Gambo and T_Wil1 Photopack

[Merkle923]

Yes. HOF McCarthy collection.

[tnfoto]

Facepack upgrade, from an 1889 Stockton (Cal Lg) team composite.

[DeweyintheHall]

Originally Posted by Cusick

A few months ago, Merkle posted the lists of non-roster invitees to spring training for a few of the years representing the early 1960's. This morning, I came across the list of non-roster invitees for 1966. National League on the left; American League on the right.

I've been looking through my 1978 Sporting News issues for that year's listing of non-roster invitees, but without luck.

I'll continue to investigate, but if anyone knows which issue they're contained in, it would be very helpful.

Thanks!

[FatJack]

Originally Posted by DeweyintheHall

I've been looking through my 1978 Sporting News issues for that year's listing of non-roster invitees, but without luck.

I'll continue to investigate, but if anyone knows which issue they're contained in, it would be very helpful.

Thanks!

Here's what Merkle said originally:

There are plenty of records from the '60s/'70s - they are just woefully inconsistent and incomplete.

From about 1960 through around 1968, The Sporting News did an annual round-up of them, usually in a February or early March issue - but one team or more would always read "To be determined after early camp."

Now, if TSN did an annual round up from "1960 through around 1968", the implication would be that they didn't necessarily do it every year thereafter. So maybe, they didn't do it in '78. Just sayin'. If they did, it would likely have appeared in February or early March. I recall TSN doing something like this in the early 70s but, by '78, I was working at my earliest jobs and following sports religiously had taken a back seat to trying to pay the bills on minimum wage gigs.

[Cusick]

Originally Posted by DeweyintheHall

I've been looking through my 1978 Sporting News issues for that year's listing of non-roster invitees, but without luck.

I'll continue to investigate, but if anyone knows which issue they're contained in, it would be very helpful.

Thanks!

I don't think The Sporting News had a single listing of non-roster invitees in 1978. I did a search on "non-roster" for Sporting News issues beginning in January, 1978 and lasting until well into the season. I found one article which mentioned that there were about 125 non-roster invitees that year. Through the search, I was only able to pick up a small percentage of the names of those NRI's, which appeared in many different issues of The Sporting News. They are as follows:

Astros -- Doug Konieczny, Randy Wiles
Pirates -- Anthony Nicely, Carl Morton, Randy Tate, Tom Walker
Cubs -- Larry Anderson, Duane Gustavson, Steve Keatley, Ed Putman
Mariners -- Karl "Bud" Anderson, Tom Brown, Juan Navarette, Rodolfo M. "Rudi" Arias (catcher), Jim Maler
Angels -- Carlos Perez, Dick Thon
Blue Jays -- Mike Cosgrove, Victor Cruz, Chuck Fore, Dave Wallace
Cardinals -- Gary Sutherland
Twins -- Steve Hargan, Mark Clapham
Royals -- Art Kusnyer
Dodgers -- Rick Sander
Brewers -- Gary Nolan, Ron Wrona, Bill Dick, Alvin Edge, Larry Montgomery, Willie Prall, Dave Smith, Jack Heidemann, Kevin Bass, Ron Jacobs

Updates: Please note that "Steve Keatley" is major leaguer Greg (Gregory Steven) Keatley; Mark Clapham added to Twins.
Second Update: Rick Wrona revised to Ron Wrona; more players added to Brewers' list.

[Cusick]

I decided to do some searching of daily newspapers -- quite a few of them, actually -- from 1978, to see if I could add to the above list of 1978 non-roster invitees. Here are the additions I was able to come up with:

Blue Jays -- Dwayne Wright, Butch Alberts, Steve Grilli, Pat Darcy
Royals -- Mark Daly, Jim Gaudet, Kevin Gillen, Bobby Glass, Rudy Kinard
Twins -- Roger Erickson, Kevin Stanfield
Braves - Bob Beall, Rick Mahler, Hank Small, Jerry Keller, Larry Owen, Craig Skok
Rangers -- Steve Comer
Cardinals -- Greg Terlecky, George Frazier, Ron Selak, John Henry Scott
White Sox -- Ed Bane, Frank Ortenzio, Rich Hinton, Mike Eden, Mike Proly
Astros -- Mike T. Stanton, David Aloi
Phillies -- Chuck Kniffin, Mike Wallace, Jack Bastable
Reds -- Al Downing, Paul Moskau
Pirates -- Don Robinson, Frank Tepedino, Ellie Rodriguez
Yankees -- Garry Smith, Roy Staiger, Pat Callahan, Jim Curnal, Tim Lewis, Doug Melvin, Roger Slagle, Ron Diorio, Bob Kammeyer
Tigers -- Dave Stegman, Dave Tobik
Angels -- Gary Ross
Mets -- Bill Greif
Cubs -- Tim Blackwell
Orioles -- Tom Epperly, Kevin Kennedy, Wayne Krenchicki, James Lorne "Jim" Smith, Mark Corey
Giants -- Phillip Huffman
Padres -- John Yandle, Thomas Vessey

Update: Zane Smith removed.

[Merkle923]

Presumably just a typo in the above list, but the only "Zane Smith" to play professional baseball was the lefthanded pitcher of the Braves and Pirates and he didn't begin his professional career until 1982. He would've just turned 17 as spring training 1978 began.

[Merkle923]

Just posted for sale by the eBay seller Dr. jteeee

[Merkle923]

These are from a small collection, dated to 1972 and clearly showing the Orioles at their then-spring training location, Miami Stadium

[jeffersons34n2]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

These are from a small collection, dated to 1972 and clearly showing the Orioles at their then-spring training location, Miami Stadium

Thank You Sir!!

[Cusick]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

Presumably just a typo in the above list, but the only "Zane Smith" to play professional baseball was the lefthanded pitcher of the Braves and Pirates and he didn't begin his professional career until 1982. He would've just turned 17 as spring training 1978 began.

Thanks for catching this error. There is something faulty in one of my newspaper subscription services, in that issues from the Indiana (PA) Gazette from the 1990's show up when I search on 1978, but they are given dates of 1978 in the subject headings. I caught this in most cases, and remembered to scroll up to the top of the newspaper pages to see the "real" dates of issue, but forgot in the case of the Zane Smith non-roster find. I tried to avoid using the Indiana Gazette as a source. The problem didn't seem to occur with other newspapers.

[tnfoto]

Facepack upgrade, taken from a 1902 Little Rock Travelers team composite.

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

Presumably just a typo in the above list, but the only "Zane Smith" to play professional baseball was the lefthanded pitcher of the Braves and Pirates and he didn't begin his professional career until 1982. He would've just turned 17 as spring training 1978 began.

Similar situation with Rick Wrona in the first list. The late 80s-early 90s catcher, the only Rick Wrona I could find on Baseball Reference, would have been 15 in 1978.

[Cusick]

Originally Posted by ThatSeventiesGuy

Similar situation with Rick Wrona in the first list. The late 80s-early 90s catcher, the only Rick Wrona I could find on Baseball Reference, would have been 15 in 1978.

Typo on my part. It was Ron Wrona who was a non-roster player with the Brewers in 1978. Found a few more with a second look. The "Jacobs" refers to Ron Jacobs. See below.

[DeweyintheHall]

Originally Posted by Cusick

Typo on my part. It was Ron Wrona who was a non-roster player with the Brewers in 1978. Found a few more with a second look. The "Jacobs" refers to Ron Jacobs. See below.

Thanks - which issue was this in?

[rico43]

The daunting task of checklisting the known Topps Vault releases is ongoing, with FatJack and Baseball Birthdays shouldering the load. I am cutting and pasting them onto a master list as they are finished, and tonight I earned my merit badge by finishing and posting the checklist for Folder GD.

Some amazing things there (Pete Reiser as coach!), but of the over 800 images, only one has eluded us so far. Nail it down for us, men:

[Pinetarpress]

it is Dave Van Gorder...

[Merkle923]

Since most Topps images can be deduced by context - the posting order isn't entirely random - it would help if you posted the file letters and number.

But if I remember correctly it was near a bunch of images of Van Gorder with his primary club, Cincinnati.

[Sir Lurksalot]

I have GD577 as Dave Van Gorder.

[rico43]

Had it noted but forgot to include on the post. Sorry.
Here are the closest:

566 Greg Walker
567-574 Otto Velez
575-576 Randy Velarde
577-578 Orioles hitter?
579 Greg Vaughn
580-581 Dave McKay

So Dave Van Gorder it ought to be!
Thanks again!