Who is the man: Willie Stargell was entering what would be a ferocious season for him. He'd pound out 48 home runs, knock in 125 runs and help the Pirates to a World Series title in 1971.
My observation on the front: I've mentioned this before, but Stargell looks rather skinny on his early '70s cards, at least when you compare him with, say, 1977 through the end of his career.
Right on: There was a lot more concrete showing in 1970s stadiums.
You see this cat Stargell is a bad mother: One of my favorite baseball quotes is about Stargell. It came from pitcher Don Sutton. "He doesn't just hit pitchers," Sutton said., "he takes their dignity."
Shut your mouth: When Stargell was a coach for the Braves in the late 1980s, a young Barry Bonds started heckling him during a visit to Pittsburgh, telling him "I'm what it's all about now." When Stargell stormed off, Bonds scrambled after him to apologize, saying he was joking. Stargell said: "You better get some more lines on your baseball card before you talk to me like that."
No one understands him but his woman: Stargell was called both "fat" and "old" during his career, but enjoyed the best moments of his career (1969-74 and 1978-79) immediately after those insults.
(A word about the back): The record for extra base hits in one game is still five, held by several players.
Hello Pops! I've been waiting for this card for two years!
ReplyDeleteInteresting that as of 1970, only two Pirates had reached 200 or more HR's. At that time, no Pirate had reached 400 HR's. The two ahead of Stargell as of this card were Clemente and Kiner. He would pass Clemente in 1971. I would imagine that most teams have similar stories - with players finally passing 300 or 400 over the next 20 or 30 years.
ReplyDelete