Hall of Fame Week, Part 3

Last weekend, retired executive Pat Gillick was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Since he never was a player or manager, he never had a card issued. This presents a problem when it comes to featuring him on this blog. In 1973, he was the director of scouting for the Houston Astros...but I'm not sure which prospects he had an active hand in signing. So, I'll go back to a time when he was still a player.

In 1958, Gillick was a pitcher for USC when that team won the College World Series. This player was also on that team:

Card #125 -- Ron Fairly, Montreal Expos

By the end of 1958, Fairly was playing in the Dodgers' outfield and managed to play in the regular World Series in 1959. In all, he was able to play in four World Series with the Dodgers, winning three. However, he would be traded to the Expos during their inaugural season in 1969, in the deal that brought Maury Wills back to Los Angeles. He stayed with the Expos until 1974 and went through five teams in the following four seasons.

Along the way, he managed to hit over .300 with the Cardinals in 1975 and was an All-Star in 1977 when he represented the Blue Jays during their first season in the league.

After retiring, Fairly became a broadcaster. He currently fills that capacity for the Seattle Mariners.

Hall of Fame Week, Part 2

Last weekend, Roberto Alomar was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Since he was still a kid in 1973, he wouldn't have a baseball card yet. However, his father was an active player:

Card #123 -- Sandy Alomar, California Angels

Sandy Alomar was adept all over the field. He was capable of playing any infield or outfield position. He was also a fleet-footed baserunner who was an aggressive base stealer. Ironically, his main weakness was the one he shows here, his bat. His career average was .245.

Alomar is better known as the father of two future major leaguers. Sandy Alomar, Jr. was a catcher, and Roberto is now in the Hall of Fame. Both came up to the majors in 1988 for the San Diego Padres, where Sandy Sr. was a coach. He's still coaching with the Mets today.

Hall of Fame Week, Part 1

Hall of Fame Weekend is over, and this player is now enshrined in Cooperstown:

Card #199 -- Bert Blyleven, Minnesota Twins

In 1973, he was able to win 20 games for the first (and only) time in his career. He also led the league with 9 shutouts that year, and he was second in both strikeouts and ERA.

Some fans say the Hall of Fame is an honor that's long past due for Blyleven, and others have pointed out that he really wasn't a dominant pitcher during his career on the order of a Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver or Steve Carlton. However, when he retired, he was within sight of 300 wins, struck out more than the guy who was the career leader when he was just starting his career (while that mark was broken before he reached those numbers, it's worth mentioning) and was on two World Series winners.

Some say he the SABR-centered statisticians had a hand in his election; others point out that he was hurt by being a member of some really lousy teams during his career that failed to give him better run support. Those people will probably always argue those points...so I'm not going to dwell on them.

What I will point out is that Blyleven was one of the most notorious pranksters during his playing career. His forte was the "hot foot," where he would light the laces of an unsuspecting teammate's cleats. In the clubhouse of one of his teams, there was a sign above the fire extinguisher that read: "In case of Blyleven, Pull."

After retiring, Blyleven became an announcer and has been known for his rather colorful way with the language. Not bad for a guy who was born in Holland.

Mr. "7-for-7"

On September 16, 1975, this player did something nobody else has been able to in nine innings since 1900:

Card #348 -- Rennie Stennett -- Pittsburgh Pirates

But before I explain that, I have to mention the photo on the card. It was common with pre-1971 Topps sets to have players pose for the camera, so there are a lot of cards with obvious issues: the "hidden ball" tricks, the pitchers who seem to be throwing air, the guy who's swinging a bat in the outfield. And then there's the fielder who looks like he's going for a ground ball. In Stennett's case, not only is he smiling, but he appears to have just stepped out of the dugout.

If you're going to fake it...at least be on the field.

In 1975, Stennett penciled his name in the record books by going 7-for-7 in a game against the Cubs. As you may have guessed for a player to get that many at-bats in a single game, it was a virtual bloodbath (the poor Cubbies were on the receiving end of a 22-0 thrashing). Stennett wasn't the first of go 7-for-7 (Cesar  Gutierrez did it in 1970), but Stennett was the first modern era player to reach that mark within a standard 9-inning game. The "modern era" caveat hides the fact that Wilbert Robinson also went 7-for-7 in a nine-inning contest in 1892...but for whatever reason, 1800s records outside of victories get short shrift in these discussions.

Interestingly, Stennett didn't even finish his 7-for-7 game, as Willie Randolph was sent in to pinch-run for him after his seventh hit.

Despite that one showing of offensive agility, Rennie Stennett was better known for his glove and his baserunning skills. He came up with the Pirates in 1971 but wasn't on the postseason roster when they won the World Series that year. He was part of divison champs in 1972, 1974 and '75 and finally got a Series ring in 1979. However, his starting job at second base was lost that year when the Pirates picked up Bill Madlock. He went to the Giants via free agency in 1980 and finished his career there after a two-year stint.

It's a Strike!

As you can see by the umpire's call, Dave Concepcion just had a strike called against him:

Card #121 -- Dave Rader, San Francisco Giants

Dave Rader had become the Giants' starting catcher in 1972 as a rookie. For his effort, he was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award. Unfortunately for him, the winner of the A.L.'s Rookie of the Year Award was also a catcher, so the Topps All-Star Rookie trophy was placed on Carlton Fisk's card instead.

Interestingly, Rader finished his major league career as Fisk's backup in with the Red Sox in 1980.

Rader was a very good defensive player, which helped the Giants overlook his weaker offensive statistics. He would remain with the Giants through 1976, before being traded to the Cardinals to back up Ted Simmons for 1977. The Cubs picked him up for 1978, which allowed Rader to once again become a starter. The next year, he was traded to Philadelphia where he was a third-stringer to Bob Boone and Tim McCarver. That led to his Boston gig.

After being signed with the Angels for 1981, he was released during Spring Training and hung up the mask for good.

A Man Nicknamed "Gimpy"

At the time this card was issued, this man had recently hurled a no-hitter:

Card #70 -- Milt Pappas, Chicago Cubs

His last name at birth was Pappastediosis.

Actually, the game on September 2, 1972 against the San Diego Padres had been a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning, before umpire Bruce Froemming called two close pitches as balls to let Larry Stahl go to first. Pappas retired the next batter, but has always claimed that Froemming took away his perfect game.

Pappas originally came up with the Baltimore Orioles in 1957. In 1961, he tossed a fastball that would become Roger Maris's 59th home run. When the Orioles traded him to the Reds after the '65 season, they picked up Frank Robinson, which was eventually seen as a lopsided trade in favor of Baltimore. However, Pappas was still a good pitcher...it's just that Robinson's next season was a monster. He eventually went to Atlanta in 1968 and the Cubs in 1970. 1973 would be Pappas's final season.

Debuting at the age of 18, Milt Pappas was one of 16 pitchers in the liveball era to win 150 games before his 30th birthday. Of that list, only Greg Maddux has ever managed to get 300. He also hit 20 home runs during his career.

As for his nickname "Gimpy"...Pappas had knee surgery at 17, and was called that during his recuperation. Despite not being injury-prone during his major league career, the nickname manged to follow him.

The Other Reggie

Though overshadowed during his career by another player named Reggie, Reggie Smith was no slouch on the diamond:

Card #40 -- Reggie Smith, Boston Red Sox

I love the way Smith's afro is beginning to sprout under his hat in this photo.

Reggie Smith was part of two great teams. First, he was part of the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox in 1967. A decade later, he was the centerfielder and a key weapon in the Dodgers' arsenal during the late 1970s. Since I began paying attention to baseball in the late 1970s, I remember him more as a member of the Dodgers between three World Series against the Yankees and as a part my budding collection of baseball cards. Therefore, seeing him in another unifrom seems odd, even though he spent more time with the Red Sox than he did in Los Angeles.

Smith was a gifted batter, who could hit for both average and power. He also possessed excellent range in the outfield. While not exactly Hall of Fame material, Reggie Smith's career numbers have definitely been overlooked. 1973 would be his final season at Fenway, and he was traded to the Cardinals after the season. After posting two straight .300 seasons in St. Louis, he was traded to the Dodgers for Joe Ferguson (which, in hindsight, was a really lopsided deal). He helped the team to back-to-back Series in 1977-'78.

In 1980, Smith suffered a couple of injuries that limited his playing time. First, he and Derrel Thomas had a locker room argument, so Smith took his frustration out on a water cooler. The cooler won, and sixty stitches were needed in his wrist. Then, he injured his shoulder making a throw. That ended his season and limited him in 1981, but he was still able to play in the World Series (a winning effort) that year.

In 1982, Smith tested free agency and entered into talks with the Yuriomi Giants in Japan. However, they wouldn't get into financial specifics, so he stayed in the U.S. and played for a different Giants team. That would be his final season in the majors, and he ended up going to Japan for 1983. Despite a bad experience there that saw him frequently ridiculed for his mannerisms, Smith still paid attention to the coaching he recieved at the hands of Sadaharu Oh and used them in his own coaching career later on.