1972 Topps Fred Cambria

Who is this? Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Fred Cambria
What is this? An autographed card from the 1972 Topps set
Where'd I get it? Nick from Baseball Happenings got it signed for me last month.


Why is this so special? When I was younger, I didn't really like the 1972 Topps set. It never seemed to fit with the other old Topps cards. Lately, though, I've started to appreciate its odd charm so I've been trying to get 1972 Topps cards signed when I can.

Fred Cambria was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1969 draft. By a coincidence, he happens to be from Cambria Heights, N.Y.

According to Baseball Reference, Cambira threw a perfect game in the minor leagues in 1969. The next year, he got his chance to pitch in the majors. He made 5 late season starts for the Pirates, finishing the year with a 1-2 record and a 3.51 ERA.

Arm troubles hampered his career... though Cambria pitched in the minor leagues into 1973, he never appeared in another major league game. At 25, he was out of baseball.

Cambria has a clear, legible signature. I wish he had opted to sign over his name instead of his face, though.

This is my last post of the week, so I want to take a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I'll be back on Monday with some more autographed baseball cards to show you during the final week of 2010.

1972 Topps Chris Chambliss

Who is this? former Cleveland Indians first baseman Chris Chambliss
What is this? An autographed card from the 1972 Topps set
Where'd I get it? Nick from Baseball Happenings got it signed for me last month


Why is this so special? Chris Chambliss played in the major leagues for 17 seasons and retired with over 2,100 hits. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1971, an All-Star in 1976 and a Gold Glove winner in 1978.

Yankee fans remember him best for hitting a walk-off home run in the 1976 ALCS to send the Yankees to their first World Series since 1964. He won World Series rings with the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.

After he retired, Chambliss joined the coaching ranks. He has worked for the Tigers, Yankees, Mets and Mariners organizations as a minor league manager or major league hitting coach.

Chambliss has a unique autograph that would be difficult to decipher on a generic item. I don't think I've ever seen closed "C"'s like that before.

1972 Topps Dock Ellis "In Action"

Who is this? Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis
What is this? An autographed card from the 1972 Topps set
Where'd I get it? In a trade with Dion, of Dion's IP Autos Only


Why is this so special? Dock Ellis is one of the more colorful characters in baseball history.

He threw a no-hitter in 1970 and later claimed that he was under the influence of LSD at the time.

In 1974, he was pulled from a start against the Reds after five batters. He hit Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Dan Driessen to start the game. Tony Perez managed to dodge four balls out of the strikezone, and Danny Murtaugh pulled him after Ellis threw errant pitches to Johnny Bench. Ellis later said that he was trying to send a message to the Reds in response to some comments made during spring training.

Ellis retired from baseball with a 138-119 record in 345 games. He was an All-Star in 1971, a year that he won 19 games. Ellis won the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1976 when he went 17-8 for the Yankees.

Somebody cast a vote for Ellis to enter the Hall of Fame in 1985. He definitely belongs in baseball's Hall of Characters. Ellis died in 2008 while awaiting a liver transplant.

Dock Ellis' signature is not very pretty, but it is fairly legible.

1972 topps ron cey (with ben ogilvie and bernie williams)

Who is this? the penguin, ron cey

What is this? an autographed 1972 topps rookie card

Where'd I get it? from kit young sportscards mail order catalog about 14 years ago

How much did it cost? i think i paid around $20

Why is this so special? ron cey was the third baseman for the long lasting dodger infield of my youth, that's why. actually, the penguin was arguably the dodgers' best player during his tenure. he was the los angeles dodgers career home run leader until eric karros came along.

this card is his rookie card, a high number to boot. plus it features ben ogilivie and (not that) bernie williams. notice that he is listed as an outfielder. the entire dodger infield were converted from different positions - garvey from 3rd and russell, lopes and cey from the outfield.

cey would appear on another group rookie card in 1973, this time as a 3rd baseman with some guy named schmidt.

the auto itself is pretty nice - strong blue sharpie with cey's uniform number "10" inside the loop of the "R". pretty standard cey auto.

1972 Topps Darrell Evans

Who is this? Braves third baseman Darrell Evans.

What is this? An autographed 1972 Topps card, number 171.

Where'd I get it? A dealer at the 2008 Braves FanFest.

How much did it cost? Five bucks.

Why is this so special? I've been looking for an auto of Darrell for a long time. I actually bought one about 8 years ago from a dealer in Utah, but it was missing from the package that was sent. This one is a nice example of his looping signature. A rule V pick for Atlanta in 1969, Darrell worked with Eddie Mathews to become an excellent fielding third baseman. In 1973 Darrell, along with Hank Aaron and Davey Johnson, became the first three teammates to hit over 40 home runs in a season. Darrell set another first with the Tigers in 1985 when he became the first player to hit 40 home runs in both leagues. Bill James considers him one of the most underrated players in history due to his defense, power and high on base percentage. Darrell played one last season with Atlanta in 1989 before retiring.