Gotta
have a “Nickname of the ‘70’s” card for my favorite speedster as a
young Yankee fan in the late-70’s, Mickey Rivers: aka “Mick the Quick”:
Rivers was as colorful off the base-paths as on them, and if you don’t
know what I mean just read some of the “Bronx Zoo” books like “Number
1”.
Absolutely hilarious dude!!
He also wasn’t so bad as a player either!
He would finish his 15-year big league career with a nice .295 batting
average, with 1660 hits over 5629 at-bats in 1468 games with the
California Angels, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers between 1970 and
1984, with 267 stolen bases.
He led the American League in triples twice (1974 and 1975) while also
topping the league with 70 steals that second year as well.
His finest season had to be 1980 with the Texas Rangers when he
collected 210 hits, giving him an excellent .333 batting average with 96
runs scored (a career high) along with 32 doubles six triples and seven
homers.
Of course he was also a member of those two consecutive World Champion
Yankees of 1977 and 1978, giving the Yanks that speedster at the top of
the order for guys like Munson, Jackson and Nettles to drive home.