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