skip to main |
skip to sidebar
- When I was a kid there were about four of us around the block who collected cards. Jimmy collected mainly cards of teams that were good at the time (A's, Reds, Yankees, Dodgers) and he also liked Pirates cards since he was from the Pittsburgh area. Lupe was a big Reds collector. Brian liked the oddball cards (checklists, team cards, leader cards, etc.). I was the set collector in the group. I always tried to fill up those checklists.
- This one isn't checked, which means it isn't one of my "originals." I probably picked up this card as an upgrade for an already really beat-up card. I have another upgrade in a box that I need to get into my notebook.
- Checklists have their place, but I think they should have been unnumbered cards so that more real cards could be put in the set. The way Topps did the team checklists in 1974 was a good way to do it -- team checklists were inserted in packs and weren't very hard to get.
- Gary Thomasson played in the majors from 1972-1980. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1969. He batted .359 as a 17-year-old in Great Falls (Rookie-League level). He also fared well in the minors from 1970-1972, batting between .270 and .280 in all three years. At the end of the 1972 season Gary got into 10 September games with the Giants and batted .333 in 27 at bats.
- Thomasson played all three OF positions and 1B for the Giants in 1973. He batted .285 in 235 at bats. For the next three years (1974-1976) Gary had the same role with the Giants -- fourth outfielder and backup first baseman. He batted just over 300 times per year and had averages of .244 (1974), .227 (1975), and .259 (1976).
- In 1977 Thomasson was the starting LF for the Giants. In 145 games he batted .256 with 17 home runs, 71 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. After the season Gary was sent to the Oakland A's in the big trade that brought Vida Blue to the Giants.
- Gary started slowly for the A's in 1978. He was batting .201 in 154 AB when he was traded to the New York Yankees for Dell Alston, Mickey Klutts, and $50,000 on June 15. Thomasson performed much better for the Yankees -- he batted .276 in 116 AB as a backup OF and DH. He played in a total of six games in the ALCS and the World Series, going 1 for 5.
- After the 1978 season Gary was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Brad Gulden. He was a backup outfielder and first baseman for the Dodgers in 1979 and 1980. He played in 115 games in '79 (.248 with 14 HR in 315 AB) and 80 games (.216 in 111 AB) in 1980. After the 1980 season Gary was sold to the Yomiuri Giants (Japanese Central League).
- Thomasson played in Japan in 1981 and 1982. Gary set the all-time strikeout record in Japan in 1981, then he had a career-ending knee injury in 1982.
- Liked to face: Phil Niekro (.400 in 40 AB); Jack Billingham (.389 in 36 AB); Bob Forsch (.367 in 30 AB)
- Hated to face: Andy Messersmith (.105 in 38 AB); J.R. Richard (.189 in 37 AB); Dick Ruthven (.083 in 24 AB)
- Steve Busby pitched for the Kansas City Royals from 1972-1980. He was drafted in 1971 and spent 1971 and part of 1972 in the minors. He earned a promotion to the Royals after going 12-14 with a 3.19 ERA in 30 starts at AAA Omaha. Steve went 3-1 with a 1.58 ERA in five starts for the Royals to finish the 1972 season.
- In 1973 Steve finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Al Bumbry (.337 batting average) and Pedro Garcia. He was 16-15 with a 4.23 ERA in 37 starts. On April 27 Busby pitched the first no-hitter in Royals history.
- Steve was a real workhorse in 1974. Busby was 22-14 with a 3.39 ERA in 38 starts. He completed 20 games and pitched 293 innings. He was selected for the AL All Star team but didn't appear in the game. Busby pitched a second no-hitter on June 19. It's hard to believe Busby's 20 complete games was 8th in the AL that year.
- Busby had another good year in 1975. He was 18-12 with a 3.08 ERA in 34 starts. He made the AL All Star team again (2 IP, 1 run allowed).
- In 1976 Steve was 3-3 with a 4.40 ERA in 13 starts when he had a torn rotator cuff and missed the remainder of the season. He became the first pitcher to undergo surgery for a torn rotator cuff. Busby missed the entire 1977 season. He came back in April 1978, started four games (only getting past the 4th inning once), and went back to the minors to do some rehab work. Steve came back in September and pitched in three more games for the Royals. He ended up 1-0 with a 7.59 ERA in 1978.
- Steve pitched in 22 games (12 starts) in 1979. He was 6-6 with a 3.63 ERA. He started with teh Royals in 1980 and then spent two months in Omaha in 1980. He was pretty successful at Omaha (3-2, 2.48 ERA in 8 starts), but was 1-3 with a 6.17 ERA for the Royals. Busby was released on August 29, 1980. He tried to catch on with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1981 but retired during spring training.
- Busby, along with Amos Otis was one of the first two players elected to the KC Royals Hall of Fame. After his playing career Steve did some sportscasting with the Texas Rangers and was an instructor at a baseball school. Here is a good "Where are They Now" article about Busby.
- Liked to face: Reggie Jackson (.180 in 50 AB); Mickey Rivers (.149 in 47 AB); Ed Hermann (.133 in 30 AB)
- Hated to face: Pat Kelly (.400 in 50 AB); Carlos May (.341 in 44 AB); Mark Belanger (.345 in 29 AB)
Time for trivia. How many can you name?
- Darrel Chaney was a utility infielder for the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves from 1969-1979. Chaney was drafted by the Reds in 1966. He had seasons of .206, .189, and .231 in his first three years in the minors, but he managed to be brought up to the Reds at the age of 21 in 1969. Darrel split time at shortstop with Woody Woodward and batted .191 in 93 games (209 AB).
- Chaney played a lot less in 1970 (Dave Concepcion's rookie year) -- he batted .232 in 95 at bats in a utility role. In 1971 Darrell was at AAA Indianapolis and batted .277 in 120 games. He came back to Cincinnati in September and batted .125 in 24 at bats.
- Darrel's best year with the Reds was in 1972. He batted .250 in 196 AB and had a .345 on base percentage. Chaney started all five games of the National League Championship Series at shortstop (.188 in 16 AB) and played in four games in the World Series (.000 in 7 at bats).
- From 1973-1975 Chaney continued his role as a backup infielder. He had batting averages of .181 (1973), .200 (1974), and .219 (1975). Darrel appeared in five games in the 1973 NLCS and was hitless in nine at bats. He wasn't used in the 1975 NLCS and he was hitless in two at bats in the 1975 World Series (at least he got a ring).
- After the 1975 season Chaney was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Mike Lum. He was given the starting shortstop job and batted .252 in 153 games. He returned to a utility role in 1977 and continued in that role until his release after batting .162 in 1979. He batted about 100-200 times a year and had batting averages in the lower .200s in '77 and '78.
- According to his wikipedia entry, Chaney is currently He is currently the Chairman of the Board of the Major League Alumni Marketing (MLAM) and a Sr. Vice President of Sales and Marketing at a retail services organization. He also has done some broadcasting for the Atlanta Braves. He is also a religious man.
- Liked to face: Bob Forsch (.381 in 21 AB); Gaylord Perry (.500 in 20 AB); Rick Reuschel (.296 in 27 AB)
- Hated to face: Don Sutton (.100 in 40 AB); Tom Seaver (.167 with 15 strikeouts in 30 AB); Jerry Reuss (.077 in 26 AB)
- Nyls Nyman (cool name) played parts of four seasons for the Chicago White Sox from 1974-1977. I have a better copy of this card, but I figured I'd scan this one instead. Every once in a while one of these defective cards would show up in a pack.
- Nyman was a 16th round draft pick of the White Sox in 1972. He hit well in the minors (.288 as an 18-year-old in 1972, .315 in 1973, and .311 in 1974. Nyls made his big league debut on my 8th birthday (September 6, 1974) as a pinch runner. He went 9-14 (.643 batting average) for the year. That would have been a nice Strat-O-Matic card!
- Nyls got the vast majority of his major league playing time in 1975. He played in 106 games , batting .226 in 327 at bats. In 1976 he spent all but a couple of weeks in June in AAA Iowa. Nyls batted .133 in 15 at bats for the White Sox (not such a nice Strat card).
- Nyman started the 1977 season in Chicago and made one pinch hitting appearance before being sent back to Iowa. That groundout was his last major league at bat. Nyls was sent to Iowa and stayed there until he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of the Clay Carroll deal. Nyman spent 1978 at AAA Springfield and 1979 at AAA Indianapolis (Reds organization). He retired at the age of 25 after the 1979 season.
- His brother Chris Nyman played two seasons for the White Sox in 1982 and 1983.
- Ross Albert Grimsley II was the "man with the hair" in the mid-late 70s. He pitched in 11 seasons for four teams from 1971-1982. His father (Ross Albert Grimsley I) pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 1951.
- Grimsley was a first round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 1969. Ross spent 1969 and 1970 in the minors. In 1971 he started the year in AAA Indianapolis and earned a promotion after starting the season 6-0 with a 2.93 ERA. Grimsley stayed with the Reds for the rest of the season and went 10-7 with a 3.57 ERA in 26 starts.
- Ross also started the 1972 season in Indianapolis. He was brought up to the Reds to stay in May 1972. He had a 14-8 record with a 3.05 ERA in 30 games (28 starts) in 1972. Grimsley pitched a complete game 7-1 victory in game 4 of the National League Championship Series. He started and lost game 2 of the World Series 2-1. He was used as a reliever in game 5 and was the winning pitcher. He also pitched the 5th inning of game 6 and ended up being the winning pitcher in that game.
- Grimsley had another good year in 1973 (13-10, 3.23 ERA in 36 starts). He got hammered in game 3 of the National League Championship Series and took the loss. After the season Grimsley was traded with a minor leaguer to the Baltimore Orioles for Merv Rettenmund, Junior Kennedy, and a minor leaguer.
- In 1974 Ross had a 18-13 record with a 3.07 ERA and one save in 40 games (39 starts). He made two relief appearances in the 1974 ALCS and wasn't involved in either decision. Grimsley
slipped to 10-13 with a 4.07 ERA in 32 starts in 1975. On September 16, Ross threw a ball into the stands at some hecklers at Fenway Park. One of them was injured and successfully sued Grimsley and the Orioles. Here is a June 1975 Baseball Digest article (Next 20-Game Winner for the Orioles?).
- In 1976 Grimsley was used more as a swingman. In 28 games (19 starts), he was 8-7 with a 3.95 ERA. He returned to the Baltimore rotation in 1977 and was 14-10 with a 3.95 ERA in 34 starts.
- After the 1977 season Grimsley became a free agent and signed with the Montreal Expos. He had his only 20-win season (20-11) and had an ERA of 3.05 ERA in 36 starts. He made the 1978 NL All Star team but didn't get in the game. It was his last good season. Here is a September 1978 Baseball Digest article (Ross Grimsley: Master of the Changeup).
- Ross pitched in 32 games (27 starts) and slipped to 10-9 with a 5.35 ERA in 1979. In 1980 Grimsley started the year 2-4 with a 6.31 ERA for Montreal. On July 11 he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Dave Oliver. He went 4-5 with a 6.75 ERA for the Indians to finish off the 1980 season.
- In 1981 Ross started four games for AAA Chatanooga but didn't pitch in the majors. He was released by the Indians in August of 1981. Grimsley was signed by the Orioles and pitched in 21 games as a reliever (1-2, 5.25 ERA). The Orioles released him after the 1982 season. Ross didn't pitch in 1983 and then went back to Chatanooga in 1984 and pitched three seasons before retiring after the 1986 season.
- After his playing career Grimsley went into coaching. He has been a pitching coach in the San Francisco Giants organization for 11 years and is now the pitching coach for the AA Connecticut Defenders. Here is a Q&A session with Ross in 2008 about prospect Madison Baumgartner.
- Ross earned an entry in the book Baseball's Hall of Shame for some yucky things he did while he played.
