Here's another player whose career was basically over before it was issued:


Finishing his career in Texas meant that Dalton Jones played for his boyhood idol Ted Williams, who managed the team at the time. And it was Williams who was used as a recruiter to entice Jones to sign with the Red Sox in 1961. He played with the BoSox from 1964-'69, and was a part of their "Impossible Dream" season of 1967. A backup for both Joe Foy at third and Mike Andrews at second that season, he played in six of the Series' games and put up a .389 average.

Before the 1970 season, Jones was traded to the Tigers. It was with Detroit that he made his most infamous hit: a three-run single that should have been a grand slam. When Jones hit the towering shot, the runners weren't certain if it would land in the seats or on the field. As a result of poor communication, Jones passed Don Wert between first and second and was called out. Jones was the goat, he blamed Wert for not running, and I say the first base coach was partially responsible. He should have seen what was going on.

Jones was traded to Texas early in the '72 season, reuniting him with Williams. The Rangers released him in the spring of '73, or just about the time his card showed up in packs. Jones signed with the Expos but failed to rise above the AAA level and retired when the year was over. As a result, the staitsics on the back of this card show his final record in the majors.

After his retirement, Jones pursued opportunities outside of baseball, working for a bank and then the Exxon company.

This guy spent parts of eight seasons in the majors, but never spent more than two years with a single team:


This card, which shows Vic Harris striking a batting pose taken in front of the dugout (really natural, I might add sarcastically), was the first of his career.

The "journeyman" tag applies to Vic Harris for his position as well as his teams. He played at six different positions during his career. Originally signed by the Oakland A's, he had already been traded to Texas before he came up to the league in 1972. He was largely a second baseman that year, taking the place of Lenny Randle. In 1973, however, he took the outfield more often. In all, he appeared in all three outfield positions as well as second, third and shortstop.

After playing for two season with the Rangers, Harris moved to the Cubs for two seasons, spent 1976 in St. Louis and then went to the Giants for two more years. He spent all of 1979 in the minors, but made it onto the Brewers' roster in 1980. After being released for his weak hitting, Harris moved on to Japan. He spent three years there with the Kinetsu Buffaloes, starting off strongly but fading in his final two seasons. In 1984, he attempted a comeback but was unable to get out of the Cardinal's farm system and called it a career.

When the era of Free Agency arrived, the Cincinnati Reds refused to sign any due to philosphical reasons. This guy was the first free agent the team signed in 1980:


Reds GM Bob Howsam is credited with building The Big Red Machine but was known for his hard line on labor matters. However, after losing several key members of those championship clubs in the market, the policy was changed by his successors.

That said, Larry Biittner is shown here as a member of the Texas Rangers, a team who were still called the Washington Senators when he first came up to the majors in 1970. He would play for the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs before the Reds signed him. His final season was 1983, where he returned to the Rangers to wrap it all up.

Bittner's value to his teams was his ability to play multiple positions, as well as his excellent contact. As his skills diminished, he was still called upon as a pinch hitter frequently. When he retired, he racked up 95 pinch hits. He was also asked to take the mound once in a game that was already a blowout, but the result isn't anything that would put him in a highlight reel. He allowed six earned runs in just an inning and a third, but struck out three in the effort.

Let's feature another of the multi-player rookie cards in the final series of the 1973 Topps set. Here are three up-and-coming pitchers, presented in alphabetical order:


For Steve Lawson, this would be his only card. In fact, when this card was issued, his major league career was already finished. He was drafted by the A's in 1969 but stayed in the minors until he was dealt to Texas as the "player to be named later" in the Ted Kubiak trade midway through the 1972 season. He stayed with the parent club for the rest of that season, getting into 13 games as a reliever. That was a change for Lawson, who was a starter as he made his way through the bush leagues. He went back down in 1973, spending two more years before giving it up.

With Bob Reynolds, this wasn't really a rookie card. This card marked his third appearance with as many teams. In 1971, he was on a card featuring three pitchers, all of whom had the same last name. In 1972, he was the only player correctly identified on a card featuring three Brewers. He pitched for six different major league teams from 1969 through 1975, with the Orioles being the only one that saw him stay longer than one season. He also pitched for Baltimore in the 1973 and '74 ALCS. He went to Mexico to pitch in 1976 and spent '77 in Japan.

Brent Strom is also a true rookie here. His first card is airbrushed to reflect his trade from the Mets to the Indians after the '72 season. Prior to his major league career, he played ball at USC, where he was part of two College World Series championship teams. 1973 would be his only season with the Tribe. After not pitching anywhere in 1974, he resurfaced in '75 with the Padres and remained there through 1977. An elbow injury limited his effectiveness, but he remained in the minors until 1981. Strom has been a well-taveled coach and instructor since his retirement.

Interestingly, none of these pitchers had a winning career record in the majors.

In 1972, this player was traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Texas Rangers. It was his first chance to be an everyday player:


Unfortunately, the Rangers ended up sending Ted Ford back to Cleveland in the Spring of 1973. It would be Ford's final season in a major league uniform, getting into 11 games. He stuck around in the minors through 1974, however, before calling it a career.

Drafted by the Indians in 1966, Ford was drafted again -- by Uncle Sam -- and missed the 1968 and '69 seasons while serving in Vietnam. Once his military hitch was up, he returned to the game and made the Indians' roster in 1970. Ford was shuttled back and forth between the Tribe and their AAA affiliate in Wichita for the next couple of seasons until his trade to Texas.

Ford played all three outfield positions, filling in wherever he was needed. In Texas, he was mianly used in right field. His grandson Darren Ford came up with the San Francisco Giants in 2010.

In this shot taken at spring training, here's a player who didn't get to play in the majors at all in 1973:


He looks like he's a little annoyed to stop what he's doing to pose for the photographer.

An advertisement from Fowlkes Chevrolet appears on the wall in the background. A Google search tells me that the dealership was located in Pompano Beach, Florida. And Pompano Beach is where the Senators and then the Rangers trained every spring from 1961 through '86.

Bill Fahey played the entire '73 season at Spokane before coming up to the parent team in 1974. He was a weak hitter who spent his entire major league career as a backup catcher. He was the understudy for Jim Sundberg in Texas, Gene Tenace for the Padres and Lance Parrish in Detroit. His career was a lot longer than many would have expected, with eleven campaigns in all.

After retiring in 1983, he managed in the Tigers' minor league system in 1984 before following Roger Craig to San Francisco the following year. He would remain on the Giants as a coach until 1991.

It's been a longer time than I'd thought since there was a multi-player rookie card on this blog. The last one was in January! So, here's another one to make up for the wait:


This is the fifth rookie card featured in this blog, and the fourth that has at least one player who'd already appeared on a Topps card before 1973.

This was Sergio Robles's first of two Topps cards. Thanks to Earl Weaver's platoon system of Andy Etchebarren and Elrod Hendricks in Baltimore, he only managed  two short stints with the team in 1972 and '73. He showed up again with the Dodgers in '76, but was quickly sent back to the minors. In 1977, Robles went to the Mexican League for a decade before becoming a manager there.

George Pena is definitely airbrushed into his Indians uniform on this card. As it turned out, it would be as close as he would get to the majors. He never rose above AAA and this would be his only Topps card.

Rick Stelmaszaek was already on a card in 1970. He had already had a short trial with the Washington Senators in 1971. When the team moved to Texas the next year, he remained in the minors. His stint with them in 1973 was a short one, since he was traded to the California Angels before this card could be placed into wax packs. At three seasons, he is the player on this card who had the longest major league career. He's the current bullpen coach for the Twins, where he has coached under five managers in 31 seasons.

This card appeared in the final series of cards during the 1973 Topps set. By the time this card showed up in backs, this guy was no longer pitching for the Texas Rangers:


The picture shows him after a delivery, but he does look like he's about to kick something.

On May 10, 1973, Dick Bosman was traded to the Cleveland Indians after spending his entire career with the Washington Senators and moving with them to Texas. While with the Tribe in 1974, he pitched a no-hitter that would have been a perfect game if it weren't for his own throwing error in the fourth inning. That little factoid is ironic, because Bosman was also a control pitcher noted for his highly competitive nature. The man who was known to say "if you don't hustle when I'm pitching, I'll kick your ass" to teammates had only himself to blame for the one blemish of the game.

In 1975, he was traded to the A's, where he helped pitch the team to a postseason appearance. He would finish his career in the spring of '77 when the A's cut him before the season. He has served as a coach since then, currently working in the Tampa Bay Rays' organization.

This player was a rookie in 1972 but still managed to start for the Texas Rangers' very first game:


However, Joe Lovitto struggled in 1973 and went back to the minors after getting a leg injury. He was able to make it back to the parent club in '74, but another injury-shortened season in '75 ended his time in Texas. He was traded to the Mets for '76 but was released in Spring Training.

In this picture, Lovitto poses beside a batting cage before a game (which I'm guessing is in Oakland, anybody who knows for sure can chime in with a comment). There is a coach giving instruction in the batting cage, and even two umpires discussing something as they walk out to the field.

Lovitto was renowned for his speed, which made him terrific in the outfield. However, the injuries hampered his abilities and led his career to be cut short. Sadly, cancer cut his life short. He was only 50 when he passed away in 2001.

I've mentioned before that 1970s style is sometimes unintentionally hilarious because of the way its proponents dropped them later on. Long, unwashed hair. Bell-bottom pants. Plaid shirt patterns. Earth shoes. And -- on display here -- the long "mutton chop" sideburns:


Plus, I like the fact that his last name is a palindrome.

In 1986, Toby Harrah was the last active major leaguer who had played with the Washington Senators. He first came up with the Senators in 1969 and moved over with the team to Texas in 1972. He remained with the organization through 1978, when he was traded to Cleveland for Buddy Bell. After five seasons with the Indians, he went to the New York Yankees as a platoon player in 1984. He then returned to the Rangers (and a full-time role) for two seasons.

Harrah was the last player to see a pitch as a member of the Senators. He was standing at the plate when Tommy McCraw was thrown out trying to steal in the bottom of the eighth. There was no bottom of the ninth...after the team's fans trashed the field before the game was official and caused a forfeit to the Yankees.

Harrah also participated in two trivial oddities during the 1970s. In 1976, he played an entire doubleheader without taking a single chance. That is a really big deal, considering the fact that he was a shortstop. In 1977, he and Bump Wills hit back-to-back inside-the-park home runs. That has never happened before or since, even in the "dead ball" era when heads-down baserunning was the style.

After retiring, Harrah was the Rangers' manager for the second half of the 1992 season. He is currently a hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers.

This is a really obvious case of a Topps artist painting a new uniform. The cap is actually pretty good, but the shirt gives it away:


His Texas uniform is airbrushed because he was traded away from the Yankees really late in the 1972 season, but he never appeared with the Rangers in 1973. He was traded before the season to Cleveland and sent to the minors. He wouldn't return to the majors again until 1975, as a member of the Chicago White Sox. It would be the second of three stints for the Southside nine.

Hinton played parts of six seasons between 1971 and '79, and never really managed to fit in as a regular. He was normally a relief specialist -- or a set-up man as they're called today -- and managed to toss two complete games in 1978.

Here's the player who scored the final run in the history of the Washington Senators before the franchise moved to Texas:


This picture has been roundly criticized, since having two opposing players more prominent than the person named on the card is not usually a good thing. However, it helps determine when the play took place.

First of all, the picture was obviously taken in 1972 (since there were no Rangers in '71) at Oakland. Dave Hamilton is pitching. There were three players who wore uniform number 11 in 1972. However, Dwain Anderson and Marty Martinez can be ruled out since the second baseman lacks sufficient melanin in his skin to be either of those players. That leaves Ted Kubiak, who actually began the season as a teammate of Nelson in Texas. Kubiak played against the Rangers at home six times in 1972.

That brings us to July 30, 1972. It was the second game of a doubleheader between the two teams and only 10 days after Kubiak was traded (which explains why he was looking down...he was probably asking Nelson how he was doing without being obvious about it). Nelson led off and went 3-for-5 in the game, and this picture was taken during one of two hits. In both cases, he managed to steal second base afterward. In the first, he lined a single to center and then stole second before scoring on a Ted Ford double. In the seventh, Nelson lined a single to left, scoring the go-ahead run. He then stole second, and scored on an Elliott Maddox triple. That hit by Maddox ended Hamilton's night. The Rangers ended up winning both ends of the doubleheader.

Either way, Dave Nelson has just stolen second and is safe. In all, he stole 51 bases in 1972, good enough for second place in the American League. He was also caught stealing 17 times that year, which was the most in the league. In 1973, he played in his only All-Star game. Although the card shows him as a third baseman, he switched to second base that season.

When you're a collector who happens to be an adolescent boy (as opposed to just being an older one who's just that way mentally), guys whose names happen to be Peter, Dick or Rod are unintentionally hilarious. I probably show a lack of class by bringing this up, but it's a fact of growing up. And it's why the picture on this card would have made me laugh when I was 14:


Since there will always be a 14 year-old stuck inside my head, I have to say it. A card showing a guy who calls himself "Dick" really shouldn't also show a bulge in certain areas. In fact, it may just be wise to crop the photos so all that is shown is above the waist.

Now, on to the more serious part of this entry...

Dick Billings was a Detroit-born player who came over with the Texas Rangers when they moved down from Washington. Though shown here as a catcher, he was known to play several positions. With Washington from 1968-'71, he played in the outfield and at third base; in fact, he never caught a major league game until 1970. 1972 was his first year as the regual catcher, but in '73 he went back to playing all over the field. He did, however, catch a no-hitter by Jim Bibby that year. In 1974, he was bought by St. Louis and played a handful of games with them through 1975.

This photo is interesting if only because of what you don't see:


There's Rich Hand on the mound, Bert Campaneris at the plate...but the ball isn't in the picture. Either it's taken a wide arc or Campaneris simply didn't swing at it. While a shadow is seen that is likely the umpire, this is another picture that shows no other player on the field. I've mentioned before that I like that, since this moment is between the pitcher and batter. The photo would be better with a visible baseball in it, though.

Rich Hand was coming off his finest season in 1972. It was the only year he would see double-digit win totals and was the top ace of the staff. However, his 10 wins were matched with 14 losses. He had the second-highest strikeout total of the '72 Rangers with 108...but walked almost as many (103) as he whiffed. 1973 would be Hand's last in the majors. He was traded to the Angels that May (and appeared on a 1974 Topps card with them), but spent all of '74 in the minors before calling it a career.

For the first time in franchise history,this team recently went to the World Series:


Since the picture had been taken in 1972, this would be the first team photo of the Texas Rangers, who had played as the Washington Senators in '71. Ted Williams is sitting in the center of the first row of bleachers, in what would be the final year he managed. That first Rangers team went 54-100, so Williams would be fired at the end of the season.

'73 wasn't much better. With another Hall of Famer (Whitey Herzog) taking over the manager's spot, the team continued performing poorly. On Spetember 7, the team was sitting on a 47-91 record and Herzog got the axe as well. With Billy Martin taking over, the Rangers finished 1973 with the worst record in baseball for the second straight year.

I wonder...how many teams have ever fired TWO Hall of Famers as manager within a one-year period? Granted, Williams didn't make the Hall of Fame for his managerial duties and Herzog was just getting started, but the question still needs to be asked.

There's nothing like looking at a picture and getting interested enough to do a little research. You never know what you might learn:


The palm trees and signs in the background are obvious signs the picture was taken during spring training. While there are some spring training shots in the 1973 Topps baseball card set, most are regular season games from 1972 (and a small number from '71). However, the reason Topps used a posed spring training photo is spelled out on the back of Thompson's card: he spent the entire '72 season in Texas' AAA affiliate in Denver. His only major league experience had come in '71 when the Rangers were still known as the Washington Senators, so using a '71 photo would be impossible without giving more work to the airbrush artists.

Interestingly, Thompson never played a major league game in a Texas Rangers uniform. When this card was making its way into packs midway through the summer, he was playing in St. Louis after being sent there as the "player to be named later" from a deal made before the '73 season began. He would appear in two games for the Cardinals late that season but not getting any decisions. In the first game, he started but was pulled from the game without retiring a single batter.

On the back of the card, there's a short description of Thompson's first (and at that time, only) victory during his '71 tour with the Senators. Looking at Thompson's lifetime stats shows that it would remain his only win despite several tries through 1975. He ended up with a 1-16 lifetime record. This card would be Thompson's first appearance in a Topps set; he managed to appear on another in 1976 but had already played his final big league game by then.