1976 Topps #381 - Denny Doyle

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  Denny Doyle was coming off of his biggest year when this card came out. The Boston Red Sox had acquired him in June 1975 and Denny went on to play a solid second base all the way through the World Series. Since I was rooting for the Reds in the World Series I got mad every time Doyle got a hit.

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  Denny Doyle mostly played second base in the  majors from 1970-1977. Denny was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1965. He played in the minors from 1966-1969 and earned a promotion to the majors after batting .310 for AAA Eugene in 1969.

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  In 1970 Doyle batted .208 in 112 games for the Phillies as a 26-year-old rookie. He improved to .231 in 95 games in 1971. Denny became the starting second baseman for the Phillies in 1972, batting .249 in 123 games. On July 18 Doyle broke up a no-hitter by San Diego's Steve Arlin by singling with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th inning. Manager Don Zimmer had pulled in his third baseman to protect against the bunt and Denny blooped a single over the third baseman's head. It was the closest any Padre pitcher has ever come to a no-hitter. In 1973 Doyle batted .273 in 116 games. The Phillies had Dave Cash coming up so Doyle was traded to the California Angels after the 1973 season for players to be named later and Billy Grabarkewitz.

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  Denny batted .260 in 147 games in 1974. In 1975 the Angels went with Jerry Remy as their starting second baseman, so Doyle didn't get much playing time. He had played in only eight games with the Angels when he was traded to the Red Sox on June 14 for a minor leaguer and cash. The Red Sox made Doyle their starting second baseman and the move paid big dividends. Denny batted .310 in 89 games and hit a career-high 21 doubles. Doyle batted .273 in the 1975 ALCS and .267 in the World Series. He also received one 10th place vote for AL MVP in 1975. Denny Doyle: An Unsung Hero of the Red Sox Pennant Drive - February 1976 Baseball Digest.

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  Doyle was the starting second baseman for the Red Sox in 1976 (.250 in 117 games) and in 1977 (.240 in 137 games). The Red Sox picked up Remy to play second base so Doyle was expendable again. Denny was cut loose during spring training in 1978 and retired.

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  Now Denny Doyle is more famous for the baseball camps and training programs that he and his brothers (Brian and Blake) run in Winter Haven, Florida. They founded Doyle Baseball in 1978 and 37 camp alumni have made it to the majors. The camp got off to a good start when Denny's brother Brian (also a second baseman) had that great World Series for the Yankees in 1978.

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  Here is Doyle's SABR biography.

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  Liked to face: Bob Gibson (.464 in 28 AB); Al Fitzmorris (.425 in 40 AB); Clay Kirby (.405 in 37 AB)
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  Hated to face: Catfish Hunter (.108 in 37 AB); Don Sutton (.130 in 23 AB); Don Wilson (.132 in 38 AB)

1976 Topps #379 - Ken Boswell

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  Ken Boswell was an infielder for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros from 1967-1977. Boswell was drafted by the Mets in 1965. He played in the minors from 1965-1967 and was called up at the end of the '67 season. Ken batted .225 in 40 at bats for the Mets to finish the season.

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  Boswell split time with Phil Linz at second base in 1968. Ken batted .261 in 284 at bats. He got more playing time in 1969 and batted .279 in 362 at bats. Boswell batted .333 with 2 home runs in the 1969 NLCS and was 1 for 3 in the World Series.

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  Ken had similar years in 1970 (.254 in 351 AB) and 1971 (.273 in 392 AB). In 1970 he set the major league fielding record for second basemen with a .996 fielding percentage. In 1972 Boswell's hitting dropped off sharply as he batted .211 in 355 at bats.

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  In 1973 Boswell became a reserve infielder, playing 2B and 3B. He batted .227 in 110 AB in 1973. He was 0 for 1 in the NLCS and was 3 for 3 in three pinch hitting appearances in the World Series. Ken got more playing time in 1974 as a utility infielder and outfielder and batted .216 in 222 at bats. After the 1974 season Ken was traded to the Astros for Alan Gallagher.

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  Boswell was a backup infielder for the Astros from 1975-1977. In 1975 he batted .242 in 178 at bats. Ken batted .262 in 126 AB in 1976 and .216 in 97 AB in 1977. After the 1977 season Boswell became a free agent and retired.
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  Liked to face: Gaylord Perry (.471 in 17 AB); Dick Selma (.444 in 18 AB); Bill Singer (.375 in 24 AB)
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  Hated to face:  Clay Carroll (.000 in 18 AB); Burt Hooton (.100 in 40 AB); Lynn McGlothen (.059 in 17 AB)

1976 Topps #378 - Steve Stone

• Steve Stone pitched in the majors from 1971-1981. He gained fame for his long broadcasting career with the Chicago Cubs. Stone was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1969. Steve pitched in the minors in 1969 and 1970. He made the San Francisco club in 1971 and spent most of the season there except for a six week stint in AAA Phoenix from mid-July to early September. Stone was 5-9 with a 4.15 ERA in 24 games (19 of them starts) in 1971.

• Stone pitched pretty well in 1972 but missed some time due to injury. He pitched in only one game from mid-June to early August. Steve was 6-8 with a 2.98 ERA in 27 games (16 starts) in '72. After the 1972 season Stone was traded with Ken Henderson to the Chicago White Sox for Tom Bradley.

• Stone was 6-11 with a 4.24 ERA in 36 games (22 starts) for the White Sox in 1973. After the 1973 season he was traded to the Cubs with Ken Frailing, Steve Swisher and Jim Kremmel for Ron Santo.

• Steve spent three seasons with the Cubs. Stone pitched in 36 games (22 starts) in 1974 and 8-6 with a 4.14 ERA. Steve's best year with the Cubs was in 1975 when he was 12-8 with a 3.95 ERA in 32 starts. In 1976 Stone had a torn rotator cuff. He started one game in late April and then didn't pitch again until July, refusing surgery in favor of cryotherapy. Steve was 3-6 with a 4.08 ERA in 15 starts. After the 1976 season Stone became a free agent and signed with the White Sox.

• Stone was 15-12 with a 4.51 ERA in 31 starts for the White Sox in 1977. Steve has the distinction of giving up Duane Kuiper's only major league home run on August 29, 1977. In 1978 he was 12-12 with a 4.37 ERA in 30 starts. Steve was a free agent again after the 1978 season and signed with the Baltimore Orioles.

• Steve started 32 games for the Orioles in 1979 and was 11-7 with a 3.77 ERA. He wasn't used in the ALCS, but did pitch two innings in game 4 of the World Series, allowing two runs.

• Stone had his career year in 1980. He won the AL Cy Young Award and started the 1980 All Star Game (he pitched three scoreless innings). The Game I'll Never Forget - March 1983 Baseball Digest. Steve was 25-7 with a 3.23 ERA in 37 starts. After the season Stone opened the mail to find that he had been mailed Steve Carlton's Cy Young plaque by mistake. How Steve Stone Turned into A Big Winner - November 1980 Baseball Digest.

• All of those games took a toll on Steve and he developed tendonitis in his pitching arm.. He dropped to 4-7 with a 4.60 ERA in 15 games (12 starts) in 1981. Stone retired after the 1981 season.

• In 1983 Steve became a color commentator for Chicago Cubs broadcasts. He and Harry Caray did the Cubs TV games for 15 years. After Caray died in 1998 Chip Caray was brought in to do the play-by-play and Stone teamed up with him until 2000. Stone stepped down for health reasons but returned to the booth in 2003 and 2004. Steve resigned after the 2004 season after having problems with Cubs' players who thought he was being too critical of them.

• From 2005-2008 Steve did various broadcasting jobs for the White Sox and TBS. He is now the color commentator for White Sox TV broadcasts.

• Stone was featured (in more ways than one) in a July 1983 Playgirl article.

• In 1999 he co-wrote a book called Where's Harry? about his time with Harry Caray.

• Here is Steve's offical website.

• Liked to face: Bob Robertson (.000 in 14 AB); Dave Cash (.114 in 35 AB); Ruppert Jones (.118 in 34 AB)
• Hated to face: Jim Rice (.568 with 4 HR in 37 AB); Manny Sanguillen (.565 in 23 AB); Johnny Grubb (.409 in 44 AB)

1976 Topps #377 - Mike Hegan

• Mike Hegan is the son former Cleveland Indian catcher Jim Hegan. He was signed by the New York Yankees in 1961. Jim had several good seasons in the minors but couldn't stick with the Yankees since Joe Pepitone and Mickey Mantle (at the end of his career) were ahead of him at first base. Mike also spent a lot of time doing stints in the military during the mid-1960s which caused disruptions in his playing career.

• Hegan played in five games for the Yankees in 1964 and was 0 for 5, but he was on the Yankees' World Series roster. Jim scored a run in game 1 after being inserted as a pinch runner. In 1966 Mike played in 13 games and batted .205. Hegan played in 68 games for the Yankees in 1967 and batted only .136. In 1968 Hegan played for AAA Syracuse. Mike was sold to the Seattle Pilots (who woudn't begin play until 1969) in June under the condition that he finish the '68 season in Syracuse.

• Mike got a chance to play in Seattle and made the AL All Star team, but couldn't play due to a hamstring injury. Mike missed 67 games in 1969, mostly because of injuries. He played in 95 games and batted .292 with 8 HR and 37 RBI. The Pilots became the  Milwaukee Brewers in 1970. Mike batted .244 with 11 HR and 52 RBI in 148 games for the Brewers in 1970.

• Hegan started the 1971 season with the Brewers (.221, 4 HR, 11 RBI) and was purchased by the Oakland A's on June 14. Mike batted .236 in 55 at bats for the A's and was 0 for 1 in the 1971 ALCS. Hegan was a backup 1B and occasionally played in the outfield. He had a good glove at first base and played in 178 consecutive games at first base without an error (the streak would extend until 1973). In 1972 Mike batted .329 in 79 at bats for the A's. He was 0 for 1 with a BB in the 1972 ALCS and was 1 for 5 in the 1972 World Series.

• Mike didn't get much playing time while with the A's. He was batting .183 in 71 at bats in 1973 when he was traded to the Yankees as part of a "conditional deal" on August 18. He finished the 1973 season with the Yankees and batted .275 with 6 HR in 35 starts at first base.

• During the 1974 season the Yankees acquired Chris Chambliss, which made Mike expendable. He played in 18 games at 1B for the Yankees and was batting .226 when he requested a trade to either Milwaukee, Detroit, or Boston. Jim was sold to the Brewers on May 13. The Brewers had George Scott as their starting 1B, so Mike backed up at 1B and played some OF and DH. Hegan batted .237 with 7 HR and 32 RBI for the Brewers in '74.

• In 1975 Hegan batted .251 with 5 HR and 22 RBI in  203 AB. Mike hit for the cycle on September 3, 1976. During that season he batted .248 with 5 HR and 31 RBI in 218 AB. In 1977 Hegan wasn't happy about his role on the team and also wasn't happy with manager Alex Grammas. He batted .170 in 53 AB and was released on July 15.

• Hegan jumped into the broadcasting booth when he finished his playing career. He already had a little bit of experience in the booth -- in 1973 A's manager Dick Williams sent Mike up to the booth to call three innings because the regular Oakland broadcaster had taken ill. Mike broadcasted for the Brewers for 11 seasons (1977-1987).  Mike also owned Grand Slam USA (a chain of indoor batting cages) in Milwaukee for 15 years. In 1989 Hegan moved on to the Cleveland Indians and has been broadcasting for them ever since.

• SABR biography of Mike Hegan.

• Liked to face: Pat Dobson (.526 in 19 AB); Wally Bunker (.412 in 17 AB); Dick Drago (.341 in 41 AB)
• Hated to face: Tom Burgmeier (.000 in 12 AB); Sonny Siebert (.080 in 25 AB); Bert Blyleven (.098 in 41 AB)

1976 Topps #376 - Rich Hebner

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  Richie Hebner had a solid career from 1968-1985. Hebner was the Pittsburgh Pirates' first round pick in 1966. He played in the minors from 1966-1968 and was brought up at the end of the 1968 season (he was 0 for 1 in 2 games).

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  Hebner became the starting 3B for the Pirates in 1969 and batted .301 with 8 HR and 47 RBI. Richie Hebner: New Favorite at Forbes Field - July 1969 Baseball Digest. In 1970 Richie batted .290 with 11 HR and 46 RBI. He batted .667 (4 for 6) in the 1970 NLCS. Hebner Doesn't Want to Think about the Sophomore Jinx - July 1970 Baseball Digest

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  Richie batted .271 with 17 HR and 67 RBI in 117 games in 1971. He batted .294 with 2 HR in the 1971 NLCS and .188 in the World Series. Hebner's bese season was probably 1972. He batted .300 with 19 HR and 72 RBI and had a career-high .508 slugging percentage. Richie batted .188 in the 1972 NLCS.

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  Hebner had another solid season in 1973. He had career-highs in HR (25) and doubles (28) and batted .271 with 74 RBI. In 1974 he batted .291 with 18 HR and 68 RBI. In the 1974 NLCS Richie batted .231 with a home run.

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  Richie's production started to fall off in 1975. He batted .246 with 15 HR and 57 RBI. He batted .333 in the 1975 NLCS. Hebner's last year with the Pirates was 1976. He batted .249 with 8 HR and 51 RBI in '76. Hebner became a free agent after the 1976 season and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.

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  The Phillies already had Mike Schmidt at third base so Richie played most of his games at first base. He batted .285 with 18 HR and 62 RBI in 1977 and batted .357 in the NLCS. In 1978 Hebner batted .283 with 17 HR and 71 RBI.

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  The Phillies signed Pete Rose before the 1979 season, so they traded Hebner to the New York Mets with Jose Moreno for Nino Espinosa. He moved back to third base and batted .268 with 10 HR and 79 RBI. It was the first time Richie played for a losing team. He had a nice playoff run in the 1970s -- his teams were in the playoffs 7 times in the decade and two other times (1973 and 1976) his teams finished second in the division.

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  After the 1979 season Richie was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Phil Mankowski and Jerry Morales. He played 3B and 1B in 1980. He batted .290 with 12 HR and a career-high 82 RBI. In 1981 Hebner dropped to .226 with 5 HR and 28 RBI in 78 games.

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  Hebner played in 68 games for the Tigers in 1982 and batted .274 with 8 HR and 18 RBI. On August 16 he was purchased by the Pirates. Richie played in 25 games for the Pirates and batted .300 with 2 HR and 12 RBI.

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  At this point in his career Richie was a part-time player and pinch hitter. He batted .265 with 5 HR in 162 AB for the Pirates in 1983. Hebner became a free agent after the 1983 season and signed with the Chicago Cubs. He was a valuable pinch hitter for the Cubs in 1984, batting .333 in 81 at bats. Hebner was 0 for 1 in the 1984 NLCS.

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  Richie's last season was 1985. He batted .217 in 120 at bats. Hebner was released during spring training in 1986.

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  After his playing career Richie was a hitting coach and occasional manager in the minors. He was the hitting coach for a few years in the majors (Boston 1989-1991, Philadelphia 2001). Hebner is now the hitting coach for the Norfolk Tides (Baltimore organization).

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  Richie dug graves in the offseason for his family's grave-digging business. Now he drives a hearse (thanks James at Sports Locker).

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  Players Who Left the Game on Their Own Terms: Richie Hebner - October 2004 Baseball Digest

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  Richie Hebner quote: "Hitting Phil Niekro's knuckleball is like eating soup with a fork."

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  Liked to face:  Rick Reuschel (.422 in 83 AB); Dave Freisleben (.480 in 25 AB); Bob Gibson (.387 in 62 AB)
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  Hated to face: Mario Soto (.000 in 14 AB); Craig Swan (.048 in 21 AB); Randy Jones (.107 in 28 AB)

1976 Topps #375 - Ron Fairly

• Ron Fairly played first base and outfield from 1958-1978. Fairly was signed by the LA Dodgers in 1958 after playing for Rod Dedeaux at USC. He played well in A and AAA ball and was called up in September. Ron batted .283 in 15 games for the Dodgers in 1958.

• Fairly spent the entire 1959 season with the Dodgers. He batted .238 with 4 HR in 118 games and was 0 for 3 in the World Series. Ron was sent back to AAA Spokane in 1960 and batted .303 with 27 HR and 100 RBI. Fairly was called up to the Dodgers in September and batted .108 in 37 AB.

• In 1961 Ron batted .322 in 111 games. He also posted a .432 on base percentage. Ron had high OBPs for most of his career. Fairly became the regular first baseman in 1962 and batted .278 with 14 HR and 71 RBI. In 1963 Ron batted .271 with 12 HR and 77 RBI in 152 games. He had four plate appearances in the 1963 World Series and he was 0 for 1 with 3 walks.

• Fairly's last season as the regular first baseman for the Dodgers was 1964. He batted .256 with 10 HR and 74 RBI. In 1965 Ron moved to right field (he still played a few games at 1B and CF). Fairly batted .274 with 9 HR and 70 RBI. Ron batted .379 with 2 HR in the 1965 World Series.

• In 1966 Ron missed most of the month of June with an injury. He played in 117 games and batted .288 with 14 HR and 61 RBI. Fairly was 1 for 7 in the 1966 World Series.

• Fairly returned as a regular in 1967 but his production was down. He batted .220 with 10 HR and 55 RBI. Ron continued to struggle in 1968. He batted .234 with only 4 HR and 43 RBI. Fairly started the 1969 season with the Dodgers (.219 in 30 games) but wasn't getting very much playing time. On June 11 he and Paul Popovich were traded to the Montreal Expos for Manny Mota and Maury Wills. Ron played better for the Expos and batted .289 with 12 HR in 70 games.

• Ron was the regular first baseman for the Expos in 1970 but he missed almost five weeks in August and September with an injury. He batted .288 with 15 HR and 61 RBI in 119 games. In 1971 Ron was again the regular 1B and batted .257 with 13 HR and 71 RBI.

• Fairly split time between first base and right field in 1972, batting .278 with 17 HR and 68 RBI. Ron finally made it to an All Star Game in 1973 (he played 1B late in the game but didn't get to the plate). He batted .298 with 17 HR and 49 RBI (and also had a .422 OBP) in 1973. Ron's batting average dropped to .245 in 1974, but he still had a solid .372 OBP and hit 12 HR in 282 AB.

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  After the 1974 season the Expos traded Fairly to the St. Louis Cardinals for two minor leaguers. Ron did well as a part-time 1B and OF in 1975, batting .301 with 7 HR and 37 RBI in 282 AB. Fairly didn't get as much playing time in 1976 as the Cardinals were bringing along a guy named Keith Hernandez. Ron batted .264 in 110 AB for the Cards in 1976 and he was sold to the Oakland A's in September. Ron played in 15 games for the A's and batted .239.
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  Before the 1977 season Fairly was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for a minor leaguer and cash. Ron became the first player to play for both Canadian teams. He was Toronto's representative to the 1977 All Star Game and struck out as a pinch hitter. Ron batted .279 with 19 HR and 64 RBI in 132 games.

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  Ron Fairly: Will He Be the Next Four-Decade Player? - October 1977 Baseball Digest. Ron didn't quite make it. The Blue Jays traded him to the California Angels after the 1977 season for Butch Alberts and Pat Kelly. Fairly played one season for the Angels and batted .217 with 10 HR and 40 RBI in 91 games. Ron retired after the 1978 season.

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  After his playing career Ron became a broadcaster. He started at KTLA in Los Angeles and later became a radio/TV broadcaster for the Angels. In 1987 Fairly moved on to broadcast SF Giants games and then in 1993 he went to Seattle to become a broadcaster for the Mariners. Ron retired from broadcasting in 2006.
• Here is a baseball history podcast about Ron.

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  Liked to face: Bob Gibson (.302 in 159 AB); Bob Moose (.472 in 36 AB); Roger Craig (.441 in 34 AB)
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  Hated to face: Curt Simmons (.059 in 34 AB); Warren Spahn (.121 in 33 AB); Bob Veale (.122 in 41 AB)

1976 Topps #374 - Dan Warthen

• Dan Warthen was a high school All-American football player (quarterback and tight end) and was also a star high school baseball player. Warthen turned down scholarship offers from USC, UCLA, Michigan, Northwestern, and Nebraska in order to play baseball. Dan was drafted by the  Montreal Expos in 1971.

• Warthen pitched in the minors from 1971-1975 and was brought up to the majors in May 1975. Dan was a swingman, making 18 starts and appearing in relief 22 times. He had a record of 8-6 with 3 saves and a 3.11 ERA. Dan later said that he messed up his arm in 1975 when he pitched nine innings on a Friday night and then appeared in relief two days later on a Sunday afternoon.

• In 1976 Dan's stats took a turn for the worse. He was 2-10 in 23 games (16 starts) and had a 5.30 ERA. Warthen had a short stint with AAA Denver in 1976 and was 4-0 with a 3.18 ERA. Warthen was with Montreal for the first part of the 1977 season but was ineffective (2-3, 7.97 ERA). On June 15 Warthen and Barry Foote were traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Tim Blackwell and Wayne Twitchell. He made one appearance for the Phillies and then was sent to the minors. Dan made two appearances for the Phillies late in the 1977 season and ended up 2-4 with a 7.24 ERA. 

• Warthen was in AAA for most of the 1978 season. On September 2 he was traded to the Houston Astros for Dan Larson. He started one game and relieved in for others for the Astros and was 0-1 with a 4.22 ERA. Dan didn't make the Astros ballclub in 1979 and was released during spring training. He pitched in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization from 1979-1982 but never made it back to the majors. Dan was a player-coach in 1981 and 1982.

• After his playing career Warthen was a coach in the minor leagues for several seasons. Dan was the pitching coach for Seattle (1992), San Diego (1996-1997), and Detroit (1999-2002). He was a minor league pitching coach from 2003-2005 and then was the bullpen coach for the LA Dodgers in 2006 and 2007. Dan is now the pitching coach for the New York Mets. Here is a 2009 New York Times article about Warthen.