no. 301 - earl wilson

Who is the man: Earl Wilson had finished up his major league career when this card came out. The 1970 season was his last. He split it between the Tigers and the second-year Padres.

Can ya dig it: It's fortunate that we have a card of Wilson as a Padre. He was released by San Diego in January of 1971 and promptly retired. Perhaps Topps had the card already made up and didn't want to pull it.

Right on: Final card issued during his career.

You see this cat Wilson is a bad mother: Wilson was known for being an excellent hitter. For his career, he hit 35 home runs in 740 at bats.

Shut your mouth: Wilson experienced a famous racist incident while a member of the Red Sox. He went out for a drink at a bar in Florida with two white teammates, Dennis Bennett and Dave Morehead. The bartender told Wilson "we don't serve niggers here," which caused all three players to walk out of the bar. Wilson relayed the incident to a Red Sox reporter, but asked him not to report it. The reporter agreed, but another reporter got wind of it and wrote a story, focusing on the Red Sox players' "carousing." A couple of months later, Wilson was dealt to the Tigers, and he and others believed it was because the incident came to light.

No one understands him but his woman: Wilson was one of the first pro athletes to have an agent. He hired one in 1962, kicking off what would be a productive career for sports agent Bob Woolf.

(My observation on the back): Wilson is a little cheated here because his final card comes in the '71 set. He could have had complete stats from 1959-1970 on the back of his last card.