#423 Dan Spillner

Card thoughts: It was a cold day at Tiger Stadium when this photo was taken. And Spillner is in the twilight of his career, as his gray hair attests.

The player: Spillner was a hard thrower who initially must relied on his fastball to get people out. This wasn't conducive to starting, and in each of his first three seasons starting for the Padres, he last more than 10 games. Spillner did, however, toss a one-hitter in 1974, his rookie year.

Figuring a flamethrower was better suited in the bullpen, Spillner was moved there in 1977. The 76 games he threw were second in the league, and he saved 6 games.

A mid-season trade to the Indians in 1978 (for Dennis Kinney) would lead to his greatest successes. He was put back into the rotation for good in early August the following season, and he won 4 out of 7 starts. The next year, he had a career year, going 16-11 while starting 30 games. But he came down with a bad back the next year, and he was put back into the bullpen, where he would stay the rest of his career.

After recording 21 saves (with 12 wins) in 1982, the Indians thought they had stumbled upon a reliable bullpen arm. But a 5.07 ERA the next year disabused them of that notion, and he was shipped off to the White Sox midway through the 1984 season.

Despite a good year represented by this card (4-3, 1 save, 3.44 ERA), when Spillner became a free agent after the season, the owners were colluding against signing players, and he couldn't find a job. Forced into retirement, he later won $486,000 in a judgment against the owners.

Spillner now works in construction in the Seattle area. Maybe he’ll build your house if you live out there.

Rear guard: Those are Spillner's career numbers.

#390 Tom Seaver

Card thoughts: Nearly the end of the line here for "Tom Terrific". And it’s too bad that his last card as a White Sox player shows him in that awful mesh softball jersey they wore in spring training.

The player: Tom Seaver was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era (or any era). Pitching with a classic overhand motion, Seaver’s fastball touched 95 mph, in an era when that was rare. He supplemented that with a devastating slider and curve. But Seaver was more than just a power pitcher. From a very early age, he knew how to set up hitters. The ability of Seaver to hit his spots with uncanny consistency for such a long time (he was the league leader in wins at age 36), made him an easy first ballot Hall of Famer (in fact, his 98.8% voting percentage is the highest in Hall of Fame history).

A star pitcher at USC, Seaver was involved in a curious contract dispute before his career even began. The Atlanta Braves illegally signed Seaver while the college season was still in progress. The commissioner’s office voided the contract, and conducted a lottery of Seaver, with just three teams, the Indians, Phillies, and Mets, willing to match the Braves’ signing bonus. The Mets won, and it was just like winning the real “lottery.” Seaver spent just one year in the minors at Jacksonville before becoming a major league star in 1967.

The Mets at that time were a terrible team, but they had a lot of good young pitching. Seaver went 16-13 as a rookie (for a tenth place team), winning Rookie of the Year honors. He also pitched in the first of seven straight all star games, this time earning a win.

1968 was another year where Seaver had a miniscule ERA (2.20), but a barely above .500 win loss record (16-12). That would all change in 1969. As the ace of the Miracle Mets, he finally had a decent offense behind him, as he led the league in wins (25), earning the Cy Young Award in the process.

Picked the pitch the first game of the NLCS, Seaver was bombed by the Braves for five runs in eight innings. He fared a bit better in the World Series, winning 1 and losing 1. There was a rumor going around that if the Mets won the World Series, Seaver was going to put an ad in the New York Times denouncing the Vietnam War, which he said was unfounded. His picture, however, was used (unauthorized) for Moratorium Day flyers handed out before Game 4.

Seaver became even more dominant in the early 70s. Learning to harness his control, he routinely led the league in ERA (1970, 1971, 1973) and strikeouts (the same years). He even got a chance to go back to the World Series in 1973, but the Mets lost to the A’s. Seaver pitched well as always, but the weak Mets offense failed to back him up (his losses in the post-season: 2-1 to the Reds and 3-1 to the A’s). For his regular season work, Seaver would earn his second Cy Young Award, the first awarded to a player who had failed to win 20 games (he won 19).

A sore shoulder that Seaver had developed near the end of the 1973 season (perhaps due to seven straight years of pitching over 250 innings) limited his effectiveness in 1974. His 11-11 record, 208 innings pitched, and 3.20 ERA were all career worst numbers. Considered the clubhouse leader of the Mets (and a franchise player), rumblings appeared in the press that Seaver was becoming a surly, malcontent. But he didn’t let the press get to him and 1975 was a bounce back year, as Seaver led the league in wins (22) for the first time since 1969, once again earning the Cy Young Award.

Although his win total dropped in 1976 (14), his league leading 235 strikeouts marked the ninth straight year he had topped 200 strikeouts (this was a record at the time). But changes were coming to baseball. Free agency had tentatively began, and Seaver wanted a big contract which the Mets owner was loathe to give out. Instead, he signed an incentive laden contract, which led to friction between him and the front office. This was the background for what is considered the worst trade in Mets history.

After previously threatening to trade him for #335 Don Sutton (not too bad of a trade, considering who he was actually traded for), the Mets finally pulled the trigger in 1977. Seaver was being jerked around by both management and the press, and he was sick of it, refusing to sign a deal he had (in principle) extending his contract, and remaining a Met. He demanded a trade, and, without leverage, the Mets made a bad one, sending Seaver to the Reds for a bunch of young players, none of which turned out to be much good.

With the trade, there seemed to be a load lifted off Seaver as he went 14-3 the rest of the way with a 2.34 ERA. But although he was still an “ace”, it was inevitable that Seaver began to slow down as he approached his mid-30s. Although he still had effective years for the Reds, only once was his arm strong enough to put them in the post season (1979). Although he had a renaissance year in 1981 leading the league in wins (14), his shoulder problems surfaced, and his 5-13 record in 1982 showed Seaver’s age. The Big Red Machine was aging as well, and the team needed to turn over a new leaf.

So the Reds sent him back to the Mets for a homecoming of sorts. As the Opening Day starter, Seaver drew 48,000 fans to Shea Stadium for a franchise that had become moribund since the trade of Seaver. But he had another sub par year at 9-14, a looked to be done at 39. So the Mets left him “unprotected” which allowed the White Sox to “claim” him after losing Dennis Lamp to free agency.

Pitching mostly with guile, Seaver won 15 games in 1984 and 16 in 1985 with the White Sox, including win 300 at Yankee Stadium. But the end was near, and after another half season with the White Sox, he was dealt to the Red Sox for #233 Steve Lyons, where he finished his career.

If you judge a pitcher by his WAR, Seaver is the seventh best pitcher of all time (JAWS says sixth). Besides going into the Hall of Fame in 1992, Seaver has broadcast games for the Yankees and the Mets, and now runs a winery in California that produces a small batch of Cabernet Sauvignon. He also recently battled a bad case of lyme disease, which he thought was early onset dementia.

Rear guard: One thing that sucks about these long careers is that the small print makes it really hard to see what categories Seaver led the league in (always my go to when I was young to assess whether the card was any good).

#364 Reid Nichols

Card thoughts: Reid was a very unusual name in 1986. Of course, now tons of kids have it.

The player: Nichols was viewed as an up and comer by the Red Sox as a rookie. He hit .302 in a platoon role with Rick Miller, and showed flashes of power and speed. His OPS was again above average in 1983, when he hit .285. This led to a pretty big long-term contract (unusual for a reserve).  But with the signing of #255 TonyArmas, Nichols was received much less playing time. In a large part a defensive replacement in 1984, he hit just .226. When he started the season shown on this card with a .188 average, he was traded to the White Sox for #297 Tim Lollar.

The White Sox did not have the same dominant outfield as the Red Sox, so Nichols got more at bats after the traded. He swatted .297, and his OPS was on par with his better seasons as a Red Sock. However, he struggled again in 1986, leading to his release.  Nichols would finish his career as a reserve outfielder for the Expos.

Despite a career where he was a barely above replacement level outfielder, Nichols had enough baseball acumen that he has been the farm director for the Texas Rangers (1994-2000) and the Milwaukee Brewers since 2002. He’s been responsible for developing players like Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Rickey Weeks, and Yovani Gallardo. Of course, he’s also been responsible for flameouts such as Mat Gamel.

Rear guard: Wow. Unaware two Ed Walsh's pitched for the White Sox! The elder Walsh (Big Ed), has an awesome profile picture, and routinely pitched over 300 innings. One of the greatest pitchers ever, he's second all time with an incredible 1.00 WHIP, and his career ERA is a microscopic 1.82. Hard to believe it took the old timers committee to vote him in to the Hall of Fame.

Like many pitchers of his day, the elder Walsh blew his arm out by age 31 after winning 182 games. His son, on the other hand, was a really bad pitcher, with a career ERA above 5. He won just 11 career games

#346 Bryan Little

Card thoughts: To my horror, I found that I had lost this card from my original completed set. I had to buy it online. This would be Little’s last card.

The player:  Nicknamed “Twig,” his name fitted his stature, as he only weighed 160 pounds. Little was famous for his bunting prowess, as 27 of his first 100 hits were bunt singles. He was even once knocked down with a brushback pitch for bunting against Joaquin Andujar.

An excellent leadoff hitter in the minors (he generally walked 3 times as much as he struck out), Little hit .260 as a rookie. Although he had a hot start in 1984, he wasn’t able to dislodge light-hitting Doug Flynn from the starting job at second, and the Expos became convinced he didn’t have the stamina to be a starter. So despite his bunting and on-base ability, he was shipped off to the White Sox for Bert Roberge.

With the White Sox, Little didn’t hit much in 1985 (.250), but he still was better than starting second baseman Julio Cruz.  With the White Sox not having much use for Little in 1986, he was sold to the Yankees, where he spent the last 14 games of his career.

After a few more years in AAA, Little turned to managing (much like his brother, former Red Sox manager Grady Little). In three seasons as a manager in the Padres system, a sub .500 record convinced him to turn to other baseball jobs. Note: One of his manager cards in the minors shows him holding a baby (his?).  Little was the first base coach for the White Sox from 1997-2000 and later (his current job), an advance scout for the team.

Rear guard: In Little's major league debut, he pinch ran for pinch hitter Brad Mills and scored on a double by Andre Dawson.Lee Tannehill only hit .220 in his career with 3 home runs. In a move that would unusual today, he started out as a third baseman and then moved to shortstop later in his career.

#313 Joe DeSa

Card thoughts: DeSa looks like one of those heavies in a bad eighties action/ adventure movie. The frown certainly doesn’t help, although apparently DeSa was a friendly fellow in real life. This would be DeSa’s first, and last, Topps card.

The player: The son of Puerto Rican immigrants, DeSa grew up in Hawaii. His uncle, John Matias played in the majors for the White Sox and was issued a card in 1971 (although he is airbrushed into a Royals uniform).  Also a star football player, DeSa was more accomplished on the diamond and he was drafted out of high school by the Cardinals in 1977.

He quickly shot up to AAA in the Cardinals system, but stalled out there. DeSa in the minors was good hitter (for average) but he really didn’t have the size, or the power, to play first in the majors. He did exhibit a common major league suspicion that each bat only had one hit in it.

Blocked by Keith Hernandez (a player with a similar skill set as DeSa) and later David Green, DeSa was allowed to leave as a six-year free agent after the 1983 season.  Once again, he shone in AAA, but the White Sox had #123 Greg Walker at first, so DeSa was blocked once again.  He was probably issued this card because he broke camp with the White Sox. DeSa wasn’t up for long, but he came back to replace Walker later in the season when the latter had injured his quad.

In 1986, he was back in the minors again, and the White Sox failed to call him up when Walker once again got injured (the Sox had a young prospect named Bobby Bonilla they thought would be better). Feeling that he was out of luck with the White Sox, DeSa signed as a minor league free agent with the Royals, who wanted to move incumbent lumbering first baseman #164 SteveBalboni.

While playing winter ball in Puerto Rico that year, DeSa left a dinner party in the wee hours of a foggy morning, intending to drive back to his home in San Juan. On the way home, he collided head-on with another car on the cross-island expressway, which killed both drivers. On his last day alive, DeSa had cracked four doubles for the Ponce club.

After his death, DeSa was honored in the Buffalo and Hawaii AAA parks.  DeSa is memorialized in his death with a ball field named after him in Honolulu, a “Most Inspirational Player” award given out by the Buffalo Bisons each year in his name, and a golf tournament held in a Buffalo suburb.

Rear guard: Look at all those minor league stops. You need to squint really hard you see DeSa's cup of coffee with the Cardinals in '80.

Although his major league stay was brief, DeSa did have a memorable game on my dad's birthday in 1985. DeSa was pinch hitting for #103 Luis Salazar when he knocked in Harold Baines, #290 Carlton Fisk, and #14 Julio Cruz.

#290 Carlton Fisk

Card thoughts: This has to be a spring training game. Lots of bright whites going on here.

The player: In the 70s, you had three colossal catchers: Johnny Bench, Thurman Munson, and Carlton Fisk. Unlike the first two, Fisk continued his dominance well into the 80s.

Perhaps most famous for his willing of a game winning home run to go fair rather than foul in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, Fisk, nicknamed “Pudge” came up with the Red Sox in 1969. He had to serve some time in the milirary (by the looks of his minor league numbers, from 1970-71), but he was up for good in 1972, where won the Rookie of the Year and his only gold glove. Fisk’s 9 triples his rookie year led the league, the last time a catcher would accomplish that feat.

Fisk looked to be a star in the making. But his longevity was in question after Leron Lee collided with him at home plate in the 52nd game of 1974 season. He tore several ligaments in his knee, and at one point was told he’d never play again. Of course, Fisk ended up catching the most games all time (now passed by Ivan Rodriguez). But the comeback started in 1975, when he hit .331 in 72 games, and followed that up with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs in the World Series.

Interesting note about Fisk’s famous footage of him willing the ball fair: The

camera man was supposed to follow the ball, but distracted by a rat (!) he left the camera on Fisk, thus creating an indelible image. Since then, camera operators are instructed to follow the player rather than the ball.

Fisk only got better after the knee injury. In 1977, he had his best season as a Red Sox when he scored a career high 106 runs, 169 hits, and .315 average. Fisk also hit 26 home runs and 102 runs batted in. He followed that up with another 20 homers and 88 runs batted in in 1978. In his spare time, he promoted dip in this cheesy ad where he chops down trees.

Fisk was at the center of some legendary Red Sox-Yankee brawls, including one where he beat up both Thurman Munson and Gene Michael, and one where he knocked down Lou Pinella after the latter had bowled him over at the plate.

Despite being one of the best catchers in the game, Fisk felt he was underpaid by the Red Sox, and lobbied for more. He became a free agent in 1980 after the Red Sox GM, Heywood Sullivan, sent his contract a day late. Signing with the other Sox (White), Fisk was the face of the franchise until his retirement 13 years later.

Fisk was the starting catcher in the all star game from 1980-1982 and 1985. He helped the White Sox to the ALCS in 1983, when he finished third in MVP voting as he put up .518 slugging percentage. Fisk also hit for the cycle in 1984. But the year shown on this card (at age 37) he had one of his best seasons, swatting his age in homers and driving in 107 runs (despite hitting only .238).

Although age did begin to catch up with him after that season, Fisk continued to put up solid power numbers. He even managed to catch over 100 games in both 1990 and 1991, despite being over 40. After breaking Bob Boone’s games caught record, Fisk got a motorcycle and addressed the hometown crowd. Despite his popularity in Chicago, owner Jerry Reinsdorf apparently really disliked Fisk, and he was released a few days later while on a road trip. He was also thrown out of the White Sox clubhouse later in the season, after he wished his former teammates luck in the playoffs.

As an indicator of his hard nosed, old-school attitude, he once told Deion Sanders after the latter had failed to run out a pop fly, “There is a right way and a wrong way to play this game. You're playing it the wrong way. And the rest of us don't like it. Someday, you're going to get this game shoved right down your throat.”

Elected to the hall of fame on the second ballot in 2000, other honors for Fisk post-retirement include the left field foul pole at Fenway park being renamed the “Fisk Foul Pole” (2005), and life-size statue unveiled later that year outside U.S. Cellular Field later that same year. Perhaps feeling guilty about those Copenhagen ads he cut in the 70s, Fisk has been a long time supporter of the Cancer Support Center.

Unfortunately, Fisk has been in the news lately for a less honorable reason as he was found passed out in a corn field with an empty bottle of vodka in his car. He pled guilty a few days ago to a DUI charge.

Rear guard: Fisk's 1,000th hit came off Rickey Keeton on the Brewers. It was a solo homer in the 2nd inning. He would end up with 2,356 hits over a 25 year career.

#254 Ozzie Guillen

Card thoughts: This is Guillen’s rookie card. And that is a 100-watt smile. When Guillen smiles nowadays, it looks like he's sucking on a lemon.

The player: Before Guillen was the manager who can’t keep his mouth shut (you can read his various rants on his twitter account), he was a fine defensive shortstop for the White Sox, in the tradition of Luke Appling, Chico Carrasquel, and Luis Aparicio. Guillen was known for his volatile, hard-nosed play, traits he has carried with him as a manager.

Guillen came up in the Padres system, and was traded just before the season shown on this card in a big trade with the White Sox which also involved Tim Lollar, Lamarr Hoyt, and Luis Salazar. The White Sox had been weak at shortstop for years, and Guillen immediately stepped in and solidified the position. In 150 games, he hit .273 and scored 71 runs. It was a weak rookie class that year, and Guillen won the Rookie of the Year award over the more deserving Mark Salas and Teddy Higuera.

The next 13 years, Guillen was the starting shortstop for the White Sox. A typical season for him in his prime years (1987-1991) saw him steal about 20 bases, and drive in and score about 50 runs. Defensively, he generally placed in the top ten in range factor, putouts, and assists by shortstops. One thing that limited Guillen’s effectiveness as a hitter was his aversion to taking walks. He never walked more than 26 times in a season, and often only 15. With today’s metrics, Guillen was a pretty useless hitter, with an OPS at its peak barely over .650. On the other hand, he almost never struck out, and his obsession with hitting his way on and lack of power led to a lot of weak ground balls.

In his prime years, Guillen went to the All Star Game 3 times, and earned his only gold glove in 1990. He severely injured his knee in 1992, and only appeared in 12 games that season. After coming back full time the following year, Guillen found his range severely limited, and his speed almost gone, further eroding his already limited offensive skill set. 

He managed to remain the Sox starting shortstop until 1997, after which he was signed a free agent by the Orioles. In a move that will surprise nobody, Guillen proceeded to rip the White Sox after leaving, saying that the reserve infield of his new team, the Orioles, was better than the White Sox starting infield. But in a bit of schadenfreude, Guillen flamed out quite quickly with the Birds, as he was released a month into the season after getting only 1 hit in 16 at bats (an .063 average). This was a signal that his starting shortstop days were over. 

He was quickly snapped up by the Braves where he spent the remainder of that season and the next as a utility infielder. As usual, Guillen’s years with the Braves were not without incident. He was instrumental in rescue efforts in his native Venezuela during the mudslides in the winter of 1998. Unlike many stars that just gave money, Guillen actually directly helped the efforts in some of the most devastated areas. He also was mentioned in John Rocker’s infamous Sports Illustrated rant, when (among other things) Rocker complained that Guillen (filling in for the injured Walt Weiss) missed a seeing-eye single up the middle by John Olerud in Game 4 of the NLCS because "we had a 38-year-old guy [actually 35] playing shortstop, and he can't make that kind of play." 

The Braves actually must have seen some truth in Rocker’s words, as Guillen was cut in spring training the following year in favor of a slick-fielding 19-year old who had never played above Class A named Rafael Furcal. He latched on with the Devil Rays to back up Kevin Stocker, and ended his career there in 2000.

Guillen immediately began coaching after he stopped playing with the Expos and Marlins. Hired on by the White Sox as a manager in 2004, Guillen won the World Series the next year. He won about 5 more games than the pythagorean method predicted, thus cementing his reputation as a canny, maverick manager, much in the mold of Casey Stengel or Billy Martin. Like the latter, Guillen courted controversy, whether it be publicly shaming players, baiting opposing team's fans, or casting homophobic or misanthropic insults at beat reporters. 

Despite Ozzie's success in Chicago, his mouth finally ran him out of town. Casting all good sense to the wind, the Marlins spirited away Guillen (still under contract to the White Sox after being fired) for a couple of minor leaguers. With the Marlins this season, an expensive roster tanked, and Guillen publicly feuded with the local fanbase, the owner, and some of the players. Too bad he's got a bunch more years on that contract.

Rear guard: It's appropriate that Dick (also known as Richie) Allen would appear on this card, as he had a similarly fraught relationship with the fans/press/management as Guillen. Allen won the MVP in 1972, one of his best seasons, leading the league in home runs, RBIs, walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. Although not a base stealing threat, he did have random occasions when he stole more that 10 bases, including this one, which attests to his baserunning smarts. 

Allen's 2 inside the park home runs that night tied a modern American League record. Both were drives to center that the Twins outfielder, Bobby Darwin, fell down on. Here's Allen's card from that season.

And here is Guillen's first Topps card (non-base).