They sacrificed their baseball cards

Forty-five years ago, Major League Baseball went through the most interesting November in its history to date.

Imagine, if you will, a month that contained an expansion draft for two new major league teams, the signings of the first free agents from the first free agent class, and a trade involving exchanging a player (Manny Sanguillen) for a manager (Chuck Tanner).

The number of November 1976 baseball transactions dwarfed the number of November 1975 transactions, 127-11.

 

I can't imagine what it was like for veteran baseball fans who had grown accustomed to the in-season and off-season rhythms of baseball for years if not decades. Probably a lot of grousing about entitled ballplayers was involved.

 

I was 11. I had just started following baseball news, picking it up only a year later with the first free agent rumblings involving Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally and my team's big trade with the Braves as the Dodgers acquired Dusty Baker.

 

So, all of the action in November 1976 didn't seem that unusual to me, except for having two new teams to follow and hoping the Dodgers would get involved in signing some of those free agents (they didn't).

 

By the end of the month, more than a dozen big names in baseball signed with new teams. By doing that, they not only paved the way for what we know now as a baseball offseason, but they gained themselves a much larger pay day than baseball players had been accustomed to for decades prior.

 

They also made a sacrifice.

 

They set out to make this free agency thing work, but also sacrificed their baseball cards in the process. To illustrate, I'll go through the first 10 players to sign a free agent contract in November 1976. I'll compare their 1976 Topps card with their 1977 Topps card.

 

1. Relief pitcher Bill Campbell. Signed with the Red Sox on Nov. 6, 1976

 

Campbell's first Red Sox card doesn't look half bad until you study it a little closer and realize he is still wearing a Twins uniform. It's possible the photos on his '76 and '77 cards could be from the same photo shoot, although the backgrounds look a bit different.

 

 

2. Outfielder Don Baylor. Signed with the Angels on Nov. 16, 1976.

 

The Angels were the busiest team in the November free agent market, signing three big names. Don Baylor came first. His hat on his '77 card is obviously airbrushed with a crooked "A" and a yellow halo that does not loop around that A.

 

 

3. Shortstop Bert Campaneris. Signed with the Rangers on Nov. 17, 1976

 

Campaneris and the next three players all signed deals with new teams on Wednesday, Nov. 17, the biggest day of the first free agent season. Campy's 1977 card doesn't come close to his '76 card, not only because of the obviously painted Rangers hat, but because his '76 card is one of the best of his career, terrific bunting pose and that great All-Star star. (Did Topps simply use a close-up head shot of the photo used on the '76 card? His facial expression is almost identical).

4. Second baseman Dave Cash. Signed with the Expos on Nov. 17, 1976.

In a possible commentary on how "money doesn't always mean happiness," Dave Cash seems to be enjoying life a bit more on his 1976 card. Maybe the bill of  his Expos cap is way too bright.

5. Outfielder Gary Matthews. Signed with the Braves on Nov. 17, 1976

"Sarge" was a card favorite of mine when I first started collecting. I clearly didn't have any clue as Matthews played for teams I didn't like for the most part and was particularly troublesome in the 1983 NLCS while with the Phillies.

Matthews' 1976 self appears quite suspicious of that 1977 Matthews card.

 

 

6. First baseman/outfielder Joe Rudi. Signed with the Angels on Nov. 17, 1976

The former three-time World Series champion Oakland A's were gutted during November of 1976. Campaneris, Jackson, Rudi, Bando, Fingers and Tenace all left Oakland for new teams during this month. Campaneris, Jackson, Rudi and Tenace each featured All-Star stars on their '76 cards, making the transition to an airbrushed hat and head shot particularly jarring.

7. Starting pitcher Don Gullett. Signed with the Yankees on Nov. 18, 1976.

Don Gullett seems to have gone from nervous to crestfallen in his card path from Red to Yankee. His '76 card isn't anything spectacular but at least the hat logo is proportional.

 

 

8. Third baseman Sal Bando. Signed with the Brewers on Nov. 19, 1976.

This is perhaps the biggest "sacrifice" of all of the first ten signees. Bando's 1977 card is the first one I ever saw, I never pulled his '75 or '76 card. I was aware of Sal Bando though and that '77 card definitely looked "off" to me.

To sum up, Bando went from a close-up action shot on his '76 card -- a relative rarity in the '76 set -- to a head shot of him wearing a cap color that wouldn't actual show up in real life until the Florida Marlins came along.

 

9. Starting pitcher Wayne Garland. Signed with the Indians on Nov. 19, 1976

I didn't know who Wayne Garland was until his 20-win season for the Orioles in 1976. Then the first card I saw of him was hat-less Indians card in the 1977 set. In retrospect, knowing how wonderful the '70s were, it's awesome seeing that perm-and-stache. I'm willing to say it's a better card than his '76 card, even though he should've known better signing with the Indians.

10. Starting/relief pitcher Doyle Alexander. Signed with the Rangers on Nov. 23, 1976.

I didn't realize Alexander was airbrushed entirely into a Rangers uniform when I pulled his card in 1977. It was many years later when I let out a guffaw upon spotting it. Perhaps it's still better than Alexander's '76 card where he appears to be gloving his crotch, but it's more artwork than baseball card.

Those were the first 10, but the pattern continued for the free agent signings that followed in November. Bobby Grich, Steve Stone, Eric Soderholm and, of course, Reggie Jackson.

 

No comparison. From one of the best cards of the 1970s to Reggie wearing a helmet that looks like it would clang if you knocked on it.

These are the sacrifices the first free agents made during that November 45 years ago. Their baseball card was crappy for a year.

Small price to pay I guess. Although some of the players above didn't exactly continue their success with their new team.