First-Time Skipper

In 1973, this guy was the brand new manager for the Angels:

Card #421 -- Bobby Winkles and Coaches, California Angels

However, he had just finished a very successful run and the head coach at Arizona State University, where he led the school to three College World Series titles and coached some successful future major leaguers (Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Rick Monday, Larry Gura). He was never a big league player, spending 1951-'58 in the minors before moving to ASU the next year. He also wasn't successful as a manager in the majors. He was fired midway through the '74 season. He moved over to the A's for the rest of the year as a coach and eventually manged them from 1977-'78. He also coached for the Giants, White Sox and Expos through 1988.

Tom Morgan was a former major leaguer, however. He pitched with six different teams from 1951-'63, including several years as a New York Yankee. He worked as a pitching coach for the Angels, the Padres and the Yankees. He passed away after suffering a stroke in 1987.

Salty Parker's major league experience involved a weeklong stretch in 1936 with the Tigers. He was a longtime coach in the minors, as well as with the Angels, Giants, Indians, Mets and the Astros. In 1973, he was beginning his second stint as an Angels coach. He also served as an interim managerfor the Mets and Astros. He moved on to become a scout and passed away in 1992.

Jimmie Reese was a member of the Yankees in 1930-'31, where he was the roommate of Babe Ruth, as well as the Cardinals in 1932. After a long stretch as a player, scout, coach and minor league manager, he joined the Angels in 1972 as a conditioning coach. His specialty was running a fungo drill, using a bat he designed himself. He remained with the Angels until his death in 1994. The team retired his jersey number in his honor.

John Roseboro played between 1957 and 1970 in the majors, with most of those years spent with the Dodgers. A catcher, he succeeded Roy Campanella and caught Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Don Sutton. While catchers are often the best-suited players to become coaches, Roseboro's career on the bench was relatively short. After one season with the Senators and three with the Angels, he and his wife mostly focused on running a public relations firm in Beverly Hills. Roseboro passed away in 2002.

"Zim"

At 80 years old, this guy is still active in major league baseball:

Card #12 -- Don Zimmer and Coaches, San Diego Padres

Don Zimmer began his baseball career in 1949 and was a member  of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. He was also a member of another legendary team (but for totally different reasons), the 1962 New York Mets. After retiring as a player, he immediately became a coach in the minor leagues. By 1971 he was coaching in Montreal and moved over to San Diego as the third-base coach in 1972. 11 games into the season, the Padres fired Preston Gomez and gave Zimmer his first big-league skipper job. He remained a manager, with the Red Sox, the Rangers and the Cubs and was a visible member of the New York Yankees' coaching staff between 1996 and 2003. Today, he works for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Red Sox fans aren't likely to rate him high on their list of favorite people. Not considering he was the skipper of the fateful '78 team, and not after he rushed the mound to confront Pedro Martinez in 2003. A pepperpot as a player, he definitely showed his emotion on the field. But I've been told by those who know him that he's about as down-to-earth in person as you'll ever expect anybody to be.

Zimmer was one of the managers whose card contained a variation in the 1973 Topps set.  The card above shows solid-colored background behind the coaches' heads, while the one below still has the natural backgrounds (tinted, but still natural):

Dave Garcia never made the major leagues as a player. He later went on to manage the Angels from 1977-'78 and the Indians from 1979-'82. He continued to coach and scout into his 80s and is still around to tell his stories.

Johnny Podres was a hero of the 1955 World Series and a teammate during Zimmer's two tours with the Dodgers. After finishing his career as one of the original Padres in 1969, he remained with the team as a pitching coach and would hold that capacity through 1996 with various teams. Sadly, Podres passed away in 2008.

Bob Skinner was a member of two other teams that beat the Yankees in the World Series (the 1960 Pirates and 1964 Cardinals). He had already served as manager of the Phillies in 1968-'69 and remained a coach into the 1980s. His son Joel followed in his shoes as a player and coach.

Finally, William "Whitey" Wietelmann was an infielder with the Boston Braves from 1939-'46 and the Pirates in 1947.  He was a long-time coach when the San Diego Padres was still the name of the PCL team and coached for 13 seasons in the majors. He passed away in 2002.

The New Skipper is a Familiar Face

In 1972, the Brewers gave their manager job to a man who was well-known to the fans in Milwaukee:

Card #646 -- Del Crandall and Coaches, Milwaukee Brewers

He also appeared on Topps cards as a player every year (except one) from 1952-'66.

Del Crandall was one of the most consistent catchers of the 1950s, beginning when the Braves were still playing in Boston. With Crandall calling the pitches, the Braves' staff (including Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette and Bob Buhl) was one of the best in the league. The team finished in first or second seven times between 1953 and '60, including two pennants and a World Series title. He also caught three no-hitters in that time period.

After retiring, Crandall turned to managing. His stint in Milwaukee lasted through 1975, and he piloted the Mariners in 1983-'84. Unfortunately, he was placed in charge of teams that had little spark and ended up with a losing career record.

Harvey Kuenn was also well-known to the previous generation of Topps collectors. He and Crandall had briefly teamed up in 1963 with the Giants, but Kuenn was one of the better hitters of the late 1950s, winning the batting title in 1959 and being respected as a batter who could hit well to any part of the field. He was named as the interim manager for the Braves when Crandall was fired in 1975, but he returned to the position in 1982 and led "Harvey's Wallbangers" to the World Series. He passed away in 1988.

Joe Nossek, on the other hand, was a relatively recent player. He had been active from 1964-'70, mainly with the Twins and A's. 1973 was his first year as a major league coach; he would spend 28 years in various dugouts and was known for his skill in picking up opposing teams' signals.

Bronx-born Bob Shaw was a pitcher for several teams between 1957 and '67, including stints with Detroit (where he teamed with Keunn) and the Braves (where Crandell caught him). He served as the pitching coach for the Brewers and was later a manager in the minor leagues. Cancer took Shaw in 2010.

Jim Walton's playing career was confined to the minor leagues, and was managing minor league teams while still in his 20s. He was a new addition to the Brewers' coaching staff in 1973, where he served as the first base coach. Since 1975, he has worked as a scout and a developer of players.

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.

R.I.P. Sparky

Today's card features a Hall of Famer who recently passed away:

Card #296 -- Sparky Anderson & Coaches, Cincinnati Reds

Sparky passed away on November 4, only a day after it was reported that he was seriously ill.

Sparky's Hall of Fame career started out inauspiciously enough. He was given the starting second baseman's job for the 1959 Phillies. After hitting .218 with no home runs and only 34 RBI's in 152 games, he was sent back to the minors for good. He stopped playing in 1964 but stuck around as a manager. In 1970, he was named the new skipper of the Cincinnati Reds. While there were the expected naysayers who come out whenever an unknown person is given such a job, he quieted them down his first year by winning the National League pennant that year. More pennants followed in '72, '75 and '76, with the Reds also winning the World Series those last two years. That 1976 postseason was especially sweet, as the Reds won every game they played. When he was fired after the 1978 season, he was quickly hired by the Tigers. He won another World Series title in 1984, making him the first manager to win a World Series in both leagues. He retired after the 1995 season and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.

It's worth noting that Sparky turned 39 in 1973. He looks much older than that in the picture.

Alex Grammas is one of two ex-managers of the Pittsburgh Pirates on this card. After playing mainly as a reserve infielder between 1954-'63, he would become a long-time coach. He managed the Pirates in 1969 and the Milwaukee Brewers from 1976-'77. After Sparky Anderson moved to Detroit, Grammas would coach there as well.

Longtime baseball fans and card collectors need little introduction to Ted Kluszewski. "Big Klu" was a feared slugger with the Reds, Pirates, White Sox and Angels who also hit for a decent average. Unlike many longball hitters, Kluszewski wasn't an easy out; over his career, he walked more often than he struck out. In 1955, he became the last player to hit 40 home runs and strike out less than 40 times. He famously cut the sleeves off his Reds uniform because it constricted  his swing (his iconic 1957 Topps card shows this). After his playing days were over in 1961, he became a hitting coach. He remained with the Reds until 1986, when failing health forced his retirement. He passed away in 1988.

Pete Rose -- whose baseball mind was incredibly sharp even if his off-field life wasn't -- called George Scherger the "smartest baseball mind in the world." That's quite a compliment. Scherger never made the major leagues as a player, but managed Spark Anderson in the Brooklyn Dodgers' system during the 1950s. He stayed in Cincinnati after Anderson's dismissal and was a coach under Rose until 1986.

Larry Shepard never made the majors as a player, but was setting himself up for the future as a playing manager in the minors. The Pirates named him their manager in 1968. He joined the Reds as a pitching coach in 1970 and stayed there through Sparky's tenure. In 1979, he would spend one season as the Giants' pitching coach before retiring.

"Mauch" 2

Where to begin with this card? Let's start with the skipper:

Card #377 - Gene Mauch and Coaches

Gene Mauch was the original manager of the Montreal Expos, beginning in 1969. it was the second of four teams he managed over a 28-year span. He holds the record for the longest managerial career without winning a pennant. It wasn't because he had the chance, however. In 1964, his Phillies led the league by six and a half games with only 12 to go. They lost all but one of those final games, a collapse that still brings sadness to Philadelphia fans today. He also led the California Angels to within one game of the World Series not once but twice (1982 and 1986), with the '86 playoffs the real tragedy. Mauch's team was only one strike away from winning the pennant before Dave Henderson took Donnie Moore's pitch long. Gene Mauch retired due to poor health before the 1988 season and passed away in 2005.

Dave Bristol never played in the majors, but was familiar to fans and card collectors in the 1960s as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. When he took over that position, he was only 33 years old. He would be replaced by Sparky Anderson in 1969. He was then hired by the Seattle Pilots for 1970, only to be told six days before Opening Day that they were going to move to Milwaukee. He led the Brewers into 1972. Later, as the manager of the Atlanta Braves, Bristol would be replaced for one game as manager by team owner Ted Turner before Bowie Kuhn forced a reinstatement. He would also manage the Giants in 1979-'80.

Larry Doby was a star for the great Cleveland Indians teams of the late 1940s and early 1950s after several seasons in the Negro Leagues. While largely remembered as the first black-skinned player in the American League, he was an important cog in those Tribe teams that won the 1948 World Series and the '54 A.L. pennant. In an interesting coincidence, he would also become the second black manager when he took over the Chicago White Sox in 1978. He would be elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998, and passed away in 2003.

Cal McLish was a pitcher who played for seven teams over 15 years. He is probably better known for his full name: Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuscahoma McLish. He would be the pitching coach for the Expos from their inaugural season through 1975. McLish passed away this August.

Jerry Zimmerman was also one of the original Expos coaches. He served as their bullpen coach from 1969-'75 after a career playing mostly backup catcher for Cincinnati and Minnesota. He passed away in 1998.

Solid Vs. Natural

The title doesn't refer to different types of hitters, but certain cards of team coaches. In the 1973 Topps baseball set, several manager cards can be found with two variations. Here's one, featuring Twins skipper Frank Quilici:

Card #49 -- Frank Quilici, Minnesota Twins Manager

Before explaining the differences, I must mention that I'm not actively seeking out a 1973 master set, Nor do I intend to build one. I merely had both versions as I was putting together my set and decided to keep them. As I show the cards, I'll feature any other manager variations as well.

While this card is a little more faded than the one above, you can see the differences behind the coaches' photos:

As you can see, one card has the natural background shown behind the coaches, while the other has them set against a solid-colored background. I'm guessing the bottom card was released first and "corrected" once it was understood how busy the smaller, sepia-tinted coaches' photos looked. That's merely my opinion, however.

1973 was the first full season as Twins manager for Quilici. Nicknamed "Guido," he was a utility infielder for five seasons between 1965-'70 with the team and played for them during the '65 World Series. Promoted to manager at the age of 33, he would lead the team through 1975.

Vern Morgan only saw limited major league action with the Cubs in 1954-'55 but had a long association with the Minnesota Twins' organization, beginning with the team even when they were still playing as the Washington Senators. After managing in the minors for eight seasons, Morgan was promoted to the parent team's coaching staff in 1969. Sadly, he was afflicted with kidney trouble; he passed away in 1975 after having complications from a kidney transplant.

Bob "Buck" Rodgers is one of many ex-major league catchers-turned-coaches and managers. After spending much of the 1960s with the L.A./California Angels, he became a Twins coach in 1970. He would later serve as manager for the Brewers, Expos and Angels.

Ralph Rowe never made the major leagues as a player in 15 seasons. His professional career -- like many of those in the 1940s -- was halted during World War Two as Rowe joined the service. Like Morgan, he had stayed on with the Senators/Twins after playing for their minor league clubs, he made Quilici's coahing staff and lasted until Quilici's dismissal in '75. Later, Rowe was the batting coach for the Baltimore Orioles, who helped him recieve a World Series ring in 1983. Rowe passed away in 1996.

Al Worthington pitched for five teams in his 14-year playing career and was a valuable asset to the Twin's '65 pennant-winning team. Later, he would become the head coach at Liberty University. Liberty's baseball field is named in his honor.

Three New Yorkers and an Iowan...

While that sounds like the beginning of a joke, the coaching staff shown on this card consists of three native New Yorkers (Manhattan, Brooklyn and Buffalo) and one from Keokuk, Iowa:

Card #449 -- Ken Aspromonte, Cleveland Indians Manager

There are some familiar faces on the card. Aspromonte had been a player during the late 1950s and early 1960s, but Warren Spahn and Rocky Colavito were stars of the same era. The younger collectors of 1973 may not have known the names, but their older brothers and fathers were certainly familiar with them.

Brooklyn-born Ken Aspromonte played for seven different major league teams between 1957 and 1963. His younger brother Bob was a player during the same period. Among the teams was the Cleveland Indians, a team he would manage between 1972 and '74. After his third straight losing season, he was fired and never managed another team. Aspromonte's cap on this card is airbrushed, despite having managed the Tribe in '72. It appears the shirt in the picture is the Indians' 1971 home jersey, which means his cap would have been blue in the original photo.

New York City native Rocky Colavito played from 1955 and '68 and began his career with the Tribe, where he was a fan favorite. He was known to be a long ball threat, with eleven consecutive 20-homer seasons. After being traded to Detroit in 1960, he was popular enough to be brought back to Cleveland five years later.

While Colavito was very good, Warren Spahn was a Hall of Fame pitcher. One of the finest left-handers the game has known, he won more games (363) than any pitcher since 1930. His career began in Boston, where fans were known to chant, "Spahn and Sain, then pray for rain." Moving with the Braves to Milwaukee, he was perhaps the best overall pitcher of the 1950s and seemed to get better with time. He led the National League in victories each season from age 37 through 40 and tossed no-hitters at 39 and 40. Spahn finally retired at 44 and passed away in 2003.

The one coach many fans didn't recognize was Joe Lutz. Despite a short stint with the St. Louis Browns in 1951, he went on to become the first foreign-born manager in the Japanese professional baseball league in 1974. Lutz passed away in 2008.

The New Skipper

There's a rule of thumb about managers: better players don't necessarily make better managers. Here's a card showing a rookie manager who had never appeared in the majors as a player:

Card #593 -- Jack McKeon, Kansas City Royals Manager

1973 was McKeon's first year as a major league skipper. He was 42 years old and had been a catcher during his playing days but never rising above B-level (or AA in today's structure) ball. After hanging up his spikes for good in 1959, he worked as a scout and coach. When he joined the Royals organization in 1969, he managed their AAA farm club to two championships in his four years and was moved up to the home club. The Royals posted the best record of their short history in '73, but McKeon was fired in '75. He would later lead the A's, the Padres (where he was also the GM) and the Marlins. As GM, he built the Padres team that won the 1984 National League pennant and broke the hearts of Cub fans everywhere. In 2003, he was hired to manage a sub-.500 Marlins team and led them to a World Series win over the heavily favored New York Yankees. Though he retired from managing in 2005, McKeon still works in the Marlins' front office today.

Three coaches are shown from McKeon's staff and perhaps the most significant is Charlie Lau, the hitting instructor instrumental in developing George Brett as a superior major league batsman. His book The Art of Hitting .300 is still highly-regarded. Cancer claimed Lau in 1984.

Galen Cisco's major league career included stops in Boston and New York (where he was one of the original 1962 Mets) and ended during the Royals' first season in 1969. After serving as the pitching coach in Kansas City, he served in the same capacity with several other teams. With the Toronto Blue Jays in the early 1990s, he helped the team win back-to-back World Series titles.

Like McKeon, Harry Dunlop was a catcher who never made the majors as a player but was nevertheless able to enjoy a long career as a coach. Many of those seasons were spent with McKeon. As a player, he caught a three no-hitters in 14 days, one of which saw 27 strikeouts in nine innings, something that had never happened in a professional game before.

Oh, Where Have You Gone, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

One of the neat things tried in the 1973 Topps set was the team manager cards. While managers normally had their own cards during the late 1960s and early '70s, for 1973 they were joined by their coaching staffs. While not entirely new (Topps had cards of team coaches in 1960), the coaching staff had never shared a card with the skipper on a Topps baseball card before.

Card #323, Billy Martin, Detroit Tigers

Here's a picture of Billy Martin standing in front of a batting cage. The player behind him is fuzzy but appears to be wearing a Yankee home uniform. This time Topps was smart enough to show Martin from the neck up after he slipped in a middle finger on his 1972 card.

Martin was one of the more volatile managers of his era. He drew from the same fire he used as a player to motivate his men. While his methods were often very successful, they were also divisive. He feuded with players, owners and fans. He was accused of wearing out young pitchers and dogging veterans he felt were "mailing it in." He took the Twins and Tigers to division titles. Later, he put the Texas Rangers in contention, brought the Oakland A's back from its late 70s decline and managed the Yankees five different times.

Of course, Billy Martin's coaching staff wouldn't be complete without his ever-present pitching coach Art Fowler. Charlie Silvera was one of his Yankee teammates in the 1950s, while Dick Tracewski had been a Tiger player until he retired in '69 and began a second career as a coach. All three of these coaches are still alive as of this writing.

But wait...something's not right. The coach with the missing name is Joe Schultz. He had played parts of nine seasons between 1939 and '48, mostly with the St. Louis Browns. Schultz came from a baseball family, with his father (also named Joe Schultz) playing from 1912-'25 and two cousins, Frank and Hans Lobert, also playing during the pre-World War One era. Schultz would be the first and only manager of the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and would succeed Billy Martin in August of '73 as Tigers skipper.

Sadly, Schultz died in 1996. And Martin was killed in a pickup truck accident on Christmas Day 1989. It's rumored that he was preparing for his sixth chance at managing the Yankees.