This one is a mish-mosh of different years, but they all have one thing in common. They all cost me 2 thin dimes.

1967 Topps #56 Jose Tartabull

I always love hearing combination stats of big league family members. Like people always talk about how Christy Mathewson and his brother Henry have a combined 373 wins between them. Of course no one mentions that Christy has 373 wins by himself. Henry never won a Major League game. Similarly, Jose Tartabull and his son Danny have a combined 262 Major League home runs. Danny has 262 of those. Here’s to living vicariously through your kids.

1967 Topps #261 John Wyatt

John Wyatt holds a very honored Major League record. A home run record at that. Do people love anything more than home run records? I think not. What’s the record, you ask? John holds the all-time single-season record for most home runs given up by a relief pitcher. In 1964, he gave up 23 dingers without making a start. No other pitcher in the long history of the game has ever given up more than 20 homers while making 3 or less starts. Well done, sir.

1970 Topps #199 ALCS Game 1 Highlights

It’s a little deceiving that they put Mike Cuellar on this card for the first game of the ALCS. He pitched great and all, 8 innings pitched, 3 hits, 3 runs, struck out 7. But the Orioles were actually losing 3-2 when he left the game. You would think maybe Boog Powell would be a better choice, seeing as he homered in the bottom of the 9th to push the game to extra innings. Or Eddie Watt, who pitched hitless, scoreless 10th and 11th innings. How about Mark Belanger who scored the winning run in the 12th, or Paul Blair who drove him in with a bunt single? Again, I’m not saying Cuellar wasn’t great, but aren’t these cards supposed to be highlights? Is being on the losing end of a ballgame despite a good effort really a highlight?

1971 Topps #119 Frank Lucchesi

Another manager card crossed off the list. The year after this card came out, Frank was fired by the Phillies’ general manager, Paul Owens, who decided that he could do a better job managing and did so for the remainder of the season. Considering that the Phil’s were 26-50 at the time Frank was given the axe, maybe he was right. Considering that they went 33-47 the rest of the way under Owens, maybe Paul should’ve stuck to being a GM. Frank later went on to manage the Rangers where, after chosing Bump Wills as the starting second baseman over Len Randle, Lucchesi got his ass beat by Randle. The fight might’ve also had to do with the fact that Frank basically called Len a whiney punk. Either way, shortly after that Frank lost his job in Texas and Randle was sent to the Mets. By the way, is it just me, or does it really look like he misspelled his name in his signature?

1971 Topps #23 Oscar Gamble

Was anyone out the aware that Oscar Gamble had other cards other than his 1976 Traded card? I wasn’t.

Tags: 1967 Topps, 1970 Topps, 1971 Topps, Frank Lucchesi, John Wyatt, Jose Tartabull, manager card, Mike Cuellar, Oscar Gamble
Filed Under: Bargin Bin Baseball Cards by slangon
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