Cake or Gum? 1975 Burt Hooton

Last time cake won, 3-2. Who will come out on top this time?

Hostess misspelled Happy's first and last name on the front of the card, but got them right on the back. I guess the fronts and backs were assembled at different times by different people. The photo on the Hostess card is Candlestick Park, I believe - combination of green wall and orange seats. A few people starting to fill in the stands. Topps went for a simpler spring training shot. Hooton appears to be rubbing up a baseball, though the ball is not visible, and Topps was known to fake a ball in pitcher poses.

Nicknamed "Happy" because he rarely seemed to be, Burt Hooton was an unremarkable Cubs pitcher who was traded to the Dodgers after three bad starts to open the '75 season, undoubtedly while his Cubs card was still on grocery shelves. He immediately blossomed in LA, winning 18 games that year, and for the next few years was a reliable member of the starting rotation as the Dodgers won three pennants. In 1981, he was the NLCS MVP and was the winning pitcher in the last game of the 1981 World Series. Overall in 480 games he went 151-136 with a 3.38 ERA. After his playing career he was a long-time minor league pitching coach, and is now retired.