#112 Bill Campbell

Card thoughts: For some reason, that aquamarine background really brings out the red in this card. Another spring training shot, as I don't think the Cardinals ever had a solid red road uniform.

The player: Bill Campbell's fastball only reached the upper 80s, but he had an excellent screwball, and his herky-jerky motion hid the ball well, helping him become one of the great short relievers in the 1970s. Here is demonstrating some of the pitches he threw. Campbell wasn't used like a short reliever of today. He would often pitch 2 or 3 innings to get a save. After a brief audition the previous year, he became the Twins closer in 1974. Pitching in 63 and 120 innings, he racked up 19 saves. The following year, he was less effective and only saved 4 games. 1976, however, Campbell would have one of the best ever seasons by a reliever. Pitching in a league leading 78 games, Campbell racked up a 17 wins (tied for most wins in relief in the American League) to go along with 20 saves. He also pitched an incredible 168 innings, a inning count a lot of regular starters have trouble reaching today. This breakout season led to the Red Sox making Campbell one the first big money free agents. He didn't disappoint in the first year of his contract, saving a league leading 31 games with an excellent 2.96 ERA. Unfortunately, the heavy workload caught up with him and he battled throughout the rest of his contract with injuries--which made him one of the first free agent busts as well. Finally healthy again with the Cubs, he was back to his inning-eating ways, leading the league again in appearance with 82 in 1983.

After 1983, Campbell became a drifter, appearing in single seasons with the Phillies, Cardinals, Tigers, and Expos.

Rear guard: Campbell blew the save against the Tigers but still got the win, pitching 3 innings in relief of Joe Decker who had given up 6 runs. Campbell gave up 1 run on a home run by Eddie Brinkman, while striking out and walking 1 batter.

#111 Roger Craig

Card thoughts: I remember when I kept hearing about this San Francisco sports figure in the news. Turns out it was this guy. Not much to say about this photo, other than if you look at Roger Craig cards from the 60s, he pretty much looks like this. Must be the distinctive nose.

The manager: Craig was your classic swing pitcher, when that was still a common position on a staff. He generally pitched about half of his games as a reliever and half as a starter. He had one incredible year in this role, leading the league in shutouts in 1959 and sporting a miniscule 2.06 ERA. Unfortunately, as a player Craig is best remembered as one of the worst pitchers on the original Mets teams, leading the league in losses in both 1962 (24) and 1963 (22).

After his playing days were over, Craig became a well-regarded pitching coach. In fact, he is one of the fathers of the split finger fastball, having taught it to many of his pitchers. In 1978, he was finally given a shot to manage the Padres. He led them to an above .500 finish the first year, but in 1979, the team won 16 less games, and his contract was not renewed. He returned to his role as a pitching coach for the Tigers, including their World Series winning year of 1984. He was working in Tigers minor league system when he was hired to replace Jim Davenport for the last 18 games of the 1986 season. He was very successful as a Giants manager; all of his teams were over .500 until 1991. He won the division in 1987 and the pennant in 1989, losing the infamous "earthquake" World Series in the latter year against the A's. Craig is known for the expression "hum baby" which he applied to grinders, like third-string catcher Brad Gulden. I've never heard this phrase, but Giants fans seem to recall the phrase fondly.

Rear guard: The major omission here is Gary Rajsich, who batted 91 times for the Giants. However, he was traded to the Cardinals mid-season (although he never made it back to the majors). Perhaps Topps was waiting for him to appear in a Cardinal uniform.

#110 Scott McGregor

Card thoughts: Always an awkward angle for a shot of the pitcher. Given the expression on McGregor's face, he looks like he's going to whip a ball in your face.

The player: Hard to believe, but until 1983 the Orioles were one of the most dominant teams in the American League, due in large part to their pitching. McGregor was a big part of that. From 1978 until 1985, he won at last 13 games a year. Highlights included a 20-8 record in 1980 and an 18-7 record in the Orioles World Series winning year of 1983. He was especially tough in the postseason, with a career ERA of 1.63 over 4 series. McGregor did this despite having a fastball that rarely topped 84 mph. The secret to his success was pinpoint control, an excellent change up, and incredible pitching intelligence. He would be comparable in pitching style to Tom Glavine, except that he did not have the endurance of Glavine. In fact, the year represented by this card would be the last that McGregor would pitch where he had better than a .500 record.

At age 32, his control began to desert him, leaving him exposed to the long ball. After campaigns where he sported a 6.64 (1987) and 8.83 ERA (1988), McGregor retired, playing all of his 13 seasons with the Orioles. He became a Pentacostal minister after retirement, before returning to baseball in 2002 to be a minor league pitching coach in the Orioles system.

Rear guard: McGregor's first win was against to Indians. He pitched 7 1/3 innings giving up only 2 runs on 7 hits. He struck out 3.

Despite having a reputation for being less than durable, McGregor completed a quarter of all his starts and had 23 career shutouts. His first shutout was also against the Indians, in the first game of a doubleheader. He beat Rick Wait, who also pitched a complete game, by the score of 3-0.