Who is the man: Duane Josephson was traded to the Red Sox before most people pulled this card from packs in 1971. He went to Boston on March 31 of that year and Tony Muser and Vicente Romo went to the White Sox.
Can ya dig it: There is a whole mess of baseball equipment going on this photo. Bats and gloves and helmets and shin guards everywhere. Great stuff.
Right on: Someone needs to explain to me why a batting cage in a card photo automatically makes the card great. I'm not disputing it, I just don't know the reason.
You see this cat Josephson is a bad mother: While playing in Triple A in 1966, Josephson hit a double during a game in Tulsa. The ball struck the clock on the outfield fence, setting it on fire. The Tulsa fire department had to be called to put out the blaze. That is some bad stuff.
Shut your mouth: Josephson's best day at the plate came in 1971 against the Orioles. After nearly getting beaned by pitcher Pat Dobson, Josephson hit two home runs. After the second homer, he let Dobson hear it while rounding the bases. "You couldn't print what I called him," he said.
No one understand him but his woman: Josephson's career was cut short at age 30 after being hospitalized twice with pericarditis. He returned home to his wife and six children. He continued to suffer heart ailments, eventually dying from a heart attack at age 54 in 1997.
(A word about the back): Josephson really was referred to as "Josie" during his career. But I'm sure no one brought up "The Pussycats" around him.
Hmmm... I remember most all the cards here but not the Josephson. Those road jerseys with the white lettering were a cool idea that just didn't work. They looked blank from the upper deck.
ReplyDeleteThat batting glove he is wearing is amazing.
ReplyDeleteThat may be my new favorite 1971 card. Everyone has seen a card with a catcher wearing some or all his gear. Having it all strewn about is awesome. Seeing him gear up next to the batting cage, has me wondering if his teammates were such bad hitters that he was going to catch BP. He set a scoreboard on fire and dog cussed a pitcher rounding the bases? This guy is my new hero.
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