no. 307 - don wert

Who is the man: Don Wert was dealt to the Senators on Oct. 9, 1970 in the big deal that also sent Denny McLain to Washington and brought Ed Brinkman, Joe Coleman and Aurelio Rodriguez to Detroit.

Can ya dig it: The fact that Wert is capless (because he's wearing a Detroit Tigers jersey) makes him look a lot older than on his previous cards.

Right on: I'm trying to determine the guy behind Wert. I want to say the player is wearing the No. 4, but in 1970 that number belonged to Kevin Collins, who is not black. It's possible the number could be a 9, which was Ike Brown's number and he's black. Further investigation will have to come from a reader.

You see this cat Wert is a bad mother: Wert delivered the game-winning hit in the Tigers' pennant-clinching victory against the Yankees on Sept. 17, 1968. It was Detroit's first pennant since 1945.

Shut your mouth: Wert was nicknamed "Coyote" because his chatter in the infield was high-pitched and sounded like the "yip" of a coyote, teammates said.

No one understands him but his woman: Wert batted just .200 during the 1968 season, in which he played 150 games and was named an All-Star. He was struck in the helmet with a pitch in June and spent two days in the hospital. He batted just .179 for the rest of the season and never had a season where he hit higher than .225 for the rest of his career. At one point, the Tigers ordered tests on Wert to make sure there wasn't something wrong with him physically.

 

(A word about the back): That is one large script "W" airbrushed onto Wert's cap. He spent just 20 games with Washington and wouldn't play in the majors again.