A Giant Blog

1976 Hostess #142 - Gary Matthews

2011-08-22T18:41:00.011-07:00

Every time I feature a Gary Matthews or a Garry Maddox card I find myself lamenting the financial straits that forced the Giants to get rid of them in the mid 1970s.
Matthews finished his run with the Giants in 1976. He batted .279 with 20 HR and 84 RBI.
Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner was suspended by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for tampering with Matthews. Turner had told Giants' owner Bob Lurie that no matter how much Lurie offered, the Braves would top the offer.
Matthews signed a five-year, $1.2 million contract with the Braves after the 1976 season.

1977 Hostess #29 - Bobby Murcer

2011-08-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

As the back of this card indicates, Bobby Murcer had been traded to the Chicago Cubs for Bill Madlock before the 1977 season. Three other players were involved in the deal, but the main trade was Murcer/Madlock.
The Cubs were having difficulty signing Madlock, and the Giants were having a hard time signing Murcer.
The Giants had acquired Murcer from the New York Yankees for Bobby Bonds after the 1974 season. Both players had off-years in 1974.
Murcer represented the Giants in the 1975 All Star Game. He went 0 for 2 in the game.

1976 Hostess #82 - Chris Speier

2011-08-15T00:22:00.018-07:00

Chris Speier was a solid shortstop for the Giants in the early-mid 1970s.
Chris was the first round (second overall) pick of the Giants in the 1970 draft
After spending one season (1970) with AA Amarillo, Chris won the starting shortstop job in 1971. Speier roomed with the man he beat out (Hal Lanier) and learned a lot from him in 1971.
Speier was an NL All Star in 1972, 1973, and in 1974
Chris had a rough year in 1976. Manager Bill Rigney wanted to start Johnnie LeMaster at shortstop. Speier didn't like being moved to second base. He eventually agreed to the move, but it only lasted a week.
Chris slumped to a .226 average in 1976 and was traded to the Montreal Expos for Tim Foli early in the 1977 season.
Speier eventually returned to the Giants to finish his career. His second run with the Giants was from 1987-1989

1979 Hostess #10 - Terry Whitfield

2011-08-13T16:25:00.012-07:00

Terry Whitfield's 1979 season started off in a promising manner. Terry went 4 for 5 as the Giants beat up on Cincinnati starter Tom Seaver and won 11-5.
Whitfield hit an inside-the-park home run off of Philadelphia starter Nino Espinosa on May 1.
The Giants had a disappointing season in 1979. Whitfield didn't do as well as he did in 1978, but he still batted .287 in 133 games
Terry would go on to play one more season with the Giants before going to Japan for three years.
Whitfield came back in 1984 and played from 1984-1986 with the Los Angeles Dodgers

1978 Hostess #136 - Terry Whitfield

2011-08-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

The Giants acquired Terry Whitfield on March 14, 1977 in a trade with the New York Yankees. The Giants sent 2B Marty Perez to the Yankees in exchange for Whitfield.
When this card was printed Terry was coming off of his first full season as a major league player. He had a nice year for the Giants, batting .285 in 114 games.
Whitfield was injured on July 31 when he collided with Houston 2B Art Howe. They both had forehead lacerations and were taken to a hospital. Terry made a pinch hitting appearance and finished the game the next day and then returned to the Giants' lineup.
Terry had another good year for the Giants in 1978. He played in 149 games and batted .289 with 10 HR.

1978 Hostess #12 - Ed Halicki

2011-08-12T16:23:00.000-07:00

Ed Halicki was coming off of a good season in 1977 -- he was 16-12 with a 3.31 ERA
Ed pulled a muscle in his side during spring training and didn't pitch until May 14
Ed pitched a one-hit shutout against the Montreal Expos on June 12.
Halicki pitched a three-hit shutout against the Cincinnati Reds and beat Tom Seaver 3-0 on June 21. At the time the Giants were two games ahead of the Reds in the NL West
Ed got his first major league save on August 8 against the rival LA Dodgers
Halicki was upset with Cincinnati manager Sparky Anderson about some things that Anderson said about him earlier in the year
Ed ended up with a 9-10 record with a 2.85 ERA in 1978. It was his last good year in the majors.

1977 Hostess #47 - Larry Herndon

2011-08-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

Larry Herndon was coming off a pretty good rookie season in 1976. He batted .288 in 115 games.
Herndon had a sophomore jinx in 1977. He was batting .239 when he was placed on the disabled list in mid June.
Larry wasn't happy with the Giants because they didn't take him off of the disabled list and went AWOL in late August. The Giants asked the commissioner's office for permission to place him on the disqualified list. Herndon remained on the disqualified list until November 1.

1975 Hostess #31 - Gary Matthews

2011-08-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

It really is too bad the Giants couldn't keep Gary Matthews. He was a good one
Matthews made his debut on September 6, 1972 (my 6th birthday)
Gary batted .279 with 20 HR and 84 RBI in 116 games in 1975.
Gary had a home plate collision with Johnny Bench on April 22. Bench played with the injury through the 1975 season and had shoulder surgery after the season.
Matthews was injured after fighting (perhaps playfully) with teammate Derrel Thomas on June 1. Gary missed six weeks with a broken thumb

1983 Kellogg's #46 - Greg Minton

2011-08-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

When this card was printed Greg Minton was coming off an All-Star season in which he went 10-4 with 30 saves and had a 1.83 ERA. Greg finished 3rd in NL Cy Young Award voting and 8th in NL MVP voting
Minton didn't do as well in 1983. He was 7-11 with 22 saves and had a 3.54 ERA.
Greg seemed to find his pitching groove in late July, but by that time the damage had already been done to his ERA.
Minton and Gary Lavelle were an effective lefty/righty tandem in the Giants' bullpen in the late 70s and early 80s.
Minton pitched for the Giants until his release on May 28, 1987. He then pitched for the California Angels through the 1990 season.

1983 Kellogg's #48 - Jack Clark

2011-08-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

Jack Clark wasn't as productive in 1983 as he had been in previous seasons. Clark batted .268 with 20 HR, but he only knocked in 66 runs
Clark expressed his displeasure with Giants' management in late April. He didn't like Candlestick Park (who did?) and he thought the Giants weren't doing enough to improve the team. Jack was especially upset that the Giants traded Joe Morgan and let Reggie Smith leave as a free agent.
Clark was almost traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates late in the 1983 season, but the trade was voided by NL President Chub Feeney because the Pirates wanted to keep some of the players in the trade until after the season.
The Giants said that they would try to accommodate Clark's trade demand. After the 1983 season Giants' GM Tom Haller said that there was a 50-50 chance Clark would be traded to the Pirates, but the deal didn't take place.
Jack would play one more season with the Giants before being traded to the Cardinals after the 1984 season. It ended up being a terrible trade for the Giants.

1980 Kellogg's #57 - Jack Clark

2011-08-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

Jack Clark was the main man offensively for the Giants in 1980. He batted .284 with 22 HR and 82 RBI and got a few votes in the NL MVP balloting
Jack was named co-player of the week (with Steve Carlton) in the NL for the week of June 15-22. Clark was 14 for 26 (.538 average) and homered twice during the week.
Clark suffered a broken bone in his hand after being hit by a pitch from the Mets' Mark Bomback on August 20.
He came back on September 18 but only pinch hit for the next three days.
Jack returned to the starting lineup on September 21. He went 6 for 41 after the injury with no extra-base hits

1980 Kellogg's #42 - Vida Blue

2011-08-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

Here is another Kellogg's Vida Blue card
After the first two months of the 1980 season, Blue was 8-2.
He was named in a paternity suit in June 1980. The suit was from a child a woman claimed he had fathered in 1967 (before he started his professional baseball career)
Blue had to miss the 1980 All Star Game due to a bad back
Vida Blue finished the 1980 season with a 14-10 record and a 2.97 ERA

1979 Kellogg's #17 - Willie McCovey

2011-08-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is Willie McCovey's last Kellogg's card
Willie also had Kellogg's cards in 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1978
The 1978 season was an eventful one for McCovey:

Willie had a contract dispute with the Giants in 1978 and considered retirement in May.
McCovey went 4 for 4 against the New York Mets on June 10.
Willie signed a contract with the Giants on June 24. Former teammate Orlando Cepeda was set to begin his prison term at about the same time (see article above the McCovey article)
McCovey hit his 500th career home run off of Jamie Easterly of the Atlanta Braves on June 30, 1978.
Willie had some interesting quotes before the 1978 All Star Game

McCovey had a good stretch in 1979. Mike Ivie started the season as the Giants' starting first baseman, but the 41-year-old McCovey supplanted him for a time in May and June.

1981 Kellogg's #23 - Vida Blue

2011-08-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

While Vida Blue was with the Giants he was often used as the club's representative in the Kellogg's sets.
Blue got Kellogg's Giants cards in 1979, 1980, 1981, and 1982
Blue also had Kellogg's cards when he was with the Oakland A's in 1972 and in 1976.
Vida had problems with substance abuse, but he was usually a productive pitcher for the Giants.
Blue was an NL All Star in 1978, 1980, and 1981

1986 Fleer Star Sticker #42 - Scott Garrelts

2011-07-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

Scott Garrelts was the Giants' first round draft pick in 1979
Garrelts had late season call-ups in 1982 and in 1983.
Scott was up and down between AAA Phoenix and San Francisco in 1984. The Giants used Garrelts in 21 games (3 starts) and he was 2-3 with a 5.65 ERA.
Garrelts really came into his own in 1985 as a reliever. Scott pitched in 74 games and was 9-6 with 13 saves and had a 2.30 ERA. He made the NL All Star team but he wasn't used in the game.
Scott was used as a swingman in 1986. He pitched in 53 games (18 starts) and was 13-9 with 10 saves. Scott had a 3.11 ERA.
In 1987 Garrelts was exclusively a reliever. He had a record of 11-7 with 12 saves and had a 3.22 ERA in 64 games.
Scott wasn't very successful in the 1987 NL Championship Series. He appeared in two games and allowed two runs on two hits and four walks in 2.2 innings.
Garrelts was a reliever again in 1988. He made 65 appearances but his record slipped to 5-9 with 13 saves and his ERA rose to 3.58.
Scott was moved into the Giants' starting rotation in 1989. He had a good year and finished sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting. Garrelts was 14-5 and led the NL with a 2.38 ERA.
Garrelts pitched well in game 1 of the 1989 NLCS and earned the win. He got cuffed around in game 4, allowing four runs in 4.2 innings. Kelly Downs relieved him and earned the win.
Scott took two losses in the 1989 World Series -- he started and lost games 1 and 4.
Before the 1990 season Garrelts signed a 3-year, $6.2 million contract.
Scott's last full season was in 1990. Garrelts (along with the rest of the club) had an up and down season. Scott ended up going 12-11 with a 4.15 ERA.
On July 29, 1990 Scott came within one out of pitching a no-hitter. Paul O'Neill of the Cincinnati Reds singled with two out in the 9th inning to break up the no-hitter.
Scott struggled with arm trouble in 1991. He appeared in eight games (three starts) and was 1-1 with a 6.41 ERA.
On July 18, 1991 Garrelts had elbow surgery. He didn't pitch again in 1991.
Scott made several rehab starts in the minors in 1992 but wasn't ready to come back to the majors.
Garrelts tried again in the San Diego Padres system in 1993 and with the Kansas City Royals (AAA Omaha) in 1995 but never got back to the majors.

1986 Fleer Star Sticker #13 - Chris Brown

2011-07-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

Chris Brown had a couple of good seasons with the Giants in the mid-1980s
Brown spent several years in the minors (1979-1984) and was promoted to the Giants in September of 1984 at the age of 23.
Chris finished 4th in NL Rookie of the Year voting (behind Vince Coleman, Tom Browning, and Mariano Duncan) in 1985
Brown batted .271 with 16 HR and 61 RBI in 1985 and was one of the few bright spots in the Giants' most dismal season
In 1986 Brown's power fell off (7 HR) but he batted .317 and was an NL All Star (he doubled and hit into a double play in the game)
Chris got off to a rough start in 1987 (.242 in 38 games with the Giants) and was included in the big trade with the San Diego Padres that brought Kevin Mitchell to the Giants.
Brown spent the rest of 1987 and the 1988 seasons with the Padres and then moved on to the Detroit Tigers
Chris played with the Tigers for a bit in 1989 before being released on May 19. He was picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates and played well in AAA (.343 in 57 games), but he never made it back to the majors.
Brown tried a comeback with the Cincinnati Reds' AAA club in 1995, but he went 0 for 7 in three games.
After his baseball career, Brown became a driver for Halliburton and spent time in Iraq.
Chris Brown died from injuries suffered in a house fire on December 26, 2006.

Goodies from another break

2011-07-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Dave from Indians Baseball Cards and Random Wax did another break of lesser-known 80s releases a few weeks ago. The cards came in the mail yesterday:

Two 1990 Topps Heads-Up Giants (Will the Thrill and Kevin Mitchell)
Two 1985 Topps Rub-Downs Giants
An undated Fleer team sticker
A 1988 Topps coin of Jack Morris (looks like I got some Tigers in addition to the Giants cards)

Four 1986 Fleer Stickers (Scott Garrelts, Chris Brown, Darrell Evans, and Lance Parrish)
Some 1983 Topps Fold-Outs cards (doubles of Gary Lavelle and Greg Minton and quadruples of Darrell Evans)
A specialty card of Dave that he had made (http://www.meet-meme.com)

I'll be doing posts of some of the individual cards in the next few days!

1962 Topps #107 - Mike McCormick

2011-07-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

I already featured the 1962 Giants in another entry, but this one deserves its own entry.
I got this card and three 1969 Topps cards in a trade with Gritz 76 of Project '62 on Zistle. Zistle has a good trade feature now. It would be nice to see more members put vintage cards on their want lists and trade lists.
Mike McCormick was a mainstay of the Giants rotation in two stints with the Giants.
Mike came up with the Giants in 1956 and stayed with them through the 1962 season. He was an NL All Star in 1960 and in 1961.
McCormick was traded to the Baltimore Orioles after the 1962 season and pitched for them in 1963 and in 1964. Mike pitched for the Washington Senators in 1965 and in 1966 and then was traded back to the Giants.
McCormick had a great bounce-back season in 1967. He led the NL with 22 wins and won the NL Cy Young Award
Mike stayed with the Giants until the middle of the 1970 season. He pitched for the New York Yankees in 1970 and for the Kansas City Royals in 1971.
McCormick was released by the Royals in June 1971. He pitched in the minors in 1972 and in 1973 but didn't get back to the majors.

1988 Sportflics #82 - Jeffrey Leonard

2011-07-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey Leonard wasn't the most well-liked guy, but he was fun to watch.
He had one of the greatest nicknames of his era: "Penitentiary Face"
Jeffrey had a famous (or infamous) home run trot called "one flap down"
Here is a video of him talking about how "one flap down" came to be:

1988 Sportflics #126 - Candy Maldonado

2011-07-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

After having several not-so-hot years with the hated Dodgers, Candy Maldonado had a couple of productive seasons with the Giants
Candy's two best seasons were 1986 (.252, 18 HR, 85 RBI) and 1987 (.292, 20 HR, 85 RBI)
Maldonado's production started to wane in 1988 and after a poor season in 1989 he left the Giants and signed with the Cleveland Indians as a free agent

Inside the Clubhouse - Forever Giants

2011-07-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Last month's legends game brought together a lot of players from all eras of SF Giants history. This show is a behind the scenes look at the happenings of that day
I don't get this station, but I think it'll be on sfgiants.com. It's supposed to be on at 4:30 Pacific Time today (7/16).
Here is a clip from the show:

2011 Bowman #1 - Buster Posey

2011-07-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Posey was drafted in 2008 and was tearing it up in the majors by 2010 --- that's a fast rise!
Here's hoping Buster will bounce back in 2012!

1988 Sportflics #24 - Robby Thompson

2011-07-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

The next few posts will highlight cards that I got from the Buck a Box break
These Sportflics cards don't scan well, but they look great!
It's too bad Kellogg's and Sportflics aren't doing cards anymore --- the 3D look is unique
The backs have a lot of good elements: Easy to read, a picture, yearly stats, and a good write-up.

Goodies from a break -- part 1

2011-07-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

Dave over at Indians Baseball Cards and Random Wax did a "Buck a Box" break last month.

Dave made his own "custom wrapper" for the cards. Pretty neat!

I didn't realize that's what it was until I had already opened it. I tore through part of the message -- kinda like when we were little and ripped right through the mail-in offers that were on the Topps wrappers.

Here are the cards I received.

Dave sent the cards in their wrappers. I didn't see this set when it came out in 1990, so it was pretty cool to see 'em

Will the Thrill and Kevin Mitchell. The things sticking out of the cap emblems are the anchors for the suction cup on the other side. These were meant to be stuck on walls or other flat objects. Maybe I'll stick these in my classroom near my desk.

The rest of the cards I received are pictured above. I'll be posting about them in the coming days.
Cool break Dave!!!!

A contest!

2011-07-03T09:57:00.001-07:00

It's a Dodgers blog, but that's ok. One of the prizes is a great looking Monte Irvin card. Enter the contest here. :)

1977 Phoenix Giants #26 - Rocky Bridges

2011-07-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

This is one of the cards I received from Number 5 Type Collection.
Rocky Bridges was a popular guy in Phoenix. He managed the AAA Phoenix Giants from 1974 through 1982.
Rocky managed in the minors for a total of 20 seasons.
Here is a 1964 Sports Illustrated article about Bridges.
Bridges was interviewed for the San Francisco Giants managing job after the 1976 season but he said he preferred to stay in Phoenix.
Rocky managed the Phoenix Giants to the 1977 Pacific Coast League pennant.
Bridges left the Phoenix Giants after the 1982 season to become a scout.
Rocky was the third base coach for San Francisco in 1985. According to Sports Illustrated, " Rocky Bridges, San Francisco Giants coach, on why he refuses to eat snails: "I prefer fast food."
Here is an article that was in the Arizona Republic on 14 October 2010.

1976 Phoenix Giants #17 - Bruce Christensen

2011-06-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

Bruce Christensen had a long minor league career. He played from 1966 through 1976 (except for 1969 and 1970)
Christensen retired after batting .240 for Phoenix in 1976.
Bruce was called up to the California Angels in mid-July 1971 and stayed with the club for the rest of the year. It was the only stint he had in the majors
In July 1973 Christensen was traded with pitcher Don Rose to the Giants for Ed Figueroa.
This is from the March 1973 issue of Baseball Digest:

Father's Day Contest Prize from Number 5 Type Collection

2011-06-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the goodies I won from the Number 5 Type Collection blog
Gotta love the old cards. I'm especially excited about the Phoenix Giants cards since I went to a lot of their games when I was young
People who entered the contest had to make a comment about what his/her favorite team was and what his/her father's favorite team was. My comment is below:
My father's favorite team is the Giants. After a bit of an odyssey on my part, my favorite team ended up being the Giants as well.

I think my dad rooted/roots for the Giants because they have trained here in Arizona. Their AAA team was the Phoenix Giants for many years.

I started out as a Reds fan. This was the era of the Big Red Machine. I got mad at the Reds for trading Tony Perez and letting Pete Rose go. I switched to the Phillies when Rose went there. The Giants were always my secondary team because of going to so many Phoenix Giants games.

After Pete retired I ended up rooting for the Giants full time. This was the Roger Craig "humm-baby" era. This continued until the Barry Bonds era. I pulled for the Giants for his first few years, but when Arizona got the Diamondbacks I started rooting for them. This was mainly because it was getting much tougher to root for Bonds (grouchiness, roids).

After Bonds left I went back to the Giants and have been there ever since.
Thanks for the cards!!!!!

Card Tribute: Gaylord Perry

2011-06-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

Gaylord Perry spent ten years with the Giants and had a record of 134-109 with an ERA of 2.96

1962 Topps #199

Perry started the season with the Giants, but spend a good portion of the year in AAA Tacoma
He was 3-1 with a 5.23 ERA in 13 games (7 starts)

1963 Topps #169

Gaylord was mostly a bullpen guy in 1963
He was 1-6 with 2 saves and had a 4.03 ERA in 31 games (4 starts)

1964 Topps #468

Perry started the 1964 season in the bullpen but became a permanent part of the rotation by August.
Gaylord went 12-11 with 5 saves and had an ERA of 2.75 in 44 games (19 starts)
Perry pitched 10 innings in the 23 inning game against the Mets on May 31 and earned the win.

1965 Topps #193

1965 was Perry's last year as a starter/reliever.
Gaylord went 8-12 with a 4.19 ERA in 47 games (26 starts)

1966 Topps #598

Perry had his first big year in 1966
He went 21-8 with a 2.99 ERA
Was the NL Player of the Month in June
Pitched two scoreless innings (the 9th and 10th) and earned the win in the All Star Game
Giants manager Herman Franks was upset about how Perry and Juan Marichal were used in the game

1967 Topps #320

Had a 15-17 record with a 2.61 ERA

1968 Topps #85

Was 16-15 with an ERA of 2.45

1969 Topps #485

Led the NL in innings pitched (325.1)
Went 19-14 with a 2.49 ERA

1970 Topps #560

Led the NL in wins (23), starts (41), innings (328.2), and hits allowed (292)
Went 23-13 with a 3.20 ERA
Allowed two runs in two innings pitched in the All Star Game
Finished second to Bob Gibson in NL Cy Young Award voting

1971 Topps #140

In his last year with the Giants, Gaylord was 16-12 with a 2.76 ERA
Had a complete game 5-4 victory in game 1 of the NL Championship series
Was the losing pitcher in game 4 of the NLCS
Perry was traded to the Cleveland Indians with Frank Duffy for Sam McDowell after the season

Card Tribute: Mike Krukow

2011-06-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

Grab some pine, meat! I love that phrase!
Mike Krukow is more famous for his announcing of Giants games (along with Duane Kuiper), but he was a pretty good pitcher as well
The Giants acquired Mike in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1982 season. Joe Morgan and Al Holland were traded to the Phillies for Krukow, Mark Davis, and a minor leaguer.
Before the Giants got him, Krukow had a career record of 58-61 in seven seasons with the Chicago Cubs (6 years) and the Phillies (1 year)
Mike made his major league debut on September 6, 1976 (my 10th birthday)

1983 Topps Traded #58T

In 1983 Krukow was 11-11 with a 3.95 ERA in 31 starts

1984 Topps #633

Krukow was 11-12 with one save and a 4.56 ERA in 35 games (33 starts)
Mike led the NL with 234 hits allowed

1985 Topps #74

Mike had a 3.38 ERA in 1985 but slipped to an 8-11 record in 28 starts
Won the Willie Mac Award

1986 Topps #752

Mike's best season was in 1986
Krukow had a 20-9 record with an ERA of 3.05 in 34 starts
Mike finished 3rd in NL Cy Young Award voting in 1986
Krukow pitched a scoreless 9th inning in the 1986 All Star Game
Beat the Dodgers 11-2 for his 20th win on the last day of the season.
Won the Willie Mac Award for the second straight year

1987 Topps #580

Slipped to a 5-7 record with a 4.80 ERA in 30 games (28 starts)
Allowed 2 runs on 9 hits in a complete-game 4-2 win in game 4 of the NL Championship series

1988 Topps #445

Went 7-4 with a 3.54 ERA in 20 starts in 1988
Did not pitch from late June to mid August.
Pitched his last game of the 1988 season on August 28
Underwent rotator cuff surgery on September 13

1989 Topps #125

Started eight games and was 4-3 with a 3.98 ERA
His last major league game was June 4, 1989
Underwent surgery on June 30 to repair a torn rotator cuff

1990 Topps #241

Retired in March 1990 -- he wasn't able to come back from the rotator cuff injury

A contest!

2011-06-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

The Number 5 Type Collection blog is running a Father's Day giveaway contest. Click this link for more details. :)

Card Tribute: Bob Brenly

2011-06-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've done one of these.
Bob Brenly was always a favorite of mine.
Brenly was a 27-year-old rookie in 1981 and batted .333 (15 for 45) in 19 games

1982 Topps #171

Bob batted .283 in 65 games as a catcher and third baseman

1983 Topps #494

Spent most of his 1983 season behind the plate and also had some playing time at 1B and in the outfield
Batted .224 in 104 games

1984 Topps #378

1984 was Bob's best season
Batted .291 with 20 HR and 80 RBI
Made the NL All Star team and struck out as a pinch hitter
Won the 1984 Willie Mac award for his spirit and leadership

1985 Topps #215

Batted .220 with 19 HR and 56 RBI

1986 Topps #625

Played in 101 games as a catcher but also saw significant time at 3B (45 games) and at 1B
Batted .246 with 16 HR and 62 RBI
Led NL catchers with a .995 fielding percentage
Committed four errors in the same game (all in the fourth inning) as a third baseman on September 14. Bob later hit the game-winning HR in the bottom of the 9th

1987 Topps #125

Bob's final season as a full-time player
Batted .267 with 18 HR and 51 RBI

1988 Topps #703

Batted .189 in 73 games
Released after the 1988 season

1989 Topps #52

Started the 1989 season with the Toronto Blue Jays and batted .170 in 48 games
Released by the Blue Jays on July 18
Signed with the Giants on August 2
Played in 27 games (.255 in 98 AB) for the AAA Phoenix Firebirds
Batted .182 in 12 games for the Giants

1975 Kellogg's #37 - Garry Maddox

2011-06-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

The write-ups on these Kellogg's cards are great!
I wonder why Kellogg's never did a card of Gary Matthews while he was with the Giants
This is the first time I have noticed a first initial on the front of the card. I guess they also did a card of Elliott Maddox that year

1975 Hostess #43 - Garry Maddox - and I found a good shop in Albuquerque

2011-06-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

The Giants had SO many good young outfield prospects in the 1970s: Garry Maddox, Gary Matthews, Dave Kingman, George Foster, and later Jack Clark. How could they have let so many of them go?
On May 4, 1975 the Giants traded Maddox to the Philadelphia Phillies even-up for Willie Montanez. Yuck!
Garry won the first of eight straight Gold Gloves in 1975.
We just got back from a short visit to Albuquerque. One thing I'll say is: Google Maps for the Android phone is great when traveling! I got a lot of use out of it during this time in Albuquerque.
One of the cool things is that I was able to do a search for "sports cards" and it came up with several stores. I think Albuquerque has more card shops than Phoenix.
The shop I visited is called Bubba's Baseball Bullpen. The store is located at 8206 Menaul Blvd. NE. It has a pretty good selection of newer stuff, lots of supplies, and some good vintage cards as well. It was nice to see that the owner didn't need to look at a price guide before giving me prices for 1970s common cards. I picked up this 1975 Hostess card of Garry Maddox and several vg-ex 1973 commons and semi stars. His singles are half price for the rest of 2011.
Here is a video someone made a couple of years ago:

1952 Bowman #182 - Dave Koslo

2011-04-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

Dave Koslo spent several years in the Giants organization. He had short stints with New York in 1941 and in 1942 before going off to serve in World War II.
After the war Koslo came back to lead the NL in starts (35) and losses (19) in 1946.
Dave had a good year in 1947, going 15-10 with a 4.39 ERA. He started 18 games (out of 35 total games) in 1948 and was 8-10 with a 3.87 ERA.
Koslo led the NL with a 2.50 ERA in 1949 and had a record of 11-14. In 1950 Dave was 13-15 with a 3.91 ERA.
Dave was 10-9 with a 3.31 ERA in 1951. He started and won game 1 of the 1951 World Series. Koslo started game six and took the loss.
Koslo continued to pitch for the Giants through the 1953 season. Dave was sold to the Baltimore Orioles in April of 1954. He split the season between Baltimore and the Milwaukee Braves before closing out his career with the Braves in 1955.

1952 Bowman #49 - Jim Hearn

2011-04-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

I made a couple of 1952 Bowman Giants pickups.
Jim Hearn pitched in the majors from 1947-1959.
He started in the St. Louis Cardinals organization and was waived in July 1950. Jim was picked up by the Giants on July 10.
Jim went 11-3 with a 1.94 ERA for the Giants during the remainder of the 1950 season.
Hearn had his biggest year in 1951 when he won 17 games and lost 9. Jim had a 3.62 ERA.
Jim started and won game 3 of the 1951 World Series
Hearn was a starter for the Giants for the next several years, winning 14 games in 1952 and in 1956.
Hearn continued to pitch for the Giants through the 1956 season. After the 1956 season he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Stu Miller
Hearn was mostly used as a reliever until his release in May 1959.

Some good stuff from GCRL

2011-04-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Jim from GCRL sent a 50 count box full of Giants cards. Here are the highlights:

2011 Topps Heritage #319 -- Tim didn't have his best stuff today. The Braves are ahead 5-1 as I'm writing this.

2011 Topps Heritage #260. Cain has been struggling a bit lately, but he'll turn it around. :)

2011 Topps Heritage #60. Lincecum before the long hairdo.

2011 Topps Opening Day #64. No foil on the front -- I like it better. Now if they'd get back to cardboard stock.....

2010 Topps Heritage #80. Mr. Wilson before the beard.

Thanks a lot Jim! I'll get a Dodger package together for ya! :)

2011 Topps Heritage #289 - Darren Ford

2011-04-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

Mr. Ford was recently called up to fill in for the DL'd Andres Torres.
Darren made a baserunning mistake in Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks, but it didn't keep the Giants from winning the game.
This gentleman has some speed.

2011 Topps Heritage #193 - Miguel Tejada

2011-04-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hopefully Mr. Tejada will contribute with the stick this year. He probably won't be able to hit as many HRs as Uribe hit last year, but the Giants can use his offense.

2011 Topps Heritage #33 - Barry Zito

2011-04-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

Mr. Zito was injured on Saturday while fielding a bunt. He'll be on the DL and will be missing at least a few starts. Get well soon, Barry!

A Pleasant Surprise from My Wife

2011-04-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

When I got home from a short trip to visit my folks in Phoenix, I noticed that my wife had bought me two packs of the 2011 Topps Heritage cards. I didn't get any "hits," but I did get three SF Giants cards. Thanks!!!
I'll be posting these cards in a bit! :)

Can you name the Giants' opening day lineups from 1971-1990?

2011-03-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

I got 142 out of 180 answers correct. There were a few guys I should NEVER have forgotten. Years in which I got all of the players right: 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1989. Sporcle quizzes are great!

Great video about the heartbreak of 2002 and the triumph of 2010

2011-03-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

A reader sent a link to a video he made about 2002 and 2010. He did a great job on it! :)

I've been buried in work/personal stuff and haven't been updating this blog as much as I would like. After this week my spring break will be here. I'll be able to catch the Giants at a spring training game and also will get caught up on sending out trades. Those of you to whom I owe cards -- thanks for the patience. :)

2011 Topps T60 #48 - Buster Posey

2011-02-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

This is a nice-looking card. I'm not sure what the point of these cards is, but they look good.
Card #3 from Mr. Wrigley Wax. :)

2011 Topps #292 - Darren Ford

2011-02-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a nice action shot of Darren Ford. Topps did a good job with the action photography this year.
This is the second of three cards from Wrigley Wax. Thanks again!

2011 Topps #210 - Brian Wilson

2011-02-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

Fear the beard!!!
This card comes courtesy of Wrigley Wax. He sent me three Giants cards from this year's set. Thanks! :)
When he does that sign at the end of the game it looks like he's about to give a bunch of people the bird.
Mr. Wilson had a good year last year -- I hope he can do it again this year!

Even the Say Hey Kid got into brawls

2011-02-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

Say hey!!!

Bye Bye Baby!!!!!

2011-02-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

More Giants coolness:

2011 Topps Giants Want List (part 1)

2011-02-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Here is what I have for a want list so far in 2011 Topps. If you would like to do some trades please let me know. I have some 2011 Topps cards from buying a few rack packs.

2011 Topps

22 Barry Zito

58 Edgar Renteria

107 Aubrey Huff

188 Pablo Sandoval

~~210 Brian Wilson~~

~~292 Darren Ford~~

TT-40 Buster Posey
60YOT-3 Monte Irvin
60YOT-10 Juan Marichal

60YOT-11 Gaylord Perry 1962
T60-45 Orlando Cepeda

~~T60-48 Buster Posey~~
KC-41 Pablo Sandoval
KC-46 Mel Ott
CMGR-6 Christy Mathewson 1911 T205)
CMGR-22 Mel Ott (1933 Goudey)

2011 Topps Heritage

~~33    Barry Zito~~
40    Pablo Sandoval
~~60    2010 National League Strikeout Leaders - Lincecum, Halladay, Jumenez, Wainwright~~
71    Jonathan Sanchez
107 Madison Bumgarner
133 Andres Torres
155 Brian Wilson
182 Cody Ross
188 Freddy Sanchez
~~193 Miguel Tejada~~
218 Buster Posey
226 Giants - Team Card
232 Game 1 World Series - Giants Win Opener
233 Game 2 World Series - Can Dominates Game 2
235 Game 4 World Series - Bumgarner Baffles Bats
236 Game 5 World Series - Giants Crush Rangers in Finale
237 The New World Champs - The Winners Celebrate
~~260 Matt Cain~~
~~289 Darren Ford - RC~~
~~319 Tim Lincecum - Lincecum shows his stuff~~
322 Bruce Bochy - Manager
423 Brian Wilson & Buster Posey - Fear the Beard

2011 Topps Opening Day

41    Aubrey Huff
~~64    Miguel Tejada~~
75    Buster Posey
89    Pablo Sandoval
91    Andres Torres
101 Brian Wilson
108 Jonathan Sanchez
150 Matt Cain
168 Tim Lincecum
174 Buster Posey
201 Madison Bumgarner

2011 Topps #282 - Buster Posey Rookie of the Year

2011-02-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

It really was exciting to see Buster Posey burst on the scene in 2011. Hopefully he can keep up the good work!

2011 Topps #226 - Jose Guillen

2011-02-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

A roid guy. Wonderful.

2011 Topps #260 - Freddy Sanchez

2011-02-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

Great shot of a dirty uniform in this one!
I hope he can stay healthy this year -- the Giants can use his offense.

Giants Fever (circa 1978)

2011-02-20T00:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a piece of disco Giants awesomeness!

2011 Topps #229 - Jonathan Sanchez

2011-02-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

Now that the 2011 Topps cards are out and the players are back in spring training, it's time to get this blog going again.
Mr. Sanchez had a good year for the Giants in 2010. I'm looking forward to another good season in 2011.

Vintage Sportscards Blog Contest

2011-01-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

In celebration of his 50th follower, Chris is doing a vintage card contest. The prizes are a 1973 Roberto Clemente, a 1955 Bowman George Kell, and a 1978 Burger King Jim Hunter. Get over there and enter! :)

A Giant Housecleaning

2011-01-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

Chris from was doing a housecleaning of his cards. I claimed the Giants cards that he had. He sent these to me a few months ago but I was having scanner problems and didn't get these posted. Thanks a lot for the cards Chris!

This is my favorite card from this shipment. I grew up watching "Tomorrow's Major Leaguers Today" at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. I have a lot of good memories from going to Phoenix Giants games with my father, with my little league teams, and with my friends.

Here is a 2009 Topps Christy Mathewson card. Those are some great stat lines on the back of the card!

Lots of 2010 Topps Heritage Giants cards

Some other goodies

The whole stack of cards.
Looks like the lens needs to be cleaned on my cell phone :).
Thanks again Chris!

1961 Post (or is it Jello?) Billy O'Dell

2011-01-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this one is a Post or a Jello card. Either way, it's a cool thing to have on a box.

1977 Topps Stickers

2011-01-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted on this blog in a few months. I'll be posting a few trades and pickups in the next few days. Sorry it took a while to get to the posts!
I was going through the commons bin at my favorite baseball card score (Batter's Box in Phoenix, AZ) and managed to find both of the Giants that were included in the 1977 Topps Stickers set.
The Montefusco is supposed to be a short print, but I got it for 50 cents.
It looks like the "N" on Ferguson's jersey is backwards. Is it really backwards or is it just the way the jersey is folding in this picture?
By the way, the Montefusco sticker was on my "Top 9" list on the right side. One card knocked off the list! :)

Card Tribute: Juan Marichal

2010-11-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

The Hall of Famer had a long and successful career with the Giants. The Dominican Dandy was overshadowed by Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson, but he was one of the greats. This card tribute covers Juan's entire career (except for a traded card in 1974). Marichal was traded from the Giants after the 1973 season. His 1974 Topps card was a Giants' card and he got a traded card at the end of the year. Topps didn't print a card of Marichal in 1975 (he finished up with the hated Dodgers).

1961 Topps #417

1962 Topps #505

1963 Topps #440

1964 Topps #280

1965 Topps #50

1966 Topps #420

1967 Topps #500

1968 Topps #205

1969 Topps #370

1970 Topps #210

1971 Topps #325

1972 Topps #567

1973 Topps #480

1974 Topps #330

Make sure you vote for your favorite Juan Marichal card on the poll on the right.

YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

2010-11-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

Great job Giants!!!!

Giants Playoff Managers

2010-11-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

1951 Leo Durocher

1951 Bowman #233

1954 Leo Durocher

1953 Bowman #55 (Leo didn't have a card in 1954)

1962 Alvin Dark

1962 Topps #322

1971 Charlie Fox

1971 Topps #517

1987 Roger Craig

1987 Topps #193

1989 Roger Craig

1989 Topps #744

1997 Dusty Baker

2000 Dusty Baker

2002 Dusty Baker

2002 Topps #290

2003 Felipe Alou

2010 Bruce Bochy

2010 Topps Heritage #220

Giants Playoff Right Fielders

2010-10-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

1951 Don Mueller (.277, 16 HR, 69 RBI)

1951 Bowman #268

1954 Don Mueller (.342, 4 HR, 71 RBI, 90 runs scored)

1954 Topps #42

1962 Felipe Alou (.316, 25 HR, 98 RBI, 96 runs scored)

1962 Topps #133

1971 Bobby Bonds (.288, 33 HR, 102 RBI, 110 runs scored)

1971 Topps #295

1987 Candy Maldonado (.292, 20 HR, 85 RBI)

1987 Topps #335

1989 Candy Maldonado (.217, 9 HR, 41 RBI)

1989 Topps #495

1997 Glenallen Hill (.261, 11 HR, 64 RBI)

1997 Topps #221

2000 Ellis Burks (.344, 24 HR, 96 RBI)

2000 Topps #415

2002 Reggie Sanders (.250, 23 HR, 85 RBI)

2002 Topps Traded Gold #T29

2003 Jose Cruz Jr. (.250, 20 HR, 68 RBI, 90 runs scored)

2003 Topps Traded Gold #T69

2010 Nate Schierholtz (.242, 3 HR, 17 RBI) - several others saw action in RF

2010 Topps #318

Giants Playoff Center Fielders

2010-10-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

1951 Willie Mays (.274, 20 HR, 68 RBI)

1954 Willie Mays (.345, 41 HR, 110 RBI)

1954 Topps #90

1962 Willie Mays (.304, 49 HR, 101 RBI)

1962 Topps #300

1971 Willie Mays (.271, 18 HR, 61 RBI)

1971 Topps #600

1987 Chili Davis (.250, 24 HR, 76 RBI)

1987 Topps #672

1989 Brett Butler (.283, 100 runs, 31 SB)

1989 Topps #241

1997 Darryl Hamilton (.270, 5 HR, 43 RBI)

1997 Donruss #294

2000 Marvin Benard (.262, 102 runs, 12 HR)

2000 Topps #174

2002 Tsuyoshi Shinjo (.238, 9 HR, 37 RBI)

2002 Topps #605

2003 Marquis Grissom (.300, 20 HR, 79 RBI)

2002 Topps #526

2010 Andres Torres (.263, 16 HR, 63 RBI)

I couldn't find a 2010 Giants card of Torres so he gets a regular picture instead

Giants Playoff Left Fielders

2010-10-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

1951 Monte Irvin (.312, 24 HR, 121 RBI)

1951 Bowman #198

1954 Monte Irvin (.262, 19 HR, 64 RBI)

1954 Topps #3

1962 Harvey Kuenn (.304, 10 HR, 68 RBI)

1962 Topps #480

1971 Ken Henderson (.264, 15 HR, 65 RBI)

1971 Topps #155

1987 Jeffrey Leonard (.280, 19 HR, 63 RBI)

1987 Topps #280

1989 Kevin Mitchell (.291, 47 HR, 125 RBI)

1989 Topps #189

1997 Barry Bonds (.291, 40 HR, 101 RBI)

1997 Topps #1

2000 Barry Bonds (.306, 49 HR, 106 RBI)

2000 Topps #250

2002 Barry Bonds (.370, 46 HR, 110 RBI)

2002 Topps #100

2003 Barry Bonds (.341, 45 HR, 90 RBI)

2003 Topps #396

2010 Pat Burrell (.266, 18 HR, 51 RBI in 96 games)

2010 Topps Update/Highlights (image from eBay)

Giants Playoff Third Basemen

2010-10-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

1951 Hank Thompson (.235, 8 HR, 33 RBI in 87 games) / Bobby Thomson (.293, 32 HR, 101 RBI at 3B and LF)

1951 Bowman #89

1951 Bowman #126

1954 Hank Thompson (.263, 26 HR, 86 RBI in 136 games)

1954 Topps #64

1962 Jim Davenport (.297, 14 HR, 58 RBI in 144 games)

1962 Topps #9

1971 Al Gallagher (.277, 5 HR, 57 RBI in 136 games)

1971 Topps #224

1987 Kevin Mitchell (.306, 15 HR, 44 RBI in 69 games) - several others started at 3B before the Giants acquired Mitchell

1989 Ernie Riles (.278, 7 HR , 40 RBI in 122 games) / Matt Williams (.202, 18 HR, 50 RBI in 84 games)

1989 Topps #676

1989 Topps #623

1997 Bill Mueller (.292, 7 HR, 44 RBI in 128 games)

1997 Topps #490

2000 Bill Mueller (.268, 10 HR, 55 RBI in 153 games)

2000 Topps #391

2002 David Bell (.261, 20 HR, 73 RBI in 154 games)

2002 Topps #438

2003 Edgardo Alfonzo (.259, 13 HR, 81 RBI in 142 games)

2003 Topps #T17

2010 Pablo Sandoval (.268, 13 HR, 63 RBI in 152 games)

2010 Topps Heritage #55

Giants Playoff Shortstops

2010-10-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

1951 Alvin Dark (.303, 114 runs scored, 41 doubles, 14 HR)

1951 Bowman #14

1954 Alvin Dark (.293, 98 runs scored, 20 HR)

1954 Bowman #41

1962 Jose Pagan (.259, 25 doubles, 7 HR, 57 RBI)

1962 Topps #565

1971 Chris Speier (.235, 74 runs scored)

1972 Topps #166 (Chris was a rookie in 1971 and didn't get a card that year)

1987 Jose Uribe (.291 in 95 games) / Matt Williams (.188, 8 HR in 84 games)

1987 Topps #633

1987 Topps #129T

1989 Jose Uribe (.221 in 151 games)

1989 Topps #733

1997 Jose Vizcaino (.266, 77 runs scored)

1997 Topps #297 (don't have a Giants card from 1997 of Mr. Vizcaino)

2000 Rich Aurilia (.271, 20 HR, 79 RBI)

2000 Topps #124

2002 Rich Aurilia (.257, 15 HR, 61 RBI)

2002 Topps #580

2003 Rich Aurilia (.277, 13 HR, 58 RBI)

2003 Topps #404

2010 Juan Uribe (.248, 24 HR, 85 RBI)

2010 Topps #239

Giants Playoff Second Basemen

2010-10-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

1951 Eddie Stanky (.247, 14 HR, 127 walks)

1954 Davey Williams (.222, 9 HR)

1954 Bowman #9

1962 Chuck Hiller (.276, 94 runs scored)

1962 Topps #188

1971 Tito Fuentes (.273, 28 doubles)

1971 Topps #378

1987 Robby Thompson (.262, 10 HR)

1987 Topps #658

1989 Robby Thompson (.241, 13 HR, 91 runs scored)

1989 Topps #15

1997 Jeff Kent (.250, 29 HR, 121 RBI)

1997 Bowman #65

2000 Jeff Kent (.334, 33 HR, 125 RBI)

2000 Topps #193

2002 Jeff Kent (.313, 37 HR, 108 RBI)

2002 Topps #265

2003 Ray Durham (.285, 30 doubles)

2003 Topps Gold #384

2010 Freddy Sanchez (.292, 22 doubles)

2010 Topps #133

Giants Playoff First Basemen

2010-10-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

1951 Whitey Lockman (.282, 12 HR, 73 RBI)

1951 Bowman #37

1954 Whitey Lockman (.251, 16 HR, 60 RBI)

1954 Bowman #153

1962 Orlando Cepeda (.306, 35 HR, 114 RBI)

1962 Topps #40

1971 Willie McCovey (.277, 18 HR, 70 RBI)

1971 Topps #50

1987 Will Clark (.308, 35 HR, 91 RBI)

1987 Topps #420

1989 Will Clark (.333, 23 HR, 111 RBI)

1989 Topps #660

1997 J.T. Snow (.281, 28 HR, 104 RBI)

1997 Ultra #359

2000 J.T. Snow (.284, 19 HR, 96 RBI)

2000 Topps #35

2002 J.T. Snow (.246, 6 HR, 53 RBI)

2000 Topps #74

2003 J.T. Snow (.273, 8 HR, 51 RBI) / Andres Galarraga (.301, 12 HR, 42 RBI)

2003 Topps #158 / 2003 Upper Deck First Pitch #295

2010 Aubrey Huff (.290, 26 HR, 86 RBI)

2010 Topps Limited Edition Giants #SF9

Giants Playoff Catchers

2010-10-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

I decided to steal this idea from Capewood Collections (he's doing this for the Phillies).

1951 Wes Westrum (.219, 20 HR, 70 RBI in 124 games)

1954 Wes Westrum (.187, 8 HR, 27 RBI in 98 games) / Ray Katt (.255, 9 HR, 33 RBI in 86 RBI)

1954 Topps #180

1954 Bowman #121

1962 Tom Haller (.261, 18 HR, 55 RBI in 99 games) / Ed Bailey (.232, 17 HR, 45 RBI in 96 games)

1962 Topps #356

1962 Topps #459

1971 Dick Deitz (.252, 19 HR, 72 RBI in 142 games)

1971 Topps #545

1987 Bob Brenly (.267, 18 HR, 51 RBI in 123 games)

1987 Topps #125

1989 Terry Kennedy (.239, 5 HR, 34 RBI in 125 games)

1989 Topps #59T

1997 Rick Wilkins (.195, 6 HR in 66 games)

1997 Pinnacle #125

2000 Bobby Estalella (.234, 14 HR, 53 RBI in 106 games)

2000 Upper Deck

2002 Benito Santiago (.278, 16 HR, 74 RBI in 126 games)

2002 Topps #68

2003 Benito Santiago (.279, 11 HR, 56 RBI in 108 games)

2003 Topps #66

2010 Buster Posey (.305, 18 HR, 67 RBI in 108 games)

2010 Topps #2

Juan Marichal really had a high leg kick!

2010-10-05T17:29:00.001-07:00

Good luck Giants!

2010-10-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

It will be nice to have the Giants pennant on top of my "standings poster" in my classroom for most of this school year. Hopefully they will acquit themselves well in the playoffs!

Interesting contest

2010-10-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Can't Have Too Many Cards is holding a contest. Commenting on his blog entry will get you one entry into the contest and there are several interesting ways to get more entries. The prize is a lot of good rookie and star cards. Head over there and enter. :)

1968 Topps Giants - part 5 (more pitchers)

2010-09-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

#32 Joe Gibbon

Joe Gibbon appeared in 29 games and was 1-2 with one save and a 1.58 ERA.

#147 Frank Linzy

Frank Linzy was the closer for the Giants in 1968. He went 9-8 with 12 saves and a 2.08 ERA in 57 games
Linzy had good years for the Giants in the 1960s, but 1968 was his last good one. His ERA rose to 3.64 in 1969 and by 1970 he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Frank had a a few more good seasons as a reliever for other clubs in the 1970s before retiring in 1974.

#333 Ron Herbel

Ron Herbel pitched in 28 games (2 starts). He had no record and had a 3.35 ERA in 43 innings
The first time I was aware of Ron Herbel was when I read a blurb about him in the classic book The Great American Baseball Card Trading, Flipping and Bubble Gum Book in the mid-1970s. The authors were making fun of Ron's lack of offense. Herbel had a lifetime batting average of .029 (6 for 206 with two doubles).
Ron pitched for the Giants from 1963-1969. He had stints with the San Diego Padres, the New York Mets, and the Atlanta Braves before ending his career in 1971.

#545 Lindy McDaniel

Lindy McDaniel pitched in 12 games for the Giants in 1968 and was 0-0 with a 7.45 ERA in 12 games.
Lindy was traded to the New York Yankees on July 12 for Bill Monboquette

Others who pitched for the Giants in 1968 who didn't receive a 1968 Topps Giants card:

Bill Monboquette (0-1, 1 save, 3.75 ERA in 7 games)
Rich Robertson (2-0, 6.00 ERA in 3 games - 1 start)
Bill Henry (0-2, 5.40 ERA in 7 games - 1 start)

1968 Topps Giants - part 4 (pitchers)

2010-09-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

#85 Gaylord Perry

Gaylord Perry was 16-15 with a 2.45 ERA in 38 starts
Perry was second on the club with 19 complete games

#205 Juan Marichal

Juan Marichal had perhaps his best season in 1968 but was overshadowed by Bob Gibson
Marichal was 26-9 with a 2.43 ERA in 38 starts
Juan completed 30 of his 38 starts in 1968

#494 Ray Sadecki

Ray Sadecki went 12-18 with a 2.91 ERA in 36 starts

#169 Bob Bolin

Bob Bolin was 10-5 with a 1.99 ERA in 34 games
Bolin started 19 games and relieved in 15 others
Bob pitched for the Giants from 1961-1969 before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for two players. The 1968 season was Bolin's best year.

#400 Mike McCormick

Mike McCormick fell off quite a bit from his 1967 Cy Young Award season.
McCormick was 12-14 with a 3.58 ERA in 38 games (28 starts).
Mike's ERA+ was only 83 (league average would be 100).

#9 1967 NL Pitching Leaders

Mike McCormick is on this card because he led the NL with 22 wins in 1967.

#11 1967 NL Strikeout Leaders

Gaylord Perry finished third in the NL with 230 strikeouts in 1967.
Jim Bunning led the league with 253 strikeouts and Ferguson Jenkins finished second with 236.

1968 Topps Giants - part 3 (outfielders)

2010-09-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

#50 Willie Mays

Willie Mays batted .289 with 23 HR and 79 RBI in 1968.

#223 Ollie Brown

Ollie Brown batted .232 in 95 AB for the Giants in 1968
Brown spent part of the season in AAA Phoenix
Ollie was the first player taken by the San Diego Padres in the expansion draft after the 1968 season

#309 Ken Henderson

Ken Henderson went 1 for 3 in three games for the Giants in 1968
Ken was in AAA Phoenix for most of the season, where he hit .254 with 11 HR and 60 RBI.

#452 Jesus Alou

Jesus Alou batted .263 with 0 HR and 39 RBI in 120 games as the starting RF.
Alou was taken by the Montreal Expos in the expansion draft after the 1968 season.

#469 Ty Cline

Ty Cline batted .223 with 1 HR and 23 RBI in 116 games.
Cline was taken by the Montreal Expos in the expansion draft after the 1968 season

Others who played OF for the Giants in 1968 but didn't receive a 1968 Topps card:

Bobby Bonds (.254, 9 HR, 35 RBI in 81 games. This was his rookie season)
Dave Marshall (.264, 1 HR, 16 RBI in 76 games)

1968 Topps Giants - part 2 (infielders)

2010-09-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

# 290 Willie McCovey

Willie McCovey was the Giants' offensive leader in 1968. He led the club in most of the offensive categories.
McCovey batted .293 with 36 HR and 105 RBI in 1968

#436 Hal Lanier

What was with the Giants and offensively-challenged shortstops? It looks like Hal Lanier was the 1960s version of Johnnie LeMaster.
Lanier batted .206 in 151 games. He had a .222 on base percentage and a .239 slugging percentage

#126 Bobby Etheridge

Bobby Etheridge didn't play for the Giants in 1968
Bobby batted .278 in 113 games for AAA Phoenix in 1968.
Etheridge spent most of his career (1964-1973) in the minors. He played 40 games for the Giants in 1967 and 56 games in 1969. That was it for his major league career.

#525 Jim Davenport

Jim Davenport batted .224 in 113 games
Davenport mostly played 3B (82 games) but also played in 17 games at SS and one game at 2B.

#73 Jim Hart

Jim Hart split time between third base and left field in 1968.
Hart batted .258 with 23 HR and 78 RBI in 136 games.

Others who played infield for the Giants but who didn't get 1968 Topps cards:

Ron Hunt started at second base and batted .250 in 148 games. He led the NL in times hit by a pitch (25) and had a .371 on base percentage.
Frank Johnson batted .190 in 67 games. He played most of his games at third base and also filled in at 2B, SS, and in the outfield.
Nate Oliver batted .178 in 36 games as a utility infielder.
Bob Schroeder batted .159 in 35 games as a utility infielder.
Don Mason batted .158 in 10 games.

Blog Bat-Around

2010-09-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

Indians Baseball Cards is doing a blog bat-around. The topic: With Bud Selig supposedly retiring in 2012 (and assuming the end of the world doesn't follow soon afterward), if YOU were asked to become the next Baseball Commissioner, what would you do? What changes would you like to make, what things would you leave as-is, what would you like to see as your legacy when your retirement time came?

My response is on my Project Baseball 1976 blog.

1968 Topps Giants - part 1

2010-09-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

#267 Herman Franks

The 1968 Giants finished in second place for the fourth straight year. It must have been frustrating for fans during this era to keep getting so close without getting over the hump. The Giants had good pitching but they didn't have enough offense to compete with the St. Louis Cardinals
Herman Franks had been managing the Giants since 1965. The club finished in second place in each of his seasons at the helm. Franks resigned as manager after the 1968 season. He later managed the Chicago Cubs from 1977-1979.
Team record: 88-74 (2nd in NL, 9 games behind St. Louis)
Attendance: 837,220 (7th of 10 teams)
Team Batting: .239 (6th in NL)
Team HR: 108 (2nd in NL)
Team Stolen Bases: 50 (8th in NL)
Team ERA: 2.71 (3rd in NL)
Team Fielding: .975 (9th in NL)
Batting Leader: Willie McCovey (.293)
Home Run Leader: Willie McCovey (36)
RBI Leader: Willie McCovey (105)
Runs Leader: Willie Mays (84)
Stolen Base Leader: Bobby Bonds (16)
Victories Leader: Juan Marichal (26)
Losses Leader: Ray Sadecki (18)
ERA Leader (starters): Bobby Bolin (1.99)
ERA Leader (relievers): Frank Linzy (2.08)
Saves Leader: Frank Linzy (12)
League Leaders: Willie McCovey (slugging - .545, Home Runs - 36, RBI - 105); Ron Hunt (hit by pitch - 25); Juan Marichal (wins - 26, complete games - 30, innings - 325.2)
NL All Stars: Willie McCovey (starting 1B); Willie Mays (starting CF); Juan Marichal (P)
Gold Glove Winners: Willie Mays (OF)

#104 Dick Dietz

Dick Dietz batted .272 with six HR in 96 games.

Tom Haller

Tom Haller didn't play for the Giants in 1968.
Haller was traded (with a minor leaguer) to the LA Dodgers before the 1968 season for Ron Hunt and Nate Oliver
Tom played for the Giants from 1961-1967, then for the Dodgers from 1968-1971. He finished his career with the Detroit Tigers in 1972. Haller was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1972 season, but he never played with the club and was released in 1974.

#351 Bob Barton

Bob Barton batted .261 in 46 games.

#419 Jack Hiatt.

Jack Hiatt batted .232 with 10 HR in 90 games.

Card Tribute: Greg Minton

2010-09-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

Greg "Moon-Man" Minton had a long and successful career with the Giants as a relief pitcher. He started with the Giants in 1975 but did not stick with them for an entire season until 1979.
1975: 1-1, 6.88 ERA in four games (two starts)
1976: 0-3, 4.91 ERA in ten games (two starts)
1977: 1-1, 4.50 ERA in two starts
1978: 0-1, 8.01 ERA in 11 games
1979: 4-3, 4 saves, 1.81 ERA in 46 games
1980: 4-6, 19 saves, 2.46 ERA in 68 games
1981: 4-5, 21 saves, 2.88 ERA in 55 games. Hitters Don't Gopher Greg - June 8, 1981 Sports Illustrated
1982: 10-4, 30 saves, 1.83 ERA in 78 games, NL All Star, 6th in NL Cy Young voting, 8th in NL MVP voting
1983: 7-11, 22 saves, 3.54 ERA in 73 games
1984: 4-9, 19 saves, 3.76 ERA in 74 games (1 start)
1985: 5-4, 4 saves, 3.54 ERA in 68 games
1986: 4-4, 5 saves, 3.93 ERA in 48 games. Gave up Pete Rose's last career hit (#4,256) on August 14.
1987: 1-0, 1 save, 3.47 ERA in 15 games. Released on May 28. Greg signed with the California Angels on June 1 and pitched for them from 1987-1990.
Was a pitching coach and a manager in the Angels organization for a few years after his retirement.
Vote for your favorite Greg Minton card on the right. :)

1977 Topps #489

1978 Topps #312

1979 Topps #84

1980 Topps #588

1981 Topps #111

1982 Topps #687

1983 Topps #470

1984 Topps #205

1985 Topps #45

1986 Topps #310

1987 Topps #724.

Card Tribute: Jack Clark

2010-08-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

Jack Clark was a star for the Giants for several years in the 1970s and 1980s. Jack first came up to the Giants in late 1975 at the age of 19. He had another short stint with the Giants in 1976 before coming up to stay in 1977.

1977 Topps #488

136 games, .252, 13 HR, 51 RBI

1978 Topps #384

156 games, .306, 25 HR, 98 RBI, NL All Star, 5th in MVP voting

1979 Topps #512

143 games, .273, 26 HR, 86 RBI, NL All Star

1980 Topps #167

127 games, .284, 22 HR, 82 RBI

1981 Topps #30

99 games, .268, 17 HR, 53 RBI

1982 Topps #460

157 games, .274, 27 HR, 103 RBI

1983 Topps

135 games, .268, 20 HR, 66 RBI

1984 Topps #690

57 games, .320, 11 HR, 44 RBI

1985 Topps #740
Did not play for the Giants in 1985. Clark was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before the season for David Green, Dave LaPoint, Gary Rajsich, and Jose Uribe.

Vote on which Jack Clark card you like the best (poll on the right-hand side).

1971 Topps Giants - Part 5 (more pitchers)

2010-08-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

#19 Skip Pitlock

Skip Pitlock didn't pitch for the Giants in 1971. He spent the 1971 season in AAA Phoenix.
Skip pitched for the Giants during the 1970 season.
Pitlock was with Phoenix again in 1972 before being traded to the Chicago White Sox before the 1973 season.

#276 Mike Davison

Mike Davison didn't pitch for the Giants in 1971. He split the 1971 season between AAA Phoenix and Cincinnati's AAA Indianapolis clubs.
Davison pitched for the Giants in parts of the 1969 and 1970 seasons but he retired after the 1971 season.

#354 Don McMahon

Don McMahon was 10-6 with four saves and a 4.06 ERA in 61 games in 1971.
Don pitched in two games in the NLCS and didn't allow any runs in three innings.
McMahon was the Giants' pitching coach in 1973 and in 1974 and was activated for a while in both seasons when the Giants needed some bullpen help. He was the Giants' pitching coach from 1973-1975 and again from 1980-1982.

#412 Jerry Johnson

Jerry Johnson was 12-9 with 18 saves and a 2.97 ERA in 67 games in 1971.
Jerry finished 6th in NL Cy Young Award voting in 1971.
Johnson pitched in game 4 of the NLCS and allowed a 3-run homer to Roberto Clemente in the 6th inning that eventually was the decisive blow in the game.

#443 Rich Robertson

Rich Robertson was 2-2 with one save and an ERA of 4.57 in 23 games (6 starts).
Robertson pitched in his final major league game on July 20, 1971. He allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks in 1 1/3 innings.
Robertson was sold to the Chicago White Sox before the 1972 season but the White Sox sent him back during spring training. The Giants released Rich on March 27, 1972. Robertson played in AAA for Atlanta's Richmond club but he retired after the season.

Others who pitched for the Giants in 1971 but who didn't receive a 1971 Topps Giants card:

Steve Stone (5-9, 4.15 ERA in 24 games - 19 starts)
Don Carrithers (5-3, 1 save, 4.03 ERA in 22 games - 12 starts)
Jim Barr (1-1, 3.57 ERA in 17 games)
Jim Willoughby (0-1, 9.00 ERA in 4 innings)
Steve Hamilton (2-2, 4 saves, 3.02 ERA in 39 games)

1971 Topps Giants - Part 4 (pitchers)

2010-08-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

#140 Gaylord Perry

Gaylord Perry was 16-12 with a 2.76 ERA in 37 starts in 1971.
Perry started and lost game 1 of the NLCS. He allowed five runs in nine innings (the Giants lost 5-4).
Perry and Frank Duffy were traded to the Cleveland Indians for Sam McDowell after the 1971 season.

#325 Juan Marichal

Juan Marichal was 18-11 with a 2.94 ERA in 37 starts in 1971.
Marichal started and won the final game of the 1971 season on September 30. The win clinched the NL West title for the Giants.
Juan was the winning pitcher in game 3 of the NLCS. He started the game and allowed one run in a complete-game 2-1 victory. It was the only game the Giants won in the series.

#108 John Cumberland

John Cumberland started the 1971 season as a relief pitcher. After pitching in 22 games as a reliever John was placed in the staring rotation in late June.
Cumberland was 9-6 with two saves and a 2.92 ERA in 45 games (21 starts) in 1971.
John started and lost game 2 of the NLCS. He allowed three runs in three innings pitched.
The 1971 season was the peak of John's career. He was traded from the Giants after starting the 1972 season 0-4 with an 8.64 ERA. Cumberland pitched for several major and minor league teams from 1972-1974.

#621 Ron Bryant

Ron Bryant was 7-10 with a 3.79 ERA in 22 starts for the Giants in 1971.
He allowed one run in two innings pitched in game 2 of the NLCS.

#251 Frank Reberger

Frank Reberger was 3-0 with a 3.92 ERA in 13 games (7 starts). He wasn't used in the NLCS.
Frank was with the Giants as a swingman for the 1970 season and pitched a little for the Giants in 1972. He spent most of his time from 1971-1974 pitching for the Giants' AAA Phoenix club.

1971 Topps Giants - Part 3 (outfielders)

2010-08-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

#295 Bobby Bonds

Bobby Bonds was the star of the Giants in 1971. He batted .288 with 33 HR and 102 RBI and led the Giants in most offensive categories. Bobby batted .250 (2 for 8) in the NLCS.

#128 Frank Johnson

Frank Johnson batted .082 in 49 at bats in 1971. He played in his final major league game on June 12, 1971. Johnson was in the minors for all or parts of 13 seasons (1961-1975), mostly with the Giants' organization.

#155 Ken Henderson

Ken Henderson was the starting LF for the Giants and batted .264 with 15 HR and 61 RBI. Ken batted .313 (6 for 15) in the NLCS.

#276 George Foster

George looks like he really didn't want his picture to be taken.
Foster batted .267 with 3 HR in 105 AB for the Giants before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds on May 29 for Frank Duffy and Vern Geishert.

#600 Willie Mays

Willie led the Giants with 112 walks and had a .425 on base percentage. Mays batted .271 with 18 HR and 61 RBI during the regular season.
Mays batted .267 (4 for 15) with one HR during the 1971 NLCS.

#728 Bernie Williams

Bernie Williams was with AAA Phoenix for most of the season (.308 in 73 games). He batted .178 in 73 at bats for the Giants. Bernie spent most of his career (1966-1974) in the minors. He had short stints with the Giants in 1970, 1971, and 1972. Williams was traded to the San Diego Padres with Willie McCovey for Mike Caldwell after the 1973 season. He batted .133 (1 for 15) with the Padres in 1974 before being sent down in mid-May. Bernie spent the rest of the 1974 season in the minors. Williams then went to Japan and had success from 1975-1980.

Others who played OF for the Giants in 1971 who didn't get a 1971 Topps card:

Jimmy Rosario (.224 in 192 AB)
Floyd Wicker (.143 in 21 AB)
Jim Howarth (.231 in 13 AB)

1971 Topps Giants - Part 2 (infielders)

2010-08-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

#50 Willie McCovey

Willie McCovey missed part of the year with an injury, but he was a dangerous hitter when he was in there. Willie batted .277 with 18 HR and 70 RBI in 105 games during the regular season.
McCovey was 6 for 14 (.429) with 2 HR during the 1971 National League Championship Series
On May 2 against the Cincinnati Reds McCovey went 2 for 6 with two HR and 3 RBI. His solo home run in the top of the 13th inning was the eventual game-winner.
Willie played in his last All Star Game in 1971 and was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

#181 Hal Lanier

Another Phoenix Municipal Stadium picture
Hal Lanier batted .233 in 109 games in 1971.
Lanier started 41 games at 3B and was a defensive replacement in most of his other games.
Hal went 0 for 1 in the 1971 NLCS.

#378 Tito Fuentes

Tito Fuentes batted .273 in 152 games in 1971.
Fuentes was 5 for 16 (.313) in the NLCS.

#486 Steve Huntz

Steve Huntz didn't play for the Giants in 1971.
Huntz was traded to the Chicago White Sox on March 23, 1971 for Steve Hamilton

#691 Bob Heise

Bob Heise was hitless in 11 at bats for the Giants in 1971.
On June 1 Heise was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Floyd Wicker

#224 Alan Gallagher

Alan Gallagher batted .277 with 5 HR and 57 RBI in 136 games.
Gallagher was 1 for 10 (.100) in the NLCS.

#461 Jim Hart

Jim Ray Hart batted .256 in 39 AB.
He didn't play until June 18 and was used mostly as a pinch hitter during the season.
Hart went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts in the NLCS.

Others who played infield for the Giants in 1971 but didn't get a 1971 Topps Giants card:

Dave Kingman (UT) (.278, 6 HR, 24 RBI in 41 games)
Frank Johnson (UT) (.082 in 49 AB)
Ed Goodson (1B) (.190 in 42 AB)
Frank Duffy (UT) (.179 in 28 AB)
Chris Arnold (2B) (.231 in 13 AB)

1971 Topps Giants - Part 1

2010-08-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

#563 Team Card

After several years of disappointment and second-place finishes the Giants finally won a NL West title in 1971. They were in first place for much of the season but didn't clinch the division until the final day of the season. The Giants lost in the National League Championship series to the Pittsburgh Pirates three games to one.
Team Record: 92-70 (1st in NL West, 1 game ahead of Los Angeles)
Attendance: 1,106,043 (10th in National League)
Team Batting: .247 (8th in NL)
Team Home Runs: 140 (3rd in NL)
Team Stolen Bases: 101 (2nd in NL)
Team ERA: 3.32 (6th in NL)
Team Fielding: .972 (12th in NL)
League Leaders: Willie Mays (On Base Percentage - .425; Walks - 112)
NL All Stars: Willie McCovey (starting 1B); Willie Mays (starting CF); Bobby Bonds (OF); Juan Marichal (P)
Gold Gloves: Bobby Bonds (OF)
Batting Leader: Bobby Bonds (.288)
Home Run Leader: Bobby Bonds (33)
RBI Leader: Bobby Bonds (102)
Stolen Base Leader: Bobby Bonds (26)
Victories Leader: Juan Marichal (18)
Losses Leader: Gaylord Perry (12)
Strikeouts Leader Juan Marichal (159)
ERA Leader (starters): Gaylord Perry (2.76)
ERA Leader (relievers): John Cumberland (2.92)
Saves Leader: Jerry Johnson (18)

#517 Charlie Fox

Charlie Fox was in his first full season as the manager of the Giants. Fox took over the managerial duties in May 1970 and remained as the Giants' manager until the middle of the 1974 season.
Charlie's record as Giants' manager was 348-327 (.516)
As a player Fox made his major league debut on September 24, 1942 at the age of 20 and played in his last game on September 26, 1942. Charlie's major league career consisted of three games with the New York Giants. He went 3 for 7 (.429) in those three games. Charlie left after the 1942 season to serve in World War II. He came back to baseball after the war and was a player/manager in the minors from 1946-1956.

#545 Dick Dietz

Dick Dietz didn't give the backups much of a chance to play. Dietz played in 142 games and batted .252 with 19 HR and 72 RBI. Dick went 1 for 15 (.067) in the NLCS.
Dick went 4 for 5 with two RBI and one run scored on July 8 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

#738 Russ Gibson

I think this picture was taken at Phoenix Municipal Stadium (I would know for sure if the background were a bit more toward right field -- there was a big scoreboard there). I remember a big green wall behind the center field fence. Sometime in the late 70s (I forget which year) I saw Willie McCovey hit a ball over that wall.
Russ Gibson batted .193 in 25 games. He wasn't used in the postseason.

Other players who caught for the Giants who didn't receive 1971 Topps Giants cards:

Fran Healy (.280 in 93 AB)
Dave Rader (.000 in 4 AB)

1972 Topps Giants - Part 6 (in action)

2010-08-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

#712 Bobby Bonds

#36 Jerry Johnson

#50 Willie Mays

#166 Chris Speier

#186 Ron Bryant

When was this picture taken?
Bryant pitched at home twice against the Cardinals (April 19 and July1)
On April 19 Ron came in as a reliever in the top of the first inning. Bryant led off the bottom of the 3rd and struck out. He led off the bottom of the 5th with a single. It is doubtful that it was a bunt single. In the bottom of the 6th Bryant came up with two out and nobody on base and grounded out to second base. The Giants won the game 4-2 and didn't bat in the bottom of the 9th. It is doubtful that this picture was taken on April 19.
On July 1 Bryant started the game and lasted 4 2/3 innings. In the bottom of the third inning Bryant came up with a runner on first base and nobody out and hit into a force play. This may have been a foul bunt attempt by Bryant during this at bat. Ron was removed from the game before his spot came up in the batting order again, so the bottom of the third in this game may be when this picture was taken.

Dick Dietz

#444 Ken Henderson

#568 Juan Marichal

#694 Alan Gallagher

Do y'all have any speculation on when these other plays occurred?

Vote in the poll on which of these cards is your favorite. There are several great action shots here!

1972 Topps Giants - Part 5 (more pitchers)

2010-08-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

#35 Jerry Johnson

Jerry Johnson had a rough season as the Giants' closer in 1972 after finishing 6th in NL Cy Young Award voting in 1971. He was 8-6 with eight saves and a 4.42 ERA in 48 games. He hurt his shoulder while participating in unscheduled workouts while the players were on strike. Johnson was placed on waivers during spring training in 1973 and selected by the Cleveland Indians.

#403 John Cumberland

John Cumberland was 0-4 with an 8.64 ERA in nine games (six starts). He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for a minor leaguer on June 16.

#548 Frank Reberger

Frank Reberger was 3-4 with a 3.99 ERA in 20 games (11 starts). He was brought up from AAA Phoenix in mid June. Reberger pitched for Phoenix in 1973 and 1974 but never appeared in the majors after the 1972 season.

Others who pitched for the Giants in 1972 but didn't get a 1972 Topps Giants card:

Don Carrithers (4-8, 1 save, 5.80 ERA in 25 games - 14 starts)
Randy Moffitt (1-5, 4 saves, 3.69 ERA in 40 games)
Don McMahon (3-3, 5 saves, 3.71 ERA in 44 games)
Elias Sosa (0-1, 3 saves, 2.30 ERA in 8 games)
Jim Willoughby (6-4, 2.36 ERA in 11 starts)
Charlie Williams (0-2, 8.68 ERA in 3 games - 2 starts)
John Morris (0-0, 4.26 ERA in 7 games)

1972 Topps Giants - Part 4 (pitchers)

2010-08-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

#567 Juan Marichal

Juan Marichal had a huge crash in 1972. He went 6-16 with a 3.71 ERA in 24 starts. Marichal had surgery to repair a lumbar disc after the 1972 season. Juan would pitch one more season with the Giants before being sold to the Boston Red Sox after the 1973 season.

#185 Ron Bryant

Ron Bryant was the ace of the Giants' staff in 1972. He went 14-7 with a 2.90 ERA in 35 games (28 starts).

#682 Mike McCormick

Mike McCormick didn't pitch for the Giants in 1972. He had been signed as a free agent before the 1972 season and pitched for a while for AAA Phoenix. McCormick announced his retirement from the Giants on June 16 but later pitched for several minor league clubs in an attempt to come back. He never made it back to the major leagues and retired for good after the 1973 season.

#327 Steve Stone

Steve Stone was 6-8 with a 2.98 ERA in 27 games (16 starts) in 1972.

#720 Sam McDowell

"Sudden" Sam McDowell was acquired by the Giants for Gaylord Perry after the 1971 season. McDowell went 10-8 with a 4.33 ERA in 28 games (25 starts) in 1972. He missed about six weeks from mid-July to late-August with a sore arm. McDowell started the 1973 season with the Giants but was sold to the New York Yankees because the Giants couldn't afford to pay him (Ex-Giant Lauds Giants - June 16, 1973 St. Petersburg Times).

#232 Jim Barr

Jim Barr was a reliever for the first part of the 1972 season and was placed in the starting rotation in late June. Barr was 8-10 with two saves and a 2.87 ERA in 44 games (18 starts) in his first full season.

1972 Topps Giants - Part 3 (outfielders)

2010-08-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

#49 Willie Mays

This was the legend's final season in San Francisco. He got off to a rough start (.184 but with a .394 OBP in 19 games) and was traded to the New York Mets on May 11 for Charlie Williams and $50,000.

#147 Dave Kingman

Dave Kingman batted only .225 but hit 29 HR and had 89 RBI for the Giants in 1972. Dave spent most of this season at third base.

#366 Jimmy Rosario

Jimmy Rosario was 0 for 2 in seven games for the Giants in 1972. Rosario was a familiar face in AAA Phoenix -- he spent all or most of the 1968-1974 seasons there. In 1972 Jimmy batted .296 and had a .421 on base percentage for Phoenix.

#443 Ken Henderson

Ken Henderson started in LF for the Giants in 1972 and batted .257 with 18 HR and 51 RBI.

#711 Bobby Bonds

Bobby Bonds had an off year in 1972. He batted .259 with 26 HR and 80 RBI. Bonds led the Giants with 118 runs scored.

#761 Bernie Williams

Bernie Williams batted .191 in 68 AB for the Giants in 1972. Williams batted over .300 in the minors in 1970, 1971, and 1973 but he didn't repeat that success at the major league level.

Others who played OF for the Giants in 1972 but didn't receive a 1972 Topps Giants card:

Garry Maddox - the rookie CF batted .266 with 12 HR and 58 RBI in 125 games.
Gary Matthews (.290 in 62 AB)
Jim Howarth (.235 in 119 AB)

1972 Topps Giants - Part 2 (infielders)

2010-08-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

#280 Willie McCovey

Willie McCovey missed about six weeks with an injury and struggled in 1972. He batted .213 with 14 HR and 35 RBI in 81 games.

#427 Tito Fuentes

Tito Fuentes batted .264 with 7 HR and 53 RBI in 152 games in 1972.

#165 Chris Speier

Chris Speier had a solid year for the Giants in 1972. He batted .269 with 15 HR, 71 RBI, and 82 walks in 150 games.

#693 Alan Gallagher

Alan Mitchell Edward George Patrick Henry Gallagher split time with Dave Kingman at third base in 1972. He batted .223 with 2 HR and 18 RBI in 82 games. Gallagher was traded to the California Angels in April of 1973 and retired after the 1973 season.

#733 Jim Hart

Jim Hart batted .304 in 79 at bats in 1972. Jim had injury problems in 1972 -- he played for about two weeks in May and then didn't play again until September. He ended up starting 20 games at third base and was sold to the New York Yankees early in the 1973 season.

#232 Chris Arnold

Chris Arnold batted .226 in 84 at bats as a utility player. Arnold bounced between AAA Phoenix and the SF Giants from 1971-1976. He had some great years for Phoenix (.343 in 120 games in 1971 and .302 in 139 games in 1977) but never could stick in the majors. Arnold went to Japan and played for three years after the 1977 season.

Others who played in the infield for the Giants in 1972 but didn't receive a 1972 Topps Giants card:

Ed Goodson (1B - .280, 6 HR, 30 RBI in 58 games)
Damaso Blanco (IF - .350 in 20 AB)
Gary Thomasson (1B/LF - .333 in 27 AB)
Dave Kingman saw a lot of action at 3B but his card will be featured with the other outfielders.