Twice a Rookie Star then a ROY

Yes that is exactly what happened to Stan Bahnsen. In this 1967 card Bahnsen is featured as a "Rookie Star" along side Bobby Murcer (who deserves his own post another day) though Bahnsen played in only four games going 1 - 1 in 1966.

Somehow that was a "jinx" since Bahnsen saw no action in the major leagues in '67 so the genius' at Topps decided to give him one more chance and allowed him to appear as a "Rookie Star" on his 1968 card as well. That seemed to be the kick start Bahnsen needed as his 1968 campaign earned him that gold trophy as a Topps All-Star Rookie and more importantly AL Rookie of the Year honors in 1968. He went 17-12 in '68, throwing 10 complete games, had a career high of 162 strikeouts and the second most innings pitched of his career with 267 1/3.

(a card I do not own but it is on my "will find soon" list; thanks to google images for this pic)

Bahnsen was eventually traded from the Yankees to the White Sox in 1971, where he and Wilbur Wood shared the majority of the mound work for three years on the southside of Chicago. Bahnsen did win 21 and 18 games in 1972 and '73 respectively and ended his career as a Philadelphia Phillie in 1982 with a 146-149 record.

Topps was persistent with Bahnsen giving him "Rookie Star" status for two years in a row before he got the message and lived up to that "fame". Somehow I still think it was more of a "curse" than a blessing but Topps eventually got it right, at least one year.

Rich Nye - Topps All Star Rookie !

Rich Nye is a Topps All Star Rookie from 1967 ! Maybe you are asking; where is that little gold trophy on his card ?

Well, Topps forgot, simple as that. They did that every so often (Rick Monday and Dick Hughes had their gold trophy left off of their 1968 cards too).

Nye had a "great" rookie year for the Cubs in 1967, winning 13 games and striking out 128, both were second on the Cubs team for 1967.

It would be a long seven years later that another Chicago Cub would boast election to the Topps All Star Rookie team (Bill Madlock in 1974), joining such Cub greats as Santo and Williams. (Note my irregular features and other players designated as a Topps All Star Rookie)

Nye's career spanned just a few years, ending in 1970 in an Expo uniform but 1967 will always be a year Nye will remember.

On May 16, 1968, Nye pitched his only complete game of his career, besting Hall of Famer Don Sutton. Why I mention this is that May 16 is my birthday and anything that happens on ones birthday is worth mentioning.

Rich Nye . . . a Chicago Cub and a forgotten Topps All Star Rookie . . .

Two Great Cubs - One Card

I was looking through some of my League Leader Cards from my “old” collection and found this gem. The usual superstars appeared quite often; Mays, Aaron, McCovey, Clemente, Rose, Robinson, Yastrzemski etc. I even found a few Cubbies appeared throughout the years. But this 1969 card (Topps # 4) features two Cubs, that’s right Santo and Williams on the same League Leader card, for RBI’s in 1968, tied for 2nd in the league with 98 (behind Coveys’ 105). Was there ever another year that two Cubs appeared on the same League Leader Card ? Help me Cubs fans . . . help me league leader statisticians ?

Yastrzemski - 1968 - The Triple Crown

Carl Yastrzemski, nicknamed “Yaz”, although a more appropriate nickname should be Mr Red Sox. Similar to “Mr. Cub”, Ernie Banks, Yaz spent his entire career with one team – the Boston Red Sox, twenty three years to be exact. Only one other player has spent as many years with one team, that being Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles.

Yaz was a 18 time all-star, member of the 3000 hit club, is the RedSox leader in almost every hitting category including games played, hits and RBI’s. He is second all time with 452 homeruns in a Red Sox uniform (only behind Ted Williams). Yaz’s uniform # 8 was retired by the Red Sox in 1989.

The 1968 Topps card # 250, pictured here is unique. The wood grain framing on all 1968 Topps cards were a bit unusual, many variations of this border exist and most are not very appealing to my eye. The picture on the front is a posed serious look and does nothing to enhance Yaz’s credentials.

Once again the back of the card is the most interesting. The statistics of the 1967 season . . . a triple crown winning season. Yaz is the last player to achieve this feat; leading the league in batting average, homeruns and RBI’s. 44 round trippers, 121 RBI’s and a .326 batting average in 1967.

Yaz was also recognized as the AL MVP and Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for 1967.

What a year . . . except that the Red Sox lost the World Series to the St Louis Cardinals in seven games.

The question and answer story panel on the back is a nice feature of the 1968 cards and this card asks who was baseballs last triple crown winner before Yastrzemski ? Answer: Baltimore Oriole Frank Robinson in 1966.

Another interesting item about Yaz; he is one of the only power hitters of that era whose career numbers indicate he hit more doubles than homeruns (646 to 452). When and who do you think will win the next triple crown ? Will it ever happen again ?