#202 Don Wilson - Houston Astros

Donald Edward Wilson
Houston Astros
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  February 12, 1945, Monroe, LA
Signed:  Signed by the Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  Houston Astros 1966-1974

Died:  January 5, 1975, Houston, TX (age 29)

Don Wilson made his big league debut with the Astros as the 1966 season wound down, and beginning in 1967 was one of the club's best pitchers for the next eight seasons.  On June 18, 1967, Wilson pitched his first no-hitter against the Braves, striking out 15 overall, including Henry Aaron (#100) for the final out.  Wilson won 16 games in 1969, including his second no-hitter on May 1st against the Reds.  He'd strike out 235 that season, a career best.  Wilson's career year came in 1971 when he was 16-10 with a 2.45 ERA in 34 games, throwing 18 complete games and three shutouts.  He'd go to his only All-Star Game in 1971, pitching the final two scoreless innings in a 6-4 loss to the American League.

He'd continue to find success over the final three seasons of his career, winning 15 games in 1972 and eclipsing the 200-innings pitched mark every season between 1971 and 1974.  Wilson was 104-92 in 266 games with a 3.15 ERA and 1,283 strikeouts.  He tragically passed away in January 1975 of carbon monoxide poisoning in his home's garage.  His young son also passed away in the incident, and the deaths were ruled accidental.  The Astros retired Wilson's #40 in 1975 and he was one of the inaugural members inducted into the Houston Astros Hall of Fame in 2019.

Building the Set / Card #209
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 132nd of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me less than a dollar.

The Card / Astros Team Set / Accuracy Index +2

Topps still wasn't ready to use the Astros name or logo on its cards, so while Wilson is wearing the correct uniform and hat, the front of his hat is blacked out.  Here's a great article from SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee with an explanation as to why Wilson's Astros hat has been blacked out on this card.  (In this case, read the comments.)  In short, the Astros had demanded Topps not use its name or logo on any of its products.  The 18 strikeout performance mentioned on the back of the card came on July 14, 1968 against the Reds.

Accuracy Index:  Wilson gets +5 for the Astros uniform, but -3 for the blacked out hat.

1969 Season
Wilson was the opening day pitcher for the Astros, facing off against the Padres in the first game in that franchise's history.  The highlight of Wilson's season was his no-hitter against the Reds on May 1st, which came the day after Reds' pitcher Jim Maloney (#362) had no-hit the Astros.  He was 16-12 with a 4.00 ERA in 34 starts, with 13 complete games.  Wilson's 235 strikeouts led the team, as he had three more than teammate Larry Dierker (#411).  Dierker, a 20-game winner, led the Astros' pitching staff in just about every other major pitching category.

1968 Topps #77

1970 Topps #515

1971 Topps #484

1972 Topps #20

1975 Topps #455

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1968 Topps #77
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1968-1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 TCMA The 1960s II #326
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  62 in the Beckett online database as of 12/17/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#201 Russ Snyder - Cleveland Indians / #203 Dave Johnson - Baltimore Orioles

#201 Russ Snyder - Cleveland Indians

Russell Henry Snyder
Cleveland Indians
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  190
Born:  June 22, 1934, Oak, NE
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1953 season
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1959-1960; Baltimore Orioles 1961-1967; Chicago White Sox 1968; Cleveland Indians 1968-1969; Milwaukee Brewers 1970

World Series Appearances:  Baltimore Orioles 1966

Russ Snyder spent his best major league seasons with the Orioles and in 1966 helped the club to its first World Championship.  Originally drafted by the Yankees, Snyder was dealt to the Athletics before the 1959 season and then to the Orioles following the 1960 season.  Snyder had finished third in the 1959 A.L. Rookie of the Year voting behind Bob Allison (#30) and Jim Perry (#146).  Snyder settled in as a regular with the Orioles, serving as their opening day right fielder in 1961.  He'd split time in left field with Boog Powell (#15) beginning in 1962 and his .305 batting average led the club.  Snyder got off to a hot start in 1966, leading the league in batting with a .347 average at the All-Star break.  A steady fielder, Snyder made a diving catch on September 22, 1966 to clinch the pennant for the Orioles and he saved two runs with a diving catch in Game 1 of the World Series against the Dodgers.  He was dealt to the White Sox with Luis Aparicio (#75) on November 29, 1967 as the Orioles were in need of pitching help.

In his final season, Snyder was the opening day center fielder in the first game in Brewers franchise history, batting second.  He had a mediocre year for the Brewers and was released during spring training in 1971.  Snyder played in 1,365 career games and collected 984 hits to go along with his .271 average.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #208
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 131st of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me less than a dollar.

The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

Snyder is wearing an Orioles uniform here, and the photo could date back from 1964 as it's similar to photos used on his 1965 and 1966 Topps cards.  The write-up on the flip side summarizes how Snyder came to the Indians.  On November 29, 1969, the White Sox traded him to Cleveland in exchange for Leon Wagner (#187).  The cartoon references a game against the Athletics on April 29, 1962.  Snyder pinch-hit for pitcher Wes Stock to lead off the seventh, and batted for the second time later in the inning as the Orioles batted around.  In his second pinch-hit at-bat of the inning, Snyder connected for an RBI-single.  He hit the home run off Dan Pfister, and the single off Dave Wickersham (#647).  Athletics' catcher Billy Bryan makes a cameo in the cartoon too as he was behind the plate that day for Kansas City.

Accuracy Index:  Snyder scores a -8 for the Orioles jersey (-5) and for being hatless (-3).

1969 Season
Snyder was the fourth outfielder on the last place Indians, making 27 starts in left field, 24 starts in center field and eight starts in right field.  Jose Cardenal (#325) and Ken Harrelson (#240) were the regulars in center and right field, respectively, and the Indians searched all season long for a regular left fielder, using nine different starters throughout the season.  Snyder appeared in 122 games overall, batting .248 with a pair of home runs and 24 RBIs.

1960 Topps #81

1962 Topps #64

1966 Topps #562

1970 Topps #347

1971 Topps #653

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #81
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1960-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #136
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  62 in the Beckett online database as of 12/17/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#200 Bob Gibson - St. Louis Cardinals / #202 Don Wilson - Houston Astros

#199 Jim French - Washington Senators

Richard James French
Washington Senators
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'8"  Weight:  180
Born:  August 13, 1941, Warren, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1965-1971

A back-up catcher who played his entire seven year big league career with the Senators, Jim French was a reliable backstop with a strong arm.  French spent each season between 1965 and 1968 playing at both the minor and major league levels, staying in the big leagues for full seasons in 1969 and 1970.  He provided steady back-up to regular catcher Paul Casanova (#486), appearing in a career-high 69 games in 1970.  He led all American League catchers in 1969 and 1970 in caught stealing percentages, with 50.0% and 55.6%, respectively in those back-to-back seasons.  French retired from baseball following the 1971 season, having batted .196 for his career with five home runs and 51 RBIs.

Building the Set / Card #207
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 130th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me less than a dollar.

The Card / Senators Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is French's first solo Topps card, and his second overall.  He had appeared on a Rookie Stars card with Joe Coleman (#246) way back in the 1966 Topps set.  Topps sums up French's baseball skills with the line on the back, "Jim has an A-1 arm & is a good catcher."

Accuracy Index:  French's card scores a solid +5.

1969 Season
French appeared in 63 games, making 56 starts behind the plate, with Casanova starting the other 106 games for Ted Williams' (#650) Senators.  He batted .184 with a pair of home runs and 13 RBIs, while throwing out 31 would-be base stealers, good for third in the league.  As mentioned above, his overall 50.0% caught-stealing percentage led the league.

1966 Topps #333

1970 Topps #617

1971 Topps #399

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #333
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1966, 1969-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Topps Heritage Senators Final Season Autographs #WSFS-JF
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  11* in the Beckett online database as of 12/16/23.

*There appears to be some mislabeling of French's cards in the Beckett database, so this count is lower than reality.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#198 Willie Smith - Chicago Cubs / #200 Bob Gibson - St. Louis Cardinals

#197 Dick Selma - San Diego Padres

Richard Jay Selma
San Diego Padres
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  160
Born:  November 4, 1943, Santa Ana, CA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent, May 28, 1963
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1965-1968; San Diego Padres 1969; Chicago Cubs 1969; Philadelphia Phillies 1970-1973; California Angels 1974; Milwaukee Brewers 1974

Died:  August 29, 2001, Clovis, CA (age 57)

Dick Selma pitched for a decade in the majors, and was the opening day starter during the Padres' inaugural season.  Selma found some success with the Mets in the mid to late 1960s, and in his second career start on September 12, 1965, he threw a complete game, 12-inning shutout, striking out 13 Braves batters.  He'd go 17-21 with a 3.16 ERA in 105 games with the Mets, pitching mostly out of the bullpen.  Selma was one of the first pitchers selected in the 1968 National League expansion draft, the fifth player overall taken.  He'd claim the first victory in Padres' franchise history on April 8, 1969, and was dealt to the Cubs less than three weeks later in exchange for three players, including Joe Niekro (#43).

April 8, 1969 - Selma, catcher Chris Cannizzaro and manager Preston Gomez

Selma joined the Phillies in 1970 and enjoyed a career year as the closer for the fifth place team.  He was arguably the team's MVP, earning 22 saves and pitching to a 2.75 ERA in 73 games and 134 1/3 innings pitched.  He'd not repeat the success found in 1970, lasting three more seasons with the Phillies and pitching his final season in the majors with the Angels and Brewers in 1974.  Selma continued to pitch in the minors, for the Dodgers' top farm team, and spent a season in Mexico, before retiring in 1977.  He was 42-54 lifetime, with a 3.62 ERA and 681 strikeouts over 840 2/3 innings pitched.  Selma had 31 career saves, most of which came during the 1970 season.

Building the Set / Card #206
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 129th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me less than a dollar.

The Card / Padres Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

Selma is wearing a Mets uniform here, with the front of his Mets hat completely blacked out.  The back of the card explains how Selma came to find himself on the Padres, and the cartoon celebrates his 1963 Rookie of the Year win while a member of the California League's Salinas Mets club.

Accuracy Index:  It's another -8 for this Selma card, given the Mets uniform (-5) and the hat with no logo (-3).

Inserts:  Selma is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.

1969 Season
It was an odd year for Selma who made just four appearances with the Padres before his trade to the Cubs on April 25th for Niekro, Frankie Libran and Gary Ross (#404).  He appeared in 36 games for the Cubs, making 25 starts, and was 10-8 with a 3.63 ERA and one save.  His biggest contribution to the contending Cubs team was his cheerleading efforts, leading the faithful Bleacher Bums in cheers from the Wrigley Field bullpen.  The Cubs' playoff hopes fell short, with Selma going 0-6 in his final 11 appearances with the team.  On November 17th, he was traded again, this time to the Phillies with Oscar Gamble, in exchange for Johnny Callison (#133) and a player to be named later (Larry Colton - #454).

Phillies Career

Selma came to the Phillies in the deal that sent franchise favorite Callison to the Cubs.  His career year resulted from manager Frank Lucchesi moving him full-time to the bullpen where his 73 games pitched were second in the league behind Ron Herbel's (#251) 76 appearances.  Selma struck out 153 during the season, relying almost exclusively on his fastball.  His 5.2 bWAR was by far the tops on the team, with third baseman Don Money (#454) coming in second with a 3.5 bWAR mark.  Overuse in the 1970 season likely contributed to arm problems in 1971 and throughout the rest of Selma's Phillies career.

After just 17 appearances in 1971, he'd rebound to 46 appearances in 1972, although he owned a 5.56 ERA for the team that would lose 97 games and cost Lucchesi his job.  He pitched in just six games for the Phillies in 1973 before the team released him on May 8th.  In 142 games with the Phillies, the most appearances for any of the six teams he played with, Selma was 11-21 with a 3.93 ERA and 26 saves. 

1966 Topps #67

1967 Topps #386

1971 Topps #705

1972 Topps #726

1973 Topps #632

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #67
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1966-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1973 Topps #632
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  39 in the Beckett online database as of 12/16/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
The Phillies Room

#196 Lum Harris MG - Atlanta Braves / #198 Willie Smith - Chicago Cubs

#196 Lum Harris MG - Atlanta Braves

Chalmer Luman Harris
Atlanta Braves
Manager

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  January 17, 1915, New Castle, AL
Acquired:  Traded by Atlanta (Southern Association) to the Philadelphia Athletics for Ed Heusser
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Athletics 1941-1944, 1946; Washington Senators 1947

As a Manager:  Baltimore Orioles 1961; Houston Colt .45s 1964; Houston Astros 1965; Atlanta Braves 1968-1972
Died:  November 11, 1996, Pell City, AL (age 81)

As a player, Lum Harris pitched in six seasons as both a starter and reliever, missing the 1945 season due to military service.  Playing primarily for Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's, Harris compiled a lifetime record of 35-63 with a 4.16 ERA over 820 innings pitched.

Following his playing career, he coached for the White Sox (1951-1954) and Orioles (1955-1961) before getting his shot as the interim manager for the Orioles in 1961 after their previous manager, Paul Richards, left the club in August 1961 to become the general manager of the Houston Colt .45s.  Following the season, Harris followed Richards to Houston where he was an original coach for the expansion team.  He took over when manager Harry Craft was fired in September 1964 and served as the first ever manager for the re-branded Houston Astros in 1965.

He was let go by Houston following the 1965 season when a new ownership group took over.  Harris followed Richards again to Atlanta, serving first as a minor league manager, then as a Major League coach, and eventually the manager of the Braves.  He led the club to its first ever N.L. West title in 1969, but the Braves lost the divisional championship series to the Mets.  In eight seasons as a manager, Harris had a record of 466-488 with his 93-win season for the 1969 Braves as his high water mark.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #205
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 128th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me less than a dollar.

The Card / Braves Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

The photo of Harris was taken in 1965 as it's similar to the photo appearing on his 1966 Topps card, featuring him wearing an Astros hat.  The back of the card celebrates his Richmond Braves winning the 1967 International League pennant, and Harris would be awarded with a promotion to the majors for 1968.

Accuracy Index:  Harris loses points for the Astros uniform (-5) and the blacked out hat (-3).

1969 Season
As mentioned above, this was Harris' best season in the majors as a manager as he guided the Braves to a National League West pennant following a 93-win season.  The Mets dispatched of the Braves fairly easily in the first NLCS, sweeping Atlanta in three games.  Henry Aaron (#100) was the top slugger for the team, batting .300 and leading the club with 44 home runs and 97 RBIs.  Left fielder Rico Carty (#590) had the top average with a .342 mark.  First baseman Orlando Cepeda (#385) had a solid year with 22 home runs and 88 RBIs.  Second baseman Felix Millan (#210) was a starter at the All-Star Game and he'd win a Gold Glove. 

Phil Niekro (#355) won 23 games with Ron Reed (#177) close behind him with 18 wins.  The knuckle-balling Niekro led all Braves pitchers in wins, complete games (21), shutouts (4), innings pitched (284 1/3) and strikeouts (193).  Cecil Upshaw (#568) was the team's closer, earning 27 saves.

1960 Topps #455

1966 Topps #147

1968 Topps #439

1970 Topps #86

1972 Topps #484

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #455
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1960, 1965-1966, 1968-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1983 TCMA 1943 Play Ball #21
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  34 in the Beckett online database as of 12/16/23.

Update Cards

For my 1965 Topps blog, I used the team card posts to come up with five or six candidates per team for an imaginary update series.  With no team cards in the 1969 Topps set, I'll use each manager card for this exercise, and come up with a list of deserving cards to be included in an 8th/update series.

• Satchel Paige (pitching coach) - The future Hall of Famer and pitching great served as the Braves' pitching coach for just the 1969 season, and I'd definitely give him a card in my imaginary update set.
• Bob Didier (c) - The Braves are surprisingly well-represented in the set, but regular catcher Bob Didier (#611) had to share a Rookie Stars card with Walt Hriniak and Gary Neibauer.  I'd give Didier his own card.
• Paul Doyle (lhp) - Reliever Paul Doyle's rookie card can be found in the 1970 Topps set, but given his 36 relief appearances he'd earn a card in the update set.
• Tony Gonzalez (of) - Fourth outfielder Tony Gonzalez (#501) is in the set with the Padres, and the Braves acquired him on June 13th.
• Gil Garrido (ss) - Gil Garrido (#331) would be promoted to a solo card, having appeared on a Rookie Stars card in the main set.
• Braves Rookie Stars - Ralph Garr / Darrell Evans / Dusty Baker - And finally, this trio appeared in a combined 37 games for the Braves in 1969.  I thought it would make a cool Rookie Stars card in the update set.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference - Harris / Baseball Reference - 1969 Braves / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#195 John Odom - Oakland Athletics / #197 Dick Selma - San Diego Padres

#195 John Odom - Oakland Athletics

Johnny Lee Odom
Oakland Athletics
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  178
Born:  May 29, 1945, Macon, GA
Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent, June 1, 1964
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1964-1967; Oakland Athletics 1968-1975; Cleveland Indians 1975; Atlanta Braves 1975; Chicago White Sox 1976

World Series Appearances:  Oakland Athletics 1972-1974

Blue Moon Odom spent a dozen years pitching for the Athletics, earning two trips to the All-Star Game and winning three consecutive World Series rings with the team between 1972 and 1974.  Odom's two best seasons came during the franchises's first two years in Oakland.  In 1968, he was 16-10 with a 2.45 ERA and pitched two scoreless innings in the All-Star Game.  In 1969, he was 15-6 with a 2.92 ERA.  Odom was stellar in three postseasons for the Athletics, going 3-1 in 10 games with a 1.13 ERA in 39 2/3 innings pitched.  In his final season, while pitching with the White Sox, Odom threw a combined no-hitter against the Athletics with reliever Francisco Barrios.  Lifetime, Odom was 84-85 with a 3.70 ERA in 295 games pitched.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

2022 Topps Spotlight 70 II
by Andy Friedman #15

Building the Set / Card #204
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 127th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me (surprisingly) less than a dollar.

The Card / Athletics Team Set / Accuracy Index -2

Odom wore #13 throughout his career, and you can see his number peaking through on the front of his A's vest.  Similar to most Athletics' cards, Topps opted to black out the "KC" on Odom's cap, given the team's move to Oakland in 1968.  The back of the card highlights his fantastic 1968 season, and mentions his near no-hitter against the Orioles on June 7th.  Odom retired Boog Powell (#15) and Brooks Robinson (#550) for the first two outs of the ninth, but then Davey Johnson (#203) singled to right to end the no-hit bid.  I'm not counting it as a reprint, but artist Andy Friedman painted his version of this card for the 2022 Topps Spotlight 70 II set.

Accuracy Index:  It's another -2 for an A's player - accurate uniform (+5), but a logo less hat (-3).

1969 Season
As mentioned above, this was one of Odom's finest seasons for the surging Athletics.  He made 32 starts and was the ace of the staff that also included Catfish Hunter (#235) and Chuck Dobson (#397).  Odom did not have a very good experience at the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C.  Entering the game in the third inning, Odom retired just one batter and allowed a two-run home run to Willie McCovey (#440), a two-run double to Felix Millan (#210) and a final RBI-double to the opposing pitcher, Steve Carlton (#255).

1965 Topps #526

1970 Topps #55

1972 Topps #558

1974 Topps #461

1976 Topps #651

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #526
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1965, 1967-1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Spotlight 70 II by Andy Friedman #15
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  67 in the Beckett online database as of 11/28/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#194 Ted Uhlaender - Minnesota Twins / #196 Lum Harris MG - Atlanta Braves