no. 654 - don shaw

Who is the man: Don Shaw was purchased by the Cardinals from the Expos in May of 1970. Shaw played the entire 1970 season in the minors and didn't play all that much even there. He broke his hand two weeks after the trade.

Can ya dig it: Shaw, no doubt, is wearing an Expos uni.

Right on: Another one of those hatless 1971 Topps cards that when I saw them as a kid, I thought, what a strange world it was back in 1971.

You see that cat Shaw is a bad mother: Shaw picked up the first victory in Montreal Expos history, coming on in relief of a pitcher that was just featured on this blog.

Shut your mouth: Shaw enjoyed an unexpected resurgence for the Cardinals in 1971 with career bests in appearances (45) and ERA (2.65). He credited it to talks with Warren Spahn, who managed Shaw in Tulsa in 1970. "Spahnie would work with me when I warmed up," he said.

No one understands him but his woman: Shaw's pitching fell apart the very next year after his '71 breakout. He was traded to the A's early in the 1972 season and performed poorly in a deep Oakland bullpen. By 1974, he was out of baseball.

 (A word about the back): Nothing but zeroes for 1970. I know flagship sets where that would be enough to leave the player out of the set. But not 1971 Topps.