Mountain Men

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? 

Honestly, what gives here?
      

Now Richmond, Texas (where Tom’s from) is right outside Houston. Funny, though, I don’t recall any mountains in that area. 

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!).

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.

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 fu manchu looked so much better though.

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. 

I’m sure we all remember his antics on the mound though. But here’s a link, just in case – happy birthday, Al! Needless to say, there’s plenty more out there on the YouTubes where that one came from.

Now, Roy here just so happens to be from Lompoc, CA. Funny, though, I just don’t associate anywhere in California with hillbillies.

Roy Howell’s been here before, where we admired some particularly groovy shades 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:

• Was the fourth overall pick in the ’72 draft
• Set a Blue Jay record for RBIs in a game, with 9
• Was a one-time All Star

Oh heck!  Is this an '81?  Ah well. This really was something that cut right across the decades.

Another California hillbilly (Corona). Who woulda thunk it?

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.”

Most of Bird’s time was actually spent with the Royals, and this site 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.

It’s an ’82, but is still pretty darn great. And a Hall of Famer to boot.

Bruce Sutter was only the fourth reliever to be inducted into the Hall. Can you name the first three? (Answers below)

Some highlights from Sutter’s career include:

• Being the first pitcher to effectively throw the split-finger fastball
• Leading the league in saves five times
• Winning a Cy Young award
• Going to the All Star game five times
• Tying the record for most saves in a season
• Throwing over 100 innings in relief five times
• Retiring with 300 saves, the third most overall at the time

Click here for a very different look.

Another 80s – and a Donruss – but, dang, what a classic!

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.

And here's Jim with a very different look.


Apologies to Jayson Werth, but you weren’t even born when these guys were rockin’ it, kid!



Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley

Before There Was Dentistry (‘70s Version)

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). 

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 …

He’s back! Yup, Pete Ward’s been here before, with much the same pose.

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.

Not too bad. Definitely a little rodent-like though.

Jarvis Tatum’s Wikipedia entry comes in at a mere 35 words. Here it is, in its entirety:

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.

Pretty much says it all, don’t it?

Alright, pretty bad. 

Wilbur Howard’s been here before as well, where we made fun of his signature. He wasn’t really smiling in that one, or I would have made fun of his teeth as well.

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.

Alright, alright. I know it’s an ’80. But those teeth are just so perfect.

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. 

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.

I dunno … I’m thinking evil Japanese colonel in WWII prison movie. How ‘bout you?

I could have put this one under so many different categories. That said, here it is under “Teeth.” One of my all-time faves. 

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!!!

He was also a real character, earning the nickname “Moon Man” through stunts that included:

• Hijacking the team bus
• Stealing the keys to the bullpen cart
• Flooding a minor-league ballpark so the season would end one day early

Can’t get enough of that horrible dentition? Well, you’ll definitely want to check out these beauts from the ‘50s and ‘60s. 

Separated at Birth ('70s Version)

I’ve already done this one twice now – once for the ‘50s and once for the ‘60s. So, without further ado, let’s see if the trope still holds for the ‘70s.

    

No one knew why the squinting nostril shot was so popular that year.

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.” 

Dave LaRoche pitched for 14 fairly unremarkable seasons. Some interesting trivia about Dave:

• He was born Dave Garcia
• He is not French
• He threw an eephus pitch, which he called “la lob”
• Two of his sons, Dave and Andy, made the majors

 

Ooh, twinsies! I mean, Twinsies!

Do note, however, the following differences:

• Kusick has aviator glasses
• The two are looking in opposite directions
• The shots appear to have been taken in different stadiums (though I’m not totally sure about that last one)

It’s like one of those “can you spot the differences?” thingees in the newspaper!

    

Ooh, quadsies!

Wow, these two really are twins – same pose, same uniform, same stadium … Honestly, I cannot tell them apart!

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Well, Scotty’s a little more full of himself, while Cecil’s definitely a little more clueless.  Father and son, perhaps?

The guy on the left’s been here before. 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. 

The guy on the right was actually a fairly decent high school baseball player. I understand, though, he’s pursuing other talents now.



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.

As for the dude on the left, would you believe:

• His real name is Claude
• He was converted from a third baseman to a pitcher in the minors
• He has a degree from MIT
• He was a competitive bowler

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Recruiting Officer: “Have you given any thought to your future, son?” 
Forrest Gump: "Thought"?

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 major eyebrows and also cheesy mustache. Not sure there’s much more I can say about Gary that I haven’t already covered there.

 

Yeah, I get these two confused all the time too.

The guy on the left is another repeat offender in this blog. I’ve already booked him for moustache violations and for looking just plain stoopit. 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.

 

At the other extreme, how could these two be the same person???

You’ve actually seen that card 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?

And, no, he is not 13 in the one on the left. A mere seven years divide the two portraits.

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. 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.

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? 

 

Pat Dobson is another frequent flyer in this blog. We’ve already looked up his nostrils, admired his particularly unruly hair, and caught him looking particularly dumb. Dude should have his own post.

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 here.

 

Oops, wrong C.

Tom Buskey was up for eight years. He was the Tribe’s closer in ’74. His nickname was “Husky.” 

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.

 

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.

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.

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.

 

If only Jerry had unbuttoned his shirt …

The guy on the left was not a bad pitcher at all. He’s been in this blog before, where we made fun of the brim of his cap. (What, you made fun of the brim of his cap???)

The guy on the right is Michael York, movie star and hunky dreamboat.

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Wait a minute. I think it’s the same guy. 

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.

 

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. 

I’m guessing somebody might have taken Mike’s stapler.


* - author has this card

Haberdashery Horrors of the 1970s

The baseball cap is a pretty unique American institution. Not only do baseball players wear them, but so do baseball fans … and farmers and fishermen and golfers and long-distance truckers. Pretty much anybody who wants to keep the sun out of their eyes without looking like a dork. That said, they’re also popular with frat boys, actors (and actresses), newly drafted NBA rookies, girls with ponytails, and ironic Brooklyn hipsters.  

In fact, ball caps have pretty much taken on the same American cultural icon status as blue jeans and t-shirts. Don’t believe me? Do a quick Google Images search. I was able to find pictures of Stephen Spielberg, George W. Bush, Charlize Theron, Barrack Obama, Hilary Clinton, author Mario Vargas Llosa, billionaire Carlos Slim, Prince William, and even Robert Mugabe and Pope Benedict XVII.

Wear ‘em proudly, folks!
       

Careful, Jerry.  That brim could hurt somebody.

Jerry Reuss was a pretty decent pitcher. He had a 22-year career, and actually played in four decades (1969-1980). Only 28 other major leaguers have ever done that (and with nine of them making it to Cooperstown).

Overall, Jerry finished 220-191, with a 3.64 ERA, and 1,900 strikeouts. He also threw a no hitter, was a two-time All Star, and once came in second in Cy Young voting.

More questionable sartorial decisions from Mr. Reuss right here.

That’s a big hat ya got there, Mike.

Mike Hedlund was something of a poor man’s Jerry Reuss. Over six years, he finished 25-24, with a 3.56 ERA and 211 Ks. But I’ll bet you Jerry (unlike Mike) never:

• Made his major-league debut at age 18
• Played for the Tiburones de La Guaira and the Navegantes del Magallanes
• Got traded for Ozzie Osborn (that’s correct – no “e”)
• Went by the nickname of “Booger Red”

Oversize hats must have been all the rage back in 1970.

Mike Kilkenny was more of a Mike Hedlund than a Jerry Reuss. And, like Hedlund, Kilkenny also had his fair share of unusual experiences:

• Giving up Frank Robinson’s 500th homer
• Playing for four different MLB teams in one year
• Becoming a golf pro after retiring from baseball
• Being Canadian!

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And no one was as quite fashion-forward as Bill McCool.

Bill (AKA Billy) McCool has been here before, where I made fun of his ‘do.  I also shared some of his (somewhat respectable) stats, but somehow failed to mention that:

• His Dad was named Carl, and his mom was named Dolores
• He went to Lawrenceburg (IN) High School
• The first batter he faced was Jesus Alou (Jesus singled)
• His mom passed away in 1999
• He’s retired and living in Summerfield FL now 
• Summerfield is an unincorporated community in Monroe County

Hey, thanks, Wikipedia author!

Looks like this fashion statement had legs – all the way into 1971 at least ...

I always get this guy mixed up with Floyd Bobby. You know, the race car driver? 

Bobby Floyd’s picture is in the dictionary next to the definition for “late-inning defensive replacement.” Yup, it was definitely all glove and no bat for our Bobby. I’m talking seven years, 400 at bats, a .219 average, and no homers. 

That said, Bobby still somehow managed to get a 3,000-word bio on SABR. It sounds, though, like the author – one Nelson “Chip” Green – might specialize in the obscure. His other articles are on guys like Ted Beard, Butch Schmidt, Costen Shockley, Archie Shimmel, and Clyde Vollmer.

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Maybe this one was just Frank's big brother’s.

Frank Baker went by the nickname of “Home Run,” though he actually hit less than 100 of them. He did, however, finish his career with a .307 average and just short of 1,000 RBIs. I guess that’s what got him into the Hall of Fame.

Wait a minute … I think I got the wrong guy. Our Frank Baker was a weak-hitting outfielder: two years, 350 at bats, a .232 average, and four homers. Well, maybe you could him “Home Run” if you were comparing him to Bobby Floyd.

It had to be XXL to fit all that ‘fro.

Hey, it’s the Sarge! Alright! Wait... No... That was Elliot Maddox, right?  What, no?!?

Garry Maddox was an outfielder ... who played for the Phillies … and the Giants … and had a big afro … and … Well, no wonder I got the two confused. 

They also played for almost the same number of years, at roughly the same time, and with just a few points difference in their batting average. Matthews, though, had a little more pop, while Maddox had a little more speed. Also, Matthews was an on-base machine, while Maddox was a Gold Glove machine. 

Elliott Maddox? He wasn’t even in the same league.
       

Zut alors, Don!  You look so French wiz zat cap.

Don Bryant was a backup catcher. His numbers were even worse than Monsieur Floyd’s: three years, 109 at bats, and a .220 average. He did, however, manage to hit one homer somehow or other.

Some interesting things about Don:

• His nickname was “Bear” (oh, wait a minute – that's actually pretty lame)
• He was quite tall for a catcher – 6’5”
• He was a bullpen coach for the Red Sox and Mariners after retiring
• He spoke fluent French (just kidding about that last one)

Ah, the old baseball bonnet. The baseball bonnet is something you see occasionally when Topps isn’t quite sure where a player will be playing next year. Alternatives include no hat or painting over an existing one (vide Don Bryant). I’m not sure what exactly the bonnet had going for it, but it was indeed a very popular choice back then.

As for Matty Alou, well, he’s been here before, where I made fun of his ears. I also shared some stats and the fact that he had two brothers play in the bigs at the same time. But  I’ll bet you didn’t know that Matty:

• Was only 5’9” and 160 lbs.
• Pitched two  innings in ’65, striking out Willie Stargell twice
• Set a then record for at bats, with 698 in 1969
• Played in Japan
• Is in the Hispanic Baseball Hall of Fame
• Speaks fluent Japanese (not!)

Painter’s caps were all the rage in the 1970s.

Another Pirate! Jose Pagan played for the Bucs for eight years during their glory days, though he also donned a Giant and Phillie uniform as well. Overall, he played in three decades – 1959 through 1973. A starter for the Giants, he was a backup infielder for Pittsburgh. He was a Pirate coach as well.

Another baseball bonnet. I’m thinking that jersey definitely gives it away though. That is definitely not an Expo ensemble!

Cesar Gutierrez was another iffy middle infielder. He had one year as a starter, with a desperate Detroit giving him over 400 at bats in 1970. It’s the only time he got over 100 at bats in his four-year career. The final result: four years, 500-some at bats, a .235 average, and no homers.

Oh, almost forgot ... Cesar was able to distinguish himself – at least one time. He went 7-for-7 in a single game, the first player ever to do that. Now, why it was Cesar, and not Ty Cobb, or Pete Rose, or – heck – even Matty Alou, is completely beyond me.

Oh, and yes, avocado green is my favorite color.  And I do find it goes best with orange and yellow.

Joe isn’t wearing that cap so much as just allowing it to perch on his head for the moment.

Like most of the guys in this post, Joe Foy was up for only a few years. He was, however, able to do something with the limited time afforded him in the bigs. Over six years, Joe managed to get not quite 2,500 at bats, hit a few dingers (15 in one season, 16 in another), steal 99 bases, and post decent run and RBI totals (including 97 runs in his rookie season). 
     

Push … it … down

It’s Mad Dog! Man, there are sure a lot of Pirates in this post.

Bill “Mad Dog” Madlock was a fiery player (18 ejections), but he was also an excellent hitter as well. In fact, he won no less than four batting titles. He finished his 15-year career with just over 2,000 hits and an average just over .300. Madlock was also a three-time All Star, winning the MVP award for the 1975 contest. 

Push it down, push it down, w-a-y down.

Cecil Cooper was another pretty darn good player. Over 17 years, he finished with a .298 average, 241 home runs, 1125 RBIs, and not quite 2200 hits. He led the league in RBIs twice, was a five-time All Star, won the Silver Slugger Award three times, was a two-time Gold Glover, and also won the Roberto Clemente Award.

“Coop” also managed. He was at the helm of the Astros for two years and some change, finishing one game above .500, with a record of  171-170.

I know it’s an ’86, and Jim Leyland happens to be one of my favorite managers ever, but this has to be the worst excuse for a baseball cap I’ve ever seen in my life. Yup, it’s the famous “beekeeper card.” What – I ask you, what – could anyone even remotely involved with this card possibly have been thinking?


* - author has this card
More horrors - from the '50s and '60s.