#297 Tim Lollar

Card thoughts: The classic airbrushed pose by Topps, although it is a really good attempt, much better than the terrible airbrushing in the 60s and 70s. Maybe they started using Photoshop in 1985? I know this is airbrushed as this a spring training picture, and Lollar was with the White Sox then.

The player: Lollar was a rare two-way player who continued to hit well, even after he was made a full-time pitcher.

A fourth round draft pick out of the University of Arkansas, Lollar was assigned to AA West Haven, where he split time between first base and pitcher. He was a better hitter than pitcher, hitting .255. Lollar's ERA was 5.81. He played a bit more in the field the next year (122 at bats), but his hitting regressed as his pitching got better. From here on out, Lollar would be mainly a pitcher.

After a cup of coffee with the Yanks, he was traded to the Padres in the deal that sent #282 Jerry Mumphrey the other way. Lollar struggled as a swingman in 1981, but really came on strong in 1982. He made the top ten in wins (16), winning percentage (.640), and shutouts (2). But Lollar was also prone to lose concentration and hang his slider, leading to lots of home runs and walks.

Perhaps Lollar was just lucky in 1982, because he never had another winning season. He was terrible in 1983, despite being named the Opening Day starter (7-12, 4.61). Lollar improved a bit in 1984, but it may have been a case of a rising tide lifting all boats, as the Padres won the pennant that year. He was horrendous in the playoffs, as he couldn't make it out of the fourth inning in the NLCS, or the second inning in the World Series.

Disappointed in Lollar's inability to respond in high pressure situations, he was included with #103 Luis Salazar and #254 Ozzie Guillen in a package for White Sox pitcher LaMarr Hoyt. However, the walks began to pile up and he went a mere 3-8 for the White Sox before being shipped to the Red Sox in July for outfielder Reid Nichols.

The Red Sox tried turning him into a reliever, but he was pretty bad in that role too, sporting A 6.91 era in 1987. He was much better as a pinch hitter. Despite playing in a league with a designated hitter, Lollar batted for light hitting shortstops Jackie Gutierrez and Rey Quinones in two different games. He actually singled off #50 Dan Quisenberry in the second game to put the tying run on second base before Wade Boggs grounded out to end it.

A self-taught golfer, Lollar is now the head golf pro at Lakewood Country Club outside Denver.

Rear guard: Lefty, whose real name was Bill, pitched in the major leagues from 1938-1939; and again from 1943-1944. His career won-loss record was 5-5. Lefty was a pretty good hitter, although his first home run was his last. He pinch hit a bunch of times and played first while with the Washington Senators in 1944 and hit .258. Quite appropriate that this factoid is on a Tim Lollar card, another two way player.

#296 Geno Petralli

Card thoughts: You are looking at the lost Marx Brother. Geno joined Zeppo,  Harpo, Chico, and Groucho in that classic comedy “Ball Five.” This was Petralli’s first Topps card. He appeared on a Fleer and Donruss card in 1983 as a member of the Blue Jays.

The player:  Petralli started out in the Blue Jays system, but he struggled to get playing time in the minors. As would be a pattern for Petralli in his career, he was frequently used as a backup for other catching prospects. But Petralli got the last laugh as Dan Whitmer, Ramon Lora, Juan Espino, and Kevin Buckley made little to no impact on the majors.

Petralli finally made the team out of spring training in 1984, but he didn’t get much of a chance to play as the Blue Jays had Ernie Whitt and Buck Martinez on the roster as well. He was sold to the Indians in May, and barely played for their AAA club. The next season he once again struggled to get playing time, and Indians released him in May.

This was a stroke of luck for Petralli, especially after the Rangers signed him.  Starting catcher Don Slaught was injured two months later, and Petralli was brought up to share the position with Glenn Brummer. When Slaught came back, Petralli remained on the roster, playing in what was then a career high 42 games.

With Brummer released at the end of 1985, Petralli became the primary backup for Slaught. However in this season there were four catchers on the roster, so he got more playing time moving around the field, spending time at catcher, third base, second base, and designated hitter.  With Don Slaught’s departure in 1986, Petralli became the Rangers starting catcher until 1991. Especially productive for him were the 1987-1989 seasons. For those three years, he never saw his batting average go below .280 and he set career highs in just about every offensive category.

It was during this time period that Petralli was chosen to be knuckleballer #275 Charlie Hough’s personal catcher, and honor that reflected his great fielding ability. That wasn’t enough to stop him from setting a modern day record with 35 passed balls.

Although he caught a career high 118 games in 1990, the increased playing time might have overexposed Petralli to the league, as he drove in only 21 runs and hit .255. He did catch #100 Nolan Ryan’s 300^th win, however.  The next season he started the season as the primary catcher, but a back injury sidelined him, paving the way for the arrival of Ivan Rodriguez, who would start at catcher for the next 12 years. Petralli would backup Rodriguez for the next couple of years, but we all know how durable “Pudge” was behind the plate, so Petralli had few chances to play.

Signing with the Cubs in 1993, Petralli was a player-coach for AA Orlando, but an injury caused his retirement later that season.

One of Petralli’s sons plays independent ball (yawn), but the other plays independent music in well-regarded, Pitchfork approved band, White Denim. Just a guess: The hearse driver in this video is young Petralli. My friend Korry once saw them at a backyard party at SXSW in Austin, Texas and said they were killer.

Rear guard: Petralli's first hit was a double to left off Indians pitcher #24 Len Barker. He later added a single and sacrifice hit.

Dave Nelson was the color man on WGN broadcasts for a few years in the 1980s, and he was really terrible. He was a fast guy, but only had a couple of seasons where he topped 30 steals. Although he stole 25 bases in 1974, he was caught 13 times, making him not really that effective stealing bases. Here's the card representing that season.

#295 Kirk Gibson

Card thoughts: From this perspective, Gibson looks like he’s playing in front of a model of Tiger Stadium.

The player: A star football player in college (he was drafted by the St. Louis (football) Cardinals), Gibson was known for his hard-nosed, all-out approach to the game. With a rare blend of power and speed, he looked destined for long term stardom. But bad knees derailed his career and limited his effectiveness: As a 12-year starter, he only managed over 600 plate appearances three times. Despite several great seasons, and an MVP award, he never made an all-star team.

It took a while for the Tigers to have confidence in Gibson.  In his first three full seasons, he was the generally the fourth outfielder or designated hitter, and he surprisingly got MVP votes in 1981 while he was in this role. But in 1984 Gibson, who had once been compared to Mickey Mantle, became the Tigers regular right fielder, a position he would hold until 1987.  That 1984 season was magical for the Tigers and Gibson as he finally fulfilled his promise when he hit 27 home runs, drove in 91, and slugged .516. He also stole 29 bases.

In the World Series, as a precursor to his famous home run in 1988, Gibson hit a dramatic three-run home run of Goose Gossage in Game 5 of the World Series that year, solidifying the win for the Tigers. The decision to pitch to, rather than walk, Gibson flabbergasted manager Sparky Anderson, as seen in this dramatic clip (narrated by none other than a civil #291Tommy Lasorda). 

The next few years, Gibson put up almost identical numbers. Then, it turned out that he had been underpaid the past few years, a victim of collusion. The courts made Gibson a free agent and he signed with the Dodgers. While not being his best year offensively (he had career highs only in batting average (.290) and runs scored (106)), it was obvious that he was instrumental in the Dodgers winning the pennant, and he won the MVP award in a controversial decision. Many have credited his chastising of Jesse Orosco in spring training for a prank with instilling the team with a renewed sense of professionalism.

Always a fragile player, Gibson injured his knee and hamstring in the NLCS, and was not expected to play in the 1988 World Series. However, with the Dodgers down 5-4 and facing Dennis Eckersley, Lasorda elected to use him as a pinch hitter. Mike Davis had already walked in the inning and had stolen second base. Now you must remember that Eckersley was all but unhittable in 1988, and the sight of Gibson limping gamely to the plate to face him looked to be an extremely uneven match. Or so it seemed. On a 3-2 pitch, he extended his arms to the outside part of the plate and flicked a low hanging splitter into the right field stands. I remember watching this on TV (I was rooting for the Dodgers—I hated Canseco and McGwire) and thinking that was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen in baseball. The image of Gibson gimping around the bases, making a “lock and load” motion with his arm has been burned indelibly in my brain.

The next two years, Gibson battled injuries and couldn’t make it on the field for more than 100 games in any season. Signing with the Royals as a free agent, his health recovered somewhat and he played in 132 games. It was obvious he was past his prime, as he hit only .236 with a scant 16 homers and 18 steals.

He only stayed one season in Kansas City before being signed by the Pirates to platoon in right field with Lloyd McClendon. But Gibson was released in May after hitting just .196 in April. He considered retiring and sat out the rest of the 1992 season. But his old manager Sparky Anderson convinced him to give things another go, and Gibson returned to the Tigers where he mostly DH’d for the last three years of his career. He had one more solid year with the bat in 1994 when he hit 23 home runs and drove in 72.

Gibson is the current manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks and he won plaudits (the NL Manager of the Year award) for guiding that team to a division championship in 2011, his first full year as a manager. Before managing, Gibson was a bench coach on the Tigers and the Diamondbacks. Whenever I see Gibson’s face today, I find it unfamiliar as he no longer sports the trademark mustache of his playing days. His face looks oddly unfinished.

Rear guard: Bobby Veach was an awesome player for the Tigers in the teens and twenties, but had the misfortune (in terms of name recognition) to play along side three Hall of Fame outfielders: Ty Cobb, Harry Heilmann, and Sam Crawford.  In 1920 he drove in 113 runs, but only had 11 home runs. Of course, he also had 39 doubles and 15 triples. 

Veach went 6 for 6 in the game he hit for the cycle in, driving in 6 runs.