Up next in my "Nicknames of the '70's" series is former Phillies outfielder Garry Maddox, aka the "Secretary of Defense".
First up, the card I came up with:
Now, allow me to start by saying I looked high and low for a good
image of Maddox out in the field, being that he was really known as a
defensive master, but I could NOT find a single usable image.
On top of that, I couldn't even fins a good image of him from
1975/76, when he first joined the Phillies. I promise you, I was
searching around like crazy.
Regardless, I went with a 1976 format since this was at the
beginning of his run of eight straight Gold Glove Awards (1975-1982).
I'll always remember the classic line: "Two-thirds of the earth is
covered by water, the other one-third by Garry Maddox", attributed to
Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas. Just classic!
Now, with all this talk of his defensive abilities, Maddox was no slouch at the plate either.
By the time he retired after the 1986 season, he collected 1802
hits, with 337 doubles, 62 triples and 117 home runs, along with 777
runs scored and 754 runs batted in with a very nice .285 batting
average.
He was also a threat on the base paths, stealing over 20 bases in eight straight seasons between 1973 and 1980.
But again, it was his stellar defensive work that he will always be
remembered for, with a great nickname to boot: "Secretary of Defense".
