Who is the man: Fritz Peterson was coming off the best season -- his only 20-game-winning season -- when this card was issued.
Can ya dig it: I'm used to seeing these old-time Yankee Stadium action shots taken from the opposite side of the mound. It's nice to get this perspective. Of course, Peterson is a lefty, so you'd have to shoot on the third base side to get this shot.
Right on: This is Peterson's best Topps card, easily. He isn't in that awkward pose with his left arm shooting out as he is in half his cards. He doesn't look fat (1974). He doesn't look like Snidely Whiplash (1975).
You see that cat Peterson is a bad mother: Peterson had impeccable control. He led the league in walks per nine innings for five straight years between 1968-72.
Shut your mouth: In Peterson's 2009 book "Mickey Mantle Is Going To Heaven," he refers to his wife, Susanne, as "the new wife" throughout because she didn't approve of the book.
No one understands him but his woman: Peterson is known most these days for swapping wives with teammate Mike Kekich. While Peterson's ex-wife and Kekich split up quickly, Peterson remains married to the former Susanne Kekich more than 40 years later.
(A word about the back): I've got admit those 40 walks in 260 innings pitched looks impressive.
I don't know. I LOVED his 1973 card (one of the first I ever purchased as a five-year-old) as it shows him post-pitch and squared-up in order to be ready for a comebacker. I just thought it was so cool and imitated it for years on the ball field. I was a lefty too!
ReplyDeleteFritz is very active in posting cards on facebook. Incredible memory for detail.
ReplyDeleteI see that the wife swap description mentions Peterson 1st wife as an ex wife. They were not married at the time of the "trade". I don't know if that was clear at the time. So it's a lot less like a reality show 30 years before they became popular.