Who is the man: Carl Morton was the reigning N.L. Rookie of the Year when this card was issued. He beat out second-place Bernie Carbo and third-place Larry Bowa.
Can ya dig it: This card can be found with the black line traveling into Morton's cap and without it. In some cases the black line is more pronounced than it is here. Weird.
Right on: Love that glove so close to the camera. Cool shot. Also, this is the eighth rookie trophy card and the first since card No. 263, which featured a similar pose.
You see that cat Morton is a bad mother: Morton was the first pitcher to excel for the Expos. He won 18 games for last-place Montreal.
Shut your mouth: Morton is often cited as one of the more forgettable rookies of the year in history. Part of that is because he suffered one of the most precipitous sophomore drops for a rookie of the year ever. He went 10-18 in 1971, his strikeouts plummeted and his ERA soared.
No one understands him but his woman: Morton started his pro career in the Braves organization, as a hitter. He struggled at the plate though and was converted to pitcher in 1967.
(A word about the back): All right I'm going to be that guy and say Morton set an Expos mark for walks, too.
Cool card, the glove to the camera is cooler than the bat.
ReplyDeleteYes, but Bill Stoneman wiped that walk mark out the next year.
ReplyDeleteDied of a heart attack at age 39 after jogging with his son. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteStoneman won 11 games in their first year. Now THAT was a feat!
ReplyDeleteSoon after his Baseball Career ended, Carl Founded the Morton Salt Company...Ha!
ReplyDeleteSo many Expos of the 1970s had good rookie seasons and then suffered from the sophomore jinx.
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