no. 104 - dan frisella

Who is the man: Dan Frisella was coming off his breakthrough season in the majors when this card arrived. In the winter after the 1969 season, he learned to throw the forkball from pitcher Diego Segui. Frisella then moved from a starter's role to a bullpen role and became an effective counterpart to Tug McGraw in the Mets' bullpen in 1970. The 1971 season would be his best in the majors.

Can ya dig it: I know Frisella from his 1975 Topps card, all long-haired and airbrushed. (He was listed as "Danny" beginning in 1975). It's nice to see Frisella from a different perspective.

Right on: Those are some bushy eyebrows on the man they called "Bear."

You see this cat Frisella is a bad mother: I mean absolutely no disrespect by this at all, but the nature of Frisella's death -- he was killed on New Year's Day, 1977 in a dune buggy accident -- struck me as very cool when I was a kid. On the list of "ways to die," dune buggy rollover was right up there for me. Of course, now, I think of living to be 100 as very cool.

Shut your mouth: Frisella was playing for the Brewers when he died. The Brewers president at the time was Bud Selig. According to the Associated Press, here is his quote when he found out that Frisella had died: "Isn't that awful? That is a real shocker. I'm dumbfounded."

No one understands him but his woman: Frisella's wife was athletic, too. She played end and safety in a woman's professional football league.

(A word about the back): The bio credits Frisella's curveball for his success in 1970. No mention of the forkball.