no. 554 - lowell palmer

Who is the man: Lowell Palmer was coming off the most active season of his five-year career when this card was issued. He appeared in 38 games, all but nine in relief, in 1970.

Can ya dig it: Powell is reprising his role on his 1970 Topps rookie card as the Joe Cool of major league baseball.

Right on: Powell is featured on just three Topps cards (1970-72). He's wearing dark glasses on two of them and slightly less-tinted glasses in '72.

You see that cat Powell is a bad mother: I'm going to cite this post one more time. Everything in it, especially the comments, will explain everything you need to know.

Also, there's this lead to a 1971 story: "A gorgeous redhead walked into the Philadelphia minor league complex here.

"'It has to be one of Lowell Palmer's girlfriends,' a bystander said."

Shut your mouth: Powell was inducted into the Sacramento Area Baseball Hall of Fame in February. In a comment about the news on the Hall's Facebook page, a woman posted: "Make sure you tell him his 'Padrette' girlfriend has never forgotten! Remember Sheiba!" I don't fully know what that means, but Palmer did end his major league career with the Padres in 1974.

No one understands him but his woman: While pitching for Triple A Syracuse in 1974, Palmer's "lady friend" drove his sports car from California to Syracuse. In a Syracuse-Herald Journal story, Palmer said the car was sideswiped near Buffalo, rolled over eight times and was totaled. The girlfriend was hospitalized and Palmer drove to Buffalo to check on her before returning to Syracuse and pitching a six-hitter in a 5-1 victory.

(A word about the back): There aren't a lot of card photos of Palmer without his frames. This particular photo is from the 1970 Philadelphia Phillies yearbook.