDwFFhYiuyJM6-pYuuGqFiU4/s1600/75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoF45GaddLVYtl1JhZwjwPiiC_VbPImJQ2ljQQ8pXXiUBp0kSBPN53BGTCN2aI19uDGCK_GOHU_rJCuBmKgoVdpUsJN6wo9uQERAGepG-lUGk4HsB5XdnkDwFFhYiuyJM6-pYuuGqFiU4/s1600/75.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />I guess Tito’s just not sure enough of himself to commit to the brand just yet. But, is that a little star over the “i”? Hold that thought, ‘kay?<br />
<br />1974. Tito’s last year with the Giants. He gets a mere 390 at bats.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUg4L56tAZ7bYML8jf8PXiYR6XinbmHZLX2oT5DDeefBOWbQxrEgUw4Vxp14ygKaZm3UeMhZ3K7xMAwnwU4ZnA8gbpDMzD95ZT1ifvOX4VhgsQziIWWc6U1aih2kXlh0MA2gHZP2_gDRM/s1600/76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUg4L56tAZ7bYML8jf8PXiYR6XinbmHZLX2oT5DDeefBOWbQxrEgUw4Vxp14ygKaZm3UeMhZ3K7xMAwnwU4ZnA8gbpDMzD95ZT1ifvOX4VhgsQziIWWc6U1aih2kXlh0MA2gHZP2_gDRM/s1600/76.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />Wow, personalized too. Though, if I didn’t know better, I’d think it said “TITS.”<br />
<br />1975. Tito’s back to being a regular, getting 565 at bats for the Pads.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BoTss3uELy81ZrP2ENem7jtx7PkfjQOSuA8uC-oG1m8XyFQVXTMcj66NxJ6N6jEW_oj5ShExXDCJ483Ciz7lC5s2_WI2fZ1uXsZC8z9JV0WoYcbJ-JdZdr71aCK3KwZEV0z2r0i-Qv4/s1600/77Tito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BoTss3uELy81ZrP2ENem7jtx7PkfjQOSuA8uC-oG1m8XyFQVXTMcj66NxJ6N6jEW_oj5ShExXDCJ483Ciz7lC5s2_WI2fZ1uXsZC8z9JV0WoYcbJ-JdZdr71aCK3KwZEV0z2r0i-Qv4/s1600/77Tito.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />That’s right, under the cap. Though you do realize that you don’t really need one of these in baseball, right? <br />
<br />1976. His last year with the Pads, though the steady regular does get 520 at bats.<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6iFDhZjWRXF2FT5DkpvPBcIpN0kpYodvtS10pTSBBpuRoly3QddlArBMhpi9CWxkysh5DchiCMKv7ceYBVcWxg6NpAUxrV9VhzP8cuUsYJ4jr9KA4h-z6-ltVDs0WEMrEM-OTsYaFgo/s1600/tigers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6iFDhZjWRXF2FT5DkpvPBcIpN0kpYodvtS10pTSBBpuRoly3QddlArBMhpi9CWxkysh5DchiCMKv7ceYBVcWxg6NpAUxrV9VhzP8cuUsYJ4jr9KA4h-z6-ltVDs0WEMrEM-OTsYaFgo/s1600/tigers.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />The dude just never gives up, does he? <br />
<br />1977. Though he’s just a fill-in for the young Tony Phillips, Fuentes finishes his last year with 615 at bats and a .309 average (the only time he would break .300).<br /><br />
<br />After Detroit, Tito would get 43 at bats with the Expos. He would then become the Giants’ Spanish-language broadcaster, a role he’s filled on and off for 30-some years. He remains a huge fan favorite.<br />
<br />And in case you haven’t figured out by now, Tito Fuentes was, indeed, quite the hot dog. In addition to the headband and the little star on his signature, he also:
</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sported a gold tooth
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Did a nifty bat flip when he came up to the plate
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wore rings on all eight fingers
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Favored red suits with wide lapels
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wore up to a dozen gold chains under his jersey while on the field</span></span></li>
</ul>
Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-79101228282405795412014-11-22T08:06:00.002-08:002016-12-11T15:33:45.325-08:00The Many Moods of Larry Christenson<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You may have heard of this particular meme before. It’s typically associated with some tough guy actor whose emotional range goes from tough to, well, tough. A quick search of Google Images shows me these guys in particular (primarily on T-shirts):</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chuck Norris</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Batman</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Steven Seagal</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Darth Vader</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Danny Trejo</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He-Man</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mike Woodson</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Godzilla</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BCkrSldft9lBFQ_snRi1-_ayHkdcNj-ll5E9YDahXt5SsLJIxyH5vXXhONGMEQpY-Zng6vTp71tbdiyZ9vgydrNr9PSRmzcm4B98pg2h4PX-yO0Ezd9zaA6beU4u_wQRdCvddCxr524/s1600/norris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BCkrSldft9lBFQ_snRi1-_ayHkdcNj-ll5E9YDahXt5SsLJIxyH5vXXhONGMEQpY-Zng6vTp71tbdiyZ9vgydrNr9PSRmzcm4B98pg2h4PX-yO0Ezd9zaA6beU4u_wQRdCvddCxr524/s1600/norris.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Oddly, I wasn’t able to find Larry Christenson out there on any of ‘em. I’m thinking, though, you could probably print several hundred thousand with Larry’s mug on ’em, sell ‘em all at whatever price you want, then retire and move to the Bahamas. Whattya think? Wanna go in on it with me?<br /> <br />
</span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgdrje26BJY5pSdOwdPLdqYpCVkq90vHCJoUZ5rJpPK63PuD5UzUW3dKc0QKPGJblhaYWOIHmWtDJA8l3W8oB9AC0VwXehLoLDu-4cogoobtYQmM_4JSRXCaLGKnHu7gmDMEhbNBNH1M/s1600/74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgdrje26BJY5pSdOwdPLdqYpCVkq90vHCJoUZ5rJpPK63PuD5UzUW3dKc0QKPGJblhaYWOIHmWtDJA8l3W8oB9AC0VwXehLoLDu-4cogoobtYQmM_4JSRXCaLGKnHu7gmDMEhbNBNH1M/s1600/74.jpg" width="226" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />Here he is! You’ll be seeing this look for the next six years.<br />
<br />1973. Larry’s first year. Unfortunately, he would only go 1-4, with an ERA north of 6.00. BTW, he’s the youngest player in the majors this year, at age 19.<br /><br />
</span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikznzClaR8A0u2rpx7G3QIqQlc6fNS0CaHIlDwT7WWvhjIl3y57MWsDxIiFR7Z2XHbByFM5DE4OKJhyphenhyphenDNBdIItcicaT6sBqX8nOSQdcfCyWeO8OlyXQ2WAXPEN4IuzPnOiXhTMxzdlo9U/s1600/75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikznzClaR8A0u2rpx7G3QIqQlc6fNS0CaHIlDwT7WWvhjIl3y57MWsDxIiFR7Z2XHbByFM5DE4OKJhyphenhyphenDNBdIItcicaT6sBqX8nOSQdcfCyWeO8OlyXQ2WAXPEN4IuzPnOiXhTMxzdlo9U/s1600/75.jpg" width="226" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />Larry! It’s you again. No, no, just turn your head slightly. That’ll do. Great!<br />
<br />1974. Larry’s sophomore season is a little better, though he doesn’t get as much action. He goes 1-1 with an ERA in the 4’s.</span></span>
<br /><br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vF_yVF6yCfusHvFNuhwkdPlegyLXzjT0smlTBhYc2zQ5gXeY9HkGmYZe19f2Uop8dMvV4Mvz0AnzATnvwcpZGxjJiHtojGJI9eNEVgkwmdhMmxHbohWIhM5p61F3RgnNEuKn4uzH2P0/s1600/76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vF_yVF6yCfusHvFNuhwkdPlegyLXzjT0smlTBhYc2zQ5gXeY9HkGmYZe19f2Uop8dMvV4Mvz0AnzATnvwcpZGxjJiHtojGJI9eNEVgkwmdhMmxHbohWIhM5p61F3RgnNEuKn4uzH2P0/s1600/76.jpg" width="224" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />So, guy, what’s with the jacket?<br />
<br />1975. Larry is one of the Phillies starters, and does pretty well. He goes 11-6, with an ERA in the 3’s. </span></span>
<br /><br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5ldGRJIZDAXAaKbCyvVl92xP1SGG64_6LsaZw0JCbUaJtIEBCf4wrzMIWfhEtQQt-ZOrdb8_Xmm5zhwCxFoocTBmPgaBRXGqib2pgctxAEOi7K7mrp81w2M-5J1RPwKRy9vFh7WaFYI/s1600/78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5ldGRJIZDAXAaKbCyvVl92xP1SGG64_6LsaZw0JCbUaJtIEBCf4wrzMIWfhEtQQt-ZOrdb8_Xmm5zhwCxFoocTBmPgaBRXGqib2pgctxAEOi7K7mrp81w2M-5J1RPwKRy9vFh7WaFYI/s1600/78.jpg" width="230" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />That’s more like it.<br />
<br />1977. Another good year. The ERA goes just over 4.00, but Larry finishes just one win short of being a 20-game winner. Larry also leads the league in something for the first time. Unfortunately, it’s errors committed by a pitcher.<br /><br />
</span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIG3zjX9tmUGg2YnrRAGApwqOmTF2-xSMPH6u70gK3DfXwCRrPEIE4FbHyIL5NnLr7SUBlHeAZJNjySvXcJcqE0vROmBJScE9wXqMP_ZGZvhUwn4fAiPp58_tDqL3UXn8aMzvgl0KsVZw/s1600/79.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIG3zjX9tmUGg2YnrRAGApwqOmTF2-xSMPH6u70gK3DfXwCRrPEIE4FbHyIL5NnLr7SUBlHeAZJNjySvXcJcqE0vROmBJScE9wXqMP_ZGZvhUwn4fAiPp58_tDqL3UXn8aMzvgl0KsVZw/s1600/79.jpg" width="229" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />My God, Larry! As if the jacket wasn’t crazy enough!<br />
<br />1978. Another decent year. Larry’s in double figures again, but finishes one game under .500. He does have the best ERA of his career, at 3.24. He also leads the league in fewest walks per nine innings, at 1.85. <br /><br />
<br />Larry would pitch for five more years for the Phillies. He would never ascend those heights of the middle and late ‘70s again however. <br />
<br />Nor would we see quite that same deadpan pose again year after year after year. Instead, we’ve got a couple where Larry might arguably be deemed to be looking in for a signal (kinda hard to really tell for sure, though):<br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2Q11kTdDvREeuHWk5dQCS-b6BBUsDHUsADRnGCZDLCzTrZEConjqx3AtCHFr7H-YxoQMppxEfkLOG0jA6S18T9_ztCuMTz9q7wWhqgz5pW3qPbumkQ4jKpFHgLTCukCzEhvvg56zots/s1600/80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2Q11kTdDvREeuHWk5dQCS-b6BBUsDHUsADRnGCZDLCzTrZEConjqx3AtCHFr7H-YxoQMppxEfkLOG0jA6S18T9_ztCuMTz9q7wWhqgz5pW3qPbumkQ4jKpFHgLTCukCzEhvvg56zots/s1600/80.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
Or perhaps just looking a little confused:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wyk_sa0w2TsQC8z3fcqo_XQXNuMO8fqhtctCGYiAg9BBVzkqwiNrrmBoBr3jXcjNcsR-dPgx8yBfc1oLdUBcQoCjaE_874N3_9kjFofGNJhf7w99TOhZMthNO6FuWVCjHg1_LRANlc4/s1600/lc84.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wyk_sa0w2TsQC8z3fcqo_XQXNuMO8fqhtctCGYiAg9BBVzkqwiNrrmBoBr3jXcjNcsR-dPgx8yBfc1oLdUBcQoCjaE_874N3_9kjFofGNJhf7w99TOhZMthNO6FuWVCjHg1_LRANlc4/s320/lc84.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Topps (and Fleer) also threw in a couple of action shots. In fact, there’s even one of those where Larry appears to be sporting a beard (gasp!):<br /><br />
</span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL9ZQ_5T7biUI0zXpTOp2OQxY1lypq8cNYkkEt9Up-4coqpMf1XUdHgqucR9AHvVDOBS-ctitEMJyIFkQdm7zsA7nZzXvIeLeuu8jzPKosALRgE6trjVBWD2aHLDgs9T8ztZ1OV74tDQ/s1600/81.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOL9ZQ_5T7biUI0zXpTOp2OQxY1lypq8cNYkkEt9Up-4coqpMf1XUdHgqucR9AHvVDOBS-ctitEMJyIFkQdm7zsA7nZzXvIeLeuu8jzPKosALRgE6trjVBWD2aHLDgs9T8ztZ1OV74tDQ/s1600/81.jpg" width="232" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<br />Oh, and there’s also this monstrosity:</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVd6TdakdUjKNlY_ErFGZkt7fCVrvVexY75GPIOT0bjUjTQcNvKoAfL8m81sLMD63tjk67n8HxqsNyvhfn0f52-mCHifo9tcc0UAgqptB8CSnc8Nqw1c9w3hvz70iEeJki-Iq_V0Eb_I/s1600/1981_Topps_WC_LarryChristenson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVd6TdakdUjKNlY_ErFGZkt7fCVrvVexY75GPIOT0bjUjTQcNvKoAfL8m81sLMD63tjk67n8HxqsNyvhfn0f52-mCHifo9tcc0UAgqptB8CSnc8Nqw1c9w3hvz70iEeJki-Iq_V0Eb_I/s1600/1981_Topps_WC_LarryChristenson.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-20918895813819430272014-11-17T06:09:00.001-08:002021-04-30T19:52:03.466-07:00Danny Cater: Master of Disguise<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">He’s like Inspector Clouseau. Here, let me show you …</span><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibWCIqV1BA7pVqZDYm_hIGCGsN75kBEmFWEhyhy34EfXjQNVHaWieFnKBFPi8qDkOLJUb-yYLcgYJ2gZ08ClwYOjy7J9BFSzBokaOBV6B25PGyMcmx_5IderWx3jG0h4AqDuEqQp9Acc/s1600/65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibWCIqV1BA7pVqZDYm_hIGCGsN75kBEmFWEhyhy34EfXjQNVHaWieFnKBFPi8qDkOLJUb-yYLcgYJ2gZ08ClwYOjy7J9BFSzBokaOBV6B25PGyMcmx_5IderWx3jG0h4AqDuEqQp9Acc/s1600/65.jpg" width="227" /></a> *</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In one scene, he’s a wet-behind-the-ears rookie with a buzz cut and a dopey look.</span><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvnL7N5mHxnQwvVx_OKqL2hW1ggKJLTr63SZp6GF00bBumeHNBjWxYe0IUSZ4iPUvX8kdOW3c0dqgIxdC9diPcyCERtHL0qbjHQgKMNnt4nDJesSmH67jiDxvrVHCHbeWSl96PaNx6cY/s1600/66.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvnL7N5mHxnQwvVx_OKqL2hW1ggKJLTr63SZp6GF00bBumeHNBjWxYe0IUSZ4iPUvX8kdOW3c0dqgIxdC9diPcyCERtHL0qbjHQgKMNnt4nDJesSmH67jiDxvrVHCHbeWSl96PaNx6cY/s1600/66.jpg" width="228" /></a> *</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the next, he’s a high-hatted regular.</span><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzCGltRyUSY2xH7vu6Juka040Vz2Z9CqBB1mAA61NmzVtH0LGrmN0hI3KESek1577B2mpWKPFvCOTi2Yeq1xfLEAm4lu2u7oyihRquVCtPrGAeBn-5pWfSbEp4BnCPnF9-9GSwTjaQQc/s1600/72.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzCGltRyUSY2xH7vu6Juka040Vz2Z9CqBB1mAA61NmzVtH0LGrmN0hI3KESek1577B2mpWKPFvCOTi2Yeq1xfLEAm4lu2u7oyihRquVCtPrGAeBn-5pWfSbEp4BnCPnF9-9GSwTjaQQc/s1600/72.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And here Danny has disguised himself as a Red Stocking. He painted the B on the hat himself!</span><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3mDcFo-ZkN0wJ1bFPRICyXO1F1ZvhvWzf3ig50UZQ1yjmQLRppwAUmw7LvcBxIC4lyZRVkTJpMNcrBQcpgNJNqT7mBns6IQ9VgwN-BtD0koNXJjWBXMvN7v2Tfz4MNbR4KgnZ7AjbeE/s1600/73.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3mDcFo-ZkN0wJ1bFPRICyXO1F1ZvhvWzf3ig50UZQ1yjmQLRppwAUmw7LvcBxIC4lyZRVkTJpMNcrBQcpgNJNqT7mBns6IQ9VgwN-BtD0koNXJjWBXMvN7v2Tfz4MNbR4KgnZ7AjbeE/s1600/73.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Would you take a look at those sideburns!</span><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_qA-r7qNLM028MgDybQ2yR13MCuhQNudSA_rn5puPIejcnuFMKpJ1Zj1D99XDoHXMUQynY3iIboe5wzaB0IrsZ32J5lyHIdrFZVPJgup4-MzaWri7LjLAlyPGB41_-YZ_eTW3K2lQu0/s1600/74.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_qA-r7qNLM028MgDybQ2yR13MCuhQNudSA_rn5puPIejcnuFMKpJ1Zj1D99XDoHXMUQynY3iIboe5wzaB0IrsZ32J5lyHIdrFZVPJgup4-MzaWri7LjLAlyPGB41_-YZ_eTW3K2lQu0/s1600/74.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Wily veteran with pieces of fur glued onto his cheeks?</span><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kHNGA5uYmW9kea5IpYmpBQ54On2MKG46fTRHeRyuLEVRVuIklnrvoddFF-UNE6hWrx6Wc2p5gMVxRepFBdjFJTmSO8V1zx1IX4WJwoPYv5wtoeCuBxUcEful12yxz7lKewdd3ruCSv4/s1600/76.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kHNGA5uYmW9kea5IpYmpBQ54On2MKG46fTRHeRyuLEVRVuIklnrvoddFF-UNE6hWrx6Wc2p5gMVxRepFBdjFJTmSO8V1zx1IX4WJwoPYv5wtoeCuBxUcEful12yxz7lKewdd3ruCSv4/s1600/76.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Gap-tooted Sparky Lyle wannabe?</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Hard to believe, but I was actually a Yankee fan as a kid. Now, this was back when they were absolutely awful. Yes, there actually <i>was </i>a major gap between the old Yankees of Mantle and DiMaggio and Ruth and Gehrig, and the Yankees of the Steinbrenner era. I’m talking about guys like Bobby Murcer, Mel Stottlemyre, Horace Clarke, Roy White … and Danny Cater.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For some reason, Cater was one of my favorites. Maybe it was the name. Maybe it was his 1971 action-shot card (see below). I’m not sure.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Cater actually wasn’t with the Yankees that long – just two years out of 12 total. Cater also wasn’t actually all that good either. He was a light-hitting first baseman (66 homers in 4,451 at bats) who could put the bat on the ball (he was especially hard to strike out), but had absolutely no speed whatsoever (he regularly finished in the top ten for GIDPs).</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">His main claim to fame seems to be getting traded for Sparky Lyle. Lyle would go on to spearhead the resurgent Yankees – winning a Cy Young Award, leading the league in saves twice, appearing on the All Star squad three times, winning the Nobel Peace Prize, curing cancer … Danny Cater? Not so much.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUR8EcL_mO8z9tI6ll2oBFpI3xZkbZ60ijGPC7J1pCElJLFpsi1Oxcfl7PhVW9RqbsvRz_BOWZka7Zxq4RYeZH2Hb5ULiQovtG-yQlib2kSHiR7JLfWYb0StIgKim5LWJEjSe7pBo-n8/s1600/71.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUR8EcL_mO8z9tI6ll2oBFpI3xZkbZ60ijGPC7J1pCElJLFpsi1Oxcfl7PhVW9RqbsvRz_BOWZka7Zxq4RYeZH2Hb5ULiQovtG-yQlib2kSHiR7JLfWYb0StIgKim5LWJEjSe7pBo-n8/s1600/71.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<i>* - author has this card</i></div>
Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-81518358173909034402014-11-10T06:34:00.001-08:002014-11-10T06:34:31.958-08:00Roberto! (Ho Hum)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My hero. At the end of his career. Though I do detect a certain – I don’t know – perhaps something of a cavalier attitude to the fine folks at Topps.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wzDCUdv3EDEOZiG8sw_oisryIpucU6R42nWUHc2hNXPiQ9NbB9_crE0a6A0EuEmke4tb-EvF3VL7XsAs7iPoRuqItJKSioKA2QRY7MFU1FE7FLQ44HGHflA0a4t6oMSQC_FrWQXlWt0/s1600/69.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wzDCUdv3EDEOZiG8sw_oisryIpucU6R42nWUHc2hNXPiQ9NbB9_crE0a6A0EuEmke4tb-EvF3VL7XsAs7iPoRuqItJKSioKA2QRY7MFU1FE7FLQ44HGHflA0a4t6oMSQC_FrWQXlWt0/s1600/69.jpg" height="320" width="223" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Follow through?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1968. Somehow or other, Roberto hits under .300, the first time he’s done so in ten years (it’s also the last time he will ever do that).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmzT7Ov5Dm0-LCaTbHeC0ghZanmnoJdgq5zoKRTYlaIH6usjlAFSx_oVu-a9fHbwDjh3yprLRbKB8xXlrUfjK9ABOOiGjIsrwgWLGp0Lz5EVcW9_3Z5iT9IGeDhi0VGXYuxrvXnfa_qg/s1600/1970-Topps-Roberto-Clemente-212x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmzT7Ov5Dm0-LCaTbHeC0ghZanmnoJdgq5zoKRTYlaIH6usjlAFSx_oVu-a9fHbwDjh3yprLRbKB8xXlrUfjK9ABOOiGjIsrwgWLGp0Lz5EVcW9_3Z5iT9IGeDhi0VGXYuxrvXnfa_qg/s1600/1970-Topps-Roberto-Clemente-212x300.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Swinging the bat?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1969. Roberto hits an incredible .345 and leads the league in triples.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqynddcoGCEP2RohWf12yyaVCMj7pZfXdoyJqvA4OLAkDIos3LaQNohN6MOGUAnoaKxL7T6vd4z5Q_sBE3V8zCmVUX1Og6oDn5NcvtRGeNqDXUUjOYuSeZil3BtKhSRV3E-ArdcK0u4DE/s1600/71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqynddcoGCEP2RohWf12yyaVCMj7pZfXdoyJqvA4OLAkDIos3LaQNohN6MOGUAnoaKxL7T6vd4z5Q_sBE3V8zCmVUX1Og6oDn5NcvtRGeNqDXUUjOYuSeZil3BtKhSRV3E-ArdcK0u4DE/s1600/71.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah, yeah, swing the bat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1970. He ups last year’s average by seven points, finishing at .352. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyDVzpyc4pjUJbfiGOIxlFzcwQYnwsmBiHAz3pQlyApi0TD_-YRXgyrkGi2y5jKLYScPrmwj_AncfVeZutrpLZtHl30za5PhgywilmkLRLgHwyR8XfPGijaHjbzKr0ESECOw5UPpFoLE/s1600/72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyDVzpyc4pjUJbfiGOIxlFzcwQYnwsmBiHAz3pQlyApi0TD_-YRXgyrkGi2y5jKLYScPrmwj_AncfVeZutrpLZtHl30za5PhgywilmkLRLgHwyR8XfPGijaHjbzKr0ESECOw5UPpFoLE/s1600/72.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah, yeah, toss the ball. Sure, whatever.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1971. The World Series year. Roberto would hit an incredible .341 in the regular season, then a ridiculous .414 in the Series. Yours truly would see his second ever Pirates game during that Series, sit in right field, and watch Roberto do his wonders at the plate and in the field. I can’t even remember which game that was, but I’m pretty sure Roberto must have hit four homers and thrown out six guys at the plate. Well, whatever it was, it was enough for me to bond with him and the Bucs for life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_fwAKWxa2Cn1LdwU2QM99NKjZU4KM8lrfVzEij01pNzmsMksgSCVhYAg87r7-7byexihIBlOjh1BPLyqC1MJnkqQbQUCajajLsINyn9yud9iPrOWU3SqDuHAOinqcDKzGgLL8wlX56k/s1600/72+action.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_fwAKWxa2Cn1LdwU2QM99NKjZU4KM8lrfVzEij01pNzmsMksgSCVhYAg87r7-7byexihIBlOjh1BPLyqC1MJnkqQbQUCajajLsINyn9yud9iPrOWU3SqDuHAOinqcDKzGgLL8wlX56k/s1600/72+action.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Letting the third strike go by qualifies as “action,” huh? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnAFSoHMeEuVyPUsyAXJrDR8apC3vaadaASGbJHtCUfJKZxTnyLopC05J9IND1oDaUjmemiakKqQqb7kNCZ586pEakkRPlJvlY0yDDOa31FPnZsV0LCpDv-Wfh8KwY8-oDbbXrYTFhwM/s1600/73.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnAFSoHMeEuVyPUsyAXJrDR8apC3vaadaASGbJHtCUfJKZxTnyLopC05J9IND1oDaUjmemiakKqQqb7kNCZ586pEakkRPlJvlY0yDDOa31FPnZsV0LCpDv-Wfh8KwY8-oDbbXrYTFhwM/s1600/73.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hoping that was a ball …</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1972. It’s Roberto’s last year. Though he only gets 378 at bats, he still manages to hit .312. He also reaches 3,000 hits. In fact, he finishes his career with exactly 3,000.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yup, this is his last year. He dies tragically in the offseason when an overloaded relief plane he organized for Nicaraguan earthquake victims goes down off Puerto Rico. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still remember where I was when I heard about it. I was living in Pittsburgh at the time, and it only seems fitting that I heard it from our parish priest at New Year’s Day mass. Yup, Roberto was that kind of icon in the Steel City.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Personally, Roberto is my all-time favorite. Such a classy guy. And, boy, could he play ball. In addition to the 3,000 hits; he also led the league in hitting four times; finished with a .317 average; and was a one-time MVP, 12-time Gold Glover, and 12-time All Star. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plus, he’s only the third player to ever have the waiting period for sainthood (i.e., election to the Hall) waived. Can you guess the others? Answers shown below. Just scroll down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Pretty good company, huh?</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-28288494459547333552014-11-03T07:10:00.004-08:002021-04-30T19:54:08.121-07:00Try Something Else, Mike<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Really. You’re only going to be up in the bigs for a couple of years. Yes, yes, I know you play first base. Perhaps you also get up to bat occasionally. Or catch a pop fly, or a grounder. C’mon, give it a try. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttwLEEci0LtIf5SqH3FVQb7q2z_15W2VpbEn2MfWsMF0vlSqLwZTDFwQeQLfQOIG9FPYVeZCV0te4wcbu7qL6gA3LIS-sYJVqxgu9GYztFZ1Pac9pzM2pUepVeLxxprzdRFF5f4w0bmo/s1600/70.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttwLEEci0LtIf5SqH3FVQb7q2z_15W2VpbEn2MfWsMF0vlSqLwZTDFwQeQLfQOIG9FPYVeZCV0te4wcbu7qL6gA3LIS-sYJVqxgu9GYztFZ1Pac9pzM2pUepVeLxxprzdRFF5f4w0bmo/s1600/70.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This has to be about the most lifeless pose I’ve ever seen in my life.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1969. Mike’s best year. He gets over 300 at bats, hits 12 homers, and bats .274.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywoDaMmRE4NgHOK0AsWVGUvJo28nPnLHI4MhVbHW0OKjpqAsn3_sY0dZdrr4C7yJYb0WPKqzNRxoQHpsG3Tv7JKmNqZQ2Cj0aRZTBXAoQEzq-SYRUfU5X98qillZ-Uz-VkAfvkmTmbg4/s1600/71.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywoDaMmRE4NgHOK0AsWVGUvJo28nPnLHI4MhVbHW0OKjpqAsn3_sY0dZdrr4C7yJYb0WPKqzNRxoQHpsG3Tv7JKmNqZQ2Cj0aRZTBXAoQEzq-SYRUfU5X98qillZ-Uz-VkAfvkmTmbg4/s1600/71.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Sorry, this is about as animated as Mike’s gonna get. And, yes, it is the pick-off pose all over again.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1970. The last year Mike gets over 100 at bats. And that’s to go with a .164 average and exactly zero dingers.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ko3wed08AuSZyUWac4eviyDbE0TgowFqAmLi8qfkG0Ky4Y05Qh4208Qq6aib2x5bVvbTF2_Ptdd8MEBs1yyQXE6_lgVrwU4N9Yu5GFfFsgm-2_Y18NIr39jXLFsB0hvJe0s5n08K8Zw/s1600/72.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ko3wed08AuSZyUWac4eviyDbE0TgowFqAmLi8qfkG0Ky4Y05Qh4208Qq6aib2x5bVvbTF2_Ptdd8MEBs1yyQXE6_lgVrwU4N9Yu5GFfFsgm-2_Y18NIr39jXLFsB0hvJe0s5n08K8Zw/s1600/72.jpg" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">What I really like about these shots is not that Mike has the same pose in each one, but that he also has the same lifeless, couldn’t-be-bothered, am-I-done-now expression.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1972. The last year Mike will hit a homer (and actually gets just the one on the year).He’ll also hit .177.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Mike will play just one more year – but without any card to memorialize the fact. And that will involve two additional teams, 16 at bats, and one hit.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpek1XtGH4xhMyVesGYkdU3ZVd8worBHzJnbXn1IiqbugqqELrIGath_bBzZS7oJBlyuQ-b2QK_yn1rF7PMqmoQa-XUXbVzHC80C8emxJwocKT7x8Hr11STQ2N7UIBdSFiwh3MgTt8vgI/s1600/69.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpek1XtGH4xhMyVesGYkdU3ZVd8worBHzJnbXn1IiqbugqqELrIGath_bBzZS7oJBlyuQ-b2QK_yn1rF7PMqmoQa-XUXbVzHC80C8emxJwocKT7x8Hr11STQ2N7UIBdSFiwh3MgTt8vgI/s1600/69.jpg" /></a>*</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Ohmigod! Is that a smile? </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">You just know he’s holding that glove out down there though, don’t you?</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">1968. I’m not sure what made the Royals think this guy was going to be a “rookie star.” For ’68, he was up for six games, and got one hit in 17 at bats.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Which, if you think about it, is strikingly similar to Mike's last year. Yup, we've pretty much come full circle here.</span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If you’re like me, you probably just can’t get enough of this guy. So, here’s some additional Fioriana you might enjoy:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Mike actually had four names – Michael Gary Joseph Fiore</span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">His last name means “flower” in Italian</span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">He hit the first homer in Royals history</span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Similar players include Frank Mountain, Gordon Goldsberry, and Bunny Brief</span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If you try to Google him, you’re much more likely to get hits to a speedboat driver who died in a crash this summer</span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If you try to Google “mike fiore baseball,” you’re much more likely to get hits to a college and Olympic star who played in the ‘80s (and never even made it to the majors)</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><i>* - author has this card</i></span></div>
Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-38733323365728494932014-10-27T09:23:00.001-07:002015-01-04T12:44:53.818-08:00A Little Touched<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess you’d have to be a little touched to stand up there with a hard rock coming at you at 99 miles per hour from 60 feet 6 inches away and with only a little piece of wood to defend yourself. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, then again, I guess you’d have to be even a little more touched to be the one throwing that little rock and then having it come back to you at 122. Sure enough, most of these lunatics are indeed pitchers.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenDatt6JQ0cOKoytVGlZTkPFHf15q_IkjowbeNcyaA56Fr068jZSfSlfot0VS4YVgfArhyphenhyphennyfNBddnJJqUlSKiibY_kfnbpsWjs6hjDRp9BMMp6G5zlVjsZvrG_ohx-8v5pJqRnGxiOo/s1600/kern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenDatt6JQ0cOKoytVGlZTkPFHf15q_IkjowbeNcyaA56Fr068jZSfSlfot0VS4YVgfArhyphenhyphennyfNBddnJJqUlSKiibY_kfnbpsWjs6hjDRp9BMMp6G5zlVjsZvrG_ohx-8v5pJqRnGxiOo/s1600/kern.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not too bad. In fact, I’m not sure Jim if is a little touched or just really, really happy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jim Kern’s been here before, sporting a <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/10/mountain-men.html">slightly different look</a>. I shared his stats in that post, but didn’t mention that Jim is quite an interesting fellow. To wit:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His nickname was “the Amazing Emu”</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He effectively got himself traded outta Cincinnatti by growing a scraggly beard (and, thus, violating their “no facial hair” rule)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He became an <a href="http://www.baseballsavvy.com/w_kern.html">outdoor guide</a> when he retired</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You’ve also gotta check out this great – and very cute – <a href="http://joeposnanski.com/joeblogs/the-jim-kern-story-revisited/">autograph story</a> involving Jim.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsxfntDyq_NksIqlub09qyPEK1NiwA-clo9DfXwBMlRJtteTaUIhVNoy4kIwa6LkdHveOTg25FJRi6FBTq8AW_ot93QdrfLjwSEor_czcsbLL7JYt4CnNA8tbQMZcB3azurQ82RnbIsw/s1600/chris-knapp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWsxfntDyq_NksIqlub09qyPEK1NiwA-clo9DfXwBMlRJtteTaUIhVNoy4kIwa6LkdHveOTg25FJRi6FBTq8AW_ot93QdrfLjwSEor_czcsbLL7JYt4CnNA8tbQMZcB3azurQ82RnbIsw/s1600/chris-knapp.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This shot was taken right before Chris climbed up the tower and shot all those people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chris Knaap’s been here before, where we caught him looking more like an <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/07/are-you-sure-youre-ballplayer-70s.html">extremely dorkily dressed accountant</a>. I shared his stats there, and – to tell you the truth – there ain’t a whole lot else to say about ol’ Chris. Oh, wait a sec … He <i>was </i>6’5”.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-B6XrS_BRONkw5vktdfRHJ8J3wf8-0akOJ1AYqZTy8GPV3GZd5-kOjvcW8aEs9EZDhuH5gKqNhsbZVEiYlleoGqh5X1zor8SuUQCx6KQDj3i7FZ9Z56t6NOjp_aLgjlosPtvQSU8cYg/s1600/Roland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-B6XrS_BRONkw5vktdfRHJ8J3wf8-0akOJ1AYqZTy8GPV3GZd5-kOjvcW8aEs9EZDhuH5gKqNhsbZVEiYlleoGqh5X1zor8SuUQCx6KQDj3i7FZ9Z56t6NOjp_aLgjlosPtvQSU8cYg/s1600/Roland.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jim Roland’s another repeat offender. He, too, had a very different look in his other post – in particular, Jim looked really, really <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2012/08/dumb-dumber-and-dumbest.html">stoopit</a>. Not a lot out there on ol’ Jim either, though you may enjoy this <a href="http://www.hardballtimes.com/card-corner-1972-topps-jim-roland/">bio</a> (and attendant childhood memory) some blogger was inspired to put together.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPIJcKest3ZyBBsJxJt9Tbdn6Qo7bZWwGihO3ENI-fQaQB8fAiAkTEvyWbo-_vXdD9T0QgsUCTL02Xeos_8dpm2W_98H2sI4FcmY3rQPPAub4-VH6nnsha8qvoUHQsj-QM8JVv18jeYg/s1600/blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPIJcKest3ZyBBsJxJt9Tbdn6Qo7bZWwGihO3ENI-fQaQB8fAiAkTEvyWbo-_vXdD9T0QgsUCTL02Xeos_8dpm2W_98H2sI4FcmY3rQPPAub4-VH6nnsha8qvoUHQsj-QM8JVv18jeYg/s1600/blue.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I remember my high school Spanish correctly, “Vida” does indeed mean “crazy.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Boy, did this guy make a big splash when he first hit the bigs. In his first year, he appeared in two games and pitched two complete-game shutouts. In the subsequent year, he went 24-8; led the AL in ERA, WHIP, and shutouts; was an All Star; and won the Cy Young and MVP awards. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the way, one of <i>my </i>childhood memories is creating a decoupage of Vida on a piece of wood in 7th grade art class.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPGm1Yq6dsfpjuu-Rouir_cwBjI86OaO5MkF6xKutmQaE3p_sWKaf45mEWK57KJlXvX88cepmXEDimLE4wF-5cMCqbpsgQx69CR_Gc_LbEC-LHM4pWRIMFtTJ7k7pvBU80Gmt69glSMk/s1600/moret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPGm1Yq6dsfpjuu-Rouir_cwBjI86OaO5MkF6xKutmQaE3p_sWKaf45mEWK57KJlXvX88cepmXEDimLE4wF-5cMCqbpsgQx69CR_Gc_LbEC-LHM4pWRIMFtTJ7k7pvBU80Gmt69glSMk/s1600/moret.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I understand “Rogelio” means “crazy” in Azblekmian, which is what they speak on Rogelio’s native planet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, yes, you’ve seen Rogelio here before as well – looking especially <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/08/skinny-bastards.html">skinny</a>. One thing I didn’t mention there is that Moret actually was a little crazy. In fact, he had a nervous breakdown right before a game in Texas (he was playing for them then). He went into a catatonic state and had to be hauled off to a psych hospital. I kid you not.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrJY100rQPr-Jy37IAVdmpbcHHfSkZV_NoyJ5kJpxZS-LYmUUkCuSf9LWiOWFexOqFljIfVV7kLdK6cRsJ8WCZINM1oi4MnEg96OKJgrIfbxbdDAb4J1KRFo1G9NG87kCmxIahiTWX0g/s1600/mcrae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrJY100rQPr-Jy37IAVdmpbcHHfSkZV_NoyJ5kJpxZS-LYmUUkCuSf9LWiOWFexOqFljIfVV7kLdK6cRsJ8WCZINM1oi4MnEg96OKJgrIfbxbdDAb4J1KRFo1G9NG87kCmxIahiTWX0g/s1600/mcrae.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just to show you position players can be bat-shit crazy as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to being clinically insane, Hal McRae was also a pretty darn good player. Up for 23 seasons, he hit over .300 six times and was a four-time All Star. He finished with over 2,000 games, a .290 average, over 1,000 RBIs and 100 steals, and almost 200 homers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hal also managed for all or parts of six seasons, though he did finish under .500. He also had a son, Brian, who also played in the bigs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here’s another great – though rather traumatic – <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/2014/10/6/6923145/heres-how-hal-mcrae-scared-me-away-from-the-royals-forever">childhood story</a> from yet another blogger.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34eVAkKOkgSxs54m6_SnxhlVbEwDebzO0R12NnieSPB0EoWcciW9MvDb-LiLI79iZtHWf66tkpTyJSBLbidaCq0heU6zC4ZpwTGxLl9SwLpc7fIJr2Tam69PHswKOhZhYeAMyHSJOe3U/s1600/randle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34eVAkKOkgSxs54m6_SnxhlVbEwDebzO0R12NnieSPB0EoWcciW9MvDb-LiLI79iZtHWf66tkpTyJSBLbidaCq0heU6zC4ZpwTGxLl9SwLpc7fIJr2Tam69PHswKOhZhYeAMyHSJOe3U/s1600/randle.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Called third strike? Howl at the moon? Both?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lenny Randle (as he’s more often referred to) was a decent player with some speed. Of his 12 years, six were as a starter. He stole 30 bags twice and batted over .300 twice as well. Pretty versatile, he played second, third, and outfield, and even caught a game once.</span><br />
<br/><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He’s much more famous, though, for</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://onthisdayinsports.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-281977-lenny-randle-attacks-frank.html">Beating up his manager</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEsQrwmkASQ">Trying to blow a bunt foul</a></span></li>
</ul><br/>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another weird look at Lenny right <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-little-touched.html">here</a>. </span><br />
<ul>
</ul>
<br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4EZcGgmWJtqSniFBV4eAuiAIhMfNuq7CWJkvemcM62T7YqER44aKaoaRRjKnDrPMD_CcRXiO1gpHgVGOJUq5RvducdICJH_2UpYShK-IyyfJg-0w44j_bhWsPX_zEZWd5XeN8dcJwrU/s1600/brod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4EZcGgmWJtqSniFBV4eAuiAIhMfNuq7CWJkvemcM62T7YqER44aKaoaRRjKnDrPMD_CcRXiO1gpHgVGOJUq5RvducdICJH_2UpYShK-IyyfJg-0w44j_bhWsPX_zEZWd5XeN8dcJwrU/s1600/brod.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As if the name weren’t enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Broderick Perkins was a character actor often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his portrayal of Willie Stark in All the King's Men … Wait a minute, wrong Broderick. That guy was Broderick <i>Crawford</i>. Honestly, how many Brodericks are there out there?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our Broderick was up for seven seasons, but averaged less than 200 at bats per year. Overall, he finished with only eight homers (not what you typically want from your first baseman). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m afraid there aren’t any cute stories out there for Broderick. In fact, there’s next to nothing. We still love you, though, Broderick!</span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-44347872303947806222014-10-21T07:42:00.001-07:002016-12-09T13:11:08.413-08:00Mountain Men<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m really curious how this became a fashion around the end of the decade. Was baseball particularly popular in the Ozarks during this time? Did some scout make a name for himself by sweeping the remote hollows of West Virginia for talent? Or did some GM discover that guys raised by wolves in Montana just so happen to have particularly strong throwing arms? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Honestly, what gives here?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimexP2BPr_hCeb4NaVCRYT3BQuJ0oy0Zp51oBU-t11Trdlyzjv2VJu62RxsFFJghvQvhMPBVflkUalfHq2q10d2YAATEYWN4Xmli2i4hxuEUuHutu034iQqS2iyQkJS8h2qJ0XGt3znQY/s1600/zachry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimexP2BPr_hCeb4NaVCRYT3BQuJ0oy0Zp51oBU-t11Trdlyzjv2VJu62RxsFFJghvQvhMPBVflkUalfHq2q10d2YAATEYWN4Xmli2i4hxuEUuHutu034iQqS2iyQkJS8h2qJ0XGt3znQY/s1600/zachry.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now Richmond, Texas (where Tom’s from) is right outside Houston. Funny, though, I don’t recall any mountains in that area. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pat Zachry’s career started out with a major bang. I’m talking 14-7 record, 2.74 ERA, two post-season victories, and sharing the NL Rookie of the Year award (with the immortal Butch Metzger no less!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there. For the rest of his career, Pat would go 55-60, with a 3.71 ERA. He would also lead the league in losses in 1981.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlc_HqX-qR6qX02ax0FJ_i0bFfEqfKmGbZ_tJLlIi-8IDqD-1ndwfpaca3_ZEf7w8iJfrqHyhydfjD4SNgVE8UnA_ICuWf1Tjy4qg17dgazhBKod7Z9Dd6TlcxUTd5Vq_pPAcJz8uplY/s1600/hrabosky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhlc_HqX-qR6qX02ax0FJ_i0bFfEqfKmGbZ_tJLlIi-8IDqD-1ndwfpaca3_ZEf7w8iJfrqHyhydfjD4SNgVE8UnA_ICuWf1Tjy4qg17dgazhBKod7Z9Dd6TlcxUTd5Vq_pPAcJz8uplY/s1600/hrabosky.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, okay. If your nickname’s “The Mad Hungarian,” I guess you can get away with – even be expected to go with – this kind of look. I still think the <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/03/phooey-man-chewy.html">fu manchu</a> looked so much better though.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ll bet a lot of folks don’t remember Al Hrabosky was anything other than a Cardinal. He was, however, the Royals closer for a couple of years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m sure we all remember his antics on the mound though. But here’s a link, just in case – <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMzNBNuamv8">happy birthday, Al</a>! Needless to say, there’s plenty more out there on the YouTubes where that one came from.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iej9BF1d7Kf-TojcMOEMrqNo3x7hWvDq8RN4XNJp7BAQClCSTMeiduZ6Z8BGkBjKry7wMHLd6IPQBr7_fhqFGz8c_hq9RYQqlB7Z9YwF_rS3OhRIdXU0UIBt-WN2ZRqnHXiuimsBi5A/s1600/howell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iej9BF1d7Kf-TojcMOEMrqNo3x7hWvDq8RN4XNJp7BAQClCSTMeiduZ6Z8BGkBjKry7wMHLd6IPQBr7_fhqFGz8c_hq9RYQqlB7Z9YwF_rS3OhRIdXU0UIBt-WN2ZRqnHXiuimsBi5A/s1600/howell.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, Roy here just so happens to be from Lompoc, CA. Funny, though, I just don’t associate anywhere in California with hillbillies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roy Howell’s been here before, where we admired some particularly <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/12/shades_2.html">groovy shades</a> he was sporting as well as discussing some of his stats. Here are a couple of career highlights I neglected to share at that time:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was the fourth overall pick in the ’72 draft</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Set a Blue Jay record for RBIs in a game, with 9</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was a one-time All Star</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh heck! Is this an '81? Ah well. This really was something that cut right across the decades.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLN1vWz6iBApyCSH6_xT1mTK5IroPZd5Zdzjgv2dtiwpkMgdFJ0TuulFqNZ5fGF4-zVGiUZIi7EPPmjKHYAFLh85EAwtEsUH9l1EWJ9PVewbs5J74kYz7IdS0yHLy-p_iSqeg3HSThgs/s1600/bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLN1vWz6iBApyCSH6_xT1mTK5IroPZd5Zdzjgv2dtiwpkMgdFJ0TuulFqNZ5fGF4-zVGiUZIi7EPPmjKHYAFLh85EAwtEsUH9l1EWJ9PVewbs5J74kYz7IdS0yHLy-p_iSqeg3HSThgs/s1600/bird.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another California hillbilly (Corona). Who woulda thunk it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Doug Bird kicked around the majors for 11 years, bouncing back and forth between starter and reliever. He did finish with 60 saves, to go along with 73 victories against 60 loses total. Wikipedia, though, says that Bird is “most known for surrendering a two-run homer to Thurman Munson in the 8th inning of Game Three during the 1978 ALCS.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of Bird’s time was actually spent with the Royals, and <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/2008/10/6/629336/the-100-greatest-royals-of">this site</a> has him finishing as the #43 Royal of all time. BTW, the #43 Yankee of all time includes – depending on what list you’re looking at – two Hall of Famers, Herb Pennock and Jack Chesbro. Hmm, I guess the Yankees just had a little bit more to work with.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaXWLjW4edh3TQv4C5nrc9JcVryNPZIvcvEnECS5tzh9daeIdvGJP9HuN1sSZTpoeHpp7NsS8iS9aYSaHeiQFMOfqifJZN7pCurp-j9Dw4fTIdUH0nGCsbxqnX9gor9gLO8-PnYsWTlU/s1600/sutter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaXWLjW4edh3TQv4C5nrc9JcVryNPZIvcvEnECS5tzh9daeIdvGJP9HuN1sSZTpoeHpp7NsS8iS9aYSaHeiQFMOfqifJZN7pCurp-j9Dw4fTIdUH0nGCsbxqnX9gor9gLO8-PnYsWTlU/s1600/sutter.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s an ’82, but is still pretty darn great. And a Hall of Famer to boot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bruce Sutter was only the fourth reliever to be inducted into the Hall. Can you name the first three? (Answers below)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some highlights from Sutter’s career include:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Being the first pitcher to effectively throw the split-finger fastball</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Leading the league in saves five times</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Winning a Cy Young award</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Going to the All Star game five times</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tying the record for most saves in a season</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Throwing over 100 innings in relief five times</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Retiring with 300 saves, the third most overall at the time</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Click <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/07/are-you-sure-youre-famous-70s-version.html">here</a> for a very different look.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbI4_WK-NQ9OtpbxXJQooyUqtUmtcKG4WDFgT7hYYAt18YXL4b4ubfc_XdaeeWtRhaP4B_49pC7-D1C7x1nePxNVeRlkdL151hXu2bhqYLAjrxeiyKdREp1-iVSax9jgsHL4mfhXlHErE/s1600/kern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbI4_WK-NQ9OtpbxXJQooyUqtUmtcKG4WDFgT7hYYAt18YXL4b4ubfc_XdaeeWtRhaP4B_49pC7-D1C7x1nePxNVeRlkdL151hXu2bhqYLAjrxeiyKdREp1-iVSax9jgsHL4mfhXlHErE/s1600/kern.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another 80s – and a Donruss – but, dang, what a classic!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jim Kern was a fairly decent reliever. He was a three-time All Star, going 13-5 with a 1.57 ERA and 29 saves and finishing fourth in Cy Young Award balloting for one of those years. Overall, he was up for 13 years, finishing with a 3.32 ERA and 88 saves.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And here's Jim with a <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-little-touched.html">very different look</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apologies to Jayson Werth, but you weren’t even born when these guys were rockin’ it, kid!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-9773215662528557922014-10-13T10:47:00.001-07:002014-10-18T16:51:50.929-07:00Uniforms II<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/10/uniforms-i.html">Last week</a>, we looked at some ‘70s fashion abominations. You know, stuff like moon boots, elephant bells, big ties, even bigger lapels … and baseball uniforms as well (which may actually be worse than all the rest). Tell ya the truth, there were so darn many of <i>those</i> that I had to break ‘em into two posts. Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind18xqXit_9aCXWonT7FIaZo4uvN0FmAR1GQFNiRnjwLIY4m64jcK8czg6nmyW56xq0LGM99S64yGYwxxRkjXZuFftDBmnbQ8O-jUHU_mDFaEZ1T2RygBdTfDTnOrAjZYozLEbZEkNPA/s1600/greif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind18xqXit_9aCXWonT7FIaZo4uvN0FmAR1GQFNiRnjwLIY4m64jcK8czg6nmyW56xq0LGM99S64yGYwxxRkjXZuFftDBmnbQ8O-jUHU_mDFaEZ1T2RygBdTfDTnOrAjZYozLEbZEkNPA/s1600/greif.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mustard yellow. A color only the ‘70s could love.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bill Greif’s been here before, in <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/10/expressions-of-weirdness-later-years.html">close up</a>. I talked about his (pretty woeful) stats in that post, but I’ll bet you didn’t know that Bill:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pronounces his name “grife” (no, his last name - his first name’s pronounced “bill.”)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is 6’5”</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was signed by Texas to play football</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Threw a knuckle curve</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22ZF8mrhE2z9G2OdNItnKteSQ1rUepZUf3FywtXmIsDTrqZqD3yZBougG53SBCJqJUnY1xBL1Au0EO8jMvE4fnvPyvLnLKV3IPWPgc9DS9SNhhiuIOuUC__xpWfat995WAEqFBfu0pQU/s1600/reynolds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22ZF8mrhE2z9G2OdNItnKteSQ1rUepZUf3FywtXmIsDTrqZqD3yZBougG53SBCJqJUnY1xBL1Au0EO8jMvE4fnvPyvLnLKV3IPWPgc9DS9SNhhiuIOuUC__xpWfat995WAEqFBfu0pQU/s1600/reynolds.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nice to see the Pads toned things down a bit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don Reynolds’ major claim to fame is having a brother named Harold. In other words, Don is Tommy to Harold’s Hank, Billy to his Cal, Henry to his Christy. To wit:</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="5">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></th>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don</span></th>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Harold</span></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Years</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At Bats</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">132</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4782</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hits</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">32</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1233</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Runs</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">14</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">640</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">RBIs</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">353</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HRs</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">21</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SBs</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">250</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHrpRPXu_5B0MvBJvqgPrKdC9IpnbKWMrhgBko4UxbJzwK3sOgK83WhlBAkETZYJe66WAPkRCXW22G80ZbZVKbjyfLM9mZTWjt1nAB1p9IbypQZv_JbT0EJ8TpJZCBzIYPOt9fhIqJ8Y/s1600/almon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHrpRPXu_5B0MvBJvqgPrKdC9IpnbKWMrhgBko4UxbJzwK3sOgK83WhlBAkETZYJe66WAPkRCXW22G80ZbZVKbjyfLM9mZTWjt1nAB1p9IbypQZv_JbT0EJ8TpJZCBzIYPOt9fhIqJ8Y/s1600/almon.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like I say …</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things sure started out with a bang for Bill Almon. An Ivy League grad (Brown), Almon was National College Player of the Year and the first pick in the draft. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All that never really translated into major league success however. Though Almon was up for 15 years, he was a starter for only a handful of them. Overall, he finished with 3330 at bats, but only 36 home runs and a .265 average. He also bounced around quite a bit, playing for six teams.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NW656N1gn_vBI3J3fozB84wW7rUHFWq5MNCSVCIAZdH3PzdKWkcD4ao9Pc3v4i3qvHnUFcUMH4fTUQqq-C9oKBH6EcPeAVfdcR6jARzhvQ_zwA2vQ_tGMxdI3qoZiz6Zj8SYGBTlQ4U/s1600/reuss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NW656N1gn_vBI3J3fozB84wW7rUHFWq5MNCSVCIAZdH3PzdKWkcD4ao9Pc3v4i3qvHnUFcUMH4fTUQqq-C9oKBH6EcPeAVfdcR6jARzhvQ_zwA2vQ_tGMxdI3qoZiz6Zj8SYGBTlQ4U/s1600/reuss.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whoa, turn down the lights!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jerry Reuss has been here before, where we <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/04/haberdashery-horrors-of-1970s.html">made fun of his hat</a> and discussed his (not unimpressive) stats. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since retirement, Jerry’s done some announcing and coaching, as well as penning an autobiography, <i>Bring in the Right Hander! </i>(and, yes, Jerry is in fact a lefty).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKywL4aYovNlQPwe0fZcqNIATiDIuUbowTEUSH0eHNGxNtg33MiY38ZAI7LNoLFvClLDBugUE1D7ljAFuFY1UkntnIDfICia885eY1TVNNJZuHkGEh_xZHSbhe42zRWtns2I3vy5sCDnw/s1600/oliver_a78t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKywL4aYovNlQPwe0fZcqNIATiDIuUbowTEUSH0eHNGxNtg33MiY38ZAI7LNoLFvClLDBugUE1D7ljAFuFY1UkntnIDfICia885eY1TVNNJZuHkGEh_xZHSbhe42zRWtns2I3vy5sCDnw/s1600/oliver_a78t.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’d be bummed too, if they made me wear a silly uniform like that</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Al Oliver was one of my boyhood heroes, being a real mainstay for some of those great Pirate teams in the ‘70s. That said, he actually played for six other teams over his 18-year career.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Scoop” finished with a .303 average and over 9,000 at bats, 1,000 runs, 1,000 RBIs, and 2,700 hits. There’s a fair amount of folks out there who feel he should be in the Hall. In fact, if you Google him, four of the first ten hits discuss this very topic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baseball-reference.com makes a good argument that he possibly might ... maybe. Similar players in the Hall include Zack Wheat, Joe Medwick, Roberto Clemente, and Enos Slaughter. And here are his ratings compared to typical Hall of Famers:</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="5">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rating</span></th>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Al</span></th>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Likely Hall of Famer</span></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HofF Monitor</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">116</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">100</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HofF Standards</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">40</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">50</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Black Ink</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">27</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grey Ink</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">127</span></td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">144</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU11US56GXGTjzD_KaCwNeCC7WQPo8IBMSZz2Ve-MSg4B2iEtFfxrdhn5TRB07Tpc7A7H3H1qkeM1mMOAf5UjbQ15zTCZ5pNhWjMsEe8dDMEYjJ4JOIgJOOlV-fGvhQVK4F1JrTJLAh_A/s1600/jackson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU11US56GXGTjzD_KaCwNeCC7WQPo8IBMSZz2Ve-MSg4B2iEtFfxrdhn5TRB07Tpc7A7H3H1qkeM1mMOAf5UjbQ15zTCZ5pNhWjMsEe8dDMEYjJ4JOIgJOOlV-fGvhQVK4F1JrTJLAh_A/s1600/jackson.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s like he’s got a giant caterpillar for an arm.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grant Jackson’s no Al Oliver, but there are some peculiar similarities. For example, both played for 18 years, for six different teams, and both were on a Pirate World Series champ. Jackson’s similar players, on the other hand, include guys like Hank Aguirre, Paul Lindblad, and Eddie Fisher (hey, wasn’t he married to Elizabeth Taylor?). And I don’t recall any of <i>those</i> dudes making it to Cooperstown. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRkjsziGHeVaqbWw1UTW0UzTp0lfS5va-cGd0W1MqGLcisEM0ba_LKSAPPvXcqhRv5aoNOy0f8G1XSA-4ZM-9D6fqudJgglPIrVZP5jcRnTy07pRnzFQZebbAiMzUbtpVjc9RRC7fqjU/s1600/raich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRkjsziGHeVaqbWw1UTW0UzTp0lfS5va-cGd0W1MqGLcisEM0ba_LKSAPPvXcqhRv5aoNOy0f8G1XSA-4ZM-9D6fqudJgglPIrVZP5jcRnTy07pRnzFQZebbAiMzUbtpVjc9RRC7fqjU/s1600/raich.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Magenta goes particularly well with baby blue … and a deranged expression … and spit curls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like Bill Almon, Eric Raich is another number one draft pick. Things turned out even poorer for Erich however. I’m talking two years, a 5.85 ERA, a 1.636 WHIP, and a 7-8 record.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpf1fTpRMON_FSW52Z_V2Gh_w5YUHLMg-8O-E1JFvCvG2pE4xjwVVWxmXrohsijZOOUgq0I9WdUk3ySB6xIYhROD9YQGBnXNhXAMTBzuRz8HSAXWev2Ua9_GOOic2fKcLE39-fQebb2uM/s1600/brown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpf1fTpRMON_FSW52Z_V2Gh_w5YUHLMg-8O-E1JFvCvG2pE4xjwVVWxmXrohsijZOOUgq0I9WdUk3ySB6xIYhROD9YQGBnXNhXAMTBzuRz8HSAXWev2Ua9_GOOic2fKcLE39-fQebb2uM/s1600/brown.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plush velour track suit?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jackie Brown is a 1997 crime drama written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel <i>Rum Punch</i>, the first adaptation …</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wait a minute. Wrong Jackie Brown. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our Jackie Brown was up for seven years, playing for three different teams. He finished 47-53, with a 4.18 ERA and over 500 strikeouts. Also, he has <i>never</i> been portrayed by B movie queen Pam Grier.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvrxzU44zNP26Ydwm1vJgpqb3Hc0u-_nnKal9qsiKIShA5yc2WiTq7SlCbeLvI6yS7NtNmMyzrPkhq6Nz_f8fYIwFQDX4ESdVcV18i8ffufgqcY_FbbgkMVkuUqi4spBHciV9d3rx-Xo/s1600/larvell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvrxzU44zNP26Ydwm1vJgpqb3Hc0u-_nnKal9qsiKIShA5yc2WiTq7SlCbeLvI6yS7NtNmMyzrPkhq6Nz_f8fYIwFQDX4ESdVcV18i8ffufgqcY_FbbgkMVkuUqi4spBHciV9d3rx-Xo/s1600/larvell.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Magenta explosion! Also, is that a dress? I mean, what happened to the guy’s crotch?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow! What a great name. Would you believe, though, that Larvell’s nickname was even better? Yup, Larvell Blanks was the original “Sugar Bear.” According to Wikipedia, that name came from Larvell’s "aggressive batting style" (nah, I don’t get it either).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His stats? How about nine years, 1,766 at bats, 20 homers, 9 stolen bases, and a .253 average?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sounds like Larvell had a hard time giving up the game. After his nine-year stints in the bigs, he played with the interestingly named Coatzacoalcos Azules of the Mexican League and the Orlando Juice of the Senior League.</span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-15540011018409663982014-10-06T09:41:00.003-07:002014-10-18T17:00:14.080-07:00Uniforms I<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hot pants. Flares. Tube tops. Leisure suits. Palazzo pants. Nehru jackets. Earth shoes. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then there were these guys …</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxfx4GQwu157M-gSiPn3Jw2AEQl0Yhw9WMoBgfFJC66Ly4JiWVyAh0F5q0gTqV3-BlWAv4dPqbAlGSqpvDAlM-ZU-q4bg3YZ816KTXuiEM_nQUtMtsIl9ml5RKSuSymMwkEi50nsoDeo/s1600/hovley70t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxfx4GQwu157M-gSiPn3Jw2AEQl0Yhw9WMoBgfFJC66Ly4JiWVyAh0F5q0gTqV3-BlWAv4dPqbAlGSqpvDAlM-ZU-q4bg3YZ816KTXuiEM_nQUtMtsIl9ml5RKSuSymMwkEi50nsoDeo/s1600/hovley70t.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I blame the Pilots. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve Hovley ... If you can remember this guy, there’s probably a pretty good chance you’ve read Jim Bouton’s <i>Ball Four</i>. In that classic, we learned that Steve:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was a Stanford grad</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Liked to read Nietzsche</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Went by the nickname “Orbit”</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxy4A5e0qLt2GBXZdxo7AXo0rhC-NOezCzmah_qbj8csqo67zyf-ardGXoN2Roi4JBQs8-izUnrWC2F71TVkGFB0qcmusO-qn0elDHZrKdk1SjbiixMr7r1RoydcVJ4OUSsHvKY0tFfw/s1600/bolin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxy4A5e0qLt2GBXZdxo7AXo0rhC-NOezCzmah_qbj8csqo67zyf-ardGXoN2Roi4JBQs8-izUnrWC2F71TVkGFB0qcmusO-qn0elDHZrKdk1SjbiixMr7r1RoydcVJ4OUSsHvKY0tFfw/s1600/bolin.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Really, I do. (Blame the Pilots, that is.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bobby Bolin didn’t make many appearances in <i>Ball Four</i>. But, then again, he didn’t score too high on the zany character meter either. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was, however, a fairly decent player. Some of his accomplishments included:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Posting a sub 2.00 ERA in 1968 (and finishing second behind Bob Gibson’s record-setting 1.12)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finishing in the top ten three times for ERA and WHIP</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finishing in the top ten twice for shutouts and K’s per nine innings</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry – I have no idea which German philosophers Bolin favored.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rxXndKjtCrutiuQ5SL4mAZdOLFp-Hdj6M_GtBt7GFbjlDVmXLujWIbDmjCQ0xsKoVag68dZ5Ke1yNKG23SHqL8_KKgnQ22fWudjLomVPitb09MlOfK33P76R-HplZTqs4MVj-yiLVV8/s1600/hoerner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rxXndKjtCrutiuQ5SL4mAZdOLFp-Hdj6M_GtBt7GFbjlDVmXLujWIbDmjCQ0xsKoVag68dZ5Ke1yNKG23SHqL8_KKgnQ22fWudjLomVPitb09MlOfK33P76R-HplZTqs4MVj-yiLVV8/s1600/hoerner.jpg" height="320" width="230" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now pitching for Poteat’s Collision Service’s Softball All-Stars … </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joe Hoerner was a pretty decent pitcher as well. A reliever, he finished with a 2.99 ERA over 14 years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looks like there’s a fair amount of interesting factoids out there about Joe. Did you know, for example, that he:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Had a heart condition that forced him to switch to throwing sidearm</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Played in the minors for nine years</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Never started a game in the bigs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Had a home run for his first major league hit</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was the first player to get a hit in the World Series without getting a hit in the regular season</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Limited Hank Aaron to a .000 average over 21 at bats</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was ejected in his last major league appearance</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Died in a farming accident</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Super bio of him right <a href="http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/5eb97f64">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuC5u5cK5KRpecq6mgmooKwQlRlkw-jLMoRK0R6qrRRAJQyrxj5cUSFUkzUsa4XyLj-X3mzmSQ2U3qg5GtyY08Z1bB2OUDuBzjV7ADaIDa2Xmf6FcviMA5hfCBc_9vkeGhSCvmijlK-jU/s1600/thompson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuC5u5cK5KRpecq6mgmooKwQlRlkw-jLMoRK0R6qrRRAJQyrxj5cUSFUkzUsa4XyLj-X3mzmSQ2U3qg5GtyY08Z1bB2OUDuBzjV7ADaIDa2Xmf6FcviMA5hfCBc_9vkeGhSCvmijlK-jU/s1600/thompson.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mike was the <i>right </i>side of Poteat’s killer pitching staff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mike Thompson’s been here before, where we <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/10/phil-red-sox-cardinals-lend-me-your.html">made fun of his ears</a>. I shared his stats there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually, I really couldn’t find much else on ol’ Mike. Indeed, “Mike Thompson” appears to be a very common name. Wikipedia lists 21 of these dudes, including two MLB pitchers, a congressman, a star of <i>Here Comes Honey Boo Boo</i>, and a former leader of the Aryan Brotherhood. (By the way, our Mike Thompson is only <i>one </i>of those.)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpGutl4zVRH4PuzNdjYoBCscDfKOL8DDmDH8F7fahrPcBLTeCnVOQFJKbAHpZG2pnxi4-UzG6wOVTzse_3t5CUiCrDmXPqNiBZdg7NCt20eiN92s_zOOKc5Dcx3ptpOA69ZKq4480ZDQ/s1600/barrios.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpGutl4zVRH4PuzNdjYoBCscDfKOL8DDmDH8F7fahrPcBLTeCnVOQFJKbAHpZG2pnxi4-UzG6wOVTzse_3t5CUiCrDmXPqNiBZdg7NCt20eiN92s_zOOKc5Dcx3ptpOA69ZKq4480ZDQ/s1600/barrios.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Francisco picked up this ensemble at the local truck stop, right off the interstate. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can’t really blame Francisco, though, can we? It was owner Bill Veeck who did pretty much all he could to ensure that, if you played for his team sometime during the ‘70s, you were going to look like a complete dork at some point or other.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And poor Francisco Barrios played his entire career with the Chisox – and from the years 1974 to 1981 to boot. His main claim to fame appears to be being part of a no-hitter with John “Blue Moon” Odom (with Odom pitching five innings and Barrios four).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJO9NlMmxu6-_WqMS7ObxbyXR971dt9ew8AD7XTX7wkJoVAwu-q0tAnBxQCFAa_p4T8glCeUz4uvn7q6li1tZQMdaTJ22TVxo6tnbqQH-SG4iUMY1lYRBT26i8s8oMLXoM8yeg_oCZUA/s1600/orta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJO9NlMmxu6-_WqMS7ObxbyXR971dt9ew8AD7XTX7wkJoVAwu-q0tAnBxQCFAa_p4T8glCeUz4uvn7q6li1tZQMdaTJ22TVxo6tnbqQH-SG4iUMY1lYRBT26i8s8oMLXoM8yeg_oCZUA/s1600/orta.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the style of a trash bag. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jorge Orta was actually not a bad ballplayer. He was up for 16 years, finishing with not quite 6,000 at bats. He was also a two-time All Star. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, that’s all fine and good, but what poor Jorge will always be remembered for is a single play, a play that has been called “one of the most controversial play in World Series history” (and that on Wikipedia, no less!). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me set the scene … It’s 1985. The Royals are playing the Cards. The Cards are up three games to two. The sixth game has gone to the bottom of the ninth, with the Cards leading 1-0. Jorge comes to the plate as a pinch hitter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jorge hits a slow roller to first baseman Jack Clark. Pitcher Todd Worrell covers the bag and Jorge is out. Or is he? Umpire Don Denkinger actually calls him safe. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Royals then go on to win the game, and then the next game, and are World Champions. But would that have happened if Jorge had been called out? You make the call (tape right <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iL_W9MucEk">here</a>)!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOsWukVaHnoKYUGSEmTL_uC035UGjimok5AwUWnUm7nV6eRKDv1ld5h5k-lRaLgdhE_vBMEyMsSdIzHxqV4UWXaq2IMj4aYV8RsfXunmmI6bK7_qOcn7HVk_to4BuXIeKrWwa5t4ZQk/s1600/dierker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZOsWukVaHnoKYUGSEmTL_uC035UGjimok5AwUWnUm7nV6eRKDv1ld5h5k-lRaLgdhE_vBMEyMsSdIzHxqV4UWXaq2IMj4aYV8RsfXunmmI6bK7_qOcn7HVk_to4BuXIeKrWwa5t4ZQk/s1600/dierker.jpg" height="320" width="230" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Larry’s not a White Sock, but that’s definitely a garbage bag. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Larry Dierker had a pretty distinguished career. He started by making his major league debut on his 18th birthday (striking out Willie Mays in his first inning to boot!). He would then go on to be the Astros’ first 20-game winner, make the All Star squad twice, and throw a no hitter. He would then go on to manage the ‘Stros for five years, finishing with a wonderful 435-348 regular season record, but a woeful 2-12 one in the post-season. Houston retired his number in 2002. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPfY0WoZF_od97XTs_StaSj278IRKXbe-RF8LQ5ue0m6o266IJipv61KOpk-IBXEIavmpJIHWBT4dQcfICtZUHzEwyHsIOCS4tJe-Sw2BhllsW5NL5CkndwpTeC_ZTt0Erq6eHAlJHbU/s1600/gross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPfY0WoZF_od97XTs_StaSj278IRKXbe-RF8LQ5ue0m6o266IJipv61KOpk-IBXEIavmpJIHWBT4dQcfICtZUHzEwyHsIOCS4tJe-Sw2BhllsW5NL5CkndwpTeC_ZTt0Erq6eHAlJHbU/s1600/gross.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh oh. Here they come. Astro alert! Astro alert! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greg Gross was one of the better pinch hitters of all time. He currently ranks fifth in number of career pinch hits. He was also famously hard to strike out, notching only 250 K’s in 2475 at bats. A true “baseball lifer” and lover of the game, Greg’s been a long-time minor league hitting coach. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAo9U9Ndt28JOAUHTMUNt6YXGHeTzGZ6uo6GWtKyK-UTnjEhtnMgp0VuauM81FYMVc216dA2EQeZTHEJVdNAe3Z4rDM9Sz6aaN3EfY9UG72J6cCF94BLN0lYu2Y1-E7adNS7nKJgVihmU/s1600/forsch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAo9U9Ndt28JOAUHTMUNt6YXGHeTzGZ6uo6GWtKyK-UTnjEhtnMgp0VuauM81FYMVc216dA2EQeZTHEJVdNAe3Z4rDM9Sz6aaN3EfY9UG72J6cCF94BLN0lYu2Y1-E7adNS7nKJgVihmU/s1600/forsch.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Astros … in all their full glory. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a way, Larry Dierker and Ken Forsch are twins:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="10">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></th>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Larry</span></th>
<th><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ken</span></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span># of Years</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>14</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>16</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>Record</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>139-123</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>114-113</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>ERA</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>3.31</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>3.37</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>WHIP</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>1.217</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>1.249</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>K's</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>1,493 *</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>1,047</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>No-hitter?</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>Yes</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>All-Star?</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>2 years</td>
<td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>2 years</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* - Okay, so Larry threw a little harder.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it turns out, Ken actually did have a brother in the majors, Bob Forsch. And his numbers are eerily similar to Ken and Larry’s, right down to the no-hitter (actually, though, Bob had two).</span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-70550800610731060192014-09-29T11:10:00.001-07:002014-10-18T17:19:41.215-07:00The Unibrow ('70s Version)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Had these guys never heard of razors? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did they not get their hair cut by a barber? Did that barber not suggest a little trim “up there”? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did they not have wives and girlfriends? Did that wife or girlfriend not make any subtle suggestions? Offer to tweeze for them? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, what’s the deal here?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CvVS8mOly6FFcGqdXuN1UfQacumgB8POGs_f0Wv4thZSVNgLdxKbv5elY0J7Tga1nlliwisH_NxbJUUQf0UmJ6hWeH_B0mFfqpqfS13W_7LYWfXsQrfnPVOyKT2Pw_8OwMNDqpKrm58/s1600/anderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CvVS8mOly6FFcGqdXuN1UfQacumgB8POGs_f0Wv4thZSVNgLdxKbv5elY0J7Tga1nlliwisH_NxbJUUQf0UmJ6hWeH_B0mFfqpqfS13W_7LYWfXsQrfnPVOyKT2Pw_8OwMNDqpKrm58/s1600/anderson.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kinda just a hairy mess.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sorta feel sorry for this guy. I mean, it’s bad enough being an Anderson. But combine that last name with a super common first one, and your chance at any kind of notoriety is pretty slim. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unsurprisingly, when I search for “mike anderson,” I get nothing on our Mike – though I do get a running back, a photographer, a couple of real estate agents, and a dulcimer player (?!?!). “mike anderson baseball”? Well that does give us a couple of hit for our guy, but even so almost all the hits are for a former coach at Nebraska. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, what did our Mike actually accomplish? How about 1,500 at bats over nine years and three teams? Career totals include a.246 average, 28 homers, 134 RBIs, and 159 runs. Basically a backup outfielder.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAEMu9V1gezXCZDhYsnzQkNG5dQDWNHyXu24fovZN1zN6shIdM0G6Wdj9Y4yHrqnHKyxkFbpEF25BiGPHPygMEpos6ucR8RFB11pndQaKE8vEnAYedlcbNE0W64dmdXMHGrnf3hmydww/s1600/phoebus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAEMu9V1gezXCZDhYsnzQkNG5dQDWNHyXu24fovZN1zN6shIdM0G6Wdj9Y4yHrqnHKyxkFbpEF25BiGPHPygMEpos6ucR8RFB11pndQaKE8vEnAYedlcbNE0W64dmdXMHGrnf3hmydww/s1600/phoebus.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much more clean-shaven … except … of course … for that little thing … up there …</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not exactly a household name himself, Tom Phoebus actually had a couple of real career highlights. In his rookie year, he pitched shutouts in his first two starts, went 14-9, and was named the Sporting News Pitching Rookie of the Year. In his sophomore season, he won 15 games, had a 2.62 ERA, and pitched a no-hitter. Unfortunately, after a trade to the woeful Padres and a dreadful 3-11 record with them, it was back to the minors for a year and then out of baseball. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An <a href="http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/thetoydepartment/2009/04/catching_up_with_tom_phoebus.html">article</a> in the Baltimore Sun (he’s a local “Charm City” boy) tells us that Tom’s now retired and plays a lot of golf. It also ends by noting that those famous eyebrows “are turning grey and falling out.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJ1gcQ5K2FwfbJL0_Fud30rDy5uN_6eh1W9_KA_CqEM1Yv_qBVHT7jO6gR-2YZwfwB0XMxPsHyIhDa9BJ07Y0V4DS8S43xXUH7vEbCs8W6ILsEihqgUwlebB5mCsnFOF8cKGcLMagcvI/s1600/ted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJ1gcQ5K2FwfbJL0_Fud30rDy5uN_6eh1W9_KA_CqEM1Yv_qBVHT7jO6gR-2YZwfwB0XMxPsHyIhDa9BJ07Y0V4DS8S43xXUH7vEbCs8W6ILsEihqgUwlebB5mCsnFOF8cKGcLMagcvI/s1600/ted.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ted Martinez was basically the Latino version of Mike Anderson. Here, let me show you:</span><br />
<table cellpadding="5">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th></th>
<th>Mike</th>
<th>Ted</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Years</td>
<td>9</td>
<td>9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Teams</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>At Bats</td>
<td>1,490</td>
<td>1,480</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Average</td>
<td>.246</td>
<td>.240</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Home Runs</td>
<td>28 *</td>
<td>7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>RBIs</td>
<td>134</td>
<td>108</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Runs</td>
<td>159</td>
<td>165</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Common Last Name?</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Common First Name?</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>not really</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unibrow?</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>yes</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* - Okay, so Mike had a little more pop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only other difference I can see is Ted was a middle infielder</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDXkfueIQW05J2SSDVU4IDC-Te6gZLYsyCqN5sjV6YPbEiolgREatNICae03oZviyc5gAPXJpVIQm0o2SWl9mgze31TNTPiHtjkNT8dYOr0JVx68hSDLgNqQVg2_g5lFYy1eOb5R55Bg/s1600/Jack_Clark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDXkfueIQW05J2SSDVU4IDC-Te6gZLYsyCqN5sjV6YPbEiolgREatNICae03oZviyc5gAPXJpVIQm0o2SWl9mgze31TNTPiHtjkNT8dYOr0JVx68hSDLgNqQVg2_g5lFYy1eOb5R55Bg/s1600/Jack_Clark.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jack Clark was a bit of a poster boy for unibrows.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was also a pretty decent ballplayer. In his 18 seasons in the bigs, he tallied 340 dingers and over 1000 RBIs and 1000 runs. He was a bit of a hothead, though, and got in fights and feuds with Lou Piniella (understandable), Frank Robinson (I can see that), Ozzie Smith (Ozzie Smith?), Albert Pujols (really???) and Tony Gwynn (?!?!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tiff with Pujols actually got him fired from a radio job in St. Louis and also involved in a lawsuit. Clark also managed to go bankrupt – because, if you believe Wikipedia, of his love for luxury cars:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to his ban</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kruptcy filing, he owned 18 luxury automobiles, including a $700,000 Ferrari and a Rolls-Royce. Clark was trying to pay 17 car notes simultaneously, and whenever he got bored with a car he would get rid of it and just buy another one. He ended up losing his 2.4 million-dollar home and his drag-racing business because of his extravagant spending habits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2SL0EKsD9mo7epEdQMb7I6MwRNWPVt-oG1CX9wklA8le9cyLKvLkLB0j_2G8NXMCthLMoxJzB6-ea-j12UHp_Fp0Tk7hzEqZDjVMnspKxURQS79Honl-i1Zj7Y_NJYfLbKzig5aD30o/s1600/teps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2SL0EKsD9mo7epEdQMb7I6MwRNWPVt-oG1CX9wklA8le9cyLKvLkLB0j_2G8NXMCthLMoxJzB6-ea-j12UHp_Fp0Tk7hzEqZDjVMnspKxURQS79Honl-i1Zj7Y_NJYfLbKzig5aD30o/s1600/teps.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Italian guys always seem to have an unfair advantage when it comes to these things.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Except for the last name, Frank Tepedino is another Mike Anderson / Ted Martinez. See for yourself:</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="5">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th></th>
<th>Mike</th>
<th>Ted</th>
<th>Frank</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Years</td>
<td>9</td>
<td>9</td>
<th>8</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Teams</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>4</td>
<th>3</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>At Bats</td>
<td>1,490</td>
<td>1,480</td>
<td>507*</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Average</td>
<td>.246</td>
<td>.240</td>
<td>.241</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Home Runs</td>
<td>28</td>
<td>7</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>RBIs</td>
<td>134</td>
<td>108</td>
<td>58*</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Runs</td>
<td>159</td>
<td>165</td>
<td>50*</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Common Last Name?</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>no</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Common First Name?</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>sorta</td>
<td>nah</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unibrow?</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>yes</td>
<td>yes</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* – Okay, so these are a third of everybody else’s. So what? Just triple ‘em, and they’re pretty much identical.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYWtFVNMrxR-GMKFtTJIFDWiYlFdo3FLYnRT2Gr8u5yWgkZuwLQpxH8KbNtShfSuQUUEdTdhwaRtdD4gukadUMNuhTd116Adf3Ke0qwinCsEArD146pdC08fjYbfdh01O41uN6L5Quzo/s1600/grich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYWtFVNMrxR-GMKFtTJIFDWiYlFdo3FLYnRT2Gr8u5yWgkZuwLQpxH8KbNtShfSuQUUEdTdhwaRtdD4gukadUMNuhTd116Adf3Ke0qwinCsEArD146pdC08fjYbfdh01O41uN6L5Quzo/s1600/grich.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back to the hairy messes …</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m glad “Bob” (I think we all remember his as “Bobby”) is wearing a hat in this one. Yup, the ‘stache and the brow were actually combined with a super 1970s, blow-dried nightmare. Don’t believe me? Check out <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/01/hair.html">this post</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I shared his stats there, but did you know that he:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was an International League MVP</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Loves to travel and has visited all 50 states</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is an avid golfer with a 2.5 handicap</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Went by the nicknames “Bird” and “Lizard:”</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7arTOttwMy5npMFbKUjMYx1g74b9j8cAaKi94gffjF95M141Qre4LTQBLNiBEw0ZDhu5caSZpj8tbxdYz_kJLVbnJwnUs5Am-vva4f3RCRZg3Tzf2_YaQl9AbKsv8bKcc_OabgJ1JUtc/s1600/haney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7arTOttwMy5npMFbKUjMYx1g74b9j8cAaKi94gffjF95M141Qre4LTQBLNiBEw0ZDhu5caSZpj8tbxdYz_kJLVbnJwnUs5Am-vva4f3RCRZg3Tzf2_YaQl9AbKsv8bKcc_OabgJ1JUtc/s1600/haney.jpg" height="320" width="223" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And with Frankenstein bangs – at no extra charge!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, a little controversy here … I’ve already got Larry Haney in this blog, in <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/08/brow-bros-70s-version.html">a Brow Bros post</a>. That post, though, is really for guys with bushy brows that aren’t necessarily connected in the middle. Taking a close look at Larry’s card in that post, however, it’s obvious that he’s been tragically mis-categorized. I am deeply sorry for this sad turn of events and offer my sincerest apologies to anyone who may have been offended by my actions.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUReOs3GD9evO1aAmPT3Ex3BsHsgZ7TpfTTvgZlBWfc-JrsMWbKWsZlW-uu-tfrQuv03ICnFT6v1551RHmJUIDRAG9fLjQhMjdewZA89_rVcVPX6_x6fraR_w6fwZdkTaLKOoj8YMuDY/s1600/Sammy_Stewart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUReOs3GD9evO1aAmPT3Ex3BsHsgZ7TpfTTvgZlBWfc-JrsMWbKWsZlW-uu-tfrQuv03ICnFT6v1551RHmJUIDRAG9fLjQhMjdewZA89_rVcVPX6_x6fraR_w6fwZdkTaLKOoj8YMuDY/s1600/Sammy_Stewart.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sammy Stewart was really an ‘80s dude, but – thankfully – he did start his career in the ‘70s. I say “thankfully” because Sammy has probably the best (and by that, I mean worst) unibrow since Andy Etchebarren. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sammy’s a bit like Tom Phoebus. Not exactly a household name, he did however once lead the league in ERA. And what’s especially interesting about that accomplishment is that he did it largely as a reliever (albeit a heavily over-worked one). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sammy’s also a little bit like Jack Clark, in that his post-playing days were not so pretty. Instead of bankruptcy, though, Sammy’s retirement included meth addiction, a life of crime, and a six-year sentence in the pen. Happily, <a href="http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-10-26/sports/bs-sp-orioles-sammy-stewart-recovery-20131026_1_prison-crack-cocaine-20-years">it sounds like</a> he finally cleaned up his act. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Want more synophrys victims? Here’s some more from the <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2012/04/unibrow-50s-version.html">‘50s</a> and the <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-unibrow-60s-version.html">‘60s</a>.</span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-9850730653351841472014-09-22T13:06:00.001-07:002021-04-30T20:00:44.562-07:00Just Plain Ugly ('70s Version)<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">One of my Dad’s favorite expressions was “as ugly as a bucket full of assholes.” I have no idea where that came from, but it sure fits these guys …</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimzgcrzmI72lNX3UIgzjGUOF7SDCxIJP5WncnJ-vj5UFR7CYgquVYwztF9HI5ecULkEr6AY5_jRrLZw_ccdj6TuIebnu6tod48wb9abSj8EboMhxGQxWb_5-ZZtyevoDTz8eMxDX0GfE/s1600/gentry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimzgcrzmI72lNX3UIgzjGUOF7SDCxIJP5WncnJ-vj5UFR7CYgquVYwztF9HI5ecULkEr6AY5_jRrLZw_ccdj6TuIebnu6tod48wb9abSj8EboMhxGQxWb_5-ZZtyevoDTz8eMxDX0GfE/s1600/gentry.jpg" width="226" /></a> *</div>
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Hard to believe, but this is Garry Gentry’s fourth appearance in this blog. The other three highlight his:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/08/brow-bros-70s-version.html">Bushy brows</a></span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/03/cheesy-little-mustache.html">Cheesy mustache</a></span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/08/separated-at-birth-60s-version.html">Resemblance to Forrest Gump</a></span></li>
</ul>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Well, Gary, sounds like you’ve got all your bases covered. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">BTW, if you want to know anything more about this guy, be sure to click on one of those links. I honestly don’t think I have anything more to say about him that hasn’t already been covered there.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzN6u2L9rRwpHNY2lkHqYIlIDe012G-AGKN2qfH9BBzXS9BIA6fxu_lndq6VoVkk_XPrW8Ng-0jQD01nx7toErHfe9en79Ep6pM42TruZl_tBdN7b1RIxHDyaIDwMc6d6Gp1U1ejEC78/s1600/scott.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzN6u2L9rRwpHNY2lkHqYIlIDe012G-AGKN2qfH9BBzXS9BIA6fxu_lndq6VoVkk_XPrW8Ng-0jQD01nx7toErHfe9en79Ep6pM42TruZl_tBdN7b1RIxHDyaIDwMc6d6Gp1U1ejEC78/s1600/scott.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Everybody liked this guy in <i>Patton</i>. Personally speaking, though, I much preferred him in <i>Dr. Strangelove</i>.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Interestingly, our George Scott is a George C. Scott as well. The only difference is that our guy is a Junior.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">He was also a pretty decent ballplayer. A three-time All Star, Scott’s best year was 1975, where he led the AL in RBIs and tied for the lead in HRs. Overall, he jacked 271 “taters” (his word for them), knocked in over 1000 runs, and notched eight Gold Gloves to boot.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">“Boomer” was also quite a character. Here are three good links telling the whole story:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/55215846/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leigh Montville</a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></li>
<li><a href="http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/bc060d6c" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SABR</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/07/30/appreciation-former-red-sox-slugger-george-scott/JjerM4VwD78qxLuRpU4i7M/story.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Boston Globe</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsV0g4U3BqWcHj-FURP_lsSkPb8Szla-fqu039bPre5vzVFrWZOaajbkS7caW1AwS_yb7DR8Bk0v8S6ZDsUn9fVr2w7AdrbLMPGusiBxmiGtynrH9v6vC-sYNdMJmvAy8XS7N5d3pablg/s1600/wine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsV0g4U3BqWcHj-FURP_lsSkPb8Szla-fqu039bPre5vzVFrWZOaajbkS7caW1AwS_yb7DR8Bk0v8S6ZDsUn9fVr2w7AdrbLMPGusiBxmiGtynrH9v6vC-sYNdMJmvAy8XS7N5d3pablg/s1600/wine.jpg" width="229" /></a>*</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Bobby Wine is another repeat offender. I’ve already got him down for a <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-unibrow-60s-version.html">unibrow</a> and <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2012/11/phils-red-sox-cardinals-lend-me-your.html">jug ears</a>. Not quite a Gary Gentry mind you but, hey, who is?</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Those other posts covered his playing and managerial stats as well as his progeny. So, here’s some trivia. I’ll bet you didn’t know that Bobby:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Once pulled the hidden ball trick on none other than Willie Mays</span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Got five of his 30 career homers off Hall of Famers (Warren Spahn, Juan Marichal & Bob Gibson)</span></li>
<li><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Was once ejected, as a manager, for not getting his lineup card in on time</span></li>
</ul>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And here’s a recent </span><a href="http://www.timesherald.com/article/JR/20120617/SPORTS12/120619579" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">article</a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> that mentions he’s living in Tommy LaSorda’s old house and is coaching Little Leaguers (at age 73).</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5wLWoSRir38szkxzCSIoCMk_lM8JTc9Rd2LFfnxa_8vv_tRy1d18CwZ-QEeVIP4gxZeWeuc2InlThPq4xn4DFY1LxvVFbGVpHpQgRDAuV_i5l5SKaATNCKh8IPnmBty3VCMMl0kq7Hk/s1600/hisle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5wLWoSRir38szkxzCSIoCMk_lM8JTc9Rd2LFfnxa_8vv_tRy1d18CwZ-QEeVIP4gxZeWeuc2InlThPq4xn4DFY1LxvVFbGVpHpQgRDAuV_i5l5SKaATNCKh8IPnmBty3VCMMl0kq7Hk/s1600/hisle.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Larry Hisle’s another frequent flyer. In that <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-nostril-lives-on.html">other post</a>, we looked <i>at </i>his stats and <i>up</i> his nostrils.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">What I didn’t mention there was that Larry was a respected hitting coach for a number of years after hanging up his spikes. He’s currently the Brewers’ Manager of Youth Outreach, and is also the president of Major League Mentoring, a youth program in Milwaukee. He seems like a genuinely great guy.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6xdslWgTdjMdBSK8lUhUUyj7orGaYrTgW96JZVnpP-8il6Ro86Mp4WN1t-l3mNAtGRMM1Zu5Jv38jrKuirToDqARL7Bk7Tkm4t6XC3KJKfpeB4bmeGli1zQQqoF0WKJVtJ2st-R057U/s1600/newman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6xdslWgTdjMdBSK8lUhUUyj7orGaYrTgW96JZVnpP-8il6Ro86Mp4WN1t-l3mNAtGRMM1Zu5Jv38jrKuirToDqARL7Bk7Tkm4t6XC3KJKfpeB4bmeGli1zQQqoF0WKJVtJ2st-R057U/s1600/newman.jpg" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Yogi? Is that you? Yogi?</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Ray Newman was up for a handful of years with the Cubs and Brewers. Though he finished with a career ERA under 3.00, he only got in 60-some innings.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">His main claim to fame seems to be this great story, the Wikipedia version of which I will quote in full:</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">He became known for riding a bicycle to Wrigley Field. On one occasion, he was struck by a driver and was unable to pitch that day due to the mishap. Cubs manager Leo Durocher was not amused, and Newman was traded by the next spring. Durocher, talking about his team that year, referred to "this nut who used to ride a bicycle to the ballpark."</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvc5ADxxNq-cYmUz_zT40-7ojyu08I4lNGOCyL3aCKhBDQ5q3PKIybfjS2PRYltZWyNbVOqn3sSODUCphLV9j3tJccH_89dZnftTaDXXLranFwnpecchXc-3kXwsdu6jpuNOZ8JC_bfXo/s1600/foster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvc5ADxxNq-cYmUz_zT40-7ojyu08I4lNGOCyL3aCKhBDQ5q3PKIybfjS2PRYltZWyNbVOqn3sSODUCphLV9j3tJccH_89dZnftTaDXXLranFwnpecchXc-3kXwsdu6jpuNOZ8JC_bfXo/s1600/foster.jpg" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">George Foster made a couple of all-ugly teams:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ginandtacos.com/2009/08/21/npf-the-all-time-baseball-all-ugly-team/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gin and Tacos</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.complex.com/sports/2012/07/the-100-ugliest-athletes-of-all-time/george-foster" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Complex</a></li>
<li><a href="http://humoroutcasts.com/2011/the-ugliest-baseball-players-of-all-time/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Humor Outcasts</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.flannelpuck.com/?p=2585" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flannel Puck</a><span class="Apple-tab-span" face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Click </span><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-eyes-have-it.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here </a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">for more ugliness (plus stats!)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqddHandhg6KBgsJe6dsz6z9YUvqXGoHJHGUNXImPOS_5x3cVdzJ4XYEJs6LS4zPxNWRwvHVxnqogvtR2XACDPh9z4vxorNh4PF1lgehJwnmo5k2Q3HvSL_0B44pL6hXLwjqI9goN9NA/s1600/thomas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqddHandhg6KBgsJe6dsz6z9YUvqXGoHJHGUNXImPOS_5x3cVdzJ4XYEJs6LS4zPxNWRwvHVxnqogvtR2XACDPh9z4vxorNh4PF1lgehJwnmo5k2Q3HvSL_0B44pL6hXLwjqI9goN9NA/s1600/thomas.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I honestly don’t remember this guy at all, but it turns out he was up for 15 whole years. Of course, a lot of that was with the Pads … or as somebody else’s backup … or because he couldn’t hit the ball out of the infield ... </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Then again, maybe he was just so darn ugly that I’ve manage to repress all possible memories.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>* - author has this card</i></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Need more ugly? Check out there dudes from the </span><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2012/04/just-plain-ugly-50-version-early-years.html" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">'50s</a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> and </span><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/04/just-plain-ugly-60s-version-white-guys.html" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">'60s</a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">.</span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-55767289821846037942014-09-15T11:46:00.001-07:002014-09-17T12:19:30.678-07:00Say Cheesy!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smiles are one of the few <i>affect displays</i> that are universal. In fact, we even share them with other primates, like chimps and monkeys (some primatologists claim that smiles are over 30 million years old). Supposedly, smiles come from a primate fear display that shows that the bearer is harmless. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the same time, I’m not totally sure what <i>these</i> guys are trying to convey here …</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3H8CJTWsoL1_F8Nki1-8UZRc3j3CbT4mNzjKEKNIyQ7kZkNN7rqMQX6M_9vHfLAswtGhwUyZb_lBdF4LEf76BTK0kiOgImjEeCNqJi2AYYyfITjFjUnKdaPikS5mmHHbmmneB9KeKAc/s1600/ras.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3H8CJTWsoL1_F8Nki1-8UZRc3j3CbT4mNzjKEKNIyQ7kZkNN7rqMQX6M_9vHfLAswtGhwUyZb_lBdF4LEf76BTK0kiOgImjEeCNqJi2AYYyfITjFjUnKdaPikS5mmHHbmmneB9KeKAc/s1600/ras.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That’s a good try there, Eric. We’re not quite there yet, though, are we?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eric Rasmussen’s been here before, where he looked <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/10/expressions-of-weirdness-later-years.html">even weirder</a> (much, much weirder in fact). I touched on his stats there, and also mentioned his changing his name from Harold to Eric in the offseason one year ([insert player-to-be-named-later joke here]). I failed to mention, though, that Eric’s still in baseball, has been active coaching minor league pitchers since his playing days were over, and is currently the Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the Twins. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuzJW98c1cL6rr8HQoTWwSWXE9i_uPFPy4q7Be1YhGzWJGODyZw6_NSiN_a8I2UaBZkR-ddRfnPY3GqIfIkNOpeGXFdJQuxGH8eruozoX7R3TGvCK8OzuHsRoKqAIq56I-wjVzaKx_9w/s1600/Wohlford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuzJW98c1cL6rr8HQoTWwSWXE9i_uPFPy4q7Be1YhGzWJGODyZw6_NSiN_a8I2UaBZkR-ddRfnPY3GqIfIkNOpeGXFdJQuxGH8eruozoX7R3TGvCK8OzuHsRoKqAIq56I-wjVzaKx_9w/s1600/Wohlford.jpg" height="320" width="233" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That’s more like it. Eric, why can’t you just be more like Jim here?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jim Wohlford was up for 15 years in the bigs, but was only a regular for a couple of those. He was your typical fourth outfielder, known more for his defense than anything else. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nonetheless, he did make the <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/2007/10/8/10439/3067">100 Greatest Royals</a> blog, coming in at #86. And that means he beat guys like Mike Hedlund and Rusty Meacham but, unfortunately, came behind others like Carlos Febles and Fran Healy.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMi0lwT5G6lRiO9NvZOGjS1Z-jyAcsw2yU1jz24JHpKE62VkfTwWTXuRs_BFPcxXLSjiCkxuJ_jgDVgW9V_w2oTs0ltHtaqEyd86a47AN4OwCk9ncUzwEicYFmMh3FjGxTjcH5VoOKa4/s1600/grif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMi0lwT5G6lRiO9NvZOGjS1Z-jyAcsw2yU1jz24JHpKE62VkfTwWTXuRs_BFPcxXLSjiCkxuJ_jgDVgW9V_w2oTs0ltHtaqEyd86a47AN4OwCk9ncUzwEicYFmMh3FjGxTjcH5VoOKa4/s1600/grif.jpg" height="320" width="230" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">File under “shit-eating grin”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though I am sure Ken Griffey Sr. has more than enough to be grinning about. Think about it – 19 years, .296 career average, three All-Star appearances … And then there’s that kid of his – Jimbo, or Juno, or whatever his name is. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfR7LVZxFOalxVyWn8PHYvcJH2qW-BTUfeQWuLWw2WhvLT-9KSV7sz-frGUWWOWXyMBR6jS0uKazjcPA5sicQMVTkAMFsFdELkJB5PaCP_m1PnvGPfyHEJMLFA28_7zau5jj5dniozqg/s1600/kucek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfR7LVZxFOalxVyWn8PHYvcJH2qW-BTUfeQWuLWw2WhvLT-9KSV7sz-frGUWWOWXyMBR6jS0uKazjcPA5sicQMVTkAMFsFdELkJB5PaCP_m1PnvGPfyHEJMLFA28_7zau5jj5dniozqg/s1600/kucek.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or is this his sister Jackie?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jack Kucek sure did pitch like a girl. I’m talking a 5.12 ERA, a 1.668 WHIP, and a 7-16 record. And that’s about all there is to say about Mr. Kucek …</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, he did have four names – John Andrew Charles Kucek. And baseball-reference.com tells me that his nickname was indeed “Jackie.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3igGjmDgNG3mH6Q_Jw4jhoze0o5PIxiCIwP7GBbEMRjSvxkdnYhorWXfITYnHMhsc-uAbR-qjbI-q0hX-ZPpQf115pyYl7prLOaHT3_I7Sw8egQgI3KhEO8LZd2gq-g3gib5cbRnqOXQ/s1600/browne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3igGjmDgNG3mH6Q_Jw4jhoze0o5PIxiCIwP7GBbEMRjSvxkdnYhorWXfITYnHMhsc-uAbR-qjbI-q0hX-ZPpQf115pyYl7prLOaHT3_I7Sw8egQgI3KhEO8LZd2gq-g3gib5cbRnqOXQ/s1600/browne.jpg" height="320" width="227" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Byron was so proud of his new teeth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wikipedia cuts right to the chase with Byron Browne. It mentions that he made an out in Sandy Koufax’s perfect game for his first major league at bat and also that he had the “dubious distinction” of leading the league in strikeouts in 1966. It then goes on to say that Byron:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">seldom delivered, particularly in the clutch. To some cynics, his chief contribution was the refreshing breeze on hot and humid South Philadelphia evenings which emanated from his regular swings and misses.</span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey, who wrote this thing? Was Byron’s ex involved at all?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTB3vzjHFMTqMep1isnuy-SW918xit_rvFKwx98qJCW5nFzECEdjajlW4DwL8-DjtDfhrET302lkJ8LfYkx6OBc7fk26rjGoT0jl2Tc8fMbpk8_y5tsG60PBLBgb2XrLGB6zvnJ3skII/s1600/colbert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTB3vzjHFMTqMep1isnuy-SW918xit_rvFKwx98qJCW5nFzECEdjajlW4DwL8-DjtDfhrET302lkJ8LfYkx6OBc7fk26rjGoT0jl2Tc8fMbpk8_y5tsG60PBLBgb2XrLGB6zvnJ3skII/s1600/colbert.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nate Colbert’s been in this blog before, where we put him down for being <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/04/just-plain-ugly-60s-version-black-guys.html">just plain ugly</a>. I shared his (not unimpressive) stats there, but I didn’t share the following great story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turns out Nate once hit five homers and drove in 13 runs in a doubleheader. In so doing, he tied Stan Musial for the homer record and broke Stan’s record on the RBIs. What’s really interesting about that one, though, is that Nate was actually present – as a kid, in the stands – when Musial set his records. Pretty crazy, huh?</span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-56944044724710143952014-09-05T11:45:00.001-07:002016-12-09T13:14:16.858-08:00Before There Was Dentistry (‘70s Version)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They’re pretty handy things. In particular, “they function in mechanically breaking down items of food by cutting and crushing them in preparation for swallowing and digestion” (thanks, Wikipedia). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That said, they’re also rather ornamental, being exposed prominently whenever we smile – or eat, talk, yawn, or open our mouth for any reason. And that’s why models, and actors, and politicians, and a lot of just plain folks make sure they’re all nice and white and straight and perfect. But not, apparently, baseball players …</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZORYEDXJhkvM1RmhdE_WkLo0G3YUnTErjeyusbC0oAnkKiKdYxTFKDSzYUJ33fWI6D3a_s6VX6GouHD0IdcCST0bifcfyi6REoDu7EelG_QoF_6Cqt1f4zMkKA4pFVmIkXi0o2GYjjU/s1600/ward.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZORYEDXJhkvM1RmhdE_WkLo0G3YUnTErjeyusbC0oAnkKiKdYxTFKDSzYUJ33fWI6D3a_s6VX6GouHD0IdcCST0bifcfyi6REoDu7EelG_QoF_6Cqt1f4zMkKA4pFVmIkXi0o2GYjjU/s1600/ward.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He’s back! Yup, Pete Ward’s been here <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/03/fun-with-dentistry-60s-version.html">before</a>, with much the same pose.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In that previous post, I shared some stats, but didn’t mention that Pete was from Canada. As a matter of fact, Pete was born in Montreal, where his dad played right wing for the Canadiens. Can’t get much more Canuck than that, eh? Pete is also in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHv0oPQsvDfSYKiEvSJXBT-SFHG4ujix_7f9k6XJJlKfLkYYdgI0o8yBnD7iPBKt629wNIzQv7i5Skpv0kmFS_UUKLpt5FuaMi95K_-BwjvHkB6sLDb2c6Cw5PyAdJqDShZKFNvmO04mo/s1600/tatum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHv0oPQsvDfSYKiEvSJXBT-SFHG4ujix_7f9k6XJJlKfLkYYdgI0o8yBnD7iPBKt629wNIzQv7i5Skpv0kmFS_UUKLpt5FuaMi95K_-BwjvHkB6sLDb2c6Cw5PyAdJqDShZKFNvmO04mo/s1600/tatum.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not too bad. Definitely a little rodent-like though.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jarvis Tatum’s Wikipedia entry comes in at a mere 35 words. Here it is, in its entirety:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jarvis Tatum (October 11, 1946 – January 6, 2003) was a Major League Baseball center fielder who played for three seasons. He played for the California Angels from 1968 to 1970, playing in 102 career games.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pretty much says it all, don’t it?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYm9GOjISwxniMyDzObyjL-iwMjCI6s0Wl1bbJInm_GEfprf3-7Ae8evXxH4ifERHFg_4I1qb-g6CpKRbFVjSA0paht6BFLNAjlbRfmYtLiV8DVUyOFL6oJ0yVNYZ-39dln5NFQnFVQ0/s1600/wilbur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYm9GOjISwxniMyDzObyjL-iwMjCI6s0Wl1bbJInm_GEfprf3-7Ae8evXxH4ifERHFg_4I1qb-g6CpKRbFVjSA0paht6BFLNAjlbRfmYtLiV8DVUyOFL6oJ0yVNYZ-39dln5NFQnFVQ0/s1600/wilbur.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alright, pretty bad. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wilbur Howard’s been here before as well, where we made fun of <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/12/graphology_29.html">his signature</a>. He wasn’t really smiling in that one, or I would have made fun of his teeth as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn’t share Wilbur’s stats in that post, so here we go … Six years, 1000 at bats, 6 homers, .250 average, 150 runs, 70 RBIs, 60 steals. Similar players include Albert Hall, Cecil Espy, and Boots Day.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57d9hW3Xk0PhY5yJTD9TluZyzYFwiB6rAYAcMhM5r_3rHXpR3T1pPSgYasChUBm6Ezcy7J-vqPjAIqrko5anYKd1o67yeWFi-NWcmJsRUGWIRG1-VOrLRdurInI6uJzjytKntjeOtpFk/s1600/sangy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh57d9hW3Xk0PhY5yJTD9TluZyzYFwiB6rAYAcMhM5r_3rHXpR3T1pPSgYasChUBm6Ezcy7J-vqPjAIqrko5anYKd1o67yeWFi-NWcmJsRUGWIRG1-VOrLRdurInI6uJzjytKntjeOtpFk/s1600/sangy.jpg" height="320" width="230" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alright, alright. I know it’s an ’80. But those teeth are just so perfect.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Manny Sanguillen was one of my youthful heroes. He was the catcher for those great Pirate teams in the early ‘70s, and – like the rest of his teammates – could smack the heck out of the ball. Manny was up for 13 years, batted over .300 for four of those, and was a three-time All Star. He finished with a .296 average, the tenth-best all-time for catchers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sanguillen was known in particular for swinging at anything. His career OBP was .326, less than 30 points more than his batting average. Interestingly, he’s from – not the Dominican Republic – but Panama.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrXmQvNYJCjxbRteFOMfcZnnWH7QMFIXI_7ManozZkjYlPzMAZV3b1lC8AF8a0C9SxHuPlQLgDOI5qcCC7g-Sj005cgm12c7HirlT1BAAx6KTefX3XdDke2ZfVRo8KqzvNuu1vzRn0_E/s1600/minton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrXmQvNYJCjxbRteFOMfcZnnWH7QMFIXI_7ManozZkjYlPzMAZV3b1lC8AF8a0C9SxHuPlQLgDOI5qcCC7g-Sj005cgm12c7HirlT1BAAx6KTefX3XdDke2ZfVRo8KqzvNuu1vzRn0_E/s1600/minton.jpg" height="320" width="233" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I dunno … I’m thinking evil Japanese colonel in WWII prison movie. How ‘bout you?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could have put this one under so many different categories. That said, here it is under “Teeth.” One of my all-time faves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greg Minton was a pretty decent reliever. He lasted 16 years, finishing with 150 saves. He also set a record for most consecutive innings without giving up a home run – 269! That’s three full seasons!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was also a real character, earning the nickname “Moon Man” through stunts that included:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hijacking the team bus</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stealing the keys to the bullpen cart</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flooding a minor-league ballpark so the season would end one day early</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can’t get enough of that horrible dentition? Well, you’ll definitely want to check out these beauts from the <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2012/08/fun-with-dentistry-50s-version.html">‘50s</a> and <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/03/fun-with-dentistry-60s-version.html">‘60s</a>. </span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-13027859142259669512014-09-02T11:04:00.003-07:002022-12-16T15:12:59.783-08:00Weird-Ass Team Shots<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">About a hundred years ago, there was a real fashion for some rather strange team portraits. In these, the heads of individual players were cut out and then pasted onto some background. Here’s what a standard one of these “floating head” portraits looked like:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VqcjcSWWiKH1dIaNtXl7b9p5NNAwJJgfwtgNcX7Y24K_QDGQ8Mg-gi6clwGPVbTN5T3E1Pe34aZXIZl1dUpmMZelkqSdzA3ZOfy7VnLB0SSX8tYpITKb_lqm56PUdH46HzgXD3fsw40/s1600/bucs+25.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VqcjcSWWiKH1dIaNtXl7b9p5NNAwJJgfwtgNcX7Y24K_QDGQ8Mg-gi6clwGPVbTN5T3E1Pe34aZXIZl1dUpmMZelkqSdzA3ZOfy7VnLB0SSX8tYpITKb_lqm56PUdH46HzgXD3fsw40/s1600/bucs+25.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And here’s how a more creative one might appear:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhkicMBuXZZwhT7U04eDnlomwHd-vxSf9pCb9KrxFc-Y9NAYK5xeY6xQg3ljdaKSy5YFtkyy6JmN6Jz-S9DcYNx4s3KXFAL5-GhyQ0M-7hPZUedebRJBb7fT_dpDVa2TzbYiH8zUC5To/s1600/1909_Pittsburgh_Pirates_on_a_boat_FINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmhkicMBuXZZwhT7U04eDnlomwHd-vxSf9pCb9KrxFc-Y9NAYK5xeY6xQg3ljdaKSy5YFtkyy6JmN6Jz-S9DcYNx4s3KXFAL5-GhyQ0M-7hPZUedebRJBb7fT_dpDVa2TzbYiH8zUC5To/s1600/1909_Pittsburgh_Pirates_on_a_boat_FINAL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And a really weird one:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClJtTQCo_KZAH5dofHJFroZ8semTIdodn5bxM42Tvoh0M_3IoDL4DJ7xHLxqhg6Oytv2T7vTmYxBGqOt5aTvTsSh1y_npCwdA9pnBD9XNTyklnkCNyIuFwHrhFAK28TTXHC2ASh7H9qU/s1600/11+nyy.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClJtTQCo_KZAH5dofHJFroZ8semTIdodn5bxM42Tvoh0M_3IoDL4DJ7xHLxqhg6Oytv2T7vTmYxBGqOt5aTvTsSh1y_npCwdA9pnBD9XNTyklnkCNyIuFwHrhFAK28TTXHC2ASh7H9qU/s1600/11+nyy.JPG" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Do check out Mr. Ford, in the lower left corner. Looks like he has a thing for Mr. Priest.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Not sure what was behind these. Who knows, maybe the X-ACTO knife had just been invented.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For some reason, a good fifty years later in the 1970s, this particular fashion came roaring back. And for some inexplicable reason, this fashion caught on overwhelmingly with Chicago teams.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Here, for example is the 76 White Sox team:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPG0FHPxyjmB5r7M3Dutdb9lVjkFVMS8jEEW4BkCDuVc_AsN0YKh5ZhM7p9ZpA039ywLITyxyn1p6RW7rfcZmL-kjk9ZIAJCq7yW8LJLKETjSYjQGL2AP4mg8R1NkGLntAKeGO81sCik/s1600/75+wsox.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPG0FHPxyjmB5r7M3Dutdb9lVjkFVMS8jEEW4BkCDuVc_AsN0YKh5ZhM7p9ZpA039ywLITyxyn1p6RW7rfcZmL-kjk9ZIAJCq7yW8LJLKETjSYjQGL2AP4mg8R1NkGLntAKeGO81sCik/s1600/75+wsox.jpg" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I really like the two in the upper left hand corner. That’s Cy Acosta in the corner. And the balloon head next to him is none other than Dick Allen. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I also like the two in the lower right hand corner. It looks like Wilbur Wood’s head is half the size of Ron Santo’s.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For some reason, though, this look was most popular with the Cubs. Here’s their 1971 card:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIbRvFkggm6boU0eNqEmJET7ubqMDD3PIj7gbTWotwPz93IpsOlN-v05hJQ0YmFy50QUgCELzwDBzO6a3NtFZhbdUyKCH_KNjETbpD83CWHgISov-9JWLrK0UD-Yog6bCxehMV1NIfNo/s1600/71.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIbRvFkggm6boU0eNqEmJET7ubqMDD3PIj7gbTWotwPz93IpsOlN-v05hJQ0YmFy50QUgCELzwDBzO6a3NtFZhbdUyKCH_KNjETbpD83CWHgISov-9JWLrK0UD-Yog6bCxehMV1NIfNo/s1600/71.jpg" width="224" /></a>*</div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Once again, I get a real kick out of the different size heads. Compare, for example, Ernie Banks and Don Kessinger, in the top right.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">One thing I like about this one is the signatures. It gives you some idea who these guys actually are (though they are pretty tiny).</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And the '72:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSXqmtR3BKb2EYFZ2ko0r5zro4HuergsdZLHPn61q89UqbMqRFf06pmJ_jSf8AgMK4_6_ulpRwaV-kFukNYyCUamHQQaVlR7r2AjSg5CygiBeM2_fF-Eqv8uDiB2bWT45j_Vsz9KIyYc/s1600/72.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSXqmtR3BKb2EYFZ2ko0r5zro4HuergsdZLHPn61q89UqbMqRFf06pmJ_jSf8AgMK4_6_ulpRwaV-kFukNYyCUamHQQaVlR7r2AjSg5CygiBeM2_fF-Eqv8uDiB2bWT45j_Vsz9KIyYc/s1600/72.jpg" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">... which appears to be using the same head shots from 1971. Cheap bastards!</span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Here’s the ‘74 card:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ihX_94UyE0kNflloOqQogGnkYvcW_elp-OUqgmEaKzttxFHL-UBc3H4_cjdBHQa-Dp-2-p_D0tJ2hPrEHBAuEv9i6LygcYKqd4QT-J6Dpcm5D8Y3_dfl9_qPiIVtuEp4JrpxLq2-xlM/s1600/1974+Topps+%23211+Cubs+Team+and+1973+Cubs+Team+picture_0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ihX_94UyE0kNflloOqQogGnkYvcW_elp-OUqgmEaKzttxFHL-UBc3H4_cjdBHQa-Dp-2-p_D0tJ2hPrEHBAuEv9i6LygcYKqd4QT-J6Dpcm5D8Y3_dfl9_qPiIVtuEp4JrpxLq2-xlM/s1600/1974+Topps+%23211+Cubs+Team+and+1973+Cubs+Team+picture_0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This one’s got signatures, and numbers too, but they’re just too damn small to make anything out.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And here’s the ‘76:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlyzwL5a765E3Ua0tk3k-0KaFn7nzrktaJM15sMexYmGnI-wifZAdURHR7F29N1ANZAZ52zU9AHHEAZcANu67w9Px5ADfRnmcrI1JNHN-1cTRVU3XbEWO_V2sytoHfHlT4nGTnd_TwBo/s1600/75.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlyzwL5a765E3Ua0tk3k-0KaFn7nzrktaJM15sMexYmGnI-wifZAdURHR7F29N1ANZAZ52zU9AHHEAZcANu67w9Px5ADfRnmcrI1JNHN-1cTRVU3XbEWO_V2sytoHfHlT4nGTnd_TwBo/s1600/75.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Here’s the one from 1977:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinF2VRh-aosrfDXNtJz93eOrisu89THw2xGtz5yyWJmWFvcIcWRVJ6AMiWdkL1txkvK9n7w0XTxkq46m9d-KDKL5K_18aviQ2iaw8kJTi7k1Ez_PmYFBpYXkpDZwf5d8Vhi2-r_QsNYs/s1600/77.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinF2VRh-aosrfDXNtJz93eOrisu89THw2xGtz5yyWJmWFvcIcWRVJ6AMiWdkL1txkvK9n7w0XTxkq46m9d-KDKL5K_18aviQ2iaw8kJTi7k1Ez_PmYFBpYXkpDZwf5d8Vhi2-r_QsNYs/s1600/77.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A little crowded, huh? Great combo of different hair styles and facial hair though. In particular, I love the afros on Jose Cardenal and the dude in the top left (would love to know who he is). And is that Rick Reuschel over on the left with the glasses?</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And, yes, these things did indeed continue into the '80s. I'll spare you though.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>* - author has this card</i></span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-48192330235408227432014-08-25T12:17:00.001-07:002014-10-28T15:29:23.816-07:00Skinny Bastards<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baseball’s a great sport. You don’t have to be seven feet tall or weigh 300 pounds to play it. In fact, based on these baseball cards, it looks like you don’t even have to hit the ball out of the infield or be able to throw it all the way from third to first in the air. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6Y-h47290orJSx1zrkHs8cZA8cT_IUUSc6BHqPbxDoA2TROxoWURza6rBjPXC20PSlE0jMyVjIaREivInsmg2NyawIoRoLVX8epZeV3MSzTshe6MSII9QxyPBrH08oyois-vnkih2YM/s1600/granger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6Y-h47290orJSx1zrkHs8cZA8cT_IUUSc6BHqPbxDoA2TROxoWURza6rBjPXC20PSlE0jMyVjIaREivInsmg2NyawIoRoLVX8epZeV3MSzTshe6MSII9QxyPBrH08oyois-vnkih2YM/s1600/granger.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it okay if I sneak this one in from the ‘60s?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wayne Granger’s been here before, where I made fun of <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/08/before-there-was-photoshop-ii.html">the logo on his cap</a>. (What? You made fun of the logo on his cap?) I shared plenty of stats there, but nothing about Wayne’s physique. So, without further ado, here are three great quotes from some of his teammates about that very subject:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pete Rose thought he looked like a “professional blood donor”</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Johnny Bench quipped that if Granger wore a fur coat, he’d look like “a pipe cleaner”</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One other Red wag said Wayne could “shower in a shotgun barrel”</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Playing BMI: 21 (healthy weight)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzCnl7U933NLBY0Yl0gTyfiqZ9DTUCnv52BC1dKi3-X5z3IjasG2s7I22SCpVvwEgJKVGl4jbMPiwQoa1-BrGcxNkmUOB7Y4ZbRWjG6JEkh_sBvQZ58WyfJuQynBVEArVffnjfmG00pI/s1600/harrelson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzCnl7U933NLBY0Yl0gTyfiqZ9DTUCnv52BC1dKi3-X5z3IjasG2s7I22SCpVvwEgJKVGl4jbMPiwQoa1-BrGcxNkmUOB7Y4ZbRWjG6JEkh_sBvQZ58WyfJuQynBVEArVffnjfmG00pI/s1600/harrelson.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you sure you weigh more than 90 lbs.? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bud Harrelson is another repeat offender. In that <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/12/shades_2.html">other post</a>, I made fun of his shades, as well as sharing some of his stats. I’ll bet you didn’t know, though, that he had a bit of a managing career as well. Not a lot, but he did manage his beloved Mets for a couple of years, finishing over .500 at 145-129. He currently manages the Long Island Ducks, an independent league team.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Playing BMI: 22 (healthy weight)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrC2Or8s_kLmOLCP0Fp2r6-Xcl9TfqYjtk4LfQsB9zrIQ5n-XBRzx-fsxBFaJayaO02zW7e89KagYoz0mECtt_sOxRXNoTMHKKt7YB1wcilFGGDv-A01k_rzMoGno2u65kPPiJnnj5AvA/s1600/tovar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrC2Or8s_kLmOLCP0Fp2r6-Xcl9TfqYjtk4LfQsB9zrIQ5n-XBRzx-fsxBFaJayaO02zW7e89KagYoz0mECtt_sOxRXNoTMHKKt7YB1wcilFGGDv-A01k_rzMoGno2u65kPPiJnnj5AvA/s1600/tovar.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you sure you can lift that bat? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not a bad player at all, Cesar Tovar is remembered by most people for having played all nine positions in one game. He also seems to be a man of many nicknames. And those included “Pepito” and “Mr. Versatility.” That first one is actually a cleaned-up version of an extremely impolite Spanish phrase for the lady bits of a female donkey. I kid you not. <a href="http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/fb4be4bb">SABR</a> tells me so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click here for Cesar looking <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/12/just-plain-goofy-70s-version.html">angry</a> (and all his stats as well).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Playing BMI: 22 (healthy weight)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozsp4byyHCaKbj_3NMxWo1HbGITcDXs2NLy00uiQarqYLFqOkVWaqPRI6G0ZX64e6ZpCkS01BaturMboEgWELkLlCRrZuMnXZgeXZ_Xc56cNyrm93a1OLTDz5z5pUwWAmhtOLbVOhSBU/s1600/moret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozsp4byyHCaKbj_3NMxWo1HbGITcDXs2NLy00uiQarqYLFqOkVWaqPRI6G0ZX64e6ZpCkS01BaturMboEgWELkLlCRrZuMnXZgeXZ_Xc56cNyrm93a1OLTDz5z5pUwWAmhtOLbVOhSBU/s1600/moret.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you sure you didn’t just escape from a refugee camp?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rogelio Moret sure started out with a bang. In his rookie year, he went 13-2. After a little bit of a sophomore slump (9-10), he then went 14-3, leading the AL in winning percentage. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More Rogelio (and a very interesting story to boot) right <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-little-touched.html">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Playing BMI: 21 (healthy weight)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbILbP6C8EHnIof8uX44_ks4g_PodwT6hs2LROr7FkXSK3jazfyh7f8GJdVmXDzaQjBrkpZQyIbezwHVRzf4Wud0iHWum6WBFs5GDQpWiO1dRKhqmzBx-vaFU8kIB6IHfJz7xE_6B1o0/s1600/SpinksScipio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbILbP6C8EHnIof8uX44_ks4g_PodwT6hs2LROr7FkXSK3jazfyh7f8GJdVmXDzaQjBrkpZQyIbezwHVRzf4Wud0iHWum6WBFs5GDQpWiO1dRKhqmzBx-vaFU8kIB6IHfJz7xE_6B1o0/s1600/SpinksScipio.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you sure you’re not Gumby?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a great name, huh? Needless to say, we’ve already flagged him for that. One thing that I didn’t mention in <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-rose-by-any-other-name-70s-version_16.html">that post</a>, though, is that Scipio Spinks had a great sense of humor, as evidenced by his:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stealing Chief Noc-A-Homa’s headdress</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shaving his head to change his luck (back in the days of major league afros no less)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Impersonating Lou Brock and signing Lou’s autograph</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Traveling with a large stuffed gorilla named “Mighty Joe Young”</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Great detailed bio of Spinks right <a href="http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/8552401e">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Playing BMI: 24 (healthy weight)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVwRtkUGkwhdblbQhPMUP2zltOsVKN7GEUNZ1f2vNKwYZsKGfJhW6pIHH4z88eUdrUtIuzSZN5FXL_k2DVefC9yztTCz7R1QvsgZM65KBqEVMYvoQrMbiI3KkOKEztexZEaSJMx9az80/s1600/hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVwRtkUGkwhdblbQhPMUP2zltOsVKN7GEUNZ1f2vNKwYZsKGfJhW6pIHH4z88eUdrUtIuzSZN5FXL_k2DVefC9yztTCz7R1QvsgZM65KBqEVMYvoQrMbiI3KkOKEztexZEaSJMx9az80/s1600/hall.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you sure you can throw the ball up to the plate?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tom Hall was actually traded straight up for Wayne Granger (see above). Nickname-wise, it was “The Blade” (Hall) for “The Stick” (Granger).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tom didn’t have quite the numbers Wayne did, but he was pretty effective nonetheless. Hall finished his ten-year career with a 52-33 record, 32 saves, a 3.27 record, and almost 800 strikeouts. He saw a good deal of post-season action and did particularly well in the ’73 Series, pitching eight-plus innings for the Reds in a losing effort.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Playing BMI: 20 (healthy weight)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEW5FJNUwRezH9cL6360zfOihPTIlG4UgJRH0G6wOG7koYw-tF05s9BIVB1sAmHiLBuLP5yQCiim77cMAt_Pcaq15Fo91cf2lyTTLPJq0ECvCD5MhM8edOLHnyYyM801WgCSR4zF9hLw/s1600/teke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEW5FJNUwRezH9cL6360zfOihPTIlG4UgJRH0G6wOG7koYw-tF05s9BIVB1sAmHiLBuLP5yQCiim77cMAt_Pcaq15Fo91cf2lyTTLPJq0ECvCD5MhM8edOLHnyYyM801WgCSR4zF9hLw/s1600/teke.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you sure I didn’t beat you up in high school?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Submariner Kent Tekulve was the Pirates’ closer for some great years in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. He especially shone in the ‘79 Series, saving no less than three of the Bucs’ four victories.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Up for 16 years, the gawky guy with the goofy glasses and the trying-so-hard-to-be-cool sideburns was a real workhorse. And that enabled him to set a number of career records, including:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NL innings pitched in relief </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most appearances and innings pitched without making a single start</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most consecutive games pitched (nine)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most losses without having given up any earned runs (12)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most intentional walks (179)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Playing BMI: 22 (healthy weight)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgCn_khQDRSKgyPztA9mTE8I3LAQfPXxUdPNnGVbfNHu9kpHv9JoUJKNisNbHXKg_ERVrbiyHvrX2_BhQv95FQvDXJDeZpuvRvHCYIDGnlBFBoMwW0ZE31_fzzlZjkg2zDnP8m-0nPbs/s1600/kison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgCn_khQDRSKgyPztA9mTE8I3LAQfPXxUdPNnGVbfNHu9kpHv9JoUJKNisNbHXKg_ERVrbiyHvrX2_BhQv95FQvDXJDeZpuvRvHCYIDGnlBFBoMwW0ZE31_fzzlZjkg2zDnP8m-0nPbs/s1600/kison.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Toyed with filing this one under “Dude Looks Like a Lady.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another Pirate from the golden age, Bruce Kison was actually up for 15 years total, getting over 100 wins and 1,000 K’s. It was the post-season, though, where “Buster” really shined. Over 36 innings total, he posted a 5-1 record, with 27 strikeouts and a 1.98 ERA. Since retirement, he’s been a major league pitching coach and respected scout.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Playing BMI: 22 (healthy weight)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the way, you’re probably wondering about the career BMIs of some other players out there - on the other side of the fence. So here they are, free of charge:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">David Wells: 23 (normal)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John Kruk: 24 (normal)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Terry Forster: 25 (overweight)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tony Gwynn: 26 (overweight)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">David Ortiz: 28 (overweight)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smoky Burgess: 28 (overweight)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Babe Ruth: 28 (overweight)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mo Vaughn: 30 (overweight)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CC Sabathia: 32 (severely obese)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prince Fielder: 38 (severely obese)</span></li>
</ul>
Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-29335816160246480822014-08-18T08:34:00.003-07:002018-05-31T13:24:40.599-07:00Separated at Birth ('70s Version)<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve already done this one twice now – once for the <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2012/03/separated-at-birth-50s-version.html">‘50s</a> and once for the <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/03/separated-at-birth-60s-version.html">‘60s</a>. So, without further ado, let’s see if the trope still holds for the ‘70s.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkW22DyQ_Np8uquYUfwpnIHXXb4JXvfa7hx2GiohYJgGZ_2AgJCz7di9i5Ude6nr2J35J0wwhe8MSSm4hAq8DnIrn9Akohx4Lp8jyXQk4EEF-dnY6-5nEvv6g3Eq4kA7nPTrhawEYrvI/s1600/moses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkW22DyQ_Np8uquYUfwpnIHXXb4JXvfa7hx2GiohYJgGZ_2AgJCz7di9i5Ude6nr2J35J0wwhe8MSSm4hAq8DnIrn9Akohx4Lp8jyXQk4EEF-dnY6-5nEvv6g3Eq4kA7nPTrhawEYrvI/s1600/moses.jpg" width="145" /></a><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqiJqJ8VLIKDZkQ9igUFrc_4F9z5F66bkEWOs1ATbf0BRjABQHeyyM-SsIj19GXUDC9dJNrt0TbvcN2Ri5phZ30TUORCnlXGxsgaPmBCCXTGy5YZjV4CkJBiTiOmv9m1Vfw28Ew_E8gg/s1600/laroche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqiJqJ8VLIKDZkQ9igUFrc_4F9z5F66bkEWOs1ATbf0BRjABQHeyyM-SsIj19GXUDC9dJNrt0TbvcN2Ri5phZ30TUORCnlXGxsgaPmBCCXTGy5YZjV4CkJBiTiOmv9m1Vfw28Ew_E8gg/s1600/laroche.jpg" width="143" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No one knew why the squinting nostril shot was so popular that year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gerry Moses was up for nine years, but with seven different teams. He had one season as a starter, but otherwise filled the dreaded position of “backup catcher.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dave LaRoche pitched for 14 fairly unremarkable seasons. Some interesting trivia about Dave:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He was born Dave Garcia</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He is not French</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He threw an eephus pitch, which he called “la lob”</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two of his sons, Dave and Andy, made the majors</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBidT902G2yn5RodjdBUf0eHn6LklgFbUnuOG8qYkwQPVqZJeapM9HWlO7HeGDZINPTWx-BWgKxoPeWSIvNRfYJlsCWqYoHxdcGbkyuBxwbLquV8ge6YhOXY827OmfWhbFt_2sCbg4gk/s1600/bane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBidT902G2yn5RodjdBUf0eHn6LklgFbUnuOG8qYkwQPVqZJeapM9HWlO7HeGDZINPTWx-BWgKxoPeWSIvNRfYJlsCWqYoHxdcGbkyuBxwbLquV8ge6YhOXY827OmfWhbFt_2sCbg4gk/s1600/bane.jpg" width="142" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIPc0E-km-v9TOYIITDiml51Lnjh0wQzPFZcT61UeijsSps5vCq_ijvZCSipNwgeLX8UCETkuJC4wggHyC6rVrhnNOkQOzWHmhBL9u3HpsCAPnRFJh5HzhL7ty5FgGbYJRRl9gtMf6nI/s1600/kusick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIPc0E-km-v9TOYIITDiml51Lnjh0wQzPFZcT61UeijsSps5vCq_ijvZCSipNwgeLX8UCETkuJC4wggHyC6rVrhnNOkQOzWHmhBL9u3HpsCAPnRFJh5HzhL7ty5FgGbYJRRl9gtMf6nI/s1600/kusick.jpg" width="140" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ooh, twinsies! I mean, Twinsies!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do note, however, the following differences:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kusick has aviator glasses</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The two are looking in opposite directions</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The shots appear to have been taken in different stadiums (though I’m not totally sure about that last one)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s like one of those “can you spot the differences?” thingees in the newspaper!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZ22SrwbRk6lshizEdUUijbPwjQFE7i3ypeQxjhL45YAluG6rqmJZKwA2fbWM9iTaWbN1bi6U95ceyWBmn9YZeQoVGkmdbynJJNdq01FvzU40okNZUncIa32uG9FeZOtBcvWuBplYabE/s1600/holt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZ22SrwbRk6lshizEdUUijbPwjQFE7i3ypeQxjhL45YAluG6rqmJZKwA2fbWM9iTaWbN1bi6U95ceyWBmn9YZeQoVGkmdbynJJNdq01FvzU40okNZUncIa32uG9FeZOtBcvWuBplYabE/s1600/holt.jpg" width="143" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-eUQjStsQPp-MTFAsO-brczKoms8hMeT1Zbzzm0hmAt3zaKVlIVhaHCPatmB1-VrfDq8sIfhvK1Myh1KDWkzZffRJKiRXDglSlfIGDlOYlqQkSVRmij3uAvm0FWVE2Ti1sa9-v7bXs0/s1600/reese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-eUQjStsQPp-MTFAsO-brczKoms8hMeT1Zbzzm0hmAt3zaKVlIVhaHCPatmB1-VrfDq8sIfhvK1Myh1KDWkzZffRJKiRXDglSlfIGDlOYlqQkSVRmij3uAvm0FWVE2Ti1sa9-v7bXs0/s1600/reese.jpg" width="141" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ooh, quadsies!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wow, these two really are twins – same pose, same uniform, same stadium … Honestly, I cannot tell them apart!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfQkmj-URJiiyPQ2gG7yVoyuoIZK4Z11zgieFTio2cEKxPyR7yYsNFlXzLW7ddCH6Tpb11V1WCl53pOvk9j71WBJOfkfD63newPg3UAk2sbFXMDnhESDyzQ36E0XXmp5UwY01f1yRidE/s1600/upshaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfQkmj-URJiiyPQ2gG7yVoyuoIZK4Z11zgieFTio2cEKxPyR7yYsNFlXzLW7ddCH6Tpb11V1WCl53pOvk9j71WBJOfkfD63newPg3UAk2sbFXMDnhESDyzQ36E0XXmp5UwY01f1yRidE/s1600/upshaw.jpg" width="141" /></a>*<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwOFRl8OfjeO5-1H2iTv6jx5FhfwWHYztGUjx7OORKO0xdY6s7RYH3j8kvYJBaNIg-xOpWKQrSmogAeYpeLMrCimepB08WEwi2Tn7138wJwxSRJTF2Qk6wa5HzaNgixM9S6XjvAxv_I8/s1600/Scotty-McCreerys-Clear-career-path-7IECF31-x-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwOFRl8OfjeO5-1H2iTv6jx5FhfwWHYztGUjx7OORKO0xdY6s7RYH3j8kvYJBaNIg-xOpWKQrSmogAeYpeLMrCimepB08WEwi2Tn7138wJwxSRJTF2Qk6wa5HzaNgixM9S6XjvAxv_I8/s1600/Scotty-McCreerys-Clear-career-path-7IECF31-x-large.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, Scotty’s a little more full of himself, while Cecil’s definitely a little more clueless. Father and son, perhaps?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The guy on the left’s <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/10/expressions-of-weirdness-later-years.html">been here before</a>. Click on that link for an even goofier picture (I know, hard to believe), some of his stats, and a really embarrassing story about how you don’t want to go on the DL. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The guy on the right was actually a fairly decent high school baseball player. I understand, though, he’s pursuing other talents now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFOA3uifJi2f23yer3fnQw2Y7ozWL4D3-1DCiB1KFYteu2oqNh8R4DlCjYSsFY4aNEh-J_OFLK03SyCPwZ9uFcWoYk4GnqfwNjaVOV877CU07t37kv8sTWhqlg3yaMRLrkuv3VpkVOe4/s1600/lockwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFOA3uifJi2f23yer3fnQw2Y7ozWL4D3-1DCiB1KFYteu2oqNh8R4DlCjYSsFY4aNEh-J_OFLK03SyCPwZ9uFcWoYk4GnqfwNjaVOV877CU07t37kv8sTWhqlg3yaMRLrkuv3VpkVOe4/s1600/lockwood.jpg" width="142" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPjogil3frw3-uqB4ctoFTPAMT310wNY42FD_p1udRXPYNXSkRtn7uFQkTxj00l8t-45eFK1KRLsTm9HYe0ao7en2g9zkheK37LVBHrjfuprb2ZRk82Wvnt1DmgbF76hTSlxyKc1AWZI/s1600/nielsen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPjogil3frw3-uqB4ctoFTPAMT310wNY42FD_p1udRXPYNXSkRtn7uFQkTxj00l8t-45eFK1KRLsTm9HYe0ao7en2g9zkheK37LVBHrjfuprb2ZRk82Wvnt1DmgbF76hTSlxyKc1AWZI/s1600/nielsen.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Inside joke alert! The guy on the right is the father of usability engineering (his name is Jakob Nielsen). I’m a usability engineer. We’re like engineers, who make things easy to use. Like your iPhone. We don’t all look like that, by the way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As for the dude on the left, would you believe:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His real name is Claude</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He was converted from a third baseman to a pitcher in the minors</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He has a degree from MIT</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He was a competitive bowler</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HDHHN5LrU0LcZQ4RzP3t3U2NricjI-xohnDq1Ey9aNfS2jXmUZDExGPYbJEhQid0oPgfsBfFRFQEe6PXq1hq-syw0N_5R7GfE0mngOSWfbekKzAAsZFiVYtKK1buQkoAPQkYlAiodkw/s1600/gentry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HDHHN5LrU0LcZQ4RzP3t3U2NricjI-xohnDq1Ey9aNfS2jXmUZDExGPYbJEhQid0oPgfsBfFRFQEe6PXq1hq-syw0N_5R7GfE0mngOSWfbekKzAAsZFiVYtKK1buQkoAPQkYlAiodkw/s1600/gentry.jpg" width="141" /></a> *<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynYUpsn2w5sjHLSLMO9nPkKlIqgy_aD1uuC9c9d_v6VEey_BTmEV0sIdHUSX_8bGjdA2zzSJB-sIStxx5fnwLuOUAyhC9u9_kvRc7vb0qvZI92sVsnnHNeO3Tkzw4vM57fZxBXbkYOYY/s1600/ForrestGump2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynYUpsn2w5sjHLSLMO9nPkKlIqgy_aD1uuC9c9d_v6VEey_BTmEV0sIdHUSX_8bGjdA2zzSJB-sIStxx5fnwLuOUAyhC9u9_kvRc7vb0qvZI92sVsnnHNeO3Tkzw4vM57fZxBXbkYOYY/s1600/ForrestGump2.jpg" width="140" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Recruiting Officer: “Have you given any thought to your future, son?” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Forrest Gump: "Thought"?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You all know Forrest. You might even know Gary Gentry. Heck, I think this is his third post in the blog. Yup, I’ve already got him down for</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/08/brow-bros-70s-version.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">major eyebrows</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and also</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/03/cheesy-little-mustache.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cheesy mustache</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. Not sure there’s much more I can say about Gary that I haven’t already covered there.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7t78v5-2v0Xewf_sQSNVau9SBGG74VrMIzfH7TyTYA9gA4E4AWP-jHmfd90qOcHpkyCb75cK5bYgz0kNb8OTSSA7LKFLDzXBpYcLNaqO_duYD1iyEvH79qwk6-cFgWpW-T-VrFkE0W5k/s1600/tyson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7t78v5-2v0Xewf_sQSNVau9SBGG74VrMIzfH7TyTYA9gA4E4AWP-jHmfd90qOcHpkyCb75cK5bYgz0kNb8OTSSA7LKFLDzXBpYcLNaqO_duYD1iyEvH79qwk6-cFgWpW-T-VrFkE0W5k/s1600/tyson.jpg" width="138" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjcYjQVWBQpVdELQXls4s2iz_vpm2U54QjsZOc_2dy2V5c5vZ8l-JLc3rS2dibpETNfHhUF2IHJ1THOyply6VEGLmIKBF7NT07eymzCBfSkEcrjUN17uWnXaw-FH723iUGMpKLC-6Z4M/s1600/tyson+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjcYjQVWBQpVdELQXls4s2iz_vpm2U54QjsZOc_2dy2V5c5vZ8l-JLc3rS2dibpETNfHhUF2IHJ1THOyply6VEGLmIKBF7NT07eymzCBfSkEcrjUN17uWnXaw-FH723iUGMpKLC-6Z4M/s1600/tyson+2.jpg" width="126" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yeah, I get these two confused all the time too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The guy on the left is another repeat offender in this blog. I’ve already booked him for <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/03/phooey-man-chewy.html">moustache violations</a> and for looking <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/09/dumb-dumber-and-dumbest-round-2.html">just plain stoopit</a>. I also manage to make the same joke about the name in both those posts as well. Nothin’ more to say about this dude, I’m afraid.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfRVuSIYab_P-IPvhEYbkM4X1svii_bzBFgLiBSw50B7R1RyqgXGpKggICAjyFdqaEzyJ1H6gYtkSB3nPyEZWSMyLfA8k1BmPjeWYrVWDodxEA8QyhlGgF1IlAOj1oQGH7Mf5DjG6YIc/s1600/cash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfRVuSIYab_P-IPvhEYbkM4X1svii_bzBFgLiBSw50B7R1RyqgXGpKggICAjyFdqaEzyJ1H6gYtkSB3nPyEZWSMyLfA8k1BmPjeWYrVWDodxEA8QyhlGgF1IlAOj1oQGH7Mf5DjG6YIc/s1600/cash.jpg" width="141" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KVxG4clzthB4ayaMjMNYtm3cVj8QX_7Oip6cDdQd-DKzqeYSRAlHbY5BwFNcGHvBXLiHYv6SZRt5Or2qR9xUmpkMobzIfUAN6GIgaxQOEqXOiJBDYpVRYKfBcjgNRZuTMHvTJ71OZfo/s1600/cash+77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KVxG4clzthB4ayaMjMNYtm3cVj8QX_7Oip6cDdQd-DKzqeYSRAlHbY5BwFNcGHvBXLiHYv6SZRt5Or2qR9xUmpkMobzIfUAN6GIgaxQOEqXOiJBDYpVRYKfBcjgNRZuTMHvTJ71OZfo/s1600/cash+77.jpg" width="141" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the other extreme, how could these two be the same person???</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You’ve actually seen that <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/07/are-you-sure-youre-ballplayer-70s_22.html">card</a> on the left before here, in a post where I also shared Dave’s stats. Just had to show the one on the right as well. Would you believe Cash is only 28 in this shot?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And, no, he is not 13 in the one on the left. A mere seven years divide the two portraits.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjULf4DZGw6aFn9AMltv6LDiTylvzU0PE1JOzxlE9XMVe83eSBndfESDp-i5f6O4w7OaIaEWvcTWxWA-yYTiISLu0JtfCqfOnYJ5Z0mKxmskZm0-SGYSDfwxPChc8-cF8FiRjy7sKylhk/s1600/stan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjULf4DZGw6aFn9AMltv6LDiTylvzU0PE1JOzxlE9XMVe83eSBndfESDp-i5f6O4w7OaIaEWvcTWxWA-yYTiISLu0JtfCqfOnYJ5Z0mKxmskZm0-SGYSDfwxPChc8-cF8FiRjy7sKylhk/s200/stan.jpg" width="143" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjV_zSdsA1FbCmkkp-EKD5zKMA4lz70-qOIIorfiL9ODV3RbjnVNCqO_YO7vxU7b5WmWVt-uJWR9p4AWoSqJvLF_2i2me90G3KRfPxWj45y4mft_VzZFS8NdbucbKJy5hrbWjs6tR-YMM/s1600/joe.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjV_zSdsA1FbCmkkp-EKD5zKMA4lz70-qOIIorfiL9ODV3RbjnVNCqO_YO7vxU7b5WmWVt-uJWR9p4AWoSqJvLF_2i2me90G3KRfPxWj45y4mft_VzZFS8NdbucbKJy5hrbWjs6tR-YMM/s200/joe.png" width="158" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Things sure started out with a bang for Stan Bahnsen. In 1968, he finished with a 17-12 record, a 2.03 ERA, and a Rookie of the Year award. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next 15 years were a little more humdrum. He finished the next year 9-16 and somehow managed to lose 20 games a couple of years later. Overall he finished 146-149, with a 3.60 ERA.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, Stan's the guy on the left. The other dude was an athlete as well. I think it was in some other sport than baseball though. Football, maybe? </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJNNyfPiwXkN91YvenepolOLnEgg2GlZV4I_Z1GYO7uD0PSnUI_78PfJEBAc1r2-ZS6WFBPXWKuweGctGf-BlF51NpIZwfXDBq7dh2tK8OG6p290cEXVSqScmf8eD2BwEt8HziA6Fl1I/s1600/dobson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJNNyfPiwXkN91YvenepolOLnEgg2GlZV4I_Z1GYO7uD0PSnUI_78PfJEBAc1r2-ZS6WFBPXWKuweGctGf-BlF51NpIZwfXDBq7dh2tK8OG6p290cEXVSqScmf8eD2BwEt8HziA6Fl1I/s1600/dobson.jpg" width="140" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoW9M-eAH5Q1s_aBDYtD19XWxPx334VVhxwndUgXdl9zVROjLI0L4pQbSgZrDKAc730stt8SAelHzh9bUypvC8joh8lA2nc60AXD59pGvbDnShSzGblLZ2kT6q0TkzLJ4Ymsoq0v1Leqk/s1600/ferrill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoW9M-eAH5Q1s_aBDYtD19XWxPx334VVhxwndUgXdl9zVROjLI0L4pQbSgZrDKAc730stt8SAelHzh9bUypvC8joh8lA2nc60AXD59pGvbDnShSzGblLZ2kT6q0TkzLJ4Ymsoq0v1Leqk/s1600/ferrill.jpg" width="166" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pat Dobson is another frequent flyer in this blog. We’ve already <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-nostril-lives-on.html">looked up his nostrils</a>, admired his <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/02/what-mess.html">particularly unruly hair</a>, and caught him looking <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/09/close-your-pie-hole.html">particularly dumb</a>. Dude should have his own post.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The guy on the right actually played minor league ball, though his career was extremely short. Will Ferrell – AKA “Rojo” Johnson – delivered one pitch for the Round Rock Express. See it all right <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Will-Ferrell-ejected-from-minor-league-debut-aft?urn=mlb,239434">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCeuGQD_VRRXozQyaYXNdcIOuCxEr4ia7LasCYGJYbhIxa6uK_0poS_APhO2_xBr_GfaSfldyK-a4_aZWt03WC8w6ycMHHuA0VJjt5uBVgoFdYSmEAEjj6Aq6QS1pv4vMU26BeEpVtoE/s1600/buskey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCeuGQD_VRRXozQyaYXNdcIOuCxEr4ia7LasCYGJYbhIxa6uK_0poS_APhO2_xBr_GfaSfldyK-a4_aZWt03WC8w6ycMHHuA0VJjt5uBVgoFdYSmEAEjj6Aq6QS1pv4vMU26BeEpVtoE/s1600/buskey.jpg" width="142" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsB4IjV66UZuXafaTh6NBoz78uJsXrHdyiteslPSAT6w2rfUSzYbqdKHhJZN_SoUU5vGxH2Tgqh0oZP3OyNISm4ihyphenhyphenirUlkJ7QocUqfGPzxDb79PI09C2KqnIvSFDm2AwmAtv83R8kguk/s1600/offerman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsB4IjV66UZuXafaTh6NBoz78uJsXrHdyiteslPSAT6w2rfUSzYbqdKHhJZN_SoUU5vGxH2Tgqh0oZP3OyNISm4ihyphenhyphenirUlkJ7QocUqfGPzxDb79PI09C2KqnIvSFDm2AwmAtv83R8kguk/s1600/offerman.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oops, wrong C.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tom Buskey was up for eight years. He was the Tribe’s closer in ’74. His nickname was “Husky.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nick Offerman is mostly known for playing the part of Ron Swanson in the TV show Parks and Recreation. He is also married to Will and Grace actress Megan Mullally (hubba hubba) and is a noted woodworker.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIvMIGQ7AluHcfv3_r3458-8cKeh3jGTZyBl-NbAkV0jvJHdvEeX2X2cDzhzKQTiLt3NwaUQebvXTfXi-iRewCEFurmqgNDIR4pCIy7YZveb1XB1mtf7wycAo0xNe-TKMW2g61ubyI1w/s1600/lowenstein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIvMIGQ7AluHcfv3_r3458-8cKeh3jGTZyBl-NbAkV0jvJHdvEeX2X2cDzhzKQTiLt3NwaUQebvXTfXi-iRewCEFurmqgNDIR4pCIy7YZveb1XB1mtf7wycAo0xNe-TKMW2g61ubyI1w/s1600/lowenstein.jpg" width="141" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOaA3b6-0kXpWXO_8lwUPq3J6UknX-DB_zsz6pUxCojPoalrEPztRep648LzTfzqotw9O0WY96kcbiflLriQsZuzw9mJ-hlW086AV-fFOI2Hp8vLIrDxsE3_2OoB5Cor0oU0XKO8cMR6Y/s1600/vladi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOaA3b6-0kXpWXO_8lwUPq3J6UknX-DB_zsz6pUxCojPoalrEPztRep648LzTfzqotw9O0WY96kcbiflLriQsZuzw9mJ-hlW086AV-fFOI2Hp8vLIrDxsE3_2OoB5Cor0oU0XKO8cMR6Y/s1600/vladi.jpg" width="188" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Little did his teammates know, but John Lowenstein was actually a 600-year-old vampire. Yup, that’s Vlad Tepes on the right, the original Count Dracula.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The guy on the left was up for 16 years, mostly in a platoon role. He was an announcer after retirement. He’s also one of the few native Montanans to play major league baseball.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The guy on the right liked to impale people on stakes. He was a Romanian prince who reigned in the 15th Century. He may or may not be still around, drink blood, change into a bat, and all sorts of other good stuff.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkcSIFIeaTvnlo7Cm34daH9mNI_M61j2pktyYUv9s7Qzd634Un3UcdUSz_994Cz34nmOU7Rzz2EAL6mXsV0INyjsLVrQDqYpEhIXRawwEodjL00UFXfX5R95GWDaPRcu3rQh92AG_nZM/s1600/reuss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkcSIFIeaTvnlo7Cm34daH9mNI_M61j2pktyYUv9s7Qzd634Un3UcdUSz_994Cz34nmOU7Rzz2EAL6mXsV0INyjsLVrQDqYpEhIXRawwEodjL00UFXfX5R95GWDaPRcu3rQh92AG_nZM/s1600/reuss.jpg" width="141" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPhQgZzh1HH5V_YGmyTdyYrFihceUy2grRsdXfgebjFUXqLiq_cQKuYpQvn38T_TnjOGSNXIGqfew2YhMn5XQePAg2ejJvWHzftYxm0SmXuZE2q9IcYkQPB9hG5wdCi7XJWfjWZxhYks/s1600/MichaelYork1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPhQgZzh1HH5V_YGmyTdyYrFihceUy2grRsdXfgebjFUXqLiq_cQKuYpQvn38T_TnjOGSNXIGqfew2YhMn5XQePAg2ejJvWHzftYxm0SmXuZE2q9IcYkQPB9hG5wdCi7XJWfjWZxhYks/s1600/MichaelYork1.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If only Jerry had unbuttoned his shirt …</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The guy on the left was not a bad pitcher at all. He’s been in this blog <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/04/haberdashery-horrors-of-1970s.html">before</a>, where we made fun of the brim of his cap. (What, you made fun of the brim of his cap???)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The guy on the right is Michael York, movie star and hunky dreamboat.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4eDwdsW3mQmAbwUVAJxxo4Q0PbNz_AXG3yAnq56P-QqN4ZwrftsKX_TsGSWs-e2Et1R66dTp-NQmVjCIh5Twb1EXU_4vpCpj3qTdHmFBNpXYZJ57V8tUTiaFWwIMkKosLje-HvqKjBo/s1600/haney+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4eDwdsW3mQmAbwUVAJxxo4Q0PbNz_AXG3yAnq56P-QqN4ZwrftsKX_TsGSWs-e2Et1R66dTp-NQmVjCIh5Twb1EXU_4vpCpj3qTdHmFBNpXYZJ57V8tUTiaFWwIMkKosLje-HvqKjBo/s1600/haney+1.jpg" width="142" /></a>* <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6gpZMftPYnJW-x4JEZEIxkWckIqGHtgAc2X0SGpbab36sASmHb8d441aKQo_tf0XjlhDOtmaxBPum17eWzIBm_JIEuiU1M5iWltDX2FEK0YWMiY53fVdpIfgR3INP_3J8axtGTxAIW8/s1600/haney+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6gpZMftPYnJW-x4JEZEIxkWckIqGHtgAc2X0SGpbab36sASmHb8d441aKQo_tf0XjlhDOtmaxBPum17eWzIBm_JIEuiU1M5iWltDX2FEK0YWMiY53fVdpIfgR3INP_3J8axtGTxAIW8/s1600/haney+2.jpg" width="141" /></a>*<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wait a minute. I think it’s the same guy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No, Larry Haney was not ambidextrous. The fine folks at Topps simply screwed things up – royally. The only way you can tell that Larry is a true righty is because the numbers on the guy in the back look very odd on the card to the right.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPihFZY3UvO5eGy1653n6-W5OO5yC984M-DKv0cLZ7R0tAJHA1DOfStQCyQKYL2cipDIjhDV-Yco6HW4MQBvfxt9WvzK1sjT97xqs0tSz1qWd-WDwDAmicymuPIGd4T-OJ1oQWHeJzGo/s1600/armstrong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPihFZY3UvO5eGy1653n6-W5OO5yC984M-DKv0cLZ7R0tAJHA1DOfStQCyQKYL2cipDIjhDV-Yco6HW4MQBvfxt9WvzK1sjT97xqs0tSz1qWd-WDwDAmicymuPIGd4T-OJ1oQWHeJzGo/s1600/armstrong.jpg" width="143" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1Iw0N2EJ_hjoEZlnWHgoD7MiPN20xBMci1z7nSIBhA3jFetvTZfQOpPlNk_6DqaH76vFc0XHAS2je1wRVN5IkrSEsIoOGU5FX9FJVZloZ15rc1PCIXnR-Tym9ZKvHd9aphPqOhdv80M/s1600/stapler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1Iw0N2EJ_hjoEZlnWHgoD7MiPN20xBMci1z7nSIBhA3jFetvTZfQOpPlNk_6DqaH76vFc0XHAS2je1wRVN5IkrSEsIoOGU5FX9FJVZloZ15rc1PCIXnR-Tym9ZKvHd9aphPqOhdv80M/s1600/stapler.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, yes, I know the card on the left is an ’83 (and, so, doesn’t really fit in this blog), but this one is just so perfect, I had to include it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m guessing somebody might have taken Mike’s stapler.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">* - author has this card</span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3175643012720562094.post-6592400715310873582014-08-11T06:55:00.000-07:002015-09-07T06:26:38.549-07:00Pretty Boyz<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I’m assuming the average jock is not going to ask for a mirror and a comb and then spend ten minutes making sure his hair is “just right” before posing for his baseball card. But, then again, this was the ‘70s. And, you know, maybe it’s not just pimply pre-teen boys who’ll be checking these things out. Yeah, this card’s for you ladies out there! (Hey, how ya doin’?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJW1odsF29bIDkV6gs_6wwpuLn_ICHKVILOxNIpFz6QzqtsXLVVOr8D2wgH40mZbu0bH2ygQ88Ul-aD1JXiwgemFvc94kYfGDYpHVOO84eRumadRrG6ZvCYLSw8yRUoveK8msbvwNydk/s1600/carlos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJW1odsF29bIDkV6gs_6wwpuLn_ICHKVILOxNIpFz6QzqtsXLVVOr8D2wgH40mZbu0bH2ygQ88Ul-aD1JXiwgemFvc94kYfGDYpHVOO84eRumadRrG6ZvCYLSw8yRUoveK8msbvwNydk/s1600/carlos.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always get this guy confused with Carlos Cisco. Oh yeah, Cisco Carlos is the pretty one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cisco Carlos was up for four years in the late 60s, getting in 237 innings and 36 starts. He actually appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated (with Johnny Bench no less), and was featured in an article on promising rookies of 1968. Unfortunately, Cisco then then went 4-14 in that “year of the pitcher.” Wow, talk about the SI curse!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYOmMmwIxuBYvx6jvUdB2pybDHJ3W_zIYm2RFLy7XSicajnhisXMEAxYIn9OclpnCGiCp9kZ2hZjNWTJoLqvJvszf-UkkX0Y-r0IQconuQczjqbiZ9MoEagXc8GNxFiYMFtdxAE86vGc/s1600/johnstone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYOmMmwIxuBYvx6jvUdB2pybDHJ3W_zIYm2RFLy7XSicajnhisXMEAxYIn9OclpnCGiCp9kZ2hZjNWTJoLqvJvszf-UkkX0Y-r0IQconuQczjqbiZ9MoEagXc8GNxFiYMFtdxAE86vGc/s1600/johnstone.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MLB’s longest eyelashes?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, it’s good to see at least one of these guys had the decency not to comb his hair. Between the eyelashes, the baby blues, and a genuinely neat ‘do, I’m sure no lady could possibly resist this guy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jay Johnstone may be best remembered as a clubhouse prankster. Many of these typically featured Tommy Lasorda, including:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Replacing all of the pictures in Lasorda’s office with ones of Johnstone and his cronies</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Locking Tommy in his office during a spring training game</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dressing up as Lasorda (including appropriate padding) and going out to the mound to talk to the pitcher (along with a copy of Lasorda’s book and a can of Slim-Fast) during an actual game</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, yes, Johnstone <i>is</i> the dude who posed for a card one year in a Budweiser umbrella hat:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOfvuna1VmgvwJ5-y6LgPzKN2YJoZQTv4s-VOgIlINoLba7DR_5S7MLggyvUAdRiAFFADhyphenhyphen9pjzjSXdBRoHZvOlK3sZdAiuiFokX3zctA90-dF6EbwNNF3MMS0Ydq0cRdFTX2jHArsdQ/s1600/jay-johnstone-umbrella-hat-card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOfvuna1VmgvwJ5-y6LgPzKN2YJoZQTv4s-VOgIlINoLba7DR_5S7MLggyvUAdRiAFFADhyphenhyphen9pjzjSXdBRoHZvOlK3sZdAiuiFokX3zctA90-dF6EbwNNF3MMS0Ydq0cRdFTX2jHArsdQ/s1600/jay-johnstone-umbrella-hat-card.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Man, he <i>is </i>a prankster.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOMUx9az8BroT2GLCNekiOIXYulstNr1yZHt1SUMupdMe-FlCtlvMqLRtjw2s-Dl0JqtMcTgwdhv0Mya2ht8pNR3g2jbX0EGd22ESCO4sCW64e-50_1wMjvijgngEQ1Mq5MFhoPYy-uc/s1600/roberts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOMUx9az8BroT2GLCNekiOIXYulstNr1yZHt1SUMupdMe-FlCtlvMqLRtjw2s-Dl0JqtMcTgwdhv0Mya2ht8pNR3g2jbX0EGd22ESCO4sCW64e-50_1wMjvijgngEQ1Mq5MFhoPYy-uc/s1600/roberts.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Long eye lashes? Check. Prell ‘do? Got it. Wicked grin? Perfect!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dave Roberts is <i>not </i>the guy who made “the steal” in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. Nor is he Dave Roberts the pitcher, the outfielder, or the first baseman. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our Dave was primarily a third baseman, but actually played every position but pitcher. He was up for ten years (two as a regular), played for four teams, and finished with a .239 average, 49 homers, and 208 RBIs in a little over 2,000 at bats.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIC5B95ybecCQbjiYMECmsjXO2UUdINGsXxs4LbB_6Q-hQEs0T2nha-eUIEHWpKdKElyM9UmttsVf5z3GPgsuyH31peqnFqgZZ-gWRV4-SLYVshaABlbs402fEprbrI_XJvMf-3okmNpY/s1600/arlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIC5B95ybecCQbjiYMECmsjXO2UUdINGsXxs4LbB_6Q-hQEs0T2nha-eUIEHWpKdKElyM9UmttsVf5z3GPgsuyH31peqnFqgZZ-gWRV4-SLYVshaABlbs402fEprbrI_XJvMf-3okmNpY/s1600/arlin.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now pitching, Steve “Goldilocks” Arlin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve Arlin was a huge college star. He finished his career at Ohio State 24-3, with not quite 300 strikeouts. He was a huge College World Series stud as well, leading the Buckeyes to the title one year and striking out 20 opponents in a 15-inning game in another. He’s also in the College Baseball Hall of Fame. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The majors, on the other hand, were another matter. In fact, Arlin led the league two years running in losses. Interestingly, this was not with the Indians, but with their NL-equivalent for that era – the Padres.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Incredible baseball trivia fact … Steve’s granddad, Harold Arlin, did the first-ever radio broadcast of a major league game, way back in 1921.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxy7Uw-4akFKXTu83Z_1UAcWSPITQ7X5mYh-oFqe-nAidtN0deyL9huWADZN1OJtR0E_YQ_i6hyphenhyphenX6AAsKMYd5F3uAZk-G8UbHh958xR0YEvBPFwFJ_ecV6ibaJqHJBfr7PNWWRoOj0C7k/s1600/meyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxy7Uw-4akFKXTu83Z_1UAcWSPITQ7X5mYh-oFqe-nAidtN0deyL9huWADZN1OJtR0E_YQ_i6hyphenhyphenX6AAsKMYd5F3uAZk-G8UbHh958xR0YEvBPFwFJ_ecV6ibaJqHJBfr7PNWWRoOj0C7k/s1600/meyer.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jiffy Pop!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bob Meyer was up for three seasons, with four different teams (three of those in his first year). He finished 2-12 with a 4.38 ERA. Poor Bob.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvxJPYVna2HHeDONhhy9Kn7PyAkm7AcdUEf3PsicARM7S9DHasbzWFEwtesnxmEgW4ioIgl_LaLNRCneo3ZKmhF0f0jTePeqv29NzPYFwGNFZac-KiSdIgp1BNMIrQguhMuQxav2Ix7Q/s1600/ellingsen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvxJPYVna2HHeDONhhy9Kn7PyAkm7AcdUEf3PsicARM7S9DHasbzWFEwtesnxmEgW4ioIgl_LaLNRCneo3ZKmhF0f0jTePeqv29NzPYFwGNFZac-KiSdIgp1BNMIrQguhMuQxav2Ix7Q/s1600/ellingsen.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m Marge Simpson, and I approve this hairdo. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bruce Ellingsen was up for only one year, going 1-1 with a 3.16 ERA in 42 innings. He actually came up with the Dodgers … Who traded him to the Indians (hence the card) … For one Pedro Guerrero (perhaps you’ve heard of him?) … Which has got to be one of the worst trades ever (ever).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRxk7jP616GCtQzToaj5PU1spV-a6uKMeE_o4Jfr3BJg0vdp0m641MLGCaxiHxOL_FokWWUycGLI9AKhgoSU2i5XDj5jg-hmlbO6LlpHIuuloJyo2tnjC5yZvzggt8qpjecCuk8Qw2w0/s1600/downing1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRxk7jP616GCtQzToaj5PU1spV-a6uKMeE_o4Jfr3BJg0vdp0m641MLGCaxiHxOL_FokWWUycGLI9AKhgoSU2i5XDj5jg-hmlbO6LlpHIuuloJyo2tnjC5yZvzggt8qpjecCuk8Qw2w0/s1600/downing1.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They called him “Prince Valiant.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s hard to believe, but there’s an even worse card of Brian Downing out there. In fact, you can find one of the worst cards ever made right <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2014/01/hair.html">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOC5HOCGPtlWqVapFeFN8VNyawX0KdoljpB1WTCXUnXgTAtdgnJUx7h9wz5Uy3vf2_jB671w__5lKugmy6sCLAWTB-0g16ebahmFewG3Dj0TdYV5UoYMv3pmVdHKn84WeGOgidfXTW3mg/s1600/dan-meyer-76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOC5HOCGPtlWqVapFeFN8VNyawX0KdoljpB1WTCXUnXgTAtdgnJUx7h9wz5Uy3vf2_jB671w__5lKugmy6sCLAWTB-0g16ebahmFewG3Dj0TdYV5UoYMv3pmVdHKn84WeGOgidfXTW3mg/s1600/dan-meyer-76.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, cock your head a little more. That’s it! Now, give me a little simper. Perfect!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dan Meyer was up for twelve years, finishing with 86 homers and 459 RBIs over almost 4,000 at bats. He once led the league in ABs per strikeout, with a rate of 18.8.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those are not too bad stats. Especially for someone who came in #70 on a list of the 100 worst baseball players ever. The author of that blog states:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His hair was long and golden blond. He twice hit 20 home runs in a season. But Meyer was more like a movie set version of a player. At first glance all the pieces were in place, but a closer look reveals only a façade</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To which, Dan might well reply, “Hey, buddy, don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKnUybxltgeChSrCokB7M11sOudp_MkTFmkpCDj2TQwV3B_tHXiZal73fRhw09xKwEmOWONfMspraJ6y8Skt9PEBYFRa3JbQ31-zUxbj3h689xy-VZFKdpebw0GdDw71NJelXKK3gVjs/s1600/meyer+78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKnUybxltgeChSrCokB7M11sOudp_MkTFmkpCDj2TQwV3B_tHXiZal73fRhw09xKwEmOWONfMspraJ6y8Skt9PEBYFRa3JbQ31-zUxbj3h689xy-VZFKdpebw0GdDw71NJelXKK3gVjs/s1600/meyer+78.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looks like Dan got traded away, but it’s nice to know he still has “the look.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dan actually played more first base than any other position. He was one of those odd first baggers who was under 6’0” and weighed less than 200 lbs. The two years he clubbed 20 dingers were with the M’s.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpshJCI3wN1tp1xnqAgUyBErg86PBfZtJvLXTWoBdShyQ5EK75SO8VI9VPLU2YXQvNaGqnRpMS5-lzJXCo91zkcwHf1XWAJcGHm0KCccsbpMaLM83sUHU8a6qeRBvpEAINYj32-OYs2tc/s1600/meyer+77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpshJCI3wN1tp1xnqAgUyBErg86PBfZtJvLXTWoBdShyQ5EK75SO8VI9VPLU2YXQvNaGqnRpMS5-lzJXCo91zkcwHf1XWAJcGHm0KCccsbpMaLM83sUHU8a6qeRBvpEAINYj32-OYs2tc/s1600/meyer+77.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oops! He did it again.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pszi1wTGMeqcXV1GiMUwbw4pTJxEQJOrABEN9CN2mrXkViu6l-yBnI80g6Ly1uFmfMfzCldo-PYGInU3DRQkblXk3VrjAjQU9K3Vr98uLC5y8X8yoL2LiHt5XGN3YcbmZ07RLbT3WVg/s1600/assel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pszi1wTGMeqcXV1GiMUwbw4pTJxEQJOrABEN9CN2mrXkViu6l-yBnI80g6Ly1uFmfMfzCldo-PYGInU3DRQkblXk3VrjAjQU9K3Vr98uLC5y8X8yoL2LiHt5XGN3YcbmZ07RLbT3WVg/s1600/assel.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What the …? I’m detecting a little Elvis, a little Hans Brinker, a little … man, I just don’t know what.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brian Asselstine never really made good on the considerable promise he showed in this card. He was up for six years, but only totaled 500-some at bats, with 12 homers, 68 RBIs, and a .254 average. Now, that’s an okay season. I just don’t if you want to have that down as your whole career.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very funny post from Cardboard Gods (Whuh? How’d that happen?), ostensibly about Brian, but actually having almost nothing to do with him (no surprise there), right <a href="http://cardboardgods.net/2008/05/28/brian-asselstine/">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Need more pretty boyz? Try these dudes right <a href="http://reallybadbaseballcards.blogspot.com/2013/05/mamaz-boyz.html">here</a>.</span>Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109085007044124766noreply@blogger.com1