If Looks Could Kill...

Sometimes you look at a picture and wonder what the person is thinking. Take this picture, for example:

Card #193 -- Carlton Fisk, Boston Red Sox

No need to wonder whether Carlton Fisk is putting on a fake smile or just being polite, he certainly looks irritated that somebody is pointing a camera his way.Either that, or the photographer was asking him why he couldn't be as genial as Johnny Bench.

Although there's an All-Star Rookie trophy on the card, this wasn't Fisk's first Topps card. He shared a Red Sox Rookies card in '72 with Mike Garman and Cecil Cooper. Fisk had actually come up in 1969 but was required to fulfill a military commitment and had to wait until 1972 to prove he belonged. He did a pretty good job of it, winning the American League Rookie of the Year award. He became the Red Sox's regular catcher through 1980, solidifying his legend among the team's fans with an epic home run in the 1975 World Series. Winning the game in the 12 inning, the footage of Fisk willing the ball to stay fair as he watched it travel is still shown, making some fans almost forget that the Reds still won Game 7 the next night.

Although Fisk was a fan favorite for his drive and his gamesmanship, he was also a thorn in the side of Red Sox management when it came to salary issues, so the team allowed him to become a free agent in 1980. He ended up with the White Sox, where he spent another decade behind the plate. When he came to Chicago, his Red Sox uniform number (27) was taken, so he switched the digits around to 72 in commemoration of his rookie year and the birth of his son. He ended up having two different numbers retired by two different teams, one of only three players so honored.

Known as both "Pudge" and "Commander," Carlton Fisk was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2000. He was a consummate professional throughout his career.

In Praise of the Backstop

1969 was almost a magical year for the Chicago Cubs faithful. Had it not been for the Miracle Mets, the Cubbies were poised to make the postseason for the first time since World War Two ended. Sadly, the Wrigley bleacher bums were denied and had to wait another 15 years to see a postseason game at their stadium.

The '69 Cubs had three Hall of Fame players (Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins) and another who just might join them in Cooperstown (Ron Santo). However, the man considered the team's leader is a guy who'll never enter the Hall of Fame without buying a ticket:

Card #21 -- Randy Hundley, Chicago Cubs

It's been said that the catcher is perhaps the most important person on the baseball field. Since he's calling the pitches, he controls the flow of the game. As the person who decides whether to have his ace throw a heater or try to get a batter to hit a weak grounder to force a double play, he's always thinking. Hundley was known among players as a capable defensive backstop who knew how to use his pitchers. As the late 1960s wore on, Hundley was an iron man behind the plate, catching at least 150 games each year from 1967-'69.

However, in 1970 he was injured in a home-plate collision with St. Louis's Carl Taylor. He was never the same. Injuries to his knees would keep bothering him for the rest of his career. In 1972, he would catch two no-hitters (by Burt Hooton and Milt Pappas), but 1973 would his last season with the Cubs before being traded to Minnesota. After a year with the Twins and another with the Padres, Hundley returned to Chicago for two more years but didn't get into a lot of games.

After retiring, Hundley began one of the first baseball "fantasy camps" that allowed fans to get a chance to suit up and play alongside professional players. His son Todd was also a major leaguer.

"Cactus Jack"

Here's a picture of a guy at the peak of his career:

Card #89 -- Jack Billingham, Cincinnati Reds

Although the photo was likely taken as a quick sidelines shot, with the image it appears Billingham is about to take the field, with a great crowd behind him. Never mind that he's in a road uniform, he has the look of determination on his face and appears to be ready for whatever the other team tries to do with their bats.

1973 would be a great year for Jack Billingham. He won 19 games, led the league with 7 shutouts, was named an All-Star for the only time in his career and was the ace of a team that would finish with the best record in the majors. He also posted career-best strikeout and ERA totals that year.

In 1974, Billingham would toss the pitch that Hank Aaron sent into the seats for the home run that tied him with Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list. Fortunately for him, fans forgot all about that pitch four days later, when Al Downing threw the pitch that broke the record. He would go on to help the Reds win back-to-back titles in 1975 and '76. He pitched in Cincinnati through 1977, went to Detroit and then finished his career with the Red Sox in 1980.

This was one of several Topps cards that mentioned that Billingham was a cousin of Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson.

Postseason Play at the Plate

Among the subsets in the 1973 Topps set is a 10-card series chronicling the '72 postseason. Each World Series contest had its own card, but the A.L. and N.L. league championship series each was relegated to its own card (and in those pre-realignment days, there were no divisional championship series...in fact, in '72 baseball purists were still grumbling that the league championship series was "watering down" the postseason). The NLCS card was shown here last June. Here's the card representing the ALCS:

Card #201 -- A.L. Championship Series

In this picture, George Hendrick is scoring against Tiger catcher Bill Freehan. Unlike the winning run in the NLCS as shown on that card, this picture was taken in the 4th inning and there was still a long road before the game was over.

At the end of the '72 season, the A's won the American League West handily, but in the East there was a race to the end for the division crown. As the dust settled, the Detroit Tigers edged out the Boston Red Sox by half a game to win the crown. As the series began, the A's were heavily favored; they had the stars and the better record. At the core, these Tigers were different from the club that won the '68 World Series, but anything was possible with skipper Billy Martin.

The series started in Oakland and the A's won both contests there. Once the series moved to Detroit, the Tigers grabbed two games to tie the series and set up a winner-take-all fifth game on Thurday, October 12. The Tigers drew first blood in their half of the first when Dick McAuliffe capitalized on a passed ball and then scored on a groundout. The A's would tie the game in the second inning, when Reggie Jackson stole home. While Jackson scored, he tore his hamstring and ended his season. In the 4th, Jackson's replacement George Hendrick would score the run shown above to put the A's ahead. The two teams would battle for another five innings before it was over.

It would be the first time the A's would play in a World Series since 1931, when they were still playing in Philadelphia. For all the talk in '72 about the Pittsburgh Steelers finally won the first NFL playoff game in their 40-year history that year, this should give a little perspective: the last time the A's had been in a World Series, there was no NFL team in Pittsburgh.

Cards Can Trigger Memories...

While I usually talk about the picture when I share my cards here, this time I'll share a memory. Here is the very first Topps card of Lynn McGlothen:

Card #114 -- Lynn McGlothen, Boston Red Sox

When I was a young collector, McGlothen was on one of the very first cards from 1973 I ever owned. I was still an infant in '73 and never began collecting cards until 1978. While trading with friends with older brothers, the oldest cards available in trades were from 1975, so I had to wait until I found a card dealer before I could get anything from 1973. That day finally arrived in the Summer of 1984. Searching through a commons box, I ended up getting several 1970s cards, including a '70 Cesar Tovar (then my oldest card), two '71s and a half dozen '73s. Lynn McGlothen was among the '73s.

A short time later, I noticed in the sports section of the Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times that McGlothin had died in a trailer home fire. Even at nearly 12 years old, it seemed hard to realize the smiling man in this picture was gone. For some reason, I went to the local library and did some research and discovered that other players on my cards were also dead. I knew about Thurman Munson but found out that Lyman Bostock, Don Wilson and Francisco Barrios had died as well.  McGlothen's death not only helped me understand a little more about how dying was a natural part of life, it also helped me see that players will be forever alive for those who collect their cards. It's a good lesson for a young person.

At the time this picture was taken, McGlothen was still trying to make the majors. After short stints in Boston from 1972-'73, he was traded to the Cardinals and had three solid seasons before shoulder problems derailed his career. He hung on with several teams through 1982 before he was released for the last time. Less than two years after that, he was gone for good. He was 34 years old.

Tony the Tiger

The cap may be airbrushed, but it was hard to resist the chance to use that title.

Card #29 -- Tony Taylor, Detroit Tigers

I'm trying to figure out why the cap is airbrushed, though. It appears Taylor is wearing a Tigers jersey, as he was dealt to the team from Philadelphia during the 1971 season. If the picture originally had Taylor wearing a Phillies jersey, the airbrush artist did a great job of it. One problem, though: in 1972 and '73, the Tigers definitely used an orange-colored D in Old English style on their caps, but only in road games, where the jerseys were grey. The white jersey shown on Taylor would have been accompanied by a white-colored letter D.

After coming up with the Cubs in 1958, Taylor was the Phillies' regular second sacker from 1960-'71 and was a fan favorite there. He was a threat with his glove and on the basepaths. He stole home six times, which ranks second among all Phillies players. 1973 would be Taylor's final season in Detroit. During the offseason, he swent back to Philly as a free agent and spent three more seasons there as a utility player. When he retired in 1976, he was the oldest player still active. He played more than a thousand games at second, still the all-time Phillie record.

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.