Hey Arnold!

After a 3-week absence, Robert over at the $30 a Week Habit blog is resuming his 16-set tournament, where bloggers vote for which set he should complete next. The Final Four is down to the 1959, 1963, 1967, and 1974 sets.

Besides all the reasons given in the previous round, how can you NOT vote for a set with this card?


(I discovered today that this was Earley's only Topps card, despite having played full seasons for the Red Sox from 1962 to 1965.)

Final Card: Arnold Earley

Here's relief pitcher Arnold Earley (#388), now with the Cubs, but still in his BoSox uniform.

Earley was signed by the Red Sox in (late?) 1952, and began playing in their farm system in 1953. After missing 2 seasons while in military service, Arnold returned to the minors in 1956, where he stayed until making his major-league debut on September 27, 1960 with the Red Sox. (Oddly enough, the record shows that he spent most of the 1960 season with the Phillies' triple-A team in Indianapolis.)

Arnold spent 5 full seasons (1961-65) in the Red Sox' bullpen, but never as the ace. (Dick Radatz had that role nailed down from 1962-65).



After the 1965 season, Earley was traded (with outfielder Lee Thomas and pitcher Jay Ritchie) to the Braves for pitchers Dan Osinski and Bob Sadowski. In early 1966, he was forwarded on to the Cubs (with outfielder Marty Keough) for outfielder John Herrnstein.

Arnold spent most of 1966 and 1967 playing in the minors, with the triple-A teams of the Braves, Cubs, and Astros. (He was traded to the Astros in June 1967). His last major-league game was on July 25, 1967.