Gambo and T_Wil1 Photopack

[RUKen]

Willard Carpenter "Doc" Hazelton 1902
Hazelton played seven games at first base for the Cardinals in April, 1902, and never played again in the major leagues. He was a graduate of Tufts University and was planning to study medicine. After he was released by St. Louis he played mostly for the Burlington team of the outlaw Northern League in his home state and served as the coach for the team at the University of Vermont. There is no evidence that he ever became a doctor.

[Merkle923]

I like to post the most uncommon image along with the list of the Topps Vault uploads and so far it's limited to this brief '30s A.L. outfielder who spent one season (1964) as first base coach of the Yankees, was photographed in at least two different sessions that year by Topps, and has apparently just spotted a fire on the roof of the Bronx Supreme Courthouse beyond the right field bleachers.

Today's Topps uploads (Folder GZ): 686-689 Larry Bowa; 690-691 John Glass; 692-695 Fred Gladding; 696-697 Bill Greif; 698-699 Ralph Terry; 700-703 Jim Gleeson; 704-705 Eddie Murray; (photos used on cards, year in parentheses): 706 Jack Hamilton (68); 707 Ron Hansen (72); 708 Dave Hamilton (74); 709 Roger Hambright (71); 710 Cecilio Guante (86); 711 Tom Haller (67); 712 Tom Hall (71); 713-714 Dick Hall (67, 62); 715 Jose Guzman (87); 716 Bud Harrelson (77); 717 John Harrell (70); 718 Preston Hanna (81); 719 Steve Hamilton (65); 720 Bill Hands (71); 721 Jim Hannan (63); 722 Larry Haney (70); 723 Jim Hardin (69); 724 Richie Zisk (83 glossy); 725 Mark Guthrie.

[Merkle923]

Posting that 1968-used Jack Hamilton for two reasons: a) There's not much of him in color in an Angels' uniform, and b) the image is from an uncommon Topps shoot of the Angels and Red Sox at Fenway (1968 cards of Hamilton, Hawk Taylor, Roger Repoz, Norm Siebern and I think a couple of others are from that session) which also included shots of Curt Simmons with California.

Simmons wasn't obtained by the Angels until August 7, 1967, meaning the shots of him, the others, and this one of Hamilton were taken either before the game on Friday night, August 18, or Saturday night, August 19 at Fenway. It was on the 18th that Jack Hamilton hit Tony Conigliaro of the Red Sox in the head with a pitch, altering and likely shortening Conigliaro's life. So this picture was either taken just before Hamilton hit Conigliaro, or the night after.

[Pinetarpress]

725 is Mark Guthrie

[keonleafs]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

...(photos used on cards, year in parentheses): 706 Jack Hamilton (68); 707 Ron Hansen (72); 708 Dave Hamilton (74); 709 Roger Hambright (71); 710 Cecilio Guante (86); 711 Tom Haller (67); 712 Tom Hall (71); 713-714 Dick Hall (71, 62); ....

Dick Hall with the Phils was on Topps 1967, not 71

[cheech411]

tony was hit on aug 18 1967 may u rip tony

[DeweyintheHall]

Looking for a decent image of Gary Sutherland from 1978 with the Cardinals. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

[FatJack]

It's possible this has been posted here before, but it's a blank spot now.

Anyway, you see so few images of Nikco Riesgo that, when I saw this one come up on eBay Tuesday, I thought it worth posting. The seller, I think, is self explanatory.

[RUKen]

Harry O'Hagan 1892
The rookie date for O'Hagan is a bit misleading--he played one game for Washington as a replacement catcher on September 24, 1892, and then did not reappear in the major leagues until 1902, when he played a total of 62 games for Chicago (NL), New York, and Cleveland, primarily as a first baseman. (The photo is from a Chicago newspaper in April 1902.) His last major league game was on July 17th of that year, after which he returned to the minor leagues, and made what was then described as the greatest defensive play in baseball. From his SABR biography: (On August 18th), when O’Hagan took the field (as a first baseman for Rochester) in the bottom of the second inning at Jersey City, the sparse Monday afternoon crowd in West Side Park could have had no inkling they were about to see something that had never happened before on an Organized Baseball diamond. With none out, Jersey City right fielder George Shoch was on second base while second baseman Mickey Doolan occupied first. O’Hagan charged the plate, anticipating catcher John Butler would sacrifice. When Butler popped up his bunt attempt between the mound and the first-base line, O’Hagan snatched it off his shoe tops and then raced to first base, beating Doolan to the bag. He then turned and upon seeing Shoch on third base in the belief that O’Hagan had dashed to first to retire Butler, he sprinted toward second since no one was covering it and reached the base a few steps ahead of Shoch. It is the first known unassisted triple play in professional baseball history.

[Merkle923]

Never before seen color of the peripatetic catcher during his brief stint with the '56 A's. Yet there he is.

Today's Topps postings (folder GZ): 726-727 Elvin Tappe; 728-731 Ed Glynn; 732-733 Lloyd Gladden; 734-735 Dave Giusti; 736-737 Joe Ginsberg; 738-739 Eli Grba; 740-741 Dallas Green; 742-745 Tom Grieve; 746-747 Frank Thomas (1990); 748-749 Chuck Goggin; 750-751 Fernando Gonzalez; 752-753 Derek Lilliquist; 754-755 Todd Van Poppel; 756-757 Bob Schmidt; 758-759 John Goryl; 760-761 Tom Gorman (1952); 762-763 Mike Gordon; 764-65 Greg Goossen; 766-767 Tony Gonzalez; 768-769 R.C. Gonzales; 770-771 Pedro Gonzalez; 772-773 Julio Gonzalez; 774-775 Danny Godby; 776-779 Ed Goodson; 780-783 Danny Goodwin; 784-785 Joe Morgan.

[Merkle923]

Like the 1967 Jack Hamilton photo posted above, sometimes these images aren't just good shots - they also tell good stories.

Elvin Tappe had played for the Cubs as early as 1954 but had appeared in only 119 games spread over five seasons when an idea of his got wildly out of control. Tappe said that in 1959 or 1960 he had suggested to Chicago owner Phil Wrigley that Cubs minor leaguers would benefit from consistent coaching by a group of instructors who would rotate among the franchise's minor league clubs and work from an agreed-upon set of plans, goals, and methods.

The next thing he knew, Wrigley had heard the word "rotating coaches" and suddenly Tappe was one of more than a dozen men whom Wrigley had decided to move around not just among the minor league teams, but the major league one as well. And not just as coaches, but as managers.

Thus, just after his 34th birthday, El Tappe found himself as manager (or in Wrigley's parlance, Head Coach) of the Chicago Cubs. For two days. He won both games, and then was rotated back to being a mere ordinary coach. A week later he was Head Coach again, this time for 79 games through the end of August. Then another demotion. Then a third stint as the chief.

1962 was even more bizarre. Tappe opened the season as the Cubs' head coach, but after a 4-16 start he was returned to the rotating pool and apparently went to, or was at least scheduled to, go to the Cubs' farm in San Antonio to work there. Then Chicago had a catching crisis, and on May 21, three weeks after his fourth managerial tenure had ended, Tappe found himself starting behind the plate for the Cubs! By the time Chicago found itself at the Polo Grounds in early June (where these photos were taken), Tappe, who hadn't played in a game of any kind since 1960, had played in 14 of them and was batting around .300.

He remained on the active roster through July when he became a coach again. The next year he was the manager of the Cubs' AAA affiliate at Salt Lake City. Thus his resume from 1960 through 1963 reads as follows: Cubs Back-up Catcher, Cubs Coach, Cubs Head Coach, Cubs Coach, Cubs Head Coach, Cubs Coach, Cubs Head Coach, Cubs Coach, Cubs Head Coach, San Antonio Coach, Cubs Starting Catcher, Cubs Coach, Salt Lake City Manager.

So as he posed for these shots, Elvin Tappe was the starting catcher (and four times former manager) of the Chicago Cubs.

[hobbs11]

Originally Posted by DeweyintheHall

Looking for a decent image of Gary Sutherland from 1978 with the Cardinals. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

Hey there, I'm not sure if this fits your definition of "decent" or maybe it's the current bar that you have set.

Found on ebay....

[Merkle923]

Speaking of Cubs catchers, this one barely played (12 games, 35 plate appearances), let alone managed:

[Merkle923]

Not a lot of the Pirates/Padres utility man during his brief stint in Kansas City (1974). No evidence Topps shot him with the team the Royals sent him to, the Yankees. There are Brace images.

[Merkle923]

Seldom-seen two-month major leaguer whose entire career was spent with the 1974 Cardinals:

[FatJack]

A better image of Gordie Sundin was posted here by bearman14.

Gordie Sundin, the young Orioles fireballer whose major league career lasted just two batters, both of whom he walked, passed away on Monday at the age of 78.

Hailing from Minnesota, Gordie was All-State in baseball, basketball and football in high school. Graduating in 1955, Gordon had numerous scholarships on the table, including one from Notre Dame who wanted Gordie on their football squad.

Meanwhile the Orioles, who had been the league's doormat as the St. Louis Browns for ages, had become aggressive in pursuing young players--especially pitchers--under new GM and Manager Paul Richards. This was before the draft, of course. While we tend to think the bonus and draft rules were established to keep the Yankees from locking up all the top talent, major league baseball was at least as concerned (if not more so) by Baltimore's behavior because, as with free agency, one rich team was less concerning to them than two or more engaging in bidding wars, which would inevitably lead to higher player salaries throughout the game.

The Orioles initially offered $30,000, which Gordie and his family reportedly turned down. Richards wrote a letter to Gordie's parents, warning them of the dangers of playing football. The younger Sundin, unaware of the letter but in consultation with his parents, then announced his intention to attend the University of Minnesota where he would focus on baseball and not go out for football. Richards came back with an offer of $50,000 and Gordie signed.

It was late in the season, but Gordie was assigned to Class B York, where he pitched 14 innings across 5 games to a record of 1-2. His fastball averaged just under 100 mph and comparisons were made to Herb Score. That said, Sundin walked 11 batters in those 14 innings, so his control was something that needed some work. Nonetheless, the Orioles called Sundin (still just 17) up to the majors that September, along with an infielder named Brooks Robinson. Sundin did not appear in a game in 1955, but it appeared he'd get a legitimate shot in 1956.

Hopes were high, coming into spring training 1956. Coach Lum Harris told the press, "If there's a better 19-year-old pitcher around than the Orioles' Gordon Sundin, I've never seen him." [Note: Sundin was still just 18]. Early on, though, Sundin showed signs of arm trouble--in this case, nerve damage in his elbow--and it was determined that he required surgery. He spent the year on the major league DL, traveling, dressing and rehabbing with the team. The view and the hot dogs were great, but it was killing him inside. Come September, the O's activated him.

On September 19, 1956, with the Orioles losing to the Tigers 8-1, Sundin took the mound in the eighth inning, the 5th O's hurler of the day. Sundin admits to having been a bundle of nerves. He walked opposing pitcher Frank Lary and then walked Harvey Kuenn. He'd thrown nine pitches. "I got a strike in there somewhere," he later said.

The next batter was first baseman Jack Phillips (who hit .295 that year). Gordie's first pitch...another ball. "By this time," Gordie said, "I'm not so scared as angry." His next pitch headed right for Phillips who hit the dirt. That's when Harris came out to pull the youngster. Gordie pleaded, "At least let me take care of [this guy]." Harris said, "No, that's what we're afraid of, son." Gordie handed over the ball, unaware that his major league career was over. Billy O'Dell took over on the mound and Lary came around to score, leaving Gordie with a lifetime ERA of INFINITY.

Sundin hung around in the minors through 1961, plagued by shoulder, elbow, and arm problems. His lifetime record was 14-23. He underwent at least one more surgery and was officially cut from the Baltimore 40 man roster in 1959.

Gordon had any number of jobs after baseball (just 23 when his pro career ended). He was a liquor distributor, an insurance salesman, and a broker in the steel business to name a few. Eventually, he did well in real estate. Having faced just two hitters and getting no outs, Gordie would say that he never truly felt like a major league player. But he was one, if only for a brief moment, and there aren't too many people who can say the same.

[rico43]

Certain that GW final ID is Derek Lilliquist, onetime No. 1 pick for the Braves in 1987 and played for them in 1989-mid 1990. He was traded to the Padres for Mark Grant, who did not pitch much for the Braves, but who was responsible for the start of the Tomahawk Chop in Fulton County Stadium in honor of FSU grad Deion Sanders.

Besides, it says "Lills" on his glove.

[rico43]

A pair of images in one of the color OneDrive files found among the Lexibell folders is driving me a little nuts. The lefty pitcher in the image seem to certainly be Blaine Beatty, a 1989-91 member of the Mets. Baseball-reference has him being part of the Orioles, Pirates, Expos and Reds systems as well.

So when did he pitch for the Padres? The obvious answer (I thought) was 1998, the in-between season of his minor league pitching years and the beginning of an 18-year career as a pitching coach. But there is no mention of him in the 1998 Padres media guide as a non-roster invite, nor was he among the spring stats of the Padres in 1997 (same source). Googling Beatty and Padres also bears no fruit.

This photo thus is a true phantom. Somebody out there, I'm sure, has the answer. Thanks to you in advance.

[jwisenberg]

Beatty was in spring training with the Padres in 1994

[DeweyintheHall]

Originally Posted by hobbs11

Hey there, I'm not sure if this fits your definition of "decent" or maybe it's the current bar that you have set.

Found on ebay....

Yeah - I should have said this is the one I have and it's the only one I've been able to see. It's a bit small for what I'm doing, but I can work with it until I find a better one. Thanks!