no. 747 - rookie stars n.l. pitchers

Who is the man: Balor Moore was the only one of the three players on this card to make his MLB debut in 1970. But all three spent most of 1970 in the minors. Al Severinsen spent the entire year with Triple A Rochester while in the Orioles' chain. He came to the Padres in the deal that landed the O's pitcher Pat Dobson.

Can ya dig it: Severinsen is airbrushed from an Orioles cap (which he wore on a rookie stars card in the 1970 Topps set). That reddish brown thing is supposed to be Padres hat wear. It's so realistic it appears on Severinsen's baseball-reference page.

Right on: This is the N.L. version of the rookie pitchers card. We saw the A.L. version earlier.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: For the last time (really), they are not. They're just rookies.

Shut your mouth: Scipio Spinks is one of the classic baseball names of the 1970s. Spinks' father was also named Scipio and all of the first-born sons in the family had the name.

No one understands him but his woman: Moore was the first player drafted by the Expos in the 1969 MLB draft.

(A word about the back): Congratulations to me and happy birthday to Balor Moore. I am posting this card on his 67th birthday. This is always a goal of my set blogs.

no. 728 - rookie stars n.l. outfielders

Who is the man: Bernie Williams made his first appearance in the majors in 1970, playing in seven games. Keith Lampard had the most time in the majors that year with 53 games. Wayne Redmond was in the minors in 1970.

Can ya dig it: This is a spin-off on the last rookie stars card, which was titled simply "outfielders." These guys didn't fare nearly as well as the players on the previous card.

Right on: Redmond is shown with the Phillies (and an airbrushed cap), but he never played for the Phillies. He was dealt from the Tigers in October of 1970 and then returned to the Tigers in early April, 1971.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: No. Not now, not ever.

Shut your mouth: Two of these three players were through with their major league careers when this card was issued. Only Williams would play in the majors again. That makes this card kind of an anti-prospect card.

No one understands him but his woman: Now that another Bernie Williams went on to a much more famous career, it's not easy to track down info on the earlier Bernie.

(A word about the back): Redmond is from Detroit, but he did play for the Angels' Triple A team in Honolulu in 1970, so maybe that's why Hawaii is listed as his home.

no. 709 rookie stars outfielders

What a card: Two of the three players on this card made their major league debuts in 1970. Tom Paciorek went 2-for-9 in eight games in his debut with the Dodgers. Don Baylor went 4-for-17, also in eight games, with the Orioles in his debut. Dusty Baker was making his third stint in the majors in 1970. He appeared in 13 games and batted .292 in 24 at-bats.

Can ya dig it: This is the most difficult of the high numbers to obtain. As you can see, mine is cut weirdly and contains a crease in the left corner. And if that's not enough, I still need a second one for my Dodgers collection.

Right on: OK, this is another variation on the rookie stars cards. Let's update the list:

Team-oriented, two-player
Team-oriented, three-player
National League, three-player
American League, three-player
Pitchers, three-player
American League pitchers, three-player
Outfielders, three-player

You see these rookies are bad mothers: Well, I hate to say it, but even though all three enjoyed solid MLB careers and the careers of Baker and Baylor were exceptional, they are not bad-ass. Not right now.

Shut your mouth: Baker's nickname of "Dusty" is so identified with him that few know his actual first name is "Johnnie". Paciorek's nickname of "Wimpy" is also well-known. Baylor's nickname was "Groove," which is new to me.

No one understands him but his woman: Baylor breaking his leg while catching a first pitch thrown by Vladimir Guerrero in 2014 is still one of the strangest on-field injuries I've seen. Baylor, down on one knee on his left leg, reached across his body to backhand Guerrero's throw and his right leg collapsed with a broken thigh bone.

(A word about the back): Sadly, the youngest of the three is no longer alive.

no. 692 - rookie stars a.l. pitchers

Who is the man: Each of these pitchers made their major league debut in 1970. Hal Hayden appeared in four games in relief with the Twins; Rogelio Moret pitched in three games, one start, for the Red Sox; and Wayne Twitchell two games in relief for the Brewers.

Can ya dig it: I'm curious about the airbrushed cap that Twitchell is wearing. Could it be a Seattle Pilots hat? He was traded to Seattle in early 1969 but played in the minors.

Right on: This is yet another variation on the rookie stars cards in this set. Let's review what we have so far:

Team-oriented, two-player
Team-oriented, three-player
National League-three-player
American League, three-player
Pitchers, three-player
American League pitchers, three-player

You see these rookies are bad mothers: Even though two of them appeared in the glorious 1975 Topps set, no, they are not bad-ass.

Shut your mouth: Twitchell was already a member of the Phillies when this card appeared in packs. He was traded to the team for which he'd spend most of his career in April of 1971.

No one understands him but his woman: Haydel never appeared on his own Topps card. He showed up again in the 1972 set as one of three Twins rookie stars.

(A word about the back): The pitchers' heights get taller as you progress down the card.

no. 664 - rookie stars pitchers

Who is the man: From left to right, we have three guys who spent most of their time in Triple A in 1970. Archie Reynolds appeared in 7 games with the Cubs and the rest of his time in Triple A Hawaii. Bob Reynolds spent all of '70 in Triple A, with Buffalo. And Ken Reynolds made his first four MLB appearances in 1970, but appeared in 29 games with Triple A Eugene.

Can ya dig it: This, right here, is proof that Topps has (or had) a sense of humor. For maybe the only time a rookie stars card is not categorized by team, position or league, but by name. Somebody at Topps apparently noticed three pitchers named Reynolds on their way up and thought it would be amusing to put all three on the same card but make no reference to the fact that they were doing it.

Right on: To add to the amusement, Archie is wearing the brightest hand-drawn cap ever. I suppose this is the artist's idea of an Angels cap as Archie went from the Cubs to the Angels.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: It may be the most unusual rookie card ever, but no I can't call any of them bad-ass. Collectively, they had five solo cards.

Shut your mouth: I mentioned this on the 1975 blog, but it's worth saying again. Bob Reynolds was involved in a famous dust-up with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson. When Robinson was the player/manager for the Indians, he sent Reynolds down to the minors. Later that same spring, Reynolds faced Robinson in an exhibition game. He yelled out to Robinson asking him why he was sent down. Robinson responded by coming across the field and knocking him off his feet with a punch. Reynolds later said it was a misunderstanding.

No one understands him but his woman: Ken Reynolds became a physical education teacher after his baseball career and said that he enjoyed his teaching career much more than his baseball career.

(A word about the back): All of them were born in January. I still think there's a Topps employee out there who has a chuckle every time he sees this card.

no. 648 - mets rookie stars

Who is the man: Of the three players here, Jon Matlack was the only one who had not reached the majors by 1971. Both Rich Folkers and Ted Martinez played briefly with the Mets in 1970, spending the rest of the season in Triple A Tidewater. Matlack pitched the entire 1970 season at Tidewater.

Can ya dig it: Three Mets caps. I like it. No airbrushing. No hatless dudes. It's a rarity with the rookies stars cards in this set.

Right on: This is the fourth three-player team rookie card, which started relatively late in the set (No. 576). I'm interested to see which teams get one of these and which don't. So far the Cubs, Cardinals, Indians and Mets have one.

You these rookies are bad mothers: Nope. Talk to me in 1981 when Matlack has been in the league for a decade.

Shut your mouth: Matlack gave up Roberto Clemente's 3,000th hit and he wasn't too happy about it. He had no idea Clemente was nearing the record and he was more upset that he gave up the double. As they stopped the game to present Clemente the ball, Matlack fumed on the mound. "I was just an oblivious rookie," he admitted later.

No one understands him but his woman: Martinez, a native of the Dominican Republic, had difficulty overcoming the language barrier according to several reports. In Tug McGraw's book "Screwball," he recounted a time during Martinez's rookie year when McGraw motioned to Martinez, playing shortstop, that he was going to attempt to pick off the runner at second. Confused, Martinez cried out "no comprendo!" causing manager Gil Hodges to storm out of the dugout and yell at McGraw.

(A word about the back): Folkers' stats list just five games in the minors in 1970, and he appeared in just 16 games for the Mets. Folkers missed all of the 1969 because he was serving in the military. I'm wondering if he missed part of 1970 for the same reason.

no. 633 - rookie stars, american league

Who is the man: Both Bobby Brooks and Pete Koegel managed just seven games in the majors in 1970, spending the vast majority of their seasons in Double A or Triple A. Scott Northey didn't even sniff the majors in 1970.

Can ya dig it: This is a very nice-looking card (except for Koegel's blacked-out cap).

Right on: Koegel is posed in front of that familiar hill that is part of Tempe Diablo Stadium, which was the spring training site for the Brewers in the early 1970s. My guess on why Koegel's hat is blacked out is possibly because he's wearing a Pilots cap (the Pilots trained at Tempe Diablo in 1969 and 1970).

You see these rookies are bad mothers: It is quite likely that there is no more less bad-ass card in this set than this one. Not one of these three received a solo card. Northey's major league career was already done at this point.

Shut your mouth: Northey's father, Ron Northey, played for the Phillies, Cardinals, Reds and White Sox in the 1940s and 50s. He died the same year this card was issued.

No one understands him but his woman: Bobby Brooks was nicknamed "The Hammer" while coming up through the A's organization. He declined to be compared with Hank Aaron and suggested he was "The Little Hammer".

(A word about the back): Some sizeable "life" totals, almost all spent in the minors. All three of these players played their first professional season in 1965.

no. 612 - indians rookie stars

Who is the man: Ted Ford and Steve Mingori enjoyed their first appearances in major league games in 1970, while Lou Camilli first appeared in the majors in 1969. All three players were stars on the Triple A Wichita Aeros team in 1970.

Can ya dig it: Chief Wahoo is photo-bombing Ford's picture.

Right on: Camilli may have appeared in the major leagues first, but he's the only one of the three here to never receive his own solo Topps card.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: "Cleveland Indians" and "bad-ass" do not go together in the 1970s.

Shut your mouth: Camilli, who played sparingly for the Indians from 1969-72 once said, "They ought to change our name to the Cleveland Light Company. We don't have anything but utility men."

No one understands him but his woman: Steve Mingori was a Leap Year Day baby, born on Feb. 29, 1944. He is one of only 13 major leaguers to be born on Feb. 29.

(A word about the back): We have every possible batting preference on the back of this card. Bats right, bats left and bats both.

no. 594 - cardinals rookie stars

Who is the man: Both Bob Chlupsa and Al Hrabosky made their major league debuts in 1970, while Bob Stinson received his second straight cup-of-coffee in the majors after debuting in 1969.

Can ya dig it: Yes, '70s and '80s fans, that is a young Al Hrabosky without a fu manchu. Pretty strange, huh?

Right on: You don't need me to tell you that Stinson is actually wearing Dodgers duds. The blue arm sleeves combo with the red airbrushed cap is rather jarring. Stinson was sent to the Cardinals, along with infielder Ted Sizemore, for slugger Dick Allen.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: Hrabosky had not acquired his "Mad Hungarian" nickname at this early state, so no, these guys are not bad-ass.

Shut your mouth: Hrabosky worked as an attendant at Disneyland when he was growing up.

No one understands him but his woman: In 2010, famed card collector Keith Olbermann noted that he had a signed card for everyone in the 1976 SSPC set, a set for which he wrote the back bios, except for Stinson. Stinson has refused to sign the card, saying it is "an outlaw card" because players didn't get any money from the sale of the set.

(A word about the back): Chlupsa stood 6-foot-7 but managed just 15 games and 18-plus innings in his career. He spent his final two pro seasons in Hawaii in the Padres' organization.

no. 576 - cubs rookie stars

Who is the man: Adrian Garrett and Brock Davis each played briefly in the majors in 1970 at three and six games, respectively. Garry Jestadt spent all of 1970 in the minors, on three minor league teams.

Can ya dig it: This is the third version of the rookie stars cards in this set. We've already seen the two-player, one-team rookie stars cards, and the three-player, multiple-team rookie stars cards. This is the three-player, one-team rookie stars card.

Right on: A bunch of reclamation projects on this card. Garrett was getting his first taste of the majors since he played four games for the Braves in 1966. Davis had a similar four-year gap, last playing in the majors for the Astros in 1966. Jestadt had spent the vast majority of his career in the minors since 1965.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: No way. This set has now featured five rookie stars Cubs. The five combined would have five solo Topps cards in their careers (2 each for Garrett and Davis, 1 for Jestadt, none for Jim Dunegan or Roe Skidmore).

Shut your mouth: Brock Davis' actual first name is "Bryshear".

No one understands him but his woman: Both Garrett and Jestadt played multiple seasons in Japan.

(A word about that back): Note the birthdates for Garrett and Davis. They were 27 or 28 years old when this card was issued. Davis appeared on a rookie stars card with Willie Stargell in the 1963 Topps set for crying out loud!

no. 559 - rookie stars, american league

Who is the man: Terry Cox, Bill Gogolewski and Gary Jones each spent the majority of 1970 in the minor leagues. Each also made their major league debuts that year.

Can ya dig it: This is the American League counterpart to the National League rookie stars card that appeared 30 cards ago. The National League rookie stars fared a lot better than these three.

Right on: The AL card does have one advantage on the NL card. All three players are wearing their correct caps. Not an airbrushing in sight.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: Way, way off. They're not bad-ass at all. Only Gogolewski was still a major leaguer when this card was issued.

Shut your mouth: Cox and Jones wouldn't appear on another Topps baseball card.

No one understands him but his woman: Gogolewski allowed the first home run hit at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. It was hit by John Mayberry in 1973.

(A word about the back): Gogolewski's 1970 stats are from his season in Double A Pittsfield, Mass.

no. 529 - rookie stars, national league

Who is the man: Enzo Hernandez, Bill Buckner and Marty Perez all spent the majority of their 1970 baseball year in the minors, but both Buckner and Perez made brief visits to the majors that year.

Can ya dig it: This marks a departure in the presentation of the rookies in the set. Up to this point, they have been categorized by team, two at a time. But this one is much more lenient, selecting three players from random NL teams. Topps started this practice of some rookie stars cards focusing on teams and some on leagues in the mid-1960s and it would continue into the early '70s.

Right on: Hernandez played in the Orioles' organization in 1970 before a trade to the Padres in December 1970, so he's wearing an airbrushed Orioles' cap (or O's minor league cap). Perez was part of the Angels' organization in 1970 before a trade in October 1970, and he's wearing an airbrushed Angels cap.

You see those rookies are bad mothers: Really, no, they're not. Nobody cared about rookie cards in 1971. This isn't even Buckner's rookie card (it's in the 1970 set).

Shut your mouth: Hernandez won the "negative triple crown" in 1971, with the league's worst batting average, home run total and RBI total.

No one understands him but his woman: Buckner's wife is Jody. Perez's wife is Judy. I don't know the name of the wife of Enzo (Hernandez died in 2013), but I hope it at least starts with a "J".

My observation on the back: You can tell by those minor league "life" totals that both Hernandez and Perez had logged plenty of  time in the bushes.

no. 512 - red sox rookie stars

Who is the man: Dick Mills and Mike Garman spent the vast majority of their 1970 seasons with Triple A Louisville. Only Mills appeared in the majors, getting in two relief appearances for the Red Sox in September, 1970.

Can ya dig it: This is the second Red Sox rookie stars card in the set. The first one featured players that made more of an impact for Boston.

Right on: It appears to be a more pleasant day where Garman is than where Mills is.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: Pssssh. These two? You know they're rookies, right?

Shut your mouth: Mills went on to become a notable pitching coach and teacher before his death last year. His website (with the most appropriate web address ever) is now headed by his son, Ryan, who pitched seven seasons in the minors.

No one understands him but his woman: Garman is the first player from Idaho to be picked in the first round of MLB's amateur draft. The Red Sox selected him third overall and he remains the highest draft choice for any Idahoan who played in the majors.

 (A word about the back): Those two games that Mills hurled were the only major league experience he ever had.

no. 494 - braves rookie stars

Who is the man: Both Ralph Garr and Rick Kester spent most of 1970 with Triple A Richmond, and each made a quick visit to the majors for the third straight year.

Can ya dig it: This is the second Braves rookie stars card in the set. The other card featured one notable player and one forgotten player, too.

Right on: As you can tell by the massive dings, this was another hand-me-down '71 that I acquired in a trade as a youngster. I'm curious as to which of those cards had the highest number in the set. We must be getting close.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: Ralph Garr has one of my favorite cards in the entire 1975 Topps set, but he was four years away from that at this point. Rookies ain't bad-ass.

Shut your mouth: During an appearance at his alma mater at Grambling University last year, Garr told a reporter for the school paper that only one player was the best who ever played. "There's no one who ever played the game of baseball better than Henry Aaron," he said. "That's my opinion and I believe that as long as I live."

No one understands him but his woman: Kester had appeared in his last major league game by the time this card was issued. He showed up only on these multi-player rookie cards, three consecutive years, in fact. In each case, someone else on the card went on to a more notable career -- Darrell Evans, Ralph Garr and Tom House.

(A word about the back): Stealing home for your first MLB stolen base -- heck, that IS pretty bad-ass.

no. 458 - white sox rookie stars

Who is the man: Both Ron Lolich and Dave Lemonds spent the entire 1970 season in Triple A, but for different teams. Lolich hit .292 with 16 homers for the White Sox's Triple A outfit in Tucson. Lemonds posted a 4.07 ERA in 22 starts for the Cubs' Triple A team in Tacoma.

Can ya dig it: I think Lolich might have some chaw, otherwise why would he be making that face?

Right on: Topps blacked out the top section of Lemonds' Cubs cap.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: The two of them combined had one solo Topps card -- Lemonds' 1973 card -- so, no, they're not bad mothers.

Shut your mouth: Lolich is the cousin of famed Tigers starting pitcher Mickey Lolich.

No one understands him but his woman: Lolich is one of precious few major leaguers to hit an "ultimate grand slam." That is when you hit a walk-off grand slam that enables your team to win by a single run. Lolich's ultimate grand slam came in the 9th inning of the Indians' 8-7 victory over the Red Sox on April 22, 1973.

(A word about the back): Baseball-reference.com credits Lolich with 27 home runs in 1969. The White Sox's HR leader that year was Bill Melton with 23.

no. 439 - phillies rookie stars

Who is the man: Both Greg Luzinski and Scott Reid spent most of the 1970 season shooting up minor league ball. Luzinski battered Double A while Reid blasted Triple A. Both had brief stints with the Phillies, but Luzinski hit .167 and Reid .122.

Can ya dig it: Luzinski looks like The Bull even at 20 years old.

Right on: It's interesting that Luzinski is listed as a first baseman. He would play first base only in his first two years with the Phillies, and then for a handful of games with the White Sox in 1983.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: Luzinski would go on to hit 307 career home runs but at this point he had none. Sorry, not bad-ass.

Shut your mouth: Reid's major league career was already done when this card was made.

No one understands him but his woman: Jean Luzinski dated and married a talented football player who went in the first round of the major league draft (Greg) and raised a talented football player who went in the first round of the major league draft (Ryan).

(A word about the back): Topps doesn't tell you which college team Scott Reid played for, but it was Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif. He then went to Arizona State.

no. 423 - tigers rookie stars

Who is the man: Both Dennis Saunders and Tim Marting spent most of 1970 playing in the minors. Marting spent all of 1970 with the Tigers' Triple A team in Toledo. Saunders played in Toledo as well as in Double A Montgomery, Ala.. He also appeared in eight games for the Tigers.

Can ya dig it: This is the fourth one of these Rookie Stars cards in which neither player would have another card. Rookie Stars? Ha!

Right on: This is the second Tigers Rookie stars card in the set. The players on the first one fared better than these two did.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: Nope, nope and nope. No wonder the Tigers would go in the tank four years from the time this card appeared with rookies like this. Both players were out of baseball by the time 1972 was done.

Shut your mouth: Marting worked in a degree at Florida Southern College while he was playing in the minors for the Tigers. Single at the time, he told the paper in Toledo, "There's no way I could work a wife into my schedule."

No one understands him but his woman: Saunders looks like he's going to be sick.

(A word about the back): Topps doesn't tell you that Marting's .308 batting average at Lakeland in 1967 came in 15 games.

no. 404 - astros rookie stars

Who is the man: Buddy Harris and Roger Metzger both spent the great majority of the 1970 season in the minor leagues, Harris in the Astros organization and Metzger in the Cubs organization. Harris pitched in two games with the Astros and Metzger had two at-bats with the Cubs.

Can ya dig it: Metzger features that blacked-out cap 1971 Topps loved so much. But the blue bill says he's wearing a Cubs cap.

Right on: Topps correctly predicted Metzger as a rookie star. After he was traded to Houston for Hector Torres, Metzger proceeded to play in 150 games in 1971 and lead the National League with 11 triples. OK, his on-base percentage was .294.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: You just saw Metzger's OBP, no they ain't.

Shut your mouth: Buddy's real first name is "Walter".

No one understands him but his woman: After Metzger's playing career ended, he became a high school math teacher.

(A word about the back): Harris posted some mean ERA and strikeout totals in the minors, but he didn't play in the majors beyond 20 games in 1971. This is his only Topps card.

no. 391 - twins rookie stars

Who is the man: Steve Brye made his first appearance in a major league game in 1970 while Cotton Nash made his last. Confused? Well you won't be after this edition of ... Twins Rookie Stars.

Can ya dig it: This is the second team to have two rookie stars cards in the 1971 set. The Pirates were the first. Here is the Twins' first.

Right on: I am very distressed right now that a player named Cotton Nash did not become a well-known figure in major league baseball.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: A player named "Cotton" or no, they're rookies and therefore not bad-ass. (Nash got his nickname because of his light blond hair).

Shut your mouth: Steve Brye will forever be known in my mind as the favorite player of my younger brother's stuffed lion. I've mentioned this on three blogs now and it sounds as ridiculous as ever.

No one understands him but his woman: Nash is one of the few to play for both Major League Baseball and in the NBA. Nash also played pro basketball in the old ABA.

 (A word about the back): Nash played in parts of the 1967, 1969 and 1970 seasons for the White Sox and Twins, but his pro baseball career ended after a season in the Rangers' organization in 1972.

no. 376 - expos rookie stars

Who is the man: Clyde Mashore played 13 games for the Expos in 1970, batting .160 in 25 at-bats. He spent most of the year in the minors. Ernie McAnally spent all of 1970 pitching for the Buffalo Bisons of the International League.

Can ya dig it: I enjoy the distant palm tree.

Right on: Topps is kind of on point with McAnally as a rookie star. In 1971, he would win 11 games in 25 starts for Montreal. OK, the 3.90 ERA was a little high.

You see these rookies are bad mothers: HA! The franchise was barely even two years old at this point.

Shut your mouth: This is McAnally's first card and possibly the start of little collectors making his name the butt of their jokes.

No one understands him but his woman: Mashore came to the Expos in a trade with the Reds. Cincinnati received Ty Cline in exchange, who would go on to star for Cincinnati in the 1970 postseason.

(A word about the back): McAnally was selected in the 20th round of the 1966 draft by the Mets. Other future major leaguers drafted in that round were Ed Goodson and Dave LaRoche.