I realize how trivial this all is, but the 1973 Topps Bill North
card has always bugged me because of the airbrushing, or "missing"
airbrushing on his uniform.
Take a look:
What bugs me to this day is the fact that you can clearly see the
"Chicago" across his chest, since the photo was taken while he was still
a Chicago Cub.
I rarely re-do cards of non-Hall of Famers, but since this is one
that stuck in my side for so long, I figured I re-do it with an actual
photo of North in an Oakland A's uniform.
A two-time stolen base champ in mid-1970's. North played 11 years
in the big leagues, between 1971 and 1981 for the Cubs, A's, Dodgers and
Giants.
He led the A.L. in stolen bases in 1974 and 1976, with totals of 54
and 75. He would have led the league in 1973, ending up one behind
leader Tommy Harper, had he not sprained his ankle on September 20th, which also cost him seeing any action in the post-season.
He'd end up with 395 stolen bases to go along with a .261 lifetime
average, 640 runs and 1016 hits, while being on two championship teams
with Oakland in 1973 & 1974.
Funny enough, he was also the very first designated hitter in
Oakland A's history, going 2 for 5 in the 1973 season opener against the
Minnesota Twins.
Go figure…
