Up on the blog today, we have a "not so missing" 1979 card for former outfielder Abert Lois of the Pittsburgh Pirates:
Lois
made his Big League debut during the 1978 season, appearing in three
games at the age of 22, collecting one hit over four at-bats, that one
hit being a triple.
He would make the team again in 1979,
albeit for only eleven games, and all as a pinch-runner, which would see
him score six runs without ever having a plate appearance.
Sadly
for him, because of recurring issues on and off the field, Lois never
fulfilled his once high-promise due to injuries and issues taking his
opportunities seriously.
On January 5th, 1980, Lois was
driving drunk with friends in the Dominican Republic, and crashed into a
train while trying to cross railroad tracks, killing six passengers
while he avoided death solely because of what he stated was a last
second left turn.
Tragically, he lost an eye and just like that, his career was over.
Here's
a great link to the SABR bio written about him by Tom Crist for those
that want to read a little more about his off-field (and on field)
problems that curtailed a promising career:
All told Lois' MLB career consisted of those 14 games in 1978 and 1979, with only four plate appearances and one hit.
