Was Harry Bright?

It might sound like a strange question but Harry Bright had a rather quiet nine year major league career. Though originally drafted by the N Y Yankees prior to the 1946 campaign it would take him 12 years before he had his major league debut in 1958 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bright would also go on to play for the Senators in 1961 and 1962, appeared in one game only for the Reds in 1963, then being purchased by the Yankees in 1963 (appeared in four games in 1964) before signing on as a free agent for the Chicago Cubs in 1965.

His best and only year as a regular was in 1962, playing in 113 games and hitting 17 homeruns for the Senators. Bright also appeared twice as a Yankee, in the 1963 World Series, as a pinch hitter, striking out both times. In game one of the 1963 series, Bright was actually Sandy Koufax's 15th strikeout, a record strikeout at the time.


So this card, # 227 Topps 1960 stating his team as the Chicago Cubs was quite a mystery to me at first. When I was reviewing the team roster and stats for the 1959 (and 1960) Chicago Cubs, there was no mention of Harry Bight anywhere. So you may be asking yourself, how did Bright get on a 1960 Chicago Cub card if he never appeared as a Cub until 1965 ?

Simply put, the Cubs drafted him in November of 1959 in the "rule 5" draft and returned him to the Pirates in April of 1960. Obviously too late for correcting this Topps had his "right" team at the time, though his uniform is clearly that of a Pirate (note the banding around the collar and vest).

It was probably only a strange coincidence that Bright ended up in a Chicago Cub uniform in 1965, though he only appeared in 27 games with 25 at -bats getting seven hits and striking out eight times.

I think Harry must have been very Bright . . . having the ability to have a 1960 Chicago Cub card for my collection, though not playing for them until five years later.

Ken Holtzman - 1969 was a "fun" year

A mainstay in the Cubs pitching rotation in the late sixties, Ken Holtzman was the first of the "stars" from the 1969 Cubs team to walk away. Traded to the Oakland Athletics in 1971 (for Rick Monday) Holtzman became part of the "characters of green and gold" who won three consecutive World Series' in '72, '73 and '74. Holtzman joined the staff with Vida Blue, Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Blue Moon Odom and Rollie Fingers.

Holtzman's career started (rookie year was 1965) and ended with the Cubs (1979) but has later admitted that 1969 was "the most fun and exciting" single season ever. Holtzman has five championship rings (including the three mentioned, he also pitched for the division winning A's in 1975 and the 1977 World Series Champion Yankees). Holtzman is the winningest Jewish pitcher of all time with 174, surpassing Sandy Koufax.
Holtzman pitched two no hitters in his career both in a Cubs uniform. Pitching his first on August 19, 1969 at Wrigley field against the Atlanta Braves; some consider the last "good" thing that happened that summer for the Cubs. The Cubs went on to lose 7 of 9 after that August day and their fate had begun. That September of 1969 will always be remembered and never forgotten as the Cubs went 8 - 17. Holtzman himself went 1 - 5 in September yet finished the year with a 17-13 record.

His second no hitter was in 1971 and was the first recorded no hitter in Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium history. Ken Holtzman was "perfect" in 1967, going 9 and 0, in a season that he pitched weekends only as he served his role in active military service. It is interesting to note that many players of that day had military service commitments and many baseball cards reflect that involvement.

Ken Holtzman always remembers 1969 as the year he had "fun" in losing, the fans of Chicago always remember the "fun" Holtzman too.