#70 Mike Cuellar

So good in his prime and unlikely success story....a true late developer aided greatly by the addition of a screwball to his pitching arsenal.....The Cuban born lefthander started in AAA Havana Sugar Kings then the Reds top affiliate....advanced employment was based on early press notices while he pitched for the President Batista Army club....one of the last players out of the country with the onset of the Castro regime, part of in 1960 AAA team forced to relocate mid season to Jersey City due to government travel restrictions  ....then majority of his 20’s were spent riding various buses of minor league teams (he was also loaned out to several other organizations)....strong stints in AAA Jacksonville gave Mike truncated service with the St. Louis Cardinals....exceeded rookie status in 1964 but excluded from WS play....Settled in with Houston 1965....put together decent years on the mound but mostly performed in obscurity.... high lights were finishing second in ERA 1966 and 16 wins good for 5^th circa 1967....Joining the Bird Hill Aces for 1969 was revelation to his career.....top notch coaching and excellent run support....Ascends as a Junior Circuit elite being the champion in 23 decisions and shares the Cy Young with Denny McClain.....Goes one win better in 1970 with 24......became the O’s workhorse....40 games started and 2 1/3 inning from 300....roll call of success goes as follows;  In 1971 collects 20 triumphs, 1972 and 73 twin 18 victories, 1974 a return to 20+ win status.....The Cuellar's career erosion starts in 1975 with 14 game tallies....completely empty in 1976 with 4-13 record complete with relegation to bullpen and a layoff for month of Sept....released; at age 40 tried a quick resurfacing as California Angel....shelled and immediately shelved after 3 innings.....Probably one of the most superstitious pitchers of all time....avoided stepping on the base line going into the Orioles dugout to name one....a more extensive list idiosyncrasies is in his SABR bio....second highest number of wins for left hander from 1969-74 falling one short to Fergy Jenkins.....settled in both Puerto Rico and Florida, continued with coaching and off the grid pitching appearances....passed away from stomach cancer in 2010.    

#71 California Angels

Hopes were high on the wings of Angel’s strong showing in 1970 going 86-76....1971 resulted in an inverse record of 76-86 and a documented cancerous clubhouse debacle.....Trailblazer of AL westward expansion circa 1961....better than average records out of the gate for an expansion team (3^rd place and 10 GB for pennant)....but after the early stars burnt out the franchise fell behind the AL pack.....became known as being pitching strong, hitting deficient....The traces of the early aces show up on the backside....Dean Chance’s 1.65 ERA and shutout marks still stand today but the bulk of team pitching marks are the making of the soon to be 1972 import, Nolan Ryan....Other Angel record holdovers are Clyde Wright 22 wins in 1970 (subsequently tied with Ryan)....Sandy Alomar still holds at bats in a season mark along with being tied with several others for most games....All other team leader marks are set by players after the year 2000.....Angels fortunes have been enhanced by the advert of free agency.....but the team has also endured more than its share of tragic deaths, Chico Ruiz, Mike Miley, Lyman Bostock, Donnie Moore, Dick Wanz, and Nick Adenhart.....Angels are a tough go in playoffs, only one World Series win to show in ten post season appearances.....Sixty one years of activity the franchise’s cumulative W-L record continues to hover at or near the .500 mark.....Team has had five name changes with Los Angeles Angels being used twice, at the team's inception in 1961 and the present day....most significant position player, Mike Trout.....most team career wins Chuck Finley.

#72 Bruce Kison

Youngest pitcher in 1971 October classic...and possibly its most clutch performer....took over for a hapless Luke Walker in game 4....unfazed did not allow a run in 6 innings allowing the Bucs to come back....Stayed in Steel town through the 1979 season, collecting another championship ring.... not effective in this fall classic with ERA of 108.00 but was very helpful in the effort to take the NL East chipping in 13 wins for the “We are family” crew..... swan song for the Bucs, leaves for free agency....departed with an excellent ERA of 3.49 over nine summers....Lands with the Halos for 4 seasons....Curtailed by injuries first two years, was able to reach 10 wins in the next two....did stellar work in the 1982 AL playoff in a losing effort.... last year in Anaheim was 1984.....next and final year was spent in Boston....both were truncated affairs of insignificant work.... tall and slender, effective if healthy but output was diminished by being continually hurt......body of work shows 115 wins versus 88 defeats... personal best was 14 victories....  seasons usually were north of a .500 win % over the course of a 15 year career.....once fought Mike Schmidt on the field...bit of a mismatch....give him points for bravery.....went into coaching after leaving the mound....hobbies in the off season included stamp collecting....passed away of cancer in 2018.

#73 Steve Huntz

Well traveled utility Infielder.....could hit for some power but struggled with sustaining an acceptable batting average at the MLB level....bandied about, employers include Orioles who originally signed him, Giants who kept him over a winter, White Sox twice, Dodgers serving two years in AAA, Cardinals with whom he made his debut, and two stints with the Padres representing the bulk of his MLB work....went yard 16 times at baseball highest level but yielded only a .206 BA.....most homers in one season 11 for the Padres in 1970....finished baseball playing with two years on the shores of Hawaii in AAA.  

#74 Cecil Upshaw

The first ten years of the Atlanta Braves were difficult to gage....big swings in wins and losses plus a career altering injury....but the good years are highly correlated with the fortunes of this solid submarining fireman who improved each year from his debut in 1966....it was family affair, teammate George Stone was a cousin.....a driving force in the 1969 Braves edging out the Giants for a berth in the first NLCS saving 27 games....Then it happened....at the very start of the 1970, Cecil had a freak index finger injury on a basketball hoop....unnecessarily Upshaw was demonstrating roundball skills that made him a two sport star.....result severe thumb damage; amputation was considered and the season was lost....Infused with determination came back for 1971....a 17 save effort allowed the Atlanta Tribe to inch above .500....1972 was more difficult, as the Braves’ player union representative, he was focused negotiations in the early season strike....wins, saves, ERA regressed....1973 started even worse and was ushered out of Atlanta for Houston (being traded was the usual fate of many early 1970’s player representatives) culminating his worst seasons a pro.....1974 found Cecil plying his trade on the shores of Lake Erie for the tribe and in Yankee pinstripes....result was an odd juxtaposition, lowered ERA by nearly 2 runs a game but only had one win next to six loses....after four cities in two years, settles into the Southside of Chicago for his last season in a diminished role, mostly mop up for lost games....released before 1976 season.....  While he found success in the plastics industry post baseball, Upshaw was pivotal in extending pension benefits for players....also pressed for changes in scoring of saves helping his own cause....Passed away at young age of 52.

#75 Bert Campaneris

The newly relocated Oakland Athletics’ fortunes turned around on signing and keeping this vanguard of the middle infield....in years before the KC A’s were known to give away talent to the Yankees with little in return and suffered mightily....The speedy and quick, Cuban born import becomes the first building block of the A’s 70’s mini-dynasty.....after a short tour of the A’s farm system, Bert debuts on July 22, 1964....hits two home runs in his first game....Establishes himself at short in 1965 taking the first of four consecutive stolen base crowns, six for his career.....also brought notoriety to him and the A’s by playing all 9 positions in a late season contest 1968.....consistent at the plate, BA averaging a range of .290 to .250 for a majority of his 19 years....once led the AL in triples, later on hits....One oddity was going yard 22 times in 1970 whereas he never reached double figures at any other time.....added talent to the “Swingin A’s” Campaneris collected 3 World Pennants 72-74.....After 13 years of loyal service to Charlie O Finley’s crew opts for free agency.....Texas takes the bait and pays out....solid season in 1977 despite a 50% reduction in stolen bases....stumbles badly in 1978 BA dropping significantly....another poor start in 1979 Bert is flipped to the Angels....relegated to reserve role through but stays through 1981....continues his playing days in Mexican League circa 1982....in bold and surprising move accepts assignment to AAA Columbus in 1983....hits well and earns a call up to the Yankees....responds in kind with a career best .322 BA utilizing 46 hits in 143 at bats....excellent exit portal....Has become somewhat overlooked as a premiere AL shortstop for a good portion the 1960’s and 1970’s....2021 lives in Scottsdale AZ, and remains active baseball alumni activities.

#76 Don Carrithers

Secondary journeyman middle reliever who eked out eight MLB seasons.... was able to get the call up to Candlestick Park based on great first half in AAA Phoenix in 1970.....Giants were going with youth at the time to varied success.....Don had difficulty with the big league hitters.....His resume as a SF Giant included two split seasons and two whole season....a stop gap member staff with an ERA 5+....traded to Montreal in 1974....His stint in Quebec were similar to SF....assigned to AAA early on, called up....In the subsequent 2 ½ years was able to lower his ERA to a more acceptable 3.76....although once again a firm role the pitching corps eluded him....a 5^th starter at best mostly passed over to mop up or middle inning work.... Most notoriety was his last season....Recently acquired by the Twins for 1977, was involved in a car accident with a wrong way driver in Bloomington MN....While it was nonfatal both Don’s and Mike Pazik’s pitching careers were curtailed....Don was able to make an return to the staff later in the year albeit unsuccessful....their injuries already compromised a marginal staff.....released by the Twins resurfaced at his old haunts in Phoenix for a couple of year of PCL action.....liked to race stock cars in the off season.

#77 Ron Theobald

The General....named so by a coach who thought he looked like Napoleon Bonaparte ....Topps Rookie at 2^nd....small ball player with hustle and desire making up for shortcomings...took over for a slumping Ted Kubiak in 1971....drew a respectable .276 BA on an offensively challenged squad....solid season did not carry as a sophomore with a 56 point drop in BA and no stolen bases.....Final stats lines and playing time about identical for both his MLB seasons....bounced around organizations in the minors....Started in Cubs system, then moving to the Twins and Senators system....rookie at age 27....did not return for the 1973 edition of the Brewers....the organization feeling was that rookie Pedro Garcia was ready.....let go, spent his last professional year at AAA Phoenix.....failed to his raise BA and subsequently out of baseball....one team the Brewers....and was invited to closing of County Stadium....died on April 15, 2015 

#78 Steve Arlin

“Stevie wants to be a Dentist”....Apparently to the extent it affected his baseball development..... Once focused on the mound showed flashes of brilliance in a Padre uniform but the team’s run support was often at issue....Could have sued his teammates for nonsupport......or in the Dentist jargon; malpractice....Developed in the collegiate ranks as a  Ohio State Buckeye star....Turned Philadelphia farmhand taken by Padres in expansion draft....minor leagues development was hindered by missing spring trainings taken over by his education pursuits....a situation that did not change until several seasons in his career....spent most of 1969 in the International League team in Columbus (the Pirate AAA club) by in large to complete his Dentistry education at OSU....Despite a poor season is called up late in Padres inaugural year....A case of a member of the 1968 AAA San Diego Padres playing for the 1969 MLB expansion squad....Arlin and infielder Roberto Pena shared this to experience the culture shock of going to a team 6 games above .500 to one that was 58 below....Stays in minor for majority of 1970......In 1971 Arlin is aided by spring training and lands into the starting rotation....End result was 9-19 W-L record but his 3.48 ERA was respectable....His specialty shutouts accounting of 4 of the team’s 9....part of the reason the third year Friars had one of the best pitching staffs in the league despite having the most losses....Arlin wins 10 in 1972 and possesses a 3.80 ERA but is tagged with two more losses than the year before....Led NL in losses two consecutive years....1973 Steve leads the Friars with 11 positive decisions and cuts down his losses to 14....but a ballooning 5.10 ERA spelled the end of his prime.....his 1974 start was a disaster, a single win compared to seven defeats....trade to Cleveland fared little better....Final season line 3 wins 12 losses....Returned Dentistry bypassing further organized baseball....Passes on in 2016.....Grandson of the first radio broadcaster in baseball history.

#79 Red Sox Rookie Stars,

Highly coveted card with HOF Fisk in addition to longtime star Ceil Cooper....

Mike Garman quietly appeared in 9 MLB seasons for a total of 303 games all but 8 in relief....6 starts took place during multiple call ups for the Red Sox....otherwise his Boston time was transitory walking away with a 2-2 record....better times lay ahead after being acquired by St. Louis....in two years relieved 130 games winning and losing 10 decisions....despite this solid work took routes to Cubs, Dodgers.  and Expos....shut out the opposition in 5 WS innings.... from Idaho....not exactly a baseball breeding ground. 

Carlton Fisk....“Pudge”, a more complimentary version of his early childhood nickname “Pudgy”..... now the term is a brand of honor for backstops.....New England’s pride and joy....born in Vermont, HS in New Hampshire, drafted and starred for Red Sox....HOF inductee second year on ballot....11 time all star....drafted  fourth in the 1967 draft....minor league development was decidedly uneven especially at upper levels....one asset hit well in a MLB call up 1971....Took the baseball world by storm 1972....best receiver Boston had as any long time fan could remember....most home runs (22) by a Red Sox backstop at the time....Led the American League in Triples with 9 (only time he led in an offensive category)....took home the Golden Glove (also only time in career) and most notably Rookie of the Year....once quoted in a self deprecating manner “I don’t know what I’m doing right”....more importantly Fisk never stopped doing right....sophomore effort was strong albeit BA dipped....Sorely missed a good chunk of 1974 as Red Sox continued to fall short in the AL east....while the injury bug continued into 1975, but when healthy hit .332 to catapult the Sox to the WS....his stay fair gesture in walk off home run in game 6 remains a baseball iconic moment.....Stays in Bean town up to the 1980 season....Hesitancy by the Red Sox during contract negotiations resulted in being a Free agent for 1981.... signs with the White Sox.....Once again a cog to transforms the team into a contender....While the south siders fortunes waned, Fisk weathers on with full time status thru 1991...once tagged out two Yankees on one play in 1985....relegated to DH and backup for 1992 and 1993.....Logged in 13 years in Chi town compared to 11 in Boston..... Has incredible legacy of leadership, hustle, work ethic..... Played 2226 games behind the plate, once the MLB record, now held by namesake Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez.  

Ceil Cooper   “Cooooop” to the Milwaukee faithful where his career fully blossomed...a case of good seasons with Red Sox but utilization was limited and did not start until 1974....1977 trade to Milwaukee was a steal for the Brew Crew....cost of the transaction were veterans George Scott and Bernie Carbo, both on the back sides of their years....initial year as a Brewer, hits .300......first of six consecutive seasons of reaching .300 or better....Improves over time using a batting stance similar to Rod Carew’s....Cooper displays more power....His .352 BA in 1980 would have taken the BA crown in most years but finished a distant second to George Brett’s .390.....Twice led the AL in RBIs....Gradually lost numbers over time but was able to make all star team for the 5^th time at age 35....other accolades include  two golden glove and three of the newly minted Sliver Slugger awards starting in its initial year of 1980 to 1982...departed playing in 1987 while still a platoon player.