The 1970’s, A To Z: Roy Howell to Ron Hunt

Posted on April 16, 2021 by The Shlabotnik Report

Recap: I’m going through all of the notable and somewhat notable players and managers of the 1970’s and I’m basically making like it’s an all-encompassing 1970’s throwback baseball card set. For the “card front”, I’m sharing my favorite 1970’s card of that guy. I’m also including a card back’s worth of information and thoughts about him and his cardboard.

ROY HOWELL

1979 Topps #101

Played 1974 – 1984
1970’s Teams: Rangers, Blue Jays

1970’s Highlights:
Was named the Blue Jays’ representative at the 1978 All-Star Game; Had 9 RBI in one game against the Yankees on 9/10/77, which is tied for the Blue Jays team record… Howell hit two homers, two doubles and a single; In 1975, at the age of 21, he became the youngest player in “New” Senators/Rangers history to hit a grand slam, a record which would stand until Rougned Odor hit one at the age of 20 in 2014; Lead the expansion 1977 Blue Jays with a .316 average; Was involved in turning a Triple Play for the Blue Jays against the Indians, 9/7/79

Card Stuff:
Made it into 1979 Hostess and Kellogg’s sets

AL HRABOSKY

1977 Topps #495

Played 1970 – 1982
1970’s Teams: Cardinals, Royals

1970’s Highlights:
Won the 1975 NL “Fireman” award while leading the league with 22 saves *and* a .813 winning % (13-3); Got 2 first place votes for the 1975 Cy Young Award, but finished 3rd behind winner Tom Seaver; Was the July 1975 NL Pitcher of the Month when he had a 0.43 ERA, a 6-0 record and 3 saves over 13 games and 21 innings

Fun Stuff:
His nickname is “The Mad Hungarian” (although I seem to remember that he’s not ethnically Hungarian, it’s just a nickname); Is a member of the Cardinals broadcast team; Played himself in the 1985 film “The Slugger’s Wife”… other players who appeared in that movie (and who have all been done already in this A-Z series) were Mark Fidrych, Bucky Dent and Bernie Carbo

TERRY HUMPHREY

1977 Topps #369

Played 1971 – 1979
1970’s Teams: Expos, Tigers, Angels

1970’s Highlights:
was considered a candidate to be the Expos starting catcher when he was coming up through their system, but was eclipsed by Barry Foote and Gary Carter, and played only as a backup for Montreal; Was the Angels starting catcher for most of 1977 after being acquired from the Astros in a trade; Initiated a 2-5-3-6 Triple Play for the Expos against the Astros on 6/3/72

Fun Stuff:
Was the last Tigers player to wear #47 before Jack Morris; Was the second Expos draft pick to make it to the Majors (pitcher Balor Moore was the first)

Card Stuff:
Appears in 1976 Topps with the Tigers, but he’d already been traded to the Astros after 18 games with Detroit (and he’d never play for Houston)

RANDY HUNDLEY

1970 Kellogg’s #31

Played 1964 – 1977
1970’s Teams: Cubs, Twins, Padres

1970’s Highlights:
Caught two no-hitters in 1972: Burt Hooton’s on 4/16/72 and Milt Pappas’ on 9/2/72

Career Highlights:
Was an All-Star in 1969; Won a Gold Glove in 1967; In 1966 he set records for most home runs by a rookie catcher (19) and most games caught by a rookie; Was named the catcher on the 1966 Topps All-Star Rookie Team; Hit for the cycle against the Astros on 8/11/66

Fun Stuff:
Father of Mets catcher Todd Hundley; Randy’s legal name is Cecil Randolph Hundley

RON HUNT

1974 Kellogg’s #25

Played 1963 – 1974
1970’s Teams: Giants, Expos, Cardinals

1970’s Highlights:
Was the first baserunner at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia (walked and stole 2nd base)

Career Highlights:
Was the first Met to start an All-Star game; Finished 2nd to Pete Rose in 1964 NL Rookie of the Year voting;

OW!
Holds the Expos/Nationals career record with 114 HBP and single-season record with 50 HBP in 1971; Holds the Giants single-season mark with 26 HBP in 1970; Lead the NL in HBP each season from 1968 to 1974

Card Stuff:
He appeared in 1975 Topps (airbrushed into a Cardinals cap), but was released in Spring Training and didn’t play in the Majors after 1974; Hunt’s 1971 O-Pee-Chee card featured a different photo, and based on the uniform the photo appears to have been from no later than 1967

The 1970’s, A To Z: Bob Horner to Frank Howard

Posted on April 9, 2021 by The Shlabotnik Report

BOB HORNER

1979 Topps #586

Played 1978 – 1988
1970’s Teams: Braves

1970’s Highlights:
In 1978 Horner was the first-ever winner of the Golden Spikes Award, given to the top amateur player in the USA; In 1977 he won a National Championship with Arizona State U. and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series; Set an ASU record with 56 career homers; Was the first overall pick in the 1978 Draft and went straight to the Majors, where he would be named the 1978 NL Rookie of the Year; Inducted into the Arizona State University Hall of Fame in 1979

Career Highlights:
Inducted into the College Baseball HOF in 2006; Was named to the All-Star team in 1982; Hit 4 homers in a single game in 1986

Fun Stuff:
Played the 1987 season in Japan with the Yakult Swallows

Card Stuff:
Appeared in numerous 1987 sets, but played in Japan; Appeared in 1988 and 1989 sets with the Cardinals, although his St. Louis career was limited to 60 games in 1988

WILLIE HORTON

1976 Topps #320

Played 1963 – 1980
1970’s Teams: Tigers, Rangers, Indians, A’s, Blue Jays, Mariners

1970’s Highlights:
Was named to the All-Star team in 1970 and 1973; Was named the AL Comeback Player of the Year for 1979 when he had career-highs in RBI (106) and games played (162) while hitting his highest home run total of the 1970s (29); was named the April, 1976 AL Player of the Month; Was the first Texas Ranger to hit three home runs in a game

Career Highlights:
Had his #23 retired by the Tigers, the only non-HOFer to hold that honor; batted .304 in the 1968 World Series; his 262 homers with the Tigers ranks 5th on the team’s all-time list; Overall he had three seasons with at least 100 RBI and six seasons with at least 25 home runs; Played in 18 seasons, 15 of them with the Tigers

Fun Stuff:
In the 1980s, Willie played two seasons for the Pirates’ Triple-A team in Portland and another season in Mexico

Card Stuff:
Appeared in every ‘flagship’ Topps set of the 1970s; His time with the Indians and A’s was never reflected in any mainstream card appearances; appeared in 1978 Topps with the Rangers, but had been traded to the Indians in the offseason; appeared in 1979 Topps with the Blue Jays, but had signed as a free agent with the Mariners for that season

CHARLIE HOUGH

1975 Topps #71

Played 1970 – 1994
1970’s Teams: Dodgers

1970’s Highlights:
A knuckleballer who spent all of the 1970s as a Dodgers reliever; Lead the Dodgers in saves in 1976 and 1977; Pitched in the postseason during three different years but has no decisions or saves to show for it

Career Highlights:
While a starting pitcher with the Rangers in the 1980s, Hough served as a workhorse, leading the lead in starts twice and innings pitched once; He had six seasons with 15+ wins and holds the Texas Rangers career records with 139 wins and 1,452 strikeouts; At the age of 45 he started the first game in Florida Marlins history

Fun Stuff:
Is the only pitcher to have 400 starts and 400 relief appearances

RALPH HOUK

1978 Topps #684

Played 1947 – 1954
Managed 1961 – 1984
1970’s Teams: Yankees, Tigers

1970’s Highlights:
Named the Sporting News AL Manager of the Year in 1970, a year when he guided the Yankees to 93 wins and a 2nd place finish, 15 games behind the World Champion Orioles; Stepped down as the Yankees manager after the 1973 season, and wasn’t out of work long before being hired by the Tigers. He managed Detroit for five seasons, only once finishing above .500

Career Highlights:
In his first three years as manager of the Yankees (1961 – 1963), Houk won three AL pennants and two World Championships, moved up to be the Yanks’ GM and then went back to managing the Yankees after a losing 1965 record and a slow (4-16) start by the Johnny Keane-led Bronx Bombers; Also managed the Red Sox in the 1980s; As a player he was a backup catcher for the Yankees and stuck behind Yogi Berra for most of his career

Fun Stuff:
Was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart while in the Army during World War II; Rose to the rank of Major while in the Army, which is where his nickname, “The Major”, came from

Card Stuff:
His only card as a player came in 1952 Topps

FRANK HOWARD

1970 Topps Super #16

Played 1958 – 1973
1970’s Teams: Senators, Rangers, Tigers

1970’s Highlights:
Frank Howard, at 6’7″, was among the biggest players in the Majors during his career and a popular member of the Washington Senators teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s; Lead the league in Home Runs (44) and RBI (136) in 1970; Was named to the AL All-Star team in 1970 and 1971

Career Highlights:
Was named the 1960 NL Rookie of the Year; Broke a Babe Ruth record by hitting 10 home runs in one week during the 1968 season; Hit a homer in the 1969 All-Star Game; Was named the 1965 AL Comeback Player of the Year; Hit a home run in Game 4 of the 1963 World Series to help the Dodgers sweep the Yankees; Signed to extend his career in 1974 with Japan’s Taiheiyo Club Lions, but ended up playing just one game due to an injury; Managed the Padres in 1981 and the Mets in 1983

Fun Stuff:
His nicknames include “Hondo”, “Horse”, “The Tower”, “The Capital Punisher” and “The Washington Monument”

The 1970’s, A To Z: Gil Hodges to Burt Hooton

Posted on April 2, 2021 by The Shlabotnik Report

GIL HODGES

1970 Topps #394

Played 1943 – 1963
Managed 1963 – 1971
1970’s Teams: Mets

1970’s Highlights:
Manged the Mets to twin 83-win 3rd place finishes in 1970 and 1971; Sadly, today is the 49th anniversary of his death, which came unexpectedly when he suffered a heart attack while golfing with his coaches in Florida before the beginning of the 1972 season

Career Highlights:
In 1969 he lead the “Miracle Mets” to 100 wins and a World Championship; As a player he was an 8-time All-Star, won 3 Gold Gloves and had 100+ RBI in 7 straight seasons; Inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1982

Fun Stuff:
Has received the most Baseball Hall of Fame votes of anyone who is not a HOFer

JOE HOERNER

1976 SSPC #456

Played 1963 – 1977
1970’s Teams: Phillies, Braves, Royals, Rangers, Reds

1970’s Highlights:
Was a selected for the 1970 NL All-Star team in 1970, but didn’t play

Career Highlights:
Pitched in 493 career games without ever starting; Pitched professionally for 21 years

Card stuff:
I’ll admit it… Hoerner is here mainly because of that SSPC card

KEN HOLTZMAN

1976 Topps #115

Played 1965 – 1979
1970’s Teams: Cubs, A’s, Orioles, Yankees

1970’s Highlights:
All-Star in 1972 and 1973; won 18 or more games in four straight seasons, including a career-high 21 in 1973; Won three World Championships with the A’s and has a 4-1, 2.55 record in the World Series; No-hit the Reds on 6/3/1971; Lost a no-hitter with 2 outs in the 9th after giving up a double to Detroit’s Tom Veryzer, 6/8/75; Struck out 202 batters in 1970, which had been a Cubs record for a left-hander; Was the A’s Opening Day starter in 1972; Was a member of the World Champion 1977 Yankees team, but did not pitch for them in the postseason

Career Highlights:
No-hit the Braves, 8/19/69; His 174 career wins are the most by a Jewish pitcher (Sandy Koufax had 165)

Fun Stuff:
Has a .308 postseason batting average, as well as a solo home run in the 1974 World Series… this homer would be the last World Series homer by an American League pitcher in the 20th century

Card Stuff:
Appeared in each of the Topps card sets of the 1970s; Topps used the same photo on his 1968 card, his 1968 All-Star card, a 1968 checklist and his 1969 card;

BURT HOOTON

1974 Topps #378

Played 1971 – 1985
1970’s Teams: Cubs, Dodgers

1970’s Highlights:
No-hit the Phillies in his first start of 1972 and his 4th Major League Game; Was named the NL Pitcher of the Month two straight months at the end of 1975 – he went 6-0 with a 1.07 ERA in August and 5-0 with a 2.41 ERA in September; In that 1975 season, he won 12 straight decisions; Was the Dodgers’ opening Day Starter in 1979; Finished a fairly distant second (with no first place votes) to Gaylord Perry in the 1978 NL Cy Young voting

Career Highlights:
Was named the 1981 NLCS MVP after winning games 1 and 3 while keeping the Expos scoreless over 14.2 innings; Was an All-Star in 1981; Earned a 35-3 record while pitching for the University of Texas and set a school career record for ERA; Inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008; Was an All-American from 1969 to 1971

Fun Stuff:
His first career homer was a Grand Slam against the Mets, 9/16/72

The 1970’s, A To Z: Whitey Herzog to Larry Hisle

Posted on March 26, 2021 by The Shlabotnik Report

WHITEY HERZOG

1978 Topps #299

Played 1956 – 1963
Managed 1973 – 1990
1970’s Teams: Rangers, Angels, Royals

1970’s Highlights:
Managed the Texas Rangers for most of the 1973 season before being replaced by Billy Martin near the end of the season; Served as interim manager of the Angels in 1974, holding down the fort between Bobby Winkles and Dick Williams; Took over the Royals in July 1975, and in his 4.5 seasons at the helm he had three 1st place finishes and two 2nd place finishes

Career Highlights:
Was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager and GM in 2010; Won the 1982 World Series with the Cardinals, managed in two other World Series and 3 additional division titles; Was the manager of the year in 1982 and 1985

Card Stuff:
Just for fun, here’s Whitey’s 1961 Post Cereal card:

JIM HICKMAN

1973 Topps #565

Played 1962 – 1974
1970’s Teams: Cubs, Cardinals

1970’s Highlights:
Drove in the winning run in the 12th inning of the 1970 All-Star Game when his single drove in Pete Rose from second, resulting in the famous play where Rose took out AL catcher Ray Fosse; He won the 1970 NL Comeback Player of the Year Award after hitting .315 with 32 HR and 115 RBI; Was involved in turning a Triple Play vs. the Pirates, 7/2/72

Career Highlights:
Was a rookie with the infamous 1962 Mets team that lost 120 games

Fun Stuff:
Pitched 2 mop-up innings for the Dodgers in a 1967 game against the Giants, giving up 2 hits and allowing one run (a solo shot by Willie Mays)

TOM HILGENDORF

1974 Topps #13

Played 1969 – 1975
1970’s Teams: Cardinals, Indians, Phillies

From the August 5, 1974 “People” column of Sports Illustrated:
“Relief Pitcher Tom Hilgendorf of the Cleveland Indians was credited with a save when he dived fully clothed into a swimming pool and rescued 13-year-old Jerry Zaradte. Returning from dinner, Hilgendorf happened to look down and see young Zaradte lying on the bottom of the pool. (He apparently had leg cramps.) It was Hilgendorf’s first swim of the summer. Like other Indian players, he is forbidden to swim during the season.”

Career Highlights:
Lead the 1973 Indians in Saves

Fun Stuff:
Doubled in his only at-bat in 1969

Card Stuff:
Appears with the Phillies in 1976 Topps, but he’d pitched his last Major League innings in 1975

JOHN HILLER

1973 Topps #448

Played 1965 – 1980
1970’s Teams: Tigers

1970’s Highlights:
Hiller suffered a series of heart attacks in early 1971, was told his career was over and was hired by as a Minor League pitching instructor, but came back to be one of the leading Firemen of the 1970s; In 1973 he was the AL Fireman of the year, the AL Comeback Player of the Year, got Cy Young and MVP votes, lead the league with 65 appearances and set a Major League record with 38 Saves (which is currently good for a 31-way tie for 196th place) ; Set an American League record in 1974 by getting 17 wins in relief; Got the win in Game 4 of the 1972 ALCS against the A’s

Career Highlights:
Hiller, a native of Toronto, was inducted into the Canadian Baseball HOF in 1985; Holds the Tigers record with 545 games pitched; Set a Major League record by striking out the first 6 batters in a game, 8/6/68; Threw back-to-back shutouts in August, 1967; Threw 9 shutout innings in relief during a 19-inning game that was the second game of a twin bill, 8/23/68; Pitched in the 1968 World Series

Fun Stuff:
Was the winning pitcher in the last game in Original Yankee Stadium, 9/30/73

Card Stuff:
Was left out of 1972 Topps when it appeared his career was over, but he was in every other 1970s Topps set

LARRY HISLE

1975 Hostess #128

Played 1968 – 1982
1970’s Teams: Phillies, Twins, Brewers

1970’s Highlights:
Was an All-Star in 1977 and 1978; Lead the American League with 119 RBI in 1977; Had back-to back 110+ RBI seasons before a rotator cuff injury shortened his career; Hit for the Cycle against the Orioles, 6/4/76; set a Twins record with 4 stolen bases in a game, 6/30/76

Career Highlights:
Was named to the 1969 Topps All-Star Rookie Team; Was the Blue Jays’ hitting coach from 1992 to 1995

Fun Stuff:
He was a high school teammate of Al Oliver; Was on the Cardinals roster for about a month in November/December, 1972

Card Stuff:
Appeared in each of the Topps sets in the 1970s; His 1972 card lists him with the Dodgers, but he never played for them in the Majors, instead spending the entire 1972 season in Triple-A; His 1972 and 1973 Topps cards share the same “Looking up at a passing airplane and surrounded by a solid cyan ‘sky'” image; The photo used on his 1977 O-Pee-Chee card is cropped tighter than the same photo on his 1977 Topps card; Hisle’s 1978 card is missing the “stitches” from the little baseball that’s part of the design (thanks to NPBCardGuy for reminding me of this in the comments)

BONUS #1 – MIKE HERSHBERGER, PHANTOM PILOT!!!

Hershberger, Lew Krausse, Ken Sanders and Phil Roof were traded by the A’s to the Seattle Pilots on January 10th, 1970, with Seattle sending Don Mincher and Ron Clark to Oakland. The Pilots moved to Milwaukee just before the season started, so Hershberger never played a regular season game for the Pilots!

BTW, Phil Roof was another “Phantom Pilot” in the 1970 set.

BONUS #2 – DAVE HILTON

I couldn’t find a lot to say about John David “Dave” Hilton, but he had several noteworthy cards that I wanted to share.

First, his very, very expensive rookie card (where he’s listed as John Hilton)

Second, he was on a 1974 WASHINGTON “NAT’L LEA.” card

Hilton was among the first players acquired by the Blue Jays in advance of their first season, and was included in 1977 Topps and O-Pee-Chee… but didn’t make the team and never played for the Jays. (Thanks to reader Bryan for reminding me to include this card)

And at the end of the decade he appeared in the 1979 TCMA Japanese Baseball set.

The 1970’s, A To Z: George Hendrick to Larry Herndon

Posted on March 19, 2021 by The Shlabotnik Report

GEORGE HENDRICK

1979 Hostess #66

Played 1971 – 1988
1970’s Teams: A’s, Indians, Padres, Cardinals

1970’s Highlights:
Named to the All-Star teams in 1974 and 1975; In a 9-inning game against the Braves on August 25, 1978, Hendrick hit a Grand Slam, a three-run homer, a double, a single and was hit by a pitch; Scored winning run in game 5 of 1972 WS and got on a 1973 Topps card for it; Won a World Championship with the 1972 A’s; Was named the Padres’ team MVP in 1977 after batting .311 with 23 homers and 81 RBI

Career Highlights:
In the 1980’s he made two additional All-Star teams, Won two Silver Sluggers and got MVP votes in four seasons; Won a World Championship with the 1982 Cardinals

Card Stuff:
His 1975 card shows him at original Yankee Stadium, which closed after the 1973 season; His 1977 O-Pee-Chee card is unique in that it took a different photo of him wearing an Indians visor and airbrushed it into an oddly-shaped Padres cap

ELROD HENDRICKS

1976 Topps #371

Played 1968 – 1979
1970’s Teams: Orioles, Cubs, Yankees

1970’s Highlights:
Had a double, homer and 4 RBI and batted .364 in the 1970 World Series; Pitched 2.1 shutout innings in a 24-10 loss to the Blue Jays on June 26, 1978; Was traded to the Cubs for Tommy Davis on 8/18/72 and then two months later was traded back to the O’s for Frank Estrada

Career Highlights:
Was the Orioles’ bullpen coach for 28 seasons starting in 1978, and was briefly activated as a player in 1978 and 1979; Inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2001; Although his #44 has never been officially retired, nobody has worn it since Elrod passed away in 2005

Card Stuff:
Hendricks’ time with the Cubs and Yankees never appeared on a mainstream baseball card

ENZO HERNANDEZ

1977 Topps #522

Played 1971 – 1978
1970’s Teams: Padres, Dodgers

1970’s Highlights:
Enzo Hernandez had a good glove, was a stolen base threat and a fan favorite in San Diego; He held the Padres club record with 21 stolen bases in 1971 and broke that record with 37 in 1974 — that record was broken by Ozzie in 1978 and is currently tied for 15th; Enzo also had the Padres all-time stolen base record with 129, which was broken by Ozzie in 1981; In 1975 he lead the NL with 24 Sac bunts; was Involved in turning a Triple Play against the Braves 8/1/71

KEITH HERNANDEZ

1979 Topps #695

Played 1974 – 1990
1970’s Teams: Cardinals

1970’s Highlights:
Was co-winner, along with Willie Stargell, of the 1979 NL MVP Award… although Stargell got 10 1st place votes to Keith’s 4; On his way to the Co-MVP he lead the league with a .344 aveage, 116 runs and 48 doubles; Was an All-Star in 1978 and 1979; Won Gold Gloves in 1978 and 1979; Named the August, 1979 NL Player of the Month after batting .384 with 20 runs, 21 RBI, 14 doubles, 48 hits and 13 walks; Was involved in turning a triple play vs.the Astros, 5/8/77

Career Highlights:
Won 11 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1978 to 1988; Won World Championships with the 1982 Cardinals and 1986 Mets; Was the first Mets player named team captain; Inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1997; Has been a Mets broadcaster since 1999

Fun Stuff:
His father and brother played in minor league baseball; Made appearances on “Seinfeld” (playing himself) and “Law and Order” (playing a character)

Card Stuff:
His 1977 O-Pee-Chee card is cropped tighter than the 1977 Topps card

LARRY HERNDON

1977 Topps #397

Played 1974 – 1988
1970’s Teams: Cardinals, Giants

1970’s Highlights:
Made his debut with the Cardinals in 1974 and was one of two minor leaguers traded to the Giants for Ron Bryant in 1975; Was named to the Topps 1976 All-Star Rookie team and was the Sporting News 1976 NL Rookie Player of the Year… TSN had separate awards for rookie position players and rookie pitchers, and the Official NL ROY award went to pitchers Pat Zachry and Butch Metzger

Career Highlights:
A member of the World Champion 1984 Tigers, Herndon has a career .310 Postseason batting average;

Card Stuff:
Had a 1977 Hostess card that could be considered a rookie card; His 1977 O-Pee-Chee card is missing the All-Star Rookie cup

The 1970’s, A To Z: Rich Hebner To Steve Henderson

Posted on March 12, 2021 by The Shlabotnik Report

RICH HEBNER

1978 Topps #26

Played 1968 – 1985
1970’s Teams: Pirates, Phillies, Mets

1970’s Highlights:
Got the first hit ever in Three Rivers Stadium, 7/16/70; Was involved in turning two triple plays; 6/6/70 vs. Dodgers, and 7/9/71 vs. Braves

Career Highlights:
Hit over 200 homers over his career; Played in the NLCS eight different times but only played in one World Series (1971)

Fun Stuff:
In high school he was a star hockey player and almost signed with the Boston Bruins; Was the last Pittsburgh Pirate to wear #20 before it was retired for Pie Traynor in 1972; Was known for having an offseason job digging graves

Card Stuff:
His photo was in 1977 O-Pee-Chee was an airbrushed version of his 1977 Topps photo; Appeared in every Topps set of the 1970’s (as compiled by Night Owl)

MIKE HEGAN

1976 Topps #377

Played 1964 – 1977
1970’s Teams: Brewers, A’s, Yankees

1970’s Highlights:
Started at first base in the first-ever Milwaukee Brewers game; Set a Major League record (since broken) with 178 consecutive errorless games at first base; Won a World Championship with the 1972 A’s; Hit for the cycle 9/3/76 vs Tigers; Was involved in turning a triple play against the Red Sox, 4/28/71

Career Highlights:
Was named an all-star with the Seattle Pilots in 1969 but had to be replaced due to an injury; Was the first-ever player on the Pilots roster, having been purchased from the Yankees on 6/14/68 (he would spend the rest of the 1968 season with AAA Syracuse)

Fun Stuff:
Hegan was the last batter at original Yankee Stadium (9/30/73) and the last Brewers player to wear #4 before Paul Molitor; His father, Jim Hegan, was a Major League catcher in the 1940s and 1950s

TOMMY HELMS

1970 Topps #159

Played 1964 – 1977
1970’s Teams: Reds, Astros, Pirates, Red Sox

1970’s Highlights:
Won Gold Gloves in 1970 and 1971; Hit the first Reds home run at Riverfront Stadium in 1970 (his only homer that season); Lead the league in Fielding Percentage three times, in putouts in 1971 and in assists in 1972; Inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1979; Helms and Lee May went from the Reds to the Astros in the famous 1971 trade that brought Joe Morgan and César Gerónimo to Cincinnati

Career Highlights:
Was the 1966 NL Rookie of the Year; Was named an All-Star in 1967 and 1968

Fun Stuff:
Tommy is the uncle of former Major League infielder Wes Helms

Card Stuff:
After being sold to Oakland in November 1976, Helms shows up in 1977 Topps with an airbrushed A’s batting helmet but he never played for that team because he was sent back to Pittsburgh in a Spring Training trade; Appears with the Red Sox in 1978 Topps, but he was released during Spring Training that year and didn’t play after that

KEN HENDERSON

1972 Topps #444

Played 1965 – 1980
1970’s Teams: Giants, White Sox, Braves, Rangers, Mets, Reds, Cubs

1970’s Highlights:
Was named the August 1972 NL Player of the Month after hitting in 18 consecutive games and batting .409 for the month with 28 runs, 28 RBI, 11 homers and a .800 slugging percentage; batted .313 in the 1971 NLCS; Lead the 1974 White Sox with 176 hits, 35 doubles, 5 triples, 95 RBI, 66 walks and was named the White Sox Player of the Year; Scored 104 runs in 1970

Career Highlights:
Broke into the majors as a 19-year-old

Fun Stuff:
His cousin, Kerry Dineen, had cups of coffee with the Yankees and Phillies

Card Stuff:
Another player who appeared in every Topps set of the 1970’s… he appeared on 1970s cards with five different teams

STEVE HENDERSON

1978 Topps #134

Played 1977 – 1988
1970’s Teams: Mets

1970’s Highlights:
Finished a close second to Andre Dawson in 1977 NL Rookie of the Year voting; Lead the 1977 Mets with 65 RBI and lead the 1978 Mets with 83 runs; Originally drafted by the Reds, he was one of four players traded to the Mets when the Reds acquired Tom Seaver

Career Highlights:
Between playing and coaching, Henderson spent 46 years in baseball

Fun Stuff:
His nickname is “Stevie Wonder”; Is the only player from Jack Yates High School (Houston, TX) to play in the Majors

The 1970’s, A To Z: Vic Harris to Dave Heaverlo

Posted on March 5, 2021 by The Shlabotnik Report

VIC HARRIS

1976 SSPC #321

Played 1972 – 1980
1970’s Teams: Rangers, Cubs, Cardinals, Giants

1970’s Highlights:
Harris was named the May 9, 1976 NL Player of the Week after batting .464 with 7 RBI, 5 runs, a double and a triple; Was sent from the Rangers to the Cubs in the deal that also involved Fergie Jenkins and Bill Madlock

Career Highlights:
Played 3 seasons for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in the 1980s

Fun Stuff:
Played every position but pitcher, catcher, first; Was seen as having “superstar potential” early in his career; Did not get a hit until his 13th Major League game, going 0-for-36 to start his career

RORIC HARRISON

1976 SSPC #507

Played 1972 – 1978
1970’s Teams: Orioles, Braves, Indians, Twins

1970’s Highlights:
Harrison was the last American League pitcher to homer before the DH rule went into effect for the 1973 season, having hit one off of Cleveland’s Ray Lamb on 10/3/72; Six of his fifteen career hits were homers and three more were doubles; Despite the fact that I’m listing only hitting highlights for a pitcher, Harrison’s career average sits at .121

Fun Stuff:
Is the only Major Leaguer with the name ‘Roric’; While a minor leaguer, he was involved in the trade that all fans of Ball Four know: Jim Bouton to Houston for Dooley Womack and Roric Harrison… Harrison never played for the Pilots or Brewers, he made his Major League debut after another trade sent him to the Orioles organization

Card Stuff:
Was airbrushed in a Tigers cap in 1978 Topps, but never played for Detroit… he was released in spring training and pitched that season for the Twins, his final Major League outings

ANDY HASSLER

1978 Topps #73

Played 1971 – 1985
1970’s Teams: Angels, Royals, Red Sox, Mets

1970’s Highlights:
Made his Major League debut as a 19-year-old in 1971 and was the third-youngest player in the Majors that season; Had the third-best ERA (2.61) in the AL in 1974 but still finished with a 7-11 record; Started games in the 1976 and 1977 ALCS vs. the Yankees; One-hit the Indians on 7/2/77

Fun Stuff
Although Hassler played for six different teams and did two stints with the Angels, he was never traded for another player… He was either sold to another team or signed elsewhere as a free agent

FRAN HEALY

1974 Topps #238

Played 1969 – 1978
1970’s Teams: Giants, Royals, Yankees

1970’s Highlights:
Caught both of Steve Busby’s no hitters, vs Tigers 4/27/73 and vs Brewers 6/19/74

Career Highlights:
Selected in the 1968 Expansion draft from the Cleveland Indians; Was a broadcaster for the Yankees and Mets

Fun Stuff:
Healy’s father played in the Cardinals organization and his uncle, Francis Healy, played 42 games for the New York Giants and Cardinals in the 1930s

Card Stuff:
The featured 1974 card shows Thurman Munson sliding into home… a couple of years later, Healy would be the backup to Munson; Healy’s photo was mistakenly used on Steve Busby’s 1975 card

DAVE HEAVERLO

1978 Topps #338

Played 1975 – 1981
1970’s Teams: Giants, A’s

1970’s Highlights:
In 1975 he was a non-roster invitee with the Giants and not only did he make the team, but his 2.39 ERA lead the team that season; Went from Giants to the A’s in a cross-bay deal that sent Vida Blue to San Francisco; His 10-saves for the 1978 A’s was second only to closer Elias Sosa; Made 60+ appearances in four of his seven seasons

Fun Stuff:
Heaverlo seems like an interesting guy… He stuck with the non-roster uniform number he was assigned when he first made the Giants (#60) — one of his cards and a cartoon on Al Fitzmorris’ 1977 card referenced this as the highest in the Majors; He was the first player I was aware of to shave his head… Not surprisingly, his nickname was ‘Kojak’

The 1970’s, A To Z: Mike Hargrove to Bud Harrelson

Posted on February 26, 2021 by The Shlabotnik Report

MIKE HARGROVE

1978 Topps #172

Played 1974 – 1985
1970’s Teams: Rangers, Padres, Indians

1970’s Highlights:
Was named the 1974 AL Rookie of the Year and also the first baseman on the 1974 Topps All-Star Rookie team; An All-Star in 1975; Lead league in walks in 1976 and 1978; Was Involved in a triple play vs. A’s on 8/8/77

Career Highlights:
Lead the league with a .424 on-base percentage in 1981; Holds Rangers career mark with .399 OBP; Managed the Indians from 1991 to 1999, the Orioles from 2000 to 2003 and the Mariners from 2005 to 2007 and made the postseason five times; Inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall Of Fame in 2008

Fun Stuff:
His nickname was “The Human Rain Delay” because of number of times he stepped out of the batter’s box and took pitches; Was a three-sport star in high school, but didn’t play for the school baseball team

Card Stuff:
Appeared in all five of the 1970s Hostess sets, and his 1975 Hostess is a rookie card; On the featured 1978 card, the #4 and black armband on Hargrove’s sleeve was for Danny Thompson, an active Texas Ranger who died of Leukemia at the age of 29 in December 1976

TERRY HARMON

1972 Topps #377

Played 1967 – 1977
1970’s Teams: Phillies

1970’s Highlights:
Did not have a plate appearance in the 1976 NLCS but did score a run after pinch-running for Bob Boone; set a Major League record for 2nd basemen with 18 chances in a 9 inning game, 6/12/71; his .284 average in 1972 was best on the Phillies; the first of his four career homers was an inside-the-park home run on 8/30/72

Card Stuff:
Shares a high #ed 1969 rookie card with Darrel Cheney and Duffy Dyer; Although he was a utility player his entire career, he appeared in every Topps set from 1969 to 1978

TOMMY HARPER

1970 Kellogg’s #74

Played 1962 – 1976
1970’s Teams: Brewers, Red Sox, Angels, A’s, Orioles

1970’s Highlights:
In 1970, Harper became the American League’s first-ever 30/30 player (31 homers, 38 stolen bases); Was named to the All-Star team in 1970; Receieved a first-place vote in 1970 AL MVP voting; Was the first batter in Brewers history and scored the first Brewers run; Lead the league with 54 stolen bases in 1973

Career Highlights:
In 1969 he lead the league with 126 runs; His 73 stolen bases in 1969 lead the league and established a still-standing Pilots/Brewers team record; Lead the league with 126 runs scored in 1965; Stole 408 career bases; Was named to the 1963 Topps All-Star Rookie team; Was the third player taken in the 1968 American League expansion draft

Card Stuff:
Played for the Angels for the first half of the 1975 season but never appeared on a baseball card with that team; His 1977 Topps card has his complete career statistics, as he was cut by the A’s during spring training and retired to become a minor-league instructor with the Yankees

TOBY HARRAH

1976 SSPC #264

Played 1969 – 1986
1970’s Teams: Senators, Rangers, Indians

1970’s Highlights:
Was the starting shortstop for the American League in the 1976 All-Star Game; Was the starting shortstop in the first-ever Texas Rangers game; Was the Rangers’ first-ever All-Star in 1972; His 109 walks lead the league in 1977; On August 27, 1977, Harrah and Bump Wills hit inside-the-park home runs on consecutive pitches by the Yankees’ Ken Clay; Involved in triple play vs. A’s 8/8/77

Career Highlights:
Was a four-time All-Star; Inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2009; Managed the Rangers for the 2nd half of the 1992 season

Fun Stuff:
On June 25th, 1976, Harrah played an entire double-header without a single fielding chance; Was the last member of the expansion Senators to be playing in the Major Leagues; Threw a no-hitter in American Legion ball

Card Stuff:
Appeared in all five 1970s Hostess sets; His 1977 O-Pee-Chee card does not have the “AL ALL STAR” banner that the Topps card does; His name is incorrectly printed in black ink on his 1976 Topps card (this is an uncorrected error)

BUD HARRELSON

1970 Topps #634

Played 1965 – 1980
1970’s Teams: Mets, Phillies

1970’s Highlights:
Was the starting shortstop for the 1971 National League All-Star Team and was also an All-Star in 1970; In 1970 he tied a Major League record for shortstops by playing 54 consecutive games without an error; Won a Gold Glove in 1971; Was a member of the pennant-winning 1973 Mets; Is famous for the fight he had with Pete Rose in the 1973 NLCS; His 95 walks in 1970 was a team record until Keith Hernandez broke it in 1984

Career Highlights:
Was a key member of the 1969 “Miracle Mets” team; Inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1986; Managed the Mets in 1990 and 1991; Harrelson is part-owner of the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks, and was the team’s first manager

Fun Stuff:
Appeared in an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond; One of many ballplayers to appear in a 1980 movie called “It’s My Turn”; Had an uncredited appearance in the 1968 Odd Couple movie

Card Stuff:
Appeared in every Topps flagship set of the 1970s; His 1971 Topps card has a ‘cameo appearance’ by Nolan Ryan; Had three cards in 1972 Topps (base, In Action, Boyhood Photos)

The 1970’s, A To Z: Don Gullett to Larry Haney

Posted on February 19, 2021 by The Shlabotnik Report

DON GULLETT

1977 Topps Burger King #6

Played 1970 – 1978
1970’s Teams: Reds, Yankees

1970’s Highlights:
Twice lead the league in win percentage (.727 in 1971 and .778 i 1977); Factored into Cy Young voting twice, finishing 7th in 1974 and 5th in 1975; Was the Reds’ Opening Day starter in 1973 and 1975; Made 5 postseason appearances and got two NLCS saves before his 20th birthday (1970); Was named the July 1974 Player of the month after going 6-1, 1.82 with 3 shutouts and 42 strikeouts; Over his postseason career (6 years) he batted .292 with 3 runs and 6 RBI and a home run; Injuries ended his career before he turned 30

Career Highlights:
1st round pick (14th overall) of the Reds in 1969; Inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2002

Fun Stuff:
Gave up Willie Mays’ last home run (#660) on August 17th, 1973

Card Stuff:
His three different cards featuring the 1977 Topps design – Topps, O-Pee-Chee and Burger King – used three different head shots. Topps and OPC are airbrushed, the Burger King card featured here shows an actual Yankees cap

LARRY GURA

1974 Topps Traded #616T

Played 1970 – 1985
1970’s Teams: Cubs, Yankees, Royals

1970’s Highlights:
Got MVP and Cy Young votes in 1978, a season where he went 16-4 with a 2.72 ERA and two shutouts; Made 5 ALCS appearances from 1976 to 1978

Career Highlights:
Twice won 18 games in the 1980s; In 1969 he was an All-American and named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team; Was inducted into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Arizona State University Hall of Fame in 1978; Was an All-Star with the Royals in 1980; Never pitched lower than AAA ball

Fun Stuff:
Was a teammate of Bill Lee, Lenny Randle, Gary Gentry, Jim Crawford, Lerrin LaGrow and Craig Swan at Arizona State

Card Stuff:
You may notice that his 1974 Traded card (featured above) shows Gura with the Texas Rangers, but I don’t list the Rangers among his 1970s teams… That’s because in between his being acquired from the Cubs in December 1973 and his being traded to the Yankees in May 1974 he pitched only for the Ranger’s AAA team in Spokane

Larry Gura wraps up the G’s, and we now move into H!

ED HALICKI

1978 Topps #107

Played 1974 – 1980
1970’s Teams: Giants

1970’s Highlights:
Threw a no-hitter against the Mets on 8/24/75 and struck out 10 Mets while walking just two; one-hit the Expos in 1978; Had a streak of 25.2 consecutive scoreless innings in 1976; Lead the league with a 1.060 WHIP in 1978; Won 16 games in 1977

Fun Stuff:
I don’t know if there is a relationship, but there was a back named Ed Halicki who played in the NFL from 1929 to 1930 for the Frankford Yellow Jackets and the Minneapolis Red Jackets (which, as I discovered, was not just the Yellow Jackets relocating and changing their color)

BILL HANDS

1973 Topps #555

Played 1965 – 1975
1970’s Teams: Cubs, Twins, Rangers

1970’s Highlights:
Won 18 games in 1970 as part of an impressive top of the rotation with teammates Fergie Jenkins (22 wins) and Ken Holtzman (17 wins)

Career Highlights:
Won 20 games with the 1969 Cubs; originally came up in the Giants organization and went to the Cubs (along with Randy Hundley) for Lindy McDaniel and Don Landrum

The transaction which left this Mets fan dumbfounded:
On February 24, 1976 the Rangers traded Bill Hands to the Mets for George Stone.

I saw that transaction line and said “Bill Hands was on the METS?”

[pause]

“GEORGE STONE WAS ON THE RANGERS????”

From what I can tell, both pitchers decided to retire before the 1976 season.

Card Stuff:
Although he last pitched in 1975, Hands appears in both 1976 Topps and 1976 SSPC

LARRY HANEY

1970 Topps #648

Played 1966 – 1978
1970’s Teams: A’s, Cardinals, Brewers

1970’s Highlights:
Played in two games in the 1974 World Series, but didn’t get a plate appearance; Was a backup catcher through most of his career, but was valued enough to play for 12 Major League seasons

Career Highlights:
Was an original Seattle Pilot before being traded to the A’s for 2nd baseman John Donaldson; Homered in his Major League Debut in 1965, the only Oriole to do so until Jonathan Schoop duplicated the feat in 2013

Fun Stuff:
Larry’s son Chris Haney pitched in the majors from 1991 to 2002 and Larry’s cousin is Mike Cubbage (who got the 1970s: A-Z treatment back in September); Haney acquired by the A’s three times, twice after being sold by the A’s and then brought back again

Card Stuff:
The negative on his 1969 Topps card was reversed and made him appear to be a left-handed catcher; Haney’s 1975 Topps card actually shows fellow catcher Dave Duncan

BONUS VIDEO

I ran across this brief clip and thought it worth sharing; it’s a segment of what appears to be a TV news report on Ed Halicki’s no-hitter and shows the last out being recorded. The batter is Wayne Garrett, the first baseman is Willie Montañez. The first player running over is 2nd baseman Derrell Thomas, the catcher is Dave Rader, then we see shortstop Chris Speier and 3rd baseman Bruce Miller, and I think that #5 who runs over at the end is coach Joey Amalfitano

The 1970’s, A To Z: Wayne Gross to Ron Guidry

Posted on February 12, 2021 by The Shlabotnik Report

WAYNE GROSS

1978 Topps #139

Played 1976 – 1986
1970’s Teams: A’s

1970’s Highlights:
Was named to the 1977 Topps All-Star Rookie team and was the A’s representative at the 1977 All-Star Game; Involved in a Major League record three Triple Plays in 1979 – May 7th vs. the Orioles, June 19th vs. the Royals and June 23rd vs. the Rangers

Career Highlights:
Hit a homer in the 1981 ALDS; Pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in a 16-5 loss to the Twins 5/18/83

JERRY GROTE

1976 Topps #143

Played 1963 – 1981
1970’s Teams: Mets, Dodgers

1970’s Highlights:
Was named to the All-Star team in 1974; Played in the 1973 World Series with the Mets and the 1977 and 1978 World Series with the Dodgers; Set a Major League record with 20 putouts in the 1970 game where Tom Seaver struck out 19 Padres

Career Highlights:
A member of the 1969 “Miracle Mets”, Grote was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1992; caught a 24-inning game without an error in 1968

Fun Stuff:
Grote and several other 1969 Mets appeared in an episode of the TV series “Everybody Loves Raymond”; On September 27, 1963 the Houston Colt .45’s had a starting lineup made up entirely of rookies, including Grote, Joe Morgan, Jim Wynn and Rusty Staub

Card Stuff:
Had cards in the 1971 Topps “Baseball’s Greatest Moments” set and in 1976 Hostess; Didn’t appear in 1977 Topps despite playing in 101 games in 1976

JOHNNY GRUBB

1976 SSPC #130

Played 1972 – 1987
1970’s Teams: Padres, Indians, Rangers

1970’s Highlights:
Represented the Padres in the 1974 All-Star Game; was named to the 1973 Topps All-Star Rookie team; Was named as an outfielder on the 1970 College World Series All-Tournament team; set a Padres record with 36 doubles in 1975 (He’s currently tied for 16th on the Padres list with Tony Gwynn and Bip Roberts)

Career Highlights:
While with the Tigers he got a hit in the 1984 World Series; Made his last MLB appearance in the 1987 ALCS vs. the Twins

Fun Stuff:
Was a college teammate of pitcher Mac Scarce at Florida State

Card Stuff:
His 1975 Kellogg’s card says that he collects baseball cards “such as this one”; His 1977 O-Pee-Chee card has an airbrushed photo after he was traded to Cleveland; His 1974 rookie card has a “Washington Nat’l Lea.” variation

JOE GRZENDA

1971 Topps #518

Played 1961 – 1972
1970’s Teams: Senators, Cardinals

1970’s Highlights:
Joe is here mainly as an answer to several trivia questions… He threw the final pitch and got the final out in Senators history before fans stormed the field and caused the game to be forfeited to the Yankees; Got the Senators’ final win two days earlier and final save before that

Card Stuff:
Pitched in 56 games scattered over four Major League seasons before getting a rookie card in 1969 Topps (14 years after he broke into pro ball as an 18-year-old)

RON GUIDRY

1978 Topps #135

Played 1975 – 1988
1970’s Teams: Yankees

1970’s Highlights:
In 1978 he won the Cy Young Award and was named The Sporting News MLB Player of the Year while leading the league with 25 wins, a 1.74 ERA and 9 shutouts (a Yankees team record)… he also struck out 248 batters (also a Yankees record) and pitched 16 complete games; Received 8 first place votes in 1978 MVP voting and finished second to Jim Rice; His .893 winning percentage (25-3) in 1978 is a Major League record for a starting pitcher; Lead the league in ERA (2.78) in 1979; Struck out 18 Angels on June 16, 1978 to set a Yankees team record and an American League record for lefties; Was the Yankees’ opening day starter in 1978 and 1979;

Career Highlights:
Was a four-time All-Star; Won five consecutive Gold Glove awards in the 1980s; Also won 20 games in 1983 and 1985; Won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1984; Has three career World Series wins and 2 career ALCS wins

Fun Stuff:
His nicknames are “Louisiana Lightning” and “Gator”; Gave up Dick Allen’s final homer (#351) in 1977

Card Stuff:
Guidry’s 1979 Topps Burger King card uses the photo from his 1979 Topps “Record Breaker” subset card

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Tag Archives: The 1970’s A-Z