I'm going to make an attempt to collect as many baseball cards as possible from 1976. I was 9 when the 1976 Topps baseball cards came out. I have most of those cards, but I'd like to expand and get the other cards from this great year.
Willie Horton played for six teams from 1963-1980. He spent the bulk of his career with the Detroit Tigers. Willie was the youngest of 21 children. He was on a city-championship high school team (Detroit Northwestern) in 1959 and was signed by the Tigers in 1961. Willie played in the minors in 1962 and 1963 and was given a look-see in September 1963. He hit his first major league home run off of Robin Roberts (a pinch-hit HR in his second at bat). For the season Horton batted .326 in 43 at bats.
In 1964 Horton started with the Tigers and was sent to AAA Syracuse in mid May. He batted .288 with 28 HR for Syracuse and was recalled in September. Horton didn't see much action with the Tigers in 1964 and batted .163 in 80 at bats. Horatio Horton June 1964 Baseball Digest.
Horton became the starting left fielder for the Tigers in 1965 and had a great season. He was the starting left fielder on the AL All Star team (he was 0 for 3 with a walk) and batted .273 with 29 HR and 104 RBI in 143 games. Willie finished 8th in MVP voting in 1965.
Willie's 1966 season was almost as good. He batted .262 with 27 HR and 100 RBI. In 1967 Horton batted .274 with 19 HR and 67 RBI. During the 1967 12th Street riot in Detroit Willie tried to calm the mob by standing on a car in his Tiger uniform and pleading for calm. Unfortunately it didn't work.
Horton's best season was probably 1968. In that piching-dominated year Willie was 4th in the AL in batting average (.285) and was 2nd in home runs (36). Horton was the starting left fielder in the All Star Game and was 0 for 2. Willie was 4th in MVP voting behind unanimous selection Denny McLain, teammate Bill Freehan, and Ken Harrelson. Horton batted .304 in 23 at bats in the World Series. Toward the end of the season Tiger manager Mayo Smith employed a creative lineup in order to keep Horton's bat in the lineup. Willie played left field, Mickey Stanley (normally an outfielder) played shortstop, and Jim Northrup played center field. If the Tigers were ahead late in a game, Roy Oyler (the epitome of a good-field/no-hit shortstop) went in at SS, Stanley moved to CF, and Northrup (or Kaline) moved to LF. The Effervescent Tiger - August 1968 Baseball Digest.
Willie batted .262 with 28 HR and 91 RBI in 1969. In 1970 Horton was an AL All Star again (he was 2 for 2 and was intentionally walked once). He was on his way to a great season but didn't play after July 24 due to an injury. In 97 games Horton batted .305 with 17 HR and 69 RBI. On June 9, 1970 Willie homered three times against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Horton was out for a month from late August to late September 1971. He batted .289 with 22 HR and 72 RBI. In 1972 Horton had his poorest season. He batted .231 with 11 HR and 31 RBI in 108 games. He was 1 for 10 in the 1972 ALCS.
Willie made his last AL All Star team in '73 (he struck out in a pinch hitting appearance) and batted .316 with 17 HR and 53 RBI. Willie Horton: The Thinking Man's Hitter December 1983 Baseball Digest. In 1974 Horton played in only 72 games and didn't play after July 7. He batted .298 with 15 HR and 47 RBI. On April 14, 1974 he hit a popup that struck and killed a pigeon at Fenway Park.
After Kaline's retirement at the end of the 1974 season Horton became the full-time DH. For the remainder of his career he would only play 22 more games in the outfield. Willie was named the AL's Outstanding Designated Hitter in 1975. He batted .275 with 25 HR and 92 RBI in 1975. Horton dropped to .262 with 14 HR and 56 RBI in 1976.
Willie played one game for the Tigers in 1977 before being traded to the Texas Rangers for Steve Foucault. Horton batted .289 with 15 HR and 75 RBI in '77. After the 1977 season he was traded with David Clyde to the Cleveland Indians for Tom Buskey and John Lowenstein. After batting .249 with 5 HR and 22 RBI in 50 games Willie was released by the Indians on July 3. On July 13 he was signed by the Oakland A's and he batted .314 with 3 HR and 19 RBI in 32 games. Willie was then traded to the Toronto Blue Jays with Phil Huffman for Rico Carty. In 33 games Horton batted .205 with 3 HR and 19 RBI.
After the 1978 season Horton became a free agent and signed with the Seattle Mariners. He was named AL Comeback Player of the Year and AL Designated Hitter of the Year after batting .279 with 29 HR and 106 RBI. In 1980 Horton slumped to a .221 average with 8 HR and 36 RBI in 97 games. He was on the shelf for two one-month periods. The Game I'll Never Forget August 1980 Baseball Digest.
After the 1980 season Willie was traded to the Rangers as part of a large multi-player trade. He didn't make the club in 1981 and was released in spring training. Willie hooked on with the Pittsburgh Pirates and played for their AAA Portland club in 1981 and 1982 but didn't get back to the majors. In 1983 Horton played in the Mexican League.
After his playing career Horton coached for the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. In 2000 a statue of Willie was placed in Comerica Park and his #23 was retired (the only Detroit non-HOFer with that honor). Since 2003 he has been a Special Assistant to Dave Dombrowski (President/CEO/GM for the Tigers).
Larry Gura pitched for three teams from 1970-1985. He pitched for Arizona State University and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1969. He had pitched two no-hitters in the National Baseball Congress Tournament in 1968. Larry was in the minors in 1969. He split time between the minors and the Cubs in 1970, going 1-3 with 1 save and a 3.79 ERA in 20 games (3 starts) for the Cubs.
Gura was in the minors for most of 1971 except for six games (one save and no runs in 3 innings) as a September call-up. In 1972 Larry got rocked in two relief appearances in April and was sent to the minors until September. After he got back to the Cubs he allowed only two earned runs in five appearances to bring his ERA down to 3.65. One reason why Gura wasn't used much in these years was because manager Leo Durocher didn't trust him and preferred veteran pitchers.
In 1973 Gura was a spot starter and mop-up man for the Cubs (the Cubs' record during his appearances was 4-17). In 21 appearances (7 starts) Larry was 2-4 with a 4.87 ERA. He also spent a few weeks in the minors in '73. After the 1973 season Gura was traded to the Texas Rangers as the "player to be named later" in an earlier deal. He was assigned to the Rangers' AAA Spokane club and on May 7, 1974 was traded with cash to the New York Yankees for Duke Sims. Gura was assigned to the Yankees' AAA Syracuse club where he was 7-7 with a 2.14 ERA in 16 starts. Larry was brought up to the Yankees in late August and went 5-1 with a 2.41 ERA in eight starts.
Gura was 7-8 with a 3.51 ERA in 26 games (20 starts) for the Yankees in 1975. In 1976 Yankee manager Billy Martin didn't care for Gura and didn't use him. Martin thought Larry didn't have enough stuff to consistenly pitch at the major league level and didn't like some of Gura's training regimen. On May 7, 1976 Larry was traded to the Kansas City Royals for Fran Healy. Larry had some injury problems in '76. He hadn't pitched for the Yankees before his trade to the Royals, then Larry pitched in three games for the Royals in late May before going on the shelf again until July 4. Gura ended up going 4-0 with one save and an ERA of 2.30 in 20 games (2 starts). Gura started two games in the ALCS and was 0-1 with a 4.22 ERA.
Larry was a reliever and spot starter for the Royals in 1977. In 52 games (6 starts) he was 8-5 with 10 saves and a 3.13 ERA. Gura started game 4 of the ALCS, pitched 2 innings, allowed 4 runs and took the loss. In game 5 he and two other Royal pitchers were unable to shut the door on the Yankees in the 9th inning. Dennis Leonard took the loss. Gura pitched to one batter (Mickey Rivers) who singled in the go-ahead run.
In 1978 the Royals made Gura a starter (at least for most of the season). Larry was 16-4 with a 2.72 ERA in 35 games (26 starts). In game 2 of the ALCS Larry shut out the Yankees in the first six innings and then allowed two runs in the 7th inning. The bullpen was able to hold the lead and Larry earned the win. The Royals slumped in 1979. Larry was 13-12 with a 4.47 ERA in 39 games (33 starts).
Larry and the Royals bounced back in a big way in 1980. Gura made the AL All Star team (he didn't pitch) and was 18-10 with a 2.95 ERA in 36 starts. He got a complete game victory in game 1 of the ALCS and the Royals finally got past the Yankees and into the World Series. Larry started two games in the World Series and had a 2.19 ERA, but wasn't involved in the decision in either game.
Looking back, it's interesting to see just how close the Royals came to beating the Yankees from 1976-1978. In both '76 and '77 the Yankees won in the 9th inning of game 5. In 1978 the Yankees won 3 games to 1, but the last two games were both one-run games.
Larry was 11-8 with a 2.72 ERA in 1981. He started and lost game 3 of the ALDS as the Royals were eliminated by the Oakland A's. Gura was 18-12 with a 4.03 ERA in 1982.
Gura started to lose his effectiveness in 1983. He led the AL with 18 losses. Larry was 11-18 with a 4.90 ERA in 34 starts. In 1984 Gura was 12-9 with a 5.18 ERA in 31 games (25 starts). In 1985 Larry pitched in three games for the Royals (1 save, 12.46 ERA) before being released on May 18. He was signed by the Cubs on May 28 . He went to the Cubs' AAA club and was 7-3 with a 2.54 ERA in 10 starts. Larry went back up to the Cubs and was 0-3 with an 8.54 ERA in four starts before being released on August 14.
Liked to face: Wayne Gross (.045 in 22 AB); Lee May (.063 in 32 AB); Otto Velez (.100 in 30 AB)
Hated to face: Jose Morales (.591 in 22 AB); Jim Anderson (.476 in 21 AB); Lou Piniella (.407 in 59 AB); Richie Zisk (.395 in 43 AB)
Bob Boone caught for three teams from 1972-1990. His father Ray was a major leaguer and Bob had two sons (Aaron and Bret) who also played in the majors. Bob was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1969. He played in the minors from 1969-1972 and was brought up to the Phillies at the end of the 1972 season after batting .308 for AAA Eugene. In 16 games Boone batted .275 and showed the Phillies that he could handle the everyday catching duties.
Bob finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Gary Matthews and Steve Rogers in 1973. He batted .261 with 10 HR and 61 RBI in 145 games. In 1974 Boone caught 146 games but his average slipped to .242. Boone was almost traded to the Detroit Tigers after the 1974 season in a multi-player deal that would have sent Bill Freehan to the Phillies, but Phillies owner Ruly Carpenter vetoed the trade and it fell through. Bob shared time with Johnny Oates (who had the better bat) behind the plate in 1975. Boone batted .246 in 97 games -- one of the few years in which he caught fewer than 100 games.
Boone made his first All Star game in 1976 and went 0 for 2. He batted .271 in 121 games and batted .286 (2 for 7) in the NLCS. In 1977 Bob batted .284 with 11 HR in 132 games and was 4 for 10 in the NLCS.
Bob made the All Star team in 1978 and had a 2-run single in the 8th inning. He batted .283 with 12 HR in 132 games. Boone also won his first Gold Glove award in '78. He batted only .182 in the NLCS. In 1979 Bob batted .286 in 119 games, won another Gold Glove, and was the NL starting catcher in the All Star game (he was 1 for 2). Boone didn't see any action after September 13.
Boone had a poor offensive season in 1980, batting only .229 in 141 games. He batted .222 in the NLCS and .400 in the World Series. A Catch to Remember - October 2005 Baseball Digest (Boone recalls the famous play where a foul pop-up bounced off of Boone's mitt and Pete Rose caught it). In 1981 Boone played in 76 games and batted .211. Keith Moreland was seeing more playing time behind the plate thanks to his offense. Boone also may have been distracted by the acrimonious negotiations between the players and owners during that turbulent season (Bob was a key guy in the Players Association). Bob was 0 for 5 in the NLDS. After the 1981 season the Phillies sold Boone to the California Angels.
Bob experienced a rebirth with the Angels. He won the Gold Glove in 1982 and batted .256 in 143 games for the AL West champions. Boone batted .250 in the ALCS. Bob's 1983 season was a virtual carbon copy of 1982. He batted .256 in 142 games and made the AL All Star team (he didn't bat but caught the 9th inning).
Boone's offense slipped in 1984 (.202 in 139 games) and picked up a bit in 1985 (.248 in 150 games). Bob Boone: He Helps Keep Pitchers Within the Strike Zone - Baseball Digest September 1985. Bob won the Gold Glove in 1986 and batted .222 in 144 games. He batted .455 in the ALCS. Bob Boone: Baseball's Most Durable Catcher - January 1987 Baseball Digest. In 1987 Boone was a Gold Glover again and batted .242 in 128 games. The Game I'll Never Forget - November 1988 Baseball Digest (about Boone breaking the record for games caught in 1987). Boone had a career high batting average (.295) in 1988 and won the Gold Glove award. He played in "only" 122 games. After the 1988 season Boone became a free agent and signed with the Kansas City Royals.
Bob's last season as a regular was 1989. He played in 131 games, batted .274, and won the Gold Glove. Boone played in 40 games as a 42-year-old in 1990 and batted .239. He was out with a broken finger from mid-May to late July. Bob retired after the 1990 season.
Boone managed the Kansas City Royals from 1995-mid 1997. He also managed the Cincinnati Reds from 2001-late 2003. None of his teams played over .500, although his 1995 Royals club finished second in the AL Central. Bob is now the Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Development for the Washington Nationals.
John "Candy Man" Candelaria pitched for nine teams from 1975-1993. John was from Brooklyn, New York. He was 6'7" tall and was a center for a basketball team in Puerto Rico in the early 1970s. John was discovered as a 15-year-old and the tryout catcher had to be replaced by a major league catcher due to John's good fastball. According to a scout, Candelaria was in line to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he showed up at a later tryout wearing a marijuanna T-shirt. The Dodgers didn't like it and chose not to sign him.
Candelaria was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1972. He pitched in the minors from 1973-1975 and was called up to the Pirates in June 1975 after posting a 7-1 record with a 1.77 ERA and one save in ten games (nine starts) at AAA Charleston. In his rookie 1975 season Candelaria was 8-6 with a 2.76 ERA in 18 starts. He started game 3 of the NLCS, allowed three runs in 7.2 innings, and wasn't involved in the decision (the Pirates lost the game in the 10th inning). John talks about that game in a January 1985 Baseball Digest "Game I'll Never Forget" article.
In 1976 Candelaria was 16-7 with one save and a 3.15 ERA in 32 games (31 starts). He pitched a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 9 in front of 9,680 fans in Pittsburgh. John's best season was 1977. He was 20-5 with a league-leading 2.34 ERA. He also led the league with 29 home runs allowed, but a lot of those were probably solo shots since he allowed only 60 earned runs all season. John made the NL All Star team but he didn't pitch in the game. The fact that John finished only 5th in NL Cy Young voting in 1977 shows how many good starting pitchers were out there. All four of the guys who finished ahead of Candelaria (Steve Carlton, Tommy John, Rick Reuschel, and Tom Seaver) had ERAs under 2.80 and won 20 or more games.
The 1977 season was the peak of John's career. He was usually good for double figures in wins, but his next highest win total was 15 in 1983. John was 12-11 with a 3.24 ERA in 1978 and 14-9 with a 3.22 ERA in 1979. He started game 1 of the NLCS and pitched seven innings but wasn't involved in the decision (the Pirates won it in the 11th inning). Candelaria was rocked in game 3 of the World Series but came back to combine with Kent Tekulve on a 4-0 shutout in game 6.
In 1980 Candelaria had his only losing season as a starting pitcher. He was 11-14 with a 4.01 ERA in 34 starts. John made only six starts in 1981 (his last one was on May 10) due to an arm injury. He ended the 1981 season 2-2 with a 3.54 ERA.
Candelaria bounced back in 1982 with a 12-7 record and a 2.94 ERA in 30 starts. He also earned a save in his only relief appearance. In 1983 he was 15-8 with a 3.23 ERA and in 1984 he was 12-11 with a 2.72 ERA. John started to suffer from chronic back problems and was moved to the bullpen in 1985. He wasn't very happy about the move. John made 37 relief appearances for the Pirates and then was traded to the California Angels on August 2 with George Hendrick and Al Holland for Mike Brown, Pat Clements, and Bob Kipper. John started 13 games for the Angels. His total stats were 9-7 with nine saves and a 3.73 ERA.
After making one start on April 9 and pitching two innings, John missed the next three months of the 1986 season with an injury. After coming back on July 8, Candelaria had a nice season, going 10-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 16 starts. John won game 3 of the ALCS but lost game 7 on errors. He gave up only one run in the two games.
In 1987 John made 20 starts for the Angels (8-6, 4.71 ERA) then was traded to the New York Mets on September 15. He made three starts for the Mets (2-0, 5.84 ERA) but the Mets didn't make it to the post season. Candelaria became a free agent after the 1987 season and signed with the New York Yankees. The 1988 season was his last season as a full-time starter. John was 13-7 with a 3.38 ERA in 24 starts and picked up a save in his only relief appearance. He was on the disabled list with knee problems for the last five weeks of the 1988 season. John started the 1989 season with the Yankees (3-3, 5.14 ERA in 10 games-6 starts) and was traded to the Montreal Expos on August 29 for Mike Blowers. John pitched in 12 games out of the bullpen (0-2, 3.31 ERA) and was released after the season.
In 1990 Candelaria signed with the Minnesota Twins. He was 7-3 with 4 saves in 34 games (1 start) before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 27. He didn't pitch well for Toronto (0-3, 5.48 ERA in 13 games - 2 starts) and became a free agent after the season. Candelaria signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and spent two seasons with them as a situational left-handed reliever. In 1991 he appeared in 59 games and was 1-1 with 2 saves and a 3.74 ERA in 33.2 innings. Candelaria made 50 appearances in 1992 and was 2-5 with 5 saves and a 2.84 ERA in 25.1 innings.
After the 1992 season John became a free agent and signed with the Pirates. He was 0-2 with 1 save and a 8.24 ERA in 24 games when he was released on July 9, 1993.
John is now living in North Carolina and is an avid world traveller.
Liked to face: Ron Cey (.140 in 50 AB); Darrell Evans (.154 in 65 AB); Steve Garvey (.164 in 55 AB)
Hated to face: Bob Brenly (.500 in 30 AB); Larry Herndon (.447 in 47 AB); Art Howe (.400 in 40 AB)
Robin Yount was a first round (3rd overall) draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1973. The two players taken before Yount were David Clyde and John Stearns. Dave Winfield was drafted immediately after Robin. Yount spent the last part of the 1973 season playing A ball for Newark and batted .285 in 64 games as a 17-year-old.
Robin was brought up to the Brewers in 1974. He played in 107 games (102 of them starts) and batted .250 in 344 at bats. Robin's defensive stats weren't very impressive in his first few seasons. From 1974-1980 his fielding percentage was at or below league average every year except one. Over time he became an average to above-average fielding shortstop and in 1982 won a Gold Glove at the position.
In 1975 Yount batted .267 in 147 games. He became the Brewers' regular shortstop that year and would remain so until he was moved to center field in 1985. Robin led the AL in games played (161) in 1976 and batted .252. Yount had his first good offensive season in 1977. He batted .288 with 34 doubles in 605 at bats. He batted .293 with 9 homers and 71 RBI in 1978 and was starting to develop some power. Yount stirred up some controversy in the spring of '78 when he said that he would retire and play professional golf rather than be underpaid by the Brewers. The Brewers met his salary demands and he remained with them for his entire 20-year career. In 1979 Robin took a step back, batting .267 with 26 doubles in 149 games.
The 1980s were Robin Yount's decade. He was MVP twice (1982 and 1988) and was an All Star three times (1980, 1982, 1983). The weight training Robin was doing finally paid off as he became a power hitter.
In 1980 Robin led the AL with 49 doubles and batted .293 with 23 HR and 87 RBI. Yount had his weakest season of the 80s in 1981 when he batted .273 with 15 doubles and 10 homers in 96 games. He batted .316 in five games in the ALDS.
Yount's best year was 1982. He led the AL with 210 hits, 46 doubles, and a .578 slugging percentage. Robin batted .331 and had 12 triples, 29 homers, 114 RBI, and 129 runs scored. He batted .250 in the ALCS and batted .414 in the World Series.
Robin led the AL with 10 triples in 1983 and batted .308 with 17 HR and 80 RBI. He was selected to his third and final All Star Game. Oddly, he wasn't an All Star in 1989, his second MVP season.
Yount continued to have consistenly good seasons throughout the rest of the 1980s. Except for a .277 season in 1985, he batted .298 or better every year from 1984-1989. He was generally in the teens in home runs (except for 1986 when he hit nine). In 1988 Robin led the AL with 11 triples and 162 games played. Yount narrowly beat out Ruben Sierra to win his second MVP award in 1989. He batted .318 with 21 HR and 103 RBI that year. Due to a shoulder injury Robin was moved from shortstop to center field in 1985.
Robin continued to play as the regular center fielder through the 1993 season. He got his 3000th hit on September 9, 1992. Robin retired after the 1993 season holding many Milwaukee team records. He was the last Brewer to have been a teammate of Hank Aaron, who played for the Brewers in 1975 and 1976.
Yount was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1999. He did some coaching after his playing career, serving as first base coach and bench coach for Bob Brenly of the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2002-2004. Yount was Ned Yost's bench coach in Milwaukee in 2006 and helped Dale Sveum in 2008 by being his bench coach at the end of the season.
Al Hrabosky pitched in the majors from 1970-1982. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1967 but he didn't sign. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Hrabosky in the first round in 1969. Hrabosky signed with the Cards, spent a year in the minors, and was up with the Cardinals at the end of the 1970 season. Al pitched in 16 games (1 start) in 1970 and was 2-1 with a 4.74 ERA.
Hrabosky spent most of the 1971 and 1972 seasons in the minors. The Cardinals weren't sure whether he would be a starter or a reliever. He relieved for most of the '71 season and then started in the '72 season. Al was called up at the end of both seasons and pitched in a total of six games.
Al started the 1973 season in the minors and was called up in early June. He pitched in 44 games for the Cardinals and was 2-4 with 5 saves and a 2.09 ERA. Hrabosky had his first big season in 1974. He finished 5th in Cy Young Award voting and was 8-1 with 9 saves and a 2.95 ERA in 65 games. The Cardinals' Mad Hungarian - Baseball Digest January 1975
Hrabosky's best season was 1975. He was the NL Fireman of the Year that year and finished 3rd in Cy Young Award voting and 8th in MVP voting. Al went 13-3 with a league-leading 22 saves and an ERA of 1.66 in 65 games. The Game I'll Never Forget - June 1983 Baseball Digest (describing a 1975 game)
Hrabosky had a good year in 1976, but not as good as '75. He was 8-6 with 13 saves and a 3.30 ERA in 68 games. When Vern Rapp was hired as manager of the Cardinals in 1977 he made Al shave his famous Fu Manchu mustache and cut his hair. Al struggled in 1977 (6-5, 10 saves, 4.38 ERA in 65 games) and after the season he was traded to the Kansas City Royals for Mark Littell and Buck Martinez.
Al spent two seasons (1978 and 1979) with the Royals. He had a good year in 1978. Hrabosky was 8-7 with 20 saves and a 2.88 ERA in 58 games. He appeared in three games in the ALCS, pitching three innings and allowing one run. Hrabosky was 9-4 with 11 saves and a 3.74 ERA in 1979. After the 1979 season Al became a free agent and signed with the Atlanta Braves.
Hrabosky had one so-so year, one good year, and one poor year with the Braves. In 1980 he was 4-2 with 3 saves and a 3.62 ERA in 45 games. In 1981 Al had a 1.07 ERA in 24 games and was 1-1 with one save. Hrabosky's last season, 1982, wasn't a very good one. He was 2-1 with three saves and an ERA of 5.54 in 31 games. He pitched his last game on August 18 and missed the NLCS. The Braves released Al after the 1982 season. Al tried to hook on with the Chicago White Sox and pitched for their AAA team, but he didn't get called back to the majors.
After his playing career Hrabosky has been a broadcaster. He's broadcasted for the Cardinals or for Fox Sports Midwest (covering the Cardinals) since 1985. Al also devotes times to various charities and is a motivational speaker.
Hrabosky had his "Mad Hungarian" routine that he did before he pitched. He would walk behind the mound, yell at himself to psyche himself up, then pound the ball in his mitt while striding to the pitching rubber. Fans loved it but opposing hitters didn't like it. Remembering the Mad Hungarian - June 2003 Baseball Digest. Here is a video of Al describing how and why he became the Mad Hungarian:
Al's website. It's interesting to see the evolution of Hrabosky's facial hair in the "trading cards" section. From 1971-1973 he's pretty clean shaven. In 1974 and 1975 Al sports some pretty good-sized sideburns. His 1976 card is the first one in which he has a mustache. The mustache becomes fuller and he has longer hair in 1977. In 1978 and 1979 Al has a full beard. He's back to the mustache in 1980 and 1981, then has the beard back in 1982.
