196(9) At A Time - Page 65

#572 - Giants Heroes A pretty nice looking card of two Hall of Famers. I bet Willie is smiling because he's holding the bat, not Marichal.



A bat in Juan's hands is a dangerous thing!



#573 - Jim Palmer It's a hall of fame doubleheader, though in 1969, not too many people had Jim Palmer pegged for Cooperstown. Going into the season, his career record was 23-15, but arm trouble cost him most of the '67 and '68 seasons. 1969 was a breakthrough season. With his arm surgically repaired, Palmer went 16-4 with a 2.34 ERA. He would win at least 20 games in seven of the following eight seasons and was on his way to the hall.



#574 - George Scott I like the look of this card with the Yankee Stadium frieze in the background. After hitting .303 for the pennant winning '67 Red Sox, Scott slumped badly in 1968, hitting only .171. But he was able to turn things around in '69, raising his average back up to a respectable .253 with 16 HRs.



#575 - Bill Singer It looks like this shot is from spring training, 1969: I think I see a centennial patch on his left sleeve. Singer would have one of the best seasons of his career in 1969. He was a 20 game winner and had an ERA of 2.34. The Dodgers needed someone to step into the retired Don Drysdale's role as staff ace, and Singer seemed to do just that.



#576 - Phillies Rookies Stone had a cup of coffee with the A's in 1966 (he pictured in an A's uniform), but didn't return to the majors until 1969 with the Phillies (who picked him up in a January trade). He hit .239 in 103 games. Wilson made the team in the spring and stuck around the entire season. He had a 2-5 record in 37 appearances.



#577 - Mike Hegan Originally a Yankee (notice the pinstripes on the card), Hegan was one of two Pilots to make the All Star team, though he was replaced on the roster because he was hurt. He played in 95 games during the year, but only 18 in July and August combined. He had a decent .295 average with 8 HRs as the Pilot's right fielder.



#578 - Don Bosch Bosch hit .157 over two seasons with the Mets. Gee, I wonder why they didn't protect him in the draft? 1969 was his one and only season in Montreal and his last in the majors. He improved his average, but .179 won't get it done. The Expos did make the best of him, though, trading him in 1970 to the Astros for Mike Marshall, who would become a premier reliever.



#579 - Dave Nelson Nelson played in only 88 games in 1968, hit only .233, and made the Topps All-Star Rookie team. Must have been pretty slim pickings at second base. The sophomore jinks hit him in '69, as he played in fewer games (only 52) and saw hit average drop to .203.



#580 - Jim Northrup He should be smiling, as he had a nice season in 1968 as a starting outfielder for the World Champs. He hit .264 with 21 HRs and 90 RBIs and finished 13th in the AL MVP balloting. His stats from '69 were interesting: his average was up, to .295, and he hit more home runs (25), but his RBI's were way down, to only 66. One other thing about the card: its got to be one of a very select few that feature a man in a suit and a tractor.


Overall Set Totals (player cards only)
Hall of Famers - 42
Hatless - 128
Airbrush - 92
Cubs (includes past, present, or future) - 79