#43 - Joe Niekro At this point in his career, Joe was a young hard-throwing pitcher. It wasn't until much later that he took to the knuckle ball like big brother Phil.
The biggest contribution Niekro made to the Cubs of 1969 was the player brought to the team in exchange for him. Joe only pitched in four games for the '69 Cubs before he was sent, along with two other players, to the Padres.
The Cubs received pitcher Dick Selma. Selma had two roles with the Cubs. First, he became the fourth starter. He had a 10-8 record in that role.
But I remember him not as a pitcher, but as the cheerleader for the Bleacher Bums. While sitting in the bullpen on his off-days, he would wave a towel and get the Bleacher Bums stirred up. This was another of the magical pieces of the 1969 season.
There is no Topps card of Dick Selma with the Cubs. He is a Padre in the 1969 card and he was traded to the Phillies after the '69 season and is a Phillie in the 1970 card. The closest Cub connection is the cartoon on the back of his 1970 card:
Has anyone done one of those homemade cards of Dick Selma with the '69 Cubs? Looks like he deserves one.
ReplyDeleteAnd there is no card of Joe Niekro with the Padres.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to make a Cubs card of Dick Selma, but I haven't been able to find a decent color picture of him.
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