Random Topps Card of the Day: 1967 Topps #114 Jack Baldschun

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, May 2, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1967 Topps #114.
• Player Name, position, team: Jack Baldschun, pitcher, Cincinnati Reds.
• Major League Debut: April 28, 1961.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1966 stats (Reds): 1-5, .167 PCT, 44 SO, 25 BB, 5.53 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Signed by Senators as a Free Agent before the 1956 season. Traded by the Orioles to the Reds 12/09/1965. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Baldschun's sixth regular Topps card (total does not include any combo cards). How cool is this. The last time we featured a 1967 Topps card, I mentioned that Milt Pappas was traded by the Orioles to the Reds for Frank Robinson. Guess who was also sent over to the Reds in that deal? That's right...Jack Baldschun (although he was traded TO the Orioles three days earlier). Baldschun was primarily a reliever, and one used very often at that. Even now, although he only pitched nine seasons in the majors, he among the career leaders in games finished (267, good for 138th) and made frequent appearances in the league leader boards in games pitched (even leading the National League in 1961). As with many other 1967 Topps cards, there are two cartoon panels above the blurb on the back. The first mentions that Jack "led the NL with 65 appearances (we've already covered that), the other that he was "credited with 48 saves in his 5 years as a Pirate." The blurb does not mention the infamous trade (unlike Pappas') but does compliment Baldschun on being "one of the top relief pitchers in the majors for the past six seasons. Jack was bothered by arm trouble last year, and was used sparingly." It's not often you get injury reports on the back of a baseball cards. It was nice to know why Baldschun, who normally pitched no less than 65 games a season, didn't appear in so many games (if you consider 42 games "not so many."
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $1.00-$2.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 0 cards.

In case you're actually wondering, I don't own this card, but was able to get a crystal clean copy of the image from the from the Baseball Card Cyber Museum. So thank you Joe McAnally and the folks at the BCCM.

Well, it's back to normal on Monday. Tomorrow's card will be: 2003 Topps #220. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Come on back then to see what the Topps Card Randomizer gets us to look at then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama