Cake or Gum? 1976 Cesar Cedeno

 

Hostess has a rather typical spring training shot. The line across the photo is a crease on my card. Topps has Cedeno posing during batting practice at Dodger Stadium, wearing a logo-less hat and a #40 memorial patch for Don Wilson. Cedeno came up with the Astros as a 19-year-old rookie in 1970 and quickly became a star. An exciting combination of power and speed, he led the NL in doubles in 1971 and 1972. In both 1972 and 1973, he hit .320 with 20+ HR and 50+ steals. That December, he was charged with involuntary manslaughter when he was playing with a gun with a 19-year-old woman in his hotel room; the gun went off, killing the woman. Cedeno served 20 days in jail and was fined $100. Though still a productive player for many years, he did not put up the same kind of numbers after that incident. Overall, in 17 seasons, mostly for the Astros, Cedeno hit .285 with 199 HR, 976 RBI and 550 SB. After his career he was arrested once for drunk driving and twice for domestic abuse. He had a long coaching career for several organizations, mostly the Astros, and was inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame in 2020.