no. 370 - joe torre

Who is the man: Man, oh, man, Joe Torre was about to reach the summit of his playing career when this card was issued. The 203 hits and .325 batting average that he compiled in 1970 was a prelude to his MVP year in 1971.

Can ya dig it: One of those terrific 1971 action shots in which I can't help but wonder who the Cardinal is on deck. I'm going to guess first baseman Joe Hague just because he seemed to bat behind Torre a lot during the 1970 season (this is based on research, I wasn't old enough to watch games in 1970).

Right on: This -- along with the Vida Blue card from this set -- were the first 1971 Topps card images I ever saw. Torre's '71 card appeared in the MVP subset in 1975 Topps and the '71 MVPs was one of the cards I pulled from those first three packs I purchased in '75.

You see that cat Torre is a bad mother: It's not easy to be both an excellent player and an excellent manager in the major leagues, but Torre was that.

Shut your mouth: Manager Whitey Herzog respected Torre's managing abilities, but called him "the worst catcher I ever saw."

No one understands him but his woman: Torre and his wife, Ali, went on a four-day self-improvement seminar just after he was named manager of the Yankees. Torre credited that seminar for helping him open up, share his emotions and not take on the world by himself.

(A word about the back): Torre received the chance to catch Spahn's 300th game because Del Crandall, who was considered Spahn's personal catcher, suffered an injury-plagued season in 1961.

no. 62 - 1970 national league batting leaders

Who is the man: Rico Carty is the man. He beat the second-place finisher in the batting race by more than 40 points! Highest batting average in major league baseball in 13 years, too.

Can ya dig it: I'm going to say Manny Sanguillen is signing an autograph. He's doing writing of some sort on his individual card in the 1971 set, so I'm thinking this picture is from the same photo shoot.

Right on: I'm almost certain the player behind Joe Torre is Mike Torrez. He wore the number 48 for the 1970 Cardinals and that sure looks like his last name on the back of the jersey.

You see these cats are bad mothers: You'll have to find out why they're bad mothers when their individual cards pop up here.

Shut your mouth: Carty was acquired by the Cubs in August of 1973, but didn't get along with all-star third baseman Ron Santo. The Cubs promptly dealt Carty to the A's a month later. Carty complained that Santo was a selfish player and that the Cubs would never win another title as long as Santo was on the team.

No one understands him but his woman: Carty was left off the All-Star ballot in 1970, even though he hit .342 in 1969. But fans wrote him in as a starting outfielder. I guess they understood.

(A word about the back): I get a kick out of seeing Wes Parker so high on the batting average leaders.