Wednesday, December 11, 2013
no. 241 - dave nelson
Who is the man: Dave Nelson is making his first appearance on a card with the Senators after he was traded from the Indians in December, 1969. He spent much of the 1970 season in the minor leagues.
Can ya dig it: I'm assuming that structure behind Nelson is the dugout and stands to a spring training stadium. Which one? You got me. I believe the Senators trained in Florida.
Right on: You can see the MLB logo prominently on Nelson's left sleeve. The logo was still pretty new at this point as it debuted on baseball uniforms in the 1969 season.
You see this cat Nelson is a bad mother: A trivia question that popped up periodically on baseball cards in the '70s referred to Nelson stealing second, third and home all in the same inning. It happened on Aug. 30, 1974 against the Indians. Only three people have done it in American League since (Paul Molitor, Devon White and Chris Stynes).
Shut your mouth: Nelson once pulled the hidden-ball trick against Bob Coluccio and the Brewers. He tagged out Coluccio at second base after asking Coluccio to move his foot so he could brush dirt off the base. After Coluccio got chewed out in the dugout, he came back out yelling at Nelson, saying Nelson embarrassed him and his team. "I didn't embarrass your team," Nelson said. "You did."
No one understands him but his woman: Nelson considered quitting baseball when he was in the minor leagues after experiencing racism during a trip down south in 1964. But his mother reminded him that his idol was Jackie Robinson, and Nelson kept playing.
(A word about the back): It looks like Nelson's head disappears into nothingness in the photo, but I'm not calling it a floating head because I can see a neck.
Didn't Jayson Werth of the Phillies steal 2nd, 3rd, and home in the same inning against the Dodgers? I think it was 2009.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. I meant to write they were the only ones in AL to have done it since Nelson. I've fixed it.
DeleteThe early Nelson cards make me smile. He looks so serious and intense. Now he does Brewer pre and post game telecasts and is a happy, grandfatherly type.
ReplyDeleteI love how you come up with stories I've never heard. The Coluccio story is a great one.
ReplyDelete