On this date in 1977, Elliott Maddox and Rick Bladt were traded to the Orioles for Paul Blair; all of the players involved were center fielders.
I didn’t remember Elliott Maddox playing with the O’s, and I found out that it’s because his stint lasted just half a season.
More to the point, he never appeared on a card as an Oriole… Therefore, it never happened.
After the 1977 season, Maddox became a free agent and signed with the Mets, and it was as a Met that he appeared on his 1978 card.
Aside from the Yankees, Orioles and Mets, Maddox also played for the Tigers and Senators/Rangers. His best season was probably 1974 when he batted .303, hit 26 doubles, scored 75 runs, drove in 46 runs and lead all Major League center fielders with 18 assists.
As for Rick Bladt, I believe that this is the extent of his cardboard immortality:
(Wow, I didn’t remember this card was in such poor condition until I scanned it…)
If Bladt had come along 15-20 years later, he’d have at least a dozen rookie cards.
Rick Bladt played in 10 games with the 1969 Cubs, and 52 games with the 1975 Yankees… Those 52 games came as a result of an injury to starting center fielder Elliott Maddox. He played 9 seasons in AAA, including 7 for the Yankees AAA team in Syracuse. You’d have to think he became a fan-favorite in Syracuse.
Those are four pretty unflattering portraits on the rookie card.
Right? Almost like it’s part of their rookie hazing…
“OK, after you wash everybody’s jock strap by hand, you gotta be photographed for a baseball card!”
“Aw, man! I HATE having my photo taken!”