No Need to Make Fun of This Cleveland

Spring training photos are often neat because of the way they feature palm trees or appear to be taken inside a municipal park. I can't get over the way it seems like this guy's pitching in front of a hospital:

Card #104 -- Reggie Cleveland, St. Louis Cardinals

Reggie Cleveland has a name that should have seen him spend at least some time in a Tribe uniform, he never had to bother calling Municipal Stadium home. Seeing as how the Indians were a laughingstock at the time, that may have been a good thing for his career. He managed to pitch against the Indians after 1973, after he was traded to the Red Sox. That trade resulted in this "headline" on the back of his '74 Traded card: Cleveland Travels to Boston.

He spent the rest of his carrer pitching in the American League. He was part of Boston's 1975 pennant-winning team but missed their meltdown in '78 after Texas bought him early in the season. He was then traded to Milwaukee after that season and pitched for three years with the Brewers. He was done when he was released before Spring Training in 1982.

Cleveland was born in Saskatchewan, Canada. His son Jonathan was a member of the Canadian Olympic swim team in 1988.

Goin' to the Archives...

Yes, Topps has been known to use old photos from time to time, but this picture looks a little bit odd:

Card #516 -- Danny Walton, Minnesota Twins

Walton was traded to the Twins after the 1972 season, so obviously he didn't have a picture available in his new uniform. For '72, he was mired in the minors at Syracuse. His last major league experience had been with the Yankees in 1971...but wait...the picture shows him in front of that familiar Yankee Stadium facade but wearing a gray jersey. Therefore, the picture most likely shows him with the Brewers, the team he played with in 1970-'71.

Danny Walton never really managed to catch on anywhere as a regular player. He would spend the entire 1973 season in Minnesota but only managed to play in 37 games for them. After that, he was back and forth between the majors and minors through 1980 (except in 1978, when he went to play in Japan). He was constantly on the move as well, going from Minnesota to the Dodgers in 1976, returning to the Astros -- where he debuted in 1968 -- in 1977, to Japan, back to the minors for '79 and finally getting into ten games for the Rangers in 1980 before hanging it up.

Along the way, he wore nine different uniform numbers, never taking one to a new team.

50 Big Ones

Willie Mays hit 52 home runs in 1965. Cecil Fielder hit 51 in 1990. In the 24 seasons that made up the interim, only one person managed to reach the 50-homer mark in a single season. It wasn't Reggie Jackson or Mike Schmidt, it was this guy:

Card #399 -- George Foster, Cincinnati Reds

He knocked 52 round-trippers in 1977. A performance like that today might have fans claiming he was cheating, since he never hit more than 29 before that season and only topped 30 once more afterward.

In 1973, however, George Foster was still a part-timer on a Reds team that was loaded with talent. In the '72 NLCS, Foster scored the run that won the playoff after coming in as a pinch runner. In 1973, he only appeared in 17 games. Used mainly when an outfielder went down with an injury (like Bobby Tolan did in 1971), Foster was an impact player that couldn't land a regular role with the team. In '74, when Tolan was traded away, Ken Griffey was placed in the outfield instead.

However, Sparky Anderson decided to move Pete Rose to third base and Foster was given the chance to show he could contribute as an everyday player. The team ended up winning the next two World Series titles. No, I'm not suggesting that move directly led to the titles, but Foster was a very big cog in the Big Red Machine during those years. Even as the team declined as its players left or retired, Foster was still a workhorse. He was an All-Star every year from 1976-'79 and the leagues MVP in '77, the year he hit those 52 homers.

In 1982, he was traded to the New York Mets. By that time, he was still a gamebreaker, even though his skills had eroded. He was a valuable veteran presence as the team built itself into one of the best teams in baseball. Sadly, the year that the Mets were able to win the World Series, Foster wasn't able to join them in the clubhouse. The Mets had released him in August. He then played for the White Sox for a month before being released again.

While not a Hall of Fame caliber player, there's little doubt that George Foster could flat-out play the game.

Cub #1

The title of this post has a double meaning. Not only was Jose Cardenal wearing uniform #1 for the Cubs, he also led the team in batting, doubles and stolen bases. Here is the man named Cubs Player of the Year for 1973:

Card #393 -- Jose Cardenal, Chicago Cubs

While he appears to be squaring for a bunt, Cardenal may simply be sneaking up on the camera. He gained a reputation for imaginative excuses. He was known to watch for bugs in the Wrigley Field ivy during long stretches of games. He once asked to sit out a game and told Whitey Lockman that crickets in his hotel room had kept him up all night. Another time he claimed his eyelid was stuck open.

Something tells me that if Jose Cardenal hadn't been a decent outfielder -- he definitely was -- some team might have kept him specifically for the comic relief.

Cardenal played for nine different teams between 1963-'80. After his playing career was finished, he became a coach. From 1996-'99, he won three World Series Rings (something he never managed as a player) as a member of the New York Yankee coaching staff.

A Small Cloud of Dust

While the cloud of dust at his feet looks a little neat, it could indicate he has just thrown his pitch into the dirt:

Card #636 -- Rick Clark, California Angels

For Rick Clark, it was a metaphor for his major league baseball career. Though this card appeared in Topps' final series in 1973, he was done with the big leagues and never played at all that year. He was purchased by the Phillies before Spring Training began and spent the entire season at the AAA level.

Clark's Wikipedia entry is exactly one sentence long. The back of this card features more information about his career than that. Although he won 12 games as a rookie in 1967, his record after five partial seasons was 19-32. That may have marginalized him a bit.

"Kison" the Cheek...

Quick...who earned the win in the first night game in World Series history? The answer:

Card #141 -- Bruce Kison, Pittsburgh Pirates

This picture shows how lanky Bruce Kison was. However, his body size allowed him to use his log arms to give a sidearm delivery that kept batters on their toes. He was also known for being wild, hitting several opponents. Later, he admitted that blisters caused much of that, but it didn't make him popular during his playing days.

On October 13, 1971, Bruce Kison took the mound against the Orioles. While taking until 1971 to get a night game might be surprising since all Series games are played at night now, it is more surprising how quickly the Series day games disappeared after that. A couple of other significant things happened in that Series: Kison tied a record by hitting three opposing batters in that night game, and got married the same day his team won the championship.

Kison stayed with the Pirates through 1979, which gave him a second Series ring. He was a key member of the rotation despite never getting more than 14 wins in any season. In 1980, he went to the Angels and helped them get to the postseason in 1982. He finished his major league career in Boston in '85. He went on to play in the Senior League in 1989 and coached for several teams before becoming a scout. He's still doing that today, for the Baltimore Orioles (the same team he beat in two World Series).

Another Really Busy Picture

Chris Speier scores, and a bunch of players are on hand to witness it:

Card #273 -- Chris Speier, San Francisco Giants

Among the Giants, the batter in the on-deck circle is watching the play, while third base coach (John McNamara?) looks on. The entire Phillies bullpen is in the shot, as well as Don Money at third. The catcher is either Tim McCarver or John Bateman, since both would wear uniform number 6 for the 1972 Phillies as they were traded for each other. I'm guessing it's McCarver. In the middle of the action, there's a sliding Chris Speier.

Chris Speier enjoyed a long career, playing 19 seasons from 1971-'89. He bookended his big league career with two stints in San Francisco. Most of the rest of his career was spent in Montreal. He was a solid player, even if he didn't live up to his initial potential. He would be named to the All-Star team three straight years (1972-'74) and played in three National League Championship Series. Interestingly, the Giants made the Series in 1989 but Speier sat out that postseason.

After retiring, he became a minor league roving instructor and a hitting coach. Today, he is the bench coach for the Cincinnati Reds.