Friday, April 3, 2015

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #26: "THE BULL" GREG LUZINSKI

Today's "Nickname of the '70s" ballplayer is former Phillies slugger Greg "The Bull" Luzinski.
Check out the card:


I put him on a 1977 template since he was smack in the middle of a torrid run between 1975 and 1978 that saw him post four straight top-10 MVP finishes, with two runner-up finishes in 1975 and 1977.
An all-star each of those seasons, Luzinski topped a .300 batting average three of the four seasons, as well as three 30+ homer and 100+ R.B.I. totals as well.
While the rest of his career was solid as well, it was those four years that made him a monster at the plate, complimenting Mike Schmidt in the line-up with a one-two punch that few other teams could match.
He'd finish his 15-year career as a member of the Chicago White Sox, the only other team he'd play for, in 1984, and would total 307 homers, 1128 runs batted in and a .276 average over 1821 games and 6505 at-bats.
I wish he was able to play longer, as he was only 33 when he retired. I don't remember why he left the game when he did, if it was because of injuries or what.
Watch for my 1971 "Dedicate Rookie Card" for him in the near future…