#41 Tommy Davis #42 Tommy Davis In Action

Always a good bat, sometimes great....A trailblazer in the new innovation of the Designated Hitter rule....Davis' story begins long before the 1973 AL innovation....a single at bat in a Dodger uniform establishes Davis’ debut in the 1950’s after being PCL batting champ 1959....Was able to share either Center or Right Field in 1960....replaced an aging Duke Snider or an injured Don Demeter.....Gains playing time in 1961 setting him for his career year of 1962....the normally offensively Dodgers challenged are led by Davis’ NL leading in runs (230), BA (.347), and RBI (153)....highest RBI total in NL for 47 year period....a personal high of 27 homers may have led critics to perceive him as a power hitter....decent follow up in 1963 whereas he successfully defended the NL batting crown....plus gained his only WS ring....descended along with his  team in season long funk in 1964 as Dodgers faltered in their WS encore to fall below .500....Injured most of 1965 left his career in question....While his BA resurrected to .313 in 1966 his play is held back, take second fiddle to his understudy and late career hero Lou Johnson....Traded to Mets, which begins a 4 year period of team musical chairs....a bizarre era aka a rolling stone traveling to the White Sox, then Seattle Pilots, Astros, A’s, Cubs...paradoxically he was at or near the top player on each squad....added insult released by the Cubs....rumors has it was an orchestrated to allow a 1971 return to the A’s....that year brought an excellent albeit part time .342 BA and season long residential stability....true to Charles Finley form, was released prior to 1972 season (see Mudcat Grant).... sits out half the year....signed by Cubs essentially a pinch hitter then flipped to Orioles who were desperate for a hot bat after the normally reliable and their normally solid batting corps went limp....After season Davis is at an impasse, he is highly limited in the field and looks to be an exclusive pinch hitter....enter the new provision deus ex machina the DH.....allows Davis to return to batting numbers accustomed a decade earlier....extends full time status by three years....Considered the best DH in 1974.....going with new blood for 1976 Orioles release him....but is able to spend that last season with the Angels and Royals....Known to be cool, calm, and sometimes aloof but delivered under pressure....final line is a formidable .294 batting average based on 2,121 hits....probably should have been MVP in 1962 over teammate Maury Wills.....died on April 3, 2022  

#114 Bill Buckner

“Avatar of the significance of one moment"….Part of the amazing era of Dodger player development….Brilliant climb up the farm system many times under the tutelage of Tommy Lasorda…. Once with the big club, started out as either an outfielder or platoon 1^st baseman sharing duties with Wes Parker….Attributes of grit, hustle,  team chemistry, and mind over pain were put to use…. exceptional speed could be included in his first couple of years but ankle  injuries hobbled him after 1976….Never the same and needed to permanently move to 1^st base….problem was the emergence of  ironman Steve Garvey.....this necessitated his departure to Chicago…..managed his pain with stretching exercises practiced by ballet dancers and yoga, ahead of his time….oh so difficult to strike out….1980 NL batting Champion…..Appeared in 8 seasons in Dodger blue, 8 in Cubs threads, in that time span batted over .300 8 times…..only appeared in two postseasons;  1974 with Dodgers and the infamous 1986 Red Sox…..departed teams just prior to playoff runs traded to Cubs just prior to 1977, shipped to Red Sox mid season from Cubs 1984….Two proficient seasons  in Beantown collecting over 100 RBIs in each…. his solid performer was been reduced to one play in the 1986 WS...ridded, taunted by opposition fans all due to the slow, run of the mill roller hit by Mookie Wilson in game 6 …..in fairness the Red Sox wheels were falling off before the incident….Buckner returns to the Red Sox in a somewhat alienated state was gradually nearing his career terminus….his 2 home runs, 42 RBIs and .273 BA at mid season 1987 failed to be the robust numbers put up in the past two years…at this point released and picked up by the Angels and next year to KC as an extreme backup role… by virtue of one at bat in 1969 and his short stint for the Red Sox in 1990 played in 4 decades…..for all his hits 2715 only made all star team once….more would have been were not for the injuries…..Well liked wherever he played….Contracted dementia and passed in May 2019 but had made his peace with the Boston faithful and all his other would be critics.

#215 Alex Johnson

A predecessor to the Albert Belle’s and Gary Sheffield’s of the baseball world....Blessed with immense bat speed and good foot speed.....large imposing figure suggested significant power....but came with considerable cost....adjectives are obtuse, sullen, surly, and lackadaisical....if Johnson is firing on all cylinders, Alex is an acceptable burden if not he is the first jettisoned to a desperate team to the try their luck.....Pattern was stayed two years if he did well....Started in the Phillie organization in early 60’s, a locale not known for racial understanding see Dick Allen.....hit well for them on a part time basis but controversy ensued stemming from poor defense and liaise fare work ethic....despite potential was swapped as the key player to the Cards....output was considerably poorer than Philly with same liabilities popping up....Next it the Reds turn in the Johnson lottery.....Reds found a capital gain with a gradual realization of his promise....Hit .311 over two years.....Traded again for 1970 to the Angels....Put it all together to win the AL batting crown (.329) by the closest of margins as the Angels finished second to the Twins.....Returned for 1971 and fell into an abyss of conflict from day one.....the Angels, after a considerable clash of baseball management and player’s union put Johnson on DL at the end of June....exiled to Cleveland three days after the regular season.....results were disappointing but with a seemingly aloof quiet which was maybe the best the organization can hope for.....passed on to Texas 1973....advent of DH extended his career by circumventing defensive problems...hit .287 then .291 in 1974 but with few home runs.... Johnson mostly in the field in the later year..... interestingly the greatly improved Rangers  who where in a pennant race played sold Johnson late in season to NYY....stayed in NY 1975 but used little.....given one last chance with Detroit 1976 as DH but was a nonfactor on that squad and was let go at the end of season in favor of youth.....in retrospect Johnson was enigma and not well understood, when away from baseball and those associated, reports of his personality were positive...Retired Johnson settled in his hometown of Detroit working on a family business of  truck repair and leasing until passing away from cancer in 2015.....note on back of card: had 18 doubles in 1969 not 78 which would have shattered the MLB record of 67.  

#260 Ralph Garr

 The Road Runner….Fast that fact helped Ralph’s cause….used bunts, choppers, line drives to hit extremely well out of upon full time employment with a .342 clip in 1971….not edible for ROY for he had garnered too much time in multiple call ups over three years earlier…arguably a better replacement for Rico Carty, who was out for the year….Hits just kept on coming in 72, 73, and 74…the last year won the NL batting title…..had one of the best hit total of all time for his fourth full year beaten only by Ty Cobb….cooled off a bit to a still respectable  .278 in 1975 as defenses adjusted….took his speed to the White Sox for 1976…bad team but good performance as Ralph rebounded to .300… repeated his .300 clip as Sox improved by 26 games in 1977…continued in Chicago as his imported teammates departed….hit at step lower .270’s for 1978 and most of 79…sold to Angels late 1979 but was inconsequential…poor 1980 resulted in release mid 1980. …if only the hits could have continued.  

#299 Hank Aaron #300 Hank Aaron In Action

Move over Babe, here comes Henry....A triumph of achievement despite forces against him....Whew!....what to say that hasn’t said.....alphabetically the first player on the baseball register for 50 years until David Aardsma's debut 2008....untainted and unquestioned home run king...said he never tried to hit a home run once at the plate....755 over the fence hitting mistakes later, Hank held the crown as of April 1974 until Barry Bond’s "better hitting through chemistry" credo came along.....Why are we not in hall yet Barry?....Strong ties to Wisconsin and Milwaukee with bike trails, streets, and stadiums named after him....signed out of the waning days of Negro League by the Boston Braves franchise....started professional ball in Eau Clare WI 1952....took flight to the majors 1954 after tearing up the SALLY league the year before...strong rookie debut (.280 BA) but his 13 home runs did not tell of things to come...jumped to 27 and 26 dingers in the next seasons in addition to raising his batting by 40 point ....fully entrenched into consistent superstar status 1957 in what would nearly become his status quo for the next 15 years....League leading 44 home runs, 132 RBIs...MVP....World Series hero as Bushville beat the Yankees....Followed the Braves to Atlanta where he reprised 1957 season NL best 44 home run, 127 RBIs....around 1969 he and Willie Mays were mentioned as contenders to surpass Babe Ruth’s home run mark....age caught up Mays but Hank hammered along with 44, 38, 47, and 34 in years 1969-72....National spot light 1973 as he was in striking distance of 712....Received death threats....nevertheless hit 40 over the fence to remain one short of tying the record....tied mark in Cincinnati 4/4....rested one game then went hitless in the other....Returned home to Atlanta for most anticipated regular season game ever.....First at bat took a Al Downing offering into the Braves’ bullpen...the rest of game was immaterial....rest of the season for Hank was good but decidedly a letdown....age had started to show...traded to Milwaukee for 1975  as a homecoming for the city....featured highly in the Brewer’s promotion for the next two years doing part time DH work....called it quits 1976....To this day, still the career RBI and total bases leader..needless to say Hall of Fame....odd stat stole 190 bases in the 1960 to 1968...interesting fact despite incredible home run numbers in 60’s did not hit the most for the decade...that honor went to Harmon Killebrew...Oh Henry candy bar was not named after him but he put in there commercial...appropriate in action shot.

#309 Roberto Clemente #310 Roberto Clemente In Action

Maybe one should break the fourth wall with Roberto....Do not report facts but tell what was important to you and how he affected your life....I didn’t have the 1972 card but I have 3 of his 1973 cards...a sad and somber memento...his face obscured maybe intentionally in an in-action pose....his story begins as a signee by the Dodgers who recognized his pending stardom....placed in Montreal AAA squad in a pattern reminiscing of Jackie Robinson’s upbringing....only thing is didn’t play much in an attempt to hide  him from Rule 5 draft....still didn’t work, Pirates brass (Branch Rickey) had too much knowledge of the Dodger prospect and he was taken for a price of a measly 4,000 dollars...Overtook the Pirates spot immediately 1955....had an solid  body of work for 5 years (.282 BA, 26 home runs, 236 RBI cumulative)  but supercharged with power and RBI number with the start of the 1960’s....bravado, proud, possibly  narcissistic of his skills but he could back the talk....4 batting crowns...MVP 1966....hit under .300 only once in the decade....1961 started a string of 12 consecutive Gold Gloves augmented by a legendarily strong and accurate throwing arm...as the Baltimore Orioles found out in the 1971 WS....1969-1971 was nearly flawless hitting a .3456 clip....personal goal for 1972 was to reach the mile stone 3000 hits....battled viruses and a strained tendons resulting in only  403 plate appearances...the 3K mark was reached on September 30....a double off of Jon Matlack....last regular season hit ever....the Pirates lost out to the Reds in NLCS....Roberto was home when word of an earthquake devastating Nicaragua....continuing a personal commitment  to charitable work in Latin America to the beleaguer nation...As most people were celebrating the new year, his plane carrying relief went down a mile off the Puerto Rican coast...body never recovered....tragedy put a pale over the 1973 Pirates who descended into a losing record....In an act of highest reverence, inducted into Hall of Fame 1973 waiving the 5 year period....Other tributes poured in....Well remembered to this day..... Baseball also renamed the newly created Commissioner’s award to the Roberto Clemente award which is given the player combining good play and strong work in the community.

Note: Many of back sides of the In Action Card are the same promotional advertisement.  So I've left them out.  For Roberto I will show his 1973 card.

#395 Matty Alou

The middle brother of the three Alous ....Coming off his all around best season where he showed greater pop (6 homers) and more RBI production (72) than ever before....Famous early for having two brothers on the SF Giants...performance was definitely inconsistent hampered by injuries and sibling or superstar competition...it wasn’t until a trade to Pirates that Mateo made his name....1966 astounded the baseball world with a .342 best in NL....the cause was totally new batting approach that emphasized choking up on the bat, hitting downward, and bunting when needed....next 3 seasons more of same, a .330+ average, finishing 3^rd, 2^nd, and 4^th in successive years...1969 was especially effective leading the league in at bats, hits, doubles plus was starting all star....1970 BA dropped to .297 a figure still very good for most....still led NL in at bats....hit .307 in 1972 splitting time in St Louis then Oakland....Traded to Yankees for 1973 where he hit .296 good for 10^th place in AL....made a brief return to Cardinals at the end of season addition for an intended playoff berth....1974: sold to Padres but could not get untracked and was released mid season....finished with a .307 lifetime BA....passed away in 2011

#510 Ted Williams

Possibly the greatest hitter ever but can he manage?....the answer, after first year success, not so much....Started managing 1969 cold having been away since his last playing season in 1960....1969 Senators surprised many with a huge improvement of 21 games...standing out were career seasons from Del Unser, Ed Brinkman, Ed Stoud, Dick Bosman along with a prime year from Frank Howard....however team stumbled in 1970 and a gap between Ted and the players developed....things got worse in 1971 with bad trades and questionable acquisitions....Joe Foy? Don Wert?... Curt Flood after sitting out 1970?....Denny McClain after being suspended most of 1970....Brutal 1971 season ending with 96 losses and the announcement of a move to Texas....Went west with team but it got worse....100 loses, team .217 BA...only bright spot was pitching improved slightly..... Ted had seen enough and bowed out of his 5^th year of contract....was replaced by Whitey Herzog....As a player his stats are sometime to behold....fun facts are 145 RBI's rookie season....Historic .406 mark of 1941....2 MVPs....all star every year he played (other than 1952 when got 10 at bats before serving in Korea)....ending his career with a .316 BA and a home run in last at bat....plus the wonderment of what he would done had he 1.  entered the big leagues out of PCL San Diego;  2.  played the 3 years during World War 2;  3.  Got 900 more at bats in years 1952-53....A career average of .344....Wow.  

#575 Al Oliver

Long timer who fell short of 3000 hits by 256…a hitter’s hitter, never really had a down season at the plate in 17 full years….strong debut in 1969…second in ROY voting and more deserving based on statistics…despite excellent number sometimes had a hard time breaking into a regular spot in the Pirates talent laden line up….his ten years in Pittsburgh was a solid foundation for a career….great complement to Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell….hit even better when traded to Texas…Al and his .319 avg. stayed for four seasons…had his career year in Montreal 1982 at age 35….Led NL in batting, doubles, total bases, and hits….3^rd in MVP….Al follows up in 1983 with 8 hrs, 84 RBIs, and a healthy .300 hitting clip….Moved on to San Francisco while he continued to hit well  at.298 but he lost power in the Candlestick wind....much of his RBI clout…didn’t stay and finish his SF....would up in Philly and did bring up average to over .300 his 8^th consecutive season doing so….1985 was his last year….took on a reserve role with Dodgers then  on to Toronto ….7 time all star…for last 8 years wore “0” on the back of his jersey.