no. 743 - john o'donoghue

Who is the man: John O'Donoghue was in his final major league season when this card was issued. He was traded from the Brewers to the Expos in the middle of the 1970 season and pitched just nine games for Montreal.

Can ya dig it: That tree behind O'Donoghue is pretty creepy. It almost looks like it was pasted into the photo.

Right on: Look at that signature. I defy a modern baseball player to replicate that so you can read every letter.

You see that cat O'Donoghue is a bad mother: O'Donoghue was named an All-Star during a season in which he lost 18 games. That's tough to do. (He was pitching for the lowly Kansas City A's).

Shut your mouth: O'Donoghue is quoted in Jim Bouton's "Ball Four," as the two were Seattle Pilots teammates. When the team boarded the bus from the hotel to Yankee Stadium, O'Donoghue said, "Well, boys, here we start our tour of the funny farm." -- a reference to the streets of New York City.

No one understands him but his woman: O'Donoghue's son, also named John, pitched a season for one of his father's teams, the Orioles, in 1993. He pitched with a baseball card of his father in his pocket. I'm sure mom was proud.

 (A word about the back): One of his home runs was against Denny McLain.

no. 713 - mike marshall

Who is the man: Mike Marshall arrived in 1970 with the team on which he'd build his reputation. He was traded from Houston to Montreal in June of that year.

Can ya dig it: It appears that Marshall is wearing a Detroit Tigers jersey. Marshall last played for the Tigers in 1967.

Right on: The "b" on the airbrushed cap looks quite puny. And it looks like the artist missed a spot around the left neck area.

You see that cat Marshall is a bad mother: Marshall set the major league record by appearing in a still amazing 106 games in relief in 1974. He pitched 208 1/3 relief innings and won the Cy Young Award.

Shut your mouth: During his career, Marshall refused to sign autographs because he thought kids shouldn't look up to players as heroes. I also read somewhere a long time ago that he refused to pose for baseball card photographs midway through his career and that's why you saw nothing but action shots of him from 1975 onward (and why his cards always looked bitchin').

No one understands him but his woman: Marshall, whose advanced knowledge of the science of kinesiology and his support for unconventional pitching methods is well-known, last worked for a major league organization in 1981.

(A word about the back): Marshall spent his first six seasons in pro baseball as shortstop. He hit .280 in 2,026 at-bats in the minor leagues during those years.

no. 699 - jim britton

Who is the man: Jim Britton was playing in his final major league season when this card was issued. He appeared in 16 games for the Expos in 1971, starting six of them.

Can ya dig it: Britton is 6-foot-5 and I can almost tell on this card even though it's basically a mug shot.

Right on: Britton is a native of North Tonawanda. N.Y. Right on! Know it well.

You see that cat Britton is a bad mother: Britton pitched briefly in the first NLCS when the Braves played the Mets in 1969. He threw one-third of an inning during Game 2 with the Braves down 9-6.

Shut your mouth: Britton surrendered the first home run Johnny Bench ever hit in his major league career. It was a three-run shot hit on Sept. 20, 1967.

No one understands him but his woman: Britton supposedly became an FBI agent after his career. I can find only a couple of references to it and they're not the most reliable sources, but I have no reason to doubt it.

(A word about the back): Britton had no stats in 1970 because he missed the entire year with an arm injury.

no. 674 - expos

Who is the man: The Montreal Expos were in the middle of their third season of existence when this card was issued. The 1970 season was a bit more promising after an expansion year in which the Expos finished a whopping 48 games behind the first-place Mets. Sure, the Expos were still last in 1970, but they ended up just 16 out of first when the season finished.

Can ya dig it: I can't tell you how pleased I am to know that this photo was taken at 5:10 in the afternoon.

Right on: Having the players in the second row sit was not standard procedure for team photos at the time. It really makes the third row ... um ... stand out.

You see that Mauch is a bad mother: Manager Gene Mauch, like just about all of the managers in these team photos, is sitting dead center in the front row. He is No. 4.

Shut your mouth: Let's ID some Expos! Sitting on the far right in the front row is Ron Fairly. Past and future manager Dick Williams is two spots to the left of Mauch. Sitting to the left of Williams is Le Grand Orange, Rusty Staub. Now, let's go to the back row, starting from the second guy from the left. That's outfielder Jim Gosger. After that is someone named Fred Whitfield. Next to him is Marv Staehle (the guy airbrushed as an Atlanta Brave just a few cards ago) and then the famed John Bateman. After that it's pitchers Howie Reed and Steve Renko, Rich Nye, Adolfo Phillips, Mike Wegener, Mack Jones and Bob Bailey.

No one understands him but his woman: The Expos jackets -- I hope they're satin -- are wonderful. I'm glad we get to see a glimpse of them.

(A word about the back): You can see that 13 team records were set in 1970, six of them by Staub.

no. 665 - ron swoboda

Who is the man: Ron Swoboda spent all of 1970 with the New York Mets. He was traded to the Expos at the end of March 1971. And then he was dealt to the Yankees four months later. I don't know when the final series of this set was released, but I think Swoboda may have been a Yankee by the time this card was in packs, meaning the airbrushing was all for naught!

Can ya dig it: Quite the combination, an Expos hat and Mets pinstripes.

Right on: Compared with the airbrushings on the previous two cards, this one is pretty good.

You see that cat Swoboda is a bad mother: Swoboda is famous in Mets lore for his outstretched, diving catch of a Brooks Robinson liner to right field with two runners on base in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 1969 World Series. The Mets would win that game 2-1 in 10 innings.

Shut your mouth: In the 1966 movie, "Penelope," starring Natalie Wood, Wood's character opens a pack of what appears to be 1966 Topps cards after requesting some gum from Peter Falk's character, a police lieutenant. As she opens it, she asks, "Who's Ron Swoboda?" Falk's character says dismissively, "I just chew the gum."

No one understands him but his woman: Swoboda owned the Mets record for most home runs hit by a rookie (19) until Darryl Strawberry broke it with 26 in 1983.

(A word about the back): If it wasn't for that Series catch, Swoboda might have been best know for his home runs in Carlton's 19-strikeout game.

no. 628 - john bateman

Who is the man: John Bateman enjoyed the most playing time of his 10-year career in 1970, appearing in 139 games and compiling 520 at-bats in his second year with the Expos.

Can ya dig it: I have to bring it up again: that windbreaker-under-the-jersey look just seemed like part of the uniform to us kids during the 1970s.

Right on: I wish the signature wasn't right over the MLB patch.

You see that cat Bateman is a bad mother: Bateman is the only catcher to catch a team's first no-hitter for two organizations. He caught the Astros' first no-hitter, by Don Nottebart, in 1963. He caught the Expos' first no-hitter, by Bill Stoneman, in 1969.

Shut your mouth: Bateman died in 1996, but he lives on with his own Twitter account in which he chronicles the 1972 Expos season.

No one understands him but his woman: Bateman played his entire career with one kidney and was named sports chairman of the Canadian Kidney Foundation. He told the foundation he lost the kidney due to a high school football injury, but he never played football in high school. He actually lost the kidney during a drunken barroom fall.

(A word about the back): Bateman's birthdate is incorrect. He fibbed and said he was born in 1942 when he was actually born in 1940. The inaccuracy wasn't discovered until after his retirement.

no. 608 - mike wegener

Who is the man: Mike Wegener spent his second season in the Expos' starting rotation in 1970. But it wasn't nearly as successful as his 1969 season, and he found himself in the bullpen more often.

Can ya dig it: Is that the stadium in the distance? Wegener looks like he's way out in a pasture somewhere. Granted, it's a pasture with palm trees.

Right on: This is the second straight post of a player's final card.

You see that cat Wegener is a bad mother: Wegener went 3-for-4 with four runs batted in during a start against the Mets on July 11, 1969. A solid-hitting pitcher with a career .193 batting average, Wegener delivered a three-run double in the third inning of that game in which he pitched seven innings and got the win.

Shut your mouth: Wegener spent 14 years in pro ball but just two in the majors. After 1970, he toiled for seven years in the Expos, Mets and Giants farm systems.

No one understands him but his woman: Wegener gave up Willie Mays' 3,000th hit on July 18, 1970.

(A word about the back): Wegener missed most of the first two months of the 1970 season after offseason surgery for bone chips in his throwing elbow.

no. 578 - ron hunt

Who is the man: Ron Hunt was in the middle of what would be his most famous season when this card was issued. He would end 1971 with a still unmatched 50 hit-by-pitches for the year.

Can ya dig it: Hunt is wearing a San Francisco Giants jersey and cap in this photo. He was traded to the Expos in late December 1970.

Right on: I came across so many mentions of Ron Hunt on the back of my baseball cards when I was kid in the 1970s that I knew his legacy of being hit without ever watching him play. Hunt's career HBP total has since been surpassed by Don Baylor and Craig Biggio, but no one was praised more for his ability to literally take a pitch than Hunt.

You see that cat Hunt is a bad mother: Hunt would frequently toss the ball back to the pitcher after getting hit by a pitch. Imagine a batter doing that now. There'd be riots.

Shut your mouth: When Hunt retired, he held records for most HBPs for a career, a season, consecutive seasons (7) and in a game (3). "They may be dumb records," Hunt said. "But they're the only ones I got."

No one understands him but his woman: Hunt was involved in the first trade between the Dodgers and the Giants since both teams moved out to the West Coast before the 1958 season. He was dealt from L.A., along with Nate Oliver. to San Francisco for Tom Haller and a minor leaguer.

(A word about the back): I believe the NL record that Hunt set for career HBPs surpassed the career mark by Honus Wagner, who was hit by 125 pitches. Frank Chance had around the same total. It's a bit difficult to determine whose record Hunt passed because a lot of prominent HBPers played in the 1800s (Chance was one of them) and pre-1900 stats are often discounted.

no. 560 - rusty staub

Who is the man: Rusty Staub was in his final season with the Expos when this card was issued. He was traded to the Mets in April 1972.

Can ya dig it: This is also Staub's final Topps card until the 1974 set. He didn't appear in the 1972 and 1973 sets (except for a famously airbrushed appearance in right field) because of a contract dispute with Topps.

Right on: Staub seems mighty impressed with his pretend drive to right-center field ... or into the seats behind home plate.

You see that cat Staub is a bad mother: Staub received his nickname "Le Grand Orange" in Montreal, and his No. 10 was the first number the Expos retired.

Shut your mouth: Staub's manager in Montreal, Gene Mauch, said of his slugger: "I always knew Rusty had beaucoup power before I knew what beaucoup meant."

No one understands him but his woman: Staub won over Montreal fans by his willingness to learn French. Then during the offseason between 1969 and 1970, instead of returning to his native New Orleans, he worked the banquet circuit in Canada.

(A word about the back): Billy Williams' then-NL record playing streak would end in 1971. Meanwhile, Staub played in all 162 games in 1971.

no. 536 - claude raymond

Who is the man: Claude Raymond was coming off his first full season with his hometown team when this card was issued. The Quebec native was purchased by the Expos from the Braves late in the 1969 season.

Can ya dig it: This is Raymond's only card featuring him in an Expos uniform.

Right on: Raymond, like so many of his fellow pitchers in those days, made sure he was posed ready to field that comebacker.

You see that cat Raymond is a bad mother: Raymond set an Expos record with 23 saves in 1970. It was equaled by Mike Marshall the following year and then surpassed by Marshall in 1973.

Shut your mouth: Raymond broadcasted Expos games on French TV and radio from 1972-2001, longer than any other broadcaster except for Jacques Doucet, who lasted virtually the entire existence of the Expos.

No one understands him but his woman: Raymond is known in the hobby for appearing on his 1966 Topps card with his pants unzipped. He's also apparently unzipped on his 1967 card, although it's not as obvious.

(A word about the back): Yep, Raymond was the first Canadian native to play for the Expos. He was also the first Quebec native to be named an All-Star in 1966.

no. 515 - carl morton

Who is the man: Carl Morton was the reigning N.L. Rookie of the Year when this card was issued. He beat out second-place Bernie Carbo and third-place Larry Bowa.

Can ya dig it: This card can be found with the black line traveling into Morton's cap and without it. In some cases the black line is more pronounced than it is here. Weird.

Right on: Love that glove so close to the camera. Cool shot. Also, this is the eighth rookie trophy card and the first since card No. 263, which featured a similar pose.

You see that cat Morton is a bad mother: Morton was the first pitcher to excel for the Expos. He won 18 games for last-place Montreal.

Shut your mouth: Morton is often cited as one of the more forgettable rookies of the year in history. Part of that is because he suffered one of the most precipitous sophomore drops for a rookie of the year ever. He went 10-18 in 1971, his strikeouts plummeted and his ERA soared.

No one understands him but his woman: Morton started his pro career in the Braves organization, as a hitter. He struggled at the plate though and was converted to pitcher in 1967.

(A word about the back): All right I'm going to be that guy and say Morton set an Expos mark for walks, too.

no. 474 - jim fairey

Who is the man: Jim Fairey had just finished his first full season with the Expos when this card was released. He played in 92 games for Montreal in 1970, batting .242.

Can ya dig it: The stands appear to be packed to see Jim hit.

Right on: This is Fairey's first card in an actual Expos uniform. In the 1969 Topps set, he's airbrushed out of a Dodgers uniform (one of those dreaded blackened caps from '69). He doesn't have a card in the 1970 set.

You see that cat Fairey is a bad mother: Fairey could be considered one of those 4A hitters. He beat the snot out of minor league pitchers, hitting over .300 three straight years in the Dodgers organization. But he batted just .235 in the majors.

Shut your mouth: Fairey was once called out while unconscious. The story goes that when Fairey was playing for Triple A Hawaii in the mid-1970s, he attempted to steal third base. The throw from catcher Larry Himes, hit Fairey in the ear, knocking him out. Gordy Coleman, the third base coach, grabbed Fairey instantly when he saw where Fairey was hit. When he realized that Fairey was unconscious, he laid him on third base, and the umpire ruled Fairey out because of coach's interference.

No one understands him but his woman: Fairey was often confused with Ron Fairly, another player who played for both the Dodgers and Expos.

(A word about the back): "NCAA College Division" sounds redundant to me.

no. 452 - john boccabella

Who is the man: John Boccabella enjoyed his most successful season at the plate to date in 1970, hitting .269 in 145 at-bats for the Expos. The career .219 batter wasn't known for his offense.

Can ya dig it: Look at that clear blue sky.

Right on: Do you want to know why I love baseball so much? John Boccabella and Biff Pocoroba were each major league catchers.

You see that cat Boccabella is a bad mother: The final victory of Warren Spahn's career in 1965 also included surrendering two home runs to John Boccabella.

Shut your mouth: Ron Santo called Boccabella "the most modest person I have ever met."

No one understands him but his woman: Boccabella began his career as an outfielder and first baseman in the Cubs organization. For a period, he was looked on as the successor to Ernie Banks at first base. In fact, briefly in spring training manager Leo Durocher gave the first base job to Boccabella over Banks. But it didn't last long because Boccabella didn't hit.

(A word about the back): The disparity between Boccabella's 1970 batting average and his "life" batting average reminds me of how mysterious these '71 cards were to a young collector who had never heard of these players before. How could someone who hit .269 in his most recent year be hitting .217 lifetime? It was a mystery because Topps wouldn't tell you.

no. 434 - gary sutherland

Who is the man: Gary Sutherland was on the downward slide after being the Expos' starting second baseman in their first year of existence in 1969. He lost some playing time in 1970 and hit just .206 in 116 games.

Can ya dig it: An Expos cap logo and a Major League Baseball logo? Good show.

Right on: I like the earlier Sutherland cards. Sutherland with a perm on his '75 and '76 cards is a little bit alarming.

You see that cat Sutherland is a bad mother: Sutherland and shortstop Bobby Wine turned a league-leading 110 double plays during the Expos' first season in 1969.

Shut your mouth: At age 9, Sutherland was California state champion as a roller skating figure skater.

No one understands him but his woman: Sutherland was the Tigers' lead-off hitter for most of the 1974 season. His on-base percentage that year was .282.

(A word about the back): Darrell Sutherland pitched for the Mets from 1964-66. He saw the most time in 1966, appearing in 31 games.

no. 418 - adolfo phillips

Who is the man: Adolfo Phillips played in 92 games for the Expos in 1970, batting .238. He would spend all of 1971 in the minor leagues and had just 12 more games in the majors.

Can ya dig it: Topps didn't list full names on the back of its cards in 1971, so Phillips provides it himself!

Right on: Final card!

You see that cat Phillips is a bad mother: Phillips hit four home runs in a Cubs doubleheader against the Mets in 1967.

Shut your mouth: Phillips had a world of talent that intrigued baseball men like Leo Durocher. The Cubs manager raved about Phillips when the Cubs acquired him from the Phillies in the deal that also netted Ferguson Jenkins in 1966. "This much I know," Durocher said, "Adolfo is the best center fielder the Cubs have had in a lot of years."

No one understands him but his woman: Phillips, who is from Panama, was accused of not giving his best effort several times during his career. A sensitive sort, Phillips underwent stomach surgery late in his career to take care of an ulcer.

(A word about the back): Phillips' birth year was listed as 1942 during his career and printed that way on his baseball cards, but it is now recorded as 1941.

no. 398 - howie reed

Who is the man: Howie Reed was entering the final season of his 10-year major league career in 1971. He was coming off one of his most prolific seasons as he appeared in 57 games and compiled a 3.13 ERA.

Can ya dig it: I've mentioned this a few too many times to feel comfortable about it anymore, but Reed's eye color matches with his uniform.

Right on: Final card!

You see that cat Reed is a bad mother: Reed won 19 games in a season twice in Triple A, once for the Dodgers' farm team in Spokane in 1963 and the other time for the Astros' farm team in Oklahoma City in 1967.

Shut your mouth: Reed was known to pitch with a toothpick or Q-tip in the corner of his mouth.

No one understands him but his woman: Reed gave up a three-run home run to Twins pitcher Mudcat Grant in the 1965 World Series.

(A word about the back): I don't know if I'm reading the bio right. It reads to me that Reed threw 7 1/3 innings of no-hit ball in his first start. But when I look up that game, Reed gave up five hits and they were scattered through the game.

no. 376 - expos rookie stars

Who is the man: Clyde Mashore played 13 games for the Expos in 1970, batting .160 in 25 at-bats. He spent most of the year in the minors. Ernie McAnally spent all of 1970 pitching for the Buffalo Bisons of the International League.

Can ya dig it: I enjoy the distant palm tree.

Right on: Topps is kind of on point with McAnally as a rookie star. In 1971, he would win 11 games in 25 starts for Montreal. OK, the 3.90 ERA was a little high.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: HA! The franchise was barely even two years old at this point.

Shut your mouth: This is McAnally's first card and possibly the start of little collectors making his name the butt of their jokes.

No one understands him but his woman: Mashore came to the Expos in a trade with the Reds. Cincinnati received Ty Cline in exchange, who would go on to star for Cincinnati in the 1970 postseason.

(A word about the back): McAnally was selected in the 20th round of the 1966 draft by the Mets. Other future major leaguers drafted in that round were Ed Goodson and Dave LaRoche.

no. 315 - ron fairly

Who is the man: Ron Fairly had just completed his first full season for the Expos when this card was created. After steadily declining with the Dodgers over the previous few years, his career enjoyed a little bump in 1970.

Can ya dig it: The two-handed scoop! None of this one-handed ole stuff for Ron.

Right on: Love me a chain-link fence in the background of a baseball card. ... Oh, and palm trees.

You see this cat Fairly is a bad mother: Fairly batted .379 (11-for-29) with a couple of home runs in the 1965 World Series, which the Dodgers won in seven games over the Twins.

Shut your mouth: Fairly had a difficult time adjusting to the Expos after he was traded from L.A. in 1969. "When I showed my four-year-old son, Mike, where I would be playing (on a map) after the trade," Fairly said, "he looked at me sadly and asked, 'Does this mean I don't have a daddy anymore?'"

No one understands him but his woman: Fairly was the first player to appear in the All-Star Game for both Canadian franchises, the Expos and the Blue Jays.

(A word about the back): Fairly appeared in the 1959, 1963, 1965 and 1966 World Series for the Dodgers.

no. 304 - ron brand

Who is the man: Ron Brand was entering his final season in the major leagues after playing as a back up at several positions for the Expos in 1970.

Can ya dig it: I dig that "catcher-inf" position designation. That's not one you see a lot.

Right on: Brand is posing as a catcher but he actually played at shortstop for 10 more games than he did at catcher in 1970. And they were his first appearances at shortstop in his major league career, which was eight years old at the time.

You see this cat Brand is a bad mother: Ron Brand's 1969 Topps card is awesome.

Shut your mouth: Brand lashed out at both the players and owners during the baseball strike of 1981, saying that both were to blame and chastising the game for giving large salaries to players who didn't deserve them. Brand was the Expos' player representative in 1972 during the brief strike that season.

No one understands him but his woman: Brand has seven children. That's a lot of understanding.

(A word about the back): Well, if you haven't fallen asleep after reading the minutiae in the first part of the bio, you get to something interesting buried at the bottom. Glen Brand won gold in freestyle wrestling in 1948 and was such a big deal in Iowa that there is a Hall of Fame in the state called the "Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa".

no. 284 - jim gosger

Who is the man: Jim Gosger was entering his second season with the Expos in 1971 after playing in 91 games for Montreal in 1970, his most playing time since 1967.

Can ya dig it: Gosger displays the left-handed batting pose on his 1969, 1970 and 1971 cards -- all with different teams (Pilots, Giants and Expos).

Right on: This is Gosger's last Topps card, even though he played in the majors through 1974.

You see this cat Gosger is a bad mother: In 1966, Gosger enjoyed the only two-home run game of his career, hitting two blasts off of the Tigers' Denny McLain.

Shut your mouth: Gosger is immortalized in Jim Bouton's "Ball Four" as the ballplayer who hid in the closet while his roommate became amorous with a lady friend. When the woman said, "Oh darling, I have never done it like that before," Gosger opened the closet door and said, "Yeah, surrrrre."

No one understands him but his woman: Gosger may appear as a Giant on his 1970 Topps card, but he never played for the Giants, being purchased by Expos in April of 1970.

(A word about the back): The one sport that Gosger excelled in that isn't mentioned in the bio is track. Gosger was known as a speedster even in the major leagues.