Friday, May 11, 2012

no. 48 - dave baldwin


Who is the man: Dave Baldwin had just finished the most successful portion of his major league career in 1970 -- four years as a reliever with the Senators and Brewers. He wouldn't return to the majors again until 1973, for three games with the White Sox.

Can ya dig it: Wow, I'm sure if I was collecting cards as a kid in 1971, I would hate this card. It'd be on the "no give-backs" list.

Right on: That's some hairdo. What do you call that?

You see this cat Baldwin is a bad mother: He is indeed. After his career ended in '74, he earned a Ph.D in genetics. He published his baseball memoir in 2008, called "Snake Jazz," and a collection of poetry under the pen name DGB Featherkile. But for me, the most bad-ass achievement is that he has a painting -- called "Fugue for the Pepper Players" -- displayed in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Shut your mouth: Baldwin played for the Senators when Ted Williams was the manager in 1969. Like most pitchers at the time, they would get riled up when Williams went into his often-told "pitchers are stupid" speech. In "Snake Jazz," Baldwin recounts Williams saying, "I'll bet not a single one of you even knows how a curve ball curves," to pitchers during spring training,

Baldwin spoke up, mentioned the Magnus force on a spinning ball and illustrated it with a baseball. The explanation stole Williams' thunder. The manager simply said, "Well at least one of you knows."

No one understand him but his woman: In 2000, Baldwin spoke at the Science of Baseball Symposium. His topic was the decision processes of baseball managers.


(A word about the back): This is Baldwin's final card, so this is the only picture on a card of him wearing a Brewers cap -- if it's not airbrushed on him.

7 comments:

  1. PhD in Genetics? Must have been one smart dude

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  2. Hardly looks like the same guy on back. Must be the hat, covering up that strange 'do!

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  3. That's some hairdo. What do you call that?

    The brown Conan?

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  4. I was thinking he was a total dork for that hair until it dawned on me it also looks like he ate some special brownies. My respect level increased when he put the old curmudgeon Ted Williams in his place.

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  5. My Hoody Doody impersonation is my most popular card.

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