1973 Topps Curt Blefary

Curt Blefary fielded right handed but hit from the left side of the plate, and he could hit with power. In order to keep that bat in the line up he was shuffled around the field. He felt that this shuffling led to his decline. He ended his MLB career in 1972 with the Padres. In 1973 he was picked up by the Braves but never left the minors. He passed away in 2001 and his ashes were scattered at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Memorial Stadium was last used by the Orioles in 1991 and last used by the Ravens in 1997. Memorial Stadium was in the process of being demolished when his family scattered his ashes.  

1975 Topps 1965 Rookies of the Year

The first thing that strikes me when I look at this card is "did I run spell-check?"  The second is that the 1965 Rookies of the Year faced each other in the 1966 World Series. The Orioles swept the Dodgers in 4 games. Neither of these players were much of an impact. Lefebvre hit a solo home run in a 5-2 loss in game one. He had only one other hit in the series batting .167. Blefary had a hit in his first World Series at bat. It was a 2 out, bases empty single, he was stranded at first.  He wouldn't get another hit in the series batting .077. 

By 1973 both player would be out of the Major Leagues. Blefary would be playing in the minors for the Braves. Lefebvre would be in Japan playing for the Lotte Orions. He would become the first person to play on a team that won the American World Series and the Japanese World Series. He would also go on to manage several teams including the Chinese National Baseball Team in the Olympics and the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

1965 Topps Jim Lefebvre

Jim Lefebvre's career in L.A. wasn't limited to baseball. If you tune into TVLand you might catch him playing bit parts on classic TV shows. He had small roles on Batman, Gilligan's Island, M*A*S*H, Knight Rider, Alice and several others. In his rookie season he was one of 7 Dodgers receiving MVP votes.  He hit .400 against Minnesota Twins pitchers in the 1965 World Series and won Rookie of the Year honors beating out another second baseman, Joe Morgan.

Update 4/5/12

Thanks to Vonnoosh for pointing out Lefebvre's actual first card. See comments below.

1965 Topps Curt Blefary

Curt Blefary was given the nickname "Clank" by Frank Robinson for his fielding abilities. His ability to hit for power from the left side of the plate kept him in the majors.  In an attempt to keep his bat in the line-up, he was moved from the outfield to first base and occasionally played catcher. He caught Tom Phoebus's no hitter for the Orioles in 1968. Blefary spent 4 years with the Orioles and played on the World Series winning team in 1966. His contribution was 1 hit in 13 at bats. No RBIs, no Runs scored.

Video Checklist -Series 6

Here are all the cards in the 6th series in one place. These videos are handy for people who like to look at the pictures but don't really want to read the boring comments I write below them.