#6 - '74 Highlights, Mike Marshall

Card fact: It's the first Dodger of the set! If I knew as much about cards then as I do now, I would be thrilled that a Dodger player appeared in a "highlights" subset. It doesn't happen nearly as often as you might think.

What I thought about this card then: Sadly, I didn't even know it existed. And that's the way it stood for decades. Since highlight cards weren't included in your garden variety team checklist, how was I to know there was another Dodger to collect? Finally, when I returned to collecting in 2005 by focusing on the first set of my childhood, I stumbled upon this card. Boy, was my face red. All of those years of proclaiming I had completed the '75 Dodger set way back in the late '70s turned out to be nothing but a lie. OK, I never proclaimed it to anyone. But it still tore me up.

What I think about this card now: I'm not crazy about the picture. Marshall is surrounded by manager Walter Alston, catcher Steve Yeager and shortstop Bill Russell. Something bad appears to be going down.

Other stuff: Pitching in 106 games a season is amazing, especially with the way relievers were used in the '70s. But I'm kind of surprised that the record is still standing. Now that relievers barely pitch an inning, you'd think someone would have no problem throwing in that many games. But the closest anyone has gotten is Mike Fetters with 97 in 2002.

Back facts: Not only did Marshall set records for game appearances and innings pitched in relief, but he appeared in 13 straight games and closed 84 games. All of those records are still intact. Here is Dr. Marshall's web site. There is a lot to absorb there. If you know the history of Mike Marshall, you know he has many, many thoughts on pitching.

Other blog stuff: I officially have the first 110 cards of the set scanned. Working hard, people. ... OK, back to scanning.