1967 Topps Hal Lanier #4 San Francisco Giants

Today's entry in my 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball Card collection is an infielder who later turned into a Major League Manager during the 1980's. It is Hal Lanier, second baseman for the San Francisco Giants, card number 4 in the 1967 Topps Baseball card set of 609 subjects.

This autograph was obtained through a reputable dealer off of an internet auction site. Hal Lanier beautifully signed the card with a black sharpie. As of March 8, 2012, I have accumulated 571 different signatures in my collection of 1967 Topps Autographed cards.

Hal Lanier played 10 seasons in the major leagues, with the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees. His career started in 1964 with the Giants, playing second base, shortstop and third base during his time in the big leagues. He was traded to the Yankees at the end of the 1971 season and played 95 games over the next two seasons in New York. His career statistics include a .228 batting average, while hitting 8 home runs and driving in 273 runs while playing 1196 games. His best season was his rookie campaign in 1964 when he batted .274.

After his playing days were over, Hal Lanier worked as a coach and subsequently as a Major League manager for 3 seasons. He won a World Series ring as a third base coach for the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals. Mr. Lanier was hired as Manager of the Houston Astros in 1986 and led the team until 1988. Hal won the National League Manager of the Year Award in 1986 while leading the Astros to a 96-66 record and a playoff appearance. His career managerial record was 254 wins against 232 losses.

1967 Topps Detroit Tigers Jim Northrup #408

Today's entry in my 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball Card collection is a member of the 1968 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers and a five sport (baseball, football, basketball, golf and track) star in high school. It is Jim Northrup, Outfielder for the Tigers, card number 408 in the 1967 Topps Baseball card set of 609 subjects. Sadly, Jim Northrup passed away June 8, 2011 at the age of 71 from a seizure.

This autograph was obtained with a through the mail (TTM) request on March 18, 2009 to Mr. Northrup at his home in Michigan. If you are interested in contacting players through the mail, I highly recommend sportscollectors.net as a resource to the addresses of your favorite players and teams. Jim Northrup graciously signed my card with a blue ballpoint pen and returned it to me 13 days later. Thank you, Mr. Northrup. As of July 14, 2011, I have accumulated 544 different signatures in my collection of 1967 Topps Autographed cards.

Jim "Silver Fox" Northrup played 12 seasons in the major leagues, with the Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles. The "Silver Fox" nickname came from that fact that his hair prematurely turned gray. His career started in 1964 with the Tigers, but did not win a starting position until the 1966 season. He was named the starting Right Fielder which required Future Hall of Famer Al Kaline to move to Centerfield. During the 1966 season, Northrup proved to be a major leaguer to stay by hitting 24 doubles and 16 home runs. His most memorable season was 1968, during which he hit 5 Grand Slams, including 2 in consecutive at bats and one in the World Series. Northrup helped led the Tigers during the 1968 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals by hitting 2 home runs and knocking in 8 runs.

Jim Northrup stayed with the Tigers until 1974, then was traded to the Expos and then again to the Orioles during the season. He ended his career in 1975 with the Orioles. His career statistics include a .267 batting average with 1254 hits, of which 153 were home runs, 610 runs batted in and 603 runs scored. Jim was an excellent fielder as well, with a .981 career fielding percentage in 1301 games. To learn more about Jim Northrup, go to his biography at wikipedia.org.



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1967 Topps Steve Carlton St. Louis Cardinals Phillies Hall of Famer

Today's entry for my collection of 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball cards is one of the greatest left handed pitchers of all-time. The card is the Hall of Famer Steve Carlton of the St. Louis Cardinals. Card number 146 in the 1967 Topps Baseball set of 609 cards. As of January 26, 2011, I have accumulated 515 different autographs in the 1967 set.

Mr. Carlton signed my card on April 25, 2009 at the Moeller High School baseball card show in Cincinnati, Ohio. "Lefty" took the time to talk to me as well during the autograph and was a class gentleman. Steve was gracious enough to sign this card for me with a beautiful blue sharpie autograph. Even though he threw left handed, he signs his name with his right hand, see the picture below. Thank you Mr. Carlton.

Steve "Lefty" Carlton pitched 24 seasons in the Major Leagues from 1965 to 1988. The first 7 seasons, Steve played for the St. Louis Cardinals and then was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1972. Considered one of the most lopsided trades in history; Steve became a huge star with the Phillies, winning the first of his four Cy Young Awards that same season, by winning 27 games. That total was 46% of the team's wins, which is still a major league record. Steve also pitched for the Giants, White Sox, Indians and Twins towards the end of his career. 

Steve Carlton's career statistics include 329 wins versus 244 losses, a 3.22 earned run average, 4,136 strikeouts (most all-time by a left-handed pitcher when he retired), 254 complete games and 55 shutouts. He was named to the National League All-Star teams 10 times, won the Cy Young Award 4 times and won two World Series rings, 1967 with the Cardinals and 1980 with the Phillies. Carlton was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994 on the first ballot with 95.8% of the vote and has his number 32 retired by the Phillies. Steve was also a good hitter and was used often in a pinch hitting role. He hit 13 home runs and drove in 140 runs during his career while batting .201. A dubious record that Steve Carlton also owns is the record for career balks with 90, which is double his next closest pitcher, Bob Welch. On the postive side, Steve owns the record with 144 pick-offs by a pitcher, which is 62 more than the closest person, Jerry Koosman.

To learn more about Steve Carlton, read his biography at http://www.carlton32.com/pages/bio.html


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1967 Topps Cookie Rojas Philadelphia Phillies

Today's entry about my collection of 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball cards is a player who appeared in 5 All-Star Games, including 4 straight in the early 1970's. It is Octavio Victor Rojas Rivas, better known as Cookie Rojas, infielder/outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies. Card number 595 in the 1967 Topps Baseball card set of 609 subjects.

This autograph was obtained with a through the mail request to Cookie Rojas via the Florida Marlins, where he is the Spanish Television Announcer for the Fins, on June 10, 2010. Mr. Rojas graciously returned the card 23 days later with a nice blue sharpie autograph. Thank you, Cookie! This is the 508th autograph in my 1967 Topps collection and the last 100 or so to go are becoming harder and harder to obtain.

 Cookie Rojas played 16 seasons in the major leagues from 1962 to 1977. His career started in 1962 with the Cincinnati Reds, then went to the Phillies from 1963 until 1969. After Philadelphia, Rojas played in 1970 for the St. Louis Cardinals and played his final 8 seasons with the Kansas City Royals. A symbol of versatily, Cookie Rojas has played all 9 positions during his career including catching and pitching. Primarily during his career, Cookie played second base, while compiling a career .263 Batting Average, 1660 hits, 593 runs batted in, 54 home runs and stealing 76 bases. He played in two playoff series for the Kansas City Royals in 1976 and 1977 versus the New York Yankees.




Cookie Rojas appeared in five All-Star games during his career, 1965 and 1971 to 1974. In the 1972 Game in Atlanta, he hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth inning, which was the first time that a non-American-born player ever homered for the American League in the mid-summer classic.

After his playing days were over, Cookie Rojas coached and scouted until he was named manager of the California Angels in 1988. He also managed a game for the Florida Marlins in 1996. To learn more about Cookie Rojas, check out his biography at wikipedia.org.

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1967 Topps NL Rookies with Gary Sutherland and Don Shaw

The mailbox was empty today, but yesterday I received a nice surprise. It was a card returned from a through the mail request to Gary Sutherland, rookie 2nd Baseman/Shortstop of the Philadelphia Phillies. Card number 587 in the 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball card set of 609 cards.

I mailed this card to Gary Sutherland to his home in California on February 22, 2010 and 32 days later, Gary returned the card with a blue sharpie autograph with a slight smear. I don't mind the smear too much, it kind of fits the card with the multiple creases. This autograph marks the 480th different signature that I have obtained for my collection. I still have about 150 more autographs to go to complete the set.

Gary Sutherland played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1966 to 1978. His career started with the Philadelphia Phillies and ended with the St. Louis Cardinals. He also played for the Montreal Expos, the Houston Astros, the Detroit Tigers, the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers. During his career, Gary Sutherland amassed 754 hits and a .243 career average, hit 24 home runs and 239 runs batted in. As a curious note, Gary scored the first run in the Montreal Expos franchise history on April 8, 1969 against the New York Mets.

Now it is time to contact Don Shaw and see if he would be willing to sign the card also. Wish me luck...


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1967 Topps Willie Davis Los Angeles Dodgers

After hearing the news today that Willie Davis has passed away, I felt is was appropriate to share with you his 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball card from my collection. Willie Davis was a long-time member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and card number 160 in the 1967 Topps Baseball card set. He passed away today at age 69 in his home in Burbank, California.

This autographed card was purchased through a seller on ebay.com and includes a beautiful blue signature. I purchased the card on August 4, 2009 and received it several days later.

Willie Davis played 18 seasons in the Major League, the first 14 with the Dodgers, then he played for the Montreal Expos, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and finally the California Angels. During his career Willie amassed 2561 hits given him a .279 batting average, hit 182 home runs, drove in 1053 runs, and stole 398 bases. He was named to two National League All-Star teams (1971 and 1973), won 3 Gold Glove Awards (1971, 1972, and 1973) and was a member of two World Series Championship teams with the Dodgers in 1963 and 1965.  

To learn more about Willie Davis and his career, go to his biography at baseball-reference.com and read this excellent story from the LA Times.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Willie Davis.

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1967 Topps Ron Taylor New York Mets

The mailbox today had a new addition for my collection of 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball cards from it came with a postmark from Canada. The newest entry is that of Ron Taylor, pitcher of the New York Mets. Card number 606 in the 1967 Topps Baseball card set of 609 cards.

The Ron Taylor autograph was obtained with a through the mail request to his home in Canada. I mailed the card to Dr. Taylor on February 12, 2010 and he returned the card sign with a black sharpie autograph 24 days later. This marks the 466th autograph in my collection. Thank you, Ron Taylor. Wanting to send your own cards to players, go to sportscollectors.net for addresses of the major sports leagues. You can get team and player addresses.

Ron Taylor's career lasted 11 seasons from 1962 to 1972. His career started with the Cleveland Indians and he also played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, New York Mets and finally the San Diego Padres. Used mainly as a relief pitcher, Ron Taylor's career statistics include 45 wins, 72 saves, a 3.93 earned run average and 464 strikeouts. Ron won World Series championships in 1964 with the Cardinals and 1969 with the Mets. 

After Ron Taylor's career ended in 1972, he decided to pursue a medical degree from the University of Toronto, which he completed in 1977. In 1979, Dr. Taylor became the first former player to be a team physician for the Toronto Blue Jays and has filled that role for 31 years. He also has a private practice in Toronto and lectures at his alma mater. He was named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 for his pitching abilities, and was also named to the Canada Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. He was also named to the Order of Ontario in 2003 for his accomplishments. To learn more about Ron Taylor, go to his biography at baseball-reference.com.

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1967 Topps Pete Richert Washington Senators

Today marks the end of the 2010 Florida Spring Training Baseball  junket and upon return, there was a 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball card waiting in the mail. It is that of Pete Richert, pitcher of the Washington Senators. Card number 590 in the 1967 Topps Baseball card set of 609.

This autograph from Pete Richert was obtained by sending a through the mail request to his home in California on January 29, 2010. Mr. Richert returned the card signed with a thin blue sharpie autograph 34 days later. It is the 464th autographed in my collection. Thank you Pete!

Pete Richert pitched in the Major Leagues for 13 years from 1962 to 1974 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. His career statistics include 80 wins, a 3.19 earned run average, 51 saves and 925 strikeouts. Pete was a member of two World Series Championship teams, 1963 with the Dodgers and 1970 with the Orioles and was named to two All-star teams in 1965 and 1966.

Pete Richert's career started out on a very high note. In his debut on April 12, 1962, Pete struck out the first 6 batters he faced, including 4 in one-inning. The six strikeouts tied a record and the 4 strikeouts in the inning set a record for a pitcher in his debut. To learn more about Pete Richert, go to his biography at wikipedia.org.


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1967 Topps Reggie Smith Boston Red Sox Rookie Card

In anticipation of my 2nd annual junket to Florida for Spring Training, I wanted to share a card that was added to my 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball card collection during the 1st trip in 2009. It is Reggie Smith on the 1967 Boston Red Sox Rookie Stars Card with Mike Andrews. Card number 314 in the 1967 Topps Baseball card set of 609 cards.

This autograph was obtained in Clearwater, Florida while the Phillies were playing an exhibition game against the 2009 USA World Baseball Classic team. Reggie Smith was the batting coach for WBC team and was very gracious to come over to me before the started and sign my card. Reggie Smith is known in the hobby as a tough signature to get and I am very thankful he obliged my request. He signed the card with a black sharpie that I supplied. Thank you Reggie.

Reggie Smith's career in Major League Baseball spanned 17 seasons from 1966 to 1982. He played for the Boston Red Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. During his career, Reggie Smith accumulated the following statistics, 2020 base hits in 1987 games, 314 home runs, 1092 runs batted in stole 137 bases and a career .287 batting average. Reggie Smith was involved in four World Series, 1967(loss) with the Red Sox and 1977(loss), 1978(loss) and 1981(win) with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Reggie hit 6 home runs in a total of 21 World Series games. Reggie Smith also won a Gold Glove in 1968 and was a seven-time All Star. Reggie was 2nd in the 1967 Rookie of the Year voting behind future Hall of Famer Rod Carew. In his rookie season, Reggie hit 15 home runs, drove in 61 runs and stole 16 bases.

After his playing days were over, Reggie Smith spent time as a coach, minor league instructor and player development official for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also runs Reggie Smith Baseball to help youth players develop the necessary skills to be a successful baseball player. 

To learn more about Reggie Smith, go to his biography at wikipedia.org.
 
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1967 Topps Don Kessinger Chicago Cubs

Today's entry was inspired by watching him play in the 1969 baseball game yesterday that was shown on MLB Network against the Philadelphia Phillies. It is Don Kessinger, shortstop for the Chicago Cubs, card number 419 in the 1967 Topps Baseball card set.

This autograph was obtained by sending a through the mail request to Don Kessinger to his home in Mississippi on July 2, 2009 and 17 days later, he returned the card signed with a beautiful blue sharpie autograph. Thank you Mr. Kessinger.

Don Kessinger played 16 seasons in the major leagues from 1964 to 1979. He played 11 years for the Chicago Cubs, 2 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals and 3 for the Chicago White Sox, where he was the player-manager in 1979. Don Kessinger played 2078 games, accumulating 1931 hits, 14 home runs, 527 runs batted in and a career .252 batting average. Don made the All-Star teams in 6 different season from 1968 to 1974 and won the Gold Glove Award for shortstops in 1969 and 1970. Don Kessinger managed the Chicago White Sox for 131 games in 1979 before resigning as manager and retiring as a player. He was replaced by Tony LaRussa.

After leaving the Chicago White Sox, Don Kessinger went back to his alma mater, The University of Mississippi and managed the baseball team for 6 seasons and now he has his own real estate business.

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1967 Topps Rookie Rich Nye Chicago Cubs

The streak is over! Today, I received the first 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball Card since last week. It is the Cubs 1967 Rookie Card of Rich Nye and John Upham. It is signed by Rich Nye! Card number 608 out of the set of 609 cards.

It was obtained from a reputable dealer on ebay.com and was delivered quickly. It is signed by Rich Nye with a nice blue sharpie. If possible, I will mail the card to John Upham and request his autograph as well. This autograph marks the 453rd signed card in the set.

Rich Nye's career lasted 5 seasons before being ended in 1970 with a rotator cuff injury. He played for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos and St. Louis Cardinals. During his career, he won 26 games and saved 4, had a 3.71 earned run average and struck out 267 batters. His best season was 1967 when he won 13 games. After his playing days were over, Rich Nye became a commodities broker and then went on to become one of the top veterinarians for exotic animals in the United States. If you would like to read about his veterinary practice, click here.

I have found a great article about Rich Nye's pitching career by Dave Hoekstra of the Chicago Sun-Times about Rich Nye winning a game to put the Cubs in first place for the first time in 22 years. I have enclosed the article below.

"When Ex-Cub Rich Nye was a Pup" by Dave Hoekstra:

There's nothing like the first time of being in first place--at least for 22 years.
In July, 1967 Rich Nye was the Cubs starting pitcher when the Cubs held sole posession of first place for the first time since 1945.
I was 12 years old and kept a daily Cubs scrapbook from clippings in all four Chicago newspapers. I Elmer-glued stories of the Cubs coming-out period into a loose leaf notebook. One headline actually read: "CUBS WIN--TIED FOR LEAD!" The Chicago Today newspaper even offered a blank Cubs scrapbook as a promotional item.
"I pitched against Cincinnati in the (nationally televised) 'Game of the Week'," Nye recalled while grinding down a chinchilla's teeth at a suburban veterinarian office. Nye is now one of America's premiere exotic animal veterinarians. Check out this great Jon Sall video of the crafty left hander at work. During our visit, Dr. Nye saw two chinchillas, an iguana and a turtle with an abscess:

"The 'Game of the Week' was the first time my folks (in Northern California) had seen me play," he said. "I don't remember the opposing pitcher. It was a 90 degree day........

"The Cardinals had lost the first game of a double header. Then we won. We went into first place by a half a game. The Cardinals won the second game of the double header and went back into first. The next day Fergie Jenkins won and the Cardinals lost. They ran the (Cubs) flag up (atop the scoreboard) and nobody left the ballpark. We celebrated in the clubhouse."
My friend Mike Murphy, the esteemed afternoon host at WSCR-AM in Chicago was there. "He's exactly right," said Murphy, an original Bleacher Bum. "That was the 'Change The Flags Game.' In 1967 all 10 teams were in one league. Five flags on the left side, first through fifth place, five flags on the right, sixth through 10th."
The Cubs were usually on the right side, but the wrong side of the standings.
"When the game ends the guy in the scoreboard takes the flags down as they still do," Murphy said. "He comes down the little ladder to get out, padlocks the scoreboard and leaves. There's only one problem. There's 40,000 people there. And the left field Bleacher Bums say, 'Wait a minute. We want to see the Cubs flag up top. They're going on the road and it may never happen again.' So we started chanting, 'CHANGE THE FLAG!' like 'THROW IT BACK' today. The whole ballpark started chanting. But the scoreboard man had left and nobody would leave the park. They finally found someone to go back up there to hoist the Cubs flag. They didn't put all 10 back up---just the Cubs flag. Everyone cheered and finally went home."
Nye played under the grizzled watch of Cubs manager Leo Durocher. "Leo the Lip" was from a different era. "There were three or four of us who had college educations," Nye said. "Joe Niekro, who was my roommate. Kenny Holtzman. Frank Reberger. Bill Stoneman, who became General Manager of the Anaheim Angels (they were all pitchers). Leo looked as us a cocky kids off the college campus. He didn't understand how to communicate with us. Baseball wasn't necessarily going to be our career in life. He was used to the guys who came off the ranks of the minor leagues. In those days the minor leagues were huge."
Nye was selected by the Cubs in the 10th round of the 1966 draft, the 840th pick overall. He was a civil engineering graduate of the University of California/Berkley with a nearly straight-A average. Leo was straight, no chaser.
I love this story written my my old friend Ray Sons in the June 1, 1967 edition of the Chicago Daily News.
Sons began, "Handsome Rich Nye, the Cubs bright new pitching star from the land of the Hippies, is a throwback to another era....22-year-old Rich is a square with sharp corners. He shaves. He wears his blond hair cropped short. He dresses with immaculate good taste. And he works hard and thinks without the aid of "acid" or banana."
Groovy.
A young Nye could also put his foot in his mouth. From the Aug. 28, 1967 Daily News, beat writer George Vaas spoke to Nye after beating future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver 3-1 in an important double header at Shea Stadium in New York. "It was one of the most pleasing victories I've had," Nye told Vaas. "Particularly because Tom Seaver is from the University of Southern California and I'm from California. It was like carrying on the traditional rivalry between the schools."
I bet Leo loved hearing that.
Nye played with the Cubs until December, 1969 when he was traded to St. Louis for the immortal Boots Day. Boots joined the Cubs boot hill of center fielders (Cleo James, Jimmy Qualls, Don Young and even Jim Hickman). Nye's career ended later in 1970 with Montreal when he suffered a rotator cuff injury.

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1967 Topps Johnny Edwards Cincinnati Reds

Oh no, the streak has reached four days without a new 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball card. So, I went back into my collection to share an autograph for today. It is Johnny Edwards, catcher for the Cincinnati Reds. Card number 202 in the 1967 Topps Baseball card set of 609 cards.

This autograph was obtained by a through the mail request to his home in Texas on December 11, 2008. Johnny Edwards signed the card with a blue sharpie and mailed it back to me 9 days later. Thank you Mr. Edwards for the quick turnaround. If you are interested in getting autographs through the mail, go to sportscollectors.net.

Johnny Edwards' career lasted 14 season between the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros. He was a three-time all star with the Reds in 1963, 1964 and 1965 and won 2 Gold Glove awards for the Reds. He was replaced after the 1967 season with the arrival of future Hall of Famer Johnny Bench. His career batting statistics include a .242 batting average, 81 home runs, 1,106 hits and 524 runs batted in. Johnny was known for his fielder more than his batting, leading the National League in fielding percentage 4 times during his career. During his career, Johnny Edwards was the catcher for two no-hitters, Jim Maloney's 10 inning gem in 1965 and Ray Washburn's no-no in 1968 while with the Cardinals.  To learn more about Johnny Edwards and his biography, click on his name.

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1967 Topps Rico Petrocelli Boston Red Sox

Third day of the streak; no 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball cards in the mailbox today. Not discouraged at all, I know some more will be arriving soon. I went back into my collection and found a card that Red Sox Nation will identify and appreciate. It is of Rico Petrocelli shortstop for the Boston Red Sox. Card number 528 out of the 1967 Topps Baseball card set of 609 subjects.

This autograph was obtained with a through the mail (TTM) request to Rico Petrocelli's home in New Hampshire. I mailed the card on July 20, 2009 and he returned it signed with a beautiful blue sharpie 17 days later. Rico also included his number 6 on the card as a bonus. Definitely a nice addition to my set.

Rico Petrocelli played 15 seasons in the major leagues, all with the Boston Red Sox. He played 9 seasons at shortstop and 6 seasons at third base. He was a vital member of the Impossible Dream team of 1967 which won the American League pennant and lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series 4 games to 3. He hit two home runs in Game 6 of the World Series helping the Red Sox force a game 7. A two-time All Star in 1967 and 1969, Rico hit 210 career home runs, drove in 773 runs and hit .251. Always a slick fielder, he led the league in fielding for shortstops twice and third baseman once. He retired in 1976 and was elected into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997. To learn more about Rico Petrocelli career, click on his name.

If you are interested in sending autograph requests through the mail, I recommend sportscollectors.net for addresses and success rates for individual players. 
  
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1967 Topps Chris Zachary Houston Astros

Today marks the second day that the mailbox did not contain any new additions to my 1967 Topps Autograph Baseball card set. Nevertheless, I went into my collection and pulled out a card of a player with roots to Knoxville, Tennessee, my current hometown. It is of Chris Zachary, pitcher for the Houston Astros. Card number 212 in the 1967 Topps Baseball card set of 609 cards.

This autograph was purchased at the sports card show in Detroit, Michigan by my good friend, Jim Zylstra. It has a nice signature with a black sharpie. Chris Zachary passed away in 2003 at age 59 in Knoxville, his hometown.

Chris "Zach" Zachary's career lasted 9 seasons and he played for the Houston Colt 45's/Astros, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers and finally, the Pittsburgh Pirates. His career statistics include 10 wins, 4.57 earned run average and 184 strikeouts. He appeared in 108 games during his career, mostly in relief. Chris Zachary once described himself as being "a pretty decent 10th-man on a 10-man staff." He is a member of the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame. To learn about Chris Zachary, go to his biography at wikipedia.org.

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1967 Topps Hall of Famer Lou Brock St Louis Cardinals

In honor of this being Super Bowl Sunday, I wanted to share a super addition to my 1967 Topps Autographed Baseball Card set. It is of Hall of Fame outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, Lou Brock. Card number 285 out of the 1967 Topps Baseball card set of 609 cards.

This card was obtained as a gift from my very good friend and baseball enthusiast, Jim "Z" Zylstra. He sent the card to Lou Brock requesting an autograph and Lou graciously signed the card in a beautiful blue sharpie. Lou is an example of a player who knows how to sign a card, signature is very legible and centered in the card.

Lou Brock's career started in 1961 with the Chicago Cubs. He played there until 1964, when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. In a trade that history calls one of the most lopsided, Brock, Jack Spring and Paul Toth went to the Cardinals in exchange for Ernie Broglio, Bobby Shantz and Doug Clemens. Lou Brock's career blossomed in St. Louis; winning 2 World Series Championships (1964 and 1967), elected to 6 All-Star games and having his number 20 uniform retired by the Cardinals in 1979. His career statistics are very impressive, 3023 hits, .293 batting average, 149 home runs, 900 runs batted in and at the time, the record 938 stolen bases. He led the league in stolen bases eight times and broke Maury Wills single season stolen base record of 104 by stealing 118 bases in 1974. Lou Brock ended his career in 1979 as a member of the Cardinals and in 1985 he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

To learn more about Lou Brock's fabulous career, go to wikipedia.org.

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