1976 Topps #64 - Jerry Koosman

Jerry Koosman pitched from 1967-1985 for the Mets, Twins, White Sox, and Phillies. He had a career record of 222-209 with an ERA of 3.36. Jerry was selected to two All Star teams (1968 and 1969). He had a few down years but was a consistent winner for most of his career. As the back of this card says, Jerry went 3-0 in World Series play (including the win in the clinching game 5 for the '69 Mets) and 1-0 in League Championship series play.

Jerry was 21-10 with a 2.69 ERA for the 1976 Mets and was second to Randy Jones in Cy Young balloting, but he fell off badly after that. He was 8-20, 3.49 in 1977 and 3-15, 3.75 in 1978. He wasn't happy with the direction of the Mets and requested a trade. He was traded to Minnesota for minor leaguer Greg Field and future reliever Jesse Orosco before the 1979 season.

Koosman went 20-13 for the Twins in '79 and 16-13 in '80, but he struggled in 1981. He was 3-9 when he was traded to the White Sox on 30 August 1981 for some minor leaguers and cash. Jerry posted 11-7 seasons in 1982 and 1983 for the White Sox, then was traded to the Phillies for Ron Reed before the 1984 season. He did well for the Phillies in 1984 (14-15, 3.25), but wasn't as productive in 1985 (6-4, 4.62) and was released after the season.

After his playing career Jerry became an engineer. Here is a "where are they now" article about him.

1976 Topps #63 - Bobby Darwin

I like that "old school" Brewers cap!

At first glance it looks like he had a long career. He made his debut in late 1962 and played his last game in 1977. But looks can be deceiving.

Bobby Darwin started his career as a pitcher. In 1962 he started one game for the Angels and lost. Bobby then spent most of the decade as a minor league pitcher in the Angel, Oriole, and Dodger organizations. Despite an 0-6 record for AAA Spokane, Bobby was called up to the Dodgers in 1969. He didn't fare much better there - he had a 9.82 ERA in 3.2 innings.

Bobby missed the 1970 season, then resurfaced as an outfielder/pitcher in 1971. He played a bit for Spokane and for the Dodgers. After the 1971 season Bobby was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Paul Powell. Bobby became a starting outfielder for the Twins and played in 145 or more games the next three seasons. He had HR totals of 22, 18, and 25. Bobby also led the AL in strikeouts all three seasons.

On 14 June 1975 Bobby Darwin was traded to the Brewers for Johnny Briggs. He was a part-time outfielder for Milwaukee until June 1976, when he was traded with Tom Murphy to Boston for Bernie Carbo. In the remainder of the 1976 season he batted .179 for the Red Sox. Bobby didn't have much of a chance to play in 1977 so in late May he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Ramon Hernandez. Darwin did some pinch hitting for the Cubs but was released in August 1977.

1976 Topps #61 - Ron LeFlore

Whoops. I skipped #61. Ron LeFlore and Mark Fidrych came up in the same year. Their stories helped keep Tiger fans interested until the team came up with more good prospects.

Ron was serving 5 1/2 years for armed robbery when he was discovered playing on a prison baseball team. Detroit manager Billy Martin was able to get LeFlore signed (which met one of the conditions for parole) and Ron started his baseball career. After some time in the minors Ron was brought up in late 1974. He became a starting outfielder in 1975 and was successful as a speedy good-hitting outfielder who stole a ton of bases and had a little bit of power.

In 1976 Ron made the All Star team and batted .316 with 58 stolen bases. He led the AL in runs and stolen bases in 1978. Ron was traded to Montreal before the 1980 season for Dan Schatzaeder. He led the NL in stolen bases in 1980 with 97. After the 1980 season LeFlore signed with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent. His production fell off a bit and he argued about playing time with Tony LaRussa. Ron played two seasons with the White Sox and was released in spring training of 1983.

He must really have liked the number 11. He made 11 errors in 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1980.

Ron wrote a book called Breakout: From Prison to the Major Leagues, which was turned into the movie "One in a Million" starring LeVar Burton.

Here is a short April 2009 Sports Illustrated article about Ron and his struggles after his baseball career was over.

1976 Topps #62 - Johnny Oates

Johnny Oates was a catcher (mostly a backup) from 1970-1981. He played for five teams, and he didn't stay with one team for more than three years. He began his career as a regular in 1972 and retired partway through the 1981 season. Oates later jokingly admitted that he wasn't a great baseball player; "I still don't know how I got to the big leagues, because I wasn't that good," he said in a 2003 interview. "I was a slap hitter. I kept my mouth shut. I did. I kept my mouth shut. I couldn't throw. I couldn't throw a lick." His best season was probably 1975 when he batted .282 in 329 at bats with the Braves and the Phillies.

Oates is remembered more for his managerial career. After his playing days he did some coaching and managing in the minors. He was hired as manager of the Orioles in 1991 and managed them through the 1994 season. In those four years they had two third place finishes and one second place finish in the AL East.

He started managing the Texas Rangers in 1995. In his six-plus years as manager the Rangers won three AL West titles. Oates resigned early in the 2001 season.

Later in 2001 Johnny was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor (glioblastoma multiforme) and given a year to live. He managed to live for three years and died on Christmas Eve 2004.

1976 Topps #60 - Jerry Reuss

Jerry Reuss won 220 games in a career that spanned from 1969-1990. He was one of the few players to play in four different decades. He is probably best known for his stint with the Dodgers from 1979-1987. Jerry was also one of the few pitchers to win over 200 games without winning 20 games in a season.

As this card shows, Reuss was an All-Star in 1975. He was 18-11 with a 2.54 ERA that year. Jerry remained as a valuable started with Pittsburgh through 1977. He had a bad year in 1978 and was traded to the Dodgers after the season for Rick Rhoden. He didn't do very well in 1979 (7-14, 3.54) but bounced back in 1980 with his best year (18-6, 2.54), no-hit the Giants, was second in Cy Young balloting, and won NL Comeback Player of the Year. Here is a Sports Illustrated article about Reuss from August of that season.

At the end of his career Jerry must have really wanted to pitch. He spent time in the minors both in 1987 and in 1990. The 1987 stint looks like it could have been a rehab assignment.

Jerry Reuss is now a color commentator for LA Dodgers broadcasts.

1976 Topps #59 - Larry Hisle

Larry Hisle was just becoming a star outfielder when this card was made. In 1976 he hit .272 with 14 homers and 96 RBI. The next year he led the AL in RBI with 119 as he batted .302 with 28 homers.

Larry left the Twins as a free agent after the 1977 season and signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. He had a great year in 1978 (.290, 34, 115) but he tore his rotator cuff in 1979. That injury severely limited him and he played sparingly until his retirement in 1982. Larry was a two-time All Star (1977 and 1978) and was 3rd in MVP voting in 1978.

After his playing career Larry served as the Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach from 1992-1995. He is currently employed with the Milwaukee Brewers and holds the title of Manager of Youth Outreach, and is the President of Major League Mentoring, a youth mentoring program in Milwaukee,

1976 Topps #58 - Ron Reed

Ron Reed had a long and pretty successful career as a pitcher from 1966-1984. He was a starter with the Braves and posted five double-figure win seasons from 1966 to mid-1975. He was traded to St. Louis in May and finished the 1975 season with the Cards.

Ron was traded to the Phillies in 1976 for Mike Anderson. The Phils converted him to a reliever and he had several good seasons with them from 1976-1983. Reed had a good season as a reliever and spot starter in 1976, going 8-7, 2.46, 14 saves in 128 innings. He had several similar seasons until he was traded to the White Sox after the 1983 season. Ron went 0-6 with a 3.08 ERA in 1984 and then retired during spring training of 1985. As the back of this card says, Ron pitched in the 1968 All Star game.

Ron also played basketball for Notre Dame and played in the NBA from 1965-1967 for the Detroit Pistons. After his career, Ron became a teacher in his hometown (LaPorte, Indiana) and retired in 2007.