256 - Chris Zachary

About This Player
Chris Zachary enjoyed nine seasons in the Major Leagues, though bounced in and out of the minors throughout his entire career.  Zachary made his big league debut in 1963 with the Colt .45's and spent his first five seasons in Houston.  Zachary spent time later on with the Royals, Cardinals, Tigers.  Zachary played his final Major League game in 1973 with the Pirates.

Zachary passed away on April 19, 2003.

About This Card
Not much can be said about Zachary's career, but, probably, the biggest highlight of his career is featured on the back of his card.  Zachary pitched against Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda in his pro debut.

Team Checklist - California Angels

About This Card
This card is the first of the team checklists I will feature on this blog.  Although the team checklists are not part of the official 1-660 card numbering, I have decided to include these as part of my set and seek them out.

335 - Bob Tolan

About This Player
Bobby Tolan played 13 seasons in the Major Leagues and four of those seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.  Tolan made his big league debut in 1965 with the Cardinals.  Tolan was traded to the Reds before the 1969 season and began to flourish as a star outfielder in Cincinnati.  Tolan enjoyed his finest season in 1970 in which he hit .316 and lead the National League with 57 stolen bases.  Tolan missed the entire 1971 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon playing basketball, which violated a clause in his contract.  Tolan came back strong in 1972 with winning the Hutch Award and the Comeback Player of the Year Award; he was the second player to win both awards and the first to do so in the same year.

His 1973 season, however, was disastrous.  His batting average plummeted to .206 and Tolan became a distraction on the team.  Struggles grew between him and management, who were still unhappy about his 1971 injury.  Tolan left the team without two days notice in August and grew a beard, which violated team rules.  Tolan was suspended by the team on September 27 and missed the remainder of the season and the post-season.  After the season, the Reds traded Tolan to the Padres, but the MLBPA filed a grievance on his behalf.  Tolan won the grievance and demanded a public apology from the Reds, but never received it.

Tolan also spent time with the Phillies and Pirates and played one year in Japan before playing his final game in 1979

Bobby's son, Robbie Tolan, was a prospect in the Washington National's organization.  On December 31, 2008,  Robbie was shot by a policeman allegedly investigating reports of a stolen car after a confrontation in the Tolan driveway. The younger Tolan was unarmed and driving his own vehicle. The bullet lodged in Tolan's liver; the injury may have ended his professional baseball career. An investigation into the shooting is on-going.

For more information:
CNN: Questions surround shooting of baseballer's son

About This Card
Tolan has always been recognized as "Bobby" in official Major League records and throughout baseball, but Topps has always displayed his name as "Bob" on all of his cards.

Also interesting that the cartoon on the back refers to Tolan playing basketball in the off-season to keep in shape since he missed the entire 1971 season from playing basketball and playing basketball violated a clause in his contract.

471 - All-Time Hit Leader (Ty Cobb)

About This Player
Ty Cobb, also known as "The Georgia Peach", enjoyed an illustrious 24-year career with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Athletics.  Throughout his career, Cobb won 11 batting titles, led the American League in hits eight times, won one Triple Crown in 1909 and a Most Valuable Player award in 1911.  At one time, Cobb held the all-time records for nearly every major batting category, including batting average, hits, and runs scored.  Cobb also managed the Tigers while as a player for six seasons.  Cobb was one of five charter members of the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted in 1936.

Ty Cobb had held of the record for career hits for 62 years until the record was broken by Pete Rose in 1985.

For more information about Ty Cobb:
The Official Web Site of Ty Cobb

About This Card
Ty Cobb is shown with a total of 4,191 hits.  In 1981, however, The Sporting News reported that a historian from the Society of American Baseball Researchers (SABR) discovered that Ty Cobb was awarded two hits too many in 1910 and that his true hit total was 4,189.  With Pete Rose in the midst of reaching Cobb's record, Major League Baseball had ignored overwhelming proof that a mistake was made.  Announced by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn at the time, "The passage of 70 years, in our judgment, constitutes a certain statute of limitation as to recognizing any changes."  Cobb's official total of 4,191 hits remains today, while most baseball encyclopedias and record books use 4,189.

112 - Gary Ross

About This Player
Gary Ross enjoyed ten big league seasons and six of them with the San Diego Padres.  Ross was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and made his Major League debut in 1968.  Ross was traded, along with Joe Niekro, in the middle of the 1969 season to the Padres for Dick Selma.  Ross enjoyed his finest season in 1972 in which he pitched in 60 games (ranking 4th in the National League) with a 4-3 record, 3 saves and a 2.45 ERA.  Ross was traded in the last month of the 1975 season to the Angels for Bobby Valentine.

About This Card
This card shows the standard portrait shot.

648 - Tom Egan

About This Player
Tom Egan played ten seasons at the Major League level.  Egan began his career with in California and played six season as the Angels' backup catcher until he was traded to the White Sox after the 1970 season.  Egan played two season in Chicago as the White Sox's backup catcher. 

After a horrid 1972 season in which he batted .191, Egan was sent to the minors and spent the entire 1973 season with the Iowa Oaks of the American Association.  Egan was selected by the Angels in the Rule 5 draft prior to the 1974 season and remained on the big league roster for the next two seasons.

On September 28, 1974, Egan caught Nolan Ryan's third no-hit game.

About This Card
The White Sox have gone through a lot of uniform changes throughout their history, probably more so than any other Major League Baseball team.  However, it always puzzled me why, from 1971 through 1975, the White Sox wore red.  The color always makes me think of another Major League Baseball team on the east coast.

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.