Tommy John (#609)

What, has it been 11 months already? 

I have come to the realization that I no longer enjoy blogging. A year ago, I shut down 3 of my baseball set blogs, and now the remaining dominoes will fall. 

But what better way to go out than with this Tommy John card?  After completing all the low numbers in 1967 (and all but 5 high numbers in the 1980s), last week I picked up one of the last three cards I needed - and at a steal for $5.00!

There's a slight crease on the left side, and ever-so-slightly rounded corners, but last week I found this at an antique store near me, where the dealer was selling all manner of late-60s/early-70s stars for $5.00 each. (Well, the 1970 Henry Aaron was $75.00, but everything else was a flat $5.00). 

I've often heard the adage that the first and last card numbers in the set are hard to find in good condition, because kids would rubber-band their cards together, and damage the front and back cards in the stack.  

To that I say bah!  Who is going to rubber-band 609 cards into one stack? Back in the day, my friends and I would group our cards by team, and rubber-band each team separately. I don't know about the other guys, but I would then have my 10 NL bundles in one box and the 10 AL bundles in another box.  (Our local Mom-and-Pop vendor would let us take the box home if we bought the last pack(s) in the box.)

Now I only need the Tom Seaver and Rod Carew rookie cards to complete the set, but that is only a passive goal at this point. I think I will be much more likely to complete my 1966 set.

Anyhoo, this is the last card in the 1967 set, and also the last card to be featured on this blog.

One more post will follow (probably less than 11 months from now. lol)

Topps High Numbers Video

Earlier this week, FleerFan posted a video and some photos of the Topps 1967 cards on his Fleer Sticker Project blog. I wanted to also loop it into my blog.

Although the video was corny, it was a great find, and showed a bunch of kids playing with their 1967 Topps high numbers. (In the factory scene, the cards passing through the machine for packaging are from an earlier series, as evidenced by the Bill White card). 

 

This photo is just great. Imagine holding bunches of '67 high numbers in your hand - fresh out of the pack! Although I collected series 1 to 6 in 1967, the high numbers were not sold in my area, so I didn't get any of them until the 1980s, buying them individually at card stores for (as I recall) about $1.00 each. By the end of the 1980s, I had all but 5 of the high numbers. 

 

Right-to-left, I spy Bill Henry, Don Cardwell, another Bill Henry, Steve Hamilton, Sandy Alomar, another Don Cardwell, ANOTHER Bill Henry, Woody Woodward, and Cookie Rojas.

 

"Boys! How dare you deface those valuable high numbers by flipping them!" LOL

The High Numbers: Rare, or Scam?

Today’s lesson is on the 7th series "high numbers". 

For decades we have been told that these cards are rare, and therefore are required to be expensive. But recently I found a photo of a full sheet of these 7th series cards. The sheet is 12 rows of 11 cards per row for a total of 132 cards per sheet.

Looking at the sheet, you can see that the first 5 rows are repeated on rows 6, 9, 10, 11, and 12, so that makes for 7 unique rows (rows 1-5, 7, 8) of cards (77 cards). 

The checklist only shows 76 cards. The discrepancy between the 77 unique cards and the 76 cards on the checklist is the checklist itself. It was numbered within the 6th series (first appearing there) and is reprinted in the next series (as all checklists from series 2 onward were). 

So, on this sheet there are 77 unique cards, and 55 of them are double-printed. That’s an astounding 71%! 

I decided to see what the other series were doing, and only the 6th series is similar. Contrast that to the first series, where there are 109 unique cards. On the same 132-card sheet, that makes for only 23 double-printed cards, or 21%. 

I never realized that the 1st series is about 25% larger than the others.  That explains why that series had more cards per team (which I only previously looked at in terms of Phillies cards).

With all those double-prints, the only possible explanation for the 7th series “rarity” (and therefore high prices) is that maybe Topps didn’t print as many cards for that final series, having turned their resources to printing and distributing football cards by that time of year. (Either that, or just outright greed by the card aftermarket.) 

 

Sandy Alomar (#561)

It's time for a high-numbered card.

Sandy Alomar was a second baseman who played for 15 seasons (1964-78) for the Braves, Mets, White Sox, Angels, Yankees, and Rangers.  This is his only card as a Met, the team he played the least amount of time for.

Alomar was signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1960, and was a shortstop until switching over to 2nd base during the 1965 season. His major-league debut came in September 1964 with the Braves.

Sandy split the 1965 season between Milwaukee and their AAA team in Atlanta.

The Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, but by early-June Alomar had moved on to Richmond, the new home of their triple-A team.

1967 was an unusual year for Alomar:
 - 2/25: sent to the Astros to complete an earlier deal (Eddie Mathews to Houston for Bob Bruce and Dave Nicholson).
 - 3/24: Traded to the Mets for Derrell Griffith.
 - 8/15: sent to the White Sox to complete an earlier deal (Ken Boyer to Chicago for J.C. Martin).

Sandy was always a bench player until the 2nd half of 1968, when he took over the Sox' 2nd base job.

Following his May 1969 trade to the Angels for Bobby Knoop, Alomar was the Halos' regular 2nd baseman for the next 4 ½ years, that string coming to an end in the closing weeks of 1973. While an Angel, he started 134, 152, 134, 150, and 103 games from 1969-73. He also made the 1970 All-Star team.

The Angels acquired 2nd baseman Denny Doyle from the Phillies in the 73/74 off-season, so Alomar rode the bench in 1974 until his contract was purchased by the Yankees in July. Sandy regained a starting job in the Big Apple for the rest of 1974 and all of 1975.

It was deja-vu all over again for him in 1976. The Yankees traded for Willie Randolph in the 75/76 off-season, so Alomar was back on the bench, although he did start a handful of games in July and Auguist.

Sandy was traded to the Rangers before the 1977 season, and spent his last two years as a bench player. He backed up 2B Bump Wills in '77 but rarely played the field in '78 and was used mostly as a pinch-runner (at age 34!). Alomar was released after the 1978 season.

Later, he was a coach for the Padres (1986-90), Cubs (2000-02), Rockies (2003-04), and Mets (2005-09).

His sons Sandy Jr and Roberto made their major-league debuts with the Padres while he was a coach there.

Dave Boswell (#575)

Twins’ pitcher Dave Boswell was included in the rare 7th series in the 1967 set. Although I collected the first 6 series in 1967, I didn’t get any 7th-series cards until the 1980s.

Boswell pitched for 8 seasons, the first 7 with Minnesota. Although he was a 20-game winner in 1969, he may be more well-known as the guy whose manager (Billy Martin, naturally) punched him out in a bar fight.

Dave was signed by the Twins in 1963, and made his major-league debut in September 1964 at age 19, pitching in 4 games.

In 1965 he pitched 27 games, but only made 12 starts. The next season he became a full-time starter, and won 12, 14, 10, and 20 games over the next 4 seasons. His 12-5 record in 1966 provided a league-leading .706 winning percentage.

Dave pitched in the 1965 World Series and the 1969 ALCS. An arm injury suffered during that ALCS caused him to miss much of 1970 and eventually shortened his career.

Dave only pitched in 18 games during 1970, and was released in April 1971. The same day, he was picked up by the Tigers, who were now managed by his 1969 Twins manager Martin. Boswell lasted with the Tigers until the end of May, and was released again.

The Orioles signed him on the same day, and he appeared in 24 innings over 15 games in the next 4 months. His last appearance came on September 17th, as Baltimore released him just before the start of the 1972 season.

 Boswell passed away in 2012 at age 67.

Steve Blass (#562)

Steve Blass was the Pirates' ace from 1968 to 1972. This is his high-numbered 1967 card.  Oddly enough, there are FOUR Pirates among the 47 cards that follow Blass' card in the 1967 set.

After winning 19 games in '72 and finishing 2nd in the Cy Young voting, Blass seemingly forgot how to pitch in 1973. That year, he led the NL with 12 hit batters (IN ONLY 88 INNINGS!), while compiling a 3-9 record and a 9.85 ERA. After pitching 5 innings in April 1974, his career was over.

Blass was signed by the Pirates in 1960, and pitched in the minors from 1960-63. He made his major-league debut in May 1964, and pitched 24 games as a starter and reliever in his rookie season.

He returned to the minors for all of 1965, making 25 starts for AAA Columbus.

Blass returned to the Pirates in 1966, joining a rotation led by Bob Veale that also included rookie Woodie Fryman, Tommie Sisk, and long-time Pirate Vern Law. After 1967, Law retired and Fryman was traded to the Phillies, leaving Veale and Blass as the Bucs’ top 2 starters.

Blass became a full-time starter in 1968, winning 18 games and leading the NL with a .750 winning percentage. He followed that up with 16 wins in 1969. By now Dock Ellis had joined the squad, supporting Blass and Veale.

Steve won 15 games in 1971 and 19 in 1972, and pitched in 6 games in the ’71 and ’72 post-seasons, including 2 complete game wins in the ’71 World Series. During his 5 prime seasons with the Pirates (’68-’72) he struck out 652 while walking 368 – a 1.77 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

In 1973, Blass came down with what became known as “Steve Blass disease” – an inability to find the plate. In 1973 he pitched 88 innings in 23 games, only striking out 27 while walking 84 (the same number he walked in 249 innings the previous season). His strikeout-to-walk ratio in 1973 was 0.32. His ERA also ballooned to 9.85.

After pitching just 1 game in April 1974, Blass spent the remainder of the season in the minors, trying to find his control. It never returned and he was released in January 1975.

Blass has been broadcasting Pirates’ games since the 1980s.

Pete Richert (#590)

Here is Pete Richert’s high-numbered 1967 card. The 1967 7th-series cards were not sold in my area, so I had no idea who Pete was (other than that he was traded to the Orioles for Mike Epstein and Frank Bertaina in early 1967) until getting his 1968 card the following year.

Pete was signed by the Dodgers in 1958, and after 4 years as a starting pitcher in the minors he made his Dodgers’ debut in April 1962, setting a record by striking out the first 6 batters he faced.

From 1962 to 1964, he was up-and-down between the Dodgers and their triple-A team (first in Omaha, and later Spokane).

After the 1964 season, Richert was part of the 7-player deal with the Senators that saw Frank Howard, Ken McMullen, Phil Ortega, Dick Nen, and Richert headed to Washington in exchange for Claude Osteen, John Kennedy, and cash. (I wonder if any of these guys was ever called "Old 5-for-2"?)

Richert made an immediate impact with the Senators. In 1965 he led the staff in wins (15), strikeouts (161, almost double the next guy), ERA (2.60), innings (194), starts (29), and complete games (6).

He was the Sens' #1 pitcher in 1966 also, leading the team in wins (14), strikeouts (195), innings (245), and starts (34). His 3.37 ERA was the lowest among the starters. Pete made the All-Star team in both seasons.

You would think Richert would be a keeper, but after a 2-6 start in 1967, in late-May he was traded to the Orioles for a much-needed slugging 1st baseman (Mike Epstein). Richert was a starter for the Orioles for most of the season, but had an off-year (as did most of the Orioles in ’67), only going 7-10 in 26 games (19 starts) with 90 strikeouts.

The Orioles rebuilt their starting rotation in 1968, so Richert was relegated to the bullpen that season, and stayed there for the remaining 7 seasons of his career. In '68 he was the only southpaw in the ‘pen.

In 1970 Richert led the team with 13 saves, and had an ERA of 1.98 while pitching 54 innings across 50 games. In 1971 the team acquired lefty Grant Jackson from the Phillies, pushing Richert down on the bullpen ladder.

Pete pitched in 3 consecutive World Series for the Orioles (1969-71), but after the '71 season, he returned to the Dodgers in the Frank Robinson trade. For 2 seasons with the Dodgers, he was just another reliever not named Jim Brewer.

Richert spent his final season (1974) with the Cardinals and Phillies. The Dodgers traded him to St Louis for Tommie Agee, then in mid-season he was sold to the Phillies.

Larry Sherry (#571)

I have already posted about Larry Sherry on my 1968 blog (so I won’t repeat myself here), but the cap-less photos in that set (especially the Astros and the Athletics) are hideous, so I felt I owed it to Larry and his fans to come up with something better.

Although he was a long-time reliever for the Dodgers, I don’t have any of his Dodgers’ cards, but here is a nice high-numbered card from 1967 showing him with the Tigers.

Sherry worked out of the Dodgers’ bullpen from 1958-63 (including having his brother Norm as a battery-mate from 1959-62), then played for the Tigers from 1964 to June 1967. He finished the ’67 season with the Astros, then played for the Angels in 1968.

(I will be re-posting some other players that had their "awesome" 1968 cap-less cards already posted, notably Turk Farrell and John Buzhardt.)

Hank Bauer (#534)

Hank Bauer managed the Orioles for 4 ½ years. Hired prior to the 1964 season, he piloted the team to two 3rd-place finishes before steering them to the team's first World Championship in 1966.

The O's fell to 7th place in 1967, due to multiple injured starting pitchers and Frank Robinson’s absence from the lineup for a while due to injury. After 80 games into the 1968 season, Bauer was replaced by Earl Weaver.

As the manager of the defending World Champs, Bauer also appeared on 2 other cards in the 1967 set.

Card #1:

With game #4 winner Dave McNally:

Bauer also managed the 1969 Oakland Athletics, but was fired by the ever-intelligent Charley Finley after the A’s finished in SECOND place. (Bauer had also managed the Athletics in 1961 and 1962, when they were in Kansas City. The team finished in 9th place both times.)

---

Prior to his baseball career, Bauer was in the Marines during World War II.  He was awarded 2 Bronze Stars and 2 Purple Hearts while stationed in Guadalcanal and Okinawa.

Bauer had a 14-year career as an outfielder for the Yankees and Athletics. After making his major-league debut in September 1948, he was the Yankees’ regular right fielder from 1949 through the 1959 season. Hank was a 3-time All-Star (1952-54) and passed the 20-homer mark twice (’55, ’56).

Traded to Kansas City in December 1959 (with pitcher Don Larsen, OF/1B Norm Siebern, and 1st baseman Marv Throneberry) for outfielder Roger Maris and shortstop Joe DeMaestri, Hank shared the right field job with Russ Snyder in 1960 and was a player/manager in 1961.

Bauer passed away in 2007 at age 84.

Ty Cline (#591)

The back of this high-numbered card says "[Ty Cline will] be Atlanta's #1 left-handed pinch-hitter and reserve outfielder", but by the time this card had come out in late-summer, Ty was long gone. He was sold to the Giants in late-May, with Gary Geiger continuing in the “Atlanta’s #1 left-handed pinch-hitter and reserve outfielder” role that he had also manned in 1966.

Cline began his career with the Indians' organization in 1960, and although he played in the majors every year from 1960-66, his only full big-league seasons at that time were in 1962 (with the Indians), and 1964-65 (Braves).

After appearing in 10 games for Atlanta in 1967, he moved on to the Giants in May, filling the 5th outfielder role for the remainder of 1967.

With regular outfielder Ollie Brown missing most of the 2nd half in 1968, Cline saw more action in the outfield than he normally would have, splitting the left field assignments with 3rd-baseman Jim Ray Hart, while also filling in at the other 2 spots.

After the 1968 season, Cline was drafted by the expansion Montreal Expos, and was 1 of 9 center fielders used by the Expos in their 1st season.

Ty must have began the 1970 season on the DL, because his first game wasn't until June 10th. After a 2nd appearance 3 days later, Cline was traded to the Reds. Good for him! He went from worst-to-first, as the Reds made it to the World Series that season. Cline had 1 at-bat in the NLCS (a triple), and 3 at-bats in the Series (.333).

After one more season on the Reds' bench, Cline was released in January 1972.

Al Weis (#556)

Here is one of the rare high-number cards, showing utilityman Al Weis in his final season with the White Sox.

Weis was signed by the ChiSox in 1959, and played in the minors for 4 seasons before making his major-league debut with 7 games in September 1962.

Al played 99 games in his rookie season of 1963, and although he only started 53 games between 2B and SS (well behind regulars Nellie Fox and Ron Hansen), somehow Topps selected him to their All-Rookie team that season, displaying the trophy on his 1964 card.

In 1964 Fox had moved on, and Weis shared the 2nd base duties with rookie Don Buford (both were switch-hitters).

Al backed up Buford during the 1965 season, but with Don mostly playing 3rd base in 1966, Weis had increased playing time, sharing the 2nd base job with Jerry Adair, Wayne Causey, and Buford. In 1967 it was back to the bench, as Weis played only 50 games (14 starts).

After the season, he was traded to the Mets with outfielder Tommie Agee for outfielder Tommy Davis and pitcher Jack Fisher. Al played for the Mets for 3 1/2 seasons, with most of his playing time coming in ’68 and ’69. He played in all 3 games in the 1969 NLCS, and all 5 games of the ’69 World Series. Although he hit .215 with only 23 RBI that season, in the World Series he hit .455 with 1 home run and 3 RBI, while starting 4 of the 5 games for the Amazin’ Mets.

The 1969 post-season was his moment in the sun, as he was back to utilityman status in 1970, starting only 31 games as the backup 2nd baseman. He was released on July 1st, 1971 after playing in only 11 games to that point.

Brooks Robinson (#600)

STOP THE PRESSES!!! 

Forty-nine years ago this month, I started collecting baseball cards. (I think I began when the 2nd or 3rd series of 1967 cards were in the stores, so I had to get the earlier cards through trades and "shooting" cards.) Anyway, by the end of that season I had collected every card in the first 6 series except the Cardinals Team card.

The high-numbered 7th series wasn't sold in my area, so I didn't get any of them until visiting card stores and shows in the 1980s. In a year or so, I was able to get all but five of those high-numbers. Six years ago, I got the Maury Wills card, cutting my want list to four.

Today, I scored the hard-to-find Brooks Robinson card, at the same antique store where I picked up 100 or so 1965 cards last year, and also these Topps 1964 giant cards.

I have already posted my 1966 Brooks Robinson card here, so I won't re-hash his playing career. Just want to say "1 more down, 3 to go!"

While at that store, I also picked up these two Mickey Mantle cards, which I will feature on my '65 and '66 blogs at some point. These are 1996 reprints with Stadium Club-like cardstock, and are glossy on both sides. Even so, they will now take their place in my '65 and '66 binders, because there's little chance that I will get the originals.

Don Cardwell (#555)

Here is Mets’ hurler Don Cardwell. This was Cardwell’s 1st season as a Met, and surprisingly, Topps is showing him in a Mets uniform!
(I guess it helps that this is a high-number card, released in late summer. It even has some 1967 game information on the back.)

Don was the opening-day starter for the Mets that season. It would be his only opener, because 1967 was Tom Seaver’s rookie season and, well, you know the rest.

Cardwell was signed by the Phillies in 1954, and made his major-league debut in April 1957. Don was inserted into a starting rotation that also included Robin Roberts, Curt Simmons, and Jack Sanford. Cardwell continued taking his regular turn until May 1960, when he was traded to the Cubs for 2nd baseman Tony Taylor.

He pitched a no-hitter in his first game with the Cubs, but otherwise for the next 2 ½ seasons, he was a workhorse starter for some bad teams.

After the 1962 season Cardwell moved on to the Cardinals, traded with outfielder George Altman in exchange for pitchers Larry Jackson and Lindy McDaniel. During the same off-season, he was flipped to the Pirates for shortstop Dick Groat.

Don pitched for the Pirates for the next 4 seasons, although he spent much of 1964 in triple-A. He won 13 games in both 1963 and 1965, manning the #2 spot in the rotation behind Bob Friend (’63) and Bob Veale (’65). In 1966 Cardwell was relegated to the bullpen for much of the season, in favor of youngsters Woodie Fryman, Steve Blass, and Tommie Sisk.

After the season, he was traded to the Mets (with outfielder Don Bosch) for pitcher Dennis Ribant and OF-C Gary Kolb. Don was in the Mets’ rotation for 3 ½ years, and in his early-30s, provided a veteran influence for young starters Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan, and Gary Gentry. He also pitched in relief in game 1 of the 1969 World Series.

Don was sold to the Braves in July 1970, and pitched in 16 games for Atlanta before getting his release after the season.

Cardwell passed away in 2008 at age 72, in his birthplace of Winston-Salem, NC.

Steve Hamilton (#567)

Here is another high-number from the 1967 set. Steve Hamilton was signed by the Indians in 1958, and after making his big-league debut in early 1961 with 2 games for the Tribe, he was back in the minors until a May 1962 trade with the Senators for outfielder Willie Tasby.

Steve pitched in 41 games during his first year in Washington, starting 10 games. He would only start 7 more games over the remaining 10 seasons in his career (while working out of the ‘pen in 378 games).

After only 2 games with the Sens in 1963, Hamilton was swapped to the Yankees for reliever Jim Coates. Steve spent the next 8 years as the top (and sometimes the only) lefty in the Yankees’ bullpen. In 1968 he led the staff in saves.

Late in his career, Hamilton developed the slow, arcing “eephus pitch”. On one occasion in 1970, he got Indians’ slugger Tony Horton to strike out on consecutive floaters, causing Horton to crawl back to the dugout in embarrassment. (Blogger Commishbob has noted that he was at that game.)

In early-September 1970, the White Sox claimed him off waivers, but traded him the following spring to the Giants. He pitched his final season (1972) for the Cubs.

Steve played in the ’63 and ’64 World Series, and the ’71 NLCS. Hamilton also played in the NBA from 1958 to 1960 for the Minneapolis Lakers, and is one of only 2 people to have played in the World Series and the NBA finals.

Hamilton passed away in 1997 at age 63.

J.C. Martin (#538)

This is the 3rd consecutive 1967 high-number card posted. Let’s see how long I can maintain the streak… 

At age 78, J. C. Martin is the oldest living player from the 1966-70 era that I have not yet featured on one of my blogs.

J. C. was a backup catcher who stretched his career to 14 seasons. His first 9 were with the White Sox. After 2 seasons with the Mets (including the 1969 Champs), he returned to Chicago with the Cubs.

Martin was signed by the White Sox in 1956, and played 5 seasons in the minors (with a few MLB games in ’59 and ’60) before getting a full-time job with the Sox in 1961. He was with the Sox for the entire ’61 season, but as the backup at 1st and 3rd bases. (He had no catching experience up to this point.)

Martin returned to the minors for most of the 1962 season to learn the catching trade, and was the #1 backstop for the Sox’ class-A team in Savannah, GA.

J. C. returned to the bigs in 1963, and was the backup catcher for the Sox for the next 5 seasons, playing behind Cam Carreon for 2 seasons, and Johnny Romano for 2 seasons. (In 1964 he actually caught more games than Carreon, who missed part of the season with an injury.) In 1967 he split the catching chores with rookie Duane Josephson.

Martin was sent to the Mets after the 1967 season as the player to be named later for Ken Boyer, who was acquired in mid-1967. Backing up #1 catcher Jerry Grote, J.C. started 52 games behind the plate and another 13 games at 1st base in 1968, and made 44 starts behind the dish in 1969. He played 2 games in the 1969 NLCS (collecting 2 RBI) and 1 game in the World Series.

His time to bask in the World Championship glow was short, as he was traded to the Cubs the following March for backup catcher Randy Bobb. Martin played 3 seasons with the Cubs before he was released during spring training in 1974.

Juan Pizarro (#602)

Juan Pizarro appeared in the rare 7th series in the 1967 set. I didn’t get this card until the 1980s, so for a long time my only Pizarro cards were from 1968 (looking surly, with a hole in his shirt) and 1969 (a capless, big-head shot). I'm impressed that this isn't a capless card, since '67 was his first season with the Pirates.

Pizarro played for 8 teams over 18 years (1957-74). He was primarily a starting pitcher for his first 9 years (seasons spent with the Braves and White Sox). After that he was mostly a reliever (except for his 1971 season with the Cubs).

Juan was signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1956, and after a full season in Class-A ball, he split each of the next 3 seasons (57-59) between the Braves and their AAA club. He was a swing man with the Braves, pitching behind Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, Joey Jay, and Bob Buhl in the rotation, and closer Don McMahon in the ‘pen. Pizarro pitched 1 inning each in the ’57 and ’58 World Series.

On Dec 15, 1960 the Braves traded Pizarro to the Reds (with pitcher Joey Jay) for SS Roy McMillan. On the same day, the Reds flipped him to the White Sox for 3rd baseman Gene Freese. Juan played for the White Sox from 1961-66, and had his best seasons in 1963 (16 wins) and 1964 (19 wins). He made the all-star team in both seasons.
Juan became a nomad after the 1966 season. Traded to the Pirates for pitcher Wilbur Wood, he lasted with the Bucs until June 1968, when he was purchased by the Red Sox.

In April 1969 he was traded to the Indians with pitcher Dick Ellsworth and 1B-OF Ken Harrelson for catcher Joe Azcue and pitchers Sonny Siebert and Vicente Romo. Later that season he moved on to the Athletics, and to the Angels in early 1970.

Pizarro landed with the Cubs in July 1970, and stayed there for exactly 36 months – the longest stint in the 2nd half of his career. He returned to a starter’s role with the Cubs, although he spent part of 1971 and the first half on 1973 in the minors.

Juan played the 2nd half of the ’73 season with the Astros, then was released the following spring. He played in the Mexican League in 1974, until the Pirates signed him in late August.

Released after the season, he returned to the Mexican League for the ’75 and ’76 seasons before retiring.

Wally Bunker (#585)

This is my oldest Wally Bunker card, but not my first. Bunker is one of the four Orioles’ cards (along with Brooks Robinson, manager Hank Bauer, and an O’s Rookies card featuring Mark Belanger) in the high-numbered 7th series which was not sold in my area in 1967. I got his ’68 card (Orioles) and ’69 card (Royals) in those years, but it was not until the 1980s that I collected all but 5 of the '67 high-numbers.

The O’s #3 starter in 1966, Wally pitched a complete-game shutout in the ’66 World Series, but wasn’t shown on the post season cards in the 1967 set either. (Paul Blair was featured on the game #3 card.)

Bunker was one of the mid-1960s' pitching phenoms for the Orioles (along with Dave McNally and Jim Palmer). He was signed by the Orioles in 1963, and after going 10-1 with 95 strikeouts in 99 innings in class A ball, he made his major-league debut on Sept 29th.

Wally made the Orioles squad for good in the 1964 pre-season, and was the team’s ace as a rookie – winning 19 games and finishing 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting (to the Twins’ Tony Oliva).

He followed up his rookie season with two 10-win seasons, and a complete-game shutout of the Dodgers in game #3 in the World Series (sandwiched between Palmer’s complete-game shutout in game #2 and McNally’s complete-game shutout in game #4).

Wally struggled for the next 2 seasons, as sore arms swept through the O’s starting rotation (Bunker, Palmer, McNally). Bunker only won 5 games combined in 67-68, and spent much of ’67 in the bullpen, and part of ’68 in triple-A. As such, he was left unprotected for the expansion draft following 1968, and was selected (along with Orioles’ teammate Moe Drabowsky) by the upstart Kansas City Royals.

Bunker was the Royals’ first-ever opening-day starter in 1969, and led the staff with 31 starts, 222 innings, and 12 wins.

Arm troubles cropped up again, leaving him with a 2-11 record in 1970, and led to his release following his final game on 5/26/1971. He played for the Royals’ AAA team for the remainder of 1971 and part of 1972 before retiring.

In recent years, Bunker has been a writer and illustrator of childrens’ books.

Vada Pinson (#550)

Here is Vada Pinson’s 1967 card – a high-number card that I didn’t get until the 1980s, well after I had his ’68 and ’69 cards. Only a few months ago did I realize that there is a piece of tape on the top edge.

Pinson was signed by the Reds in 1956, and played 3 seasons in the minors as an outfielder. He also pitched in 3 games. Pinson made his major-league debut in April 1958, at age 19. He began the season as the Reds’ starting right fielder, but was sent back to the minors in mid-May, where he remained until September.

Vada was the team’s starting center fielder for the next 10 years, and played in 154 or more games each season from 1959-67. In both 1959 and 1960, he led the NL in plate appearances (over 700), at-bats, and doubles (47, 37), and made the all-star team twice. He also led the league in runs scored in 1959 with 131. Pinson also led the NL in hits in ’61 (208) and ’63 (204), and in triples in '63 (14) and ’67 (13).

After his long run in Cincinnati, Pinson was traded to the Cardinals in October 1968 for outfielder Bobby Tolan and pitcher Wayne Granger. He replaced the retired Roger Maris in right field, then moved on to the Indians (in exchange for outfielder Jose Cardenal) after only one season in St. Louis.

Vada spent 2 seasons in the city by the lake as their starting right fielder (’70) and center fielder (’71), then he was on the move again. This time he was traded to the Angels for his old Reds’ teammate Alex Johnson. (Wow, the similarities between Pinson’s later career and Johnson are eerie. They both played for the Reds, Cardinals, Indians, and Angels, and both players moved around frequently.)

Pinson played for the Angels during the 1972 and 1973 seasons, where he was their primary left fielder but also started a few dozen games at the other 2 spots.

Vada played right field for the Royals in ’74 and ’75, then was released in December 1975. The Brewers signed him in January 1976 but released him 4 days before the start of the season, ending his 18-year career.

Pinson finished with a .286 career average, 256 home runs, 1169 RBI, and (surprisingly) only 1 Gold Glove (1961).

After his playing career ended, he was a coach for the Mariners (1977–80, 1982–83), White Sox (1981), Tigers (1985–91), and Marlins (1993–94).

He passed away in October 1995 after suffering a stroke, at age 57.

Norm Cash (#540)

Norm Cash was the Tigers’ slugging 1st baseman for 15 years from 1960 to 1974. In 1961, he led the AL in hits and batting average.

Cash was signed by the White Sox in 1955, and played 2 seasons for their class D Waterloo (Iowa) White Hawks in the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League (also known as the III, Three-I, or Three-Eye League).

Norm missed the 1957 season while in military service, then split the 1958 season between the White Sox and their AAA team in Indianapolis.

After a full season with the Sox in 1959, Cash was traded to the Indians (with 3B-OF Bubba Phillips and catcher Johnny Romano) for outfielder Minnie Minoso, catcher Dick Brown, and pitchers Don Ferrarese and Jake Striker.

Norm had no time to get settled, as Cleveland flipped him to the Tigers a week before the 1960 opener for 3rd baseman Steve Demeter, who would spend 19 years in the minors while only playing 15 games in the majors. WHAT A STEAL FOR THE TIGERS!

While Demeter’s major-league career was over on May 6, 1960, Cash went on to play 15 seasons as the Tigers’ starting 1st baseman. His 193 hits and .361 batting average led the AL in 1961. He also threw in 41 homers and 132 RBI that season.

Cash hit 30 or more homers in ’61, ’62, ’65, ’66, and ’71, and was an all-star in ’61, ’66, ’70, and ’71. He also hit .385 with 5 RBI in the 1968 World Series, and hit .267 vs. Oakland in the 1972 ALCS.

Midway through his final 1974 season, he split the 1st base duties with long-time Tigers’ catcher Bill Freehan.

Cash never wore a batting helmet during his career, having been grandfathered-in after helmets became mandatory in 1971.

After retirement, he played a few seasons of professional softball, and later broadcast Tigers’ games.

Cash drowned in northern Lake Michigan on October 12, 1986 at age 51, after slipping off a dock on Beaver Island and hitting his head.

Jim Grant (#545)

I see that the Twins are in last place on this blog with only 6 posts, and since Mudcat Grant is the only unposted Twin already scanned to my computer...

Jim "Mudcat" Grant was a star pitcher for the Indians and Twins, before finishing his career with several other teams.

Mudcat was signed by the Indians in 1954. After 4 seasons in the minors, he made his debut with the Indians in April 1958. Grant was a swingman for 3 seasons, then joined the starting rotation fulltime in 1961. He collected a then-career-high 15 wins that season.

In June 1964, Mudcat was traded to Minnesota for pitcher Lee Stange and 3B-OF George Banks. His finest season was 1965, when he led the AL with 21 wins and 6 shutouts, and propelled the Twins to their first World Series.

After the 1967 season (when he was one of six "Jims" on the pitching staff), Grant and shortstop Zoilo Versailes were traded to the Dodgers for catcher John Roseboro and relievers Ron Perranoski and Bob Miller. Grant spent his final 4 seasons bouncing from Los Angeles to Montreal to St Louis to Oakland to Pittsburgh and back to Oakland.

Jim was released by the Athletics after the 1971 season, and pitched for their AAA Iowa Oaks team in 1972, before retiring.  


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