362 - Eddie Watt

About This Player
Eddie Watt pitched in ten Major Leagues seasons and the first eight of them with the Baltimore Orioles. Watt was signed as an amateur free agent by the Orioles and he made his big league debut in 1966. He started 13 games in his rookie season, but would continue his career exclusively as a relief pitcher.  Watt was a member of four American League Championship Orioles teams with three of them being World Series winners.

Watt pitched a season each with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs before playing in his final Major League game in 1975.  

Watt started the 1976 season on the Padres' AAA-affiliate Hawaii Islanders. He became a player-coach in the following year and pitched his last professional game in 1968.  He continued to coach in the minor leagues until retiring in 2003.

About This Card
One of the reasons I enjoy the design of the 1973 Topps set is because of its simplicity.  Simple portraits attract more attention simply because the design does not overshadow it.

109 - Doyle Alexander

About This Player
Doyle Alexander enjoyed 19 seasons in the Major Leagues pitching for eight different teams.  Alexander was also the fourth pitcher to get a win against all (at that time) 26 teams.

Alexander made his big league debut with the Dodgers in 1971.  After he was sent the following year to the Orioles as part of a trade that sent Frank Robinson to the Dodgers, Alexander established himself as a Major League starting pitcher.  Alexander spent the next five seasons in Baltimore and earned his first winning season in 1973. 

However, Alexander would experience his finest seasons afterward.  He would spent time with the Yankees, Rangers, Giants, Blue Jays and Tigers.  His finest seasons came in 1984 and 1985 with the Blue Jays in which he would earn 17 wins in each of those seasons.  Alexander also won eight straight games while in Toronto, a club record.  Alexander would be selected to his only All-Star Game in 1988; his 18th season.  In 1989, Alexander pitched an American League leading 18 losses and gave up a league leading 28 home runs to end his final season.

About This Card
The back of the 1973 card describes Doyle Alexander as "one of the best young hurlers in the majors."  Alexander was in good company on an Orioles pitching staff that included perennial 20-game winners Jim Palmer and Mike Cuellar.

9 - Johnny Oates

About This Player
Johnny Oates enjoyed an 11-year career as a reserve catcher for five different teams.  Oates made his Major League debut with the Orioles in September 1970, though he was not on the roster for the World Series.  Oates became the O's regular catcher in 1972 and showcased his defensive abilities with an American League leading .995 fielding percentage that season.  Oates was traded to the Braves in 1973 and spent two seasons platooning first with Paul Casanova and later with Vic Correll.  Oates was traded again to the Phillies were he platooned with Bob Boone.  In the season-opening game against the Pirates in 1976, Oates broke his collarbone in a collision at home plate with Dave Parker and missed most of the season.  The play changed his career and Oates would see his playing diminish in the following years with the Dodgers and Yankees.  Oates played his final game in 1981.

However, Oates experience his greatest success as a Major League manager.  He served as a manager for 11 seasons with the Orioles (1991-1994) and Rangers (1995-2001).  As the Rangers' manager, Oates led his team to three first-place finishes in the American League West and earned Manager of the Year honors in 1996.

Oates passed away on December 24, 2004.

About This Card
Although Johnny Oates appears in this set as a member of the Orioles, he played the entire 1973 season with the Atlanta Braves.

136 - Earl Weaver MGR

About This Manager
Earl Weaver spent 17 seasons as manager of the Baltimore Orioles.  During his tenure, the Orioles won four American League Championship and the World Series in 1970.  In addition to his winning success, Weaver is known for his managerial philosophy and tactics.  His oft-quoted philosophy was "Double-Plays and the Three Run Homer" and instead of using aggressive tactics such as the stolen base, hit and run or sacrifice bunt, preferred waiting for the home run.  Weaver made extensive use of statistics to create favorable matchups for his pitchers and batters and to take advantage of his bench effectively.

Weaver's number 4 was retired by the Baltimore Orioles in 1982 and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.

About This Card
In addition to Earl Weaver, this card also features George Bamberger (former Giants and Orioles pitcher who would later manage the Brewers and Mets), Jim Frey (who would later manage the Royals and Cubs), Billy Hunter (former All-Star shortstop who would later manage the Rangers) and George Staller (one-time A's right fielder).

56 - Merv Rettenmund

About This Player
Merv Rettenmund enjoyed 13 seasons in the Major Leagues.  Mostly as a fourth outfielder and a pinch hitter, Rettenmund played on six postseason teams, including the 1970 World Series Champion Baltimore Orioles and the 1975 World Series Champion Cincinnati Reds.  Rettenmund debuted with the Orioles in 1968 and enjoyed his finest season in 1971 in which he played in 141 games and his .318 with 11 home runs and 75 RBIs.  Rettenmund was traded to the Reds in 1974 and later to the Padres in 1976.  He signed with the Angels in 1978 and played his final three seasons there.

After finishing his playing career, Rettenmund served as a hitting coach for the Braves, Padres, Rangers and A's.

About This Card
The back of the card erroneously states that Rettenmund made the American League All-Star team in 1971.

34 - Pat Dobson

About This Player
Pat Dobson pitched 11 seasons in the Major Leagues spending time with the Tigers, Padres, Orioles, Braves, Yankees and Indians.

Dobson's finest season came in 1971 as part of the Orioles' "Big Four" pitching staff, along with Dave McNally, Mike Cueller and Jim Palmer, who each won 20 games that season.  Dobson pitched to a record of 20-8 with an ERA of 2.90 and 187 strikeouts.  He posted a twelve game winning streak (including nine consecutive complete games) and a scoreless inning streak of 23.  Later that fall, Dobson threw a 2-0 no-hitter against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo, the first no-hit game in the Japanese-American baseball exhibition history.

Dobson was traded before the 1973 season to the Altanta Braves and later traded again in the middle of the season to the New York Yankees.

After his playing days, Dobson remained in baseball, working as a pitching coach, advance scout and later as a baseball executive.  Dobson joined the Giants as a special assistant to the general manager in 1997 and remained in that position up to the time of his death.  Dobson died a day after he was diagnosed with luekemia on November 22, 2006 at the age of 64.

About This Card
Despite a 20-win season in 1971, I would have thought Topps could have found more to say about Dobson on his card than he "suffered a broken toe."

601 - Rookie Catchers (Sergio Robles / George Pena / Rick Stelmaszek)

About These Players
Sergio Robles played only 16 games over three seasons.  Robles came to the Orioles as part of a trade that sent Frank Robinson to the Dodgers in 1971.  Robles was called up briefly the Orioles in 1972 and 1973 and again in 1976 for the Dodgers.

George Pena was a career minor league catcher with seven different organizations, but never broke in with a Major League club

Rick Stelmaszek played in three seasons with three different teams starting with the Washington Senators who moved to the Texas Rangers.  Stelmaszek has most of his Major League success as a bullpen coach and is currently in his 30th year as a coach with the Minnesota Twins.

About This Card
Topps included a subset of rookie cards featuring three players.  The rookie cards featuring multiple players had been a regular feature in all of Topps sets to include players who had either appeared briefly in the Major Leagues or were expected to appear.  Add in that these cards only appear in the last series of the 1973 set and these rookie card experience an inflated demand.  Robles and Pena appear on a Topps card for the first time in 1973 while Stelmaszek had appeared in the 1970 Topps set.

553 - Mickey Scott

About This Player
Mickey Scott enjoyed a five year career as a middle reliever for the Orioles, Expos and Angels.  Scott was originally drafted by the White Sox and later traded to the Orioles prior to his rookie season in 1972.

About This Card
While this card is Mickey Scott's third regular issue Topps card, he had his rookie card in 1970... two years before his Major League debut.  While it is very common today for a player to have a rookie card years before his debut, this was not common in 1970.

470 - Mike Cuellar

About This Player
Mike Cuellar was a Cuban-born pitcher who played in 15 big league seasons.  Cueller was a four-time 20-game winner, a four-time All-Star and the Cy Young Award winner in 1969.  He played his best years with the Orioles with whom he pitched in three World Series.  He was also one of four Orioles pitchers in 1971 to win 20 games.

Cuellar passed away on April 2, 2010 at the age of 72.

About This Card
It cannot be seen in the photo, but there is a crease down the middle of the card.  For the most part when building the set I have not really been concerned about condition.  Usually when I start building from lots, I expect to find cards in varying conditions.  The condition adds to the flavor and the history of the card itself.