Cake or gum? 1976 Mike Cuellar

Last time it was another easy victory for Topps, 9-3. Will this be closer?

Two very different photos this time. Hostess has a portrait at spring training, while Topps goes for the action shot at Memorial Stadium.

Mike Cuellar made his major league debut with the Reds in 1959, but only pitched in two games. Over the next few years he worked on his screwball in the minor leagues, and he returned to the majors with the Cardinals in 1964. After one decent season the Cardinals traded him to the Astros, where he finally blossomed into an excellent pitcher, making his first All-Star team in 1967 at the age of 30. After a down year in '68 the Astros traded him to the Orioles for Curt Blefary, in what turned out to be a steal of a trade for Baltimore. Blefary had one undistinguished season for the Astros, while Cuellar won the AL Cy Young award (tied with Denny McLain), going 23-11 with a 2.38 ERA. It was the first of six straight 18+ win seasons for Cuellar. He finally ended his career with the Angels at the age of 40 in 1977. Overall in 453 games he went 185-130 with a 3.14 ERA. He had similarly outstanding numbers in the postseason - in 12 starts he went 4-4 with a 2.85 ERA. In three of the four losses he pitched well and lost by a 2-1 score. After his career he did some coaching and worked at a golf course. He died of cancer in 2010.

Wood vs. Wood #252

Last time it was 1987 by an 8-3 margin. Will 1962 fare better here?

Earl Shibe is looking over his shoulder, past the cameraman. I believe the stadium with the red seats is Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Francis came up with the Pirates at the end of the 1960 season, and was a part of their starting rotation the next three seasons. His best season was 1962, going 9-8 with a 3.07 ERA, and he was the team's Opening Day starter in '63. However, arm troubles curtailed his career, pitching in just two games in 1964 and two more in 1965 for the Cardinals. Overall in 103 games (52 starts) he went 16-23 with a 3.77 ERA. After his playing days he had a long career as a meatcutter in a supermarket. He died of diabetes in 2002.

Dennis Martinez (whom I believe only Topps called "Denny") fires a pitch at Shea Stadium. The photo actually looks very static except for the big dirt cloud at his foot. After a decade with the Orioles, Martinez had been traded to the Expos in June of 1986. This would have been June 25, his second game in the National League. Martinez pitched two scoreless innings of relief in a 5-2 Expos loss. The Mets went ahead for good on an RBI single by pitcher Sid Fernandez in the fourth inning. Martinez came up with the Orioles in 1976 and had several up-and-down seasons. A high point was 1981, leading the AL with 14 wins in the strike-shortened season. A low point was being left off the postseason roster in 1983 due in part to his alcoholism. Martinez got sober after that season and was traded to the Expos in 1986, where he got himself together and became a star at age 33. His best season was 1991, when he led the NL with a 2.39 ERA, 9 complete games and 5 shutouts, including a perfect game. He signed with the Indians after the 1994 season, and at age 41 in 1995 he went 12-5 with a 3.08 ERA to help Cleveland win the pennant. He retired after the 1998 season at the age o f 44. Overall in 692 games he went 245-193 with a 3.70 ERA. After his playing career Martinez did some coaching at the major and minor league level, and managed Nicaragua in the 2013 WBC. Martinez's nickname "El Presidente" came from his popularity in his native country. Nicaragua's President since 2007 is dictator Daniel Ortega. In 2022 Ortega had Martinez's name removed from the stadium named for the pitcher in 1998 after Martinez criticized the president.

Wallet card with an alpha-numeric phone number sighting

I spotted this today, of all places on a hand dryer in the restroom of a theater in Bellmore, NY. Check out the phone number: IVanhoe 9-9300.

Janvey & Sons still exists to this day, and they still have the same phone number, though with the more prosaic "489" instead of "IVanhoe 9". 

Does this hand dryer actually date back to the late-1960s move away from alpha-numeric phone numbers? Possibly - the theater is older than that, but was heavily remodeled in recent years. The hand dryer could have been from before the remodel or bought used. It is also possible that Janvey was still using the old-style number for a while later, though a quick google search doesn't turn up anything later than the 1950s. 

Whenever it's from, it's definitely old and I love finding these rare instances of old phone numbers still existing the way they would have 50+ years ago.

1974 Topps Deckle Dating: Charlie Spikes

 Front image via TCDB.

Was tough to find a back image; found this on a Facebook Marketplace post. Being offered for $25 which seems quite reasonable as these cards go.

1973 was Spikes's first year with the Indians, and this looks like it could be Oakland, so we might have a correct date here. It was not an auspicious day for Charlie, as he went 0-for-3 as the DH with two strikeouts as Oakland, behind two Bert Campaneris home runs, knocked off the Tribe 5-2.

In other news, France detonated an atomic bomb in a test explosion in the South Pacific, the Soviet Union launched the Mars 4 orbiter, and National City Bank announced that they would build a 54-story headquarters building on East 53rd Street in Manhattan. By the time the building was completed in 1977, the bank had changed it's name to Citibank, and the building was named the Citicorp Building. At the time of the announcement it was the most expensive city block in the world.

1981 Topps Jerry Morales

 

The front: According to this TCDB list, this is the oldest card of a non-catcher with his cap backwards.

The back: Seems that anybody who played in the '60s didn't have room for a blurb in the back.

The player: Jerry Morales was a solid-hitting outfielder for five teams over a fifteen-year career. His best years were with some bad Cubs teams in the late '70s, including an All-Star appearance in 1977. Overall in 1,441 games he hit .259 with 95 HR and 570 RBI.

The man: Morales was a minor league coach and scout for many years, and has been heavily involved in youth baseball in his home of Puerto Rico.

My collection: I have 25 of his cards, from 1970 to 1984. I would be interested in trading for 1976 Hostess #140.

1976 SSPC Skip Jutze

 

The card, in brief: Skip is looking very serious in this photo.

Playing career, in brief: Skip Jutze was a good defensive catcher who didn't hit much, in part due to some injuries over his six seasons with the Cardinals, Astros and Mariners. His biggest highlight was hitting the first grand slam in Mariners history in 1977. Overall in 254 games he hit .215 with 3 HR and 51 RBI.

Post playing career, in brief: For decades Jutze has been working at the Developmental Disabilities Resource Center of Jefferson County, CO. He is the center's marketing director, in addition to working full-time with the center's clients.

My collection: I have six of his cards, from 1973 to 1978. I would be interested in trading for 1976 O-Pee-Chee #489.

1970 Topps Booklets: The Reggie Jackson Story

The biggest young star in the game, at the time.

Jackson not only injured his knees playing football, he also broke five vertabrae and was told at the time he might not walk again.

Pretty good resemblance of Reggie in that first panel.

Odd that his uniform has "O" instead of "A's". Good reminder that the A's used to play in Oakland. The bit about breaking the HR record some day is interesting. He seemed like a real threat to Maris's record (still pretty new at the time) but he never came close again, with only one more 40+ season (41 in 1980). He actually dipped all the way to 23 in 1970, but then rattled off ten straight 25+ HR seasons before the 1981 strike.

Cake or gum? 1976 Felix Millan

Last time it was a 10-0 blowout for gum. Will this be closer?

Felix Millan chokes way up on the bat, as he was famous for doing. These pictures both appear to have been taken at the same time, with Millan standing near the on-deck circle on the first base line. The only bit that is throwing me is the screen in front of the pitcher, seen on the Topps card but not the Hostess. Perhaps Millan is just perfectly angled to block the screen on the Hostess card, or maybe the screen was added or removed during the shoot.

Millan's extreme batting stance was productive, and he had some of the best bat control of all time. He struck out in just 4.2% of his at-bats, which is 25th all-time, and the lowest for anyone who played after 1965. He was a lifetime .279 hitter and won two Gold Gloves. He came up with the Braves in 1966 and was excellent for them for several years. He was traded to the Mets before the 1973 season and was a big reason for their surprise pennant that year. After his last game in the US, in 1977, he played three years in Japan, winning a batting title in 1979. After his retirement he was a coach in the Mets organization and ran a baseball academy in Florida. At age 81 he still does appearances for both the Braves and the Mets, teaches a youth bible class in Puerto Rico, and is the honorary commissioner of the Felix Millan Little League, which operates on Manhattan's Lower East Side.

Wood vs. Wood #249

Last time it was an 8-1 victory for 1962. Will 1987 fare better here?

Ed Keegan looks every bit the fresh-faced youngster on this rookie card. He actually had another rookie card in the '61 set. In fact this was the last card of his brief big league career. He made 13 appearances for the Phillies and A's from 1959 to 1962, going 0-3 with an ERA of 9.00. He did have one save, pitching the ninth inning of a 5-2 victory over Cleveland in 1961. His teams lost all 12 of the other games he pitched in. After his playing career he was active in youth baseball in his hometown of Malaga, NJ. He died in 2014.

Jim Pankovits has a laugh in spring training, probably during some infield drills. Behind Pankovits is an ad for an attorney. Peter Macr?  Pankovits was only in his third season but was already 30 years old - his first prominent baseball experience was during the 1968 Little League World Series! A backup infielder and pinch hitter, he appeared in 316 games for the Astros from 1984 to 1988, and two games for the Red Sox in 1990. In 620 at bats he hit .250 with 9 HR and 55 RBI. After his playing career ended he had a long career as a minor league coach and manager. He is now retired from those roles but is still involved in youth baseball.

1974 Topps Deckle Dating: Rod Carew

Nice Yankee Stadium shot, and nice photo choice that doesn't look cramped in the odd shape of this set.

April 28, 1973. Carew went 1-for-3 with a sac fly for an RBI. It was an easy win for the Yankees, however, belting around Hall-of-Famer Jim Kaat and relievers Joe Decker and Jim Strickland, for an 11-3 drubbing of the Twins, in front of a Yankee Stadium "crowd" of 6,461. Bobby Murcer hit two home runs, and Matty Alou and Graig Nettles also went deep for the Bombers. It was the first Yankee Stadium home run as a Yankee for both Alou and Nettles.

But this couldn't have been that date! By that date, this card was already available, at least among the full 1973 sets that Topps was testing that year.

The patch on Carew's arm was only worn by the Twins during the 1972 season. It can also be seen on his Kellogg's card that year, with the photo perhaps taken at the same time; as Carew is behind the home plate area in both photos.

Presumably whoever was editing the deckle set just picked a Saturday on the '73 schedule were the Twins were in New York.

However, it is possible, however unlikely, that Topps had the year wrong but the date right. The Twins were in New York on April 28, 1972, though it was a Friday night game. Carew went 0-4 but the Twins won, 4-1. If Topps's photographer typically worked on Saturdays, a more likely date might have been April 29, a Saturday day game. On that date Carew batted third, and in the first inning singled and later scored on a two-run triple by Harmon Killebrew, which ended up being the only runs in a 2-0 Twins win. And just in case the photographer was working Sunday - The Yankees won that game, 5-4, with a walk-off double by Rusty Torres. Carew was 1-for-5 at the plate, but made a big error which allowed a Yankee run to score in the second inning.

Topps appears to have gotten a lot of use out of that photo session in their 1973 cards. See the league leader card from Series I of '73 Topps . . . 

. . . and the '73 Topps Candy Lids test item.