One stand out in the trio....Burt Hooten A first round draft pick by the Cubs from the Texas Longhorn in 1971....fast tracked to AAA Tacoma mid season where enjoyed a very brief and successful run....had a taste of the MLB stage having won two games (one by shutout) in 1971....Not missing a beat, throws a no hitter in his 1972 debut making many a sports page headline....Settled into a 11-14 record and excellent 2.80 ERA......unique specialty pitch the knuckle/curve....took to the Cubs mound two more full years continuing as an inning eater yet plagued by a rising ERA ....Started 1975 poorly and was traded to the Dodgers....Ineffective at first but was seemingly invigorated after seeing a hypnotist....proceeded to win 12 straight games on the way to 18 total....becomes a fixture in the LA rotation showing a quiet reliability well into the 80’s....stepped up his game with taking 19 W(s) in 1978....good for 2nd in Cy Young voting.....A strong post season performer victorious in 6 decisions, with an excellent 1981 winning 4 games over three series....phased out of prominence in 1984.....ended career with one season in Texas..... Gene Hiser a seldom used and little known position player....at both the major and minor league level....one of several candidates for the Cubs centerfield trouble spot.....taken in first round of 1970 draft out of the University of Maryland....Back of card is a misnomer.....while Gene had only one hit in 19 at bats in AAA, played the bulk of 1971 in the Western Carolina League hitting a .289 clip (not shown on the card)....a light hitter in any league he played.....was able to eke out 236 big league at bats over five partial campaigns....final career line one home run and eighteen RBI’s plus a .202 BA....tried his hand at a short lived professional soft ball league after baseball offers dried up......Earl Stephenson No longer a Cub at the start of 1972....instead employed 70 miles up I-94 at the Brewer's Milwaukee County Stadium...was included in exchange for Jose Cardenal ....a limited but decent 3-5 record with 3.25 ERA for the Brew Crew....was traded to Phillies in off season....failed to make the club and struggled in AAA....not impressing big clubs was passed around from organization to organization....descended into the Mexican League....was spotted by Oriole scouts and was able to return to major league franchise employment....was able to sneak back in MLB with the birds in 1977 and 1978 appearing in a total of 12 1/3 innings.
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