A Day to Remember

Today is Memorial Day, a day where we need to remember the sacrifices others have made on our behalf. While many like to trumpet how those brave men and women died for our freedoms, I say we just need to remember them. They were the kids down the street, our cousins and people we went to high school with.

This man was serving in the Navy during World War Two:

Card #257 -- Yogi Berra and Coaches, New York Mets

As a gunner's mate, he participated in shuttling troops to the Normandy beachhead on D-Day.

Of course, he returned to resume a Hall of Fame career as one of the finest catchers to play the game. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1972, as well as having his uniform number retired by the Yankees. He also became the Mets' manager that year, after the sudden death of Gil Hodges in the spring. In 1973, he called the shots for a team that came all the way from last place to the World Series. He would remain at the position until 1975 and then went back over to the Bronx to become a coach there.

Roy McMillan is the only coach shown here who wasn't a member of Gil Hodges' staff. 1973 was his first season with the team as a coach; he had played with the team as a shortstop from 1964-'66 while winding down his career. When Yogi was fired in 1975, McMillan was his interim replacement until Joe Frazier took over. McMillan died in Texas in 1997.

Joe Pignatano was a former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodger who was tagged to play with the Mets in their disastrous inaugural season. He finished his career as only a '62 Met could aspire to: his final at-bat saw him hit into a triple play. He became a coach under Hodges in Washington and joined him with the Mets in '68 and he stayed with them until 1981 as a bullpen coach. He was known for growing a vegetable garden in the bullpen at Shea Stadium.

Rube Walker was a backup to Roy Campanella in Brooklyn, but might be better known as the last card from the '55 Dodgers Rocky Dennis needed to complete his team set in the film Mask. After retiring as a player, he became a minor league manager before moving onto a major league coaching staff. He was the pitching coach in New York, where he mentored Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan and Jerry Koosman. He was with the team from 1968 through 1981, working with several mangers. Walker died of lung cancer in 1992.

Eddie Yost was also in the Navy during World War Two. After Uncle Sam let him return to the ballfield, he became one of the most consistent players for the Washington Senators in the 1950s. He was known as "The Walking Man" due to his ability to draw a base on balls. He bagam coaching while he was still a player for the 1962 Angels and moved to Washington under old teammate Mickey Vernon. When Gil Hodges became the Mets' manager in 1968, Yost moved with him and served as the team's third base coach until 1976. He went to Boston, where he coached through 1984.

Another Sad Passing

Sadly, this pitcher passed away this week from cancer:

Card #48 -- Paul Splittorff, Kansas City Royals

Paul Splittorff pitched in Kansas City between 1970 and 1984. Although he was rarely considered to be the ace of the staff, he was the epitome of consistency and ended up with the franchise record for wins when he retired. Nearly 30 years later, he's still the record holder despite young guns on the team like Bret Saberhagen and David Cone.

As a Yankees fan, it was hard to like Paul Splittorff. Every year between 1976 and 1978 and again in 1980, the team had to go through the Royals in the playoffs to make the World Series. Since he was a left-handed pitcher, he usually was effective against the Yankees because they tended to use a lot of left-handed hitters to take advantage of Yankee Stadium's dimensions. In those four postseason series, Splittorff pitched against the Bronx Bombers six times and never lost against them.

Rest in Peace.

Put it Right There...

Here's a player who was much better known for the glove he's showing here than for his bat. However, he made his bat count in 1981 when the Dodgers squared off against the Yankees in the World Series for the third time in five years:

Card #59 -- Steve Yeager, Los Angeles Dodgers

This is Steve Yeager's rookie card. He made his big league debut in August of '72 and backed up Joe Ferguson behind the plate. However, he became known for a wicked throw to second against would-be base stealers and eventually won the starting job. He became well-regarded for his defensive prowess and ability to call a game from behind the plate. The Dodgers won four pennants during his time there and he was a big piece of the puzzle in each of those seasons.

However, he was also known for his weak offense. However, in 1981 he had an amazing Series (for him, anyway) against the Yankees. He only hit .286 but his hits were timely, including a homer that beat Ron Guidry in game 5. His efforts gave him a share of the Series MVP award that year.

After that, Yeager was relegated to backing up Mike Scioscia and stayed with teh team through teh end of 1985. He finished up in Seattle for the 1986 season.

Yeager was the inspiration for a plastic "turkey neck" used under the catcher's mask when a bat broke in 1976 and sent several splinters into his throat. While that seems like a sensible idea, it's worth mentioning that the bat belonged to teammate Bill Russell and he was standing in the on-deck circle at the time of the accident.

His cousin was famed aviator Chuck Yeager. He was also known for embracing the L.A. lifestyle. When he was married on the steps of City Hall, sitting Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley was his best man.

The Toy Cannon

According to the legend, Jimmy Wynn was called "Toy Cannon" because he was small (5' 8") but made a big "pop" with his bat. Here he is swinging his bat in the on-deck circle of another team's field:

Card #185 -- Jim Wynn, Houston Astros

Those Astros road grays really stood out because of the contrast those orange sleeves gave them. No wonder they went on to the multi-colored unis a few years later.

This may be one of the first cards to show a batting donut, invented by former Yankee Eltson Howard about a decade before that. Since most photos used on cards before 1973 were posed shots, there wasn't a lot of images of batters actually standing in the on-deck circle. However, note that I used the word "maybe" because I'm not in a place where I can pull out my cards to verify that. If there is an earlier card with one, let me know in the comments section.

In 1973, Jimmy Wynn had spent his entire major league career in Houston, dating back to 1963 when the team was still known as the Colt .45s. Starting at shortstop (probably also due to his smaller stature), he moved to center by the end of his rookie year and became a fixture at that position for over a decade. He was a power hitter, but playing home games in the Astrodome -- which had longer fences -- may have masked his career numbers. He was also known for having a sharp eye and walked often.

1973 would be Wynn's last season with the Astros. Traded to Los Angeles, he helped them win a pennant and earned Comeback Player of the Year honors. However, a shoulder injury in 1975 limited his effectiveness and he was moved to left. In 1976, he played in Atlanta and split '77 as a DH between New York and Milwaukee.

Because he played in a era known for low offense and played for so long in a low run-scoring park, Wynn is sometimes pointed out by "numbers" guys as a player who may have had a legitimate shot to become a Hall of Famer had he played somewhere else.

Before There Was Cal...

Here's a player whose name I always pronounced wrong until later on:

Card #253 -- Mark Belanger, Baltimore Orioles

Since Belanger was no longer an everyday player when I first got into baseball, I never had the opportunity to hear an announcer pronounce his name. Therefore, I always wanted to say "BELL-in-jur" rather than the correct "Bah-LAN-jur."

At first glance, this photo appears to have been taken during the 1970 World Series against the Reds. However, closer inspection of the colors reveals an Indians uniform, so Belanger's trying to turn a double play against Jack Brohamer.

Before Cal Ripken, Jr. came along, Mark Belanger owned the all-time Orioles records at shortstop. He was their regular at the position between 1965 and '81. While the back of this card mentions Belanger had already won two Gold Glove awards, he would go on to win another in '73...and every year from then until 1978. In fact, second baseman Bobby Grich also won a Gold Glove from '73-'76 and Brooks Robinson earned them at third through '75. That was a solid infield, one that ended up helping the Orioles get to the postseason several times.

Belanger was another in a long line of "good field, no hit" shortstops. His career .228 average is the third-lowest all-time among players with over 2500 at bats. Despite those anemic numbers, he was actually quite successful against Nolan Ryan and Bert Blyleven, two pitchers who struck out an awful lot of batters at the time.

During his playing days, Belanger was active with the union, even sitting at the negotiating table in 1981 (which may have helped lead to his '82 season in Los Angeles). He would serve as a liaison for the MLBPA after his retirement. Sadly, Mark Belanger died in 1998 of lung cancer.

Choked Up

The title for this entry refers to the way Dick McAuliffe is holding the bat in this picture:

Card #349 -- Dick McAuliffe, Detroit Tigers

That's an interesting action shot. A close-up that excises the pitcher, catcher and umpire. Considering the number of photos used in the 1973 Topps set that include half a team in them (and are sometimes horizontally oriented), it's odd that the company cropped this photo in such a manner.

At the time, Dick McAuliffe had been with the Tigers since 1960. He was the starting shortstop until 1966 and moved over to second in '67. He was a key player for the Tigers in their Championship season in '68, going the full season without hitting into a double play. 1973 would be his final year in Detroit, though, and he was traded to the Red Sox after the season.

Winding down his career in 1974, he began the '75 season managing one of the Red Sox' minor league clubs but would be called up late in the season to help the team's push toward the postseason. He didn't make the postseason roster that year and retired.

Another Cub Fan Favorite

In 1969, the entire Chicago Cubs infield was named to the National League All-Star team. Two were slated to be starters...third baseman Ron Santo and this shortstop:

Card #285 -- Don Kessinger, Chicago Cubs

Don Kessinger spent 11 seasons in Wrigley Field, including the magical but ultimately frustrating 1969. He was the archetypal "good field, no hit" infielder that seemed to be so prevalent during that era. His hitting prowess was so weak, when Leo Durocher took over the Cubs in 1966 he suggester Kessinger try becoming a switch-hitter to improve his chances. He responded with a .274 season and became the team's leadoff hitter for several years.

The back of this card mentions Kessinger reaching two milestones during 1972. He played in his 1,000th game and knocked out his 1,000th hit during the season. That would be about the halfway point for both marks, as he ended up with just over 2,000 games and just under 2,000 hits. However, those final years weren't spent in Wrigley Field. As the Cubs began shedding the remnants of their 1969 squad, Kessinger was traded to the Cardinals after the 1975 season.

He would return to the Windy City in 1977. This time, however, he was sent to the team that played in Comiskey Park. In 1979, he was briefly the White Sox' player/manager. During his tenure, the White Sox had to forfeit the second game of a doubleheader on July 12 because the fans rioted during a "Disco Demolition Night" promotion hosted by area DJ Steve Dahl. The events weren't his fault, but he is still the last manager of an American League team to forfiet a game.