#12 - Bill Melton
Melton is mentioned as the "heir apparent to the home run crown". He surpassed Norm Cash and Reggie Jackson by one in 1971.
Not on the card - his highest yearly total after 1971 was 21. 1971 was his only all-star selection.
Bill has a "strikeout problem" that has gotten him several records.
Not on the card - he never exceeded 107 strikeouts in a season. Last year 119 players had 108 or more strikeouts.
He played football in high school, but not baseball.
#11 - Merv Rettenmund
Even though I've seen lots of his cards, I don't think that I would have spelled Merv's name correctly. I don't remember announcers pronouncing the first "N" in his last name.
Wow, the Orioles traded Frank Robinson since Merv was playing so well.
Not on the card - 1971 was his only season with more than 107 games played. He never neared his 1971 stats again though he played until 1980. He was traded after the 1973 season. Robinson hit 91 homers in the next four seasons compared to Merv's 66 career homers.
He played football and baseball at Ball State and he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.
Not on the card - he was drafted in round 19 of 20 by the Cowboys. He was a year too early for the MLB draft, which didn't exist yet. The Orioles signed him in November of 1964.
After the 1970 season he went on an MLB trip to Viet Nam military bases and other Asian military hospitals.
#10 - Joe Torre
Joe listed popular music as a hobby. In 1971 would that still make him a "hippie"?
Here is a link to the 1971 year-end top 100 Billboard hits -
Kellogg's is back with more comments that Topps would never make. The card mentions his shrinking waistline and the corresponding increase in his batting average. The next line mentions his diet during the last two seasons.
He won the 1971 MVP Award. He led the majors in batting, hits and RBIs.
Not on the card - Torre had a .305 career average after 1971. He finished at .297
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