The back: The messy Tidrow was famous for managing to get his uniform filthy before a game even started. Teammates named him after character in the Mobil commercials, "Mr. Dirt".
The player: Tidrow was a so-so starting pitcher for the Indians in 1972 and 1973, and in 1974 Cleveland sent him and Chris Chambliss to the Yankees in a trade that helped shape the late-70s championship Yankees teams. In '75 the Yankees moved Tidrow to the bullpen, and he became the main set-up man for Sparky Lyle. In '78, with Tidrow coming off of surgery and the Yankees shaking up their bullpen, Tidrow as moved back to the starting rotation, and once again he was less effective in a starting role. After a poor start to the '79 season, the Yankees traded Tidrow to the Cubs for Ray Burris. Burris was awful for the Yankees, but Tidrow regained his form and was an effective reliever through 1982. He was traded across town to the White Sox in 1983, where he helped them win the AL West. He ended his career with 11 games with the Mets in 1984. Overall in 620 games (138 starts) he went 100-94 with 55 saves and a 3.68 ERA.
The man: After his career he was a scout for the Yankees for several years, then went to the Giants when they hired Yankees executive Brian Sabean. He eventually became Director of Player Personnel for the Giants, helping build a team that won three World Series in five seasons. He was still working for the Giants when he died in 2021.
My collection: I have 28 of his cards, from 1972 to 1984. I would be interested in trading for 1982 Fleer Stamps #99.
I've always liked this card. The blue sky background fits perfectly with the uniform and border.
ReplyDeleteImage-wise, this has got to be one of the better cards in the set.
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