To heck with the 1999's, how 'bout them 1966's!!! The original 1966 set was the second SOM set that I ever bought and the third that I ever played. As with the reissue of 1964 and 1965, it's like visiting an old friend that you have not seen in ages and trying to tell how they have changed.
The 1966 set has other things going for
it beside Frank Robinson's Triple Crown and the last year of
Sandy Koufax (27-9, 1.73, 317 K, 27 CG).
It sure was different then! The average NL team scored 662 runs, hit .256/.383
with 138 HR, whiffed 931 times and drew 440 walks. The league ERA was 3.61
and each team averaged 40 complete games. In the AL the average team scored
but 629
runs and hit .240/.368 with 137 HR, whiffed
949 times and drew 493 BB. The league ERA was 3.44 and the average staff
completed 33.
Two cards that look a bit odd are those of behemoth sluggers Frank Howard and Don Mincher. Both have but one ballpark HR chance each against righties. Hondo was not yet The Capital Punisher with only 18 HR and Minch hit just 14 and is backwards. Good home HR parks contributed to their lack of "jewelry". Washington is a 1-14 righty HR while The Met is 1-19 HR both ways.
Old age overtook many of the games former
stars. Fat and near forty Forrest Everett "Smokey" Burgess got the double
whammy at catcher: 5(+5). Former defensive stalwarts Del Crandall (4) and
Roy McMillan (3) struggled in the field. Jimmie Piersall still managed
a "2" in RF/LF but is just a "3" in CF and hit but .211. Junior Gilliam
struggled with the Mendoza line all year before there even was a Mendoza
line. They should have called it The Oyler or the Brinkman Line. Frank
Malzone fought the same fight with Angels. Lew Burdette was a reliever
for the same team. Johnny Podres made 13 starts for the Tigers. Don "The
Blazer" Blasingame was down to a 1-13 running, a "4" at second and hit
but .210. Whitey Ford could only take the mound 9 times and it seems as
if all of the Yanks grew old overnight. Woody Held was a futility player
with the O's. Frank Bolling and Eddie Mathews struggled at the plate and
in the field. Curt Simmons, Bob Buhl, Harvey Kuenn, Robin Roberts, Joey
Jay, Jim O'Toole, Joe Nuxhall, Jim Gentile, Dick Stuart, Bob Friend, Bob
Shaw, Dick Groat, Ray
Herbert, and Vern Law all were shadows
of their former selves.
Now for something more cheerful; a glimpse
of a Dodgers-Giants matchup!
Sandy Koufax versus RHP (plus ballpark
singles)
5-2 BP HR
5-7 Do 1-6 Fly 7-20
6-5 HR 1-2 Fly 3-20
6-6 Si 1-15 Lo 16-20
6-9 Walk
Juan Marichal versus lefties (plus ballpark
singles)
4-5 HR 1-8 fly 9-20
4-6 Si 1-16 lo 17-20
6-2 BP HR
Here are some pitching statistical lines
that you don't see much anymore;
Dean Chance, 12-17, 3.08
Marcelino Lopez, 7-14, 3.93 (Jack Sanford
was 13-7, 3.83 on the same staff!)
Joel Horlen, 10-13, 2.43
Gary Peters, 12-10, 1.98
Jim Merritt, 7-14, 3.38
Jim Bouton, 3-8, 2.69
Mel Stottlemyre, 12-20, 3.80
Dick Ellsworth, 8-22, 3.98
Mike Cueller, 12-10, 2.22
Fat Jack Hamilton, 6-13, 3.93
Little Al Jackson, 13-15, 2.51
Nelson Briles, 4-15!!!, 3.21
Ah, the sixties, when pitchers were men that finished what they started, right?
Well, take a closer look at that Dodger
rotation. Sure, they had that sore-armed lefty in his final year (Koufax,
S(9)) but then there's Drysdale (S7), Claude Osteen (S6) and rookie Don
Sutton (S7). Say what???? Yeah, those last three look purty good by today's
standards but that was vintage Dodger Stadium with Mt. Everest for a mound!
Airdale (13-16), Gomer (17-14) and Sutton (12-12) were just a cumulative
.500 for their near 750 innings of work and tallied 29 no-decisions between
them. That is where The Vulture swooped in, going 14-1. Who would have
expected that kind of a year from Detroit Tiger reject Phil Regan? It's
amazing what a new league and a forgiving home park can do. Dodger is 1-6
Si* and 1 HR lefty and 1-4 righty. Jim Lefebrve smacked 24 HR but is -12/-13
clutch. Tommy Davis recovered from his broken ankle enough to hit a soft
.313/.347/.383 and is
a "4" in LF, a 1-11 runner with a -14
clutch. John Roseboro (.276, 1(-3)), Wes Parker (1B-1, 12 HR,.353 OB,+
clutch), Ron Fairly (.288/.384/.465, +9 clutch) Willie Davis (.284/.305/.405,
21 SB) and Lou Johnson (.272, 17 HR) had good years. Maury Wills is +8
clutch but a "3" at SS and stole just 38 bases in 62 attempts.
The O's left-side infield features two
"1"'s with Brooks and Aparicio. Davey Johnson is a 2e25 at second and Paul
Blair is still a year away from his first "1" and he draws a 2(-1)e5 in
CF. Robby's Triple Crown/MVP card is sweet but is clutch negative (-6).
He's a 2(+1)e5 in the OF and a 1-16 runner. Boog bashes righties to balance
team power. The staff is decent but lacking in stars (give
Palmer and McNally a few years). The Dodgers
must have thought that the O's staff had descended from Olympus after the
Series, though. The O's paced the junior circuit in runs as Curt Blefary
(23 HR, .373 OB), Russ Snyder (.306) and Brooks (23 HR, 100 RBI) gave support
to Frank Robinson (.316/.415/.637,49 HR/122 RBI) and Boog Powell (.287/.374/.532,
34 HR/109 RB1). Looie Aparicio had 692 AB+BB and just a .312 on base batting
leadoff. The bullpen had good righthanded
depth with little Stu Miller, Moe Drabowsky,
knuckleballer Eddie Fisher (acquired in season), Dick Hall, Big Gene Brabender
and Eddie Watt worked as a swingman. Jim Palmer's sophomore season was
15-10, 3.46 in 208 innings. He hurt his arm next year and did not surface
again until 1969. The starters endurance ratings are 7,7,7,5,5,6,5 as manager
Hank Bauer must have been ahead of his
time. Lefties Dave McNally (13-6, 3.17,
213 IP) and Steve Barber (10-5, 2.30, 133 IP) gave them good work when
they were available.
Red Sox are rather nondescript. Yaz hadn't starting lifting weights yet, Boomer is but a 3e15 at 1B and 4e65 at 3B, Petro is a 2e38 and Tony C. is a 3(0)e8 in RF. Hitting cards disappoint thanks to Fenway's 1-19 Si* and 1-12 HR lefty and 1-18 HR righty. Don Demeter hit 14 HR and drew just 8 BB for almost a 2:1 HR-to- walk ratio. Think about that one for a moment. Darrell Brandon is listed as Bucky Brandon on his SOM card this time around. The Big Mac lists "Bucky" as his nickname. I wonder if SOM going the old APBA route? Joe Foy hit 15 HR and drew 91 walks, Boomer Scott hit 27 HR with 90 RBI, Tony Conigliaro hit 28 HR with 93 RBI, Yaz had a very mortal year (.278/.368/.431) and Rico Petrocelli chipped in with 18 HR. Their staff is not that bad when you consider the home park. The Monster was banished to Cleveland and Don McMahon (2.69, 10 sv) and Johnny Wyatt (3.68,10 sv)were the relief aces. It's amazing how many weak hitting Red Sox teams have been camouflaged by Fenway's effects, just as many inept Cub hitters were disguised by Wrigley.
Bobby Knoop of the Halos keeps his original
"1" at second. Buck Rodgers is a 2 (-2) behind the plate, Jim Fregosi’s
a 2e36 at SS and Jose Cardenal’s a 2(-2)e3 for the Angels. Jackie Hernandez
vies with Bobby Murcer for Least Valuable Card in this set. Hernandez’
card has no hits and he’s a SS 4e56, 3B 4e65, 2B 4e65 and a LF 5(+3)16.
He's an asterisk stealer but is caught on a 9,10 and 12. He must have been
Kim Batiste's role model. Jackie Warner's The Wizard of Whiff, going down
on K's 55 times in 123 at bats. He did hit 7 HR and has a card filled with
diamonds and strikeouts. Rick Reichardt (.288/.368/.480) had a good year
despite kidney woes. Knoop added pop (17 HR), along with Joe Adcock, Jose
Cardenal (16 HR, 24 SB), and Jim Fregosi (32 2B, 13 HR). Jay Johnstone
debuts quietly (.264/.297/.378). The staff is spotty and Dean Chance (12-17,
3.08) was
dealt to the Twins in the off-season.
Joe Adcock (18 HR in 231 AB) went out in
strong fashion. He retired to take the helm of the Tribe in 1967. Tommie
Agee, when healthy, was a tremendous player. He's a 1(-3)e8 in CF, a AA
thief (*2-6,11,12/17) and +4/+5 clutch
with a solid card as he batted .273/22/86 with Comiskey as his home. He
had a year similar to this with the '70 Mets but with knee injuries and
a beaning he couldn't stay healthy. The Pale Hose staff is deep, with only
3 cards above 3.00 ERA and none higher than 3.93. The offense leaves something
to be desired but that's the park and manager Stinky Stanky as much as
anything. Don Buford swiped 51 bases but was caught 22 times. John "Honey
Bear" Romano, has a decent card despite a .231 BA. Ken Berry is only a
"2" in CF but a "1" in LF/RF. Bill Skowron, Pete Ward, Wayne Causey and
Floyd Robinson all had lousy years at the plate. Al Weis hit .155! Hoyt
Wilhelm (6 HR in 81 IP, 1.66 ERA) and Jack Lamabe (9 HR in 121 IP) have
7 ballpark HR chances versus lefties. The mix of a fair power year, tough
HR park (1-2) and poor platoon splits hurt as Comiskey is 1-3 Si* and 1-2
HR. The rotation has some gaudy ERA’s with Gary Peters (1.98), Joe Horlen
(2.43), Bruce Howard (2.30), and Tommy John (2.62).
Defending AL RBI champ Rocky Colavito had
just 72 RBI with his 30 HR and will be hard pressed to drive in a clutch
run vs RHP. He's still a -4 arm, though. The Tribe has power but little
on-base to support a decent staff. Sudden Sam was hurt and tossed 80 fewer
innings then in his breakthrough of 1965. Dick Radatz had 14 saves but
has 8 ballpark HR vs lefties. The staff has some nice cards
with Sonny Siebert, Steve Hargan, Gary
"Ding Dong" Bell and Luis Tiant. Daddy Wags (23 HR), first sacker Fred
Whitfield (27) and hot cornerman Max Alvis (17) add some power. Little
Vic Vic Davalillo (.299 OB%) was their leadoff hitter when he was healthy.
They slug solo homers and strike people out and win about as often as they
lose. That about sums up the Tribe's 1966 season. A frightening collision
occurred between SS Larry Brown and LF Leon Wagner that left Brown
with a fractured skull. It was that kind
of year for the Tribe.
Al Kaline, a 1(-4)e3 in RF, hit .288/.396/.534
for Detroit. Dick McAuliffe hit .274/ .375/.509 and is a 3e28 at SS. Ray
Oyler's has a nice glove (2e28) but his cancer bat of .171/.252/.263 kills.
Bill Freehan's a 1(-3) while Jim Northrup is a "4" at all OF spots. Gates
Brown earned a "5" in both LF and CF (hard to believe anyone would actually
put Gates in center!). Denny McLain was a 20 game
winner in spite of a high (by 1966 standards)
3.92 ERA and allowing 42 HR! Lefty Mickey Lolich (14-14, 4.77) had an off
year but Earl Wilson was solid (18-11, 3.07, 200 K). Tiger's 1-16 LH homer
and 1-13 RH helps the cards of a staff that is homer prone. Jim Northrup
(.465 Slg), Willie Horton (27 HR/100 RBI) and Norm Cash (32 HR/93 RBI)
add punch to the lineup. It was a tough year for Tiger managers. Charlie
Dresses fell ill and was replaced by Bob Swift, who later fell ill and
was also replaced at the helm. Dressen passed away in August and Swift
did so in October. Dressen was the Brooklyn Dodger manager whose demand
(made by his wife) for a multi-year contract cost him his job. Da Bums
hired Smokey Alston to replace him. Dressen wound up at the helm of the
1956 Senators. Take a good look at that team sometime. From the 1953 Dodgers
to some REAL bums.
With the exception of Jim Nash (12-1, 2.06),
Jack Aker (9-4, 32 sv, 1.99, 113 IP) and some other pitchers the A's have
little to offer. Will A's sensation Tim Hudson be the next Jumbo Jimbo
Nash? The KC ballpark at 1-14 Si* and 1 HR means you gotta play little
ball. Campy stole 52 but the offense is boring. Catfish Hunter's sophomore
card is an improvement but only hints at his future success. Blue Moon
Odom is wild but has a nice debut card, allowing just 1 HR in 14
starts covering 90 IP. Lew Krausse actually
has a decent card for a change. Oddly, right handed hitting third sacker
Ed Charles hit all of his 9 HR against righties. Hal must have felt sorry
for them as SOM carded Tim Talton, who hit .340/.364/.547 in 53 AB. The
A's HR leader was Roger Repoz with 11. Next year Reggie Jackson, Rick Monday
and Sal Bando appear.
The Twins Tony Oliva is a RF 1(-2)e10 (CF/LF-2),
has a goodcard(.307/.356/.502, 1-16 running) but is very clutch negative
(-13 against righties). Jim Kaat (25- 13,2.75, 305 IP, S(8), 1 fldg) had
a great year while Mudcat Grant duplicated his 1965 year with the exception
of win loss (13-13, down from 21-7). The 1-19 HR park hurts all of their
power hitters cards. Defending MVP Zoilo Versalles began his quick slide
to oblivion with a .249/.308/.346 year and Earl Battey continued to fade
with .255/.339/.327. Killer was healthy and had a solid year (.281/.393/.538,
39 HR/110 RBI) but the other bats faltered. Mincher, Hall, Allison and
Rollins all struggled. Cesar Tovar checks in with an OK card that was a
big improvement over their incumbent second sackers. Next season they had
an ever better rookie at second! Dave
Boswell took a step forward (12-5, 3.14, 173 K in 169 in IP) that continued
on until Billy Martin punched him out a few years later. Now there's an
exclusive club, people punched by Billy Martin.
Which kind of leads us too The Yankees!
The last place Yankees! IT FEELS SO GOOD TO SAY THAT! The Bronx Bombed
somehow manage to have four "1" fielders (Pepitone, Richardson, Boyer and
Tresh) in their everyday lineup. Must be the fact that they lost only 89
games. The Yanks also have the solid gloves of aging Ellie Howard (C-2)
and The Rajah (RF-2). The Mick is dis-Mantled in the field with a CF-4(-3)e3
(3 basic) and a 1-12 running. Shortstop is a hole with a young Horace Clarke
(SS-4) and an even younger Bobby Murcer (5e56). The best glove at short
is third sacker Clete Boyer, who earned a "3". The staff is not bad but
most of their name pitchers
had so-so years. The Yanks don't look
all that bad, probably because they finished dead last despite being outscored
by only ONE RUN! Yeah, one stinkin' run! They scored 611 and allowed 612!
Five other teams had inferior run differentials but New York finished behind
all of them. Even the most hard-core Yankee hater will have trouble bringing
this team in last. This was a choke job
for the ages. Johnny Keane started out
4-16 and was replaced by Ralph Houk, who stepped down from the front office.
Houk finished 66-73 and Keane died the following January. It really was
a tough year for managers.
Washington's relief ace Ron Kline (23 sv,
2.39) has 8 BP HR against lefties. He'll make the ninth inning very interesting.
Don't expect them to get there with a lead very often. Eddie Brinkman hit
.229. So what you say? That was agood year for him prior to his joining
the Tigers. Former and future sluggersDon Lock and Hawk Harrelson each
possess just 1 ballpark HR versus leftiesdespite hitting righty and swatting
double-digit dingers. Fred Valentine had his career year, hitting .276/.353/.455
with 22 steals as did Paul Casanova with .253/13 HR and a 2(-1) behind
the plate. Frank Howard again disappointed with just 18 HR and is a 5(+2)
in left and a 1-8 runner. Bob Humphreys and Dick Lines provide quality
long relief in support of a mediocre rotation, led by lefties
Mike (Mr. Erratic) McCormick (3.46, 216
IP) and Pete Richert (3.37, 246 IP, 195 K but 36 HR). Gil Hodges was the
manager, a few years shy of his appointment with destiny. The first edition
of the Atlanta Braves was heavy on the lumber and light on leather. Joe
Torre is just 0 arm catcher but hit .315/36 HR. Rico Carty earned a "5"
at three positions (C, 1B and 3B) but is a "4" in LF. Felipe Alou is a
"5" at two of his six positions (3B and SS) and Mack Jones adds a "5" at
1B. You could start an ugly infield defense here. Put Carty (5e16+3) at
catcher, Jones (5e30) at 1B, Hammer (4e30) at 2B, Alou at 3B(5e37) with
regular SS Denis Menke (4e38). Hey, even Felix Millan has an iron glove
("4" at 2B/SS/3B). Fading Eddie Mathews brings a "4" to the regular thirdbase
job. Hank Aaron is a 1(-2)e4 in RF and positive clutch (+8) to go with
his 44 HR/127 RBI year. The Launching Pad debuts as HR 1-19 lefty and 1-16
righty. This was Felipe Alou's big year, getting 666 AB as the Braves batted
him leadoff, hitting .327/.362/.533 with 31 HR and 74 RBI. Even though
he batted leadoff SOM rips him in the clutch (-17). Carty batted .326/.396/.468
and Mack Jones added 23 dingers. Pat Jarvis has a very nice little card
that also has a "5" hitting and 0/0 BK/WP.
After the 1965 season Leo Durocher said
"This is not a ninth-place team". Leo was right as they finished 10th in
1966, displacing the Mets from their hallowed home. Ron Santo is a stud,
hitting .312/.417/.538 with a 1e27 at third. The team's infield defense
is a bit odd, with good range numbers but mediocre e- ratings (Santo plus
Kessinger 2e40 and Beckert 2e26). Billy Williams' card is a disappointment,
thanks to Wrigley (1-13 HR), negative clutch (-11/-10) and being
backward (just 4 BP HR vs RHP).
RF Byron Browne whiffed 143 times in 419 AB and
CF Adolpho Phillips (who has a decent
card) whiffed 135 times in his 419 AB. Fergie Jenkins is a swing man on
a staff that has some tired old arms (Curt Simmons, Robin Roberts and Ernie
Broglio). Ken Holtzman (decent card) and Bill Hands (not quite) debut.
Jenkins came over from Philly with Phillips for vets Larry Jackson and
Bob Buhl. The Cubs broke camp in '66 with an ancient staff but
traded for youth and built for the future.
The pre-1966 deal acquiring Hundley and Hands from the Giants for a pittance,
along with the Jenkins one, set the stage for later success.
The Reds missed Robby. Vada Pinson slipped a bit (.288/.442) and defending NL RBI champ Deron Johnson returned to earth (24HR/81 RBI). Tony Perez hit but 4 HR in 257 AB. Art Shamsky's card (21 HR in 234 AB) loses quite a bit thanks to Crosley's 1-19 HR. Jim Maloney missed some time due to injury and 1965 fluke 20- game winner Sammy Ellis imploded, going 12-19, 5.29. Pete Rose is a 2e17 at second, as the Reds played Tommy Helms at 3B (where he got a 2 plus a 2e16 at 2B). Hey that 1-point error difference must have convinced the Reds to move Rose to the outfield and shift Helms to second in 1967 <g>. Or it may have been to get Lee May into the lineup by shifting Tony Perez to third. Leo Cardenas popped 20 HR and had a great year in the field but only got a 2e16. Gordy Coleman and Johnny Edwards both had lousy years. Tommy Harper hit .278 with 29 SB.
Houston had some good young talent. This
was Sonny Jackson's career year with a .292 BA and 49 SB but that 3e40
at SS was a harbinger of things to come. Joe Morgan, Jimmy Wynn (despite
just 41 BB in 418 AB) and Rusty Staub have nice cards. None can field much
(all are 3's), though. Even Dave Nicholson has a useable card by 1966 standards
(.246/.359/.411) as he cut his whiffs down to 92 in 280 AB. He started
the year hitting over .300 and was featured in an article in Baseball Digest.
But the Whiffmeister returned to his true form before the season was through.
The Astrodome's HR 1 lefty and 1-2 righty hurts the staff cards but helps
the hitters'. Mike Cuellar finally made the big time with a 2.22 ERA in
227 IP. Too bad Houston dealt him a few years later for Curt Blefary.
Larry Dierker (3.18) showed signs of maturing
and Barry Latman had his career year (2.71, 5 HR in 103 IP). The Astrodome
was a great help but he staff is weak with guys like Dave Giusti (4.20),
Turk Farrell (4.60), Jim Owens (4.68), Bob Bruce (5.34) and Ron Taylor
(5.71) getting hit pretty hard.
The Mets escaped the cellar but you can't
tell it by the cards. Human Target Ron Hunt has but 5 HBP points per hand.
The double play combination sometimes was Iron Hands Hiller and Four-For-Life
Eddie Bressoud. Not much here but give 'em a few years. Tug McGraw has
a card that reflected his return to the minors for more seasoning. Bud
Harrelson (99 AB, 3e7 at SS) and Cleon Jones (.275) both debuted. Ed Kranepool
paced them in homers with 16. Ken Boyer gave them decent production (14
HR/61 RBI) as the Mets were still looking for veterans. But youth
was also being served with Harrelson,
Jones and Jerry Grote (.237, 2(-1)) getting playing time. The staff was
long in the tooth with Fat Jack Fisher (11- 14, 3.68), Bob Friend (5-8,
4.40) and Bob Shaw (12-14, 4.29) eating innings until the youngsters would
be ready over the next few years. Journeymen like Jack Hamilton (6-13,
3.93) and Dennis Ribant (11-9, 3.20) were given significant
workloads too. Not exactly Seaver, Koosman,
Ryan and Gentry.
The Phils were led by Richie Allen, who
hit .317/.398/.632 with 40 HR and 110 RBI in an injury-abbreviated season.
He even got a 3e16 at third! The other day I was reading the 1968 Street
and Smith and there was an article attributed to Brooks Robinson where
he rated the defensive abilities of third baseman. He had positive things
to say about Allen but I wonder how much he saw him play. Johnny Callison
dropped off from his prior years (.276/.340/.418) and is a 2(-4) in
right. The underrated Johnny Briggs (.282/.382/
.490) debuts with a nice card. Jim Bunning (19-14, 2.41, 314 IP, 251 K)
has a stud card while Chris Short won 20 despite a 3.54 ERA. They were
an old team (Bill White, Larry Jackson, Ray Herbert, Dick Groat, Jackie
Brandt, Bob Buhl, Harvey Kuenn) but the bench featured the wit of Bob Uecker
and the musical abilities of Phil Linz.
Maz is 1e8 at second for Pittsburgh. Keystone mate Gene Alley shoulda been a "1" but he keeps his original "2". The only "1" at shortstop is the World Champ Birds' Looie. Pitt's OF has a "mortal" Clemente at 1(-5)e13 and "Kid" Stargell checks in with a 3(-3). Where the hits fall is a key issue when playing the Bucs as OF Matty Alou's and Manny Mota's 2(+2) will be run on. If Jerry Lynch takes the field he negates Roberto with his 5(+5)e16 in LF. Donn Clendenon hit .299/.360/.520 but is a 2e26 at first. This was Matty Alou's breakout year, hitting .342 to lead the majors. Under the tutelage of manager Harry "The Hat" Walker, Matty started using the cavernous outfield at Forbes to spray hits the way that Walker once did. Relief Ace Roy Face (18 sv, 2.70) has 8 ballpark homers against lefties. He ain't alone in this set. Even Bob Veale has ballpark homers thanks to Forbes Field (HR 1-2). The staff is plagued with several unbalanced cards but the hitters have averages of .342, .315, .332, .299, .299, .317 and was a very popular SOM one in it's original form.
Curt Flood was a superb in center and you
can't get any better than his 1e0 out there. Lou Brock is an entirely different
story at 3(+1)e20 (4 basic) in LF. He somehow got a "2" in the 1967 sets.
But he did steal 74 bases and had 12 triples and 15 homers. Mike "The Cannon"
Shannon got just a -2 arm in RF but the 2e5 is nice. Next year he moved
to third to make room for probably the most
underrated defensive RF of his era, Roger
Maris. Having the bland name and the equally bland stats of Charlie Smith
at third probably inspired that move. Smith was swapped first by the Mets
for Ken Boyer and then by the Cards for Maris. Am I missing something here?
Bob Gibson is the Gibby we remember as the move to the new park helps cut
his gopher total from 34 in 1965 to 20 in 1966. He's an S(9) and barely
allowed a runner per inning (288 in 280 IP). Steve Carlton shows up
late as a starter and this is the year
that Larry Jaster tormented the Dodgers. Little Al Jackson, freed from
the Mets, posts a nice 2.51 ERA but still gets very few breaks as he goes
13-15. Nellie Briles somehow turned a 3.21 ERA into an ugly 4-15 mark but
almost turned that around in 1967 (14-5). This was the season the Cards
stole Cha Cha Cepeda from the Giants for Ray Sadecki. Let's see, give the
Giants back Cepeda, Hands, Hundley, The Good Alous and this mighthave turned
out different.
The Say Hey Geezer slips a bit to a 1(-4)
but has Downtown Ollie Brown's 2(-4) to his left in the Jints OF. If only
they had a leadoff hitter with an OB over .300! Tito Fuentes is listed
as their leadoff man but he drew just 9 BB in 541 AB for a putrid a .277
OB%. Hal Lanier nearly doubled his doubleplay partner's walk total but
the two combined to draw 25 BB in 1,000 AB. Oh, yeah, they also had noted
walk-o-phobe Jesus (They Kept the Wrong Brother) Alou, who coaxed just
9 BB in 370 AB. For those that are counting
that's 34 BB in 1,370 AB. Haller, Hart, McCovey and Mays offer good power
as Candlestick is rated HR 1-16 lefty and 1-10 righty. 1966 was the year
that Gaylord Perry started off 20-2 but finished at 21-8 and has just a
7 endurance rating. Marichal's card is sweet with an S(9), "B" bunting,
4N hitting and a 0/1 BK/WP. Ray Sadecki pitched like,
well, Ray Sadecki (5-8, 4.80). That was
all they could get for Cepeda? Must of been that fluke 20-win year Sadecki
had a couple of years before that made the Giants think that Ray was an
ace. To be honest Sadecki did have some decent years afterward and the
Giants proved that neither The Baby Bull of Stretch could play anywhere
but firstbase and there was no DH back then. But they
still gave away a dynasty's worth of talent
and Herman Franks made sure that they fell just short with what was left
year after year.
Well, my old friend, despite the years you are looking better than ever!