Friday, January 16, 2009

#2 -- Ray Culp

Ray Culp



Ray pitched in the Sox rotation the first half of 1972, but wasn’t consistent. His last start (and game) of the year was on July 13 when he was lit up by the Twins. Ray had arm troubles over his career, so I’m going to suspect he was hurting. After all, the cool cartoon question on the card back says he led the Sox in innings pitched in 1971 and he looks monkey-armed and exhausted. He was released at the end of the year and re-signed in 1973, only to prove he was out of gas. In his career he was a 2-time All-Star, pitching 2 scoreless innings and striking out Tony Perez and Randy Hundley. He finished a distant 3rd in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting behind Pete Rose and Ron Hunt.

1972 Feature

Baseball went to Spring Training in 1972 under a cloud. Marvin Miller and the Players' Association were talking about a strike. The owners didn't really think it would happen, but when April 1 hit, so did the first major league baseball strike. The players ended up getting $500,000 for the pension fund and a concession for arbitration, but nothing for free agency.

As 1972 started, Curt Flood's career was over, Andy Messersmith was coming off a 20-win season for the Angels and Dave McNally had four straight 20-win seasons under his belt. Every major leaguer who doesn't have to get an offseason job to make ends meet should look those guys' names up, read about them and send them and their family (Flood and McNally have passed away) a thank-you card every year.

The strike ended on April 13. Games started back up. However, the owners refused to pay the players for the 7-9 games they refused to play. The games were never replayed. That wreaks havoc on my 1972 Strat-O-Matic game because the players ended up with fewer innings and at bats, so they start running out of gas quicker. That wasn't all the havoc caused by the unplayed games, as we'll see later on.

6 comments:

  1. Funny, I was just reading your new blog while you were commenting on my recent 72 Topps entry!

    I am really looking forward to what you have planned for your blog.

    - Kris

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ray Culp served up the first grand slam I ever witnessed in person at a Major League game, to the Royals' Paul Schaal over the left-centerfield wall at old Municipal Stadium. It was either June of '71 or '72, and if you hit a home run at ol' Municipal, you earned it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Everyone who is now happy that formerly major league cities like Cincinatti, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Milwaukee are now farm clubs for New York should also send those guys a thank you card every year.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 楽々稼げる携帯チャットレディーです。くちこみで評判のOL・主婦 高収入バイト求人で幸せな生活を取り戻しました。某掲示板でも評判の40代女性に人気の携帯在宅バイトがいい感じ、素敵なサイト自宅 携帯チャットレディーで幸せな生活を取り戻しました。マル秘情報満載20代女性が稼ぎやすいアルバイトで貴重なサイトを知れて良かったです!人気急上昇中のママさんに人気の携帯アルバイトを参考に某掲示板でも評判の学生・OLに人気の高収入アルバイトで幸せになれた○優良サイト未経験でも稼げる携帯ライブチャットレディーに今すぐGO~イイ情報がたくさんの好きな時間に稼げる携帯ライブチャットレディーを見ました。優良サイト彼氏に内緒で稼げる 携帯アルバイトを参考にしてみてね★お勧め専業主婦 稼ぎやすい在宅バイト が参考になりました♪役立つ短時間で稼げる携帯チャットレディーはいい情報がありました◎稼ぐための参考サイト好きな時間に稼げる携帯チャットレディーを見ました。口コミで大人気の確実に稼げるチャットレディーバイトは楽しいね。優良情報満載片手間でも1日2万以上稼げるを参考にマル秘情報満載人妻でも1日5000円以上稼げるに今すぐGO~→楽々稼げる携帯メールレディーを見てみてね~♪マル秘サイト学生・OL 高収入アルバイト求人が1番良かったです!!素敵な夜だけでも稼げる携帯チャットレディーはいい情報がありました◎→稼げる携帯チャトレ募集に今すぐGO~見ないと損する自宅で稼げる メールレディーです。マル秘情報満載素人でも稼げるメールレディーで幸せになれた○ココ→40代女性 稼ぎやすい自宅バイト を見てみてね~♪→初心者でも稼げる携帯メールレディーを参考にしてみてね★役立つ時給2000円以上のチャトレを参考にしてみてね★優良サイト素人 稼ぎやすい自宅バイト で幸せになれた○優良サイト時間制限無し稼げる携帯ライブチャットレディーがいい感じ、

    ReplyDelete