Gambo and T_Wil1 Photopack

[Pinetarpress]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

Short-term Orioles, Brewers reliever, rare in color.

If you're having trouble finding the KB file, it's thirteen slots up from the bottom of the index.

Tuesday Topps uploads (KB) 211-212 Gil Flores; 213-214 Chris Floethe; 215-216 John Flinn; 217-220 Mike Flanagan; 221-222 Jack Fisher; 223-224 Hank Fischer; 225-226 Bill Fischer; 227-228 Dan Firova; 229-230 Chico Fernandez; 231-232 Mike Fiore; 233-234 TBD; 235-236 Jesus Figueroa; 237-240 Ed Figueroa; 241-244 Joe Ferguson; 245-246 Raul Ferreyra (Cincinnati system); 247-250 Frank Fernandez.

Merkle...233-234 is Jack Fimple

[Merkle923]

One of the more curious figures of the late '60s and early '70s. A strong right-handed bat and good receiver whose arm was strong enough that he could play corner outfield (and throw out four base runners in just 22 outfield starts), Fernandez also hit 39 homers in just 727 career at bats.

Yet he was moved four times in two calendar years (going from the A's to the Senators and back to the A's and then to the Cubs in the 1971 season alone). The A's could never make up their minds about him - they brought him back to camp in 1973 and 1974.

In those days before even On Base Percentage was an official statistic, Fernandez's .199 batting average was the kiss of death (he was also a Yankees catcher as Thurman Munson rose from the minors) and the executives who dealt him probably could never have understood the value of a power hitting catcher with a .350 OBP and a OPS+ of 114.

He's also scarce in color - Topps today posted shots of him with the A's and Cubs:

[Merkle923]

x

[Pinetarpress]

Fimple had played in 79 games over 3 seasons for Tommy Lasorda and the Dodgers (1983-84, 86) before getting one last shot in the big leagues with the Angels....he went 2-10 over 11 games (spread out over 2 call ups) in the 87 season...

[Merkle923]

Very little in color of this fantastically-named Cub bullpen transient of 1968. He also appeared in camp with (and in an airbrushed photo on a rookie card of) the 1972 Padres.

[Merkle923]

Jumped almost directly from college stardom at the University of Cincinnati to the staff of the Tigers. Had a nice stretch in the rotation of the '65 Cubs but otherwise tending to be more of a human torch with Detroit, Chicago, and the Giants (never seen in color in a San Francisco uniform):

[Merkle923]

Another collegiate star of 1962 whose major league career may have scared major league clubs away from collegians for awhile (the third was his Santa Clara teammate Bob Garibaldi). He struck out 85 times in 274 career at bats.

On top of everything else, Fazio appears to have signed an exclusive contract with Fleer and thus has only a minor league card with Vancouver of the PCL in 1967.

[Rainmaker]

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Dan Firova is that he did not have a pinky finger on his throwing hand -- as is apparent from his second photo here. But Firova had a strong, accurate throwing arm.

[pepsikula]

Thanks! Also, where can I find the TV folder?

[Cusick]

Originally Posted by pepsikula

Thanks! Also, where can I find the TV folder?

PLEASE read the response to your previous inquiry. It's above on this same page. I gave you the link to the TV folders.

[FatJack]

Gordon Massa (aka "Moose" and "Duke"--a couple of "major league" nicknames right there), who played a handful of games for the Cubs in 1957 and 1958, passed away Saturday (July 16, 2016). He was 80 years old. Gordon is remembered in Cincinnati as one of the finest athletes ever to play for Elder High School. He excelled in three sports. He captained the football team, playing both Center and Linebacker, and was All-City and All-State. He was All-City in basketball as a Senior and, on the diamond, where Gordon played First Base, mostly, he helped lead the Elder Panthers to the State Championship in 1952.

"Moose" took his game to Holy Cross, playing football and baseball and making the basketball team as a walk-on in his Senior year. The Crusaders baseball squad was 42-11 during his three years on the team and made the NCAA tournament in 1955.

Gordon was drafted in the later rounds by the Giants in football, with Vince Lombardi (then a line coach for New York) calling him personally after the draft and then traveling to meet him personally. The Cubs signed him in June, though, and, by September, he was a major leaguer. His debut came on September 24 against the Reds in Cincinnati--his home town. He started at catcher and went 2 for 4 with an RBI. He had 7 hits in 6 games (four starts) that year, finishing up his first cup of coffee with a .467 average. Another late season call-up getting his first taste of The Show, Jim Woods pinch-ran for Gordy twice. Never taking the field or getting an at bat with Chicago, those were the only two appearances the future Phillie had with the Cubs. In Gordon's second call up the following year, he only appeared as a pinch hitter in two games, striking out both times, dropping his major league career average to .412.

Gordon hung on in the Cubs system through 1963 without getting another shot in the majors. As he had played both ways on the gridiron, Gordon also pitched in 24 games in the minors. Almost half of those games came with San Antonio in 1961, where he picked up his only pitching decisions--one win and one loss. His ERA that year was 3.86. Overall, Gordon hit .257 in the minors with 20 home runs.

After leaving the game, Gordon worked as a salesman for Ashland Chemical. He started the athletic program at Immaculate Heart of Mary, where he also coached. Gordon has been inducted into three Hall of Fames--the Price Hill Baseball Old Timers Hall of Fame, Buddy Larosa’s Hall of Fame and the Holy Cross Athletic Hall of Fame.

Although his major league career was brief, Gordon was involved in one rather odd but "landmark" event at Wrigley Field. He was the bullpen catcher in a 1957 game when the pitcher warming up, Bob Rush, let go a wild pitch that the 6'3" receiver could not jump high enough to stop. The ball hit a fan--David Maytnier--in the head. Maytnier sued. Though lawsuits from fans hit by a baseball had been filed before, no fan had ever prevailed. The legal principle is known as "assumed risk". In other words, if you attend a baseball game, you have to assume that the possibility exists that you could be hit with an errant baseball. They even print it on the tickets. But, in this case, the judge found the Cubs and Rush to be liable. The judge held that Maytnier could not be expected to watch the game and the bullpen simultaneously. He was aware he could get hit by a ball from the game and agreed to that risk when he bought his ticket. But, as he was unaware that there was a simultaneous threat from the bullpen while he watched the game, he could not and did not assume that additional risk. Fun stuff.

Two images of Mr. Massa. The home uni is one that John cleaned-up over at Baseball-Birthdays. The road uni is from a recently completed auction on eBay (on the latter, I cropped and grey-scaled).

[hobbs11]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

Short-term Orioles, Brewers reliever, rare in color.

If you're having trouble finding the KB file, it's thirteen slots up from the bottom of the index.
.

Speaking of Mr Flinn, I noticed he was not listed on the UIN but that could be due to a nice B&W image I presume.

I am searching for a color pic of John while suited up for the Brewers. We know something may exist as part of his 3 panel 1981 Topps card. But alas T.V. searches came up with nothing but Oriole pics. Not sure if anything shook loose from awhile back....

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

Fred Hutchinson from 1965 Cincinnati Reds Yearbook

[FatJack]

Ever since the Dobsons were posted the other day, I've been meaning to post these from the '73 Braves yearbook. I have a small run of Braves yearbooks from the 70s and its always baffled me (as a Mets fan whose first yearbook ever was the '68 Mets yearbook) how little color there is in Braves yearbooks from even 7 years later. And no team picture? What's that about? The write-ups aren't bad, though. In the '73 yearbook, Hank gets a big color centerfold (like a Playboy playmate or something, but fully clothed) and there are color shots of Darrell Evans and Ralph Garr elsewhere (not especially good ones, either) and that's it. Everyone else is sepia toned. So these ain't color, but they ain't airbrushed either (I did switch them to a straight B&W; I find sepia pretty annoying, actually). The second one is all hair, but that was the 70s. Anyway, maybe someone can make use of them.

[Merkle923]

x

[Merkle923]

Forgot I had this one...

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

Every time Reds spring trainings of the '60s come up, I'm reminded of this guy. He was in a McCarthy collection I obtained some time ago - two color poses and two black and whites, likely from different years, only one set dated.

In the dated shots (1963) he's in a catcher's crouch, in a windbreaker under the vest, wearing number 57.

In this second batting pose, you can see the "5" but not the second number. It's possible this is also from 1963 but not only is he in shirtsleeves with a slightly different haircut but it looks like the signs on the outfield wall are different. My hunch is this shot is 1964. He's not Tom Tischinski, Larry Himes, Dick Kennedy, or Jim Saul, nor any of the Reds' big league backstops - each of them was shot separately by McCarthy.

Any evidence as to who this Reds catcher might be?

could possibly be William Blasberg

[Merkle923]

You have a photographic match? Or a 1963 camp roster with numbers? Or it's just a guess?

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

You have a photographic match? Or a 1963 camp roster with numbers? Or it's just a guess?

just a guess.