no. 723 - vicente romo

Who is the man: Vicente Romo pitched for the Red Sox in 1970. He spent most of the time in the bullpen with a spot start or two. But he didn't fair as well in his starting assignments as he did in 1969 and was traded to the White Sox in March 1971.

Can ya dig it: We are in prime "magic hat" territory in the 1971 set. Here is another one. Topps wants you to believe that this is anything major leaguers were wearing in 1970-71.

Right on: Romo is sporting some prime sideburns.

You see that cat Romo is a bad mother: A star of the Mexican League, Romo made a comeback with the Dodgers in 1982, eight years after his last major league appearance. He won his first game since 1974 with a seven-inning shutout against the Expos in July 1982.

Shut your mouth: Romo's nickname is "huevo," which is "egg" in Spanish. It originated when he was a child as others thought his face was egg-shaped.

No one understands him but his woman: Romo disappeared from the team while with the Red Sox. He told his roommate, Jose Santiago, he was going out for dinner. He didn't return until 11 a.m. two days later, saying he became ill after drinking and forgot to alert the team. He was docked only a day's pay.

(A word about the back): "One of the few successful graduates of Mexican League ball" ... that is a questionable statement given that Romo said he and other Mexicans were not given opportunities during that period to succeed in the majors. Players like Fernando Valenzuela and Teddy Higuera opened the door for the current group of Mexican MLBers.