Cards and a little mystery from Mark Z.

Mark Zentkovich is one of those guys that spans the blogs, OBC and TCDB. He sent a nice little RAOK PWE my way recently.

My 1970s and 1980s Topps football wantlists are low enough priority that I don't post them directly here or on TCDB. However, they are high enough priority that I do keep wantlists and am glad to send them on request. Mark did and sent me some '82s and '89s. That Joe Fields card is by far the best of the bunch. Rarely does a card capture the essence of a franchise's past, present and future the way that card does.

He also sent this intriguing Yogi Berra photo, which he said came out of a scrapbook. First Elston Howard from Bob, then Yogi Berra from Mark. Can a Bill Dickey scrapbook page be far behind?

The page is newsprint, so I assumed it came out of a newspaper. The back didn't provide a whole lot of clues for what it was, but eventually I figured it out. 

Maybe others are smarter than me, but it took me a realize that these stories were being told by Mickey Mantle. I just had to look up Mickey Mantle talking about Yogi Berra. I also remembered that magazines of that time were often basically newsprint on the inside.

It is from the May 1963 issue of Sport Magazine. Thanks to an eBay listing, here is the cover (in this case autographed) . . . 

. . . and the full first two pages of the article.

 

1986 Renata Galasso Mattingly #6

15-year-old Mattingly at the height of 1977 fashion with his brown shirt and white tie.

I'm guessing that a year before this photo, teenage Mattingly was very happy the Yankees lost the World Series. Maybe that's why he was cursed to never win one.

1988 Domino's Ernie Harwell

 

Ernie Harwell is an announcing legend, though he only did Tigers games so I didn't heard him announce all that much.

Most of the cards in the set had identical backs, but Domino's baked up a special back for this card.

The last line caught my eye. Apparently Harwell was a collector himself and had an amazing collection. It was donated to the Detroit Public Library after his death, and is available for viewing by appointment.
 

Burgers or gum? Marty Castillo

Last time was a 6-3 win for burgers. What will happen here?

Wendy's has another standard spring training shot, while Topps has Castillo in the dugout, with lots of fans lining up behind the dugout to watch the players. Castillo was a seldom-used catcher-3rd baseman for the Tigers between 1981 and 1985. 1984 was the year he played the most, 70 games where he hit .234 with 4 HR and 17 RBI, his only season above the Mendoza line.

Overall in 201 major league games he hit .190 with 8 HR and 32 RBI. Castillo has stayed away from baseball since his retirement, with the Tigers and Detroit newspapers unable to secure him for team reunions. In 1995 Castillo and his wife opened a sports bar called Marty Castillo's Upper Deck in Cape Coral, FL. In 1999 Castillo, whom Sports Illustrated called one of the nicest and most popular Tigers in 1984, was convicted of assault and battery against his wife. The two divorced and his wife traded his share of the bar for child support; now called BackStreets Sports Bar, it recently celebrated it's 30th anniversary. The most recent mention of Castillo is another domestic violence arrest in 2011. 

Wood vs. Wood #321

Last time Aaron beat Bonds in the big heavyweight matchup, 7-3. Who will win here?

Lee Stange gets a very simple card. Stange was employed by several teams in a long career as a player and coach but is most closely associated with the Red Sox. Stange pitched for four teams over a ten-year career, making his only World Series appearance with the Red Sox in 1967. In 359 games (125 starts) he went 62-61 with 21 saves and a 3.56 ERA. He was a major league pitching coach for three teams, including two stints with the Red Sox. He then worked as a minor league roving instructor for Boston for many years. At one Red Sox function rookie shortstop Jody Reed introduced Stange to his mother; the two later married, making Stange Reed's stepfather. Stange died in 2018.

Mike Laga's card is one of the most famous in the set, and he mentioned the pink uniform when I had the chance to interview him recently. Laga played nine years in the major leagues for the Tigers, Cardinals and Giants. In 188 major league games he hit .199 with 16 HR and 55 RBI. He is now a mortgage loan originator with Freedom Credit Union in Enfield, MA

Cake or gum? 1977 Dave Goltz

Hostess continues to struggle in '77 after being so strong the prior years, last time losing 7-0. Can it pick up a win here?

Two photos that line up rather well. I think this might be Anaheim Stadium?

Dave Goltz quietly put up several excellent season pitching for some bad Twins teams, with mediocre W-L totals despite low ERAs. In 1977 he had by far his best season, leading the AL with 20 wins. The next season he burnt his pitching hand grilling in his backyard, and he wasn't the same pitcher after, pitching poorly for the Dodgers after signing a big free agent contract with them. Overall in 353 games over 12 seasons, he went 113-109 with a 3.69 ERA.
 

1981 Topps Dan Schatzeder

 

The front: Schatzeder shows a quirky delivery at Yankee Stadium. Schatzeder pitched in two day games at Yankee Stadium in 1980. Most likely this is May 26, the same day as Lance Parrish's card. Schatzeder game up 5 runs in 4 innings, and the bullpen was no relief for the Tigers, who got mauled 13-5. The third baseman examining the dirt in detail is Richie Hebner, probably figuring out how deep a grave he could dig there. The other game is less likely - the last day of the season, not usually a time Topps sent out photographers. Schatzeder pitched a complete game, allowing just a 2-run HR to Eric Soderholm, but it was enough for another loss, 2-1.

The back: Schatzeder's ERA was 0.12 higher than league leader JR Richard.

The player: 1981 was the last year Schatzeder was primarily a starter. He spent another 10 years as a journeyman middle reliever for several teams, most notably the Twins with whom he won a World Series in 1987. Overall in 504 games (121 starts) over 15 seasons for nine teams, he went 69-68 with 10 saves and a 3.74 ERA.

The man: After his playing career he was a gym teacher and coach at Waubonsie High School in Illinois. He is now retired. 

My collection: I have 33 of his cards, from 1978 to 1991. I would be interested in trading for 1982 Topps Traded #104.
 

Wallet Card at the 9 train

The 9 train hasn't run since 2005. It covered most of the same territory as the 1 and there wasn't enough ridership to sustain it. Yet Penn Station still has a sign for the 9 train on the 8th Avenue side. Most likely the sticker that was covering the sign came off. Ironically enough it is brighter than the lines that are still active.

 

1976 SSPC Jim Barr

 

The card, in brief: I don't know if it's intentional but it looks like Barr is making a funny face here.

Playing career, in brief:  Jim Barr had several good seasons as a starting pitcher for the Giants in the mid-1970’s. winning 80 games from 1972 to 1978. In 1972 he set a major league record by retiring 41 straight batters, a mark that held for 25 years. He was a “pitch-to-contact” guy with few strikeouts or walks. A free-agent signing for the Angels in 1979, he was one of many to disappoint the club in that era, going 11-16 over two seasons. He reemerged with the Giants as a solid middle reliever in 1982 and 1983.

Post-playing career, in brief: Barr had a long career as a college and high school pitching coach, but appears to now be retired. Both of his daughters, Betsy Barr and Emmy Barr, played professionally in the Women’s United Soccer Association. They faced each other in a San Jose-Washington game in 2003.

My collection: I have 22 of his cards, from 1972 to 1984. I would be interested in trading for 1975 Hostess #13. 

1986 Renata Galasso Mattingly #5

Another little league shot of Mattingly. Looks like something happened to the film when it was developed to mess up the color.

Rod Carew is a good role model for a young hitter.