Monday, May 22, 2017

no. 661 - chuck tanner


Who is the man: Chuck Tanner received his first manager card after being hired for the final 16 games of the Chicago White Sox's 1970 season. The team went 3-13 under him.

Can ya dig it: This marks Tanner's return to Topps cards after his last card as a player in the 1960 set.

Right on: This is also the first Topps appearance of the White Sox's red caps and red pinstripe uniforms. All of the previous '71 White Sox cards showed players in the blue-and-gray duds from 1970. But you can tell this photo was taken in 1971 because that's the year the new red uniforms debuted.

You see that cat Tanner is a bad mother: Tanner was the manager of the Pirates' "We Are Family" World Series championship team in 1979.

Shut your mouth: Tanner was fired by the Pirates in 1985 after a terrible season in which the team was plagued by drug scandal. Tanner said later, "I would've fired myself."

No one understands him but his woman: Tanner was manager for the A's in 1976 when he was traded to the Pirates for catcher Manny Sanguillen and a bunch of cash. It's one of just three instances in which a manager was traded.


(A word about the back): Topps apparently missed some players because looking at a few different sites now tells me there were six players to hit a home run on their first major league pitch before Tanner did it.

2 comments:

  1. The red WS caps make this card look so out of place in the 1971 set.

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  2. That's the same picture that was on the cover of the 1971 White Sox media guide. I know because as a true and loyal 10 year old Sox fan I bought for my own copy of the media guide for 50 cents by mail order. I still have it 50 years later, but it is pretty beaten up.

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