Yesterday I presented my design for the "missing" 1970 Topps card
for Indians player Tony Horton, explaining that he never had an
"official" Topps card in his seven-year career.
Today I present what would have been his last card after his sudden and sad retirement from the game during the 1970 season.
Take a look:
I still don't know why Topps never produced a card for the young
slugger, but it makes the Tony Horton story that much more mysterious
and begs a few more answers to some tough questions.
For the 1970 season, Horton was hitting .269 with 17 homers and 59
runs batted in by August, certainly good numbers for that era.
But as I stated yesterday, Horton was battling serious issues and
walked away from the game, literally, during a doubleheader, leading to a
suicide attempt that very night.
Luckily for him, he sought treatment and was helped with his problems.
However he never did return to professional ball, and went on to live a private life, refusing to talk to media post-retirement.
If anyone knows why Topps never had Horton under contract I'd love to hear it. Was it Horton's decision? Was it Topps?
