More from the Christmas Haul means more of the great early 70s action cards.Waiting for the throw home that apparently came too late is the Royals' Fran Healy, as documented on the card. The guy sliding past him is opposing catcher Thurman Munson.
Healy was coming off of his best year to that point in 1974. In 1973, got into 95 games with the Royals. In 1974, he got into 139. Healy played in four more seasons, but never again in more than 56 games.
Topps focuses on Healy's early career on the card back, noting his team's American Legion championship and his All-Star honors at AA Pawtucket in 1967.
This has to be one of the easier photos to date of these early action shots. The Healy-Munson card could have been a few different plays. This one, though, given the scoreboard, can only be one play.As others have figured out previously, including The Hardball Times in March 2011, this is from Aug. 16, 1970, Cookie Rojas turning a double play in the bottom of the sixth. That's Ron Woods trying to break it up.
On the card back, Topps notes Rojas not only could play second, but he could play most other positions, too. On top of that, he could also pinch-hit and do it well, Topps wrote.
Here's one more cool early action shot that I came across. Tito Fuentes is bowling over the second-baseman. It's not entirely clear to me who the opposing team is. I'm betting Houston. But count the players. There's five people in the shot.It's too bad none of the other players have their numbers showing.
On the card back, Topps notes that Fuentes had the fewest strikeouts in Giants history in 1971. Topps also notes in the cartoon that "fans holler 'go-go' when Tito reaches base." presumably they did just that before the photo on the card.
Fran, Cookie and Tito! Not a lot of players who went by Fran. Healy in baseball and Tartenton in football are all I can think of.
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