331 - Carl Morton

About This Player
Carl Morton spent eight seasons in the big leagues pitching for the Expos and Braves.  Morton was originally drafted by the Braves as an outfielder out of the University of Oklahoma and was converted to a pitcher. 

Morton was selected by the Expos in the 1969 expansion draft, made his Major League debut that year and pitched in eight games that season.  Morton made his mark as a solid starter the next season pitching to a 18-11 record with a 3.60 ERA, 10 complete games, 4 shutouts and earning National League Rookie of the Year honors.  Morton failed to reach those numbers in his following seasons with the Expos and was later traded back to the Braves for Pat Jarvis in 1973.

Morton rebounded in his first three seasons with the Braves and won at least 15 games in three consecutive seasons, including a 17-win season in 1975.  Morton regressed the following year and won only 4 games.  After the end of the 1976 season, he was included by the Braves as part of a trade to acquire Jeff Burroughs from the Rangers.  However, Morton spent the following season in the minors and never returned to the big leagues.

Morton passed away on April 12, 1983 from suffering a heart attack after jogging.

About This Card
Morton is shown in this photo with the Montreal Expos (or Les Expos de Montréal in French) logo clearly on his cap.  In the past, I had wondered what the logo was supposed to be.  According to Expos media guides, the logo is a stylized "M" for "Montreal" containing a red "e" for "Expos" and a blue "b" for "Baseball."

216 - Toby Harrah

About This Player
Toby Harrah played 17 seasons in the big leagues with the Rangers, Indians and Yankees.  Harrah was signed as a minor league free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies, but later traded to the Washington Senators and made his Major League debut in 1969.  Harrah had established himself as the team's starting second baseman in 1971 and moved with the team when they became the Texas Rangers.  In 1972, Harrah earned his first All-Star selection, but could not play because of injury.  Harrah also earned an All-Star selection in 1975 and a start at shortstop in 1976.  In 1977, Harrah moved to third base after the Rangers acquired Bert Campaneris and had his finest season with a career-high 27 home runs and 27 stolen bases and an American League leading 109 walks.  Harrah was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Buddy Bell in 1979.  He would later be selected to the All-Star Game in 1982.  Harrah played briefly for the New York Yankees after he was traded.  Attempting to replace a popular Craig Nettles at third place, Harrah slumped at the plate and was later replaced by rookie Mike Pagliarulo.  Harrah returned to Texas in 1985 and played second baseman, alongside Buddy Bell.  Harrah played his final game in 1986.

Toby Harrah has the distinction of being the last active player to have played for the Washington Senators after Jeff Burroughs had retired in 1985. 

Harrah was also the last player to see a pitch in their final game on September 30, 1971. He was at-bat when Tommy McCraw was caught stealing for the final out in the bottom of the 8th inning.  Fans stormed the field with two outs in the top of the 9th and the Senators were forced to forfeit the game to the Yankees.

Harrah was also involved in three of the most unusual feats in Major League Baseball.

• On June 25, 1976, Harrah played an entire double-header without making a single fielding play and did so at shortstop.
• On August 27, 1977, Harrah and teammate, Bump Wills, hit back-to-back inside-the-park home runs at Yankee Stadium, the only time for this feat to occur.
• August 6, 1986, Harrah hit a grand slam in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles.  Orioles hitters, Larry Sheets and Jim Dwyer hit grand slams in the nine-run fourth inning.  Altogether, they established a record for most grand slams hit in one game.

Harrah currently works as a hitter coordinator for the Detroit Tigers.

About This Card
Maybe it's just me, but the photograph appears a little surreal.  Harrah is standing straight, but the stadium background appears tilted left.  As if a picture of him was cut out and pasted on the stadium background.  The little patch of white between his right arm and chest also makes me wonder.  Again, maybe it's just me.

489 - Jeff Burroughs

About This Player
Jeff Burroughs enjoyed 16 seasons in the Major Leagues and seven seasons with the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers organization.  Burroughs was the number one overall selection on the 1969 draft.  Burroughs enjoyed his best season in 1974 in which he hit .301 with 25 home runs a league-leading 118 RBI.  He was also selected at the starting left fielder in the All-Star Game that year and was named the American League Most Valuable Player.

Also in 1974, Burroughs would also become a key figure in Ten-Cent Beer Night.

For more information on Ten-Cent Beer Night:
The night beer and violence bubbled over in Cleveland

After his days in Texas, Burroughs would later play for the Braves (with whom he was also an All-Star), Mariners, A's and Blue Jays before retiring in 1985.

About This Card
The Jeff Burroughs card was a number of semi-star singles I needed for this set.  Prices for the semi-stars range widely, and, it seems like, depends on how many people are looking for singles in their 1973 Topps sets for that week.  This one I bought for $2 on eBay.