Hoofing Around Third and Heading Home

A great action shot shows the Braves' backup catcher taking the extra base and heading home in a big hurry:

Card #452 -- Paul Casanova, Atlanta Braves

(Read the comments for an explanation of when this picture was most likely taken. Thanks ecloy.) 

Paul Casanova was a Cuban native who came up with the Senators in 1965 and remained with them until the team moved away from the D.C. area. The team didn't keep him during the move, however, as he was traded to Atlanta before they ever played their first game in Texas. Since Atlanta already had a capable catcher in Earl Williams, Casanova was relegated to a backup role. In 1973, he managed to catch Phil Niekro's no-hitter on August 5.

After a diminishing role with the team after Johnny Oates arrived, Paul Casanova was released by the Braves after '74 and never played in the majors again.

One interesting thing about Casanova was that he played all his 811 games behind the plate. That's an unusual stat, considering the number of catchers who also play at other positions to ease the strain on their knees, as well as the fact that he spent several years as a second-stringer and might have been compelled to fill in elsewhere.

No, His Middle Initial Wasn't "F"

John Kennedy from Boston. Just a decade before, that name brought images of a young President (actually, it still brings up that image today, thanks to the memories of Baby Boomers and nostalgia). However, this guy's middle name was Edward and -- while he did share the same May 29th birthday with JFK -- he was actually born in Chicago:

Card # 437 -- John Kennedy, Boston Red Sox

This John Kennedy didn't exactly make the Fenway faithful forget their Favorite Son. He played for the Red Sox from 1970 to '74 but was never a regular player. In fact, the back of the card mentions that his nickname is "Super Sub."

Before his Red Sox days, Kennedy was a member of the '69 Seattle Pilots and came up with the Senators in 1962. Yes, he was in D.C. at the same time the other John Kennedy was residing on Pennsylvania Avenue. However, he never became a full-time player there until 1964, when the name had a more somber connotation. He would move over to the Dodgers the next year.

While with Boston, he's been credited with giving teammate Bill Lee the nickname "Spaceman." During one of the Apollo missions, he supposedly told a writer that news about men going to the moon didn't really matter much, since the team already had their own "spaceman" right there in the clubhouse.

Bowled Over

Today's blog entry features the very first player ever drafted by the Cleveland Indians:

Card #226 -- Ray Fosse, Cleveland Indians

The first year of the draft was 1965, and the Tribe took Fosse in the first round. In 1972, he was credited by Gaylord Perry as a big help to his Cy Young award-winning season. He actually played the 1973 season in Oakland, after being traded a few days before Opening Day. He would go on to win two Series rings with the A's before returning to the Indians in '76, finishing the Mariners' inaugural season a year later and finishing with the Brewers in 1979.

Few references to Ray Fosse go by without mentioning the 1970 All-Star Game, when Pete Rose scored the winning run in the 12th inning by barreling over Fosse like a linebacker to beat the throw. Sure enough, the game is mentioned on the back of this card. However, the incident usually gets given the "he was a great prospect until..." treatment but he managed to stay in the game for much of the rest of the decade despite the incident.

While the Rose hit separated his shoulder, he managed to get injured later on by other means: an on-field brawl in '71, breaking up a fight between Reggie Jackson and Bill North in the A's clubhouse in '74, another home plate collision (with Jim Rice) in '75 and tripping in a hole during spring training in '78 that required season-ending reconstructive surgery. That may seem like a lot of injuries, but it's also evidence that Ray Fosse was definitely one tough hombre.

"Killer" On the Rampage

Harmon Killebrew turned 37 in 1973. Though his body was showing signs that he was getting older, he was still a force at the plate. This picture shows him ready to take a big swing:

Card #170 -- Harmon Killebrew, Minnesota Twins

There aren't a lot of people in those stands.

Sadly, Killebrew's age was catching up with him by 1973. After being a powerful machine for the Seantors and Twins since 1959, he was beginning to get injured more often and his playing time was reduced. After the 1974 season, he was given an option: become a batting coach for the Twins, manage in the minors or accept a release. He took the last option and signed with the Royals.

When he retired in 1975, Killebrew placed fifth all-time among home run hitters. Despite that, it still took him four tries to get into the Hall of Fame. So much for the myth that 500 homers was ever an "automatic" way to get in.

Armed...But Not Neccesarily Dangerous

Sometimes, it's possible to possess a dangerous weapon and still not pose much of a threat:

Card #120 -- Joe Coleman, Detroit Tigers

This photo of Joe Coleman shows him holding a bat. That may look odd for an American League pitcher, but when it was taken in 1972, it was the last year before the league adopted the DH rule. And from the looks of Coleman's facial expression, the rule couldn't come a minute too soon. After all, he hit .106 for his career.

Joe Coleman was the son of another Joe Coleman, who pitched in the American League between 1942-'55 (minus three seasons for military service in World War Two). His son is Casey Coleman, who came up with the Cubs in 2010. That makes the Colemans the fourth three-generation baseball family after the Boones, the Hairstons and the Bells, but it was the first one where all three generations were pitchers.

In 1972, Coleman had a memorable moment in the playoffs. In the ALCS, he set a record in Game 3 when he struck out 14 in a 3-0 shutout. He never got the chance to pitch again, though, after the Tigers lost to the A's. In 1973, he had a tremendous season, winning 23 games and striking out more than 200 for the third year in a row. In fact, Coleman led the league in Ks per 9 innings every year from 1969-'75.

Unfortunately, he struck out a lot when he was holding the bat, too.

You Say it's Your Birthday...

One of the neat things about baseball is the way that even minor trivial issues can be brought up. For instance, there's this guy:

Card #105 -- Carlos May, Chicago White Sox

Carlos May was born on May 17, 1948. He also wore uniform #17. That meant the back of his uniform would read "MAY 17"...his birthday. According to Wikipedia -- so take it for what it's worth -- he's the only major league ballplayer who has ever worn his own date of birth on his back.

Carlos May was also the brother of major leaguer Lee May. He came up in 1968 and was named Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News in 1969 (but Lou Piniella got the league's award). Moving over to first in 1971, May became a full-time outfielder for the White Sox again in 1972 when Dick Allen came over to the White Sox. 1973 was probably his finest season, where he reached career highs with 20 home runs and 96 RBIs.

In 1976, he was traded to the Yankees and managed to play in his only postseason. However in '77 he was dealt to the Angels. The next year, he went to Japan and played there for four seasons before calling it quits in '81.

Another "Hidden Ball" Trick

A while back, I showed Jim Hunter's 1973 Topps card on this blog. "Catfish" is shown throwing a baseball but not letting go of it. Today, another Hall of Fame pitcher gets tricky with the ball.

Card #10 -- Don Sutton, Los Angeles Dodgers.

Neat Spring Training shot, with all those palm trees in the background.

The follow-through is done. In fact, Sutton appears to be posing exactly the way the silhouette below him shows. He even shows off the two fingers he uses to throw his pitch with. However, the ball is still in his glove. Perhaps he's using more than one ball; perhaps he's playing that game where the catcher pops his hand in the mitt and then tells the batter, "you mean you didn't see that one?"

Don Sutton's story is a real rags-to-riches tale. He was born in a small Alabama town to sharecroppers and literally lived in a tar-paper shack. When he was born, his parents were still in their teens. That background taught him the value of hard work, which is what he did when he took the mound. Sutton was never the most dominating pitcher on his staff -- he only won 20 once, in '76 -- but consistently plugged away for 23 years and ended up winning 324 games, striking out 3,574 and notching 58 shutouts. He eventually entered the Hall of Fame in 1998.

He also holds the dubious distinction of having the most at-bats for a player who never managed to hit a home run. And that's taking into account that he spent 1982-'87 in the American League.

The back of the card mentions the Sutton worked as a radio DJ in the off-season. That was likely a good training ground for his next career as a broadcaster. He's been doing that since 1989, as a radio announcer and color commentator on TV.