Cake or gum? 1976 Boog Powell

 Last time Topps crushed Hostess, 9-0. Will cake fare better this time?

Boog flashes a big smile on his Hostess cards. It's a bit tough to see what's in the dugout behind him - is that plywood by the helmet cubbies? A bag of bats on the bench? Meanwhile Topps captures him in an action shot in what I believe is Anaheim Stadium. (Which is currently the fourth-oldest MLB ballpark - after Fenway and Wrigley it's the two LA stadium. When the A's leave Oakland #5 will be KC!) 

Powell played in just one day game in Anaheim in 1975. In the seventh inning, with Cleveland down 3-1, hits by Hendrick and Carty gave the Indians runners on second and third with one man out. The Angels took out lefty Frank Tanana and replaced him with righty Don Kirkwood. Cleveland countered by sending the lefty Powell to pinch-hit for righty John Ellis. Powell singled to drive in both runners to tie the game, and later came around to score the go-ahead run on a hit by Duane Kuiper. Powell stayed in the game as the first baseman, and in the eight hit a sac fly to make the score 7-4. Powell was followed by Alan Ashby who drove in another run with a single to give the Indians a four-run lead, and they needed them as California's Mike Miley hit a three-run HR in the ninth. Cleveland hung on to win 8-7.

Boog Powell was a big star on the great Orioles teams of the mid- to late-1960s. He hit 30+ HR four times between 1964 and 1970, and led the NL in slugging in 1964. His production tailed off in the early 1970s, and after the 1974 season the Orioles traded him to Cleveland. He had a nice bounce-back season in 1975, hitting .297 with 27 HR and 86 RBI. However, he tailed off to .215 in 1976. He was released by the Indians and signed with the Dodgers. He played in 50 games in 1977, hitting .244 with no extra-base-hits before being released in August, ending his career. Overall in 2,042 games he hit .266 with 339 HR and 1,187 RBI. He hit well in the postseason - in 33 games he hit .262 with 6 HR and 18 RBI. After his retirement, he did a series of popular commercials for Miller Lite. Since the opening of Camden Yards in 1992 he has operated a restaurant there, Boog's BBQ.