Back to School

With the summer coming to a close it is back to school for the kids, so we thought it would be fun to take a look at the backs of a couple of cards and a favorite kindergarten activity.

The back of Mel Queen’s 1969 card was always intriguing, as it was the Centaurs of baseball cards— half batting stats and half pitching stats.

One rule in player development is that if a guy with a good arm is failing as a hitter; put him on the mound (and vice versa). Stan Musial toiled as a minor league pitcher before his Hall of Fame career as a hitter for the Cardinals. Trevor Hoffman was a light-hitting shortstop in A-ball before taking his rocket arm to the mound and a date with the Hall as Baseball’s premier closer. Yet, Queen’s shifting of positions was beyond the norm since it occurred at the Major League level and it was the exception in cards.

The son of former Yankee and Pirate hurler, Mel Sr. (1942-52), the younger Queen started his career as a hitter, before shifting to the mound in 1966. He began his career as a minor league third baseman, but moved to the outfield. As one can tell from the card, in two seasons at Triple-A, Queen hit .275 and .260 while connecting on a combined 39 home runs for San Diego of the PCL. Unfortunately it didn’t translate over at the major league level, where he hit in the low .200s during parts of three seasons.

With not much more than a good fastball to begin a mound career, Queen did a bang-up job in 1967 when he went 14-8, 2.76 in 31 games, 24 of them starts. As the back of his card notes, “He was an instant success.” Yet, the right-hander didn’t exactly command his stuff, as he walked 143 hitters in 389-2/3 career innings.

Queen did go on to a long coaching career at the minor and major league levels, with a 4-1 record as an interim manager for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997.

However, we will always remember his baseball card of 1969 as one of the most fascinating cards of the 1960s.

Fred Gladding was an unheralded closer for the middle-of-the-road Houston Astros clubs of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Gladding flew sooooo far under the radar that he wasn’t even named to the 1969 All-Star squad, despite leading the Senior Circuit in saves with 29 that season.
After that snub, in protest, Gladding would often walk around the ballpark like a gorilla as captured in his 1971 card.
“Oooo, Oooo, aahh, aahh, I’m smarter than Koko the gorilla— and I throw better too.”

Turning over the 1971 card of Fred Gladding, one can see the darker side of the right-hander. Rumor has it that after games, he would put on the seductive dark rim glasses and plaid sport coat to become….. Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute!

Fred Garvin: Well, ma’am, you see, when a VIP like yourself comes to Moline to do business, it’s customary for the company to send a gal up to the room, compliments of Great Lakes Feed & Grain. And, well… since you’re a gal, the company sent me – Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute.

The resemblance is uncanny.

Dan Aykroyd’s portrayal of Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute who attempted to service Margot Kidder in the 1979 Saturday Night Live sketch was classic. Shortly after the SNL sketch aired, hotels were prompted to install “peep holes” in the doors to keep the Fred Garvins of the world on street corners with their
trusses.

Fred Garvin: Now, if you don’t mind, I do work with the glasses and jacket. [climbs in the bed] Feeling anything yet? Any symptoms of arousal

So as the first classes start for those five year olds, the game of “Simon Says” will become a staple for many kindergarten teachers as they look to have burn off some of the sugars from their morning bowl of Frosted Flakes while seeing who can actually follow directions.

Simon says: “Walk like a monkey.”

“Stand like a tree! Gibson — Boyer, you’re out— our winner is Javier!”

A slick fielding second sacker, who was adept at “turning two” Stan Javier was a staple during the Cardinals’ successful run in the 1960s. A right-handed swinger who choked up on his bat, the native Dominican was a singles-punching and bunting machine.

Javier lead the senior circuit in sacrifice bunts during his rookie campaign, which prompted Topps to name him to their 1960 All-Star Rookie Team and plaster a nice trophy on this card.

A two-time All-Star, the rangy Javier enjoyed his best season in 1967 as he hit .281, with 64 RBIs and a career-high 14 long balls, as his Cardinals reigned as World Champions. So impressed were the writers with his ’67 season, Javier actually claimed 41 MVP votes to finish ninth in the voting, behind winning teammate Orlando Cepeda.

Javier ran his career 13 seasons and finished with a .257 average. Though his son Stan sustained a longer career, 17 years all totaled, however we feel Julian had the better career overall— plus he was good at Simon Says.

Study hard kids… summer is over.