1974 Topps Deckle Dating - Burt Hooton

Candlestick Park was known for it's chilly ocean breezes, which is probably why Burt Hooton is wearing a windbreaker.

Even though it is July 11. Assuming this was late morning, the temperature was in the mid-60s.

Three days earlier Hooton lost in San Diego to drop to 8-7, in a season that he would end with a 14-17 record. On this day teammate Milt Pappas got the start, and pitched pretty well, two earned runs in six innings. The Cubs brought in Dave LaRoche in the seventh inning of a 2-2 game, and he immediately gave up five runs, including back-to-back home runs by Ed Goodson and Gary Matthews. It was more than enough for the Giants to hold off the Cubbies by a 7-3 final. Even with the loss the Cubs were 51-38, five games ahead of the second-place Cardinals, and 14 games ahead of the last place Mets. However, this game kicked off a six-game losing streak, and a stretch where the Cubs lost 27 out of 31. The Cubs would finish the season 77-84, five games back of the first-place Mets after one of the wildest division races ever.

This appears to be the same photo used for Hooton's 1975 Hostess card.

In other news, a plane crash near Paris killed 123 people, former Attorney General John Mitchell told a Senate investigating committee that he concealed information about Watergate from President Nixon, Willie Stargell set the all-time Pirates home run record, and 29-year-old tennis star Billie Jean King accepted a challenge from 1939 champion Bobby Riggs, almost twice her age, to a Battle of the Sexes in September.