One-card wonders: update 5

If you know anything about pop music from 1978, you know it was the year of two major soundtracks, Saturday Night Fever and Grease.

The songs from those two albums dominated the charts all year and it was all a radio-listener ever heard. But beneath that disco-coated surface were some real gems. The year '78 is one of my favorites for rock n' roll/new wave music, many familiar songs that never made the charts. And it's also the year for crazy one-hit wonders that actually, wow, really did make the charts.

Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" made the top 30 (pop audiences could handle only "Zevon lite"). Randy Newman's "Short People" and Steve Martin's "King Tut" were huge hits. Johnny Paycheck sang "Take This Job and Shove It" and it became a Top 40 one-hit wonder.

Add the still-booming disco scene and there were one-hit wonders from Samantha Sang (Emotion), Love & Kisses (Thank God It's Friday) and Alicia Bridges (I Love the Nightlife). Then there is the one-hit wonder that has escaped itunes -- I know because I check like every month -- Chris Rea's "Fool (If You Think It's Over)".

It seems that '78 had more one-hit wonders than your average year, although taking a quick tour through various places that track such activity, that's definitely not the case.

But how about 1978 baseball cards? Were there more one-card wonders in '78 than in other recent years?

I'm in the process of finding out.

As you know, the One-Card Wonder series determines which players had one card, and one card only, in a major trading card set. The player didn't appear anywhere else, not on a multi-player rookie card or anywhere (minor league cards are excluded).

In 1978, Topps bumped its card set up from 660 cards to 726 cards. That seems like an invitation to add more fly-by-night ... er, one-card wonders to the checklist.

I haven't researched the one-card wonders for 1977, so we'll have to wait awhile to see if there's a leap in OCWs between '77 and '78, but here are the players from the 1978 set that have one card only:

1. Jerry Tabb, A's, #224
2. Sam Hinds, Brewers, #303
3. Jose Baez, Mariners, #311
4. Bob Gorinski, Twins, #386
5. Pat Rockett, Braves, #502
6. Gary Beare, Brewers, #516
7. Steve Staggs, Blue Jays, #521
8. George Zeber, Yankees, #591
9. Jeff Byrd, Blue Jays, #667
10. Randy Elliott, Giants, #719

This post was spurred on by Pat Rockett's recent 62nd birthday. He has one of the greatest baseball names from the '70s. It's an honor to place him in the One-Card Wonder list.

George Zeber has a card in the 1978 SSPC team-issue set that appeared in the Yankee yearbook that year. But I'm throwing that set in with minor league cards. Zeber is a One-Card Wonder to me.

I did exclude two other players who received just one Topps card:

Pat Scanlon and Ike Hampton each appear in the 1976 SSPC set. Since that set includes just about every player in the majors from 1975, I consider that a major set. You could make a case for Hampton being a OCW because he appears as a minor-leaguer in the SSPC, as a Tidwater Tide, but I'm leaving him out.

As for the number of 1978 One-Card Wonders, 10 is definitely a bump up from other sets that I've already researched. The '74 set has just seven OCWs and the '75 set has six.

The list so far: 

1967 Topps

#344 - Ossie Chavarria, A's
#388 - Arnold Earley, Cubs
#489 - Doug Clemens, Phillies
#497 - Ron Campbell, Cubs

1974 Topps:

#8 - George Theodore, Mets
#33 - Don Newhauser, Red Sox
#37 - Dave Sells, Angels
#77 - Rich Troedson, Padres
#421 - Dan Fife, Twins
#457 - Chuck Goggin, Braves
#573 - Mike Adams, Twins 

1975 Topps

#288 - Bruce Ellingsen, Indians
#407 - Herb Washington, A's
#508 - Bob Hansen, Brewers
#524 - John Doherty, Angels
#587 - Chris Ward, Cubs
#651 - John Morlan, Pirates 

1978 Topps:

#224 - Jerry Tabb, A's
#303 - Sam Hinds, Brewers
#311 - Jose Baez, Mariners
#386 - Bob Gorinski, Twins
#502 - Pat Rockett, Braves
#516 - Gary Beare, Brewers
#521 - Steve Staggs, Blue Jays
#591 - George Zeber, Yankees
#667 - Jeff Byrd, Blue Jays
#719 - Randy Elliott, Giants

1980 Topps:

#59 - Eddy Putman, Tigers
#72 - Fred Howard, White Sox
#156 - Tony Brizzolara, Braves
#221 - Joe Cannon, Blue Jays
#233 - LaRue Washington, Rangers
#291 - Randy Scarberry, White Sox
#347 - Harry Chappas, White Sox

1981 Topps:

 #491 - Gordy Pladson, Astros

1982 Topps:

#356 - Denny Lewallyn, Indians

1984 Topps:

#116 - George Bjorkman, Astros
#159 - Darryl Cias, A's
#163 - Lorenzo Gray, White Sox
#337 - Kevin Hagen, Cardinals
#382 - Chris Nyman, White Sox
#474 - Greg Bargar, Expos

1994 Topps:

#491 - John Hope, Pirates


I'll probably research 1977 or 1979 next to get a handle on any increase. Then I really have to start tracking some OCWs for one of the other card company brands.

Meanwhile, I'll try to get this song out of my head. It never made the Top 40. But it was a radio hit in 1978, and it's as catchy as anything. Eat them up, yum.