#230 - Rusty Staub Rusty would have been airbrushed no matter what, as either an Astro or Expo. The Expos picked him up in a trade in January, 1969 and Rusty would be one of the most popular of the original Expos. He had a nice season in 1969, with a .302 average and 29 home runs.
#231 - Pat Dobson He appeared in three games in the 1968 World Series. He was only 5-10 for the Tigers in 1969 and was traded away to the Padres after the season.
#232 - Dave Ricketts Dig those dark black plastic frames. I wonder how that worked with his mask? Ricketts was a life time back up catcher. He played in 30 games for the Red Birds in 1969.
#233 - Steve Barber Steve had some good years with the Orioles in the mid-'60's. But by 1969 he was in the journeyman phase of his career. He went 4-7 for the Pilots and was released just prior to the start of 1970. He was picked up by the Cubs, but lasted only five games before being released again.
#234 - Dave Bristol There is an interesting fact on the back of Bristols card: "Just 35 years old, Dave is now in his 13th year as a manager of a pro ball club." That is pretty amazing. The 1969 Reds finished 83-79, but that wasn't good enough and he was fired and replaced by Sparky Anderson. Bristol hooked up with the Brewers in 1970 and would also manage the Braves and Giants.
#235 - Jim Hunter Instead of airbrushing away a KC hat, Topps shows Catfish hatless. Though he tossed a perfect game in 1968, his career record was still under .500 at 43-49. He didn't turn that around in 1969, going 12-15. It wouldn't be until 1970 when he would begin to show his Hall of Fame stuff.
#236 - Manny Mota It's pretty obvious based on the uniform that the Expos took Mota from the Pirates. He was off to a decent start in 1969, hitting over .300 when he was traded to the Dodgers, along with Maury Wills, for Ron Fairly and and Paul Popovich. The Expos then sent Popovich to the Cubs for Adolfo Phillips. Mota would hit just as well for the Dodgers, finishing the season at a .323 clip.
#237 - Bobby Cox The Braves skipper looks alot skinnier in this card than he does today. He was a Topps Rookie All-Star in 1968, but after hittiing only .215 for the Yankees in 1969, his playing career was finished
#238 - Ken Johnson A couple thing stand out on this card. First, what a cool looking patch the Braves wore on their sleeve. Second, Johnson looks very old; look at all the wrinkles on his forehead and face. Finally, does he look like he has already had several beers? What a goofy look. He was at the tail end of his career and spent 1969 with three different team, including nine games with the Cubs late in the season.
SInce he was with the Cubs in 1969, I felt the need to create a card for him in a Cubs uniform
Overall Set Totals (player cards only)
Hall of Famers - 15
Hatless - 50
Airbrush - 48
Cubs (includes past, present, or future) - 39
What is that thing Ricketts is wearing? It looks like he slept in it for a week.
ReplyDeleteIt's cool to see that Bobby Cox was young once.
Is that Dave Ricketts or Al Franken? The resemblance is kind of freaky.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention Ken Johnson's chin--chins? As usual your card is better than the original.
ReplyDeleteRe: Ricketts....as kids my brothers and I had an All-Star ugly team, based on the cards we had, and Dave Ricketts was the catcher!
ReplyDeleteBobby Cox will eventually be in the Hall of Fame. As will Joe Torre and maybe Lou Pinella. That should bring the total numbers of Hall of Famers up to 33.
ReplyDelete