Back on Topps' Radar: Tony LaRussa

Wow, I haven’t had a “Back on Topps’ Radar” post since 9/24/2011!

Tony LaRussa (#571) returns to a Topps set for the first time since his (full) rookie card in the 1964 set. He was a utility infielder for the Oakland Athletics in the late 1960s/early 1970s, but (obviously) had a much more successful career as a manager.

LaRussa was signed by the Kansas City Athletics in 1962, and played in their minor-league system every season from 1962 to 1971 (except for 1963, when he inexplicably spent the entire season with the big club, although only playing in 34 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter).

Tony played a few games with Oakland in 1968 and 1969, but got the most big-league playing time in 1970, when he appeared in 52 games, including 28 starts at 2nd base while filling in for Dick Green. He was up and down in 1971, then in mid-August, the A’s sold him to the Braves, where he finished out the season in the majors.

After 1971, LaRussa played only in the minors (save for 1 game with the Cubs in April 1973), as he bounced around with the Braves, Cubs, Pirates, White Sox, and Cardinals, retiring after the 1977 season.

(Rumor has it that velcro was invented after the president of 3-M saw this baseball card!)

Tony earned a law degree immediately after his playing career was over, and also joined the White Sox as a minor-league manager. He assumed the Sox’ managerial position in 1979 when Don Kessinger was fired after 108 games. The White Sox won the AL West in 1983, but lost to the Orioles. LaRussa continued as manager until he was fired in mid-1986.

A few weeks later, he was hired by the Athletics, and managed them through the 1995 season. From 1988 to 1991 he won 3 AL pennants and the 1989 World Series.

His longest tenure as manager was with the Cardinals (1996-2011). The Cards won the NL pennant in 2004, and the World Series in 2006 and 2011, after which, LaRussa retired from managing.

LaRussa finished with 2,728 wins as a manager, behind only old-timers Connie Mack and John McGraw.

Final Card: Tony Pierce

Here is the only solo card for Athletics' pitcher Tony Pierce (#38). He also appeared in a late-series Athletics Rookie Stars card in the 1967 set.

Pierce was signed by the Kansas City Athletics in 1964, and was a starting pitcher in their minor-league system for 3 seasons. Tony advanced slowly, pitching in Rookie and A ball in '64, repeating A ball in '65, and moving up to AA in '66.

After compiling a 13-8 record with AA Mobile in 1966, Pierce skipped over triple-A, jumping up to Kansas City to start the 1967 season. Tony worked out of the bullpen, where he and Paul Lindblad were the only lefties on the entire staff. Besides his 43 relief appearances, he also started 6 games (including all 5 of his games in September).

When the Athletics moved to Oakland in 1968, Pierce returned to the bullpen. He only pitched in 17 games that season, the last on June 21st. I suspect he came down with arm problems, since he never played in the majors or minors again.

Bob Kennedy (#183)

Bob Kennedy was the first manager of the Oakland Athletics. In the A's final season in Kansas City (1967), manager Alvin Dark was given the boot with 40 games remaining. He was replaced on an interim basis by Luke Appling, with Kennedy making a fresh start in 1968 in Oakland.

Bob's tenure at the A's helm only lasted one season. After finishing 82-80, the Athletics brought in former Orioles' skipper Hank Bauer for 1969. (Bauer' stint was even shorter than Kennedy's, lasting only 149 games in 1969.)



Unlike almost all of his players' cards, Kennedy didn't get the "black cap" treatment from Topps. Here we see him in his Cubs' uniform, in a semi-recent picture. Bob served as the Cubs "head coach" from 1961 to 1965.

(From 1961 to 1965, instead of hiring a manager like all teams have done since baseball was invented, the Cubs got the bright idea of using a "manager-by-committee" approach. This College of Coaches included Kennedy and at least 5 other guys. Amazingly, this management strategy did not put an end to the Cubs decades-long record of futility. [/sarc] What the Cubs did do was put an end to this ridiculous arrangement in 1966 by hiring Leo Durocher as their manager.)

Back on Topps' Radar: Dave Duncan

Dave Duncan (#261) had his first baseball card in 1964 as half of an Athletics Rookie Stars card. He only played 25 games in 1964, then returned to the minors until resurfacing in 1967 for 34 games. Because of this, he was excluded from the 1965-67 sets. He would have a card every year from 1968 to 1977.

Duncan was signed by the Kansas City Athletics in 1963. After only one season in class-A ball, he spent the entire 1964 season with Kansas City (but only appeared in 25 games).

From 1965 to 1967, he played class A and AA baseball, and also appeared in some games for the Athletics in 1967, backing up #1 catcher Phil Roof. Dave's only season in triple-A came in 1968, when he split his time between Vancouver and the (now Oakland) Athletics. Duncan split the starting catching duties with the newly-acquired Jim Pagliaroni in 1968.



In 1969, Roof was back in the starter's chair, with Duncan and Larry Haney manning the 2nd and 3rd string catchers jobs. The following season, Dave again split the starting catching assignments, this time with Frank Fernandez. However, rookie Gene Tenace arrived on the scene, catching about 20% of the games.

1971 and 1972 were Duncan's only seasons as the Athletics' clear-cut starting catcher (with Tenace in reserve).

The latter part of Dave's career was spent bouncing from team to team. Before the 1973 season he was traded to the Indians for catcher Ray Fosse. In February 1975, he moved on to the Orioles for 1st baseman Boog Powell. After the 1976 season, the Orioles traded him to the White Sox for outfielder Pat Kelly, but Duncan was released in spring training.

Dave went on to have a long (and still active) career as a pitching coach for Tony LaRussa in Oakland and St. Louis. I wonder if any other non-pitcher was ever a major-league pitching coach?

Final Card: Floyd Robinson

Here is the final card for the other "F. Robinson" (#404).

Floyd Robinson was a starting outfielder for the White Sox in the early-to-mid 1960s. He's also a cousin of Tommie Reynolds (an outfielder for the Athletics and Mets in the mid-1960s).

Robinson began his career playing for unaffiliated teams in the low minors in 1954 and 1955. In each of those seasons, he made brief appearances with the unaffiliated San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. In 1956 San Diego became an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, so Robinson's contract was acquired by the Indians.

After 2 full seasons with San Diego, Floyd missed the 1958 and 1959 seasons due to military service. In 1959, Robinson (and in fact, the entire San Diego team) was acquired by the White Sox. After one more season in the minors, Floyd made his major-league debut with the White Sox on August 10, 1960. Chicago's outfield in 1960 consisted of Minnie Minoso in left, Jim Landis in center, and Al Smith in right. Robinson started the final 11 games of the season in right field.



In 1961, Floyd took over the right field job, making 102 starts (to Smith's 55) and finishing 3rd in the Rookie of the Year voting. In 1962, he alternated between left field (84 starts) and right field (70 starts).

From 1962 to 1965, Robinson was a workhorse in the White Sox' outfield, making more than 600 plate appearances each season. His 45 doubles in 1962 were tops in the AL.

In 1963, the Sox acquired Dave Nicholson from the Orioles to play left field, so it was back to right field for Robinson, starting 117 games there and 16 in left. 1964 was more of the same (regular right fielder, primary backup in left) for Robinson.

After starting 138 games in right field during 1965, Robinson's playing time fell off in 1966, as he made only 87 starts there.

After the 1966 season, he was traded to the Reds for pitcher Jim O'Toole. Floyd's time in the NL only lasted 1 season, as he was shipped to the Athletics for pitcher Ron Tompkins. After a short time with the A's, Floyd was sold to the Red Sox on July 31st. He was released after the season, ending his 9-year career.

Back on Topps' Radar: Diego Segui

I haven't posted any of these recently. Diego Segui (#517) had baseball cards in every season from 1963 to 1975 except for 1967.

Segui was signed by the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 1958 season, but released in early April. He caught on with the Tucson Cowboys, an independent team in the class-C Arizona-Mexico league. At the end of the 1958 season, he was acquired by the Kansas City Athletics.

Diego spent the next 3 seasons in the Athletics' farm system before making his major-league debut in April 1962. For his first 2 seasons, he was a starter and reliever. In 1964, he was primarily a starter. His 35 starts led the Athletics staff. Unfortunately, his 17 losses was the most in the American League. In 1965, he returned to a combined starting/relieving role.

(at least Topps used green to airbrush his cap!)

Two days after the 1966 opener, Segui was sold to the Washington Senators. By the end of July (after 21 appearances), the Nats traded him back to Kansas City for pitcher Jim Duckworth. However, he was relegated to triple-A for the rest of the season (hence, no 1967 baseball card!)

In 1967 Diego started 7 games in triple-A, and appeared in 36 games for Kansas City (only 3 starts). Segui was strictly a reliever in 1968, making 52 appearances as the #2 man in the bullpen behind "closer" Jack Aker.

Segui was selected by the Seattle Pilots in the 1969 expansion draft. (Later in the draft, the Pilots also plucked Aker from the A's bullpen.) Segui led the Pilots in saves (12), games (66), winning percentage (.667), was second in wins (12) and 1st among relievers in innings (142). His fine performance earned him a ticket out of Expansionville as he was traded back to the Athletics in December 1969 (along with shortstop Ray Oyler) for infielder Ted Kubiak and pitcher (and frequent Topps' "Rookie Star") George Lauzerique.

After winning 10 games for the Athletics in each of 1970 and 1971, Segui was shipped to the Cardinals midway through the 1972 season. After 1 1/2 seasons in St. Louis, Diego moved on to Boston in a 6-player deal.

He spent the 1974 and 1975 seasons in the Red Sox' bullpen, and was released in spring training in 1976. The Padres signed him, but kept him in triple-A all season.

Segui wrapped up his 15-year career in 1977 with the Mariners.

His son David played for the Orioles and other teams from 1990-2004.