1983 Topps Gaylord Perry

Kansas City Royals CTNW Favorites #2

The Kansas City Royals have rostered a total of 7 Hall of Famers. Three of them were picked up in the final year of their career. Gaylord Perry was a well-traveled pitcher. He played for 8 different teams during his 22 year career, winning the Cy Young award in both the A.L. and N.L. He won it for the Indians in 1972 and Padres in 1978. In his final season he was 4-4 in 14 starts for the Royals. 

The Royals also picked up.Orlando Cepeda for a short stint at the end of his career in 1974. I had created this card for an earlier installment on this page back in 2011. Similarly, after 21 years in the Senators/Twins organization, Harmon Killebrew spent his final season wearing Royal blue. This beautiful card can be found on the Royal Heritage blog.

The Royals also had 3 Hall of Famers at the helm. In their inaugural season the Royals manager was Hall of Fame second baseman Joe "Flash" Gordon. In 1970 the Royals hired Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon to run the show. In the middle of the 1975 season Whitey Herzog replaced a relatively young Jack McKeon. Unlike Gordon and Lemon, Herzog was inducted into the Hall as a manager not a player. Unfortunately, it was mostly due to his career with the Cardinals after he left the Royals. None of these managers were Hall of Famers during their tenure with the Royals. Bob Lemon was inducted in 1976, Tom Gordon in 2009 and Whitey Herzog was enshrined in 2010.

Spoiler alert: the Royals had one more Hall of Famer and he is the subject of my next post.

1986 Fleer Bo Jackson

Kansas City Royals CTNW Favorites #3

Bo Jackson was the 1985 Heisman Trophy winner and the overall #1 pick in the NFL draft by the Buccaneers in 1986. A two-sport star in college, Bo hit .401 for Auburn in 1985.  But his 1986 baseball season was cut short. He was ruled ineligible for taking a trip on the Buccaneers owner's jet to visit the team despite being assured that it had been cleared by the NCAA. Bo felt he was duped by the Bucs and vowed not to play for them. Instead he played for the Royals. Initially he played for their AA team the Memphis chicks but was called up to the show in September of 1986. 

Topps responded by including Bo in their 1986 Traded set. Likewise, Donruss included him in both their Highlights and their Rookies sets. Fleer was the only major card company that didn't have a card of this highly anticipated and much publicized player during his rookie season.

1973 Topps Hal McRae

Kansas City Royals CTNW Favorites #4

In November of 1972 Hal McRae was traded to the Royals. He was used primarily as a pinch hitter by the Reds ever since breaking his leg in 1969. Coincidentally, 1973 was the first season in which the American League had the designated hitter. It seemed like a perfect match. McRae played in 2084 MLB games but only 516 in the field. He is #5 on the Royals All Time list in hits, #4 in homers, #2 in doubles and #2 in RBIs. McRae had a card in the 1973 Topps set. He was depicted as an outfielder for the Reds.  The 1973 Topps set had no design for designated hitters but I think this McRae card merits the creation of a new design.

1980 Donruss Dan Quisenberry

Kansas City Royals CTNW Favorites #5

Here is another installment in my on again off again running theme, the top 5 "Fan Favorites" set. Just as a reminder, these are not necessarily the 5 best players from the franchise. They are just cards I decided to make of players that I like. So as David Letterman used to say before Stupid Pet Tricks, "This is only an exhibition. This is not a competition. Please, no wagering."

To be honest I have been waiting for the opportunity to make one of these ever since I learned of their existence a few years back.  This is Donruss's 1980 baseball card design that they were using as a prototype in anticipation of the antitrust ruling that would eventually break Topps monopoly.

Dan Quisenberry was called up by the Royals in July of 1979 going 3-2 with 5 saves. That was good enough for Topps to put him on a "Future Stars" card but not enough to get his own card. I have always been a fan of the sidearm style pitchers, and Quiz was the best. 1980 was his first full season and he led the A.L. in saves with 33 and won The Sporting News Fireman of the Year Award. He would win again in 1982, 83, 84 and 85.

1980 Topps Steve Howe

There were 16 different players receiving Rookie of the year votes in 1980 and not a single one of them was included in the 1980 Topps set. So I am continuing my flood of 1980 rookie cards.

Steve Howe's story is a tragic one. He had 7 wins and 17 saves as the Dodgers' closer in 1980 and won the National League Rookie of the Year award. In 1981 he had a win and a save in the World Series to beat the Yankees in 6 games. His addiction to drugs and alcohol marred his career. He served 7 substance-related suspensions including the entire 1984 season and a "lifetime" ban in 1992. He successfully appealed that suspension and continued playing through 1996. Although he showed moments of greatness, he never really lived up to his potential. He died at 48 year old when he rolled his pick up truck. Toxicology reports found meth in his system.