no. 7 - jim holt

Who is the man: Jim Holt still had some promise at this point in his career. He had just played in the most games -- 142 -- that he had in any season of his career. Between 1970-73, the Twins would shift Holt between the outfield and first base and use him to pinch-hit, too.

Can ya dig it: Holt began and ended his career with the A's. He was signed as a free agent by Kansas City in 1965. He was traded to Oakland in 1974.

Right on: Holt played on the A's World Series title team in 1974.

You see this cat Holt is a bad mother: Holt provided the only solid hit during an Oakland four-run rally in Game 4 of the 1974 World Series. His pinch-single in the sixth inning turned a 2-1 Dodgers lead into a 5-2 A's advantage, and led to Oakland taking a 3-1 lead in the Series. "This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me," he said after the game.

Shut your mouth: Late in his career, Holt dealt with weight issues, and articles mentioned him "getting fat." One compared him to Minnesota Fats, the famed, fictional pool hustler.

No one understands him but his woman: "I only had one other big day," Holt said on that day in 1974. "That was in the American League playoffs of 1970 ... I made an error ... but I was in the playoffs. That was something, you know."

(A word about the back): Many of the back write-ups in '71 Topps refer to non-major league stats. Minor leagues. Venezuelan leagues. Even Pony leagues. That bothered me when I saw my first '71s. It still does.