On the blog today, yet another "not so missing" card
for future Hall of Fame manager Tany LaRussa, this time a 1970 edition
after his brief action in 1969:
LaRussa appeared in only eight games during the 1969 season, going 0-8 at the plate, all as a pinch hitter.
He came up in 1963 for a brief cup of coffee with the Kansas
City Athletics, but wouldn't make it back up to the big leagues again
until 1968, when he appeared in only five games, good for three at-bats.
Actually, in his six year playing career, he never really got a chunk of playing time in any one season.
However, ironically enough, the MOST action he ever saw was during
the 1970 season while still playing for the A's, when he got into 52
games at second base, good for 106 at-bats.
He didn't make much of the opportunity, batting .198 with 21 hits and six runs batted in.
However, if there was EVER a year where Topps should have given the
guy a baseball card you think it would be the only year he scraped
together more than 100+ plate appearances, no?
Yet Topps didn't have a LaRussa card in their 1971 set, even though he WAS included in their sets in 1964, 1968 and 1972.
Nevertheless, between 1979 and 2011, a span of 33 years, he managed three teams
(White Sox, A's and Cardinals) to 2728 victories, six pennants, three
world championships, and 12 first place finishes. Easily one of the great managerial resumes out there.
And this past season he was named White Sox manager once again, returning to baseball after a lengthy absence.
Baseball lifer indeed.
