64 - Stolen Base Leaders (Lou Brock / Bert Campaneris)

About These Players
Lou Brock played 19 seasons with the Cardinals and Cubs.  A six-time All-Star, Brock led the National League in stolen bases eight times and, eventually, held the Major League record for stolen bases by the end of his career. Brock was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Bert Campaneris played 19 seasons with the A's, Rangers, Angels and Yankees.  Also a six-time All-Star, Campaneris led the American League in stolen bases six times.

About This Card
Brock and Campaneris both seemed to have similar careers.  In addition to both being multiple-time All-Stars and stolen base leaders, both played the same number of years and both started and ended their playing careers at about the same time. Both were also key players in multiple World Series wins for their teams, even though they never played against each other.  However, Campaneris seemed to be a poor man's version of Brock; Brock had the higher batting average and OPS, the stolen base record by the end of their careers and the plaque in the Hall of Fame.

603 - Rookie Third Basemen (Terry Hughes / Bill McNulty / Ken Reitz)

About These Players
Terry Hughes was only in the big leagues briefly in three seasons.  Hughes played in only two games with a total of three at bats for the Chicago Cubs in 1970.  He returned to the Majors in 1973 with the St. Louis Cardinals with whom he spent only 11 games and spent 1974 in 41 games with the Boston Red Sox.

Bill McNulty played in a total of nine games with the Oakland A's in 1969 and 1972.  Though he was traded to the Texas Rangers in 1973, he never played a game on the big league roster.

Out of the three players, Ken Reitz had the most successful career.  Reitz made his big league debut in 1972 and earned the starting third base spot immediately after being called up.  In his 11-year career, Reitz played with the St. Louis Cardinals in eight of them.  Known for his defense, Reitz won the Gold Glove in 1975 and led all National League third basemen in fielding percentage in six seasons.  Reitz earned his only All-Star selection in 1980.

About This Card
Hughes, McNulty and Reitz all appear for their first times in the 1973 set.  Hughes appears as a Cub, even though he was on the Cardinals roster and appeared in some games in 1973.  McNulty was in the Rangers organization in 1973, but never played a game for Texas.

364 - Rick Wise

About This Player
Rick Wise enjoyed 18 seasons in the Major Leagues as a pitcher with five different teams.  Wise made his big league debut at the age of 18 with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1964.  Wise developed into a solid starter for the Phillies during his seven seasons in Philadelphia.  His finest season occured in 1971 in which Wise pitched to a 17-14 record with a 2.88 ERA and a selection to the All-Star Game.  On June 23 of that season, Wise threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds and also hit two home runs in that game; he became only the third no-hit pitcher to hit a home run in the same game.

In what turned out to be one of the most lopsided trades in Major League Baseball history, Wise was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Steve Carlton in 1972.  The Cardinals owner, Gussie Busch, ordered the team to trade its star pitcher after a contract dispute; trading for Wise was the best deal the team could get.  Tim McCarver, who had caught for both Carlton in St. Louis and Wise in Philadelphia, called the trade at the time "a real good one for a real good one."  Wise would continue to pitch two solid seasons in St. Louis with a 32-28 record and a 3.24 ERA along with the start in the 1973 All-Star Game while Carlton would pitch another 15 seasons for Philadelphia on his way to 329 career wins, four Cy Young Awards and a selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Wise was traded prior to the 1974 season to the Boston Red Sox with whom he would spend four seasons.  He would have his only post-season experience which included a win in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series which ended with the famous walk-off home run from Carlton Fisk in the 12th inning.

In 1978, Wise was part of a trade to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for future Hall of Famer, Dennis Eckersley, thus, giving him the distinction of being traded for two future Hall of Famers.  After two seasons in Cleveland, Wise signed with the San Diego Padres and finished his final three seasons there.

About This Card
The bio on the back of the card references Wise as the second leading winner behind Bob Gibson in 1972.  The following year, Wise led the Cardinals staff in wins.  While Wise was certainly a solid starting pitcher during his two years in St. Louis, the Cardinals certainly did not get the return that the Phillies got with Carlton.

24 - Al Santorini

About This Player
Al Santorini enjoyed a brief six-year career with the Braves, Padres and Cardinals.  Santorini made his Major League debut with the Braves in 1968; he only started in one game and spent the rest of the year on the disabled list.  Santorini was drafted by the Padres in the expansion draft the following year.  In 1971, Santorini was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Leron Lee and Fred Norman.  Santorini pitched in his final Major League game in 1973.

Probably the biggest highlight of his career:
May 26, 1971 - Al Santorini, pitching for the Padres, started both games of the double header against the Houston Astros.  In the first game, Santorini, a right-hander, pitched to one right-handed batter to start the game.  He was relieved immediately by Dave Roberts, a left-hander, to face the next seven batters, all of whom were lefties.  In the second game, Santorini pitched solidly for six innings.  However, the Padres lost both games of the double header.

About This Card
By his look, Al Santorini must have known he would not be around much longer.  After six games and a 5.40 ERA to start off 1973, Santorini was traded to the Royals for Tom Murphy.  Santorini was immediately demoted to Triple-A and spent the rest of his playing career in the minors.

Team Checklist - St. Louis Cardinals

About This Card
Recently, I just purchased a lot of 23 team checklists on eBay.  The purchase had made a huge dent on my checklist now leaving me with only 11 cards left for the set.  All of the checklists are unmarked, except for the Baltimore Orioles.  I only need the Philadelphia Phillies to have the team checklists complete.

320 - Lou Brock

About This Player
Lou Brock enjoyed 19 seasons in the Major Leagues.  Brock made his big league debut in 1961 with the Cubs.  Brock established himself as a starting outfielder the following year.  However, Brock set himself apart as one of baseball's elite superstars after he was traded to the Cardinals in the middle of the 1964 season.  As a Cardinal, Brock was selected to the All-Star Game six times; he started twice in left field in 1967 and 1975. 

Brock became famous for his base stealing skills.  He lead the National League in stolen bases eight times.  In 1973, Brock broke a record set by Ty Cobb when he stole his 50th base for the ninth time in a season.  (Brock has 12 consecutive seasons of 50 or more stolen bases.)  In 1974, Brock broke the single-season record of 104 held previously by Maury Wills.  (Brock ended the season with 118 stolen bases.  His record has since been broken by Rickey Henderson.)  In 1977, Brock broke Ty Cobb's record of 802 stolen bases to become baseball's all-time stolen base leader. (Brock finished his career with 936 stolen bases.  His record has also been broken by Rickey Henderson.)

Brock was had a career of solid hitting.  Brock has a ten-year span of getting at least 180 hits in a season.  He also led the National League in doubles and triples in 1968.  Brock became the 14th player to get 3,000 hits in his career; his milestone hit came against his former team, the Chicago Cubs.

After retiring from baseball in 1979, Brock's number 20 was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals.  In 1985, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

About This Card
A classic shot of Lou Brock at the old Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

219 - St. Louis Cardinals TC

About This Team
The St. Louis ball club was first established in 1882, but adopted the Cardinals moniker in 1900.  In 1972, the Cardinals finished in 4th place in the National League East.  In 1973, they finished in 2nd place.

About This Card
A couple of things to note.  First, unlike most team photos which are shot on the field, this one, comparing lighting, background and shadows, appears to have been shot in a studio.  Second, while the Cardinals had been in existence for many years, one current Cardinal at the time, Bob Gibson, as can be seen on the back of the card, had already attained team records in strikeouts, shutouts and ERA.

450 - Joe Torre

About This Player
Joe Torre enjoyed 18 seasons as a Major League catcher, third baseman and first baseman.  A nine-time All-Star, Torre spent his playing career with the Braves, Cardinals and Mets.  Torre's finest season came in 1971 in which he led the league in hits, RBIs and batting average and was selected the National League Most Valuable Player.

Torre might be better known for his managerial success.  In 1977, Torre played as a player/manager for the Mets.  He later went on to manage five different teams, including leading the New York Yankees to four World Series championships.  Torre also received Manager of the Year recognition in 1996 and 1998.

Joe also has a brother, Frank, who enjoyed seven seasons with the Braves and Phillies.

About This Card
Joe Torre is listed as a third baseman in the 1973 Topps set.   While Torre did play mostly 3rd in the previous season, he started most of his games at 1st base in 1973.

153 - Al Hrabosky

About This Player
Al Hrabosky enjoyed 13 seasons in the Major Leagues and eight of them with the St. Louis Cardinals.  Hrabosky made his debut in 1970.  Nicknamed the "Mad Hungarian" and known for his character and pitching routine, Hrabosky established himself as an elite reliever on the Cardinals' roster in 1973.  His best season came in 1975 in which he pitch with a 1.66 ERA and a National League leading 22 saves and received the National League Fireman of the Year award.  Hrabosky would also spend time with the Royals and Braves.

After finishing his playing career, Hrabosky transitioned quickly to the broadcasting booth and serves as the color commentator for Cardinals broadcasts.

For more information on Al Hrabosky:
Al Hrabosky - The Mad Hungarian

About This Card
Al Hrabosky is shown on his card before sporting his signature Fu Manchu mustache that added to the mystique of "The Mad Hungarian."

128 - Ted Sizemore

About This Player
Ted Sizemore enjoyed 12 seasons in the Major Leagues and five of those with the St. Louis Cardinals.  Sizemore made his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1969 and won the National League Rookie of the Year award that same year.  While Sizemore made his debut as a shortstop, he moved to second base after the Dodgers acquired Maury Wills.  He was traded to the Cardinals in 1971 and later traded back to the Dodgers in 1976.  Sizemore also spent time with the Cubs and Red Sox before playing his last game in 1980.

About This Card
The cartoon states that "Ted was originally a catcher."  By the time of this card, Sizemore had not played any Major League games as a catcher, but he played behind the plate twice for the Dodgers in 1976 and twice again for the Red Sox in 1979.