I have been working on a little project for the past two months trying to collect all of the former Durham Bulls players who appear in the 1975 Topps Mini Set. I know that I am no longer a regular poster, but I have gotten really close to the end of that set and will be posted an update soon.
In the meantime, I have started tracking down some other 1960s and 1970s Durham Bulls players. I was able to find a pretty nice lot of Mickey Lolich cards from the 1970s a few weeks back. The long-time Tigers pitcher actually started his professional career with the Bulls during the summer of 1959. He also played in Durham at different points of the 1960 and 1961 seasons.
A quick rundown on my newest cards.
Here is the list of American League Strikeout Leaders. Some pretty good names on this list. A few Hall of Famers. Pat Dobson is another former Durham Bulls player on this list. I have posted a few of his cards from time to time. I will have a few more coming up at some point in the near future.
This is my second copy of this 1976 Topps Lolich card. Slight crease at the top and some soft corners, but it probably helped keep down the prices on this group of cards. I love the side view of Lolich pitching and how close his knee is to the mound in the photograph. Very unique, but not a one off thing that only happened when the photograph took the picture.
Just the way he threw the ball.
Second card Lolich card from the 1976 Topps set....
Here is the list when Lolich passed Warren Spahn for the record in 1975. Lolich is currently fourth all-time behind Sabathia, Steve Carlton, and Randy Johnson. Clayton Kershaw is only 300 strikeouts behind Lolich, so he will be bumped down to fifth within the next two years.
Last card.
Also a 1976 Topps card, but this time from the Traded set. Topps has not improved their airbrushing much over the years. Maybe a little bit more pixelated nowadays, but just as bad. Hey, they did a pretty good job on the blue pinstripes. Lolich was traded to the Mets for Rusty Staub, another former Durham Bulls player. It was actually the second time that Rusty Staub was traded for another former Durham Bulls player, but more on that a different day.
More 1970s Bulls later this week, or next week. Let's just hope I make another post this year.
The whole thing about him retiring as the all-time strikeout leader among left-handed pitchers is pretty darn impressive and highly underrated.
ReplyDeleteBetter Hall of Fame case than Jack Morris. I am not sure why Lolich doesn't get any mention at all.
DeleteI have a small collection of his going as well, and like you, it's not necessarily because of his big-league career, so much as it is because of him being from Portland (and playing for the Beavers).
ReplyDeleteI saw an interesting Mickey Lolich factoid once in a Durham Bulls program that was connected to him being a Portland native. Whatever high school he attended in Portland was also where Johnny Pesky graduated. Pesky managed the Bulls for a year or two in the mid 1950s after he retired. They actually didn't miss each other by much in Durham.
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