Baseball Cards Come to Life!

Last time we had a 4-4 tie. Will there be a winner this time?

Topps did a pretty good job turning Dom Zanni's Giants uniform into a White Sox. Zanni had already pitched in 18 games in parts of three seasons for the Giants, but still had rookie status when he was included in the trade that sent Billy Pierce and Don Larsen to San Francisco. As a rookie in '62 he pitched well, going 6-5 with 5 saves and a 3.75 ERA in 44 games, almost all in relief. He was traded to Cincinnati in '63 and pitched well in his limited appearances there, but retired after the 1966 season when one of his daughters needed a serious operation. Overall in 111 major league games, went 9-6 with 10 saves and a 3.79 ERA. On his '62 card, Zanni, who was born in the Bronx and grew up in Brooklyn, is listed as living in Rockville Centre, just one town over from where I live now. After his playing career he lived and worked (as an insurance agent) a little farther east in Massapequa. He died at the age of 85 in 2017, and per Baseball-Reference is buried in the same cemetery as some of my relatives.

"Hey Omar?" "What?" "Never mind." That kind of looks like what happened for this photo. Moreno was at the tail end of a fine career highlighted by becoming the first player ever with three straight 70+ steal seasons (1978-1980). His best years came with the Pirates, most notably his career year of 1979, when the Pirates won the World Series. Moreno hit .282 with 8 HR, 69 RBI and a league-leading 77 SB, scoring 110 runs. In the postseason he hit .311 with 7 runs scored. Speed was by far Moreno's biggest asset, and like many speedsters he struggled as he slowed down after age 30, with unsuccessful stints with the Astros, Yankees, Royals and Braves Overall in 1,382 major league games, Moreno hit .252 with 37 HR, 386 RBI, 487 SB and 699 runs scored. A beloved figure in his native Panama, he was named in 2009 as the country's first ever Secretary of Sport. Moreno currently lives in Florida, where he s a baseball coach at the Vaughn Sports Academy in Boca Raton.