no. 339 - wayne simpson

Who is the man: Wayne Simpson was indeed the man in 1970 until the end of July. He won 13 of his first 14 decisions until tearing his rotator cuff on July 31, 1970 in the first game of a doubleheader against the Cubs.

Can ya dig it: Simpson has already appeared in this set on the National League ERA Leaders card.

Right on:  First solo card! He first appeared in the 1970 Topps set on a Reds three-player rookie card with Hal McRae.

You see this cat Simpson is a bad mother: Simpson pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout in his major league debut on April 9, 1970 against the Dodgers. He outpitched Don Sutton, who gave up just three runs in 8-plus innings.

Shut your mouth: Because of Simpson's terrific start, his strong arm and the fact he was black, he was often compared to Bob Gibson.

No one understands him but his woman: Simpson endured arm problems for the rest of his career and was often told by the Reds that his ailments were all in his mind. He played for several other teams and later suffered blood clots in his arm, coming dangerously close to losing a limb.

(A word about the back): According to Simpson's SABR bio, the pass he completed was actually 88 yards and it was indeed all in the air, from his hands to the hands of receiver Mickey Cureton, who would play for UCLA. Considering that the average NFL quarterback is supposed to be able to throw, on average, up to 60-to-70 yards in the air, that's impressive. Which probably explains why this is the first time I remember seeing an exclamation point in any of these '71 bios.

no. 68 - 1970 national league era leaders

Who is the man: Tom Seaver is the man for winning the first of his three ERA crowns. This one was kid's stuff compared with the 1.76 and 2.08 he'd lay on hitters in 1971 and 1973.

Can ya dig it: All three pitchers are giving the pitcher the stare down. Luke Walker is going for the squint-eyed look. But it's still bad-ass.

Right on: Still loving the ERA leaders cards. Wayne Simpson and Walker? Crazy.

You see these cats are bad mothers: I can tell. But I'll go in more detail when their individual cards pop up.

Shut your mouth: Tom Seaver was a broadcaster for the Yankees in the late '80s and early '90s. His partner for most of those games was Phil Rizzuto. Seaver and Rizzuto got along well enough, with Rizzuto calling Seaver by his last name, as he often did with Bill White. But I got the feeling sometimes that Seaver wanted to focus more on the game and less on cannolis.

No one understands him but his woman: Simpson enjoyed a phenomenal start to his 1970 season, winning 13 of his first 14 decisions and being named to the All-Star team. But he tore his rotator cuff in July and it ruined his career. Simpson gutted through the injury, but all he received for it were accusations that his arm problems were more mental than physical. That caused Simpson to lash out at the Reds after they traded him to the Royals after the season.

(A word about the back): 1970 was a rarity during the period, with Seaver the only N.L. pitcher (with enough innings) with an ERA under 3. Just the year before, 13 N.L. pitchers had ERAs under 3, including 12 that were better than Seaver's league-leading 2.81 in 1970. In 1971, there were 16 N.L. pitchers with ERAs under 3.