Tuesday, April 5, 2016

no. 519 - willie crawford


Who is the man: After finally receiving some decent playing time in 1969 and being able to exhibit some of his enormous talent, Willie Crawford regressed a bit in 1970, batting just .234 in 109 games.

Can ya dig it: One of my favorite Dodger cards in the set. With palm tree and batting cage in the background, a helmet-wearing Crawford sizes up the photographer and takes a lazy swing.

Right on: I can confirm by the number 27 on Crawford's bat handle that it is indeed his bat.

You see that cat Crawford is a bad mother: Crawford hit a home run in the World Series in 1974, a ninth-inning shot against Oakland closer Rollie Fingers to pull the Dodgers within 3-2 as the leadoff hitter in the inning. The next hitter reached on an error, but then Ron Cey struck out and Bill Russell hit into a double play to end the rally and Game 3.

Shut your mouth: The Dodgers compared a young Crawford to Roberto Clemente and Tommy Davis, while the A's compared him to Willie Mays and Willie Davis.

No one understands him but his woman: Crawford died at 57 from kidney disease. He had a drinking problem when his career ended and found out in treatment that he was harboring anger for always being platooned and rarely getting a chance to start.


(A word about the back): Wow, that's quite a smile, Mr. Crawford.

3 comments:

  1. That back picture I'm sure is from his rookie card in 1965.

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  2. Curious why the A's would compare him to Mays or Davis, since by the time he got there he had already appeared in a total of 13 MLB seasons, 8 full ones. Such comparisons are usually reserved for up and coming players.

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    1. This was back when the A's were heavily scouting Crawford, along with the Dodgers. He ended up signing with L.A., even though the A's offered him more money.

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