"Ya Gotta Believe..."

Scattered throughout the 660 cards and five series of 1973 Topps baseball cards are pictures of each of the 24 teams then in the majors.

Here's one of those beloved teams:

Card #389 - New York Mets Team Card

While the 1969 Mets were tagged as "The Miracle Mets" what the team did to reach the '73 World Series was even more miraculous. While some of the guys who won the '69 Series were still with the team (Seaver, Koosman, Harrelson, Grote, Kranepool, McGraw), it was still a different group of players with different strengths. Among the new faces were fresh faces like Jon Matlack and John Milner, as well as veterans like Rusty Staub, Ray Sadecki and Willie Mays. Gil Hodges, who managed the '69 team, had passed away in '72. Yogi Berra would take his place. He's very noticeable in the photo, right in the middle of the second row.

For much of the 1973 season, the Mets regained the role of underachievers their fans remembered from most of the 1960s. Beginning with a strong start and in first place after 20 games, some key injuries took their toll. By July 26, they were in last place in the National League East. On August they were 12 games below .500. With only 44 games left, it looked hopeless for the team. However, they went out and played like winners and played like they were on fire for the rest of the season. When they finally broke even (77-77), it was with a sweep of the Pirates that overtook them for first place. The team never let go of that top spot and finished 82-79. Despite the naysayers pointing out that they actually benefited from a weak division, that fact that they still won after being that far out is still a notable feat.

However, to get to the World Series, the team was going to have to get past the Cincinnati Reds. The Big Red Machine were winners of 99 games in '73, had been to two of the previous three Series and were loaded with talent. Playing their role as underdog well, the Mets took the series to the full five games and a dramatic sixth-inning rally won the final game. A game three brawl between Pete Rose and Buddy Harrelson underscored just how competitive the two teams were in the series.

After reaching the World Series in an unlikely fashion, the Mets managed to take a 3-2 lead against the defending champion Oakland A's but couldn't pull out another miracle. Despite losing the Series in seven games, the New York Mets were one of the best baseball stories of the entire 1973 season.

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.

The Not-Quite-Hidden Ball Trick

While Topps' 1973 baseball card set was marked by a large number of game action shots, there were still photos used that had a player posing for the photographer. For instance, here's Jim "Catfish" Hunter in front of a completely empty stadium:

Card #235 -- Jim Hunter, Oakland A's

While Hunter obviously isn't playing in a game or in front of any fans, there's still a part of me that wishes I could tell him that it's okay to let go of the ball. Nobody's around to take it away.

Despite the photographic evidence of a balk, "Catfish" was in his peak years at the time this card was pulled from a wax wrapper along with nine others and a stick of gum. 1973 was the third of five consecutive seasons where he won 20+ games. His 21-5 record that year gave him a league-best .808 winning percentage, yet he also surrendered more homers (39) than any other American League pitcher in '73. He wasn't overpowering like Nolan Ryan; he didn't strike out a lot of batters but he didn't walk a whole lot of them either. Relying on pinpoint precision and control while on the mound, he was the undisputed ace of the World Series champion team.

There are several legends about why his nickname was "Catfish" and many are false. His nickname was given to him by Oakland owner Charley Finley after the boss decided his young pitcher needed a flashy identity. While Hunter wasn't exactly fond of the tag, it fit perfectly on a team that had other pitchers with nicknames like Blue Moon and real ones like Vida and Rollie. When the free agency era began in earnest, Hunter signed with the New York Yankees after the 1974 season and helped contribute to another three-year pennant winning team there before retiring after the '79 season.

While Hunter's overall record doesn't look like it's worthy of induction into the Hall of Fame, he was voted into the Cooperstown shrine in 1987. Though his era of dominance was rather short, he was one of the elite pitchers of baseball from 1971-'75. He pitched a perfect game and earned five World Series rings. Bothered by diabetes during his playing career, he began developing symptoms of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) later in life and died on September 9, 1999 after falling down stairs at his home. He was 53 years old.

The Brushback

In 1973, Willie Davis was a veteran player who had patrolled the Dodger centerfield for more than a decade. He had played in three World Series (winning two of them) and had been a speedy baserunner and dependable performer who rarely missed the chance to play. Worthy of respect, right?

Maybe not. Look at this shot:

Card #35 -- Willie Davis, Los Angeles Dodgers

What did Willie do to somebody at Topps that deserved this? While brushbacks are a part of the game, what reason would somebody have to show somebody getting a close shave?

The catcher is either Tim McCarver or John Bateman, as both wore #6 for the Phillies in 1972 (and were traded for each other midway through the season). As a Dodger regular, determining which catcher would be tough. Since Davis is wearing his home uniform, it would depend on which '72 homestand against the Phils produced this photo. In the series from May 1-3, it would have been McCarver (who only caught the May 3rd contest). If it was the 3-game series of July 21-23, the catcher would be Bateman.

1973 would be the last year Davis played for the Dodgers. Traded to Montreal at the end of the season, he would go from team to team for the rest of his career, even coming out of retirement in '79 after two years away to give it one more shot with the California Angels.

Not Leaving in a "Hough"

Some stay, some don't. Some hold on for what seems like forever while others come and go. That's the way it is with pitching prospects. Whether it can be attributed to overuse, less attention to pitch counts back then or whatever, hurlers are often the hardest players to gauge future potential. Take the three guys:

Card #610 -- 1973 Rookie Pitchers

Among these three players, two were actually making their first appearance on a Topps card.

For Jimmy Freeman, this would be his only Topps card. Brought up at the end of the 1972 season when the Braves expanded to a 40-man roster, he went 2-2 in six starts but had a high ERA. He would begin '73 at Richmond for further development and was brought back up to the majors in June for another chance. Unfortunately, he was sent back down after July and never returned to the majors.

Charlie Hough (pronounced "Huff") had already appeared on a '72 Topps card but would be around for many more. A reliever with the Dodgers who was converted to a starter once he went to Texas in 1980, he was known for a nasty knuckleball delivery. He would pitch in 25 seasons before retiring with the Florida Marlins in 1994. He and Rich Gossage were perhaps the last two active players from the 1973 Topps set in the majors.

Shown on the first of three Topps cards through '76, Hank Webb only pitched in two major league contests during 1973. After shuttling between the Mets and their AAA club at Tidewater for the next two seasons, he finally got the chance to join the Mets' starting rotation in '75. He didn't work out, however. He would finish his major league career with a short stint for the Los Angeles Dodgers in late '77. The first game he pitched for the Dodgers that year, he was relieved on the mound by Charlie Hough.

How Much Time Do You Need?

It's no secret that Topps seemed to pay a lot of money to its airbrush artists. Sometimes, however,it seems they may have been better off just paying a freelance photographer a few bucks to update a player's picture at some point during the season. Take this card, for instance:

Card #173 -- Hal Breeden, Montreal Expos

The airbrush job is quite colorful. It isn't a bad job, just noticeable. Assuming the original photo of Breeden had him in his former Chicago Cubs uniform, it should be pointed out that he had been traded to the Expos at the beginning of the 1972 baseball season. Therefore, Topps had the entire year to update his photo.

While it's true Breeden spent half the '72 season playing for his new team's AAA club in Virginia, he still managed to reach the parent club after the All-Star break and played in 42 games with them. Twice, he played in series at Shea Stadium, just a short distance from Topps' corporate headquarters. Perhaps the card company wasn't impressed enough to think he'd still be playing in Montreal for 1973, but they seem to have no problem getting him to sign a contract with them.

1973 would be Breeden's finest year in the majors. He appeared in more than 100 games, often as a late-innings replacement or pinch hitter. He was on a power tear, hitting 15 home runs (in five seasons, he only notched 21 of them); however, it was also the only one of his five seasons to see him hit better than .250. He would remain with the Expos (and on Topps cards) until 1975.

Not to Be Forgotten

With this blog, I've often poked fun at some of the things that have appeared on 1973 Topps baseball cards. However, with some things, levity isn't appropriate. For instance, let's look at this card for a moment:

Card #50 -- Roberto Clemente, Pittsburgh Pirates

Taking his place at the plate, in front of Mets catcher Jerry Grote, Roberto Clemente needs no introduction.

When Topps planned its first series of 1973 cards, it was right after the '72 season had ended. Clemente had just notched his 3,000th hit as a major league player and was already on a certain course toward his plaque in Cooperstown. Sadly, on December 31, 1972, fate intervened. While flying emergency supplies to victims of an earthquake in Managua, Nicaragua, the plane carrying Clemente crashed in the ocean near Puerto Rico shortly after takeoff.

Since the first series of Topps cards had been designed and Clemente had already been included, it was too late to pull his card or make an "In Memoriam" card like they did for Ken Hubbs in '64. As collectors pulled his card from wax packs that spring, they were sadly aware that Clemente was no longer around and that the list of statistics on the back seemed brutally final. It was similar to my own experience in '79 when a Thurman Munson card appeared in a pack I bought just days after his plane crash.

On March 20, 1973, a special election was held for the Baseball Hall of Fame after Clemente's five-year waiting period was waived. He was inducted that summer, the first Latin American player to be enshrined. His name and memory are still revered among baseball fans, and every year MLB's Roberto Clemente Award (originally known as the Commissioner's Award) is given to a player deemed to be an excellent citizen.