NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1978 ROY STAIGER

Here’s a “not so missing” 1978 card for former New York Mets third baseman Roy Staiger, who played in about a quarter of the season in 1977:

Staiger batted a respectable .252 for the Mets, with 31 hits over 123 at-bats, with a couple of homers, 16 runs scored  and eleven runs batted in exactly 40 games.
The previous season he had some substantial time in Queens, playing in 95 games, ending up with a .220 batting average based on 67 hits over 304 at-bats with career-highs in runs (23) and RBI’s (26).
After a trade to the New York Yankees for Sergio Ferrer in the off-season, he’d end up playing four more season of pro ball, all in the Yankees system, though he did appear in four games during the 1979 season, collecting three hits in 11 at-bats for a .273 average.
That would be all for his MLB tenure though, as he would end up with a batting average of .228, with 104 hits in 457 at-bats over 152 games in his four-year career.

CAREER-CAPPING NOT SO MISSING IN ACTION- 1973 TOM DUKES

Here’s a 1973 card for former pitcher Tom Dukes, who finished up a six-year career in 1972, appearing in seven games with the California Angels:

Dukes posted a record of 0-1 for the Angels, with a sparkling 1.64 earned run average over 11 innings pitched with eight strikeouts and nary a walk.
But that would be it for the 29 year-old pitcher in the Big Leagues, after coming up with the Houston Astros in 1967 he’d end up going 5-16 over his career, appearing in 161 games with 22 saves and an ERA of 4.35, all out of the bullpen for Houston, San Diego padres, Baltimore Orioles and Angels.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1978 GERRY HANNAHS

Here’s a “not so missing” 1978 card for a four-year Major League pitcher who never actually got a card by the time he was done with pro ball, the Expos Gerry Hannahs:

Hannahs appeared in eight games for Montreal in 1977, going 1-5 with a 4.86 earned run average over 37 innings of work, all but one of those games as a starter.
His first taste of the Big Leagues was the year before, going 2-0 over three starts, with a bloated 6.75 ERA in 16 innings pitched.
He’d find himself with the pennant winning Los Angeles Dodgers in 1978, appearing in a single game, throwing two innings and getting hit hard, allowing three hits and two earned runs, though he did strikeout five of the six batters he faced.
In 1979, he’d appear in what would turn out to be the last four games of his Major League career, going 0-2 for the Dodgers with a 3.38 ERA over 16 innings pitched, finishing up with a career record of 3-7, along with an ERA of 5,07 over 16 games and 71 innings pitched.
It’s worthy to note that back in 1976, before being called up to Montreal, he had a fantastic Minor League season with the Quebec Metros of the Eastern League, going 20-6 with a 2.39 ERA and five shutouts over 26 starts.
After a couple of Minor League seasons in 1980 and 1981, including a nice 15-9 campaign with the Albuquerque Dukes in ‘80, he called it a playing career.

CY YOUNG AWARD WINNERS- 1978 SUB-SET

We move on to the 1978 set and an imagined 1977 Cy Young Winners card in my running series of award-winners through the 1970’s, with Steve Carlton and Sparky Lyle:

In the National League, Carlton was once again on top of the NL pitching world, winning his second Cy Young with a brilliant 1977 campaign, leading the league with 23 wins while posting a 2.64 earned run average and 198 strikeouts over his 36 starts and 283 innings pitched.
Of course, he would go on to win two more awards, becoming the first pitcher ever to do so since the award was established in 1956, on his way to becoming one of the greatest lefty-pitchers of all-time with 329 wins and 4136 strikeouts over 24 seasons of Big League ball.
Needless to say Cooperstown was a lock by the time he was eligible, getting picked on 436 of 456 ballots in 1994, ensuring his place in baseball immortality.
Over in the American League, it was a bit of a “first”, as Sparky Lyle of the New York Yankees became the first relief pitcher in that league’s history to win the award, edging out two-time reigning king Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles.
Lyle had an amazing season for the eventual World Champs, posting a record of 13-5 with a 2.17 earned run average and 26 saves over 72 games and 137 innings pitched, all out of the bullpen of course.
As a matter of fact all of his 899 Major League appearances over his 16-year career would be out of the ‘pen, as he’d finish his career with a record of 99-76, with a very nice 2.88 ERA and 238 saves between 1967 and 1982.
It was a bit of a bittersweet award win for Lyle however, as the Yankees would soon acquire another all-star reliever, Rich Gossage.
This would lead to one of the great baseball quotes of the decade when third baseman Graig Nettles said to Lyle: “You went from Cy Young to Cy-onara”.
Classic, and true, as Lyle was shipped off to the Texas Rangers after the 1978 season in a trade that would net them, among others, a young pitcher named Dave Righetti, ironically enough the arm that would take over for Rich Gossage out of the bullpen years later.

THE 1978 BUDDY SCHULTZ, BUT WHY THE AIRBRUSHING?

Today I wanted to focus on the 1978 card for former St. Louis Cardinal’ pitcher Buddy Schultz, with its typical 1970’s Topps paint-job:

Nothing terribly out of the ordinary as far as airbrush jobs went for the era, however I never understood why it was even necessary since Schultz played with the Cardinals in 1977, appearing in 40 games with 37 of them out of the bullpen, pitching a total of 85.1 innings.
As a matter of fact he had a very nice season for St. Louis, going 6-1 with a 2.32 earned run average! So why wouldn’t Topps have an image of him suited up in the Cardinals uniform?
Odd.
As for Schultz, he would pitch five years in the Majors, appearing in 168 games with his only starts being the aforementioned three in 1977.
He’d finish his career with a nice 15-9 record, along with a 3.68 ERA over exactly 240 innings pitched, with 12 saves and 193 strikeouts.

1977 BLUE JAYS REDONE- CHUCK HARTENSTEIN

Today I post up a re-done card that truly, I would never dare replace since the original is one of the greatest cards of the decade, but nevertheless to keep the “Expansion 1977 Do-Overs” going, here it is, Chuck Hartenstein:

Re-done, yet still "trucker-licious"

Original card as released by Topps

Hartenstien, who last appeared in a Major League game in 1970 with the Boston Red Sox, would get drafted in the expansion draft in 1976 by the Toronto Blue Jays, which would lead to the great card you see above, airbrushed, and a great job I might add, showing him looking like some trucker ready to throw in a Merle Haggard 8-track while part of some convoy somewhere.
I have always loved this card. The shades, the sideburns, and especially knowing what he looked like years earlier, it’s the perfect card reflecting the era.
His “comeback” would be short however, as he would get hammered over his 13 appearances, going 0-2 with a bloated 6.59 earned run average, giving up 20 earned runs over 27.1 innings.
I was always also into cards of guys that hadn’t appeared in a Topps set for a while. Brock Davis, Danny Murphy, Vincente Romo also come to mind.
Anyway, seems Hartenstein’s pro career was over with the last game he appeared in with the Blue Jays, as it seems he never even pitched in a Minor League game again.
But long live the original Topps card and all it’s 70’s glory!

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1971 DON BRYANT

Here’s a “career-capping, not so missing” 1971 card for former catcher Don Bryant, who just wrapped up a brief three year Major League career, the last two of which were with the Houston Astros:

Bryant, who originally came up with the Chicago Cubs in 1966 and appeared in 13 games, missed out on the 1967 and 1968 seasons while he put in time in the San Francisco Giants Minor League system.
He’d make it back to the Big Leagues in 1969, appearing in 31 games for the Astros and batting .186 with eleven hits over 59 at-bats, followed by what would end up being the final 15 games of his MLB career in 1970, faring a little better at the plate with a .208 average while filling in at catcher.
In 1971 he’d find himself in the Boston Red Sox system, playing out the final three years of his pro career with the Louisville Colonels and Pawtucket Red Sox before retiring as a player after the 1973 season.