no. 752 - dick drago

Who is the man: Dick Drago pitched 240 innings for the Royals in 1970 as one of their starting staff mainstays. He won 20 games for K.C. in its first two years of existence.

Can ya dig it: Drago had a big ol' stache by the time I figured out who he was (1976 set with the Red Sox), so seeing him smooth-shaven is bizarre.

Right on: This is the final card in the set!

You see that cat Drago is a bad mother: Drago won 17 games in 1971 and finished fifth in the AL Cy Young voting.

Shut your mouth: Drago was a known bench-baiter during his career. As a reliever, he would stay in the dugout as late as possible so he could harass the opposing pitchers.

No one understands him but his woman: Drago encountered child-support issues about 10 years after his career ended. Twice-divorced, he was eventually arrested, but he produced proof of payment at a trial and the sides settled.

(A word about the back): "Owns KC's only victory over Baltimore." That sounds sad, even with the knowledge that this was a two-year-old expansion team at the time.

I'll be back for one more post before wrapping up this blog.

no. 742 - royals

Who is the man: The Royals finished four games worse in 1970 than they did their expansion year. But they were still fourth in the AL West, tied with the Brewers, as the White Sox were gawd-awful.

Can ya dig it: All the guys in the front row appear to be praying. 

Right on: This is the final team card in the set. All 24 teams at that time are present and accounted for!

You see that cat Lemon is a bad mother: Manager Bob Lemon is six places from the left in the front row. He replaced Charlie Metro in midseason so I'm assuming they took a team photo after that to reflect the change?

Shut your mouth: Thanks to handy ebay, I found a photo with names identified on the bottom. I won't identify them all because the '70 Royals aren't that interesting, but you need to know that Lou Piniella is the third player from the left in the top row and Amos Otis is the second player from the right in the top row. Famed Pilots manager Joe Schultz is seated left of Lemon.

No one understands him but his woman: The bat boy on the ground, Ed Gunther, seems lonely.

(A word about the back): Thanks to the arrival of Amos Otis in that famed trade with the Mets before the season, the Royals broke all of their batting records in 1970.

no. 730 - jim rooker

Who is the man: Jim Rooker won 10 games in his second full season with the Royals in 1970. He was the only starter on the staff to reach double figures in wins.

Can ya dig it: The scoreboard is the star of the show on this card. I'm assuming that's a Coca-Cola sign.

Right on: Going through a pitching motion in the outfield with the warning track in the background isn't fooling anyone.

You see that cat Rooker is a bad mother: Rooker was a mainstay in the Pirates' starting rotations of the mid-1970s and one of the team's most consistent pitchers.

Shut your mouth: Rooker famously said, "if we don't win, I'll walk back to Pittsburgh," when he was broadcasting a Pirates game from Philadelphia in 1989. The Pirates scored 10 runs in the top of the first, prompting Rooker's statement in the bottom of the first. The Phillies wound up winning the game, 15-11. After the season, Rooker fulfilled his promise with a charity walk from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.

No one understands him but his woman: Rooker ran for political office twice. He lost both times.

(A word about the back): Rooker hit .201 for his career, but, by far, his best hitting seasons were the 1969 season mentioned (.281, 4 home runs) and the 1974 season (.305, 5 doubles, 2 triples).

no. 719 - jerry may

Who is the man: Jerry May was in his first season with the Royals when this card was issued. He appeared in 51 games for the Pirates in 1970.

Can ya dig it: Love that the photographer or photo editor left the old-school scoreboard in the background.

Right on: May is shown in a catcher's pose on his 1967, 68, 69 and 71 cards. He was known for his defensive skills.

You see that cat May is a bad mother: May led the National League in caught-stealing percentage in 1970. He gunned down 50 percent of runners stealing that season.

Shut your mouth: May was killed at age 52 in a farming accident. A rotary brush cutter fell on him.

No one understands him but his woman: May was the catcher when Dock Ellis threw his famed LSD no-hitter against the Padres. Ellis said he was so high on acid that he often couldn't see May, but saw the signals because May wore reflective tape on his fingers.

(A word about the back): "Broke up games" isn't a phrase you hear much now, but I'm assuming it means that May had a "walk-off" hit in each case.

no. 701 - bob garibaldi

Who is the man: Bob Garibaldi played in the minors for the Giants' Triple A Phoenix team in 1970. He was traded to the Royals in October 1970. He never played a regular season game for K.C. He was dealt to the Padres in April 1971.

Can ya dig it: This is Garibaldi's final Topps card. He has just two, the other one also a high number in the 1970 set.

Right on: At a distance, say the player in the background in this photo, the Royals of this time period look like hospital orderlies.

You see that cat Garibaldi is a bad mother: Garibaldi was a college phenom who led Santa Clara University to the College World Series title in 1962. He was signed by the Giants for a record bonus of $150,000 and went straight to the majors.

Shut your mouth: Garibaldi had already played his final major league game when this card was issued.

No one understands him but his woman: Despite all of his accolades in the early '60s (this guy would have been all over Bowman cards if he was just starting out today), Garibaldi managed to pitch just 15 major league games over a 10-year period in pro ball.

(A word about the back): Another high-number player with no 1970 stats. But, I admit 20 complete games in one season in the minors is a bit impressive.

no. 681 - bill butler

Who is the man: Bill Butler was in his third year with the Royals when this card was issued. He was an original K.C. Royal and had been a member of the starting rotation in 1969 and 1970.

Can ya dig it: This is the first card in which Butler is wearing a non-airbrushed cap. He's airbrushed in a 3-player rookie card in the '69 Topps set and also airbrushed in the 1970 Topps set.

Right on: William F. Butler. That doesn't sound like a pitcher. More like a lawyer.

You see that cat Butler is a bad mother: Butler led the expansion Royals in strikeouts in 1969 with 156.

Shut your mouth: This is the final card of Butler until the 1975 Topps set. He bounced between the majors and minors from 1971-74.

No one understands him but his woman: This is the first of two Bill Butlers to player for the Royals. K.C. designated hitter Billy Butler is more well-known to younger fans and those who like big breakfasts.

 (A word about the back): Butler went 2-1 for the month of April in 1970. He appeared in five games and posted a 4.44 ERA in 26 1/3 innings. The Royals went 7-12 that month.

no. 662 - mike hedlund

What a card: Mike Hedlund was in the midst of by far his best major league season when this card was issued. Hedlund started 30 games in 1971, nearly twice as many in any other year of his career, and went 15-8 with a 2.71 ERA.

Can ya dig it: It's not quite as visible as it is on some of his other cards, but Hedlund really had some red hair.

Right on: I sure do miss seeing ballplayers milling about in the background of baseball card photos.

You see that cat Hedlund is a bad mother: Hedlund's first major league appearance came as an 18-year-old for the Indians in 1965. During a May 8 game against the Red Sox he relieved Floyd Weaver after Weaver gave up a three-run home run to Tony Conigliaro, Hedlund retired Carl Yastrzemski on a ground out and Eddie Bressoud on a fly ball to finish the inning.

Shut your mouth: To illustrate how different it was for pitchers back then, Hedlund said in an interview that when he was with the Indians, his pitching coach was Early Wynn, and Wynn told him, "when I hand you the ball, I want you to pitch 300 innings."

No one understands him but his woman: Hedlund was one of several major leaguers who went over to Vietnam in the offseason on a goodwill tour, visiting soldiers during the Vietnam War. Hedlund visited in 1971, along with players like Bob Gibson, Graig Nettles, Dock Ellis and Bobby Bonds.

(A word about the back): That's some nice research in the bio.

no. 646 - bobby floyd

Who is the man: This is Bobby Floyd's first card as a Kansas City Royal. The Orioles traded him to Kansas City to reaquire reliever Moe Drabowsky in mid-June of 1970.

Can ya dig it: This photo is almost dizzying. It's so tightly cropped and shot from an angle. Plus the card is diamond cut, which isn't helping matters.

Right on: "Infield" is correct. Floyd played regularly at second, short and third.

You see that cat Floyd is a bad mother: Floyd went 14-for-43 (.326) in his first at-bats for the Royals when he was called up to the majors in September 1970.

Shut your mouth: When Floyd was coaching for the Mets in 2004, his home in Port St. Lucie, Fla., was destroyed by Hurricane Frances.

No one understands him but his woman: Floyd fielded the ground ball that led to the final out of Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer's no-hitter on Aug. 13, 1969. Oakland's Larry Haney grounded to Floyd at shortstop, who flipped to second baseman Don Buford, who forced out the A's Tommie Reynolds for the final out. Reynolds had walked (Palmer walked three batters in the 9th to load the bases before Haney's groundout).

(A word about the back): Those are some paltry stats for 1970. Topps was really going for the all-inclusive set in the early '70s.

no. 626 - freddie patek

Who is the man: Freddie Patek was enjoying his first season with the Royals when this card was issued. After enduring a disappointing 1970 season after starting at shortstop for the Pirates in 1969, Patek was traded to Kansas City in six-player deal.

Can ya dig it: Patek returns to being called "Freddie" by Topps after a one-year experiment with "Fred" in the 1970 set.

Right on: He's a Pirate in this photo! Yellow piping! You can't fool me!

You see that cat Patek is a bad mother: Patek was the shortest player in baseball during the 1970s, yet started for the Royals from 1971-79 and led the league in stolen bases in 1977.

Shut your mouth: Patek was in the running for the AL MVP award in 1971 but says he choked near the end of the season. "The last month I had too many reporters coming up to me and saying, 'You know what? You're the MVP," and I went from about .300 to about .260 or .270. And I thought, 'You idiot.'"

No one understands him but his woman: Patek and his wife, Jerri, raise money for his Kim Patek Foundation and the Spinal Cord Society. The Pateks' daughter, Kim, was paralyzed from the neck down in an auto accident in 1992. She died in 1995.

(A word about the back): Patek's height is listed here as 5-foot-5. That's down an inch from his 1969 card, where he's listed at 5-6. Beginning in 1973, he would be listed as 5-4 for the rest of his career and that's the height that I knew for him. But Patek says 5-5 is closer to his actual height.

no. 610 - amos otis

Who is the man: Amos Otis was coming off a breakout year in 1970 -- his first full season in the majors and his first season with the Royals -- when this card was issued. Somewhere in that time frame, the Mets, who had traded Otis for Joe Foy the previous offseason, were muttering "crap, what have we done?"

Can ya dig it: Otis seems pretty happy with his new team.

Right on: Excellent signature. Also, this is Otis' first card in a Royals uniform. He is cropped so closely on his 1970 card that you can't tell he's really a Met.

You see that cat Otis is a bad mother: Otis was named an All-Star four straight years and won three Gold Gloves. He played for the Royals in the postseason five of six years between 1976-81.

Shut your mouth: Otis was one of those players who made the game look effortless and, as usual, some interpreted that as giving no effort. Otis was called lackadaisical and moody all the while making one-handed catches better than anyone.

No one understands him but his woman: Otis was the 19th strikeout victim during Steve Carlton's 19-whiff game in 1969 (it was the first 19-strikeout game at the time).

(A word about the back): Otis' 176 hits in 1970 was the high for his 17-year career.

no. 581 - roger nelson

Who is the man: Roger Nelson had struggled with shoulder problems in 1970 and managed just 9 innings the whole year. He spent most of 1971 rehabilitating.

Can ya dig it: Nelson is 6-feet-3. I can tell in this photo.

Right on: I admit I didn't really know much about Nelson before starting this post. When I looked up his cards, I was surprised he was the same guy airbrushed into a White Sox cap on his 1975 Topps card. "Oh, so you're that guy," I said.

You see that cat Nelson is a bad mother: Nelson was the No. 1 pick of the Kansas City Royals in the 1968 expansion draft. He finished fifth in the A.L. in earned run average in 1972 at 2.08 (that's right, a 2.08 ERA was fifth in 1972).

Shut your mouth: Nelson may have been airbrushed into a White Sox cap in '75, but he never played for Chicago then as he was released before the 1975 season began (he did start out with the White Sox in 1967, appearing in five games).

No one understands him but his woman: Nelson pitched the Royals' final game in Municipal Stadium -- the former home of the Kansas City A's) -- on Oct. 4, 1972. He threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout against the Rangers.

(A word about the back): I'm going to assume that Nelson did not letter in basketball and cross country in the 1968 expansion pool, but that's how it reads.

no. 564 - al fitzmorris

Who is the man: Al Fitzmorris pitched in his first full season in 1970, appearing mostly in relief for the second-year Royals.

Can ya dig it: Those palm trees on either side of the telephone pole. I dig that.

Right on: This is Fitzmorris' first solo card.

You see that cat Fitzmorris is a bad mother: Fitzmorris finished fifth in the American League in ERA in 1974 at 2.79. He was second on the Royals staff behind Steve Busby's 18 victories with 16 win in 1975.

Shut your mouth: Fitzmorris admits to butting heads with two Royals managers of the 1970s, Jack McKeon and Whitey Herzog. Knowing the personalities of both of those managers, I'm sure just about everyone butted heads with them.

No one understands him but his woman: Fitzmorris has been a singer and musician most of his life, including during his baseball career. When he was first arriving in the major leagues, he was the singer for a five-man rock band called Blond Cobra.

(A word about the back): Fitzmorris came to bat 406 times in 1966 while in the minors with the White Sox. Pitchers who started out as hitters in the pros always interest me.

no. 546 - john matias

Who is the man: John Matias played his only season in the major leagues in 1970. He appeared in 58 games for the White Sox, batting .188.

Can ya dig it: Matias was traded from the White Sox to the Royals in October 1970. It's convenient that the White Sox wore light blue colors at the time because all Topps did was airbrush Matias' cap.

Right on: Matias' hands are strategically blocking any sign of Chicago White Sox lettering on the person behind him.

You see that cat Matias is a bad mother: Matias, a Hawaiian native, hit four home runs in four at-bats during the high school state championship game in 1962. It was such a big deal in Hawaii that the Honolulu Advertiser did a story on it 42 years later.

Shut your mouth: Matias returned to Hawaii after his career and remains there. He said of his 4-home run game, "Every time I run into someone, they swear they were at that game."

No one understands him but his woman: Matias' two career home runs both came against the Oakland A's.

(A word about the back): Matias seemed to be a streaky hitter. During the 1970 season, he went 8-for-12 in three games in late May.

no. 528 - wally bunker

Who is the man: Wally Bunker struggled through arm problems the entire 1970 season and didn't win a game until September. It would be his last full season in the majors.

Can ya dig it: I wonder if he wore that holey shirt in an actual game.

Right on: Final card of his career.

You see that cat Bunker is a bad mother: Bunker was the only rookie pitcher of the 20th century to win as many as 18 games when he went 19-5 for the Orioles as a 19-year-old in 1964, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Shut your mouth: Bunker and his wife, Kathy, wrote a children's book, "I Am Me" that was published in 2015.

No one understands him but his woman: The Royals named Bunker their Opening Day starter in 1970, but only after he cut his long hair.

(A word about the back): Bunker's won-loss record in 1962 is the exact opposite of his won-loss mark in 1970. How nice of Topps to point that out.

no. 504 - ken wright

Who is the man: Ken Wright was entering his second year in the majors when this card was issued. He worked in a career-high 47 games his rookie year in 1970, all from the bullpen. He logged just 53 1/3 innings.

Can ya dig it: I miss the overhead windup.

Right on: Thanks to the photo angle -- a modified hero shot -- Wright looks like a giant. He was 6-2.

You see that cat Wright is a bad mother: Wright appeared in the most games on the Royals' pitching staff his rookie season.

Shut your mouth: When the Yankees swindled Lou Piniella from the Royals for pitcher Lindy McDaniel, they also received Wright in the trade. He pitched in just three games for the Yankees.

No one understands him but his woman: Wright was part of a letter-writing campaign among some former major leaguers seeking a revision to MLB's pension rules to include anyone who had played in a major league game. Currently, any player who has competed in 43 MLB games is eligible for a pension. Wright and former Oriole Jim Hutto wrote letters to many Hall of Famers and said they didn't receive any response.

(A word about the back): Pitcher double plays is not a stat you hear about much.

no. 487 - paul schaal

Who is the man: Paul Schaal was coming off his first full season at third base for the Royals in 1970. He stepped in after Kansas City traded regular Joe Foy to the Mets in the deal that landed K.C. center fielder Amos Otis.

Can ya dig it: This is the seventh action-packed Royals card so far.

Right on: I don't know what that yellow figure is in the stands to the right. Possibly a vendor carrying something large? Just a guess.

You see that cat Schaal is a bad mother: Schaal was named to the Topps all-rookie team for his 1965 season with the Angels. He's sporting a rookie trophy on his 1966 card.

Shut your mouth: Schaal studied to be a chiropractor after his playing career. He was a practicing chiropractor for more than 30 years before retiring to Hawaii.

No one understands him but his woman: Schaal lasted in Kansas City until a slow start in 1974. A rookie named George Brett stepped in, and Schaal was shipped back to the Angels.

(A word about the back): I always wondered about these "greatest baseball thrills." Did they actually ask the guy? Sure, an inside-the-park home run in extra innings to win the game is definitely a thrill. But "greatest" is so subjective.

no. 470 - bob oliver

Who is the man: Bob Oliver enjoyed the best season of his career in 1970, setting career highs in virtually ever category.

Can ya dig it: Another action-packed Royals card (this is the sixth one). If I collected as a kid in 1971, I would have fallen in love with this one.

Right on: I even like the signature on this card. It has everything -- except you can't see the bat.

You see that cat Oliver is a bad mother: Oliver hit the first grand slam in Kansas City Royals history. It was on July 4th against the Seattle Pilots' Jim Bouton.

Shut your mouth: When Oliver was with the Angels in 1973, he told Jet magazine that what the team needed was "a black superstar" to draw fans. (The nearby Dodgers drew many more fans and featured several standout black players). Oliver didn't consider himself that superstar, but the Angels had just acquired an almost over-the-hill Frank Robinson from the Dodgers and he thought Robinson was that guy.

No one understands him but his woman: Oliver's son is Darren Oliver, the longtime lefty pitcher. Darren Oliver said that his mother, Hazel, worked a 9-to-5 job when Darren and his brother were kids. But when they played school sports, their mom was always there to watch.

(A word about the back): Oliver's first major league appearance may have been in 1965 (three whole games), but he didn't make a return to the majors until 1969.

no. 451 - joe keough

Who is the man: Joe Keough posted his career-high in batting average in 1970, finishing at .322, but his season ended prematurely when he broke his leg sliding into home against the Angels at the end of June. The injury helped shorten his career.

Can ya dig it: Keough has a baby face but he was a stud athlete. He was highly recruited and an outstanding quarterback who once tried to play football and baseball for Arizona State (it didn't work out). 

Right on: This is the third of just four baseball cards of Keough, and his cards are pretty good, particularly the glorious bat rack debut in 1969.

You see that cat Keough is a bad mother: Keough hit a home run in his first major league at-bat, a pinch-hit shot off the Yankees' Lindy McDaniel in 1968. Keough also supplied the first game-winning hit in Kansas City Royals history, a pinch-hit single in the 12th inning against the Twins in the Royals' first game.

Shut your mouth: Keough came up in the A's organization and knew all of the future Swingin' A's players, like Reggie Jackson and Sal Bando, from his college days. When he was selected by the Royals in the expansion draft, Keough admitted to being disappointed. He said his first reaction was "Why me?"

No one understands him but his woman: Keough's mother, Eleanor, raised three pro ball players. Joe's older brother, Marty, was an outfielder for several teams, including the Red Sox, Reds and Senators. Another brother, Tom, played briefly in the Red Sox minor league organization. (Marty's son is former A's starting pitcher Matt Keough, who later become famous -- again-- through reality television).

(A word about the back): There you see the .322 batting average. He was sixth in the American League in the category when he broke his leg.

no. 431 - tom burgmeier

Who is the man: Tom Burgmeier, an original Kansas City Royal, had just completed his second season with the Royals, appearing in 41 games in 1970, all in relief.

Can ya dig it: I have no idea what that pattern in the top right corner is.

Right on: "Burgmeier" was entirely too close to "Burgermeister Meisterburger" when I was a kid.

You see that cat Burgmeier is a bad mother: Burgmeier set the Red Sox's lefty mark for saves in a season when he saved 24 games in 1978.

Shut your mouth: Bob Lemon once called Burgmeier the best fielding pitcher since Bobby Shantz, who won four straight Gold Gloves. Burgmeier never won a Gold Glove.

No one understands him but his woman: Burgmeier was signed by the brand new Houston Colt .45s in 1961. But after two seasons in the minors, the Colt .45s released him.

(A word about the back): "Chances Accepted" is a wonderfully formal and unnecessary phrase.

no. 411 - george spriggs

Who  is the man: George Spriggs had just completed his busiest season in the major leagues, appearing in 51 games and compiling 130 at-bats in 1970 after four partial years in the bigs. He'd never have another at-bat in the majors.

Can ya dig it: This is Spriggs' only solo card (he's on multi-player rookie cards in the 1968 and 1969 Topps sets). It's a pretty great card for your only one.

Right on: Is that Thurman Munson making another cameo in the 1971 Topps set?

You see that cat Spriggs is a bad mother: A noted speedster, Spriggs stole 335 bases over 10 minor league seasons.

Shut your mouth: Spriggs' son, Geno, was a low-level prospect in the Pirates organization in the late 1980s. He died at age 20 in a car accident. A baseball field in Maryland is named after the younger Spriggs. It's called Geno's Field.

No one understands him but his woman: Sure, he's being thrown out on the play, but Spriggs' created a pretty cool picture by rolling into second base.

(A word about the back): Everything the bio is saying is that Spriggs is fast. Everything the numbers are saying is that speed didn't help him hit.